re always a bit thinner and don't have the broad frame of Zong Yu.He was so tall, twisting and turning to wipe his tears, which caused Fang Jinshu to smile involuntarily. She walked over and patted hi...She took out the needle bag, her expression becoming more serious.

"I'm going to start stitching you up now, Shen Li. From this moment on, you can't move a muscle, understood"

Shen Li nodded, he was a very obedient child.

It took Zongyu a long time to finally meet Pan, the county magistrate.

Pan Zhi'an has been incredibly busy lately. The various townships under the county government have been continuously reporting disaster data, and he's had to rack his brains to maintain the livelihoods of the people in the county town.

We must keep writing to the higher authorities and reporting the plight of the people here, requesting aid from the imperial court.

But every letter reporting the disaster and requesting help was sent upwards, yet there was never a response.

His urgent dispatch sent eight hundred miles to the capital was quickly answered. The letter said that the court would send a detachment from the nearby border troops to take over the matter.

The Yuzhou magistrate also sent a message back, saying that the person Pan Zhi'an asked him to help find had never appeared in Yuzhou City.

Since the army had taken over the matter of U Meng people secretly infiltrating Da Xi, it was for the best. However, Zong Yu hadn't sent any news, and he was quite worried.

An image involuntarily popped into my mind of Fang Jinshi with tear-stained cheeks, about to kneel before him.

"Sir, someone is asking to see you outside."

Pan Zhi'an rubbed his temples, pain radiating through him. "Did you find out who the visitor is What brings them to my office"

The officer replied, “I asked him. He said his name was Zong Yu. When my lord hears his name, he will know.”

Pan Zhi'an was indeed taken aback, "Let him in."

Is Zongyu Ping'an back

What about those people from the Wu Meng nation on that mountain

Zong Yu spoke little, giving a brief explanation of the mountain's situation. When he took out the red iron ore, Pan Zhian's face changed dramatically.

"Are you sure this was carved into the mountain wall by people from the Umeng Kingdom"

Zongyu's expression had already said it all, Pan Zhi'an just couldn't believe that these people would be so bold.

If this is true, the two countries are likely to go to war.

This is a scene that both officials and commoners would most dislike seeing.

Regardless of the reasons given by the court for going to war, it is the common people who suffer.

Xizhou is still the closest place to the border with Wumen Kingdom. This place has just gone through a long drought, and the people have been suffering greatly.

After a war, will the people of Xizhou still have a way to survive

Pan Zhi'an slumped back two steps, stumbling and collapsing into the chair.

Even his voice sounded weak.

"You should go back first, the court will handle this matter."

Zong Yu frowned, as if he had something to say. He stood there without moving, and Pan Zhi'an looked up at him.

"Are we going to war"

Pan Zhian was very surprised, "I didn't expect even you, a hunter from the mountains and wilds, could guess."

He remembered Fang Jinshu's mountaintop and, out of kindness, reminded Zongyu a few more times.

"This is a matter for the court, even I have no power to do anything about it."

"Your mountaintop location is fairly well-concealed. If you maintain a good watch, perhaps you could survive this natural disaster."

"Don't come out anymore."

What Zongyu wanted to say was not these things.

If there's a war, the imperial court will inevitably conscript soldiers.

This winter, no one can escape it.

Although hidden away in the mountains, Nonamura is still a registered village with the county government. If the imperial court were to conscript soldiers, the able-bodied men of their village would not be exempt.

There's no way to avoid it.

Pan Zhian heard that Zong Yu's words held a deeper meaning.

"If you have something to say, just speak your mind."

Zong Yu斂 lowered his eyes, as if hesitating. After a while, he still opened his mouth.

"Could you please help me write a letter of recommendation"

After leaving the county office, Zongyu returned to Li's small courtyard.

Upon his return, he saw his daughter-in-law lying asleep on the table. A young man lay unconscious on the bed. Shen Li sat cross-legged by the bed, her head full of silver needles.

Fang Jinxiu heard the sound and slowly raised her head. In her hazy state, she sensed a familiar scent approaching, and she instantly relaxed her expression, leaning into the person behind her and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Ah Yu, you're back."

Zong Yu let out an "hmm" and carried his wife to the bed in another room.

I watched them, "You can sleep if you're tired."

Fang Jinshi nodded. She also wanted to sit up and ask Zong Yu what he had said to the county magistrate and Pan Zhi'an, but her eyelids were simply too heavy.

Sleepiness was like a tidal wave, relentless and overwhelming, making her brain feel sluggish.

"Hmm, I'll just take a nap. Wake me up later," she said before falling asleep.

He served her meticulously, helping her remove her outer garments and shoes before tucking her in with a blanket. He then went to the kitchen and found a brazier to light a fire in the room.

Only after confirming that Jinxiu was sound asleep and wouldn't feel cold did he come to Shen Li and her servant's room.

Just then, Shen Li opened his eyes. didn't go as she hoped. King Jing seemed truly drunk. After being helped back to his room by a servant, he never came out again.King Jing entered his own courtyard. There were guards at the entrance,...