《The Reborn Wife is Farming》


 Chapter 1: Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 1: Encounter</h4>


    In the heavy rain, Mu Yangling stood in the rain with herrades. In front of them, the captain was shouting loudly, "You''re soldiers! You''ve studied in university for four years and trained here for a year. Is this all you''re capable of? I''m f*cking embarrassed for you!"


    About to go crazy from anger, the captain stuffed the report card under his team members'' eyes. "Aren''t you embarrassed? Aren''t you ashamed of yourselves? With such results, you still want to enlist in the special forces? Don''t you think it''s disgraceful? You might as well skin yourself alive and go home to farm."


    Standing at attention in the contingent, Mu Yangling felt that her face was burning in spite of the cold autumn rain. She clenched her fists by her side. Coincidentally, the captain saw this as he turned around, and aimed the cannon at her. "Mu Yangling, are you not convinced?"


    "Reporting to Captain, they''re old special forces soldiers¡­"


    "Bullsh*t. Are you going topare seniority with your enemy on the battlefield? You people are there to carry out a mission that could get you killed at any moment. If you''re not careful, your head will be gone. Don''t tell me your enemy won''t fight you if you tell him that he''s 30 and you''re 20? Then you might as well say that you''re women and they''re men, so you''re naturally inferior to them!"


    Mu Yangling hated it the most when people made an issue of gender, even if the other party was her beloved and respected captain. She turned around with a "whoosh" and looked at him with eyes full of anger, shouting, "Captain, let''s have a fight!"


    The captain and Mu Yangling''srades: "¡­"


    The captain pointed at Mu Yangling, speechless. In the end, he tossed aside the report card in his hand, rolled up his sleeves, and said, "Come,e on out. If I don''t skin you alive today, I''ll take your surname."


    Mu Yangling threw away the backpack on her back, took three steps forward and assumed a fighting stance. Just as the captain shouted "Come", Mu Yangling rushed towards him.


    The two of them exchanged three moves in an instant. The captain caught one of Mu Yangling''s fists andined endlessly in his heart. Even though it had been a year, he was still not used to Mu Yangling''s moves, for this youngss''s tactics were ever-changing. Yesterday, when he exchanged blows with her, she had taken the slow approach. Today, she was like a whirlwind, only caring about attacking and not defending. Moreover, the key was that this girl was incredibly strong. Overwhelmed, he wondered what he should do next.


    The surrounding team members mourned for their captain in their hearts.


    In the recent sparringpetition, Mu Yangling had won the individual all-round championship. Notably, she was ranked first in mixed martial arts. Not only did she defeat the special forces captain of her own military region, but she also defeated the special forces captain of the neighboring military region.


    In fact, the reason their team had cedst this time was all because of them. Although they were tough women, they were still women, after all.


    Mu Yangling''s capabilities had already crossed the line between that of a man and a woman. It was as if she had truly be a man¡­


    With a loud roar, Mu Yangling kicked out. Instantly, there was a bang and a delicate cry. Feeling a pain in her ears, Mu Yangling immediately opened her eyes and looked over with murderous eyes. Shu Wanniang held her stomach, visibly shocked. Then, tears welled up in her eyes. Heart aching, she asked worriedly, "Ah Ling, did you have a nightmare again? Child, look at how you shattered the pit table your father just made."


    Mu Yangling turned her neck stiffly. Only then did she see the broken pieces of wood on the brick bed. She seemed to have kicked the pit table, thinking it was the captain, again.


    Mu Yangling jumped up and gathered the smashed wood on the brick bed together. Acting nonchnt, she said, "It''s fine. I''ll go into the mountains to chop some woodter and make another table."


    Shu Wanniang frowned. "What exactly did you dream of? This is already the fifth table. It was the same when you were young. When you were still drinking milk, you also kicked constantly¡­"


    Shu Wanniang passed her daughter some clothes. Watching her quickly put them on in an undylike manner, she couldn''t help but worry. How could she marry off such a daughter in the future?


    Mu Yangling naturally wouldn''t say that she had dreamed of the scene where the captain trained and lectured them in her previous life. She only dared to say this in her heart and certainly not out loud.


    "Mother, where''s Father?"


    "Your father went to look for the Junior Officer to pay taxes again. We haven''t sold our leather goods yet, so we can''t pay the money for the time being. He went to ask if he could dy it for two days." Worry was evident on Shu Wanniang''s face. "With the little we earned this year, I''m afraid we won''t have much money left after paying taxes. I originally wanted to send your brother to a private school, but from the looks of it, I''m afraid we''ll have to postpone it for another year."


    Mu Yangling frowned. "This year''s taxes increased 10% fromst year. Why do they have to raise the taxes every year? If this continues, we won''t even be able to afford rice."


    Shu Wanniang sighed. "What can we do? The Jin soldiers are always harassing our borders. I heard that those extra taxes go towards our soldiers'' pay."


    "Bullsh*t." Mu Yangling jumped up. "The Jin soldiers have been harassing the borders every year, but I''ve never seen anyone from our sidee out to resist. What soldiers'' pay?"


    "Child, there are things you shouldn''t say out loud." Shu Wanniang looked at her reproachfully, but she didn''t go on. It wasmon toin about the soldiers of the imperial court. She was just being cautious when she reprimanded her daughter.


    Mu Yangling put on her clothes unhappily. Seeing that her younger brother, Mu Bowen, was still asleep, she went forward and pinched his nose. At the sight of this, Shu Wanniang hit her and said, "Don''t. Your brother is still young. Let him sleep a little longer."


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips in response. After drinking a bowl of water, Mu Yangling picked up her basket and bow, and prepared to head into the mountains. Just then, Shu Wanniang hurriedly grabbed a piece of tbread from the table and chased after her. "Take a piece of tbread to fill your stomach. How can you not eat when you''re still a child?"


    Mu Yangling nced at Shu Wanniang''s sharp and protruding stomach and hesitated for a moment. Shu Wanniang stuffed the tbread into her hand and stroked her head. "Silly child, you''re still a child yourself. Your father will take care of things. You don''t have to worry."


    With a silly grin, Mu Yangling took the tbread and entered the mountains. She decided to hunt more prey today and sell them to buy more fine rice. Her mother wasn''t used to coarse rice at all, for some reason. She wondered if it had something to do with her mother''s family background, which she had no idea about. Moreover, her father doted on her mother and couldn''t bear to see her suffer. Therefore, even though her father was capable and returned with something from his trip into the mountains everyday, in order to maintain such high living standards at home on top of shouldering such heavy taxes, he only managed to save very little money.


    To make things worse, her mother had fallen seriously ill two years ago and depleted all their savings.


    As Mu Yangling walked deeper and deeper into the mountains with the piece of tbread in her mouth, she pricked up her ears and peered around. Just like that, she met the eyes of the two dirty youths under the tree.


    With bright eyes, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin gazed at Mu Yangling¡­ not her, but the tbread that was in her mouth. They involuntarily swallowed their saliva.


    Even though Mu Yangling had the soul of an adult, she couldn''t help but blush at this moment. She took the tbread out of her mouth. After thinking for a moment, she tore off the saliva-stained part and stuffed it into her mouth, handing the rest to the two youths.


    Qi Haoran took a careful look at Mu Yangling. After confirming that she did not possess any ill intentions, he quickly tore off half of the tbread and stuffed it into Fan Zijin''s mouth. "Thank you."


    Fan Zijin ate so quickly that he choked. Seeing this, Mu Yangling had no choice but to remove the water bottle from her waist and hand it over.


    Qi Haoran flusteredly fed Fan Zijin the water. Thetter tore off most of the tbread from his mouth and only recovered when he swallowed the remaining bit. After ring at Qi Haoran, he stood up and bowed. "Thank you, Miss. My cousin and I were separated from our family and ended up here. May I know what your name and address is? When we find my family, we will definitelye back to repay you."

 Chapter 2: Help

    <h4>Chapter 2: Help</h4>


    Hearing this, Mu Yangling took a closer look at them and realized that something was amiss. Although their skin was also tanned, they did not appear tobor all year round like her father. Instead, they seemed to have specially smeared something over their skin to appear that way. Moreover, the hand holding the tbread was even smoother and more tender than a girl''s, okay?


    It was obvious that they came from money. Mu Yangling hesitated for a moment. In the end, she pitied the two of them for being so young, so she asked, "Where are your families? Do you need my help?"


    Qi Haoran opened his mouth to answer, but Fan Zijin tugged at him and smiled at Mu Yangling. "Thank you, Miss. We''ve already found the way. It''s not very far away, so we won''t trouble you. Please tell us your address so that we can repay you in the future."


    When Mu Yangling saw how alert this youth was, her lips couldn''t help but curl into a smile. She wasn''t angry and only shook her head. "No need. It''s just a piece of tbread." She looked at the sky and their location before pointing out the way out of the mountain for them. "If you go that way, you should see a path in half an hour. Just follow that path and walk out."


    With that, she turned around and left.


    As Mu Yangling''s back disappeared from view, Fan Zijin copsed to the ground. He red at Qi Haoran and said angrily, "Don''t divulge our identities to anyone again. Since we''re already in Xingzhou, we''ll be able to find Brother Qi in two days."


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes. "How are we going to find him when we''re penniless? Besides, she''s a good person."


    Fan Zijin jumped up. "How do you know?"


    "I just do. Previously, we were only deceived because we did as you said. If you had listened to me, we wouldn''t have been duped."


    "It''s all because of your loose tongue, answering whatever others asked. People who originally didn''t have any ill intentions also developed ill intentions," Fan Zijin argued indignantly.


    Qi Haoran retorted, "You''re clearly the one who''s a poor judge of character."


    "You''re the one who wasn''t careful¡­"


    The two youths started arguing. Qi Haoran had the upper hand at first, but he had never been good at arguing. Hence, he was defeated by Fan Zijin in this verbal match not long after. In his anger, he tore off a piece of the tbread in his hand and stuffed it into Fan Zijin''s mouth.


    Fan Zijin red back, but gradually calmed down and noticed that Qi Haoran was only holding a very small piece of tbread. Feeling sorry for him, he tore off half of his, gave it to him, and said vaguely, "Eat quickly. Let''s go on our way after you''re done."


    Qi Haoran snorted and dered, "I''m strong and healthy. I don''t need this. You should eat it yourself."


    Fan Zijin red at him and snapped, "Take it. I still need your protection. If wee across more local hooligans, I still need you to fight them off."


    Qi Haoran said smugly, "Now you know I''m great at kung fu, right? What''s the use of doing so well academically? You still need me to carry you when we''re escaping, hahaha¡­" After saying that, heughed, clearly pleased with himself.


    Fan Zijin snorted and mocked, "What''s so great about being brawny and simple-minded? If it weren''t for me, no matter how skilled you are at martial arts, 40 to 50 people would have surrounded you and beaten you into a meat patty."


    Mu Yangling, who was hiding in the dark, listened to the two youths arguing and saw them feeding each other the tbread in their hands. The corners of her lips instantly twitched. Why did she feel like those two had a love-hate rtionship?


    How could a piece of tbread be enough to fill their stomachs?


    Even a nine-year-old girl like her had to eat three or four before she started to feel satiated, let alone these two youths.


    After some thought, Mu Yangling turned around and left. Not long after, she walked over with a pheasant and a rabbit in her hands. The two youths were still resting on the spot. They didn''t get up, probably because they had no strength in their limbs. However, they were no longer bickering.


    Mu Yangling had just approached when Qi Haoran jumped over and stood in front of Fan Zijin. He asked warily, "Who is it?"


    Fan Zijin''s back tensed up.


    Mu Yangling threw the pheasant and rabbit in front of them and said, "These are for you. Prepare the pheasant and eat it. Bring the rabbit to town." Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, "If you pass by Mingshui County on your way, bring it to the county to sell. The rabbit should fetch a higher price in the county than the countryside."


    When Qi Haoran saw that it was Mu Yangling, a big smile immediately spread across his face. He raised his head proudly at Fan Zijin, and the words "Look, I told you she was a good person" were written all over his face.


    The corners of Fan Zijin''s mouth twitched as he silently scolded Qi Haoran for being an idiot. He stood up and bowed to Mu Yangling with a grateful expression. "Thank you so much, Miss. No matter what, you have to tell us your address so that we can have a chance to repay you in the future."


    Looking at the still-tense Fan Zijin, Mu Yangling had to admit that he was definitely not as adorable as the other youth. Seriously, did she look like a bad person?


    Seeing that the other party did not rx, Mu Yangling did not mind and said, "My house is very easy to locate¡ªit''s in the vige at the foot of the mountain. My surname is Mu. In the entire vige, only my family''s surname is Mu. You''ll find out once you ask around." With that, she turned around and left.


    This time, she was really leaving. Mu Yangling wanted to enter the mountain to check out the trap she had dugst night. Her mother did not like to eat pheasant meat, for she found it too dry. Wild animals were indeed low in fats, and the meat was not tender enough. Therefore, aside from what she and her father ate, the rest of the food was sold.


    A pheasant and a rabbit were not difficult for her to hunt, but they would fetch two catties of fine rice, enough for her mother and younger brother to eat for three days¡­


    Mu Yangling shook her head and chased these thoughts out of her mind. She thought to herself, ''I''m a soldier after all and can''t be so calctive. They''re children. I should help if I can.''


    Along the way, Mu Yangling hung a string of pheasants and rabbits on her waist. Just as she saw thest big trap, she heard a few moans.


    Mu Yangling let out a cry and sprinted over. A fat wild boary in the trap and was trying to climb up, but its hind legs were probably injured and couldn''t exert enough strength. Coupled with the fact that the trap was big enough, it simply could not climb up.


    Mu Yangling threw her head back andughed. "Ha! Ha! Ha! As expected, the heavens haven''t abandoned me. Now, I have the money to pay taxes."


    Mu Yangling''s eyes lit up as she looked at the wild boar. After some thought, she still couldn''t bear to kill it, but she definitely wouldn''t be able to bring it out alive.


    Mu Yangling squatted by the pit and observed the wild boar that was panicking and desperately trying to climb out. Not only did it fail to break through the trap, but it also injured itself in its attempt to do so.


    Her eyes slid over its limbs, thinking that if she broke them and tied them up, it wouldn''t be impossible for her to bring out the wild boar alive.


    Mu Yangling tossed aside the prey on her body, clenched her fists, and chuckled. "Brother Boar, Brother Boar, you can''t me me for being ruthless. You can only me yourself for being born at the wrong time."


    As she spoke, she circled around to the back of the wild boar and jumped down,nding nicely on the wild boar''s back. Without thinking, she punched the wild boar''s head. As she hit it, she was careful not to exert too much strength lest she killed the wild boar.


    The wild boar howled and fell to its knees in the pit. Mu Yangling only beat it until it couldn''t move. Before it could recover, she quickly grabbed its hooves and pulled. With a crack, one of its front limbs was broken.


    The wild boar kept howling. Amidst Mu Yangling''s quick attacks, soon, its four legs were broken by her, and the entire boar copsed in the pit.

 Chapter 3 Divine Strength

    Chapter 3 Divine Strength


    Copsed in the pit, the wild boar could only moan. Mu Yangling happily got off the wild boar and raised the 200-pound wild boar with both hands to throw it up. She had no choice, for at merely nine years old, she was still too short and thus could only throw it. Fortunately, she was skilled at utilizing her strength, so the seriously injured wild boar only howled in shock a little.


    Mu Yangling then climbed out of the trap and broke the nearby branches to cover the trap again. After which, she hung the rabbit, pheasant, and other prey on her waist. With the wild boar on her shoulder, she left the mountain.


    Some vigers who were harvesting food at the foot of the mountain eximed when they saw a wild boar moving out of the mountains. It was only when the wild boar approached that they realized Mu Yangling had beenpletely blocked by the wild boar.


    "Oh my god, isn''t this the eldest daughter of the Mu Family?" Ma Dazhuang stared at Mu Yangling, whose waist was full of prey and whose shoulder was carrying a wild boar. Seeing the girl who was buried underneath all that prey, he secretly clicked his tongue and said wistfully, "If only she was my daughter."


    Auntie Ma smacked his head and spat, "If it''s your daughter, are you going to be responsible for her if no one wants to marry her? Geez, Yangling is so¡­ majestic. How can she find a husband in the future?"


    Ma Dazhuang muttered, "She''s not ugly, she''s merely a tad stronger. She can even help out with the family expenses¡­" Under Auntie Ma''s gaze, Ma Dazhuang did not dare to continue.


    Mu Yangling gradually approached. It was only when she heard the voices that she saw Ma Dazhuang and his wife, as the prey had previously blocked her vision. She held the wild boar on her shoulder with one hand and waved at them with the other. With a beam, she asked, "Uncle Ma, Auntie Ma, are you working?"


    Up close, it was even more astounding. Uncle Ma and his wife looked at the prey on her body in shock. Just then, the wild boar suddenly struggled a few times and let out Mu Yangling felt that it was a pity as she rushed home briskly. Having eaten too little this morning, she was famished right now. She decided she''d better go back and fill two weak cries, causing the couple to fall to the ground in fear.


    Mu Yangling pressed the wild boar down with one hand, making thetter unable to move.


    Auntie Ma pointed at the wild boar with a trembling finger and asked, "Alive?"


    Mu Yangling smiled and nodded. "An alive wild boar is more valuable than a dead one." Mu Yangling felt a little regretful. "It''s a pity that this ce is too far from the county. Otherwise, if I carried it to the county, I would be able to get at least 500 more copper coins."


    Mu Yangling felt that it was a pity as she rushed home briskly. Having eaten too little this morning, she was famished right now. She decided she''d better go back and fill her stomach before heading to the countryside. Her father should be back by now, right?


    As Uncle Ma and his wife watched Mu Yangling leave in a daze, Uncle Ma smacked his lips and said, "It truly <nulli>is difficult for her to get married¡­"


    The Mu family lived alone at the foot of the mountain, and only had three generations in Nearhill Vige.


    Mu Yangling''s grandfather was half a Hu, but his figure and appearance would suggest he was born from a Han mother. Being of a thin and weak frame, he was ostracized by the Hu people, who advocated martial arts. When he was ten years old, he migrated to Nearhill Vige.


    Seeing that he was honest, the registrar of Mingshui County let him settle down in Nearhill Vige. Because her grandfather did not look like a Hu at all, he easily integrated into the vigemunity. He married one of the daughters of the vige, her grandmother, and the couple subsequently gave birth to her father, Mu Shi.


    Perhaps due to atavism, Mu Shi had deep facial features. In addition, he was tall and strong like an ox. As a five-year-old child, he was stronger than the seven-year-olds.


    This didn''t bother the adults, but the children often didn''t like people who were different from them. Mu Shi was quickly ostracized by the children in the vige, and there were even a few incidents resulting in bloodshed. Considerate of Mu Shi''s feelings, Mu Yangling''s grandfather and grandmother moved to the foot of the mountain, where they had less contact with the vige until Mu Shi married and had Mu Yangling and Mu Bowen.


    "Yangling, you''re back?" Mu Shi came out of the house.


    Mu Yangling returned home in a sh. Shu Wanniang, who was cleaning the courtyard with a broom, opened her mouth wide when she saw her.


    She knew that her daughter was very strong, but she wasn''t this strong, right?


    Having finally reached home, Mu Yangling ced the wild boar on the ground. It was only upon looking up that she realized her mother was staring at her with her eyes wide open. "Mother." Mu Yangling giggled foolishly. With her hands behind her back, she felt a little nervous. She didn''t frighten her mother, right?


    "Yangling, you''re back?" Mu Shi came out of the house.


    Mu Yangling''s eyes lit up. She jumped forward and shouted, "Father, there was a wild boar lying in the trap. I brought it back."


    "Good job!" Mu Shi only saw his wife staring at them with wide eyes after he praised her. He immediately became nervous and went forward to hold his wife. "Wanniang, go in and rest first. I''ll sweep the groundter."


    Shu Wanniang knew that they were hiding something from her. With tears in her eyes, she asked, "What are you hiding from me?"


    "Nothing, nothing." Mu Shi waved his hand repeatedly. He was most afraid of seeing Shu Wanniang cry. For a moment, he was at a loss and looked at his daughter for help.


    Mu Yangling could only obediently lower her head and admit her mistake. "Mother, it''s my fault. I was too strong. I was afraid that you would be worried, so I didn''t dare to tell you."


    Shu Wanniang was indeed worried. She stepped forward and held her daughter''s hand. She squeezed it and said worriedly, "She clearly looks no different from an ordinary nine-year-old girl, but why is she so strong? Even the strong men in the vige aren''t able to carry a wild boar. Don''t do this in front of outsiders again, or I fear no one will dare to marry you in the future." In this chaotic world, such a talent on the streets for too long, and don''t get into an argument with others¡­"


    "Mother, why do you always have endless instructions when Father goes to town could trigger jealousy and invite trouble. Her daughter''s ability might seem like a boon, but it also had the potential to incur problems.


    Having inherited the teachings of the court at a young age, Shu Wanniang was naturally more discerning than Mu Shi. Therefore, she was not very pleased about her daughter''s extraordinary strength.


    However, since they were only living in a small vige now, there was no need to say such things to scare her daughter and husband. Shu Wanniang held her stomach and said, "Alright, hurry up and gather the prey. Since Junior Officer has already agreed to help us dy for three days, we have to gather enough tax money as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will make things difficult for Junior Officer."


    "I''ll bring the prey to town now," Mu Shi immediately said.


    "Bring Yangling along too. How can you carry so many by yourself? However, you''re not allowed to carry them over with bare hands. Use a cart to push them over. When you reach town, immediately try to sell them at the inns and restaurants. Don''t linger on the streets for too long, and don''t get into an argument with others¡­"


    "Mother, why do you always have endless instructions when Father goes to town every day?" Mu Yangling''s ears nearly grew calluses from listening. Seeing that Mu Shi was still listening with a smile, she felt that her father was truly a patient man.


    Shu Wanniang sighed and said, "With your father''s bad temper, I''m just worried that he''ll get into an argument with someone. Also, I''m afraid that you two will cause trouble outside since you''re both so strong."


    Mu Shi quickly promised, "Don''t worry, Wanniang. I won''t argue with anyone." He nced at his daughter and promised, "I''ll also keep an eye on Ah Ling and not let her get into conflict with anyone."


    Only then did Shu Wanniang smile and enter the kitchen. "I''ll prepare some food for the two of you on the way. You guys pack your things first."


    "Aye." Seeing his wife enter the kitchen, Mu Shi pulled his daughter to the side and instructed, "Why did youe back with the wild boar on your own? You should have told me and let me carry it back. Look, you almost scared your mother."

 Chapter 4: Inherited Talent

    <h4>Chapter 4: Inherited Talent</h4>


    He had known all along that his daughter was strong. In this chaotic world, there was nothing wrong with being strong. In fact, he was even d that his daughter had inherited their ancestor''s talent.


    Mu Yangling had always thought that this talent of hers came from her previous life. After all, in her previous life, she was also very strong, at least much stronger than her malerades in the team. In this life, this talent had been greatly enhanced. This had made her feel smug for a while, thinking that this was a benefit of being reborn.


    However, after hearing her father''s words, Mu Yangling realized that this was an inherited talent.


    Mu Yangling''s great-grandfather was a <anno data-annotation-id="66eea182-59ec-44f0-ba88-91f0bc877576">Hu</anno> and a warrior of the tribe. It was said that he had never suffered a defeat on the battlefield. Even when he went deep into the enemy''s territory, he could retreat unscathed.


    Her great-grandmother was her great-grandfather''s spoils of war, a Han woman he had brought back from the battlefield. It was said that she was a stunning beauty who had once caused the warriors of the tribe to fight for her. Fortunately, no one could defeat her great-grandfather and snatch her away from him.


    Her great-grandfather only had this one wife in his life, and she only bore him one son¡ªMu Yangling''s grandfather.


    Bearing a great resemnce to his mother, Mu Yangling''s grandfather was blessed with gorgeous looks and a refined demeanor. Unfortunately, even his strength was inherited from his mother, causing his father to be worried sick about him.


    In a tribe where the strong were respected, and a warrior had to prove his strength by defeating allpetitors to be dered leader of the tribe, his son could only be at the mercy of others.


    In order to train his son, Mu Yangling''s great-grandfather had gathered many martial arts manuals for him. He had even created a set of martial arts for him based on his weak strength and agile body. Unfortunately, her grandfather could only be ranked somewhere in the middle among the tribal warriors even after mastering it.


    If his son was like the rough men in the tribe, Mu Yangling''s great-grandfather would be satisfied. s, this son was as gorgeous as his wife. This was a disaster in the Hu tribe. Without his protection, he could foresee his son leading a miserable life under others in the future. This was something he could not tolerate.


    Therefore, after his wife died of illness and he was seriously injured, this warrior gave more than half of his wealth to his only son and chased him out of the tribe to live in a Han ce.


    The warrior believed that since his son looked like a Han Chinese and possessed martial prowess, he should be able to live well among the Han. At the very least, he wouldn''t encounter those difficulties he faced in the tribe.


    Thus, Mu Yangling''s grandfather traveled all the way south and finally settled down in the tiny Nearhill Vige seven miles away from Xingyuan Prefecture, Xingzhou, Mingshui County, Seven Mile Vige. Eventually, he married her grandmother and gave birth to her father, Mu Shi.


    Now that he had arrived in thend of the Han, his son, Mu Shi, was found to possess the strength that he had once dreamed of. This made Mu Yangling''s grandfather feel that fate was ying tricks on him. Because his son had the facial characteristics and extraordinary strength of a Hu, his family was subtly ostracized by the vigers.


    Even as his wife''s family grew distant with them, Mu Yangling''s grandfather no longer thought of moving. This was because the final punishment for this act of escapism in exchange for convenience would eventually befall his descendants. Not wanting his descendants to bear the pain on his behalf, he passed this teaching to Mu Shi, whoter passed it on to Mu Yangling. He warned his descendants not to think of running away when they encountered difficulties, because if they escaped, the punishment mightnd on their descendants, who would in turn suffer even more.


    Perhaps her grandfather was right. Although Mu Yangling was born with divine strength, her younger brother was not outstanding. At the very least, Mu Bowen, who was already five years old, was like an ordinary child and did not inherit the divine strength of his ancestors. If her grandfather had brought her grandmother and father back to the Hu tribe in the end, their family might not be able to live as well as they did now.


    After all, she and her younger brother were not bad-looking. ording to her father, they looked like her grandfather, who looked like her great-grandmother.


    Mu Yangling was much stronger than Mu Shi. In order to allow her to control her strength so that she would not hurt herself and others, Mu Shi had taught her martial arts since she was five years old. It was the martial arts that her grandfather had written on a parchment and passed on to him.


    Although the warrior of the tribe had sent his son away, perhaps he still had a desire in his heart for his descendants to inherit his divine strength. When his son left, not only did he give him all the martial arts secret manuals he had gathered, but he also wrote down the martial arts he practiced for him to take away.


    That said, it was actually just some external martial arts, involving merely ordinary moves. There wasn''t even a single manual for internal cultivation. This disappointed Mu Yangling, who was full of anticipation.


    Other than practicing the martial arts that her father had taught her, Mu Yangling also often used the methods of the special forces learnt in her previous life to train herself. Subduing an opponent wasn''t at all an issue for her. However, she was only a little hunter now and had no use for such tactics. In this chaotic world, Mu Yangling also didn''t wish there came a day when those tactics would prove useful.


    The father and daughter tied the wild boar to the cart and tied the other small prey to themselves. Then, Mu Shi pushed the cart and they rushed to Seven Mile Vige.


    It generally took them about an hour to walk from the vige to town. Even if they were fast, it would take them forty-five minutes.


    As the vigers liked to go to the market as early as possible, the father-and-daughter duo did not encounter anyone along the way at this hour.


    Although it was a chaotic time, the Seven Mile Vige was still very lively. It was all because the Imperial Court''s restrictions on the civilians had weakened. Now that traders and craftsmen were rtively free toe and go, the civilians'' markets'' development also started to thrive.


    This was not Mu Yangling''s first time in town, so she looked around and suggested to Mu Shi, "Father, why don''t I bring these things to the stall first? You can push the wild boar to the eatery."


    "Let''s go together. Maybe the shopkeepers would be interested in the small prey." Mu Shi said, "There are many well-to-do families in town. Let''s go to the eateries and restaurants to try our luck first. If it doesn''t work, we cane back and set up a stall."


    After some thought, Mu Yangling agreed. She followed Mu Shi to the center of the town, where the best inns, eateries and restaurants in the entire town were located.


    Both eateries and restaurants liked their wild game. Since Mu Shi and she were quite capable, they rarely came back from the mountains empty-handed, so they provided a very steady supply of wild game. As early as five years ago, Mu Shi had already established a fixed supplier rtionship with them. As long as they caught prey, they would let the eateries and restaurants have their pick first before bringing them to the market to sell.


    Among them, because the eateries tended to order thergest quantity, they had priority over the restaurants.


    Thergest eatery in town was called the Wafting Fragrance Eatery. The owner''s surname was Liu, and he was one of the three Minister Counselors in the vige; the shopkeeper''s surname was Zhang. Thergest restaurant was called the Drunken Cloud Restaurant. The owner''s surname was Zhao, and he was also a Minister Counselor; the shopkeeper was his nephew. Finally, thest Minister Counselor in the vige opened the Happiness Inn. The owner''s name was Sun Yue, and the shopkeeper''s surname was Qian.


    As they often had to deal with these three families, Mu Shi had introduced them to Mu Yangling in detail when she followed him to town to sell prey at the age of six.


    The purpose was to make Mu Yangling be very careful not to offend these three families because they were the most influential people in the vige. Even the county magistrate of Mingshui County had to give in to them.


    Mu Shi stopped the cart at the side door of the Wafting Fragrance Eatery. The assistant shopkeeper of the eatery opened the door and said with a smile, "Uncle Mu, are you here to deliver wild game again?" When he saw the wild boar on the cart, he actually gasped in shock. "Is it still alive?"


    Mu Shi beamed and nodded. "It fell into a trap and thankfully did not die. Considering the rich people in town liked to eat fresh food, and because the weather is so hot, I didn''t dare to kill it at home."


    "Excellent! Our shopkeeper will definitely like it. Wait for me, I''ll call the shopkeeper over." The assistant shopkeeper ran towards the back excitedly while muttering, "How impressive. He even dares to catch a wild boar alive." It had to be known that wild boars were the most ferocious and, unlike domestic pigs, were not tame. Once they were angered, they would bite and stomp on people.


    The shopkeeper was originally at the front and only nned to let the assistant shopkeeper buy some wild game to keep as backup. When he heard that there was a live wild boar, he quickly threw down his abacus and ran over.


    <annotations style="disy: none;"><li>the Hus are a tribal confederation of nomadic people</li></annotations>

 Chapter 5: Reward

    <h4>Chapter 5: Reward</h4>


    Shopkeeper Zhang took a look at the wild boar and nodded in relief. "Not bad, not bad. We''ll take this wild boar whole. There''s no need to weigh it. Go to the front and collect eight taels of silver from the ountant. The excess will be considered a reward from our boss."


    Mu Yangling''s eyes lit up, but Mu Shi shook his head and said, "Thank you, Shopkeeper Zhang. It''s just that this wild boar isn''t worth so much money." Mu Shi took the roe deer from his daughter''s hand and asked, "I wonder if you would like to take this roe deer? I have other small prey here."


    Shopkeeper Zhang looked at Mu Yangling, who was covered in prey, and Mu Yangling shed him a big smile. Merely feeling that this child was a little silly, Shopkeeper Zhang''s gaze quickly moved away from her face andnded on the prey on her body. He asked, "Are these all fresh?"


    "They were only caught this morning." Mu Shi looked at Shopkeeper Zhang with an honest smile.


    Shopkeeper Zhang nodded slightly. "Then leave some behind and get the silver at the front. You don''t have to decline. My boss happens to be having a banquet these few days and the old masters like these wild game very much. If you catch any more fresh ones, send them to me tomorrow too."


    Mu Shi was silent for a moment before nodding. "Thank you, Shopkeeper." He carried the tied-up wild boar and brought them into the patio. Then, he plucked some rabbits, pheasants, and roe deer from Mu Yangling and sent them in. Only then did he circle out and bring his daughter to the front to collect the silver.


    Everyone was dumbfounded. Even Shopkeeper Zhang, who had interacted with Mu Shi many times, was speechless. "I didn''t expect Mu Shi to have such strength. No wonder he returns fruitful from the mountain every day, and did just fine even when they closed the hillsides to facilitate afforestation."


    "Shopkeeper, you must be joking. I haven''t heard of such a thing happening," the assistant shopkeeper said with a smile.


    Shopkeeper Zhang patted his head and said, "How long have you known Mu Shi? I''ve been dealing with him for more than 10 years. In the past, the Jin soldiers didn''t attack here, and this ce wasn''t the border yet. At that time, the government passed a decree to seal the mountains to facilitate afforestation for half a year. No one dared to go hunting in the mountains, unlike now." Shopkeeper Zhang shook his head and walked into the eatery with his hands behind his back.


    As hunters relied on the mountain forests for a living, once the mountains were sealed off, their lives would not be easy. The government ruled that they had to seal off the mountain for half a year, from the beginning of winter to the beginning of summer. Unfortunately, it was a chaotic world now, and as things were, the civilians already didn''t have enough to eat. Moreover, since this ce had be a border, the wars often spread to the mountain forests. As a result, the implementation of such a policy was highly ineffective.


    Mu Shi led his daughter to the front and said to her, "Wait for me here first. I''ll go in and get the silver."


    "Father, I''ll go in with you," Mu Yangling offered excitedly. Although she had been to town a few times, she had never entered the Wafting Fragrance Eatery. Every time, she would send the things to the side door and her father would go in to collect the money himself.


    Mu Shi patted her head and said, "That won''t do because we still have a lot of prey. You stay here and look after the cart, while I''ll go in and get it. There are many guests inside. We can''t afford to offend them."


    Only then did Mu Yangling know why Mu Shi had never asked her to enter the Wafting Fragrance Eatery. Mu Yangling looked down at the prey in her hand and could only nod regretfully. "Then go ahead, Father. I''ll wait for you here."


    Mu Shi ced the cart by the roadside and strode towards the Wafting Fragrance Eatery.


    Although Shopkeeper Zhang was in charge of the restaurant, the ountant was another person. Therefore, Mu Shi had to run to the front every time to sign his name before collecting the silver from the ountant.


    Having already been notified, the ountant was very straightforward. After writing a note for Mu Shi to sign, he directly took out eight taels of silver for him. He smiled and said, "Brother, you''ve earned enough today, huh? Eight taels of silver should be enough for your family to live on for half a year, right? Now that you have some money, why don''t you acquire some assets? This way, you can leave some inheritance for your descendants."


    Other people didn''t know how much Mu Shi had earned, but as the ountant, he often paid out money to Mu Shi, so he naturally knew that this guy earned much more than he did. Since the ountant had already bought more than 10 acres ofnd, logically speaking, Mu Shi should have acquired even more assets.


    Mu Shi smiled bitterly and said, "I''m not that capable and can only rely on my children to carve out a path on their own. My wife doesn''t stop taking medicine every year and is soon about to give birth. Furthermore, this silver is for paying the autumn tax. Without this, I won''t even be able to pay the autumn tax."


    The ountant frowned slightly. "The taxes this year have increased by another 10%. I heard that thebor imposed on the people has also increased?"


    Mu Shi nodded solemnly. "I''m the only man at home. How can I be at ease letting the children and their mother stay at home alone? As such, I can only pay more silver as a substitute, on top of the existing taxes. My family is shouldering a heavy burden."


    Seven Mile Vige was not a big ce, and the ountant happened to be well-informed and was most interested in such matters. He had indeed never heard of Mu Shi acquiring assets, but word had it that he would go to the pharmacy every few days.


    The ountant shook his head regretfully and felt a little better. So what if he was great at earning money? His wife was a hindrance. Not to mention leaving a fortune for his son, he might not even be able to earn his daughter''s dowry.


    Thinking about how Mu Shi''s daughter had followed him to the market with prey on her back all year round, he felt even more sorry for them. Nimbly, he stuffed eight taels of silver into Mu Shi''s hands and said with a smile, "Here. If our boss likes it, you will definitely be rewarded when you send more prey over tomorrow. Don''t spend all your money. Keep some and buy somend. Slowly but surely, you will umte a fortune. Remember, Rome wasn''t built in a day."


    Mu Shi took the money and nodded in agreement, feeling worried too. His Ah Ling was already nine years old, and would be of marriageable age in a few years. Yet, he hadn''t even saved a single piece of dowry for her. When she got married in the future, her inws would look down on her.


    It seemed that he had to save something for Ah Ling.


    Mu Shi left the Wafting Fragrance Eatery with a heavy heart. Shopkeeper Zhang had just finished distributing the wild boar between the parts to be left in the restaurant and those to be sent to the owner. At this moment, he came in and saw Mu Shi leave with his head lowered. Curious, he asked the ountant, "What''s going on? He should be thrilled to receive eight taels of silver."


    The ountant smiled and replied, "It''s nothing. It''s just that he didn''t save a single cent due to this year''s taxes. Also, he still doesn''t have any assets at all, so he''s a little sad."


    The shopkeeper frowned. "The taxes this year are indeed rather heavy. Most importantly, there''s that additionalbor imposed." Shopkeeper Zhang shook his head. "I wonder how many people are selling their children this year."


    The ountant nced at Shopkeeper Zhang and said, "Shopkeeper, you only gave him eight taels of silver because of this, right? You have to know that the wild boar is worth five taels at most. Including those roe deer, rabbits, and pheasants, it''s only about six taels. You really have a kind heart."


    Shopkeeper Zhang snorted and said, "You''re thinking too much. I''m not that kind-hearted. This is a reward from the owner to Mu Shi. Mu Shi has been supplying our eatery for more than 10 years and has never taken advantage of us. Just wait and see. Having received eight taels of silver from me today, when he sends more prey over tomorrow, he definitely won''t charge us a cent for them." Shopkeeper Zhang sighed and said, "The owner admires his magnanimous and just character, and that is why he''s rewarding him."


    At this moment, Mu Yangling was also asking Mu Shi, "Father, Shopkeeper Zhang clearly said that the wild boar was worth eight taels of silver just now. Why did you keep declining and leave so many small prey behind?"


    While pushing the cart, Mu Shi looked at his daughter who had just reached his ribs. He patted her head and said, "Child, you have to remember that there are some benefits that you can''t take. Shopkeeper Zhang is tolerant of us, so that''s all the more reason to be grateful. He was the one who decided to give us the reward. It''s fine if Boss Liu likes the wild boar, but if he doesn''t, wouldn''t we be putting Shopkeeper Zhang in a difficult position for nothing? Tomorrow, bring a few rabbits to Shopkeeper Zhang''s family. I''ll send some prey to the eatery. Even if Boss Liu doesn''t like it, with the prey I send overter, he won''t me Shopkeeper Zhang so much."


    Only then did Mu Yangling look at Mu Shi in surprise. The other party did not look like her rough father who only knew how to stand still while her mother lectured him.


    Mu Yangling was secretly rmed. Although she had lived for more than 20 years in her previous life, her living environment was actually simple. She had just graduated from university and joined the army for less than a year before she had to enter the cycle of reincarnation. In the past nine years, she had only lived in and traveled between Seven Mile Vige, Nearhill Vige, and the mountain forests. Naturally, she was nowhere as seasoned in the ways of the world as her father.


    There were still many things in this world that she had to learn and do. She could not be content with what she already knew or take a short-sighted view.

 Chapter 6: Eldest Great-Aunt

    <h4>Chapter 6: Eldest Great-Aunt</h4>


    Mu Shi patted his daughter''s head and said, "You can''t take advantage of others like this. I''ve been dealing with the Wafting Fragrance Eatery for more than 10 years, so I know them better than you do. They have so many suppliers, but how many have they reced over the years? I''m the only exception. Not only because our family provides them with a stable supply, but also because I''m honest and offer a fair price."


    "But the Wafting Fragrance Eatery has deep pockets. Why would they care about that little tip?" Mu Yangling had always thought that the extra silver was a tip, and not something that was included in the payment. Modern people liked to tip, but the rich people in ancient times were even more fond of doing so. If they were in a good mood, they would tip people with silver leaves. If they were in an extremely good mood, they might even tip people with golden leaves. When Mu Yangling was walking on the streets, she saw rich masters and madams tipping people like this.


    There were also young masters who tipped with their jade pendants or fan pendants. Those things were not expensive to them, but to Mu Yangling and the others, they were worth much more than the silver leaves.


    This was because most of the silver leaves used to tip people were eight or six cents, but a jade pendant or fan pendant was worth several taels of silver.


    "The Wafting Fragrance Eatery has indeed deep pockets, but there''s no reason to tip people like this. If it was the owner of the Wafting Fragrance Eatery who rewarded us this time, we would just thank him. However, the one who made the decision was Shopkeeper Zhang. He''s only an employee. He probably saw that our family had trouble making ends meet, so he simply cooked up an excuse to help us. Since that''s the case, we can''t make things difficult for him. Even if we don''t make up for the extra money given, we have to send some prey to the Wafting Fragrance Eatery for free so that others won''t gossip." As he had been struggling alone after his parents passed away, Mu Shi was much smarter than his daughter in the ways of the world and could resist all kinds of temptations.


    Mu Yangling lowered her head and pondered. Then, she said seriously, "Father, I was too eager for quick sess. I can''tpare to you."


    Mu Shiughed out loud and rubbed his daughter''s hair in amusement. "Little girl, how old are you? How old is your father? You want to catch up to me now? Wait till you gain more experiences in life."


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and thought to herself, ''Combining my age in my previous life and the nine years in this life, I''m older than you. It''s a pity that I''d been spending my time on campus. It wasn''t easy for me to graduate, but I joined the army right after graduating. Although there were times of conflict in the army, my life experience can be described as a piece of white paperpared to Father, who had plenty of experience dealing with vigers, rtives, bandits, and merchants.''


    Mu Yangling was a little dejected.


    Mu Shi found it extremely funny. His daughter was only nine years old. He usually thought that she was too steady and did not have the liveliness of a child, but now it seemed that this child had been imitating adults and covering up her childishness.


    Thinking of this, Mu Shi was a little worried. He did not know why this child was not fond of ying with the children in the vige. If she could y with the children in the vige, she might be more lively.


    Mu Shi was pondering ways to let his daughter interact more with the children in the vige when Mu Yangling tugged at his sleeve.


    Mu Shi looked down at her.


    Mu Yangling pointed to the left and said, "Father, someone just called out to you." That person had shouted ''Shi <anno data-annotation-id="cb513fb7-ffa9-4739-8429-f0380b085144">Tou</anno>'', so she should be calling out to her father. Mu Yangling had once heard her eldest great-uncle address her father like this.


    Mu Shi turned around and saw a hunched olddy with a basket looking at him uncertainly. When she saw him looking over, she called out with uncertainty, "Shi Tou?"


    Mu Shi opened his mouth slightly in shock and carefully identified her facial features. "Aunt?"


    The olddy immediately smiled in relief. She held a basket and held a little girl''s hand as she walked over. She said with a beam, "It''s really you, Shi Tou. At first, I thought I had recognized the wrong person."


    Mu Shi was also a little excited. "Aunt, you''re here to market too? I haven''t seen you in three to four years."


    The olddy nodded with a smile. "Indeed, it''s been three to four years." Seeing Mu Yangling standing beside Mu Shi, she asked, "Is this your eldest daughter, Ah Ling?"


    "Yes." Mu Shi pulled his daughter over. "This is your great-aunt. Come, greet her."


    After a moment of surprise, Mu Yangling realized that this was her eldest great-aunt. She quickly straightened her body and shed her a broad grin as she called out, "Eldest Great-aunt."


    "Aye, aye." Clearly delighted, Eldest Great-aunt stroked Mu Yangling before taking out five copper coins and stuffing them into her hands. "This is from Eldest Great-aunt. Take it, take it."


    Mu Yangling looked at Mu Shi hesitantly. Seeing Mu Shi nod, she put away the five copper coins and thanked her. "Thank you, Eldest Great-aunt."


    Eldest Great-aunt was in high spirits. "Ah Ling has grown up and is already so sensible. Your other kid is already five years old, right?"


    "Yes, he''ll be five this winter solstice."


    Eldest Great-aunt said with a hint of mncholy, "Isn''t that so? When your cousin got into trouble back then, your wife was about to give birth. In the blink of an eye, five years have passed."


    Mu Shi also looked a little sad. Seeing that her clothes were neat but full of patches, he asked with concern, "Eldest Great-aunt, how have you been all these years?"


    "It''s alright, I can still move. I can raise my two granddaughters by nting crops on a few acres ofnd."


    However, Mu Shi and Mu Yangling knew that Eldest Great-aunt was definitely not doing well. The clothes she was wearing were full of patches, and her hands were full of cracks and thick calluses. It was obvious that she hadbored too hard, and herplexion wasn''t looking too good either. The girl standing beside her was also wearing tattered clothes. Thin and small, her hands were full of calluses from work, and there was ck mud between her fingers. From the moment she saw them, her eyes had been glued to the meat on their cart. To be precise, she was staring at the meat and not moving.


    When Eldest Great-aunt gave Mu Yangling that five copper coins, the girl looked up at her. There was a hint of envy, worry, and above all, reluctance on her face.


    Seeing that they were obviously struggling to make ends meet themselves, Mu Yangling suddenly felt that the five copper coins in her palm were scorching.


    While Mu Yangling was letting her imagination run wild, Eldest Great-aunt had already finished catching up with Mu Shi. She smiled and said, "Then hurry up and go set up a stall. It''s already noon. If you don''t go now, you won''t be able to find a good spot. Your niece and I have to go back too." Her eldest great-aunt had brought the eggs from home to sell here. Now that she had sold them all, she naturally had to go back. The West Mountain Vige she resided in was a little far from town.


    Mu Shi took a pheasant and a rabbit from the cart and stuffed them into her hands. "Aunt, these are for the two children to nourish their bodies. Take them back for a snack."


    "How can we do that?" Eldest Great-aunt declined. "You depend on this to put food on the table. You''re different from us. We havend and can grow our own food while you rely on these to exchange for food. We can''t ept them. Hurry up and put them away."


    Mu Yangling said, "Great-aunt, quickly ept it. My father is amazing. We''ll just go into the mountains tomorrow to hunt for more."


    "That''s right, Aunt. Please keep it. Little niece is already seven years old, right? She needs to eat more meat and fish. My family doesn''t have anything else, but we don''tck such wild game." Mu Shi forcefully stuffed it into his aunt''s basket.


    Eldest Great-aunt''s face flushed red, clearly very embarrassed. However, after seeing the eager look on her little granddaughter''s face, she did not reject him again.


    Eldest Great-aunt murmured, "Erm, in that case, thank you, Eldest Nephew." She pulled her granddaughter over and said, "Xin, quickly thank your uncle."


    "Thank you, Uncle."


    "Aye." Mu Shi took out five copper coins from his pocket and stuffed them into Xin''s hand. He rubbed her head with his big hand and beamed. "You have to eat well and grow up well."


    Xin smiled shyly.


    Eldest Great-aunt opened her mouth and her eyes turned slightly red. Yet, she didn''t say anything to reject him.


    <annotations style="disy: none;"><li>''Shi Tou'' means ''rock''</li></annotations>

 Chapter 7: Selling

    <h4>Chapter 7: Selling</h4>


    Mu Shi took his daughter to the office to pay taxes and get the stall.


    In the past, markets and marketces did not charge taxes and freely allowed themoners to set up stalls to sell small things. However, the Great Zhou Dynasty had been defeated repeatedly over the years. Coupled with the extravagance of the royal family, it was no longer enough to rely on poll tax andnd tax. Therefore, the taxes onmerce were extremely heavy. Even the markets in the towns and marketces in the countryside started collecting taxes.


    In the past, when Xingyuan Prefecture was not the border, people had to pay taxes when they entered the city. Later, because Xingyuan Prefecture became the border, other than ordinary taxes, they were also forced to raise taxes for military pay from time to time. Because the taxes were too heavy, Xingyuan Prefecture almost rebelled. In response, the Imperial Court could only cancel the city entrance taxes and some misceneous charges. But even so, the additional taxes they had to pay every year were still very hefty.


    Therefore, there were fewer people setting up stalls now. Even though they arrivedte, there were still stalls to choose from.


    Mu Shi was already a regr in the market, so the moment the person-in-charge saw him, he gave him a sign and said, "The stall you usually use is empty. Take it."


    After thanking him, Mu Shi paid the tax with the copper coins. Then, he pushed the cart to his stall.


    Seated cross-legged behind him, Mu Yangling asked curiously, "Father, is that our biological great-aunt? Why haven''t I seen her before?"


    "She even carried you before. When you refused to drink milk, she taught us to feed you with rice soup. You survived thanks to her."


    Is that so? Mu Yangling''s eyes were filled with confusion. How could she not remember when she had memories since she was born?


    Mu Yangling tilted her head and recalled carefully. This made Mu Shiugh and say, "Silly girl, how could you remember when you didn''t yet have memories then? Don''t think about it anymore. Your eldest great-aunt hasn''t returned to our vige since you were four years old. Naturally, you haven''t seen her."


    "Did Eldest Great-aunt marry far away?" In this era, only those who married far away would not return to their parents'' home.


    Mu Shi shook his head. "No, she lives in West Mountain Vige, which is right behind the mountain. We''ll reach it after crossing the mountain to the west of our house. It''s very near."


    Mu Yangling was shocked. "Then why didn''t Eldest Great-aunt go home? Ahh, it''s dangerous on the mountain. She''s old and needs to take a detour."


    Although West Mountain was not as dangerous as the mountain in front of their house, it was still lush with ferocious beasts roaming around. Therefore, most people would have to take a long detour, which would take an extra two hours.


    However, Mu Shi shook his head. "That''s not all." Mu Shi pondered and said, "Your eldest great-aunt married into the Ma family of West Mountain Vige. She only has one son, your uncle¡­"


    Eldest Great-aunt Ma-Liu led a hard life. In fact, it could even be said to be tragic.


    She had lost her husband when she was young. It had not been easy for her to raise her son, but he got involved in a fierce fight and died early. Her daughter-inw also suffered severe injuries in an attempt to save him. Later on, bearing those serious wounds, she gave birth to a baby boy, which died within an hour from birth. Now, she only had two granddaughters to rely on.


    Mu Shi said, "Your uncle was led astray by his cousin, but not only did that cousin''s family not feel guilty, they even med your eldest great-aunt, saying that she jinxed her husband and children. Your great-uncles couldn''t help her much, so your eldest great-aunt was disheartened and didn''t return to her maternal home."


    Mu Shi said apologetically, "Back then, your eldest great-aunt treated me well, but all these years, my attention was so focused on the two of you that I forgot about her. She is single-handedly raising two young children, in addition to being bullied by her brother-inw and his wife. I wonder how she''s doing in West Mountain Vige." The more Mu Shi spoke, the more uneasy he felt. His expression became a little ugly. "When we get home, I''ll go to West Mountain Vige to see your great-aunt."


    Mu Yangling also had a good impression of this great-aunt. When she heard this, she smiled and said, "Father, why don''t I go? You''re so burly. If you go, Eldest Great-aunt will definitely be unhappy, for she''ll think that you''re helping them out of pity. I think it''s better for me to go. West Mountain is not far from our house anyway. With my speed, I''ll be able to cross it in an hour."


    Mu Shi was never worried about his daughter entering the mountain. His daughter was stronger than him, and her survival skills in the forest were even stronger than his. Mu Shi could only categorize these as talents. Otherwise, he really could not figure out how a nine-year-old child knew how to guard against poisonous snakes and insects in the forest, as well as how to determine the direction in the dense forest.


    "Boss, how much are these rabbits?" A young wife carrying a basket asked.


    Seeing that there was business, Mu Shi quickly stood up and smiled. "This rabbit costs 20 copper coins a catty."


    The young woman frowned in disdain. "Has this rabbit been dead for a long time? Is it worth 20 copper coins?"


    Mu Shi patted his chest and said, "It''s all caught this morning. Don''t worry, I''m famous in this area. I never sell wild animals killed the previous day."


    The young woman raised her eyebrows and looked at him with a smile. "What if there are leftovers?"


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes in her heart, feeling that the other party was wasting her efforts acting coquettish. As expected, Mu Shi replied seriously, "If there are leftovers, our family will dry them and keep them as rations. We never sell leftovers to outsiders."


    As the young woman hesitated, Mu Yangling smiled and said, "Sister-inw, the wild animals sold by us are the freshest on this street. Why don''t you ask around? They are all sent over on the same day. Moreover, our wild animals are considered the cheapest on this street."


    Seeing that she was called ''sister-inw'' by a child, the young woman felt happy. Thinking that it made no difference whether she bought it here or elsewhere, and this shop did look good, she pointed at one of the rabbits and said, "Then I want this one. Boss, weigh it for me."


    "Alright." Mu Shi quickly weighed it and said, "Three catties and nine taels. I''ll count it as three and a half catties. Just give me 70 copper coins."


    The young woman carefully counted out 70 copper coins from her purse and gave it to Mu Yangling. She smiled and said, "If your rabbit is delicious, I''ll be a return customer. But if my husband finds out that it''s not fresh, I''lle back and find you."


    Mu Shi patted his chest and promised, "Don''t worry, our family often sells wild animals on this street. If you don''t find it fresh tonight, just look for me tomorrow."


    Only then did the young woman leave in satisfaction.


    Mu Yangling looked at the 70 copper coins in her palm with starry eyes and whispered, "Father, I was the one who shot this rabbit."


    Mu Shiughed heartily. "Alright, take this money. You can use it to buy candy to share with your younger brotherter."


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips. "I don''t like to eat candy. I''ll save it to buy some millet for Mother and Brother." Shu Wanniang''s spleen and stomach were weak, and her brother, Mu Bowen, was also a little frail, so they had to eat millet and other nutritious food.


    Mu Shi was relieved to see that his daughter was so sensible and considerate.


    Mu Shi often sold wild animals here, so there were many regr customers. In no time, the remaining wild animals were sold out. Mu Yangling happily counted the copper coins and said to Mu Shi, "Father, we''ve earned 538 copper coins. Let''s buy some pork ribster and stew them for Mother."


    "Alright, I''ll buy you another catty of pork belly."


    Mu Yangling immediately grinned like a flower, revealing a small dimple on her left cheek, making Mu Shi''s mood improve.


    When Mu Shi brought his daughter to buy pork, Mu Yangling could not help but swallow her saliva. Although their family had nevercked meat, wild animals'' fat content was nowhereparable to domestic animals''. In this era, other than those rich families who preferred wild animals to domestic animals because they were tired of eating chicken, duck, and fish, ordinary people preferred eating domestic animals because they were fat.


    Mu Yangling also liked to eat domesticated pork and chicken more now because they had higher fat content.


    Mu Shi was familiar with Butcher Chang, who lived in town. Usually, when Mu Shi had no time to set up a stall, he would sell wild animals to Butcher Chang and let him resell them.


    At the sight of Mu Shi, Butcher Chang said with a smile, "Old Mu, I heard that you''ve made a lot of money?" There were no secrets in town, which was why the minute Mu Shi left the Wafting Fragrance Eatery, news that he had made eight taels of silver started spreading everywhere.


    Mu Shi was helpless. "There won''t be much left after we pay the taxes."


    Butcher Chang was also a little sad. "That''s right. The taxes this year are too heavy."


    Sticking her head out to look at the pork on his chopping board, Mu Yangling said, "Uncle Chang, give my family a catty of pork belly and a piece of pork rib." Her crisp voice broke the somewhat depressing atmosphere.


    Butcher Chang grinned. "Alright, youngdy, wait a minute. Uncle Chang will cut it for you now."

 Chapter 8: The Price of Grains

    <h4>Chapter 8: The Price of Grains</h4>


    Butcher Chang had very urate knife skills, perfectly cutting out a catty of streaky pork with just one sh. He took the pork ribs and tied them with a rope before handing them to Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling looked up at her father, and thetter beamed at her. Mu Yangling smiled and took out the copper coins for Butcher Chang.


    Butcher Chang smiled and said, "Not bad. The youngdy can take care of things now. You''ve given birth to a good daughter, Old Mu."


    Mu Shi puffed out his chest proudly and waved at Butcher Chang before heading to the grain store.


    Noticing that the price of grains had increased again, Mu Shi frowned, feeling a little uneasy. After a moment''s thought, he said to the boss, "I want 20 catties of millet, 2 stone of rice, 60 catties of white flour, and 60 catties of ck flour."


    The boss raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Mu Shi in surprise.


    Mu Shi scratched his head in embarrassment and smiled. "My family doesn''t grow food, so we can only buy it from elsewhere. Since I made some money today, I bought more so that the food canst for longer."


    Looking at Mu Shi''s honest appearance, the boss nodded. He said to his child, "Go get a bag for Old Master Mu."


    One stone of rice was 120 catties. Other than the millet, the rice and flour only added up to 360 catties. As Mu Shi and Mu Yangling had a huge appetite, this bit of food was only enough tost their family for three months.


    However, these cost quite a lot of money, even though Mu Shi had already chosen medium-grade rice and white flour.


    Medium-grade rice cost 1 tael of silver and 300 copper coins per stone. Previously, it was only 1 tael of silver and 200 copper coins. It had to be known that it was already the autumn harvest now. Previously, it was only 1 tael of silver and 200 copper coins when there was short supply. Now, seeing that the price had increased by 100 copper coins, Mu Shi could not help but ponder.


    Medium-grade white flour cost 12 copper coins per catty, while ck flour cost 9 copper coins per catty. The millet was the most expensive, at the price of 18 copper coins per catty. The prices of everything had increased.


    Mu Yangling usually paid attention to the price of grains, but now, she could not help but quieten down. She knew that something was wrong.


    After the employee from the grain store packed the goods for them, the boss started calcting the total on his abacus. Mu Yangling had already calcted it in her heart.


    "The total is 4 taels of silver and 220 copper coins," the shop owner and Mu Yangling said in unison.


    The boss of the grain store looked at Mu Yangling in surprise. In this day and age, there were very few people who knew how to calcte. There were even fewer people who could calcte so quickly.


    Mu Shi took out silver to pay, but the 220 copper coins came from Mu Yangling. This way, only 4 taels and 283 copper coins remained from today''s earnings. After deducting the 50 copper coins he had paid for the stall in the market today, he was only left with 4 taels and 233 copper coins.


    Not to mention Mu Yangling, even Mu Shi could not help but feel a little dejected. Moreover, Mu Shi had wanted to buy more food just in case.


    Mu Shi did not let his daughter carry the food out, for he had always been careful not to let his daughter show her strength among people other than the vigers.


    After tying up the things he had bought on the cart, Mu Shi said to his silent daughter, "Get in the cart quickly. I''ll push you back."


    Mu Yangling quickly climbed onto the cart and sat with her back facing her father. She said in a high voice, "Father, I''m seated. Let''s go quickly."


    "Alright, let''s go now." The cart started to move steadily.


    Mu Yangling tilted her head to look at the stalls on both sides with some worry in her eyes. As this was the border, other than being affected by natural disasters and seasons, the supply of grains was also affected by the war.


    She did not know about other ces, but from what the elders in the vige said, it could be considered a bumper harvest this year. The wheat and rice in the fields were gradually ripening, and the vige was slowly starting to harvest its crops. Logically speaking, the price of grains should be slowly decreasing at this time, but at this moment, the price of grains was rising instead.


    Mu Yangling was not in a good mood, but she did not want to affect Mu Shi, so she could only turn her back to him and try her best to pretend to be cheerful and rxed.


    However, Mu Shi was not as worried as Mu Yangling. After all, he had been through a lot. Although he was initially worried, he soon got over it and decided that he would cross the bridge when the time came.


    Standing in front of the door, Shu Wanniang waited for them toe back. Little Bowen squatted at the side and yed by himself. When he saw his father pushing his sister back, he immediately threw away the stone in his hand and ran over.


    Mu Shi stopped the cart. Mu Yangling jumped down, picked up her younger brother, and ced him on the cart. With a beam, she said, "Sit and let Father push you back."


    A little out of breath after running all the way over, Little Bowen did not resist when his sister carried him onto the cart with one hand. Instead, he grabbed the bag of grains excitedly and shouted with sparkling eyes, "Go! Go! Go!"


    Seeing his son in such high spirits, Mu Shi was overjoyed and quickened his pace. Little Bowen let out squeals of excitement along the way. Soon, the family arrived at the door.


    Shu Wanniang looked at them with curved eyes and waved at Little Bowen. "Come down quickly. Don''t tire your father out."


    Mu Yangling carried her brother down and turned around with a smile. "Mother, don''t worry. It''s only a few hundred catties. Father definitely won''t be tired."


    Mu Shi nodded repeatedly. "Even a few hundred more catties won''t be a problem."


    Shu Wanniang wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and said gently, "I know you''re strong, but on such a hot day, it''s hard to walk on the road even when empty-handed. Why didn''t you wait for the sun to set beforeing back?"


    Mu Shi smiled innocently and said, "I''m just worried about you and our son." Mu Shi looked at Shu Wanniang''s stomach. "You have to be careful now that you''re seven months into the pregnancy."


    Shu Wanniang pursed her lips and smiled. "Don''t worry. I only walk around the house and don''t do heavy work. What can possibly happen?"


    Seeing that her parents were showing off their love, Mu Yangling walked into the house with a bag of rice in each arm. Little Bowen looked at his sister, who was almost drowned underneath the bags of rice, and then at his mother, who was still wiping his father''s sweat. Then, he quickly followed his sister with his short legs.


    Mu Yangling ced the rice on the ground. When she saw her brother, she took out a piece of candy from her pocket and stuffed it into his hand. "I bought this for you. Eat it quickly."


    Little Bowen''s eyes sparkled. "Where''s yours?"


    Mu Yangling wrinkled her nose and said, "I don''t like candy. You should eat it."


    Little Bowen felt that there was no one in this world who didn''t like candy, thus assuming his sister must be saying that to let him have the candy. Therefore, Little Bowen opened the candy wrapper very lovingly and licked it before putting it to his sister''s mouth. He said, "Sister, eat quickly. Let''s take a bite each."


    Looking at Little Bowen''s saliva, Mu Yangling couldn''t bring herself to eat it. She shook her head and waved her hand. "I don''t eat candy. I heard that one who eats too much candy will lose their teeth, so I won''t eat it. You can have it all to yourself."


    Little Bowen nodded in understanding. "By the way, did you lose your teeth because you ate too much candy?" Little Bowen hesitated. "If I eat candy, will I lose my teeth like Sister?"


    "¡­" Mu Yangling reiterated sternly, "I lost my teeth not because I ate candy, but because I''m growing up. When you grow up, you''ll lose your teeth too."


    Little Bowen looked at his sister in horror.


    Mu Yangling turned around and went out to continue moving the remaining grains.


    Little Bowen faced the candy in his hand alone and muttered to himself, "Since I''ll lose my teeth when I grow up anyway, I''ll just eat more now. In any case, my teeth will fall out¡­"


    Mu Yangling, who had already walked out of the room, happened to hear it. "¡­"


    By the time Mu Yangling finished moving everything back to the room, Shu Wanniang had already gone into the kitchen to prepare food for the father and daughter. Mu Shi stood outside the kitchen and said, "Let me do it. Your stomach is getting bigger and bigger."


    Shu Wanniang smiled and said, "Those who are seven months pregnant still go down to farm in the fields. I''m just going into the kitchen. Go into the central room and sit down. I''ll be done soon."


    Mu Yangling and Little Bowen nodded repeatedly. "That''s right, Father. Go in quickly and let Mother cook."


    Mu Shi patted their heads. "Aren''t you justining that my cooking isn''t great? It''s already good enough to have something to eat. Besides, your father''s cooking isn''t bad either."


    It was not bad, butpared to their mother''s, it was like the difference between heaven and earth.


    Mu Yangling and Little Bowen thought to themselves.

 Chapter 9: Shock

    <h4>Chapter 9: Shock</h4>


    In the end, it was Shu Wanniang who cooked. She was no longer the delicate youngdy from 10 years ago. Though her husband doted on her, she could not make things difficult for him while she lived in her own world all the time.


    Mu Shi took out all the money in the house and counted it. There were more than seven taels of silver in total. He put the copper coins that totaled less than 100 copper coins to the side and sat cross-legged on the brick bed, staring at the seven taels of silver and 500 copper coins in a daze.


    Shu Wanniang came in with her hand on her stomach and asked, "Isn''t the tax only six taels? We already have enough, what are you worried about?"


    Mu Shi frowned. "The price of grains in the grain store in town has increased. I''m afraid that the situation at the border will be unstable again." Looking at Shu Wanniang''s big belly, Mu Shi felt vexed. He said irritably, "Why don''t we hide in the south?"


    "How can we?" Shu Wanniang was shocked. "Honey, it''s difficult toe back after leaving our homnd. Besides, we''ll incur much expenses should we leave. What can we do with just a tael of silver?"


    How could Mu Shi not know? His wife was heavily pregnant, and his son wasn''t in good health. If they fled south, they would have to have a donkey cart, right? s, their family had nothing except a cart.


    When outside, even if they could use their own grains, what about other food? There was also amodation, as well as the cost of entering the city. All of these required money. His wife was already seven months pregnant and needed to be careful¡­


    However, Mu Shi could not help but feel flustered. This was a kind of vignce that only appeared when facing danger. He had never made a mistake.


    Feeling thirsty, Mu Shi drank a bowl of water, before touching his wife''s sharp stomach. He gritted his teeth and said, "Then let''s stock up on more food. If something really happens, we''ll escape into the mountains."


    Shu Wanniang lowered her eyes. "But there are also ferocious beasts in the mountains. Besides, we only have a tael of silver left after paying taxes. How much food can we buy?"


    Mu Shi was a little discouraged. He needed to prepare a sum of money for his wife to give birth. Recalling that it had been a precarious situation thest time she gave birth to their son, he could not spend all the money they had on hand.


    With a smile, Shu Wanniang patted his hand. She said gently, "Pay the taxes first. There will be a way out when the timees. At most, we''ll just follow the vigers."


    "But your health¡­"


    "My health isn''t as bad as you think." Shu Wanniang smiled and said, "I think it''s not bad. When the timees, with you protecting us, we''ll be better off than others." Shu Wanniang wasn''t very worried. There would be a way out for sure, no matter what challenges life brought.


    Ten years ago, she would never have thought that she would cook, make needlework to sell, or even nt vegetables in the fields and wash clothes by the river. At that time, she felt that she would be better off dead than have to live like this.


    However, when the time came, she felt that there was nothing bad about this life. Yes, it was a little physically tiring, but it was also mentally satisfying. When she got used to itter, she did not even feel tired anymore.


    Running away might sound very torturous for now, but when the time came, it should not be difficult to ept it. Shu Wanniang had always been open-minded.


    On the other hand, Mu Shi had always been very nervous about matters concerning his wife. Not quite as optimistic as her, he decided he would go to the county tomorrow to sell all the leather goods at home and leave more money at home for emergencies.


    Mu Bowen was reading the ''Three Character ssic'' under a tree while Mu Yangling sat in front of the door and listened to her parents'' conversation in a daze.


    What''s the quickest way to make money?


    Mu Yangling pondered while making use of her knowledge and experience from two lifetimes. She came to the conclusion that the fastest way to make a fortune was through robbery!


    The corners of Mu Yangling''s mouth twitched. She threw this thought away and sighed. It was better to let her father worry about this profound problem.


    Counting on her fingers, she realized that other than fighting, there was nothing else she was good at. As for the various knowledge about mechanical stuff and war that she had learned in university, it was not rted to earning money. Not only was it not rted, it could be said that the things she had learned were not very useful in this era.


    Machinery manufacturing was based on steel forging and various sophisticated machines. As for war, she studied modern and contemporary modes of information warfare. If she was given a radio, she might be able to modify the monitoring andmunication functions. But what use was that now?


    She might be able to make guns and ammunition if she was given time to explore, but making hot weapons in the era of cold weapons was undoubtedly a blow to the people of this world. She was not so crazy.


    Therefore, in summary, other than fighting and hunting, she was useless. Even when it came to cooking, she only knew how to whip up stir-fried vegetables and scrambled eggs, the kind that only had oil and salt added.


    Mu Yangling was ashamed, feeling like she had lived her previous life in vain, for she felt that she could not do anything for her family.


    Just as Mu Yangling was feeling ashamed, Mu Bowen obediently called out "Eldest Great-uncle".


    Mu Yangling snapped out of her thoughts and saw Liu Daqian standing at the door, hesitating.


    Meeting Mu Yangling''s eyes, Liu Daqian smiled awkwardly. "Ah Ling, where are your parents?"


    Mu Yangling quickly weed him in. "Eldest Great-uncle, my parents are in the house. Come in quickly."


    In the room, Mu Shi and Shu Wanniang hurriedly put away the money when they heard the sound. Mu Shi handed the things to Shu Wanniang and said, "I''ll go out and wee him."


    Shu Wanniang nodded.


    Liu Daqian was Mu Shi''s uncle, so Mu Shi respectfully invited him into the house. Shu Wanniang poured him a bowl of tea.


    Liu Daqian would never visit without a reason. He took a look at the furnishings in the Mu family''s house and saw that it was still the same as when his younger sister was still alive, and even the number of tables and chairs remained the same. He sighed slightly. He also knew that his nephew had a tough life. Although he earned a lot, he also spent a lot.


    He had married a pampered youngdy. His eldest daughter was not bad, but his son was sickly and had to take medicine and see a doctor every other day. Nevertheless, no matter how bad their situation was, they were still much better off than his family.


    Liu Daqian clenched his fists and opened his mouth, unable to speak.


    Mu Shi said, "Eldest Uncle, if there''s anything you need, just say it. I''ll definitely help you if I can." Liu Daqian didn''te to their house often. If there was anything, he would call his grandson over to call Mu Shi over to the Liu family to talk. During the new year and festivals, he only asked his children toe over to give gifts and return gifts. Thest time he came was because Bowen was born, to congratte Mu Shi for finally having a sessor.


    Liu Daqian heaved a sigh of relief and slumped his shoulders. "Shi Tou, have you prepared your tax money?"


    "Yes, a wild boar fell into the trap this morning. That''s how we managed to raise the money."


    Liu Daqian took a puff of his pipe. His face was slightly red, but he still said, "Your cousins'' taxes haven''t been settled yet. I know it''s difficult for you, but I still need toe over to ask. If you have any money, do help them¡­"


    Liu Daqian had never begged this nephew of his, so it was exceptionally difficult for him to ask this favor.


    Mu Shi was a little surprised. "Uncle, doesn''t your family contribute grains instead? Why do you have to pay tax money?"


    With a sigh, Liu Daqian said sadly, "This is not considered tax money, but payment to a porter. In the past, one could also contribute grains as payment to a porter, but this year, not only did the price of grains drop by 10%, but the payment to a porter also needs to be paid in silver. Early this morning, your cousin found out from the Minister Counselor''s family that the price of grains is only 420.8 copper coins per stone. It''s almost 100 copper coins less thanst year. We can''t bear to sell it at such a low price."


    Mu Shi jumped up in shock. "How can it be so little? I went to town to buy rice today, and even the medium-grade rice costs 1 tael of silver and 300 copper coins¡­"

 Chapter 10: Shame

    <h4>Chapter 10: Shame</h4>


    One stone of grain could produce at least 70 catties of rice. Even in the worst case scenario, it should be at least 60 catties per half a stone, right?


    ording to the worst case scenario, 841.6 copper coins could buy one stone of rice. Even if the merchants wanted to earn money, ording tomon sense, the most they should be charging was one tael of silver. In the previous autumn harvests, medium-grade rice was priced at one tael of silver per stone.


    Mu Shi and Liu Daqian''s faces darkened. Liu Daqian asked with a dark expression, "Did you really buy the medium-rice for 1 tael and 300 copper coins yesterday?"


    Mu Shi nodded.


    Liu Daqian''s hand trembled slightly. "This, this heartless person actually earned almost twice as much¡­"


    Mu Shi also lowered his eyes and did not speak. The grain stores in the town and the county were owned by rich families, and the three minister counselors in town were among them.


    Mu Shi said, "I was thinking of going to the county tomorrow to sell the leather goods and stock up on food¡­"


    "Don''t!" Liu Daqian said angrily. "Every family in the vige has grains. Why do you need to buy it in the town or county? You''ll only benefit those bastards¡­"


    Mu Shi fell silent. Previously, when the price of grain had risen, he was afraid that there had been a change in the situation at the border and he considered going south. However, now, the price of grain where his eldest uncle lived had lowered. Coupled with the increase in taxes this year, it was obvious that someone was maliciously raising the price of rice in the town and the county and lowering the price of grain in the countryside.


    Liu Daqian naturally thought of the same thing, but there was nothing he could do. He needed to make this year''s payment to a porter in silver. The only thing the vigers could exchange for money was grains. Those people must have colluded to lower the price of grains, so the price of grains would be the same no matter who they sold it to.


    When Mu Shi saw Liu Daqian''s face full of worry, he thought for a moment and went into the house to take out 1 tael of silver and 50 copper coins. "Eldest Uncle, this is all I have left after paying the tax. Just treat it as me buying grains from you."


    Liu Daqian tightened his grip on the silver in his hand and sighed. "I''ll get your cousins to carry the grains over for youter. It''s all new grains harvested this year."


    Mu Shi hurriedly said, "Just charge mest year''s grain price."


    Last year, the grain price at this time of the year was about 495 copper coins.


    Liu Daqian nodded in agreement and stood up. "My family has the money for the payment to a porter now, but there are so many vigers who are still in the dark. I''ll discuss with the old fellows in the vige and see if there''s any way. We can''t let those people scheme against us like this."


    Liu Daqian walked away with his hands behind his back.


    Mu Yangling, who was cleaning the courtyard, shouted when she saw him leaving, "Take care, Eldest Great-uncle."


    Liu Daqian nodded slightly. "Ah Ling, your cousin Lang picked up two tattered books. You cane to my house and take a look. If they''re useful, bring them back for your younger brother. Your cousins can''t read a single word, so there''s no point in us keeping them."


    Mu Yangling replied happily, "I''ll go after the sun sets."


    Liu Daqian''s eldest grandson, Liu Lang, loved to walk around the streets and alleys to y. He would often pick up some things to bring home, and so long as it was anything paper-rted, he would send it to Mu Shi''s house.


    Because in the entire vige, only the Mu family could read. To be precise, Shu Wanniang was the only one who could read.


    Mu Shi, Mu Yangling and Mu Bowen all learned how to read from Shu Wanniang.


    It was also because Shu Wanniang was literate that others didn''t really gossip about her even though she was not very good at doing chores. This was simply because literacy was too esteemed in this era.


    Seeing that Liu Daqian had left, Mu Yangling ran back into the house and asked anxiously, "Father, should we still stock up on grains?"


    "Why not? Let''s buy it directly from the vigers. We don''t have to go to town or county and can save a lot of money. When the timees, we can just send it to the town mill to grind it into rice."


    Shu Wanniang sighed and said, "It wasn''t easy for everyone to have such a good harvest this year. I thought that everyone''s days would be more rxed, but who knew that the grains would be deliberately undervalued? It really hurts the farmers."


    Mu Shi scratched his head. There was nothing he could do.


    "Father, those who are lowering the price are all local squires. Wouldn''t it be fine if we sell the grains to passing merchants? At least we can raise the price."


    Shu Wanniang shook her head andughed. "It''s not as simple as you think."


    Mu Shi chimed in, "Now that it''s autumn harvest, there''s more or less grains everywhere. The price of grains has already decreased. Coupled with the long journey, who woulde to the border to transport grains for no reason? Alright, since even we adults can''te up with a good idea, you shouldn''t get involved when you''re just a child."


    She was being looked down upon.


    Mu Yangling was furious. Although she looked like a child on the outside, she was an adult on the inside! She was determined to find a way, or else she would have lived for so many years in vain.


    Mu Shi did not know what his daughter was thinking. When he saw her eyes widen, he said, "This is a matter for adults. You''ve been busy for most of the day. Go y with your brother now. Keep an eye on him. Don''t let him go out and get too much sun."


    Seeing that Mu Shi was about to turn around and go to the storeroom, Mu Yangling asked curiously, "Father, why are you going to the storeroom?"


    "I''ll go and sort out the leather goods. Tomorrow, I''ll go to the county to sell them. Your mother is about to give birth, so we have to leave some money at home." Mu Shi felt sorry for his daughter, who had been working hard for most of the day, so he said, "Go and have fun. If you don''t want to y, go into the house and lie down for a while. Father will wake up early tomorrow and will probably only be back in the middle of the night. So, don''t go to the mountains tomorrow. Stay at home and take care of your mother and brother."


    Mu Yangling''s eyes darted around, before responding and running out to look for her brother.


    Little Bowen was obediently shaking his head as he memorized the ''Three Character ssic'' when Mu Yangling ran forward and grabbed the book from his hand. "Stop memorizing and go y with me."


    Little Bowen struggled for a moment and said, "But Mother told me to memorize till the fifth page before I can go out and y."


    "You''ve already memorized it for so long. Nothing more will stick even if you continue. Why don''t you go y with me for a while and memorize it when youe back in the evening? I''ll help you start the fire and cook dinner tonight, while you focus on memorizing the book."


    Little Bowen revealed a joyful smile and nodded obediently. "Then, Sister, where are we going to y?"


    "Let''s go to Cousin Lang''s house first. He picked up two books with words. Let''s see what books they are and if they can be used. Then, I''ll take you to y with Goudan and the others."


    Goudan was the only son of Widow Liu who lived at the entrance of the vige. Like Little Bowen, he was only five years old. He was the ''king'' of the children in the vige who were five or six years old. Little Bowen often yed with them.


    Little Bowen happily took the book back and put it away. Then, he ran out to hold his sister''s hand and skipped towards Cousin Lang''s house.


    Most of the people in Nearhill Vige had the surname Liu. Although there was also the surname Ma, Hu, and Zhang, they were the only family with the surname Mu. Therefore, as long as they mentioned the Mu family of Nearhill Vige, everyone knew that they were referring to their family.


    The Mu Family lived at the foot of the mountain, in a residence consisting of five tiled-roofed houses. Mu Yangling''s grandfather had built them before he married her grandmother. At that time, countless people were envious, for they were the only family in the vige to live in such a house.


    15 minutes to the southeast was the area with the houses most densely gathered in the vige. Eldest Great-uncle''s residence was among them.


    Eldest Great-uncle Liu Daqian had a total of three sons and two daughters, but in the end, only two sons remained. His second son had died of illness when he was only three years old. His two daughters had died in the military disaster 12 years ago, and Mu Yangling''s grandparents had also died in that military disaster.


    Therefore, Eldest Great-uncle was now living with his two sons and had not split up the family assets.


    As it was a busy period during the autumn, the adults were allboring hard to harvest crops in the fields. Since there were not many people in the vige, the siblings did not meet anyone when they walked over. The children above the age of six had probably been deployed to work in the fields.


    Their eldest cousin, Liu Lang, was pressing his eight-year-old brother, Liu Lun, into a basin to take a shower. As he washed him, he scolded, "Who told you to be disobedient? When Fatheres back tonight, I''ll see if he beats you up."


    Mu Yangling pushed the door open and entered. She blinked at the two people in the courtyard and asked, "Cousin Lang, Cousin Lun, what are you doing?"


    Liu Lun screamed and grabbed the clothes from the stool to cover his chest. He shouted, "You''re not allowed to look. Turn around, turn around! Brother, quickly chase her out!"


    Liu Lang looked at his brother in a daze. Then, he suddenly jumped up and blocked in front of his younger brother. He shouted, "Hey, you guys should go out first. Come in after Ah Lun is done putting on his clothes."


    Who would care to watch an eight-year-old bathe?


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes and brought her dazed brother out, closing the door on her way out.


    Liu Lun jumped out of the basin and started to put on his clothes in a hurry. Eyes reddened, he looked as if he was about to cry. "She saw it. She must have seen it. Why didn''t you close the door just now?"


    Liu Lang defended himself. "How would I know that someone woulde? Isn''t everyone in the field now?"


    Liu Lun wiped his tears aggrievedly. Liu Lang hurriedly said, "Don''t be sad. She definitely didn''t see it. You were sitting in the basin at that time, and you moved so quickly."


    "She really didn''t see it?"


    "No, definitely not," Liu Lang affirmed.

 Chapter 11: History

    <h4>Chapter 11: History</h4>


    When Liu Lang opened the door with a straight face, Mu Yangling looked at him with a smile. "Cousin Lang, how old is Cousin Lun? He''s too particr."


    Liu Lang''s face darkened even more. He lectured her with a straight face, "You''re already nine years old, and Ah Lun is also eight years old. You''re going to get married in a few years. Why are you still so rash? Fortunately, only the few of us know about what happened today, plus we''re cousins. If it were someone else, what would you do if they insist you take responsibility by marrying him?"


    Mu Yangling opened her mouth wide and stammered, "I¡­ I''m only nine years old¡­"


    Liu Lang frowned. "A nine-year-old is already an adult. Third Uncle Liu''s tanned daughter got married when she was 13 years old."


    Mu Yangling immediately shut her mouth. 13 years old¡­


    Liu Lun had already put on his clothes and was washing them. When he saw his cousins enter, he snorted and returned to his room with his head raised. Mu Yangling saw that the corners of his eyes were still a little red and only then did she know that this child really minded.


    Clueless as to what had just happened, Little Bowen looked at his cousin and sister in a daze and didn''t dare to joke anymore.


    Mu Yangling said, "Cousin Lang, Eldest Great-uncle said that you picked up two books, so I came to take a look."


    "Okay, wait for me. I''ll go in and get it for you." Liu Lang left them in the courtyard and returned to his room.


    Alright, she only took a nce, and now, she was not even qualified to enter the house.


    Liu Lang handed the two tattered books to Mu Yangling and said, "I picked them up from a family''s trash bin in town. I took them back because I saw that there were words on them."


    As there was no bookstore in Seven Mile Vige, they had to go to the county if they wanted to buy books. Moreover, because a book was not cheap, books were passed down from one generation to the next. Therefore, very few people threw books away like trash in this era. This was the first time Liu Lang had picked up such a treasure.


    However, as no one in their family was literate, they had no use for it, so he might as well give them to their cousins.


    Mu Yangling took the two books. The book cover was tattered, as if someone had torn it. Flipping it open, she realized that it was ''The Analects''. Mu Yangling''s eyes lit up and she said happily, "Cousin Lang, this is ''The Analects''. Although the first five pages were torn, the rest of the book isplete. This is awesome. After I finish reciting the ''Three Character ssic'', I can read ''The Analects''."


    Liu Lang was incredibly envious because he did not understand what ''The Analects'' was at all. He said sincerely, "It''s good that you find it useful. Take it back and use it. I''ll look around again in the future and see if I can find more stuff with words on them."


    Seeing that he was staring at the book in her hand with desire, Mu Yangling suggested, "Cousin Lang, why don''t I teach you how to read? You''ll have an easier time finding your way when you go out in the future."


    Though tempted, Liu Lang said hesitantly, "But I can''t afford pen and ink."


    Mu Yangling smiled. "Our family can''t afford pens and ink either. We just doodle on the ground with tree branches. It''s not as if we''re taking the Imperial Examination. We just need to recognize some words and know how to write. There''s no need to have such pretty handwriting."


    This was how Shu Wanniang taught her. However, she never allowed Little Bowen to draw on the ground with a tree branch. Instead, she asked him to dip his finger in water and write on the table. She was afraid that he would get used to holding a tree branch and be inert when he switched to holding a penter, thus would not be able to learn calligraphy well.


    "Then quickly take a look at the other book." Liu Lang urged her.


    "It''s the ''Three Character ssic''. Cousin Lang, you can keep this book for yourself. Later, we''ll use the ''Three Character ssic'' to learn how to read."


    Liu Lang heaved a sigh of relief and whispered, "Don''t tell my parents about this. In the future, I''ll go to your house every day to learn from you." Liu Lang hesitated and said, "Can I bring Ah Lun there? Teach my brother too."


    "Makes no difference whether I teach one or two. Don''t worry, I''ll keep it a secret."


    Only then did Liu Lang smile widely.


    However, Mu Yangling felt a little sad.


    In her previous life, children who were out of school were very worrying. However, the number of people who were out of school only ounted for a small portion of the poption. However, this era was different. Here, perhaps more than 99 out of 100 people could not read.


    Only a very small number of people had mastered thenguage. In the entire Seven Mile Vige, only a few families could read.


    Mu Yangling had once followed Mu Shi to the county. At that time, she did not do anything but go to the bookstore to flip through history books for half a day. Coupled with the information she obtained through indirect means, she knew that this was an era simr to the Song Dynasty.


    The history of the period before the Later Tang was the same as in her previous life. However, the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms after the Later Tang changed. The Emperor Taizu of Later Zhou, Guo Wei, came from a poor background. After ascending the throne, he humbly epted the opinions of his subjects and could be considered a good emperor. Following his death, his adopted son, Guo Rong, took over the throne. This person revolutionized politics and developed the economy. As such, he could, even more so, be considered a great emperor with exceptional talent and strategies. ording to the history books, he had only been an emperor for six years before he died of illness, leaving many regrets. Due to his early demise, the Zhou Dynasty was swallowed up by the Northern Song Dynasty. However, the history books here recorded that he had been in power for 17 years. Not only did he develop the agricultural economy, but he also conquered and unified the country. Known as the Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, his throne waster seeded by his son, Emperor Gaozong of Later Zhou.


    Therefore, the Northern Song Dynasty, which had originally unified the country, had disappeared, but history had taken a turn and returned to its original point.


    Emperor Shizong valued both civil and military affairs, and he was also conscientious in government affairs. However, Emperor Gaozong did not like military officials and feared that the generals would seize the Guo family''s territory if they took control of the military power. Therefore, not long after he ascended the throne, he reformed politics and set up many supervisory bodies to guard against the generals. He even changed Emperor Shizong''s policy of resisting foreign forces to guarding against internal conflicts. Most of the troops in the country were deployed to guard against civil unrest and the rebellion of the generals.


    Emperor Gaozong said, "In our vast Great China, we have never seen the Yi barbarians rule. On the other hand, the copse of a dynasty always started from an uprising of the unruly civilians and generals. Therefore, in order to protect the stability of our Great Zhou, we have to station soldiers in the military pass to prevent trouble."


    Hence, the 800,000 soldiers stationed outside the pass were scattered and returned to various parts of the pass. However, they did not expect that the Dangxiang people, the Jurchen race, and other ethnic tribes would gradually grow stronger. Great Zhou went on to lose its cities andnd, and the battle line kept moving south.


    Before the Great Zhou Emperor could help bring into power the civil officials, the generals had already been suppressed and scattered. He had no choice but to put the aristocratic families in an important position.


    The Tang Dynasty''s ninth-grade system that had been abolished with difficulty gradually rose again. Although the Great Zhou Dynasty did not announce that they would choose officials based on the ninth-grade system, the Imperial Examination had already been monopolized by the aristocratic families, leading to even fewer people who could read and write.


    Take Mingshui County for example. There was only one small academy in the huge Mingshui County. Those who could study there were all children of wealthy families who did not have knowledge passed down from ancestors. As there was only one bookstore in the county, if Mu Yangling wanted to buy a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, she had to walk nearly four hours to the county to buy it. Moreover, there were only six shelves of books in the bookstore. Mu Yangling had heard from her mother that most of the books were still in the hands of the aristocratic families.


    From Mu Yangling''s point of view, the Great Zhou was on the path of decline.


    Having a literate person in Nearhill Vige was something to be proud of. Shu Wanniang had always been amiable and gentle, so she would seriously teach any child who wanted to learn.


    Suddenlying into contact with the outside world, the children''s hearts surged with unrealistic thoughts.


    Third Uncle Liu''s eldest son, Liu Yong, had learnt from Shu Wanniang for a few days before making a fuss about going to the county to take the Imperial Examination.


    This could be considered shocking news to the Liu family.


    Third Uncle Liu''s family barely had enough to feed themselves. They did not even dare to fall sick, let alone support a child to study and take the Imperial Examination.


    The patriarch thought that it was rare for such a determined person to appear in the n. Thus, if he proved himself capable, the patriarch could use the entire n''s resources to support him. Although the cost of studying was high, the rewards from doing well in the examination were equally generous. Therefore, the patriarch went to ask Shu Wanniang about Liu Yong''s talent in studying.

 Chapter 12: Liu Yong

    <h4>Chapter 12: Liu Yong</h4>


    At that time, Liu Yong was already nine years old. He had been learning from Shu Wanniang for more than two months, but up till then he could only recognize a small portion of the ''Three Character ssic'', and even then, he would miss out a little here and there.


    Although Shu Wanniang had a soft personality, she was excellent at judging people. If Liu Yong was just dull, she might have fought for him. However, Liu Yong was stubborn, ambitious, and impatient. He was not cut out for studying.


    Shu Wanniang said to the patriarch, "Liu Yong learned how to read from me. He''s one of the few children who can recognize words faster and is also diligent. Every day, hees to learn from me before dawn and only returns when it''s dark. Other than him, there are five other children in the vige who oftene over. As they''re of simr age and didn''t have any foundation, I taught them together. I only taught them three sentences a day. It was onlyter on, after they''ve built up a foundation, that I started to teach them one page a day."


    The patriarch was surprised, as he had only asked Shu Wanniang about Liu Yong. He didn''t understand why Shu Wanniang would mention the other five children. Was it to let himpare them?


    Shu Wanniang continued, "Third Great Uncle''s grandson, Liu Li, is older, the most sensible, and the quickest learner among them. Every day, he would read the words repeatedly with me, memorize them, and then leave. I originally thought that he didn''t like to read, butter on, I saw that when he was working in the fields, he was also reading out loud. When he was free, he would often gesture those words with his hands."


    The patriarch, Liu He, said proudly, "Liu Li lost his father when he was young and has always been very diligent. He went to the fields to help his mother work when he was only four years old. He''s only doing this because he can''t bear to let go of the work in the fields. Unfortunately, he''s already 11 years old and his family is in a difficult situation¡­"


    Shu Wanniang felt a little regretful, because she felt that Liu Li was the most suitable person to take the Imperial Examination, if the Liu family had to nurture someone. However, from the looks of it, the patriarch wasn''t a fan of the idea.


    Shu Wanniang paused for a moment and said, "Every time Liu Lies, he will bring a bundle of firewood over. Your grandson, Liu Ping, is also great. Every time hees, he will help me fill up the water vat before leaving, while the other children fight to finish the work in my courtyard." Shu Wanniang smiled embarrassedly. "When theye, my husband and I feel much more rxed."


    The patriarch listened patiently. He felt that Shu Wanniang was knowledgeable as she was the daughter of a schr, thus there must be a reason she didn''t mention Liu Yong. As such, he did not pursue the matter and only said casually, "It''s only right for them to be filial to you since you''re their teacher."


    Shu Wanniang nodded and said, "I know that they''re doing this out of filial piety, but it will inevitably affect Liu Yong, who is focused on his studies. In fact, there were several arguments when I was not around. Liu Yong felt that they were too noisy in the courtyard and it affected his ability to study."


    The patriarch''s smile froze. He leaned forward and asked, "Are you saying that Liu Yong didn''t help you out with the chores?"


    Never one to badmouth others, Shu Wanniang looked a little ufortable. However, she still nodded and said, "That child has been seizing time to practice his calligraphy, studying from morning to night even when it''s busy farming season. Therefore, he can learn to read much faster than others. Others can''t catch up to him, so he asked me to teach him one-on-one¡­"


    Shu Wanniang added, "He used to be very close to the other five kids, but recently, he''s not even willing to greet Liu Li and the others. When he found out that my husband could recognize even fewer words than him, he somewhat stopped greeting my husband too."


    Seeing that the patriarch''s expression was getting uglier, Shu Wanniang sighed and said earnestly, "Patriarch, I''ll only tell you this. I''ll naturally do my best to teach him since he''s learning from me. However, regarding your deploying the entire n''s resources to support him alone, I can''t tell you for sure what''s going to happen in the future. Best I can do is let you know how he conducts himself."


    The patriarch asked, "Since he can learn to read faster than others, can he remember all the words he learned before?"


    Shu Wanniang sighed and said, "This is the second key. He has to memorize so many words in a day. He might remember them on the second or third day, but five dayster, he might not be able to recognize all of them. However, he refuses to go back and revise, feeling that it''s a waste of time, and that he might as well continue moving forward ande back to review it again in the future. When ites to learning, one has to move ahead one step at a time. Yet, he only wishes to sprint forward. How then, can he build a steady foundation?"


    Speechless, the patriarch stood up and bowed to Shu Wanniang. "The children have troubled you recently. I''ll go back and discuss it with them."


    Shu Wanniang sent him off.


    Liu Yong was indeed not a suitable candidate for the Imperial Examination. Shu Wanniang couldn''t even figure out where he got the confidence that he could rely on the Imperial Examination to make a name for himself.


    The Imperial Examination in the dynasty was extremely difficult. Every three years, only 300 schrs would be epted. Among the 300 schrs, the aristocratic families ounted for the majority. There were also other children from farming families who were strong opponents. After all, with the disparity in educational resources, it was already not bad if more than 5 out of 300 schrs came from poor families.


    And in this world, how many poor schrs participated in the Imperial Examination?


    Liu Yong only learned how to read at the age of nine. With no books or a great teacher, on top of not being especially smart, how could he surpass others?


    If he had a tenacious personality and a noble character, Shu Wanniang might have supported him. After all, diligence could make up for one''s dullness, and an excellent moral character could allow one to ze a trail. However, it had only been two months, and already he had failed to conceal his emotions. Shu Wanniang naturally understood his nature.


    Among the six of them, he was nine years old. Not to mention the oldest, Liu Li, even the eight-year-old Liu Ping would take the initiative to go back to help out his parents after memorizing those words. He would only take the time to memorize the words when he found the time after finishing his chores.


    On the other hand, Liu Yong would stay in her courtyard from morning to night, squatting under the parasol tree to study and only leaving when it was dark.


    When the other five children came to her ce to learn how to read, they would help her do whatever they could, yet he despised them for making a din and affecting him. Every time she washed rice and cooked, he would frown and look unhappy.


    Although Shu Wanniang had a gentle personality, she was not without a temper. She was considered his teacher, and he was eating and drinking at her house for free. In the end, he was displeased to see her do other chores than teaching him?


    At that time, Shu Wanniang was pregnant with Mu Yangling, and pregnant women had a tendency to be sensitive and overthink. At night, she often cried with her back facing Mu Shi.


    The most important thing in studying was tenacity. Sometimes, one had to repeatedly verify and ask questions. However, the fact that he was unwilling to even revise, showed that he was too eager for quick sess. Shu Wanniang did not think that he would be able to seed if she gave him a chance to study for the Imperial Examination.


    If they were from a wealthy family, she naturally would not meddle in other people''s business. However, the Liu n was too poor. Supporting one person to study for the Imperial Examination meant that they would have to live frugally for the next 20 years or even longer. The dowry of the girls waiting to marry in the family would decrease, and due to this they would not be able to marry into a good family.


    Shu Wanniang didn''t want them to pay such a huge price to make such a decision, so she was partial to revealing some things to the patriarch of the Liu family.

 Chapter 13: Delusion

    <h4>Chapter 13: Delusion</h4>


    However, Liu Yong begged to differ. He felt that he was hardworking, a quick learner, smart, and full of ambition. Yet, because of Shu Wanniang''s words, he was forced to stop in his tracks. This made him feel angry and resentful towards Shu Wanniang.


    Now that the patriarch was no longer willing to help him, he could only think of a way himself. He forced his parents to raise money to send him to the county academy to study. However, the Liu family was poor and could not even afford the tuition. Moreover, he had to buy pens, ink, paper, and inkstones to go to school. They might not be able to afford these expenses even if they sold off everyone in his family.


    Unexpectedly, Liu Yong came up with the idea to sell his younger siblings. The nine-year-old Liu Yong had a younger sister who was eight years old and a younger brother who was six years old. At that time, he tricked them into going to town to sell them to the broker.


    The children in the vige were free to roam around, and their parents would only call for them when they needed them to do something, or when food was ready. That day, Third Uncle Liu and his wife had gone to the fields and were not at home. When they returned in the evening, they saw that the three children were not at home and did not take it to heart, thinking that they had gone out to y.


    However, when they finished cooking, the three children were still nowhere to be seen even when the sky turned dark. It was then that Third Uncle Liu and his wife panicked and quickly asked the vigers to help look for them.


    Liu Yong didn''t hide from anyone the fact that he brought his younger siblings to town. When the adults saw them, they thought that Third Uncle Liu and his wife had asked them to buy something in town, so they didn''t take it to heart. When Third Uncle Liu asked, they naturally told him.


    The patriarch''s intuition told him that something was wrong. He led Third Uncle Liu into town. On the way, he encountered Liu Yong, who was carrying a bag. When he opened it, he saw that it was filled with brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and books.


    Third Uncle Liu looked at his eldest son, who had his head lowered, and felt an ominous feeling in his heart. However, he still asked with a trace of hope, "Where did you get these? Also, where are your younger siblings? Didn''t you bring them to town?"


    Liu Yong looked at his father calmly and said, "I bought this, because I want to study and be a High Schr. I sold my younger siblings. They''re only suffering for the time being. When I seed in the Imperial Examination and be an official, I''ll naturally redeem them and let them live a good life."


    Third Uncle Liu widened his eyes in disbelief. His fingers trembled as he pointed at his eldest son, unable to speak. The patriarch beside him could not help but secretly feel d that they had not decided to support him, for it would certainly bring trouble for the n.


    How old were his younger siblings? They had grown up together, yet he actually sold them just like that. What atrocities would hemit as an adult when he was already capable of such a vicious act at such a young age?


    Seeing that Third Uncle Liu was actually a little dazed after suffering such a blow, the patriarch hurriedly pped him awake and shouted at Liu Yong, "Who did you sell your younger siblings to? Hurry up and tell us! How can you be so ruthless when they''re only so young?"


    Third Uncle Liu came back to his senses and realized that the most important thing now was to get his children back. ring at Liu Yong with red eyes and a fierce gaze, he demanded to know, "Tell me, where did you sell your brother and sister?"


    Fear seized Liu Yong''s heart due to the look in his father''s eyes. The calmness he had disyed just now was merely an act. His palms were already sweating, but he thought that since his younger siblings had already been sold, his parents would not beat him to death now that he was the only child in the family. At most, they would beat him up.


    Now that his younger siblings were gone, he would be their only son. They would send him to school then.


    Liu Yong encouraged himself in his heart. Then, he raised his head and said, "I have no idea. I sold them to a passing broker and he has long left. I''m your only son now."


    Unable to take it anymore, Third Uncle Liu pounced forward and grabbed his eldest son''s neck, pressing him to the ground. His eyes were red, and his ferocious face was twisted. He roared, "How did I give birth to such an unfilial son like you? If I had known, I would have strangled you to death when you were born. I''ll strangle you to death. Tell me, who did you sell your younger brother and sister to? Tell me!"


    Third Uncle Liu had suffered a huge blow and used too much strength, causing Liu Yong''s eyes to bulge slightly. He felt that he was really going to die. In his panic, he lost control of his dder and his entire body reeked of feces and urine. If not for the patriarch and a few nsmen holding Third Uncle Liu back, Liu Yong would definitely have died.


    The patriarch called for others to pull Third Uncle Liu away. He said to Liu Yong, who was lying on the ground half-dead, "Liu Yong, you''d better tell me clearly who you sold your younger siblings to and who linked you to that person. If you don''t tell me, your father will definitely beat you to death. Your parents are still young. At most, they can have a few more children."


    Merely nine years old, even if Liu Yong was more mature than others, he could not help but panic after that near-death experience. He said in a hoarse voice, "I really don''t know who that person is, only that everyone calls him the Yellow-teeth Man. I brought them to Procuress Fang''s house in town, wanting to sell them to her. But she didn''t want them, for she said that it would only count if the adults came. Just as I was feeling helpless, I happened to bump into the Yellow-teeth Maning to choose people when I came out. I made a note. After he came out, I followed behind him. He is also in the human trafficking business, and hade to look for Procuress Fang to buy people. I followed him to his courtyard and sold Brother and Sister to him. Then, I brought the money to the county to buy pen, ink, paper, and inkstone."


    Having just sold his younger siblings for 10 taels of silver, Liu Yong was overjoyed. At that time, he couldn''t help but take a donkey cart to the county to buy a set of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. He even bought two books.


    Upon hearing this, everyone felt their hearts turn cold. The fact that this person could actually buy things so happily after selling his younger siblings, showed just how cold-blooded he was.


    "Patriarch, let''s go look for Procuress Fang now. She definitely knows who that Yellow-teeth Man is." Third Uncle Liu did not want to waste another moment. Knowing his daughter and youngest son had always been timid, he could only imagine how frightened they were.


    Understanding that he was anxious, the patriarch immediately handed Liu Yong to his son, Liu Dazhuang. "Take him back and guard him. Then, go and invite Shi Tou. He often travels outside and knows many people. Perhaps he might know about this."


    Liu Dazhuang agreed and carried Liu Yong on his back before rushing to Nearhill Vige.


    The patriarch also rushed to town with the remaining people.


    The people bought by the Yellow-teeth Man were sent to the pce and those filthy ces, so Procuress Fang did not like to do business with him. When she heard that the two kids were sold to him, she immediately said, "Then you should hurry to the south. I heard that he intends to set off today and rush back to the south as soon as possible. However, he''s a miser. Since he spent money to buy them from you, there''s no way he will let them go for free. If he bought them with 10 taels of silver, expect to pay at least 12 taels of silver to buy them back."


    The patriarch, Third Uncle Liu, and the others'' expressions changed drastically. Even if the entire Liu family took out everything they had, they could not afford the 10 taels of silver.


    Shuddering, the patriarch said, "Quickly go back and ask Liu Yong how much money remained from the sale. We''ll gather the money from other sources and chase after him tomorrow morning, traveling along the main road. Don''t worry, we''ll find him eventually."


    Third Uncle Liu gritted his teeth and knelt in front of the patriarch. "Uncle, I know this is a presumptuous request, but I really can''t wait any longer. I''m going to chase after them overnight. I''ll have to trouble you to go back and help gather the money. Tell the vigers that I, Liu San, will pay back the money I owe even if I have to work as a ve for the rest of my life. I only hope that they can save my daughter and youngest son first." As he spoke, he kowtowed to the patriarch.


    Clenching his teeth, the patriarch replied helplessly, "Alright, go chase after them with your fifth brother. I''ll go back and help you gather the silver. Once I gather the money, I''lle for you. Don''t be anxious even if you catch up to them. Calm them down first and tell them politely that we''ll pay for their ransom with silver."


    Third Uncle Liu could only kowtow to him to express his gratitude.

 Chapter 14: Implication

    <h4>Chapter 14: Implication</h4>


    That night, the two teams split up, with Third Uncle Liu chasing to the south. As the other party had a carriage, they were still much faster than Third Uncle Liu walking on two legs even though they were burdened by a group of children.


    Clearly aware of this, Third Uncle Liu only rested for two hours before he got up and continued chasing after them. Fifth Uncle Liu, who apanied Third Uncle Liu, was extremely exhausted. However, seeing his cousin like this, he did not dare to ask to rest. He could only grit his teeth and endure. Finally, at noon on the third day, they caught up with the Yellow-teeth Man''s donkey cart.


    His daughter, Erniang, and youngest son, Liu Xing, were among the 23 children.


    Third Uncle Liu''s lips were dry and he could barely speak. He could only kneel in front of the Yellow-teeth Man and kowtow. His voice was hoarse as he pleaded, "Master Yellow, please show mercy. I want to redeem my children."


    The Yellow-teeth Man gazed at the travel-worn Third Uncle Liu in shock. Seeing how haggard he looked and how he could barely kneel, he knew that Third Uncle Liu had rushed over overnight. With a frown, the Yellow-teeth Man said, "Who are your children? Let me be clear upfront. The ransom money cannot be less than the price I paid for them. You have to know that I have spent a lot of money on their food and drinks for the past two days."


    Seeing that his third cousin was unable to speak, Fifth Uncle Liu hurriedly bowed and said, "Of course, of course. It''s just that Master Yellow, our family is poor. One of our children was insensible and secretly brought their younger siblings out to sell. He has actually spent more than half of the money. Could you perhaps be lenient?"


    When Fifth Uncle Liu said this, the Yellow-teeth Man knew who they were talking about. He had bought three pairs of siblings, but only the pair in Seven Mile Vige had been sold by their nine-year-old brother. At that time, he was still extremely surprised that the child was incredibly bold to sell his younger siblings all by himself. However, he only cared about buying people and could not be bothered about what happened after that. Now, it was obvious that their father had caught up.


    The Yellow-teeth Man thought for a moment and said, "No matter what, it can''t be less than 12 taels. Otherwise, this trip will be a loss for me."


    Fifth Uncle Liu''s face was filled with worry. He did not know if his family could gather 12 taels of silver, but seeing that the Yellow-teeth Man was already impatient and fearing that he would leave in anger, he anxiously turned to look at his third cousin.


    Gritting his teeth, Third Uncle Liu said, "So be it. Master Yellow, why don''t you wait for a day? My family will catch up with us soon with the money."


    Seeing that they had nothing on them, the Yellow-teeth Man knew that they had most likely given chase right after hearing the news. How could a country bumpkin take out so much money at once? They definitely had to borrow from others. After thinking about it, since they could not go much further today, he agreed to stay in the small town ahead and wait.


    Third Uncle Liu and Fifth Uncle Liu heaved a sigh of relief. Third Uncle Liu took the opportunity to suggest, "Master Yellow, I wonder if you can let me see my daughter and son. They must be terrified at having been suddenly sold."


    The Yellow-teeth Man frowned at him.


    Third Uncle Liu hurriedly said, "Master Yellow, don''t worry. I don''t dare to run away. My family lives in Nearhill Vige. You just need to ask around and you''ll find out where we live. Besides, with so many people guarding them, I can''t run far with the two children with my weak limbs. I just want to see them."


    The Yellow-teeth Man creased his brows and agreed. He got someone to lift the curtain and find Liu Erniang and Liu Xing from the donkey cart.


    Sold to the Yellow-teeth Man by their older brother, Liu Erniang and Liu Xing had been terrified for three consecutive days. When they were suddenly brought off the donkey cart, they were hugging their arms in trepidation. They stared at those people in horror, but when they saw their father kneeling on the ground, their grievances and fear immediately turned into loud cries. The two children scrambled into their father''s arms.


    Third Uncle Liu''s face was also covered in tears as he hugged his children. The fear and rage he had been feeling for the past few days made this man burst into tears while kneeling in the middle of the road.


    Even the usually cold-hearted Yellow-teeth Man could not help but turn his head and sigh.


    The originally quiet children in the cart secretly lifted the curtain to take a peek. Eyes filled with envy and jealousy, they could only cry silently.


    After the father and daughter had cried enough, the group went to the nearest town. Third Uncle Liu had not rested for the past two days and three nights. Now that he had found the children, he was in a dazed state. However, he continued holding onto his children tightly. Too frightened to feel any pain in their hands, Liu Erniang and Liu Xing snuggled tightly beside their father.


    Third Uncle Liu only heaved a sigh of relief when Mu Shi and Liu Dazhuang rushed over with the money.


    After Mu Shi redeemed them with 12 taels of silver, they stayed in the town for a night before hiring a donkey cart to rush back the next day.


    When Third Aunt Liu saw that her children had returned safely, she held them in an embrace and cried.


    After Liu Yong bought the books, pens, ink, paper, and inkstone, there were only five taels of silver left. The remaining six taels of silver came from Mu Shi, and the one tael of silver was gathered by the various families in the n.


    Third Uncle Liu promised, "I will pay back all the money we owe as soon as possible."


    The patriarch looked at Mu Shi, who had lent out the majority of the money. Every family in the n had contributed a few hundred copper coins.


    Mu Shi said, "I don''t urgently need the silver. Third Cousin, you can slowly return it in the future."


    Third Uncle Liu forced a smile.


    Now that the kids had been saved, how should he deal with Liu Yong?


    After all, not only was Liu Yong his son, he was also the eldest son whom he had always doted on. Although Third Uncle Liu and his wife resented him, they could not be ruthless. Shu Wanniang and Mu Shi also said that he was still a child and he could change his ways if they patiently guided him.


    Third Uncle Liu could only beat him up and then stop him from learning how to read. He returned the books bought from the bookstore, but he could not receive a refund for the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.


    The soft-hearted Shu Wanniang asked Mu Shi to buy that set of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone with three taels of silver. This way, Third Uncle Liu''s family would be more rxed in terms of finances.


    Liu Yong''s actions this time had a huge impact on the patriarch and the elders in the n. Although he was not obedient and smart in the past, his temperament was not bad, and he also usually took care of his younger siblings. However, after learning how to read, he developed such delusions. The patriarch believed that books had changed his temperament.


    It would have been fine if they were rich families that could support him to pursue studies, but they were not. His temperament changed due to those delusions, and it was as if he had be possessed.


    Since that was the case, it was better to not know how to read from the beginning and simply ept their lot for the rest of their lives. It beat fantasizing about things that did not belong to them. Hence, the patriarch stipted that the children in their n were not allowed to study with Shu Wanniang anymore. He even warned the parents that if they did not have the ability to provide for their children to study for the Imperial Examination in the future, they should not send them to study in the first ce, lest they develop delusions.


    Therefore, even if Liu Lang and the others were Mu Yangling''s cousins and deeply desired to be literate, they didn''t dare to go to Shu Wanniang for guidance.


    Mu Yangling didn''t dare to say that the patriarch was definitely wrong, but taking such a defensive stance meant that the Liu family would never be able to stand out.


    Being a child who grew up in postrevolutionary China, her education and life experience had taught her that knowledge could change one''s fate. Although it might not necessarily be on the positive side, one would have a wider range of choices. It was better than being bound to thend and at the mercy of others.


    At the age of 11 years old, Liu Lang might start a family soon. Knowing he was an exceptionally bright child, Mu Yangling hoped that he would have more options after learning how to read and calcte.


