Just as Fu Fan stepped out of the study, Chu Ying walked out from behind the curtains.
This young lady from a prominent family in the south was frowning and looking at her husband with some dissatisfaction.
Although the north of the Great Wall had been plagued by the flames of war all year round, Fu Chen had been holding down the fort at the border over the years. With a series of iron-blooded methods, the Li clan had only been involved in small skirmishes at most. Those so-called wars were not even worth mentioning.
And when she thought of the remote place her son was about to go to, Chu Ying felt a dull pain in her heart. She began to feel sorry for her precious baby. Fu Fan had been spoiled by her for more than ten years and was used to being fed and clothed. Now that he was suddenly sent to the south by his father, she could not be at ease.
"Without a bone-chilling cold, how can one smell the fragrance of plum blossoms? I have my reasons for Fan 'er's path. What do you, a woman, know? "Fu Chen looked at his wife's worried face and could not help but snort coldly.
Chu Ying did not care about her husband's attitude at all. She said coldly, "Let me ask you, in the autumn of the 18th year of De Wu, I was about to give birth. Who was it that insisted on going to the border when Fan 'er was about to be born, regardless of whether we lived or died? In the first year of Zhengde, the current Emperor had just ascended to the throne and the court was not stable. In order to stabilize the court, he sent you to command the army in the Great Wall. Our family followed you from the rich and populous capital to the Great Wall filled with wind and sand. This has been fifteen years. In these fifteen years, have I ever had a single word of complaint? I do not want to and do not want to argue with you about what happened in the past. But when it concerns my precious son, I must be clear! "
Fu Chen looked at his wife's determined expression and thought of the debt he had owed her and her son for the past twenty years. His face unconsciously warmed up.
"Ying 'er, although I am a general of Jiang Chu, I am also Fan' er's father. He is my only son."
Fu Chen sighed faintly.
Chu Ying was a talented woman whose name shook the entire south and was extremely intelligent. Hearing this, her heart suddenly jumped. She raised her head to stare at her husband and said in a hurried tone, "Could it be that the Li clan's actions this time …"
Fu Chen helplessly looked at his lover, who had accompanied him through hardships, and helplessly nodded.
Chu Ying's eyes reddened when she saw this. She went forward and hugged her husband tightly as she muttered, "It's good that Fan 'er has left. We have to be well, we have to be well …"
That night, from the most authoritative Old Lady of the Fu family, to General Ye who was about to go on an expedition, to the gentle and virtuous Mistress of the Fu family, none of them felt sleepy at all.
The Matriarch was worried about her son and grandson, while Chu Ying was worried about her son and husband.
But there were always exceptions to everything. After Fu Fan returned to his room, he casually chatted with the maid, Little Zi, and then fell asleep. He was both afraid and excited about tomorrow's trip to the south. With both conflicting feelings, he was extremely tired, so he fell asleep early.
…
At the first glimmer of dawn the next day, the entire Fu Residence began to move with the neighing of war horses.
With Chu Ying's help, Fu Chen put on his armor and put on his armor. Then, the couple held hands and went to pay their respects to the Matriarch.
To their surprise, the Matriarch walked in with the help of two maidservants before they had even stepped out of the door.
Fu Chen looked at his mother's head of white and his strong body trembled. Even though he had killed countless people on the battlefield, he could not help but tear up. The battlefield was not like the business world. No one could tell what would happen.
The two of them paid their respects to the Matriarch. Then, Chu Ying took the Matriarch's hand from the two maidservants and personally helped her sit down.
"Mother, why are you here? It's such a cold day. We should be the ones to pay our respects to you, "Chu Ying said gently as she looked at her mother-in-law.
"Wife, I'm leaving again. I can't rest easy if I don't come to see him. It's just that it's been hard on you all these years," the Matriarch said softly as she placed Chu Ying's left hand in her palm with pity.
"I've been unfilial and made you worry, Mother." Fu Chen's tone was a little gloomy.
"Fu Chen, your father passed away early, leaving us to fend for ourselves. Now that you have a wife and a child, you must remember to prioritize your own safety!" Old Matriarch of the Fu Clan whispered to her son. "Fu Chen, your father passed away early, leaving us alone.
