Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

In the early morning, the sky was gloomy. Around noon, a strong wind blew, shaking the dead branches everywhere. In the courtyard, a small maid named Xiuxiu, with an ordinary face, was running hurriedly, catching a little rabbit in the yard and bringing it back into the house. Tiny snowflakes blew, and the world was covered with silver again. In the house in the backyard of the palace, white little feet jumped off the ground and ran to the door.

"Little rabbit, little rabbit——"

Some inarticulate sounds came out of Lu Wen's mouth. She took the snow-white rabbit from the maid, held it in her arms like a baby, trotted back to the bed, put the rabbit on the red quilt, and stroked it with a smile.

"I hope my future children will be as lively as Wen'er."

Hu Sanniang touched her belly. She was not pregnant yet, but she could already feel the changes in her body: "It's so wonderful. It's hard to believe that there is really a little life in my belly."

Wu Qing looked at the somewhat cold maid, smiled, and asked her to add some charcoal to the brazier, then said: "It's only been a few months, it will be interesting when your belly gets bigger. But what's so good about a girl like Wen'er, she's so naughty all day long, I'll annoy you to death when the time comes."

"It's good to be active and practice martial arts." Su Jinniang added, eating sweet and sour preserved fruits: "I want to pass on my martial arts to my children in the future."

Hu Sanniang nodded: "Me too."

Wu Qing smiled helplessly. The three of them were talking here, but they didn't notice that the little person on the bed stopped moving at some point, pricked up his ears to listen to a few words, and immediately jumped up on the bed: "I want to learn too! I want to learn too!"

"Why are you joining in the fun?" Wu Qing looked at her daughter unhappily.

"I have to learn!" The little guy was a little unconvinced.

"Okay, when you are older, you can learn from me." Hu Sanniang and Su Jinniang smiled and turned to Wu Qing and said, "If the child likes it, then give it a try. Although my husband doesn't like women going to the battlefield, he doesn't object to martial arts training, right? Qiongying is still practicing with him."

"I always hope she can learn something like needlework." Wu Qing pinched her forehead and said, "She's already so naughty, how can she learn martial arts?"

"Practicing martial arts takes up time and energy. I don't know if I will need my sister to watch over me when the time comes."

"...It seems so."

There was a chattering of voices, and then a maid came over to remind them that it was time for lunch. The three women got up in a hurry. Wu Qing asked the two of them to take Lu Wen to eat, and she took a lunch box to pack some food, then put on her fur coat and walked all the way to Lu Bu's study.

Just like when we were in Liangshan.

……

The sky is dark.

The lights were lit during the day, illuminating the furnishings in the room. Lu Bu was the only one in the study at this time. Under the flickering firelight, his expression was a little serious.

When Wu Qing came in, she was watching the man writing something with his head down. She smiled and walked over to put the food box on the table: "My dear, you have worked hard. Eat something."

"Hmm?" The man raised his head and smiled: "It's already lunch time."

Watching Wu Qing take out the food, he stood up and washed his hands: "Send someone to call me back. It's freezing outside. Isn't it cold to walk around outside?"

"It's just a few steps away. I'm not that delicate." Wu Qing smiled and took out the porcelain box of warm dishes from below, lit a candle and put the plate on it to keep it warm. She glanced at the official documents on the desk and said, "Why are there so many things to do in winter? My husband usually goes back to eat, but since you didn't go back, I thought maybe you came here because you had more official business."

"There's not much to do. Compared to the first one or two months, nowadays, we have a batch of documents every three days, which is already quite free." Lu Bu wiped his hands with a white towel. "It's just that I recruited four new people yesterday. Wang Zheng gave some suggestions today, and I want to use them as soon as possible."

He strode over and looked at the food on the plate, a little surprised: "There are green vegetables today?" "They were newly delivered this morning. Zhou Darong said they were all stored in the cellar, but they are a little wilted." Wu Qing didn't care much about government affairs. She looked at the man and said, "I forgot to tell my husband that yesterday, sister-in-law from the Ruan family came over and asked if the second brother could go back during the New Year's Day."

"It's a bit difficult." Watching Wu Qing pour hot water into the bowl and put the wine pot in to heat it, the man thought for a moment and said, "According to the latest official document, Ruan Xiaoer and his men are deployed at sea, and Yang Pu from Gaoli has not returned. Maybe the talks are not going well."

He paused for a moment and said, "However, it's not that quick to send an envoy to another country. Maybe we won't get any news until early next year. Let Sister-in-law Ruan work harder. When Xiao Er and the others come back, give them more rewards to compensate the soldiers who are drifting on the sea."

Wu Qing nodded: "I don't understand these, but I will tell my sister-in-law. I think it's because I have never been separated from my second brother for such a long time. I miss him a little."

"Since ancient times, many people have been away from home for years..." Under the woman's gaze, Lu Bu hesitated and sighed: "That's true, I can understand her feelings."

The snowstorm gradually intensified, and the voices of a man and a woman talking softly were lost in the howling.

……

The wind was strong and the waves were high. The winter sea seemed even more dangerous. Snowflakes fell into the blue waves and merged into them. The sea eel boats without sails moved slowly on the sea. Since arriving at the sea for defense, Huyan Qing, Li Bao, Ruan Xiaoer and others were not prepared to include their entire coastline in the protection range.

With Changshan Islands and Suzhou as base points, a line was formed to the south with the Changdao Islands controlled by the family in Song Dynasty. Several outposts were set up on the islands, and beacons would be used as signals at any time if any trace of pirates was discovered.

Normally, they would go and check every once in a while to prevent them from being taken out without their knowledge. With such an order, Huyan Qing took several sea eel boats to pick up some fish there today.

"Since these outposts were established, most pirate ships are unable to cross the border to the west of Liaodong. Now only the east of Muzhou is more dangerous."

Pointing at the sea chart, Hu Yanqing spoke to Liu Ti and Han Kai.

"There aren't many islands over there." Liu Ti sighed, "Otherwise, there are beacon towers like this one, which could be of some help."

"Have you packed your winter clothes? It's cold on the sea, don't let yourself get frozen."

"Take them all with you, as well as fresh water and food. It will last until the next time you go to investigate."

Han Kai swayed his body and touched his big bald head. Huyan Qing nodded and said okay.

After leaving Liaodong, on the vast sea, where the sea and the sky meet, the silhouette of a ship appeared faintly. The first soldier who discovered it was wearing a water jacket and a fur coat. He looked at the black spot for a long time and shouted down: "There is a ship, in the west!"

"West? Goryeo, be alert!" the general below shouted and hurried to the mahjong room to report.

In winter, strong winds make it the most difficult to sail, and it is also the time when pirates risk their lives. There are merchant ships in winter, but few come from the west. Most of them are Song Dynasty merchants from the south.

Huyan Qing, wearing a helmet and armor and a white cloak, walked to the lookout and looked over there carefully. The scene was not very clear in the wind and snow, but he could vaguely see two black outlines. When he got closer, he saw the two ships changing directions, and he frowned immediately.

"You're going to leave when you see us? That's definitely not a good idea. Send a signal, get over there and capture these two ships."

The messenger immediately ran out, and the brightly colored flags waved in the white.

"Raise the military flag and go at full speed!" (End of this chapter)