    Mu Yangling said to Liu Lang, "When the timees,e and find me. I''ll bring you to the entrance of the mountain where the soil is very loose. I''ll teach you how to read and write there, and you can even hunt pigs and vegetables there. My younger brother studies there, too."


    Liu Lang''s eyes sparkled like stars. "Then it''s settled. I''ll look for you tomorrow."


    "I''m afraid not tomorrow. My father is going to the county tomorrow and I want to follow him."

 Chapter 15: Persuasion

    <h4>Chapter 15: Persuasion</h4>


    "If you and Uncle are going to the county, won''t Aunt and Cousin be the only ones at home?" Liu Lang frowned. "Can Aunt take good care of Cousin?"


    Mu Yangling was a little embarrassed, but she still said, "That''s why I came to look for you. I hope you and Aunt can help me take care of my mother and brother. I''ll buy you candyter."


    "Why do you have to follow Uncle to the county?" Liu Lang was a little unwilling, for he wanted to learn to read with Mu Yangling and didn''t want her to go to the county.


    "My family has umted a lot of leather goods. My mother is about to give birth and it''s almost winter, so we have to sell them this time no matter what. Due to the fact that my father looks like a Hu, those merchants always bargain down the prices."


    "But you''re just a kid."


    Mu Yangling snorted. "That''s still better than my father being bullied by others."


    Liu Lang had no choice but to take a step back. "Alright then. I''ll speak to my mother when shees back."


    Mu Yangling''s smile widened when she saw Liu Lun poking his head out of the door. "Cousin Lun, can you bring my brother to y with Goudan and the rest?"


    Liu Lun reluctantly came out with a straight face and said arrogantly, "Alright then, but don''t tell anyone that you saw me bathing today."


    Suppressing her smile, Mu Yangling said seriously, "I really didn''t see anything just now. You chased me out the second I opened the door."


    Only then did Liu Lun cheer up. He snorted and said, "I don''t think you saw it either." He went forward and held Little Bowen''s hand, then waved and said, "Let''s go. I''ll bring you to y now. Goudan and the rest are catching crickets at the vige entrance. Do you want to catch them?"


    "I don''t like to y with crickets. I want to y hide-and-seek with them."


    "In that case, tell themter that I''m going to catch crickets¡­" The eight-year-old Liu Lun thought that he had already grown up and would not y hide-and-seek, which to him was a game that only children yed.


    Seeing that they had left, Mu Yangling took the ''The Analects'' book and turned to return. Halfway back, she bumped into Liu Yong, who had just returned from the fields.


    Mu Yangling smiled at him and nodded slightly.


    Liu Yong, who was already 18 years old, nced at Mu Yangling and walked over without looking sideways. Mu Yangling sighed.


    After Liu Yong''s younger brother and sister were found, because they were still young, they were afraid of him at first, though they did reconcile with himter on. However, his parents were wary of him, causing the rtionship between the three siblings to strain considerably. Even the adults and children in the vige did not y with Liu Yong much.


    Mu Yangling had once studied psychology in school. Children could make people''s hearts soften, but at the same time, they were also the most hurtful because they weren''t able to hide their childish happiness, desires, or evilness.


    She felt that she understood Liu Yong a little. Back then, Liu Yong was only a nine-year-old child. Before he came into contact with books, he was just a little selfish andpetitive among hispanions. However, aftering into contact with books, he heard that the outside world was so vast. He found out that by studying, he could be sessful, don morous clothes, enjoy delicious food, and live in opulent houses. His inted desire made him neglect other things because he was still a child. His heart was still too young and his considerations were not so thorough.


    Mu Yangling could tolerate Liu Yong, and persuade Liu Xing and Liu Erniang to hang out with their older brother and talk to him more. s, she couldn''t convince Third Uncle Liu, his wife, and the adults in the vige. Even Shu Wanniang didn''t agree with her sympathizing with Liu Yong.


    Because in the eyes of Shu Wanniang and the others, Liu Yong had a wicked nature, and no matter how much they taught him, it was something that could not be changed.


    However, this was other people''s business. Right now, Mu Yangling only wanted to persuade her father to bring her to the county.


    She ran home and squatted in front of her father, who was tidying up the leather goods. She said with a grin, "Father, look. This is a book that Cousin Lang picked up. It''s ''The Analects''."


    Mu Shi was pleasantly surprised. "Really? That saves one tael of silver. Take it back and keep it well for your mother. When your brother finishes reciting the ''Three Character ssic'', I''ll buy him the ''Thousand Character ssic''."


    "Father, why don''t we buy it when we go to the county this time? I haven''t been to a bookstore in a long time. Please bring me along to check it out."


    Mu Shi frowned. "No, we can''t leave your mother and brother alone at home."


    "Don''t worry, I''ve already thought about it. Tomorrow, I''ll ask Cousin Lang and Aunt to take care of Mother. We''ll definitely be back by nighttime and won''t spend the night outside."


    Mu Shi still didn''t agree. It would have been fine if it was in the past, but with his wife pregnant now, he felt more at ease with his daughter at home.


    Mu Yangling had no choice but to beg Shu Wanniang. Thetter replied, "You''re a girl and can''t always go out. If you want anything, just ask your father to buy it for you."


    As a well-bred youngdy, Shu Wanniang felt that by going hunting in the mountains every day, her daughter had already nearly crossed her bottom line. How could she still follow her father to sell leather goods and do business?


    With slumped shoulders, Mu Yangling said, "Those itinerant merchants who used to buy leather goods from Father have left. Those merchants that are in the county saw that Father looked like a Hu, so they always lowered the price. Otherwise, Father wouldn''t have carried the leather goods back three times in a row, rather leaving them in the warehouse than selling them. After paying the taxes, our family won''t have any money left. This time, no matter what, we have to sell the leather goods. I''m afraid that those people will lower the price due to Father''s honest appearance. As you can see, it''s not easy for Father to hunt, and leather tanning is really arduous too. It pains my heart to sell them at a low price."


    Shu Wanniang frowned and said, "But you''re just a little girl. What''s the use of tagging along?"


    "Mother, although I''m a girl, I look like a Han Chinese. Moreover, I''m already 11 years old, and am considered half an adult. I have no problem speaking on behalf of Father regarding this. I''m also meticulous. Besides, I don''t ask for much. I just hope that the price can be raised slightly."


    This was true. Her daughter usually looked carefree, but she was incredibly meticulous. Even though Shu Wanniang identified as being gentle and thoughtful, she had to admit that her observation powers couldn''tpare with her daughter''s.


    After a moment''s hesitation, Shu Wanniang ultimately agreed because her heart ached for her husband.


    Mu Yangling cheered. Since her mother had agreed, there was no need to waste her breath on her father.


    Mu Shi was tidying up the leather goods outside. When he heard his daughter''s cheers in the room, he shook his head helplessly. It seemed like he had to personally go to his uncle''s ce and ask his cousin-inw to take care of Wanniang.


    In the evening, Little Bowen ran back looking like a mud monkey. After finding out that his sister was going to the county the next day, he made a fuss about wanting to tag along. Mu Yangling put her hands on her waist andughed. "Can you walk? It''s a four-hour walk."


    Little Bowen blushed and dered angrily, "I want to eat two bowls of rice tonight. Soon, I''ll be able to walk such a long distance."


    Snorting, Mu Yangling said, "If you continue to bezy and don''t wake up on time every day to exercise, it''d be of no use no matter how much food you eat. Instead, you''ll be like Cousin Lang''s piglet."


    Little Bowen was scared out of his wits. "Nonsense."


    "If you don''t believe me, you can ask Father. You can only grow up by eating on time and practicing boxing early in the morning."


    Little Bowen looked at his father with tears in his eyes.


    Due to his poor health, his son had always been a little delicate. Every morning, he wouldze in bed and refuse to get up. When the weather was cold, he was even more unwilling to practice boxing, further contributing to a deterioration of his health.


    It would be best if he could be spurred to wake up on time to practice boxing because of this. Mu Shi nodded and said solemnly, "Your sister is right. Look, she wakes up on time every day to practice boxing, that''s why she grows up quickly. Bowen, you''ve got to learn from your sister if you wish to grow up."


    Little Bowen pondered for a moment before running to his mother''s side. He tugged at the corner of her clothes and said, "Mother, wake me up early tomorrow. I want to get up and do some boxing. This way, I''ll be able to grow up during the new year and go to the county, too."


    Shu Wanniang dly agreed.

 Chapter 16: On the Way

    <h4>Chapter 16: On the Way</h4>


    It was only four in the morning, but Mu Shi had already woken up.


    Shu Wanniang woke up and was about to get off the bed when Mu Shi pressed her down and said gently, "Lie down quickly. I can handle this myself."


    Shu Wanniang whispered, "I''ll make you something to eat."


    "No need, I''ll go to the kitchen myself. You''re pregnant. Lie down." Mu Shi put on his clothes, tucked his wife in, and strode out.


    He had already prepared the things he needed to bring along with him, but as the journey was too long, he had to make two pancakes and bring them along. In addition, since his daughter wasing along with him, he had to make sure she would not go hungry.


    After measuring the rice, Mu Shi came out to cook porridge. As he quickly made the pancakes, he took out a handful of pickled vegetables, cut them, and prepared a stir-fried dish out of them.


    Mu Yangling struggled to get up from the bed. Little Bowen, who was beside her, was sleeping soundly. When his sister got up, he only turned over and continued sleeping.


    After Mu Yangling put on her clothes, she came out to see that her father was already busy. She immediately sighed at how good a man Mu Shi was. He loved his wife, doted on his children, and was responsible. He was even better than her father in her previous life. She decided to marry someone like him in the future.


    "Ah Ling, you''re up? Quickly wash your face and eat something. We''re about to leave."


    Mu Yangling nodded, rinsed her mouth, and washed her face. After that, she sat obediently at the dining table and waited for her father to serve the food.


    Mu Shi ced the cooked porridge on the stove to heat it up. There was charcoal below so that his wife could eat it when she woke upter. Then, he brought a basin of porridge to the table and scooped a bowl for his daughter. "Eat more. We have to walk a lot."


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    Still worried, Shu Wanniang got up anyway. Holding her stomach, she came out to look at the father-and-daughter duo. Mu Shi had no choice but to let her sit down at the side. He quickly finished the food and said, "After we go out, go back to sleep a while more. Ah Ling and I will definitely be back tonight."


    "Don''t be anxious. If you really can''t walk that much, hire a carriage to bring you guys back. Ah Ling is still young. Don''t tire her out¡­"


    Having eaten her fill, Mu Yangling put down her bowl and chopsticks, waved her hand, and said heroically, "Mother, don''t worry. Father isn''t even as strong as me. Besides, I don''t have to carry anything. I won''t get tired at all just by walking."


    Shu Wanniang: "¡­"


    Shu Wanniang looked at her daughter worriedly. Would anyone want to marry her when she grew up? It seemed that she had to prepare more dowries.


    Mu Shi pushed the cart out of the door, then waved at Shu Wanniang. "Go back quickly. Remember to lock the door. If there''s anything, look for Cousin-inw. I''ve already asked her to take care of you."


    Mu Yangling climbed onto the cart and sat down. She shouted, "Father, Mother, if we don''t leave now, the sun will rise. We''re only going to the county. It''s not like we won''t be back for three to five days¡­"


    "Got it, got it." Mu Shi turned around, lifted the cart, and walked steadily away. He turned around and looked at his wife. Seeing that his wife was standing at the door and gazing at him, Mu Shi could only quicken his pace and leave. As long as he could not be seen, his wife would naturally go back. This being the time when the dew was the heaviest, he worried that she would catch a cold.


    As Mu Yangling sat steadily on the cart, she felt sleepy after a while. She turned around and saw that her father was still looking behind from time to time. Sighing, she said, "Father, we''re only going out for a day. What could happen? You''re too careful."


    "What does a child know? Your mother is different from us. She used to be a rich youngdy with servants following her in and out. Now, she''s pregnant and has to take care of your brother. Furthermore, our house is too close to the forest. It was fine with you around in the past, but you''re following me to the county today. How can I not worry?"


    In the past, when Mu Yangling was not old enough to protect her mother and brother, Mu Shi would choose to go to the county when her cousin-inw was not busy. He would send the three of them to the Liu family ande back at night to pick them up.


    However, it was a busy time for farming right now. Although he had already asked his cousin-inw, she definitely could not spare much time.


    Mu Yangling felt that her parents were too clingy. "Our courtyard is built with big solid bricks, and the walls are very tall. There''s nothing to be afraid of even if our house is right beside the forest. Besides, I''ve already told Mother to go to Cousin Lang''s house after wee out. What can possibly happen?"


    "You''re not being serious enough. Alright, hurry up and try to catch more sleep."


    The sky was still dark. Fortunately, there was moonlight illuminating their path, so they could see even without torches.


    Mu Yangling giggled and covered herself with a piece of fox skin. "Then, Father, I''ll sleep first. When I wake upter, it''ll be your turn to sleep."


    Mu Shi did notment.


    Mu Yangling was indeed sleepy having woken up so early in the morning. Coupled with the silence on the road, the asional chirping of birds and the rumbling of the cart, she quickly fell asleep.


    When she woke up again, the sky was already bright. She nced at the morning glow on the horizon and yawned. "Father, what time is it?" she asked.


    "The sun has just risen. What time do you think it is? We''ve only walked a third of the way."


    Mu Yangling looked left and right. Seeing that there were forests on both sides, she said, "Father, stop for a moment. I''m going to take a piss."


    Mu Shi''s face twitched. Lowering his voice, he said, "You''re a girl. Where did you learn to speak like a hooligan? Just say you need to relieve yourself. Don''t speak like that again."


    "Yes!" Mu Yangling jumped off the cart as she agreed and ran into the forest to relieve herself. She had just woken up and wasn''tpletely sober yet, so she identally blurted out the cheeky ng used in the military camp in her previous life.


    After she was done, Mu Yangling said with a smile, "Father, go quickly. I''ll look after the cart."


    Mu Shi walked into the forest with a straight face. After a while, he walked out with the same straight expression.


    Mu Yangling said, "Father, let me push it. Go up and lie down for a while."


    Mu Shi did not refuse. He tidied up the leather goods on the cart before sitting on it. Then, he covered himself with the fox skin previously used by his daughter and closed his eyes. "If you see a strangerter, wake me up, understand?"


    Mu Yangling responded and pushed the cart steadily forward.


    Her strength was even greater than Mu Shi''s. Coupled with the fact that she had been continuously practicing martial arts, it was not tiring for her to push such a cart. Mu Shi knew this, which was why he was so at ease with his daughter doing this.


    Considering she could easily move with a wild boar weighing more than 200 catties as though it were a vegetable basket, he did not think that a cart of leather goods with him on top of it would be too tiring for her.


    The father and daughter were used to it, but it did cause the people they met on the road to widen their eyes.


    Mu Yangling only walked for half an hour before she met people walking towards the county together. Many of them were carrying goods, and there were also people pushing carts like Mu Yangling, but they were undoubtedly adults.


    Mu Yangling, a nine-year-old child, was too conspicuous among them. Moreover, the cart of leather goods looked to be quite heavy, not to mention that there was such a muscr man on it.


    This attracted sideways nces from many people who felt that Mu Yangling was being abused. They stared usingly at Mu Shi, who was sleeping on the cart.


    Unexpectedly, Mu Yangling walked even faster than them. The heavy cart did not at all seem to be a burden to her, and she quickly surpassed them.


    Mu Yangling walked with a rxed expression for an hour. When she felt tired, she stopped, put down the cart, and sat at the side to rest.


    Trusting his daughter wholeheartedly, Mu Shi did not wake up. Mu Yangling hesitated for a moment before decisively going forward to wake him up. "Father, I''m tired. Wake up."


    When Mu Shi opened his eyes, the sun dazzled his eyes. He got up to take a look and asked in surprise, "It''s already sote?"


    Mu Yangling nodded. "Father, are we almost at the city gate?"


    Mu Shi looked around and said, "Soon." He looked at his daughter and asked, "You''re tired? Hurry up and sit in the cart. Father will push you. We have to hurry up. Otherwise, it will be difficult to walk under the sun."


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    When the surrounding people saw Mu Yangling addressing Mu Shi as her father, they all looked down on him. To think he asked his daughter to push such a heavy cart while he slept on it¡­


    The father and daughter were oblivious to what others were thinking. Mu Yangling sat in the cart and looked around at the people who were hurrying on their way. She looked curiously at the things they had brought. Most of them were handicrafts from home. There were dyed cloth, knitted fabrics, weaved baskets, and so on¡­


    There were also jars of various pickled vegetables. Mu Yangling gazed at them curiously. As Mu Shi was fast, he quickly surpassed everyone and got to the front of the crowd. After walking for about 45 minutes, they saw the city gate.


    A huge smile appeared on Mu Yangling''s face as she shouted in her heart, "Silver, here Ie!"

 Chapter 17: Goodbye

    <h4>Chapter 17: Goodbye</h4>


    Mingshui County was a lower county among the 88 counties in Xingyuan Prefecture. However, because it was close to the border and the forest, there were especially many leather goods and Hu products. The merchants in the south liked to buy goods here, so there were more peopleing and going than in Middle County.


    Thest time Mu Yangling came to the county was more than a year ago in the winter. At that time, it was almost the new year, and Mu Shi happened to earn a sum of money, so he brought his wife and children to the county to buy New Year goods.


    Over the past year, Mingshui County had not changed much. It was still as lively as before.


    "Father, where are we going?"


    "Let''s go to the market first. The itinerant merchants are all buying goods there."


    There were all kinds of goods in the Mingshui County market. Leather goods, in particr, upied thergest area, and beside them were medicinal herbs.


    Xingyuan Prefecture''s medicinal herbs were as famous as their leather goods.


    Mu Yangling had already gotten off the cart. Walking beside her father, she looked around. Mu Shi whispered, "I''ve seen these itinerant merchants before. Thest time we came, they bargained me down to a very low price. Let''s go inside and take a look."


    Mu Yangling saw the itinerant merchants standing behind the stalls. They only nced at Mu Shi for a moment before looking away. Some of them even snorted arrogantly.


    Mu Yangling couldn''t help but frown. Shouldn''t businessmen value harmony? Her father''s leather goods were considered top-notch in the market.


    The deeper they went, the more disappointed Mu Shi became. These itinerant merchants were all the ones he had met thest time. There was no difference.


    Mu Shi stopped in his tracks and said to his daughter, "Stay here and watch. I''ll ask for the price."


    "Okay." Mu Yangling sat obediently on the cart.


    Mu Shi took a piece of fur and went to ask for the price one by one. Meanwhile, Mu Yangling observed the people in the market and specially paid attention to the itinerant merchants nearby who were buying leather goods. She realized that the purchase price they quoted was about the same. Only when they encountered superior-quality goods would one see them raise the price. However, it was not intense. Most of the time, people would withdraw from the bidding after the price was raised twice or thrice.


    Mu Yangling knew that these itinerant merchants were coborating, and had likely conspired to lower Mu Shi''s price.


    While Mu Yangling was frowning in disgust, she was unaware that a young man not far away was looking at her in surprise.


    Qi Haoran grabbed Fan Zijin and pointed at Mu Yangling. He said happily, "Zijin, look who that is. We were just saying that we would go and repay the favor when we have time. In the end, she showed up unexpectedly."


    Fan Zijin was also surprised to see Mu Yangling sitting on the cart. "Why is she here?"


    "Is there a need to ask? She''s definitely here to sell leather goods. She''s so skilled at hunting, so her family must have umted a lot of leather goods. Let''s go and take a look. If there''s anything good, we''ll buy a few too." Qi Haoran pulled Fan Zijin over.


    Fan Zijin had a bad feeling, for he found this too coincidental. Once the seeds of suspicion were sowed in his heart, he could not help but think too much.


    They had just found Brother Xiuyuan and immediately this girl appeared. What if she was a spy sent by the Hus or the Imperial Court? It was also possible that she was sent by an opponent who wanted to deal with Brother Xiuyuan¡­


    Fan Zijin was still letting his imagination run wild when Qi Haoran jumped up happily and was about to pat Mu Yangling''s shoulder.


    Mu Yangling reached out alertly and grabbed Qi Haoran''s hand. With a slight twist, Qi Haoran shrieked and shouted, "Be gentle, be gentle. It''s me, Miss Mu. Don''t you remember me?"


    Seeing that it was Qi Haoran, Mu Yangling quickly let go. She was also a little surprised to see the two of them. "It''s you? You found your family?"


    Fan Zijin said reservedly, "Thank you, Miss Mu. We found our family when we arrived in the county yesterday afternoon. Why are you here?"


    "I followed my father here to sell leather goods. Young Master Qi, is your hand alright?"


    Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, "Gosh, you''re strong! But I''m fine. I am used to being thrown around since I was young."


    Fan Zijin nced at him, then looked down at his wrist and smiled coldly.


    Qi Haoran red at him and asked Mu Yangling, "Miss Mu, where''s your father?"


    "He went to ask for the price."


    Qi Haoran asked in confusion, "Aren''t the prices the same? Why is there a need to ask?" He and Fan Zijin came over early in the morning to shop and realized that the purchase price for leather goods quoted here were about the same.


    Mu Yangling said helplessly, "They specially lowered my family''s price and shed the purchase price by half, so my father wants topare who''s offering a higher price and see if it can be raised further."


    Qi Haoran was astonished. "Why? Did your father offend these itinerant merchants?"


    "No." Mu Yangling snorted. "They''re just bullying my father because he looks like a Hu."


    Fan Zijin raised his eyebrows and pointed at Mu Shi, who was asking for the price. "Is that your father?"


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    Qi Haoran did not have a good impression of the Hus. He took a closer look at Mu Shi and said, "It''s just that his eyes and nose look a little simr to the Hus. He looks a little more majestic, but his appearance isn''t particrly simr. Does your father have Hu blood?"


    Mu Yangling nodded. "My grandfather is half-Hu. However, our family has been living in a vige near the mountain for a long time. My father has many old friends in Seven Mile Vige. In the past, things were fine for him in the county. However, for some reason, ever since the itinerant merchants in the county changed, they often lowered the price of my father''s leather goods in the past two years. If not for the fact that we live too far away from Xingzhou, my father would definitely have gone to Xingzhou to sell his leather goods instead of being subjected to bullying here."


    It was said that Mu Shi looked like a Hu because he was surrounded by Han Chinese. Mu Shi''s eyes were darker, his facial features were rougher, and his nose was higher. Coupled with his majestic figure, he stood out among a group of Han Chinese men who only reached his chin.


    However, he would not stand out in the military. Qi Haoran had seen many such people in the capital and did not think that they looked like Hus.


    Fan Zijin pondered for a moment and understood the reason. He said, "Your father''s leather goods seem to be of pretty fine quality."


    "Of course. My grandfather was an expert at leather tanning, and my father inherited my grandfather''s teachings. The fur sold by us is made from leather hunted and tanned by my father. It''s considered top-notch in the market."


    "No wonder. Since your family is skilled at hunting and tanning leather, your leather goods should fetch a high price due to the superior quality. It will naturally cost a lot of money to buy your family''s leather goods. The local people hate the Hus, so those itinerant merchants probably conspired to lower the price seeing that your father looked like a Hu. Otherwise, if it was a local Han, the itinerant merchants would not dare to do this."


    The reason why the itinerant merchants joined forces was to prevent themselves from being bullied by the local people in a foreignnd. In order not to be suppressed too much by the itinerant merchants, the local people would also join forces. If someone was suppressed too much, there would naturally be people protesting against the itinerant merchants. s, Mu Shi was clearly not included.


    Mu Yangling furrowed her brows and thought for a moment. "Then, are there any itinerant merchants who are also ostracized in this line?"


    Fan Zijin looked at Mu Yangling approvingly and said, "I don''t know about this, but you can ask the owner here. He should know."


    Mu Yangling''s eyes lit up as she looked at the two of them. "Do you know the owner here?" Mu Yangling had long noticed that their clothes were morous and they were no longer as disheveled as they were yesterday.


    Wanting to return the favor from yesterday, Fan Zijin smiled and nodded. "Although I don''t know him, I should be able to see him. If Miss Mu wishes to see him, I can get someone to bring him over."

 Chapter 18: Help

    <h4>Chapter 18: Help</h4>


    Mu Yangling was overjoyed. "Then help me look after the cart." Mu Yangling ran to find her father.


    Mu Shi was sweating profusely as he negotiated with the itinerant merchant, hoping that the other party could raise the price a little. The other party said arrogantly, "I can only offer you this price at most. If you want to sell it, sell it. If not, leave quickly. Don''t get in our way of conducting business."


    Though displeased, Mu Shi still squeezed out a smile and said, "Sir, this price is really too low. You''ve seen my leather goods. The quality is much higher than others¡­"


    Upon running over, Mu Yangling saw the other party gazing at her father arrogantly and could not help but be furious. She ran forward and grabbed her father, then snorted coldly and said, "Father, we''re not selling it to him. Even if he wants to buy it, we''re not selling it to him. Let''s go."


    "Ah Ling!" Mu Shi grabbed his daughter''s hand and frowned at her.


    Mu Yangling said, "Father, you were the one who taught me the importance of perseverance. Their bids were unkind to begin with, even though you spoke to him so politely. What''s the meaning of this? There are so many merchants in Mingshui County. Surely he''s not the only one? Even if we don''t manage to sell the goods in Mingshui County, there''s still Xingzhou Prefecture."


    The incredibly strong Mu Yangling simply pulled her father and left. Angered by Mu Yangling''s words, the merchant was about tosh out at Mu Yangling when she red at him fiercely. The surrounding onlookers also stared at the itinerant merchant. As a foreigner in a foreign city, the itinerant merchant could only temporarily suppress his anger and watch Mu Yangling and her father leave.


    "Father, I never meant to sell the goods to them in the first ce. Why did you beg him?" Mu Yangling''s heart ached for her father.


    "If I don''t sell it to them, who can I sell it to?"


    "There must be sects among the merchants. We just have to find out the factions between them. When the timees, I''ll be the one to sell it to them. I asked you to inquire about the price so that we can have more confidence when negotiating the priceter. However, there''s no need for that now. I just ran into two good people. They''ll help us introduce the ownerter."


    Mu Shi was startled. "Could you have encountered a fraud?"


    By then, Mu Yangling had already dragged her father to Qi Haoran. She didn''t have time to exin and only introduced, "Father, this is Young Master Qi, and this is Young Master Fan. I helped them yesterday, so they want to introduce the owner to us. Young Masters, this is my father."


    Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin bowed and smiled. "Uncle Mu, I''ve already asked someone to call the owner over. Why don''t we find a ce to sit down first?"


    Seeing that they were dressed gorgeously, Mu Shi heaved a sigh of relief. He looked around and said in embarrassment, "Young masters, why don''t we sit at the tea stall?"


    "Sure." Fan Zijin smiled and walked in front with Qi Haoran.


    The four of them walked towards the nearest tea stall and only asked for a pot of tea.


    Mu Yangling looked at the two people who kept looking over diagonally and smiled. Those two were probably Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran''s guards, right? Judging by how they were bold and unrestrained in their actions, Mu Yangling guessed that they were in the military.


    With this thought in mind, Mu Yangling picked up the teacup and downed it in one gulp.


    However, Qi Haoran was very interested in Mu Yangling''s martial arts skills. "Miss Mu, you were so swift and strong just now. How did you train?" Qi Haoran looked at Mu Yangling''s hand with bright eyes. If not for the fact that there should be a prudent reserve between the sexes, and that her father was present, he really wanted to hold Mu Yangling''s hand and study it properly.


    One had to know that Qi Haoran had been practicing martial arts since he was young and he had always been considered pretty skilled in martial arts all along. He was the same age as Qi Haoran and rarely encountered an opponent who could rival him, even among those two or three years his senior. Yet, the other party had easily grabbed his wrist just now and even made his arm slightly numb. How could Qi Haoran not be curious?


    Mu Yangling replied casually, "Well, I''m born with great strength."


    Qi Haoran stared at the nine-year-old girl in disbelief. "It''s fine if you don''t want to tell me, but why is there a need to fabricate such a lie?"


    Fan Zijin couldn''t help but tug at his good friend''s sleeve, thinking he should have kept these words to himself and not said them out loud. Fan Zijin smiled apologetically and said, "Miss Mu, don''t mind him. Haoran has an upright and straightforward personality. He didn''t mean to offend you."


    Mu Yangling nced at Fan Zijin and felt that the other party had a tendency to overthink things. By Fan Zijin''s words, did he mean that Qi Haoran was straightforward and broad-minded, while she was a scheming and petty person who deliberately hid things from them?


    Mu Yangling said seriously, "Young Master Qi, I''m not lying to you. I truly was born with it."


    Mu Shi nodded repeatedly and said with a silly smile, "Young masters, my daughter didn''t lie to you. Because my ancestor was born strong, I''m also strong, and my daughter is naturally stronger than others. Before I left this morning, I instructed her to be careful outside, so she might have been too nervous just now. When Young Master Qi suddenly went to pat her, she must''ve lost control of her strength."


    Fan Zijin nced at Mu Shi''s firm muscles under his clothes and then at Mu Yangling. Imagining the appearance of a grown-up Mu Yangling, he shivered. He hurriedly smiled and said, "That''s true. Haoran and I misunderstood."


    Qi Haoran opened his mouth, but when he saw Fan Zijin winking at him, he could only stop talking. However, he was actually still unconvinced.


    He knew his own kung fu very well. Even if his big brother exchanged blows with him, he could still withstand more than a hundred moves. Just now, when Mu Yangling grabbed his hand, she grabbed his lifeline directly. Her strength was so great that he could not utilize any strength. He simply could not believe that anyone could be born with such great strength.


    Qi Haoran sized Mu Yangling up from head to toe, feeling very envious. At merely nine years old, she already possessed such martial prowess, many levels higher than his. If only he could take a look at the other party''s internal cultivation technique.


    Qi Haoran was drooling in his heart, but on the surface, he ttered Mu Yangling. He kept thinking that if he could gain her favor, he might be able to watch her practice martial arts.


    Mu Yangling was also very pleasant to Qi Haoran. It was obvious that he was a rich and powerful person. If they became friends, perhaps their family''s leather goods would not be constantly undervalued in the future.


    Fei Bai, who had gone to bring the owner over, couldn''t help but smile when he saw the two young masters talking andughing with the little girl. He brought the owner forward and bowed. "Fourth Young Master, Young Master Zijin, the owner is here."


    Owner Zhang hurriedly stepped forward and bowed. He smiled and said, "Greetings to the two young masters. I wonder what the two young masters want to buy. I''ll bring the two of you to take a look now."


    Fan Zijin closed his fan and said with a smile, "Owner Zhang, you''re too polite. We brothers don''t really wish to buy anything. We just have something to ask you."


    "Young Master, please go ahead and ask. I will definitely tell you everything I know."


    "I saw that the merchants in this area are all buying leather goods. Logically speaking, different merchants should be offering different prices. Why is it that every merchant offers the same price?"


    Owner Zhang smiled and said, "Young Master, you might not know this, but the quality of leather goods varies. Everyone knows how much something is worth. Therefore, the price is naturally simr. The market is afraid that these itinerant merchants will deceive the local people, so it has set a range and the prices can only fluctuate within this range. This way, the people won''t suffer too much losses and the merchants will also be able to buy goods."


    "Oh? Then can you guarantee that fine goods will fetch a good price?"


    "Of course." Owner Zhang said proudly, "With patrolling officials in the market, there is no possibility of price oppression."


    Fan Zijin pulled out a fox fur from the cart and asked him, "In your opinion, how much is this fox fur worth?"

 Chapter 19: Sold

    <h4>Chapter 19: Sold</h4>


    Owner Zhang rubbed the fox skin with his fingers and said with a smile, "This fox skin is of high quality and is worth at least four taels of silver."


    Fan Zijin turned around and asked Mu Shi, "Uncle Mu, what price did those itinerant merchants offer you just now?"


    Only then did Owner Zhang see Mu Shi sitting at the side. His expression changed slightly, and he felt a little uneasy.


    Mu Shi said, "They offered two taels."


    With his lips curled, Fan Zijin looked at Owner Zhang and said, "Owner Zhang, there seems to be a huge difference in the price."


    Owner Zhang smiled apologetically: "I''m afraid those itinerant merchants don''t recognize quality when they see it." Owner Zhang thought for a moment and said, "How about this? I''ll introduce you to a few itinerant merchants whose offers have always been fair."


    Although he did not know the rtionship between this young master and the Mu family''s father and daughter, it was better not to offend them.


    Fan Zijin only wanted to return Mu Yangling''s favor and wasn''t prepared to go so far as to stand up for them. Hence, he said readily, "I''ll have to trouble Owner Zhang then."


    Wouldn''t Owner Zhang be introducing those same few itinerant merchants?


    This time, they had Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran standing up for them, but they would not have such luck next time. Displeased with the suggestion, Mu Yangling smiled brightly and interrupted, "Owner Zhang, my father is wooden and I''m inarticte. I am just afraid that those itinerant merchants don''t like us. I wonder if there are any leather goods merchants who are as unsociable as us."


    Owner Zhang nced at Mu Yangling and thought to himself, ''You call this inarticte?'' Nheless, he still lowered his head and thought for a moment before replying, "There are two of them. They came from Wenzhou and don''t fit in with others. They have a stall set up in the north corner alone. Why, do you want to sell leather goods to them?"


    Mu Yangling looked at his father. Mu Shi bowed and said, "We want to take a look. Please introduce us."


    Owner Zhang nodded. "That''s not difficult. Come with me."


    He knew Mu Shi. Every year, he sold the most leather goods, and they were of superior quality. Although he had the bloodline of the Hus, his father had lived in Mingshui County before his birth, and he was born and raised in Mingshui County. Therefore, even though he looked down on him, he still regarded him as a citizen of Mingshui County.


    He knew a little about him being bullied by the new itinerant merchants after the merchants who used to buy goods from him had left. However, firstly, Mu Shi did notin, so he naturally did not care. Secondly, this matter only involved Mu Shi. Because it was not a good idea for him to challenge so many itinerant merchants alone, he turned a blind eye to it. However, he, too, was not particrly fond of those itinerant merchants.


    Now that someone was standing up for Mu Shi, he was happy to help.


    Owner Zhang led them to look for the two merchants from Wenzhou.


    Most of the local itinerant merchants came from the Hongzhou area, so they often worked together. Only Jiang Rong and Guo Cai came from Wenzhou, so they were ostracized by everyone and couldn''t even find good locations for their stall. Therefore, even if they offered a fair price, there were very few fine leather goods that they could acquire. However, should they increase the offer price, it wouldn''t be worth their effort going to and fro.


    The two of them were sitting behind the stall and watching wistfully at the crowd up ahead, but there was not a single person in front of their stall.


    When they saw Owner Zhang bringing people over, the two of them hurriedly stood up and bowed. "Owner Zhang."


    Owner Zhang nodded slightly and pointed at Mu Shi. "Gentlemen, I''ve brought business to you. This is Mu Shi, whose leather goods have always been of outstanding quality. The two of you can have a discussion." With that said, he moved to the side. As the marketce owner, he could not interfere with the transactions on the premises.


    Jiang Rong and Guo Cai were bewildered. When they got a clear look of Mu Shi''s appearance and then saw the two young masters who were talking softly at the side, they finally calmed down.


    The first to break the silence, Mu Yangling took the fox skin and took the initiative to promote it to them. "Uncles, this is my family''s leather goods. Please take a closer look. My father''s leather tanning skills are one of the best in Seven Mile Vige."


    Jiang Rong held it in his hand and touched it before opening it to take a closer look. He nodded slightly at Guo Cai, and Guo Cai said in a low voice, "This fox skin is indeed of fine quality. I wonder how many pieces Brother Mu has?"


    Mu Shi''s eyes lit up and he replied readily, "There are a total of five."


    "Can you take it out and show it to us?"


    Mu Shi carefully untied a roll of fox skin from the cart and opened it for them to see. The two of them examined it carefully and did not miss a single spot. After a while, they nodded, feeling excited.


    Jiang Rong calmed himself down and smiled. "This fox fur is indeed of good quality. I wonder how much Brother Mu wants for them?"


    Mu Shi thought about how those merchants had offered two taels of silver just now and were unwilling to raise the price by even 50 copper coins. Originally, he had thought that it would be great if he could sell it for 2 taels 50 copper coins, but now, he decided to sell it for three taels. Just as he opened his mouth, his daughter spoke up at this time. "Uncles, why don''t you name a price first? If it''s suitable, we''ll sell it. If not, we can negotiate further. How about that?"


    Jiang Rong and Guo Cai looked at each other and saw Mu Yangling in a new light. Whoever made the first bid would be at a disadvantage.


    The two of them wanted to refuse, but the two young masters in luxurious clothes were looking over with a smile. The two of them thought for a moment and said, "Such good fox fur can be sold for four taels of silver in the market." Guo Cai gritted his teeth but did not raise the price. "Then we''ll bid four taels of silver each." He and Jiang Rong did note from well-to-do families. Not only did they sell their assets when they came to Mingshui County to purchase goods, but they also owed a lot of debt. Their wives and children were waiting at home for them to bring money back. Although they knew that the other party had a backer, they did not raise the price. They figured they could always slowly raise the bid if the other party was not satisfied.


    Mu Shi and Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief and nodded with a smile. "Then let''s go with this price."


    Now that the most expensive fox fur had been sold, only the rabbit fur, wolf fur, and other furs were left.


    The rabbit fur was still fine, for many nobles in the south liked it. But the wolf fur was a tad difficult to sell. This was because Wenzhou was very far south, and the men there did not like to wear wolf fur. Instead, in the Hongzhou area, men liked to use this fur in winter.


    However, Jiang Rong and Guo Cai only hesitated for a moment before offering to buy it for a very reasonable price.


    Watching them take out silver, Mu Yangling smiled until her eyes narrowed. Mu Shi was also delighted. Just the fox fur alone fetched 20 taels. Including the other furs, they earned a total of 48 taels of silver. It was enough for the family to have a good New Year, and not have to worry about money until next summer.


    Jiang Rong and Guo Cai were also in high spirits. Jiang Rong thought for a moment and said, "Brother Mu, if you have any more furs that you want to sell in the future, you cane to us. If anyone in your vige wants to sell, you can also ask them toe here. I don''t dare to say that the price we offer is the highest, but it will definitely be the fairest."


    Extremely satisfied with them, Mu Shi nodded and said, "Thank you. I''ll definitely look for you when I have leather goods in the future."


    Jiang Rong and Guo Cai immediately responded with a wide smile.


    Everyone thanked Owner Zhang again. Then, Mu Yangling saw her father take out five taels of silver and stuff it into Owner Zhang''s hand. "Owner Zhang, here are our taxes."


    Narrowing his eyes, Owner Zhang took out a small wolf hair brush. He wrote a receipt for Mu Shi and kept the silver, then smiled at Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin. "Young masters, now that this matter is over, why don''t you let me apany the two of you for a walk?"


    "There''s no need. We''ll stroll around by ourselves for a while." Qi Haoran had no patience to go shopping with an old man. He said, "Owner Zhang is a busy man. You can go first and don''t have to apany us."


    Owner Zhang did not force him. He only nodded and smiled before leaving.

 Chapter 20: Freedom of Speech

    <h4>Chapter 20: Freedom of Speech</h4>


    Owner Zhang''s showing up to bring Mu Shi and the others away rmed the itinerant merchants nearby. Everyone secretly paid attention. When they saw Owner Zhang pulling strings for Mu Shi and introducing him to Jiang Rong and Guo Cai from Wenzhou, their expressions turned ugly. However, they also saw Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin beside Mu Shi and his daughter. Although they did not know their identities, judging from their luxurious clothes and the fact that they managed to invite Owner Zhang over, it was obvious that they were not ordinary people.


    Though some of the itinerant merchants were unconvinced, they had no choice but to suppress their tempers and pretend not to see it.


    Those who were broad-minded only frowned for a moment before letting go. However, there were also those who were narrow-minded and secretly bore a grudge. One had to know that Mu Shi''s leather goods were of fine quality. They had just been waiting for Mu Shi to take the initiative to ept the low price. If there was a first time, there would be a second time. In the future, they would be able to buy Mu Shi''s leather goods at a low price.


    Qi Haoran was sensitive to good and evil. Sensing malice, he red back fiercely. Those itinerant merchants who looked dissatisfied could only lower their heads.


    Qi Haoran snorted and said to Mu Yangling, "What else do you want to buy? I''ll apany you."


    Mu Yangling nced at her father and said, "We want to go to the grain store to take a look."


    Seeing that it was still early, Qi Haoran said, "I''ll go with you guys."


    Fan Zijin frowned, unable to understand why Qi Haoran would continue to hang out with them after they had already returned yesterday''s favor to Mu Yangling. Shouldn''t they be going back to look for Brother Xiuyuan now?


    However, Qi Haoran''s mind was filled with thoughts of getting close to Mu Yangling and bing good friends with her. Following which, he would ask her for guidance on martial arts.


    Although Mu Yangling felt that Fan Zijin was too scheming, considering the other party was just a 12 or 13-year-old boy, she decided to be magnanimous and not be calctive with him.


    However, Mu Shi was very grateful to the two youths, so he said, "Let''s go to the eatery. Uncle will treat you to a meal."


    Only then did Mu Yangling realize that she was hungry. She hurriedly nodded and said, "Yes, yes. It''s all thanks to your help today. Do let my father treat you to a meal."


    Knowing that they didn''te from a well-to-do family, Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, "How can I let you treat us? It''s all thanks to the pancake, pheasant, and wild rabbit you gave us yesterday that we were able tost until the county. We merely spoke a few words earlier on. Let me treat you instead."


    Without waiting for their rejection, he pulled Fan Zijin to an eatery and entered. Mu Yangling and Mu Shi had no choice but to follow.


    The four of them chose a seat by the window on the second floor. Qi Haoran asked curiously, "Don''t you guys farm? Why are you going to the grain store?"


    "Our family only hunts but not farms. However, we''re not going to the grain store to buy grains, but to inquire about the price of grains." Mu Yangling said, "Now that it''s autumn harvest, we only need to buy grains in the vige."


    Fan Zijin smiled and said, "Coincidentally, we just visited the grain store this morning. Right now, medium-grade rice is priced at 1 tael 300 copper coins per stone. Low-grade rice is priced at one tael of silver. I didn''t pay attention to the rest. What else do you wish to find out?"


    Seeing that the Mu father and daughter were frowning, Fan Zijin asked curiously, "Why? Is the price of grains different from that in your vige?"


    Mu Yangling replied with a straight face, "It''s not just different, it''s simply too different. Before we came, my great-uncle evenined to us that the price of grains this year was too low. A few shop-owners went to the countryside to purchase grains, but they only offered 428 copper coins. Although they are grains with the bran intact, there''s still a huge difference in the price. The grain stores in our town also sell grains at this price."


    Mu Shi said, "Cheap grains and expensive rice. This is the first time I''ve seen such a thing in my life. Previously, when I went to the grain store to buy rice, I thought that the war at the border was about to begin¡­"


    Mu Shi shook his head and did not say anything else. However, he felt even more mncholic. If the situation in the county and town was the same, then his uncle''s grains would not fetch a high price.


    Mu Yangling was also a little worried. If the vigers were having a hard time, they would definitely be having a hard time too, since they were all fellow vigers. When the time came and they came looking for help, should they help or not?


    Besides, Mu Yangling felt aggrieved just thinking about it. She had always taken the farmers'' hardships to heart. It was not easy for them to get a good harvest, but they had to encounter such a situation. It was simply forcing everyone to a dead end.


    Mu Yangling couldn''t help butin. "If that''s all, it''s fine. At most, we won''t sell the grains. However, not only did the payment to a porter increase this year, but they also stipted that we can only pay in silver and not grains. That way, everyone had no choice but to sell their grains."


    Qi Haoran asked curiously, "What is payment to a porter?"


    Fan Zijin was equally curious.


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes. "You don''t even know about this? Every year, the tax money and grains paid in lieu of taxes have to be transported to the capital. That''s why you make payment to a porter. If you don''t pay, you have to transport the grains to the capital yourself. It''s a distance of two thousand miles from here to the capital, and it takes half a year to go back and forth, not to mention the expenses on the way, so¡­" Mu Yangling shrugged and said, "Do you understand? You have no choice but to pay the payment to a porter. Otherwise, the government won''t ept your taxes. If you can''t pay the taxes, the government can confiscate your wealth and exile your entire family."


    Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin''s mouths were wide open. Qi Haoran shouted, "How can this be? Didn''t His Majesty say that he would lower the tax burden?"


    Mu Yangling sneered. "You guys really believe it? If His Majesty really wanted to lower the tax burden, he wouldn''t have imposed taxes on the vige markets and marketces. Now, the tax burden from the soldiers'' sries is even distributed to the various viges. A few years ago, they were even charging city entrance taxes. When the Great Ancestor established the dynasty, there were no such fees."


    "Ah Ling," Mu Shi called out to his daughter disapprovingly. "Be careful with your words when you''re outside."


    If this was the Ming Dynasty or the Qing Dynasty, Mu Yangling would definitely not dare to say such a thing. However, this was the Great Zhou Dynasty. The founding emperor had once issued an imperial decree that stipted the people could practice freedom of speech.


    He even carved this point on a monolith inscription. Now, it was erected in front of the imperial pce of the capital''s Lin''an Prefecture.


    Speaking of this, Mu Yangling found it very funny. Back then, when the royal family and the imperial court fled south, there was actually someone who brought the monolith inscription along amidst all that chaos. After the pce of Lin''an Prefecture was built, the monolith inscription was erected in front of the pce again, like a huge mountain pressing down on the emperor''s head.


    Therefore, three years ago, after the Yuan Family''s army recovered the lostnd, they were transferred south by the suspicious emperor. As a result, the three prefectures of the Imperial Capital, the Fengxiang Prefecture, and the Lintao Prefecture were lost. The battlefront was pushed south to the Xingyuan Prefecture. Furious, the civilians ran to the entrance of the pce to spit. There were even schrs who wrote articles scolding the emperor and the treacherous officials in the imperial court and spread them. Meanwhile, the emperor hid in the pce and did not dare to utter a word. Instead, he had to issue an edict for his own crimes. Only then did the anger of the people subside slightly.


    At that time, Mu Yangling, who was only six years old, had juste into contact with the books of this world. That first time, she had heard themoners scold the emperor in a teahouse, while the constable sitting at the side actually echoed them. Mu Yangling was nearly scared to death then.


    What happened to not speaking about state affairs?


    Mu Yangling realized that the freedom of speech of the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty was even greater than in the modern era.


    However, the strange thing was that in the Great Zhou, which practiced freedom of speech, no one had ever said anything about overthrowing the emperor. Even if everyone scolded him for not doing a good job and heeding the words of the treacherous officials, no one had ever suggested changing the emperor.


    Mu Yangling could not help but sigh at the Great Zhou Emperor''s good luck.


    Hence, Mu Yangling was never afraid of saying these things outside. At this moment, she pouted and said, "I''m speaking the truth. Everyone says so."


    Mu Shi lowered his head to eat his food and drink his tea, ignoring his daughter.

 Chapter 21: Brothers

    <h4>Chapter 21: Brothers</h4>


    Although Qi Haoran had always looked down on the cowardice of the royal family, he was still very loyal to the emperor. Since he was young, he had heard from his father how kind the emperor was. Now that he heard Mu Yangling say this, it was inevitable that he could not ept it.


    Fan Zijin''s eyes widened as well. He stared at Mu Yangling in disbelief and said, "This is just your side of the story. Perhaps this is the doing of the corrupt officials here?"


    "He''s the emperor. Be it the doing of a corrupt official or his intention, isn''t it his responsibility nheless?"


    Although it was a shameless argument, the two youths still could not refute her.


    Frowning, Qi Haoran felt conflicted at the realization that his emperor was not the good person he thought he was.


    Fan Zijin was also in low spirits, but he quickly caught the main point and asked, "You just said that the grains in the countryside are cheap now, and the rice in the city is expensive?"


    Mu Yangling nodded. "I don''t know if it''s the doing of the local squires, the officials, or if they''re colluding with each other. In any case, they''re all involved. Anyway, the civilians are leading a hard life now. Fortunately, we can pay grains for the soldiers'' sry. If this needs to be paid in silver as well, themoners really won''t be able to survive."


    After the four of them finished eating, Mu Yangling said very gratefully to them, "Thank you for today. If youe to Nearhill Vige again, I''ll treat you to mountain delicacies."


    Qi Haoranughed heartily. "You said it yourself. Don''t deny it when Ie to look for you."


    Mu Yangling patted her chest and said, "Don''t worry. We may not have much else, but we definitely don''tck mountain delicacies."


    Mu Yangling was not boasting. Mountain delicacies were nothing in the Mu family. Unfortunately, mountain delicacies were not rare here, for this was near to the mountains.


    Seeing that the father and daughter had walked far away, Fan Zijin asked Qi Haoran, "Why are you so good to her?"


    Qi Haoran looked at Fan Zijin strangely. "We''re friends."


    Fan Zijin''s lips twitched. "We''ve only met her twice. How did we be friends?"


    Qi Haoran frowned slightly and said disapprovingly, "Zijin, you''re too paranoid. She helped us yesterday and we helped her today. Doesn''t that make us friends now?"


    "Her ancestors have Hu blood, and she''s quite skilled in martial arts. I think we should be careful."


    Qi Haoran pouted in disagreement and felt something smack his head from behind. Feeling the wind, Qi Haoran tilted his head to dodge the p. His eyes sharpened and he pulled Fan Zijin behind him with his left hand. Grabbing that hand with his right hand, he red towards the owner of that hand. Only then did he see his big brother standing behind him.


    Stunned, Qi Haoran quickly let go of his brother''s hand. "Brother, why is it you?"


    Surprised at his brother''s vignce, Qi Xiuyuan''s heart ached when he saw his brother''s series of actions. He could only imagine how much hardship this child had gone throughing here from Lin''an Prefecture, to be so vignt and sensitive.


    Suppressing the pain in his eyes, Qi Haoran asked, "Who did you think it was?"


    Smiling, the servant behind Qi Xiuyuan said, "Fourth Young Master, Eldest Young Master arrived upstairs long ago. He ordered the dishes and was waiting for you. He merely didn''t make an appearance seeing that Fourth Young Master and Young Master Zijin were with guests."


    "Have you finished all the dishes you ordered?"


    Shi Jian was stunned, not quite understanding why the Fourth Young Master asked about this. Still, he shook his head and said, "No, we ordered a lot of dishes. How can Eldest Young Master finish them all by himself?"


    "Have you paid the bill?"


    "I haven''t had time¡­"


    Qi Haoran heaved a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "That''s good. I''m not full yet. Let''s go eat again. If we can''t finish it, we''ll pack it back."


    Shi Jian and Fei Bai were dumbfounded. This was the first time they had seen the Fourth Young Master like this.


    Fan Zijin frowned, but when he saw Qi Haoran full of smiles, he knew that he had yet to return to his normal state, having been starved previously. This made him feel even more guilty. If he had not been a burden, they would not have suffered so much along the way.


    Seeing that his usuallywless and tyrannical brother now knew to pack food, Qi Xiuyuan''s heart instantly shattered into a few pieces. His heart ached as if his entire body was soaked in bitter juice.


    He reached out to stroke Qi Haoran''s head, suppressing the tears in his eyes. He nodded and said, "Alright, let''s go eat. Order whatever you want. After we''re done, we''ll order your favorite food and pack it back."


    Qi Haoran looked at his eldest brother in confusion, feeling that something was wrong. However, he was indeed not full from eating with the Mu father and daughter just now.


    He had no idea that Mu Yangling had such a hearty appetite. Seeing that she was eating so happily, he figured she was extremely hungry. Considering that her family wasn''t well off, he didn''t eat much then. After running around for half a day today, he was famished, and right now, eating was his top priority.


    Qi Xiuyuan''s heart ached for his brother. As soon as he sat down at the dining table, he asked the waiter to add two more meat dishes. He said to his brother, who was wolfing down his food, "Eat slowly. If it''s not enough, we''ll order more."


    Qi Haoran nodded as he ate. He nced at the dishes on the table and said, "I think it''s enough."


    Fan Zijin rolled his eyes as he picked up his chopsticks to eat. He said, "You''re nearly bing a rice <anno data-annotation-id="0214cd03-3014-4ffb-aede-df3d79341888">bucket</anno>."


    "I''ll grow faster if I eat more. I''m taller and stronger than you now," Qi Haoran said proudly.


    Fan Zijin choked and retorted, "That''s right. Only the limbs grew though. You have well-developed limbs indeed." Though, his brain didn''t develop much.


    Unfortunately, Qi Haoran did not understand the hidden meaning behind his words and stuffed a mouthful of food into his mouth smugly.


    On the other hand, Fan Zijin, who was mocking him, choked.


    Seated at the side, Qi Xiuyuan watched the two of them bicker with a smile. He was already used to it.


    When they were almost done eating, Qi Xiuyuan said, "Let''s rest for a while before going back to the campter. The horses are ready."


    Fan Zijin said seriously, "Eldest Cousin, can we enter the military camp like this?"


    Qi Xiuyuan snorted and said, "The West Camp is my territory. Who dares to say anything? Just stay in the military camp. I''ll hire a teacher for you and arrange for you to study in the camp."


    Qi Haoran opened his mouth wide and wailed, "I still have to study? No, Big Brother, I want to join the army and train. I don''t want to study anymore."


    Qi Xiuyuan snorted. "How old are you? What''s that talk about joining the army? Be good and focus on studying. If I find out that you disobey the teacher, I''ll beat you up."


    Qi Haoran straightened his neck and said, "I''m not cut out for studying. What''s wrong with me wanting to practice martial arts? In short, I just don''t want to study."


    Qi Xiuyuan''s hands itched, but he remembered that he was outside and had just reunited with his brother. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Let''s talk when we get back to the military camp."


    Looking as if he had lost his parents, Qi Haoran stuffed something into his mouth as if he was venting his anger. His cheeks were puffed up, and his eyes were still wide open as he stared at his brother.


    Not to mention Qi Xiuyuan, even Fan Zijin''s heart softened. He couldn''t help but put in a good word for him. "Eldest Cousin, Haoran is indeed not cut out for studying. I think it''s better to let him study for half a day and practice martial arts for the other half. Otherwise, even if he''s detained in the study room, I''m afraid he won''t be in the mood."


    Qi Haoran puffed up his cheeks and nodded repeatedly, gazing at his brother expectantly with round eyes. He regretted stuffing his mouth full, making himself unable to speak now. He could only nod.


    Fan Zijin held his forehead and could not bear to look at him.


    A smile shed across Qi Xiuyuan''s eyes, but he maintained a straight face. "I''ll consider it."


    <annotations style="disy: none;"><li>a big eater</li></annotations>

 Chapter 22: Anger

    <h4>Chapter 22: Anger</h4>


    Qi Xiuyuan was a fourth-grade general of Lizhou''s West Camp, the highest inmand in this camp.


    The West Camp was stationed in Xingzhou Prefecture under Xingyuan Prefecture. Under Xingzhou Prefecture was Shunzheng County, and the army was stationed five miles south of the county. Xingcheng Pass was there, and the mission of the West Camp was to garrison Xingcheng Pass. Because the government office of Xingzhou Prefecture was located in Shunzheng County, there were currently three groups of forces in Xingzhou Prefecture City.


    The first was the county office of Shunzheng County, which was located in the east of the county. Secondly, the government office of Xingzhou Prefecture was located in the north of the county. Thirdly, the office of this group of generals was located in the south of the county.


    Although Qi Xiuyuan said that he would bring them back to the military camp, there was actually nothing there. Qi Xiuyuan did not want his brother to suffer, so he brought him back to the residence in Shunzheng County first. After making arrangements for his brother and cousin, he called his trusted aide to the study.


    The Qis were only a small n in Lin''an Prefecture. Their father, Qi Feng, was merely a fourth-grade imperial censor, and his rank was the same as Qi Xiuyuan''s. Other than the father and son, there were no other members of the Qi family who served as officials.


    Although civil officials were more esteemed than martial arts officials, it was hard to tell who was more important between a fourth-grade general in charge of the military and a fourth-grade imperial censor.


    As for Qi Xiuyuan, he was promoted so quickly after his promotion, not only because he had been a guard by the emperor''s side for half a year, but also because his two uncles were both generals. Moreover, he fought fearlessly on the battlefield with no regard for his life, thus umting illustrious battle achievements. That was why he was promoted from a sixth-grade lieutenant to a fourth-grade general in merely two years.


    His trusted aides knew that Qi Xiuyuan and his father didn''t get along well. It was admirable that he went to the border at the age of 16 and didn''t rely on the Qi family to get to this point. However, the Qi family was a schrly family and had long had a problem with Qi Xiuyuan joining the army instead of studying. Even though he was already a fourth-grade martial arts official and wasn''t inferior to his father, he was still too embarrassed to mention it.


    Qi Xiuyuan''s only connection to that family was his biological younger brother, Qi Haoran.


    Unexpectedly, half a month ago, he received news that his younger brother had left after leaving a letter behind. Even his cousin had disappeared.


    Qi Xiuyuan was furious. Although his brother was naughty, he knew his limits. Besides, his cousin was a sensible person. He wondered what his father and that woman must have done to force the duo to simply run away like that.


    After his anger subsided, worry took over. In this unpeaceful world that they lived in, there were bandits everywhere, and the people were valiant. At only 12 years old, the two of them had never traveled far, and probably did not even know how much a bun cost. Qi Xiuyuan was so anxious that the corners of his mouth were blistering. He could only send his bodyguards to search south.


    Other than his uncle, his younger brother could onlye to him. Between the two, his younger brother would naturally choose the older brother. Qi Xiuyuan anxiously asked people to search south along the main road, but there was no news.


    Yesterday afternoon, he received a report from the scouts in Mingshui County. Only then did he know that the two brats had already run to Xingzhou Prefecture. He hurriedly rode his horse to look for them.


    Although Qi Xiuyuan had not seen his brother for two years, they had been writing letters to each other every month. He naturally knew that his brother minded the baby fat on his face the most. Every time he wrote to him, he wouldin that his round face made him look even younger, causing his ssmates to look down on him.


    However, when he saw his younger brother this time, not only did the chubby cheeks disappear, but he also looked much more haggard. If not for the fact that he was concerned about maintaining his dignity as an elder brother, Qi Xiuyuan would have hugged his younger brother and cried.


    Now that he had settled his brother down, Qi Xiuyuan no longer suppressed himself. He kept releasing cold air, so cold that Shi Jian and the few trusted aides who came to listen to the orders shrank their necks.


    "Send a message to Jiang Ze and tell him not toe back for the time being. Ask him to go to Lin''an and find out why Fourth Young Master and Young Master Zijin ran away from home." Qi Xiuyuan''s expression was cold. His brother and cousin had to use their travel passes to enter and exit the city. If the Qi family discovered they were missing and chased after them, how could they not find them after following such obvious traces?


    "No," Military Advisor Rong Xuan quickly stopped him. "Xiuyuan, Jiang Ze has an official position, and a general can''t enter the capital without an edict. Once he''s discovered, the consequences will be unimaginable. It''s better to call him back. As for what happened in Lin''an, why don''t you ask Fourth Young Master and Young Master Zijin directly? As for why the Qi family didn''t look for them," Rong Xuan sneered. "Isn''t it obvious? Your stepmother is naturally unwilling to find your brother."


    Qi Xiuyuan frowned. "She''s just my Auntie."


    "Yes, yes, it''s Auntie, not Stepmother." Rong Xuan readily agreed. "Let''s call Jiang Ze and the others back. Anyway, since we''ve already found them, you can let Jiang Ze teach Fourth Young Master since he wishes to learn martial arts."


    Qi Xiuyuan only pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Then send the order to get Jiang Ze toe back. Jinyu, don''t address them as Fourth Young Master and Young Master Zijin. They''re younger than you. Call them by their names directly. Otherwise, call them Little Fourth and Little Second."


    Rong Xuan, courtesy name Jinyu, was the Military Advisor of the West Camp. He had followed Qi Xiuyuan all the way from Lin''an and was Qi Xiuyuan''s trusted aide.


    Qi Haoran was the fourth son in the family, and Qi Xiuyuan was the eldest. The second and third sons in the middle were both born of a concubine. Naturally, now that their biological mother had been promoted, they were now considered born of the first wife.


    After talking about private matters, it was time to discuss serious matters. Qi Haoran said, "I heard something in the eatery today. It''s the autumn harvest now, yet the price of rice and noodles in the grain store has increased."


    Qi Xiuyuan''s guard, Mo Xiong, frowned. "Is the harvest awful this year?"


    "Impossible." Rong Xuan said with a frown, "I just patrolled a while ago. The crops in the fields are not bad, and the recent weather has been good. How can the harvest not be good?"


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at the adjutant quartermaster, He Ming, who was deep in thought. "What''s their price for the rations we want to buy?"


    "1 tael 100 copper coins for one stone of rice. That''s 200 copper coins less than the market price."


    "Zhao Guang agreed?" Qi Xiuyuan asked in a low voice. Zhao Guang was the quartermaster of the West Camp.


    "Yes, we can buy it as soon as the local government delivers the sry collected."


    A cold glint shed across Qi Xiuyuan''s eyes. He snorted and said, "The rice in the grain store costs 1 tael 300 copper coins, but they''re only collecting grains for 420 copper coins."


    Their expressions changed slightly as they looked at each other. "Erm, are we being schemed against?"


    Rong Xuan frowned and said, "We have to investigate this matter since we are permanently stationed in Xingzhou Prefecture. If themoners are forced to a corner, causing them to rebel, we will be the ones suffering."


    "That''s right." He Ming''s expression was also a little ugly. "Not only do we not get any benefits, we''ll need to take the me for them."


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded in satisfaction. "I''ll leave this matter to you. Since we have to buy additional military supplies every year, He Ming, why don''t you buy some grains from those vigers during the autumn harvest? There''s no need to lower the price. I believe they''ll be happy to sell them to you at a suitable price."


    He Ming originally wanted to buy a batch of grains at a low price, but seeing that the general was unwilling to hurt the people, he could only nod and say, "General, don''t worry. I will definitely handle this matter well."


    Qi Xiuyuan said, "I remember that Zhao Guang is a direct descendant of the local squire. Jinyu, go and investigate this person. I don''t believe he doesn''t know about this at all."


    Jinyu knew that Qi Xiuyuan could not tolerate Zhao Guang, so he nodded in agreement.


    Qi Xiuyuan made some simple arrangements before walking to the backyard.


    Meanwhile, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin slept for more than two hours and woke up hungry.


    They rushed back after lunch. It was already dark and they were hungry, so the two of them fumbled to get up and look for food.

 Chapter 23: Inquiry

    <h4>Chapter 23: Inquiry</h4>


    When Qi Xiuyuan pushed open the door and entered, he saw the two of them standing up while eating a te of snacks. Smiling, he said, "Don''t eat too much. I''ve already asked someone to prepare food. You might be too full for dinnerter."


    Qi Haoran threw a piece of snack into his mouth and said, "I can even scarf down a cow now."


    However, Fan Zijin obediently set aside his snack and stopped eating.


    Qi Xiuyuan dragged the brothers to dinner. After eating and drinking to their heart''s content, he dismissed all the servants and asked seriously, "Alright, I didn''t askst night since I saw that you were as tired as dogs. Plus, I haven''t been free today. Can you tell me now, why you ran away from home?" Qi Xiuyuan looked at his brother first and said, "You first."


    Anger shed across Qi Haoran''s face as he said hatefully, "Brother, that woman wants to matchmake you to her own niece. How can she, a concubine, dream of making you take her niece to be your first wife? How will you face others in the future? Moreover, her niece iszy and has a terrible reputation. I don''t want her to be my sister-inw."


    Fan Zijin nced at him and corrected him. "Madam Wu has already been promoted to first wife."


    Even more furious now, Qi Haoran snorted. "I won''t acknowledge that."


    "So you fell out with them because of my marriage?" Qi Xiuyuan asked.


    Qi Haoran felt a little ufortable, so Fan Zijin said, "Eldest Cousin, they wanted to take advantage of your absence to wee the bride into the family so that they could settle this marriage. They asked Haoran to wee the bride on your behalf. Madam Wu locked Haoran in the courtyard, and I only managed to bring him out overnight by bribing the servants in your residence."


    Qi Xiuyuan''s expression turned ugly. "She actually locked Haoran up? Does Father not care at all?"


    Fan Zijin lowered his head and did not speak, but Qi Haoran''s eyes turned red. "He only has Second Brother and Third Brother in his heart. When was he ever concerned about me?"


    Qi Xiuyuan grabbed his brother''s hand, his eyes shing with coldness and helplessness.


    That being their father, he could neither hit nor scold him.


    However, Qi Haoran was very proud. "Now that I''ve run away, they won''t be able to find anyone to substitute as Big Brother. Big Brother, you have to sharpen your vignce and find me a good sister-inw in the future."


    Qi Xiuyuan lips twitched slightly. "Don''t worry, I''ll definitely find you a good sister-inw."


    "I''m afraid they won''t give up just like that." Fan Zijin frowned slightly. "I''ve always found it strange. Why are they in such a hurry to marry Little Miss Wu to Eldest Cousin?"


    Qi Haoran looked at him in disdain. "You don''t even know that? My elder brother definitely won''t marry a girl from the Wu family. They naturally have to settle the marriage while my elder brother is not around."


    The marriage could be canceled, but the marriage contract could not be canceled. He could either find his wife''s fault and divorce her, or he could only ask for her approval and divorce. But no matter what, it would have an adverse effect on Qi Xiuyuan.


    Fan Zijin said with a straight face, "I think there''s something wrong with Little Miss Wu. Otherwise, there''s no need to be in such a hurry."


    With a wave of his hand, Qi Xiuyuan said, "That''s not important anymore. Now that Haoran is no longer in Lin''an, she can''t very well ask her two sons to wee the bride on my behalf, right?" If she dared to do it, Qi Xiuyuan would dare to say that since Little Miss Wu''s two younger brothers had already suffered in his ce, he didn''t dare to have such a wife. Who''s to say otherwise?


    As a man, he was naturally not afraid. He just had no idea if the Wu family was that bold.


    Though marriage was dictated by one''s parents and the words of the matchmaker, it didn''t mean that he couldn''t do anything.


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at Fan Zijin. "Then why did you run out?"


    Fan Zijin shifted his butt ufortably and said, "I apanied Haoran here."


    Qi Haoran shouted indignantly, "That''s not true. Uncle decided to marry Enyin, who was supposed to marry Zijin, to Fan Zixiao instead. In a fit of anger, Aunt raised her sword, wanting to sh Uncle, and the two of them started fighting over this. Zijin felt that it was meaningless, so he ran out with me."


    Fan Zijin''s mother, Xia Tong, and Qi Haoran''s mother, Zhu Wan, were cousins and grew up together. Hence, they were very close. After Zhu Wan passed away, the two aunts of the Zhu family were no longer in Lin''an. Furthermore, Qi Feng didn''t care about his two sons. Qi Haoran, who was only one year old, and Qi Xiuyuan, who was seven years old, were taken care of by Xia Tong, hence they were very close to her.


    Fan Zijin was two months older than Qi Haoran. When the two little fellows were still learning to crawl, they were already hanging out together all the time. They were like real brothers.


    In Qi Haoran''s heart, other than his eldest brother, Qi Xiuyuan, the second most important person to him was Fan Zijin.


    Qi Xiuyuan red at Fan Zijin and said, "I''ll write a letter to Aunt. I don''t think you will be able to focus on your studies in Lin''an, so why don''t you stay here for now? I''ll hire a teacher for you."


    Truly suffocated by the atmosphere at home, Fan Zijin heaved a sigh of relief. That was why he agreed without thinking when Qi Haoran suggested they "escaped".


    "Since you even prepared your travel passes, why did you not prepare any money? Why were you in such a sorry state? You actually had to be saved by a hunter girl?"


    Blushing, Fan Zijin said guiltily, "We did bring some money, but there was an ident on the way¡­"


    No matter how smart Fan Zijin was, he was only 12 years old and had never traveled far. He and Qi Haoran always had a pageboy following them in and out. With the pageboy paying for their purchases, they did not even know how much a bun cost.


    Fan Zijin was on guard, but hecked life experience, after all. Hence, they fled in luxurious clothes. Just buying a horse cost more than half of their money. In addition, the two of them encountered robbers, scammers, and people who turned greedy after seeing how rich they were. In short, during this two-month journey from Lin''an to Linzhou Prefecture, it could be said that the two of them had a narrow escape.


    When they met Mu Yangling, they had already reached their limit. At that time, they ran into the forest as they were being chased by a manor owner. The two of them lost their way and starved for two days, to the point where they almost did not have the strength to move.


    That was why Mu Yangling''s help was so precious.


    Not only did she give them food, but she also gave them directions. She could be considered an incredibly good person among the people they met along the way.


    However, the more Fan Zijin was deceived, the more suspicious he became. Although Mu Yangling had saved them, he still suspected that she had ulterior motives. That was why he was so resistant to Qi Haoran getting close to her.


    Of course, Qi Xiuyuan was more careful. After all, Mu Shi had a face that was different from the Han people. Though, there were also many mixed-blood Hu-Hans in the army. Still, in order to be careful, he sent people to investigate the Mu father and daughter.


    At this moment, the Mu father and daughter, who had no idea that they would be investigated, were rushing home.


    The sky was alreadypletely dark, but Mu Yangling eximed happily when she saw the lights of the vige, "Father, we''re home!"


    Mu Shi chuckled and said, "You''re fast. Quickly run back and see if your mother is at home."


    Mu Yangling responded and ran home.


    As soon as she reached the vige entrance, she saw two torches. Her mother and brother''s faces barged into her eyes. Mu Yangling ran even faster and reached her mother''s side in a sh. She shouted, "Mother, why are you here?"


    "Geez, she''s worried about you and your father. My mouth is turning dry from persuading her, but your mother refuses to go back and insists on standing here and waiting."


    Only then did Mu Yangling see her aunt, Madam Liu-Zhao, standing at the side. Mu Yangling smiled and bowed. "Thank you for apanying my mother today."

 Chapter 24: Back Home

    <h4>Chapter 24: Back Home</h4>


    "It''s fine, it''s fine. It''s good that you guys came back safely. How was your trip to the county today?" Madam Liu-Zhao asked.


    Mu Yangling nodded. "It went well."


    As soon as she finished speaking, Mu Shi pushed the cart forward. Mu Yangling quickly took out a piece of pork and a small bag of sweets from the cart and stuffed them into her aunt''s hands. "Aunt, this is for you. I bought some sweets for my cousins."


    Madam Liu-Zhao quickly pushed it away. "I can''t ept this. You should give it to your brother. It''s not the new year yet, don''t spoil them. Take this meat back to your pregnant mother."


    Although the Mu Family did notck meat, wild pigs were still different from domestic pigs, for thetter had a much higher fat content. On the other hand, it was rare to see meat in the Liu Family unless it was a festival.


    "There''s more for my mother here. This is for Great-uncle. Please ept it." Mu Yangling pushed it back. They had specially bought more for their family.


    Shu Wanniang said gently, "Cousin-inw, just ept it. It''s to show appreciation for you apanying us today."


    Mu Shi also said, "We still have more here."


    After thinking for a moment, Madam Liu-Zhao epted it. With a heartyugh, she said, "Then go back quickly. The dew is heavy tonight. Don''t catch a cold."


    Mu Yangling responded. Seeing that her aunt had turned around and left, she carried her brother onto the cart and held her mother''s arm. "Let''s go home quickly."


    Little Bowen sat on the cart excitedly with a red face and bright eyes as he gazed ahead. He shouted, "Let''s go home!"


    When they got home, Mu Yangling went into the house first and lit the oilmp. Only then did Shu Wanniang slowly enter the house.


    "I''m going to cook. Bowen,e and help me start the fire." Mu Yangling took the vegetables from the cart and entered the kitchen.


    Shu Wanniang heaved a sigh of relief and said to her husband, "You''re finally back. I was afraid that you wouldn''t be able to make it back tonight."


    "I already said that I would definitely rush back. You worried too much." Mu Shi helped her sit down on a chair and said, "It''s dark and windy outside. You and Bowen shouldn''t have gone out since you two aren''t in good health."


    Looking at the things they bought, Shu Wanniang saw that there were also two bolts of fabric inside. She asked, "Why did you buy fabric?"


    "The leather goods sold well this time, so I bought things with the spare change. It''s been a long time since you and the children made new clothes, so I bought two bolts of fabric. Later, you can make new clothes for the children and a set for yourself." After Mu Shi took out five taels of silver to pay the tax, there were still 43 taels of silver left. Thus, he simply took out three taels of silver to buy some stuff and only brought back the remaining 40 taels.


    In the kitchen, Mu Yangling stood and thought for a while. In the end, she stir-fried a dish of chives and scrambled eggs. Then, she cut up pork, cabbage, vermicelli, and other vegetables and stewed them in a pot.


    Looking at his sister''s actions dazedly, Little Bowen protested, "Mother doesn''t cook like this."


    Mu Yangling red at him and said, "It''s good enough to have something to eat. Anyway, it''s not bad."


    Pouting, Little Bowen said softly, "But it doesn''t taste good either."


    However, his sister was too strong, so Little Bowen''s protests were ineffective. In the end, Mu Yangling brought out a pot of stew.


    Shu Wanniang had just tidied up the things that Mu Shi had bought. When she saw the two dishes on the dining table, she suddenly felt helpless. "Ah Ling, from tomorrow onwards, you have to learn culinary skills from me seriously. Otherwise, what are you going to do when you get married in the future?"


    Mu Yangling said nonchntly, "In the future, I''ll just marry someone who can cook."


    Shu Wanniang tapped her forehead and said, "You''re really shameless. No matter what, you have to learn some culinary skills."


    Little Bowen nodded vigorously. "Otherwise, other than Father and me, no one will eat your cooking in the future."


    Mu Yangling was unconvinced. "This is home-cooked food. I think it''s quite delicious, neither salty nor nd. What''s wrong with moderate-tasting food?"


    "But they all have the same taste." Little Bowen shouted. "Sister, no matter what ingredients you use, they all have the same taste."


    Seeing that he was shouting aggrievedly, Mu Yangling decided not to hold it against him. She pretended not to hear him and sat down to eat.


    Pouting, Little Bowen looked at his father and mother. Shu Wanniang promised, "Mother will cook tomorrow. Just make do with this today."


    Only then did Little Bowen snort and pick up his chopsticks.


    After dinner, Mu Yangling took out the candy she bought for Little Bowen and said, "I''ll give you two every day. It''s enough for you to eat for a month."


    Little Bowen swallowed his saliva and pestered Mu Yangling. "Sister, give me more."


    "You have to think carefully. If you eat more now, you''ll finish it soon."


    After a moment''s hesitation, Little Bowen could only push the paper bag back reluctantly. "Then help me hide it well."


    Mu Yangling took out a candy and stuffed it into his mouth, then smiled and said, "Don''t worry, I''ll definitely hide it well for you. Other than me, even Father won''t be able to find it."


    Little Bowen was very assured about this. His parents would certainly not be able to find things that his sister meant to hide.


    The family sat together to rest and chat. Only then did Mu Yangling have the time to ask her father, "Father, why did you give Owner Zhang five taels of silver as tax today? Didn''t you only have to pay 1 tael 600 copper coins?"


    "Owner Zhang introduced us to the itinerant merchants, so we have to express our gratitude," Mu Shi said with a smile.


    "Then you could have given itter."


    Mu Shi smiled slightly. Although his daughter understood the hurdles, she was still not tactful enough. He said, "That would be too obvious. No one knows better than Owner Zhang how much tax money I''m supposed to pay. By giving him five taels of silver, he naturally knew that I was trying to please him. If I paid 1 tael 600 copper coins in tax, then took out five taels of silver separately, it''d have been too tant. Ah Ling, you have to remember that some things are best done quietly. If you are too indiscreet about it, you''d appear snobbish instead."


    Shu Wanniang looked at her husband with trust in her eyes.


    Mu Yangling looked at her rough-looking father and then at her mother, who was smiling gently at the side. For the first time, she understood why a well-bred youngdy would willingly live in the countryside with her father, with no resentment in her heart.


    In the past nine years, she might not have understood her father.


    Mu Shi calmly epted his daughter''s admiring gaze and asked, "I was about to ask you too. How did you be acquainted with Young Master Qi and Young Master Fan?"


    He would apany his daughter whenever she left the vige, thus he knew everyone his daughter knew. Hence, he did not understand when his daughter had the chance to meet those two noble young masters.


    "I met them yesterday when I was hunting in the mountains. They got lost in the mountains and must have been hungry for a long time. So, I caught a wild rabbit and pheasant for them and pointed them in the right direction. Who knew that they would run into us today and even help us?"


    "See, those who do good will be rewarded." Shu Wanniang said gently, "If you siblings are in a position to help others in the future, try your best to help them and be kind to them, understand?"


    Mu Yangling and Little Bowen nodded in agreement.


    "Alright, go to sleep quickly. Tomorrow, Father will go into the mountains to hunt some prey and send them to the Wafting Fragrance Eatery in town. Ah Ling, you''ve been traveling all day today. Sleep a little longer tomorrow."


    Mu Yangling cheered and ran to the kitchen to boil water, then take a shower, before going to sleep.

 Chapter 25: Thinking It Through

    <h4>Chapter 25: Thinking It Through</h4>


    Mu Yangling stretched and got up from the bed. While picking up the spoiled beans outside, Shu Wanniang heard themotion, so she came in to take a look. Seeing that her daughter was about to lie down again, she hurriedly said, "Hurry up and get up, the sun is already up to your butt. Your brother has already memorized the books."


    Mu Yangling could only get out of bed. "Where''s Father?"


    "Your father has gone to town. He should be back soon."


    "So fast?" Mu Yangling was surprised. "Wasn''t he going into the mountains to hunt, too?"


    "There was prey in the trap you set some time ago, so your father came out very quickly. He even left a few pheasants and rabbits for the family. In my opinion, since the two of you can''t eat so much, you might as well sell them at the market."


    However, recalling thest time she saw her great-aunt, Mu Yangling said absent-mindedly, "It might not be for our family. Maybe it''s for someone else?"


    "For who?" Although most of the vigers were rtives of the Mu Family and they usually got along well, Shu Wanniang knew that her husband rarely interacted with them. Only after she married over and had children, did they interact more with Mu Shi''s uncle''s family.


    However, the Liu family rarely came here, while she and her husband also rarely went to the Liu family. Only the two children often went to y with the Liu family''s children. During the new year, her husband only asked his daughter and son to bring some things over to his two uncles'' house.


    Usually, when the father and daughter had a lot of hunting gains and couldn''t sell them, they would rather marinate the meat or dry it in the sun than give it to the poor Liu family.


    Her husband didn''t usually contact the Liu family, but the Liu family considered the Mu family under their wing. Whatever policies the higher-ups had, and whenever they heard any news, they would remind the Mu family. They would also help them fight for more benefits in the vige. Likewise, if anything happened to the Liu family, her husband would also help.


    It wasn''t that Shu Wanniang didn''t know that something had happened between her husband and the Liu family, but that was all in the past. If her husband wasn''t willing to mention it, she naturally wouldn''t ask. It was just like how her husband wouldn''t ask about her background either, when she didn''t bring up the topic herself.


    To them, that was all in the past. Now, they had to look to the future, and the most important thing was to live well in the present and the future.


    Mu Yangling, who didn''t know what her mother was thinking, quickly put on her clothes and said, "It might be for Great-aunt. Thest time we went to town, we met Aunt and saw that her family is having a really hard time."


    Shu Wanniang frowned. "Great-aunt? Hasn''t your father always disliked her?" Even though they were in the same vige, they would only nod at and greet each other when they bumped into each other.


    "It''s not Second Great-aunt, it''s Eldest Great-aunt."


    Shu Wanniang suddenly recalled that her husband''s eldest aunt treated her husband quite well. When she gave birth to her daughter back then, she even came over to take care of her for three days. It was just that they had not contacted each other for the past few years.


    Unable to sit still anymore, Shu Wanniang asked, "Is your eldest great-aunt leading a very hard life? Should we send some rice and noodles over? It''s my fault. I haven''t been keeping in contact with her for the past few years."


    Mu Yangling knew that her father didn''t interact much with his rtives. Even though they were in the same vige, he only really bothered with her two great-uncles, and didn''t even care about the patriarch of the Liu family. Hence, she said, "It''s fine. I''ll go visit themter."


    "West Mountain Vige is far away and you don''t know the way. It''s better to ask your father to go."


    Mu Yangling chuckled and didn''t say anything.


    If her father carried the things over, her eldest great-aunt would definitely not ept them. Therefore, she had to be the one to do it. Moreover, her father had also told her to directly go over West Mountain, which would be faster than walking on the main road, since West Mountain Vige was just at the foot of the mountain opposite.


    When Little Bowen saw that his sister had woken up, he put the book away and followed behind her.


    Mu Yangling almost tripped over him as she walked. She said, "Go y by yourself now. I''ll apany youter."


    Pursing his lips, Little Bowen looked at his sister eagerly.


    Mu Yangling immediately understood and said, "You want to eat candy? I''ll get it for you after I wash up. You can y by yourself for a while."


    Little Bowen sat at the side and supported his chin with his hand, while his gaze followed his sister''s movements.


    The corners of Mu Yangling''s mouth twitched as she sped up her actions. Then, she returned to her room and took out a paper bag. She stuffed a candy into his mouth and Little Bowen sat at the side with the book in his hands, satisfied.


    After Mu Yangling finished her breakfast, Mu Shi returned. He ced the two pheasants and two rabbits in the basket on his back. After thinking for a while, he returned to his room and took out 50 copper coins for his daughter. He instructed in a low voice, "Think of a way to stuff them into your eldest great-aunt''s hands. Only bring it back if she refuses to ept it. Didn''t you buy three packets of candy yesterday? Take one out and bring it to your cousins."


    But that was for her younger brother.


    At the thought of her brother looking at her with bright eyes, Mu Yangling felt a little reluctant. However, on second thought, she decided that she could just go into the mountains tomorrow to hunt more prey before buying more for her brother.


    Mu Yangling entered the house and took out a bag of candy to ce it in the basket on her back. As she was doing so, she caught her brother stealing nces over, and couldn''t help but rejoice. Fortunately, she had said yesterday that there was only one bag of candy. Otherwise, if he knew that there was another bag that belonged to him but was now being given away, he would definitely burst into tears.


    "Alright, go quickly. Check if the vigers in West Mountain Vige are bullying your eldest great-aunt. If so, don''t get into a conflict with them. Come back and tell Father instead. I''ll ask your eldest great-uncle and the others to stand up for her."


    Seeing this, Shu Wanniang couldn''t help but ask, "Our daughter doesn''t know the way. How can you let her go alone?"


    The father and daughter didn''t dare to tell Shu Wanniang that Mu Yangling was nning to cross the mountain. So he replied vaguely, "Our daughter knows the way¡­"


    Not one to lend herself to worry and anxiety, Shu Wanniang simply assumed that Mu Shi had brought her daughter to West Mountain Vige when he brought her to town, so she didn''t ask further. She went into the kitchen and baked pancakes for her daughter to eat on the way. "This trip will take more than four hours. Take these to fill your stomach on the way ande back early."


    Mu Yangling carried her basket and agreed. After taking the pancakes, she left.


    As she watched her daughter''s figure disappear, Shu Wanniang couldn''t help but me her husband. "Ah Ling is only nine years old. Don''t always order her around like an adult. She''s a little stronger, but she''s still young. Aren''t you worried about making her travel so far?"


    Mu Shi said, "A nine-year-old child in the vige can be considered half an adult. Besides, our daughter is smart, and she''s just going to her eldest great-aunt''s house. It''s fine."


    Shu Wanniang couldn''t help but feel sad. At nine years old, she had felt sad over trivial matters such as her elder sister receiving a beautiful dress but not her. Meanwhile, at this age her daughter had already taken on the responsibility of supporting the family.


    At the thought of being only capable of doing some housework, Shu Wanniang couldn''t help but me herself even more. Tears fell from her eyes.


    Seeing his wife cry, Mu Shi was at a loss. He hurriedly wiped her tears and reflected, "It''s my fault. Don''t cry. I spoke too loudly just now. When our daughteres back, I won''t make her go out again. If you''re worried, I''ll go out and chase after her now."


    Her daughter would be married in the countryside in the future. Surely she couldn''t be as useless as her? Her husband even had to worry about her when she went out.


    Shu Wanniang shook her head. "You''re right. I was too careful."


    Mu Shi heaved a sigh of relief. He was really worried that his wife would raise their daughter like a nobledy.

 Chapter 26: West Mountain Village

    <h4>Chapter 26: West Mountain Vige</h4>


    The mountain behind the Mu Residence was Chef Mountain, which surrounded half of Mingshui County. Chef Mountain was extremely tall and deep, and there were many wild animals and many wild fruits. Among them, there were the most wild dates. It could be said that Chef Mountain was not only half a barrier surrounding Mingshui County, but it was also one of the pirs of survival for the local people.


    The Chef Mountain behind the Mu Residence extended all the way from the east. It was already the end here, so the people of Mingshui County collectively called this part the West Mountain or Tail Mountain. This was all because the few mountains here were on the small tail of Chef Mountain.


    If Mu Yangling wanted to go from Nearhill Vige to West Mountain Vige, she only needed to cross thatst mountain. In the past, for convenience, the vigers of the two viges walked a thin and small path over the mountain. It shortened the traveling time by more than 50%, aspared to bypassing West Mountain and taking the main road.


    Mu Yangling was used to walking in the mountains, so she was not afraid at all. Carrying a basket that was about the same height as her, she walked up the mountain with light footsteps. Along the way, she even tugged at the flowers excitedly and hummed a tune as she walked forward.


    Because no one had walked on the path for a long time, the grass and trees had be much denser. Fortunately, traces could still be seen. Mu Yangling hummed a song as she jumped over rocks and whipped the things on the roadside, as she walked towards West Mountain Vige.


    When she emerged from the mountains, she immediately saw the vige at the foot of the mountain. Smoke had already drifted out from a few houses. Looking up at the sun in the sky, Mu Yangling saw that it was not noon yet, about 11 o''clock.


    Mu Yangling weighed the basket on her back and thought to herself, ''The timing is just right. It''s neither too early nor toote.''


    Mu Yangling did not know where her eldest great-aunt''s house was, so she could only go to the vige to ask around first. Hence, she carried the basket on her back and rushed down the mountain.


    Madam Ma-Zhang was picking out the peeled rice when she saw a youngdying from the foot of the mountain with arge basket on her back. Seeing this unfamiliar face, she could not help but take a few more nces. Unexpectedly, the youngdy ran towards her.


    Madam Ma-Zhang could only stop in her tracks. The little girl asked her with a smile, "Auntie, do you know how to get to the house of Granny Liu who married over from Nearhill Vige?"


    Married over from Nearhill Vige and was called Granny Liu. Wasn''t that her aunt?


    Sizing up the little girl, Madam Ma-Zhang asked, "Little girl, where are you from? Why are you looking for Granny Liu?"


    "I came from Nearhill Vige. Granny Liu is my great-aunt. Auntie, do you know how to get to my great-aunt''s house?" Mu Yangling didn''t say why she was here, only revealing her identity.


    "I do. So my aunt is your great-aunt. Then you have to call me Aunt, since your great-aunt is my aunt." Madam Ma-Zhang picked up the basket and said, "Wait for me. I''ll bring this rice home before leading the way for you."


    "Thank you, Auntie." Mu Yangling would rather call her Auntie, since they were only considered very distant rtives.


    Madam Ma-Zhang''s house was not far away, so she came out very quickly. She looked curiously at Mu Yangling''s basket and asked, "What''s this?" As she spoke, she reached out to pull it.


    However, Mu Yangling seemed to have eyes on her back as she quickly took a few steps forward, causing Madam Ma-Zhang''s hand to miss. As she walked briskly, she said with a smile, "It''s nothing spectacr. It''s just some food I brought from home. My mother said that she hasn''te to visit Great-aunt in a long time and asked me to bring it over."


    Fortunately, when she was in the mountains, she was worried that the prey inside would be exposed to the sun, so she picked manyrge leaves to cover it.


    Madam Ma-Zhang was a little embarrassed. "Your mother made pickled vegetables or something?" Seeing that Mu Yangling only smiled foolishly and didn''t answer, she asked, "You said that my aunt is your great-aunt, but why haven''t I seen you before?"


    "This is my first time here, so Auntie naturally hasn''t seen me before." Mu Yangling looked around and asked, "Auntie, is my great-aunt''s house far away?"


    "It''s not far. Look, it''s the adobe houses ahead."


    Mu Yangling looked up and couldn''t help but stop in her tracks. These were the worst adobe houses she had ever seen. The three adobe houses were right next to each other, and there were mud blocks hanging sparsely on the walls. Mu Yangling believed that the houses would probably copse in the strong wind. The wall in front was made from mud and about a meter tall.


    Mu Yangling did not expect her eldest great-aunt''s family to be so poor. Even though life in Nearhill Vige was not very good, there weren''t such lousy houses.


    Oblivious to the fact that this house had shocked Mu Yangling''s soul, Madam Ma-Zhang said as she walked in front and led the way, "Let''s go. Your great-aunt is probably in the fields at this time. I wonder if your cousins are at home."


    Because Mu Yangling ate nutritious foods and had been practicing martial arts, she was slightly bigger-sized than ordinary nine-year-old girls. This was not obvious in the town or county, but in this vige, Madam Ma-Zhang thought that she was already 11 or 12 years old. After all, in a ce where everyone barely ate anything and had thin frames, Mu Yangling''s stature was indeed that of an 11 or 12-year-old girl.


    Madam Ma-Zhang pushed open the door of Mu Yangling''s eldest great-aunt''s house and shouted, "Xin, Xin, are you home? You have a guest."


    A thin and weak little girl ran out of the kitchen and looked at Madam Ma-Zhang warily. Upon taking a closer look, Mu Yangling realized that it was the little girl she had seen a few days ago.


    The seven-year-old girl looked like she was only five years old. She looked at Madam Ma-Zhang uneasily with her big eyes, making Mu Yangling''s heart ache.


    She took the initiative to step forward. "Cousin, do you still remember me? We just met in town two days ago."


    Only then did Ma Xin see Mu Yangling. Her eyes lit up as she nodded and said softly, "You''re Uncle''s daughter."


    Mu Yangling immediately smiled and praised, "Cousin, you have a good memory. My mother asked me toe and visit Great-aunt. Thest time my father went back, he mentioned that he bumped into Great-aunt. Only then did my mother remember that Great-aunt used to marinate delicious pickled vegetables and beans. Coincidentally, my mother is pregnant and really craves sour foods, so she asked me toe and see if your family has any marinated pickled vegetables and beans."


    Now that she understood the situation, Madam Ma-Zhang frowned and nced at Mu Yangling in disdain. From the looks of it, Mu Yangling''s basket didn''t weigh much, so she assumed that she had covered the top with leaves to make it appear less embarrassing.


    No wonder she refused to show it to her earlier. It turned out that there was nothing inside and she was here to take advantage of her great-aunt.


    Madam Ma-Zhang instantly lost interest and saidzily, "Since I''ve already brought you here, I''ll go back and get busy."


    "Thank you for bringing me here, Auntie." Mu Yangling sent Madam Ma-Zhang out with a smile.


    Seeing that Madam Ma-Zhang had finally left, Ma Xin heaved a sigh of relief and smiled at Mu Yangling. "Cousin, quicklye into the house and have a seat. I''ll call my grandmother and sister back."


    Mu Yangling pinched her cheek and said, "There''s no need to specially call them since they''ll probably be back soon. Are you going to cook? I''ll help you."


    Ma Xin was conflicted. The three of them ate porridge every afternoon, with only a side of pickled vegetables. Her cousin was a guest, so she couldn''t offer her these, right?


    However, Mu Yangling had already entered the house with the basket on her back. She took out all the leaves and retrieved a pheasant from within. "Do you have a lot of pickled vegetables at home?"


    Staring nkly at the four wild animals in the basket on her back, Ma Xin couldn''t help but swallow. She didn''t hear Mu Yangling''s question at all.

 Chapter 27: Preparing Lunch

    <h4>Chapter 27: Preparing Lunch</h4>


    Seeing that she was about to drool, Mu Yangling waved her hand in front of her eyes and chuckled. "Hungry? I cook very quickly. Do you have pickled vegetables at home?"


    Blushing, Ma Xin felt ashamed of how stupid she must be looking right now. She replied softly, "We have pickled vegetables at home. Grandma marinated a lot."


    "That''s perfect. Let''s stew the pheasant with pickled vegetables. It''d be even better if there''s potatoes."


    Ma Xin hurriedly said, "We have potatoes at home too." But why hadn''t she heard that wild pheasant had to be stewed with pickled vegetables and potatoes?


    Of course, Ma Xin had never heard of it because it was invented by Mu Yangling. Her cooking philosophy had always been to add some pickled vegetables to remove the fishy smell of pheasants, because she wasn''t fond of ginger. As for potatoes, not only were they delicious, they were also incredibly filling. In addition, they served to absorb the oil.


    Mu Yangling said, "Go get the potatoes and pickled vegetables. I''ll boil water to remove the pheasant''s feathers."


    Ma Xin got anxious. "Cousin, let me do it. You''re a guest."


    Mu Yangling waved her hand and said nonchntly, "You''re still young. Besides, I''m not a guest. Hurry up and go. Otherwise, there won''t be a delicious lunch waiting for your grandmother when shees back."


    Ma Xin had no choice but to go to the vegetable garden to pluck potatoes while Mu Yangling went to the kitchen to boil water.


    Madam Ma-Zhang, who was secretly paying attention from afar, twitched her lips when she saw that Ma Xin had only plucked two potatoes. The guest was stingy, and so was the host. She decided it was not worthwhile to freeload this lunch, and that she might as well eat at home.


    She turned around and left.


    Mu Yangling and Ma Xin did not know that the two of them had secretly sessfully repelled someone who had wanted to freeload.


    Mu Yangling had always been a fast worker, so by the time Ma Xin ran back, water was already boiling on the stove and she had even fetched water to clean the kitchen.


    Ma Xin looked at her in a daze. Seeing this, Mu Yangling took out the paper bag containing the candy, opened it, picked up a candy, and stuffed it into her mouth. She stuffed the rest into her hand and said, "This is for you and your older sister. Hide it quickly."


    Ma Xin said timidly, "This¡­ Cousin, you should eat it."


    "I have more at home. My parents asked me to bring it to you. Hide it quickly and don''t let anyone outside see it."


    Ma Xin grabbed the paper bag tightly and looked at Mu Yangling with eyes as bright as stars. "Thank you, Cousin." Then, she turned around and ran back to her room to hide the candy.


    Seeing that her face was red with excitement when she came out of the room, Mu Yangling looked away and said, "Where do you keep your rice? Go measure it and cook. The boiling water is almost ready. I''ll help you deal with the four wild animals."


    Mu Shi was afraid that Great-aunt wouldn''t eat the food even if she brought it over, so he specially instructed Mu Yangling to help them clean it up. This way, they wouldn''t be able to sell it and could only eat it themselves.


    Moreover, the rabbit skin could be sold separately. Aplete rabbit skin could be sold for eight copper coins. Mu Yangling had learned how to peel the skin from Mu Shi, and her skills were not inferior to the butcher in town. Pinching the two dead rabbits, she used a pair of scissors to cut an opening on their heads before skillfully peeling the skin down their backs.


    In no time, aplete rabbit skin appeared in her hand.


    Mu Yangling smiled and washed it before drying it on a rock in the courtyard. She said to the dazed Ma Xin, who was squatting on the ground and washing pickled vegetables, "This rabbit skin is good stuff. After you dry it, sell it to a butcher in town. One piece can be sold for eight copper coins. If the fur is dressed, you can sell it for 12 copper coins."


    Ma Xin''s eyes lit up. "Then, then can you help us dress it?"


    Stunned, Mu Yangling said, "Your family doesn''t have the tools, and I''m not very good at it¡­" The most important thing was that if she dressed the fur, Eldest Great-aunt would definitely stuff it into her hands and make her bring it back. This was also why Mu Shi wanted his daughter to skin the two rabbits after bringing them over. He knew his aunt too well. She was a woman who was unwilling to owe favors and was alsopetitive by nature. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have not gone back to beg her brothers and nephew when her life was so difficult.


    Ma Xin was only slightly disappointed, but then she quickly cheered up.


    Since an egg cost one copper coin, eight copper coins meant eight eggs. How much would two rabbit skins fetch? In any case, it could definitely be exchanged for many eggs.


    Ma Xin moved even faster. Not only did she wash and cut the pickled vegetables, but she also peeled and cut the potatoes.


    On the other side, Mu Yangling also removed the feathers of the two pheasants. She ced one in a bucket and iced it with well water while cutting the other.


    "You can keep this one for dinner. Go and start the fire now. It''s almost time for lunch. Your grandmother and sister should be back soon, right?"


    Ma Xin looked up at the sun and nodded fiercely. "They should be back soon."


    Madam Ma-Liu and her eldest granddaughter were harvesting in the fields. It was the autumn harvest now. Although their family did not have muchnd, because only the old grandmother and weak granddaughter could work, they were very far behind.


    Feeling dizzy from the sun, Madam Ma-Liu looked up at her eldest granddaughter and saw her lowering her head to harvest the grain crops in front of her. She couldn''t help but purse her lips.


    With her health deteriorating, she did not know how long she could live. Her eldest granddaughter was only nine years old, but because of malnutrition, she looked to be only six or seven years old. If she died, one could imagine what would happen to the two children.


    It would be great if one of the two children was a boy. Then, the n would definitely help her raise the child.


    Madam Ma-Liu shook her head. Her grandson had died more than four years ago.


    "Alright, let''s go back for lunch first. We''lle back in the afternoon." Madam Ma-Liu called her eldest granddaughter and calcted in her heart. "We should be done in two days."


    Ma Xiuhong put down her scythe, straightened her back, and walked over calmly. "I still have to carry it out for threshing."


    Madam Ma-Liu sighed. "Let''s take it slow. I just hope it doesn''t rain." As the grandmother was old and the granddaughter was young, at most, they could only carry half a load out each time. The two granddaughters could only work together to carry a basket. Each harvest would take about 10 days, but it would take them four days to carry the loads out.


    Because Madam Ma-Liu was afraid that someone would steal her grains, she slept in the fields with the nket every night. She wondered how much longer she would live.


    The two of them packed up and walked home. When they passed by the threshing floor, they bumped into Madam Ma-Zhang, who was also going home for dinner.


    Smiling, Madam Ma-Zhang said, "Fourth Aunt, why are you only back now? There''s a guest at your house today. You should hurry back and take a look."


    Madam Ma-Liu frowned. "Who could possibly visit?"


    "Aiyo, I heard that it''s your grandniece. She carried such a big basket over."


    Madam Ma-Liu opened her mouth slightly and tightened her grip on her eldest granddaughter''s hand. Quickening her pace, she said, "Thank you for telling me."


    "You''re wee, you''re wee." Madam Ma-Zhang smiled.


    The person beside her could not help but lower his voice and ask, "Did Fourth Aunt''s grandniece really carry a basket to visit her?"


    Looking pleased with herself, Madam Ma-Zhang replied, "Why would I lie to you? But that basket is full of leaves. From the sounds of it, she came because her mother wanted to eat Fourth Aunt''s pickled vegetables."


    Many people in the surroundings pricked up their ears to listen. When they heard this, they shed tears of sympathy for Madam Ma-Liu. How many years had it been since any rtives came to her house? Now, someone came and it was to take advantage of her.


    Someone frowned and felt injustice for Madam Ma-Liu. "Fourth Aunt Ma is already suffering enough. Why are they still taking advantage of her?"


    "Maybe it''s a rtive who leads an even tougher life."

 Chapter 28: Rage

    <h4>Chapter 28: Rage</h4>


    When Madam Ma-Liu rushed home with her eldest granddaughter, a faint fragrance of meat entered her senses.


    Madam Ma-Liu was slightly stunned as she pushed open the courtyard door. Upon hearing themotion, Ma Xin ran out. When she saw her grandmother and sister return, she jumped up happily and said, "Grandma, Cousin is here to visit us. We have meat to eat." Ma Xin lowered her voice at thest sentence.


    Although she was young, she knew to guard against those who woulde over to freeload should they hear there was good food here.


    Ma Xin ran over and grabbed her sister''s hand. She tiptoed and whispered in her ear, "Sister, Cousin brought us candy."


    Hearing themotion, Mu Yangling came out and saw her Eldest Great-aunt. She greeted her with a beam. "Eldest Great-aunt, you''re back?"


    "Ah Ling?" Madam Ma-Liu was only surprised for a moment before she quickly went forward to push her out of the kitchen. "Child, why are you cooking by yourself? I should be the one preparing food for you."


    "It''s alright, Eldest Great-aunt. The dishes are ready. I was just about to bring them out."


    When Madam Ma-Liu saw the basin full of pheasant meat on the stove, her eyes immediately turned red. "Your father is so considerate."


    Most afraid of seeing people cry, Mu Yangling quickly brought out the dishes and said merrily, "Eldest Great-aunt, you must be hungry, right? Quickly wash your hands and eat. Cousin, quickly bring out the food."


    Ma Xin responded and pushed her sister. She said in a low voice, "Sister, quickly wash your hands. I''ll go get the rice."


    Ma Xiuhong had been looking at Mu Yangling from the beginning and didn''t say a word. Now that she was pushed by her sister, she only nodded slightly.


    Madam Ma-Liu walked around the kitchen and realized that there was a clean pheasant soaked in a wooden bucket and two rabbits hanging in the kitchen. She couldn''t help but say, "This is too much. It''s not like the three of us can finish them all. You''re not allowed to bring more next time youe. Since your family lives on this, you should sell them and use the money to buy more grains¡­"


    Surprised, Ma Xiuhong nced at Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling felt that this cousin''s reaction was very strange, so she smiled and said, "You must be the older sister. My father said that I''m two months older than you. You should call me Cousin."


    A stiff smile appeared on Ma Xiuhong''s face as she greeted her, "Cousin." She then lowered her head to wash her hands.


    Mu Yangling responded.


    As the four of them sat at the dining table, Madam Ma-Liu kept putting pheasant meat into Mu Yangling''s bowl and said, "Eat more. You''re still growing¡­"


    Mu Yangling looked at her two cousins, who were much thinner than her, and quickly stopped her. "Eldest Great-aunt, I''ll help myself." As she spoke, she wrinkled her nose and said, "My familycks everything else, but we don''tck these wild animals, so it''s better for you to eat." As she spoke, she picked up the two meatiest pieces from her bowl and stuffed them into her two cousins'' bowls. "Hurry up and eat. My mother often says that I have subpar culinary skills. Try it and see if it''s really as bad as she says."


    Madam Ma-Liu smiled and said, "Your culinary skills are not bad. It''s just that your mother''s culinary skills are exceptional."


    Ma Xin wolfed down the meat and eximed, "Cousin, it''s delicious!"


    Ma Xiuhong''s speed of eating meat wasn''t slow either. When she heard this, she only nodded. It was obvious that she didn''t know how to say good things.


    Mu Yangling ate two bowls of rice and a lot of potatoes and pickled vegetables, but she only ate a few pieces of meat.


    When Madam Ma-Liu noticed this, she couldn''t help but feel sorrow. She felt that this child was too understanding.


    The basin of food was eaten clean by the four people. This was the first time in many years that Ma Xiuhong and her sister were this full from eating, when it was not the new year. They couldn''t help but hug their stomachs and sit at the side.


    Madam Ma-Liu stood up and cleared the table. She cut open the two rabbits in the kitchen and ced them under the roof to dry. Because she was afraid that someone would see them and steal them, she even took something out to block the view.


    Madam Ma-Liu stood in the kitchen for a while. There was truly nothing they could offer in return, so the granddaughter slipped over and said, "Grandma, Cousin said that her mother loves your pickled vegetables."


    Madam Ma-Liu''s eyes lit up. As her nephew''s wife was ady from a wealthy family, she definitely didn''t know how to make such stuff. She could give her more as a gift.


    However, pickled vegetables were so cheap that Madam Ma-Liu felt embarrassed giving it as a gift. Furthermore, Ah Ling was just a little girl and probably couldn''t carry much.


    Madam Ma-Liu secretly gritted her teeth and decided that after the autumn harvest ended, she would bring some silk made from the silkworms raised by her as a gift in return. That was what was left after paying the summer tax. She originally wanted to save them up and sell them for the two children''s dowry when they grew up.


    "Ah Ling, what else does your mother like to eat? I''ll get you more."


    Mu Yangling replied with a smile, "As long as it''s sour, my mother will like it." Squatting at the side, she watched Madam Ma-Liu take pickled vegetables from the vat. She couldn''t help but say enviously, "Eldest Great-aunt, you''re really amazing. You know how to make pickled vegetables and sour beans. My mother has no clue how to make them."


    Madam Ma-Liu''s pickled vegetables and pickled beans were top-notch. Mu Yangling almost couldn''t stop eating these at the dining table just now.


    Although Shu Wanniang''s cooking skills were excellent and her dishes were exquisite, she couldn''t master the essence of suchmon dishes.


    Therefore, such foods weren''t seen at the Mu family. Even if they did appear, they were the result of an exchange with the vigers.


    Madam Ma-Liu picked out quite a bit from every type. Looking at Mu Yangling''s small frame, she picked out some before cing them in the basket on her back. She said, "Since you''re still young, just carry these back for now. Next time, call your father over. I''ll pack two vats to let him bring back. I don''t have much at home, but I do have plenty of these pickled vegetables and pickled beans."


    Madam Ma-Liu was not being polite. Farming households used oil very sparingly, only choosing to boil their vegetables before adding two drops of oil. Since preserved vegetables went great with rice, were cheap, and could be prepared without much difficulty, every household in the countryside made their own preserved vegetables. Due to the Ma family''s poverty, they tended to stock a lot of these.


    Of course, Mu Yangling couldn''t ask for too much. If she took enough this time, what excuse would she use next time? Hence, she said, "These are enough. Otherwise, we won''t be able to finish them while they''re still fresh. I heard that sour foods won''t taste good if they''re left in the wind for too long."


    "That''s true, so when you go back, ask your mother to mix it up. Don''t keep it. If it''s not enough,e back and get some more." At this point, Madam Ma-Liuined again. "How could your father be at ease letting a young child like you travel such a long distance? Next time, let hime over himself. It''s too dangerous for a youngdy like you."


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, "It''s not far at all, as I came over the mountain. I''m fast, so it only took me 35 minutes. It''ll take more than four hours to walk on the main road."


    Madam Ma-Liu''s body stiffened. Then, she flew into a rage. "Your father actually asked you to climb over the mountain? This scoundrel. You''re only nine years old. With there being so many ferocious beasts in the mountains, isn''t he afraid that you''ll be picked up by wolves?" As she spoke, she carried Mu Yangling and checked her from head to toe. After confirming that she was unharmed, she heaved a sigh of relief and stood up. "Let''s go. I''ll send you home via the main road. Not anyone can cross that mountain. Only those in their prime would dare to take that path. Even then, they''d have to travel in a group of three to four at least. How could your father make a child like you take the mountain path? He''s really too unreliable."


    Although the mountain behind was already the tail of Chef Mountain and there were much fewer ferocious beastspared to other ces, the howling of wolves could still be heard at night. The children in the vige were not allowed to go into the mountain.


    Madam Ma-Liu did not know how carefree Mu Shi was to dare to let his daughter go into the mountains alone.

 Chapter 29: Incredible Strength

    <h4>Chapter 29: Incredible Strength</h4>


    At the thought of having to walk for more than four to five hours under the sun, Mu Yangling couldn''t help but feel her eyes darken. She waved her hand and said, "Eldest Great-aunt, please spare me. It''s no big deal walking in the mountains. Besides, if you walk me back via the main road now, it''ll be dark by the time we arrive at my house. You definitely won''t be able to make it back today. Wouldn''t that leave only my two cousins at home?"


    Even the bold and calm Ma Xiuhong couldn''t help but lean against her grandmother''s side and look at her worriedly and fearfully.


    "Then¡­ then don''t go back tonight. I''ll send you back tomorrow morning."


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips. Seeing that Eldest Great-aunt was stubborn, she could only attempt to persuade her againter. She was not used to staying overnight in someone else''s house.


    Moreover, it was such a short journey. If she didn''t go home, her father and mother would definitely be worried.


    Mu Yangling''s eyes rolled around and she said, "Eldest Great-aunt, I''m strong. How''s your autumn harvesting along? Do you need my help?"


    Madam Ma-Liu smiled and replied, "There are still two to three days before we''re done harvesting. Your family doesn''t farm, so how can you do that kind of work? You''d better stay at home and y with your cousins."


    "Even if I''ve never eaten pork, I''ve at least seen pigs run. I do know how to hold a scythe." Mu Yangling had seen people nt and harvest before, so she felt that it wasn''t difficult.


    Seeing that she was taller than her by more than a head, Ma Xiuhong felt that she was considered half aborer. So she said, "Grandma, just bring Cousin along. Anyway, there''s nothing fun at home. If Cousin doesn''t know how to do it, she can just y in the fields. Sister can bring her along to y."


    Madam Ma-Liu hesitated for a moment before agreeing.


    At one or two o''clock in the afternoon, the sun was at its hottest. Mu Yangling did not expect them to go out at this time.


    When they reached the field, she realized that no one was idle. Many people were busy in the field.


    Mu Yangling''s mouth was slightly agape. In her previous life, she had also gone to the countryside with her ssmates from the countryside. At that time, it was also the autumn harvest. Her ssmates'' families would go out at around five in the morning ande back at 11 in the morning. Then, they would only go out at around three in the afternoon before returning home at seven¡­


    However, looking at Eldest Great-aunt, it seemed like everyone was staying in the fields for an entire day, even when the sun was at its most vicious.