"You'll be leaving soon. Let my grandson leave in the afternoon. This old bag of bones wants to take one last good look at my obedient grandson." The Matriarch's voice was very soft but when Chu Ying, who was standing by the side, heard her words, two streams of tears flowed down her cheeks. The sharp-eyed maidservant quickly handed her a handkerchief when she saw her First Grandmother crying.
Chu Ying choked with sobs but still forced a smile. "Mother, what are you saying? Fan 'er is only going out for a while. He'll be back soon."
"Sigh." The Matriarch sighed and closed her eyes. With a wave of her hand, she gestured for Fu Chen and Chu Ying to leave. She then sat in the room, motionless.
The couple went straight to the main entrance of the Fu residence. A group of Fu residence's bodyguards dressed in armor were already waiting there. When they saw Fu Chen, the dozen or so men dismounted in unison and knelt on one knee. They cupped their fists and shouted, "Greetings, General!"
Fu Chen nodded and raised his right hand, gesturing for the soldiers to rise. He then took the reins from the old steward and stroked his beloved horse's mane. He then turned to look at his wife and said gently, "I'll leave you to take care of me after I leave."
"Don't worry, husband. I'll take care of everything at home." Chu Ying's eyes were slightly red.
"Take good care of yourself and wait for my return," Fu Chen whispered into Chu Ying's ear.
"Tell Fan 'er that his father is waiting for him at the borders." Fu Chen had just finished speaking when he suddenly lashed out with his horsewhip. His legs clamped tightly around the horse's abdomen and he charged out first. Ten cavalrymen followed closely behind him. The trampling of the horses' hooves filled the entire road with dust.
The wind blew and the clouds flew. Snowflakes fell from the sky towards the Chu border.
Who could understand the general's intentions? He watched as his mother cried at home.
By the time Fu Fan had finished washing up with Little Zi's help, the sky was already turning bright. Although he had woken up early, his father had left even earlier! In the end, the father and son did not get to see each other one last time before they parted.
At noon, Fu Fan, Chu Ying and Matriarch Fu sat around the dining table. Although the food on the table looked extremely tempting, none of them had the slightest appetite.
Matriarch held Fu Fan's hand tightly and her lips trembled slightly. "Xiao Fan, I don't know when you'll be back. Let Grandma take one last good look at you."
Hearing this, Fu Fan's expression changed greatly. He could not help but sound flustered. "Grandma, what nonsense are you talking about? I'm only going out for a while. I'll be back soon. "
Matriarch Fu ignored Fu Fan's words and pulled him into her arms. She then said gently, "The Fu family does not owe anyone anything. Xiao Fan, no matter what happens in the future, you just have to follow your heart. Your mother, your father, and I will not blame you."
Hearing his grandmother's nonsensical words, Fu Fan was a little confused. However, it was not appropriate for him to ask his grandmother about the details since they were about to part. He just assumed that she was speaking incoherently because she felt sorry for her grandson.
Chu Ying looked at her son quietly and then said, "Fan 'er, when you arrive, remember to write home a letter every month so that your grandmother and I won't worry about you."
Nodding heavily, Fu Fan suddenly buried his head in the food in his bowl. Two streams of tears flowed down his cheeks into his mouth. It was salty and astringent.
After hastily finishing his lunch, Fu Fan finally had to leave.
At the entrance of the Fu Residence, there was a servant waiting outside with a horse carriage.
This time, only his mother came to send Fu Fan off. Matriarch Fu had sent off her son and grandson in one day. At this moment, she was secretly wiping her tears in her room. She was afraid that her grandson's heart would ache when he saw her, so she decided not to leave the residence.
"Fan 'er, you're going south alone this time. You must learn to be more tolerant. The outside world is not like home. You can't do whatever you want," Chu Ying said solemnly.
Fu Fan was aware of this a long time ago. Besides a coachman sending him off, there was no one else on this trip to the south. Using his father's words, how could a person who couldn't even take care of himself be able to calm down and learn true ability?
"Mother, I'm not by your side. You and grandmother have to take good care of yourselves." Fu Fan's voice trembled slightly. After all, he was only a sixteen-year-old child. It was his first time leaving his parents and traveling alone. It was inevitable that he would feel a little sad.
…
Under the setting sun, a horse carriage drew a long shadow under the sunlight as it slowly headed towards the south …
In the 15th year of Zhengde, the General of the North, Fu Chen, rushed to the northern frontier. His son, Fu Fan, also began his journey south.
After this parting, it was unknown when they would meet again.
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