    Although Nearhill Vige folks also worked hard, everyone avoided the noon when the sun was most vicious and only went out after two o''clock. It seemed that West Mountain Vige was even poorer than Nearhill Vige.


    The poorer the ce, the harder its residents worked.


    When they arrived at Eldest Great-aunt''snd, she pointed at the three connected plots and a plot not far away. "These four plots were my family''s fields."


    The four plots ofnd were quite big. Now, there was only a small plot ofnd left. Mu Yangling asked curiously, "Eldest Great-aunt, why didn''t you bring your grains to the threshing floor to dry? It''s still a little wet in the fields. What if it rains?"


    Eldest Great-aunt was dejected.


    Ma Xiuhong looked at her grandmother and said in a low voice, "My family doesn''t hire anyborers. If we drag the grains out first, we will have to dy the harvesting of the crops."


    Mu Yangling''s eyes lit up when she heard this. She had no experience in harvesting grain crops, but she had plenty of experience in carrying things.


    When she looked at Eldest Great-aunt''s hunched back and her skinny and petite cousins, she felt even worse. Considering these four plots ofnd were so big, how much effort would it take to transport the harvested grains out?


    Mu Yangling threw down the scythe and said heroically, "It''s just carrying things. That''s simple. Eldest Great-aunt, let me help you."


    Madam Ma-Liu didn''t know whether tough or cry. She said, "How can I let you do heavy work when you''re still so young? Just follow your cousin and learn how to cut the crops."


    Seeing that she couldn''t convince her, Mu Yangling ran to pile up the grains and went to the field to pull the thatch. She had seen farmers knead ropes from thatch to bundle the grains up. But after kneading for a while, the two handfuls of thatch were still thatch.


    The corners of Ma Xiuhong''s mouth twitched. No longer harboring any hopes of receiving help from her cousin, she went forward to help her knead the thatch into a rope and spread it on the ground. She said, "Just pile the grains on top and tie them up."


    Ma Xiuhong thought about it. Her cousin had never cut grain crops before, so she probably didn''t know how to do that either. She might as well let her and her sister tie up the grains. It would be faster for her and her grandmother to carry them out.


    Ma Xiuhong said, "I''ll help you knead the rope. Bring the grains over."


    On the other side, Madam Ma-Liu left them be when she saw that they were having fun. She took the scythe and went to cut the crops herself.


    Seeing that Ma Xiuhong was struggling to pull the thatch, Mu Yangling went forward to help her pull it out. With her great strength, she grabbed the thatch, rubbed it, and managed to pull it up with a gentle pull. Her movements were fast, and in no time, she finished pulling up the thatch on the side of the field.


    Ma Xiuhong wiped the sweat off her forehead and said, "Enough, enough. This is enough to knead more than 20 ropes."


    Only then did Mu Yangling stop and turn around to carry the grains. Ma Xin also carried it over.


    Ma Xiuhong was weak, so she naturally couldn''t tie up the grains. However, the strong Mu Yangling easily tied up the grains with all the ropes. When Ma Xiuhong looked over, she saw a few tall piles of grains. She hurriedly shouted, "The piles are too big! Grandma and I can''t carry them out. You have to make the pile smaller."


    Mu Yangling had already tied up six bundles. When she heard this, she smiled and said, "I already said I''d help you carry them out."


    Ma Xiuhong felt even more helpless, and the scorching sun only added to her frustration and anger. She asked, "How can you carry it?"


    Mu Yangling used her actions to tell her that she could handle it.


    She raised the bundle of grains with one hand and ced it on her left shoulder. Under the dumbfounded stares of her two cousins, she raised another bundle of grains with her right arm and ced it on her right shoulder. Mu Yangling''s petite figure was instantly buried.


    Mu Yangling realized that this would affect her vision, so she could only tuck the bundle of grains on her right shoulder under her arm. If not for the fact that she was still too short, she would have preferred to carry it with her hand.


    But she was too short. If she carried it with her hands, the grains would drag on the ground.


    Mu Yangling said to Ma Xiuhong, "Cousin, lead the way and tell me where to ce it."


    "Ah¡ª" Ma Xiuhong screamed. "Grandma, Grandma,e and take a look at Cousin."


    Mu Yangling: "¡­"


    Was there a need to be so shocked? When they were at Nearhill Vige, everyone was only surprised to see that she was strong.


    Little did she know that the vigers of Nearhill Vige were simply just used to it.


    Madam Ma-Liu didn''t expect Mu Yangling to be so strong. She ran over and shouted, "Put it down, put it down. What if you hurt your waist?"


    Mu Yangling grabbed a bundle of grains and tossed it into the sky. Then, she gently caught it and said, "Eldest Great-aunt, don''t worry. I can even carry a wild boar. It''s just two bundles of grains¡ªnot even 200 catties."


    Eldest Great-aunt looked at the bundle of 70 to 80 catties of grains that was like a brick in her hand and immediately understood why Mu Shi was at ease letting his daughter climb over the mountain by herself.


    The corners of her lips twitched. "Alright, alright. I know how strong you are now. Stop throwing it." Madam Ma-Liu thought for a moment and said, "Xiuhong, bring your cousin to the threshing floor. Our family''s site is still there."


    Ma Xiuhong''s eyes lit up as she said happily, "Alright, I''ll bring Cousin over. Grandma, you can stay here and tie up the grains with Sister. While Cousin is here, we can move more to the threshing floor."


    Madam Ma-Liu hesitated. Mu Yangling was a child after all. Even if she was strong, she could not tire herself out.


    Hearing Ma Xiuhong''s words, Mu Yangling said generously, "No problem. You guys just focus on tying up the grains. I just need to get home before the sun sets. It takes me just 35 minutes to cross the mountain."


    Ma Xiuhong''s eyes sparkled even more brightly as she gazed eagerly at Madam Ma-Liu.


    Madam Ma-Liu nodded and said, "Alright, but you can''t carry it like this. I''ll go to the threshing floor with you and borrow someone''s rice fork to help you conserve energy."

 Chapter 30: Grief and Indignation

    <h4>Chapter 30: Grief and Indignation</h4>


    Seeing that she no longer objected to her crossing the mountain by herself, Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief. She picked up two bundles of grains and left. Her footsteps were so fast that even Madam Ma-Liu almost couldn''t keep up.


    Looking at Mu Yangling, who was walking briskly in front of her, Madam Ma-Liu only felt her heart tremble. She was afraid that the girl would be crushed by the grains the next moment.


    Ma Xiuhong and Ma Xin ran after them with surprised smiles on their faces, eximing from time to time.


    The vigers who were pounding on the threshing floor also opened their mouths wide when they saw Mu Yangling carrying two bundles of grains over. They watched in shock.


    Madam Ma-Liu had already rushed to the front and led Mu Yangling to her family''s site. However, seeing that it was already filled with grains, she could not help but frown slightly.


    She turned to Mu Yangling and said, "Put it down first. I''ll go and ask whose grains this is."


    Madam Ma-Zhang, who was standing at the side, blinked and said, "Fourth Aunt, this belongs to Youcai''s family. Youcai''s family said that your family hasn''t had time to harvest the grains yet, so they''re using it first."


    Madam Ma-Liu originally had a smile on her face, but when she heard that it belonged to Ma Youcai''s family, her face immediately turned cold. If it was someone else, it would be fine. Since her family had no use yet for the threshing floor originally, it would have been left empty anyway. But not if that person was Ma Youcai. Back then, her son''s death was caused by him. In fact, the rtionship between the two families had worsened in the past few years. She was appalled that they actually had the cheek to use her threshing floor.


    The humiliation and resentment of being bullied for so many years welled up in her heart.


    So furious that her chest heaved up and down, Madam Ma-Liu turned her head and said to Mu Yangling, "Good child, since you''re strong, throw these things out for me so that they don''t dirty my ce."


    Everyone knew about the conflict between the two families and felt that Ma Youcai''s family had gone too far, so they didn''t stop them.


    Someone who was on good terms with Ma Youcai''s family said in a low voice, "How could you ask a foreigner to bully one of our own?"


    Eager to see a show, Madam Ma-Zhang said, "You can''t say that. She''s Fourth Aunt''s grandniece. Besides, if she doesn''t ask her family to stand up for her, who in our vige is willing to speak up for Fourth Aunt''s family? Besides, she''s just a child."


    Those who had objections immediately did not dare to speak.


    A married woman could indeed call her family over to speak up for her. If the other party was an adult, they would also speak up for Ma Youcai if he was in the right. However, the other party was just a child and was Madam Ma-Liu''s family.


    Many of the onlookers sighed.


    Ma Youcai had many brothers, so even if the vigers knew that his family was not benevolent, no one would go against his family to help Madam Ma-Liu. Moreover, Madam Ma-Liu did not have an heir, and her two granddaughters would have to be married off in the future. If she had a grandson, they would definitely help her.


    When Mu Yangling saw how angry her eldest great-aunt was and how her two cousins were clenching their fists with reddened eyes, she knew that the people whose grains upied their family''s site must be their enemy.


    Without any hesitation, Mu Yangling put down her things and raised a bundle of grains in each hand. She turned her head and asked, "Eldest Great-aunt, where are we throwing this?"


    "I don''t know where this thing came from. Who knows what kind of filthy and smelly thing it is? Throw it onto the main road. Don''t leave a single bit behind!"


    Grains were the lifeblood of farmers. If they were thrown onto the road, they would definitely thresh, and it would take a lot of effort to pick them up. Mu Yangling hesitated.


    Filled with resentment, Ma Xiuhong and Ma Xin rushed forward and tore open a bundle of grains each before throwing whatever they could manage onto the road.


    Mu Yangling was stunned. After freezing for a moment, she raised her arm and tossed out a bundle of grains. The grains flew over their heads and fell to the ground with a bang.


    Ma Xiuhong and Ma Xin felt super gratified when they saw this. They rushed back and threw the grains out with all their might.


    An old man couldn''t bear to see them waste grains like this, so he shouted, "Stop! These grains are our lifeblood!"


    "Pfft!" Madam Ma-Liu spat on that person''s face and red at him with red eyes. "Lifeblood? My lifeblood was killed by them long ago. They forced me and my granddaughters to this extent. Now, they even came to upy my threshing floor. Are you trying to help their family force me to death? Are you? Let me tell you, Ma Dazhong. I''m not afraid of death now. At most, I''ll hang myself alongside my two granddaughters at your door. If I die, it''d be caused by you people. It''s your Ma family who forced us to death. I''ll see who still dares to marry into your Ma family!"


    Madam Ma-Liu shrieked at the top of her lungs, scaring the onlookers. The old man she faced took three steps back. Madam Ma-Zhang, who had been sowing discord, could not help but shrink her neck.


    The entire venue was silent.


    Everyone looked at Madam Ma-Liu and knew that she would do what she said. This person no longer had any scruples.


    As the saying goes, ''Those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes, and those who are fierce are afraid of those who don''t care about their lives.''


    Now, Madam Ma-Liu was the most formidable, going by that logic.


    Mu Yangling narrowed her eyes. She was even more certain that Ma Youcai, who upied her eldest great-aunt''snd, was the cousin who killed her uncle back then. Otherwise, her eldest great-aunt wouldn''t be so angry and her two cousins wouldn''t behave like this.


    After figuring this out, Mu Yangling no longer stood on ceremony. With both hands, bundles of grains were continuously thrown onto the road.


    The thumping sounds seemed to have struck everyone''s hearts. Everyone looked at Madam Ma-Liu, who was standing in the middle of the threshing floor with a dark expression, and their hearts trembled.


    Seeing that the situation was not right, some people who were close to Ma Youcai''s family secretly ran back to inform Ma Youcai''s family.


    However, Mu Yangling was too fast. With a wave of her hand, a bundle of grains flew out. Even the pile of grains that was like a small mountain was quickly thrown away by her.


    While everyone''s heart ached for the grains, they could not help but be stunned by Mu Yangling''s incredible strength. One bundle of grains could only be carried by a 15 or 16-year-old person. Yet, this child could actually easily lift it up. Even the strongest man in the vige was not capable of such a feat.


    One had to know that Madam Ma-Liu''s threshing floor was not at the side, but in the middle. There was a certain distance from the main road. Otherwise, Ma Xiuhong and Ma Xin wouldn''t have to run to throw the grains out.


    Looking at the scattered grains on the ground, Madam Ma-Liu snorted. She said to her eldest granddaughter, "Xiuhong, sweep the things out. I feel disgusted looking at them."


    "Aye," Ma Xiuhong replied loudly. She and her sister went to borrow two brooms to sweep all the grains that had fallen to the ground onto the road. The grains instantly fell into the soil.


    The onlookers more or less revealed pained expressions. Everyone grew grains, so even if those grains weren''t from their own family, they still felt ufortable.


    Madam Ma-Liu snorted and said, "If it was someone else''s, I would have politely asked them to move the grains away. I wouldn''t even mind if I had to dry mine a few dayster. But not Ma Youcai''s family! Not only did he kill my son, daughter-inw, and grandson, he even provoked the patriarch to snatch my family''snd. Now, they even want to upy my family''s small threshing floor. They''re simply trying to force me to death!"


    As Madam Ma-Liu spoke, she sat on the ground with her two granddaughters in her arms and cried loudly. "Why are you two still alive? Why? If you''re also dead, I could just go to their house and hang myself. Our family of seven can then reunite underground. Let Ma Dafu open his eyes and see how his good brother treats his children and grandchildren. Ma Dafu, you short-lived man, open your eyes and see how your brother and nephew treat your children and grandchildren. They caused your son, daughter-inw, and grandson''s deaths. Now, they''re forcing your two granddaughters to death. If I die, so be it. But what about your only two remaining bloodlines! Come out and take a look. Climb out and take a look!"


    Ma Xiuhong and Ma Xin hugged their grandmother and cried loudly, tears flowing out incessantly.


    Standing beside them, Mu Yangling''s jaw dropped open¡­

 Chapter 31: Argument

    <h4>Chapter 31: Argument</h4>


    Most afraid of seeing people crying, Mu Yangling was momentarily at a loss. She wanted to hold back Eldest Great-aunt, but thetter shook her off. Hence, she had no choice but to stand behind them. For a moment, all that could be heard on the threshing floor were the mournful cries of the grandmother-granddaughter trio.


    Ma Youcai''s wife, Madam Ma-Fang, heard the news and ran over. When she saw the grains scattered on the road, she immediately cried and rushed towards Madam Ma-Liu fiercely. "Who did this? Which immoral person actually wasted grains? My family worked so hard and only managed to harvest so little!"


    Madam Ma-Liu pushed her two granddaughters away, stood up, and spat at the approaching Madam Ma-Fang. With her hands on her hips, she said, "I was the one who threw them out. I wonder which beast piled these dirty and smelly things on my family''s threshing floor. Why? Is it not bad enough that Youcai caused the deaths of my family? Now you even want to upy this threshing floor?"


    Madam Ma-Fang jumped up. "Fourth Aunt, don''t talk nonsense. How did my Youcai harm your family? Brother Fugui was clearly beaten to death by the eldest young master of the Wu family."


    "Pfft, why was Fugui beaten to death by the eldest young master of the Wu family? Don''t you feel guilty? Don''t you have nightmares at night? After you people killed my son, daughter-inw, and grandson, you even snatched thend left behind by Fugui. You''re not humans, you''re beasts. Now, you beasts even want to snatch my threshing floor. Is there any justice in this world? Is there?" Madam Ma-Liu''s eyes were red as she red at Madam Ma-Fang fiercely. Thetter took a few steps back and looked away.


    Ma Youcai''s family ran over one after another. When his mother, Madam Ma-Zhao saw that the grains that she had painstakingly harvested was thrown on the road like that, she immediately wailed and sat on the ground, crying and cursing.


    Ma Youcai looked at Madam Ma-Liu. Disgust and anger shed across his eyes, but he did not dare to go forward.


    Displeased, Ma Youcai''s father, Ma Dagui stepped forward and said, "Sister-inw, these grains are the lifeblood of the farmers. Even if Youcai and his wife did something wrong, you shouldn''t have thrown the grains on the road."


    Madam Ma-Liu snorted coldly. "If these grains weren''t yours, I wouldn''t have thrown this away. I''m afraid that if these things are ced on mynd, the three of us will be beaten to deathter."


    "You!" Ma Dagui''s expression was ugly, but he held himself back. Seeing that the vigers were all looking at him, he sighed and said, "Sister-inw, it''s been four years since that incident. I even brought Youcai to kowtow to you and apologize. Today, in front of the vigers, why don''t we talk it over once more?"


    Triggered, Madam Ma-Liu jumped up and said, "What are you talking about? Tell me how your son killed my son. Tell me how your family upied my family''snd after my son died."


    As every single word struck a sore spot, Ma Dagui couldn''t help but get angry. "Sister-inw, it was indeed because of Youcai''s rashness that Young Master Wu got into a conflict with Youcai and the others. However, it was Young Master Wu who beat Fugui and his wife to death. Youcai was also injured. When Fugui''s wounded wife gave birth, our family even paid for a doctor for her. But the baby wasn''t fated to live long. How could this be med on Youcai? On the other hand, my brother was fine at first. It was only after you married him that he died. I think it''s just as the witch said. You''re the one who jinxed your son and grandson. They were all killed by you!"


    This was the sore spot in Madam Ma-Liu''s heart. Her eyes widened and she pointed at Ma Dagui, unable to say anything.


    "As for the farnd, because Fugui didn''t have any sons, we can''t allow outsiders to own our n''s farnd. This was the decision of the patriarch and everyone. What do you have to say about that?" As he spoke, Ma Dagui nced at everyone.


    Everyone lowered their heads slightly when they saw Ma Dagui''s gaze, since they had all more or less benefited from this matter.


    Feeling as if there was a heavy stone pressing down on her heart, Madam Ma-Liu couldn''t exhale the breath she had inhaled.


    Ma Xiuhong and Ma Xin supported their grandmother on each side and red at him angrily.


    Ma Dagui had more to say. "Look at how you''ve taught your granddaughters. They actually dare to re at their elders at such a young age¡­" Ma Dagui reached out and almost pointed at Ma Xiuhong''s nose.


    Mu Yangling took a step forward and pulled the three of them back. She pped Ma Dagui''s hand away and said, "Let''s talk nicely. To think that you''re an elder. Why are you getting physical?"


    Knowing that there was no way to straighten out the matters of the past, Mu Yangling only said, "I don''t understand the feud between Uncle''s family and your family. I only have a few words to ask Old Master. Does this threshing floor belong to my eldest great-aunt''s family? Did your family upy her threshing floor? Did you ask her for her permission? Your daughter-inw came and shouted at my eldest great-aunt. Is this the Ma family''s upbringing?"


    Frowning, Ma Dagui snorted. "How dare a young child ask me such questions? This is my Ma family''s business. What does it have to do with a child like you?"


    Mu Yangling didn''t bother to mince her words either. "I''m afraid Old Master doesn''t know the logic that even a child knows. Madam Ma-Liu is my eldest great-aunt, and I''m her maternal family. This isn''t just a matter of your Ma family!" Mu Yangling looked around and said, "If you don''t give me an exnation today, I can only go back and call my great-uncle and the others over. When the timees, the Ma family and the Liu family can sit down and have a good talk."


    Shocked, Ma Dagui looked at Mu Yangling in surprise. Seeing her sharp gaze, he could not help but be taken aback. A child actually knew these principles? Madam Ma-Liu must have taught her, right?


    Ma Dagui pondered.


    Without waiting for his answer, Mu Yangling snorted and asked him, "Old Master, why aren''t you speaking? Is Eldest Great-aunt wrong to throw away the grains?"


    Holding back his anger, Ma Dagui said, "We''re all vigers. Even if Youcai temporarily ced them on your eldest great-aunt''s threshing floor, she shouldn''t have thrown the grains on the road."


    "Speaking of which, I''m also very curious." Mu Yangling tilted her head and looked at them. "From what I''ve heard, isn''t there a grudge between you people and my great-aunt? Shouldn''t you be avoiding her? Instead, you shamelessly want to upy her threshing floor?" Mu Yangling muttered to herself, "You people are so domineering. No wonder you became enemies."


    Although she was talking to herself, Mu Yangling did not lower her voice. For a moment, the vigers looked at Ma Dagui''s family differently.


    Ma Dagui''s family was indeed domineering in the vige. It was all because he had three sons and two daughters, plus the fact that his sons-inw were also strong and capable.


    Ma Dagui was filled with rage, but Mu Yangling waved her hand and said, "Anyway, I was the one who threw those things away. What do you want? Don''t think that you can bully my great-aunt just because the Liu and Mu families haven''t been here for many years. Let me tell you, my great-aunt came from Nearhill Vige. Even if 80 years have passed since she married, she will still be a daughter of Nearhill Vige!"


    These domineering words made thedies and daughters-inw in the valley involuntarily exim in their hearts, "Yes!"


    Ma Dagui''s expression turned even uglier. He couldn''t help but look at his wife. Madam Ma-Zhao wiped her tears and went forward. "Sister-inw, I know you''re angry, so I won''t argue with you today. However, you mustn''t waste grains again in the future."


    Madam Ma-Liu sneered coldly and looked at them with an icy expression.


    Suppressing the anger in her heart, Madam Ma-Zhao turned around to p Ma Youcai. She shouted, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and collect the grains. Look at how many grains have fallen. What a sin!"


    When Madam Ma-Liu heard this, she wanted to go forward again. Mu Yangling pulled her back and whispered, "Eldest Great-aunt, let''s not lower ourselves to their level. I''ll help you move the grains over first."


    Madam Ma-Liu wiped her tears and forced a smile. "Good child, it''s been hard on you today."


    "Not at all, not at all." Mu Yangling pulled the three of them into the field.


    Strong and fast, she finished tying 10 bundles in no time. Using the borrowed rice fork, she forked two bundles of grains at one end and carried another bundle with her hand. In one trip, she managed to transport five bundles of grains.


    Even Madam Ma-Liu, who was still in a bad mood after quarreling, couldn''t help but widen her eyes when she saw this. She hurriedly rushed up to stop her and said, "Don''t carry so many. Just carry two bundles at a time."


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, "Don''t worry, Eldest Great-aunt. It''s not heavy at all."


    Ma Xiuhong gazed at Mu Yangling enviously, then looked down at her scrawny arms and legs. Shemented sadly, "If only I was as capable as Cousin."

 Chapter 32: Complaint

    <h4>Chapter 32: Comint</h4>


    Even though they had witnessed Mu Yangling''s strength just now, when they saw her carrying four bundles of grains on her shoulders and walking to the middle of the threshing floor with one bundle in her hand, the vigers still could not ept it. Hence, everyone stopped working and squatted on the ground to watch and count the bundles of grains Mu Yangling had carried back.


    Madam Ma-Zhang said enviously, "Whose daughter is this? She''s really capable. If I had such a daughter, I''d be enjoying life already."


    "Forget it. With such strength, she must have a voracious appetite. Moreover, when she grows up, how much dowry will she have to prepare for someone to want to marry her?"


    Madam Ma-Zhang was unconvinced. "If such a capable girl is willing to marry into my family, I''ll give her betrothal gifts and won''t ask for a single cent of dowry."


    Everyone burst outughing. A manughed and said, "Sister-inw, this is just what you think. If she really marries into your family, will it be the man hitting his wife or the woman hitting the man? Besides, if she''szy, who in your family can control her?"


    A kind-hearted young wife shouted, "Alright, alright. The youngdy didn''t offend you, yet you''re gossiping happily about her. If her father hears about it, let''s see if he beats you up."


    A youth at the side shouted, "If you ask me, Uncle and Auntie, you''re all dreaming. Look at her rosy face and long limbs. Can you afford to raise her? Do you know how old she is?"


    "Children in the vige grow slowly. She must be 11 or 12 years old, right?" That said, it was only because they were malnourished.


    "Auntie, you have excellent judgment." The youth smiled and said, "Xiuhong said that her cousin is two months older than her. She''s nine years old this year. Hahaha¡­" The kid ran away after saying that.


    Realizing that she was being teased, Madam Ma-Zhang reached out to grab him. However, that kid had already started running around the threshing floor, so she couldn''t very well be calctive with a junior.


    "Only nine years old? Geez, that size."


    Madam Ma-Zhang hurriedly said, "I''ve seen many nine-year-old girls in town of this size."


    "How can that be the same? People in town can eat their fill¡­"


    When Mu Yangling returned with the rice, the youth appeared again and asked loudly, "Little girl, how many bowls of rice do you eat per meal?"


    Mu Yangling looked at him in confusion, not understanding why he asked this question, but she still replied, "Three bowls."


    The youth smacked his lips and asked, "Rice?"


    "Of course. How could it be porridge? That''s for breakfast," Mu Yangling said.


    Madam Ma-Zhang said, "Although it''s a little more, it''s not especially much."


    What Madam Ma-Zhang didn''t know was that Mu Yangling''s bowl was different from other people''s. Because she and her father ate a lot, Shu Wanniang specially gave the two of them a huge bowl each, and one such bowl was equivalent to two normal-sized bowls.


    Mu Yangling did not take this matter to heart. Now that the sun was already setting, she could at most finish tying up the grains in that half of the field.


    When Mu Yangling returned to the field, the three of them were already sitting paralyzed in the field. They had already tied up all the grains in this half of the field.


    The three of them simply weren''t quick enough for Mu Yangling. It was only because Mu Yangling came back to help that it could be done so quickly.


    Mu Yangling said to Madam Ma-Liu, "Eldest Great-aunt, don''t work tonight. Go back and rest. I''lle and help you tomorrow."


    Ma Xiuhong''s eyes sparkled as she said crisply, "Thank you, Cousin!"


    However, Madam Ma-Liu waved her hand and said, "You''re not allowed toe again tomorrow. It''ll be the Mid-Autumn Festival soon. When the first snow falls, the mountain will be sealed. Your family depends on hunting for a living, so you have to hurry up and hunt more prey to prepare for the winter. There isn''t much left. I can handle it by myself."


    Mu Yangling did not say anything else. Anyway, she would juste again tomorrow. Now that her family''s leather goods had already been sold, that 40 taels of silver would be more than enough to sustain them till next autumn.


    After she carried five bundles and left, there was only one bundle left in the field. Madam Ma-Liu shouted for her eldest granddaughter to carry it with her.


    However, the 70 to 80 catties of grains almost bent the olddy''s back. The sight of it made Mu Yangling''s heart tremble in fear. After thinking for a while, she quickened her pace and threw the grains onto the threshing floor, then sprinted back to take the grains from the olddy.


    Ma Youcai''s family had been watching coldly from the sidelines. When they saw the three of them return, they couldn''t help but snort coldly.


    Mu Yangling turned her head and red at them. She said to Eldest Great-aunt, "Eldest Great-aunt, let''s go back. I''m thirsty."


    Madam Ma-Liu knew that she was afraid that she would get into another conflict with them, so she agreed.


    As it was gettingte, Mu Yangling only sat at the Ma residence for a while before carrying her basket and heading home.


    Madam Ma-Liu wanted to get her more pickled vegetables and pickled beans. She said, "I didn''t know you were so strong before. Now, take more back. Do hurry up and return home before the sun sets."


    Mu Yangling carried the basket on her back and ran. Raising her voice, she said, "It''s gettingte. I should hurry. I''lle back and take it tomorrow."


    When Madam Ma-Liu ran out with the pickled vegetables, all she could see was Mu Yangling running up the mountain. She could only sigh and turn around to go back.


    Seeing that his daughter had not returned for a long time, Mu Shi''s originally confident attitude became hesitant. Could it be that his daughter had lost her way? Or had something happened in the forest?


    He didn''t dare to show any traces to worry his wife, so he could only wait at the mountain pass under the excuse of gathering firewood. However, he had already gathered two bundles of firewood, but his daughter was still nowhere to be seen.


    Looking up at the sun setting in the west, Mu Shan decided to enter the mountains to look for his daughter if she still hadn''t returned in a while.


    The forest was too dangerous at night. Considering how bold that girl was, he hoped she was not nning to cross the mountain at night.


    Mu Shi had just sat down on the grass when he heard footsteps. He quickly stood up and saw Mu Yangling running down the mountain after turning around a few trees. Only then did Mu Shi heave a sigh of relief. Then, he became angry. "Child, I asked you to go to Great-aunt''s house. Why did you onlye back at this time?"


    Panting a little, Mu Yangling ran down and shouted, "Father, Eldest Great-aunt is being bullied. Hurry up and get Great-uncle to back her up."


    Startled, Mu Shi grabbed his daughter, who had just run up to him. "What happened? Who bullied your eldest great-aunt?"


    Mu Yangling quickly told her father about what had happened today. In the end, she said, "Eldest Great-aunt is old and my cousins are still young. From the looks of it, Ma Dagui''s family often bully Eldest Great-aunt and my cousins. If I wasn''t around today, the three of them could only swallow their anger. She''s a daughter of our Nearhill Vige. We can''t sit by and do nothing while she gets bullied like this."


    Mu Shi patted his daughter''s head. "You know what ''a daughter of Nearhill Vige'' is? Go back quickly. This is a matter for the adults. Don''t get involved." As he spoke, he picked up the firewood and left.


    Mu Yangling followed behind her father indignantly and said, "Why wouldn''t I know? Last time, when Uncle Ma''s daughter was bullied by her inws, didn''t Uncle and the others go to Four Vige with the Ma family to seek justice for her? They even beat up her husband."


    Looking at his overexcited daughter, Mu Shi felt his head hurt even more. He could only say vaguely, "Your eldest great-aunt''s matter is a little different."


    "How is it different? Weren''t they all bullied by their inws?" Mu Yangling didn''t understand. Recalling Ma Dagui''s self-righteous im that Eldest Great-aunt jinxed her husband, children and grandchildren, she shouted, "Is it because of what that bullsh*t witch said? That''s superstition!"


    As a good child who grew up in postrevolutionary China and who joined the military when she grew up, Mu Yangling was never superstitious. Although she had reincarnated after she died and stayed in her mother''s womb with a consciousness for a few months, and was now living in this backward ancient era with the memories of her previous life, Mu Yangling was still not superstitious.


    In particr, she did not believe in the witch from Four Vige. What sort of a witch was she when her life was not even as good as her family''s?


    Mu Yangling pestered Mu Shi to stand up for Madam Ma-Liu, saying, "Let''s not care about the grudge from four years ago. This time, it''s Ma Dagui''s family''s fault, right? If you don''t go, Eldest Great-aunt''s life will definitely be even more difficult. Moreover, they said they took back Uncle''snd because she didn''t have an heir. Alright, let''s not talk about whether they''re right or wrong. Even if they''re right, she''s still alive now. Even if they want to take it back, they have to wait for her to die¡­ Pfft!"


    Mu Shi, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped. Mu Yangling bumped into his back, hurting her nose.


    "Father, why did you suddenly stop?"


    Mu Shi looked at his daughter and said, "You''re right."

 Chapter 33: Gathering

    <h4>Chapter 33: Gathering</h4>


    Mu Yangling didn''t know what her father said when he went to look for her eldest great-uncle. In any case, when her father came back, he said, "We''ll go to West Mountain Vige tomorrow. Stay at home and don''t run around."


    Mu Yangling jumped up and said, "I want to go too!"


    Mu Shi frowned. "Nonsense. We adults are going to talk about serious matters. Why would you tag along?"


    "Cousins and I can go to help Eldest Great-aunt with her work while you guys talk about business." Mu Yangling continued, "Her family''s grains are still piled up in the fields. How can the three of them carry all that grains when they''re either old or weak. Since you guys are going there to talk about business, you can''t possibly work in the fields, right? So Father, let me go."


    Mu Shi red at her. Mu Yangling said, "Anyway, since all the men in the vige have gone, they definitely won''t be able to do anything. What''s wrong with letting Mother go to Great-uncle''s house for a day? We''ll definitely be back before the sun sets."


    Mu Shi only felt a headacheing on. It was not good for his daughter to have such a temperament and too many ideas.


    Mu Yangling did not manage to convince Mu Shi, but she convinced Shu Wanniang. She had long heard from her daughter about Eldest Great-aunt''s difficult circumstances.


    Madam Ma-Liu was Mu Shi''s eldest aunt. Among all his rtives, Shu Wanniang had the deepest impression and feelings for her.


    It was because she was the only one who came over to help when Mu Yangling was born back then. She was also the one who arranged for the custom of giving bath to the baby on its third day. When Mu Yangling refused to drink milk, she was the one who taught her how to make rice soup for the child step by step. She even served her for five days in the Mu Residence.


    If it weren''t for the fact that she had been ill all these years and that Little Bowen''s health also fluctuated between good and bad, Shu Wanniang would have kept in touch with this rtive no matter what.


    Now that her family''s situation was getting better and she knew that this aunt was not doing well, Shu Wanniang naturally hoped to help out wherever possible.


    At his wife''s insistence, Mu Shi could only tacitly agree. He said, "I''ll go look for Eldest Uncle and the others tomorrow morning and get Liu Lang and Liu Lun to go over. Finally, I''ll make another trip there with Cousin the day after tomorrow."


    "Bring more meat over. The two of you eat like you''re fighting a war. You have to bring more things since you''re there to help her. Don''t drag your aunt down when the timees."


    "Got it."


    Mu Yangling continued, "I''ll get up early tomorrow morning and go into the mountains to see if I can catch a roe deer. If I can, we can have that for lunch."


    "Do you think roe deers are rabbits that run all over the mountain? Do you think you catch one so easily? Quickly take a shower and go to sleep." Mu Shi pushed his daughter out and said to Shu Wanniang, "You''re too easy on her. This child is getting more and more ambitious."


    Shu Wanniang pursed her lips and smiled. "It''s all because you pampered her. How many things have you two been hiding from me? I merely promised her this one thing."


    Mu Shi immediately did not dare to say anything else, afraid that his wife would bring up old scores.


    Most of the vigers in West Mountain Vige had the surname Ma, while most of the vigers in Nearhill Vige had the surname Liu. Therefore, when Mu Shi mentioned itst night, Eldest Great-uncle Liu Daqian went to look for his younger brother, Liu Erqian, and a few cousins who were coteral rtives by blood up to the fifth degree of kinship.


    Early in the morning, everyone brought their own food and waited at Liu Daqian''s house.


    Liu Daqian frowned slightly when he saw the half bag of rice that Mu Shi brought over. "What will your great-uncles think if you bring so much?"


    Madam Ma-Liu''s life was difficult. Although everyone was going to speak up for her, ording to the custom, they had to bring their own rice. When the time came, Madam Ma-Liu would cook them together and provide a few pots of vegetables.


    However, everyone only brought their own rations. It was inevitable that others would be displeased to see Mu Shi bring so much.


    Mu Shi said, "Ah Ling and I eat a lot, that''s why I''m bringing more."


    "Ah Ling? Why is she going too?" Liu Daqian disagreed. "The child is still young. Don''t speak to her about these things."


    "Ah Ling said that she wanted to go over and help Auntie harvest grain crops. She also said that she wanted to bring Liu Lang and the others over."


    Madam Liu-Zhao, who was originally standing at the side, was dissatisfied. Her son had been exhausted from working in the fields for the past few days. How could she bear to let them work in another vige?


    However, Liu Lang and Liu Lun were tempted. Not by the prospect of work, but by the meat that Mu Yangling was going to bring along. They tugged at their mother''s sleeve and whispered in her ear, "Mother, there''s meat to eat if we go with Cousin."


    Liu Lun nodded repeatedly and gazed at his mother longingly.


    Madam Liu-Zhao hesitated and asked Mu Shi, "Why isn''t Ah Ling here?"


    Mu Shi was a little helpless. "That child went into the mountains early in the morning. She said she was going to hunt for a roe deer."


    Madam Liu-Zhao''s eyes lit up. Since she said that she was hunting for a roe deer, even if there was no roe deer, there should be other meat, right?


    The children only had a little meatst night, and it was the strip of meat that Mu Shi had given them. However, since their family hadn''t split up their assets, the meat was split between five children and six adults from the two families. Being just more than a catty, the meat was not even enough to fill the gaps between their teeth. Her mother-inw even hid half of it, nning to add a little every day to add some vor to the dishes.


    Liu Lang and Liu Lun swallowed their saliva and whispered, "Roe deer meat is delicious."


    "You make it sound like you''ve eaten it before. It''s only delicious when it''s roasted," Liu Lang said. "Last time, Ah Ling roasted some for us. Unfortunately, Ah Yun almost discovered it."


    When Madam Liu-Zhao heard the two children''s muttering, she couldn''t help but frown. Still, she looked up at her father-inw, Liu Daqian, and said, "Father, why don''t we let the two children go? They haven''t been to Aunt''s house for a long time. Oh right, let Big Sister follow them, too."


    Madam Liu-Zhao''s daughter, Liu Rong, was 10 years old this year, and her nickname was ''Big Sister''. Her cousin, Liu Yun, was the second daughter of the Liu family, so she was called ''Second Sister''.


    Madam Liu-Zhao''s sister-inw nced at her and said to her father-inw, "In that case, why don''t all five children go?"


    Liu Daqian frowned. "Why would we bring along so many children? Just the three of them will do. If they want to help your aunt, they can always go the day after tomorrow. Alright, when will Ah Linge out? We''re leaving now."


    Mu Shi nced at the sun in the sky and said, "I told her that regardless of whether she can catch a roe deer or not, she has toe out at this time. She''s probably already waiting at the foot of the mountain."


    "Then let''s go."


    A group of more than 10 people walked towards the foot of West Mountain.


    Mu Yangling was sitting on the ground, plucking weeds and waiting in boredom. When she saw theming, she jumped up and waved. Only then did everyone see that the prey beside her was not a roe deer, but a goat.


    The eldest uncle, Liu Ting, smiled. "Ah Ling is so capable. You can even catch a goat."


    Mu Yangling said, "Goats aren''t as delicious as roe deers."


    Everyone: "¡­" What should they do if they couldn''t even afford to eat meat? To think she actually despised it like this.


    Liu Lang and Liu Lun, on the other hand, were delighted. Eyes sparkling, Liu Rong ran to Mu Yangling''s side and called out gently, "Cousin, let me help you carry the basket."


    "No, my basket isn''t heavy at all."


    Mu Shi ced the bag of rice in his hand into his daughter''s basket. Then, he carried the dead goat and walked in front. "Let''s go."


    They passed through the mountains. Because there were many people, they walked a little slower, but they still reached in an hour.


    Seeing that more than 10 people suddenly entered the vige, half of them being young adults, the vigers of West Mountain Vige could not help but be vignt. Someone ran over to stop them. "Who are you? Why are you in our vige?"


    The eldest uncle, Liu Ting, stood up and said, "We are from the Liu Family of Nearhill Vige. We are here to look for our great-aunt and the patriarch of the Ma Family of West Mountain Vige. Brother, which family are you from?"


    The person who ran out was shocked. Recalling the dispute between Ma Youcai''s family and Madam Liu yesterday, he knew that her family hade to seek justice for her. He pointed at the threshing floor and said, "They''re all on the threshing floor. Ma Youcai''s family went to the patriarch and asked to redistribute the threshing floor."


    "What?" The bad-tempered Liu Zhuang jumped up. "The Ma family has gone too far. Not only did they upy Aunt''s farnd previously, they even want to upy her threshing floor now. Do they still have any shame?"


    Liu Daqian was also furious, but at his age he could suppress his temper. He turned to Mu Shi and said, "Bring the stuff to your aunt''s house and put them down first. Meanwhile, we''ll head to the threshing floor."


    Mu Shi nodded.


    Mu Yangling had already dragged the three little ones to look for Eldest Great-aunt.


    Liu Daqian nodded to himself. It wasn''t good for them to run over aggressively, but he was also worried that his older sister would be bullied. It was good that Ah Ling was running over. With her around, no one could bully his sister.

 Chapter 34: Lesson

    <h4>Chapter 34: Lesson</h4>


    When Mu Yangling pulled the three cousins to the threshing floor, Madam Ma-Liu was holding her granddaughter''s hand and standing stubbornly in the middle of the threshing floor. Her backview appeared sad and lonely. Opposite her, Ma Dagui was persuading his nsmen to redistribute the threshing floor.


    Like Nearhill Vige, the threshing floor of West Mountain Vige was built with the vigers'' money and divided ording to the size of each family.


    Ma was a major surname in West Mountain Vige, so they had contributed the most back then. Naturally, they also took the majority. Most of the threshing floor belonged to the Ma family.


    The threshing floor under Madam Ma-Liu''s name was given to her husband by her father-inw when he was around. On the other side was Ma Dagui''s threshing floor.


    Her father-inw only had two sons, Ma Dagui and Ma Dafu.


    Now, Ma Dagui had a very good reason to request for redistribution. Since Madam Ma-Liu did not have any grandsons, and her family had very little farnd, there was simply no need for her family to upy such arge threshing floor at all. On the other hand, he had three sons and more than 10 grandchildren. There were more than 10 people in their family, and they were owning more and more farnd. As such, the threshing floor that his father had previously given him was not enough.


    His reason was very shameless, but no one felt that his reasoning was wrong. This was because Madam Ma-Liu''s family did not have a male heir. This meant that after she died, Ma Dagui''s family would have priority to take over the house she was living in, her threshing floor, and her vegetable garden.


    Such things weremon in the countryside. If Ma Youcai hadn''t killed her son, daughter-inw, and grandson, Madam Ma-Liu wouldn''t have objected even if she was unhappy.


    But not now. Even if she smashed all these, she would not leave them for Ma Dagui''s family.


    Hence, she stood in the middle of the threshing floor and said clearly, "If anyone dares to share my threshing floor, I''ll die here today."


    Mu Yangling was furious. "Eldest Great-aunt, why are you speaking of death so easily?" She ran forward and pulled her behind her back. She nced at Ma Dagui and said to Madam Ma-Liu, "Eldest Great-aunt, you''re really stupid. If you die, my cousins can only die with you. These people can simply use water to wash away the bloodstains in the valley, but won''t they benefit in the end? If I were you, I''d go to the government office and sue them for bullying the weak. If you don''t want to go, it''s simple. Just smash this threshing floor. Whoever wants it can repair it. Since you n to die anyway, what''s there to be afraid of? Before you die, you can drag their entire family down with you. That way, you''d at least havepany on the journey to theherworld, right?"


    Mu Yangling spoke very gently, but everyone was startled by this little girl. Even Madam Ma-Liu couldn''t help but be shocked and secretly worried. She did want to threaten them with her life, but it wasn''t her intention to drag her grandniece down with her. If these words were to spread, everyone in the surrounding viges would probably learn of her grandniece''s unbending personality. This could be an admirable trait for a man, but it wasn''t a good evaluation for a woman.


    How could she drag her devoted grandniece down?


    Oblivious to her thoughts, Mu Yangling only said, "Eldest Great-aunt, this is not a decision that their family can make. Why don''t you ask your Ma family''s patriarch what he thinks?"


    Ma Dagui sneered and said, "This is my Ma family''s internal affairs. Since when can an outsider interfere in the Ma family''s internal affairs?"


    "Who said that this is your Ma family''s internal affairs?" Liu Daqian rushed over with a group of people. He stepped out of the crowd and sneered. "My Liu family''s great-aunt didn''t marry into your Ma family as a daughter-inw to be bullied by the Ma family."


    Liu Daqian''s gaze slid across the faces of Ma Dagui and the other elders, causing them to involuntarily tilt their heads. "ording to you, Ma Dagui, your threshing floor is not enough for your family of more than 10. Just because my older sister has a smaller family than you, you want her to share her threshing floor with your family. Does that mean that the other families with only three or four people also need to give their threshing floor to you?"


    As soon as these words were spoken, the vigers of West Mountain Vige looked at Ma Dagui with bad expressions. That''s right. If today, they set a precedent and allowed him to upy Madam Ma-Liu''s threshing floor, then the next time Ma Dagui''s family needed a bigger plot of threshing floor, would hee and upy theirs?


    Sensing Liu Daqian''s sinister intentions, Ma Dagui jumped up. "Nonsense. I clearly didn''t mean that."


    "Then you''re only targeting my older sister? She''s your sister-inw after all. Yet, you didn''t hesitate to think up such a vicious method to take advantage of my sister''s family. Aren''t those farnds seized by you enough to feed you?" Liu Daqian pressed on step by step. He pulled Ma Xiuhong and Ma Xin forward and asked, "Aren''t they your grandnieces? Are they not your biological younger brother''s bloodline? Or did your younger brother offend you when he was alive, causing you to bear such a grudge?"


    Liu Daqian and Ma Dagui were of the same generation. Unlike Mu Yangling''s words, which were simply treated as a child''s words of anger, his speech had the effect of piercing through people''s hearts. At this moment, everyone looked at Ma Dagui inquisitively.


    Ma Dagui snorted. "You''re falsely using me. Liu Daqian, on ount that you''re my Ma family''s inw, I won''t lower myself to your level. Everyone knows why my younger brother''s family has fallen. It''s all because your Liu family''s daughter jinxed her husband, children and grandchildren."


    "Bullsh*t!" Liu Daqian was furious. He turned to Ma Dazhong, who was standing at the side, and said, "Ma Dazhong, what''s your patriarch''s take on this? Did he agree with Ma Dagui''s bullying of my sister? If that''s the case, our Liu family won''t burden your Ma family. Our Liu family can afford to feed three more mouths!"


    With that said, Liu Daqian scolded his son, Liu Ting, "What are you waiting for? Your cousin is dead, but aren''t you human? Your aunt is suffering here and you don''t even know filial piety. Hurry up and pack your aunt''s luggage. Your mother and I won''t ask you to take care of us when we''re old. All you have to do is carry out the customs at your aunt''s funeral after she passes, and raise your two nieces until they grow up and get married. Your younger brother will take care of me."


    Liu Ting obediently arched his back and replied. He really went forward to support Madam Ma-Liu and said, "Aunt, I''ll bring you back to pack your things."


    Wouldn''t that expose them to criticisms?


    The Ma nsmen hurriedly went forward to stop them. How could they dare to let them leave?


    Ma Dazhong, who had been silent all this while, had no choice but to step forward and apologize. He pulled Liu Daqian back and said, "Brother Liu, our patriarch doesn''t know about this. Why don''t we wait for him toe first?"


    "Bullsh*t. Even I, whoe from Nearhill Vige, know about this. Is he a patriarch hiding in his pants or something?" Liu Daqian pushed him away mercilessly and said to the young men of the Liu family behind him, "The few of you are also dull. Your aunt was bullied like this, but you just stood there in a daze. What''s the use of raising you?"


    Upon hearing his uncle''s words, a hot-blooded young man in his twenties rolled up his sleeves and rushed towards Ma Dagui''s three sons. Liu Daqian''s youngest son, Liu Zhuang, rushed forward and punched Ma Youcai in the face.


    Ma Dagui did not dare to make a sound when Liu Daqian said that he wanted to bring Madam Ma-Liu back to raise her. At this moment, when he saw the young men of the Liu family rushing over, he shouted, "This is my territory. Don''t go too far."


    Liu Daqian snorted and said, "Don''t worry about that old fellow. Your aunt is old and her three nephews don''t have any upbringing. Since she''s not capable of doing it herself, help her teach her three nephews what filial piety is."


    As soon as these words were spoken, the Ma family members, who had wanted to stop them, could not help but stop. This was a matter between Ma Dagui''s family and the Liu family. If they took action, it would be a matter between the Ma n and the Liu n. It might even escte into a conflict between West Mountain Vige and Nearhill Vige.


    The viges on both sides were close to each other, so everyone more or less had some rtives in the other vige. There were a few families whose daughters-inw were from Nearhill Vige, and some also had daughters who married into Nearhill Vige. Afraid their daughters would be tortured by their parents-inw during the new year, everyone stopped in their tracks and only watched as Ma Youcai and his brothers were beaten up.


    Mu Yangling''s jaw dropped open in shock, her mouth wide open enough to fit a duck egg. Only now did she realize that her attack prowess was nothingpared to her great-uncle''s. Such matters should indeed be handled by the elders.

 Chapter 35: Treat

    <h4>Chapter 35: Treat</h4>


    Seeing the Liu family beating the Mas up one-sidedly, Mu Yangling was eager to join in. However, before she could roll up her sleeves, Mu Shi rushed over quickly to cover his daughter''s mouth and pull her behind him. Lowering his voice, he scolded, "Didn''t you say that you wereing to help your eldest great-aunt harvest grain crops? You brat, who asked you to interrupt? Do you wish to stay unmarried in the future?"


    Mu Shi was on his way there when he heard a few youths vividly saying that his daughter had taught her eldest great-aunt to drag down Ma Dagui''s family before dying. He was so angry that smoke was about to rise from his head.


    "Hurry up and bring your cousins to harvest the grains. This is a matter for the adults to handle. You''re not allowed to get involved. If you continue to be disobedient, I won''t bring you out in the future."


    Mu Yangling shrunk her neck and gave a disheartened "oh". Then, she went forward and grabbed Liu Ting and the others, who were watching with relish, and said, "Let''s go and help Eldest Great-aunt harvest their grains. Cousin, quickly bring us there." Mu Yangling reached out and pulled Ma Xiuhong.


    Ma Xiuhong looked at her grandmother and then at the scene, feeling a little worried.


    Liu Ting patted his chest and reassured her. "Cousin, don''t worry. With my grandfather around, no one can bully Great-aunt."


    Ma Xiuhong took her sister''s hand and led everyone to the field. Then, she stole a nce at Mu Yangling and said softly, "Thank you, Cousin."


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows. Ma Xiuhong said, "If it weren''t for you, Great-uncle and the rest wouldn''t havee."


    "You should''ve called someone to get Great-uncle toe long ago. Although they''re busy, they can still squeeze out a few days to handle Great-aunt''s matter."


    Ma Xiuhong shook her head and said even more softly, "It''s different for my grandmother. The witch said that she jinxed her husband, children and grandchildren."


    Mu Yangling frowned. "You believe that?"


    "I don''t believe it." Ma Xiuhong shook her head. "But everyone else does. Grandmother said that Great-uncle also believes it¡­"


    Mu Yangling immediately stopped talking and started pondering. With such a reputation, no matter how hard Eldest Great-aunt worked, she would be ostracized by West Mountain Vige and the Ma Family. Even her maternal family would not like her too much.


    Otherwise, it was impossible for Nearhill Vige to not stand up for Eldest Great-aunt for the past few years. Ultimately, it was because Great-aunt was still burdened by this reputation.


    Mu Yangling narrowed her eyes. Four Vige wasn''t too far away¡ªjust turn left along the main road and one should arrive in an hour.


    As the six children stood in the field, Mu Yangling said, "I''ll go pull the thatch. You guys rub the rope behind. Later, you can bring the grains over and I''ll tie them up. We''ll carry them back when we more or less finish tying them up."


    Everyone listened to Mu Yangling''s arrangements. The children, including the youngest, Ma Xin, were used to farm work, so they were very fast. Besides, Liu Rong and Ma Xiuhong also took care of her. The children yed around without feeling tired at all. When it was almost noon, the grains in the two fields were all tied up by the six children.


    Mu Yangling waved her hand and said, "I''ll carry it in the afternoon. You guys go and y."


    Chuckling, Liu Ting said, "There''s no need to go through so much trouble. The uncles are still here. They can just make a few trips each."


    Mu Shi did not want his daughter to be too tired, but he was not in favor of letting the men of the Liu family help Eldest Great-aunt carry the grains. "Everyone is here to seek an exnation. If we ask them to do farm work, they will definitely feel a little ufortable even if they don''t say it. Therefore, it''s better for us and your two uncles to go. We''re strong, so a few rounds will be enough."


    "We''ll do as you say, Father." Mu Yangling asked curiously, "Father, where are they?" There was no one on the threshing floor now.


    "He was invited to the Ma family''s patriarch''s house. I guessed that you were almost done here, so I came over to take a look."


    "What did the Ma family say?"


    Ma Xiuhong and her sister pricked up their ears. Mu Shi stroked their heads and said, "The threshing floor won''t be redistributed. What happened yesterday was Ma Dagui''s family''s fault, and they have to apologize to your eldest great-aunt. But because she also threw their grains on the road and caused them some loss, there''s no need for Ma Dagui to give her anypensation."


    Mu Yangling frowned. "Aren''t they being tantly biased?"


    "Alright, it''s already not bad to have such an oue, considering Ma Dagui has three sons and seven grandchildren." In this era, it was key to have many sons.


    Although Mu Yangling was helpless, she had no choice but to adapt to this rule.


    When everyone returned to the Ma residence, Eldest Great-aunt was already washing rice and cooking. Seeing Mu Yangling and the rest return, she couldn''t help but wipe her tears. She went forward and held Mu Yangling''s hand. "Child, you''re too straightforward, just like your grandmother. Even men will suffer with such a personality, let alone girls. I sincerely thank you, but you can''t be so rash next time. You still have to get married in the future."


    Afraid that she would be dragged out to be lectured in private if she didn''t nod, Mu Yangling hurriedly nodded and said, "Got it, Eldest Great-aunt."


    Only then did Madam Ma-Liu heave a sigh of relief. She said to Mu Shi, "Go deal with that goat. I''ll bring the children to the vegetable garden to pick vegetables. The rice is ready. Just watch the fire."


    Mu Shi agreed.


    Seven or eight-year-old children were already capable of doing housework. Therefore, with the help of the children, Madam Ma-Liu quickly started a fire to cook.


    Because there was a lot of mutton, Madam Ma-Liu did not have any scruples. She first made arge pot of mutton soup, then two dishes of braised mutton. She then chopped the two rabbits that Mu Yangling had sent over yesterday and turned them into stir-fried rabbit meat. In the past, it was already not bad to have one meat dish on the table. Now that there were so many, Madam Ma-Liu was very satisfied.


    When Liu Daqian led everyone back and smelled the fragrance, they all swallowed their saliva in unison and looked at the kitchen eagerly.


    Emerging from the kitchen with bowls and chopsticks, Madam Ma-Liu smiled and said, "Hurry up and set up the table. The food is ready."


    Liu Zhuang was the first to run out. Smiling, he said, "Let me do it! Aunt, where shall we eat?"


    "Let''s eat in the courtyard. It''s shaded, windy, and cool here."


    In order to eat early, everyone rolled up their sleeves and helped set up the tables. Soon, two tables were filled. However, although they swallowed their saliva at the delicacies on the table, no one dared to eat first. They waited for the elders to start eating first.


    At the elders'' table, everyone looked at Liu Daqian.


    Seated at the head of the table, Liu Daqian picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and ced it in his mouth. After chewing and swallowing, he said to everyone, "Alright, everyone, eat."


    Liu Zhuang and the others grabbed their chopsticks anxiously. After the uncles and elders picked up some food, they wolfed down the meat dishes.


    Their families were not like the Mu family, who were born hunters who returned fruitful from the mountains and got to eat meat every day. Although they would also go into the mountains when they were free, it was already not bad if they could hit their prey three out of ten times.


    When it was busy farming season, they could only run to town to buy a few taels of meat to savor the fragrance of meat. Naturally, the meat was eaten by the children and elders at home.


    Mu Yangling and the children could not eat at the table, for it was not good for Eldest Great-aunt to be too biased towards them. There was originally only a small bowl of meat, but Mu Shi scooped out quite a bit into two basins for them to eat in the central room.


    Seated on small stools around a small table made of wooden nks, the six children quickly finished the meat and vegetables in the basins.


    As Liu Lun grabbed a piece of mutton and nibbled on it, he mumbled, "I knew that there would be meat to eat if I followed Cousin. Cousin, next time you go into the mountains and hunt some prey that you don''t want, do give it to us. My brother is excellent at roasting meat."


    Liu Rong looked up at her younger brother, then gazed at Mu Yangling longingly. Mu Yangling said, "We''ll talk about itter. I''ve been a little busy recently. If you want to eat meat, look for me. I''ll catch rabbits for you." As she spoke, she frowned. "There are too many rabbits these days. If we don''t catch more, we will have a disaster next spring."

 Chapter 36: Help

    <h4>Chapter 36: Help</h4>


    The children couldn''t imagine what it would be like to have a disaster due to an overpoption of rabbits. They only knew that rabbit meat was delicious and that rabbits were difficult to catch.


    They would go to catch rabbits in the forest under the excuse of collecting firewood, but they often failed. Though they imitated Mu Yangling and set up traps, it didn''t work nine out of ten times. The remaining one time where it did work was a demonstration when Mu Yangling taught them.


    Hence, Liu Lun drooled and asked, "If there''s a disaster due to too many rabbits, does that mean we can eat more rabbit meat?"


    Ignorance was bliss, truly. Mu Yangling looked at him enviously and said, "Don''t let your grandfather hear this, or he''ll beat you up."


    Rabbits loved to dig holes. Although this was not a grasnd and there was no grazing, so the damage to the ecology could not bepared to the grasnd, the overpoption of rabbits would still have a huge impact on everyone. Not to mention anything else, Nearhill Vige was located at the foot of the mountain. If they were hit by a few storms next year, the soil that had been loosened by rabbits digging holes would be washed down, possibly resulting in mudslides.


    Mu Yangling had never seen it before, but Mu Shi had witnessed it in Nearhill Vige more than 10 years ago. Therefore, Mu Shi could not help but worry when he saw the number of rabbits in the forest increase and the situation bing increasingly intense.


    However, his ability alone was limited, and he could only hunt so many rabbits by himself. The mountain forest was too dangerous, so he did not dare to encourage everyone to enter the mountain.


    Mu Yangling was thinking about how to set up more traps, catch more rabbits, and earn more ie when Liu Daqian put down his bowl and chopsticks. He waved at the people who had also stopped and looked at him. "Alright, you guys can continue eating."


    As he spoke, he stood up and walked towards Madam Ma-Liu. Everyone knew that the siblings had something to say, so they rxed and continued eating.


    Liu Erqian slowly filled his bowl with mutton with his chopsticks. Then, he stood up and walked over. His cousin, Liu Dazhu, twitched his lips and silently cursed him for acting strange at such an old age.


    However, he was old after all, and there were juniors present, so he gave Liu Erqian some face.


    Liu Erqian followed his older brother and sister and stood at the side to listen to their conversation.


    Liu Daqian looked at his sister, who was more than 10 years older than him, and sighed slightly.


    Among the six siblings of the Liu family, only five survived. The third child starved to death when he was four years old, and Madam Ma-Liu was the eldest. Back then, there was a famine. Liu Daqian and the other three siblings only survived because of this older sister who risked her life to enter the mountains to find food. Though tenacious andpetitive, unfortunately, this older sister of theirs wasn''t fated to lead a good life.


    After thinking for a moment, Liu Daqian said, "Sister, we won''t be able to get the farnd back, but with your brothers around, you don''t have to be afraid of being bullied by them. I''ll get Ah Ting and Zhuangzi toe over tomorrow to help you collect the grains."


    Madam Ma-Liu wiped her tears and said, "There''s no need. Your family has to work too. The autumn harvest will onlyst for a few days. If we dy any longer, it will start to rain. I can handle this myself."


    Liu Daqian didn''t say anything, but his attitude was obvious.


    Madam Ma-Liu asked, "I haven''t seen you for three to four years. Are you still healthy? How''s Third Sister?"


    Liu Daqian''s expression was a little ugly. His eldest sister had married into West Mountain Vige, but his second and third sister had married into Nearhill Vige. Last night, he had gone to look for his third sister and asked her son toe with them, but she had rejected him using all sorts of excuses. That look of extreme disgust was clear as day to him.


    Liu Daqian felt very ufortable. Back then, all of them doted on this youngest sister, but in the end, she despised her eldest sister.


    However, Liu Daqian didn''t say it out loud as he didn''t want to upset Madam Ma-Liu. Instead, he said, "She''s doing well. When I came, she even asked me to send you her greetings."


    This attracted a sneer from Liu Erqian. It was only when he looked up at his brother that he turned his head away.


    Liu Daqian was furious. He kicked him and said angrily, "How old are you? Why are you still behaving like this? If you don''t speak, no one will think you''re a fool."


    Liu Erqian said coldly, "I didn''t say anything."


    Liu Daqian was even angrier. How could Madam Ma-Liu not understand? She only felt the anger in her chest surge and her eyes sting. Blinking her tears back, she forced a smile. "Don''t bully Second Brother. He''s already a grandfather. You can''t lecture him like you did in the past."


    Then, she said to Liu Erqian, "Second Brother, now that you''re already a grandfather, you can''t fool around like before. You have to be an example to your grandchildren."


    Liu Erqian responded nonchntly and said, "Is there anything else? If not, I''ll go back and eat." As he spoke, he turned around and was about to leave when he suddenly thought of something. He took out a money bag from his pocket and stuffed it into Madam Ma-Liu''s hand, before turning around and leaving.


    Shocked, Madam Ma-Liu was about to chase after him when Liu Daqian stopped her. "Alright, don''t you know Second Brother''s temper? If you return it, it will arouse his bullish nature, and he might very well just smash the dining table. Hurry up and keep it. The two grandnieces are not young anymore. Just keep this for their dowry." As he spoke, he took out a money bag from his pocket and stuffed it into her hand. With a sigh, he said, "I''m useless as your younger brother and failed to protect you. Don''t me me."


    With that, he turned around and left.


    Madam Ma-Liu leaned against the wall and cried. She did resent her two younger brothers.


    As her parents had died early, she was responsible for raising her four younger siblings. In the end, when she was in trouble, her brothers could not protect her. Her not returning to her maternal home to visit them for the past three to four years was actually a show of her attitude and resentment. But now, it seemed that this matter had hurt her and them, and only stood to benefit her enemies!


    However, still, she was reluctant to return to her maternal family like she did in the past. Sometimes, Madam Ma-Liu would think that if her younger brothers could not protect her, what was the use of raising them back then?


    Madam Ma-Liu exhaled and said self-deprecatingly, "Well, isn''t it of use now?"


    After everyone had their fill, Madam Ma-Liu cut the remaining mutton and distributed it to everyone. She said, "Thank you foring today, brothers. Our family is poor and we don''t have much to serve everyone. Please make do."


    Liu Dazhu smiled and said, "Cousin, don''t spoil them too much. Now that you''ve been wronged, as your younger brothers, how can we note and stand up for you? This is a good life experience for your nephews, too."


    "Alright, alright." Liu Daqian pushed them out. "Don''t waste your breath here. Hurry up and go back. We''ll leave in the afternoon." Then, he said to the younger generation of the Liu family, "Help your father and uncles walk slowly and make sure no one gets left behind. There are ferocious beasts in the mountains."


    Everyone responded and helped the elders of their families leave.


    Liu Ting rolled up his sleeves and said, "Father, let''s carry the grains out for Aunt."


    When Mu Yangling heard this, she hurriedly said, "Uncles, you can go cut the grain crops. My father and I will do the carrying. We''ll be done in half an afternoon."


    Liu Ting expressed his doubts, and Mu Shi hesitated. Mu Yangling tugged at his sleeve and said, "Father, let Eldest Uncle and the rest go harvest the grains. With so many people, we will be done in the afternoon."


    Mu Shi thought about it and agreed.


    The Ma family still had half a plot of grains left to harvest, but there were many people left behind today. Liu Daqian and his brother, their two sons, and the children could go to the fields to harvest the grains. There were a total of twelve people, and they could finish harvesting in half an afternoon. This way, they wouldn''t have to make another trip tomorrow. Otherwise, even if their two aunts didn''t say anything, they would definitely feel ufortable.


    Liu Daqian thought about it and agreed. He said to Madam Ma-Liu, "Big Sister, go and borrow the scythe."


    At the thought of getting everything done by today, Madam Ma-Liu was no longer in the mood to clean up the table. She quickly went out to borrow the scythe and brought them to the field.


    Mu Yangling and Mu Shi were in charge of transporting the grains out, while the others cut the grain crops together. With so many people and four young men, it was done in less than four hours.


    Liu Zhuang waved his hand and saw that the Mu father and daughter had already carried the two plots of grains out, and were now sitting on the ridge to rest. The corners of his mouth immediately twitched as he said to his cousin, Liu Xuan, beside him, "She''s too capable. She''s simply stronger than an ox."


    Liu Xuan nced at his father and said, "Shut up, or Uncle will beat you up if he hears you."


    After cutting the grain crops for half of the plot ofnd, there was no time to transport them out. Madam Ma-Liu hurriedly urged them to go back. "You should hurry back. Otherwise, you won''t be able to go down the mountain before dark."


    Liu Daqian nodded and returned the scythe to her. Waving his hand, he said, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go home."

 Chapter 37: Method

    <h4>Chapter 37: Method</h4>


    At this moment, the sun was already in the west. Coupled with the shade of the trees, not only was it not hot on the road, but it was also rather cool.


    Liu Rong held Mu Yangling''s hand in fear and smiled shyly. "Cousin, let''s hold hands."


    "Sure." Mu Yangling reached out to pluck a flower by the roadside and adorned her hair with it. "It looks really good on you."


    Liu Rong lowered her head shyly.


    Liu Lang and Liu Lun ran forward, ying with each other. Suddenly, a sh of white shed past their eyes, causing Liu Lang to shout, "Rabbit!"


    Liu Lun shouted, "Catch it, catch it!"


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes. "Stop shouting. How are you going to catch it when you''ve already scared the rabbit away?"


    Unexpectedly, just as Mu Yangling finished speaking, the rabbit was so frightened by Liu Lang and Liu Lun''s shouts that it turned around and hit a tree. Everyone was stunned.


    Liu Lang immediately jumped up and ran over to grab it. The rabbit was stunned for a moment before quickly jumping away. Surprised, Liu Lang fell to the ground. Liu Lun also rushed over, but he tripped over the stone under his feet and fell on Liu Lang. The rabbit looked at the two of them in confusion and was about to hop away.


    Liu Lang screamed. "Cousin, catch it quickly. Otherwise, I''ll have fallen in vain."


    Mu Yangling stared at the rabbit and jumped towards it. Shocked, the rabbit jumped to the side, but Mu Yangling did not stop. Traces of the rabbit shed across the corner of her eyes and she jumped over as well. She pressed her hand forward and pinned the rabbit under the grass. Holding it tightly with one hand, she used her other hand to pinch its ear and lift it up.


    Liu Lang and his brother ran over and watched eagerly while eximing, "How impressive!"


    Liu Ting could not help but exim to Mu Shi, "Cousin, Ah Ling is so agile."


    Meanwhile, Liu Zhuang drooled at the rabbit. "This rabbit is so fat. It must be five to six catties."


    Liu Ting immediately felt a little embarrassed, for his brother was already in his twenties.


    Unexpectedly, Second Uncle Liu Erqian immediately nodded and agreed, "Fat rabbits taste delicious braised."


    Now, it was Liu Erqian''s sons, Liu Yuan and Liu Xuan''s turn to feel embarrassed.


    Liu Ting was instantly satisfied. Since the first and second branches had already lost face, the eldest brother couldn''t very well berate the second brother.


    However, Liu Daqian''s face turned red. One was his son, and the other was his younger brother. Both were embarrassing. If not for the fact that Liu Zhuang and Liu Xuan were born in different months, he would really suspect that he and his younger brother identally carried the wrong baby home.


    Mu Yangling waved her hand generously and said, "Here, take it."


    Liu Lang immediately revealed a broad grin and said, "I''ll take it back and raise it. I''ll get the big rabbit to give birth to a small rabbit."


    Mu Yangling doused his enthusiasm. "This is a male. It can''t give birth to a little rabbit."


    "Then catch another female for me." Liu Lang pestered her.


    Mu Yangling said, "Let''s wait and see. If we bump into one, I''ll catch it for you."


    The few of them looked around as they walked down. Just as they were about to leave the mountain, they vaguely saw a grayish-white rabbit. Liu Lun pestered her to catch it. Feeling that catching a rabbit was not difficult, Mu Yangling went. Mu Shi did not stop her.


    Liu Daqian red at his grandson.


    After a while, Mu Yangling returned with an even fatter gray rabbit and said, "The one just now ran away."


    Satisfied, Liu Erqian took the rabbit from her hand and nodded. "Not bad. We''ll braise it and eat it with wine tomorrow night."


    Mu Yangling looked at him in a daze. Wasn''t it for Liu Lang?


    Liu Lang was also stunned. Liu Erqian red at him and said, "Why? Can''t you let Second Grandpa have this rabbit?"


    "Alright, you''re already in your fifties or sixties. Aren''t you embarrassed?" Liu Daqian flicked his sleeves and left.


    Liu Erqian snorted and grabbed the rabbit''s ear before following. Liu Yuan and Liu Xuan wished they could cover their faces. To think their father was still snatching things from his grandnephew at his age. How embarrassing.


    Not daring to show his dissatisfaction, Liu Lang could only leave regretfully. After today, it was impossible for them to ask Mu Yangling to catch rabbits for them. In the past, they would secretly look for her to get some meat. Grandpa did not allow them to go to Uncle''s house to freeload, nor did he allow them to take the prey Uncle gave them. However, Uncle did not seem to have given them any¡­


    While Mu Yangling and her father were on their way home, she said, "Father, when I was chasing after rabbits just now, I saw three or four of them along the way."


    Mu Shi frowned. "There are so many more?"


    "That''s right. Considering that was only the periphery, wouldn''t there be even more rabbits inside? If our mountain is already like this, what about the grasnd?"


    There was arge grasnd to the north of Xingzhou Prefecture, which had already been upied by the Jin soldiers. It was not far from Chef Mountain, and there were more rabbits on the grasnd than in the forest.


    Mu Shi pondered for a moment. "Let''s catch more rabbits and sell them at the marketter."


    However, Mu Yangling was not optimistic. "How many can we sell? Selling more than 10 rabbits a day is already the limit." Although the Great Zhou Dynasty''s economy was rtively developed, there were still very few people who were willing to spend money to buy rabbit meat in a low-ss town like Seven Mile Vige.


    It was not that they did not work hard, but the customers were not rich.


    "If not, we''ll make it into jerky and sell it in winter. By then, the mountain will have been closed, and the meat will be easier to sell."


    "Forget it. Mother is pregnant. If we leave it in the courtyard to dry, Mother will vomit all night."


    "Then forget it." His wife could not stand that kind of smell. It would be fine if there weren''t many, for he could ce it in one corner of the courtyard, and the smell would disperse when the wind blew. If there were many rabbits, the smell would enter the house when the wind blew.


    After entering the house, Mu Yangling thought hard for a while. Little Bowen sat obediently beside his sister and looked at her with his face propped up. After a long time, seeing that she did not react, he pouted and said, "Sister, you haven''t given me candy."


    "Oh." Mu Yangling took out the candy packet for him and continued to sit there in a daze. Staring at the remaining candy, Little Bowen was very mncholic. He sighed like a little adult and said, "Soon, I won''t have any candy to eat."


    Mu Yangling subconsciously replied, "I''ll buy it for you when the timees."


    "But we have to save our family''s money to buy clothes and goat''s milk for our baby brother. I''d better not buy candy." Little Bowen took out a candy and hid it on his body.


    Mu Yangling frowned. "You ate two today. Why are you still hiding one?"


    "This is for Goudan. I told him that I would exchange candy for his bamboo dragonfly."


    Eyes lighting up, Mu Yangling pped her hands and said, "That''s right. Though we can''t sell it for money, we can exchange it for something else."


    Bartering had existed for a long time. Even in this day and age, it still existed. It was just that she was used to exchanging goods for money, and it hadn''t urred to Mu Shi that they could do this. Therefore, the Mu family had always been exchanging goods for money and had never thought of bartering.


    There were too many rabbits in the mountains, so many that they were worthless. However, selling them at a lower price would undoubtedly cheapen the value of the rabbits, and theirbor would not be rewarded. This problem could be solved by bartering.


    Delighted, Mu Yangling hugged Little Bowen''s head and kissed him. "I''ll exchange for something delicious for you tomorrow."


    Mu Yangling was as good as her word. Early the next morning, she tied a knot with a rope and entered the mountain with her father. Mu Shi said, "I''ll go deeper and take a look. It''ll be great if I can hit a big-sized prey. You can walk around nearby."


    Mu Yangling agreed. She first chose a good ce to set up the trap before taking out her bow and arrow to hunt rabbits.


    Today, she didn''t want a single pheasant, and she didn''t even care when she saw a roe deer running past her. She just aimed at the rabbits and shot.


    The rabbits in the forest had yet to be a disaster, but it was about time. The sharp-eyed Mu Yangling soon found a nest of rabbits. After covering the entrance of the cave with a sack, she found two other rabbit nests. She slowly lit a fire and used smoke to force them to crawl into the cave. Then, Mu Yangling ran back quickly and guarded there.


    Shortly after, a few gray rabbits rushed out andnded in the sack. Mu Yangling counted. "¡­ Five¡­ seven, eight, nine!"


    Seeing that there was no more movement, Mu Yangling picked up the sack and said with a smile, "So the whole family is here. With so many offspring, no wonder it''s bing a disaster."

 Chapter 38: Angry

    <h4>Chapter 38: Angry</h4>


    When Mu Yangling went down the mountain, the rabbits in the basket on her back were either dead or injured, but the nest of live rabbits were still jumping and struggling in the sack.


    Little Bowen was still standing under the tree with his hands behind his back, memorizing a book. When Mu Yangling waved at him, the child ran over eagerly.


    Knowing Little Bowen was timid, Mu Yangling did not let him see the rabbits with a bloody hole in their necks in the basket. Instead, she opened the sack for him to see. "These are the rabbits caught by Sister. Do you like it? If you do, keep one for yourself."


    Little Bowen''s eyes were sparkling. "One would be so lonely. Let''s raise two."


    Rabbits could be fattened to the point of being edible in a month or two. Mu Yangling said, "Just one. You still have to gather grass for it to eat. You won''t be able to manage it if it''s two."


    "Oh." Little Bowen stuck his head out and pointed at the whitest one. "Then I want this one. It''s the cutest."


    Mu Yangling took it out and stuffed it into her brother''s arms. "Hold it tight. Don''t let it escape. I''ll find a rope to tie it up."


    Little Bowen said happily, "When Fatheres back from the mountains, I want him to help me weave a cage."


    Mu Yangling mocked him mercilessly. "Forget it. Father only knows how to kill rabbits and eat them."


    Little Bowen couldn''t help but hug the rabbit tightly and gaze at his sister pitifully.


    Mu Yangling touched her nose and apologized to her father in her heart. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Let''s go. We''ll look for Great-uncle. He knows how to weave cages."


    Mu Yangling simply threw the basket at home, took the sack, and carried her brother to look for her eldest great-uncle.


    Shu Wanniang was sitting under the roof, embroidering. When she saw them, she instructed, "Come back quickly. Your father ising back from the mountains soon."


    "Got it, Mother."


    Meanwhile, Liu Lun was crying at home, rolling around and wailing, "Cousin gave that to me to raise. Why are you so ruthless? How could you bear to eat it?"


    Grandma Liu stepped over him without blinking. Then, she sat on the small stool and chopped the vegetables, not responding to him.


    Liu Lun howled even louder. Liu Zhuang''s wife, Madam Liu-Zhang, sneered and said with a displeased expression, "Ah Lun, yesterday, you and your brothers and sisters went to your great-aunt''s house to eat good food while your younger siblings didn''t have any meat or fish at all. What''s wrong with them eating a rabbit? Besides, didn''t you also eat itst night?"


    Grandma Liu frowned and put down the kitchen knife. ring at her daughter-inw, she said, "What are you talking about? Ah Ting and the others went over yesterday to help your aunt. If you had any objections, why didn''t you ask Ah Yang and the others to tag along yesterday?"


    Madam Liu-Zhao sneered and went forward to pull her son up. What else could it be? Wasn''t it because she couldn''t bear to let her children suffer?


    Looking at her son, who was crying and snotting, Madam Liu-Zhao felt anger surge from within. She smacked his butt and said, "So what if we eat one of your rabbits? Surely you weren''t waiting for it to give birth to a baby?"


    "That''s exactly what I was keeping it for." Liu Lun cried. "Cousin has already promised to give me a female rabbit today. Now that you''ve eaten my male rabbit, how will this female rabbit give birth? If there are no bunnies, how will there be rabbits to eat in the future? Tsk, my poor male rabbit." As he said that, he sat on the ground like his grandmother and pped his thigh as he cried.


    Everyone in the courtyard was stunned. The corners of Liu Ting''s mouth twitched. He stepped forward and gently kicked his younger brother. "Alright, don''t cry. It''s not as if you didn''t eat a lotst night. We can just ask Cousin to help us catch another one."


    "You''re not allowed to go!" Liu Daqian frowned, clearly angry. "How many times have I told you not to take your uncle''s things? I won''t say anything about yesterday since we all came back together. How many times have you taken advantage of your uncle previously? I was wondering why you two brats have gained weight even though we haven''t had meat and fish for half a year. So you''ve been secretly asking your uncle for food."


    With that, Liu Daqian picked up the stick and was about to hit him. Liu Lun jumped up and hid behind his mother.


    Madam Liu-Zhao''s heart ached for her son, but she did not dare to stop her father-inw. She could only exin anxiously, "Father-inw, they didn''t ask Uncle for it. They were just ying with their cousin¡­"


    Although Liu Ting and Liu Lun were called fat here, they were actually as thin as spare ribs. However, inparison with a bunch of sticks in the vige, even spare ribs appeared "fat".


    Heart aching for her grandsons, Grandma Liu went forward to stop him and said, "Alright, alright. It''s not from their uncle. When have you ever seen Shi Tou hunt meat for us for no reason? Ah Ling only gave her cousins some meat because she felt sorry for them."


    From time to time, Mu Yangling would bring the children to the cave to roast meat and eat. It was not a secret in the vige. Some families could not bear to interfere when they saw their children sneaking over to eat, because they felt bad for them.


    "These kids are still young. How would they know about the matters of the old farts? Do you think Shi Tou isn''t aware? If he doesn''t say anything, it''s because he''s kind-hearted." Grandma Liu wiped her tears. "Ah Ling is also a good child. By making a scene now, aren''t you making them grow distant? If you want to hit them, fine. Just tell the children what happened."


    Liu Daqian choked. How could he say it? Would the children understand if he said it?


    Liu Daqian returned to his room, huffing and puffing.


    Madam Liu-Zhao heaved a sigh of relief, but Madam Liu-Zhang, who entered the familyte and did not know the reason, rolled her eyes. In the beginning, it was not that she did not want to take advantage of the Mu family, but because of this matter, she was almost divorced and warned by her inws again and again. Now, she did not dare to say anything about borrowing or exchanging meat with the Mu family since they had plenty.


    The daughters-inw of the other families in the vige had also been warned when they married into the family. Therefore, although the Mu family was richer than everyone in the vige, no one had ever seeked trouble with them. Even if there was any trouble outside, the elders in the vige would just take care of it by themselves.


    For example, thest time the Junior Officer apanied the county magistrate over and asked about the ie and assets of the various families, more than 10 elders in the vige unanimously helped the Mu family cover up.


    Since they could afford to eat meat and white rice every day, and drink millet porridge from time to time, how could they be from an inferior family?


    However, Madam Liu-Zhang only dared to utter such criticisms in her heart and did not dare to say them out loud.


    After being reprimanded by his grandfather, Liu Lun did not dare to howl anymore. He sat on the ground and wiped his tears. When Mu Yangling came over, she saw this scene and felt that Liu Lun was very pitiful.


    "What''s going on?"


    When Madam Liu-Zhao saw Mu Yangling, she quickly smiled. "Ah Ling is here? Come in,e in. Your cousin is crying. You guys can go out and yter."


    The children''s eyes were glued to the rabbit in Little Bowen''s arms. The six-year-old Liu Yun bounced over and stared at the rabbit in his arms for a moment. Then, she looked at Mu Yangling with eager eyes and said, "Cousin, I want a rabbit too."


    When Madam Liu-Zhang saw her mother-inw frown, she quickly went forward and pulled her daughter over. She smacked her butt and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Your cousin is catching rabbits to sell for grains."


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, "Third Aunt, I''m here to look for Eldest Great-uncle. Is he around?"


    "Yes, yes, I''ll let him know you''re looking for him." Madam Liu-Zhang went into the house to look for her father-inw.


    "Eldest Aunt, I caught a nest of live rabbits. There happened to be a female in them, so I brought them over for Cousin."


    Grandma Liu smiled and said, "There''s no need for it now. Since that male rabbit was eaten by us, we have no use for a female rabbit now. Why are you looking for your great-uncle?"


    Mu Yangling looked at Liu Lun in shock. She did not expect that the rabbit would not even survive a night. Seeing that his eyes were red, she immediately understood what was going on.


    Liu Yun looked at her eagerly and whispered, "Cousin, give me a little rabbit too."


    Mu Yangling actually didn''t really like Liu Yun, for she found this child too delicate and scheming. However, the other party was only a six-year-old child, so Mu Yangling couldn''t be too calctive. After some thought, she figured that if she gave it to Liu Lun and didn''t give it to Liu Yun and Liu Yang, the two families would fight.


    "Alright, I''m here to exchange things with Great-uncle. If your grandfather agrees to help meter, I''ll give you the rabbit." Only by saying this would Eldest Great-uncle allow them to ept the rabbits.


    Liu Daqian came out with a chuckle. "Ah Ling, what do you need my help with?"

 Chapter 39: Bartering (1)

    <h4>Chapter 39: Bartering (1)</h4>


    "Eldest Great-uncle, help us make a few cages for rabbits of various sizes. It''d be best if the baskets are weaved beautifully."


    "Yo, you have so many requests?" Liu Daqian chuckled and nced at the rabbit in Little Bowen''s arms, before nodding and saying, "No problem. I''ll get your uncle to chop a few bambooster. I can make a small one for you in the afternoon."


    Little Bowen immediately cheered. "Then I''ll go pluck the weeds and feed the rabbits."


    Liu Yun gazed at him enviously, but she didn''t dare to ask Mu Yangling again. She just looked on helplessly.


    Unable to reject her due to that gaze, Mu Yangling smiled and said, "Eldest Great-uncle, I don''t dare to take something from you without giving you anything in return. I just caught a nest of live rabbits. Why don''t I give a few to my cousins to raise? In two or three months, the rabbits will be able to give birth to little bunnies."


    Liu Daqian nced at the five children and nodded slightly. "Just give them a male and a female one."


    Mu Yangling only smiled and quickly grabbed two female rabbits from the sack. She gave one to Liu Yun and the other to Liu Lun, then said, "When you guys grow up and want your rabbit to breed,e and look for Little Bowen. His rabbit is male."


    Liu Lun and Liu Yun hugged their rabbit and shed her a broad grin.


    Liu Yun carried the rabbit to look for her older brother, Liu Yang, while Liu Lun ran to look for his older brother, Liu Ting, and older sister, Liu Rong. The children gathered around, discussing who would cut the grass and who would be in charge of cleaning the rabbits¡­


    Wanting to return home to check on things, Mu Yangling left Little Bowen here. She said to the most mature Liu Ting, "Help me take care of my brother. I''m going to town." She lowered her voice and said, "Don''t let the children in the vige bully my brother."


    Liu Ting nodded repeatedly and patted his chest. "Don''t worry. With me around, no one will dare to bully Cousin." In his heart, he was muttering to himself, ''With an older sister like you around, the children in the vige would need to eat leopard guts to dare to bully your younger brother.''


    Only then did Mu Yangling carry the sack back. Mu Shi had already returned from the mountains and was carrying a roe deer and a bunch of rabbits. He was fretting about where he could sell so many prey.


    "Father, I''ll go to town with you."


    Mu Shi sighed and said, "If there''s really no other way, I''ll sell them to a butcher at a low price."


    "No." Mu Yangling said, "Wouldn''t that be a huge loss for us?"


    "Then what do you think we should do? If we can''t sell them, the rabbits will develop a stench. The eateries and restaurants don''t need so many rabbits, and we can only sell about 10 rabbits a day in the market." Mu Shi felt regretful. "Even though there are many people in the county who eat rabbits, unfortunately, it''s too far away¡­"


    Every morning, after hunting and entering the county, he could only stay there for a night, because Mu Shi was worried about his family. The rabbits would not be fresh if kept overnight. If it was winter, he would not have such worries.


    Oblivious to what her father was worrying about, Mu Yangling only said, "No, let''s exchange them. It''s almost winter and the cotton has been harvested. We can exchange for some cotton, or some food. That''s not too bad. We have to give it a try. If it doesn''t work, we can only go to the county. There being so many rabbits in the mountains, it''d be a pity not to hunt them."


    Mu Shi had no choice but to bring his daughter to town. For efficiency''s sake, the two of them split up. Mu Shi brought the roe deer and half of the rabbits to the restaurants and eateries while Mu Yangling carried the basket of rabbits and walked through the streets.


    She first found a cotton shop and asked the boss, "Boss, does your family own this shop?"


    The boss nodded. "It''s my shop. Why? Miss, do you want to buy cotton?"


    Mu Yangling nodded shamelessly and asked, "Is it this year''s new cotton?"


    "There are new ones, but most of them are fromst year. Youngdy, if you want to buy new cotton inrge quantities, you''ll have to wait a little longer."


    Mu Yangling quickly smiled and said, "I''m not looking to buy much. Just a little." Mu Yangling asked, "Boss, would you like to have rabbits?"


    "Rabbit?" The boss''s eyes were filled with confusion. He did not understand how buying cotton had anything to do with rabbits.


    Mu Yangling took out two rabbits from the basket on her back and said, "Ie from a hunter family and we don''t grow cotton. My mother asked me to sell these rabbits to buy cotton, but I''d have to pay a lot of taxes at the market. And I might not be able to make it in time. So, I just want to ask if you would like to barter."


    When the boss heard this, he looked around and checked that there were no patrolling officials. With a light cough, he said, "Let''s talk inside."


    Knowing that there was a chance, Mu Yangling quickly followed him in.


    The boss looked at her basket and frowned slightly. "Why are there so many rabbits? Don''t tell me they''ve been kept overnight?"


    "Certainly not. They were all caught this morning. Boss, if you don''t believe me, touch them. They''re still soft."


    The boss touched the rabbits and saw that they were indeed soft. Some of the blood was even a little warm, so the rabbit probably died not long ago from heavy injuries sustained previously. Relieved, he thought for a moment before asking, "How do you want to do the exchange?"


    As she had never bartered before, Mu Yangling could only look at the boss nkly.


    The boss''s heart skipped a beat. Realizing that Mu Yangling had never bartered before, he said, "Your rabbits are only worth 60 to 70 copper coins each. My new cotton costs 40 copper coins per catty. If you want to exchange, I''ll give you half a catty of cotton for each rabbit. How about that?"


    Mu Yangling frowned. A rabbit, inclusive of the skin, cost at least 80 copper coins. "The price you''re offering is a little low."


    The boss replied, "Although it''s a little low, you don''t have to pay taxes. If you set up a stall in the market and those officials deduct more, you will have worked hard in vain today." Seeing that Mu Yangling was still reluctant, he said, "This rabbit meat is good, but how many people are willing to spend 70 to 80 copper coins to eat a rabbit in this era? I''m only agreeing because it''s a barter. If you want me to buy it with money, I won''t buy it."


    The boss wasn''t lying. He merely hesitated for a moment since it was a barter, but if he had to buy it with copper coins, he would rather spend 20 copper coins to buy half a catty of pork should he wish to eat some meat.


    "If you''re willing, I''ll introduce you to a few families that are willing to do the barter. The families nearby are all pretty well-off. They''d likely be willing to exchange one or two catties of cotton for a rabbit."


    With the boss''s rmendation, it would indeed save a lot of effort. Mu Yangling only hesitated for a moment before agreeing. In any case, it wasn''t as if they could sell these rabbits for money.


    Seeing that Mu Yangling had agreed, the boss beamed with joy. He carefullypared them before choosing a big, fat, and fresh rabbit among the many rabbits. The corners of Mu Yangling''s mouth twitched, and she could not help but say in a low voice, "This rabbit weighs at least seven catties."


    The smile on the boss''s face widened. Seven catties of rabbit meat was enough for their family to eat for four to five days. All that for only one and a half catties of cotton. What a good deal. Because he had taken advantage of Mu Yangling, he was also more diligent about introducing customers to her. He went out first to weigh one and a half catties of new cotton for her and said, "Keep it well. I''ll tell them the exchange rate is one rabbit for two catties of cotton. How about that? I''m being rather kind, right?"


    Mu Yangling immediately smiled and said, "Thank you, Uncle." After thinking for a while, she took out a smaller one from the basket on her back and gave it to him. "Uncle, the registrar always bullies me for being young. I probably won''t set up a stall to sell things for money in the future. When the timees, I''ll need to barter for a lot of things. Uncle, since you''re familiar with this street, I hope you can give me a hand when the timees."


    "No problem, no problem." The boss epted it with a smile and said, "Wait for me. I''ll go out and talk to them. I guarantee that they''lle with new cotton."


    As a businessman, even if he didn''t have a glib tongue, he was at least eloquent. The boss had only been gone for less than 15 minutes when four people followed him in, each of them holding a small bag.


    "I heard someone wants to exchange for cotton?"


    Mu Yangling quickly stood up nervously. "Hello, bosses. I''m the one who wants to barter."

 Chapter 40: Bartering (2)

    <h4>Chapter 40: Bartering (2)</h4>


    Mu Yangling gestured for them to look at her rabbits and said, "My father went into the mountains this morning to catch these rabbits. I''m exchanging one rabbit for two catties of new cotton."


    "You caught so many in one morning?"


    Mu Yangling''s heart skipped a beat. Lowering her head in embarrassment, she said, "We set up a trap in advance. Coupled with the fact that there are many people in our family, we managed to catch so many. Because they are still in the mountains, they sent me to sell the rabbits so that I can use the money to buy some cotton and other things. However, not only will selling these at a stall take a long time, but we also have to pay a lot of taxes, so¡­"


    The owners all understood her plight. One of them sighed and said, "The business tax has increased again. I wonder if my shop will still be around next spring."


    Mu Yangling''s eyebrows twitched. The business tax had increased again?


    "I don''t have money, but it''s not a bad idea to exchange cotton for it. Let me see your rabbits. I''ll choose one to bring back and give my children a good meal."


    This was Mu Yangling''s first time doing such a thing, but these people were familiar with it. Usually, there were peddlers from the countryside who exchanged grains or other things with them. As long as they could avoid the registrar, everyone was happy to barter.


    Mu Yangling quickly swapped out four more rabbits. After checking the new cotton they brought, she stuffed it into her bag and carried it on her back.


    Seeing that Mu Yangling was about to leave, the boss asked, "Miss, what else do you want to exchange for? I see that you still have seven or eight rabbits in your basket."


    "My mother is pregnant. I want to exchange for some brown sugar, red dates, longan, and other blood-nourishing things." After saying that, she said regretfully, "It''s a pity that the pharmacy isn''t manned by the owner. Otherwise, I would have gone to exchange for some medicinal herbs."


    The bossughed loudly and said, "You can''t exchange for medicinal herbs, but these little things are not difficult. Let me tell you, at the end of this street, there''s a grocery store at the left corner. That shop belongs to a rtive of mine. His family isrge and they''re considered well-off. If you want to barter, go there. They''ll definitely say yes."


    Mu Yangling expressed her gratitude and headed there after leaving the shop. There were not many things that they needed at home, but there were actually quite a lot of little things here and there.


    When Mu Yangling arrived at the provision store, she directly exined her purpose foring. She also said that she was rmended by the boss not far away. After sessfully exchanging two rabbits for a lot of red dates and brown sugar, she even took a bag of candy before leaving in satisfaction.


    Mu Yangling went to look for her father.


    When Mu Shi came out of the restaurant, the roe deer and more than half of the rabbits were gone, with only seven remaining. Seeing that his daughter still had six left, he heaved a sigh of relief. "Come, let''s go to the market to set up a stall."


    "Father, I heard that the business tax has risen again."


    Mu Shi frowned slightly. "Let''s go and ask."


    The business tax had indeed increased, but not by much. Based on the scale of the Mu Family''s stall, they would only have to pay an additional five copper coins a day. However, penny and pennyid up will be many, especially formoners like them. One could do a lot with five copper coins.


    However, he had no choice but to pay the tax. If he was discovered setting up a stall outside, his goods would be confiscated and he would be fined.


    Mu Shi looked at the things his daughter had exchanged for and stroked her head. "I''d better go to the county tomorrow. I''ll go there every other day. Stay at home and take care of your mother and brother. Although bartering is one solution, our family is so small and there''s a limit to what we can use. What''s the use of bartering for so many things? Silver is still more practical."


    Deted by Mu Shi''s words, Mu Yangling said dejectedly, "I forgot about this."


    Mu Shi smiled and said, "You''re still so young. It''s already not bad that you cane up with this method."


    However, Mu Yangling was a little dejected. She was not young anymore.


    The father and daughter sold all the rabbits and bought some millet before returning home.


    Mu Shi told his wife about entering the county and said, "The town folks can''t consume so many rabbits. In the future, Ah Ling and I will enter the mountain in the morning. I''ll go to the county, while she will go to town to deliver goods to the eatery and restaurant. She will be back home in less than an hour. When shees back, don''t let her enter the mountain. Let her y in the vige with her brother."


    Shu Wanniang nodded hurriedly. "Let her learn some needlework from me. She can''t possibly not know these things when she gets married in the future, right?"


    "Alright, let her y for two hours in the afternoon and learn for two hours."


    The two of them decided on Mu Yangling''s daily learning schedule from now on.


    However, Mu Yangling had ns of her own. She would enter the mountains in the morning and leave the mountains at ten in the morning. It would only take an hour to send something to town.


    She could y with her brother for an hour and then go home for lunch. In the afternoon, she could bring them to catch fish and roast rabbits to eat. She could also go to the cave to y. In addition, she had to fulfill the promise of teaching Liu Ting how to read¡­


    Mu Yangling suddenly thought of her eldest great-aunt and turned over with bright and sparkling eyes. Previously, she had been worried that she didn''t have time to look for that witch. Now, she would have time.


    Mu Yangling chuckled. Even if she couldn''t help Eldest Great-aunt take back the farnd, she could at least make her life in West Mountain Vige easier.


    Having confirmed her future goal, Mu Yangling got up bright and early the next morning and covered her brother with a nket. Then, she got up, washed up, and followed her father into the mountains.


    As they were entering the county, the father and daughter no longer restrained their abilities and tried their best to hunt more rabbits.


    There were indeed many rabbits in the mountains. As long as they went deeper, they could find two rabbit nests within a hundred steps. Mu Yangling sealed a nest and smoked the rabbits out. This method was faster than shooting arrows. She chose the bigger ones and threw them into the sack, letting the smaller ones go.


    "Father, do you want to bring a few small ones into the city? I heard that the young misses and young masters in the county are much more delicate than those in town and like to raise them. Anyway, you''ll be looking to sell these rabbits to eateries and restaurants when you enter the city. Why don''t you bring a few more small ones and give them to the manager of the restaurant so that they can bring them back for their children or for their young misses and young masters to y with?"


    "Rabbits are dirty. Who''d like to y with that? I''ve only heard of eating rabbits and raising horses and cats. I''ve never heard of raising rabbits."


    Mu Yangling was unconvinced. "Rabbits are much cuter than cats."


    Mu Shi picked up a rabbit. "Can those youngdies carry such a fat rabbit? For instance, your mother doesn''t like to raise rabbits, but she has thought of raising cats."


    To Mu Shi, his wife''s aesthetic sense was much more reliable than his daughter''s. At the very least, his wife was once a rich youngdy. As for his daughter?


    Alright, it wasn''t that he was being humble as a father, but this child was just a wild child who ran all over the mountains. She was even more like a boy than a boy.


    Mu Yangling was originally neutral about the idea. But seeing that her father did not trust her, she ran far away and found another rabbit nest. This time, she did not let the little ones go. She brought them over and ced them in the sack, then said, "If they''re still alive by the time you reach the county, take them out and gift them away. Father, trust me. Many little girls and young masters like to raise rabbits. Rabbits are so adorable. Just look at how happy your son is raising one."


    "That''s because your brother has nothing to raise. Buy him a horse and see if he still wants rabbits."


    Mu Yangling stomped her feet. "How is thatparable? A horse costs 80 taels of silver and a rabbit costs 80 copper coins. If it were me, I would prefer horses to rabbits, too."


    Seeing that his daughter got mad, Mu Shi didn''t dare to anger her anymore. He agreed. "Alright, I''ll remember this. Once I enter the city, I''ll give them to those shopkeepers or owners."


    Only then was Mu Yangling satisfied.

 Chapter 41 - 41: Cooperation

    Chapter 41: Cooperation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Shi caught a lot of prey, but he could not bring them all to the county. Instead, he left a quarter for his daughter to bring to town. ¡°If you can¡¯t sell them all, bring the remainder back and make them into jerky outside where it¡¯s well-ventted, lest the smell gets to your mother.¡±


    Mu Yangling responded and sent the items to the restaurants and eateries for them to choose from. After which, she carried the remaining four rabbits home.


    Looking at the dried meat drying in the courtyard, Mu Yangling felt that instead of spending a lot of effort to turn these four rabbits into jerky, they might as well just eat them.


    After some thought, Mu Yangling used a knife to skin the rabbits and left with two rabbits. When Shu Wanniang saw this, she shouted, ¡°What are you going to do with them? Don¡¯t send them to your great-uncle and the rest.¡± Knowing what had happened back then, Shu Wanniang didn¡¯t want to break the current peace.


    Mu Yangling waved her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go exchange for some soybeans since there¡¯s none left at home.¡±


    Only then did Shu Wanniang feel relieved.


    Mu Yangling ran to look for Widow Liu, whose son, Goudan, was chummy with Little Bowen. At this moment, the two kids were ying together. When he saw Mu Yangling carrying two rabbits over, the little fellow drooled and called out sweetly, ¡°Hello, Sister Mu!¡±


    ¡°Hello, Goudan. Is your mother here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s in the house.¡± As he spoke, he abandoned his little friend and ran back to the house to call his mother. ¡°Mother, Sister Mu is here!¡±


    Little Bowen carried his rabbit and ran to his sister¡¯s side. Looking up, he asked, ¡°Is this for Goudan¡¯s family?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m making an exchange with Goudan¡¯s family.¡±


    Eager to eat rabbit meat, Little Bowen drooled and said, ¡°Sister, I want to eat it too.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll bring you to the cave to roast rabbit meatter.¡±


    Little Bowen cheered.


    Widow Liu quickly came out and smiled. ¡°Ah Ling, why are you looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Auntie, do you have any soybeans at home? I want to exchange for two catties of soybeans with you, to make soy milk and tofuter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go weigh them for you. Give me a moment.¡± Although Widow Liu was shrewd, she would not take advantage of Mu Yangling, since her son and Little Bowen were good friends. Hence, she weighed ten catties of soybeans for her.


    After giving her thergest rabbit, Mu Yangling winked at the two little fellows. Little Bowen went forward to pull Goudan and said to Widow Liu, ¡°Auntie, Goudan and I are going to y with my cousins.¡±


    Widow Liu nced at Mu Yangling and nodded with a smile. ¡°Go ahead. Don¡¯t run too quickly and be careful not to fall.¡±


    The two brats responded and ran off.


    Mu Yangling carried the other rabbit to Liu Erqian¡¯s house. Having finished harvesting their grains, his sons and daughters-inw were now threshing and drying the grains in the grain fields. Thus, only he and his two grandsons were at home. Seeing Mu Yangling carrying a rabbit over, he frowned and waved his hands. ¡°Why did you bring this over? Hurry up and leave. Our Liu family doesn¡¯t want your things.¡±


    ¡°Second Great-uncle, 1 have something to ask of you.¡± As she spoke, she looked at Liu Zhi and Liu Zheng.


    Only then did Liu Erqian open his eyes and look at Mu Yangling. He said to his two grandsons, ¡°What are you waiting for? Go next door and y with your cousins.¡±


    Right away, the six-year-old Liu Zhi dragged his four-year-old brother next door to y with his cousins.


    Mu Yangling ced the rabbit in the kitchen and squatted beside Liu Erqian. ¡°Second Great-uncle, have you heard of that witch from Four Vige?¡±


    Liu Erqian¡¯s face immediately turned dark as a ck pot. He snapped fiercely, ¡°It¡¯s difficult not to have heard of her. Child, of all things, why must you believe in such superstitious stuff?¡±


    ¡°Who said I believe in that?¡± Mu Yangling leaned closer to Liu Erqian and lowered her voice. ¡°Second Great-uncle, to tell you the truth, 1 don¡¯t believe in such superstitious stuff the most. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t at all buy her im that Eldest Great-aunt jinxed her husband and children. In this world, money makes the mare go. She¡¯s leading a difficult life right nowrgely because of this reputation.¡±


    Liu Erqian chuckled. ¡°I knew you¡¯re a quick-witted girl. Tell me, what good idea did youe up with? Tell me and I¡¯ll help you. I won¡¯t even ask you to thank me. Just treat it as me being filial to your great-aunt.¡±


    His words were incongruous, but Mu Yangling did not care and whispered into his ear.


    Liu Erqian frowned. ¡°You came up with this? It¡¯s not very righteous.¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted coldly and said, ¡°This is called giving her a taste of her own medicine. How did Eldest Great-aunt¡¯s reputation spread back then? Although I was young at the time, I can easily guess what happened then. After his son caused the deaths of my uncle, aunt, and cousin, he feared that he would have to support Eldest Great-aunt¡¯s family in the future. Plus, he coveted her family¡¯s farnd, so he came up with that vicious idea. We¡¯re just doing the same now. I don¡¯t want to fight for those farnds back. 1 just hope that Eldest Great-aunt and my two cousins will have an easier time in West Mountain Vige. That way, with some help from us, they¡¯ll do just fine.¡±


    Liu Erqian was still hesitating. Although he was aimless, he had never done anything wrong, let alone such a treacherous thing.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Then forget it. Let¡¯s just let Eldest Great-aunt live like this. At most, I¡¯ll visit her every few days.¡±


    Liu Erqian mmed the table and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do it, but we can¡¯t do it personally. Although it might not ur to the Ma family that it¡¯s done by us, people might spread rumors about us. I¡¯ll find an old woman in town to do itter. However, this will cost a lot of money.¡±


    Liu Erqian was worried. Thest time he went to see his eldest sister, he had already given her all his private savings. Now, he really did not have a single cent on him.


    Mu Yangling patted her chest and said, ¡°Second Great-uncle, leave this to me.¡±


    Just as Liu Erqian was about to heave a sigh of relief, he heard Mu Yangling say, ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll go into the mountains to hunt more prey. You take some and sell it in town. It won¡¯t take more than ten days to save up enough money. If all else fails, I¡¯ll steal some of the money from home first, and make up for it after you sell the prey.¡±


    Liu Erqian jumped up and smacked Mu Yangling. ¡°So you came to me because you needed manualbor? I was wondering why you brought me a rabbit¡­¡±


    Jumping up, Mu Yangling ran out and shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll take it that you¡¯ve agreed. See you tomorrow!¡±


    Liu Erqian was so angry that he leaned back, but he could not do anything to her. Touching his old face, he said, ¡°To think you¡¯re doing such things at this age¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling ran next door to look for Liu Ting and the rest. She winked at them, then ran home to get the remaining two rabbits. ¡°Mother, we won¡¯t be eating at home for lunch.¡±


    Shu Wanniang rushed out of the kitchen and called out to Mu Yangling, who had already run away, ¡°Your brother has a delicate stomach. Don¡¯t feed him those things¡­¡±


    However, Mu Yangling had disappeared like a wisp of smoke. Shu Wanniang stomped her feet angrily. ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more mischievous. When your fatheres back, I¡¯ll ask him to teach you a lesson.¡±


    At Mu Yangling¡¯s invitation, Liu Ting said to his mother, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m bringing my younger siblings out to y. We won¡¯t be back for lunch.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhao knew that Mu Yangling must be giving them a treat, so she nodded and said, ¡°Go on. Just don¡¯t fight and y in the water.¡±


    Liu Ting carried Little Bowen on his back while Liu Lun held Goudan¡¯s hand and ran away. Meanwhile, Liu Rong pulled Liu Yun along while Liu Yang walked together with his cousins, Liu Zhi and Liu Zheng.


    When the children in the vige saw them go to the cave, their eyes darted around before following them.


    Although Liu Ting did not like people snatching food from them, Mu Yangling had never stopped them, so he could not make the decision to stop them. By the time they arrived at the cave, almost all the children under the age of ten in the vige had arrived.


    Mu Yangling ced the two rabbits by the water and handed them to Liu Ting. Liu Ting stood on the rock and said, ¡°Today, we¡¯ll eat rabbit meat, but we can¡¯t just eat meat. As usual, each of us will contribute a bunch of vegetables. I¡¯ll be in charge of distributing them. Liu Rong, bring them to pluck some vegetables. Liu Lun, you¡¯re in charge of collecting firewood. Hurry up! Hurry up before we faint from hunger.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, the children immediately scattered and ran towards their own vegetable garden..

 Chapter 42 - 42: Buying Grains

    Chapter 42: Buying Grains


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Liu Ting ced a spare pot on the stove made of y to prepare a random stew of rabbit meat, before dicing half a rabbit to roast.


    However, since only six-year-olds and above were allowed to eat this, the younger ones could only drool as they watched. This was because Mu Yangling had said that children had delicate stomachs, which was further exacerbated by the fact that they often went hungry, so they were forbidden from eating roasted food.


    Even Little Bowen could only drool as he hugged the little rabbit.


    Meanwhile, Mu Yangling was standing in the river with a sharpened wooden stick and aiming at the fish in the water. By the time the rabbit meat was almost cooked, her swift reflexes had allowed her to catch arge grass carp.


    Mu Yanglingughed and threw it onto the shore. Waving at Liu Ting, she said, ¡°Make fish stew using this.¡±


    ¡°You should take it back and let Auntie eat it.¡±


    ¡°My mother can¡¯t stand the fishy smell, and I have no idea how to handle the fish anyway. Just go ahead and stew it here. Let my brother have a bowl of that nutritious fish stewter.¡±


    Liu Ting agreed.


    Only then did Mu Yangling carry Little Bowen to eat.


    Everyone wiped out the food quickly as if they were fighting a war. After putting out the fire and hiding the pot, they hugged their full bellies and returned home.


    As soon as Mu Yangling got home, she was scolded by Shu Wanniang. Mu Yangling wiped her brother¡¯s face and hands, then ced him on the bed. After that, she took a shower, changed her clothes, before climbing onto the bed to sleep. She pulled the nket over her stomach and said, ¡°Mother, Brother is too quiet. By ying with everyone more often, he¡¯ll be bolder. If all he does is study at home, he¡¯ll be a bookworm in the future.¡±


    Having said that, she turned around to take an afternoon nap. By then, Little Bowen had already fallen asleep.


    Shu Wanniang looked at the two children and sighed helplessly. After covering their stomachs with the nket, she went out, closed the door, and returned to her room.


    That night, Mu Shi did not return. Only after checking the doors and windows, and cing a stick by the bed, did Mu Yangling go to sleep.


    The next day, she woke up and waited for activity to pick up in the vige before carrying the basket into the mountains. That day, she handed Liu Erqian some prey and sent the rest to the eatery and restaurant, then returned home with the earnings.


    When Mu Shi returned in the afternoon, Shu Wanniang prepared hot water for him to wash up. Seeing that he looked tired, she asked, ¡°Where did you stayst night?¡±


    ¡°I found a cheap inn in the city and stayed there for the night. I¡¯m going to take a nap. Wake me up at dinner tonight.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s gaze swept across Mu Shi¡¯s clothes. Seeing her mother¡¯s pained expression, she did not dare to speak.


    There were some straw crumbs on the back of her father¡¯s clothes. It was obvious to Mu Yangling that her father had slept in the county¡¯snd templest night.


    Shu Wanniang, on the other hand, didn¡¯t suspect anything and went to prepare dinner for her husband.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Father, rest for a day tomorrow while 1 enter the mountain to deliver prey to town. You can go to the county the day after tomorrow.¡±


    Mu Shi nodded. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll go rest first. When your brotheres backter, don¡¯t let him enter the room and disturb me.¡±


    The Mu family¡¯s schedule was decided just like that. Mu Shi would make a trip to the county after resting for a day, and that trip would take two days.


    All the business in town was handed over to Mu Yangling. While supplying prey to the eatery and restaurant, she secretly earned a small sum of money with Liu Erqian.


    Right now, the grain in the vige was sold atst year¡¯s price.


    Liu Erqian specially stayed at home for a day because of this. They did not know who was buying the grains, but it was obvious that the buyer wasn¡¯t one of the three Minister Counselors. Liu Daqian only hesitated for a moment before agreeing on behalf of the vigers and asking for cash.


    ¡°I wonder who they are. If we offend the Minister Counselors, we¡­¡± Ma Dazhuang¡¯s father was very hesitant.


    Liu Erqian snorted coldly and said, ¡°So what if we offend them? Are they not ashamed to offer such a price to their fellow vigers? They¡¯re the ones who offended us first. Previously, we were in discussion with a few viges to sell our grains to foreign merchants. Now, there isn¡¯t even a need for that. That should teach them a lesson.¡±


    Liu Daqian red at his younger brother, before saying to everyone, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve asked around. These people also bought grains at this price in the nearby viges. Those viges are also willing. Not to mention that the Minister Counselors can¡¯t me us, even if there¡¯s a conflict, surely so many of us aren¡¯t afraid of the three of them?¡±


    As the saying went, ¡®If aw was vited by the masses, it would instead be left unenforced.¡¯ Everyone was relieved to hear that it was not just their own vige.


    Hence, when the grain buyers came the next day, many families sold their grains to them.


    Besides having to pay for their payment to a porter, money was needed here and there in everyday life. In addition, this year was considered a bumper harvest year, so everyone could more or less exchange some grains for money. After selling their grains, the vigers¡¯ money bags swelled up, and the entire vige was filled with joy.


    Not everyone was happy though¡ªMinister Liu, Minister Zhao, and Minister Zhang were almost angered to death. A few days ago, the shopkeepers sent by them to the countryside to buy grains had been turned down because the vigers deemed the price too low. Annoyed at being snubbed, the wealthy trio decided to suppress the aura of those bumpkins by leaving them hanging before subsequently lowering the price even further. They figured those vigers would panic by then and have no choice but to sell their grains to them, no matter how low the price was.


    Not only in Seven Mile Vige, but the few squires in the county had also conspired to push down the price. Who knew that in just a few days, someone actually dared toe to their territory to buy grains?


    When they asked around the county, they realized that this situation was not unique to Seven Mile Vige. Even in the state and county, someone was buying grains atst year¡¯s price and even conducting the transactions in cash.


    The few squires really could not sit still anymore. Unable to determine the background of the person behind this, they did not dare to act rashly and could only gather to think of a solution.


    Meanwhile, the grain buyers swept past one vige after another.


    Oblivious to this, the people in Nearhill Vige were just happy to sell their grains and earn money. Liu Erqian even came to look for Mu Yangling and dered proudly, ¡°Now that I¡¯ve got money, I¡¯ll go to town tomorrow and find an old woman to make a trip to Four Vige.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Your wife won¡¯t beat you up?¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Liu Erqian red at her and said, ¡°Can a woman interfere with me? Don¡¯t worry about this matter. Just watch me.¡±


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s lips twitched. She had seen her second great-aunt chase her second great-uncle out of the house with a club. At that time, Second Great-uncle didn¡¯t even dare to let out a fart.


    ¡°Alright, 1¡¯11 do as you say.¡±


    Liu Erqian went to town and paid an eloquent old woman 500 yuan to look for the witch.


    Although she was called a witch, she was actually just an ordinary vige woman. However, she would make up some nonsense based on one¡¯s appearance. Gradually, everyone believed she had the powers of a witch. In spite of that, her family was not doing well either, for she had quite a few sons and their family didn¡¯t have muchnd. Even though people came to her for fortune-telling, they only paid her ten to 20 copper coins for her hard work.


    Therefore, when the eloquent old woman sent by Mu Yangling offered her one tael of silver for her to change her statement, the witch agreed despite her hesitation.


    As for exactly what to say, it would depend on her intelligence. As long as she didn¡¯t implicate Madam Ma-Liu, she could say whatever she wanted..

 Chapter 43 - 43: Rumors

    Chapter 43: Rumors


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Hence, when Mu Yangling carried some rabbits to visit Eldest Great-aunt again, the atmosphere in West Mountain Vige was rather strange. When the vigers saw Mu Yangling from afar, they avoided her.


    Though a little puzzled, Mu Yangling still headed straight for her eldest great-aunt¡¯s house.


    When Ma Xiuhong and Ma Xin saw Mu Yangling, their eyes lit up. ¡°Cousin, you¡¯re here!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Eldest Great-aunt?¡±


    ¡°Grandma went to the threshing floor. Someone recently came to our vige to buy grains, so Grandma sold all the grains fromst year. Now, we¡¯re just waiting to dry the new grains and store them in the warehouse.¡±


    Mu Yangling ced the things in the kitchen and asked, ¡°When 1 entered the vige just now, I saw that the vigers¡¯ attitude was strange. Did someone bully you again?¡±


    The two children shook their heads in confusion. Ma Xiuhong said, ¡°No, no one has been bullying us recently. Eldest Great-uncle hasn¡¯te over either.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Have a seat. I¡¯ll go to your second aunt¡¯s house to take a look.¡±


    Madam Ma-Zhang was sitting in front of her house, munching on melon seeds. When she saw Mu Yanglinging over, she stood up and patted her sleeve. With a smile, she said, ¡°Aiyo, you¡¯re here to see your great-aunt?¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled and nodded. ¡°Second Aunt, you seem to be quite free. Have you finished harvesting your grains?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already finished harvesting that little bit of grains long ago. I¡¯m just waiting to thresh it and dry it in the sun.¡± Madam Ma-Zhang¡¯s gaze slid across her hand. In a hushed voice, she asked, ¡°Lass, are you sending meat to your great-aunt again? Aiyo, after you left that day, the fragrance of meat lingered for a few days. Your family is really good to your great-aunt.¡± She wondered why they were nowhere to be seen for the past three to four years though.


    With an embarrassed smile, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Our family hunts, so this is all we have to offer


    Eldest Great-aunt. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing to always take things from her.¡±


    Madam Ma-Zhang asked, ¡°What do you take from her?¡±


    ¡°A lot. My family doesn¡¯t grow grains, and we don¡¯t even have many side dishes like pickled vegetables, pickled beans, soybeans and peanuts. Even though Great-aunt is generous, my father and I can¡¯t very well keep taking these things from her for free. We can only reciprocate with some stuff ande over from time to time to see if there¡¯s anything we can help with.¡± Mu Yangling pped the wall vigorously and smiled. ¡°My father and I don¡¯t have anything else but strength.¡±


    Some soil fell off from the impact of that p.


    Mu Yangling immediately forced a smile in embarrassment. ¡°I failed to control my strength, hehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Madam Ma-Zhang alsoughed dryly. Recalling the strength Mu Yangling had disyed thest two times, she didn¡¯t dare to provoke her again. Thinking of the rumors in the vige these few days, she wanted to sell her a favor.


    Pulling her into the house, Madam Ma-Zhang whispered, ¡°Lass, 1 have something to tell you. When you go out, don¡¯t tell anyone that I told you this.¡± Mu Yangling asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s so mysterious?¡±


    ¡°Aiyo, isn¡¯t it mysterious? Didn¡¯t the witch from Four Vige say that your Eldest Great-aunt jinxed her husband and children?¡± Seeing Mu Yangling¡¯s cold expression, Madam Ma-Zhang hurriedly added, ¡°Let me finish speaking. There¡¯s a new development about this matter now.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Mu Yangling frowned and said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe what the witch said.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re still young. You¡¯ll understand when you grow up.¡± Madam Ma-Zhang continued, ¡°Two days ago, that witch brought something over and left it outside your great-aunt¡¯s house. I heard that there were two catties of brown sugar inside.¡±


    Sugar was more expensive than salt in this world, and was one of the expensive gifts in the countryside. Here, two catties of brown sugar was considered a medium-grade gift. Why would the witch give Madam Ma-Liu a gift for no reason?


    Madam Ma-Liu didn¡¯t know who had gifted her the sugar, but many people in the vige who had seen it told her.


    Since Madam Ma-Liu had a feud with the witch from Four Vige, she immediately asked someone to return it. However, the witch asked her youngest son to send it back. This time, she even added 20 eggs. She only said that she had wronged Madam Ma-Liu, and begged her forgiveness, hoping that she would not hold any grudges against her.


    Naturally, Madam Ma-Liu had to get to the bottom of this, but the witch refused to speak no matter what. Seeing that she was mumbling, Madam Ma-Liu became even angrier. She threw those things out and cursed, ¡°There is never a foul face but there¡¯s a foul fancy.¡± Then, she simply left it at that.


    However, right now, the autumn harvest had just ended and everyone was taking a break from all that hard work. Naturally, they would not let go of such good gossip. Some nosy-parkers even deliberately went to Four Vige to find out more. After squatting outside the witch¡¯s house for two days, they heard some things here and there.


    It turned out that more than four years ago, when Ma Dagui went to her to have his fortune told, she had just recovered from a serious illness and her powers were greatly weakened at the time. Misled, she had made a wrong judgment. Now that four years had passed, she wanted to select a plot ofnd with good Feng Shui, so she took a risk and read her own fortune. Unexpectedly, she suddenly saw that she had done something to umte bad karma, and that this would probably affect her Feng Shui and peace in the future. Not daring to be negligent, she searched the cases by one. Finally, she found that the culprit was the fortune-telling she had done for Madam Ma-Liu four years ago.


    She had read the fortune wrongly then. Because she caused Madam Ma-Liu to suffer from rumors, this bad karma might befall her instead.


    Madam Ma-Liu said mysteriously, ¡°That witch was afraid that this matter would affect her peace after her death, so she prepared a big gift to apologize. She¡¯s hoping that your great-aunt can ept that gift and absolve her of her sins.¡±


    Mu Yangling tried her best to restrain herself from twitching the corners of her mouth. This was obviously gibberish made up by the witch, yet many people believed this. Thankfully, she had given the witch free rein to say whatever she wanted.


    Evidently, the witch was giving her utmost for that money.


    Mu Yangling tried her best to look shocked and asked, ¡°Did the witch say who misled her?¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu pointed to the east and said, ¡°Who else could it be? Back then, it was their family who went to have their fortune told. Later on, it was also their family who benefited. That¡¯s not all. The witch also said that the reason why your uncle¡¯s family is in such a miserable state is because his life is too tough and he robs people of their luck. Your great-aunt¡¯s family¡¯s luck will more or less be snatched away because they¡¯re too closely-rted to him and live in close proximity.¡±


    Needless to say, this person was Ma Dagui.


    Mu Yangling frowned. This witch was so ruthless, it was almost as if she had a feud with Ma Dagui. Didn¡¯t she just ask her to fabricate some specious words to turn the attention away from her great-aunt?


    She wondered if her being so ruthless would have the opposite effect and implicate Great-aunt in the end.


    Madam Ma-Liu said worriedly, ¡°In this vige, apart from a few with external surnames, who doesn¡¯t have the surname Ma? Almost everyone here is rted to their family, one way or another. No wonder their family has been so prosperous in the past few years. It turns out that it¡¯s because they¡¯ve snatched our luck, especially your great-aunt¡¯s family. I heard that the reason why their family is so prosperous is because all the luck that originally belonged to your great-aunt¡¯s descendants has been snatched away by them.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Did the witch say that too?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for her to say that. Everyone can guess it with their eyes closed.¡±


    Indeed, the wisdom of the working people could not be underestimated. Geez, just look at the rumors.


    Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Does my great-aunt know about this?¡±


    ¡°Tsk, who would dare to tell your great-aunt about such a big matter?¡±


    Mu Yangling quickly took the opportunity to ask a favor of her. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to ask Aunt to hide it from my great-aunt for a few more days. If she finds out about this, there¡¯ll definitely be trouble. I¡¯ll tell her when the time is right.¡± Mu Yangling paused and said, ¡°Next time when Ie to exchange things with my great-aunt, I¡¯ll bring a piece of meat for you. Aunt, please don¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡±


    Eyes lighting up, Madam Ma-Zhang replied with a smile, ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite. Don¡¯t worry, with me around, 1 won¡¯t let your great-aunt find out. Remember toe and y often.¡± Getting a piece of meat with just a few words was such a great deal..

 Chapter 44 - 44: Gift

    Chapter 44: Gift


    Trantor: As Studios


    Editor: As Studios


    The protagonist of a rumor was often thest to hear of said rumor.


    Madam Ma-Liu was so busy every day that she didn¡¯t even have time to drink water, let alone catch wind of that rumor. Hence, she was simply happy that Mu Yangling hade to visit her.


    She knew that Shu Wanniang came from a wealthy family and didn¡¯t know how to grow vegetables, so she went to the vegetable garden to pick some vegetables. She also took a lot of pickled vegetables for Mu Yangling to bring back and said, ¡°Your mother will be giving birth in three months, right? By then, the weather will be cold and there won¡¯t be much to do in the fields. 1 can go take care of her during her confinement period. Go back and ask your mother if she¡¯d like that. If she doesn¡¯t mind that I¡¯m clumsy, I¡¯ll start preparing the red cloth.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Great-aunt? My mother often tells me that you were the one who helped take care of her for the first three days after she gave birth to me. If it weren¡¯t for you, my parents would have struggled on their own. They were young then and didn¡¯t even know how to hold a baby.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liuughed. ¡°Child, your parents weren¡¯t young back then. Your father was 21, and your mother, 17.¡±


    Mu Yangling lowered her head. Her mother was pregnant with her at the age of 16. Wasn¡¯t 16 considered young enough? Back then, when she was born, she was shocked when she found out about her mother¡¯s age.


    ¡°Alright, go back quickly. When you run out of these,e here and get some more.¡±


    Mu Yangling went back, threw down her things, then immediately went to look for her second great-uncle. Shu Wanniang turned to ask Mu Shi, ¡°Ah Ling has been hanging out with Second Uncle often these past few days. I wonder why.¡±


    Mu Shi replied nonchntly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Before Second Uncle does anything, he needs to ask Eldest Uncle first. Even if Second Uncle isn¡¯t reliable, don¡¯t we still have Eldest Uncle?¡±


    Mu Shi¡¯s guess was right. Upon hearing that the witch had cooked up such a fantastic reason, Liu Erqian chuckled and pped his hands. ¡°1¡¯11 go to your eldest great-uncle and gather some men to go to West Mountain Vige to get back your great-aunt¡¯s farnd. Hmph, let¡¯s see what other reason Ma Dagui¡¯s family has to refuse.¡±


    ¡°Second Great-uncle, isn¡¯t this witch going too far? Is there some grudge between her and Ma Dagui?¡±


    ¡°How would 1 know? If you want to know, go ask her yourself. Alright, don¡¯t get involved in what¡¯s toe. You should let your third great-uncle and the others handle the quarreling. With his eloquence, he can talk the dead back to life.¡±


    Mu Yangling hesitated. ¡°Third great-uncle isn¡¯t part of our family. Would he help?¡±


    After a moment of silence, Liu Erqian said, ¡°Why don¡¯t 1 bring two pots of wine over? But considering I¡¯m older than him, that¡¯s too degrading.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re unwilling, let Uncle and the others go. Then, take the money to town to buy two catties of meat and a big rooster. Plus, I¡¯ll bring his grandson to the cave and let him bring Third Great-uncle two wild rabbits. This way, he¡¯ll definitely be willing.¡± Even if he was unwilling, he had to be willing.


    Liu Erqian¡¯s heart ached for the money. ¡°How much would this cost?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll hunt for youter. You can sell the prey in town to make up for that. These days, my father goes to the county every other day and hasn¡¯t been conducting business in the town market.¡±


    Since they were already halfway through, Liu Erqian naturally could not give up. In spite of his heartache, he could only fork out money for his son to go to town to buy meat and a rooster. He also had to go over and tell his eldest brother what he had done recently. Naturally, it was more appropriate for the eldest brother to step in when it came to such matters.


    That night, Mu Shi was invited to the Liu family¡¯s courtyard at thest minute. More than 20 people gathered for a discussion.


    Since the situation was so favorable, it was obviously impossible for Liu Daqian to give up on seeking justice for his elder sister this time. Of course, he would not reveal to them what his younger brother and Mu Yangling had done. He would only tell them about the rumors that Mu Yangling had heard in West Mountain Vige when she went to visit her great-aunt today.


    Liu Daqian said, ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to secretly sound out the situation first. If it¡¯s really as Ah Ling said, we have to seek justice from the Ma family no matter what. In the past few years, because of this reputation, not only has Great-aunt not been living well in West Mountain Vige, but the daughters of our Liu family have also had to restrain their tempers and live cautiously in their inws¡¯ families. It¡¯s not that my heart doesn¡¯t ache, nor is it that 1 don¡¯t feel resentful. Now that there¡¯s an opportunity, there¡¯s no reason for our Liu family¡¯s daughters to suffer anymore.¡±


    Which of the people present did not have a daughter?


    Because of Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s reputation, there were also some rumors saying that the daughters of the Liu family were born tough. Although it was not to the extent that their daughters could not be married off, it resulted in them having fewer choices and needing to live cautiously.


    Those with more daughters were the first to express their opinion. ¡°We¡¯ll do as Uncle says. Now that we know Eldest Aunt was framed by the Ma family, we naturally can¡¯t sit back and do nothing.¡±


    With someone taking the lead, everyone quickly responded one after another.


    Liu Daqian chose two smart young men from the n to scout for information with his son before making ns.


    Liu Daqian said, ¡°We¡¯re nearing the end of the autumn harvest. Those remaining can stay at home to dry the grains. If you want to sell grains, you have to hurry up. Over the past few days, Minister Liu¡¯s steward has often been at the entrance of our vige. 1 don¡¯t know when the price of grains will change. When everyone¡¯s new grains are in the barn and everyone is free, we¡¯ll make a trip to West Mountain Vige.¡±


    When they heard that there was time for them to work on their fields, everyone was even more satisfied.


    Liu Daqian left his third brother Liu Dazhu behind.


    Liu Dazhu and Liu Daqian were cousins sharing the same grandfather. As Liu Dazhu had been sent to town as an apprentice when he was young, he was smart and his eloquence surpassed most in the vige.


    Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian had the same thoughts. If they could get Liu Dazhu to go along with them, their sess rate would increase by at least 20%.


    Last time, Liu Dazhu had also gone to West Mountain Vige, but he had not put in any effort. From his performance, one could tell that he was a smart person and did not offend anyone easily. If they wanted him to help, they had to offer him some benefits.


    Although Liu Daqian didn¡¯t like his character, he still had to persuade him to help for his sister¡¯s sake. In any case, it could probably be settled with a few gifts.


    Liu Daqian pushed the gift that Liu Erqian had bought to him and said with a smile, ¡°Dazhu, you have to help out your eldest cousin. You also know that your second brother and 1 are inarticte. Therefore,ter when we go to West Mountain Vige, we¡¯ll have to rely on you to take the lead.¡±


    Liu Dazhu smoked his pipe without saying a word. Knowing that he despised the gift, Liu Erqian was secretly angry. After pondering for a moment, Liu Daqian said, ¡°If you can really help your cousin get back her farnd, I¡¯ll give your child, Liu Xiao, the big red packet for the new year.¡±


    The big red packet was the first Chinese New Year¡¯s gift for the eldest grandson of the direct line of descent. It contained 600 copper coins, and had an auspicious meaning.


    This was certainly not a small gift.


    A beam immediately spread across Liu Dazhu¡¯s face. He chuckled and said, ¡°Eldest Cousin and Second Cousin, why are you being so polite to me? Eldest Cousin is also my cousin, so I will naturally help her. Don¡¯t worry, when we go to West Mountain Vigeter, I will help Eldest Cousin get back Eldest Nephew¡¯s farnd even if 1 have to risk my life.¡±


    Liu Daqian nodded with a smile. ¡°Thank you, Dazhu. Alright, you can go back first.¡± As he spoke, he carried the gift and sent him out.


    Liu Dazhu took the things from him and waved his hand. ¡°Brother, you don¡¯t have to send me further. I¡¯ll go back myself. It¡¯s not far.¡±


    It was indeed not far. The two families were only three houses away.


    Seeing his figure disappear into the darkness, Liu Daqian sighed and turned to his second brother. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back.¡±


    Liu Erqian gritted her teeth in anger. ¡°In the future, if anything happens to his daughter, he¡¯d better not look for me. Otherwise¡­¡±


    Liu Daqian pped him and shouted, ¡°What nonsense is that? How can you say that about your niece? Tomorrow, tell All Ling not to give his grandson any rabbits. If not, he¡¯ll be spoiled. She should just eat the rabbits herself.¡±


    Liu Erqian quickly followed and whispered, ¡°Brother, All Ling said that there¡¯s an overpoption of wild rabbits in the forest. She said that there¡¯s no need to use bows and arrows to hunt for rabbits in the mountains now. We just need to remove the traps and we can pick enough to sell in town.¡±


    Liu Daqian frowned. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    Liu Erqian hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°That child told me two days ago that she wanted to bring her uncles into the mountains when she¡¯s free. They¡¯d be able to catch at least a few rabbits. If there¡¯s more, we can make them into jerky so we don¡¯t have to eat a vegetarian diet the entire winter.¡±


    Liu Daqian red at him. ¡°1 think you¡¯re the one who¡¯s greedy, right? Those boys followed Shi Tou into the mountains to learn how to set up traps when they were 18 years old, but when have they sessfully caught prey by themselves? Even when they did catch a prey, it was because Shi Tou pre-selected the location and corrected them over and over again. 1 won¡¯t allow you to take advantage of them.¡±


    Liu Erqian stomped his feet. ¡°Brother, things aren¡¯t the same anymore. Now that everyone¡¯s lives have improved a lot, what¡¯s wrong with helping each other?¡±


    ¡°No means no.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re just stubborn.¡± Liu Erqian was also fuming. After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°Alright, even if we don¡¯t take advantage of Shi Tou, All Ling already treats the children to meat so often. Not only does it consume energy, time, it also uses a lot of oil and salt. Isn¡¯t it better to let her instruct her uncles to go into the mountains to work for her? At least the children don¡¯t have to follow behind her eagerly. Neither does she have to be the leader of the children every time shees back from town, taking the children to the cave and serving them.¡±


    Liu Daqian immediately fell silent..

 Chapter 45 - 45: Teaching

    Chapter 45: Teaching


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After making up his mind, Liu Erqian found his two sons and two nephews and instructed, ¡°Pack up. Tomorrow, follow your niece into the mountains. The overpoption of rabbits in the mountains are causing a disaster. Now that there¡¯s not much work left at home, your wives will be able to handle the chores here.¡±


    Liu Ting¡¯s eyes lit up as he secretly became excited. ¡°Second Uncle, did my father agree?¡±


    Liu Erqian red at him. ¡°What do you think?¡± Although his brother did not agree, he did not stop him.


    ¡°If you feel bad, pack some agricultural products and send them overter. Because Shi Ton¡¯s wife doesn¡¯t know how to farm and grow vegetables, they use vegetables sparingly at home.¡±


    Farmers did notck these things the most, so the four of them readily agreed.


    When they went to bed at night, Liu Ting told his wife the good news and said, ¡°The children are still growing. If they can eat more meat, they will definitely be stronger and stand more steadily.¡±


    There were many children in the countryside who died prematurely. Even if the eldest son, Liu Lang, was already n years old, there was still no guarantee that he would survive into adulthood, let alone the two even younger children.


    Madam Liu-Zhao was also overjoyed. ¡°Go into the mountains. 1¡¯11 work at home. When you enter the mountains, listen to Ah Ling and stick close to her. If anything goes wrong, run out. You¡¯re the pir of the family. It¡¯s naturally good to have those things, but even without them we can still live well. Don¡¯t be greedy.¡±


    The other two families also had simr reminders. Only Liu Erqian¡¯s youngest son, Liu Xuan, was not married yet. As soon as he returned home, he curled up in bed and slept. The next day, he woke up in high spirits after the rooster crowed a second time.


    Compared to his cousins and brothers¡¯ various goals, his was much simpler¡ªhunt rabbits and eat meat.


    The four brothers tidied up and stood at the entrance of the Mu residence early in the morning.


    When Mu Shi came out and saw them, he was slightly stunned. Mu Yangling said, ¡°Father, enter the mountain yourself today. I¡¯ll bring Uncles in.¡±


    Mu Shi hesitated for a moment before nodding. In any case, he usually did not walk the same path as his daughter, and would always go deeper.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bring your uncles too deep in. Don¡¯t go further than the jujube trees area.¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed. After watching Mu Shi enter the mountain, she said to her four uncles, ¡°Let¡¯s go into the mountain.¡±


    They were mainly setting up traps today and woulde back to collect the trapped prey the next day. Mu Yangling was very familiar with this area.


    After entering the forest and walking for half an hour, they encountered a bunch of jujube trees. The jujubes could be harvested pretty soon, and the young men in the vige woulde in together to pick them. However, there were usually very few people here, so there was a thickyer of fallen leaves on the ground and withered jujubes that had fallen to the ground.


    Liu Ting reached out to pluck one from the tree and stuffed it into his mouth. ¡°Not bad. We cane to pick the jujubes in another 20 days¡¯ time.¡±


    The wild jujubes in the mountains were harvestedter than those nted outside.


    Mu Yangling looked around and said, ¡°Uncle, rabbits like to nest nearby, but there are also animals who like to eat wild jujubes roaming around, so don¡¯t go far. If anything happens, shout.¡± Mu Yangling had specially brought a big bow into the mountain today to prevent any idents.


    The four uncles agreed.


    Mu Yangling patrolled around and made marks after checking the tracks left behind by rabbits. In a while, she would set a trap here.


    At this moment, the sky had just lit up. The first rays of dawn shone through the leaves andnded on the ground, softening Mu Yangling¡¯s expression.


    Liu Ting spat twice, picked up the hoe, and walked over. He asked, ¡°All Ling, where do we start?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s dig this first. Uncle Zhuang, you and Uncle Yuan will arrange the knot in the ce where I made the marks ording to what my father taught you in the past. Uncle Xuan,e with me. I¡¯ll bring you to find the rabbit nest, and we¡¯ll smoke the rabbitster.¡±


    Liu Xuan¡¯s eyes sparkled.


    Mu Yangling taught him how to observe animal tracks and determine the size and breed of the animals that left those tracks. However, even after staring for a long time, Liu Xuan couldn¡¯t tell the difference between the two bushes. Why was it that a fox had once passed through that bush?


    Mu Yangling looked at him strangely. ¡°Uncle Xuan, don¡¯t you smell a stench?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Liu Xuan said, ¡°No, I only smelled the fresh fragrance of wild jujubes.¡±


    ¡°¡­Then can you tell what¡¯s different about this bush?¡± Mu Yangling pointed at a knee-high bush not far away and asked.


    Liu Xuan took a closer look and said, ¡°It seems to have been bent.¡±


    ¡°What about the bush beside it?¡± Mu Yangling pointed at another bush that was also slightly bent. If one didn¡¯t look carefully, they wouldn¡¯t be able to tell.


    ¡°It¡¯s bent too.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Do you know how it was bent?¡±


    Liu Xuan shook his head.


    Mu Yangling pointed at the first bush and said, ¡°This was blown by the wind.¡±


    Liu Xuan:¡±¡­¡±


    ¡°Look over there, there¡¯s a big open space. You can feel the wind from here. In other words, this position is facing the wind. From the way the grass is bent down as a whole, with a smooth bend, it doesn¡¯t look like the bent was caused by an animal pressing down upon it.¡±


    Liu Xuan nodded excitedly. ¡°I get it now.¡±


    ¡°What about the bush up there?¡±


    Liu Xuan replied hesitatingly, ¡°Was it also blown by the wind?¡±


    ¡°No, it was bent by a wild boar.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Liu Xuan looked at it repeatedly before asking, ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a shallow pig trotter mark on the ground and two pig feces behind the tree.¡±


    Liu Xuany on the ground and looked for a long time, but he could not see the shallow pig trotter mark. However, he saw the pig feces behind the tree. Though, he would not notice it if he did not deliberately pay attention, because the grass under the tree was very thick. If he did not pry it open, he would not be able to discover it.


    ¡°Moreover, this grass suddenly bent down from two-thirds of the top, so it must have been crushed by something¡­¡±


    Liu Xuan looked back and forth between the two bushes, but he still couldn¡¯t tell in what ways the bends were different. Turning his mosquito-like eyes to look at his niece, he said, ¡°Ah Ling, I¡¯d better not learn. Just tell me where the rabbit nest is. I¡¯ll go smoke it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright, the rabbit¡¯s nest is in the grass not far from the tree you were looking at just now. Didn¡¯t you see that hole when you went to pry the grass just now?¡± The reason Mu Yangling asked him to look at the two bushes was because she wanted to teach him how to distinguish the rabbit¡¯s holes, but it was obvious that the homework she had prepared was useless.


    Liu Xuan rubbed his nose and ran to look at the hole. He asked, ¡°Everyone says that there are many exits in the rabbit hole. Where are the other exits?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll look for it.¡± Mu Yangling walked around the vicinity and found another entrance. She said to Liu Xuan, ¡°Come here and stand guard. Use a sack to cover the entrance. I¡¯ll start a fire to smoke the rabbits.¡±


    There were many trees in the forest, and even the slightest spark could cause a fire. Therefore, Mu Yangling was very careful every time she started a fire. This being the first time she had brought Liu Xuan into the mountains, she didn¡¯t feel confident leaving such an important matter to him.


    Mu Yangling taught him some techniques, then pulled out a few handfuls of grass and dried grass and ced them at the entrance of the rabbit hole. After which, she gently lit a fire with the flint. When a lot of smoke rose from the fire, she ced the grass at the entrance and fanned the fire with therge leaves she had just picked.


    Most of the smoke went into the entrance. After a while, smoke floated out of another entrance. That was how Mu Yangling knew that it was about time. She was afraid that there were still entrances that she had yet to find, so she looked around and nned to run over to block it should smokee out from other ces.


    The two of them were very lucky. The first rabbit hole they found only had two exits. After a while, exmations came from Liu Xuan¡¯s side. Snow-white rabbits quickly escaped from the hole and rushed into his sack.


    Seeing that no more rabbits came out, Liu Xuan quickly pressed the sack tightly and shouted happily, ¡°All Ling,e and take a look. The snow-white rabbits are beautiful!¡±


    Mu Yangling ran over to take a look. There was a big snow-white rabbit and four little rabbits quietly squeezed at the bottom of the sack. Mu Yangling said happily, ¡°Uncle Xuan, you¡¯re really lucky! Those young masters and youngdies in the county adore such snow-white rabbits. Let¡¯s hurry down the mountainter and get my father to bring them to the county. They will definitely fetch a good price.¡±


    Liu Xuan beamed. ¡°How is that due to my luck? It¡¯s clearly Ah Ling who¡¯s blessed..¡±

 Chapter 46 - 46: Perception

    Chapter 46: Perception


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Whether it was Liu Xuan¡¯s good luck or Mu Yangling¡¯s good fortune, everything went very smoothly after that. They took down several rabbit nests in a row.


    The grass under the jujube tree was lush, old, and difficult to chew. However, beyond this area, there would be a small hill. There was a small pond there that would not dry up as long as it was not a dry season. The grass inside was tender, so many rabbits liked to dig holes in or near the jujube forest for the convenience of eating the tender grass and drinking water.


    However, because every year, the vigers woulde here to pick wild jujubes, the Mu father and daughter consciously bypassed this area and left these rabbits for them to hunt when they came to pick wild jujubes. When the time came, each family would be able to split some. Although each family would only get a little, the rabbits in autumn were fat and it was better than nothing.


    It was Mu Yangling¡¯s first time bringing them here today, so she brought them here to familiarize themselves with the ce. However, they would have to go elsewhere tomorrow, to the ces where Mu Yangling often hunted. It was much more dangerous there, but there were also more prey.


    When Mu Yangling and Liu Xuan returned with half a bag of rabbits, the three of them had also finished setting up the trap and were sitting on the ground to rest. Each of them was nibbling on two jujubes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. 1¡¯11 bring you to collect prey.¡± Mu Yangling¡¯s trap was set in another direction. Seeing that it was about time now, she brought them over and taught them how to differentiate between traps.


    When Mu Yangling went over and took out the prey that had fallen into the trap and covered it up, the four Liu brothers were shocked. ¡°We can earn a lot just by relying on the trap.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°This is because I¡¯m lucky today. Usually it¡¯s not that many.¡± Almost one out of three traps would be destroyed, and only one out of four traps contained prey.


    Mu Yangling even found a goat in thest trap.


    The goat had injured its leg after falling into the trap and was looking up at Mu Yangling and bleating.


    Upon taking a closer look, Mu Yangling realized that its stomach was bulging. She jumped down and grabbed its horn with all her might, then touched the goat¡¯s stomach as she said, ¡°Mommy goat is pregnant with baby goat.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up. As Mu Bowen had a weak constitution, she had wanted to buy him a goat for goat milk a long time ago. However, her life in the past had not been good, and her family did not have any spare money. Even though they recently had some money, due to various happenings, this n to get a goat had been dyed. She had not expected to catch a pregnant goat now.


    Mu Yangling jumped into the trap and said to her four uncles, ¡°Help me carry the other things. I¡¯ll carry the goat out.¡±


    Liu Ting said, ¡°It¡¯s better for me to carry the goat out with your second uncle. What if you get kicked by the goat?¡±


    Unlike domestic goats, wild goats were incredibly fierce.


    Mu Yangling said confidently, ¡°It won¡¯t dare to kick me.¡±


    If two people carried it, it would more or less cause harm to the goat. Thus, it was best if she carried it. Anyway, she didn¡¯t find it heavy at all.


    Mu Yangling handed the things to them before jumping down. She nimbly grabbed the goat¡¯s front leg, circled around its back, and picked it up.


    The goat struggled violently for a while before it realized that not only could it not break free, but struggling would also aggravate its wound. In addition, Mu Yangling kept stroking its chin, so the goat gradually quietened down. It obediently let Mu Yangling carry it out of the trap and out of the forest.


    There were no bull pens or pig pens in the Mu family, only a storeroom. However, it was obvious that a goat could not be raised there. Mu Yangling did not mind and tied it to arge rock with a rope.


    Next, it was time to divide the prey.


    Mu Yangling took out the prey that had fallen into her trap and ced it aside. The rest were the rabbits from the rabbit¡¯s nest that she had smoked with her four uncles.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Uncles, the four of you can have these rabbits. If you want to bring them to town to sell, you should go early. You can raise some of the younger rabbits at home first and let my cousins feed them with grass. They¡¯ll definitely be able to fetch a decent price in a few months.¡±


    Liu Ting pondered and said, ¡°Leave two at home and sell the rest. We¡¯ve never raised rabbits before. What if they die? If the others can¡¯t be sold, we¡¯ll bring them back and raise them first if they¡¯re still alive. If they die, we¡¯ll smoke them into jerky and keep them for winter.¡±


    The other three had no objections.


    Mu Yangling stood up and said, ¡°Then jump out. I¡¯m also preparing to go to town. Eldest Uncle, that nest of white rabbits was gorgeous. It won¡¯t sell for much in town, but it¡¯s different in the county. Why don¡¯t you let my father bring it to the county?¡±


    Liu Ting said with a smile, ¡°You were the one who smoked the rabbit¡¯s nest. We merely benefited from your hard work. If not for the fact that you didn¡¯t want it, we would have nned to give you half of all the rabbits. Since this thing is going to be brought to the county, it¡¯s yours. When it gets soldter, ask your father to buy you candy.¡±


    Liu Xuan found the nest of rabbits from the sack and handed it to Mu Yangling. With a straight face, he said, ¡°If you refuse, we won¡¯t dare to follow you into the mountains in the future.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment before taking it and carefully keeping the rabbits in the cage.


    Liu Ting and the other three discussed for a while and finally decided that Liu Ting and Liu Xuan would go to town while Liu Zhuang and Liu Yuan would stay at home.


    Mu Shi quickly came out of the mountains, too. He carried a wild boar on his shoulder and a fiery red little fox in his hand.


    Seeing that there was sweat on his forehead, Mu Yangling quickly went forward to catch the wild boar. She looked at the fox in surprise. ¡°Father, this color is stunning. It¡¯s even alive!¡±


    Nodding, Mu Shi threw the little fox into the cage. ¡°1 picked it up in the mountains. The big fox is probably dead.¡± Seeing that his four cousins were all here, Mu Shi said, ¡°Did you guys have a bountiful trip today?¡±


    Liu Ting nodded and smiled. ¡°Not bad. It¡¯s all thanks to Ah Ling leading us.¡±


    A smile appeared on Mu Shi¡¯s face as he said proudly, ¡°Ah Ling has a natural talent in this aspect. She¡¯s even stronger than me. If you want to go to town, hurry up and go early. Ah Ling won¡¯t need as much time since she¡¯s only going to the eatery and restaurant.¡±


    This meant that she was not going to travel with them.


    Liu Ting hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. After informing them, he carried his things and bade farewell to the Mu father and daughter.


    Sensing that something was wrong, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Father, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Mu Shi wiped his sweat and said worriedly, ¡°Something happened in the mountains. There are fallen trees and signs of a fight in the area where I often go. I took a closer look and saw that it was actually a ck bear and a female tiger.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Why did theye out?¡±


    Although Chef Mountain was dangerous, because it was enormous and the entire mountain range was endless, and this ce was at the very end, there were usually very few ferocious beasts like this.


    They usually had to be careful of wild boars, wolves, and other wild beasts. No matter how powerful Mu Yangling and Mu Shi were, they were no match for a tiger or a ck bear.


    That was too terrifying. No need for further exnation.


    Mu Shi was also very frustrated. ¡°I don¡¯t know why they¡¯re here, but 1 keep feeling that things aren¡¯t going well this year.¡±


    After all, Mu Shi had only hunted for more than ten years, so he did not have much experience. In his memory, he did not recall anything simr, but his hunter¡¯s intuition told him that this matter was highly important and dangerous.


    Seeing that his daughter was also worried, Mu Shi suppressed his anxiety and stroked her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that ck bear won¡¯t run outside. At most, it¡¯ll wander around in the deep forest.¡±


    ¡°Father, don¡¯t go so deep into the mountain in the future. Anyway, our family has enough money for the winter. Let¡¯s just take it slow.¡±


    Mu Shi hesitated. ¡°Your mother is going to give birth in winter. We have to prepare more money at home.¡±


    ¡°No amount of money is as important as our lives. Father, we can still earn money outside. Although it¡¯s a little less, it¡¯s enough for our family to live on.¡±


    Having heard the entire conversation in the room, Shu Wanniang held her stomach and came out. She looked at Mu Shi with tears in her eyes. ¡°If something happens to you, who else can the children and 1 rely on?¡±


    Mu Shi¡¯s heart instantly ached. He quickly went forward to hug his wife and promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t go too far tomorrow.. I¡¯ll walk with our daughter, alright?¡±

 Chapter 47 - 47: Reason

    Chapter 47: Reason


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    This was the reason why the Mu family had never been able to umte money¡ªMu Shi was too sentimental, and the others were toocking in fighting spirit.


    The patriarch of the Liu family, Liu He, once felt that it was a pity that Mu Shi was too reluctant to leave his family. Otherwise, he would definitely be able to achieve a great career. This was because he did notck ability, EQ, or IQ, but he was unwilling to leave his wife and children to venture outside for prolonged periods.


    Mu Shi¡¯s father had once umted a lot of money for him. Although a lot of it had been lost in the Hus¡¯ rebellion more than ten years ago, Mu Shi had lived a life of not having to worry about his family for four to five years. In addition, considering he often worked outside, ording to Liu He¡¯s private calctions, Mu Shi could save at least a hundred taels of silver a year.


    In the end, after marrying a wife, not only did his life not get better, but it instead got worse.


    At this point, one had to mention Shu Wanniang¡¯s identity. She was the second daughter of the Shu family, and the Shu family was considered a small aristocratic family in the Imperial Capital that was established for two to three hundred years. They had never been powerful, but they had always been firmly rooted in thend of the Imperial Capital. In fact, they had a history that was decades older than the current dynasty.


    Shu Wanniang¡¯s father¡¯s family was considered a coteral branch, but their family background was not bad, not inferior to the main branch.


    Unfortunately, their foundation was a little weaker, so when the imperial court fled south back then, they were abandoned and suffered during the chaos.


    After all, the Imperial Capital Prefecture was the hometown of the Shu family. If the Hus Q were more polite to them, they might just be grateful to the Imperial Court in their hearts and live their lives as they should. However, in less than ten years, half of the family business of the Shu family that had been left behind had been destroyed by the Hus.


    Father Shu immediately contacted the Yuan family army guarding the border at that time and was willing to give up half of his family business in exchange for protection and aid in escaping south.


    Of course, the upright and brave Yuan Family Army did not ept the Shu Family¡¯s money and was willing to escort them into the borders of Great Zhou for free.


    It was when Shu Wanniang fled south to Chef Mountain that they encountered bandits. In the chaos, she was pushed out of the carriage and abducted by the bandits.


    At that time, the lone and gutsy Mu Shi had lived in the mountains for a long time. Once, when he was hunting, his prey was frightened away by the bandits who rushed in. Upon a closer look, he realized that Shu Wanniang, who was being dragged along by the bandits, had a pale face.


    Back then, Shu Wanniang had just turned 15 and was still a young girl. It was already very lucky that she did not faint. The moment she got the chance, she wanted tomit suicide, but she was stopped by the bandits and was about to be tortured on the spot. An upright and kind young man, Mu Shi could not stand by and do nothing, so he saved the damsel in distress.


    Mu Shi saved Shu Wanniang and only stayed at the foot of the mountain for a night before bringing her to look for her family. However, as the conservative Shu family strictly adhered to the rules of etiquette, it was naturally impossible for them to take back a daughter who had been abducted by bandits. In a fit of anger, Mu Shi took Shu Wanniang away.


    Shu Wanniang was heartbroken for a year and almost died on the sickbed. That year, she almost exhausted Mu Shi¡¯s savings.


    Mu Yangling had heard Shu Wanniang apologize more than once. Thetter oftenmented that if she hadn¡¯t fallen sick back then, she wouldn¡¯t be so delicate and wouldn¡¯t make her children¡¯s lives so difficult now.


    Of course, every time this happened, Mu Shi would hold her hand and say gently, ¡°These are all worth it.¡±


    Then, Mu Yangling carried her brother back to their room, leaving space for the couple.


    Shu Wanniang was the daughter of a wealthy family, so her family¡¯s standard of living had always far exceeded that of the vigers. They wouldn¡¯t eat chaff or coarse grains that would cause one¡¯s throat to hurt. However, it was also because of such a standard of living that their family¡¯s expenses had always been very high. Their family had never been able to save much money, not to mention that Shu Wanniang had to take medicine for three to four months a year.


    In the past, Mu Shi, who was very good at earning money, could not bear to leave his wife and children for too long. Ever since he married and had children, the furthest Mu Shi went was Mingshui County. This caused his savings to decrease rapidly, and diminished his ability to save more money.


    Mu Yangling had transmigrated into a fetus in this world. Since she was six months old, she had consciously kicked or rolled around in her mother¡¯s stomach. Coupled with her intelligent performance since she was born, she had always held a lot of weight in the family. If she was willing to persuade her father to go out and earn more money to support the family, her parents might even consider her opinion. However, she was also a person who desired to live a peaceful life.


    She felt that since her family already had meat, food, clothes, and shelter, there was nothing more important than staying alive in this chaotic world.


    Hence, she did not feel that her father should take the risk. Should anything happen, the family could nest together and not go anywhere. Mu Shi was, of course, happy to stay by his wife and children¡¯s side to keep them safe.


    It was the same now. When Mu Yangling heard that there was a newfound danger in the forest, she refused to let her father go deeper into the mountains. She nned to bring her four uncles around outside to sound out the situation with her father. Anyway, with the abundance of rabbits this year, she didn¡¯t have to worry about not being able to catch prey.


    If it were someone ambitious, they might plot to kill the ck bear or female tiger. Should they seed, they would not have to worry for the next three years.


    It had to be known that these two things were valuable from head to toe, from skin to blood.


    Seeing that Mu Shi had agreed, Shu Wanniang and Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief. Mu Yangling waved her hand and said, ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry. 1¡¯11 buy more millet when we go to town today, and buy some new rice from the vigerster. That¡¯ll be enough for us to eat until next summer. This way, we won¡¯t have to worry even more. If the price of grains increases, so be it. That won¡¯t affect us anymore. We have a vegetable garden at home, and we can easily get meat. Coupled with some extra nourishment for Mother, that¡¯ll be all we need.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mu Shi helped his wife into the house andforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of myself. Just focus on taking care of the fetus. I¡¯ll go into the mountains tomorrow to take a look. If I catch fewer prey, I won¡¯t go to the county and will just take care of the business in town.¡±


    Mu Shi reassured his wife before pulling out the cart and cing the wild boar on it. He then ced the cage containing the little fox and white rabbit on the cart and tied it up. He said to his daughter, ¡°Put your things on it too. 1¡¯11 bring them down for you when we reach town.¡±


    Happy and rxed to not have to carry the things herself, Mu Yangling quickly put the things away.


    Mu Shi pushed the cart in front while Mu Yangling followed behind her father.


    Mu Yangling counted the money they had earned recently and asked, ¡°Father, can we save 50 taels of silver after this trip?¡±


    After doing some calctions in his heart, Mu Shi shook his head. ¡°Probably not. The price of wild boars and rabbits is certain, but I wonder how much this fiery red fox can be sold for.¡± Mu Shi felt that it was a pity. ¡°I¡¯ve seen people sell this thing in Xingzhou Prefecture before. Someone bought it for ten taels of silver specially for the Young Masters and Misses to y with. However, Mingshui County is too small.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a prefect in Xingzhou Prefecture. Of course it¡¯s big.¡± Mu Yangling said as she counted on her fingers, ¡°Even if you can¡¯t sell it for ten taels of silver, it should at least fetch five taels, right?¡±


    Mu Shi nced at his daughter and shattered her fantasy. ¡°Impossible. Four taels of silver is the highest it can go.¡±


    Mu Yangling pouted. ¡°Xingzhou Prefecture isn¡¯t far from the county¡ªonly a day¡¯s walk. If you ride a horse, you¡¯ll arrive in a sh.¡±


    Mu Shiughed out loud. ¡°But how many people in this world can afford to ride a horse? Alright, don¡¯t be unhappy. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything bad about this. Surely all the good things in life can¡¯t be happening to just us, right? There¡¯s got to be something for others too.¡±


    Mu Yangling was depressed for a moment before she cheered up again. She asked, ¡°Father, do you me us for dragging you down? If Eldest Uncle and the others knew that they could earn an additional six taels of silver just by walking for an extra day, they¡¯d definitely be willing.¡±


    An annual ie of four taels of silver a year in the countryside was already considered very decent, let alone six taels.


    The magnanimous Mu Shi said to his daughter with a smile, ¡°Silly child, I¡¯m just d that you don¡¯t despise your father for being useless. I think our family is doing just fine. Why envy those who have more? Money can always be earned.¡± In the end, he just didn¡¯t want to be too far away from his wife and children, knowing he would worry about them.

 Chapter 48 - 48: Targeting

    Chapter 48: Targeting


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling sent the prey to the eatery and restaurant and collected the money from the ountant. Just as she was about to go out, Shopkeeper Zhang stopped her. ¡°Miss Mu, from tomorrow onwards, bring five more rabbits to me. It¡¯ll be even better if you can catch roe deer. Bring them over. 1 want them all.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Shopkeeper Zhang, your shop¡¯s business is getting better and better, huh.¡±


    Shopkeeper Zhang replied with augh, ¡°It¡¯s not that my business is good. It¡¯s just that there have been many outsiders recently. People have to eat, after all. Our Wafting Fragrance Eatery¡¯s business naturally improved.¡±


    In Seven Mile Vige, only the wild jujubes from Chef Mountain and leather goods were considered specialties. Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Are merchants here to buy leather goods and wild jujubes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. These two groups of merchants will onlye at the end of autumn. Those that came now are here to buy grains.¡± Shopkeeper Zhang¡¯s smile froze when he said this. He more or less knew about themotion outside. Rice was expensive while grain was cheap¡ªthis was just the rich bullying those ignorant citizens, and his boss must also have participated in this. He just didn¡¯t know how much of a loss they would incur this time. Thest time he saw the boss, the man didn¡¯t look too good.


    ¡°Alright, go back quickly. Deliver the animals early tomorrow.¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed, but when she went out, she nced at the Wafting Fragrance Eatery. There were actually so many peopleing to buy grains? Did that mean the price of grains would increase? It seemed like she had to fork out more money to buy grains from everyone when she returned to the vige.


    Mu Yangling went straight to the grain store, nning to buy more millet to keep, so she wouldn¡¯t have toe over to buy them for a long time in the future.


    What Mu Yangling did not expect was that the price of rice had actually decreased. Even millet had returned to its previous price.


    Mu Yangling asked the shopkeeper of the grain store in surprise, ¡°Why did the price of rice drop again?¡±


    The shopkeeper nced at her and replied, ¡°Why do you care so much? If you want to buy it, buy it. If not, forget it.¡± His attitude was terrible.


    Mu Yangling frowned, feeling displeased. If it was in the past, she would definitely turn around and leave, never stepping into this shop again for the rest of her life. However, she had learned to endure it now, so Mu Yangling only nced at the shopkeeper indifferently and waved her hand. ¡°Pack 100 catties of millet for me.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t take to heart the shopkeeper¡¯s rudeness, but her attitude angered the shopkeeper. He snorted coldly. ¡°100 catties? Do you have enough money? Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t pay up after I finish weighing the millet.¡±


    He was no stranger to the father and daughter of the Mu family. When they came here to buy millet, they would at most buy 20 catties. Mostly, they would buy medium-grade rice, and sometimes, they would even buy low-grade rice.


    Mu Yangling only felt anger boiling in her heart, but she suppressed her temper and looked at the shopkeeper disdainfully. She said arrogantly, ¡°Oh? How much is 100 catties of millet? I¡¯ll count and see if it¡¯s enough.¡±


    After saying that, she pulled off the money bag from her waist and took out a few strings of copper coins. Some of the money she had brought from home, and some had just been earned. One bunch of money was 1,000 copper coins, while one string was 100 copper coins. They were all strung together, but Mu Yangling ripped the string and scattered the coins on the counter. Then, she took out another bunch of money and did the same. There was now a small pile of copper coins on the counter. With her chin raised, Mu Yangling said to the shopkeeper, ¡°Count it. If it¡¯s not enough, I¡¯ll add more.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± The shopkeeper was so angry that he pointed at Mu Yangling, speechless.


    At this moment, the other customers in the grain store all looked over.


    Everyone knew that the shopkeeper had a lousy attitude. Happy to see him make a fool of himself, they jeered at the side, ¡°1 think the youngdy has enough money. Perhaps you should weigh the grains first before counting the money?¡±


    ¡°Then you have to count properly. There¡¯s almost two bunches of money on this counter, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Why don¡¯t we be witnesses?¡±


    ¡°Forget it. You only know how to count to 300. Do you know how to count above 300?¡±


    The shopkeeper looked at Mu Yangling with a dark expression and said, ¡°One catty of millet costs 16 copper coins. Assistant, go weigh it for her.¡±


    Mu Yangling raised her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind. I want to buy 120 catties. That¡¯s a total of 1,920 copper coins. Shopkeeper, count.¡±


    The shopkeeper was so angry that his nose almost crooked. There were only two assistant shopkeepers in the shop. One of the three of them had to do the counting, and it would take at least half an hour. Most importantly, the two assistant shopkeepers in the shop could only count to 900 at most. If the amount was any higher, they would be confused.


    However, he had other customers in the shop. How much time would this waste? In addition, if he felt ill at ease, he might make a mistake. Once he made a mistake, he would have to start over.


    It was a simple method for Mu Yangling to find trouble with him, but it was damn useful.


    Pleased to see him so furious that his nose was crooked, Mu Yangling snorted and stood at the side to watch.


    The others in the shop also came up to join in the fun. Laughing, they said, ¡°Shopkeeper, start counting! We¡¯re not in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, we¡¯re not in a hurry at all.¡±


    On the other side, someone whispered as he counted on his fingers, ¡°Is 120 catties millet 1,920 copper coins? This youngdy is too fast at calcting. Was that right?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look at who this is? The youngdy of the Mu family has been selling rabbits in the market with her father since she was six years old. Her arithmetic is fast and urate. There¡¯s no mistake. It all depends on the shopkeeper counting the copper coins now.¡±


    ¡°The shopkeeper had iting. He actually managed to anger the good-tempered youngdy of the Mu family.¡±


    ¡°Geez, lower your voice. This grain store belongs to the Liu family.¡±


    There were more and more discussions in the shop, and more and more people gathered around. The shopkeeper had no choice but to count now.


    He also knew that he had been a little irritable recently. After taking a deep breath, he nced coldly at Mu Yangling before starting to count.


    Only then did Mu Yangling snort and turn her head away. She naturally knew how much money she had taken out. Not afraid that the shopkeeper would y tricks in front of everyone, she simply leaned against the counter and watched.


    Shen San stood behind everyone as he listened to their discussion. He looked at the child in the crowd in surprise and smiled.


    After he finished counting once, the shopkeeper said, ¡°There¡¯s a total of 1,800 copper coins. You¡¯re still short of 120 copper coins.¡±


    Mu Yangling took out two more strings of money from her money bag and looked at the shopkeeper with a faint smile. ¡°Do you still want me to scatter it for you to count?¡±


    The shopkeeper took a deep breath before replying with a straight face, ¡°Youngdy, you must be joking. Since you must have counted your money before stringing them up, there¡¯s certainly no need to count anymore.¡±


    Only then did Mu Yangling snort coldly as she threw a string of money at him. She then counted out another 20 copper coins and tossed it to him. Stepping forward, she picked up the bag of millet, weighed it in her hand, and looked at the assistant shopkeeper.


    The assistant shopkeeper hurriedly waved his hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, youngdy. The grains in our shop are all properly weighed.¡±


    ¡°Of course I know that the grains in your shop are properly weighed, but you have to tie the bag for me. How can I carry it back like this?¡±


    When the assistant shopkeeper heard this, he realized his folly and quickly turned around to get a rope to tie the bag for her.


    Only then did Mu Yangling carry the bag of grains and stride away. The people in town were already used to it, so they were not surprised to see Mu Yangling carrying something taller and heavier than her. However, Shen San and the others widened their eyes.


    Holding the fan in his hand, Shen San turned to his subordinate. ¡°I only heard that the people at the border are valiant, but 1 didn¡¯t know that a child could be so capable.¡±


    The subordinate coughed lightly and said, ¡°Third Young Master, that should be an exception.¡± If everyone at the border was so capable, would the Hus still be able to upy half of their territory?


    Only then did Shen San feel better. He waved his hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and see how the acquisition of grains is going. If it¡¯s fine, let¡¯s retreat. After eating the meat, we have to leave some soup behind. Otherwise, Qi Xiuyuan will be in trouble..¡±

 Chapter 49 - 49: Begging

    Chapter 49: Begging


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Shen San was the third son of the Shen family in Huizhou.


    The Shen family of Huizhou was the number one imperial merchant in the Great Zhou Dynasty, as well as inws of General Yuan¡¯s family. It was also because of the Shen family¡¯s support that the Yuan family army was able to defend the border while the imperial court was in arrears.


    The military officials had always been on good terms with the Shen family, and Qi Xiuyuan was no exception.


    With the Zhang family as the leader, the squires worked together to lower the grain grains, but raised the price of rice. As Qi Xiuyuan was not a civil servant, he could not manage the government affairs of Xingzhou Prefecture. However, they had offended him by targeting military rations, so Qi Xiuyuan naturally did not stand on ceremony.


    Coincidentally, because there was a drought in Tongchuan, they couldn¡¯t buy grains even if they wanted to. The Shen family was very willing to y the good guy while earning a sum of money, so Qi Xiuyuan took out his military sry to buy grains while sending a letter to Shen San, who happened to be in the Jiangling Prefecture.


    The Shen family aggressively acquired grains in Xingyuan Prefecture atst year¡¯s price, undoubtedly causing the Zhang family¡¯s n to fail. Now, they had no choice but to take a step back and increase their purchase price of the grains and lower the selling price of rice.


    When Shen San arrived at the general¡¯s residence in Xingzhou, Qi Xiuyuan was chasing after Qi Haoran with a stick. ¡°Stop right there. If you dare to run again, you¡¯re not allowed to eat at night.¡±


    Qi Haoran ran even faster, driving Qi Xiuyuan crazy. ¡°1 spent so much effort to buy this book, and you tore it up!¡±


    Qi Haoran felt aggrieved. ¡°1 didn¡¯t do it on purpose. 1 identally did it when I fought with them.¡±


    Fan Zijin, who hade running after him, almost held his forehead. He quickly tried to salvage the situation. ¡°Cousin, everyone was just fooling around. Haoran tore the book by ident.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan flew into a rage. ¡°You¡¯re actually fighting outside?! Tell me, how many more things are you hiding from me? Qi Haoran,e over here and let me beat you ten times . Otherwise, I¡¯ll forbid you to eat for two days.¡±


    Qi Haoran was hesitating between the nk and the meal when he saw Fan Zijin signaling him to run. He quickly retracted his outstretched foot and turned to run.


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s angry roar came from behind, making Qi Haoran run even faster.


    ring at Fan Zijin with red eyes, Qi Xiuyuan reached out to twist his ear. ¡°Did you shoot him a look?¡±


    ¡°No, Cousin, I¡¯ve always been by your side. How would 1 have the guts?¡± Fan Zijin begged for mercy. ¡°Cousin, we really didn¡¯t do it on purpose. You know that Haoran is straightforward. Those people beat around the bush, mocking you for being a martial artist, so we naturally couldn¡¯t take it lying down. Being highly skilled in martial arts, he couldn¡¯t hold back his strength. But really, we only pushed them gently. Who knew that those people couldn¡¯t even withstand a light push?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan snorted. ¡°What else can those beetles do other than bullying themoners? 1 originally sent you to the academy to let you interact more with the outside world. Since you¡¯re unhappy, I¡¯ll hire a teacher to teach you at home. That way, you don¡¯t have to pay heed to those people¡¯s words.¡±


    d not to see those annoying people, Fan Zijin replied happily and looked at Qi Xiuyuan carefully. ¡°Cousin, in that case can Haoran¡¯s punishment be canceled¡­¡±


    ¡°Canceled my ass.¡± Qi Xiuyuan said angrily, ¡°If he has the ability, don¡¯te back. If hees back, I¡¯ll starve him for a day first. Does he think that those books are so easy to buy? 1 don¡¯t care if it was him or someone else who tore them. I only know that those books were torn under his care. Hmph!¡±


    As Qi Xiuyuan turned around angrily and left, he met Shen San standing in the corridor with a smile. Qi Xiuyuan restrained the anger on his face and cupped his fists. ¡°Third Young Master, what brings you here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already started to wrap up my business. 1¡¯11 be leaving Xingyuan Prefecture in a few days, so 1 came over today to inform General.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll hold a banquet to celebrate for Third Young Master. Coincidentally, I just obtained a jar of 50-year-old Green Bamboo Leaf Liquor not long ago.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m in luck¡­¡±


    The two of them chatted as they walked. Naturally, they drank and chatted happily at night.


    Fan Zijin took the opportunity to sneak out and bring Qi Haoran back. The two of them secretly went to the kitchen to get some food before returning to their room to fill their stomachs.


    ¡°I want to beg Big Brother to let me train in the army,¡± Qi Haoran said as he nibbled on a drumstick.


    ¡°You¡¯re only 12 years old. Cousin won¡¯t agree.¡±


    While Qi Haoran was deep in thought, Fan Zijin reminded him in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t get into trouble. I heard that the quartermaster of the West Camp was killed by Cousin, despite the fact that he¡¯s from the local squire¡¯s family, the He family. Even the magistrate was rmed by this matter. Don¡¯t provoke him.¡±


    Qi Haoran simply responded insincerely. At night, he sneaked into his brother¡¯s room, and seeing that his brother was not back yet, he could only sit cross-legged on the bed and wait.


    Qi Haoran fell asleep as he waited. When Qi Xiuyuan returned, he was already sprawled on the bed, unconscious.


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at his brother with a deep gaze before rubbing his forehead helplessly. He pushed him further into the bed and covered him with a thin nket. Then, he took off his shoes and climbed into bed.


    Qi Xiuyuan had justid down when Qi Haoran rolled over and hugged him. Qi Xiuyuan said calmly, ¡°Let go.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Qi Haoran said in a muffled voice, ¡°Big Brother doesn¡¯t even dote on me anymore.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan pped his back and kicked him away. Sitting up, he asked, ¡°I don¡¯t dote on you? I specially hired teachers to teach you. If you work harder, I won¡¯t have to worry so much.¡±


    Qi Haoran leaned over again. ¡°But 1 don¡¯t like to study. 1 want to train in the army.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan frowned so hard that his face could squeeze a bug to death. ¡°How old are you?¡±


    ¡°The disciples of the Yuan family have to go to the battlefield at the age of 12.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan sneered. ¡°You¡¯re dreaming. They im they go to the battlefield at that age, but they¡¯re just training in the army. Have you seen the Yuan family send children under 14 to the battlefield to kill the enemy? You¡¯re only 12 years old, but you¡¯re already thinking of training in the army.¡±


    Qi Haoran puffed out his chest and dered proudly, ¡°I¡¯m more skilled in martial arts skills and more familiar with military strategies than them. When 1 was in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, they were never my match when it came to arranging troops and formations. Even Yuan Wng admitted defeat.¡±


    The corners of Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s mouth twitched. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to tell his brother that the arrangement of troops on the chessboard was different from the arrangement of troops on the battlefield.


    However, Qi Haoran looked at his brother persistently.


    Qi Xiuyuan thought for a moment before saying, ¡°The disciples of the Yuan family all start as foot soldiers when they enter the military camp. You said you want to be like them? Then go to the camp every morning after you finish your studies with your teacher and start as a foot soldier.¡±


    Qi Haoran gritted his teeth. ¡°Why do you have to follow the Yuan family¡¯s rules? Since you¡¯re a general, why can¡¯t you just let me train the troops directly?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t help but smack Qi Haoran on the head. This time, the smack was a little heavy, causing thetter¡¯s head to tilt to the side. Still not appeased, Qi Xiuyuan kicked him again before saying, ¡°How can one be a good general if he doesn¡¯t know how to be a good soldier? I started at the bottom too. If you want to manage the soldiers well, you have to know what they¡¯re thinking and doing. There¡¯s a lot to learn here. Put effort into learning. Also, don¡¯t fall behind on your teacher¡¯s homework. Otherwise, I won¡¯t allow you to go to the camp again no matter what.¡±


    Only then did Qi Haoran reluctantly agree. However, his heart was bursting with excitement. To him, it was fine as long as he could go to the camp..

 Chapter 50 - 50: Request

    Chapter 50: Request


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Seeing Mu Yangling return home with a bag of millet, Shu Wanniang couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. ¡°Why did you buy so much?¡±


    ¡°Since I have to buy it sooner orter, I¡¯ll feel at ease if 1 buy it earlier.¡±


    Mu Yangling put the things away. When she came out, she was stopped by Shu Wanniang. ¡°I made clothes for you guys. Come and see if they fit.¡± ¡°Mother, didn¡¯t Father forbid you from doing needlework? You¡¯re pregnant now. It¡¯s not good for your eyes.¡±


    Shu Wanniang only smiled and pulled her daughter over to try. ¡°Your brother has already tried it. Come and try yours too. I¡¯ll see if there¡¯s anywhere that needs to be altered.¡±


    Mu Yangling obediently put on the clothes for Shu Wanniang to see. Shu Wanniang nodded and smiled. ¡°1¡¯11 help you tighten the sleeves a little.¡± At this point, she was a little disappointed. Looking at her daughter¡¯s handsome facial features, she said, ¡°Ah Ling, you¡¯ll definitely look good in wide-sleeved clothes. But you¡¯re as mischievous as a monkey¡­¡± It was also because of this that Shu Wanniang always made narrow-sleeved clothes for Mu Yangling.


    ¡°Wide sleeves impede movement. When I enter the forest, they¡¯ll hook onto branches and rocks and cause the clothing to be ruined.¡± Mu Yangling took off her clothes for her mother before running to the kitchen to look for food. ¡°Mother, what are we eating for lunch?¡±


    ¡°Your aunt just sent over a sausage. 1 will fry it for you in a while. Now, go and find your brother first.¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed and ran to Goudan¡¯s house to look for her brother.


    In the afternoon, the siblings did not go anywhere. They just sat at home practicing calligraphy and studying. Mu Yangling also had to learn needlework.


    The two uncles of the Liu family only returned when the sun was about to set. There were still eight rabbits left from the twenty-odd rabbits they had brought out, but they were already very happy. After dividing the rabbits, they returned home.


    Since someone saw theming back with rabbits, when it was time to eat at night, everyone in the vige knew that Mu Yangling had brought her uncles into the mountains.


    It wasn¡¯t so bad for the others. Although they would say some jealous words, they were still rtives, and there was an unwritten agreement in the past. Besides, it was Mu Yangling who brought Liu Ting and the rest into the mountains, not Mu Shi. Hence, they merely felt jealous and that was it.


    However, Mu Yangling¡¯s third great-aunt, Madam Fang-Liu, was indignant. Immediately after finding out, she smashed the basin at home and said hatefully, ¡°Such tant favoritism. They even know to send things over to West Mountain Vige. Why aren¡¯t they taking care of their great-aunt from the same vige?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so difficult about that? I¡¯ll go look for that little girl from the Mu family tomorrow and ask her to bring me and my younger brother into the mountains. You¡¯re her great-aunt. How dare she not listen to you?¡± Fang Zhuzi said.


    Madam Fang-Liu rolled her eyes and pped. ¡°Good son, you¡¯re the smartest. 1¡¯11 look for her tomorrow morning. No matter what, I¡¯ll make sure she brings you guys into the mountain, too.¡±


    Madam Fang-Zhao nced at her mother-inw and whispered, ¡°I heard that Ah Ling was the one who brought up the matter of entering the mountain. Is it a good idea for us to go to her like this?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Madam Fang-Liu scolded her. ¡°You may not care for our family, but can¡¯t you let me improve our family¡¯s life? Speaking of which, Madam Liu-Zhao is actually your older sister. Yet, I don¡¯t see her helping you much. To think she didn¡¯t even say anything about entering the mountains. Why do we have a daughter-inw like you¡­¡±


    Madam Fang-Zhao shrank her neck and did not dare to speak again.


    Madam Fang-Liu only stopped ranting when she got tired.


    The next morning, Mu Yangling checked the doors and windows before carrying her brother to her mother¡¯s room. She ced him on her bed and whispered, ¡°Mother, I¡¯ve already closed the doors and windows. You guys can continue sleeping for a while more.¡±


    The pregnant Shu Wanniang was sleepy, so she responded in a daze and hugged her son slightly before falling asleep again.


    Little Bowen was even more soundly asleep and did not move throughout.


    Smiling, Mu Yangling took her bow and arrow, then carried the basket on her back and went out. At this moment, there was already light in the sky, but the sun had yet to appear. There was not even morning light.


    Mu Yangling narrowed her eyes and looked over. She could only see someone walking towards her not far away. When they got closer, she realized that something was wrong. It was not four people, but seven.


    Mu Yangling frowned.


    As Liu Ting approached, he said awkwardly, ¡°Ah Ling, we met Aunt on the way¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah Ling, since you¡¯re bringing your uncles into the mountains, bring your other two uncles too.¡± Madam Fang-Liu interrupted Liu Ting and took a step forward. ¡°Your two great-uncles aren¡¯t doing so well, as am 1.1 know you¡¯re a kind child. Since you¡¯re bringing them in anyway, why don¡¯t you bring two more people? I¡¯ll cook delicious food for youter.¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted coldly and took a step back, before rejecting her tly. ¡°I¡¯ll only bring my four uncles. I can¡¯t afford to bring my other two uncles along. Third Great-aunt, it¡¯s better for you to leave.¡± With that said, she said to Liu Ting andpany, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Madam Fang-Liu¡¯s expression was ugly. She couldn¡¯t help but question loudly, ¡°How can you speak to your elders like this? It¡¯s no trouble at all, isn¡¯t it? Since you¡¯re bringing your four uncles, why can¡¯t you bring two more uncles?¡±


    Fang Zhuzi and Fang Genzi also stared at Mu Yangling viciously with obvious displeasure.


    Liu Ting frowned, annoyance evident on his face. He could not help but step forward to stand in front of Mu Yangling. ¡°Aunt, are you asking the Mu family to bring you into the mountains?¡±


    Madam Fang-Liu was stunned for a moment before jumping up. ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense. When did I say that?¡±


    ¡°Then why are you being so aggressive now? Ah Ling was the one who offered to let us follow her into the mountains. And now, she just said she doesn¡¯t want to bring you guys along.¡± Liu Ting looked straight at Madam Fang-Liu. ¡°Aunt, if you continue to ask, I can only invite my father over.¡±


    Madam Fang-Liu¡¯s face was ashen. The people from Nearhill Vige were forbidden from asking the Mu Family to bring them into the mountains. If they insisted on doing so, they had to pay a remuneration that was more than 30% of the proceeds. This was the established rule in the vige.


    Mu Yangling pushed Liu Ting away and faced Madam Fang-Liu. ¡°I don¡¯t know what agreement Nearhill Vige has with the Mu Family. I don¡¯t want to bring you along simply because I don¡¯t like you.¡±


    Liu Xuan stomped his feet and shouted, ¡°All Ling, what nonsense are you talking about?¡±


    The four uncles felt that Mu Yangling was too straightforward. Even Mu Shi had never been so honest.


    However, Mu Yangling snorted and continued, ¡°Your Fang family has been bullying me since I was young. You even bullied my mother from time to time, Third Great-aunt. I¡¯d have to be out of my mind to bring you guys into the mountains. Moreover, those two uncles aren¡¯t obedient people. If anything happens to them in the forest, you¡¯ll tear me apart. Therefore, I can bring anyone into the mountains but not you people.¡±


    As she spoke, she turned around and was about to leave when she saw Madam Fang-Liu ring at her with hatred. Mu Yangling thought for a moment before saying, ¡°If you dare to bully my mother and younger brother when my father and 1 aren¡¯t around, I¡¯ll dare to smash your house when Ie back. If you don¡¯t believe it, try me.¡±


    With a slight frown, Liu Ting said, ¡°Aunt, Shi Tou treasures his wife very much. He¡¯ll be home by noon today.¡±


    Madam Fang-Liu¡¯s chest was heaving up and down rapidly. She pointed at her nephews and said hatefully, ¡°Alright, alright. You¡¯re bullying us orphans and widow, right? 1¡¯11 go to the vige chief andin about you.¡± As she spoke, she turned around and left in a hurry with her sons.


    Liu Yuan frowned. ¡°Cousin, are they really going to look for the vige chief?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Even if they do look for the vige chief, we¡¯ll have no problem defending ourselves. Let¡¯s go. The morning sun is already out.¡± Liu Ting took the lead to follow Mu Yangling, but he sighed inwardly. He knew that this could very well be one of thest times they entered the mountain like this.


    Even if Ah Ling took the initiative to bring them into the mountain, it was too eye-catching and triggered jealousy in too many people. For the sake of peace in the vige, their father would probably not agree to let them follow Ah Ling into the mountain again.


    This, too, urred to Mu Yangling, making her feel frustrated..

 Chapter 51 - 51: Angry

    Chapter 51: Angry


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Because of that minor episode with Madam Fang-Liu, the few of them were not in a good mood. However, when they arrived at the ce where the traps were set up and saw that most of the traps had been destroyed and there were injured rabbits lying inside, a smile appeared on their faces.


    Liu Ting carefully untied the ropes, took out the rabbits, tied them up, and ced them in the basket on his back. He reassured Mu Yangling, ¡°Ah Ling, don¡¯t worry. With your great-uncle and the rest in the vige, your mother and brother won¡¯t be bullied.¡±


    Since Madam Fang-Liu was his aunt after all, Liu Ting couldn¡¯t be too straightforward.


    However, Mu Yangling said, ¡°If she¡¯s not afraid that my father will tear down her house, she can go ahead and bully them. Hmph.¡±


    One had to know that her father doted on her mother very much. Even if it was her great-uncle, who Mu Shi had a lot of respect for, who bullied her mother, her father would still tear down the Liu family. Much less this third great-aunt who often bullied them. Mu Yangling knew just how much her father doted on his wife.


    Liu Xuan also chimed in, ¡°Auntie bullies the weak and fears the strong. When Shi Toues back at noon, I think she won¡¯t even dare to show her face.¡±


    Liu Yuan punched him and red at him. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? That¡¯s your aunt. Hurry up and pick up all the prey in the trap before restoring the trap. We still have to go elsewhere to set up the trap.¡±


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and smiled.


    When the few of them left the mountain, they were stopped by Liu Lang, who was waiting at the foot of the mountain. ¡°Father, Grandpa told you to go home first and not go to town when you¡¯re back.¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted and stopped in her tracks. ¡°Let¡¯s split the prey first. Since 1 still have to deliver goods to town, I won¡¯t be going to Great-uncle¡¯s ce.¡±


    Since this matter had happened because of them, Liu Ting did not want Mu Yangling, a child, to go back with them either, lest others say unpleasant things about her. Putting down the basket on his back, he said, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll split the prey here.¡±


    Mu Yangling packed arge basket and thought for a moment. Then, she took out two seriously injured rabbits and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take these. Uncles, split the rest.¡± Then, she waved at the envious Liu Lang and went straight to town without returning home.


    Liu Ting sighed and said to his three brothers, ¡°I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to follow Ah Ling into the mountain tomorrow.¡±


    Liu Yuan felt that his breath was stuck in his chest. ¡°Without All Ling to lead us, what if we encounter wild boars and jackals when we enter the mountain? Moreover, if we go deeper into the dense forest, we won¡¯t even know the way¡­¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back and take a look first.¡± Liu Ting stood up with the basket on his back, then held his son¡¯s hand and left.


    Liu Langined in a low voice, ¡°Father, Third Great-aunt came to look for Grandpa and used our family of being unjust, secretly taking advantage of the Mu family while excluding them. Grandma red up and quarreled with her, so Third Great-aunt ran out to look for the vige chief to ask the elders to judge.¡±


    Liu Ting and his brothers looked at each other with ugly expressions.


    When they returned to the Liu residence, the courtyard was noisy. There were more than ten heads of households sitting inside, while some children were running around. Madam Fang-Liu was sitting on a small stool wiping her tears andining, while Grandma Liu red at her sister-inw furiously.


    When everyone saw that only the four Liu brothers had returned, they couldn¡¯t help but frown. The vige chief, Liu He, asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the youngdy of the Mu family?¡±


    Liu Ting lowered his eyes and bowed. ¡°All Ling went to town to deliver the prey. Why are you looking for her, Vige Chief?¡±


    Liu He took a puff of his cigarette and thought for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Madam Fang-Liu jumped up. ¡°How can it be nothing? Aren¡¯t we going to find Ah Ling and ask her to bring our kids into the mountains?¡±


    Liu He snorted coldly. ¡°When did I say that? Madam Fang-Liu, don¡¯t misunderstand our intentions.¡± He looked at Madam Fang-Liu and said, ¡°1 think you¡¯ve forgotten the rules of our Nearhill Vige.¡±


    Madam Fang-Liu¡¯s face turned pale.


    Liu He said, ¡°Out of the 68 families in Nearhill Vige, 67 of them are indebted to the Mu Family. Back then, Shi Tou was kind enough to bring the younger generation into the mountains to find food. The younger generation was insensible and didn¡¯t leave a way out for him. From then on, we made a three-point agreement. Regardless of the surname, no one in Nearhill Vige is allowed to take advantage of the Mu Family. It¡¯s only been a few years since that incident. How dare you ask Ah Ling to bring your two sons into the mountains? Madam Fang-Liu, have you forgotten the rules because life has been too easy these past few years?¡±


    Liu He¡¯s words were a little harsh. He nced sternly at the ten-odd heads of households sitting below and snorted. ¡°It¡¯s good that All Ling didn¡¯te. After all, since it¡¯s our side that broke the rules, it has nothing to do with the Mu family. From today onwards, if anyone dares to make such a request to the Mu family again, don¡¯t me us elders for being ruthless.¡±


    ¡°This started with Daqian¡¯s family, right?¡± Someone shouted. ¡°If Liu Ting and the others hadn¡¯t followed the Mu family¡¯s youngdy into the mountains, how could so much trouble have happened?¡±


    Frowning, Liu He looked at Liu Daqian.


    Liu Daqian said, ¡°They won¡¯t follow Ah Ling into the mountain tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Uncle,¡± Liu Xuan called out indignantly, ¡°Ah Ling was the one who wanted to bring us into the mountain. She saw that the children were living a hard life, so she brought us in just to give the children a good meal.¡±


    ¡°I know about that, but I don¡¯t believe she did it for the children.¡± Someone shouted, ¡°Previously, Ah Ling would treat the children to barbequed meat in the cave, but ever since she started bringing you into the mountain, 1 haven¡¯t seen you people feed any meat to the children.¡±


    Liu Xuan retorted angrily, ¡°How do you know that we don¡¯t feed the children? Ah Ling just fed them. Didn¡¯t we juste down from the mountain today?¡± ¡°Alright, alright, stop arguing.¡± Liu Daqian said, ¡°Ah Ling is kind enough to give the children a little treat. It¡¯s her business whether she does it or not. In any case, you¡¯re not allowed to follow All Ling into the mountains anymore. It¡¯s settled. Put down the things in the basket and pack them up for the children in the vige to try.¡±


    In spite of his reddened eyes, Liu Xuan ced the things on the ground, not daring to disobey his uncle.


    It wasn¡¯t that Liu Daqian couldn¡¯t think of a way to distribute the prey, but this way, it was inevitable that they would have to trouble the Mu family, and that was thest thing they wanted. If they implicated All Ling, it would be contrary to their original intention.


    The atmosphere in the courtyard was a little gloomy. Madam Fang-Liu muttered,¡±


    Since All Ling is so capable, what¡¯s wrong with bringing us along?¡±


    Under Liu Daqian¡¯s cold re, Madam Fang-Liu shivered and lowered her head. Liu Daqian opened his mouth slightly but ultimately did not say anything overboard. Yet, he was bitterly disappointed in this younger sister of his.


    Madam Fang-Liu was even more vexed. She had blown up the matter to force Mu Yangling to bring her two sons into the mountains so that the family could have some ie. Who knew that she would end up worse off? Not only did her n not seed, but now, even her nephews could not enter the mountains anymore.


    In that case, wouldn¡¯t Liu Ting and his brothers resent her deeply?


    Madam Fang-Liu felt that she was about to catch fire under the fiery gazes from her two sisters-inw.


    Ignoring his sister, Liu Daqian said to his son, ¡°Sort out the prey and treat your elders to the meat.¡±


    ¡°Forget it, these things were painstakingly obtained by the brothers. Keep them for Liu Lang and the children to eat.¡± With that, Liu He stood up and was about to leave.


    Liu Daqian quickly pressed him down and said with a cold expression, ¡°Brother, do you despise my family¡¯s food? Let¡¯s eat first.¡±


    Liu He could only stay, and the others could only follow suit.


    Gritting his teeth, Liu Ting pulled his son over. ¡°Go, call all the children in the vige over. I¡¯ll set up two separate tables for youter.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhao pulled him back and whispered, ¡°You¡¯re crazy. Not to mention these meat and vegetables, we¡¯re already going to use up so much rice. Aren¡¯t you afraid that Mother will beat you up tonight?¡±


    However, Liu Ting said, ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that if we don¡¯t follow Ah Ling into the mountains, the children will have meat to eat? And the converse? 1 deliberately want them to watch the children eat meat. When you enter the kitchenter, stir-fry two pots of vegetables for them and cook all the prey we caught today for the children to eat..¡±

 Chapter 52 - 52: Introspection

    Chapter 52: Introspection


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Madam Liu-Zhao stared at her husband in shock. ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this akin to cutting off one¡¯s own nose to spite one¡¯s face? Wouldn¡¯t they be the ones to suffer in the end?


    Yet, Liu Ting insisted on doing so. He got Liu Lang to call all the children below the age of 15 in the vige over. This way, there would be a lot of children. With there being more than 50 of them in the vige, two tables were simply not enough.


    However, Liu Ting said, ¡°When the timees, let the children stand. Put the dishes on the table and let them snatch them themselves. Anyway, there¡¯s a lot of meat today. There¡¯s no need to worry about them not being able to snatch any.¡±


    Looking at her stubborn husband, Madam Liu-Zhao stomped her feet. ¡°In the past, you even said that Liu Zhuang was mischievous. I think you¡¯re even more so than him.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhao hesitated for a moment. In the end, she did not tell her father-inw and mother-inw. If her husband wanted to vent his frustration, so be it. It was better than holding that anger in his heart.


    Madam Liu-Zhaoforted herself as she went into the kitchen to cook.


    Seeing that her sister-inw had cut all the meat, Madam Liu-Zhang couldn¡¯t help but whisper, ¡°Sister-inw, there are only two tables of people. One rabbit is enough. Why did you cut all of them?¡±


    ¡°This is your brother¡¯s idea. We just have to obey.¡±


    While Madam Liu-Zhao cooked in the kitchen, Liu Lang brought his brothers and sisters to set up the tables. He ran out and said to hispanions, who were gradually surrounding them, ¡°All of you, go home and get the cutlery. We don¡¯t have much rice at home, but there¡¯s certainly enough meat. Anyone below the age of 15 who can eat meat maye over. Liu Shui, remember to call your three sisters over, do you hear me? And you, bring your brother over too. Since he¡¯s already three years old, he knows not to swallow the bones, right¡­¡±


    There were more than 50 children. The older ones carried the younger ones, and the younger ones held the older ones¡¯ hands; boys in one group, girls in another. Soon, they filled the Liu family¡¯s courtyard.


    Shocked, Grandma Liu pulled Liu Lang over and asked, ¡°Why did you bring them here?¡±


    ¡°Father said to treat them to a meal.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Grandma Liu took a deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s no way to do it.¡±


    When Mu Yangling treated children below the age of ten to meat, those children went voluntarily. Since some children were thin-skinned and did not dare to go, only about ten to 20 of them showed up each time. Now, her grandson had invited all the children in the vige over.


    Considering their appetite was not inferior to an adult¡¯s, and there being so many of them, Grandma Liu wondered if they were going to go broke feeding them.


    Liu Ting led his younger brothers to set up two tables in the central room and personally went to the kitchen to serve the dishes. There were six dishes on the table, all vegetarian.


    Food was also served to the children¡¯s tables outside. There were five pots of dishes on each table. Other than one pot of vegetables, the rest were all meat dishes.


    As soon as the dishes were served, the courtyard was filled with the sound of children swallowing their saliva, but no one dared to make the first move.


    Knowing what his eldest cousin was up to, Liu Xuan strode over and pped. ¡°Eat as much as you can today. There¡¯s enough meat, but take care of the younger ones when you eat. Do you hear me?!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Everyone roared. Liu Xuan waved his hand and said, ¡°Alright, everyone, eat.¡±


    With Liu Xuan¡¯s order, the children rushed forward and aimed straight at the meat and vegetables. Those with younger siblings had to take care of them after stuffing their own mouths. For a moment, the courtyard was extremely lively.


    The adults in the central room looked at the vegetables on the table then looked at each other. In the end, Liu He picked up his chopsticks before saying calmly, ¡°Eat.¡±


    Seeing this, the others picked up their chopsticks. However, the fragrance of meat kept wafting in from outside and the children kept cheering. The few of them felt like they were chewing wax throughout the entire meal. Liu Ting was too ruthless.


    The people of the same generation as Liu Daqian secretly red at him. Liu Daqian ate without any change in expression while pretending not to notice their gazes.


    Seeing their aggrieved expressions, Liu Ting¡¯s anger dissipated a little.


    In the kitchen, Madam Fang-Liu looked at the solely vegetarian dishes on the adult¡¯s table and then at the meat dishes on the table outside. She felt as if her heart was on fire.


    Second Grandma Liu snorted and said slowly, ¡°Ting¡¯er is so kind to leave all the meat dishes to the children, leaving only vegetarian dishes in the central room. Sister-inw taught him well.¡±


    Grandma Liu nced at Madam Fang-Liu and lowered her eyes. ¡°How can we old farts have the cheek to snatch this bit of food from the pitiful children when they haven¡¯t eaten a good meal all year round?¡±


    Madam Fang-Liu had originally wanted to take a step out, but suddenly she could not. Although she was thick-skinned, she was not that thick-skinned.


    Today, she had really gone for wool and came home shorn. Fortunately, her grandchildren were also inside. Otherwise, it would have been an even greater loss.


    When Mu Yangling came over holding her brother¡¯s hand, the ferocious scene of the children snatching food made her widen her eyes. Little Bowen¡¯s mouth also fell open.


    The Mu Family had nevercked meat, so they had never seen such a brutal scene. However, after Mu Yangling¡¯s shock subsided, it was reced by heartache.


    She could not help but tighten her grip on her brother¡¯s hand.


    She had never lived such a bitter life. The worst hardship she had suffered was being unable to afford to eat medium-grade rice and having to make do with low-grade rice, due to not having spare money. That said, their family had nevercked meat. Even when the mountains were sealed, they dared to sneak into the mountains to hunt one or two rabbits and pheasants to fill their stomachs. Therefore, she could not imagine only eating meat on Chinese New Year every year.


    That was why her heart ached for those children.


    s, her ability was limited. Best she could do was help the children under the age of ten every now and then. Even so, only a portion of them were willing to shamelessly run to the cave to ept the treat.


    So, was that really the best she could do?


    Guilt caused Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes to sting. She recalled what her mentor had asked them in the military academy. ¡°How much do you think you have to do to be deserving of this military uniform?¡±


    The students replied in unison, ¡°Protect the country!¡±


    Laughing, the instructor said, ¡°This is your responsibility in the first ce.¡± He looked at them solemnly and continued in a serious tone, ¡°Do your best to help the people you encounter who need help. Live up to your conscience, and therefore, your military uniforms.¡±


    At this moment, Mu Yangling asked herself, ¡°Did you do your best? Is your conscience clear?¡±


    After nine years of living as a child, she had already treated herself as a child. But, was she really a child?


    She had worn a military uniform for six years. Could it be that her ideals had disappeared just because she had reincarnated?


    Then why did she still possess memories, knowledge, and abilities from her previous life?


    Mu Yangling was extremely ashamed.


    Little Bowen felt that his sister¡¯s grip on his hand was a little painful, so he looked at her with tears in his eyes and whispered, ¡°Sister, you¡¯re holding on too tightly.¡±


    Immersed in self-reflection, Mu Yangling did not hear him.


    It was Liu Lang who turned around and saw Mu Yangling. He scooped out a bowl of meat and shouted, ¡°Cousin, you¡¯re here.¡±


    His voice exploded in Mu Yangling¡¯s ears. Only then did Mu Yanglinge back to her senses. She quickly let go of her brother¡¯s hand, before grabbing his fair hand again to blow upon it. ¡°Does it hurt? Let me blow on it for you.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. Sister, what were you thinking about? Why didn¡¯t you hear me?¡±


    Mu Yangling stroked his head. ¡°I was thinking about something important.¡±


    Liu Lang handed the bowl to them and said, ¡°Do you want to eat? I¡¯ll snatch some food for you.¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°You guys eat. We¡¯re not eating.¡± She looked around the courtyard and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s in the central room?¡±


    ¡°The elders are all here.¡± Liu Lang said unhappily, ¡°They¡¯re probably still eating.¡± He also knew that his father and second uncle were no longer allowed to follow his cousin into the mountains in the future.


    Mu Yangling looked at him. ¡°Are you full?¡±


    Liu Lang thought about it before replying, ¡°There¡¯s room for a bit more.¡±


    ¡°Stop eating. Help me look after Bowen for a while. I need to look for Great-uncle and the others.¡± Mu Yangling handed Bowen to him. ¡°Do keep an eye on him. There are too many people here.¡±


    Although most of the children were on friendly terms with Little Bowen, there were also people who didn¡¯t like him and bullied him. And now, all the children in the vige were here..

 Chapter 53 - 53: Idea

    Chapter 53: Idea


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Those in the central room had already put down their chopsticks. However, the children were still eating outside, so it was not appropriate for them to go out immediately. Thus, everyone could only chat.


    Since the autumn harvest had just ended, everyone was talking about this year¡¯s harvest and next year¡¯s sowing.


    The moment Mu Yangling entered, Liu He and Liu Daqian, who were facing the door, saw her.


    Liu He waved at her with a smile. ¡°All Ling, you¡¯re here? Come here.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled and walked over. She bowed. ¡°Hello, Uncles.¡±


    Liu Heughed loudly. ¡°Child, you¡¯re still so polite. You¡¯re back from town?


    Where¡¯s your father? Is he back from the county?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s back at home. I came over with my brother to y.¡±


    Liu He knew that Mu Shi did not care about this matter at all and only let his daughter handle it. Despite being aware that Mu Shi doted on his daughter, he had not expected him to indulge Mu Yangling so much.


    Liu He heaved a sigh of relief and said to Mu Yangling, ¡°Good child, 1 know you have good intentions in bringing your uncles into the mountains. It¡¯s just that we¡¯re farmers, and our most important job is to farm, so they won¡¯t follow you into the mountains anymore. They¡¯ll work in the fields at home.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re worried that the others in the vige will alsoe to us. I indeed have to thank Great-uncle for being so thoughtful. I didn¡¯t consider this matter thoroughly previously. However, 1 want to continue bringing them into the mountains.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Recently, there have been more and more rabbits in the mountains, and the situation is only worsening. In the past, after I finished hunting in the west, I had to go to the east the next day and slowly move east. I could only return to hunt in the same ce after two months. This way, 1 wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the prey decreasing too drastically in one ce due to over-hunting. However, in the past half a month, I¡¯ve been hunting in the west and almost never had to shift. Every day, 1 can emerge from the mountain with a basket of rabbits.¡±


    Liu He and Liu Daqian looked at each other before saying solemnly, ¡°Are you saying that there are too many rabbits in the mountains?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°It¡¯s about to be a disaster. If we don¡¯t catch more in the autumn, I¡¯m afraid it will harm the crops nted in the vige after winter.¡±


    They had never seen rabbits in the mountains harm the crops in the fields, but Liu He had heard that those rabbits could even dig out the roots to eat when they got hungry. They were only more harmful than field mice.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I brought my four uncles into the mountain. Since the others in the vige have objections, why don¡¯t Great-uncle divide the 47 households into five teams and send a team to follow me into the mountain each day? The people in the team that hunted the prey can split it equally. However, 1 have a request.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, the central room fell silent. Liu Daqian looked at Mu Yangling anxiously, but the others gazed at her with bright eyes.


    Liu He sat up straight. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°I brought them into the mountains because my heart aches for those children. Moreover, everyone knows that my family relies on hunting for a living, so you¡¯re not allowed to sell the prey in the town and Mingshui County. You can only keep it for your own consumption. If you want to sell it, you have to do it outside of Seven Mile Vige and Mingshui County.¡±


    Liu He pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re still a child, you have to tell your father about this¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°I can make the decision on this matter. Don¡¯t worry, Great-uncle.¡±


    Liu Daqian interrupted, ¡°Then we can¡¯t take advantage of you for nothing. Child, how about we give you half of the prey that we catch on the mountain?¡±


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and smiled. ¡°Eldest Great-uncle, there is only so much prey that 1 can sell in the town and the county. Even if there¡¯s more, 1 wouldn¡¯t be able to sell it. Besides, my mother is pregnant now, and the smell of smoking the meat into jerky bothers her.¡± Mu Yangling thought for a moment before suggesting, ¡°Why not each family give me the skin of half of the rabbits caught each day? How about that?¡±


    She didn¡¯t want the rabbit meat, but the rabbit skin could be sold. When the time came, she would make leather clothes, gloves, and hats to warm them up during the cold winter.


    Liu He and the others naturally agreed to such a small request.


    Mu Yangling stood up and said, ¡°Take out Uncle Ting and Uncle Yuan. This way, there will be 45 households with nine people in each team. The two of them will follow each team every time, and the vigers will listen to their arrangements. I¡¯m only in charge of bringing them in and teaching them how to set up traps and hunt. I¡¯ll leave it to my two uncles to manage the teams.¡±


    That meant that Liu Ting and Liu Yuan could follow the teams every time and get prey every time. Everyone knew that she was taking care of her two great-uncles, so everyone had no objections and nodded in agreement.


    Mu Yangling continued, ¡°Since Widow Liu doesn¡¯t have any grown sons, for her family, her prey wille from my two uncles.¡±


    Considering the oldest male in Widow Liu was merely five years old, they could not very well let Widow Liu follow them into the mountains. Furthermore, the prey given to her family woulde from Liu Ting and Liu Yuan, so no one had any reason to object.


    This was a pleasant surprise to everyone present. Even though Liu Ting had pranked them, it did not affect their good mood. Everyone looked at Mu Yangling in relief and felt that she was indeed a member of the Mu family. What a kind-hearted girl!


    Seeing that they had concluded the matter, Mu Yangling stood up and said, ¡°Then Uncle, do make the arrangements. We¡¯ll enter the mountain the day after tomorrow.¡± She paused before acting nonchnt and saying, ¡°By the way, how¡¯s Eldest Great-aunt¡¯s mattering along? Will us entering the mountain dy her matter?¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± Liu He promised, ¡°In a few days, I¡¯ll personally bring your Eldest Great-uncle to West Mountain Vige to visit your Eldest Great-aunt. I¡¯ll also go and greet the vige representative.¡±


    Liu Daqian¡¯s eyes lit up. Not only was Liu He the vige chief of Nearhill Vige, but he was also the patriarch of the Liu n. If they could get him involved, it would be of significant help. Moreover, with Liu He¡¯s stature, he could invite the vige representative, too.


    Delighted, the smile on Mu Yangling¡¯s face became even more sincere. ¡°Then wait for me at the foot of the mountain the day after tomorrow after you guys split up into teams. I¡¯ll go back and tell my father.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. You can go back. I¡¯ll tally the numbers today and we¡¯ll be able to divide them into teams tomorrow. I¡¯ll get your two uncles to bring people over early in the morning.¡± Liu He personally stood up to send Mu Yangling out.


    Madam Fang-Liu listened in the kitchen for a while. When she saw Mu Yangling rushing out, she hurriedly ran over and said, ¡°Ah Ling, since you¡¯re singling out your two uncles, why don¡¯t you single out my son too? Let the three of them help you lead the teams.¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted in response and said, ¡°I don¡¯t like Uncle Zhuzi. Period.¡± Anyway, she was only a nine-year-old child. So what if she was willful and did as she pleased?


    Liu He also shouted, ¡°Madam Fang-Liu, there¡¯s no ce for you to speak. Get out.¡±


    Madam Fang-Liu¡¯s face turned red and she was about to retort when Mu Yangling said, ¡°My father is back and is waiting for me at home. If you¡¯re displeased, you cane to my house to talk to my father.¡±


    How would Madam Fang-Liu dare? She could only suppress her temper and watch as Mu Yangling pulled Little Bowen away.


    Little Bowen skipped forward as he said, ¡°Sister, Father said that he will send me to school at the beginning of spring.¡±


    ¡°Shall I get up every morning and piggyback you there?¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± Little Bowen said arrogantly, ¡°I can walk on my own.¡±


    Mu Yangling stroked his head. ¡°You¡¯re going to school next year, so you have to learn a few more words. That way, when you go to school, no one will surpass you.¡±


    Little Bowen immediately dered proudly, ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll definitely get first ce.¡±


    When Mu Yangling returned home with her brother¡¯s hand in hers, Mu Shi was sitting in the courtyard waiting for her. ¡°You¡¯re back? Come over and tell Father what trouble you got into this time?¡±


    Mu Yangling squatted in front of her father. Little Bowen followed suit and propped up his chin as he squatted beside his sister. Looking at the two kids in front of him, the anger in Mu Shi¡¯s heart suddenly dissipated..

 Chapter 54 - 54: Past

    Chapter 54: Past


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    It was not that he was not angry with his daughter for making the decision on her own. Still, his anger simply dissipated as he looked at his daughter¡¯s watery eyes and his innocent and carefree son.


    However, Mu Yangling was very curious. ¡°Father, what agreement does our Mu family have with the vige?¡±


    Mu Shi nced at his swaying son and pointed at the small stool. ¡°Move it over and sit down.¡±


    Mu Yangling ran over to bring two stools over, then sat in front of Mu Shi with her brother.


    Mu Shi said with a hint of mncholy, ¡°I originally wanted to tell you when you grow up, lest you develop resentment in your hearts and grow crooked. But from the looks of it, you¡¯re indeed the descendants of my Mu family. You¡¯re kind-hearted and already know how to help others at such a young age.¡±


    Mu Yangling blushed at her father¡¯s shamelessness. Shu Wanniang, who was sitting at the door making clothes, burst outughing. Only the naive Little Bowen gazed at his father proudly.


    ¡°Be serious. Don¡¯t lead the children astray.¡± Shu Wanniang red at him. ¡°Since you¡¯re going to tell them, exin everything clearly so that the children won¡¯t have any doubts in the future.¡±


    Mu Shi knew that she was talking about his aunt, Madam Fang-Liu. His rtionship with his other rtives was alright, but he waspletely estranged with Madam Fang-Liu, to the point where they wouldn¡¯t even exchange New Year¡¯s gifts.


    Mu Shi stroked his son¡¯s head and said, ¡°This is going to be a long story. I need to start from your grandfather¡¯s time.¡± Mu Shi looked at his daughter carefully as he said, ¡°Ah Ling, you bear a 70% resemnce to your grandfather. You can imagine how handsome your grandfather is, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth fell open.


    ¡°Back then, when your grandfather settled down in Nearhill Vige, it caused a stir in the surrounding viges. Not to mention those girls of marriageable age, even those married young wives forgot how to walk when they saw your grandfather.¡± Mu Shi looked at his daughter regretfully and said, ¡°Unfortunately, although your facial features look like your grandfather¡¯s, you didn¡¯t inherit your grandfather¡¯s skin color. You¡¯re easily tanned, while your grandfather¡¯s face was as fair as jade, even after being exposed to the wind and sun for years.¡±


    Speechless, Mu Yangling touched her face. She was only nine years old now. Although she was a little tanned, her skin was delicate and smooth, while her pores were invisible. She thought she looked beautiful when she gazed in the mirror every day.


    Little Bowen looked at his sister and then at his father. He asked, ¡°Father, you definitely don¡¯t look like Grandfather. Do you look like Grandmother?¡±


    Mu Shi¡¯s face darkened. ¡°¡­I look like my grandfather.¡±


    In short, Mu Yangling¡¯s grandfather, Mu Yan, was drop-dead gorgeous. The moment he arrived, he captured the hearts of thedies in Nearhill Vige and the surrounding viges. Among them were Mu Yangling¡¯s grandmother, Liu Erniang, and her third great-aunt, Liu Sanniang.


    In the end, Mu Yan proposed to Liu Erniang, which really pissed off Liu Sanniang. Fortunately, Mu Yan was not without ws.


    Although he was handsome, he had no parents or siblings, and thus could be said to be a lone orphan. Furthermore, he only had a straw hut at the foot of the mountain to live in, and did not even have a plot ofnd to divide up. In contrast, the Fang family that Liu Sanniangter married into could be considered a good family in the vige.


    Liu Sanniang could only keep hinting that she looked down on Mu Yan and Liu Erniang in this aspect.


    Although Liu Sanniang was jealous, she did not go overboard due to this feeling of superiority. Not long after, Mu Yan, whom she despised, bought arge plot ofnd at the foot of the mountain and splurged to build five tiled-roofed houses. In fact, the betrothal gift he gave was the most hefty ever in Nearhill Vige.


    That was when Liu Sanniang¡¯s jealousy turned into hatred. Further deepening those emotions was the fact that Liu Erniang led an enviable life after marriage.


    It was the Mu family¡¯s man¡¯s nature to dote on his wife, so Mu Yan did not let Liu Erniang work in the fields anymore. She just had to tend to the vegetable garden at home and do some housework.


    When Liu Sanniang was 25 years old, she already looked like she was 30 years old. On the other hand, Liu Erniang, who was a year older than her, looked like she was only in her early twenties. As the two sisters lived in the same vige day and night and saw each other every day, that kind of jealousy really gnawed at her heart.


    It was only when Mu Shi was born that she managed to turn the tables.


    When Mu Shi was first born, he didn¡¯t really look like the Hus. However, he grew too quickly. At the age of five, he already had long limbs like a seven-year-old child. By then, his eyes were beginning to show signs of his Hu lineage.


    The first to discover it, Liu Sanniang started spreading rumors in the vige. At first, she suspected that Liu Erniang was cheating on her husband because Mu Shi did not look like his parents.


    Mu Shi¡¯s father was, needless to say, a thing of beauty, and his mother was also a delicate and pretty woman. On the other hand, even though Mu Shi was handsome, he was too muscr. In addition, his facial features were deeper than children of the same age. Under Liu Sanniang¡¯s malicious intent, rumors instantly started spreading.


    Liu Erniang wanted to die, but Mu Yan understood that it was because his son looked too much like his father. At this moment, he could only calmly admit that he was half-Hu.


    As the Hu people and the Han people had always been at war, there had been many intermarriages in the past few years. Although the Liu family was angry at Mu Yan for hiding it previously, they let this matter go when they saw that he was sincere in admitting his mistake.


    However, Liu Sanniang was unwilling to let it go. First, she instigated the children in the vige to ostracize and beat up Mu Shi. Then, she ganged up with the women to shun Liu Erniang.


    As Mu Shi was highly skilled in martial arts, very few children in the vige could defeat him. Hence, it was the other children in the vige who were beaten up by him. The parents naturally had objections seeing this. It was fine if it was once or twice, but after many times, the people in Nearhill Vige came to think that Mu Shi was brutal by nature due to his Hu lineage, and was always bullying the children in the vige.


    Meanwhile, Mu Yan and Liu Erniang did not take the children¡¯s quarrels to heart. By the time they realized it, the Mu Family had already been excluded by the entire Nearhill Vige.


    At that time, Mu Shi was merely seven years old. From then on, he no longer had any ymates. Most of the time, he followed his father into the mountains to hunt or squatted outside his house to y by himself.


    Liu Ting and his brothers came to y with him from time to time, but every time they returned, they would be ostracized by the children in the vige.


    Sensing that something was wrong, Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian secretly investigated. In the end, they found out that the culprit was their younger sister, Liu Sanniang. This resulted in internal strife within the Liu family, but they could only swallow this bitter fruit. Other than calling Mu Yan and his wife over and scolding Liu Sanniang and forbidding her from ndering the Mu family again, there was nothing else they could do.


    It was precisely because Liu Sanniang could tell that her maternal family was unwilling to blow things up that she did not restrain herself.


    Therefore, the rtionship between the Mu Family and Nearhill Vige gradually became tense until the military disaster 15 years ago.


    In the winter 15 years ago, during the snow disaster in the north, a group of Hus secretly crossed the border to the south and plundered their way south. The Yuan family¡¯s army chased them all the way. Although they chased most of them out of the Great Zhou, there were still scattered soldiers who escaped. More than 40 of them escaped to Nearhill Vige.


    At that time, there were many young and strong men in the vige, but very few people dared to pick up weapons and resist. The 348 people in the 48 families in the vige were almost likembs waiting to be ughtered. In the end, it was Mu Yan who drew his bow and shot arrows, protecting the entire vige as they retreated into the mountains.


    Mu Shi was familiar with the forest and was assigned by Mu Yan to lead the way. Meanwhile, Mu Yan led the young men in the vige to resist at the back.


    In actuality though, Mu Yan was the one who did all the heavy lifting. The only other person who helped at all was Liu Erniang, who was shing haphazardly at the side with a big saber. By the time he was carried back, Mu Yan had been stabbed 17 times and was on hisst breath. He had killed 21 people all by himself.


    He only had time to take one look at his wife and child before closing his eyes. Overwhelmed with grief, the already-injured Liu Erniang breathed herst with her dead husband in her arms that very night.


    Having lost his parents overnight, Mu Shi suffered a huge blow. That was when he developed a bitter hatred for the cowardice and ipetence of the people from Nearhill Vige..

 Chapter 55 - 55: Working Together

    Chapter 55: Working Together


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Shi felt that if they weren¡¯t so cowardly, his father wouldn¡¯t have taken on so many attacks, and his mother wouldn¡¯t have been forced to pick up her saber. Therefore, he hated them and despised them even more.


    Nevertheless, these people were all his mother¡¯s family and part of his n.


    So, Mu Shi still brought them out of the mountain.


    Nearhill Vige was burned down. Other than a few houses, everything else was burned down by the barbarians who had escaped.


    That event resulted in 33 deaths in Nearhill Vige, including his parents¡¯.


    Nearhill Vige was in a desperate situation. This was only resolved when Liu He brought Liu Daqian and the others to beg Mu Shi to bring the young men in the vige into the mountain. That way, they could at least find a little something to eat from Chef Mountain and survive this winter.


    Although Mu Shi did not like them, he still agreed.


    However, the people who were brought into the mountain did not know how to restrain themselves, refusing to let off even the cubs. As a hunter, Mu Shi believed in not overhunting, and would let go of the young ones and pregnant mothers caught.


    Moreover, instead of simply eating the prey themselves, the vigers even brought the prey to the town and county to sell. Because there was a lot of prey, the price was lowered. This undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to the hunters of Mingshui County and Mu Shi.


    Therefore, after the new year, Mu Shi directly left. Liu He felt very guilty and forced the juniors to kneel in front of the Mu Family¡¯s door, but Mu Shi ignored them.


    This was also one of the reasons why Mu Shi left Nearhill Vige and went into Chef Mountain back then. If not for this, he probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to save Shu Wanniang by chance.


    It was because he had saved Shu Wanniang, that he brought her back to Nearhill Vige.


    Feeling guilty, Liu He and the elders made the people of Nearhill Vige make an agreement involving Mu Shi. Unless there was a danger of the vige being destroyed, they were not allowed to disturb the Mu Family. Also, the vigers of Nearhill Vige were not allowed to nder the Mu Family outside, nor were they allowed to coerce the Mu Family to bring them into the mountain or gain any benefits from them.


    In order to execute the agreement better, Liu He asked everyone not to have any dealings involving benefits with the Mu family. If there were no benefits, there would be no disputes.


    Therefore, even though he could clearly exchange meat for grains with the vigers here, Mu Shi always had to go to town to buy rice and noodles. As a result, although the people of Nearhill Vige were very greedy for meat, no one woulde to ask for or exchange for prey.


    They didn¡¯t even ept Mu Shi¡¯s prey during festive seasons.


    Now, Mu Shi still had a faint rtionship with the vigers and did not interact with them at all. Other than entering the mountains and the market every day, he would stay at home with his wife and children.


    The reason why the tension between the two sides had eased over the years was mostly because of Mu Yangling and Little Bowen.


    As the two children often went to the vige to y, they slowly became familiar with the vigers. However, this was only between the vigers and the two children.


    Mu Shi and Shu Wanniang rarely appeared in front of everyone.


    Tears welled up in Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes as she asked her father, ¡°Then do you still me them?¡±


    Mu Shi snorted. ¡°Not anymore.¡±


    However, Mu Yangling was not convinced.


    ¡°If you want to help those children, go ahead. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡± Mu Shi stroked her head and said sadly, ¡°Who asked our Mu family to be so kind-hearted?¡±


    Mu Yangling: ¡°¡­¡±


    Little Bowen didn¡¯t understand most of it, but he understood thest sentence. He nodded seriously. ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re all very kind.¡±


    ¡°Mother, look at them! Father has led Little Brother astray.¡±


    Shu Wanniang covered her mouth andughed.


    Although Mu Shi said that he didn¡¯t care, he still brought his daughter into the mountain to scout and mark out a safe area. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t go any deeper. I don¡¯t know if that ck bear and female tiger are still around. Be more vignt when you bring them into the mountain. Once there are any abnormalities, bring them out of the mountain immediately.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry. Safety first. I¡¯ll definitely be careful.¡±


    Mu Shi looked at his daughter in relief. ¡°You¡¯ve already grown up and have a mind of your own.¡± Although his daughter was bing increasingly disobedient, Mu Shi was still very d that his daughter was much smarter than others.


    At least, he had never seen a nine-year-old child think of doing these.


    When the time came, Mu Yangling brought 11 people into the mountain and divided them into two groups. One group had five people, and the other had six people. Liu Ting and Liu Yuan each led a group. When Mu Yangling brought them to the ce, she said, ¡°Spread out. Don¡¯t be too far away, but don¡¯t be too close either. Don¡¯t destroy the vegetation and rocks on the ground. We¡¯ll set up traps here today. Then, I¡¯ll bring you to another ce to catch rabbits. Remember, our main target is rabbits. If you see other prey, especiallyrge ones, don¡¯t panic. Come and tell me. If you shout loudly and I can¡¯t make it there in time to save you, you¡¯ll have to take responsibility for your lives.¡±


    After the 11 of them agreed softly, Mu Yangling looked at Liu Ting and Liu Yuan. ¡°Uncles, make the arrangements. One group will dig the traps, and the other will ce the ropes.¡±


    Mu Yangling taught them how toy the traps one by one and then scouted the vicinity just in case. After they were done, she checked the traps once more. Then, she waved her hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s head east. Be careful of the traps. Watch how 1 finish up and get rid of the traces. You have to remember that we are looking for the tracks left behind by the prey, but the prey will also do likewise. So, you have to remove your tracks when you leave. Otherwise, no matter how perfect your traps are, it will be in vain.¡±


    As she spoke, Mu Yangling used a tree branch to gently cover up everyone¡¯s tracks. When they left that area, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s more suitable for five people to hunt around. It¡¯ll inevitably be a burden if the group is toorge.¡±


    Liu Ting andpany did not say a word. Since there were too many people in the vige, it would take a long time to rotate if they formed teams of five people. Furthermore, with limited strength, their gains would be limited too.


    Mu Yangling had obviously thought of this too, which was why she had requested to divide them into five groups.


    Mu Yangling led everyone to lie on the grass, where there was arge open grasnd in front of them. She pointed ahead and asked, ¡°Do you see what¡¯s there?¡±


    Swallowing his saliva, Liu Ting said, ¡°Rabbits.¡± There were many, many rabbits.


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course 1 know they¡¯re rabbits. I¡¯m asking you to look around. There are many trees on both sides. On one side is where we¡¯re lying now, and on the east is the river. In other words, we only need to outnk the rabbits from three sides to catch them. Did you bring all thes as asked?¡±


    Liu Ting was only stunned for a moment before he hurriedly replied, ¡°Yes.¡± He gestured for her to look at the things in their hands.


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Good. Later, the three of you will grab thes and outnk them. The remaining two will follow me with a sack to put the caught rabbits inside.¡±


    Liu Ting did not quite understand. The ce was so big, and the was only so small. How could it stop them?


    ¡°Come on, you¡¯ll understand after doing it once.¡±


    Rabbits were timid animals who would escape desperately at the slightest movement. Mu Yangling gave the men the branches she had chosen on the way. On the left and right, the two men each held in their hand a branch with leaves on the end. When they grabbed the and surrounded it, they had to use the branch to stop the rabbits who wanted to escape, from both sides at the same time. Though actually, there was no need to truly stop them from escaping. What they hoped to achieve was that the constant disturbance would literally frighten them to deaths.


    As Liu Ting and Liu Yuan were both steady people, Mu Yangling arranged for them to be at the back and west. Liu Dazhuang was in charge of the south side. Liu Li and Liu Yong were the most agile, so they followed Mu Yangling to catch rabbits inside.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be in the south. Uncle Li, go to the west. Cousin Yong, go to the north. Remember, when you catch rabbits, you have to bend over. Immediately give up on those rabbits that have already run past you. Your main task is to catch the ones at the gaps. Let¡¯s try it today. If this method doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll think of another one..¡±

 Chapter 56 - 56: Discovered

    Chapter 56: Discovered


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Everyone was ready and slowly surrounded the center of the.


    Mu Yangling, Liu Li, and Liu Yong bent over to catch rabbits in the middle.


    As soon as they appeared, the rmed rabbits hurriedly fled in all directions. When the rabbits rushed over, the quick-witted Mu Yangling stuffed one in each hand into the cloth bag. With the other hand, she grabbed the bag tightly and continued walking.


    Mu Yangling had learned martial arts after all, and she was well-experienced, so she did not find it difficult. In contrast, Liu Li and Liu Yong were in a sorry state.


    Even though they had also caught rabbits before, they could not keep up, only seeding maybe once in three times. In less than half an hour, the two of them were panting.


    Mu Yangling shouted, ¡°If you¡¯re tired, go and block the gap. Take a break and continue catching after you¡¯ve recovered.¡±


    When Liu Li and Liu Yong heard this, they walked to the gap on their side and raised their hands to chase the rabbits towards the middle.


    When the three sides of the finally closed, the rabbits were chased to the river. They bounced around the river in panic, but they did not dare to jump down.


    Rabbits were afraid of water.


    Seeing that the range was gradually decreasing, Mu Yangling raised her hand and said, ¡°Stop! That¡¯s it. Leave six people to hold the. The rest of you,e in and catch the rabbits.¡±


    Mu Yangling picked up a fewrge rocks to hold down the corner of the. Then, she got the six of them to step on the to stabilize it firmly. The remaining five people stood with her on the same side of the and caught rabbits with a sack each.


    There were about 30 rabbits surrounded. This was the first time Liu Li and the others had followed Mu Yangling out to hunt. Seeing this, their hearts surged and they wished they could kneel down with sparkling eyes.


    In the end, a few bold rabbits fell into the water. However, the moment they entered the water, they iled around haphazardly. It was Liu Ting who picked them up from the water.


    ¡°Alright, everyone, rest for a while.¡± Mu Yangling got someone to tie up the pockets and leave a few small holes for the rabbits to breathe. Then, she sat at the side and looked at the grass. ¡°There won¡¯t be so many rabbits here for four to five days.¡±


    Liu Yuan said with a smile, ¡°Considering how timid rabbits are, I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll be frightened. By the way, Ah Ling, are there many grasnds like this in the mountain?¡±


    ¡°Not many. We can¡¯t go elsewhere, because there are ferocious beasts.¡± Mu Yangling said after a pause, ¡°There are many ferocious beasts where there is water and grass. I brought you here because we¡¯re close to the outside. Later, I¡¯ll bring you to the rabbits¡¯ nest.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to town today?¡± Liu Ting asked.


    As the Mu Family was a regr supplier to the eateries and restaurants in town, they had to deliver their prey before lunch every day.


    ¡°My father went to deliver the prey. 1¡¯11 be the one doing the delivery tomorrow.¡± Mu Yangling stood up and patted her butt. ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll bring you to the rabbits¡¯ nest. The forest is densely filled with trees. Don¡¯t go too far away, in case I can¡¯t see you. If you hear me blow the whistle, gather beside me immediately.¡±


    Mu Yangling reiterated the rules of surviving in the forest again. Seeing that they had all understood, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    In a day, the group captured 68 rabbits. Considering that each rabbit was different in size, Mu Yangling asked Liu Ting and Liu Yuan to take them back and weigh them, before distributing them ording to their weight. The extra was to be sent to the widowed families in the vige.


    In the end, Liu Ting gave Mu Yangling eight fat rabbits. Mu Yangling said, ¡°1 don¡¯t need this much at home.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re still alive. You can feed them and bring them to town tomorrow.¡±


    After some thought, Mu Yangling agreed.


    The next day, when she brought people to collect the prey in the trap, they obtained more than on the first day. After a round, all the families in the vige had eaten meat. However, perhaps because they had suffered too much previously, many families were still unwilling to eat enough meat and smoked most of it to hang it up, despite the bountiful gains.


    No one dared to sell it in town.


    Liu He sat at the entrance of the vige and watched. Perhaps because of what happened back then, Liu He and the older generation were very strict about this.


    As for Mu Yangling, as she brought them further east each day, the time needed every day lengthened. Seeing that she had worked hard, Liu Daqian asked Liu Xuan to deliver the prey to town on Mu Yangling¡¯s behalf.


    Mu Yangling agreed after thinking about it. Since they had already captured most of the rabbits in the forest in the west, they would definitely need more time if they wanted to go further east.


    The further east they went, the more densely were the rabbits gathered. The grass in the forest had been gnawed until only a section was left. There was even a ce where the stems of the grass had been dug up and gnawed because the rabbits were too densely gathered. Aside from rabbits, all they saw were a few roe deer that had lost weight from hunger.


    Mu Yangling drooled at the roe deer as she said, ¡°Even though I¡¯ve been eating rabbit meat for a few days, my favorite food is actually still roe deer meat. What a pity¡­¡±


    Liu Li was puzzled. ¡°Then let¡¯s catch the roe deer. 1¡¯11 help you catch them, together with your other uncles.¡±


    Retracting her saliva, Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°No, they¡¯re already miserable enough. If we eat them, the number of roe deer will probably decrease by a lot next year, so we¡¯d better go catch rabbits.¡±


    After the rabbit finished eating all the grass, the roe deer that had fainted from hunger could only be eaten by other carnivorous animals. If she also ate roe deer, it would probably be very difficult for them to see roe deer next year. Hence, it was better to let them survive.


    ¡°Now I understand why it¡¯s said that the urrence of rabbits will affect the farmers¡¯ harvest.¡± Liu Ting¡¯s expression was a little ugly. ¡°With so many rabbits, if there¡¯s no grass to eat in the forest next spring, won¡¯t they have to go down the mountain to gnaw on the crops?¡±


    Liu Yong¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Since when did Chef Mountain have so many rabbits?¡±


    The ominous feeling in Mu Yangling¡¯s heart intensified. ¡°What¡¯s behind Chef Mountain?¡±


    How would Liu Ting andpany know when the furthest they had been was Mingshui County? Therefore, they shook their heads in confusion.


    Mu Yangling pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Forget it, we¡¯ll talk about thister. Let¡¯s catch the rabbits first. Other than the young ones and the pregnant rabbits, we¡¯ll capture the rest.¡±


    They managed to catch more this time than ever before, totaling more than 150.. However, due to worry about next year¡¯s crop harvest, thisyer of joy wasced with some mncholy.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s already noon. Everyone, sit down and rest for a while. We¡¯ll head back soon.¡± Liu Ting shouted. As he scanned the number of people, he frowned. ¡°All Yuan, where are Dazhuang and Zhuzi?¡±


    When Liu Yuan heard this, he stood up and looked around. ¡°They went to relieve themselves. Why aren¡¯t they back yet?¡±


    ¡°Where did they go? Weren¡¯t they told not to stay far away?¡± Liu Ting was displeased.


    ¡°They headed north. Why don¡¯t 1 go take a look?¡± Liu Yuan was also a little angry. Zhuzi and Dazhuang were in his group. It didn¡¯t make sense how Zhuzi could be this disobedient despite the fact that he was already the father of two children and was even a year older than him.


    When Zhuzi said he wanted to go with Dazhuang to relieve themselves, Liu Yuan had instructed him not to go too far. However, the other party felt embarrassed since Ah Ling, a youngdy, was with them, so he pulled Da Zhuang north. Why weren¡¯t they back yet after so long?


    As Liu Yuan thought about it, he walked in the direction where Fang Zhuzi had gone. Liu Ting shouted, ¡°Be careful. Tell them we¡¯re going back soon and ask them to hurry.¡±


    Liu Yuan responded. However, it was only after walking for a long distance that he noticed two people squatting on the ground with their heads against each other. He frowned and asked, ¡°What are you guys doing? Even if you¡¯re digging for gold, you should already have dug it out.¡±


    Startled, Fang Zhuzi and Liu Dazhuang fell to the ground.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you guys?¡± Sensing that something was wrong, Liu Yuan immediately ran up.


    Fang Zhuzhu jumped up and opened his arms to stop him. ¡°Liu Yuan, what are you trying to do? Da Zhuang and I were the ones who discovered this.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Liu Yuan frowned. ¡°What are you doing here? Don¡¯t you know that we¡¯re about to leave? Why did youe so far?¡±


    Embarrassed, Liu Dazhuang went forward and pulled Fang Zhuzi back. ¡°Brother Zhuzi, since Brother Yuan is here, why don¡¯t you get Brother Yuan to help? We¡¯ll split it among the three of uster.¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t. I was the one who discovered this. Why should he share it with us?¡± Fang Zhuzi shouted indignantly.


    Liu Dazhuang frowned and said unhappily, ¡°Brother Zhuzi, 1 was the one who discovered this..¡±

 Chapter 57 - 57: Escape

    Chapter 57: Escape


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    In spite of his embarrassment, Fang Zhuzi said shamelessly, ¡°It was just a slip of the tongue. The two of us discovered it together.¡±


    Liu Yuan looked at them with a dark expression and said irritably, ¡°Alright, I don¡¯t want a share. Quickly pack up ande back with me. We¡¯re leaving.¡± Fang Zhuzi pursed his lips and said disdainfully, ¡°Do you know what we found?¡± As he spoke, he moved aside and pointed at a nt on the ground. ¡°This is ginseng. And from the looks of it, it¡¯s at least this old. If we dig this up, Dazhuang and I will be able to eat our fill and wear warm clothes even if we don¡¯t work for the rest of our lives.¡±


    Liu Yuan looked at the nt on the ground in surprise. ¡°This is ginseng? How do you know?¡±


    Liu Dazhuang touched his head in embarrassment as he said, ¡°My father has been in poor health for the past two years. When I went to the pharmacy to buy ginseng roots for him, I saw someone selling freshly dug ginseng. I think this one looks very simr. But we don¡¯t know how to dig it out and are afraid of damaging it. I heard from the shopkeeper that if we dig up damaged ginseng, the value will be reduced by at least half.¡± That was why they had dyed for so long. They really didn¡¯t know where to start.


    At this moment, Liu Yuan also hesitated. This was the legendary ginseng. ¡°Why don¡¯t we call All Ling over? Since she oftenes into the mountains, she might know how to go about doing it.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± Fang Zhuzi refused decisively and said, ¡°If we let her do it, will we still have a share?¡±


    ¡°Cousin, what are you talking about? Is Ah Ling that kind of person?¡±


    Fang Zhuzi spat and said, ¡°She made it clear that she doesn¡¯t get along with me, her uncle. If we really call her over, even if we don¡¯t give her a share, she might even deliberately damage the ginseng while digging it out. When that timees, it¡¯d be no use even if we cry.¡±


    Liu Dazhuang disagreed with a frown. ¡°All Ling isn¡¯t that kind of person. Brother Zhuzi, you¡¯re thinking too much.¡± He really regretteding out to relieve himself with Fang Zhuzi. If it were anyone else, there wouldn¡¯t be so much trouble.


    Liu Yuan waved his hand impatiently and said, ¡°Alright, alright. You can decide what to do. But there¡¯s not much time left. Eldest Cousin is urging us to leave¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling was lying on the grass with her eyes closed to rest, her ears close to the grass as she listened to the various movements in the mountains. Under the warm sunlight, she was about to fall asleep when she suddenly heard an explosion, causing her to jump up in fright.


    Shocked by Mu Yangling¡¯s actions, Liu Ting and the others were hurriedly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Instead of answering, Mu Yanglingy back down on the grass again to listen to themotion. The muffled sound traveled through the ground to her ears. After confirming it, Mu Yangling jumped up and said, ¡°Quickly pack up and leave. Don¡¯t make too much noise. There¡¯s a ferocious beast. Hurry!¡±


    Liu Ting¡¯s expression changed slightly. ¡°Zhuzi and Dazhuang went to relieve themselves and haven¡¯t returned yet. All Yuan went to look for them.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression was ugly. ¡°Which direction did they go? Didn¡¯t I tell everyone not to go far?¡±


    Everyone looked at Liu Ting and Mu Yangling eagerly, suppressing the fear in their hearts. The forest had always been a dangerous ce to everyone. If Mu Yangling did not bring them along, they would definitely not dare to enter the mountain. Although everything had been going smoothly during this period of time, they had seen wolves leave as theyid in the grass. They had also seen how Mu Yangling avoided the ferocious beasts. Seeing the change in her expression, they knew that the so-called ferocious beast was definitely not a jackal or a wild boar. They did not dare to think about it.


    Because of Fang Zhuzi and Liu Dazhuang, they couldn¡¯t leave immediately. The team members instantly became restless.


    Mu Yangling said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll go find them and bring them back. Take them out first. Remember, don¡¯t shout on the way. If anything happens, blow the whistle 1 gave you.¡±


    As she spoke, she turned and ran in the direction of Liu Yuan and the others.


    Liu Ting¡¯s expression was dark as he waved his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The few of them carried their things and ran out behind Liu Ting. It would take at least an hour to exit the mountain.


    After running for a while, Mu Yangling saw that the three of them were arguing about something. Gritting her teeth in anger, she ran forward to grab Liu Yuan¡¯s arm and roared in a low voice, ¡°What are you guys doing here? There¡¯s a ferocious beasting. Let¡¯s leave quickly.¡±


    The three of them were shocked. Fang Zhuzi jumped out and said, ¡°No, we still have things to do.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. I brought you in, so you have to get out right now. Hurry up and leave.¡±


    However, Fang Zhuzi frowned and said, ¡°Who are you lying to? I¡¯ve been in the mountains for so long, but I¡¯ve never seen a ferocious beast. If you want to leave, go ahead. I¡¯m not leaving.¡±


    Liu Yuan also said, ¡°Ah Ling, your uncle and the others found a piece of ginseng. Shall we dig it up before leaving?¡±


    Not wasting her breath on them, Mu Yangling said, ¡°There are two ferocious beasts fighting not far away. If I¡¯m not wrong, it should be the female tiger and the ck bear. Do you want to leave or stay? If you want to leave, follow me. If you decide to stay, that¡¯s up to you. When we entered the mountain back then, we agreed that you would either listen to me or fend for yourself. I won¡¯t be responsible.¡±


    With that, Mu Yangling turned around and left. If they were herrades, she would have long whipped them. She hated soldiers who didn¡¯t listen to orders the most.


    Seeing this, Liu Yuan followed Mu Yangling without thinking. Liu Dazhuang hesitated for a moment and hurriedly chased after her. As he did so, he turned around and pulled Fang Zhuzi. ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly. All Ling can¡¯t be wrong.¡±


    Considering Mu Yangling had been entering the mountains every day for more than three years, her judgment was unlikely to be wrong.


    Fang Zhuzi¡¯s expression was ugly. He looked at the ginseng on the ground and then at the three people who were gradually disappearing. Finally, he stomped his feet, squatted down, and quickly dug with his hands.


    Roar! Roar! A tiger¡¯s roar sounded.


    ¡°Oh my god!¡± Fang Zhuzi was so frightened that he fell to the ground, his face pale. He raised his head and looked around. The forest was silent, and he was the only one left. Although he no longer heard the tiger¡¯s voice, the tiger¡¯s roar just now seemed to be exploding in his ears still.


    Without thinking, Fang Zhuzi threw down the ginseng on the ground and stumbled towards Mu Yangling and the others.


    Having also heard the tiger¡¯s roar, Liu Yuan hurriedly pulled Mu Yangling back. ¡°All Ling, we can¡¯t leave your uncle there alone. I¡¯ll go back and pick him up.¡± Mu Yangling snorted and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Based on how timid he is, he¡¯ll definitely catch up. Now that he heard the tiger¡¯s roar, he must be running over here with all his might. Let¡¯s just walk slower and wait for him to catch up.¡±


    Liu Yuan felt uneasy, unsure if Mu Yangling was right. But seeing how insistent she was, he continued following behind her. After a short while, Mu Yangling stopped and turned around.


    Liu Yuan and Liu Dazhuang quickly turned around and saw Fang Zhuzi stumbling over. When he saw them, he shouted, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wait for me? If I die, can you afford topensate me?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± With an ashen face, Mu Yangling red at him and said, ¡°If you dare to shout at me again, I¡¯ll shoot you. Do you think the tiger isn¡¯t fast enough?¡± Mu Yangling nced at his crotch, turned around, and quickly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly. We have to catch up to Uncle Ting.¡±


    Fang Zhuziined, ¡°I¡¯m your uncle after all. Why did you leave me there?¡±


    As Mu Yangling ran, she said sarcastically, ¡°Didn¡¯t you take the initiative to stay? Besides, there are ten other people here. If anything happens to them, see if the vigers won¡¯t skin you alive. You think they¡¯ll choose to save you over ten other people? Obviously not.¡± Seeing that he was about to re up, Mu Yangling quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m going to sprint now. Those who can catch up will live. If you can¡¯t catch up and get caught by the female tiger, 1 won¡¯t be able to save you.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, Mu Yangling bolted out like an arrow.


    Liu Yuan and Liu Dazhuang hurriedly ran after her. Fang Zhuzi gritted his teeth and could only hold his breath as he chased after them, not daring to stay.


    The four of them quickly caught up with the people in front. When Liu Ting saw Mu Yangling and the rest catching up, he heaved a sigh of relief and ran over. ¡°We heard a tiger¡¯s roar just now.¡±


    ¡°Quickly get out of here. I believe the ck bear is fighting with the female tiger. Let¡¯s leave quickly, in case theye over.¡±


    With Mu Yangling leading the way and controlling their speed, the group walked out even faster. However, Mu Yangling still heard increasingly louder sounds. This indicated that the two big creatures were heading this way.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression was ugly. As she ran, she tore off a sack from Liu Ting¡¯s body and said to them, ¡°Quickly run out. We¡¯ll be out in another half an hour. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll lure them away using the rabbits.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s too dangerous. Let¡¯s leave together.¡± Liu Ting growled softly.


    When Mu Yangling heard the increasingly loudmotion, she said, ¡°Shut up. Are you guys faster than me? You¡¯ll only be a burden if you follow me. Hurry up and run out.¡± As she spoke, she rushed out towards the east.


    Liu Ting gritted his teeth and stomped his feet. ¡°Let¡¯s leave quickly. Liu Li, Liu Yong, hand us the things. You two run out and find Shi Tou. Tell him to enter the mountain and bring All Ling out..¡±

 Chapter 58 - 58: Watching the Battle

    Chapter 58: Watching the Battle


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Liu Ting fled with his men while Mu Yangling ran east. After running for a distance, she fished out a rabbit and slit its neck before throwing it on the road. Then, she continued to run forward quickly and threw down a rabbit with its neck slit¡­


    She only hoped that this fresh blood could lure them over.


    Mu Yangling stood in the forest and heaved a sigh of relief when she heard themotioning towards her. Then, she became nervous and quickly ran east.


    Now that she had sessfully attracted them, she had to make sure she didn¡¯t get killed by them.


    As Mu Yangling ran, she looked for tall and sturdy trees. After running for nearly seven to eight minutes, she finally saw a tree with branches that were as thick and leafy as an adult. In addition, the tree trunk was so tall that it extended beyond the forest. Without thinking, Mu Yangling swung her arms and climbed up.


    A bear and a tiger were fighting vigorously. Although they each had their own victories and losses, when they suddenly heard such a hugemotion, they knew that arge wave of prey was attacking.


    The bear and the tiger were not stupid. Should they continue fighting, it would onlye to an end when either of them died. Since they now had more choices, they were naturally willing to continue living.


    Therefore, the two of them simply bit each other warily before rushing towards the prey.


    Their animal nature made them follow the fresh smell of blood where the path forked. In the end, after taking a few steps, they only found a rabbit that was bleeding.


    The bear and tiger were instantly furious. They still did not know that they had been set up, and only felt that their prey was too stingy to have only left behind one rabbit that was not even enough to fill the gap between one¡¯s teeth. There was no need for the two of them to fight over this mouthful of food. There were too many rabbits in the forest. If they wanted to eat rabbits, they could do so at any time.


    Therefore, they continued to chase. In the end, when they reached the bottom of a big tree, the two of them lost track of their prey. Even the smell had faded.


    The two of them paced around anxiously under the tree. In the end, the bear howled angrily at the tiger. Before winter came, they had to store enough prey. Otherwise, they would probably freeze to death and starve to death in the forest.


    The bear attacked the tiger first.


    Not to be outdone, the tiger arched its back and roared. It rushed towards the bear as well. The two of them instantly fought until the sky turned dark. From time to time, they would collide with the trees beside them, either knocking them down or rebounding. In the forest, the roars of the tiger and bear would constantly be heard.


    Mu Yanglingy on the tree and hugged the branch under her tightly. She felt that if she lost her bnce and was knocked down by the two below, that would definitely be the end of her.


    In the end, the tiger was sent flying by the bear¡¯s palm and mmed into the huge tree. Feeling a jolt, Mu Yangling closed her eyes tightly. Then, she heard the tiger howl. She hurriedly looked down and saw the tiger lying on the ground, on itsst breath.


    Mu Yangling lowered her breathing and curled up on the tree, not moving at all.


    The bear tilted its head at the tiger and pped it onest time, killing it for good. Then, it fell lying on the ground, too.


    Although it had pped the tiger to death, it had sustained significant injuries as well. It was lying on the ground licking its wounds.


    It also knew that the smell of blood here would attract many enemies, so it simply licked its most serious wounds before standing up, picking up the tiger, and leaving.


    Mu Yangling stayed on the tree. After confirming that the bear had disappeared, she quickly slid down the tree and ran in the direction of her home without thinking.


    Halfway there, she met the ashen-faced Mu Shi, followed by more than 20 young men with clubs.


    ¡°All Ling!¡± Mu Shi yelled when he saw his daughter.


    ¡°Father.¡± Mu Yangling ran towards her father and said, ¡°Father, the bear killed the tiger during a fight. Let¡¯s go out quickly. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be bad if the beares.¡±


    Although Mu Shi wanted to teach his daughter a lesson, it was not the time to do so. He pulled his daughter and said to Liu Ting and the others behind him, ¡°Let¡¯s leave quickly.¡±


    When the group of people left the forest, the entire vige was waiting outside. Shu Wanniang¡¯s eyes were red as she held her son¡¯s hand tightly. When she saw her husband bringing her daughter out, she heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly held her stomach as she went forward.


    Mu Yangling obediently called out ¡°Mother¡± and stood at the side.


    Mu Shi nodded at Liu He and raised his voice. ¡°Thank you, fellow vigers. It¡¯s dangerous to head into the forest these days. Everyone, try your best not to go near. Regarding the hunting, we¡¯lle to a decision after I discuss it with my daughter and the elders in the vige.¡±


    Having benefited from hunting, the vigers were a little nervous when they heard this. They were afraid that Mu Shi would no longer agree to let Mu Yangling enter the mountain because of this incident.


    ¡°It¡¯s all Dazhuang and Zhuzi¡¯s fault. All Ling asked us toe out of the mountain a long time ago. If they hadn¡¯t dyed us, we wouldn¡¯t have been chased by the tiger and the bear. She wouldn¡¯t have had to lure the bear and tiger away for us, using herself as bait.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s all Dazhuang and Zhuzi¡¯s fault. If not for them, we might not even have heard their roars. Ah Ling has been entering the mountains every day for three to four years, and has never met with any danger. She must have retreated immediately upon sensing themotion.¡±


    For a moment, everyone looked at Dazhuang and Zhuzi usingly.


    Liu Dazhuang was Liu He¡¯s youngest son. At this moment, he was so ashamed that he wished he could crawl into a hole. However, Fang Zhuzi jumped up and said, ¡°Bullsh*t, how did we dy everyone? If Ah Ling had discovered it earlier, would we have gone to relieve ourselves in the first ce?¡±


    No one expected Fang Zhuzi to be so thick-skinned. They were all stunned.


    However, Liu Dazhuang suddenly ran to look for his father. He knew that if the vige lost the chance to enter the mountains because of them, his family would definitely drown in spittle.


    His great-grandfather, all the way to his father, had held the title of the patriarch of the Liu family. In fact, his eldest brother would be the next patriarch. If his family¡¯s prestige decreased because of him and they eventually lost the position of the patriarch, he would not be able to absolve himself of the me even if he died ten thousand times.


    Therefore, without thinking, Liu Dazhuang went to his father and told him about the ginseng. He said in shame, ¡°1 wanted to dig out the ginseng so that our family could have more money, but Zhuzi and I have never dug it out before, so we didn¡¯t dare to do it. That¡¯s why we were dyed. Father, let¡¯s tell the vigers about the ginseng aspensation.¡±


    Liu He pondered for a moment before confirming, ¡°You were the one who discovered the ginseng? Not Zhuzi?¡±


    ¡°I found it and told Zhuzi.¡±


    ¡°Who else knows about this?¡±


    ¡°Brother All Yuan also knows. I told him when he came to look for uster.¡±


    Only then did Liu He heave a sigh of relief. He nodded as he said, ¡°Very good. This way, we won¡¯t have to worry about Fang Zhuzi objecting to us taking out the ginseng.¡± At the end of his sentence, Liu He gritted his teeth.


    Knowing his son, he was certain it was Fang Zhuzi¡¯s idea to hide this matter. It must have been Fang Zhuzi who dyed them from leaving.


    Although his son had selfish motives, this child had always been soft-hearted and definitely could not have made this decision. Moreover, he did not know how to dig for ginseng.


    Liu He felt it was a pity that his son had told Fang Zhuzi when he discovered the ginseng. With his character, he would definitely have run back to look for Liu Ting, and Liu Ting would definitely have told Mu Yangling. If that had been the case, even if they hadn¡¯t managed to dig up the ginseng, it wouldn¡¯t have dyed their escape.


    However, this thought only shed across his mind for a moment before Liu He rejoiced. Fortunately, Mu Yangling was smart. Otherwise, if someone died in the forest this time, he, Liu He, would be undeniably responsible. Reason being, this matter was caused by his son.


    Liu He decided to bring his son to Mu residence, because Mu Shi had to be the one to make the decision..

 Chapter 59 - 59: Handling

    Chapter 59: Handling


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Before the vige could decide if they should continue entering the mountains, another big piece of news was exposed.


    The reason why Liu Dazhuang was dyed was because he had discovered a ginseng. In order to express his apology, Liu Dazhuang was willing to share this ginseng with everyone. However, the problem was, who would enter the mountain to dig for it?


    That was the ce where the tiger and bear had appeared. At that time, even the vigers in the vige heard their loud roars during their fight.


    Even though wealth moved people¡¯s hearts, no one dared to go into the mountains to dig.


    Hence, Liu He went to look for Mu Shi and said, ¡°After thismotion passes, I want you to bring Da Zhuang and the others into the mountains. After you dig out the ginseng, sell them for money to distribute to the vigers.¡± At this point, Liu He said with a sigh, ¡°After all, it was my son who caused everyone to be startled and even put Ah Ling in danger.¡±


    Liu He had already nned to give a portion of the money to the Mu father and daughter when the money arrived. Firstly, it was to calm them down after the shock they suffered, and secondly, it was to reward them for bringing the vigers into the mountain.


    However, Mu Shi said, ¡°It¡¯s not Dazhuang¡¯s fault. My child is too bold.¡± There was also Fang Zhuzi¡¯s egging on.


    Mu Shi did not like Madam Fang-Liu, nor did he like Fang Zhuzi. When he was young, Fang Zhuzi was the one who took the lead in bullying him. This time, because of his dy, his daughter fell into danger. Mu Shi had already made up his mind not to let Mu Yangling enter the mountains again this year.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Vige Chief. When the mountains quieten down in two days, 1¡¯11 bring them into the mountains.¡±


    Liu He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Mu Shi agree.


    Mu Shi turned around and went back to settle the score with Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling was lying on the bed in shame, covering her head with the nket. Little Bowen sat obediently on the bed, patting the nket gently with his small hand,forting his sister with his actions.


    Shu Wanniang also sat at the side, holding the medicine in her hand. ¡°Let go. I¡¯ll help you apply the medicine.¡±


    Mu Yangling said gloomily under the nket, ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    ¡°How can it not hurt when your father didn¡¯t control his strength? I¡¯m your mother, and you¡¯re still shy? Let go quickly.¡± Shu Wanniang tried to pull it away but failed. She said angrily, ¡°Do you want your father to beat you up again? I can¡¯t me your father for beating you up. You¡¯re too stubborn. Instead of running for your life, you actually went to lure the bear and tiger away. Do you think you¡¯re a rabbit? The bear can turn you into minced meat with a p. Do you know that you almost scared me to death?¡±


    Mu Yangling lifted the nket and said, ¡°Mother, 1 did the calction in my heart. 1 just had to climb up the tree before they came over. Alright, even if I¡¯m stubborn and did something wrong, Father can¡¯t spank me. I¡¯m already a big girl.¡± Mu Yangling red and said, ¡°Mu Bowen, what are youughing at? Do you believe that I won¡¯t spank you?¡±


    Little Bowen hugged his butt with both hands and looked at his mother aggrievedly. ¡°Mother¡ª¡±


    Shu Wanniang red at her daughter and tugged at her pants. ¡°Take it off. I¡¯ll apply the ointment for you.¡±


    Mu Yangling tugged at her pants tightly and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m really fine, really. Mother, I¡¯m really not lying to you. Father didn¡¯t use much strength!¡±


    Just then, Mu Shi came in from outside. Shu Wanniang quickly stopped and stood up. ¡°You¡¯re back? What did the vige chief want to talk to you about?¡±


    Mu Shi fixed his gaze on his daughter and said, ¡°Dazhuang found a ginseng in the mountains. I promised to bring them into the mountains in two days.¡±


    Mu Shi looked at his daughter and snorted. ¡°I came to tell you that you¡¯re not allowed to enter the mountains again this year.¡±


    Mu Yangling opened her mouth wide and protested. ¡°Why? Father, at most, I won¡¯t go as deeply into the mountain as you guys. 1¡¯11 just stay in the periphery, okay?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Mu Shi said. ¡°In the past, 1 thought you were a cautious person, but this time, you¡¯re too bold. To think you dared to use yourself as bait. Are you tired of living?¡±


    Every time he thought of this, Mu Shi would get angry.


    Why had he been so assured to let his daughter enter the mountain alone?


    Other than his daughter¡¯s outstanding skills in hunting and animal tracking, it was also because of his daughter¡¯s cautious personality.


    Ever since she was young, whenever she encountered danger, she would make a prompt decision and sessfully choose the right way to escape. There were several times when Mu Shi avoided some danger because he was with his daughter.


    His daughter was even more cautious than him.


    However, his daughter, who was cautious and cherished her life, actually ran to be bait.


    This made Mu Shi angry and jealous. To think his daughter treated the vigers better than him, her father.


    Oblivious to her father¡¯s thoughts, Mu Yangling only pestered him and said, ¡°Father, I¡¯m not bringing the vigers into the mountain just so that they can live a better life, but it¡¯s also to reduce the number of rabbits.¡± Mu Yangling said solemnly, ¡°Father, since you go deeper into the mountains than us every day, you must know that there are too many rabbits in there. There will be even more next spring. When the grass in the mountains is depleted, the rabbits can only go down the mountain to eat crops. If everyone suffers, Father, do you think we can live well?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Shu Wanniang¡¯s stomach and said, ¡°Mother will give birth in winter. Baby Brother will only be three months old at the beginning of spring next year. Bowen also has to go to school. Father, 1 don¡¯t wish to let my younger brothers suffer.¡±


    Mu Shi immediately rxed his firm attitude.


    Mu Yangling held his hand and said, ¡°Father, 1 won¡¯t bring my uncles in too deep. We¡¯ll just go east and circle around the periphery. What do you think?¡±


    Mu Shi snorted and said, ¡°Let¡¯s see what¡¯s going on in the forest first.¡±


    Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief when she saw him soften his tone.


    That night, wolf howls came from the forest, and a few tiger roars came from afar. Other than the children, all the adults in Nearhill Vige were wide awake until dawn.


    Themotion they heard during the day was enough to scare everyone out of their wits.


    Mu Shi kept his eyes open, a burning sensation in his heart.


    As he usually went more deeply into the mountain than his daughter, he knew the situation better than her. If the rabbits in the periphery were in groups, then rabbits could be seen everywhere in the depths of the forest.


    The rabbits deeper in were not as fat as the ones outside. The rabbits in ces where grass was scarce even showed signs of hunger and thinness.


    He had seen traces of ferocious beasts in the mountains. They seemed to be storing food for the winter. In the past, although animals also had to prepare for the winter, they had never been so crazy and anxious.


    Mu Shi vaguely remembered his father saying when he was young that animals on the grasnd were the most spiritual. Their perception of danger was much more urate and early than humans.


    Mu Shi could only think of one possibility that could make animals store winter food so urgently.


    Mu Shi reached out to touch his wife¡¯s stomach. Sensing the child gently kick his hand, his wife frowned in difort. Mu Shi¡¯s heart ached. There were likely bad times ahead for his children.


    No matter what happened outside, he had to support his wife and children. At the very least, he had to ensure that they did not have to worry about food and clothing.


    Having made up his mind, Mu Shi hugged his wife and closed his eyes before falling asleep.


    Two dayster, Mu Shi realized that the forest had be much quieter. Only then did he bring Liu Ting, Liu Dazhuang, and the others to dig for the ginseng.


    Fang Zhuzi made a fuss about tagging along, arguing that he was also one of the people who had discovered the ginseng.


    Liu He only snorted coldly and did not stop him.


    The ginseng was still there, and Mu Shi did not know how to dig it up. Fortunately, he had brought a hoe with him. There were many people, so he simply dug down around the ginseng and dug up arge piece together with the surrounding soil. Then, he slowly peeled off the soil, and the entire stalk of ginseng appeared intact in front of him.


    The ginseng had already taken on a human form. Everyone squeezed together and eximed, ¡°How old must this ginseng be?¡±


    ¡°At least 50 years old, right?¡±


    ¡°Gotta be older than that. I think it¡¯s at least 180 years old?¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t. If it¡¯s been 180 years, why hasn¡¯t anyone discovered it when it¡¯s in the periphery?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. No one knows for sure anyway. We¡¯ll find out when we bring it to town and ask.¡±


    Mu Shi put away the ginseng and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid this thing won¡¯t fetch a high price in town. Let¡¯s take it to the county.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s only one medicinal shop in town, and it¡¯s the He family¡¯s. Their family even suppresses the price of grains bought from us, let alone ginseng. I think it¡¯s better to go to the county. Although it¡¯s a little far, we¡¯d have many more choices.¡± Hearing Liu Yuan put it that way, everyone agreed..

 Chapter 60 - 60: Benefits

    Chapter 60: Benefits


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When the item was brought back to the vige, Liu He, who was knowledgeable,ughed and said, ¡°This thing is at least a hundred years old. Take it to the county and don¡¯t sell it for less than 60 taels.¡±


    As soon as he said this, the entire vige erupted in joy.


    If it was really worth this much, each family would be able to get at least 900 copper coins from selling it. It had to be known that vigers in the countryside grew their own crops. They would wear their clothes until they became old and tattered, and even then they would mend the holes and continue wearing them. Then, the older ones would hand down the old clothes to the younger ones to be worn for another three years. Therefore, other than when they paid taxes, everyone wanted to exchange things for money. Most of the time, their families did not have any cash.


    900 copper coins was an enormous sum of money to them.


    The vigers were as excited as if it was the new year. Only Liu He¡¯s family and Fang Zhuzi¡¯s family had a strange atmosphere.


    The atmosphere in Liu He¡¯s family was just a tad gloomy, and they merely felt that it was a pity. However, Fang Zhuzi¡¯s family caused a hugemotion.


    Madam Fang-Liu poked her son¡¯s head and scolded him, ¡°Why are you so stupid? At that time, you should have dug deeper. Even if you damaged it, it¡¯d at least be worth 30 to 40 taels. Beats getting nothing and getting scolded now.¡±


    Fang Zhuzi said impatiently, ¡°At that time, the tiger and the bear were about toe. Surely I couldn¡¯t have stood there and waited for them to eat me? Forget about ginseng, you won¡¯t even have a son anymore.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Ah Ling there? You could¡¯ve just used her as a shield, couldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Dream on. Back then, she simply left without any hesitation after saying that everyone is responsible for their own lives.¡± Fang Zhuzi said hatefully, ¡°We¡¯re all her rtives, but she treats Liu Ting and the rest amiably yet is so nasty towards me. Mother, are you really a biological daughter of the Liu family? Don¡¯t tell me you were picked up from the streets?¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t. What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Madam Fang-Liu snapped angrily, ¡°Mu Yangling, this youngss.¡± Madam Fang-Liu gritted her teeth. In the end, she couldn¡¯t figure out how to deal with her, and could only say, ¡°Keep a close eye on Liu Dazhuang¡¯s house. Since you and Dazhuang discovered this together, if the Liu family dares to ask for more, ask for the same amount as them. Do you understand?¡±


    Fang Zhuzi agreed.


    The ginseng was sold for a total of 82 taels of silver. It was said that this ginseng was almost 200 years old. They had gone to a few medicinal shops before sessfully negotiating for this price.


    The vige chief gathered the old and young in the vige and said, ¡°We agreed long ago that this thing was meant aspensation for shocking everyone. There are a total of 68 families in our vige, so each family will be given one to two taels of silver. As for the remaining 340 copper coins, I think we should give it to All Ling to soothe her nerves from the fright.¡±


    As Liu He spoke, he turned to look at Mu Yangling and smiled. ¡°Child, I hope you don¡¯t disdain this. Though it¡¯s not much money, consider this as an apology from your Uncle Da Zhuang.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled and went forward to take it. ¡°Great-uncle, my father has already promised to let me continue bringing my uncles into the mountains, but he doesn¡¯t allow me to go so deep in again. So next time, let¡¯s just walk around the periphery of the forest, but we have to go somewhere further.¡± When they heard that the matter of entering the mountain had not been canceled, everyone cheered.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Everyone, rest for two more days. We¡¯ll enter the mountains when it¡¯s quieter. By the way, Great-uncle, when are we going to settle my eldest great-aunt¡¯s matter?¡±


    Liu He knew that she was worried about Madam Ma-Liu, so he smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ve already looked for the Ma family. This matter has already been settled. We¡¯re just waiting for the two sides to choose a good day before officially going over to measure thend. If you have nothing to do in the next two days, you can visit your Eldest Great-aunt.¡±


    When Mu Yangling brought the vigers into the mountain, Liu Daqian took advantage of the time when everyone was grateful to the Mu family to suggest going to West Mountain Vige.


    With Liu He stepping forward and more than half of the Liu nsmen in their prime going there, no matter how unwilling the Ma family was, they could only give in and agree to temporarily return the farnd they had taken back to Madam Ma-Liu. The Ma n would only take them back after her passing.


    When Mu Yangling heard this, a huge smile appeared on her face. With that plot ofnd, Eldest Great-aunt could hire someone to farm it in spring, and would have a much easier time during the autumn harvest. Furthermore, considering how early marriage took ce in this era, Ma Xiuhong would be getting married in a few years. The excess grains could be sold to prepare some dowry for her.


    Recalling the bountiful gains a few days ago, Mu Yangling nned to give some to Eldest Great-aunt.


    Mu Yangling was also given a share of the prey, together with the hunting team. However, the prey that her family brought to town had to be fresh. As the hunting distance increased, Mu Yangling could not guarantee that she would return before noon every day. Therefore, Mu Shi would firste out of the mountains and let Liu Xuan help deliver the prey to town.


    As for the rabbits that Mu Yangling received, she either ate them herself or handed them to Liu Xuan and Liu Zhuang to help turn them into jerky.


    Liu Daqian felt that since Mu Yangling had done so much for them, it was no trouble at all to help her make some jerky.


    Now, the jerky was drying in the Liu family¡¯s courtyard. Mu Yangling carried a basket on her back and picked up a basket to hold in her arms. When Grandma Liu saw this, she couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°It¡¯s good for you to send some to your great-aunt, but you don¡¯t have to send so much. I¡¯m afraid your great-aunt will feel bad.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m making an exchange with Great-aunt. Alright, 1¡¯11 get going first.¡±


    Mu Yangling went to the mountain and picked a fewrge leaves to cover the basket on her back. Then, she strode towards West Mountain Vige.


    As soon as Mu Yangling came out of the mountain, Madam Ma-Zhang, who was gathering firewood at the foot of the mountain, saw her. She immediately smiled and said, ¡°All Ling,e to Aunt quickly.¡±


    Mu Yangling nced at the firewood under her feet, turned around, and asked, ¡°Second Aunt Ma, are you here to gather firewood?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We have to start gathering firewood to prepare for the uing winter.¡± Madam Ma-Zhang nced at Mu Yangling¡¯s basket and asked, ¡°Ah Ling, you¡¯re bringing something to your great-aunt again?¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment before putting down the basket on her back. She took out a smoked rabbit and stuffed it into Madam Ma-Zhang¡¯s hands. ¡°Second Aunt Ma, thank you for taking care of my great-aunt here. Although this is smoked rabbit, it tastes pretty good. Take it back and try it.¡±


    Madam Ma-Zhang¡¯s eyes sparkled as she took the rabbit and said with a smile, ¡°How can 1 ept that? But don¡¯t worry. Knowing your great-aunt is old and Xiuhong is still young, I often ask my son to fetch water for them.¡±


    When Mu Yangling heard this, regardless of whether it was true or not, she took out another rabbit from the basket on her back and stuffed it into Madam Ma-Zhang¡¯s hand. ¡°In that case, Second Aunt Ma, please help my great-aunt more in the future.¡±


    In any case, now that Madam Ma-Zhang had received benefits from her, she could always ask Xiuhong if it was true the next time she came. If Madam Ma-Zhang didn¡¯t help, she could just not give her anything next time. On the other hand, if she did help, she didn¡¯t mind giving her more.


    Madam Ma-Zhang was pleasantly surprised.


    Actually, she wasn¡¯t lying. Although she liked to take advantage of others, she really sympathized with Madam Ma-Liu. Therefore, when there was nothing to be busy with at home, she would ask her eldest son to fetch water and carry things for Madam Ma-Liu.


    Of course, she also did that with the intention of getting some benefits from Mu Yangling.


    ¡°Then Second Aunt Ma, go ahead. I¡¯ll go look for my great-aunt first.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Go quickly.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s arrival made Madam Ma-Liu very happy. Seeing that she had brought so many things, she knew that Mu Yangling would continue to do so next time even if she asked her not to. So, instead of saying anything, she went straight to the vegetable garden and picked a basket and two bags of vegetables for her to bring back. She said, ¡°The weather is getting cold now. Take them back and put them in the cer so that you can eat them in winter..¡±

 Chapter 61 - 61: Expecting Repayment

    Chapter 61: Expecting Repayment


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling hesitated for a moment. ¡°Great-aunt, if you give me so much, your family won¡¯t have any cer vegetables in winter.¡±


    Eldest Great-aunt said with a smile, ¡°My vegetable garden is big and there¡¯s plenty. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Then, she said, ¡°In the past, because we couldn¡¯t afford meat, we could only grow more vegetables. Even if we were hungry, we could eat these to fill our stomachs. Now that you¡¯ve brought us so much meat, I don¡¯t have to worry about this anymore.¡±


    Ma Xiuhong tugged at Mu Yangling¡¯s clothes and whispered, ¡°Cousin, just ept it. Otherwise, my grandma will personally send it over. My grandma said that your family doesn¡¯t have much vegetables.¡±


    There were indeed not many vegetables in the Mu residence. After all, Shu Wanniang did not know how to farm. The small vegetable garden they had was only enough for day-to-day consumption. During winter, Mu Shi could only go to town to buy vegetables and store them.


    As for Mu Shi, he only knew how to plow thend. Even though Liu Daqian had taught him many times, the vegetables he nted were still half-dead. Meanwhile, Shu Wanniang was only slightly better than him.


    Therefore, although the Mu family had spare money, they had never bought farnd like other families because they had no idea how to farm.


    Mu Yangling did not decline and epted it.


    Only then did a smile appear on Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s face. She rolled up her sleeves and said, ¡°y with your cousins first. Great-aunt will make delicious food for you.¡± As she spoke, she entered the kitchen.


    Mu Yangling pulled her two cousins to y at the door and asked, ¡°Are you taking back your family¡¯s farnd?¡±


    Ma Xin was confused, but Ma Xiuhong nodded and said, ¡°Grandma said that Great-uncle wille over in a few days to measure thend and return the title deed after confirming it¡¯s urate.¡±


    Not as ignorant as her younger sister, Ma Xiuhong looked at Mu Yangling gratefully. As the eldest daughter, because her parents had passed away early and her grandmother liked to nag at her about everything, she was aware of many things.


    She knew how her eldest great-uncle¡¯s family and the vigers had bullied the three of them. She knew that her grandmother resented her great-uncle and the others for not being able to stand up for her. She also knew that their family¡¯s life only slowly improved after running into Uncle Mu in town.


    Her cousin had brought her great-uncle and uncles to stand up for them and let the vigers know that they were not without support.


    Now, she had even stepped forward to ask the Liu family to help them take back the farnd that had been robbed from them. Ma Xiuhong was only slightly grateful to Liu Daqian and the others, but she was extremely grateful to Mu Yangling, so much so she wished she could repay her by being her ve in her next life.


    However, Ma Xiuhong only kept these emotions in her heart and did not show them. She knew that if her cousin found out, she would probably be embarrassed ande less often in the future.


    Ma Xiuhong was fond of Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling came with a full load, but she also returned with a full load.


    Seeing that she had brought back so many vegetables, Shu Wanniang couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Looks like your father doesn¡¯t have to go to town to buy vegetables this year.¡±


    Mu Yangling wiped her sweat and nodded. As she brought the things into the cer, she said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Moreover, the vegetables grown by Great-aunt are even nicer than the ones sold in town.¡±


    Mu Yangling ced the vegetables in the cer andid them out. Then, she climbed out and moved the stone b over to cover it. pping, she said, ¡°Alright, our family won¡¯t have to worry about vegetables this year.¡±


    Widow Liu saw Mu Yangling bringing back so many vegetables from West Mountain Vige. At the thought that the Mu family had to buy vegetables from town every year, she went home and packed arge load of ripe cabbages to bring to the Mu residence. ¡°Sister-inw, I¡¯ve brought you something.¡±


    When Shu Wanniang came out and saw the basket of vegetables, she was a little shocked. She asked hesitatingly, ¡°Shi Tou bought vegetables from you, Sister-inw?¡±


    Didn¡¯t Mu Shi never buy anything from the vigers? Last time, he only bought grains from the vigers because they were having a really difficult time, and because the price of grains in town was expensive. Why was he buying vegetables from the vigers now?


    Widow Liu held Shu Wanniang¡¯s hand and said, ¡°What are you talking about? It¡¯s just a little something 1 grow at home, that I brought for you to try. Get All Ling to store them in the cer, so that you can eat them in winter.¡±


    ¡°How can we do that?¡± Shu Wanniang quickly declined. ¡°Your family only grows so many vegetables. How can we take yours? Besides, we shouldn¡¯t ept rewards without doing anything¡­¡±


    ¡°Aiyo, I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. I just know that Ah Ling helped me. It¡¯s only been a month and Goudan has gained a few catties. As long as you don¡¯t mind that it¡¯s too little.¡± As she said that, she threw down the vegetables and walked out. She waved her hand and said, ¡°Remember to let Ah Ling carry it to the cer.¡±


    Widow Liu did not hide her actions from the vigers. When Liu Daqian saw this, he also asked his two daughters-inw to bring two baskets of vegetables over. When the others saw this, they followed suit.


    When Mu Yangling brought her mud-covered brother back from outside, there were a lot of vegetables piled up in the courtyard. Shu Wanniang was fretting over them.


    Seeing Mu Yangling return, Shu Wanniang hurriedly waved her hand and said, ¡°All Ling,e over quickly. Hurry up and send these back to the vigers. Otherwise, your father will be angry again when hees back.¡±


    ¡°Why would he be angry?¡± Mu Yangling carried her younger brother and nimbly stepped over the vegetables in the courtyard. After sessfully reaching her mother¡¯s side, she said nonchntly, ¡°He might even be d now that we don¡¯t need to buy vegetables anymore.¡±


    ¡°What do you know, child?¡± Shu Wanniang knocked her head and said, ¡°Although your father said that he doesn¡¯t me the vigers anymore, he still bears a grudge in his heart. Otherwise, his rtionship with your great-uncle and the others wouldn¡¯t be lukewarm all these years. Previously, when you brought them into the mountains, your father didn¡¯t say anything and let you fool around. That¡¯s because it was our family who gave the help. Now that they¡¯ve sent these things over, it¡¯s different.¡±


    ¡°1 think it¡¯s better for us to ept these. Otherwise, the vigers will think that we¡¯re soft and easy to talk to. In the future, they¡¯lle to us for everything.¡± Although Mu Yangling wanted to improve the vigers¡¯ standard of living, she didn¡¯t want to spoil them.


    A little help in one¡¯s times of difficulty begets gratitude. But too much help and it results in dependency. Furthermore, once that help is stopped, it could result in resentment instead. Mu Yangling had heard too many such stories. Moreover, her father had also encountered such ingrates. Hence, she wasn¡¯t nning on returning the vegetables.


    Shu Wanniang rebuked, ¡°I¡¯ve only heard that one shouldn¡¯t expect to be repaid for their kindness¡­¡±


    ¡°Mother, if one never receives repayment for their kindness, over time, who would be so free as to do good deeds? I¡¯m kind-hearted and responsible, which is why 1 don¡¯t expect repayment for my help to the vigers. However, there are very few people in this world who are as good as me. Therefore, in order for more people to do good deeds and help others, we should ept repayment for kindness. Even if it¡¯s not much, it¡¯s still a token of appreciation. When others see that kindness can benefit them, those who can help others will definitely be happy to do so.¡±


    Shu Wanniang widened her eyes and looked at her daughter. She never knew that her daughter was such a thick-skinned person. For some reason, it felt a little familiar.


    Shu Wanniang fell into deep thought. When Mu Shi returned from the county the next day, it finally urred to Shu Wanniang. She punched her husband and said angrily, ¡°I was wondering who Ah Ling reminded me of. So it¡¯s you.¡± Mu Shi was puzzled.


    Shu Wanniang angrily recounted what Mu Yangling said yesterday and said, ¡°This child is too thick-skinned. She speaks as if she¡¯s the most kind-hearted person in the world.¡±


    However, Mu Shiughed out loud and said, ¡°Your daughter is right. The Mu family has always been kind and responsible, and treat their family extremely better. Honey, am I not such a person?¡±


    Blushing, Shu Wanniang reached out to twist the flesh on Mu Shi¡¯s waist.


    Mu Shi held his breath and did not dare to make a sound. He could only look at his wife pleadingly. Shu Wanniang snorted coldly before letting go.


    Heaving a sigh of relief, Mu Shi said, ¡°All Ling is right. We should ept the things. If there¡¯s too much, we¡¯ll just give them away. There are many people outside who can¡¯t afford to eat. If we don¡¯t ept them, it¡¯ll be fine if it¡¯s just once or twice. As time goes by, I¡¯m afraid the vigers will think that it¡¯s only right for our Mu family to help them. I¡¯m only allowing it this year due to the overpoption of rabbits in the mountains. Next spring, I won¡¯t allow Ah Ling to bring them into the mountains again.¡±


    Mu Shi had long passed the hot-blooded age of seeking benefits for everyone.


    Furthermore, his heart had hardened because of the betrayal back then..

 Chapter 62 - 62: Heavy Snow

    Chapter 62: Heavy Snow


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Woken up by the cold, Mu Yangling realized that Little Bowen had burrowed into her arms. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw her brother¡¯s dark head. She turned to look out of the window, but there was only white light.


    It was already dawn? Why didn¡¯t she feel anything?


    Mu Yangling thought in a daze. Then, she shuddered and widened her eyes to look out of the window. This was¡­ snow.


    It was snowing!


    Mu Yangling hurriedly got up and shouted, ¡°Father, Mother, get up quickly. It¡¯s snowing.¡±


    Mu Yangling quickly took out a thick nket from the wardrobe and covered her brother with it. Then, she put on a cotton shirt and went out.


    Now awake, Mu Shi covered his wife with a nket beforeing out. He saw that it was white outside, and the snow was already half a finger deep.


    ¡°Father, why is the snow so thick? It¡¯s only the end of September. It¡¯s not even winter yet,¡± Mu Yangling shouted.


    Mu Shi looked gloomily at the heavy snow outside as he said, ¡°The weather has changed. Go and put on a few more clothes. Father will go look for the vige representative. We have to quickly inform everyone to get up. Otherwise, people will freeze to death.¡±


    With the plummeting temperature, people might not wake up from their sleep, so they had to be woken up quickly.


    Mu Yangling quickly entered the house to put on her clothes as she said, ¡°Then Father, go quickly. I¡¯ll go find Eldest Great-uncle and ask him to wake up all the vigers.¡±


    Mu Shi nodded and went into the house to change. Just then, Shu Wanniang sat up with the nket around her and said worriedly, ¡°Be careful on the way since the ground is slippery. Don¡¯t be anxious.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Lie down quickly. You can¡¯t catch a cold. I¡¯ll make a trip to the county to get some medicine for you and Bowenter.¡±


    Knowing his wife and son both had weak constitutions, Mu Shi worried that they would fall sick due to the cold.


    After Mu Shi went out, Mu Yangling woke up Little Bowen, who was still in a deep sleep. She took off his shirt and rubbed his entire body. Seeing that he was crying loudly, she could not help butfort him. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine after you warm up. Otherwise, you¡¯ll have to take bitter medicine if you fall sick.¡±


    Seeing that his forehead was covered in sweat, Mu Yangling took a dry towel and dried him. She quickly dressed him and carried him to Shu Wanniang with the nket wrapped around him. ¡°Mother, you and Bowen warm up. I¡¯ll go find Eldest Great-uncle first.¡±


    ¡°Be careful. Come back as soon as you alert them.¡±


    Mu Yangling was also worried about her mother and brother being alone at home, so she agreed.


    As she stepped on the snow in her cloth shoes, Mu Yangling felt a chill run from the soles of her feet to her heart, causing her entire body to shudder.


    As there was still more than half a month before the winter solstice, and Mu Shi and Mu Yangling could not bear for Shu Wanniang to do too much needlework, she had yet toplete this year¡¯s leather boots. However, Mu Shi had finished them up two days ago.


    Mu Yangling could only wear cloth shoes now. The leather boots fromst year were still there, but unfortunately, many of them were damaged.


    Mu Yangling ran to Liu Daqian¡¯s house and knocked on the door, shouting, ¡°Eldest Great-uncle, get up quickly! It¡¯s snowing heavily.¡±


    Seeing that there was no movement inside at all, Mu Yangling became worried. She simply kicked the door and shouted, ¡°Hurry up and get up! It¡¯s snowing heavily! People are going to freeze to death!¡±


    Liu Ting and Liu Zhuang woke up in a daze. When they saw the snow outside the window, they were shocked. Liu Ting scrambled up and shook Madam Liu-Zhao as he shouted, ¡°Hurry up and get up. It¡¯s snowing heavily!¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhao¡¯s lips were turning blue from the cold. When she woke up, her limbs were trembling. When Liu Ting saw this, he wrapped her in the nket and shouted, ¡°Hurry up and check on the three children. Hurry!¡±


    Only then did Madam Liu-Zhao wake up. With the nket wrapped around her, she rushed out to check on the children.


    Liu Ting ran to knock on his parents¡¯ door, while Liu Zhuang also ran out. Liu Ting shouted at him, ¡°Hurry up and open the door for Ah Ling!¡± As he kicked his parents¡¯ door open, he saw that her parents were only covered with a thin nket and their faces were pale. Stunned, he pounced on them to rub their hands and feet.


    Mu Yangling also ran in. Seeing this, she shouted, ¡°Hurry up ande in to rub their bodies. Uncle Zhuang, bring the gong ande with me to wake everyone up.¡±


    The reason why Mu Yangling came to the Liu family was because the Liu family had two gongs. As long as the gong was sounded, the entire vige could hear them.


    As Liu Ting grabbed a nket from the cab and covered his parents with it, he shouted at Liu Zhuang, ¡°Hurry up and get the gong! I¡¯ll take care of things here. Sister-inw, bring the children here and burn charcoal to warm them up. Honey, use a curtain to partition the room then wipe Mother¡¯s body. I¡¯ll wipe Father¡¯s.¡±


    Liu Zhuang and Mu Yangling came out with the gong. As they sounded the gong, they shouted, ¡°It¡¯s snowing heavily¡ªquickly get up¡ª¡±


    As Liu Zhuang walked, he sounded the gong, while Mu Yangling went forward and knocked on every door. Not long after, the lights in the vige lit up, indicating that each of the houses had someone getting up.


    As for those who lived by themselves, Mu Yangling and Liu Zhuang would break in and wake them up if there was no response. Then, they helped to rub their bodies and start a fire to boil hot water. Just as they started the fire, the young men in the vige came over to take over. ¡°Hurry back and put on more clothes. Well take care of things here.¡±


    ¡°What about the other families in the vige?¡±


    Liu Dazhuang replied, ¡°My father has already sent people over. Go back quickly.¡±


    ¡°He sent someone to Goudan¡¯s family, too?¡± Mu Yangling asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my sister-inw brought people over,¡± Liu Dazhuang said. ¡°Fortunately, you woke us up. Otherwise, we don¡¯t know when we would have woken up.¡±


    Only then did Mu Yangling feel relieved. She informed Liu Zhuang before going home. As her mother and brother were alone at home now, Mu Yangling was also a little worried about them.


    When Mu Yangling rushed back, Shu Wanniang had already woken up and was boiling water and cooking porridge in the kitchen. Mu Yangling quickly went forward to support her. ¡°Mother, you¡¯re pregnant. Why did you get out of bed?¡± ¡°Your brother is very cold. 1 think he might feel better after eating a bowl of hot porridge. Hurry up and eat a bowl to warm up.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Mother. Go back first. I¡¯ll watch the fire.¡± Mu Yangling helped Shu Wanniang into the house before turning around to return to the kitchen.


    At this moment, the entire world was covered in white, but the water clock in the room told her that it was merely sometime between 3am and 5am. Yet, it was already as bright as day.


    Mu Yangling was a little worried about Mu Shi, for she did not know if he was safe on the way.


    Due to this heavy snowfall, three elders in the vige died and a child died prematurely. Before winter arrived, the vige had already begun holding funerals.


    Extremely worried, Liu He said to Liu Daqian, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be freezing cold this year. 1 wonder if the elders and children in the vige can survive.¡±


    Liu Daqian frowned. ¡°It¡¯s not even winter yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not even winter yet.¡± Liu He¡¯s hand trembled as he twirled the tobo. This year¡¯s snow came too suddenly. Even he almost didn¡¯t survive.


    After returning from the county, Mu Shi informed the restaurants and eateries in the county that they might not be able to supply them with prey in the days toe. Also, he informed his contacts in town that they could only deliver the goods to them after helping his family settle down.


    Shopkeeper Zhang of Wafting Fragrance Eatery had no objections. Although Drunken Cloud Restaurant was dissatisfied, they understood that this was a natural disaster and Mu Shi could not be held responsible..

 Chapter 63 - 63: Accept

    Chapter 63: ept


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    With the gloomy sky overhead, Mu Shi looked up at the dark clouds and said to Mu Yangling, ¡°It¡¯ll probably snow again tomorrow. I wonder how your eldest great-aunt¡¯s family is doing. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll wake up early and go to her house to take a look. At the same time, I¡¯ll clean up the roads in the mountains.¡±


    ¡°Father, it¡¯s very dangerous to walk on the mountain path in such heavy snow.¡±


    Mu Shi smiled and stroked her head. ¡°Since the snow in the mountains fell upon the trees instead, there¡¯s less snow on the road than outside. Even if the mountain path is difficult to walk on, with my experience, I won¡¯t fall.¡±


    Mu Yangling turned around and nced at Shu Wanniang. She said in a low voice, ¡°Father, you have toe back quickly. Mother has been a little uneasy these past few days.¡±


    Mu Shi also turned around to look at his wife. There was still about a month before she was due to give birth. He did not know if the sudden change in the weather was the reason for Wanniang¡¯s difort, but she had been frowning for the past two days and could not sleep at night.


    Mu Shi didn¡¯t dare to leave the house for too long, so he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Father will be back soon. If your mother isn¡¯t feeling well, go find your eldest great-aunt and the others and ask them to help.¡±


    Although he said that, Mu Shi did not want to hand his wife over to others. Therefore, the next day, when Shu Wanniang was still sleeping, he got up and dressed. Without eating breakfast, he climbed the mountain to West Mountain Vige.


    It usually took Mu Yangling 45 minutes to cross the mountain. Even though it was difficult to walk on the snowy road, it still only took Mu Shi 45 minutes this time. When he arrived at West Mountain Vige and saw Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s house, Mu Shi¡¯s entire face turned cold.


    The left half of the Ma residence had been crushed by the snow. Xiuhong¡¯s two children were wearing cotton-padded jackets and seated around the brazier. However, since there was wind leaking from one side, even if there was a fire, the two children were still snuggled up tightly.


    Mu Shi looked around but did not see Madam Ma-Liu. His gaze darkened as he strode into the Ma residence. ¡°Xiuhong, where¡¯s your grandmother?¡±


    Ma Xiuhong looked up in surprise, her eyes red as she shouted, ¡°Uncle!¡±


    When Ma Xin saw Mu Shi, she burst into tears.


    Xiuhong wiped her tears and said, ¡°Grandma went to look for the vige chief because our house copsed. Grandma went to look for the vige chief yesterday and wanted everyone to help build a simple house. However, the vige chief said that many families in the vige were also affected by the snow and couldn¡¯t spare time to help us for the time being. Last night, we sat around the brazier for the entire night, and Grandma didn¡¯t ask us to sleep. The minute dawn arrived, she went to look for the vige chief.¡±


    The vige chief of West Mountain Vige was also the patriarch of the Ma family. Mu Shi knew very well what the Mas were like. Moreover, every family had indeed suffered from the snow disaster this time. Nearhill Vige fared okay only because Liu He was around. That person took the n¡¯s well-being as his responsibility and valued his reputation the most. That was why he always ced his family at the lowest priority and helped others tide over their difficulties first.


    The patriarch of the Ma family did not have such high morals. Most importantly, Liu He enjoyed prestige in Nearhill Vige. As for the patriarch of the Ma family, recalling how Ma Dagui dared to point at the patriarch¡¯s nose and scold him, Mu Shi did not think that they would help his aunt build a house.


    Looking at the weather, it would probably snow heavily again this afternoon or night. If they really spent the night in such a house, even if they managed to stay awake, they would either die or fall seriously ill.


    Mu Shi said, ¡°Pack up. Uncle will bring you back to my house.¡±


    Xiuhong¡¯s eyes lit up, but then dimmed. ¡°1 don¡¯t know if Grandma will agree¡­¡±


    ¡°Just take out everything in the house. I¡¯ll talk to your grandmotherter.¡±


    Ma Xiuhong knew where the valuables were. The aged Madam Ma-Liu feared that she would suddenly die one day, so she had told her eldest granddaughter where the money and deeds were hidden.


    The Ma family only had a couple things that were valuable. Besides that, there was only their food, clothes, and the smoked meat that Mu Yangling had sent over previously.


    Ma Xiuhong took arge basket and packed all these things. By the time Madam Ma-Liu returned, she had almost packed everything.


    ¡°Stay at your house?¡± Madam Ma-Liu widened her eyes and nced at her two granddaughters. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded and said, ¡°Alright, but there are so many things at home. It¡¯s going to take some time to bring them over.¡±


    The only issue was that the Ma family¡¯s grains were piled up in the house. Mu Shi definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to carry everything over.


    Mu Shi said with a smile, ¡°Aunt, why don¡¯t we store these grains here first? When the n frees up some timeter, my cousins and I wille over and help you rebuild the house.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu wiped her tears and nodded, her voice choked. ¡°Alright, 1¡¯11 listen to you.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu brought two rabbits over to look for Madam Ma-Zhang and asked her family to help safeguard the grains left in her house first.


    Madam Ma-Zhang had benefited a lot from Mu Yangling during this period of time. Seeing that Madam Ma-Liu was apanied by Mu Shi and that she had brought a gift, she was naturally willing. She immediately called her husband to help Mu Shi carry the grains over, and also invited a few nearby families to be witnesses.


    With Mu Shi¡¯s strength, it merely took him a few trips. Worried about leaving his wife at home, he said to Madam Ma-Liu after transporting the grains to Madam Ma-Zhang¡¯s house, ¡°Aunt, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Are we walking through the mountains?¡± Madam Ma-Liu nced at the snow on the trees on the mountain.


    ¡°I¡¯ll carry the two children. Don¡¯t worry, Aunt. Nothing will happen.¡± Since the big basket was not full, Mu Shi simply ced Xin in the basket. Although she was already seven years old, she was of about the same size as Bowen, so she fitted right in the basket.


    Mu Shi instructed Xin, ¡°Hold onto the ropes on both sides of the basket tightlyter. Don¡¯t be afraid. If there¡¯s anything, tell Grandma and Uncle, understand?¡±


    Xin nodded carefully.


    Mu Shi wanted to carry Xiuhong, but she said, ¡°Uncle, 1 can walk by myself.¡±


    Mu Shi did not force her. He helped Madam Ma-Liu and Xiuhong walk forward. Whenever they reached a narrow spot, he would turn sideways to help them down. By the time the four of them made it out of the mountain, they were more or less in a sorry state. Fortunately, it only took them slightly more than an hour.


    Seeing that their lips were turning blue from the cold, Mu Shi said, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry home so that you can warm up.¡±


    There were a total of five rooms in the Mu Family. Other than the one in the middle that was used as the central room, the one on the left was upied by Mu Shi and Shu Wanniang, the one on the right was upied by Mu Yangling and Little Bowen, and another one was filled with misceneous items. Thest one was used as a backup.


    Shu Wanniang had originally nned to move Little Bowen out of the room next spring and let him stay in a separate room.


    As the siblings grew older, it would not be appropriate for them to stay in the same room anymore.


    Therefore, that room was very clean,plete with a brick bed, nket, and other necessities. The three of them only needed to tidy up a little before they could live there.


    Mu Yangling boiled hot water in the kitchen to warm them up. ¡°You¡¯ll feel better after taking a bath.¡±


    Ma Xiuhong shrunk back in shame and said softly, ¡°Thank you, Cousin.¡±


    Mu Yangling nced at her wet shoes and mended cotton clothes, then smiled. ¡°Cousin, why don¡¯t you help me start the fire? I¡¯m not good at housework.¡±


    Ma Xiuhong said happily, ¡°Alright. Cousin, go and rest. I¡¯ll start the fire.¡± Ma Xiuhong pulled her sister to squat in the kitchen to start the fire..

 Chapter 64 - 64: Defense

    Chapter 64: Defense


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    This was the first time Little Bowen had seen his two cousins. Since Ma Xin was about the same age as him, as soon as they arrived, he followed behind Ma Xin.


    Mu Yangling let the three children stay in the kitchen while she went into the house to find her old clothes and boots.


    Mu Yangling grew up quickly and had to rece her clothes almost every year. Other than the most difficult years where she had to recycle her clothes, Mu Shi and Shu Wanniang were unwilling to let the two children suffer. Shu Wanniang made two sets of new cotton clothes for the kids every year and kept most of their old clothes.


    Ma Xiuhong and Ma Xin were much smaller than Mu Yangling, so they could wear her clothes from a few years ago, as well as her old boots.


    Mu Yangling found three to four sets of clothes for them and said, ¡°Go take a shower and change into them first. I¡¯ll make some hot food for you.¡±


    Holding the clothes, Ma Xiuhong¡¯s eyes reddened as she muttered, ¡°Thank you, Cousin.¡±


    Mu Yangling only smiled.


    On the other side, Madam Ma-Liu had already changed her clothes and was sitting in the room talking to Shu Wanniang.


    In just half a day, the three of them settled down in the Mu Family. Since Shu Wanniang was about to give birth, with Madam Ma-Liu around, she and Mu Shi felt much more at ease.


    The entire Mingshui County was caught in the midst of a snow disaster, and people kept freezing to death. Merely five dayster, Mu Shi brought Mu Yangling to town to resume delivery of the goods. Along the way, they saw people holding funerals.


    ¡°Father, won¡¯t it be even colder in winter? Won¡¯t more people die then?¡±


    Mu Shi remained silent. He didn¡¯t have much time to worry about others. What he worried about was his wife and the baby in her stomach.


    In such freezing weather, it was easy for newborns to die prematurely. In addition, considering Shu Wanniang¡¯s health had always been poor, Mu Shi was extremely worried about giving birth in such cold weather.


    Meanwhile, in the West Camp, Qi Xiuyuan and the others had another worry.


    ¡°It¡¯s been snowing for two consecutive days. The snow outside is already as thick as a finger.¡± Qi Xiuyuan said worriedly, ¡°The snow in the north is probably even heavier.¡±


    Jiang Ze didn¡¯t understand. ¡°General, what does the disaster in the north have to do with us? Anyway, that area is upied by the Hus.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan picked up the book on the desk and hit him on the head. ¡°That¡¯s stillnd that belongs to Great Zhou. Even if it¡¯s upied by the Hus now, the people there are still the Great Zhou¡¯s citizens. 1 don¡¯t want to hear these words again.¡±


    Rong Xuan also said, ¡°Besides, if the disaster in the north is serious, I¡¯m afraid the situation on the prairie is even more serious. If they don¡¯t have enough food, I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll invade the south. Should that happen, Xingyuan Prefecture will bear the brunt.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m worried about.¡± Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°If the Hus go south, our West Camp will definitely be the vanguard. However, the defense line around Chef Mountain in the east is too long. I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to handle it.¡±


    Looking at his capable subordinate, Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°Therefore, I want to redesign the patrol route. Even if we can¡¯t immediately stop the Husing south, we have to send the news as soon as possible so that we can send reinforcement as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°But we need the approval of the emissary to reorganize it.¡± Rong Xuan did not think that this matter could be aplished so easily, so he said, ¡°General, if we¡¯re changing our defense tactics to prevent the barbarians from attacking from Chef Mountain, it¡¯s toote to apply now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve decided to act first and reportter. A general in the field is not bound by the orders from his sovereign. Rong Xuan, draft a document immediately and report the change in defense in detail. 1¡¯11 set up the defense on my side.¡±


    Jiang Ze immediately requested, ¡°General, let me lead the team.¡±


    However, Rong Xuan disagreed with Qi Xiuyuan overstepping his boundaries. ¡°General, if the emissary uses this as a reason to punish you¡­¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan snorted. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± Qi Xiuyuan said confidently, ¡°Who else can he put in charge to guard the northwestern region now?¡±


    Enlightened, Rong Xuan smiled, but he felt a little sad. While feeling that Qi Xiuyuan had a strong position, it saddened him to know that there were no other deployable talents in the court. Thinking of the current situation, Rong Xuan felt that his country was not far from destruction.


    Emissary Lu of Lizhou was a civil official and the emperor¡¯s trusted aide. As the emperor had always given in to external forces whenever possible, Qi Xiuyuan and his men did not have a good rtionship with the emissary.


    Jiang Ze said proudly, ¡°General, let me bring my troops to patrol the area around Chef Mountain. If the Hus dare toe, I¡¯ll make sure they won¡¯t be able to return. I¡¯ll also let the emissary see how we defeat the Hus.¡±


    Rong Xuan nced at him from the corner of his eye and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the emissary doesn¡¯t fear that you¡¯ll lose to the Hus, but that you¡¯ll win against them, right?¡±


    When the simple-minded Jiang Ze heard this, he said with a re, ¡°Why? Shouldn¡¯t he be happy to see us win the battle?¡±


    Why?


    Qi Xiuyuan and Rong Xuan smiled mockingly. This was because winning a battle meant expanding the war. If the Great Zhou lost, they only needed to pay somend, gold, silver, and silk. However, if the Hus lost, they would fly into a rage out of humiliation andunch arge-scale southern attack. The citizens of the Great Zhou would also want to take back their homnd, so the war between the two sides would expand.


    The expansion of the war meant that the expenses of the Imperial Court would increase. Having lived extravagantly for more than 20 years, the Great Zhou could no longer afford the war.


    Now, the imperial court could only give the soldiers food and rations, but not a single cent of the promised sry. Even Qi Xiuyuan had not received any sry for half a year.


    Now, the soldiers of the various armies were thinking of ways to resolve the problem themselves. Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s method was only to collect from the local people and borrow from the rich.


    Why did the Yuan Family Army only recognize the Yuan Family but not the current emperor?


    That was because the Yuan Family was the one supporting them. Thus, they were called the Yuan Family Army and only recognized the Yuan Family.


    The more victories they won, the more military merits they would umte, and the more prestige they would have. Naturally, the emperor would be afraid, which was why the Yuan family¡¯s army was so taboo. Four years ago, in the Battle of Reconquisition, the emperor had forcefully summoned them back, leading them to lose the Jingzhao Prefecture.


    Therefore, Qi Xiuyuan had to act first and reportter because he feared that if he submitted the report now, the emissary would probably ask him to defend the West Camp and not attack back to avoid harming the diplomatic rtionship between the two countries.


    Qi Xiuyuan and Rong Xuan agreed to call everyone over the next day to make arrangements. Puzzled, Mo Xiong asked, ¡°General, north of our Xingyuan Prefecture is the Jingzhao Prefecture. The Jingzhao Prefecture is much richer than ours. Even if the disaster there is more serious than ours, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. Considering we¡¯re much poorer than them, we should be the ones to rob them instead.¡±


    ¡°The Jingzhao Prefecture was only prosperous four years ago. As the Hus were not good at nting, after they upied the farnd, they started nting grass and raising horses there. Over the past four years, themoners have suffered indescribably. Now that the snow disaster has struck, they¡¯re the ones having the most difficult time. Since the Hus can no longer extract any benefits from there, in order to deal with the snow disaster on the grasnd, they must go south to plunder.¡± Qi Xiuyuan looked at everyone as he said, ¡°Therefore, we have to start the defense as soon as possible. This was why I gathered everyone here today. Since more than half of our Great Zhou¡¯snd has been lost, we can¡¯t afford to lose any morend. Otherwise, we will be eternal sinners.¡±


    As soon as Qi Xiuyuan said this, everyone immediately stood up and cupped their fists.. ¡°I¡¯m willing to follow you to guard the country and protect our Great Zhou!¡±

 Chapter 65 - 65: Seeking a Military Position

    Chapter 65: Seeking a Military Position


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Brother, I want to patrol like Jiang Ze, too.¡± Qi Haoran shouted as he rushed into Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s study.


    Since this was a matter of secrecy, Qi Xiuyuan had never told Qi Haoran about the patrolling before. How did he find out?


    Qi Xiuyuan asked, ¡°Who said that Jiang Ze¡¯s going there to patrol?¡±


    Qi Haoran tilted his head. ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? But when 1 went to the 3rd Division today, 1 realized that half of the elites had been transferred away. There were scouts from the 1st and 2nd Divisions transferred under Jiang Ze. Isn¡¯t there going to be a war?¡±


    He looked at his eldest brother and said unhappily, ¡°Brother, you can¡¯t leave me behind while you fight alone. 1 want to follow you, too.¡±


    Straightening his neck, he said with red eyes, ¡°If you leave without me, I¡¯ll snatch a horse and head to the battlefield myself.¡±


    Furious, Qi Xiuyuan pressed Qi Haoran down and spanked his butt. ¡°Why are you going to the battlefield? Are you courting death? You¡¯re only 12 years old this year!¡± As he spoke, he smacked his butt.


    As Qi Haoran struggled, he shouted, ¡°Why can¡¯t 1 fight? I can already withstand 120 moves from you. Didn¡¯t you say that you don¡¯t have enoughmanders under you? So what if you let me lead a couple dozen men? With the heavy snow, those Hus will definitely go south to plunder.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan paused and pulled him up. With a solemn expression, he asked, ¡°How did you know that the Hus would definitely go south to plunder?¡± Although Qi Xiuyuan had changed the defenses, it was only a precaution, for he was not sure if the Hus would go south. However, Qi Haoran seemed certain that they would do so.


    Qi Haoran said matter-of-factly, ¡°If I were a Hu, I¡¯d definitely go south. Not only would I be able to obtain food for the winter, but I¡¯d also be able to weaken the Great Zhou¡¯s military power. Perhaps after winning a few battles, the Great Zhou might evenpensate me with porcin and silk. With so many benefits, why wouldn¡¯t 1 go south? I¡¯d also have a ready-made reason. Since the snow disaster results in a shortage of supplies, the Hu Imperial Court will definitely be willing to let the soldiers go south to try.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at his brother in surprise. He was only 12 years old this year, right? Not only did he usually look dumb and adorable, he did quite terrible in his studies, and his teacher wouldin to Qi Xiuyuan every time he checked his homework.


    Qi Xiuyuan recalled that Rong Xuan had once praised Qi Haoran¡¯s ability to train soldiers. In just a month, he had united the misceneous soldiers of the 4th Division.


    He started seriously contemting his brother¡¯s future. Forget about letting him take the Imperial Examination. Even he could not bear to look at the essays that Qi Haoran had written, let alone those knowledgeable examiners.


    In that case, he could only pursue the martial arts path. Looking at his young brother, Qi Xiuyuan felt a little bitter. Going to the battlefield was equivalent to handing half his life to the heavens. Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t want his brother to live his days licking off blood from the edge of the knife like him.


    But other than martial arts, what other path could Qi Haoran take?


    Qi Xiuyuan immediately felt that he was too ipetent as an elder brother. His younger brother was already 12 years old, but he had yet to determine his future direction on his behalf.


    Qi Xiuyuan asked him, ¡°Have you ever thought about your future?¡±


    Qi Haoran replied matter-of-factly, ¡°Of course I¡¯ll be a general by Big Brother¡¯s side. Big Brother, when you be an emissary, 1¡¯11 be a general under you.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuanughed out loud and said loudly, ¡°If 1 really be an emissary, 1¡¯11 definitely transfer you under mymand.¡±


    The emissary was a first-rank official. How many people in the world could reach this position?


    Qi Xiuyuan only treated this as a joke, but Qi Haoran was serious. He admired his big brother the most and felt that he was simply the most capable person in the world. He was much better than their father, who only knew how to argue in the imperial court.


    ¡°Alright, you can go back first. I¡¯ll transfer you to work under me after 1 be an emissary.¡±


    Qi Haoran jumped up when he heard that. ¡°Brother, you can¡¯t change the topic. After you be an emissary, 1 want to be a general under you. For now, while you¡¯re still a general, I¡¯ll be apany?mander under you. Just give me a few men and I¡¯ll lead them to patrol. Brother, I¡¯m begging you.¡±


    Qi Haoran almost jumped onto Qi Xiuyuan and wheedled. Qi Xiuyuan said with a straight face, ¡°You have no military merits or experience. How can you be qualified to be apanymander? Don¡¯t mess around. If word gets out, 1¡¯11 be charged with favoritism.¡±


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Brother, you¡¯re lying to me. How many generals in the various armies don¡¯t bring in their own people? Brother Rong Xuan couldn¡¯t even withstand three punches from me. Isn¡¯t it because of your shielding that he could be a Military Advisor?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan red at him. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? Your Brother Rong Xuan is extremely smart and relies on his own ability.¡±


    ¡°The military isn¡¯t just about intelligence. If you¡¯re not skilled in martial arts, no matter how smart you are, you won¡¯t be able to walk out of the battlefield alive. Brother, you can¡¯t just be biased towards your good friends and not your younger brother.¡± Qi Haoran hugged Qi Xiuyuan while crying dramatically.


    Qi Xiuyuan said helplessly, ¡°You¡¯re too young. The soldiers won¡¯t be convinced.¡±


    ¡°Then Big Brother, let me lead the misceneous soldiers of the 4th Division. They won¡¯t have any objections, right?¡± Qi Haoran looked at Big Brother with tears in his eyes.


    After a moment of silence, Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°The casualty rate of the misceneous soldiers in the 4th Division has always been very high. You¡¯ll be in danger if you lead them¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran patted his chest and said, ¡°Brother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely be able to stay alive. Just let me be themander of the 4th Division.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan raised his eyebrows slightly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you only wanted to be apanymander just now?¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s only if it¡¯s the 1st Division, 2nd Division, or 3rd Division. If it¡¯s the 4th Division, you¡¯ve got to let me be the division?mander.¡± Qi Haoran chuckled.


    The 4th Division consisted of the old, weak, sick, and disabled who had been eliminated by the various divisions, or the cowardly recruits who had failed their training. There was a division in every army that specially contained these people, and they were used as cannon fodder.


    Not hard-hearted enough to push those who would definitely die on the battlefield into the battlefield, Qi Xiuyuan only let them be in charge of logistics and some messy work. Of course, the 4th Division also received the worst treatment.


    However, no matter how soft-hearted Qi Xiuyuan was, in the event of a huge battle, they had to be sent to the battlefield. It was only right that a warrior should die on the battlefield.


    The following war might not happen, and even if it did, the men from the 4th Division might not be needed. Hence, Qi Xiuyuan agreed after some thought. It was good to let his brother temper himself there. If the 4th Division was really required on the battlefield, he could just drag him out.


    Having gotten what he wanted, Qi Haoran left happily.


    Fan Zijin was squatting outside the courtyard, waiting for him. When Qi Haoran saw him, he jumped over and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I was waiting for you.¡± Fan Zijin stood up and patted his clothes. ¡°Based on your happy expression, did Cousin agree to let you lead the troops to patrol?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Qi Haoran patted his shoulder proudly and said, ¡°I¡¯m a person with a job now. I¡¯m a divisionmander now.¡±


    Fan Zijin sneered and immediately restrained his expression. Bowing seriously, he said, ¡°Cousin, in that case, I, your Military Advisor, greet you.¡± Fan Zijin emphasized the word ¡°Cousin¡± hard.


    Qi Haoran was dumbfounded. ¡°What Military Advisor?¡±


    Fan Zijin nced at him from the corner of his eyes and said, ¡°Every general has a like-minded Military Advisor by his side. General Yuan has Shen Mu by his side, and Cousin has Brother Rong Xuan by his side. Who do you have by your side? In order for you to have a smoother path in the future, I¡¯ll reluctantly be your Military Advisor.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Is this how you use the term ¡®like-minded¡¯?¡±

 Chapter 66 - 66: Traitor

    Chapter 66: Traitor


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After his brother left, Qi Xiuyuan fell into deep thought. Since his brother could guess his defense from his arrangements, could others do the same?


    Qi Xiuyuan called Rong Xuan over. Thetter pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°The possibility is not high. The information about the various camps is actually well-contained. Only Haoran and Zijin cane into contact with this information at the same time.¡±


    ¡°No matter what, we should still be careful,¡± Qi Xiuyuan said. ¡°The defense hasn¡¯t beenpleted yet. Nothing must happen.¡±


    Rong Xuan immediately stood up. ¡°1¡¯11 go tell them to be careful. Those who are assigned to the patrol team will be told to keep it a secret.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded.


    However, none of them expected that the problem would appear internally. One of Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s trusted aides, Lu Cheng, had already snitched before they finished setting up the defenses, and even before Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s document reached the emissary.


    The emissary directly sent an army supervisor to keep an eye on Qi Xiuyuan, and the divisionmander of an elite troop who escorted the army supervisor over also stayed on in Xingzhou Prefecture.


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s expression was ugly. ¡°Why did Lu Cheng betray me?¡±


    He felt that he had treated his subordinates well. Lu Cheng had been under hismand for three years. When his mother fell seriously ill, his sry was not enough to seek medical treatment, and it was he who had given Lu Cheng silver taels and medicinal herbs. Lu Cheng was also grateful to him for that. There was once, he even shielded him from a knife on the battlefield to save him. He really could not fathom why Lu Cheng would betray him.


    The people sitting below lowered their heads in silence. After asking them to leave, Rong Xuan patted Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°He must¡¯ve received greater benefits. But no matter what, the most important thing now is to deal with it.¡± Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s aura became sharp, and his gaze was like a falcon. ¡°We can¡¯t use the original defense, but we still have to send people to patrol around Chef Mountain. They¡¯re underestimating me if they think they can restrain me with an army supervisor and a divisionmander.¡±


    ¡°Huang Jian said that the Imperial Court is in the midst of negotiating a marriage alliance with the Jin Kingdom. Since our dynasty might send a princess to marry over, the emissary forbids us from destroying the diplomatic rtionship between the two countries,¡± Rong Xuan said.


    Qi Xiuyuan was so angry that his liver hurt. ¡°How many princesses has our imperial court married over to the Jin Kingdom? Do they think that by doing so, the Jin soldiers won¡¯t attack us? There¡¯s no way the Hus and the Hans can ever be a family in the true sense. Not to mention that the princesses who marry into the Jin Kingdom can¡¯t give birth to children, even if they do give birth to an heir who ends up ascending the throne, the heir will still be a Hu, not a Han.¡±


    Frowning slightly, Rong Xuan couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Making peace with rulers of minority nationalities in the border areas by marriage is still effective¡­¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan sneered. ¡°Of course it¡¯s effective. With the dowry that the princess brought over, the Hus will be obedient for at least a year or two.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan did not agree with such an act. They were a vast country, yet they had to sacrifice their princesses in exchange for a few years of living in shame. Rather than that, he would rather they fight a grand battle. If they lost, he would just die for his country. At the very least, he would die with dignity.


    However, Great Zhou was strong in academics and weak in martial arts. Every time they were defeated in a major battle, a princess would be sent out for marriage alliance. Not only did they marry princesses over to the Jin Kingdom, but the Great Zhou also did the same with Xia, Tibet, and Western Liao in order to keep the peace. In the ten years after the imperial court fled south, because the emperor did not have a princess of suitable age, almost all of the daughters of the imperial n and important ministers had been conferred as princesses. However, be it true princesses or conferred princesses, none who married over could live past 25 years old, nor had a son or daughter before their passing.


    If it was just one or two instances, Qi Xiuyuan could treat it as an ident. But not a single one of the princesses had any children left behind. Qi Xiuyuan felt sad for the princesses and even more indignant to see Great Zhou¡¯s precious princesses be humiliated on a foreignnd.


    It was almost impossible for Qi Xiuyuan to temporarily keep out of the Jin Kingdom¡¯s way in order to facilitate the marriage alliance between the two countries. In fact, he couldn¡¯t wait to destroy the marriage alliance. At the very least, he could prevent a princess from dying in a foreignnd. Moreover, his camp was here. If he merely held on and didn¡¯t counterattack, it would be his soldiers and the people under his rule who would die.


    He and the soldiers were fed and clothed by themoners here. How much of a beast would Qi Xiuyuan be to stand by and watch while themoners get robbed?


    Hence, Qi Xiuyuan told Rong Xuan with certainty, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about this matter. We¡¯ll only lower the specifications of the defense. If Huang Jian dares to stop us, let hime and find me.¡±


    ¡°What about Lu Cheng?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Let him continue to be the lieutenant.¡±


    Rong Xuan raised his eyebrows. ¡°You¡¯re not going to deal with him?¡±


    The corners of Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s lips curled up slightly as he said coldly, ¡°He only bypassed me to report some things to the emissary. This is not a crime. Besides, I¡¯m curious to see if he wille and exin things to me.¡±


    For traitors, sometimes silence was harder to endure than movement.


    Rong Xuan did not say anything else.


    Lu Cheng didn¡¯te to Qi Xiuyuan to exin, and Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t find trouble with him. Instead, Qi Haoran threw a gunnysack over Lu Cheng on his way home and beat him up. The next day, Lu Cheng showed up at the military camp with a swollen face.


    When Fan Zijin heard this, he was so angry that he kicked Qi Haoran and shouted, ¡°Why did you hit his face? Since you knew to put a gunnysack over him, why didn¡¯t you just strike him at painful yet inconspicuous spots?¡± Qi Haoran shouted, ¡°Who said I didn¡¯t hit him where it hurts? I dare to say that he must be suffering from internal injuries right now.¡±


    ¡°Even so, you can¡¯t hit his face. With that face, those who don¡¯t know better would think that Big Brother ordered it.¡± Fan Zijin sneered and said, ¡°Cousin still wanted to give him a chance to exin, but I saw that he had no intention of repenting at all. If he really feels guilty, he should have stayed at home to recuperate. He should have made up some excuse to take leave instead of wandering around the army with such a face. Are you afraid that others won¡¯t know that you beat him up?¡±


    Qi Haoran jumped up and said, ¡°How would others know that I beat him up? I threw a gunnysack over him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really stupid.¡± Fan Zijin patted his head and said resentfully, ¡°Brother Jiang Ze couldn¡¯t take it anymore and got someone to spread the news that Lu Cheng betrayed Cousin. Now, everyone holding the rank of a divisionmander and above knows that Lu Cheng offended Cousin and that there¡¯s a grudge between them. At this time, Lu Cheng was put in a sack and beaten up. Anyone would guess that it was to avenge Cousin. Who else in Xingzhou Prefecture can do such a thing for Cousin? Those who know might say that you¡¯re doing this out of brotherly love and disdain for traitors. Those who don¡¯t know might think that you¡¯re arrogant and do whatever you want with Cousin¡¯s power. Some even more sinister people might say that it was Cousin who instructed you to do this.¡±


    Qi Haoran did not expect there to be so many twists and turns. For a moment, his head hurt. ¡°Then what do you think we should do?¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re seriously injured, you should just rest in bed from today onwards,¡± Fan Zijin said seriously.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Qi Haoran widened his eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t even lose a single strand of hair. What¡¯s that about being seriously injured? Don¡¯t damage my prestige. With Lu Cheng¡¯s pathetic martial arts skills, no way is he able to hurt me.¡±


    Fan Zijin nced at him as he said slowly, ¡°If 1 say you¡¯re sick, then you¡¯re sick. Lie down obediently.¡± With that, he turned around and went to the city to find three good physicians with great fanfare. He left them in the general¡¯s residence to treat Qi Xiuyuan.


    Then, he took out a piece of ginger and rubbed it forcefully against his sleeve. After which, he wiped his eyes with his sleeve, causing his eyes to immediately turn red.


    When Fan Zijin raised his head again, he looked overwhelmed with grief and indignation. The two servants were dumbfounded, but Qi Haoran was already used to it. Every time Fan Zijin revealed such an expression, it meant that someone was going to be unlucky..

 Chapter 67 - 67: Counterattack

    Chapter 67: Counterattack


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Sure enough, Fan Zijin ran to the military camp with two servants to stop Lu Cheng and reprimanded him. ¡°My cousin is young and insensible. When he heard the rumors outside, he inevitably felt indignant for my cousin. It¡¯s his fault for attacking you, but you¡¯re a few years older than him after all, and you¡¯ve been to the battlefield and seen bloodshed. You could¡¯ve just taught him a lesson. Why did you have to hit him so hard?¡±


    With a dark expression, Lu Cheng looked at Fan Zijin gloomily and said, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. When did Fourth Young Master cause trouble for me?¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted coldly. ¡°You know very well whether he did.¡± As he spoke, he stared at the injury on his face and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have toe out in such a pitiful state. If anything really happens to my cousin, I¡¯ll definitely seek justice for him.¡±


    With that, he red at Lu Cheng viciously before leaving with a flick of his sleeves.


    Lu Cheng¡¯s heart was even more gloomy, for he was truly seriously injured. Qi Haoran¡¯s martial arts skills were not bad, and he had practiced internal cultivation since he was young. Coupled with the anger in his heart, he had not shown mercy. Even if Lu Cheng tried his best to avoid it, he still sustained pretty significant injuries.


    He had originally nned to pretend that nothing had happened and wait for everyone to guess that it was Qi Haoran who had done it before revealing that he was seriously injured. By then, even if Qi Xiuyuan feigned ignorance, the soldiers would definitely not believe him.


    With the decrease in Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s prestige, coupled with a few tricks, should the emissary want to rece the general in the future, the soldiers would not have much objections. Only then would he be able to subdue everyone faster.


    Unexpectedly, all of this was ruined by Fan Zijin. When he came out to say these words, everyone knew that he had injured Qi Haoran. Previously, in order to y the part of a silent victim, he had been putting on a gentle appearance and insisting that those were just superficial wounds¡­


    If he were to now say that he had suffered internal injuries, no one would believe him after Fan Zijin had said. Besides, after this fiasco, he no longer dared to say that. If he said it now, it would be equivalent to admitting that he had ulterior motives.


    Lu Cheng gritted his teeth.


    Rong Xuan, who had rushed over to watch themotion, heaved a sigh of relief. He smiled at Jiang Ze beside him and said, ¡°This Young Master Fan is quite quick-witted. No wonder the general agreed to let him be Fourth Young Master¡¯s Military Advisor.¡±


    Jiang Ze smiled and said, ¡°Young Master Fan is the same as you, full of tricks up his sleeves.¡±


    Rong Xuan looked at Jiang Ze and smiled. He said gently, ¡°Thank you for your praise. Don¡¯t worry, 1 am slightly more so than him.¡±


    Jiang Ze wished he could sew his mouth shut. He looked at Rong Xuan pleadingly. ¡°Military Advisor, I¡¯m praising you.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Rong Xuan looked at him with a faint smile. ¡°Thank you for your praise, then.¡±


    Jiang Ze looked at Rong Xuan with tears in his eyes. He was really praising the Military Advisor for being smart.


    When Qi Xiuyuan heard about this from the guard, he smashed the table angrily and asked the guard gloomily, ¡°You said that Lu Cheng injured Haoran?¡±


    The personal guard quickly waved his hand and said, ¡°General, don¡¯t worry. I personally went to the residence to take a look just now. Fourth Young Master isn¡¯t injured. He¡¯s just detained in the courtyard by Young Master Fan. The doctors invited have been arranged to stay in the side courtyard.¡±


    Only then did Qi Xiuyuan look better. He didn¡¯t me Lu Cheng for wanting to rece him. As long as there was a chance, who wouldn¡¯t want to be a general? In fact, he himself wished to rece the emissary.


    However, Lu Cheng should never have implicated Qi Haoran. If he wanted to step on Qi Haoran to climb up the ranks, he had to first ask for his permission.


    In Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s heart, Qi Haoran was his only kin. How could he tolerate Lu Cheng using him?


    Initially, he had wanted to hear Lu Cheng¡¯s exnation, but there was no need for that now.


    ¡°Let Haoran stay at home and rest for a few days. After some time, let him go to the 4th Division. I¡¯ll arrange for someone else to do the patrolling.¡±


    The guard said, ¡°General, Overseer Huang¡­¡±


    ¡°Treat him with courtesy and don¡¯t worry about anything else for now. I want to see what his stand is.¡±


    The army supervisor sent by the emissary might not necessarily be on the same side as the emissary. Xingzhou Prefecture, with its hardships countless times higher than Xingyuan Prefecture, was not a good ce. How many officials in the court were willing toe here?


    While Xingzhou Prefecture was in turmoil, Linshan Vige slowly recovered from its sorrow and life began to get on track.


    After the funerals in the vige werepleted, everyone stayed at home due to the freezing cold.


    Because the weather had suddenly turned cold, about half of the vegetables left in the fields that had yet to be harvested froze in the snow. Although they were harvested on the third day, there was still not much that could be preserved.


    Fortunately, they had saved a lot of smoked meat previously. In addition, the autumn harvest could be considered a bumper harvest. As long as they could ensure that the firewood supply could keep up, they should do alright this winter.


    At this moment, Mu Yangling was sitting on a small stool around the brazier. From time to time, she would ce a few peanuts beside the brazier and a few skewers of meat on it. As the fragrance of meat wafted out, the three children sitting at the side could not help but swallow their saliva.


    Little Bowen looked at the meat skewers on the brazier with sparkling eyes and asked, ¡°Sister, how long until we can eat?¡±


    ¡°Wait a little longer.¡± Mu Yangling nimbly flipped over the meat skewers. ¡°Go and ask Father if he wants to eat.¡±


    Little Bowen said in a dilemma, ¡°If Father wants to eat too, it definitely won¡¯t be enough.¡±


    Xin also looked at the 20-odd skewers of meat worriedly. Xiuhong said, ¡°It¡¯s hard on Uncle to enter the mountains. We should let him eat it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more. If Father wants to eat, let him pick out the remaining rabbit meat. I roast meat very quickly.¡± The reason Mu Yangling enthusiastically roped Mu Shi in was because she wanted to help out. Mu Yangling was not good at picking meat and had only picked out very little meat after working for the entire morning. On the other hand, with his excellent knife skills, Mu Shi could clean up a rabbit in no time.


    Mu Yangling wanted her father to scrape the meat off the rabbit¡¯s bones.


    Xiuhong instantly understood her cousin¡¯s intention, so she volunteered, ¡°I¡¯ll call Uncle over to eat meat skewers.¡±


    When Xiuhong ran to look for her uncle, Shu Wanniang and Madam Ma-Liu were both here. Quick-witted, she also called out to them. ¡°Uncle, Aunt, do you want to eat meat skewers? Cousin roasted a lot of meat skewers.¡±


    Shu Wanniang smiled as she shook her head. ¡°No thanks. The four of you can go ahead.¡±


    Mu Shi also said, ¡°You guys eat. Just bring a few skewers for your grandmother.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good. It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s broiled, but 1 can¡¯t eat this roasted meat. Your sister and little cousin are still young. Watch over them and don¡¯t let them eat too much, lest they get heaty.¡±


    However, Mu Shi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He asked, ¡°How many skewers did you guys roast?¡±


    Xiuhong couldn¡¯t count, so she could only say, ¡°Cousin said there are more than 20 skewers.¡±


    Mu Shi raised his eyebrows. ¡°More than 20 skewers aren¡¯t even enough to fill the gaps between your cousin¡¯s teeth.¡± He said to Shu Wanniang, ¡°Ah Ling must want me to go over and scrape the meat.¡±


    Shu Wanniang nudged him and said, ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you going? Ah Ling is mischievous. What if she identally hurts herself with your dagger?¡±


    Mu Shi¡¯s dagger had been passed down to him by his father, who had inherited it from his brave father. That dagger could slice through iron as though it were mud, and was not something that could be bought with money.


    Mu Shi always brought it with him when he went into the forest. Mu Yangling had been eyeing it for a long time, but Mu Shi did not allow her to use it. Shu Wanniang was even more fearful that she would be injured and strictly forbade her from touching it.


    However, if Mu Shi did not go, this child would probably take the opportunity to use it under the excuse that the kitchen knife was not sharp enough..

 Chapter 68 - 68: Barbecue

    Chapter 68: Barbecue


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling only roasted fresh rabbit meat. At this moment, the weather was cold, and there was thick snow on the ground. Mu Shi and Mu Yangling were no longer going into the mountains to hunt, but the traps they had set up previously still remained. Every two to three days, the father and daughter would go into the mountains together to see if prey had been caught in these traps. If so, they could eat a fresh meal. If not, they would eat smoked meat and dried meat.


    Most of the prey that fell into the trap were rabbits. Up until now, Mu Yangling had only encountered one roe deer. Pity though, Mu Shi had sent it to the town¡¯s eatery instead of eating it themselves. That was why Mu Yangling used rabbit meat to make meat skewers.


    Over the past few days, Mu Yangling had invented many ways to eat rabbit meat. Her culinary skills were not particrly good, but she had many ideas. For example, she would mince the rabbit meat and knead it into meatballs before cooking it in a soup¡­


    In the past, Shu Wanniang doted on them and prepared for them all kinds of delicious food. Even though Shu Wanniang wasn¡¯t in a state to cook right now, there was Madam Ma-Liu.


    Mu Yangling was in charge of dicing and mashing the rabbit meat, for she was strong and had great endurance. She didn¡¯t even mind doing it for the entire morning. Then, Madam Ma-Liu marinated the rabbit meat and gently kneaded it into meatballs, before adding them into the soup.


    This was exactly what they atest night. Even Shu Wanniang, who never fancied rabbit meat, had a small bowl.


    Not to mention the two carnivores, Mu Yangling and Mu Shi.


    The children also enjoyed the dish very much. This morning, Mu Yangling followed Mu Shi into the mountains and brought back two wild rabbits from the trap. One was kept for Madam Ma-Liu to stir-fry at night. Mu Shi had wanted to throw the remaining one outside to freeze with snow, but in the end, he asked Mu Yangling to skin it, wash it, and make roasted meat with it.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped. Although the winter day was short, there was nothing to do. Little Bowen couldn¡¯t always read books, so Mu Yangling set up a grill to roast meat.


    Speaking of barbecued skewers, Mu Yangling¡¯s favorite was still roe deer meat or deer meat. Unfortunately, it was cold and snowy now, so they couldn¡¯t go too deeply into the mountains, nor could they track the prey.


    Mu Yangling was feeling sorry for her cousin and brother. ¡°Roast deer meat tastes so good in winter. When the weather clears up and it¡¯s a little warmer, Father and 1 will go into the mountains to hunt a deer. When the timees, well roast deer meat for you to eat. Put the deer meat on the tray and you just have to rub a little sesame oil on it. Then, sprinkle some salt and chili. Ah, if only there¡¯s cumin. Just add a little and roast it until it¡¯s 70% cooked.¡± Mu Yangling revealed a satisfied expression. ¡°Once you eat it, I can guarantee that you won¡¯t forget the taste.¡±


    Little Bowen and Xin¡¯s saliva dripped down. Little Bowen took a deep breath and asked eagerly, ¡°Can I eat roasted venison too?¡±


    ¡°Of course, but you¡¯re weak and can¡¯t eat too much. Father should eat more.¡± Mu Yangling chuckled. ¡°When the timees, I¡¯ll use this treasure to make wine for Father.¡±


    Xin and Little Bowen asked innocently, ¡°What treasure?¡±


    Mu Yangling was about to speak when she was pped on the head. Turning around, she saw Mu Shi standing behind her with a dark expression.


    ¡°Where did you learn such nonsense at such a young age?¡± Mu Shi looked at his daughter with a dark expression. ¡°You¡¯re even leading your younger siblings astray.¡±


    Mu Yangling touched her nose and admitted her mistake. ¡°Father, 1 know I was wrong. 1 won¡¯t dare to do it again.¡±


    However, Mu Shi knew that she was just paying him lip service and was not serious at all. He started worrying. His daughter seemed to be too mature for her age. He did not know who she had heard this nonsense from. He decided he¡¯d better not bring her to town next time, lest she was led astray.


    Mu Shi said with a straight face, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to such nonsense in the future.¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed with an honest expression.


    Only then did Mu Shi grunt and take out the dagger. He took out the remaining half of a rabbit, picked out the meat, before cing it on the te.


    Xiuhong, Xin, and Little Bowen excitedly took the skewers of meat and Mu Yangling roasted them. Soon, there were more than 20 skewers on the other side of the te. Mu Yangling stuffed a skewer into her mouth and pushed the rest over. ¡°Eat them while they¡¯re hot. Otherwise, they won¡¯t taste good when they¡¯re cold.¡±


    Xiuhong let Mu Shi eat first. Mu Shi took a skewer and said, ¡°You guys eat. I¡¯ll just have one skewer.¡± He swiftly picked out the rabbit meat and ced it on a te. Then, he instructed, ¡°Don¡¯t be gluttonous. If you eat too much, you¡¯ll get heaty and I¡¯ll have to make tea for you guyster. Ah Ling, watch over them since you¡¯re the eldest.¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed. After Mu Shi left, she stuck out her tongue and said to the three of them, ¡°Let¡¯s skewer the meat. We¡¯ll eat half of it today and roast the rest tomorrow.¡±


    Mu Yangling took two skewers and stuffed them into her mouth. Her mouth was filled with oil as she sighed in satisfaction. ¡°Wild rabbits are so fresh, fragrant, and sweet. The domestic rabbits I used to eat simply can¡¯tpare.¡± Xiuhong¡¯s face was filled with confusion. ¡°Cousin, did you need to buy domesticated rabbits? Can one raise rabbits at home? How do you go about doing it?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I¡¯ve eaten it before.¡± Mu Yangling said vaguely, ¡°Since pigs and chickens can be domesticated, why can¡¯t rabbits be raised at home?¡±


    Xiuhong thought about it carefully before nodding. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m not knowledgeable. Perhaps I¡¯ve just never heard of it.¡±


    Mu Yangling blinked as she tilted her head. ¡°You¡¯ve never heard of rabbits being raised?¡±


    Xiuhong shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of it. How does one go about doing it? They know how to dig holes, so how can they be raised?¡± As she spoke, she looked at Mu Yangling with sparkling eyes and asked, ¡°Cousin, if rabbits can be raised, can our family raise a few rabbits next year? We can sell them after fattening them up.¡±


    Upon hearing Xiuhong¡¯s question, Mu Yangling realized that she didn¡¯t exactly know how to raise a rabbit. Since Mu Shi was knowledgeable, she nned to ask him tonight.


    Uninterested in this topic, Little Bowen and Xin ate meat skewer after meat skewer while they were talking. By the time Mu Yangling snapped out of her thoughts, Little Bowen had already eaten seven to eight skewers. Anxious, she quickly stopped him. ¡°Alright, alright. You¡¯re not allowed to eat so much. Otherwise, if you can¡¯t eat dinner tonight, Father will beat me up.¡±


    Little Bowen made a fuss. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet. You guys are also still eating.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, we won¡¯t eat anymore, too.¡± Mu Yangling knew that children imitated others. Although she still wanted to eat, she could only suppress it and say, ¡°Let¡¯s drink some water first. I¡¯ll roast the rest for you tomorrow.¡± Mu Shi went to Liu Daqian¡¯s house and discussed with him about building a house in West Mountain Vige after the weather cleared up. Half of the Ma family¡¯s house had copsed. Although they could not start work at the moment due to the terrible weather, as soon as the sky cleared up, they would go over to help build it. Meanwhile, Mu Shi helped pay for the materials such as bricks and wood first. Since nobody knew when the weather would clear up, Mu Shi asked Madam Ma-Liu to stay in the Mu residence in peace. Most importantly, with Madam Ma-Liu around, Mu Shi felt much more at ease.


    With Shu Wanniang due to give birth in about a month, Madam Ma-Liu was more reliable than Mu Shi and Mu Yangling, with her wealth of experience.


    Seeing Shu Wanniang take out a needle and thread to make clothes for her unborn child, Madam quickly snatched it over and said, ¡°You can¡¯t use needle and thread. Otherwise, your eyes will be blurred in the future, and it won¡¯t be good for the child.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu looked at the half-made clothes in the basket and smiled. ¡°This isn¡¯t difficult. I can help you finish it up. I may not be able to stitch embroidery upon them, but 1 won¡¯t lose to anyone when it¡¯s just in making clothes.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu did not know how to embroider, but every woman knew how to sew clothes. Clothes made for children usually did not have embroidery and only required fine stitches.


    Shu Wanniang said happily, ¡°I¡¯ve seen the clothes Aunt made for Xiuhong and Xin. Indeed, my needlework can¡¯tpare. I¡¯m more than happy to have you help me make clothes for the baby..¡±

 Chapter 69 - 69: Requesting

    Chapter 69: Requesting


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling took out a cabbage from the cer. ¡°Let¡¯s eat noodles with stewed cabbage tonight.¡±


    Xiuhong and Xin pped and cheered. Bowen sniffed and said, ¡°Do put more noodles and less vegetables.¡±


    Mu Yangling tapped his nose and said, ¡°Dream on. We don¡¯t have so much noodles at home.¡±


    Little Bowen pouted and said, ¡°Since you don¡¯t like noodles, why don¡¯t you give me your portion and I¡¯ll give you my cabbage?¡±


    ¡°Thanks but no thanks. There¡¯s no shortage of cabbage at home.¡±


    Seeing Little Bowen pout, Xiuhong hurriedly offered, ¡°Cousin, I¡¯ll give you my portion.¡±


    ¡°Xiuhong, don¡¯t indulge him. We need to eat a nutritionally-bnced diet, so we can¡¯t just feed him noodles. We should let him eat more vegetables and meat.¡±


    Little Bowen pointed out indignantly, ¡°But you and Father don¡¯t like to eat vegetables and always eat just meat. You and Father are disobedient, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mu Yangling forced herself to say, ¡°Who said I don¡¯t like vegetables? Eating more vegetables will make me prettier. I eat vegetables every day.¡±


    Snorting, Little Bowen pointed out mercilessly, ¡°You only eat one serving of vegetables for every half a te of meat. Whenever Mother tells you to eat more vegetables, you would say that vegetables wouldn¡¯t give you enough strength, and that you¡¯d turn into a rabbit if you actually eat more greens.¡±


    Mu Yangling yed dumb. ¡°Did I say that?¡±


    Little Bowen nodded vigorously. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xiuhong and Xin covered their mouths andughed. Mu Yangling knew that if she continued, she would be exposed even more, so she stuck out her tongue and changed the topic. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll bring you out to y.¡±


    Mu Yangling brought them to look for Liu Lang and the others. Due to the freezing weather, all the children stayed at home to warm up by the braziers. The Liu family was the same.


    The entire family was sitting in the central room. Madam Liu-Zhao and Madam Liu-Zhang were doing needlework at the side while the children were ying with ropes on the brick bed. When Grandma Liu saw Mu Yangling and the children, she quickly waved her hand. ¡°Ah Ling, you¡¯re here. Come in quickly. All Lang, All Rong, your cousins are here to y with you.¡±


    She then went to hold Xiuhong and Xin¡¯s hands. Seeing the frostbite and yellow medicine applied on their hands, she said sympathetically, ¡°Poor child, why are you so cold? Great-aunt has some ointment here. I¡¯ll let you bring some back to be applied at home.¡±


    Liu Rong also slid down the brick bed and ran over to hold Xiuhong¡¯s hand. ¡°Cousin, let¡¯s get on the brick bed quickly. The floor is cold.¡±


    Seeing her cousin¡¯s enthusiasm for the sisters, Liu Yun snorted in disdain and picked out her things from the pile to put away. She looked at them warily in case they stole them.


    No one noticed her thoughts. Little Bowen had already thrown off his shoes and climbed into the brick bed, and Mu Yangling was busy taking care of him.


    However, Madam Liu-Zhang saw that the sisters were wearing cotton clothes that were neither new nor old. While she went forward to support them, she touched them. She could tell that the cotton wool was soft and good material.


    How could the two children of the Ma family afford cotton clothes when they couldn¡¯t even afford to feed themselves?


    Moreover, these were not new. When they arrived that day, she had seen from afar that their clothes were filled with patches. If they had such fine cotton clothes, why didn¡¯t they wear them when they were traveling on the mountain path?


    It was even more impossible to say that it was new. Who would buy cotton clothes that were neither new nor old?


    It was most likely Mu Yangling¡¯s old clothes, right?


    Madam Liu-Zhang felt a little ufortable. They were all her rtives, and their family was from the same vige. In addition, Mu Bowen came here every few days to y. In terms of closeness, their family should be closer to the Mu family, right?


    Moreover, this was her grandmother¡¯s maternal family, and that was just her great-aunt¡¯s family. In terms of blood ties, they were clearly much closer.


    And not only did Madam Shu not instill sense into her insensible daughter, she merely knew how to indulge her.


    Madam Liu-Zhang¡¯s expression turned ugly after touching Xiuhong¡¯s clothes. As she wasn¡¯t a scheming person, it immediately revealed on her face. Sensitive by nature, Xiuhong immediately detected Madam Liu-Zhang¡¯s disgust, and her heart skipped a beat. She retracted her hand and smoothed her clothes, then turned around and pulled her sister over, smiling at Madam Liu-Zhang. ¡°Hello, Second Aunt.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang smiled stiffly. Looking at the cotton clothes on the sisters, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Xiuhong, where did you buy these cotton clothes? Since the weather is so cold these days, I want to buy a set each for your cousins, too.¡±


    The smile on Xiuhong¡¯s face widened as she replied, ¡°We didn¡¯t buy this. Cousin Ah Ling gave it to us. She merely wore it for a season before outgrowing it.¡±


    When Madam Liu-Zhang heard this, she took the opportunity to turn around and say to Mu Yangling, ¡°Ah Ling, do you have any more old clothes? If yes, do give a set to your cousins. Otherwise, they won¡¯t be able to go out for the entire winter.¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned. If she helped Liu Yun and her siblings, she¡¯d have to give some to Liu Rong and Liu Lun, too. Then, there were Second great-uncle¡¯s children. How could she possibly have so many old clothes?


    Moreover, she had handed all her old clothes to Madam Ma-Liu and asked her to alter them into something Xiuhong and Xin could wear.


    Xiuhong was also startled. She merely wanted to show off her rtionship with Cousin All Ling and make this aunt jealous. She didn¡¯t expect her to be so thick-skinned to directly ask for something.


    She felt that she had caused trouble and couldn¡¯t let her cousin face it alone, so she rushed in front of Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Aunt, don¡¯t my cousins have any clothes to wear? Why don¡¯t I go back and bring a few over? Cousin All Ling¡¯s clothes have only been worn for a season. All Ling¡¯s mother originally wanted to alter two pieces of clothing to make them bigger before letting Cousin wear it. When she saw that me and my sister didn¡¯t have any clothes to wear, she altered them for us. Since my cousins don¡¯t have any, I¡¯ll go back and tell Aunt and Grandma to alter two pieces for them.¡±


    After saying that, she lowered her head and said shyly, ¡°I just don¡¯t know if it¡¯s enough¡­¡±


    When Grandma Liu heard that Madam Liu-Zhang was actually asking a child for clothes, her face instantly turned cold. She red at her and pulled Xiuhong over. ¡°Good child, don¡¯t listen to your aunt. Come and warm yourself by the fire with Great-aunt.¡±


    ¡°Those clothes are as thin as summer clothes. Why can¡¯t I ask for two pieces when the family can¡¯t afford to make new ones?¡± Madam Liu-Zhang muttered, but her voice was so loud that everyone in the room could hear her.


    Grandma Liu red at her angrily. Madam Liu-Zhao quickly went forward and pulled her sister-inw, then smiled apologetically at Grandma Liu and said, ¡°Mother, Sister-inw must be still sleepy. I¡¯ll bring her out to wake her up.¡± With that, she dragged Madam Liu-Zhang out.


    Mu Yangling pulled the Xiuhong sisters over and sat beside the brazier, pretending not to have heard Madam Liu-Zhang¡¯s words.


    After Madam Liu-Zhao pulled Madam Liu-Zhang out, she scolded, ¡°Those clothes belongs to Ah Ling. She can give it to whoever she wants. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know that our family doesn¡¯t want to owe the Mu family too much. Why did you still ask for it? You should be d Father-inw wasn¡¯t in the room. If he heard those words, you¡¯d be in for it.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang said indignantly, ¡°We already owe her in any case. Besides, we¡¯re her great-uncle¡¯s family. The Ma family is just her great-aunt¡¯s family. Why is she treating their family more intimately than our family?¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang had married over early, so she knew the reason. However, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for her toment on the matters of the older generation, so she only replied vaguely, ¡°We¡¯re all rted by blood.. How can there be any difference in closeness?¡±

 Chapter 70 - 70: Lesson

    Chapter 70: Lesson


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Madam Liu-Zhao knew that Mu Yangling¡¯s grandmother had been raised by Madam Ma-Liu. Hence, in terms of closeness, her father-inw might not beparable to Madam Ma-Liu. In addition, she had been the one who had taken care of Shu Wanniang during her difficultbor back then. As such, this affection was irreceable.


    Seeing that her sister-inw was not listening, Madam Liu-Zhao said, ¡°Just go and keep on asking. Ah Ling is not someone who cares to save face. If you really anger her, she will even dare to retort in front of Father-inw. She¡¯s not saying anything now on ount of the fact that you¡¯re her aunt. If this gets to Father-inw¡¯s ears, even Liu Zhuang will be reprimanded.¡±


    Liu Zhuang¡¯s temper was a little fiery. If he was really taught a lesson by Liu Daqian because of her, he would definitely kick up a fuss when he returned home.


    Although Madam Liu-Zhang¡¯s expression was still ugly, she did not dare to mention this topic again.


    Xiuhong, who was in the room, was also a little uneasy. Mu Yangling patted her hand tofort her. Seeing that the atmosphere in the room was a little strange, Liu Lang asked Mu Yangling, ¡°Cousin, let¡¯s go to the cave to roast meat in a few days. Just the few of us.¡±


    When Madam Liu-Zhang, who had entered the house, heard this, she thought that Liu Lang was going to bring out the smoked meat at home. She hurriedly said, ¡°Roasted meat is heaty and heavy in vor. How can it be as delicious as stir-fried meat? All Lang, don¡¯t waste the good stuff.¡±


    Displeased, Madam Liu-Zhao said, ¡°Ah Lang didn¡¯t say that he was going to bring out the smoked meat at home. In the past, Ah Yun and her siblings also ate so much roasted meat with Ah Ling. Why didn¡¯t you say roasted meat was heaty back then?¡±


    Mu Yangling said calmly, ¡°Second Aunt, don¡¯t worry. I still have meat at home. We¡¯ll use mine.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang said awkwardly, ¡°Although your family¡¯s meat isn¡¯t exquisite, don¡¯t eat it for fun. It¡¯s not easy to enter the mountains in the cold now.¡±


    ¡°Aunt, we never use smoked meat to roast meat. We only use fresh meat. That¡¯s way more delicious.¡± Liu Lang continued, ¡°All Ling never conies out of the mountains empty-handed. She¡¯s amazing. It¡¯s just that there¡¯s little prey in winter. When the time conies, just the few of us will go. Don¡¯t ask the others along.¡±


    Little Bowen took the opportunity to say, ¡°We must get Goudan toe along.¡±


    Knowing Goudan was Little Bowen¡¯s best friend, Liu Lang nodded and said, ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t worry, plus my cousins, it¡¯ll just be the few of us.¡± Then, he said to Xiuhong and Xin, ¡°Let me tell you, although Ah Ling¡¯s cooking skills are average, she¡¯s superb at roasting meat. Even her father can¡¯tpare to her.¡±


    Xiuhong grinned. ¡°1 know. We¡¯ve already tasted my cousin¡¯s roasted rabbit meat.¡±


    Liu Lang was instantly jealous. Since these sisters lived with Ah Ling, they and Bowen would be the first to eat anything delicious.


    Thinking back to the past, when All Ling had delicious food, after giving it to Bowen, it¡¯d be given to the few of them. Now, they were ced lower on the priority list.


    Xiuhong could tell that he was jealous and raised her head proudly.


    When Liu Lun saw this, he snorted indignantly and squeezed to Mu Yangling¡¯s side. He looked at her eagerly. ¡°Ah¡­ Cousin, let¡¯s go to the cave tomorrow, okay?¡±


    Liu Rong, Liu Yang, and Liu Yun looked at Mu Yangling eagerly.


    Mu Yangling waved her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go into the mountains tomorrow to take a look. If there¡¯s anything in the trap, we¡¯ll go. If there¡¯s nothing, then forget it.¡±


    The few of them immediately cheered. The strange atmosphere dissipated with theirughter, and Grandma Liu finally smiled.


    Mu Yangling and Xiuhong quickly forgot about the unhappiness just now. After ying in the Liu residence for half a day, they bade farewell and went home.


    By then, Madam Ma-Liu had already prepared food. Seeing them return, she waved and said with a smile, ¡°There¡¯s also soup. I even said that if you guys don¡¯te back soon, I¡¯d get your father to call you guys over. Quickly wash your hands ande sit down. We¡¯re about to eat.¡±


    Shu Wanniang was in the kitchen starting a fire for Madam Ma-Liu. Ever since Madam Ma-Liu hade, she didn¡¯t have to cook nor do housework anymore, for Madam Ma-Liu always rushed to do them.


    Initially, Shu Wanniang was not used to it. Later, seeing that Madam Ma-Liu was uneasy after being rejected, she knew that she was uneasy because she was living under someone else¡¯s roof, so she let her do it. Usually, she would help her. Over the past few days, the two of them had more or less settled down.


    Madam Ma-Liu was uneasy, but Shu Wanniang respected Madam Ma-Liu, treating her as if she was her mother-inw. Firstly, her mother-inw was raised by Madam Ma-Liu back then. Secondly, when she had a difficultbor, it was her who encouraged her. After her daughter was born, she was unwilling to drink milk. It was also her who took care of her by her side, taught them to feed the baby with rice soup, and waited on Shu Wanniang for three days of confinement.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know that Shu Wanniang had already thought so much. All she knew was that the te of braised rabbit meat on the table was making her drool. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she had to set an example for her younger siblings, she would definitely pinch a piece to try.


    Also hungry for meat, Xiuhong and the others sat at the table and waited eagerly for thest dish to be brought to the table.


    When Madam Ma-Liu brought out the soup and saw their anxious expressions, she smiled and said, ¡°I know you¡¯re hungry. Hurry up and eat. There¡¯s a full pot of braised meat today. There¡¯s definitely enough for everyone.¡±


    Shu Wanniang nced at the braised rabbit meat and felt that it was greasy. Thus, she quickly shifted her gaze elsewhere and said thankfully, ¡°Fortunately, we¡¯re a hunter family. Otherwise, how could we afford to raise these two children?¡±


    Mu Shi had to eat meat at every meal, and Mu Yangling¡¯s appetite was exactly the same as her father¡¯s. She looked small, but she ate a lot. For lunch and dinner, she ate three bowls of rice and arge basin of meat, in addition to vegetables. Although she always only ate a few mouthfuls of vegetables each time, she had to have some at every meal.


    Bowen seemed to like eating vegetables more, but that was only whenpared to his father and sister. Compared to other people, this kid was also a voracious carnivore.


    If these two children had to be raised in someone else¡¯s house, they really wouldn¡¯t be able to survive.


    Only the Mu family could guarantee that they would have enough meat every day.


    ¡°It¡¯s a blessing to be able to eat.¡± Madam Ma-Liu looked at them with a smile. ¡°If you eat more now and grow stronger, you¡¯ll be stronger and more capable than others in the future.¡±


    For the farmers, strength and diligence were everything.


    ¡°Look, isn¡¯t Shi Tou more promising than others now? That¡¯s because he¡¯s strong.¡± Madam Ma-Liu turned to look at her two granddaughters and said, ¡°I only hope that they can be half as capable as Ah Ling in the future.¡±


    As Mu Yangling ate, she said incoherently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Great-aunt. My cousins are smart and will definitely be more promising than me.¡±


    At this moment, the atmosphere in the Liu family was a little stagnant.


    During the day, Grandma Liu did not make an issue of it because Mu Yangling and the others were around. Now that there was only her family left in the house, she could speak freely. First, she scolded Madam Liu-Zhang and ended the lecture by saying, ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking. You¡¯d better put those thoughts away. Our Liu family and the entire Nearhill Vige owe the Mu family. If I find out that you spout nonsense to Ah Ling again, you can go back to your maiden home directly.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang¡¯s expression changed. Being chased back to one¡¯s maiden home was a great humiliation..

 Chapter 71 - 71: Giving Birth

    Chapter 71: Giving Birth


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Sensing a pain in her stomach in the middle of the night, Shu Wanniang opened her eyes in difort and felt her lower abdomen drop. Having experienced giving birth twice, she knew that she was about to give birth. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mu Shi woke up the moment Shu Wanniang moved. He pressed the nket down and looked up at her.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m about to give birth.¡± Shu Wanniang took a deep breath and tried her best to use a calm tone. ¡°Call the midwife over.¡±


    ¡°Why so soon? Aren¡¯t you due only in half a month¡¯s time?¡± Anxious, Mu Shi quickly got up and put on his clothes as he touched her stomach. ¡°Does it hurt badly? I¡¯ll call Aunt over to take a look.¡±


    ¡°Put on more clothes¡­¡± Shu Wanniang hurriedly shouted when she saw Mu Shi running out with merely a shirt draped over his shoulders. However, he had already slipped out of the room.


    ¡°Aunt, get up quickly. Wanniang is about to give birth.¡±


    When Madam Ma-Liu heard this, she hurriedly got up. Her two granddaughters also rubbed their eyes and got up. She quickly pressed them down and said, ¡°Lie down quickly. You won¡¯t be of any help anyway. Xiuhong, take good care of your sister.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu hurriedly put on her clothes and followed Mu Shi to see Shu Wanniang. Seeing the two of them enter, Mu Yangling, who was already in the room, quickly gave way to them.


    Madam Ma-Liu touched her stomach and said, ¡°She¡¯s about to give birth. Hurry up and go to town to find a midwife. 1¡¯11 boil hot water while we wait.¡± Then, she looked outside and saw that it was snowing again. Worry appeared in her eyes. She pulled Mu Shi outside and said in a low voice, ¡°The snow is slippery. You have to be careful. 1¡¯11 get Ah Ling to get your two aunts to keep watch over your wifeter. Don¡¯t panic and walk slowly.¡±


    As there were many instances of people falling to their deaths or bing crippled on a snowy day, Madam Ma-Liu could not help but worry since Mu Shi was the backbone of the family.


    Mu Shi simply nodded nonchntly, then entered the house and put on his clothes. Holding Shu Wanniang¡¯s hand, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Then, he said to Mu Yangling, ¡°Keep an eye on your mother.¡± After a pause, he lowered his voice and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, ¡°If¡­ save the mother.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded solemnly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. 1 know what to do.¡±


    Only then did Mu Shi open the door and run towards town.


    It was not far from here to town. When the weather was good, Mu Shi could travel back and forth in an hour at his usual speed. Now that it was snowing and there was thick snow on the ground, he could only run in ces where the snow was not thick. If he encountered thicker snow, he could only try his best to stride forward.


    Seeing that Mu Shi had left, Madam Ma-Liu hurriedly entered the house to look at Shu Wanniang and asked Mu Yangling to find her two sisters-inw. Seeing that Xiuhong had also gotten up, she instructed, ¡°Xiuhong, go to the kitchen to boil water. Boil more just in case.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu found the items needed to deliver the baby to be soaked in hot waterter. After everything was arranged, she sat in front of Shu Wanniang¡¯s bed and asked gently, ¡°Does it still hurt now?¡±


    Shu Wanniang shook her head. ¡°The pain has passed. Don¡¯t worry, Aunt. It shouldn¡¯t be that fast.¡±


    However, Madam Ma-Liu was not so optimistic. Although she had only given birth to one child, she had gone over to help the women in the vige give birth. As time went by, she became knowledgeable in the topic. Since this was already Shu Wanniang¡¯s third time giving birth, her uterus should open very quickly. She was afraid that she would not be able to wait for the midwife toe.


    However, as Shu Wanniang¡¯s stomach was too big, the delivery would probably not go smoothly. In the event that shested until the midwife arrived, it only meant that it was going to be a difficultbor. Madam Ma-Liu did not want to see such a situation.


    Giving birth was equivalent to having one foot in the gates of hell. If it was a difficultbor, more than half of one¡¯s body would be in the gates of hell. Whether one could be pulled back from those gates would depend on luck.


    While Madam Ma-Liu was letting her imagination run wild, Eldest Grandma Liu and Second Grandma Liu rushed over with their respective daughters-inw.


    Seeing that Mu Yangling was sitting in the delivery room, Grandma Liu quickly chased her out. ¡°How can a youngdy like you be here? Quickly get out.¡±


    Mu Yangling grabbed the head of the bed as she said, ¡°My father asked me to stay here and watch over my mother. I¡¯m not going out. Great-aunt, let me stay here.¡± Mu Yangling¡¯s words confirmed Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s dominance over everyone else.


    Madam Ma-Liu was also worried that Shu Wanniang would feel uneasy if Mu Yangling left, so she patted her hand and said to Grandma Liu, ¡°Let her stay here since this is her baby brother. It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Seeing that her sister-inw had spoken, Grandma Liu did not object anymore.


    Madam Ma-Liu instructed Madam Liu-Zhang, ¡°Go to the kitchen and boil more water.¡± Then, she instructed Madam Liu-Zhao, ¡°I¡¯ve taken out everything needed. Soak the items in the boiling water and make sure to wash them clean.¡± Then, she said to Grandma Liu and Second Grandma Liu, ¡°Since you two have a few children and are experienced, stay in the room with me.¡±


    The two of them agreed. When they went forward to touch Shu Wanniang¡¯s stomach, they couldn¡¯t help but frown. Shu Wanniang usually didn¡¯t look fat, and her stomach had always been typically big during her pregnancy. Why was her stomach so big now that she was so thin?


    This was what Madam Ma-Liu was most worried about. The most worrisome thing in giving birth was that the fetus was too big or in an improper position. Shu Wanniang was afraid of the cold. As soon as mid-autumn rolled around, she started wearing an extrayer of clothes than others. By the time it waste autumn, she was already wearing manyyers, so it was impossible to tell if she was fat or thin. Even the size of her stomach had been covered by her clothes. By the time Madam Ma-Liu was brought over, it was already snowing heavily. This was all the more reason why Madam Ma-Liu had no idea her stomach was so big.


    It was only a few days ago when the midwife came to touch her stomach that Madam Ma-Liu saw how big it was. When she told the midwife, the midwife also agreed and urged her to be careful.


    Mu Shi had originally nned to go to town in a few days to fetch a midwife to stay at his house, but who knew that the child would be born so early?


    This time, the three of them sat in the house worriedly. No one dared to tell Shu Wanniang and Mu Yangling about this.


    An hour after Mu Shi left, Shu Wanniang¡¯s uterus began to open. Waves of pain swept through her nerves. Mu Yangling held her hand tightly and encouraged her in a low voice by her ear. ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be anxious. Take it slow. Let¡¯s take a deep breath with Great-aunt first¡­¡±


    By the time Mu Shi ran home with the midwife on his back, Shu Wanniang had been screaming for nearly 15 minutes.


    ¡°Shi Tou, you¡¯re back. Quick, get the midwife toe and take a look. Wanniang¡¯s fetal position doesn¡¯t seem right.¡±


    The midwife had been carried by Mu Shi along the way, which helped conserve her strength. Without hesitation, she rushed into the delivery room and pulled apart the woman¡¯s legs to take a look. Then, she touched her stomach and said, ¡°There¡¯s no problem with the fetal position. I reckon the child is too big. Hurry up and boil a bowl of brown sugar water for the pregnant woman.¡± Then, she said to Shu Wanniang, ¡°Stop shouting and save your strength. Only exert more strength when I tell you to do soter. You¡¯ve given birth to two babies. Even if this baby is a little bigger, it won¡¯t be a problem. Just listen to me.¡±


    The midwife¡¯s confident attitude made Shu Wanniang¡¯s heart rx. She couldn¡¯t help but believe her.


    Only then did the midwife turn to Grandma Liu and say, ¡°Go get a basin of hot water¡­¡±


    Shu Wanniang was in pain again. The midwife quickly went forward to hold her down and said, ¡°Take a breath and hold it in. Yes, that¡¯s it. Alright, exert more strength. Hurry!¡±


    Shu Wanniang followed her instructions and bit the cloth in her mouth tightly. Holding her daughter¡¯s hand tightly, she heard the midwife shout, ¡°Very good.


    I see the baby¡¯s head now! Come, let¡¯s take another breath. Yes, take a deep breath. Hold it in and exhale hard. Exhale hard¡­ I see the child¡¯s shoulder now! Let¡¯s do it again¡­¡±


    Just as Shu Wanniang felt something slip from her body, she heard the midwife exim happily, ¡°Great, great, it¡¯s a boy!¡±

 Chapter 72 - 72: Twins

    Chapter 72: Twins


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Shu Wanniang turned her head to look at the wrinkled child and revealed a tired but satisfied smile.


    Mu Yangling, who was sitting by Shu Wanniang¡¯s bed, realized that something was wrong. This child was even smaller than Little Bowen when he was just born.


    Although more than four years had passed, it was still the first time she had seen a newborn child, so Mu Yangling had a deep impression of it. At that time, Little Bowen was a little weak when he was born. The midwife even said that he was not as heavy as other full-term newborns.


    But didn¡¯t they just say that the mother¡¯s stomach wasrge and that it might be difficult to give birth because the baby was too big? Why was this baby even smaller than when Bowen was born?


    The midwife quickly noticed this abnormality and quickly handed the baby to Madam Ma-Liu, before checking on Shu Wanniang.


    However, Shu Wanniang still felt a slight pain in her stomach. This waspletely different from the rxed feeling she had after giving birth in the past.


    The midwife touched it and eximed in surprise, ¡°There¡¯s another one in the stomach!¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of everyone in the room changed.


    Giving birth was already hard, and giving birth to twins was even more difficult. Not only was the probability of the child dying prematurely increased, but the probability of maternal death was also very high.


    Before they could finish worrying, Shu Wanniang gave birth to a baby girl. It was a tiny bundle, and when the midwife pped it on the butt, it only let out two soft kitten-like cries.


    Feeling sorry for the baby, Mu Yangling quickly carried her over carefully. The midwife looked at her for a while and said worriedly, ¡°She¡¯s so small. You have to be careful and make sure she stays warm and well-fed.¡±


    The addition of two new members to the Mu family made Mu Shi both happy and worried.


    His son looked weak, but at least his cries were loud and clear, and he was even stronger than when Bowen was born. However, his youngest daughter was like a kitten. She did not open her eyes and would only cry softly when she was hungry. Mu Shi secretly measured that his youngest daughter was only the size of his palm.


    He was very worried about whether she would survive.


    Madam Ma-Liu taught him, ¡°Whether the child is strong or not depends on the milk. As long as your wife¡¯s milk is good and you pay attention to keeping the baby warm, she will definitely be okay.¡±


    Mu Shi immediately said, ¡°1¡¯11 go buy chickens and eggs immediately. If there¡¯s anything else that¡¯s needed, I¡¯ll go buy it immediately.¡±


    ¡°Your wife will get heaty if she eats anything too greasy. 1¡¯11 teach youter. Go to town and buy the things. I¡¯ll prepare it for her when youe back.¡±


    Mu Shi heaved a sigh of relief. He felt that it was an excellent decision to bring his aunt¡¯s family over to stay.


    Little Bowen and Xin were lying in front of the bed and looking at the two babies sleeping side by side. Little Bowen quietly reached out to touch his baby sister¡¯s face, then quickly retracted his hand as if he was afraid of being discovered. He whispered to Xin, ¡°It¡¯s so smooth.¡±


    Xin said enviously, ¡°It¡¯s great that you have a younger brother and sister.¡±


    Mu Yangling brought a bowl of noodles to Shu Wanniang. ¡°Mother, try it quickly. Great-aunt made it for you. It¡¯s chicken soup made from an old mother hen. There are also two eggs inside.¡±


    Sitting up, Shu Wanniang saw that the sky was bright outside. She asked, ¡°Have your elders been sent away?¡±


    ¡°They left as soon as you fell asleep. The midwife only left at dawn. Father gave her 100 copper coins and two smoked rabbits.¡±


    ¡°What about your father?¡±


    ¡°He went to town to buy something. Mother, eat up. After you¡¯re full, 1¡¯11 bring my baby siblings over for you to see. Then, you can think up a nice name for them.¡±


    Both Mu Yangling and Mu Bowen¡¯s names were given by Shu Wanniang.


    Shu Wanniang said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve already chosen a name. Previously, I thought that if it was a boy, it would be called Bosi. If it was a girl, it would be called Kejia. Your father also agreed. But 1 didn¡¯t expect it to be a boy and a girl. Since that¡¯s the case, we can use both names.¡±


    Mu Yangling carried the two babies over and showed them to Shu Wanniang. She gently tapped their foreheads and said, ¡°You have names now.¡±


    In the evening, Mu Shi brought back two cages of chicken and loo eggs. Coupled with the dry goods at home, it was enough for Shu Wanniang to undergo 40 days of confinement.


    Mu Shi handed the things to Madam Ma-Liu, who used all her culinary skills to prepare food for Shu Wanniang. Half a monthter, the two babies were fed until they were fair and chubby, and looked about the same age as a full-term child.


    Shu Wanniang wrapped the two babies in soft swaddling clothes as she said to Mu Shi, ¡°We did things simply for the custom of giving bath to the babies on their third day, but we have to do a good job with their one-month-old banquet. We can¡¯t let the two little fellows suffer.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already asked Aunt to help when the timees.¡±


    ¡°By the way, has Aunt¡¯s house been rebuilt?¡± Shu Wanniang asked.


    As the weather had turned sunny, Liu Ting had brought people to West Mountain Vige two days ago to help Madam Ma-Liu rebuild her house.


    ¡°I was about to speak to you about this. I¡¯m thinking of asking Aunt to stay here for the rest of the winter. We have two babies at home now, and Bowen also needs someone to take care of him. Ah Ling and 1 have to go into the mountains from time to time, so you definitely won¡¯t be able to take care of him alone. So not ask Aunt to stay here for the time being? When the winter passes and Bowen goes to school, Ah Ling and 1 will be able to help.¡±


    ¡°Did you tell Aunt?¡±


    Mu Shi smiled and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve already spoken to her. Just focus on your confinement.


    However, Mu Shi did not expect that this could only be an empty promise. Shu Wanniang was destined not to be able to have a smooth confinement.


    In the middle of the night, Mu Shi suddenly opened his eyes. He jumped off the bed andy on the ground to listen carefully for movement, but there was silence. Everything was normal, but he felt uneasy. This was a feeling he only had when facing danger. This intuition was inherited from his ancestors and came from the bloodline of someone who lived on the grasnd.


    In the other room, Mu Yangling also opened her eyes. Puzzled, she turned to look at Little Bowen, who was sleeping at the side. It was rare for her to have insomnia.


    She closed her eyes and was about to force herself to fall asleep when she suddenly heard the door open next door.


    Mu Yangling got up in confusion. Why did her father go out sote at night?


    Mu Yangling put on her clothes and walked out as well. Mu Shi was climbing onto the roof and looking around. Seeing his daughtering out, he was shocked. ¡°Why are you awake?¡±


    ¡°I just woke up all of a sudden. Father, why did you climb onto the roof?¡±


    Mu Shi looked at the red light that soared into the sky from West Mountain Vige with a gloomy expression. ¡°Something happened in West Mountain Vige.¡±


    Mu Yangling hurriedly climbed up to take a look and saw thick smoke rising into the sky from the north. There was a faint red light. Because the trees in Chef Mountain were dense and tall, she could not see very clearly, but she could not be wrong about the billowing thick smoke.


    ¡°West Mountain Vige is on fire? But the fire shouldn¡¯t be so severe.¡± This wasn¡¯t like the modern ages where houses were closely connected. Other than biological brothers who subsequently divided up their ancestralnd, there was a certain distance between each family¡¯s homesteads. Even if there was a fire, at most three to five houses would be caught in the fire. How could there be such thick smoke? It felt like the entire vige was in mes.


    ¡°If it was just a simple fire, 1 wouldn¡¯t be so flustered. Something must have happened. Hurry up and wake your mother and siblings up. Pack our things first. 1¡¯11 go look for the vige chief.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t understand, but she still followed Mu Shi¡¯s instructions to wake up her great-aunt, mother, and the others. She packed all the valuable things in the house that needed to be taken away.


    Seeing that her younger siblings, who were only half a month old, were lying quietly on the bed, she turned around and packed two small nkets. She tied them tightly with a rope and found the two-wheeled cart that had been kept in the storeroom..

 Chapter 73 - 73: Chaos

    Chapter 73: Chaos


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    This cart was made by her grandfather. Back then, he wanted to buy a horse, but he didn¡¯t have any connections. Later on, as the Mu family¡¯s money slowly dwindled, this cart was left idle.


    Later on, Mu Shi made a wheelbarrow out of it and stored it in the storeroom.


    Mu Yangling did not know what had happened, but seeing how panicked Mu Shi was, she reckoned she should take this out.


    By the time Mu Yangling finished packing up, Mu Shi had already brought more than ten people to West Mountain Vige with torches to investigate the situation.


    Liu He got someone to fetch them to the Liu family¡¯s courtyard. The entire vige was there, and no one spoke in the chilly night.


    Mu Yangling wrapped Shu Wanniang and the two babies in the nket and stuffed Little Bowen and Xin in. Then, she whispered to Madam Ma-Liu, ¡°Great-aunt, help me take care of my mother. I¡¯ll go ask Great-uncle what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Looking at the mes in West Mountain Vige, Madam Ma-Liu said in a low voice, ¡°There¡¯s no need to go. With such a big fire, there¡¯s an 80% chance that the Hus are attacking.¡±


    Mu Yangling was shocked. ¡°There are stationed troops in our Xingzhou Prefecture.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu smiled bitterly. ¡°Four years ago, when the Hu people attacked south, Liuxia Vige was burned down just like that. No one in the vige, old and young, walked out alive. At that time, our West Mountain Vige was lucky. Before the Hu people reached us, the soldiers of Xingzhou Prefecture arrived. However, Liuxia Vige was long gone. If the Hu people came down again, wouldn¡¯t it be our West Mountain Vige¡¯s turn this time? I wonder how many vigers can survive.¡±


    As West Mountain Vige and Nearhill Vige were only separated by a mountain, Mu Yangling was inevitably anxious. She did not know why Mu Shi had to run to West Mountain Vige at a time like this.


    Having lived for decades, Madam Ma-Liu exined in a low voice, ¡°Only the vigers of our two viges know about the path from West Mountain Vige to Nearhill Vige. Your father wants to seal that path. If the Hus take the main road, they won¡¯t be able to reach Nearhill Vige and will go straight to another vige. We just have to stay in the Liu family¡¯s courtyard and wait for the Xingzhou Prefecture¡¯s troops.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked up at Chef Mountain and did not ask things such as, ¡°What if the vigers of Xishan Vige betray them?¡± She only said, ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to send someone to inform the Xingzhou Prefecture¡¯s garrison?¡±


    ¡°How do we inform them?¡± Madam Ma-Liu looked troubled. ¡°It takes a day and a half to walk from here to the prefecture city.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just inform the government office? It¡¯s their job to inform the troops.¡± Mu Yangling didn¡¯t want to sit around and wait for death.


    Madam Ma-Liu hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go speak to your great-uncle and see if he agrees.¡±


    Although it only took half a day to get to the county office from here, they needed to take the main road. Once they reached the main road, they might encounter the Hus. Once they encountered the Hus, the only fate that awaited them was death.


    No one was willing to let their son do such a dangerous thing.


    Hence, Liu Daqian did not ask Liu He and directly rejected the idea. ¡°Our Nearhill Vige is in a special location. As long as we seal the path, the chances of our vige being discovered will be very low.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked angry. ¡°No matter how low the probability is, it¡¯s still possible. At that time, when the Hus rush over from the main road, can we only wait to be wrapped into dumplings? Besides, there are many viges along the main road. Even if we can¡¯t inform the county office, it¡¯s good if we can warn them. They¡¯repletely in the dark now and might not even know it when the barbarians rush into their vige. We should save as many lives as we can. Even if we encounter the Hus, we have hands and feet. As long as we run into the forest, with our familiarity with this ce, we can easily hide. Didn¡¯t we hide in the forest four years ago when the Hus attacked south?¡±


    Mu Yangling watched as they lowered their heads in silence. Knowing they were unwilling to take the risk for others, she flicked her sleeves angrily and left.


    Saving others was akin to saving oneself. There were only a few hundred people in Nearhill Vige, but most of them were either the elderly or children. There were only more than a hundred young and strong men. If they really encountered brave and experienced Hus, the entire vige could only bembs waiting to be ughtered.


    Nearhill Vige was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the other side was facing the main road. Although it was possible for the Hus to overlook it, once they were discovered, their only options were to rush past the Hus and onto the main road, or enter the mountains to hide.


    There was no need to think about rushing past the Hus. Even if Mu Yangling wanted to use this method, no one else would have the guts to do so. However, it was too cold and snowy to enter the mountain in such weather. The young and strong might be fine, but how many elders and children could withstand it?


    Even if it was for Shu Wanniang and her younger siblings, Mu Yangling would not choose this path.


    Before Mu Yangling could persuade Liu He, someone pointed at the foot of the mountain and said, ¡°There¡¯s a fire there. Shi Tou and the others are back.¡±


    Mu Yangling quickly turned around and saw that someone had already gone to wee them.


    Mu Shi and the rest were all covered in blood. Liu Ting even had a knife wound. When Liu He saw this, he turned pale with fright. ¡°You encountered the Hus?¡±


    Mu Shi¡¯s expression was as dark as water. ¡°The Hus discovered that path. We encountered five people first and killed them for fear of being followed back. However, there should still be more behind us. We can¡¯t stay here anymore. We have to leave immediately.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible? Only the people in the two viges know about that trail. How can the Hus know?¡±


    ¡°The vigers of West Mountain Vige have already built their houses all the way to the foot of the mountain. It¡¯s not far from the path.¡±


    As soon as Mu Shi said this, everyone¡¯s suspicious gazes on Madam Ma-Liu immediately disappeared. That¡¯s right. It was very likely that the Hus would discover that small path when they burnt down the houses. It might not be due to a betrayal by the people from West Mountain Vige.


    The vigers of Nearhill Vige did not go to West Mountain Vige often, so they did not know about this. Even Liu Ting, who often went to West Mountain Vige recently, had not noticed this.


    However, Madam Ma-Liu, her granddaughters, and the girls who had married over from West Mountain Vige all knew about this.


    Those who had family in West Mountain Vige cried bitterly. ¡°Is there no one left alive in West Mountain Vige?¡±


    Mu Shi and the others did not answer. The Hus typically spared no one in their plunders. Perhaps the women would be kept alive, but they would most likely be living a life worse than death.


    ¡°Alright, stop crying. Hurry up and pack your things. We¡¯ll leave now.¡± Liu He instructed, ¡°Don¡¯t take too many things. Staying alive is more important.¡±


    Although Liu He said that, no one could bear to leave their family property behind. Some elders sat on the ground and cried, refusing to leave no matter what. There were also some who wished they could bring everything at home with them.


    Looking at the chaos, Mu Yangling was so angry that she fell backward. From the looks of it, Nearhill Vige would probably be in turmoil before the Hus could attack.


    ¡°Father, we can only stay for another half an hour. We must leave in half an hour.¡±


    Mu Shi¡¯s expression was also very ugly. Taking a deep breath, he nodded. ¡°Go take care of your mother. I¡¯ll go talk to the vige chief.¡±


    Mu Yangling turned around to find a rope. She spread the nket on the cart and ced Shu Wanniang, Bosi, and Kejia beside her. Then, she stuffed Bowen and Xin in and covered them with a nket before tying them together with a rope. She also fixed their things to the cart. Meanwhile, the vigers were still flustered..

 Chapter 74 - 74: Departure

    Chapter 74: Departure


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Having found Liu He, Mu Shi informed him, ¡°We¡¯re running for our lives, not ying. Ask them to throw away anything burdening them. Ask them to carefully consider if they want their lives or money. Also, 1¡¯11 leave with my wife and children in half an hour. Whether they can catch up will depend on their ability. I won¡¯t stop and wait for them.¡± Mu Shi looked at him seriously and said, ¡°I¡¯m not my father and mother. My wife and children are very weak. I¡¯ll be with them every step of the way.¡±


    In other words, Mu Shi would not sacrifice himself for the sake of Nearhill Vige like Mu Yan.


    Liu He¡¯s expression changed. He looked at him with aplicated expression and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get someone to inform them to prepare to escape immediately.¡±


    Only then did Mu Shi turn around and return to his wife and children¡¯s side. He took out the dagger from his pocket and handed it to Mu Yangling. ¡°Good child, I have to take care of your mother and siblings, so I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t take care of you. You have to stay by my side at all times and protect yourself, understand?¡±


    Knowing this was Mu Shi¡¯s greatest weapon, Mu Yangling hesitated for a moment before taking it and tying it to her leg. ¡°Father, let¡¯s take with us all the arrows at home.¡±


    Mu Shi nodded. ¡°Choose a sturdy stick, too. If you really encounter the Hus, snatch their sabers. With a weapon, your chances of survival will be higher.¡±


    Mu Yangling ran back and carried her bow and arrow on her back. She chose a stick and ced it on the cart. Seeing that half an hour had passed, she ignored the vigers who were still packing and started pulling the cart with her father.


    Madam Ma-Liu held Xiuhong¡¯s hand and followed closely beside them.


    When Liu He saw this, he shouted at the vigers, ¡°Shut up! How long are you going to argue for? The Mu family has already left. Those who wish to follow, hurry up and follow. Those who are unwilling to leave, find a ce to hide. Don¡¯t guard the house. Otherwise, the moment the Huse, you¡¯ll just die for nothing.¡±


    As soon as Liu He said that, everyone realized that Mu Shi had already pushed the cart 100 meters away. Liu Daqian, Liu Erqian, and their family were also following behind the Mu family. When Madam Fang-Liu saw this, she cried loudly, ¡°Big Brother, Second Brother, Big Sister, why did you leave without me?¡±


    Liu Daqian and the others did not even turn their heads. Liu He shouted in a low voice, ¡°Shut up. The Hus are on the mountain. Are you afraid that they won¡¯t be able to find our Nearhill Vige?¡±


    Madam Fang-Liu¡¯s cries were stuck in her throat.


    Because of Liu He¡¯s prestige, everyone became much more orderly after throwing a tantrum. Liu He instructed, ¡°Just take some cotton clothes, nkets, and grains. Don¡¯t bring anything else if you can. Don¡¯t start a fire and make any noise on the way. Try your best to keep up with the Mu family.¡±


    Liu He nced at the vigers before turning around to say to his sons, ¡°In the face of disaster, fend for yourselves. Now that we¡¯re fleeing for our lives, there will be constant conflicts on the way even though we¡¯re a family. If we¡¯re separated, try your best to stay alive. Welle back when the Hus retreat.¡±


    Liu Dazhuang stood at the side with red eyes as he supported his mother. He nced at his brothers and nodded in agreement.


    Liu He and his family also followed the Mu family.


    When the vigers saw that the vige chief¡¯s family had left, they no longer dared to continue packing. They hurriedly grabbed whatever they had packed and followed with their families. An hourter, there were only a few vigers left in Nearhill Vige who refused to leave. The others had already grabbed their things to chase after the Mu family.


    As there was snow on the ground, with the moonlight shone on the ground, the road was illuminated and they could see the road clearly even without lighting a fire. Other than the cold, the group did not have much difficulty.


    Looking back, Mu Yangling saw that the road was filled with people. There were only about 300 people, but they were stretched out over a great distance.


    Having graduated from a military academy, she felt that if they encountered the Hus now, they would only die. The best solution was to wait and wait for the people behind to catch up before forming a square formation and advancing.


    Seeing that they were about to enter the main road, Mu Yangling pulled her father back and whispered, ¡°Father, we can¡¯t walk by ourselves. Otherwise, if the Hus are on the main road, we¡¯ll meet them head-on. With only ten or so young men here, we are no match for the Hus. Let¡¯s wait for them. When they catch up, get the vige chief to form a square formation ording to their families and advance warily. It¡¯s best if we can choose a few people to scout the way. Otherwise, if we walk around aimlessly, we won¡¯t even know how we died.¡±


    Although Mu Shi had traveled extensively, he really didn¡¯t know much about military formations. Hearing this, he pondered for a moment and felt that since his daughter was good at hunting in the forest, perhaps she had talent in this aspect. Hence, he nodded and said, ¡°We¡¯ll do as you say. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m the only male in our family. Since we¡¯re the ones who mention it, we have to send someone from our family.¡±


    Mu Shi didn¡¯t want to abandon his wife and children to scout the way ahead, so he was conflicted.


    Mu Yangling looked at Shu Wanniang and her younger siblings. Seeing that they were fine despite still being in shock as they sat on the wooden nks, and that Madam Ma-Liu and Xiuhong could follow Mu Shi closely, she said, ¡°Father, let me go. I¡¯m a hunter and I¡¯m good at this. Just take good care of the family.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± The first to object, Shu Wanniang almost reached out to grab her. ¡°How can you do such a dangerous thing when you¡¯re still a child? The Hus are different from the wild beasts in the forest.¡±


    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m very fast. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Father. If I encounter danger, I can always run into the forest. Who knows this forest better than me? Someone has to step forward, after all.¡± Mu Yangling went to persuade Mu Shi again. ¡°Father, you know my strength and martial arts skills well. I can easily defend myself against three to five people. Even if they¡¯re Hus, they¡¯re at most a tad stronger than Han Chinese. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Mu Shi looked at the team behind him and did not say anything. Mu Yangling pointed out the dreadful alternative to him. ¡°If no one goes, our family will be walking right at the front. If we really encounter the Hus, Mother and my younger siblings will be the first to suffer.¡±


    There was no way Shu Wanniang could escape, let alone the two newborn babies. When the Hus rushed forward, could Mu Shi protect every single one of them? Even if Mu Yangling was with them, there was no way to keep everyone in the family safe.


    Therefore, the best way was to investigate the situation in advance. If there were any Hus ahead, they would avoid them. If they couldn¡¯t avoid them, they could think of a way to take care of their wives and children who were walking in the back.


    Mu Shi stroked Mu Yangling¡¯s head as he said with red eyes, ¡°Then you have to be careful. If you encounter danger, run into the mountains. Don¡¯t worry about others. Protecting your own life is more important.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    Only then did Mu Shi turn around to look for Liu He.


    When the people behind caught up, Liu He found the elders in the vige and said, ¡°Shi Tou said that if we continue walking like this, we¡¯ll be cut down like melons by the Hus. We have to form a square formation. After discussing it with Daqian and Erqian, we¡¯ve decided to split everyone into five teams like when we went hunting in the mountains previously. The family members of each team member will stick to that same group. Every group will surround the children and eiders in the middle, while the young and strong will guard outside with their things. We¡¯ll head west. Hopefully, we¡¯ll reach the county safely tonight. Once we¡¯re there, we¡¯ll be safe.¡±


    No one else had any objections. Since the elders had agreed, the young men could only listen to their orders. The gathered vigers of Nearhill Vige quickly divided into five teams.


    Mu Shi chose six more people to lead the investigation with Mu Yangling.


    The six chosen people had all followed Mu Yangling into the mountain before, so they obeyed her orders very well. The group of seven left first and headed for the main road..

 Chapter 75 - 75: Encounter

    Chapter 75: Encounter


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    At midnight, it was the quietest time of the night. As Mu Yangling led them along the road, they could only hear their own breathing and footsteps, so any sudden sound would appear especially abrupt.


    When Mu Yangling heard the clicks, she raised her hand to stop everyone. She brought the six of them and hid behind a tree on the side of the road. Liu Li whispered, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s the sound of hooves.¡±


    Liu Li and the others looked at each other in anticipation and fear. If it were the Han Chinese, they would have a messenger. But if it were the Hus¡­


    Mu Yangling waved her hand for everyone to lower their bodies. This time, even without her reminder, everyone heard the sound of horse hooves.


    A group of ten cavalrymen passed by them. Under the reflection of the snow, Mu Yangling could see very clearly that they were wearing Hu costumes. Mu Yangling¡¯s expression changed slightly. The ones heading south were actually Hu cavalrymen?


    Then how could they possibly escape?


    Mu Yangling clenched her fists as she waited for the ten cavalrymen to run far away beforeing out from behind the tree. ncing in the direction where the cavalrymen had left, she said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to look in front. The Hu cavalrymen are most likely going to scout the way ahead. Let¡¯s look behind. Cousin Li, go back and inform my father and the others to immediately bring everyone onto the main road and advance towards the county with all their might.¡±


    Liu Xuan said in surprise, ¡°But there are Hu cavalrymen in front. What if they turn back?¡±


    A vicious glint shed across Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes. She looked at Liu Yong and said, ¡°You¡¯re my best student when ites to setting up the traps. Take the three of them and run forward for half an hour. Set up traps in the middle of the road, digging five small pits side by side, leaving a distance of three steps between them. It should only be as deep as a fist.¡± As she spoke, she took a bundle of rope from her waist and handed it to him. ¡°ce the rope in front of the traps. Once you see them riding back, pull the rope up. After they fall into the trap, run into the forest. However, 1 don¡¯t think it¡¯s likely that you¡¯ll encounter them before Ie back, so you don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±


    Liu Yong, who dared to sell his younger brother and sister at the tender age of nine, was publicly acknowledged as a heartless person in Nearhill Vige. He took the rope from Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and looked at her solemnly as he asked, ¡°Do you trust me that much?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°1 trust you. Your parents and brother are still at the back.¡±


    Liu Yong felt a lump in his throat. He tightened his grip on the rope and looked up at her seriously, then said word by word, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if 1 die, 1¡¯11 make sure they leave their horses behind.¡±


    If the cavalrymen did not have horses, they would not be so terrifying.


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s lips curled up slightly. After sending them off, she brought the remaining two people to investigate the back.


    After walking for about 35 minutes, they saw mes soaring into the sky from afar. Liu Xuan pounded the ground in hatred. ¡°These barbarians!¡±


    Mu Yangling looked deeply for a while before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go. They burned this vige down, so they¡¯ll definitely move forward.¡±


    The three of them hurriedly rushed back, but the people of Nearhill Vige had already fallen into chaos. The Hus who had burned down West Mountain Vige had already caught up from the path. All the people who had stayed behind to guard their property had been killed, and the vige had been burned down.


    The vigers, who had just walked onto the main road, turned around and saw that their houses had turned into a sea of fire. They immediately cried out loud. Mu Shi was so angry that his face turned ashen. He shouted, ¡°What are you crying for? Hurry up and run forward in teams. Hurry!¡±


    Also anxious, Liu He hurriedly handed his youngest grandson to his eldest son and shouted, ¡°Everyone, leave quickly! Hurry! The Hus are about to catch up.¡±


    Recalling the Hus¡¯ rebellion 12 years ago, everyone wiped their tears and gritted their teeth as they ran forward.


    However, how could the vigers, who were dragging their luggage and bringing the old and young, outrun the Hus? Five or six Hus with sabers dashed out from Nearhill Vige and went forward to sh people randomly.


    Heads rolled to the ground, their eyes still wide open.


    The team walking at the backmost was instantly thrown into chaos.


    Hearing themotion in front, Mu Shi shouted, ¡°Where¡¯s the young and strong? Didn¡¯t 1 ask you to protect the square formation?¡±


    Liu He¡¯s face was ashen. Everyone immediately sprinted ahead when they saw the Hus, leaving the old, weak, women, and children behind. How could they resist?


    As Mu Shi pushed the cart forward, he looked at his wife and children in the cart. In the end, he gritted his teeth, lowered his head and walked forward, ignoring the people at the back.


    He might be able to save them if he gave up his wife and children to go to the back, but once he lowered this cart, he might be separated from them forever.


    Regardless of whether the Hus would catch up or not, in such a chaotic situation where people¡¯s movements were restricted, they could be squeezed off the cart and be trampled upon at any time. Mu Shi could not help but tell himself that he was not his parents. He had to be responsible for his wife and children first.


    Face covered in tears, Shu Wanniang hugged the children in her arms tightly, not daring to ask her husband to turn around and save the people at the back.


    At this moment, even Liu He and the others could not turn around. They could only try their best to get the young men with families behind to turn around and save them. However, because they did not know how many Hus were behind them, very few people dared to go back.


    When Mu Yangling, Liu Xuan, and Liu Dazhuang arrived, they only saw six Hus ughtering the vigers as if they were in an uninhabited ce. Those who were shed and killed didn¡¯t even get a chance to wave their hands to stop them.


    This was the first time Mu Yangling had seen a dead person in this world. Before she could react, she fiercely hit a Hu person with the stick in her hand. With her astounding strength, he was knocked to the ground as the stick struck his back. Mu Yangling leaped forward and deftly hooked the saber in his hand with her foot. With a sh, she slit his neck.


    The murderous Hus did not notice Mu Yangling and the other two at all and continued to kill in front.


    With the saber in hand, Mu Yangling went forward to kill another Hu from the back. Only then did the other four see Mu Yangling. Shocked, they shouted in Hunguage, ¡°Where did this childe from?¡±


    Mu Yangling understood what they were saying. She originally wanted to swiftly finish off the remaining four people, but when she saw Liu Xuan and the others¡¯ angry and terrified gazes, she changed her mind and threw away the saber in her hand. Instead, she raised her stick and went up to them.


    Before the Hus could react, Mu Yangling suddenly attacked and hit one of their hands and legs with the stick. That person fell to the ground and could not get up for a long time.


    The remaining three howled and rushed forward with sabers.


    Mu Yangling struck each person with the stick once. This was the benefit of having great strength.


    With her incredible strength, she could take on ten at one go. Moreover, Mu Yangling had learned martial arts such as grappling and knew where the most vulnerable part of the human body was. Hit in that spot, it would hurt so much that the attackee wouldn¡¯t be able to straighten their body, but it wouldn¡¯t be fatal.


    Mu Yangling kicked the saber to Liu Xuan and Liu Dali¡¯s feet and said, ¡°Keep an eye on them. If they dare to move, kill them.¡±


    Mu Yangling said to the chaotic crowd, ¡°Go ahead and cry. It¡¯s best if you attract the remaining Hus as well. When the timees, you can go down and reunite with your fellow vigers.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, everyone stopped crying and covered their mouths, not daring to cry out loud. Only then did Mu Yangling snort coldly and sweep her gaze across the scene. There were a total of 18 corpses lying on the ground, and there were also more than ten people covering their wounds.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression was a little ugly. There were so many of them. Even if they pounced on them one by one, surely they could eliminate six Hus, right?


    The other party was holding cold weapons, not hot weapons that allowed them to kill people with a bang before they even got close. Mu Yangling really couldn¡¯t understand why they would rather cower on the ground and wait to be killed than take the risk of being injured.


    If it was her, she would drag someone down with her even if she died..

 Chapter 76 - 76: Heel Rope

    Chapter 76: Heel Rope


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling pushed the three Hus to the middle and handed the six sabers to the people from Nearhill Vige. ¡°Kill them.¡±


    Startled, everyone held the sabers and did not dare to go forward. They were mere farmers. They did not even dare to fight and injure others, let alone kill people.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t have time to slowly nurture them. She kicked one of them in and said coldly, ¡°If you don¡¯t kill them, they¡¯ll kill you. It¡¯s either they die or you die. Your choice. These six people are just scouts and the Hus who set the fire will catch up soon. If you want to die, continue to dy. I¡¯ll leave with my father first.¡±


    Liu Xuan tightened his grip on the saber in his hand. Seeing that Mu Yangling was about to turn around and leave, he immediately roared and rushed forward to sh at a Hu. When the others saw this, their eyes turned red. Bravely, they quickly rushed forward with their things.


    Mu Yangling felt nauseous and her heart ached. She had never thought that there woulde a day when she would use such a method to force someone to kill people.


    Mu Yangling seemed to have returned to her previous life. In the forest at the border, the captain whispered in her ear, ¡°Kill them. If they don¡¯t die, we¡¯ll be the ones to die. No, perhaps you don¡¯t have to die. You can escape. Then, only I will die.¡±


    The captain had apanied her for more than a year and trained her day and night. On the other side were the vicious drug dealers. Although Mu Yangling¡¯s heart was trembling, her hands were very steady as she killed every single one of the eight drug dealers.


    That was Mu Yangling¡¯s first time killing someone. Other than the pause after the first shot, everything else went smoothly. After that, she didn¡¯t even need to see a psychiatrist. Even the captain of the special forces who had served for eight years said that Mu Yangling was much stronger psychologically than he was back then.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t say it out loud, but she didn¡¯t like the way her captain forced her to kill people. Yet now, she was using her captain¡¯s method to force others to kill people.


    As Mu Yangling stood at the side and watched, Liu He felt his heart turn cold after rushing over. This child was only nine years old, but she was actually so ruthless.


    When Mu Yangling turned to look at Liu He, he quickly restrained his expression and asked respectfully, ¡°All Ling, how¡¯s the situation at the back?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a group of Hus about ten miles away. I don¡¯t know how many of them there are, but we definitely won¡¯t be able to make it far if we escape like this.¡± Liu He asked for her opinion. ¡°Then what do you think we should do?¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re asking me, I won¡¯t hide it from you. If we want to survive, someone has to sacrifice themselves. Someone has to stand up to stop them or lure the Hus away.¡±


    Liu He smiled bitterly. ¡°Who would be willing?¡±


    ¡°Therefore, we have to force them. Other than the only son and widowed families, every family has to produce a young man. Great-uncle, 1¡¯11 give you 15 minutes. I¡¯ll bring Uncle Xuan and the others to the front to block the Hus whoe out of the vige. If you can do it, I¡¯ll bring them to cover you guys. I can¡¯t ensure that they¡¯ll survive, but 1 can guarantee that everyone¡¯s chance of survival will increase by 50%. If by the time Ie back, no one volunteers, then everyone can only run for their lives and depend on no one. Although my father is the only young man in my family, 1 can take his ce since 1 am strong. I¡¯d have no problem protecting my mother and younger siblings.¡±


    After experiencing life and death, the vigers were alreadyining. When someone beside them heard Mu Yangling¡¯s words, he said hatefully, ¡°All Ling, you and your father are the equivalent of ten young men in the vige. If you and your father were willing to help, how could so many of us have died?¡± Mu Yangling sneered. ¡°Who are you to me? Why would I abandon my mother and siblings to save you? Since you want to say that, I¡¯m even more unwilling to save you. From now on, we¡¯ll go our separate ways.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s expressions changed when they heard that. Liu He took a step forward and pped that person to the ground. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? The Mu family has done enough for Nearhill Vige. They have no obligation to help you.¡±


    He turned around and said to Mu Yangling, ¡°Ah Ling, don¡¯t lower yourself to his level. He¡¯s just blinded by greed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s not the only one who¡¯s blinded by greed, right?¡± Mu Yangling sneered. ¡°Is everyone disappointed to see that my father and 1 aren¡¯t as selfless as my grandparents?¡±


    The vigers who were swept by Mu Yangling¡¯s gaze lowered their heads, not daring to look at her.


    Liu Xuan¡¯s expression was also very ugly. He took a step forward and stood behind Mu Yangling to show his support.


    Liu He was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Ah Ling, bring Liu Xuan to the back to stop the Hus froming out of the vige. I¡¯ll bring some men to do a tally. When youe back, I¡¯ll be sure to give you a definite answer.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked towards the front of the square formation, where her parents and rtives were. Mu Yangling only hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she did not go forward to check on them. Instead, she chose six people and handed them a saber each to bring to the main road at the vige entrance.


    In front, Mu Shi hid his wife and children¡¯s cart behind the bushes under the main road and took a stick to lie in ambush. Liu Yong was looking at him with sweat all over his forehead. ¡°Uncle Mu, will the Hus really turn back?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see. With themotion here, if those ten people ride back on horses, they will definitely discover this ce. With the arrogance of the Hus, they will definitely disdain to dismount and check. Instead, they will rush over directly. When the timees, you will trip the horses and I will take care of the rest.¡±


    Liu Yong looked in Shu Wanniang¡¯s direction with aplicated gaze. ¡°Uncle Mu, you should take Madam and leave quickly. We¡¯ll only be a burden to you.¡±


    Mu Shi looked at Liu Yong in surprise. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°I¡¯m not doing this for all of you, but for myself. With the cavalrymen around, none of us can escape.¡±


    The square formation at the back was in a mess, and their team was already very far ahead. At this moment, they were lying in ambush here to deal with the cavalrymen that might turn around.


    As such, Mu Shi still did not know what had happened at the back, nor did he know that his daughter was so bold as to form a ¡°death squad¡± to stall for time so that the rest could escape.


    If Mu Shi knew, he would probably not be in the mood to ambush the enemy anymore. Instead, he would jump up and beat Mu Yangling up.


    Used to hunting in the forest, Mu Shi had better hearing than ordinary people. He vaguely heard the sound of horse hooves and immediatelyy on the ground to listen carefully for a while. Counting silently, he realized that it matched the number Liu Yong had mentioned. He said in a low voice, ¡°They¡¯re here. Hurry up and get ready.¡±


    Liu Yong and another person held the rope and hid on both sides of the road. Mu Shi said in a low voice, ¡°When you hear my roar, pull the rope immediately.¡±


    Liu Yong responded and tightened his grip on the rope in his hand.


    Mu Shi held the stick in his hand as he stared at the situation in front of him with a cold gaze.


    As the sound of horse hooves gradually approached, Mu Shi recalled that his father had once told him that horses were extremely fast and their strides were huge. No matter how outstanding the cavalrymen were, it was impossible for them to make the fast-moving horses stop immediately. When facing the cavalrymen, they must not let the cavalrymen get close. Otherwise, they would only be killed. Their best shot was to knock the cavalrymen off their horses, and only then could they stand a chance to survive. Otherwise, they could only run into the forest and hide behind trees to avoid the attacks¡­


    At this moment, Mu Shi¡¯s mind was filled with the tricks his father had taught him.


    His daughter was still too naive. Did she think that they could trip the horses with just a rope? Mu Shi was not even 50% confident that they would seed.


    If they were lucky enough to trip them, they might be able to escape this cmity. Else, their entire family might very well die here.


    With the cavalrymen around, he would not be able to escape with his family no matter how hard he tried..

 Chapter 77 - 77: Killing the Enemy

    Chapter 77: Killing the Enemy


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    As the ten horses charged forward with three in the front, four in the middle, and three in the back, Mu Shi stared at them intently. The people on the horses had clearly discovered the vigers in front of them, for they were elerating and brandishing their sabers. Mu Shi let out a long roar as they got closer and closer. When they were only 20 steps away, Liu Yong and the others, who were lying in ambush, closed their eyes and pulled up the heel rope with all their might.


    It was already toote for the three cavalrymen in front to rein in their horses by the time they heard the long whistle. The horses¡¯ hooves tripped on the rope, causing them to lose their footing. The men fell from the horses, and the horses behind immediately plunged into chaos. Three horses in the middle fell amidst the chaos. As for the others, they identally stepped on the small traps in the ground because of their confusion. The horses copsed to the side, and the cavalrymen fell from them¡­


    The minute the first team fell down, before the situation even settled down, Mu Shi rushed forward and hit a cavalryman on the head with his stick, killing him immediately. Flipping over, he snatched the man¡¯s saber before immediately turning around and slitting another person¡¯s neck.


    The person behind had just fallen off his horse when he was killed by Mu Shi before he could even react.


    Thest group of Hus had no choice but to dismount because of the chaos created by the horses. They surrounded Mu Shi with the remaining two Hus in front.


    Since it was five against one, Mu Shi gripped his saber tightly, not daring to be careless.


    The cavalryman let out a strange cry and rushed forward with his saber, but he was blocked by Mu Shi¡¯s saber. Mu Shi kicked his abdomen, causing him to fly out. Then, he turned around and blocked another person¡­


    By then, Liu Yong had already gotten up from the ground. When he saw Mu Shi fighting with the Hus, a ruthless glint shed across his eyes. He quietly crawled out and grabbed a saber. Seeing that the Hu who had been kicked away by Mu Shi had gotten up and was about to rush over again, he secretly hid behind him and stabbed him¡­


    Liu Yong¡¯s hand trembled slightly, but his eyes were fierce as he stared fixedly at the other party. Seeing that the other party was not dead, he even pulled out his saber and stabbed him again.


    The young men surrounding them couldn¡¯t help but gulp when they saw this. They said in a low voice, ¡°Liu Yong is really ruthless.¡±


    However, Liu Zhi watched intently as Mu Shi fought four Hus all by himself. He lowered his voice and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go help too. Uncle Mu is being restrained and can¡¯t kill them at all. Why don¡¯t we go over with our saber? Even if we don¡¯t manage to kill them, we can at least help stall them.¡±


    As soon as Liu Zhi finished speaking, Liu Yong had already rushed forward with his saber. He had never learned saber techniques and could only sh randomly. Although he failed to sh the Hus, he did force them to divert their attention to deal with him.


    The Hu person originally wanted to get away from Mu Shi to kill Liu Yong, but unexpectedly Mu Shi suddenly shed at him. He had no choice but to turn around and defend. This way, they could neither kill Mu Shi nor Liu Yong.


    Seeing this, Liu Zhi ran over without hesitation, picked up a saber from the ground, and rushed over to deal with a Hu person with Liu Yong.


    Extremely annoyed to see that it was two against one, the Hu person turned around and was about to kill Liu Yong and Liu Zhi when Mu Shi kicked him on the waist and sent him flying. Liu Yong chased after him and slit his opponent¡¯s neck before he could even raise his head¡­


    When the other young men hiding saw this, they ran out one after another. They either picked up the saber on the ground or helped Mu Shi with a pole stick.


    Covered in blood, Mu Shi went forward to check on the horses and realized that the good horses had all run into the forest and could not be chased back. The rest had injured their legs and could not be ridden at all.


    Mu Shi was a little vexed that he didn¡¯t retain a good horse. This way, they would have a means of transport to bring news to the troops.


    ¡°Shi Tou.¡± Madam Ma-Liu stumbled out of the forest. ¡°How is it? Wanniang was worried about you.¡±


    Mu Shi wiped the blood off his face and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ve already dealt with them. Ask them to carry on moving.¡± He turned around to see Shu Wanniang.


    Shu Wanniang wrapped a cotton cloth around her children¡¯s heads so that only their noses was exposed. Seeing Mu Shiing over, she couldn¡¯t help but sit up and look eagerly behind him. When she didn¡¯t see her daughter, she felt disappointed and worried. ¡°Ah Ling isn¡¯t back yet?¡±


    Mu Shi shook his head. ¡°This child has probably gone far. Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s better at escaping than me. She¡¯ll definitely be fine.¡±


    Poor Mu Shi did not know that Mu Yangling had brought people to ambush the Hus in Nearhill Vige again.


    As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Yong walked over with a saber in his hand. He hesitated and did not go forward.


    When Shu Wanniang saw him, she paused for a moment before asking gently, ¡°Ah Yong, why are you here?¡±


    Liu Yong looked up at Shu Wanniang and immediately lowered his head. ¡°Uncle Mu, the vige chief is here. He wants to see the heads of households.¡±


    Mu Shi frowned slightly. Hadn¡¯t they already discussed beforehand that his daughter would scout the way at the back while he would scout the way in front?


    What other requests did they have when the Mu family was already in charge of the most dangerous positions?


    However, in front of Shu Wanniang, Mu Shi could not ask, lest she worry.


    Mu Shi stood up and patted her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look first. Rest for a while.¡± Seeing that his aunt and Xiuhong were both having difficulty holding on, he cleared a corner of the things at the back of the cart and handed them tworge cotton-padded jackets. ¡°Aunt, you and Xiuhong sit at the back and rest for a while. We¡¯ll continue on our way when 1 return. Watch your surroundings. If there¡¯s anything, shout loudly. I¡¯m not far away.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu agreed and helped her eldest granddaughter onto the cart.


    When Mu Shi reached the road, he realized that Liu He had gathered all the heads of households and young adults in the vige. Liu He nced at Mu Shi before quickly looking away in shame.


    Since Mu Shi was the only young man and only son in the Mu family, his family actually did not need to send anyone. But in the entire vige, only he and Mu Yangling had some martial arts skills and could unite the vigers.


    Liu He sighed and raised his voice to tell them about Mu Yangling¡¯s request. ¡°Now that All Ling has already brought her uncles to block the Hus froming out of the vige, I have to count the number of people here.¡± Sighing, Liu He said, ¡°Fellow vigers, this isn¡¯t the first time the Hus have attacked our vige. 12 autumns ago, Mu Shi brought us into the mountains and Mu Yan led people to block the Hus behind. But even so, many of us died.¡±


    ¡°This time, it¡¯s even more serious. The snow in the forest is as deep as a finger. Not to mention the elderly and children, even the young and strong might not be able to survive a night inside. Therefore, we can only escape into the county. However, it¡¯s not only our vige that¡¯s invaded by Hus now. Ah Ling said that there¡¯s another team behind us. We don¡¯t know how many people there are. If we don¡¯t send people to stop them, I¡¯m afraid not a single one of the 300 people in our vige will be able to make it to the county¡­¡±


    The heads of households lowered their heads.


    Liu He continued, ¡°Ah Ling also said that she has parents and younger siblings, she will be the sole representative from her family. You guys should discuss it now. One person from each family. Other than those with only one son in the family, every household has to give up one person. When shees back, if it¡¯s not decided yet, she¡¯ll just leave with her father and family. If that should happen, everyone can only fend for themselves.¡±


    Choosing between possibly sacrificing one member or gambling with their entire family was a no-brainer. However, for each family, deciding who to choose was the toughest decision of their lives..

 Chapter 78 - 78: Choice

    Chapter 78: Choice


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Looking at the children who they had raised with great difficulty, the parents were in agony. Third Uncle Liu looked at Liu Yong and his youngest son, Liu Xing, and finally stood up himself and said, ¡®Til represent my household.¡±


    However, Liu Yong pulled him back and stepped forward. ¡°Let me do it.¡±


    ¡°All Yong!¡± Third Uncle Liu eximed.


    Liu Yong looked at his father solemnly and said, ¡°Father, I was wrong nine years ago. This time, I¡¯m stronger than you. I even killed someone just now.¡±


    Third Uncle Liu opened his mouth but no words came out. Liu Xing said with reddened eyes, ¡°Brother, let me go.¡±


    Liu Yong only nced at his brother before turning around and standing behind Liu He.


    Liu Daqian also looked at his two sons. Liu Zhuang took a step forward and said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it for my family. Eldest Brother is the eldest son, so you should support our parents.¡±


    Liu Ting hurriedly went forward to stop his younger brother, but Liu Daqian stopped him and said in a deep voice, ¡°Your younger brother is right. Let him go-¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang hugged her children and burst into tears, but she didn¡¯t dare to say that she wouldn¡¯t let Liu Zhuang go.


    Most families would choose to let their eldest son stay and their second son go.


    When it came to Liu Erqian, there was no choice. Liu Xuan was already by Mu Yangling¡¯s side, but Second Madam Liu stood up and forced Liu Yuan¡¯s wife to swear. ¡°Xuan¡¯er doesn¡¯t have children yet. If he dies, your family has to promise to pass on a son to him so that the family line doesn¡¯t end with him.¡±


    Liu Yuan and his wife had no objections.


    When it was Liu He¡¯s turn, he was silent for a long time before finally saying with difficulty, ¡°Dazhuang is also by All Ling¡¯s side.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, Liu He¡¯s wife immediately cried bitterly and went forward to hit him. ¡°Why did you choose him? Why did you choose him? He¡¯s only 18 and hasn¡¯t gotten married yet.¡±


    Among Liu He¡¯s five sons, the eldest four were married. As Liu Dazhuang was the youngest and hade by in his autumn years, the old couple doted on this child the most. Now that they wanted him toe out, everyone couldn¡¯t help but feel sad.


    Liu He¡¯s eyes were also red, but this was a choice he had to make.


    The vigers were still hesitating. If he didn¡¯t show his attitude, they might not havee to a decision by the time Mu Yangling returned.


    His four sons would definitely have objections. Since Dazhuang was already following behind Mu Yangling, if he were to choose from the other four sons, they would probably start to have internal strife before they even started fleeing.


    Therefore, he had no choice but to choose his youngest son.


    As expected, with Liu He¡¯s choice, the rest went much smoother. Some families couldn¡¯t bear to part with their children, so the heads of households who weren¡¯t even 40 years old stood up on their own. Some sons couldn¡¯t bear to see their fathers die, so they pulled them back and volunteered themselves.


    There were those who were considerate of their families, and there were naturally also those who were biased. In short, in 15 minutes, Mu Shi saw plenty of dramatic scenes concerning life and death. But what about him?


    Mu Shi felt his heart turn cold. Others could offer a son in his twenties, but his daughter was only nine years old!


    How could Mu Shi let his daughter do such a thing?


    He took a step forward and said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll represent the Mu family. Let Ah Linge back and take her mother and the others away.¡±


    Once Mu Shi said this, everyone heaved a sigh of relief. Compared to Mu Yangling, everyone naturally trusted the tall and muscr Mu Shi more.


    Liu He didn¡¯t refuse and only said, ¡°Ah Ling will be back soon. Now, everyone, go pack your things. If you have anything to say to your family, quickly say it. Don¡¯t make too much noise. The Hus are right behind us.¡±


    Only then did everyone disperse.


    Mu Yangling quickly brought the men back, covered in blood. Everyone was more or less injured, but they all came back alive.


    At this moment, they were still wearing the Hu costumes. Mu Yangling only managed to get rid of the Hus so quickly by using these clothes to confuse them.


    Seeing that his daughter was covered in blood, Mu Shi pulled her over and searched her up and down. Mu Yangling hurriedly said, ¡°Father, this isn¡¯t my blood. It¡¯s all from the Hus. 1 didn¡¯t even lose a strand of hair.¡±


    Mu Shi¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Who asked you to do such a dangerous thing? Didn¡¯t I tell you to only scout the way?¡±


    ¡°We had no choice, Father. You have no idea, but the Hus kill the vigers like they¡¯re cutting melons. This way, even if our family manages to avoid them by being at the front, they¡¯ll definitely catch up from behind eventually. How can our family escape when that happens?¡± Mu Yangling tried to convince Mu Shi in a hushed voice. ¡°Father, I¡¯m not being selfless, but I¡¯m doing this for personal gain.¡±


    Mu Shi snorted coldly. ¡°Go ahead and argue. What¡¯s that about fending for oneself? 1 think you¡¯ve already made up your mind to take charge of this matter from the beginning.¡±


    Mu Yangling could only rub her nose.


    Mu Shi¡¯s eyes were burning. Seeing that his daughter was resembling more and more like his father, his heart felt as though it was being stabbed by a knife. ¡°Why are you two so much alike? Why don¡¯t you think about your parents and your younger siblings? You¡¯re just like your grandfather. He¡¯s a Hu, and the blood of a Hu flows in you, too. Why are you so biased towards the Han people?¡±


    Mu Shi had always been brooding over his father¡¯s choice to protect the vigers and abandon him. It was fine if it was his mother since she was born and raised in Nearhill Vige. But what about his father?


    He was clearly ostracized by the vigers and had a faint rtionship with them. Why did he risk his life to protect them?


    In the past, his daughter was only concerned about taking care of the family. He was even proud to have given birth to a daughter who took after him. He had thought that this child only looked like her grandfather but did not take after him in temperament. Now, not only did she look like him, but she was equally selfless. The only difference was, his father did things without saying a word. In contrast, her daughter¡¯s bark was worse than her bite. Even though she would say things like going their separate ways, she kept turning around to save the vigers.


    So he was the unconventional one in the Mu family?


    Seeing that her father was being stubborn, Mu Yangling quickly pulled him into the forest and said in a low voice, ¡°Father, I¡¯m not lying to you. How fast can we run with Mother and my younger siblings? Saving them is akin to saving ourselves. Otherwise, even with us two around, can we really protect our family if the Hus rush up like a swarm of bees?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Mu Shi seriously as she said, ¡°Father, I can distinguish between family and outsiders.¡± She had her ideals and bottom line, but she also knew that she was not a soldier now, and this was not a socialist society. She stuck to her bottom line, but she would not choose to protect the civilians at the expense of her own life, like in her previous life.


    Mu Shi looked at his daughter suspiciously. ¡°Are you serious?¡± His daughter had been helping the vigers, even bringing them into the mountains to hunt earlier on.


    Mu Yangling nodded fiercely. ¡°I¡¯m not lying to you, Father. I¡¯m very good at escaping. If 1 can¡¯t defeat the Hus, I¡¯ll just run into the mountains and hide for two to three days. When it¡¯s safe, I¡¯lle out to look for you.¡±


    Although Mu Shi was still worried, he did not object.


    Mu Yangling took the opportunity to say, ¡°Father, we can¡¯t live without you, so it¡¯s better for me to go.¡±


    Mu Shi said with a straight face, ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Father.¡± Mu Yangling pestered him. ¡°What can a nine-year-old child like me do? I might not even be able to protect Mother. Most importantly, I¡¯m better at escaping and fighting in a war than you.¡±


    ¡°Fighting in a war?¡± Mu Shi looked at her suspiciously. ¡°How do you know how to fight in a war?¡± He knew that his daughter was good at escaping, but what was the deal with fighting in a war?


    ¡°Father, this is a talent 1 inherited from our ancestors. In any case, just now when I went to investigate, my mind suddenly buzzed when I saw the Hus. It was as if something suddenly clicked inside of me and I suddenly knew how to march and set up military formations. Really, I¡¯m not lying to you. Otherwise, where do you think I got the ability to kill nearly 20 Hus with just five to six people?¡±


    Mu Shi immediately believed it. Reason being, their divine strength had been inherited from their ancestors, and his daughter was even stronger than him. Therefore, it was not impossible for her to have inherited the talent to fight in a war.


    Seeing this, Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief. As expected, their ancestors were indeed formidable¡ªshe could just attribute everything to their ancestors. It was even more useful than praying to Bodhisattva Guan Yin..

 Chapter 79 - 79: Trap

    Chapter 79: Trap


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling called the 54 chosen people to her side. The 18 broadswords and 10 sabers obtained after killing the Hus were distributed. The remaining people held kitchen knives, hoes, sticks, and other tools that they deemed suitable.


    Mu Yangling said in a deep voice, ¡°When we fight the enemiester, you can take the opportunity to seize their weapons. For now, make do. Remember, our mission is not to kill, but to lure the enemy away or dy them. Try your best to stay alive.¡±


    Liu Xuan said in a low voice, ¡°Isn¡¯t this still running for one¡¯s life?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you have to listen to my orders. No one is allowed to escape in a disorderly manner.¡± Mu Yangling turned around and said to Liu He, ¡°Vige Chief, you still have to choose five to six people to report to the county. There are many viges along the way, and we aren¡¯t just saving people from our vige. I wonder how the town is doing.¡±


    The road they were taking now didn¡¯t pass through town. Thinking of the cavalry that had ambushed them just now, Liu He wasn¡¯t too optimistic about the situation in town.


    In the end, Mu Yangling said goodbye to her father. ¡°Father, don¡¯t tell Mother and Bowen about this. Just say that I¡¯m scouting ahead.¡±


    Mu Shi nodded and touched his daughter¡¯s head, his throat dry. It took him a while before he could speak again. ¡°Be careful.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded, carried her dry food, and left with her men.


    After watching them leave, Liu He and the rest followed Mu Yangling¡¯s instructions and chose six people to go to the county to report, with as little baggage as possible. The rest immediately rushed on their way.


    Mu Shi did not dare to tell Shu Wanniang the truth, and only said that he had already sent someone to the county to report the situation, with All Ling leading the way.


    Mu Yangling used a rock to draw a few paths on the ground, then said, ¡°There¡¯s a fork in the road one mile ahead. To the east of that path is Luocong Mountain, and to the west is Jialing Lake. There¡¯s no cover on Luocong Mountain, so it¡¯s not beneficial to us. However, the trees beside Jialing Lake are dense. After luring the Hus all the way here, immediately run into the forest. How many people can survive depends on everyone¡¯s ability.¡±


    Liu Xuan asked in a low voice, ¡°We¡¯re just luring them over?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Mu Yangling nced at them and said, ¡°We still have to do our best to eliminate them. Otherwise, just the 55 of us won¡¯t be able to lure all the Hus behind us. We can only anger them so that they will persist in pursuing us. I know it¡¯s very dangerous, but our parents, wife, and children are ahead. We have to take this risk.¡±


    The selected people pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mu Yangling stood up and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go make some preparations first.¡± Looking at the dense trees on both sides of the road, Mu Yangling could not help but rejoice. Fortunately, in ancient times, there was nock of forests. Coincidentally, her fortey in jungle warfare.


    ¡°We are few in number, and you guys don¡¯t have any experience in killing enemies, so we have to use as many traps as possible.¡± Mu Yangling assigned the missions and asked Liu Xuan to bring Liu Li to the front to guard. As long as they saw the Hus, they were to immediately report it.


    The Hus were nowhere in sight all the way until Mu Yangling and the others finished setting up the traps. They could not help but look at each other. Liu Zhuang felt uneasy. ¡°Could they have changed their route?¡±


    Mu Yangling carefully recalled the map of the nearby area, then said in a low voice, ¡°Unless they retreat, they will have to pass by here to invade other viges.¡± If the Hus did retreat, it would naturally be a great blessing for them, but was that possible?


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t need to think to know that it was impossible. It wasn¡¯t easy for the Hus to go south. How could they retreat just like that?


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little longer. If there¡¯s still no movement, we¡¯ll go ahead and take a look.¡±


    Liu Zhuang couldn¡¯t help but breathe into his hands. It was already midnight, the coldest time of the day. Not only him, but everyone else¡¯s bodies also couldn¡¯t take it.


    Mu Yangling turned around and said, ¡°Move on the spot. That way, you won¡¯t feel cold.¡±


    Just then, Liu Xuan suddenly ran over with Liu Li, his face filled with grief and indignation. ¡°Ah Ling, the Hus are here.¡±


    ¡°How many people?¡±


    ¡°More than 50, but they¡¯re holding more than 20 unmarried girls and young wives. Ah Ling, they¡­ they¡¯re all animals.¡± With that said, Liu Xuan couldn¡¯t help but hammer the ground.


    As the nearby viges were all part of Seven Mile Vige, every vige nearby more or less had rtives in Nearhill Vige. When they saw the pitiful state of those women and thought of the Hus¡¯ modus operand!, they felt a mix of grief and indignation.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression was gloomy as she said in a low voice, ¡°Alright, go andy in ambush first. I¡¯ll go lure them in.¡±


    ¡°What if we identally injure those women?¡± Liu Xuan asked.


    ¡°No, the Hus won¡¯t let those women charge in front. However, we still have to think strategically if we want to save them.¡± Mu Yangling thought of the nearby terrain, and remembered there was a ce where they could hide people. Since they were going to be cannon fodder to lure the Hus away, they couldn¡¯t bring those women along. Otherwise, not only could they not save them, but it would also hurt them.


    Mu Yangling got the men toy in ambush while she stood at the entrance with a small bag on her back. The barbarians giggled as they came over with sabers. Behind them, there were two rows of women strung together with ropes, their clothes disheveled and their faces numb. Mu Yangling could not help but clench her fists. She finally knew why this group of Hus had only appeared now.


    A cold glint shed across Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes, but she quickly restrained her expression. The moment the Hus discovered her, she screamed, ¡°Mother, the Hus are here. Run!¡±


    The Hus let out a strange cry, and the 20 or so people in front immediately raised their swords and started giving chase. The remaining 20 or so peopleughed as they tightened the rope in their hands and pulled the women over to guard them.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s nimble body shuttled through the forest as she squalled and led the way for them. When she turned around and saw the Hus chasing after her, she hid and quietly sneaked to Liu Yong¡¯s side. Taking the broadsword from him, she whispered, ¡°Lead them here. Remember, don¡¯t show yourself. Do as I taught you¡ªthree against one. After killing them, immediately hide and circle around this area. I¡¯ll then bring Liu Xuan and Liu Li to save the women.¡±


    Liu Yong nodded because he was the first to kill at Mu Shi¡¯s order. Although the vigers were still unconvinced by him, they would listen to his orders.


    Mu Yangling also thought highly of him. This person was ruthless, rational, and calm, which made him the best deputy candidate. Liu Xuan, Liu Zhuang, and the others could notpare to him.


    Mu Yangling carried her bow and arrow, then quietly left with Liu Xuan and Liu Li. On the other side, Liu Yong saw that five Hus had already stepped into the range of the trap and that the others had also entered the range. With a wave of the cloth in his hand, a row of wooden thorns smashed down from the sky with a bang. Before the five of them could react, they were pierced like hedgehogs.


    Seeing that the trap had seeded, everyone was filled with confidence, and their initial nervousness slowly disappeared.


    In contrast, the Hus started panicking. They were used to fighting on the grasnd and were good at siege battles, but they rarely fought in the forest. They always had a fear of the unknown. Therefore, the leader of the barbarians decisively shouted, ¡°Retreat! Quickly retreat!¡±


    However, the panicked Hus identally stepped on the trap and fell into the pit filled with wooden thorns. Although they did not die, they were seriously injured.


    At this moment, the Hus also knew that they had been deceived.


    Liu Yong smiled coldly and said in a low voice, ¡°This is just the beginning..¡±

 Chapter 80 - 80: Battle in the Forest

    Chapter 80: Battle in the Forest


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling nocked the arrow and shot both arrows at the same time, prating the two people who wereughing loudly in front of her. rmed, the Hus shouted, ¡°There¡¯s an ambush! It¡¯s an ambush by the Han people!¡±


    As Mu Yangling moved, she quickly drew her arrow and nocked her bow. Liu Xuan and Liu Li ran to the forest on both sides and kept shaking the trees. Struck by terror, the Hus thought that they had already been surrounded by the Han Chinese. They drew their swords and broke out of the encirclement.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s aim was perfect, and she killed five people in an instant. This instilled some fear in the Hus.


    They had trailed after General Wu Shu to plunder resources on the enemy¡¯snd while he led his division to the county. Since they were not soldiers and did not have the ability to be under hismand, they could only scavenge whatever remained in the viges. As long as they wield the butcher¡¯s knife, the timid Han people could only kneel and beg for mercy. Therefore, more than a hundred of them were divided into four teams. When the two teams gathered in front, they originally thought that they could sweep through the viges in the countryside. But from the looks of it, they seemed to have fallen into the Han people¡¯s trap.


    Wu Ye felt a little regretful. Those Han Chinese were so sly that for four years, General Wu Shu had only managed to fight with the Han generals to a draw. If even an impressive figure like General Wu Shu could not take her down, they might really have fallen into a trap.


    Freaking out, Wu Ye cried out loudly, ¡°We fell into a trap!¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, the startled Hus simply grabbed the abducted women before starting to run away. However, just as one of them grabbed a woman¡¯s hair to drag her to his side, an arrow pierced through his neck. Seeing this happen one after another, Wu Ye was the first to give up on the women and flee with his broadsword.


    When the others saw that the leader, Wu Ye, had already fled, they decided to abandon the women, too.


    They could always snatch other women in the future, but if they lost their lives, that would be the end of it.


    Behind the tree, Mu Yangling gripped thest arrow tightly.


    Liu Xuan rushed forward and cut the rope. Together with Liu Li, he pulled the women who were sitting on the ground up and urged in a low voice, ¡°Get up quickly! They¡¯reing back!¡±


    Seeing the numb expressions on those women¡¯s faces, Liu Xuan scolded angrily, ¡°Hurry up and run! My niece is still baiting them ahead and there are only three of us. Do you want us to die saving you?¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, these women finally reacted. They supported each other and stumbled as they followed Liu Xuan and Liu Li into the forest.


    After pushing these women into the cave, the two of them used trees and dead branches to hide them, then said in a low voice, ¡°Well go lure them away. You guys hide here and only leave at dawn. Don¡¯t make a sound, or none of you will survive.¡± After saying that, he pulled Liu Li and ran out.


    Mu Yangling had already started killing the Hus with her broadsword.


    After running for a while, Wu Ye realized that no one was chasing after him. Even the arrows that had been shooting at him earlier had disappeared. Wu Ye¡¯s intuition told him that he had been deceived. Just as he turned around to run back with his men, a child suddenly jumped out of the forest and shed hispanions.


    Furious, Wu Ye and hispanions picked up their sabers and were about to surround her, but the child nimbly alternated between attacking and retreating into the forest. The other party was too strong. When the sabers and swords collided, his purlicue? trembled and he almost dropped his saber. Moreover, the men around him were injured by her one after another, but they didn¡¯t even manage to touch the corner of her clothes. Wu Ye forgot that the previous team hadn¡¯te out after entering the forest and directly chased after her with his saber.


    When Mu Yangling lured them to the trap, she blocked their sabers with her sword. She kicked Wu Ye in the stomach and sent him flying. Then, she used the momentum to kick someone¡¯s leg and flip over. Turning around, she ran to hide behind a big tree. Just as the Hus scattered and surrounded her, Liu Yong suddenly brought people to attack from the nk. Three against one, they soon managed to kill several Hus.


    Wu Ye rolled behind a tree at the side and peeked out to observe those people¡¯s killing moves. Seeing that they were not organized and only knew how to sh randomly, he figured they only had the upper hand because it was three against one, and because his men could not spare the time to attack.


    Enlightened, Wu Ye shouted, ¡°They¡¯re not soldiers, they¡¯re Han civilians. Kill that child! Only that child knows martial arts.¡±


    When Liu Yong heard the shout, a cold light shot out from his eyes. He took the opportunity to stab his opponent before turning around to kill Wu Ye. However, he was shed by a Hu. He only managed to raise his saber to block the attack before falling to the ground. The Hu personughed. ¡°The Han people are all little yellow chicks who can¡¯t withstand a single blow. Boys, form a formation and kill them.¡±


    Mu Yangling was helping Liu Xuan and the others restore the trap when she heard this. She shouted, ¡°Stop them from gathering and disperse them.¡±


    ¡°No, Ah Ling, there are too many of them.¡±


    There were still more than 20 of them left. When it was three against one, they were somewhat evenly matched. However, considering the barbarians were more formidable than them, their odds of winning weren¡¯t high if it was two against one.


    ¡°All¡ªCousin.¡± When Fang Zhuzi saw that his cousin had been killed beside him, he was so frightened that he could not even hold his saber steadily. He swung his saber around and said, ¡°Ah Ling,e and save me!¡±


    As the Hus gradually gathered together, the Nearhill Vige men died one after another.


    Mu Yangling gritted her teeth and tied the knot before bending down to pick up the sword. She said in a low voice, ¡°You guys keep guard here. I¡¯ll lure the enemy over.¡±


    A Hu person kicked Liu Dazhuang away and shed at Liu Yong¡¯s head. Mu Yangling raised her saber to block and forced the Hu person back three steps. With a backhand sh, she slit his neck. Mu Yangling pulled Liu Dazhuang up as she shouted, ¡°Retreat, quickly retreat!¡±


    Mu Yangling went forward to save her men and asked them to retreat in a team while she killed the enemy and lured them into a trap. Her figure was light as she stepped over the trap. The moment the Hus following behind stepped on the ground, they sank and fell into the trap. Even if they didn¡¯t die, they would be severely injured. Mu Yangling took this opportunity to burrow into the forest.


    The other young men from Nearhill Vige were also hidden, leaving only the Hus outside.


    Wu Ye held his saber and turned it warily as he advanced carefully step by step. Fearing that the enemy would target stray men one by one, the barbarians gathered together and advanced cautiously.


    This was the effect that Mu Yangling wanted. Seeing that the other party had entered the shooting range, Mu Yangling let out a long roar and turned around. At her signal, Liu Xuan cut the rope, and a row of wooden stakes flew over from not far away. The Hu people screamed in fear and dodged in all directions, but because they were standing too closely, they tripped. Amid this chaos, five wooden stakes pierced right through the chests and abdomens of three Hus¡­


    Wu Ye fell sitting on the ground and was about to get up to escape when a row of wooden thorns suddenly fell on his head. Those who had yet to get up and escape widened their eyes and died with grievances.


    Seeing this, the remaining Hus went crazy and shouted, ¡°Us brave eagles on the grasnd have never been afraid of death. Let¡¯s kill them! We must kill them!¡±


    With a wave of Mu Yangling¡¯s hand, everyone bent down and tried their best not to show their faces. When she turned around and nodded slightly at Liu Li, thetter suddenly raised his saber and sprinted into the deep forest.


    The sound of Liu Li running alerted the Hus. This time though, the Hus were much more cautious. Although they did chase after Liu Li, they were no longer rash like before. Instead, they slowly chased forward as if they were scouting, and would look up at the sky from time to time.


    Mu Yangling took out the dagger that Mu Shi had given her and followed behind them. Taking advantage of the fact that the person walking at the backmost was unguarded, she covered his mouth and nose, slit his neck, and dragged him behind a tree.


    Liu Xuan, Liu Yong, and the others widened their eyes as they watched from behind while Mu Yangling quietly dealt with the Hus one by one. The people in front did not seem to notice at all.


    With Liu Li leading them in circles around the area, by the time the Hus realized that something was amiss, they turned around and realized that there were only six of them left. They started freaking out.


    Sitting on the ground, Mu Yangling whispered to Liu Yong, ¡°Bring our men over and kill them.¡±

 Chapter 81 - 81: Pursuit

    Chapter 81: Pursuit


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling led them to clean up the battlefield. Out of the 55 people, only 42 survived. Mu Yangling picked out the corpses of those from Nearhill Vige and got someone to dig a hole on the spot. ¡°Let their familiese here to collect the corpsester.¡±


    Liu Yong walked to Mu Yangling¡¯s side and asked curiously as he looked at the miserable-looking Hus on the ground, ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that the Hus are excellent fighters? That even five Han Chinese are no match for one Hu?¡±


    Mu Yangling squatted down to take a look, her expression solemn. Although they were all wearing Hu costumes, they were not military uniforms. ¡°They¡¯re not soldiers. They¡¯re just ordinary Hu civilians.¡±


    ¡°Then will the vige chief and the others encounter soldiers?¡± If the ordinary Hu civilians were already so powerful, how powerful were the soldiers?


    ¡°We¡¯ll rest here for 15 minutes before leaving.¡±


    Liu Xuan ran to Mu Yangling¡¯s side and asked in a low voice, ¡°What about the women in the cave? Should we bring them along?¡±


    ¡°No, how can we drag them along when we might not even be able to keep our lives? Let them hide in the cave. As long as they don¡¯t climb out or make a sound, no one will discover them.¡±


    Mu Yangling led her men to chase after Mu Shi and the others. It was already dawn. By the time Mu Yangling caught up to them, they were not far from the county.


    The vigers were surprised and happy to see them return with injuries and blood. But those who did not see their family member return cried bitterly, for they knew that their loved ones would nevere back.


    Mu Yangling ran to the front to look for Mu Shi. Seeing her daughter in such a sorry state, how could Shu Wanniang not know that they had hidden something from her? However, now was not the time to ask. She only pulled Mu Yangling over to size her up. Seeing that only her palm was cracked and there were no other injuries on her body, she was relieved.


    Mu Yangling was extremely exhausted. After all, she was only nine years old, and she had been fleeing and killing enemies since midnight. Now, she was just forcing herself to hold on.


    Mu Shi quietly took out some dry food and stuffed it into her mouth. Then, he stuffed her under the nket and said, ¡°Sleep for a while. We¡¯ll be able to reach the county soon with me pushing the cart.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyelids were a little heavy, but she still said, ¡°Father, those Hus weren¡¯t soldiers. Where did the Jin soldiers go? Without the army leading the way, they wouldn¡¯t have the guts to rush¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, what matters most is that we manage to escape. It¡¯s the Imperial Court¡¯s business where the Jin soldiers go.¡± Mu Shi pressed his daughter down indifferently, lifted the cart, and started pushing it.


    When the others saw this, they quickly took their things and followed.


    However, after walking for less than half an hour, Mu Shi stopped. All the vigers of Nearhill Vige behind him also stopped and looked up at the mes soaring into the sky.


    Trembling, Liu He walked to Mu Shi¡¯s side and pointed at the fire. ¡°What¡¯s that? What¡¯s that?¡±


    Mu Shi only remembered what Mu Yangling had asked him just now. ¡°Where did the Jin soldiers go?¡±


    The vigers who had been fleeing the entire night knelt on the ground. ¡°The county is gone. Where else can we escape to?¡±


    Mu Yangling, who was only sleeping lightly, woke up startled. When she opened her eyes, she saw the mes soaring into the sky in front of her. Her expression changed and she got out of the cart. ¡°Father, are the Jin soldiers still in the city?¡±


    ¡°They must be.¡± Mu Shi said, ¡°This fire just started. I didn¡¯t see it before.¡±


    ¡°Then where will they go after burning the city?¡± Mu Yangling became anxious. For the first time, she regretted staying in herfort zone aftering to this world and had not tried her best to understand it.


    Liu He calmed down. ¡°After plundering the county, it¡¯ll be the town¡¯s turn. They probably won¡¯t let off the viges they pass by on the way either. They bypassed Xingcheng Pass and avoided the West Camp to plunder resources on the enemy¡¯snd.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, everyone¡¯s faces turned even more ashen.


    The Han people all knew that if the Hus attacked cities with the aim of upyingnds, usually only those stubbornly resisting at the pass would be ughtered. Aside from that, the Hus would at most snatch grains and wealth. However, if their aim was to plunder resources on the enemy¡¯snd, the Hus would ughter everyone, including the old and the young. Not only would they plunder women, grains, and wealth, it wasmon for them to set fire to the vige in this case.


    ¡°We can¡¯t stay on the main road.¡± Liu Daqian said, ¡°The Jin soldiers will see us the moment they leave the city.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve walked into a dead end.¡± Third Uncle Liu squatted on the ground and covered his head in frustration.


    As soon as these words were spoken, someone immediately questioned the Mu father and daughter. ¡°If we had stayed in the vige, perhaps nothing would¡¯ve happened.¡±


    Liu He hit them with his walking stick and shouted, ¡°If you had stayed, you¡¯d have ended up in the same state as the people guarding the vige. Are there fewer people in West Mountain Vige than in our Nearhill Vige? Does West Mountain Vige still exist now?¡±


    Everyone lowered their heads and did not speak.


    Liu He turned to ask Mu Yangling, ¡°Ah Ling, what do you think we should do?¡± After his youngest son returned, he asked in detail about how they had killed the enemies. Although he did not see it with his own eyes, he also realized that Mu Yangling was better at fighting a war than Mu Shi.


    Mu Yangling replied without thinking, ¡°Let¡¯s go north to Jialing Lake. By walking along theke, we¡¯ll reach the West Camp.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t leave. My son went to report and hasn¡¯t returned yet.¡± Third Great-aunt ran out and grabbed Mu Yangling¡¯s hand. ¡°Ah Ling, quickly think of a way to save your uncle and the others. They went to reportst night and haven¡¯t returned yet. Do you think they¡¯ll be stuck in the county?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Mu Yangling raised her chin to indicate that they should look ahead. ¡°The east gate of the county has just opened. Those who could escape have already escaped. I¡¯m afraid they haven¡¯t entered the county yet.¡±


    Following her gaze, everyone saw arge group of people rushing over. Some with good eyesight climbed up the tree beside them and looked around. They shouted, ¡°Oh no, there are many people fleeing ahead. There are probably more than a thousand of them.¡±


    Mu Yangling made a prompt decision. ¡°The people behind, turn around and form the first square formation. Turn around one by one. This will now be the fifth square formation. Go forward immediately and take a small path to Jialing Lake. Hurry!¡±


    The people behind hurriedly turned around and ran forward. Mu Shi also quickly turned the cart into a bay. The people from Nearhill Vige hurriedly fled in the direction of Jialing Lake.


    Madam Ma-Liu held Xiuhong tightly, her face pale. Since she was old and had been running for most of the night, It was inevitable that could not take the cold and exhaustion anymore.


    Noticing her abnormality, Mu Yangling went forward, picked up the two luggage bags from the cart, and threw them into the forest at the side. Then, she picked up the two of them and ced them on the cart. She and her father pushed the cart and moved quickly.


    ¡°All Ling, I can¡¯t sit¡­¡±


    ¡°Just sit.¡± Mu Yangling interrupted her and said, ¡°You¡¯re so light that 1 can easily carry you with one arm. I still need you to help take care of my motherter.¡±


    Mu Yangling led her men all the way to Jialing Lake, while the people who had escaped from the county scattered in all directions as the Jin soldiers rode out to chase after them. At the fork in the road, they saw many footprints heading towards Jialing Lake. All Su, who was in the lead, shouted, ¡°There are many footsteps here. Many people must have fled here. There are actually traces of carts and ox carts among them. I¡¯ll lead a small team to chase after them.¡± There were 21 people in the small team. Immediately, the 21 horses chased along the path in an orderly manner.


    Mu Yangling had not thought of cleaning up the traces on the road at all. Firstly, It was unnecessary since there was arge group of refugees following behind. Secondly, there was no time.


    Therefore, when Liu Yong, who had been left at the back to investigate, ran over and said that the sound of hooves wasing towards them, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t have time to make any more arrangements. She could only get the people who survivedst night toe out with swords and cover all the vigers as they left.


    Mu Shi and Shu Wanniang only had time to take one look at their daughter.


    Before they could say a word, Mu Yangling ran away with her men..

 Chapter 82 - 82: Bloodbath

    Chapter 82: Bloodbath


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    As the sound of hooves was urgent and was about to reach them, Mu Yangling only had time to throw three ropes at Liu Xuan and the others. Seeing as she no longer had any hope of tripping the horses, she only wanted to do her best to stall them.


    The people from Nearhill Vige had already left most of their luggage behind. At this moment, they were retreating to Jialing Lake with little to no belongings.


    Having long seen Mu Yangling and the others¡¯ actions, corners of Ah Su¡¯s mouth curled into a mocking smile. He spurred his horse forward and jumped over the rope that suddenly jumped up. With a wave of his saber, he rushed towards one of them. Mu Yangling shouted, ¡°Into the forest, quickly!¡±


    The Jin soldiers behind All Su drew their bows and shot arrows, killing five to six people in the blink of an eye.


    With reddened eyes, Mu Yangling pulled out her saber and rolled on the ground. Sliding under the horse, she swiftly cut off the horse¡¯s leg with one sh. The horse neighed in pain and raised its front hooves, throwing the person on the horse off. Mu Yangling rolled out from under the horse¡¯s stomach and swung her saber at another horse¡¯s leg¡­


    Since horses were the bestpanions of the Jin soldiers, this undoubtedly made them furious. The others brandished their sabers and were about to kill Mu Yangling, but with Mu Yangling wandering among the horses, it was a little inconvenient for them to turn around. Mu Yangling knocked down five horses like a loach before rolling into the forest.


    As the other horses were implicated amid the chaos, there were now only 12 of them still sitting on their horses. The Jin soldiers who were still alive after being thrown off their horses charged at Liu Xuan andpany.


    Although Liu Xuan and the others had fought a battle with Mu Yangling earlier on, they mainly relied on the power of the traps. Now that they were facing the Jin soldiers head-on, even if three of them surrounded one person, they would quickly be defeated.


    Mu Yangling took the time to turn around and look. Seeing that there were less than 30 of her men left, she shouted, feeling rmed, ¡°Hide, quickly hide!¡±


    Seeing that his nsmen were dead and Liu Xuan was severely injured, Liu Zhuang immediately roared and shed at a Jin soldier crazily. He shouted at Liu Xuan, ¡°Leave quickly!¡±


    Liu Xuan held his stomach and turned to run. The Jin soldier who was stopped saw this and was about to sh at Liu Xuan when his raised hand was suddenly struck by a rock. His hand went numb and the saber dropped to the ground. Liu Zhuang raised his sword and chopped off his head.


    Seeing that Liu Zhuang was out of danger, Mu Yangling turned around and stopped three Jin soldiers. All Su saw it clearly from his horse and gave up on chasing after the others. Turning around on his big horse, he charged over, roaring, ¡°Kill her! She¡¯s the leader!¡±


    Mu Yangling turned around and nced at him. With all her strength, she cut off the sabers of the three Jin soldiers with one sh and killed the three men with another. As she turned around and ran into the deep forest, she shouted, ¡°Run in! Quickly escape!¡±


    This was a signal, a signal to lure the enemy into the deep forest and use their lives to make the enemy stay.


    Liu Yong and the others knew that they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to walk out alive this time. Thinking of their parents and family members who were fleeing towards Jialing Lake, they roared and sprinted into the deep forest ording to Mu Yangling¡¯s instructions.


    The Jin soldiers who had nocked their arrows could not aim urately at all. Nine out of ten arrows that were shot out missed. They could only give up on using their bows and spur their horses forward to pursue.


    However, the deeper they went, the denser the forest became. Eventually they couldn¡¯t turn their horse around at all. Sensing that something was wrong, Ah Su waved his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s retreat and stop chasing.¡±


    But it was toote.


    Sharp rocks kept shooting out from behind the forest, hitting the horses¡¯ butt and neck. The horses kept raising their hooves and neighing, throwing many Jin soldiers off. Furious, All Su jumped off his horse, raised his bow, and shot at the ce from which the rocks were shot. However, the arrows missed. Ah Su rushed out with his men and realized that there were two traces. Gritting his teeth, Ah Su said, ¡°Split into two teams. We must kill these Han people.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± All Su¡¯s adjutant, Wu Lin, replied. ¡°Captain, we¡¯re eagles on the grasnd and aren¡¯t familiar with the forest. It¡¯s not a good idea for us to be scattered.¡±


    Ah Su snorted and said, ¡°Our warriors can fight five Han Chinese alone. Since there are less than 30 of them, what¡¯s there to be afraid of? We need to kill them all as soon as possible and chase after their nsmen.¡±


    However, we just lost eight men. Wu Lin saw Ah Su¡¯s cold expression and knew that his pride would not allow him to admit that his warriors had been killed by a few despicable Han Chinese.


    Ah Su led the six of them in a direction, and Wu Lin could only bring the remaining six. ¡°We definitely can¡¯t split upter.¡±


    Wu Lin¡¯s subordinate responded.


    Mu Yangling and Liu Yong ran in front with the remaining men. Seeing that they were a certain distance away from the Jin soldiers, she lowered her body and said, ¡°Let¡¯s ambush one team first, then deal with the other team.¡±


    Seriously injured, Liu Xuany on the ground and looked at Mu Yangling. His eyes swept across everyone. Other than Mu Yangling, Liu Zhuang, and Liu Yong, everyone else was more or less injured. He was the most severely injured and could not even stand up now.


    ¡°Ah Ling, even if there are only seven people in their team, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re no match for them.¡± The difference in abilities between the Jin soldiers and the Hus they metst night was like heaven and earth.


    Liu Li crawled to Mu Yangling¡¯s side and said in a low voice, ¡°Why don¡¯t we leave immediately? Since you¡¯re so familiar with the forest, you can definitely bring us out.¡±


    ¡°But if they can¡¯t find us, they¡¯ll definitely go out and chase after my father and the others. Even if we¡¯ve scared their horses away, they can catch up on foot quickly with their speed.¡±


    Liu Zhuang continued, ¡°When the timees, it¡¯ll be like wolves entering a flock of sheep. All our efforts will be in vain.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, we have to keep them in the forest. Even if we all die, we have to ensure they stay behind.¡± Mu Yangling gritted her teeth and said, ¡°When they split up a little more, we¡¯ll take action.¡±


    At that moment, Qi Haoran had just arrived at Mingshui County with his men. When he saw the thick smoke billowing in Mingshui County and the corpses lying everywhere in the county, he was immediately furious. ¡°Darned Tartars!¡±


    ¡°Little General, themoners have all fled to the west and east. Those Tartars have all chased to the east.¡± The west of Mingshui County was their territory, the West Camp. The Tartars had chased to the east in order to plunder resources on the enemy¡¯snd.


    Qi Haoran gritted his teeth. ¡°Let¡¯s go save them.¡± As he spoke, he took the lead and ran out.


    Riding beside him, Fan Zijin said, ¡°We only brought 200 people and are severely outnumbered by the Tartars. Didn¡¯t Cousin only let you guard the county?¡±


    ¡°The county¡¯s defense has long been destroyed. What¡¯s there left to defend? Saving people is more important. Damn Tartars, I¡¯ll kill them all!¡±


    ¡°How are you going to do that when you¡¯ve never killed anyone before?¡± Fan Zijin continued to dissuade him. Qi Haoran was skilled in martial arts, but it wasn¡¯t as if his knowledge in military formations would be of any use under such circumstances, considering this fellow had never fought on the battlefield.


    Qi Haoran was young and fearless, but Fan Zijin knew they had to be more strategic. Otherwise, they might not even be able to return alive to see his cousin.


    Qi Haoran did not have as many considerations as Fan Zijin. He had always wanted to be a general. Now that he saw the Jin soldiers plundering, arsoning, and killing, he could not hold it in anymore. If not for the fact that there were no Jin soldiers in front of him, he would not have suppressed his temper and would have simply charged forward with his broadsword.


    Qi Haoran led his men and gave chase. Soon, they caught up to Wu Shu¡¯s battalion. They were surrounding themoners and plundering, dragging out the young wives and youngdies among them.


    Burning with anger at the sight of this, Qi Haoran shouted, ¡°Wu Shu, let go of them. If you have the guts,e and fight me first..¡±

 Chapter 83 - 83: Match

    Chapter 83: Match


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Knowing it was toote to stop them, Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes darkened. ncing at themoners, he reined in his horse with a smile. ¡°The Hu people have always said that Han people are sly. But today, it seems that you Hu people aren¡¯t inferior in that aspect either. You sent troops to attack Xingcheng Pass while secretly crossing Mount Jiexi to attack Mingshui County. You¡¯re much slyer than us Han people. This goes to show that rumors might not be credible. Wu Shu ims to be a warrior of the grasnd. Going by the same logic, this might not be true, too.¡±


    These words provoked the Jin soldiers, and Wu Shu was even more furious.


    He originally wanted to ughter thesemoners before exchanging blows with the Han soldiers, but at this moment, he turned around and shouted, ¡°Just you two kids? Be careful or I¡¯ll crush your heads.¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted. ¡°Then let¡¯s see if you have the ability. Let¡¯s go somewhere spacious so that 1 can let you see what I¡¯m capable of.¡± As he spoke, he mounted his horse and left first.


    Seeing that Qi Haoran was making big moves and did not mind that he was right behind him at all, Wu Shu immediately narrowed his eyes. This person was either highly-skilled and bold or had something to rely on.


    Meanwhile, Fan Zijin was so nervous that he broke out in a cold sweat. To think this silly boy revealed his back to the enemy just like that. ncing at Wu Shu from the corner of his eye, he heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that thetter did not give the order to attack. Fortunately, this guy was also a goon. If it were him, he¡¯d long have attacked from behind.


    Unexpectedly, after riding a few steps forward, Qi Haoran said to him, ¡°Zijin, that Wu Shu is a fool. Don¡¯t worry, I can definitely defeat him.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Fan Zijin was speechless for a while before asking, ¡°How do you know that he¡¯s a fool?¡±


    ¡°I deliberately revealed my back to him, but he was actually so stupid that he didn¡¯t attack. What is he if not a fool?¡±


    Tightening his grip on the reins, Fan Zijin suppressed his temper. With a wooden face, he asked, ¡°Why did you deliberately reveal your back to him?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at him as if he was staring at a fool. ¡°1 was luring him, duh. Otherwise, what if he decides to kill thosemoners? By revealing my back to him, even if he wants to ughter thosemoners, he¡¯ll definitely rush up and finish us off first. What an excellent opportunity, yet he actually gave it up. Since he¡¯s so stupid, he¡¯ll definitely chase after us and thosemoners will be safe.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Fan Zijin gritted his teeth and said, ¡°You¡¯re very smart. If you can return to West Camp alive, I¡¯ll definitely praise you in front of Cousin.¡± Even the stupidest person would not do something like revealing their back to the enemy.


    Qi Haoran smiled brightly and epted Fan Zijin¡¯s praise. He even patted his chest and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. With me protecting you, you¡¯ll definitely be able to make it back alive.¡±


    Behind them, Wu Shu waved his hand and abandoned the besieged citizens to follow closely behind Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin.


    Hmph, they were just somemoners. He could always turn around and chase after them after killing the Han soldiers. Surely a two-legged person couldn¡¯t outrun a four-legged horse?


    Qi Haoran had once brought people to patrol this area, so he knew that there was an open area not far from Jialing Lake. He directly led them there.


    He and Mu Shi weren¡¯t taking the same path because he was already 50 miles east of the county at the moment. There was a main road nearby that led to Jialing Lake.


    Qi Haoran upied the upper reaches first and whispered to the deputy general beside him, ¡°Prepare your bows and arrows. After I kill Wu Shu, immediately shoot the Jin soldiers opposite. Only shoot one arrow. Kill as many as you can. Then, charge forward before the other party picks up their bows and arrows. Since there are only a few of us, we¡¯ll only charge three times. Next, listen to my orders.¡±


    Qi Haoran thought that after the other party had lost their general, he would annihte the enemies in one go amidst the chaos. If not, he could only try his best to disperse them and chase them to the other side of Jialing Lake.


    Qi Haoran turned his head slightly to look at the shallow Jialing Lake in the north. At this moment, ice had yet to form on Jialing Lake. He had specially chosen this ce for the other party to escape. As long as they did not block the enemies¡¯ escape route, they would not risk their lives.


    Seeing him turn his head to look at theke, Fan Zijin¡¯s heart skipped a beat and he immediately understood his arrangements. The corners of his lips curled up slightly and his spirits lifted, surprised that Haoran had actuallye up with such an idea. It could be seen that he had put in a lot of effort and thought into this.


    On the other side, Wu Shu shouted after he finished arranging his troops, ¡°Kid, how do you think we should fight?¡±


    Qi Haoran took the lead and drew his sword. ¡°Naturally, us two generals will battle to determine the victor.¡±


    Wu Shu sneered. ¡°Just you? Kid, are you weaned yet?¡± Even if Qi Haoran looked stronger than ordinary children, the baby fat and childishness on his face could not be hidden. It was obvious he was a 12 or 13-year-old child.


    The Jin soldiersughed and looked at Qi Haoran in disdain.


    However, Qi Haoran was not angry. He only said in a low voice, ¡°Come, 1¡¯11 let you see if I¡¯m weaned or not.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the horse under him rushed out. Wu Shu narrowed his eyes slightly and took out his saber before going forward. The two of them instantly exchanged five to six moves. Qi Haoran shed with his sword, and Wu Shu tilted his head to avoid it. Qi Haoran¡¯s sword shed over at such a fast speed that Wu Shu was in a sorry state.


    When the saber and sword collided, Wu Shu¡¯s palm felt slightly numb and his heart skipped a beat. He knew that he had encountered a worthy opponent. Taking advantage of the moment when he was in a daze, Qi Haoran kicked his horse, then jumped up and kicked Wu Shu. Wu Shu had no choice but to put his hands together to block it, but Qi Haoran stabbed his right chest with his sword¡­


    Wu Shu felt a sharp pain in his right chest and was instantly kicked off his horse by Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran shouted, ¡°Wu Shu is dead. Kill all the invaders!¡±


    The moment Wu Shu was kicked off his horse, the soldiers of the 4th Division drew their bows and shot arrows. More than 20 Jin soldiers were instantly killed.


    It only took Qi Haoran mere seconds to jump up from his horse and kick Wu Shu down. The Jin soldiers could not react at all due to the suddenness of it all.


    Qi Haoran leaped back onto his horse and charged towards the Jin soldiers with his sword raised.


    When the soldiers of the 4th Division saw the little general take the lead, they felt strong emotions surging in their chests. They immediately drew their swords and shouted, charging at the Jin soldiers.


    The Jin soldiers were already a little flustered because of Wu Shu¡¯s death. Now that they were suppressed by the aura of the 4th Division, they immediately became a little chaotic.


    Qi Haoran had never killed anyone before, but he was born to be a general. After three rounds of attacks, the Jin soldiers werepletely defeated. Qi Haoran made a prompt decision and shouted, ¡°Leave all of them behind!¡±


    He immediately turned his horse¡¯s head and rushed in again. He stabbed his sword at the Jin soldiers, and they fell off their horses with a plop¡­


    Fan Zijin, who knew that he would only be a burden, stayed obediently at the edge and watched Qi Haoran kill the enemies with his mouth agape. He did not like fighting and killing. Compared to fighting, he preferred to stay in his room and n strategies. But at this moment, watching Qi Haoran kill the enemy, he could not help but feel heroic.


    He stared fixedly at Qi Haoran. Cousin had once said that Haoran¡¯s talent in war was not inferior to his. Now, it seemed that Cousin was right.


    Fan Zijin raised his head slightly and smiled happily. ¡®Then, let me stay by your side and assist you.¡¯


    Seeing as more than half of the Jin soldiers were killed, Wu Shu¡¯s deputy general knew that they could not stay any longer. He waved his hand and ordered, ¡°Retreat, retreat quickly!¡± Taking the lead, he scooped up Wu Shu¡¯s corpse before stepping into Jialing Lake, leaving a group of Jin soldiers to resist. The others hurriedly followed.


    Qi Haoran killed the remaining Jin soldiers and waved his hand to stop everyone from chasing. He said coldly, ¡°Let them leave. There must be some Jin soldiers left in our Great Zhou territory. We¡¯ve got to find them. Otherwise, the people will not be at peace.¡±


    Fan Zijin rode to his side and said, ¡°Send scouts out to investigate. This is the fastest way. For now, let¡¯s search up Jialing Lake first.¡±


    Qi Haoran was puzzled, so Fan Zijin exined, ¡°On the way here, 1 carefully paid attention to the traces on the road and realized that there were many footprints left by themoners on a path from the east of the county to Jialing Lake. The ground was covered in hoof prints. They should have fled in the direction of Jialing Lake, but I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re still alive..¡±

 Chapter 84 - 84: Saved

    Chapter 84: Saved


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face darkened.


    Whether they lived or not, they had to kill the pursuing Jin soldiers. Otherwise, more civilians would suffer.


    On the way, Qi Haoran asked Fan Zijin curiously, ¡°We¡¯ve never stopped our horses. How did you know that there were traces there?¡±


    ¡°Have you forgotten the two scouts 1 asked you for? They reported it.¡± Fan Zijin increased the speed of his horse as he said, ¡°Since Wu Shu was leading a battalion, they must be followed by a small group of scattered soldiers. Why don¡¯t we split our men into a few teams to go out and save the civilians? That will be faster.¡±


    Qi Haoran agreed after thinking about it. He divided the people into three teams, with two scouts in each team. ¡°If you encounter a strong enemy, escape if you can. If you can¡¯t escape, send a signal for help.¡±


    Everyone agreed.


    Only then did Qi Haoran ride his horse towards Jialing Lake.


    It took a person half a day to walk 40 miles on foot, but it only took them a few minutes on horseback. They encountered the sorry-looking Nearhill Vige vigers after turning into the path.


    At this moment, Mu Shi was extremely sorrowful. The probability of his survival for his daughter who had gone to stop the cavalrymen was almost zero. At this moment, when he heard the sound of arge number of horse hooves, he felt that there was no way out. If not for his wife and children, he really wanted to rush up and fight to his heart¡¯s content.


    The cavalrymen arrived in an instant. The sharp-eyed Liu Ting shouted in surprise, ¡°It¡¯s the West Camp! It¡¯s the soldiers of the West Camp, our fellow Han Chinese!¡±


    When Qi Haoran reined in his horse, the first person he saw was Mu Shi since he was standing at the front. He said in surprise, ¡°Uncle Mu, why is it you?¡± He scanned the crowd but did not see Mu Yangling, so he frowned slightly and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Miss Mu?¡±


    For the first time in his life, Mu Shi bent his knees and knelt on the ground. ¡°Please save my daughter, Young Master Qi. She¡­ she brought men to stop the Jin soldiers who were chasing after us.¡±


    Fan Zijin raised his eyebrows and looked at Mu Shi in surprise. That nine-year-old girl went to stop the Jin soldiers?


    However, Qi Haoran did not feel that anything was wrong. He only asked anxiously, ¡°Where are they?¡±


    Mu Shi knew his daughter well. She would definitely lead the enemies into the forest, so he said, ¡°They should be in the forest behind.¡±


    Fan Zijin frowned. Before Qi Haoran could speak, he said, ¡°Wu Shu¡¯s Jin soldiers are all cavalrymen. Why would they enter the forest? Besides, we¡¯re not familiar with the forest. If we enter, we might be ambushed at any time.¡± Moreover, he was still suspicious of the Mu father and daughter. His eyes swept across the faces of the vigers of Nearhill Vige, but it did not seem like a trap.


    Qi Haoran only frowned and thought for a moment before waving his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look. If the Jin soldiers really enter the mountain, we have to find them. Otherwise, they¡¯re a potential disaster.¡±


    Raising her head, Shu Wanniang saw that Fan Zijin was frowning, and immediately knew that he was afraid of being ambushed in the mountains. She grabbed her husband¡¯s hand and said gently, ¡°Bring them into the mountains. With you leading the way, they can find Ah Ling faster.¡± Shu Wanniang looked at him pleadingly. ¡°She¡¯s our daughter. We can¡¯t let her take the risk alone. We¡¯re already safe now, right?¡±


    At the side, Liu Ting immediately said, ¡°Shi Tou, don¡¯t worry. Go ahead and enter the mountain. We¡¯ll take care of your wife here.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhao also said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle. I¡¯ll make sure she stays safe. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu said, ¡°Even though I¡¯m old, I¡¯m still of some use. Go quickly.¡±


    Mu Shi patted his wife¡¯s hand and looked at Little Bowen. ¡°Bowen, you¡¯re a boy. You have to protect your mother and younger siblings, understand?¡±


    Fan Zijin followed his gaze. Not only did he see the little Mu Bowen, but he also saw the two babies in their swaddling clothes. Knowing that more than half of the people in Nearhill Vige were rted to Mu Shi, he finally let go of the worry in his heart.


    Qi Haoran left ten of his men behind to protect the vigers and brought the rest away.


    When they arrived at the ce where Mu Yangling and the others had gone to stop the Jin soldiers, everyone discovered the obvious traces without Mu Shi pointing it out.


    Mu Shi said, ¡°The trees inside are dense, making it unsuitable for riding. Little General, we can only enter on foot.¡±


    Following the traces, Qi Haoran and the others quickly saw the corpses of the Jin soldiers and the horses left in the forest. However, Mu Shi also saw plenty of young men from Nearhill Vige. They were all in their twenties and were of the same generation as him. When they met in the vige yesterday, they even greeted each other. But now, they were lying in a pool of blood.


    At the thought that his daughter could be suffering a fate worse than death, Mu Shi was so anxious that his eyes turned red. He quickened his pace.


    Along the way, Qi Haoran¡¯s deputy general and the soldiers behind him were very surprised. ording to Mu Shi, there were only 40-odd vigers. How could they kill so many Jin soldiers?


    It was not that the Han people looked down on their kind, but the Han people were indeed inferior to the Hu people in battle. Firstly, their height and strength were inferior. Secondly, the Hu people had started killing since they were young while the Han people were mostly honest farmers.


    Be it innate or acquired, they were inferior in terms of fighting.


    Even the trained Han soldiers could only take on the Jin soldiers if it was five against one, let alone these untrained farmers.


    Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin naturally thought of this too.


    Fan Zijin could not tell why, but Qi Haoran gradually understood after seeing the third trace. The vigers had exploited the advantages of the forest to kill the Jin soldiers one by one. It could be seen that there was someone in Nearhill Vige who was good at jungle warfare.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. In the past, they had always arranged their troops and formations in open spaces during battle. However, the Hus¡¯ horses were excellent and they were highly-skilled in martial arts. If the Great Zhou Empire wanted to defeat them, they would have to pay a huge price. However, what if they could lure them to fight in the forest?


    Just as this thought shed through Qi Haoran¡¯s mind, he heard the sound of swords and sabersing from ahead. The few of them looked at each other and rushed forward. They saw Mu Yangling fighting one against four, dealing fatal attack after fatal attack on the Jin soldiers. She was injured as well.


    Mu Shi and Qi Haoran rushed forward without thinking¡­


    When Ah Su and Wu Lin saw the appearance of the Han soldiers, they immediately howled. ¡°You Han people are treacherous. You actually used tricks to lure us into the mountains.¡±


    Mu Yangling was like a demon, and her eyes were filled with hostility as she swung her saber over and cut off Ah Su¡¯s arm. As the saber pressed tightly against his neck, she looked at him and articted each word clearly, ¡°You killed mypatriots and kidnapped my sisters. Do we have to lie down obediently and let you kill us? Whose logic is this?¡± With that, she shed with the saber. Ah Su¡¯s eyes widened, and blood spewed out of his neck. Just like that, he died with regrets.


    The others had also been dealt with by Qi Haoran. Mu Shi was about to kill Wu Lin when Fan Zijin saw the glint in his eyes. Thinking of how his cousin had been expelled from the West Camp for no reason, he stopped him. ¡°Wait, detain him. I have something to ask him.¡±


    Qi Haoran was dissatisfied. ¡°They¡¯re Jin soldiers. They deserve to be killed. If you have anything to ask, just ask me.¡±


    Fan Zijin nced at him. ¡°Do you know how many bowls of rice the Jin soldiers eat a day and how many times they go to the toilet? You make it sound like you know everything in the world.¡±


    Qi Haoran touched his nose and could only wave his hand. ¡°Tie him up. Be careful not to let himmit suicide.¡±


    Only then was Fan Zijin satisfied. However, when he saw Qi Haoran turn around and approach Mu Yangling obsequiously, he felt ufortable again. Why did this kid keep pestering her? She was just a vige woman who knew some moves.


    However, Qi Haoran was praising Mu Yangling. ¡°You¡¯re really impressive to be fighting one against four. Just now, I saw that every move of yours hit the enemy¡¯s vital points precisely. Can you teach me?¡±


    However, Mu Shi was more concerned about Liu Xuan and the others. Seeing that his daughter was alone, he hurriedly asked, ¡°All Ling, where¡¯s your uncle and the others?¡±


    Exhausted, Mu Yangling sat on the ground and said, ¡°We¡¯re separated, but there aren¡¯t many of them left alive. They¡¯re injured. Father, quickly bring people to find them..¡±

 Chapter 85 - 85: Loss

    Chapter 85: Loss


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Including Mu Yangling, there were a total of 55 people. In the end, only nine survived.


    When Mu Shi and his men found Liu Xuan andpany, three of them were already on theirst breaths. Having lost too much blood, Liu Xuan had already gone into shock. Mu Yangling looked at them and said emotionlessly, ¡°Find a doctor for them. Whether they can survive or not will depend on fate.¡±


    Liu Zhuang hugged Liu Xuan, his face filled with tears. ¡°Since you¡¯ve already endured until now, Ah Xuan, you must hang on and wake up.¡±


    Qi Haoran admired them for being able to kill the Jin soldiers instead of escaping blindly. He waved at his subordinates and said, ¡°Hurry up and find the military doctor. Get them some good medicine and put the expenses under my name.¡±


    This time, 89 people from Nearhill Vige died in the war disaster. However, after seeing the empty viges and county post-massacre, the people in Nearhill Vige could only feel relieved.


    As Qi Haoran could not apany them, he only asked two soldiers to send the vigers to the prefectural capital. Along the way, there were constantly refugees joining in. By the time they reached the prefectural capital, there were already nearly 2,000 disaster-stricken people following behind the vigers of Nearhill Vige.


    With so many people suddenly rushing to Xingzhou Prefecture, the prefectural magistrate of Xingzhou, Wu Shancai, and the county magistrate of Shunzheng County, He Bao, hurriedly brought their men over.


    Worried about letting so many refugees enter the city, Wu Shancai was about to close the city gate, but the four city gates were guarded by Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s men. He could notmand them at all.


    Since the refugees were brought back by the soldiers of the West Camp, the soldiers guarding the city let them in without thinking.


    Furious, Wu Shancai shouted, ¡°What is Qi Xiuyuan trying to do? Is he trying to throw this ce into a state of anarchy? With so many refugees surging in, how do we maintain security and enough food supply?¡±


    He Bao nced at him and cupped his hands. ¡°Sir, 1 heard that General Qi is in the city. Why don¡¯t we ask him?¡±


    Wu Shancai choked. Last night, when the Hus suddenly attacked the city, he was instructed to close the south city gate and lock Qi Xiuyuan outside the city. At that time, Qi Xiuyuan dared to jump over the city gate and kill his way to his government office to drag him up Xingcheng Pass to face the Hus. He was only allowed toe down after the Hus retreated. After all that, how could he dare to provoke him?


    Seeing that he had quietened down, He Bao stopped talking.


    At this moment, in the general¡¯s residence, Qi Xiuyuan kept issuing orders, leaving only the 1st Division to guard the pass, and sending the 2nd and 3rd Divisions out to save themoners.


    Aware of the fact that arge number of refugees had surged into the prefectural capital, Qi Xiuyuan pondered for a moment before saying to Rong Xuan, ¡°Since Wu Shancai is still a suspect, I¡¯m worried about leaving the refugees to him. Bring someone to inform him that the West Camp is willing to share the burden of the prefecture. From today onwards, our soldiers will maintain the safety of the city.¡±


    Rong Xuan raised his eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯m afraid Wu Shan won¡¯t agree, for that would mean cing his life in our hands.¡±


    ¡°He has no choice but to agree.¡± Qi Xiuyuan was filled with anger. ¡°The moment I was transferred out of the city, the Hu people attacked the city. If not for our special means of contact, I¡¯d probably still be in Xingyuan Prefecture now. The defenses of Xingyuan City Pass would have been breached by the time I heard the news. What do you think would happen to me since I¡¯m the guardian general?¡±


    Rong Xuan also suspected that someone was colluding with the Hu people. Filled with fog, Mount Jiexi was not easy to walk through. Other than by ident, the Han people could not reach the Hu people, and the Hu people could not reach the Han people either. It could only be that there were Han people guiding the Hus.


    Otherwise, if the Hus could climb over from Mount Jiexi, with such a long defensive line, the Imperial Court would not have merely set up a West Camp here.


    ¡°Are you suspecting Wu Shancai?¡±


    ¡°Last night, I clearly told him my identity. ording to the rules of the border city, the city gate will close on time, but not to the messenger and soldiers guarding the city. Since I¡¯m themander of the West Camp, not only should I be able to enter and exit the four city gates freely, even if I reach the Xingyuan Prefecture, he has to open the door for me obediently. Where did the southern city gate get the courage to stop me? They said that the magistrate ordered to open the city gate for no one.¡± Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes were cold. ¡°I was stopped outside the city gate for five hours. How many soldiers andmoners died because of this dy? I have to settle this score.¡±


    When Rong Xuan thought of the losses this time, he sighed slightly. Now, the Imperial Court could not even afford to pay the soldiers and relied on the local people to support them. Therefore, soldiers could only eat 70% of their fill. These days, it was even harder to conscript soldiers than it was to give birth. In addition, since they had not been able to protect the people this time, it would probably be even harder to collect the taxes to pay out the military sry next year.


    ¡°General, the little general sent someone back to pass a message. He has already killed Wu Shu, who was attacking Mingshui County. His main group fled north across Jialing Lake, leaving behind a small group of Jin soldiers to burn. As too many people were affected, the little general requested to send more reinforcements to bring the civilians over.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan and Rong Xuan¡¯s eyes lit up as they asked in unison, ¡°Haoran killed Wu Shu?¡±


    The soldier nodded proudly. ¡°The general pierced a hole in Wu Shu¡¯s right chest with his sword. It¡¯s a pity that we didn¡¯t manage to snatch his corpse. Otherwise, how impressive would it be to hang it at the city gate?¡±


    However, Qi Xiuyuan and Rong Xuan¡¯s smiles froze. ¡°You stabbed him in the right chest?¡± Wouldn¡¯t that mean that he could still be alive? In the chaos, Haoran couldn¡¯t have gotten off the horse to check that he was no longer breathing.


    However, it was good that they could win the battle. The battle to defend the city was at a critical stage when he suddenly received an urgent report from Mingshui County. Since he really could not spare any troops, he asked Qi Xiuyuan to bring the 4th Division there.


    Initially, he simply aimed to protect Mingshui County for as long as possible. Who would have thought that before Qi Haoran arrived at Mingshui County, the county magistrate of Mingshui County, Qian Shu, would suddenly flee at thest minute and take away a group of bailiffs? Only County Deputy Song Zhi insisted on guarding the city with the remaining people. Seeing that they were about to lose, he opened the east and west gates and let the entire county¡¯s citizens out. s, even if he guarded the north gate with his life, he could notst until Qi Haoran arrived. The entire county fell into a sea of fire and 40% of the citizens were ughtered, not to mention the towns and viges under Mingshui County.


    Qi Haoran had been a guard general here for four years. During his time here, the Jin soldiers had attacked countless cities and plundered resources on their enemy¡¯snd innumerable times. Although he could not guarantee victory in every battle, he had never put the people in such a dangerous situation.


    His defenses and strategies were all exposed. Instead of saying that he was angry that someone was colluding with the Jin soldiers, it was more urate to say that he hated himself for his negligence and ipetence.


    Those who were familiar with his defense and strategy were definitely people around him. However, he and Rong Xuan werepletely oblivious. To him, what was this if not ipetence?


    Oblivious to the general¡¯s thoughts, he continued, ¡°The general even asked someone to send someone back from a vige and asked us to take good care of him. He said that his benefactor was among them.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Qi Xiuyuan came back to his senses and asked, ¡°Are you from Nearhill Vige?¡± He had investigated his brother¡¯s journey north, so he naturally knew that Mu Yangling was his benefactor.


    The soldier nodded. ¡°They¡¯re the vigers of Nearhill Vige. General, they¡¯re very impressive. There were only 50 plus of them, yet they managed to finish off more than 40 Hus and 22 Jin soldiers.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan and Rong Xuan looked at each other in surprise, a glint in their eyes. ¡°Are they all ordinary vigers?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re just ordinary vigers who only know how to farm. However, there was a young Miss Mu with them. She¡¯s so strong that she can crush a person¡¯s bones with her small hand.¡± The soldier chuckled. At that time, in their excitement, they went forward to pat Miss Xiao Mu¡¯s shoulder, and one of the guys almost had his hand crushed by her..

 Chapter 86 - 86: New Warfare Method

    Chapter 86: New Warfare Method


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When Fei Bai brought the medicine over, he carefully sized up Mu Yangling. He saw that her face was pale and her eyes were tightly closed, and there was a faint smell of blood on her body. How could she be as impressive as everyone said when she was clearly no different from a nine-year-old girl?


    Sensing that someone was approaching, Mu Yangling suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Fei Bai warily. Fei Bai felt a chill in his heart and his body froze on the spot. It was only when Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes turned warm that Fei Bai felt alive again. With a stiff smile, he said, ¡°Miss Mu, your medicine is ready. Drink it quickly.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Mu Yangling took the medicine and drank it in one gulp. She asked, ¡°Is your little general not back yet?¡±


    ¡°Soon, soon.¡± Fei Bai said respectfully, ¡°The general has already ordered the Fourth Young Master to return. You should be able to see him tonight.¡± Seeing Mu Yangling¡¯s indifferent expression, he said cleverly, ¡°The few people who came with you have been attended to by the doctor. They¡¯ve all taken medicine and we¡¯re just waiting to see if they can wake up tomorrow.¡±


    A grateful expression appeared on Mu Yangling¡¯s face as she said sincerely, ¡°Thank you for taking care of them, Sir. Please note down the cost of the treatment first. We¡¯ll definitely repay you when we have the moneyter.¡±


    ¡°Miss Mu, you¡¯re too polite. My Fourth Young Master said that you¡¯re his benefactor. This is what our Qi family should do.¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t be considered their benefactor. It was nothing. Besides, he has long returned the favor. Since he saved our lives this time, we¡¯re the ones who are indebted to him.¡±


    Seeing that thisdy was tactful, Fei Bai became even more respectful. ¡°Miss Mu, your parents have also entered the residence. I¡¯ll invite them over now.¡±


    There were more than 200 people from Nearhill Vige, so the Qi Manor naturally could not amodate so many people. Liu He did not allow Mu Shi to be indebted because of this, so other than Liu Xuan and the few injured people, everyone stayed in the east of the city with the refugees.


    Mu Shi¡¯s family was invited into the general¡¯s residence, and Madam Ma-Liu and her granddaughters were also brought over by Mu Shi.


    Fei Bai personally went over to invite them.


    Mu Shi quickly walked in and touched his daughter¡¯s forehead. He then checked her wound and only heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that there was no fever or inmmation.


    Shu Wanniang came in with the children, Madam Ma-Liu, and the others. ¡°Ah Ling, how are you?¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m fine. How are my uncles?¡±


    Shu Wanniang lowered her head. Sighing, Mu Shi said, ¡°Liu Yong and the others are fine. It¡¯s just that your Uncle Xuan and Cousin Li aren¡¯t yet in a stable condition. Whether they can survive or not depends on fate.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°Where did Cousin Li get injured?¡± She remembered that when she went to lure the Hus away, he only suffered some light injuries.


    ¡°There¡¯s a deep cut on his back. He lost too much blood. Liu Yong said that when they were changing paths, they encountered a lone Jin soldier who got separated from his group. By then, they were already so severely injured that they only had the strength to breathe. It was all thanks to your Cousin Li and Liu Yong that the Jin soldier was killed. Otherwise, your Uncle Xuan and the others wouldn¡¯t have survived.¡± Seeing that his daughter was silent, Mu Shi stroked her hair and said, ¡°Good child, you¡¯ve done very well. If it were me, I might not even be half as good as you. The little general and the rest were all praising you. Your Great-uncle He also said that they¡¯ll set up a longevity que for youter.¡±


    Mu Yangling did not feel proud. Along the way, she had seen themoners sitting by the roadside hugging their loved ones¡¯ corpses and crying. A three or four-year-old child had lost his parents and was standing ignorantly in the middle of the road. Mu Yangling clearly realized that this was not the peaceful China in the 21st century, but an era of war. Here, human lives were worthless like grass.


    However, even a de of grass had its own emotions and yearned to live. But here, once the invaders invaded, they could only ce their hopes on the Imperial Court. Unfortunately for them, this Imperial Court was not too reliable.


    If they wanted to survive, they had to rely on themselves. Mu Yangling said seriously, ¡°Father, when we go back, I¡¯ll teach them some martial arts and military formations, okay? So that the next time the Hus dare to enter the pass again, we won¡¯t be so passive.¡±


    Mu Shi thought for a moment and agreed. In fact, in the border city, manymoners knew some martial arts and war tactics. It was just that the Xingzhou Prefecture had only been designated as a border for a short period of time, and themoners had yet to adapt after living like this for hundreds of years.


    ¡°Mother, how are my siblings?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re fine.¡± Shu Wanniang said with a faint smile, ¡°Your younger siblings are smart. They know that we¡¯re running for our lives and haven¡¯t cried sincest night.¡±


    Mu Yangling turned to look at the two babies. Seeing that Little Bowen and Xiuhong Xin were standing silently at the side, she knew that the three children had suffered a huge impact. She sighed slightly and said, ¡°Father, brew some medicine for Bowen and my cousins to calm down. Also, note down the medicine given to my uncles so that we can repay the moneyter. Since Qi Haoran has already returned the favor by helping us, we can¡¯t benefit for nothing this time.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep the prescriptions and pay him back when we have the money.¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t let the two of you pay for it all.¡± Seeing that Shu Wanniang didn¡¯t say anything, Madam Ma-Liu knew that she wouldn¡¯t object. She could only stand up and say, ¡°I¡¯ve seen that medicine. There¡¯s even ginseng inside. How much would one prescription cost? Furthermore, there are a total of eight people. Are the two of you nning to repay the debts for the rest of your lives? They suffered those injuries because of the vige, so the vige has to contribute some money at least.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled bitterly. ¡°Great-aunt, our vige was burned down. Do you think everyone can fork out the money? Besides, the other 46 families have already lost their loved ones. If we¡¯re gathering money to treat the ones who are injured, shouldn¡¯t we give more to the families that lost a member? There¡¯ll be no end to this. Qi Haoran hasn¡¯t actually asked us to fork out the money. It¡¯s just that my family doesn¡¯t want to owe anyone a favor. If you ask them for money just to avoid owing anyone a favor, they definitely won¡¯t be willing.¡± Mu Yangling sighed. ¡°Poverty is the key thing here. They don¡¯t even know what they¡¯re going to survive on this winter.¡±


    As they only cared about escaping, the grains they brought out were only enough tost for a few days. What was going to happen when they ran out of grains in a few days?


    Since the vige had already been plundered by the Hu people and burned down, how much could possibly remain?


    Fortunately, because the Mu family had savings, they should do fine until next summer.


    When Qi Haoran rushed back in the evening, he ran to report to Qi Xiuyuan first. Just as he turned around and was about to run home, Qi Xiuyuan grabbed his cor from behind. ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? What if your soldiers see you like this?¡±


    ¡°Brother, I want to go back and check on Mu Yangling. I wonder how she¡¯s doing. You have no idea. She was covered in blood and almost injured her vitals in several ces.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go back with you. I heard that she¡¯s very skilled in martial arts. Have you sparred with her before?¡±


    ¡°No. When she recovers, 1¡¯11 go and spar with her. Brother, she¡¯s a hunter and is very familiar with the forest. After those Hus entered, she totally led them by the nose. This is despite the fact that her subordinates are all just farmers who only know how to farm. If it were our soldiers, we would definitely have been able to deal with the Jin soldiers behind with ease. At the very least, we wouldn¡¯t have suffered such heavy losses.¡± Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°If we could make some arrangements in advance, 1 believe our chances of winning would be higher. Brother, why can¡¯t we lure the Jin soldiers into the forest and engage in junglebat?¡±


    ¡°Junglebat?¡± First time hearing it, Qi Xiuyuan fell into deep thought.


    Qi Haoran urged, ¡°Brother, our horses have always been inferior to the Jin soldiers¡¯. They were born on the grasnd and grew up on horseback. In terms of riding skills, most Han Chinese can¡¯tpare to the Hu people. However, our Great Zhou has many forests. Since they have already attacked all the way to our Great Zhou territory, why do we have to fight ording to their methods every time? We should fight in the forest since horses aren¡¯t very useful there.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s words opened up another world for Qi Xiuyuan..

 Chapter 87 - 87: Heartache

    Chapter 87: Heartache


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Since ancient times, there had been manybat techniques and they were not limited to just one type. However, there had never been abat technique that specifically targeted the forest. This was because the forest had always been one of the country¡¯s sources of wealth. Very few people would lure their enemies into the forest to avoid destroying the trees and beasts in the mountains.


    Although Qi Xiuyuan was tempted by Qi Haoran¡¯s suggestion, he did not agree immediately for he could not sacrifice the next generation¡¯s interests for a temporary victory. If he won a battle in the forest by this method and the other soldiers followed suit, what would happen if the Hu people burned the forest in anger?


    In Xingzhou Prefecture, manymoners relied on Chef Mountain and Mount Jiexi for a living. If they were really burned down, everyone would curse the Qi family¡¯s ancestors to the 18th generation.


    ¡°Jungle warfare is not a bad idea, but it can¡¯t be used on arge scale. However, if we encounter a small group of elite soldiers from the Jin soldiers, it may be feasible to lure them in.¡± As long as they controlled the degree well, the Hus would not dare to take the risk of burning the mountains. After all, they had to pay a huge price in doing so.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Brother, don¡¯t worry. Even if I don¡¯t use the forest, I¡¯d be able to defeat them all one day. Not only the Jin soldiers, but also Western Xia and Tibet. I will definitely be able to take back our homnd.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuanughed loudly and patted his young brother. ¡°How ambitious. Alright then. I¡¯ll wait for you to seed and bring honor to our ancestors.¡± ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m not doing this to bring honor to our ancestors.¡± Qi Haoran said proudly, ¡°When I be a first-grade general, I¡¯ll request for my mother to be conferred a title so that her memorial tablet can be ced in the Qi family¡¯s ancestral hall.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s gaze darkened. He smiled and said, ¡°Alright, from tomorrow onwards, not only will you have to practice martial arts twice as hard, but you also can¡¯t neglect the homework set by Teacher Fang. There¡¯s no first-rank general who isn¡¯t well-read.¡± Qi Xiuyuan continued with a smile, ¡°I heard that General Yuan spends two hours a day studying. You can¡¯tpare to General Yuan, but you have to learn from him in hopes of surpassing him one day.¡±


    General Yuan was Qi Haoran¡¯s second idol apart from his older brother. Although Qi Haoran did not like to study, he still nodded and agreed.


    The smile on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s face widened. When he went back with his brother to visit his benefactor, Fan Zijin was already at home and had just finished showering. Seeing the two of them enter, he hurriedly stood up and greeted Qi Xiuyuan.


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded slightly and asked, ¡°Are you injured?¡±


    ¡°Brother, don¡¯t worry. With me around, how would I possibly let him get hurt?¡± Qi Haoran rushed to say.


    Fan Zijin also nodded. ¡°Cousin, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not injured. On the other hand, a certain someone seemed to be a little blind and kept running into the sword in the other party¡¯s hand.¡± As he spoke, he nced at a certain someone standing at the side.


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at Qi Haoran. He had long smelled the faint smell of blood on his brother¡¯s body, but seeing that he was alive and kicking, he knew that his injuries weren¡¯t serious. How could onee out of a battlepletely unscathed? It was good to let him suffer a little. Hence, Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t ask further. Instead, he said, ¡°Okay, remember to stop in time next time. Just don¡¯t run into the enemy¡¯s sword.¡±


    Qi Haoran puffed out his chest and promised, ¡°Brother, don¡¯t worry. 1¡¯11 definitely be careful next time.¡±


    However, Fan Zijin was a little dissatisfied. Qi Haoran¡¯s wound was not shallow, but he had only bandaged it briefly before running to look for Qi Xiuyuan. He worried that the wound had ruptured. It was fine if Qi Haoran was carefree and insensible, but why did Cousin let him be?


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go and see your little benefactor.¡± Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°I¡¯ve long wanted to thank them in person, but I haven¡¯t been able to find the time. This time, since they came to the prefectural capital, I have to wee them warmly.¡±


    Qi Haoran followed excitedly as he praised Mu Yangling to Qi Xiuyuan.¡±¡­ She¡¯s so strong, I can¡¯tpare to her even if 1 use my internal energy. 1 wonder what martial arts she¡¯s learning.¡±


    Fan Zijin followed behind them with a dark expression. After holding it in for a while, he waved his hand and called his servant, Yanmo, over. ¡°Go to the front yard and find the doctor. Fourth Young Master is injured.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan, who was walking in front, smiled when he heard that. He shook his head andughed. The two kids quarreled every day, but their rtionship had always been superb. Standing next to them, he looked less like the biological brother.


    Qi Xiuyuan nced at his brother, who was still dancing with excitement. He sighed slightly, thinking it might be a good thing. How could he have the time to look after this kid when he had to be on the battlefield all year round? With Zijin around, he could at least restrain him a little. Based on how protective Zijin was of him, he would not let him suffer.


    This being the first time Mu Shi and the others had seen an important figure like the general, they stood up nervously and bowed. On the other hand, Shu Wanniang was calm and quiet. After bowing, she simply took half a step back and stood behind Mu Shi. With her head lowered slightly, she looked extremely prim and proper.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t help but take a few more nces at her. When she bowed just now, it was as natural as flowing water. Her mannerisms were clearly different from the simple and rough ways of Mu Shi and the rest.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan then quickly turned to look at Mu Yangling, who was on the bed, and asked gently, ¡°How¡¯s Miss Mu¡¯s injury?¡±


    Leaning against the bed, Mu Yangling replied, ¡°Thank you, General Qi. I¡¯m much better now. I¡¯ll be fine after resting for two more days.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re already in the prefectural capital, just focus on recuperating. You can count on Haoran and Zijin to deal with the other matters. If you have any requests, just ask. To be honest, if you hadn¡¯t helped these two silly boys back then, it¡¯s still not certain if they would have been able to walk out of the mountain forest.¡±


    ¡°General Qi, you must be joking. At that time, they were not far from the exit. Even without my guidance, they would have been able to see the exit after taking a few more steps. Once they left the mountain and met the vigers, everyone would be willing to help. I didn¡¯t do much, really.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid they wouldn¡¯t have had the strength to walk out even if they knew the way. Although it¡¯s a piece of cake to you, it¡¯s a life-saving grace to them. Miss Mu, just stay here in peace and let them repay you.¡±


    Mu Yangling was silent for a moment before nodding slightly. Changing the topic, she said, ¡°General Qi, I wonder how things are outside? I¡¯ve lost contact with many of my rtives and friends.¡±


    Mu Yangling was not lying. Although her grandfather was an outsider, her grandmother was a native. Not to mention anything else, her father¡¯s cousins had all married into neighboring viges, which meant they had rtives all around.


    Qi Xiuyuan was silent for a moment before saying in a deep voice, ¡°We suffered heavy losses. Only two viges in Seven Mile Vige survived. The other viges were razed to the ground. Only three to four out of ten people survived.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression changed, and the atmosphere in the room instantly became heavy. Unustomed to it, Qi Haoran pushed his eldest brother away and went in front of Mu Yangling to ask, ¡°Miss Mu, you haven¡¯t answered me when I asked you what martial arts you learnedst time. I¡¯ve checked the wounds of those Hus. Seeing as many of their swords were chipped, one can see just how strong you are. Tell me, I¡¯ll learn from you. 1¡¯11 teach you the martial arts I¡¯ve mastered so you won¡¯t lose out.¡±


    Qi Haoran bragged, ¡°The martial arts I learned are from my uncle¡¯s family. What¡¯s most impressive is the internal cultivation technique. You can practice this internal cultivation technique continuously to endlessly generate internal energy. When you attain a high level of mastery, you can circte your internal energy without stopping. You have to know that if your internal energy circtes with every move you make, it means that you have a set of armor protecting you at all times. Moreover, it¡¯s extremely powerful. With a light squeeze, you can crush a stone¡­¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan shook his head, smiling but not stopping him. Although this internal cultivation technique was taught to him by his uncle, it was actually not from the Zhu family. It looked powerful, but to be able to cultivate it to the level Qi Haoran described was like reaching the heavens. At least, no one in the martial arts world had ever mastered it. In fact, very few people could even attain the fifth level.


    That was why Qi Xiuyuan had objected when Qi Haoran chose this book among the many internal cultivation techniques..

 Chapter 88 - 88: Internal Energy Cultivation Technique

    Chapter 88: Internal Energy Cultivation Technique


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling said seriously, ¡°I¡¯ve never learned internal cultivation techniques before. 1 only know some martial arts. If you want to learn them, I can teach you at any time.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t think that her martial arts skills were all that great considering this was a world where top pugilists and internal cultivation techniques existed. Case in point, Qi Haoran could jump ten meters high, but she couldn¡¯t.


    At the end of the day, all she could rely on was her innate divine strength and her archery skills. However, it was useful on the battlefield. In the martial arts world where opponents could be skilled in qinggong and internal energy cultivation techniques, she could be destroyed in minutes.


    When she heard Qi Haoran say that after mastering his technique, it¡¯d be like wearing a bulletproof vest all the time, it wasn¡¯t that Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t tempted. She just wasn¡¯t confident that she could master it. Most importantly, she didn¡¯t have anything of equal value to exchange with him.


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t believe it. Mu Yangling was so strong. How could she be born like this without cultivating her internal energy? If she was a boy, he might have believed her, but she was clearly a girl.


    Hence, when Mu Yangling had gotten a little better, Qi Haoran came to look for her excitedly. ¡°Let¡¯s exchange internal energy cultivation techniques first. Your wounds are almost healed now, so you can meditate and cultivate.¡± As he spoke, he sat cross-legged opposite Mu Yangling and looked at her expectantly. ¡°1¡¯11 go first. Then, you can teach me your cultivation technique.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked helpless. ¡°Young Master Qi, 1 really don¡¯t have an internal cultivation technique.¡±


    Qi Haoran tilted his head. ¡°Is it because your family forbids you from imparting your cultivation technique to outsiders?¡± Qi Haoran was very conflicted and upset. After pondering in silence for a long time, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Fine, 1 won¡¯t learn it in that case. But it¡¯s fine to spar, right? I¡¯m willing to teach you my cultivation technique for free.¡±


    Fan Zijin, who was eavesdropping outside, felt that Qi Haoran was too silly. It was obvious to him that Mu Yangling was simply unwilling to teach him.


    Mu Yangling was silent for a moment before pulling Qi Haoran out. Fan Zijin immediately stood up straight and opened the fan in his hand. The moment the door opened, a smile appeared on his face. When he saw Qi Haoran, he smiled even more vibrantly. ¡°What a coincidence. Is Miss Mu feeling better?¡±


    As Mu Yangling¡¯s hearing was better than ordinary people, she had long heard Fan Zijin¡¯s footsteps. It was just that she didn¡¯t want to expose him. Nodding, she smiled. ¡°I¡¯m much better. Thank you for your concern, Young Master Fan.¡±


    Having learned internal cultivation techniques since he was young, Qi Haoran¡¯s senses were even more sensitive than Mu Yangling¡¯s. When he heard this, he rolled his eyes, but he didn¡¯t expose him out of consideration for their friendship.


    Mu Yangling pulled Qi Haoran into the garden. Fan Zijin naturally followed closely behind.


    Mu Yangling stood in front of a rockery and said to Qi Haoran, ¡°1 really haven¡¯t learned any internal cultivation techniques. My grandfather is half-Hu. My great-grandfather was the number one warrior of their tribe and had immense strength since he was young. However, my grandfather didn¡¯t inherit his father¡¯s divine strength. Furthermore, because he looked no different from a Han person, he was ostracized by the Hu tribe. That¡¯s why my grandfather left the grasnd and came here. My father has been strong since he was young and I¡¯m even stronger than my father. Before 1 even weaned, 1 could already smash a table with a wave of my hand.¡±


    The disbelief on Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin¡¯s faces remained.


    Mu Yangling said with a straight face, ¡°If this didn¡¯t happen to me, 1 wouldn¡¯t believe it either.¡± Then, she turned around and hugged the rockery with both arms. Under Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin¡¯s widened eyes, she slowly raised the rockery.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s mouth was so wide open that one could probably stuff a big duck egg into it. He pointed at Mu Yangling and then at the rockery that was as tall as two people and as wide as three people lying horizontally. How heavy must this be?


    Mu Yangling gently put down the fake mountain and said calmly, ¡°Now you should believe me, right? No matter how powerful an internal cultivation technique is, it¡¯s impossible for a nine-year-old child to lift this rockery. If you still don¡¯t believe me, 1 can let you check my meridians. There¡¯s not a trace of internal energy in them.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You can check the meridians? Teach me.¡±


    Fan Zijin was also full of interest, and their attention was instantly diverted.


    Mu Yangling, on the other hand, was a little embarrassed. She asked shockingly, ¡°Can¡¯t you people with internal energy check other people¡¯s meridians? Isn¡¯t that how it¡¯s written in books?¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin felt deted. Waving his hand, Qi Haoran said, ¡°That¡¯s all nonsense. How can you believe it? You can¡¯t even check your own meridians, let alone check someone else¡¯s.¡±


    Mu Yangling immediately asked curiously, ¡°Then how do you know if your internal energy has improved?¡±


    ¡°You can sense it.¡± Qi Haoran said righteously, ¡°The internal energy is stored in the lower dantian. When you¡¯re cultivating internal energy, the dantian is as warm as spring. Even a minor improvement will turn it as hot as a me. One can feel the internal energy flowing through their meridians, but it¡¯s impossible to look inside.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Does that mean I¡¯ll be able to practice qinggong after cultivating internal energy?¡±


    Qi Haoran sized up Mu Yangling and shook his head after a while. ¡°You¡¯re not suitable to practice qinggong. Your lower body is too heavy.¡±


    Mu Yangling was disappointed for a moment before asking, ¡°Then do you think I¡¯m suitable to practice internal cultivation?¡±


    ¡°Anyone can practice internal cultivation.¡± Qi Haoran said, ¡°The key is to nourish one¡¯s health and temper one¡¯s internal organs to achieve the effect of strengthening one¡¯s body. If you want to learn it, I¡¯ll teach you.¡±


    ¡°Can one be as powerful as the people in the pugilistic world?¡± Mu Yangling asked curiously.


    Qi Haoran said disdainfully, ¡°Internal cultivation is meant to strengthen one¡¯s body. Coupled with moves, it¡¯s used for self-defense. However, the people in the pugilistic world use it to fight and seize territory. Why are youpeting with them? You¡¯re a girl and you¡¯re strong. It¡¯s enough for you to learn some internal cultivation to strengthen your body. Unlike me, 1 want to protect the country and be a general in the future, so I have to improve my martial arts.¡±


    Mu Yangling and Fan Zijin:¡±¡­¡±


    Fan Zijin turned his head and smiled at Mu Yangling. ¡°Miss Mu, if you want to learn internal cultivation, why don¡¯t you learn the set that Haoran is learning now? Although this set of cultivation techniques is not easy to practice, mastering 10% is already enough to serve you plenty. You¡¯re a girl, so there¡¯s no hurry.¡±


    ¡°Since this cultivation technique is so difficult, why did Young Master Qi choose this one?¡±


    ¡®Well, it¡¯s because he¡¯s stupid and overambitious.¡¯


    Fan Zijin cursed inwardly, but Qi Haoran already said proudly, ¡°Of course it¡¯s because I¡¯m talented. No matter how difficult an internal cultivation technique is, it won¡¯t be a problem for me.¡±


    Fan Zijin turned his head away, while Mu Yangling was amused by his proud look.


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°I¡¯ve already cultivated to the third level. Don¡¯t doubt me. Although it¡¯s only the third level, 1 can already withstand 120 moves from my brother.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s only because Cousin went easy on you.¡¯


    Worried that Qi Haoran¡¯s bragging would get out of hand, Fan Zijin quickly changed the topic. ¡°Miss Mu, I¡¯ve seen the traps youid in the forest. Some of the traps don¡¯t seem to be targeted at wild beasts, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned for a moment before admitting with a smile, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s targeted at people.¡± To be precise, it was targeted at the Japanese, but she had borrowed it.


    ¡°Did Uncle Mu teach you those traps? I wonder if you can teach them to us. I¡¯ve checked and there are two very intriguing traps among them.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll draw the pictureter and write down the sort of situations it¡¯s suited for. You¡¯ll figure it out slowly.¡± Since the other party was even willing to impart to her his internal cultivation method, there was no reason for her to hoard information..

 Chapter 89 - 89: Mortgage Deed

    Chapter 89: Mortgage Deed


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°These are gathered by each family. Although it¡¯s not enough, it¡¯s better to return as much as possible. When the harvestes next autumn, everyone will repay the remaining amount.¡± Liu He stuffed the silver that each family had voluntarily contributed into Mu Shi¡¯s hands.


    Although Mu Shi was rtively well-off, Shu Wanniang and Little Bowen had both fallen sick from the cold. Coupled with Mu Yangling¡¯s injuries, he wouldn¡¯t have much money left. As such, it was impossible for him to repay the medical fees paid by the Qi family. Madam Ma-Liu saw this and naturally did not want her nephew to suffer such a big disadvantage, so she went to look for Liu He behind Mu Shi¡¯s back.


    In the past few days, the refugees from the entire prefecture had arrived at the prefectural capital one after another. The vigers of Nearhill Vige also learned about the situation everywhere from them. It could only be summed up in two words: extremely tragic.


    Mingshui County suffered the most. Reason being,ing from Mount Jiexi, the Jin soldiers first passed by Mingshui County and Changju County. Since the county magistrate of Changju County guarded the city gate with the bailiffs and did not let the Jin soldiers enter, only the viges on the other side of Mount Jiexi suffered.


    However, the county magistrate of Mingshui County abandoned his citizens and simply ran away. Not only did the Jin soldiers plunder the county and massacre the people there, but they also entered the various viges of Mingshui County via the open city gate. Below that, other than a small vige that could only be reached by crossing Chef Mountain and another one with a hidden location that were spared, the other viges were all burned to ashes.


    Nearhill Vige was still considered alright, totaling 263 survivors because many had fled. In contrast, some viges had beenpletely massacred, while others only had 10 to 20 survivors.


    This made the vigers of Nearhill Vige even more grateful to Mu Yangling. If she had not led them, Nearhill Vige might have be the second West Mountain Vige.


    Liu He said regretfully, ¡°1 don¡¯t know how many people in West Mountain Vige survived. 1 heard that it was burned to the ground and the vige is covered in blood. Those damn barbarians didn¡¯t even let off newborn children.¡±


    As Nearhill Vige was very close to West Mountain Vige, many families had rtives there, so they inevitably felt sad when they heard the news.


    Seeing that everyone was silent, Liu He tapped his pipe and raised his voice. ¡°Alright, the living are more important. Dacang, what news did you find out from the government office? Did the magistrate say when the warehouse will be opened for disaster relief?¡±


    Liu Dacang was Liu He¡¯s eldest son. If nothing unexpected happened, he would take over as the patriarch of the Liu family and the vige chief of Nearhill Vige in the future.


    Liu Dacang¡¯s expression was a little solemn as he replied, ¡°I¡¯ve asked around. The government office refuses to say anything. There are already manymoners surrounded there. Later, when I privately pulled aside a bailiff to ask, he told me that the government office probably won¡¯t open the warehouse to provide disaster relief.¡±


    ¡°What did you just say?¡± Liu Erqian jumped up. ¡°How are we going to survive the winter if they don¡¯t open the warehouse to provide disaster relief? Our grains have been snatched, and even our houses have been burned down¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Liu Daqian pulled his younger brother back and lectured him. ¡°What¡¯s with all that unnecessary fuss at your age? Don¡¯t you feel ashamed acting like this in front of the younger generation?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be ashamed about?¡± Liu Erqian muttered unhappily, ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything wrong. Didn¡¯t we finish all the food we brought from home?¡±


    Liu He looked at his son and asked, ¡°Did the bailiff say how the magistrate ns to deal with us refugees?¡±


    Liu Dacang lowered his voice and said with reddened eyes, ¡°He said that the squires pity us and are willing to lend us their stored grains for the time being. They just need us to mortgage our title deeds.¡±


    The pipe in Liu He¡¯s hand fell to the ground and Mu Yangling looked up with a sharp glint in her eyes. Liu Daqian and the others fell silent.


    After looking left and right, Fang Zhuzi walked forward with his walking stick and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? Let¡¯s just mortgage it. We can always pay it back next autumn.¡±


    For the first time, Madam Fang-Liu smacked her son¡¯s head and cried, ¡°You prodigal thing, what do you know? If you mortgage that, don¡¯t even think about getting it back. Have you seen something be taken out again after entering thendlord¡¯s house? They¡¯re forcing us to our deaths!¡±


    Liu He¡¯s expression was dark as his chest rose and fell rapidly. ¡°The government office¡¯s not even taking out a single grain?¡±


    ¡°Father, don¡¯t be anxious.¡± Liu Dacang hurriedly supported him. ¡°This is only the bailiff¡¯s side of the story. Let¡¯s wait a few more days and see. Perhaps the government office will open the warehouse and release the grains.¡±


    Those were merely Liu Dacang¡¯s words offort. Because just three dayster, the magistrate stood in his office andined of being hard up. ¡°The tax grains have already been transported to Lin¡¯an Prefecture. In addition to the military sry allocated to the West Camp, there¡¯s no more money and grains in the prefecture. However, don¡¯t worry, everyone. I¡¯ve already discussed it with the local squires. They¡¯re willing to temporarily lend you their grains to let everyone have a good New Year. But in order to prevent some sneaky people from not repaying, we need everyone to mortgage their title deeds. It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t have title deeds. You can always mortgage your farnd. Once it¡¯s verified, you can borrow the grains. If you don¡¯t have any farnd, you can sign an employment agreement with the few phnthropic masters first. When everyone returns the grains borrowed next autumn, these title deeds will naturally be returned, and the agreement will be void.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked. Many people were tempted, but some older elders held their juniors back and did not allow them to go forward. As for Nearhill Vige, Liu He, Liu Daqian, and the others also suppressed the noisy vigers and said in a hushed voice, ¡°We can¡¯t agree to this. Land is the lifeblood of farmers. Once it¡¯s mortgaged, we won¡¯t be able to get it back.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the magistrate say that we only have to return the grains next year?¡± Still tempted, the young man coaxed with a smile, ¡°Eldest Great-uncle, just agree. We¡¯ve been starving for two days already. If this goes on, we¡¯ll die of hunger soon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. What use is a title deed to a dead man?¡± Fang Zhuzi touched the pocket where the title deed was ced, still tempted.


    Madam Fang-Liu held her eldest son tightly and forbade him from going forward.


    Although she could not reason with him, she knew that this was not a good thing. They absolutely mustn¡¯t exchange their title deeds for food. Otherwise, their family would have to starve in the future.


    Although Fang Zhuzi and the others were extremely tempted, Liu He was highly respected. With him standing in front with a dark expression, no one dared to step forward.


    12 tables had already been set up at the entrance of the government office in front. The names of the various squires were written on the front, and there were people carrying bags of grains at the back. If anyone was willing to mortgage theirnd, they could register with their deeds before immediately taking away the grains.


    Seeing the grains, everyone was even more tempted. Mu Yangling saw that a few people had already walked forward with their title deed.


    Tsk, fancy acting like saints while doing such a wicked thing.


    If this continued, no matter how respected Liu He was, he wouldn¡¯t be able to suppress everyone. Most importantly, everyone was running out of food now. The government and the squires were tantly colluding and telling everyone that they could only starve to death if they didn¡¯t mortgage their title deed. Even if Liu He understood this, could he watch his fellow vigers starve to death in the end?


    This was practically a dead end. Everyone would have no choice but to mortgage their title deed.. And after this matter, how many people would be lifelong ves for the squires?

 Chapter 90 - 90: Interrogation

    Chapter 90: Interrogation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling broke free from Mu Shi¡¯s hand and pushed through the crowd to stop the person who was about to take out his title deed. Looking at Magistrate Wu with bright eyes, she raised her voice to ask, ¡°Magistrate, forgive me for being impudent, but 1 really have some questions to ask you. As the magistrate, you¡¯re supposed to be like our parent. We can empathize with you and don¡¯t dare to ask you to treat us like your children. All we want is a fair and honest treatment.¡±


    Then, without waiting for Wu Shancai to answer, she continued solemnly, ¡°Sir, although I¡¯m ignorant, I know that every prefecture and even every county has a warehouse storing relief grains. Every autumn harvest, the old grains would be reced with new ones, and the old grains would be sold. If Mingshui County¡¯s defense is breached, even if the relief grain warehouse is robbed, there will still be the grain warehouses of the two subordinate counties. Furthermore, the relief grain warehouse of the prefectural capital is three times that of the county. Even if the other prefectures and counties are unwilling to lend Mingshui County grains, the prefectural capital should take out some to help the refugees. Why are we themoners asked to mortgage ournd deeds in exchange for grains? Then where did the tax grains we paid in the past go?¡±


    As soon as this was said, everyone looked at Wu Shancai suspiciously.


    ¡®That¡¯s right! There¡¯s still grains in the grain warehouse. Grains that came from us. Why isn¡¯t he taking them out?¡¯


    Wu Shancai¡¯s expression did not change. Minister Liu, who was standing beside him, took a step forward and scolded, ¡°Ignorant child, hurry up and leave. How can you be so impudent in front of the magistrate? What are you waiting for? Quickly chase her away.¡±


    ¡°Minister Liu is right. I¡¯m indeed ignorant. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking the magistrate. As Old Sage Kong says, ¡®If you don¡¯t know, you have to ask. Otherwise, you¡¯ll never know if you don¡¯t learn¡¯. Besides, the magistrate loves the subjects as if they were his own children. Why would a minister like you exceed your authority when he hasn¡¯t even chased me away?¡± Mu Yangling looked at him sharply and nced around. ¡°But I also have a few words to ask Minister Liu and the other Minister Counselors.¡±


    ¡°Youngdy.¡± Magistrate Wu interrupted her with a smile. ¡°If you have any questions, you can ask me in private. Let¡¯s not waste everyone¡¯s time. You have to know that their families are still waiting for them to bring back the grains.¡± As he spoke, he sighed sadly. ¡°It¡¯s my ipetence that didn¡¯t allow the people under my rule to live and work in peace.¡±


    ¡°Magistrate Wu, what I¡¯m asking is rted to everyone present. I believe they also want to know. How am I wasting anyone¡¯s time? As for the ipetence you mentioned, that¡¯s finally something truthful that came out of you.¡± Ignoring his pale face, Mu Yangling continued, ¡°I heard that the county magistrate who fled Mingshui County, Qian Shu, is your favorite disciple. Back then, it was you who rmended him to be promoted to county magistrate. He abandoned the city and fled, leaving the citizens to fend for themselves. I heard that he¡¯s hiding in your residence now. I wonder how you n to deal with him?¡±


    ¡°Also, Magistrate Wu said that the Minister Counselors are lending us their stored grains out of the kindness of their hearts. However, we don¡¯t know how much the interest on the borrowed grains is, and when we¡¯re required to finish repaying. After we mortgage thend deed, will thend belong to us or the masters? When will thend deed be returned to us? When springes, do we get to farm ournd, or are the masters going to use thesends? Before you exin these things clearly, we don¡¯t dare to borrow the grains.¡±


    As she spoke, she smiled. ¡°However, since our prefectural capital has a relief grains warehouse, we might not need to mortgage our title deed in exchange for grains.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, everyone put away their title deed and begged, ¡°Sir, we¡¯re at the end of our rope. Please take pity on us and open the warehouse to provide disaster relief.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s understandable that Mingshui County has no grains since its defense has been breached, but the prefectural capital and other county cities¡¯ defense has held. Sir, you can¡¯t leave us to perish.¡±


    Wu Shancai said loudly, ¡°Fellow vigers, I know that it¡¯s difficult for everyone, but the grains in this food relief warehouse are meant to deal with natural disasters. Without the imperial court¡¯s decree, I don¡¯t dare to open it. The best course of action now is for everyone to mortgage their title deed first. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll immediately write a letter to request for the opening of the grains relief warehouse. How¡¯s that?¡±


    With Mu Yangling¡¯s lead, a few elders stood up and asked, ¡°Sir, before we mortgage our title deed, please answer this youngdy¡¯s questions. We also want to know the answers. In addition, must we return the grains next autumn or do we have a few years¡¯ grace? Sir, you also know that we poormoners rely on the heavens to survive. We have no idea if the heavens will bless us with good weather next year. 1 doubt we can finish repaying within one year! Since thisnd is our lifeblood, it¡¯s better for you to make things clear to us.¡±


    The expressions of the squires standing behind Wu Shancai sank. Minister He snorted coldly and said, ¡°We¡¯re lending you grains to let you live out of the goodness of our hearts, but you¡¯re interrogating us instead.¡± With that, he flung his sleeves and said, ¡°Whether to borrow or not, it¡¯s your choice.¡± With that, he cupped his fists at Wu Shancai and said, ¡°Magistrate Wu, we¡¯re only willing to lend them grains on your ount. Since they don¡¯t appreciate it, there¡¯s no need for us to be annoying here. Men, raise the tables. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    After exchanging a look, the other Minister Counselors also instructed their servants to pack up the tables and chairs and leave. Everyone couldn¡¯t help but panic, fearing that they wouldn¡¯t have any grains to eat if they left. It had to be known that they had been hungry for a long time. They might be able to withstand the hunger for a few more days, but their parents, wives, and children couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    ¡°Sir, our questions aren¡¯t difficult. Why are you and the masters unwilling to answer? Or is it really as the outside world says? Did you collude with the masters to plot against us to obtain our title deeds?¡± A burly man stepped forward and shouted.


    Wu Shancai pointed at them with a trembling finger. ¡°Unrulymoners! Unrulymoners! A group of unrulymoners! Everything I did, 1 did it for you. Yet here you are, ndering and insulting me like this. Men, arrest them. Arrest them all!¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Sir, you¡¯re so muddle-headed. Don¡¯t you know thew that even a nine-year-old child like me knows? Emperor Shizong once legited that officials are not allowed to punish the people for their speech. We¡¯re just asking you a few questions. Not only did you not answer, but you¡¯re also punishing us? Do you not want to answer, or are you unable to?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Can¡¯t I scold a mere magistrate like you when I even dare to scold the emperor?¡± An old woman walked out with a walking stick and said, ¡°These masters don¡¯t have to scare us. There are tens of thousands of refugees affected. Surely the magistrate can¡¯t let all of us starve to death?¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap. You just have to tell us if there are grains in the relief grain warehouse. Although we¡¯re uneducated, we know that one should be adaptable in times of emergency. I don¡¯t have any housingnd nor farnd. Although 1 am strong, I don¡¯t wish to be a ve. Besides, we have also paid a lot of tax grains in the past years. Just tell us if you¡¯re going to open the warehouse.¡± A burly man asked Wu Shancai aggressively.


    As soon as these words were spoken, everyone cheered. Who would be willing to mortgage their title deed if they could receive grains for free? They all surrounded Magistrate Wu and demanded an exnation.


    Wu Shancai was furious, yet he could not do anything to these unruly people. He could not help but me Emperor Shizong in his heart. Back then, when he wrote the legition, he was too tolerant of these unruly people. Now, they could not be beaten nor arrested.


    Seeing this, Advisor Huang said in a low voice, ¡°Sir, let¡¯s avoid them for the time being. Let them starve for another two days and they¡¯ll know how to behave.¡±


    Wu Shancai snorted and red at Mu Yangling, then turned around and flung his sleeves. ¡°Chase them away. Go and find out who that child is..¡±

 Chapter 91 - 91: Abusing Power

    Chapter 91: Abusing Power


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    They were initially so confident that they would seed, and they even arranged for someone to take the lead in mortgaging their title deed. Who knew that someone woulde out and cause trouble? Besides, the other party was even just a child.


    Not only was Wu Shancai furious, but those squires also looked at Mu Yangling as if she was an enemy who had killed their father.


    Wouldn¡¯t cutting off someone¡¯s source of ie be equivalent to killing their father?


    The Hus¡¯ attack on the city this time was an unexpected event, but they had long nned to buy more fields and ves. However, farmers held on to their fields as if they were precious treasures. Unless there was a major change, who would sell theirnd for no reason?


    In the past, they could forcefully buy thend or acquire it through giving out high-interest loans, but ever since Qi Xiuyuan was stationed in Xingzhou Prefecture, they had to be careful.


    Although it was said that military officials were not allowed to interfere in local government affairs, his father was an imperial censor whose duty was to impeach officials. As such, they really did not dare to offend him too much.


    As for the local squires, although they looked down on Qi Xiuyuan, they could still tell which was the more powerful party since he had soldiers.


    It wasn¡¯t easy for them to have a chance to scheme against these bumpkins openly, but it was ruined by a child. They couldn¡¯t help but hate her.


    Ignoring their gazes, Mu Yangling returned to the general¡¯s residence with Mu Shi.


    ¡°You¡¯ve offended both Wu Shancai and the squires of Xingzhou Prefecture.¡± Fan Zijin¡¯s teasing voice came from behind.


    Mu Yangling turned around and saw Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin smiling at her.


    Mu Shi hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed. ¡°Greetings, young masters. My daughter has embarrassed herself in front of the two of you. I¡¯m afraid we will implicate the residence because of this matter. We¡¯ll move outter.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m afraid of them?¡± Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, ¡°Uncle Mu, just stay here for as long as you want.¡±


    He then looked at Mu Yangling in admiration. ¡°Well said. Zijin also said that they¡¯re colluding with each other. It¡¯s a pity that my elder brother can¡¯t interfere in local government affairs. Otherwise, he would certainly impeach him.¡±


    Emperor Shizong imposed more restrictions on the actions of officials and advocated more tolerance for the people ording to the rule ofw. On the other hand, Emperor Gaozong believed that the copse of the country was mostly started by unruly civilians and generals, so he imposed more restrictions on military officials and even transferred all the troops stationed at the border to prevent civil unrest.


    If not for the decree previously set by Emperor Shizong that prevented him from easily changing the constitution, Emperor Gaozong would probably have reformed thew.


    Therefore, the current situation in Great Zhou was very strange.


    Among those casting covetous eyes upon Great Zhou, there was Great Jin in the north, West Xia and Tibet in the west, and Dali in the south. Given his weak personality, the Great Zhou Emperor would give in to outsiders if he could. If he could not fight, he would try his best not to. Even if he was forced to fight, he still wanted to restrain his generals and not offend the neighboring countries. At the same time, he had to prevent the generals leading the troops from bing stronger.


    As for themoners, the Great Zhou Emperor could scrape from them as much as he could. This exined all the varied and strange taxes that appeared.


    What Mu Yangling found most baffling was the degree to which Great Zhou practiced freedom of speech. Themoners would scold the corrupt officials and the king for being muddle-headed as they took out silver to pay taxes.


    The emperor was scolded by themoners all the way to the entrance of the pce, but he did not even dare to let out a fart. In fact, he even turned around and wanted to issue an edict for his sins.


    The confrontation between the civil and military officials had reached an unprecedented height. It wasmon for the emperor to not allow military officials to interfere in local affairs. In order to avoid suspicion, the military officials had always turned a blind eye as much as possible. Naturally, Qi Xiuyuan had to avoid getting involved, too.


    ¡°But Mingshui County fell because the county magistrate escaped with his men. Are we going to let him off just like that?¡± If Qian Shu had not taken away more than half of the bailiffs, Mingshui County would not have been breached so quickly.


    Qi Haoran snorted coldly. ¡°Of course we can¡¯t let this matter go just like that. My brother has already written a memorandum to impeach him. How long can that corrupt official hide for?¡± Seeing that the streets were filled with refugees, Qi Haoran protected them as he headed to the general¡¯s residence. ¡°Tough luck getting the grains from the disaster relief warehouse though. My brother said that since these squires and Wu Shancai are colluding with each other, it will be extremely difficult for you guys to get the grains from Wu Shancai.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked around and lowered his voice. ¡°With our West Camp guarding the prefectural capital, it¡¯s impossible for you to riot and force him to submit.¡± Mu Yangling¡¯s face was filled with surprise. ¡°Who said that we¡¯re going to riot?¡± Mu Yangling didn¡¯t mind squabbling and such, but to attack would be to rebel. It wasn¡¯t as if she was tired of living.


    Qi Haoran had an expression that said, ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± He said, ¡°You were just short of using your fists just now. Aren¡¯t you going to riot?¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted and said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to attack. I¡¯m not a fool to attack an official.¡±


    The Mu Family did not have any fields, so it was even more impossible for them to sell themselves as ves. Two days ago, Shu Wanniang had suggested going south, and Mu Shi had agreed. Currently, they were just waiting to leave after the people in Nearhill Vige settled down.


    Now that Xingzhou Prefecture was designated as the border, in the future, there would definitely be more and more Hus going south to plunder resources on the enemy¡¯snd. In the past, when there was only Shu Wanniang and Little Bowen, Mu Shi and Mu Yangling were capable of protecting them. But with the addition of the newborn twins, how could they protect so many people? It wasn¡¯t as if they had three heads and six arms.


    The best solution was to leave this ce and go south to find a beautiful ce to settle down.


    Shu Wanniang did not have any ties here. Mu Shi only felt a sense of responsibility for Nearhill Vige and his feelings for it were indifferent. Now, he was just waiting for the vigers to settle down on ount of his parents.


    Although Mu Yangling was reluctant, she understood her parents¡¯ decision. Since they would not be living in Xingzhou Prefecture in the future, why would she be afraid of offending the squires here?


    They were only powerful in this province and county, so there was no need to worry. Furthermore, they were staying in the Qi Manor, and the military and civil officials were not on good terms to begin with. Adding fuel to the fire was not a big deal.


    Thinking of this, Mu Yangling looked at Qi Haoran sincerely and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Qi Haoran was confused. ¡°What are you thanking me for?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for letting me borrow your power.¡± Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°If I¡¯m not staying in the Qi Manor, 1 wouldn¡¯t dare to argue with Magistrate Wu and those squires.¡±


    Qi Haoran was stunned for a moment before he reacted. Then, he waved his hand and said, ¡°No big deal. Go ahead and rely on our influence and see who dares to bully you.¡±


    Fan Zijin wished he could step on him. What if Mu Yangling really took advantage of his power and went around bullying others?


    Mu Yanglingughed and replied heartily, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, 1 won¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡±


    Seeing that she was in good spirits, Qi Haoran¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He pulled her over to avoid Mu Shi and asked in a low voice, ¡°Are your injuries healed now?¡±


    ¡°More or less. Why?¡±


    Itching to spar, Qi Haoran stole a nce at Mu Shi before lowering his voice even more. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the drill ground to spar.¡±


    Qi Haoran had long wanted to spar with Mu Yangling, but he had never found an opportunity. Though she was staying at his house, she had been injured all this while. He had been waiting for this opportunity.


    Eager to see what the legendary ancient martial arts were like, Mu Yangling nced at her father and saw that he was looking at the items in the stall with Fan Zijin. She nodded slightly.


    Standing at the side, Mu Shi awkwardly took the drum from Fan Zijin¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Fan. Our two children already have this. There¡¯s no need for so much.¡±


    Fan Zijin smiled faintly as he said, ¡°They¡¯re children. No harm keeping a few of these around. It¡¯d be of use when they have younger siblings in the future.¡±


    When Mu Shi heard this, he could only ept it. Fan Zijin nced sideways at the two of them. Seeing that they had already finished their discussion, he no longer helped them attract Mu Shi¡¯s attention.


    When Mu Yangling returned, she changed into a set of light clothes and ran to the drill ground. Qi Haoran was already waiting there. Even Fan Zijin had changed into a martial arts uniform and was standing there.


    Seeing Mu Yanglinging over, Qi Haoran revealed a big smile that was as bright as the sun in the sky, almost blinding her..

 Chapter 92 - 92: Spar

    Chapter 92: Spar


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up as she looked at the weapons on both sides of the drill ground and asked, ¡°What weapons are you good at?¡±


    ¡°Sword and spear.¡± Qi Haoran picked out a spear and twirled it. He asked with a smile, ¡°What about you?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the weapons regretfully and said, ¡°I¡¯m good at using bows and daggers. I¡¯m most skilled at using a dagger.¡±


    Other than marksmanship, Mu Yangling was most outstanding in closebat. As such, her weapons of choice were naturally daggers or daggers.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°My archery skills are not bad either. Let¡¯s sparter.¡± Qi Haoran raised his spear and asked, ¡°Let¡¯s spar?¡±


    ¡°I want to see your spearmanship before we spar.¡±


    Fan Zijin waved his fan and smiled. ¡°This is a little unfair to Haoran.¡±


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth twitched slightly as she looked at the folding fan in his hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I just want to see his spear technique. If you think it¡¯s unfair, I can show you my movester.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a deal!¡± As soon as Qi Haoran finished speaking, he threw out his spear and danced in the arena. Like a dragon coiling around its body, the spear tore through the air. Mu Yangling could feel the force behind it, and her eyes lit up as she watched attentively.


    Qi Xiuyuan, Rong Xuan, and Jiang Ze were viewing from a high spot. Jiang Ze praised, ¡°Good spearmanship. Fourth Young Master¡¯s spearmanship is not inferior to the Yuan family¡¯s.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s lips curled up happily. Though he felt proud of him, he said, ¡°The Yuan family¡¯s spearmanship is invincible on the battlefield. Haoran is still young. How can hepare?¡±


    Did he mean that his spearmanship would be able topare to the Yuan family¡¯s when he grew up?


    Rong Xuan touched his nose and lowered his head to look at the arena. Mu Yangling had already assumed a posture and was practicing. When Jiang Ze saw Mu Yangling¡¯s punches and shes, he burst outughing. ¡°How did this Miss Mu learn such a fist technique? I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll be knocked down before she can even throw out a punch. Luckily she¡¯s not in the pugilistic world.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan also smiled and shook his head slightly. ¡°Since she¡¯s not from the pugilistic world, she just needs to learn some martial arts to protect herself¡­¡± Before he could finish speaking, the smile on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s face gradually disappeared. He looked solemnly at Mu Yangling¡¯s increasingly fast fist technique.


    Rong Xuan and Jiang Ze looked at each other in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan took a closer look and almost moved with Mu Yangling¡¯s movements. After a while, he said solemnly, ¡°This fist technique indeed isn¡¯t enough to let her survive in the pugilistic world, but it¡¯d serve her well in the army.¡±


    As he spoke, he turned around and went down. ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a closer look.¡±


    Fan Zijin lost interest after watching for a while. From how he saw it, this was just an ordinary fist technique and could not evenpare to the few basic fist technique manuals he had.


    However, as Qi Haoran watched with a serious expression, his eyes became brighter and brighter. Having studied martial arts since he was young, he could already carry a wooden sword and follow behind his uncle to practice by the time he was three. Therefore, by Mu Yangling¡¯s fifth move, he realized that although her fist technique looked simple, every move was aimed at a person¡¯s weaknesses. It might not be worth mentioning in the martial arts world, but it was very suitable to be used in the military.


    Though a top pugilist in the martial arts world could take the head of a general even when up against tens of thousands of soldiers, that was merely one person¡¯s sess. A natural general, what Qi Haoran pursued was the strength of his troop as a whole.


    There was only one general, but there were tens of millions of soldiers.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s movements were simple and powerful, attacking the enemy¡¯s weaknesses with every strike. Because it was easy to learn and the movements were slow, it was suitable forrge-scale training. If the entire army mastered this, he did not believe that when they fought the Hus again, five Hans would not be able to take down one Hu.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up as he looked at her. ¡°Who taught you this set of fist techniques? Can I learn it?¡± If he could learn it, then Zijin and his older brother could also learn it and slowly spread it.


    ¡°¡­This is Military Boxing. 1 don¡¯t know who created it, 1 just know how to do it.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at her suspiciously, but Qi Haoran¡¯s focus was on the words ¡®Military Boxing¡¯. ¡°Military Boxing? Isn¡¯t that a boxing technique learned by the military?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s especially outstanding inbat. It¡¯s useless when used against people like you who can fly, but it¡¯s enough to deal with some non-martial artists.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. How many people in this world can be from the martial arts world? How many of them can learn the high-tier martial arts in the martial arts world? My brother and 1 only know some martial arts because of my uncle¡¯s family.¡±


    Qi Haoran threw away his spear. ¡°Why don¡¯t we spar?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Mu Yangling clenched her fists and said happily, ¡°You can use your internal energy to strengthen yourself. I¡¯m very strong.¡±


    Qi Haoran also wanted to know how strong Mu Yangling was, so he used 50% of his internal energy when he punched. Unexpectedly, Mu Yangling grabbed his fist fearlessly and pulled him forward. She threw a kick at him, and Qi Haoran immediately flew up horizontally to dodge¡­


    Mu Yangling¡¯s footnded on the ground with a dull thud.


    Fan Zijin:¡±¡­¡± Looking at the fighting duo, he did not want to speak anymore.


    Not knowing how strong Qi Haoran was, Mu Yangling did not use her full strength. After the two of them tested each other a few times, they roughly knew how much of her strength the other party could withstand.


    In the end, Qi Haoran used 100% of his internal energy, while Mu Yangling only used 60% of her strength¡ªmore than enough to fight Qi Haoran.


    The two of them fought. At first, there were some techniques and fancy moves, but in the end, they were almost entangled together.


    Watching from the side, Fan Zijin was speechless and felt that his teeth were a little sore.


    In the end, Qi Haoranughed heartily and shouted, ¡°That was awesome! Let¡¯s do it again next time.¡±


    Mu Yangling touched the wound on her waist as she said, ¡°Then you¡¯ll probably have to wait for a long time.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is your wound ruptured?¡± Qi Haoran asked nervously.


    ¡°No, but at least it won¡¯t heal so quickly now.¡±


    ¡°Haoran, How can you spar with Miss Mu when she hasn¡¯t recovered from her injuries yet?¡± Qi Xiuyuan, who had been watching from the side for a long time, walked over.


    Mu Yangling quickly smiled and said, ¡°General Qi, my injuries are almost healed.¡±


    ¡°Although you¡¯ve almost recovered, it¡¯s still not appropriate for you to exercise vigorously. I¡¯ll get a doctor to take a look at youter.¡± Qi Xiuyuan smiled and said, ¡°Miss Mu, 1 saw that you were handling the blows with ease just now. I can see that you¡¯re very skilled.¡±


    ¡°Brother, although she doesn¡¯t know internal energy, she¡¯s born with great strength. In fact, she even has an advantage over those of us who have internal energy. We still have to divert our attention to control our internal energy, but she doesn¡¯t need to.¡± Qi Haoran was very envious. ¡°If only 1 was born with divine strength. Brother, doesn¡¯t any of our ancestors have Hu blood?¡±


    Rong Xuan and the others lowered their heads and shrugged.


    Veins popped out on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s forehead. If not for the fact that there were outsiders around, he would have beaten this kid up.


    Fan Zijin rolled his eyes impolitely and nced at Rong Xuan and the others. In the end, he resisted the urge to hit him.


    Mu Yangling said seriously, ¡°It¡¯s not like the Hus are all born with divine strength. However, 1 heard from my father that my great-grandfather¡¯s tribe has several warriors with divine strength. If you really want it, you can go to that tribe and marry their descendants. Perhaps the children you give birth to will inherit divine strength.¡±


    Qi Haoran blinked. ¡°But the Hu women are so strong. 1 don¡¯t like that. If I were to marry a Hu woman, 1 might as well marry you.¡±


    The onlookers:¡±¡­¡±


    As a ¡®parent¡¯, Qi Xiuyuan felt extremely vexed as he looked at his innocent younger brother..

 Chapter 93 - 93: Exposed

    Chapter 93: Exposed


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Miss Mu, can you teach us your Military Boxing? I want to see if it¡¯s suitable for the soldiers to learn.¡± Qi Xiuyuan was much more honest than Qi Haoran and immediately suggested a trial.


    Mu Yangling was stunned for a moment before she understood. She nodded and smiled. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m d to be of help.¡±


    Military Boxing was something they had to learn in the army, but ancient martial arts had a richer heritage. Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t sure if there were any fist techniques in the army that were more suitable. As a general of an army, Qi Xiuyuan obviously knew more about it.


    After thinking for a moment, she said, ¡°Then 1¡¯11 teach Young Master Qi from tomorrow onwards. I¡¯ll only leave after he masters it.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan thought that she was going to leave the general¡¯s residence and return to Nearhill Vige, so he smiled and said, ¡°Your Nearhill Vige has been burned down. Why don¡¯t you stay in the general¡¯s residence first and go back when springes?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re thinking of moving south only after the vigers in Nearhill Vige settle down.¡±


    ¡°Moving south?¡± Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s smile froze for a moment before he asked, ¡°You¡¯re leaving Xingzhou Prefecture?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded with a reluctant expression. ¡°That¡¯s right. The first snow of this year has only been brought forward a month, and the Hus have already gone south to plunder resources on the enemy¡¯snd. I¡¯m afraid there will be a huge drought in the summer. In that case, the Hus will only invade the borders with increased frequency. We have many children in our family, and my father is afraid that he won¡¯t be able to protect us, so we have to go south. Although it will be difficult to leave our hometown, it¡¯s better than losing our lives.¡±


    ¡°Who said that there will be a drought in the summer?¡± Qi Xiuyuan asked.


    Rong Ze also looked over with concern.


    Mu Yangling looked a little embarrassed. ¡°This is just my guess. It might not be true.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s expression softened as he asked gently, ¡°1 wonder how you deduced this.¡±


    Mu Yangling said truthfully, ¡°This year¡¯s first snowfall is a month earlier than in the past and it even snowed continuously for five days in a row. The snow outside even reached a finger deep. My eldest great-uncle said that ording to the experience of the older generation, there will definitely be less rain in theing year. If we¡¯re unlucky, we might even encounter a drought. However, 1 thought that there¡¯s a limit to the amount of rain in the sky. Since snow is converted from raindrops, now that it¡¯s snowing so much in advance, there will be less rain in the sky. When springes and the snow turns into water, the river water will probably rise. Since rain is typically the most intense in summer, how can there be rain when the timees?¡±


    Mu Yangling briefly exined the principle of rain conservation. When Qi Xiuyuan and Rongze heard her childish thoughts, they smiled and said, ¡°You think too much for a child.¡±


    However, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin believed her.


    Fan Zijin said, ¡°Cousin, I think she¡¯s right. It¡¯s better to take precautions early.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuanughed. He felt that although his cousin usually looked steady, he was still a child. To think he even believed such words. However, he knew that his younger brother and cousin were stubborn. If he didn¡¯t take it to heart, these two brats would pester him all day. Hence, Qi Xiuyuan nodded and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll pay attention to this.¡±


    The three children were relieved.


    When Qi Xiuyuan saw Steward Zhu, he said, ¡°The Mu family will be heading south soon. Wrap up a handsome sum of money and hand it to them when they leave.¡±


    Steward Zhu hurriedly agreed. ¡°Eldest Young Master, don¡¯t worry. 1 will definitely make the preparations.¡±


    However, Rong Ze said, ¡°If the Mu family wants to go south, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be possible in the short term.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    He described what had happened at the government office today and said, ¡°Wu Shancai is obviously plotting to take their fields with the squires. He won¡¯t take out grains to help the refugees. If the Mu family wants to wait for the people from Nearhill Vige to settle down before leaving, I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll have to wait.¡±


    Anger appeared on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s face. ¡°They really know how to take advantage of the situation. They¡¯re even more detestable than the Tartars.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s impossible for us to interfere in local government affairs.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s expression was solemn as he asked, ¡°If most of thend in Xingzhou Prefecture is in their hands, do you think we can still collect our military sry next year?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Rong Ze immediately said, ¡°We can¡¯t let them seed. I¡¯ll discuss it with the advisors now.¡±


    Only then was Qi Xiuyuan satisfied. These people even tried to avoid the additional national taxes, not to mention the tax involving the military sry. With 10,000 soldiers under him, he did not want the soldiers to riot because they could not eat their fill.


    Did Wu Shancai think that he could do whatever he wanted just because he couldn¡¯t interfere in local government affairs? Qi Xiuyuan had never been someone who would suffer losses. That day, he got Jiang Ze to bring men to surround the prefectural capital and capture the former Mingshui County magistrate, Qian Shu.


    By abandoning the city and escaping, Qian Shu was negligent of his duties. However, Qi Xiuyuan could also say that he had colluded with the enemy to betray the country and deliberately let the Jin soldiers enter the city.


    Back then, Wu Shancai had locked him outside the city gate. This debt had yet to be settled, so Qi Xiuyuan did not mind stirring up more trouble.


    Meanwhile in the government office, Wu Shancai mmed the table angrily, feeling as if he had swallowed a fly. ¡°Qi Xiuyuan is too much!¡±


    Wu Shancai was so angry that he paced around in circles. ¡°Not only did he send a little kid to cause trouble for me, but he even dared to send troops to surround my government office. He¡¯s trying to rebel. I¡¯m going to impeach him and get His Majesty to give me justice!¡±


    Advisor Huang wiped the cold sweat off his forehead as he advised in a low voice, ¡°Sir, Qian Shu is still in the government office. We can¡¯t let Qi Xiuyuan take him away from the residence. Otherwise, he will definitely implicate you should he be charged.¡±


    Advisor Huang did not think that the emperor would listen to Wu Shancai¡¯s one-sided story. After all, Qi Xiuyuan had a very good reason to surround the government office with his men. The most damning thing was that the culprit was truly in the government office.


    And Wu Shancai¡¯s words attacking Qi Xiuyuan were all spections. There was no evidence at all.


    Advisor Huang regretted not insisting on dissuading Wu Shancai when he locked Qi Xiuyuan outside the city gatest time. Otherwise, the grudge between the two of them wouldn¡¯t have been so deep.


    Having been here for four years, he had interacted with Qi Xiuyuan for four years and knew him better than this magistrate.


    Qi Xiuyuan looked magnanimous and open-minded, but he was never one to suffer a loss. Now that Wu Shancai had offended him, he would remember this grudge for ten years.


    ¡°Then what do you think we should do? His men are all outside the government office now. How can we send them away?¡± Wu Shancai asked irritably.


    Advisor Huang was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Sir, why don¡¯t you dress up and go out to question him? Let Qian Shu pretend to be a bailiff and follow you out. You can let him leave halfway. As for his family, since outsiders don¡¯t know them, you can just lock them up for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do as you say. But what should I question him about?¡±


    ¡®You might not even be able to meet General Qi.¡¯


    ¡°¡­Sir, just ask about the things you mentioned about General Qi just now. It¡¯s best if you can get him to make him turn over that child who spoke up this morning. This way, you¡¯d be able to answer to Minister He and the other squires.¡±


    Wu Shancai nodded in satisfaction. ¡°That¡¯s right. That child surnamed Mu is indeed despicable. Remember, her family¡¯s taxes will be increased by 30% next year, and the vige she¡¯s in will have their taxes increase by 20%.¡±


    Advisor Huang opened his mouth, but in the end, he lowered his head and agreed.


    Wu Shancai asked Qian Shu to disguise himself as a bailiff, then walked out with him in an aboveboard manner. Advisor Huang followed closely by his side. As soon as he went out, he met Jiang Ze¡¯s eyes and rm bells immediately began ringing in his heart. His intuition told him that something was wrong. Just as he was about to ask Qian Shu to hurry back, Wu Shancai had already stepped forward aggressively and shouted, ¡°Jiang Ze, you¡¯re just a lieutenant. Not only did you not kneel when you saw me, but you¡¯re even sitting on your horse calmly. This is simply preposterous.¡±


    Qian Shu hurriedly followed closely behind Wu Shancai.


    Advisor Huang, who wanted to stop Qian Shu:¡±¡­¡±

 Chapter 94 - 94: Arrest

    Chapter 94: Arrest


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Jiang Ze chuckled. ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s the magistrate. Forgive my poor eyesight, but 1 really couldn¡¯t tell it was you right away. My eyes were glued to the person behind you, so I didn¡¯t see you for a moment. Please forgive me.¡±


    In spite of his apology, he didn¡¯t even get off his horse. Instead, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Boys, open your eyes and take a closer look. Is the person standing behind the magistrate in a bailiff uniform Qian Shu?¡±


    Turning pale with fright, Qian Shu fell sitting on the ground as he defended himself. ¡°I didn¡¯t collude with the enemy to betray the country! I didn¡¯t!¡± Then, he hugged Wu Shancai¡¯s thigh and cried. ¡°Sir, Sir, I didn¡¯t collude with the enemy to betray the country. I merely abandoned the city because I was timid. 1 really didn¡¯t betray the country. You have to save me. I¡¯m the Young Master¡¯s uncle.¡±


    Wu Shancai¡¯s face turned pale as he scolded, ¡°What are you shouting for? Go away.¡± He turned to look at Jiang Ze angrily. ¡°Jiang Ze, you¡¯re not worthy of talking to me. Let your generale. Qian Shu is a local official and belongs to my jurisdiction. It¡¯s not within your general¡¯s power to punish him.¡±


    Jiang Ze¡¯s expression slowly darkened. He looked at Wu Shancai coldly and said slowly, ¡°Magistrate Wu, Qian Shu is under your control, but he allowed the Jin soldiers to enter the city. Colluding with the enemy and betraying the country involves the Ministry of War. Our general has the right to investigate. Now, Qian Shu came to you instead of going anywhere else. I remember that when General Qi returned to the city to save the people, he was locked outside the city gate by the magistrate. If my general hadn¡¯t tried his best to jump up the city gate, Xingzhou Prefecture would probably have been captured by the Jin soldiers, right?¡±


    Advisor Huang couldn¡¯t help but close his eyes. The thing he was most worried about had still happened.


    It was Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s fault for failing to protect the county well, but it was also a fact that he had missed a good opportunity by being locked outside the city gate. As such, it was very likely that the Imperial Court would not convict him. However, Magistrate Wu, who had ordered the city gate to be closed and not let anyone enter the city, was in danger.


    In addition, Qian Shu was Wu Shancai¡¯s favorite student and had abandoned the city to escape. Qian Shu¡¯s half-sister was also his Third Concubine. It would be too easy to frame him.


    Cold sweat broke out on Wu Shancai¡¯s forehead, but he could not say that he was instructed by someone. Once he said that, he would immediately be deemed guilty. Now, he could only push the me to the soldiers guarding the city.


    ¡°Men, bring Qian Shu back for interrogation. Magistrate Wu, if you have any questions, juste to the West Camp to ask.¡±


    The soldiers rushed forward and pulled out Qian Shu, who was hiding behind Wu Shancai. Qian Shu hugged Wu Shancai¡¯s thigh tightly and wailed, ¡°Sir, save me. I¡¯m innocent! I¡¯m really innocent¡­¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you eaten? Why does it take you so long to arrest one person. Look, he even tore Magistrate Wu¡¯s clothes. Hurry up and pull him out.¡±


    The two soldiers who came looked at each other before exerting strength. Not only did they pull Qian Shu out, but they also tore Magistrate Wu¡¯s clothes.


    Jiang Ze looked at Magistrate Wu¡¯s sorry state in satisfaction.


    Qian Shu was dragged to the West Camp. When he saw the soldiers eyeing him covetously, he bowed with a bitter expression. ¡°I really didn¡¯t collude with the enemy and betray the country. I really didn¡¯t.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan walked over and circled him three times, before saying with a smile, ¡°Of course I know that you couldn¡¯t have done that. It¡¯s not as if you have the ability. But you need to stay in the West Camp for a while. By the way, we need someone to wash our soldiers¡¯ clothes. Before we behead you, here¡¯s your chance to make some contribution.¡±


    Qian Shu¡¯s legs trembled slightly, and his voice trembled. ¡°Be¡­ behead?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at him with a faint smile. ¡°Why? Do you think you can still live? You abandoned your people and fled from the city. It would have been fine if you had escaped without a trace and stayed under the radar after changing your name. However, you ran to Magistrate Wu¡¯s residence. You should be d that I didn¡¯t force you to confess to the crime of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country. Nine generations of your family would have to be beheaded for that.¡±


    Qian Shu knelt on the ground with a plop, filled with endless regret.


    Qi Xiuyuan snorted and turned to leave. He instructed Jiang Ze, ¡°Take him away. If you have any dirty work to do recently, feel free to order him around.¡±


    Jiang Ze nodded. After watching Qi Xiuyuan leave, he squatted in front of Qian Shu and smiled. ¡°Do you know how many people died in Mingshui County?¡±


    Qian Shu looked at him in a daze.


    ¡°Less than two-thirds of the people in the three viges survived, and this was especially severe in the Seven Mile Vige. Almost all the viges were burned to the ground by the Jin soldiers. If you hadn¡¯t escaped with most of the bailiffs, they would have been spared. Our reinforcements would have arrived in another hour. Just one hour. Tell me, do you think you ought to be killed?¡±


    Qian Shu muttered, ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. 1 just didn¡¯t want to die¡­¡±


    Jiang Ze stood up and looked down at him. ¡°No one wants to die, but because of you, so many people died. You deserve to be killed. Before you die, be of some contribution to us.¡±


    In fact, in Jiang Ze¡¯s opinion, not only did Qian Shu deserve to be killed, but Wu Shancai also deserved to be killed. If he had not locked the general outside the city gate, they would not have been so passive and wouldn¡¯t have taken so long to send reinforcements.


    Wu Shancai panicked and looked at the refugees surrounding the government office. Gritting his teeth, he said, ¡°Advisor Huang, why don¡¯t we take out some grains to help the refugees? We can¡¯t have them surround the ce all the time.¡±


    Ever since Mu Yangling exposed the fact that a relief grains warehouse, the refugees refused to mortgage the title deed no matter what. Even worse, they gradually surrounded the government office and could not be chased away no matter what.


    With the group of starving refugees outside, Wu Shancai could not sleep well at night. It had only been two days, but he could not take it anymore.


    Advisor Huang, who knew Magistrate Wu and the squires¡¯ n, thought for a moment before saying, ¡°I¡¯m afraid Minister He and the others will have objections¡­¡±


    ¡°I have objections too. It¡¯s not as if the refugees are surrounding their homes.¡± Magistrate Wu paced around. ¡°If you ask me, they¡¯re really ruthless. The interest they set is higher than loan sharks. Only a stupid person would borrow grains from them.¡±


    ¡°Their only two options are to starve to death or borrow grains. Once they can¡¯t take the hunger any longer, they¡¯ll naturally cave in.¡±


    Magistrate Wu sneered. ¡°Other than giving in, they could also riot. When the timees, we¡¯ll be the first to suffer.¡±


    ¡°Sir, why don¡¯t you mention it to General Qi and ask him to send troops over to protect you?¡±


    Magistrate Wu rolled his eyes. ¡°We¡¯re already mortal enemies. Do you think he¡¯ll agree?¡±


    ¡°How do you know that he won¡¯t agree since you haven¡¯t even mentioned it to him?¡± Advisor Huang said meaningfully, ¡°Sir, there¡¯s still a long coboration between you and General Qi in the future. He¡¯ll still have to rely on you to raise the military sry for next year.¡±


    After pondering, Magistrate Wu asked, ¡°Do you really think it¡¯s feasible?¡±


    Advisor Huang nodded slowly. ¡°It¡¯s worth a try.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Magistrate Wu said, ¡°Get someone to prepare a sedan chair. We¡¯ll go to the West Camp now.¡±


    ¡°Sir, it¡¯s better to take the carriage. Considering there are refugees on the way, it¡¯s safer to take the carriage.¡±


    Magistrate Wu nodded repeatedly. ¡°Yes, yes. Take the carriage. Go and prepare the carriage.¡±


    At this moment, Mu Yangling was taking out thest piece of silver for Mu Shi. Sighing, she said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about returning the money for the medicine. It¡¯s already good enough that we¡¯re not borrowing additional silver from them now.¡±


    Mu Shi put away the silver and said nonchntly, ¡°As long as we¡¯re alive, we can always earn money. The most important thing now is to buy more grains.


    Can¡¯t let the vigers starve to death after they finally managed to escape from the murderous Hus.¡±


    Shu Wanniang took out a silver hairpin. ¡°Take this, too. Buy as much as you can.¡±


    Mu Shi stopped her. ¡°This won¡¯t help much anyway. 1 bought this for you when we got married. Unless it¡¯s for the children, 1 won¡¯t allow you to spend it.¡±


    Shu Wanniang lowered her head and smiled shyly. ¡°Just buy another one for me in the future. Aren¡¯t times difficult now?¡±


    Seeing her parents showing off their love, Mu Yangling felt her teeth ache. She covered her eyes and said, ¡°Tsk, I think I¡¯m about to get a sty..¡±

 Chapter 95 - 95: Fight

    Chapter 95: Fight


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Shu Wanniang¡¯s face turned even redder, like a ripe apple. Stunned for a moment, Mu Shi actually forgot to reprimand his daughter. Seeing Mu Shi like this, Shu Wanniang¡¯s face turned even redder. Mu Yangling hurriedly dragged her brother out.


    Outside, Little Bowen was still covering his eyes when Mu Yangling pped his hand away. ¡°Alright, stop covering them. Your fingers are so wide apart that I can stuff a rabbit in between. What¡¯s the use of covering them?¡±


    Little Bowen put down his hand and retorted, ¡°1 learned it from you. Also, you¡¯re lying. How can one possibly stuff a rabbit between the fingers?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an exaggeration, not a lie. Alright, stop talking nonsense. Go and see how Cousin Lang and the others are doing.¡± Mu Yangling pushed him and turned to look for Liu Yong and the others.


    The one in the most precarious state, Liu Xuan, had already woken up and had to rest in bed. With themotion outside, Magistrate Wu could not take out the grains for relief. The refugees surrounded the government office, and in response, Qi Xiuyuan sent soldiers to surround ityer byyer.


    The tables of the squires were ced at the entrance of the government office. As long as someone brought their title deed as coteral, they could borrow grains.


    This morning, more than ten people mortgaged their title deeds. It was like a floodgate had opened. The refugees who could not stand the hunger any longer took out their title deeds or signed themselves away as ves in exchange for grains.


    Even though the elders and smart people among the refugees knew that this was a trap, they had no choice but to watch helplessly.


    Originally, they wanted to surround Magistrate Wu and force him to take out grains for disaster relief. However, now that the soldiers of the West Camp were surrounding outside, once a conflict broke out, they would definitely die.


    Many people vented their anger on the soldiers of the West Camp.


    Even the vigers of Nearhill Vige felt that the West Camp was helping the wicked.


    Mu Yangling could more or less guess why Qi Xiuyuan did this, but she didn¡¯t think that Qi Xiuyuan would let others take advantage of him like this. Although she had only known Qi Xiuyuan for more than ten days and had only met him a few times, from his actions, he wasn¡¯t someone who was willing to suffer losses. Something would most likely happenter.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s guess was right. Angry at Magistrate Wu for letting his older brother take the me for such a severe incident, Qi Haoran went straight to beat up Magistrate Wu¡¯s three sons, not even letting the youngest, who was eight years old, off. He pressed him to the ground and walloped him until he screamed.


    Qi Xiuyuan was dragging his brother into the study room to scold him. ¡°¡­If you want to beat them up, so be it. But couldn¡¯t you have dragged them into the alley? Instead, you beat them up in front of so many people. Do you think I¡¯m not in enough trouble already?¡±


    Qi Haoran muttered, ¡°A man should be open and aboveboard¡­¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan kicked him, and Qi Haoran jumped up to avoid it. His foot barely touched his clothes and sessfully left a blurry footprint on it. Qi Haoran chuckled. At least it didn¡¯t touch his butt¡­


    Fan Zijin, who was sitting at the side and watching, turned his head away and ignored Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s weak punches. When themotion stopped, he turned around and said, ¡°Cousin, 1 was the one who asked Haoran to beat those people up in public.¡±


    Only then did Qi Xiuyuan restrain his anger. ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Cousin, everyone knows that Haoran has a short temper. It would be strange if Haoran didn¡¯t react at all after Wu Shancai framed you for such a big matter. Isn¡¯t it better now? Didn¡¯t Wu Shancai not even show up at our ce? Later, you can just send some medicinal herbs to the Wu family. Since Haoran didn¡¯t go easy on them, he could just let his three sons lie in bed and rest for four to five days.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Zijin is the smartest.¡± He turned to face Qi Haoran with a straight face. ¡°1¡¯11 be satisfied if you¡¯re half as smart as Zijin.¡±


    Qi Haoran was annoyed. ¡°No matter how much you like him, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s your younger brother.¡± With that, he pulled Fan Zijin and ran out.


    The angry Qi Xiuyuan was left behind.


    Qi Haoran pulled Fan Zijin out and said indignantly, ¡°Why should everyone say that you¡¯re smart? When we were young, didn¡¯t I always stand up for you? I was the one who stood up for you when you were bullied in school.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at him pitifully and said sincerely, ¡°1 never knew that you thought that way.¡±


    Qi Haoran choked for a moment. Unable to retort, he simply said, ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me in such a tone. 1 don¡¯t understand. If you don¡¯t speak properly, I¡¯m going to be mad at you.¡± With that, he turned around and ran.


    Fan Zijin was not anxious at all as he walked away.


    Yanmo, who was following behind Fan Zijin, was even more rxed. He had been serving the two masters since he was young and knew them very well. No matter how much the two of them quarreled, they would definitely make up in an hour.


    There was once Young Master Zijin secretly took Fourth Young Master¡¯s cricket out to y and ended up identally killing it. Thetter had sworn that he would never speak to him for the rest of his life. It was a record four hours before Fourth Young Master acknowledged Young Master Zijin¡¯s existence again.


    The two of them had been together ever since they learned how to crawl. It had always been Young Master Zijin who came up with the mischievous idea and the Fourth Young Master who executed it. This time, their running away from home was the same.


    Everyone thought that Young Master Zijin had run away from home with Fourth Young Master, but only he knew that it was Young Master Zijin who had urged Fourth Young Master to run away from home. Even the route was prepared by Young Master Zijin.


    At that time, he and Xibi were almost beaten to death. They were only spared from such a fate because of a letter left behind by Young Master Zijin. Later, Young Master Xiuyuan sent someone back to report their status, so he was sent by Madam to serve Young Master Zijin.


    As for the two servants serving Fourth Young Master, who cared about their lives? In any case, they were Madam Wu¡¯s people and often snitched on them.


    Just as Fan Zijin reached the door of the study, he saw Qi Haoran standing at the door angrily. He floated past him without looking sideways and said calmly, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you running anymore? Are you not mad anymore?¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted and said, ¡°1¡¯11 be magnanimous. Tell me honestly, are you hiding something from me?¡±


    Fan Zijin sat down in front of the desk and poured himself a cup of tea. He said, ¡°I didn¡¯t hide anything from you, but there¡¯s something I didn¡¯t have time to tell you.¡±


    Qi Haoran pulled a stool and sat down in front of Fan Zijin. He red at him and asked, ¡°What does this have to do with me hitting Wu Shancai¡¯s sons?¡±


    Fan Zijin nced at Yanmo, who immediately went out to guard the door for the two of them.


    Only then did Fan Zijin say, ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice that Mo Xiong, who was with Cousin after we returned, disappeared?¡±


    Qi Haoran stared at him in confusion.


    ¡°I knew you weren¡¯t paying attention. Some time ago, Cousin¡¯s messenger pigeons had been flying around. In the past few days, even Brother Rong hasn¡¯t been around. I¡¯m guessing that Cousin must be up to something big this time. He¡¯s doing major stuff, so it¡¯s inevitable that he¡¯ll overlook small details. 1 could only help him fill in the gaps. At this moment, it¡¯s only reasonable for you to beat up Wu Shancai¡¯s three useless sons. Now, not only is Wu Shancai relieved, but I believe Xingyuan Prefecture is also relieved.¡±


    ¡°What does this have to do with Xingyuan Prefecture?¡±


    ¡°Plenty.¡± A cold glint shed across Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°Cousin and Wu Shancai have worked together for more than four years. Although there were small conflicts in the past, things looked harmonious on the surface. Why did he suddenly lock Cousin outside the city gate? He was doing so at the risk of getting beheaded and having his assets confiscated. Other than the capital, only the people from the Xingyuan Prefecture canmand him.¡±


    ¡°Last time, I heard from Cousin and Brother Rong that the traitor came from Xingyuan Prefecture. Since the capital is too far away from here, it definitely can¡¯tmand Wu Shancai in time.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Mo Xiong went to catch the traitor?¡±


    Fan Zijin chuckled. ¡°This is up to Cousin and the rest to deal with. We just have to cause trouble for Wu Shancai during this period of time. Today, we beat up his useless sons. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll go and beat up his brother-inw. We¡¯ll even beat up Minister He and Minister Liu as well. However, you have to know your limits. Just let them lie down for two to three days. Don¡¯t go overboard.¡±


    Qi Haoran clenched his fists and said smugly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m the best at fighting..¡±

 Chapter 96 - 96: Selling Land

    Chapter 96: Selling Land


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The dejected refugees carried their title deed to the table to register. Then, they ced the deeds down and took a bag of grains from behind before leaving with a sad expression.


    The squires¡¯ ountants looked increasingly smug. Qi Xiuyuan, who was standing in the corner, saw all of this. He also smiled and said to Jiang Ze, ¡°It¡¯ll be difficult to get these title deeds back once they mortgage them. Then why hold on to such unrealistic thoughts? They might as well sell thend and exchange it for grains.¡±


    Jiang Ze blinked and said, ¡°General, you¡¯re right.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan:¡±¡­¡±


    After a while, Qi Xiuyuan sighed and looked up at the sky. His heart twitched. If only Rong Xuan was here. Alternatively, it would be good if Mo Xiong was around, too. At least he didn¡¯t have to say anything else.


    After Qi Xiuyuan was done being mncholic, he turned to Jiang Ze and smiled faintly. ¡°Spread these words in a different version. Make sure that the refugees sell theirnd to these squires instead of mortgaging them to borrow grains. The grains borrowed aren¡¯t even enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.¡±


    Realization dawned on Jiang Ze. He scratched his head in embarrassment. ¡°Yes, General. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely get it done for you.¡± He added, ¡°1 won¡¯t let anyone find out it was your idea.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan red at him. ¡°We definitely can¡¯t let them trace this back to West Camp.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. 1¡¯11 make sure they don¡¯t even have a clue.¡±


    Feeling that there was no one around him to deploy, Qi Xiuyuan returned to the entrance of the residence and saw a few ragged people standing not far away. Mu Yangling was standing opposite them, stuffing a few pieces of silver into their hands.


    Qi Xiuyuan was deep in thought. He knew that the vigers of Nearhill Vige were in the refugee settlement in the east of the city, but since the Mu family did not ask him for help, he naturally would not take the initiative to ask.


    There were more than 200 people here. If he had to feed them for a month, he would definitely go broke doing so. Hence, he avoided them as much as he could. But now, it seemed like there was no need to do so.


    Qi Xiuyuan took the initiative to step forward and bowed with a smile. ¡°Seniors.¡±


    Liu He and the others hurriedly avoided epting his bow. ¡°General, you¡¯re too polite. We don¡¯t deserve it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re elders, so it¡¯s only right for you to receive my greetings.¡± Qi Xiuyuan smiled and said, ¡°A few days ago, I wanted to invite you elders over as guests, but I was too busy toe.¡±


    Although he knew that he was just being polite, Liu He was still so excited that he couldn¡¯t speak.


    Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t seem to notice their tattered clothes and chatted with Liu He and the others for a while.


    Seeing that Liu He and the others were extremely restrained, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Eldest Great-uncle, you guys can go back first. I¡¯ll take good care of my uncles and cousins.¡±


    Liu He hurriedly bade farewell.


    Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan was staring at their backs, Mu Yangling asked curiously, ¡°General, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan seemed to have juste back to his senses. He lowered his head and smiled, then looked straight at Mu Yangling and asked, ¡°The squires are all borrowing grains from the government office. Why aren¡¯t your great-uncle and the others going?¡±


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and said without thinking, ¡°I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to repay them after borrowing their grains.¡± Seeing the smile on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s lips, her heart skipped a beat. She tilted her head and asked, ¡°General, do you think we should borrow their grains?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Qi Xiuyuan smiled faintly and said, ¡°I just think that you should sell thend to them and get more grains.¡±


    ¡°But, but thend is their lifeblood. If they sell it all, how can they live in the future?¡±


    ¡°They might not have nond.¡± Qi Xiuyuan said meaningfully, ¡°And the person holding the title deed might not be the owner of thend.¡±


    Mu Yangling fell deep in thought. When she came back to her senses, Qi Xiuyuan had already walked far away.


    Mu Yangling hesitated for a moment before turning around and running after Liu He.


    ¡°You want us to sell all ournd to Minister He and the others?¡± Liu He stood up in shock.


    Liu Daqian also stood up and looked at her with widened eyes.


    Mu Yangling nodded solemnly and looked at Liu He persistently. ¡°Great-uncle, exchange as much as you can.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Recalling that Mu Yangling currently lived in the general¡¯s residence, his eyes lit up. ¡°Did you hear something?¡±


    Mu Yangling frowned. Qi Xiuyuan had reminded her out of goodwill. Although she didn¡¯t know the reason, she trusted him.


    Qi Xiuyuan had also seen Liu He just now, but he didn¡¯t mention it when he was around. Instead, he only secretly reminded her after Liu He left. It was obvious that he didn¡¯t want anyone to know about his involvement.


    Mu Yangling naturally couldn¡¯t implicate him.


    ¡°Great-uncle, I was just guessing. 1 thought that since the vigers can¡¯t stand the hunger anymore, they might as well sell theirnd. Anyway, even if the ministers acquire so much farnd, they can¡¯t very well farm everything themselves, right? We can just rent it from themter. When we have some time on our hands, we can see if we can reim more farnd. We¡¯ll be alright eventually.¡±


    Liu He looked at Mu Yangling seriously for a while and sat down on a rock to smoke. He knew that this was just some excuse cooked up by Mu Yangling. She was not such a rash person to suggest such a thing based purely on these mere guesses.


    She must have heard some news from the general¡¯s residence. Perhaps General Qi had told her just now. Otherwise, why would this child chase after them after just parting ways with them?


    The reason why the general¡¯s residence was willing to take in the Mu family, Dazhuang, and the other seriously injured people was because Ah Ling had once saved the two young masters of the general¡¯s residence. Considering this, they probably wouldn¡¯t lie to All Ling.


    Liu He¡¯s hands trembled slightly. In the end, he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. ¡°Sell it. Sell it all. Dacang, bring over our title deed.¡±


    ¡°Father, we can¡¯t sell thisnd. The Liu family has umted for three generations to only have this small plot of farnd. If we sell it all, how are our descendants going to live?¡±


    Liu He looked at him with a burning gaze. ¡°My word is final. Go get it!¡±


    Liu Dacang knelt on the ground for a while. Finally, he wiped his tears and took out the title deed wrapped inyers from his bag. On his knees, he handed it to his father.


    Liu He took the title deed and touched it reluctantly. His great-grandfathers had reimed thend bit by bit. The previous generations of the Liu family had died from exhaustion reiming thesends. But now, they had to use these things to exchange for sustenance.


    Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian looked at each other. In the end, they gritted their teeth and waved their hands to get their sons to find their title deed.


    Liu Ting and Liu Yuan took it out with reddened eyes, but they trusted Mu Yangling more than Liu Dacang. Although Ah Ling was young, the two of them had stopped treating her as a child ever since she brought them into the mountains to hunt.


    After Liu He, Liu Daqian, and Liu Erqian expressed their stance, the other families also took out their title deeds one after another. But there were also some who were unwilling and stood at the side without saying anything.


    Liu He did not force them. He brought the families who were willing to sell theirnd and contacted the refugees in the nearby viges to go to the government office to talk to Minister Liu and the others.


    Comparing selling and borrowing, selling thend would fetch them more grains, right?


    After Liu He sold thend, he carried back a few bags of grains. Cries immediately broke out in the refugee area they were in. Everyone was overwhelmed with emotions when they heard that. Soon, the refugees all burst out crying..

 Chapter 97 - 97: Investigation

    Chapter 97: Investigation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    However, the next day, under Jiang Ze¡¯s instruction, rumors that one wouldn¡¯t be able to im back their mortgagednd deed started spreading. Since the interest was so high, they definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to repay it by next autumn. When the time came, the squires would definitely seize theirnd. In that case, they might as well just sell it now.


    Hence, in less than two days, when someone brought their title deed to the government office, it wasn¡¯t to mortgage it but to sell it.


    If the squires didn¡¯t buy it, they would find someone else.


    These squires were not the only ones in the prefectural capital. There were also some rich farmers, smallndowners, small businessmen, or medium-grade squires who wanted to buynd¡­


    This was different from what Minister Liu and the others had imagined. The grains needed to buynd were different from the grains needed to lend out grains. The former was twice as much as thetter. However, looking at the refugees leaving one after another, Minister Liu gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Buy it. Otherwise, these bumpkins will go to Xingyuan Prefecture to sell theirnd. You have to know that there are also many families there who want to buynd at a low price.¡±


    Minister He thought about it before gritting his teeth in agreement.


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s smile widened.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know what would happen, but she felt uneasy when she saw everyone selling and buyingnd.


    She ran to look for Qi Haoran to ask for information. Qi Haoran had been happily beating people up these few days. When he heard this, he waved his hand indifferently and said, ¡°What can happen? My brother is busy catching traitors these few days. How can he have the time to care about local government affairs? You don¡¯t have to worry. If Wu Shancai really goes overboard, I¡¯ll write a letter to the capital and impeach him. Let¡¯s see if he can remain so smug.¡±


    Fan Zijin, who had been feeling nervous, suddenly rxed. He stood at the side and nodded with a smile. ¡°Haoran and I have many friends in Lin¡¯an Prefecture. Their fathers are all officials in the imperial court who can help. Miss Mu, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Fan Zijin suspiciously. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Then why was he so nervous just now?


    Fan Zijin nodded with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Seeing that she couldn¡¯t get anything out of him, Mu Yangling could only leave in disappointment.


    Unable to understand why she was in low spirits, Qi Haoran hurriedly chased after her and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You can always buy back yournd when you earn moneyter. On the other hand, Zijin said that the Imperial Court encourages the remation ofnd. The reimednd will belong to the individual who reimed it, and there are even tax cuts for the first two years.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say. How can a farmer earn money other than farming? In the past, when they hadnd, they couldn¡¯t earn more than a few taels of silver a year. Now that they don¡¯t havend, they¡¯d have difficulty even feeding themselves.¡±


    Mu Yangling sighed and said, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s so good to be a tenant of thendlord¡¯s family? You have to pay them 60% of the harvest. When it¡¯s peak farming season, thendlord will even force them to work for him. When it¡¯s not so busy, they can¡¯t be idle either. They¡¯re only slightly better off than thendlord¡¯s long-term workers. Forget about earning money, they should be thanking the heavens if they weren¡¯t dying of exhaustion.¡±


    Qi Haoran was dumbfounded. ¡°The tenant farmers are suffering so much?¡±


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes. ¡°What else do you think? Though tenant farmers don¡¯t have to pay farm taxes, they can¡¯t avoid the poll tax andnd tax. They only get 40% of the grains a year. After deducting these for taxes, how much do you think there will be left for their family to eat? In the past, our Nearhill Vige used to eat thick porridge for half a year, ck and white steamed buns for two months, and all kinds of misceneous grains for the remaining four months. However, as a tenant farmer, we¡¯d have to eat chaff for at least half a year. That¡¯s something used to feed pigs.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked embarrassed. ¡°I-1 don¡¯t know. It¡¯s easy for me to earn money. Why don¡¯t I lend you some?¡± Qi Haoran touched his deted wallet.


    Mu Yangling nced at his wallet and said, ¡°Come on, that bit of money of yours isn¡¯t even enough for us to fill the gaps between our teeth. Actually, I came to look for you to find out what would happen, and also for some reassurance. These two days, I have been uneasy for fear that 1 have led the vigers to a dead end.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Qi Haoran said, ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll go ask my brother.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Mu Yangling pulled him back. ¡°You also said that the general is busy. Don¡¯t cause trouble for him. Never mind if you don¡¯t know.¡± Recalling that Fan Zijin¡¯s expression had been strange just now, her eyes darted around and she whispered into his ear, ¡°Don¡¯t ask the general. Ask Fan Zijin.¡±


    ¡°Zijin? If he knew, I would have known long ago.¡± The two of them would always tell each other everything.


    ¡°Maybe he just found out and hasn¡¯t told you yet.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Go and ask him. You must tell me when you find out.¡±


    Qi Haoran agreed.


    Poor Fan Zijin thought that Qi Haoran didn¡¯t know anything and wouldn¡¯t leak any secrets, so he didn¡¯t follow the two of them and got screwed over by his brother just like that.


    Qi Haoran ran to look for Fan Zijin. As soon as they met, he asked, ¡°1 heard from Mu Yangling that Big Brother hinted to her to get the people from Nearhill Vige to sell all theirnd. Do you know why?¡±


    Fan Zijin had never been wary of Qi Haoran. When he heard this, he nodded and said, ¡°I know. Cousin got some news from the capital. Selling thend is more worth it than mortgaging the title deed.¡±


    Qi Haoran hurried over. ¡°What news?¡±


    Seeing that there were only the two of them in the room, Fan Zijin did not hide it from him and said in a low voice, ¡°If I tell you, you have to be careful not leak it out.¡±


    Qi Haoran hurriedly nodded.


    Fan Zijin whispered in his ear.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Qi Haoran jumped up and said, ¡°When the timees, I¡¯ll get Big Brother to let me be in charge of the 4th and 5th Divisions.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dreaming too much. Even the number one general under Cousin, Hua Hui, isn¡¯t leading two divisions. If Cousin really hands the 4th and 5th Divisions to you, that would be terrible.¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips. Fan Zijin sighed and said, ¡°I think Cousin is most likely going to hand over the 5th Division to you. Thest time he asked you to go to the 4th Division, the soldiers of the West Camp didn¡¯t say anything, but they all felt that Cousin is biased towards you. This time, you¡¯ve made a great contribution and sessfully trained the misceneous soldiers of the 4th Division to be somewhat decent. Now, everyone is more or less convinced. However, you¡¯re only 12 years old after all, so Cousin can¡¯t give you a title. Without an official position, it¡¯s not appropriate for you to manage the 4th Division anymore.¡±


    Qi Haoran was so anxious that his eyes turned red. How could he still remember what Mu Yangling had asked him to do? Fie immediately shouted, ¡°If you want to take advantage of my results, you should first see what I¡¯m capable of. 1 want to see who dares to take over the 4th Division.¡±


    The soldiers of the 4th Division were initially so cowardly. They were old, disabled, weak, and some were so timid that they cried out when they saw a chicken being killed. How much effort had he spent to make the 4th Division be somewhat decent? To think they were taken from him just like that?


    For the sake of the 4th Division, he had skipped ss every other day and as a result, got beaten up by his eldest brother every other day. He practically ate and slept in the camp. Was it easy for him?


    Fan Zijin¡¯s heart ached for hispanion, but there was nothing he could do to help. Who asked them to be so young?


    There had never been anyone in the court who became an official at the age of 12, let alone a general.


    Fan Zijin patted his brother¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait another two years. In two years, we¡¯ll be 14 years old. When the timees, we can ask Cousin to apply for a title for us..¡±

 Chapter 98 - 98: Secret

    Chapter 98: Secret


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran lowered his head and did not speak. Seeing that he was pretending to be mncholic, Fan Zijin pped him. ¡°Alright, you can put on this sad face in front of Cousin. I actually think the 5th Division is not bad. Since almost all of them are locals, their families can arrive immediately. Managing them is equivalent to managing a bunch of locals familiar with the territory. Although they¡¯re new recruits, as long as you train them, they¡¯ll definitely be stronger than the 4th Division.¡±


    At the thought of Mu Shi and Mu Yangling¡¯s strength, Qi Haoran was instantly delighted. ¡°You¡¯re right. The seedlings of the 5th Division are stronger than the 4th Division.¡±


    The moment Qi Haoran raised his butt, he knew what he was thinking. Fan Zijin said leisurely, ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. The Mu family won¡¯t be included.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s smile froze. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Miss Mu say that her entire family is moving south? Just based on the favor she has done for us, Cousin won¡¯t make things difficult for them.¡± Actually, Fan Zijin really didn¡¯t think that Mu Yangling had done them much kindness. They had already repaid her for that meal in Mingshui County. Saving them this time was considered their duty, but sending them a doctor and paying for their medicine would be going way beyond that, right?


    However, Haoran, this fool, foolishly thought that giving someone a meal in adversity was tantamount to giving them a new lease on life. His cousin was also grateful and wanted to repay his kindness. So he just watched with folded arms, happy to let this silly kid feel at ease.


    ¡°Go south?¡± Qi Haoran was a little sad. ¡°Have they already made up their minds? 1 think Xingzhou Prefecture is a pretty nice ce. It¡¯s much better than Lin¡¯an Prefecture.¡±


    ¡°Lin¡¯an Prefecture is the capital, the most prosperous ce in the world. Only a fool like you would think that this destend is better than the capital.¡±


    Qi Haoran red at him. ¡°Then tell me, do you prefer staying in Lin¡¯an or here?¡±


    ¡°Here, of course.¡± Fan Zijin sighed. ¡°Although there are no restaurants or beautiful sceneries here, I¡¯m free and carefree. Cousin dotes on me and unlike Lin¡¯an Prefecture, we don¡¯t have any of those vexing troubles here. Naturally, this is better.¡±


    Only then was Qi Haoran satisfied. ¡°Exactly! This ce is better. The ¡®little pony¡¯ that Big Brother chose for me is about to arrive. That¡¯s a thousand-mile horse that cost more than 800 taels of silver. When the timees, you can raise it with me. I can lend it to you for a ride.¡±


    ¡°Forget it. 1 don¡¯t care for it.¡± Fan Zijin stood up and said, ¡°1 still prefer beauties and books.¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips. ¡°You¡¯ll definitely be like your father in the future.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s face turned cold and he said seriously, ¡°No, I won¡¯t be as shameless as him. At the very least, 1¡¯11 distinguish between the legitimate wife and concubines, and give my legitimate wife the respect she deserves.¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that still mean you¡¯ll have plenty of concubines? With Aunt¡¯s personality, she definitely won¡¯t agree. There¡¯s bound to be conflicts. If the concubines are insolent, your being smart won¡¯t help.¡± Qi Haoran advised. ¡°Concubines destroy the harmony of a family. Look at my family and yours. Neither is happy. For the sake of our descendants, don¡¯t take concubines if you can.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at him strangely. ¡°It¡¯s rare for you to have such awareness.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Qi Haoran said proudly, ¡°I figured it out a long time ago. A man should focus on making contributions instead of being distracted by women.¡±


    Since 12-year-old teenagers were most interested in the opposite sex, the two virgin boys immediately moved closer to each other. Fan Zijin tugged at him and asked, ¡°Then don¡¯t you find it annoying to be with one woman all day long? Take my father for example. After seeing spring flowers today, he can admire the autumn moon tomorrow. If there¡¯s only one wife, he¡¯d have to face her regardless of his mood.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at him as if he was looking at a fool. ¡°There are all kinds of spring flowers and autumn moons in the brothels outside. If you tire of looking at your wife, just go there to check them out. As long as you don¡¯t take them back and don¡¯t have a bastard son born, won¡¯t the family be peaceful?¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at Qi Haoran thoughtfully. After a while, he said, ¡°Good idea!¡±


    ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t have that much time to argue with women. Alright, 1 need to practice martial arts now. You should go study, too.¡± With that, he waved his hand and turned to leave.


    Behind him, Fan Zijin said coldly, ¡°I remember that Cousin arranged a schedule for you. You¡¯re supposed to study ¡®Higher Education¡¯ with the teacher this afternoon, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran ran away. Seeing that he would be attending ss alone again in the afternoon, Fan Zijin was so angry that he picked up the cup on the table and threw it at him.


    Qi Haoranughed out loud. ¡°Why would 1 study ¡®Higher Education¡¯ when I haven¡¯t even memorized ¡®The Doctrine Of The Golden Mean¡¯ yet? Go and learn by yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to tell Cousin to punish you by making you copy ¡®The Analects¡¯ a hundred times.¡±


    Qi Haoran was long gone.


    Qi Haoran only came back to his senses after running to the drill ground. He had yet to tell Mu Yangling about that matter. It was confidential, but since he had already promised to tell her about it, he still went to look for her after some hesitation. However, he pulled her into the garden and, in a lowered voice, made her promise not to tell anyone, including her parents.


    Mu Yangling nodded without thinking.


    Qi Haoran looked at her suspiciously. ¡°Aren¡¯t you suspicious?¡±


    ¡°Suspicious of what? I¡¯m merely asking you for peace of mind. Regardless of whether it¡¯s a good thing or a bad thing, thend has been sold and the grains have been eaten. We can¡¯t go back on our word even if we want to.¡±


    Upon hearing her words, Qi Haoran felt even more conflicted. After a while, he said, ¡°It¡¯s both a good thing and a bad thing. Anyway, you didn¡¯t lose anything by selling thend, but ultimately it¡¯s not exactly a good thing either. I think being a soldier is a good thing, because at least you can protect the country and make contributions. But the people don¡¯t seem to fancy being soldiers.¡±


    Mu Yangling widened her eyes. ¡°What soldier? What does this have to do with being a soldier?¡±


    Qi Haoran touched his nose and whispered into Mu Yangling¡¯s ear. What she heard made her feel as if she had been struck by lightning.


    She did not screw the vigers of Nearhill Vige over, but the emperor was screwing over the entire Mingshui County. No, more urately speaking, it was half of the citizens of Xingzhou Prefecture.


    As expected of a ¡®god-like¡¯ emperor.


    Qi Haoran waved his hand in front of her and said, ¡°You promised not to tell anyone about this.¡±


    Mu Yangling stared at him. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean we can¡¯t go south either?¡±


    She shuddered and hurriedly asked, ¡°My younger siblings are still young. Don¡¯t tell me they¡¯ll also be enlisted?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As soon as my Big Brother heard that you wanted to move, he removed you guys from the list. If you want to leave, you can do so anytime.¡±


    Mu Yangling felt sour and bitter at the same time. She was at a loss as to what to do.


    She had been a soldier in her previous life and did not think that there was anything wrong with being a soldier. In her previous life, being a soldier was an honorable thing.


    However, that was not the case here. Bing a soldier meant that that person¡¯s descendants would also have to be soldiers in the future. Being a soldier meant being poor and single. Just thinking about Little Bowen carrying a broadsword and standing on the battlefield covered in blood in the future, leaning against the entrance of the camp with white hair when he was old, and not having a child by his side, Mu Yangling felt as if there was a rock pressing down on her heart.


    Therefore, Mu Yangling was very d that she could get in through the back door. She just felt that she had let down the vigers in Nearhill Vige..

 Chapter 99 - 99: Imperial Edict

    Chapter 99: Imperial Edict


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After five days, the refugees either mortgaged theirnd or signed themselves off as ves to the squires to obtain the capital to survive.


    After obtaining the grains, everyone began to pack up and go home. Their houses had been burned down, and it was winter now. No matter what, they had to work hard to build a straw hut for their families to shelter them from the wind and snow.


    Minister He and the others smiled until their faces were full of wrinkles. They smiled at Wu Shancai and said, ¡°Thankfully, Magistrate Wu has helped maintain order these few days.¡±


    Wu Shancai said absent-mindedly, ¡°No, this is my duty.¡±


    Seeing his solemn expression, Minister Liu asked, ¡°Sir, is there something troubling you?¡±


    Wu Shancai sighed. ¡°The Lin¡¯an Prefecture has settled the matter of the Jin soldiers attacking the city. The messenger from Xingyuan Prefecture wille to announce the decree today.¡±


    ¡°So fast?¡± Minister Liu was very surprised. When did the Imperial Court be so efficient?


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Surprised as well, Wu Shancai sighed and said, ¡°I wonder how many people will be affected this time.¡±


    Actually, what he wanted to say was that he didn¡¯t know if he would be reced. Would he be fired or demoted? But no matter how hard he tried to find out, he failed.


    The unknown was always scary. Thinking that the oue would be revealed in a while, he felt even more uneasy. Even though Minister He and the others had just sent him a lot of silver, he was still unhappy. Very unhappy.


    Minister He and the others looked at each other, their good mood affected as well. They had worked well with Wu Shancai, and they had invested a lot of money in him over the years. If he were to be reced by someone else, they would definitely have to spend a lot of money to bribe him. They also needed a period of time to get used to each other.


    However, no one expected that the 2,000 elite soldiers of Xingyuan Prefecture woulde with the messenger and surround the prefectural capital.


    Shocked, Wu Shancai¡¯s legs trembled as he ran to look for Qi Xiuyuan. Thetter also came out in shock. ¡°Why is the messenger surrounding the prefectural capital?¡±


    Wu Shancai asked with a trembling voice, ¡°General, you don¡¯t know either?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan frowned, and Wu Shancai¡¯s heart turned even colder. ¡°The emperor won¡¯t fire us both, right?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said angrily, ¡°Who¡¯s with you? If the emperor really deals with me because of the siege, I¡¯ll deal with you first.¡± With that, he flung his sleeves and left.


    Not in the mood to bicker with him at this moment, Wu Shancai hurriedly jogged after him.


    The messenger and Dai Wei, who had brought the troops over, were already waiting in the government office. Strangely, Minister He and the others were also there.


    Wu Shancai hurriedly jogged forward and smiled apologetically. ¡°1 didn¡¯t know that the messenger and General Dai had arrived. I was negligent. Why don¡¯t the two of you go into the residence to freshen up first?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± The messenger nced at Wu Shancai condescendingly and said, ¡°I still have to go to General Yuan after announcing the decree here. Let¡¯s not dy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. 1¡¯11 listen to you, sir.¡± Wu Shancai quickly got someone to set up the incense table.


    Qi Xiuyuan asked Dai Wei coldly, ¡°Why are you surrounding Xingzhou Prefecture, General Dai?¡±


    Dai Wei snorted and turned his head away without answering. The messenger, who was treating Wu Shancai coldly, said to Qi Xiuyuan with a beam, ¡°General Qi, no need to be anxious. This is something wonderful. His Majesty is helping you solve your worries.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan frowned. Minister He and the others, who were standing at the side, looked at each other with an ominous feeling.


    Speaking of which, why was the messenger making them stay here while he announced the decree?


    The messenger could read their confusion, but they weren¡¯t important enough for him to answer. Hence, he merely gave them a half-smile.


    The ominous feeling intensified.


    The imperial edict was indeed here to solve the biggest problem for Qi Xiuyuan, but it also gave him another problem.


    The Emperor ssified half of the people in Xingzhou Prefecture as military households. Because of this war disaster, other than families with only sons and widows, all others were ssified as military households.


    This time, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue had reformed the military system. In the past, when one was drafted as a soldier, they would leave their hometown and join the army alone. Perhaps they would never return to their hometown for the rest of their lives. Other than the lieutenants and a small number of soldiers who had survived, very few people who were unmarried before joining the army could get married and have children. This was all because soldiers were poor. Some soldiers just wanted to eat their fill, while some soldiers were drafted.


    The war in the country had been ongoing. In the past few years, many households had been conscripted into the army, but the royal family was extravagant and the treasury had always been empty. Not to mention Qi Xiuyuan, even General Yuan¡¯s sry and rations had been deducted. Qi Xiuyuan had been a general for four years, but he had only given ordinary soldiers a sry once. As for the rations, they were considered lucky to be able to eat and drink their fill.


    This time, the Imperial Astronomers had long predicted that the Hu people in the north would go south to plunder every time the weather changed. Therefore, as soon as the emperor received the news, he sealed it off. In fact, he was worried about the sry and rations of the various armies.


    He still had to celebrate the new year, but there was no more money in the treasury. Once a war broke out, where would the rationse from?


    Moreover, what would happen next year? What would happen the year after? Like the generals, he worried about the rations and military pay.


    The emperor gathered Qin Fang and his trusted aides together and finally came up with a solution. He wanted the soldiers to fret about their own sry and rations.


    The emperor nned to allocate arge plot ofnd for them to farm themselves. With a tap of the red brush-pen on the decree, tens of thousands of families in his kingdom became military households.


    Every household would produce a young man to join the army while the remaining people would farm at the rear. 40% of the harvested crops would be handed to the army, and the remaining 60% would go to the military households themselves. The military sry and rations woulde from the 40%. Whether there was enough rations would depend on the capabilities of the various armies.


    The Emperor was washing his hands off of the matter.


    When the emperor decided on this n, the Jin soldiers happened to be attacking Xingzhou Prefecture. As a result, Mingshui County became heavily impacted by the disaster. The emperor did not want to waste time sending people to relief the disaster, so he directly made them all military households, tossing this problem over to Qi Xiuyuan.


    Qi Xiuyuan was originally quite worried, but Wu Shancai, Minister He and the other ministers solved this problem for him.


    It might seem to others that Wu Shancai, Minister He, and the squires had plotted against the refugees. In Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes though, it was them who had taken out grains to help him feed his future subordinates.


    At this moment, looking at the pale faces of Wu Shancai and the squires, the anger he had been feeling for the past few days finally dissipated. Qi Xiuyuan was very happy, but he questioned the messenger coldly, ¡°Even if the military system is changed, these military households won¡¯t be able to harvest anything until next autumn. What are we going to do about the military sry and rations before that? Also, where do we get the seeds, farming tools, and plowing oxen after spring? 1 only know how to fight and not farm.¡±


    The messenger felt awkward. He also knew that this matter was a little difficult for him, but this decree was personally issued by the emperor, and in the future, the various armies would follow this system. The messenger tried his best to speak as carefully as possible. ¡°General Qi, the national treasury really can¡¯t provide any grains now. Since the system has already been changed, you¡¯ll naturally have to start raising the military sry and rations. This is the rule for all armies.¡± Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s expression turned even uglier, the messenger hurriedly added, ¡°But don¡¯t worry, General Qi. The Imperial Court will provide good seeds, farming tools, and plowing oxen. They will definitely arrive in Xingzhou Prefecture before spring..¡±

 Chapter 100 - 10o: Enlisted

    Chapter 10o: Enlisted


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°This year, the Imperial Court only paid a quarter of the rations that should have been given to our army. When are they going to pay the rest? The military sry handed in this year is even less thanst year, but our army has already expanded from the 3rd Division to the 4th Division. Also, many soldiers died on the battlefield in this battle to defend the city. The Imperial Court has to give their familiespensation, right?¡±


    Cold sweat trickled down the messenger¡¯s forehead. After a while, he said, ¡°General, this, the treasury is empty¡­¡±


    ¡°When will the treasury not be empty?¡± Qi Xiuyuan interrupted the messenger and snorted. ¡°Considering the treasury is empty every year, 1 think His Majesty should rece the Minister of Revenue. Has it never urred to him to find the reason?¡±


    The messenger immediately fell silent. The title of the Minister of Revenue was held by Minister Qin Fang, who was the emperor¡¯s favorite. Who dared to fault him?


    Qi Xiuyuan snorted coldly. Looking around, the messenger saw Minister He and the others lying weakly on the ground, so he said in a low voice, ¡°General Qi, actually, Prime Minister Qin has already solved the problem for you. All you have to do is carry out thest step. General Lu Ji of the East Camp is dealing with it himself. Although his methods are a little forceful, it works.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan followed his gaze and looked at Minister He and the others with a strange expression. ¡°I can do whatever 1 wish?¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t go too far,¡± the messenger said vaguely.


    Although their voices were soft, Minister He and the others were close to them and heard them clearly. For a moment, they felt sorrow.


    When the messenger saw that Qi Xiuyuan no longer mentioned asking for money or rations, he immediately heaved a sigh of relief. He puffed out his chest and said, ¡°General Qi, Magistrate Wu, I¡¯ve also been ordered to escort Mingshui County¡¯s county magistrate, Qian Shu, back to the capital. He will temporarily be reced by the County Deputy, Song Zhi. I¡¯ve also brought with me the booklet stating which areas are designated as military fields. You can discuss it with Magistrate Wu.¡±


    After arriving in a grandiose manner, the messenger left them in shambles before leaving in a hurry.


    Minister He and the others looked up at Qi Xiuyuan and asked expectantly, ¡°General Qi, about the military households¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll carry it out ording to the imperial decree, of course. Old Master He, Old Master Liu, Old Master Fang, you all seem to be on the register. Go back and prepare.¡±


    The expressions of the three of them changed drastically as they begged for mercy. ¡°General, look at us. We¡¯re old and can¡¯t even hold a saber. How can we go to the battlefield? We¡¯re willing to donate rations to help you.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said nonchntly, ¡°The three of you have countless descendants. Even if you can¡¯t go to the battlefield, don¡¯t you still have your children and grandchildren? The three of you can just enjoy life at home.¡±


    The three of them had many sons and grandsons. It was not that they could not bear to part with a son and grandson, but once they were ssified as military households, the fields under their names would also be military fields. 40% of their gains would be taken away. How was it different from taking their lives?


    As for the other squires who were spared, they shrunk their necks and stood at the side, afraid they would be implicated.


    Qi Xiuyuan ignored them and turned to Wu Shancai. ¡°Magistrate Wu, you should tell the various counties to be prepared. I¡¯ll send someone over to verify with youter.¡±


    With that, he turned around and left.


    Dai Wei¡¯s soldiers were still gathered outside. At this moment, everyone knew that he was doing this to prevent themoners from causing trouble.


    As soon as Qi Xiuyuan left, the imperial edict was announced to the public. For a moment, the prefectural capital was filled with the cries of themoners, but there were also bachelors who ran to the streets and shouted, ¡°This is the time for us to make contributions to our country and make something of ourselves!¡±


    Often, people would throw rotten vegetables at that person as soon as they shouted this.


    No matter how good the imperial decree made it sound, being given seeds, farnd and farming tools meant little to themoners, since joining the army and fighting in a war often meant death.


    Qi Xiuyuan moved very quickly. Seeing that the people in the city were agitated, he handed Jiang Ze a booklet and asked him to build a stage in the city to make an announcement. ¡°His Majesty is benevolent. Seeing that the people have no one to rely on, he issued this decree. Once enlistment happens, they and their family will receive farnd¡ª40 acres for men, 20 acres for women, and 20 acres for minors. These are all freeholds. In addition, every family will get another 100 acres as military fields. Everyone, I know that you have most likely mortgaged your title deeds. If there are no idents, you can only rent fields or be ves after spring. In that case, why don¡¯t you give it your all for this cause? If you contribute to the battlefield, your family will have some farnd to live off of. Moreover, by joining the army, you¡¯ll be doing your part in protecting the country. Now that the Tartars are rampant, if the country ceases to exist, you won¡¯t have a ce to call home.¡±


    The agitated citizens gradually calmed down. Someone questioned, ¡°Can we really obtain so much farnd after registering as a military household?¡±


    Jiang Ze nodded solemnly. ¡°This is an imperial edict. Of course it¡¯s true.¡±


    Someone counted with his fingers for a long time but still could not calcte how much farnd his family could obtain. However, he knew that it was something that they would not be able to obtain even if they worked hard for three lifetimes. He could not help but click his tongue. ¡°Where did the Imperial Court get so much farnd?¡±


    Someone said from the side, ¡°I heard that Minister He and the others have also been enlisted into the military. Even someone so rich isn¡¯t spared from the same fate, so what else do we have toin about?¡±


    Someone immediately chuckled. ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t Minister He be going to the battlefield with me?¡±


    ¡°Dream on. He can just randomly pick one among his many sons. How can a bachelor like youpare to him?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy to be on the battlefield with the son of andlord.¡±


    The atmosphere below instantly changed. Jiang Ze, who was standing on the high tform, twitched his lips and pretended not to hear it. Seeing that themoners were appeased, Jiang Ze heaved a sigh of relief and felt his mood improve.


    On the other hand, Qi Xiuyuan, who had returned to his residence and had just flipped open the booklet, was not in a good mood. He tapped his finger on the booklet, upon which a name was written¡ªMu Shi!


    Mu Shi. He clearly remembered that he had crossed out his name. Although the other party was strong and he really wanted the help of this capable man, this was not where Mu Shi¡¯s aspirationsy. Most importantly, since they had helped Haoran and Zijin, Qi Xiuyuan was naturally willing to fulfill their wishes. But why was his name here?


    The Mu family seemed to have offended an extraordinary person.


    Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t figure it out, so he went to find the answer himself. With the booklet in hand, he went to look for Mu Shi.


    The Mu Family had already packed their things and were just waiting for the vigers in Nearhill Vige to be enlisted into the military before leaving. Mu Shi decided to bring Madam Ma-Liu and her granddaughters along.


    The Ma family did not have any males, so they were not enlisted into the military. As such, they were free toe and go.


    Their fields had also been designated as military fields. Even if they were not designated as military fields, their title deeds were not with them. The first time they went to the government office, it was to register the title deed. The second time they went to ask, those plots ofnd had already be Minister Liu¡¯s.


    They knew that thend had been upied and it was very difficult to get it back. Although they were aggrieved, ants could not move an elephant, so they could only ept it.


    On one hand, Mu Shi was worried about them. On the other hand, he felt that Shu Wanniang and the twins were still young. So, he suggested that Madam Ma-Liu follow them.


    Although Madam Ma-Liu was unwilling to leave her hometown, she agreed for the sake of her two granddaughters and their livelihood. At this moment, they had already packed their things. When they saw Qi Xiuyuaning over, they thought that he was here to bid him farewell and hurriedly weed him enthusiastically.


    Unexpectedly, Qi Xiuyuan handed a booklet to Mu Shi and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been enlisted into the military, and you¡¯ve been given the position of a sectionmander. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to leave now.¡±


    The expressions of the Mu family changed drastically..

 Chapter 101 - 101: Stay

    Chapter 101: Stay


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Your name is on the register. I can report your death and leave, but this way, you¡¯ll have to change your name.¡± Qi Xiuyuan looked at them with a deep gaze. ¡°Uncle Mu, did you offend someone in Lin¡¯an? Otherwise, I can¡¯t figure out who would add your name.¡±


    Mu Shi¡¯s expression changed. He calmly took the booklet and looked at it before saying, ¡°General Qi, please allow me to discuss it with my wife and children.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded. ¡°The matter of military status will be implemented in the next few days. 1 can postpone yours for now. Tell me when you¡¯ve thought it through.¡±


    Mu Shi was grateful. His daughter had only rendered them a little help back then, and the Qi family had repaid her with so much. Now, it was the Mu family who owed the Qi family a favor.


    Mu Shi respectfully sent Qi Xiuyuan out. When he returned to the house, he saw his wife holding the booklet and crying sadly. His daughter and son were looking at her in confusion.


    Sighing slightly, Mu Shi went forward to hug his wife before saying to his daughter, ¡°Bring your brother out and tell your great-aunt and the others to stop packing first.¡±


    Mu Yangling nced at her mother and obediently led her brother out. When they reached the door, she did not leave. Instead, she hid at the door to eavesdrop.


    Mu Bowen¡¯s eyes sparkled as he squatted beside his sister without making a sound.


    Inside the house, Mu Shi was holding his wife¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. It might not be what you think.¡±


    Shu Wanniang shook her head with tears in her eyes. ¡°I know it¡¯s them. Who else can we offend in Lin¡¯an? They¡¯re afraid that if 1 go back and others find out about my matter, it will ruin the Shu family¡¯s reputation. But we only want to move south. I¡¯ve never thought of going to Lin¡¯an. I¡¯ve never thought of it.¡±


    Mu Shi hugged his wife in silence and patted her shoulder tofort her.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Shu Wanniang looked at her husband in panic.


    Mu Shi looked out of the door with a deep gaze. After a while, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s stay.¡±


    Shu Wanniang covered her mouth and cried bitterly. Staying behind meant that Mu Shi was going to join the army, which was akin to handing over half his life to the heavens. This was the first time Shu Wanniang felt resentful towards the family that had raised her.


    However, Mu Shi wanted his wife and children to live in an above-board manner and have the freedom to go wherever they wished.


    Since the Shu family had been paying attention to them, even if they changed their names, they would definitely be able to find them. He did not want to live under the surveince of others in the future.


    Thus, joining the army was his only option.


    After making up his mind, Mu Shi went to look for his daughter.


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Father, is Mother¡¯s family very powerful? They¡¯ve been monitoring us?¡±


    Mu Shi frowned. ¡°The Shu family can be considered an aristocratic family. Although they¡¯re only a branch family, they have a lot of assets. Perhaps they came across some opportunities in Lin¡¯an.¡±


    ¡°But Mother is their daughter after all. Didn¡¯t you say that Mother is their legitimate daughter? Don¡¯t they feel sorry for her?¡±


    Mu Shi¡¯s expression was ugly, but he did not say anything.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°I understand, Father. But if you join the army, what will happen to Bowen and Bosi in the future? Bowen is so weak, we should thank the heavens if he can live to a ripe old age. Now, you can only pray to God and hope that your second son inherits the divine power of your ancestors. Or at the very least, that he¡¯s healthy. If that isn¡¯t the case, you can only have another child.¡±


    The corners of Mu Shi¡¯s mouth twitched as he pped her. ¡°Are you that unconfident in Father? 1¡¯11 work hard to build military merits. As long as I get promoted to the fifth-grade, 1¡¯11 be stripped of my status.¡±


    Although military status was passed down from generation to generation, as long as a soldier made it to the fifth-grade, they could remove their family from the register. However, their sons and grandsons could also enjoy the status and benefit from protected appointments should they choose to remain in the military. Therefore, although many soldiers who made it to the fifth-grade had the chance to remove their households from the register, they would not do so for the sake of their descendants.


    Even if their descendants were a disappointment, with the protected appointments system for hereditary privileges, their lives would not be too miserable.


    ¡°When the timees, will Father still be willing?¡± Mu Yangling looked at him suspiciously.


    ¡°Not like we have a choice. Can your brother join the army given his health?¡± Mu Shi looked at his daughter regretfully. ¡°If only you were a son.¡±


    Mu Yangling muttered, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being a girl. If they let me join the army, I might be able to be a general too.¡±


    Mu Shi didn¡¯t hear his daughter¡¯s muttering and discussed with her, ¡°Your great-aunt¡¯s family doesn¡¯t have anynd left either. I originally wanted them to leave with us, but since we can¡¯t leave now, we can¡¯t leave them behind, too. Since our family received quite a lot ofnd, and none of us knows how to farm, why don¡¯t we let your great-aunt live with us?¡±


    Mu Yangling had no objections. ¡°Father, go ask Mother for her opinion.¡±


    ¡°Your mother has no objections.¡± Mu Shi knew his wife well. He could make the decisions himself.


    ¡°Then you can discuss it with Great-aunt.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu sat by the bed in silence while Xiuhong and Xin stood on either side of her. Mu Shi said, ¡°Aunt, Mother often told me about her life when she was young. When Grandfather and Grandmother passed, she was only three years old. You were the one who brought her up. At that time, there was nothing to eat at home, but you insisted on leaving all the food to my mother and the others even if it meant you had to starve. My mother¡¯s marriage was even arranged by you¡­¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu wiped her tears and said, ¡°It¡¯s been so many years. Why are you bringing this up?¡±


    Mu Shi half-knelt in front of her. ¡°Aunt, a few years ago, because I was sad about what happened to my parents, Wanniang and Bowen¡¯s health wasn¡¯t good either, so I neglected you. I¡¯ve always felt guilty. The Ma family¡¯s fields are currently under Minister Liu¡¯s name, and Minister Liu is on the register. So, those fields will probably be taken as military fields. Why don¡¯t you and your granddaughters live with us?¡±


    At this point, Mu Shi said in embarrassment, ¡°You also know that I don¡¯t know how to farm, let alone Wanniang. She¡¯s not in good health and still has two young ones to take care of. Having an elderly person at home is like having a treasure. If you don¡¯t mind, our two families can be one. When my nieces grow up, I¡¯ll give them a dowry and take care of you in your old age.¡±


    Tears welled up in the corners of Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s eyes. She turned her head and wiped her eyes. In a choked voice, she said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you losing out too much like this?¡±


    Mu Shi said with a smile, ¡°Aunt, what are you talking about? 1 was worried that you would suffer a loss. You know that just like my father, I don¡¯t know how to farm. In the future, I¡¯ll still need your guidance from the side. Otherwise, our family can only starve.¡±


    At this point, it wasn¡¯t that Mu Shi wasn¡¯t worried. After bing a soldier, it was clearly impossible for him to enter the mountains to hunt every day. As for farming, he didn¡¯t even know how to grow vegetables. Could he really grow grains?


    Mu Shi was extremely worried.


    Madam Ma-Liu lowered her head and pondered. Living under someone else¡¯s roof was different from staying in one¡¯s own house. She was old and didn¡¯t have much to worry about, but her two granddaughters were at an age where their personalities were malleable. She didn¡¯t want to cause any bad influence on the two children.


    Secretly anxious, Xiuhong reached out and tugged at her grandmother¡¯s sleeve. Madam Ma-Liu lowered her head to look at her and heard her mutter, ¡°1 like Cousin Ah Ling.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s heart skipped a beat and she nodded in agreement..

 Chapter 102 - 102: Arrangement

    Chapter 102: Arrangement


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When Qi Haoran heard that Mu Yangling and the rest were not leaving, he immediately jumped up happily and ran to look for her. ¡°That¡¯s great. We can practice martial arts together in the future.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t even look at him. ¡°Dream on. 1 need to farm. How can I have time to practice martial arts?¡±


    Qi Haoran was stunned. ¡°You¡¯re a girl. Why do you have to farm too?¡±


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes. ¡°My father has to enter the camp to train. Who else in my family can farm?¡±


    Qi Haoran opened his mouth and thought of Shu Wanniang¡¯s gentle and virtuous appearance. Indeed, she did not look like someone who could farm.


    Mu Yangling went up to Qi Haoran and asked, ¡°My father became a sectionmander. Do you know who the battalionmander is?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s expression turned solemn with a hint of smugness. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I know who the general of that camp is.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Me!¡± Qi Haoran looked up and waited for Mu Yangling to praise him.


    Mu Yangling said with her mouth half-open, ¡°This is abusing one¡¯s power for personal gain.¡±


    Qi Haoran jumped up and said, ¡°I¡¯m relying on my true abilities.¡±


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips. ¡°No matter how capable you are, you¡¯re only 12 years old. How can you be a general? Did your Big Brother give you the title?¡± Qi Haoran¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°I¡¯m only in charge of the 5th Division for the time being. The general in name is still Big Brother, but Big Brother said that I¡¯m in charge of everything in the 5th Division.¡±


    Mu Yangling said affirmatively, ¡°Have all the good seedlings been picked?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face flushed red as he said angrily, ¡°Isn¡¯t your father still under me? Hmph, even if all the good seedlings have been chosen, 1 can still surpass them.¡±


    Having heard this, Mu Yangling worried even more about her father¡¯s future. What future could he have in a group of leftover soldiers?


    Qi Xiuyuan was obviously handing Qi Haoran 5th Division for practice. Mu Shi was naturally pretty safe in such a team, but he seemed to have no future.


    ¡°Then work hard. I¡¯ll wait for you to give my father a bright future.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t doubt me. I¡¯m really capable.¡±


    Seeing that his face had turned red, Mu Yangling¡¯s expression turned serious and she said seriously, ¡°I¡¯m serious. You¡¯re only 12 years old and already you can lead troops to war. You¡¯re really capable. I also heard that the soldiers of the 4th Division were previously very cowardly.¡±


    After receiving Mu Yangling¡¯s affirmation, Qi Haoran¡¯s expression improved a lot. He heard Mu Yangling continue, ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re not cut out for studying and can¡¯tpare to Fan Zijin in terms of scheming, but you¡¯re clearly a brave general in war¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s expression stiffened slightly before he felt relieved. Although she didn¡¯t praise himpletely, on ount that she had more or less spoken the truth, he didn¡¯t hold it against her.


    Mu Yangling really felt that Qi Haoran was very impressive. Thinking about the children she encountered in her previous life, what were they doing when they were 12 years old?


    A primary school student would look forward to going home to watch cartoons every day after school. If he was naughty, he might even roll around on the ground for a toy. It was very impressive that Qi Haoran could eat, live, and train with the soldiers in the army. He could even bring them out to kill Tartars and save people.


    In her previous life, parents who had such a capable son would be so proud.


    Of course, children in this era matured very early. It was said that Wu Shancai¡¯s 14-year-old son already had two concubines. Recently, the marriage that had been in discussion had been ruined because his concubine identally got pregnant. It seemed that Qi Haoran was also involved in this matter.


    Mu Yangling sized up Qi Haoran, with a focus on his lower body. She asked, ¡°Since you¡¯re so capable, there must be many youngdies who want to marry you, right? When do you n to get married? Let me say this first. My family doesn¡¯t have a single cent now. It¡¯s best if you wait a few years before getting married. By then, 1 might be able toe up with a congrattory gift.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face turned even redder, this time due to embarrassment. He said angrily, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? Who¡¯s talking about marriage?¡± As he spoke, he turned to leave. Halfway there, he turned around and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll arrange a good ce for your family.¡±


    Not only did that ce have gorgeous scenery, it was essible and the nearbynd was fertile. The neighbors were all good at farming.


    Thend in Xingzhou Prefecture was vast and sparsely popted, and there were more forests than farnd. Under the country¡¯s encouragement to convert forestnd into agriculturalnd, there was truly nock ofnd.


    However, most of the arablend was in the hands of the squires. Plus, the farmers also owned some. ording to Song Zhi¡¯s statistics, the average plot ofnd owned per household in Mingshui County was less than 10 acres, excluding those owned by the squires. Since 200 catties of wheat could be produced per mu, each household would have 2000 catties of wheat a year. However, if thend in the hands of the squires in Mingshui County was included, the average per household then became 28 acres. From this data alone, one could see that the squires owned a lot ofnd. Song Zhi told Qi Xiuyuan that this was even without counting the hidden fields. Therefore, adding the arablend owned by the government and the reimednd that had yet to be used for agricultural purposes, each military household would receive a sizable plot ofnd.


    In addition, since more than half of the people in Mingshui County had died this time, the arablend owned by the deceased was now ownerless. The emperor tasked Qi Xiuyuan to distribute those to the military households, too.


    The title deeds that Minister He and the others had spent so much effort to lure the refugees into mortgaging as coteral were all invalidated. All the transactions made after the military household register was created had be invalidated.


    Sure, Minister He and the others could ask the refugees to give back the grains they had borrowed. But now that they were already in the refugees¡¯ stomachs, could they still get the grains back?


    Even if someone was willing to return it, Qi Xiuyuan was unwilling. What a joke. If they returned the grains, wouldn¡¯t he have to find grains to feed them instead?


    Hence, he decided to let them continue eating the borrowed grains. As for the debt, Qi Xiuyuan pretended not to see that.


    When Mu Yangling heard Qi Haoran¡¯s gloating report, she mourned for the few squires in her heart and asked, ¡°Then, Minister He and the others have really been enlisted into the military?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Qi Haoran said gloomily, ¡°More than half of theirnd was confiscated and they also donated arge amount of grains. Hence, Big Brother let them off and made the decision to remove their names from the booklet.¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned. ¡°They¡¯re actually willing to do that?¡±


    This was so ruthless that it was no wonder the ancient people loathed soldiers so much. If put in their shoes, she¡¯d feel the same, too. Most of the family assets that they had painstakingly umted was gone in an instant. Inparison, she felt that socialism was better. Although it was impossible to be fair in everything, at least they maintained fairness on the surface.


    Fan Zijin, who was at the side, said with a smile, ¡°They don¡¯t really have a choice. After bing registered as a military household, their losses will be even greater. Qin Fang is not stupid. Only one-third of the squires were chosen this time. Without the alliance of others, these people won¡¯t be able to rebel.¡± Fan Zijin¡¯s gaze shifted, and a mocking look shed across his eyes. ¡°The person chose well, too. If 1 didn¡¯t know that Qin Fang had been staying in the capital and hadn¡¯t been to Xingzhou Prefecture, 1 would have suspected that he had been living in Xingzhou Prefecture. He¡¯s even more familiar with the matters here than Cousin.¡±


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows. Did this mean that Qin Fang had spies in Xingzhou Prefecture?


    Anger shed across Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes as well. Snorting, he said, ¡°One day, I¡¯ll pull out that nail.¡±


    Mu Yangling was surprised again. Did this mean that they actually knew who that person was?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The emissary is not on their side. Otherwise, the messenger sent this time wouldn¡¯t be so polite to Cousin.¡±


    Seeing that they were mentioning this in front of her without any scruples, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Hey, you guys are too fearless. 1 think you ought to discuss this in a more private ce..¡±

 Chapter 103 - 103: Oh No

    Chapter 103: Oh No


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Fan Zijin looked at her in disdain. ¡°Why would we waste time doing that when we know you won¡¯t betray us?¡±


    ¡°¡­How do you know I won¡¯t?¡±


    Fan Zijin said firmly, ¡°Your entire family is in our hands.¡±


    Mu Yangling turned around and left, not talking to them anymore.


    Seeing that he had finally angered her, Fan Zijin immediately felt extremelyfortable. A joyful smile appeared on his face.


    Qi Haoran nced at him in disdain. ¡°Childish.¡± He turned around and chased after Mu Yangling. ¡°I¡¯m saying this in front of you because I trust you. Really!¡±


    Just as Mu Yangling was about to believe him, Qi Haoran asked, ¡°Do you have time now? Come with me to the drill ground to fight.¡±


    Mu Yangling continued walking even faster.


    After spending half a month, Qi Xiuyuan finally divided up the territories of the five divisions.


    Of the five divisions, four of them hadmanders leading them. Only the 5th Division didn¡¯t have one, for Qi Xiuyuan handed it over to Qi Haoran to manage.


    The other four generals had no objections at all. This was because Qi Haoran¡¯s 5th Division was made up of misceneous soldiers¡ªthe injured, the weak, the sneaky, and the old were all thrown into the 5th Division. The four generals even felt that the general was giving the young master a difficult problem.


    When the soldiers of the 5th Division saw Qi Haoran, they all called him Little General. The four generals also called him ¡¯Little General¡¯ loudly.


    The 5th Division¡¯s camp was in Mingshui County. Aside from the 5th Division, half of the 3rd Division¡¯s camp was also in Mingshui County.


    Poor Song Zhi. He had just be a county magistrate, but he was already facing a huge problem. Since more than half of Mingshui County had be a military district, he could now only manage the remaining half. It was less impressive being a county magistrate nowpared to being a County Deputy back then.


    The Mu family was assigned to Qi Haoran. After they were allocatednd, their entire family moved out of the General¡¯s Mansion.


    The other vigers of Nearhill Vige were scattered into other camps. Among them, Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian¡¯s family were in the 3rd camp, which was not far from them. However, Liu He¡¯s family was asked to go to the 1st camp, which was currently in the West Camp¡¯s territory.


    The Mu Family was allocated a total of 180 acres ofnd. Among them, 100 acres were military fields and 80 acres were freehold fields. Out of those 80 acres, 40 acres were Mu Shi¡¯s, and Shu Wanniang and Mu Bowen were also each allocated 20 acres.


    As the newborn Mu Bosi was not yet three years old, he was not allocated anynd.


    In ancient times, babies had a low survival rate. Only when they lived past three years old could their condition barely stabilize and be ssified as underage. As for Mu Yangling, she was a girl and had never been considered a ¡°underage¡± by the country. Poor Mu Yangling. Now, she could not even be considered a person.


    The various viges in Mingshui County had been destroyed by the Hus, and very few were spared. With Qi Haoran taking care of them, they were lucky to be assigned a thatched hut in Chenggu Vige not far from Mingshui County. Now, it had been renamed Chenggu Garrison because this area had be a military garrison. The 5th Division¡¯s camp was at the foot of Luocong Mountain, which was not far away.


    This area was a part of Luocong Vige. In the county, it was very dignified to be the vige chief of Luocong Vige, and this position had always been held by a member of the He family. Shocked by the sudden change, the He family resigned from the position. Happy that there was no one restricting him, Song Zhi squeezed out a rare smile for Qi Haoran.


    Qi Haoran admired his courage to defend the city alone and was even more polite to him. The two of them miraculously chatted happily, as if they were old friends.


    This was how Mu Yangling felt, but Qi Haoran and Song Zhi didn¡¯t think so.


    Qi Haoran felt that he was already an adult and was on the same level as Song Zhi.


    Song Zhi felt that he was only 27 years old and had yet to reach his prime, so he could call Qi Haoran his brother. Regarding this, Fan Zijin only bowed respectfully when he saw Song Zhi again and greeted him, ¡°Uncle Song.¡±


    Qi Haoran:¡±¡­¡± What a brother.


    Song Zhi:¡±¡­¡± ¡®I¡¯d better not y with these brats in the future.¡¯


    ¡°Hahahaha¡­¡± This was Mu Yangling¡¯sughter after hearing Qi Haoran describe the entire incident from his perspective.


    Mu Yanglingy on the brick bed and couldn¡¯t help but hammer the brick bed as sheughed. The rocks beside the brick bed fell with a rustling sound, stunning Mu Yangling.


    Mu Bowen jumped up and shouted, ¡°Sister, you broke our brick bed.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Mu Yangling was stunned. ¡°I controlled my strength.¡± Ever since she was five years old, Mu Yangling had gradually mastered control over her strength. These days, she would no longer identally break a stool with her arms or a brick bed with her legs.


    Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin both stood stiffly and looked at the fallen rocks on the ground.


    Mu Yangling smiled awkwardly as she touched the edge of the brick bed. ¡°It must be because it¡¯s not sturdy to begin with¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the rock in her hand and was speechless. She swore that she had really only touched it lightly just now. She had not used any strength at all, and this rock had simplynded in her hand just like that.


    Fan Zijin took two steps back. Only when he felt that he was safe did he say insincerely, ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked up and red at him.


    Qi Haoran went forward and tried to break a rock off with all his might, but the brick bed remained as it was.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression frozepletely. Qi Haoran scratched his head and asked in confusion, ¡°Could it be that your strength has increased again? Bowen, has your sister¡¯s appetite increased these past two days?¡±


    Little Bowen pondered seriously. After a while, he shook his head and said, ¡°No, she¡¯s still eating three bowls of rice like before.¡±


    Mouth agape, Fan Zijin turned around and went to the Mu family¡¯s kitchen to take out a bowl. He asked, ¡°This kind of bowl?¡±


    Little Bowen nodded as usual. ¡°Yes, this is my father and sister¡¯s bowl.¡±


    Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran looked at Mu Yangling¡¯s stomach.


    Mu Yangling held her stomach and shouted, ¡°What are you looking at? I eat a lot and work a lot. Try it. Who can hunt more than me in the mountains?¡±


    Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin looked away at the same time. After a while, Qi Haoranforted her dryly. ¡°You eat so well. Since you¡¯re not picky about food, it¡¯s easy to raise you.¡±


    Mu Yangling became even angrier and red at him.


    Rubbing his head, Qi Haoran looked at Fan Zijin helplessly. ¡°Why don¡¯t I help you try to see if your brick bed is sturdy?¡± Without waiting for Mu Yangling to react, he raised his leg and kicked it. As soon as his heel touched the brick bed, the four of them saw cracks appear on the brick bed before it copsed under their gazes.


    Qi Haoran turned around stiffly and looked at the dumbfounded Mu Yangling. He chuckled and said, ¡°This brick bed does seem a little unstable.¡±


    ¡°All¡ª¡± Mu Yangling shouted, ¡°My brick bed¡ª¡±


    Qi Haoran turned around and ran, not forgetting to grab Fan Zijin.


    Mu Yangling chased after him and ran out of the vige. cing her hands on her waist, she shouted, ¡°Qi Haoran, you¡¯d better not appear in front of me again.¡±


    Out of breath from being pulled by Qi Haoran, Fan Zijin shouted, ¡°This is your fault. Why are you pulling me along? What has this got to do with me?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on the same side. Are you still my brother?¡±


    Fan Zijin said decisively, ¡°One should take responsibility for their own actions.¡±


    Qi Haoran pretended not to hear her..

 Chapter 104 - 104: Hardship

    Chapter 104: Hardship


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Fei Bai brought over two thick nkets and smiled apologetically at Mu Yangling. ¡°As soon as our master came back, he asked me to send them to you. He said that even if he has to endure the cold, he can¡¯t let you and Young Master Bowen suffer the cold. Where should 1y the nket for you?¡±


    ¡°Your master is capable of saying such a thing?¡± Mu Yangling nced at him from the corner of her eyes. ¡°Has his mouth been smeared with honey or is he crazy?¡±


    Fei Bai chuckled and did not dare to reply.


    With an tsunderely snort, Mu Yangling took the nket from his arms and touched it. Seeing that it was indeed very thick, she was satisfied. ¡°Did you make that up yourself, or did Fan Zijin teach you to say it?¡±


    ¡°Oh my god, how would I dare to lie to you?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°So Fan Zijin was the one who taught you. Hmph, go back and tell them that on ount of their sincerity, 1 won¡¯t hold it against them for breaking my brick bed. I¡¯ll ept this nket as theirpensation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll definitely ry the message.¡±


    ¡°Hurry along, then.¡±


    Fei Bai wiped his cold sweat and went out. As soon as he went out, he rode his horse and galloped away.


    Recalling thisdy dared to beat up the Fourth Young Master on the ground, with that monstrous strength of hers, she could easily make him suffer with a p. It was better not to offend her.


    Mu Yangling hugged the nket and happily went to look for her great-aunt.


    This thatched house was a real thatched house made of yellow mud. The roof was low and covered with thatch. As Mu Shi was tall, his head almost touched the roof the moment he entered the dim house.


    In the cold night, it was unknown if the house was leaky. They did not bring many nkets from home. Previously, they had thought that they could at least keep cozy on the heated brick bed for tonight. Tomorrow, Mu Yangling would bring her two cousins into the mountains to gather firewood. Even if there were not enough nkets and firewood, they could still survive the winter by keeping warm on the heated brick bed.


    s, that was before she identally pped off the rocks on the edge of the brick bed, and Qi Haoran copsed the brick bed with a kick. They did not dare to light a fire at night for fear of identally starting a fire in the house?


    There were a total of five thatched huts. Mu Shi, his wife, and the twins had stayed in one, Mu Yangling and Little Bowen stayed in the second, and Madam Ma-Liu and her granddaughters stayed in the third. There were also one on the left and right. One was used as a kitchen, and the other was used to store misceneous items.


    Such conditions were considered superior among the military households. Now that many civilian houses had been burned down, Qi Haoran had arranged for several families to stay in one hut. Some could even only live in the shed area of the camp with their families. They would only have a house to live in after Qi Haoran arranged for his men to build huts for everyone tomorrow.


    Hence, Qi Haoran really took good care of the Mu family.


    However, Shu Wanniang was very worried. In two years, her son would grow up. He couldn¡¯t still sleep with his daughter then. There was also Xiuhong and Xin. They were girls and had to have their own rooms. However, with the Mu family¡¯s current situation, it was hard to say if they could have enough to eat in the future. Hence, Shu Wanniang sat in the house with worry.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t think too much about it. She had hands and feet, was strong, and didn¡¯tck wisdom. There was no reason for her not to survive. She knew that she just had to get through the current situation first.


    Mu Yangling carried a nket for her great-aunt and the others and ced it together with the previous one. She said, ¡°Great-aunt, Qi Haoran and the others sent this over. Put the old ones underneath and cover yourself with the new nkets. Don¡¯t heat up the brick bed tonight. Since Qi Haoran can copse the brick bed in my room with a kick, who knows if yours is sturdy or not?¡±


    The great-aunt had long heard themotion over there, but with Qi Haoran and the others around, she didn¡¯t dare to go over. Now that she heard that Mu Yangling¡¯s brick bed had copsed, she hurriedly asked, ¡°If your brick bed has copsed, where will you sleep at night?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go over to sleep with my mother. Don¡¯t worry, Great-aunt. The brick bed in my father¡¯s hut is huge.¡±


    ¡°What if it copses with so many of you lying on it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Mu Yangling had never thought of this question. She said in surprise, ¡°Then what should we do?¡±


    ¡°Come and sleep with us. We¡¯re light.¡±


    Xiuhong happily went forward and grabbed Mu Yangling¡¯s hand. ¡°That¡¯s right, Cousin. Sleep with us.¡±


    Mu Yangling hesitated for a moment before agreeing. She carried another nket to Shu Wanniang¡¯s ce and looked at the twins who were still sleeping soundly. Sighing, she said, ¡°1 didn¡¯t expect that out of the four children in the family, except for me, who got to enjoy life when 1 was born, the rest would end up suffering.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? What are you worried about when your father and I aren¡¯t even worrying?¡± Shu Wanniang picked up the hay from her hair and said, ¡°Your father is still here. You and your brother just have to be happy.¡±


    In Shu Wanniang¡¯s heart, her husband was omnipotent.


    Mu Yangling was not so optimistic. ¡°Mother, Father doesn¡¯t know how to farm. Besides, Father has to go to the camp to train now that he¡¯s a soldier.¡±


    Shu Wanniang¡¯s face stiffened. ¡°Isn¡¯t he only going to the battlefield during wartime?¡±


    ¡°Mother, dream on. If they don¡¯t train while things are peaceful now, will soldiers still be soldiers in wartime? They¡¯d certainly have to train. Moreover, Father and the others are still new recruits, so they have to train even harder.¡± Besides, they were under themand of Qi Haoran, who was passionate about training soldiers. She had no doubt he would train them super hard.


    Mu Shi only returned from the campsite when it was dark. By then, Great-aunt had already prepared the food. Seeing that he had returned, she hurriedly called Xiuhong to serve the food.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± Shu Wanniang went up to him and asked, ¡°Why are you back sote?¡±


    ¡°Since everyone is new, they have to be trained from the ground up. 1 wanted to figure out their situation, hence I¡¯m back only now.¡± Mu Shi was a sectionmander leading loo men. If he wanted to figure out the situation of each family before tomorrow, he naturally had to ask them one by one.


    The entire family sat down and ate together. After dinner, Shu Wanniang asked, ¡°What are we going to nt on ournd?¡±


    Mu Shi said nonchntly, ¡°We¡¯ll nt whatever others nt. The seeds will only arrive in two months. We¡¯ll talk about it when the timees. Let¡¯s think about how to survive this winter first. The food at home canst us until spring, but what should we do after spring? The camp will manage my meals, but I don¡¯t know what you guys will be eating when the timees.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Then 1¡¯11 go into the mountains to take a look after gathering some firewood tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Mu Shi and Shu Wanniang shouted at the same time. Mu Shi looked at his daughter sharply. ¡°Look at this weather. Are you courting death by entering the mountain? I¡¯ll think of another way. If you dare to enter the mountain, 1¡¯11 beat you up.¡± Even Mu Shi would definitely not enter the mountain in a snowy day unless he had no choice. Not to mention the wild beasts that could not find food in the mountain, if one lost their way in the cold, they might just end up staying in the mountain forever.


    Mu Yangling shrunk her neck and responded.


    Seeing that they still didn¡¯t get to the point after talking for a long time, Madam Ma-Liu couldn¡¯t help but interrupt. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to discuss the spring nting any further?¡±


    What was there to discuss? Didn¡¯t they say that they would nt whatever the others nted?


    The entire family looked at Madam Ma-Liu in confusion.


    Madam Ma-Liu sighed. At this moment, she somewhat understood what Mu Shi had said back then. If she hadn¡¯te, they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to farm.


    Madam Ma-Liu said, ¡°There¡¯s a total of 180 acres ofnd at home. Do you think you can nt all of them? Although the Imperial Court is giving plowing oxen, we won¡¯t necessarily receive one. Even if we do, won¡¯t it be exhausting for the oxen to plow so many fields? You have to choose the fertilends to farm.¡±


    ¡°Before farming, you have to plow the soil and remove the weeds. Be it nting wheat or rice, you have to serve thend well before that. Also, you need to start thinking about the fertilizer that you¡¯ll need when spring arrives. These preparations have to be done before then..¡±

 Chapter 105 - 105: Rules

    Chapter 105: Rules


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s gaze swept between Mu Shi and Mu Yangling before finallynding on thetter. She said, ¡°If your father¡¯s around, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for us to nt more than half of the 180 acres ofnd. However, your father won¡¯t be at home, so we have to rely on the old and weak. It¡¯s already not bad if we can nt 20 acres. Even if we have plowing oxens, we can only nt an additional 10 acres. Shi Tou, you have to rify how much grains we have to hand over to the army after autumn. Otherwise, we won¡¯t even be able to submit enough for the army¡¯s share.¡±


    Mu Yangling and Mu Shi looked at each other. Neither of them had thought of this. They had already obtained thend, but they still couldn¡¯t nt it?


    ¡°Then, should I go and take a look at our family¡¯snd tomorrow? But Little General is gathering the troops for a lecture tomorrow. 1 can¡¯t spare the time,¡± Mu Shi said, vexed.


    ¡°Father, I¡¯ll go.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°I¡¯ll go get firewood in the morning and go to check out thend with Great-aunt in the afternoon. Father, you don¡¯t know how to ess the condition of the soil, so it¡¯s useless even if you go. Why don¡¯t you let Great-aunt go and see it? When the timees, we can just farm the fertilends. Since we only have to pay 4.0% to the army, isn¡¯t there still 60% for us to eat? We¡¯ll just try to nt as much as we can.¡±


    Xiuhong quickly said, ¡°My sister and 1 can help, too.¡±


    Little Bowen quickly squeezed over. ¡°Me too, me too.¡±


    Mu Yangling nced at their small bodies and ignored them.


    Xiuhong said indignantly, ¡°Cousin, 1 can do a lot of work. I¡¯ll go get firewood with you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Mu Yangling said readily, ¡°Then you have to get up early tomorrow.¡±


    Xin and Little Bowen also wanted to go.


    ¡°Forget about it. The two of you are still growing. You should sleep more.¡± Then, she said, ¡°You two stay at home to take care of the baby twins. They need someone to apany them.¡±


    Only then did the two of them stop pestering her.


    There weren¡¯t many families like the Mu family who hadnd but couldn¡¯t nt all of it. This was because those who enlisted as soldiers mostly had at least a brother, and the old and young in the family could all work. Although 100 to 200 acres was a lot, they could more or less finish nting it if they started early and returned homete.


    Take Liu Daqian¡¯s family for example. After Liu Ting and Liu Zhuang drew lots, it was decided that Liu Zhuang would be a soldier. And in the future, Liu Lang would take over from him. This way, no one would lose out.


    Liu Daqian and his wife, plus Liu Ting, Madam Liu-Zhang, and the children could all work in the fields. But since they had also been distributed quite a lot ofnd, they were also thinking they should check out thend tomorrow and choose the fertile ones to serve first. The rest could be discussedter.


    At this moment, Qi Haoran was also checking the booklet which listed thosends. He said proudly, ¡°With so muchnd, our rations won¡¯t have to be controlled by others in the future.¡±


    Not as optimistic as him, Fan Zijin took out a book and showed it to him.


    Qi Haoran flipped through it and asked, ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Xingzhou Prefecture¡¯s grain production over the years, followed by the grain production in Jiangnan. Big Brother Rong spent half a month getting someone to copy and collect the data.¡±


    After flipping it open, Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Why is there such a huge difference?¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, why do you think the people under the provisional government are worse off than those in Jiangnan, when their average household owns ten acres ofnd aspared to Jiangnan¡¯s three acres?¡± Fan Zijin said with a sigh, ¡°Jiangnan is and of fish and rice. The water conservancy facilities are iparable to other ces, let alone Xingzhou Prefecture. Moreover, the climate and fertility of thend in both ces are good. It¡¯s already not bad if the autumn harvest of Xingzhou Prefecture could be half that of Jiangnan. Last time, Song Zhi said that an acre could produce 200 catties of wheat. That was the best production level among thendlords. Do you think our army can have such production capacity?¡±


    Qi Haoran threw down the booklet and asked, ¡°Then how much do you think we can collect, considering they¡¯re handing over 40% to the army?¡±


    Fan Zijin shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It still depends on how many plowing oxens the Imperial Court can give us. Although we have a lot ofnd, there are few people. We definitely won¡¯t be able to finish nting these fields. If we have a lot of plowing oxens, we can farm more. Having the civilians hand over 40% to the army is the Imperial Court¡¯s idea. Cousin might not adopt this method.¡±


    Qi Haoran said solemnly, ¡°Big Brother won¡¯t raise taxes. He¡¯s not such a person.¡±


    Fan Zijin nced at him and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t say that Cousin will raise the taxes, but there might be some hard rules added. For example, the number of military fields that must be farmed, and the number of freehold fields that must be farmed. Only in this way can we ensure the rations for the next year. Otherwise, once a war breaks out, we can only forcefully collect rations for the military from the people. Should that happen, Cousin will definitely lose the hearts of the people. This is something that no one wants to see.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference? They¡¯re going to farm anyway. If they can farm, they¡¯ll definitely farm.¡±


    Fan Zijin red at him. ¡°What do you know? When His Majesty said to hand over 40% of the crops, he¡¯s referring to the freehold fields. They have to hand over 60% of the crops for the military fields. If they all focus on nting crops in the freehold fields or do shoddy work in the military fields, will the grains collected by the army be enough to fill the gaps between their teeth?¡±


    Fan Zijin was right. This was what Qi Xiuyuan had been busy with for the past few days. He had to set a rule to at least ensure the supply of rations to the army without making themoners too sad.


    Rong Xuan had hired several ountants from Xingyuan Prefecture and invited Song Zhi, who was familiar with the people¡¯s livelihood, to n this. The rations had always been one of the most important resources in the army. With no worries about rations, the soldiers could train and fight in peace. When Mu Shi and the soldiers gathered at the camp in the morning light, the document issued by Qi Xiuyuan was also in Qi Haoran¡¯s hands.


    Qi Haoran flipped through it andughed. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. 1¡¯11 announce it now.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s method was very simple. Every household was allocated 100 acres of military field, he stipted that the cultivation of the military field must not be less than 40 acres. Also, he stated that the average yield of the military field and the freehold field must not differ by more than 20 catties.


    This ensured the amount of farming and the average yield of the military fields. Naturally, the rations collected would not be too little.


    Hearing this, Mu Shi was even more worried. Didn¡¯t this mean that they wouldn¡¯t even be able to nt an acre of their freehold field?


    Mu Shi stood below and listened to Qi Haoran¡¯s lecture dejectedly.


    At this moment, Mu Yangling brought Xiuhong to the foot of the mountain.


    Mu Yangling looked around and said, ¡°It¡¯s more convenient from my ce, the mountain¡¯s right outside our doorstep. In contrast, we have to walk for half an hour starting from here. How troublesome.¡±


    However, Xiuhong felt that it was great. She had been farming since she was young and preferred to see endless fields.


    Chenggu Garrison was two miles south of Mingshui County, and half an hour south was the middle section of Chef Mountain. There were dense trees here, and one could look down at Chenggu Garrison from above. Mingshui County was in the north, and Luocong Mountain was in the northwest. The camp was at the foot of Luocong Mountain, and in the east was the main road leading from Seven Mile Vige to Mingshui County. There was arge area of t fields below. At the thought of the golden grains during the autumn harvest, Xiuhong felt happy. So, she did not feel that there was anything wrong.


    If the mountain was too close to home, she would feel afraid and depressed.


    Mu Yangling had already walked into the mountains with the scythe. ncing at the forest, she said in disappointment, ¡°There¡¯s not much dry firewood on the ground. Go and pick it up while I cut the branches.¡±


    Xiuhong ran over to pick up the firewood, while Mu Yangling picked up the withered branches and chopped them. With her strength, she could cut off a branch with two shes. Sometimes, she could simply snap it with her hands. Xiuhong clicked her tongue when she saw this. She felt that even if her uncle was not at home, with her cousin around, farming should not be too difficult..

 Chapter 106 - 106: The Mu Family’s Land (1)

    Chapter 106: The Mu Family¡¯s Land (1)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After Mu Yangling chopped tworge piles of firewood and tied them up, some people arrived in the forest one after another. Everyone was here to chop firewood.


    When they saw that Mu Yangling had already chopped so much, they took a few more nces and dispersed. Everyone was new and did not know each other.


    Mu Yangling stuck two sticks in and lifted it, then waved at Xiuhong and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    Xiuhong quickly tied the small bunch of firewood she had picked up with a straw rope and carried it on her back. Seeing that she was having a hard time carrying it, Mu Yangling simply picked it up from her back and carried it herself. ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly. Great-aunt must be waiting for us.¡±


    Xiuhong had to jog to barely catch up to Mu Yangling.


    The few strong men who were cutting trees in the mountains smacked their lips when they saw this. ¡°That pile of firewood must be more than 100 catties. How impressive. I wonder which family¡¯s son it is.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Mu Yangling¡¯s back stiffened slightly. Xiuhong had already turned around angrily and shouted, ¡°This is my (female) cousin. My uncle is a sectionmander.¡±


    The tree-cutters shrunk their necks and did not dare to say anything else.


    Mu Yangling turned around and said with a smile, ¡°Uncles, you can go in a little deeper. I¡¯ve already finished cutting those outside.¡± Then, she said, ¡°It¡¯s best to just cut some branches off instead of chopping down the entire tree. Otherwise, the officers will be angry.¡±


    Seeing that she was kind, the uncle who was chopping down the tree mustered his courage and asked, ¡°Do the officers care about these things?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Mu Yangling frightened them. ¡°My father said that the trees in the mountains are meant to protect the camp. If we cut them down, we¡¯ll be the ones to suffer in the future. Therefore, the officers have long told my father that we can chop firewood, but only the branches. We¡¯re not allowed to cut down the entire tree.¡±


    The people who were chopping down the trees stopped when they heard this. They hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying, ¡°Thank you, youngdy. We won¡¯t cut down the entire tree, just some branches.¡± Since her father was appointed a sectionmander right away, perhaps he had some connections and was well-informed.


    The tree-cutters walked a little further in and no longer cut down entire trees. Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief when she saw this. There were many people in the 5th Division. If they all went up the mountain to cut down the trees, who knew how many forests would be ruined? She was still hoping to rely on the mountains in the future.


    When Mu Yangling and Xiuhong returned home, Great-aunt had already made pancakes. She stuffed two pancakes into Mu Yangling¡¯s hands and said, ¡°We¡¯ll leave now. Xiuhong, stay at home and take care of your little cousins. Watch them carefully. Don¡¯t let them run out to y lest they get bitten by wolves.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, Grandma, don¡¯t worry. 1¡¯11 definitely take good care of them.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu took a scythe and sighed at Mu Yangling. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that we don¡¯t have a hoe. Go to Nearhill Vige and see if you can find some farming tools. Although those damn Hu people set fire to the houses, the farming tools might not be damaged. Go and look for them. With the farming tools, we can start work early.¡±


    With Mu Yangling¡¯s speed, she could make a round trip in a day. She agreed.


    The Mu Family¡¯s fields were mainly in the east¡ª30 acres of military field and 80 acres of freehold field connected together. At a nce, arge area belonged to the Mu Family. The remaining 70 acres of military field were in the south. Although they were not connected, they were not far from each other.


    Madam Ma-Liu said, ¡°From the distribution of thend, we can tell that Little General is taking care of us. Otherwise, we¡¯ll probably have to waste a lot of time traveling between the fields like the other families. In the future, you have to be more polite to Little General. Don¡¯t quarrel with him for no reason.¡± ¡°When have I ever quarreled with him?¡± Mu Yangling retorted. ¡°I¡¯ve always been amiable to him.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you scare him away yesterday?¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted and didn¡¯t say anything.


    When Madam Ma-Liu reached the edge of the field, she squatted on the ground and dug down. Reaching out, she rubbed the mud in the ground. After walking for a while, she said, ¡°Thisnd is not good. It looks like a raw field that hasn¡¯t been nted for a few years.¡± Madam Ma-Liu walked along the edge of the field. The further in she walked, the colder her heart became. Having been ntingnd for her entire life, she was extremely familiar with thend. It would take a lot of manpower and fertilizer to have a good harvest in such and, something their family doesn¡¯t have right now.


    Seeing that Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s expression was getting darker and darker, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy. She kicked the ground under her feet, unable to tell if it was good or bad that there were weeds growing above.


    At this moment, many families were checking out theirnd. Some even sent their entire families out. Other than those who represented their family to enlist as a soldier, everyone else was squatting in the field to look. The Mu family¡¯s fields were the most deserted.


    Madam Ma-Liu happened to walk to a junction when an old man nced at his wife. The old woman shouted in her direction, ¡°Older Sister, is this your family¡¯snd?¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu smiled and replied loudly, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s ours. Thisrge area and the 80 acres on that side are all ours.¡±


    ¡°Aye, that¡¯s good. Since they¡¯re connected, it¡¯s easy to get to the fields. This is my family¡¯snd. It¡¯s also 40 acres. Please take care of us in the future.¡± The old woman paused and said, ¡°My husband¡¯s surname is Hu, and my maiden family¡¯s surname is Fang.¡±


    ¡°Sister Fang, my maiden family¡¯s surname is Liu. Just call me Big Sister Liu.¡± Madam Ma-Liu smiled bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s indeed convenient since the fields are connected. But I¡¯ve been walking for almost 35 minutes, and saw that they¡¯re all the lowest-gradends converted from forests. I¡¯m panicking.¡±


    Madam Hu-Fang walked up and reached out to dig the mud. She rubbed it in her palm and the mud quickly dispersed. Bit by bit, it fell to the ground. Madam Hu-Fang said with a sigh, ¡°It¡¯s terrible, indeed. My family¡¯snd is a little better than yours¡ªat least there¡¯s still some moisture. From the looks of it, it¡¯s been farmed for seven to eight years. It¡¯s considered medium-grade. Sister, don¡¯t be anxious. Let¡¯s go deeper. The fields inside might be more fertile.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu forced a smile. ¡°1 think so too. The 110 acres can¡¯t possibly all be low-grade, right?¡±


    However, Mu Yangling had an ominous feeling in her heart. Qi Haoran, that muddle-headed fool, was as undiscerning as her. He wouldn¡¯t have identally allocated her such a lousy piece ofnd thinking it¡¯s good-qualitynd, right?


    Madam Hu-Fang nced at Mu Yangling and smiled. ¡°Sister, this is your granddaughter, right? She¡¯s so beautiful. Why are only the two of you here today for something so major? Where¡¯s your son?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t my granddaughter. She¡¯s my grandniece. My son died a long time ago and I¡¯m now living with my nephew. Oh, he¡¯s the sectionmander in this area and was called to the camp early in the morning. My nephew¡¯s wife is taking care of the children at home, so 1 brought my grandniece over to take a look.¡±


    Madam Hu-Fang¡¯s eyes lit up and she replied even more enthusiastically, ¡°So it¡¯s Section Commander Mu¡¯snd. It must be fate that our two families¡¯nd is so close to each other. It doesn¡¯t matter if you have few family members. I have three sons. I¡¯ll get them to help youter.¡±


    ¡°No need, no need. Even though your family has many members, you¡¯ve got a lot ofnd, too. How can 1 trouble you when you can¡¯t even handle your own work?¡± Madam Ma-Liu went forward and stood beside Madam Hu-Fang as if she hadpletely forgotten the purpose of her visit.


    Seeing that she couldn¡¯t interrupt, Mu Yangling could only take a stick and walk around. From time to time, she would poke the stick into the ground. She seemed to understand now.


    The soil was a little yellow, and it took a lot of strength to insert the stick into it. The soil that was pulled out was hard and loose, such that it scattered with a light kick. This kind of soil didn¡¯t seem good. Mu Yangling remembered these characteristics in her heart..

 Chapter 107 - 107: The Mu Family’s Land (2)

    Chapter 107: The Mu Family¡¯s Land (2)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    On the other side, Madam Ma-Liu shouted after she finished the conversation, ¡°Ah Ling,e over quickly. Let¡¯s go over there and take a look.¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± Mu Yangling jogged forward. Seeing that Madam Ma-Liu was sweating, she said, ¡°Great-aunt, let me carry you.¡±


    ¡°No need. Your great-aunt isn¡¯t old yet.¡±


    As Mu Yangling helped her forward, she heard her sigh. ¡°In the past, I thought that it would be great if we could have a lot ofnd. That way, we definitely wouldn¡¯t have to worry about food and clothes. Now that we do havend, nting it has be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Great-aunt, if thisnd is too lousy, we won¡¯t nt it. Isn¡¯t there still 70 acres of military field over there?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that. If we don¡¯t farm thisnd, it will never be fertile. In another two to three years, it will be a wastnd. How vexing would the people who reimed it back then be?¡± Madam Ma-Liu said in a low voice, ¡°1 asked your grandmother just now. Since your father manages a hundred families, if we really have no choice, we can ask your father to use his power and deploy a few people over to work for us. No matter what, we have to fix up thisnd.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Mu Yangling objected without thinking. ¡°It¡¯s not easy for everyone. If my father uses his power for personal gain, won¡¯t the battalionmanders and the generals above be able to use their power for personal gain, too? Won¡¯t the soldiers below be exhausted? Let¡¯s nt it ourselves. If we really have no choice, we can just leave it alone for the time being. When we have money in two years, we¡¯ll spend money to hire people. There¡¯ll be a way.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu said in surprise, ¡°But isn¡¯t it only right for higher-ups to ask the subordinates to work?¡±


    Mu Yangling:¡±¡­ In the past, it might be the way things were, but it can¡¯t be the case with my father.¡±


    Seeing that she was upright, Madam Ma-Liu sighed. ¡°Alright, 1¡¯11 listen to you. If you don¡¯t want him to abuse his power, so be it. Let¡¯s take a look further. Perhaps there¡¯s fertilend ahead.¡±


    The duo spent another half an hour walking from the military field to the freehold field. Finally, they started seeing medium-gradend, as opposed to the low-gradend seen earlier. However, Madam Ma-Liu and Mu Yangling¡¯s hearts had already turned cold.


    Out of 110 acres ofnd, more than 60 acres were considered inferior. What kind of luck was this?


    Mu Yangling gritted her teeth in hatred towards Qi Haoran as she walked to the area near the riverbank. Mu Yangling stuck her stick in and pulled it up again. Soft and sticky, the brown soil was turned out with a little moisture. Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s face was almost covered in tears. ¡°This is high-gradend. Finally!¡± At this moment, she was so tired that her feet were trembling.


    Mu Yangling looked up and said, ¡°Great-aunt, there are more than ten acres ofnd here. We¡¯ll nt grains on all ten acrester. Don¡¯t worry. With my strength and your guidance, our family will definitely have a bumper harvest.¡± Madam Ma-Liu sat on the ground and looked up, wiping her tears. ¡°How can I be at ease? Why did Little General give us such a plot ofnd? Ah Ling, if you still have the strength, carry me to the south to take a look. If 1 don¡¯t take a look, I¡¯ll feel uneasy.¡±


    Mu Yangling also feared that the 70 acres of military field in the south was inferiornd. That would kill her.


    Mu Yangling squatted down and carried Madam Ma-Liu on her back. She quickly walked south as sheforted her. ¡°Great-aunt, don¡¯t worry. Didn¡¯t you sayst night that with our ability, we can only nt 20 to 30 acres ofnd? There are also 30 acres of medium-gradend here. Coupled with the high-grade ten acres, it¡¯ll be enough.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but your younger brothers will grow up. Eventually, these plots ofnd will be left to them. You may not think it¡¯s a big deal now, but you¡¯ll know what a huge loss it is in the future.¡±


    ¡°Great-aunt, you¡¯re worrying too much. Is Bowen someone who can farm? When springes, we¡¯ll send him to school. Perhaps he can be a top schr when he grows up.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu was stunned. ¡°I thought you can¡¯t take the Imperial Examination if you¡¯re in a military household? How can Bowen be the top schr?¡±


    ¡°When my father bes a general, he can rid our family of the military status,¡± Mu Yangling said confidently.


    Madam Ma-Liu was discouraged. ¡°How can it be easy to be an official? It¡¯s already not bad if he can keep his life.¡±


    Nheless, Mu Yangling had great confidence in her father. The two of them silently went to thend in the south. Upon reaching, Mu Yangling put her down and Madam Ma-Liu began to check. When the sun set in the west, she sighed, having finally finished walking through these 70 acres ofnd. ¡°The situation of these 70 acres is still not bad. There are about 30 acres of medium-gradend and 10 acres of high-gradend. The remaining 30 acres are low-gradend. Although it¡¯s still low-grade, the soil quality here is much better than there. At least, it¡¯s been cultivated for more years than thend in the east. It¡¯s just that there¡¯s no river in the south. It¡¯ll be a problem in the future.¡±


    ¡°Since this is near to the mountains, I¡¯m afraid there will be wild boarsing down in spring. We have to keep a close watch when the timees. Otherwise, the grains will be wasted.¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°Great-aunt, it¡¯s getting dark. Let¡¯s go back first.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back and ask your father for his opinion.¡±


    Mu Shi was already home. He didn¡¯t have much of an opinion though. In terms of farming, he was inferior to Shu Wanniang and Mu Yangling. At least the mother and daughter still knew how to nt vegetables, whereas he was someone who couldn¡¯t even grow vegetables. So, he said, ¡°Aunt, you make the decision. I¡¯ll listen to you. However, we have to nt at least 40 acres of this military field. This is an order from the higher-ups. Moreover, we can¡¯t be shoddy about it. They¡¯re going to inspect itter.¡±


    Mu Shi nced at his wife and said, ¡°From tomorrow onwards, I¡¯m going to the camp to await orders and build houses with the soldiers. After building the civilian houses, we still have to build barracks. The little general said that we have to get these done before spring. Aside from that, we also have to take out four hours to train the soldiers every day. The snow disaster in Great Jin is more serious than ours, and we might have to go south after some time. Therefore, from tomorrow onwards, 1 have to eat and live in the camp.¡±


    ¡°But Father, the camp hasn¡¯t been built yet, right? Where are you going to stay?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll stay in the shed for the time being so that everyone won¡¯t have to waste time going home every day. This is what the little general said. In the future, we can only go home once every ten days. Ah Ling, after I go to the camp, you have to take good care of your mother and younger siblings, understand?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded solemnly.


    Mu Shi entered the house and took out a broadsword, handing it to her. ¡°This was taken from the Jin soldiers previously and 1 hid one for you. I¡¯ll leave this here for you. Put it away carefully. If anyone dares to attack our family, protect them using your ability, the way you fought the Jin soldiers. If anything happens, you can count on me. 1¡¯11 leave that dagger for you too. Bring it with you everywhere you go. Your grandparents will bless you.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Father, 1 still have something to tell you.¡±


    Mu Yangling wanted to speak to him about the problem of chopping trees. Since building houses and cutting firewood required trees, the forest would definitely suffer if they did not exercise control. ¡°Father, the Hus burned down our houses. Those roof beams and whatnot must not have beenpletely burned down. We can use whatever can still be used. If they can¡¯t be used, we can always burn them as firewood. When you guys enter the mountain to chop trees, you can¡¯t chop consecutive trees. It¡¯s best to chop one every five trees. Otherwise, if the wild beasts in the mountains don¡¯t have a ce to stay, what if they run down the mountain? This isn¡¯t the end of Chef Mountain, but the middle section of Chef Mountain. There are many wolves and ferocious tigers inside that can kill should they run out.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll tell the battalionmander when I see him tomorrow.¡± Seeing that his daughter was still worried, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll tell the little general when 1 see him.¡±


    At the mention of Qi Haoran, Mu Yangling gritted her teeth in hatred and said through gritted teeth, ¡°Father, tell Qi Haoran that I¡¯ll look for him to y when I¡¯m free..¡±

 Chapter 108 - 108: The Mu Family’s Land (3)

    Chapter 108: The Mu Family¡¯s Land (3)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Indeed, as he had said, Mu Shi could not go home after moving to the camp. Instead, he trained in the morning and brought people to build houses in the afternoon. Qi Haoran actually followed them at all times. Although he did not carry bricks to build the houses, he stood at the side andmanded. No matter howte it was, he would stay till the end. During lunch, he would scoop out a ck steamed bun and squat down to eat with everyone.


    Some people who initially looked down on him because of his young age gradually put away their contempt. Qi Haoran had unexpectedly won over the hearts of the soldiers, and the training situation in the morning was also slowly improving.


    Qi Haoran told them very clearly that the Hus would attack south again. When that happened, they would be the first to be affected, followed by their parents, wives, children, and siblings. If they wanted to survive and protect them, they had to double their training and not rx. Otherwise, they would suffer the same fate as the civilians who died in the previous war.


    Although the people from the 5th Division were still the weakestpared to the other four divisions, at least theirbat awareness had caught up.


    Fan Zijin followed Qi Haoran for two days. By the third day, he refused to follow Qi Haoran to the camp no matter what. With a book in hand, he said, ¡°1¡¯11 leave it to you to conduct the training. 1¡¯11 help you settle the logistics and ask Cousin when the farming tools will arrive.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still two months before spring. What¡¯s the hurry?¡± Qi Haoran waved his hand nonchntly.


    Fan Zijin took out a farming book from the bookshelf. ¡°That¡¯s what 1 thought previously, but that¡¯s not what the book says. When spring arrives, they¡¯ll need to start nting the seeds, and many preparation work has to be done before then. In fact, the preparation should be done byte autumn and early winter, lest it¡¯d be toote. We can¡¯t dy the farming tools anymore. Without them, they won¡¯t be able to work.¡±


    Qi Haoran took the farming book in shock and flipped through it. Then, he stuffed it back into Fan Zijin¡¯s arms and said with relief, ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to you. Oh right, take care of the Mu familyter and choose some good farming tools for her.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°You don¡¯t have to take special care of such a small matter, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at him in confusion. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that farming tools are very important?¡±


    Choked, Fan Zijin said indignantly, ¡°But you don¡¯t have to be biased towards them for everything. It won¡¯t be good for you if your soldiers find out. Your current prestige is umted by eating and working with them every day. It didn¡¯te easy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a general. Isn¡¯t it normal for me to be biased?¡± Qi Haoran said righteously. ¡°Besides, since 1 want to put Mu Shi in an important position, it¡¯s only natural for me to be more respectful to his family. Moreover, we¡¯re friends with Mu Yangling. I¡¯m a fair person, I¡¯ll let the soldiers under mymand know that as long as they follow me, they won¡¯t suffer any losses.¡±


    Fan Zijin: ¡°¡­Even then, there¡¯s no need to do them these small favors. Didn¡¯t you say that you gave them the best fields? They¡¯ll be more grateful if you only help them asionally. By the way, which piece ofnd did you assign to them? 1¡¯11 take a look tomorrow while I¡¯m there to understand the situation of the farmers. When 1 go to Cousin¡¯s ce in two days, I¡¯llpare the situation with that of the other camps.¡±


    Qi Haoran pulled out the map and pointed at the two circles on it. ¡°Here, I drew it myself. One near water, one near the mountains. The two best plots ofnd.¡±


    Seeing the two plots ofnd on the map, Fan Zijin:¡±¡­¡±


    Fan Zijin looked up with a big smile and praised, ¡°They¡¯re indeed great ces. Mu Yangling must be overjoyed. Come with me tomorrow and let her thank you properly.¡±


    Qi Haoran said proudly, ¡°Do 1 need her to praise me? 1 don¡¯t have time for the next two days. Let her save the praise for now. When I have time, I¡¯ll go and listen to her praise.¡±


    Fan Zijin forcefully controlled his facial expression as he waved his hand. ¡°Then, 1¡¯11 go back first. Take your time to look at the map.¡±


    Then, he hurried out. As soon as he reached the courtyard, he couldn¡¯t help but hold onto the railing andugh.


    ¡°Master, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Yanmo supported him, feeling both amused and worried.


    ¡°Hahahaha¡­¡± Fan Zijin wiped his tears with his fingers and waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that my stomach hurts. Let¡¯s go. Help me walk. I¡­ 1 can¡¯t walk anymore. Hahaha¡­ What great ces indeed! Mu Yangling must be furious. Hahaha¡­¡±


    Fan Zijin had been flipping through farming books and booklets that contained information of arablend for two days. With his almost photographic memory, he had some impression of Mu Yangling¡¯s two plots ofnd. In those two plots ofnd, only less than 25 acres were high-grade fields. The rest were medium-grade and low-grade, though mostly low-grade.


    Indeed, Qi Haoran¡¯s habit of screwing his friends over had not changed.


    Mu Yangling got up early in the morning, took the bow from the wall, and ced it in the basket on her back. She carried it on her back and was about to leave.


    Madam Ma-Liu had already woken up. Seeing that Mu Yangling was about to enter the mountain before dawn, she hurriedly ran out and said in a low voice, ¡°There¡¯s enough firewood at home for a few days. Since it¡¯s such a cold day, we¡¯ll go in after the sun rises. You¡¯re still young. Don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡±


    Mu Yangling also replied in a lowered voice, ¡°Great-aunt, I want to take the opportunity to go into the mountains. These few days, food has been scarce. My mother still has to breastfeed, and Bowen and the others are still growing up. Besides, I¡¯m craving meat. I¡¯ll go into the mountains to gather more firewood today. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll go to West Mountain Vige to take a look.¡±


    When Madam Ma-Liu heard that she was going into the mountains to hunt, she grabbed her and pulled her into the house. She said angrily, ¡°Child, why are you so disobedient? Aren¡¯t you courting death by entering the mountains in the middle of winter? Have you forgotten what your father said? 1 know you feel sorry for your mother and younger siblings, but this isn¡¯t the time to take risks. Tell me, why are you going into the mountains? Do you want to make your mother go blind from crying? Don¡¯t go anywhere today. Turn over the thatch on the roof for me so that the snow won¡¯t slip through when it snows next time.¡±


    ¡°Great-aunt.¡± Not daring to shake her off forcefully, Mu Yangling could only let out a cry and agree. ¡°Alright, alright. 1 won¡¯t go into the mountains to hunt, alright? But I have to gather firewood. Otherwise, how will we survive the cold when it starts to snow in a few days?¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu stared at her as she hung the bow and arrow back before letting her go out.


    Carrying the basket on her back, Mu Yangling went straight into the mountain. She found a ce that no one had chopped before and started chopping off branches. She snorted. ¡°Do you think 1 can¡¯t do anything without a bow and arrow? I have many ways to catch rabbits.¡± Then, she said regretfully, ¡°If there weren¡¯t so many people entering the mountain, 1 would definitely set up traps.¡±


    Unfortunately, there were too many people. If she set up a trap at this time, it was unknown if it would catch wild beasts or humans.


    Mu Yangling hacked for a long time. By the time the sunpletely rose and the morning light shone into the forest, Mu Yangling¡¯s back had also started sweating. Seeing that there was quite a lot of firewood piled up on the ground, she put down the knife and tied it up. She pulled out a dagger from her pants and cut a sharp stick.


    After hiding the firewood behind the bushes, she determined a direction as she entered the mountain.


    Although it was snowing in the mountains making it unconducive for walking, it would leave many traces. Mu Yangling only walked for 15 minutes before she saw obvious traces. Mu Yangling looked at the traces on the snow and couldn¡¯t help but click her tongue. ¡°There are really a lot of rabbits in this forest. We won¡¯t have to worry about food in spring.¡±


    Mu Yangling swallowed her saliva and calcted in her heart. It was just right. When spring arrives, she would go into the mountains to hunt rabbits and sell them in the county. With the money, she could buy more fine rice for her younger siblings to grind into rice soup. This way, they wouldn¡¯t cry in the middle of the night due to hunger.


    While Mu Yangling was letting her imagination run wild, two rabbits ran out. Swiftly, she stabbed the sharp stick in her hand through one and kicked the other with her leg.


    The rabbit flew out and knocked into a tree before fainting.


    Picking up the two rabbits, Mu Yangling was satisfied. ¡°We can finally eat


    meat..¡±

 Chapter 109 - 109: Suggestion

    Chapter 109: Suggestion


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling hid the rabbits in the pile of firewood and carried it back. Madam Ma-Liu was bringing Xiuhong to tidy up the private plot ofnd behind the house used for nting vegetables. Madam Ma-Liu nned to tidy it up first and sow the vegetable seeds when the weather turned warmer.


    After cing the firewood in the kitchen, Mu Yangling secretly ced the two rabbits at the door. She waved at Xiuhong who was standing at the back of the house.


    Xiuhong nced at her grandmother before sneaking back. ¡°Cousin, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve hunted two rabbits. Bring them with you when you bring Xin to pick up firewoodter. When youe back, say that you picked them up in the mountains.¡±


    Xiuhong¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°You can even pick up rabbits?¡±


    ¡°Why not? Just say that while you were picking up firewood, two rabbits rushed over as they were fighting each other. You waved the firewood in your hand and hit one, but the other rabbit hit a tree and fainted. Also, say that there were many rabbits in the forest, but unfortunately, you didn¡¯t dare to go in.¡±


    Xiuhong blinked and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll remember everything, Cousin.¡±


    ¡°Then hurry up and go. I¡¯ll go work with your grandmother.¡±


    ¡°Cousin, Young Master Fan is here.¡± Xiuhong was about to leave when she saw Fan Zijin riding his horse over.


    Mu Yangling straightened her back and looked over. Waving at Xiuhong, she said, ¡°Go quickly. Just pick up some firewood at the foot of the mountain.¡±


    After Xiuhong jogged away, Mu Yangling stood by the roadside and waited for Fan Zijin toe over.


    Fan Zijin looked down at Mu Yangling and asked with a smile, ¡°How is it? Are you satisfied with thend given to your family?¡±


    Mu Yangling replied with an insincere smile, ¡°I¡¯m very satisfied. Where¡¯s Qi Haoran? Why isn¡¯t he here?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s busy training and building houses with the soldiers all day long. He doesn¡¯t even have time to do his homework.¡± The teacher that their cousin had hired for them had already lost his temper several times. If not for the fact that their cousin had paid him a lot of tuition, he would have quit long ago.


    Mu Yangling was silent for a moment before asking, ¡°Is he unable to distinguish between good and badnd?¡±


    Fan Zijin burst outughing. ¡°Never mind him. Even for me, I¡¯ve only learnt a little about the topic in the past two days. Why? Can you distinguish?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m no expert either, but I know that you¡¯ve got to have moisture to farm. There can¡¯t be too much or too little. If there¡¯s too much, it¡¯ll result in water logging. If there¡¯s too little, there¡¯ll be drought.¡±


    ¡°Even a three-year-old knows that.¡±


    ¡°That three-year-old must not know that the river will rise in spring this year. Perhaps it will flood thend near the river. When summeres, there might even be drought.¡±


    Putting away the smile on his face, Fan Zijin jumped off the horse. He walked to Mu Yangling and asked solemnly, ¡°Is it your guess again?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at him persistently. ¡°Even if there¡¯s no drought this summer, it¡¯s beneficial for everyone to repair the water conservancy facilities.¡± ¡°You make it sound so nice. Don¡¯t we need people for that? Now, everyone has to build houses, build camps, and train. Even if we give Haoran three heads and six arms, he won¡¯t be able to do it.¡± Fan Zijin was a little frustrated. While he didn¡¯t want Haoran to be too tired, he did feel that what Mu Yangling said made sense, so he was momentarily conflicted.


    Mu Yangling was also a little discouraged. ¡°But I¡¯m really worried that if the harvest next year isn¡¯t good, there might not be enough rations. I¡¯m afraid that so manymoners will have no food and clothing. All of us are under General Qi¡¯s charge. Do you think the Imperial Court will open up a warehouse to provide disaster relief?¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s expression darkened as he pondered seriously.


    Seeing that his expression was not good, Mu Yangling sighed and said, ¡°Forget it. What¡¯s important now is when the farming tools will arrive. There are so many weeds in the field. We have to remove them. Otherwise, how are we going to nt in spring?¡±


    Fan Zijin coughed lightly and asked, ¡°How do you n to nt it?¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him. ¡°How else? I only have two hands. There are only two and a half people in my family who can work. I¡¯m one, my great-aunt is another, and Xiuhong is considered half. I¡¯ve never farmed before, so I don¡¯t know how much I can nt. However, I¡¯ll first nt wheat on the 20 plus acres of high-gradend on both sides, then serve the medium-gradend in the military field in the south. Even if it¡¯s rough farming, we¡¯ve got to nt 40 acres of that.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at him sadly. ¡°You guys chose great plots for me.¡±


    Fan Zijin coughed ufortably and said, ¡°Thisnd was chosen by Haoran. He felt that thend in the east is connected to the river and forms arge area, so it must be an excellent choice. Furthermore, you¡¯re used to hunting in the south. There¡¯s enoughnd there, so he drew a circle there for you.¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted. ¡°Thank him for me.¡±


    Fan Zijin lowered his head and smiled faintly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll bring him the message.¡±


    When Madam Ma-Liu returned from the fields and saw Fan Zijin¡¯s back view, she rebuked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you invite Young Master Fan into the house?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that our brick bed will copse again.¡± Seeing Madam Ma-Liu looking at him reproachfully, Mu Yangling hurriedly smiled and said, ¡°No, isn¡¯t there nothing to entertain guests at home? It¡¯s not good to let him in.¡±


    Only then did Madam Ma-Liu remain silent.


    ¡°Great-aunt, 1¡¯11 go to the fields with youter. Let¡¯s get rid of the weeds in the high-grade fields first.¡±


    ¡°How can we get rid of the weeds without a hoe?¡± Madam Ma-Liu asked worriedly.


    ¡°Set a fire. The ashes from burning it can even be used as fertilizer.¡±


    ¡°How can we?¡± Madam Ma-Liu waved her hand and said, ¡°What if the fire spreads to the forest identally? No, no, definitely not.¡±


    Mu Yangling patted her chest and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Great-aunt. I have a way to make sure it doesn¡¯t spread to the forest. Not only that, but it won¡¯t even spread anywhere near someone else¡¯s field. In a while, we¡¯ll go and pluck the grass at the edge. We can¡¯t burn the weeds there. If we put some distance between them, the fire won¡¯t spread.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t the wind blow over?¡±


    ¡°Therefore, we have to choose a windless morning to do it. Just wait and see. I¡¯ll burn a little at a time and let it slowly spread it over. Once it expands, I¡¯ll put it out. It definitely won¡¯t go out of control.¡± Although Mu Yangling had never set a fire before, she had undergone fire-fighting training and had abundant theoretical knowledge. She decided to test it out tomorrow morning.


    Seeing how confident she was, Madam Ma-Liu slowly believed her. ¡°Then let me know when you start the fire. I have to be prepared.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t dare to set the fire alone.¡±


    ¡°If we can burn it with fire, it will be much easier. We just have to plow the soil and fertilize itter.¡± Madam Ma-Liu pondered and said, ¡°How about this? If there¡¯s wind tomorrow, go to West Mountain Vige. If not, go the day after tomorrow and find more farming tools as soon as possible. We can¡¯t wait for the higher-ups to assign us the farming before we start working. Otherwise, we definitely won¡¯t be able to do much.¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed.


    At noon, the three little ones returned with three bundles of firewood. Xiuhong and Xin each carried a rabbit. As soon as they entered, they shouted, ¡°Grandma, Grandma! Look at what we brought back!¡±


    When Madam Ma-Liu came out and saw the rabbits, she was stunned. ¡°Where did you get this?¡±


    Xiuhong regurgitated Mu Yangling¡¯s excuse, gesturing with her hands vividly. Not to mention Madam Ma-Liu, if Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know what was going on in advance, she would have believed her.


    Madam Ma-Liu was all smiles. ¡°Alright, alright. However, you can only go to the foot of the mountain in the future. You can¡¯t enter the mountain, understand?¡±


    Xiuhong nodded with a smile before turning around to give Mu Yangling a smug look..

 Chapter 110 - 11o: Suggestion

    Chapter 11o: Suggestion


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Shu Wanniang nced at the two rabbits and red at her daughter. Having raised her, she was most familiar with her daughter¡¯s hunting methods.


    Mu Yangling stuck out her tongue and went forward intimately to hold her mother¡¯s hand. ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll bring the rabbits to the county to exchange for some eggs to nourish you. This way, my baby siblings will have milk to drink.¡±


    Shu Wanniang thought about how the twins had been crying from hunger for the past few days and squeezed out an ugly smile. She stroked her daughter¡¯s head and said, ¡°Alright, just exchange one. You can keep the other one for dinner.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu took the rabbit from Xiuhong¡¯s hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go instead, lest others bully Ah Ling seeing her young age.¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t ask for more. Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s bargaining skills were unparalleled.


    That night, Madam Ma-Liu brought back 35 eggs. At the rate of two eggs a day for Shu Wanniang, this shouldst them for some time.


    Mu Yangling went to bed early in the morning. She got up before dawn the next day and woke Xiuhong and Xin up for the first time. After putting on thick clothes for them, she said, ¡°We¡¯ll burn the weedster. I¡¯ve checked¡ªthere¡¯s no wind now.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu had already gotten up and cooked porridge for them. She made everyone eat the porridge before leaving to warm up their bodies.


    Little Bowen got up in a daze and wanted to tag along too. Mu Yangling stuffed him under the nket and said, ¡°Be good and continue sleeping. You¡¯re still young. If you fall sick, our family won¡¯t have the money to buy medicine for you. Stay at home and take care of the twins. We¡¯ll be back in the morning.¡±


    Mu Yangling quickly finished two bowls of porridge, took the lighter, and left.


    When they arrived at the edge of the field, Mu Yangling handed them a branch with leaves. ¡°Xiuhong, you and Xin guard one end. Great-aunt, guard another end. I¡¯ll guard the third.¡±


    ¡°What about here?¡± Great-aunt asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Thisrge piece ofnd is our family¡¯snd. Let the fire burn in this direction, don¡¯t let it spread too wide. Control it slowly and let it burn inwards. When you leave, you must ensure that the mes are extinguished.¡±


    After Mu Yangling finished speaking, she walked to the side and used hay to ignite the weeds. The high-gradend here was alright, for the weeds were only seven to eight centimeters tall. However, the deeper they went, the worse it became. Perhaps because it hadn¡¯t been cultivated for a long time, the weeds at the the worst plot ofnd did not even reach a person¡¯s calves. When the fire spread there, the fire would definitely be very strong.


    Mu Yangling waited for the fire to burn for a distance before using a branch to extinguish the scattered fire points. She followed the mes in front and said, ¡°That¡¯s it. When we walk forward, we have to extinguish the mes behind us. There¡¯s dew on the grass now, so it won¡¯t burn very quickly. We¡¯ll go back when the dew is almost dry.¡±


    Xiuhong, Xin, and Madam Ma-Liu understood and nodded. They used the hay to start a fire before moving to the side. The four of them guarded the fire as they gradually walked inwards.


    By the time the sun came out and gradually dried the dew on the hay, the four of them had already burned nearly ten acres ofnd. Mu Yangling led them to put out the fire and walked around again. After confirming that the mes had all been extinguished, she spread out the pile of ashes. She only left after seeing that the sparks had lost thest bit of red light in the cold air.


    Xiuhong and Xin followed Mu Yangling¡¯s instructions and quickly surveyed the area that had been burned.


    The happy Madam Ma-Liu said excitedly, ¡°Fire really works. Look, this way, we can finish burning all the weeds in the fields in just a few days.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked up at the sky. ¡°I wonder if it will affect the air?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Madam Ma-Liu looked up in confusion.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Great-aunt, let¡¯s go back. After resting for a while, we¡¯lle and cut the grass. The grass further down is too high and lush. We have to create a firebreak? first. Otherwise, I won¡¯t dare to burn it.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu didn¡¯t understand, but she knew that she just had to do as All Ling said. Nodding, she agreed.


    After dawn, the Hu family was the first family to discover that the Mu family had burned weeds. Seeing the vines and weeds swaying in the cold wind, Old Hu could not help but click his tongue. ¡°That old sister-inw is really bold. She even dares to set fire in such weather. If she¡¯s not careful, she can burn thisnd, too. It might even spread to the mountain.¡±


    Madam Hu-Fang said, ¡°Just focus on getting rid of your weeds. You¡¯re interfering too much. I think their family is only burning the short grass at the front. They have to do the same as us for the back part.¡±


    Straightening his back, Old Hu said with a sigh as he looked at such arge piece ofnd, ¡°In the past, I¡¯ve always wanted morend. Now that I have it, I¡¯m worried. How long will it take to get rid of so much weed?¡±


    Madam Hu-Fang buried her head in her work and did not speak. Considering there were many people in their family, by starting early and returning homete, they would eventually be able to finish the work. The Mu family, on the other hand, wasprised of the elderly and little ones. Weren¡¯t they in an even more worrisome position?


    In the afternoon, the Mu family brought the scythe over. Madam Hu-Fang looked up at them, then said while squatting down, ¡°I was right, wasn¡¯t I? They still have to cut it.¡±


    ¡°Mother, that¡¯s not right. Why aren¡¯t they cutting from the side but from the inside?¡± Madam Hu-Fang¡¯s eldest daughter-inw, Madam Zhang, asked curiously.


    Madam Hu-Fang and Old Hu looked up and couldn¡¯t figure it out for a long time.


    Mu Yangling asked them to carve out a firebreak that was a meter wide. The grass was cut off at the root, and they only needed to hoe this grasster. As such, their workload would be greatly reduced.


    This time, Little Bowen was also here. It being his first time doing farm work, he moved around swiftly. Mu Yangling was terrified when she saw this, afraid that he would cut his hand.


    Seeing that the sky had darkened, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back first. We¡¯lle back tomorrow and cut ording to the path I showed you today. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll go to West Mountain Vige to see if I can find some farming tools.¡±


    It took half a day to walk from Chenggu Garrison to West Mountain Vige. Mu Yangling woke up early in the morning. When she reached the intersection of Nearhill Vige, Mu Yangling could not help but enter.


    This was the ce where she had lived for nine years. She was born here and grew up here. Now, it was filled with burned houses, including the Mu Family¡¯s. The houses were burned ck, and the beams had caved in. Mu Yangling searched inside but could not find anything.


    Not long after they fled to the county, Liu He was worried about the vigers and asked Liu Dacang to bring back more than 20 young men to collect their corpses.


    He couldn¡¯t very well let his fellow vigers die in the wilderness. The bailiffs who came here for the statistics would only throw them into a huge pit and bury them. There wouldn¡¯t even be a straw mat.


    At least if the vigers of Nearhill Vige were to bury the corpses themselves, they could erect named tombstones for them. Even the things in the vige had been tidied up.


    Mu Yangling sighed as she stood in front of her house. She then turned around and walked towards West Mountain Vige.


    The situation in West Mountain Vige was worse than Nearhill Vige, but it could be seen that West Mountain Vige had never been cleaned up. Mu Yangling entered the house and after rummaging around, actually found some iron pieces among the ruins. Mu Yangling ced them in the basket on her back and found her great-aunt¡¯s house. Seeing that her house was still in the same state as when it copsed, her eyes lit up.


    Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s house copsed during the first snowstorm. Later, Mu Shi brought Liu Ting and the rest over to repair it, but it had yet to bepletely repaired. Then, the two heavy snowfalls caused the kitchen to copse, too. Mu Shi considered that Shu Wanniang had to be taken care of and that the weather was cold, so he asked Great-aunt and the others to stay in the Mu Residence. He decided to build the house when it was warmer.


    Unexpectedly, because the house had copsed, the Hu people did not set fire to it. It was the only surviving house in the entire West Mountain Vige.


    Mu Yangling carefully went into the storeroom to search. When she saw the hoe, shovel, and iron plow on the ground, her spirits immediately lifted. ¡°It¡¯s good that Great-aunt¡¯s house copsed. Not only is she fine, but her things are also safe.¡±


    Mu Yangling ced the things into the basket on her back and did some choosing. Seeing that there was nothing else, she carried the basket, picked up the iron plow and hoe, before rushing to Chenggu Garrison.

 Chapter 111 - Chapter111: High Hope

    Chapter111: High Hope


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Madam Ma-Liu was very happy to see her bring back so many things. Touching the iron plow with her hand, she said, ¡°This was left behind by your uncle. It¡¯s been used for n years. 1 didn¡¯t expect to find this thing again.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu put the things aside and said, ¡°Since there¡¯s an iron plow, let¡¯s start plowing the soil after we burn all the weeds in the field.¡±


    Of course, Mu Yangling agreed.


    The next day, the four of them set off to burn more than 20 acres ofnd. After noon, they went to set up a firebreak. When the Hu family saw this situation, they were secretly tempted. After the Mu family finished burning this piece ofnd, Old Hu walked on the edge of the field. As he looked at the ck ashes that did not go beyond the firebreak, he said with a sigh, ¡°This is a good method.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask them? If we don¡¯t ask in detail, I won¡¯t dare to set fire to it.¡±


    Old Hu nodded thoughtfully.


    However, before the Hu family could ask, Qi Haoran rode his horse to look for Mu Yangling. ¡°1 heard that you saved a lot of effort by burning all the grass in the fields.¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to say. I¡¯ve spent several days setting up a firebreak. If I¡¯d set fire directly, the fire would probably have spread to your camp.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That means there¡¯s a way to burn it. Tell me and let others learn from it. Fan Zijin said that we haven¡¯t gotten the farming tools yet. I¡¯m afraid the sowing of the crops in spring will be dyed and the rations will be a problem. If there¡¯s a good way, you¡¯ve got to share it with me.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Bring me to the fields. Since you said so, I¡¯ll tell you whatever I have in mind. However, I can¡¯t promise that it will work. It¡¯s up to you whether you believe it or not.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Haoran originally only wanted to train his troops, but two days ago, he went back and saw that Big Brother was so anxious about the rations that dark circles had appeared. Also, he almost fought with a few generals from Xingyuan Prefecture. Coupled with the emphasis on the importance of rations in the art of war, he felt that he could not rx.


    Among the farmers, Qi Haoran was most familiar with Mu Yangling, so he naturally came to her immediately.


    Qi Haoran mounted his horse and pulled Mu Yangling up to sit behind him. He asked, ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the east first. My family has 110 acres ofnd there. We just burned that yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Qi Haoran took credit and said, ¡°1 was the one who specially assigned that plot to you.¡±


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Thank you, huh.¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me. In the future, if there¡¯s morend to be assigned, I¡¯ll help you choose the best.¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted. ¡°Please don¡¯t be so kind. Thend adjacent to ours which belongs to the Hu family is all of medium-grade on the east side. And 30 acres of theirnd in the south is high-gradend. Although it¡¯s a little scattered, thend is fertile. They also have 20 acres of high-gradend in the west¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran tilted his head in confusion. ¡°The Hu family? I don¡¯t know them. Are you old friends with them?¡±


    ¡°No, I just want to tell you that there are only 23 acres of high-gradend in my family¡¯s 180 acres ofnd. Most of the remainingnd is low-gradend that produces a poor harvest of even corn. Slightly under half of it is medium-gradend.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s body stiffened slightly. ¡°The fields are ssified into high-grade, medium-grade and low-grade?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Seeing that the tips of his ears had turned red, Mu Yangling burst outughing. She poked his waist and said, ¡°Alright, actually, this isn¡¯t bad either. My family¡¯snd is of poor quality, but we don¡¯t have many family members, so we might not be able to nt so much. It¡¯s even more of a loss if someone else receives suchnd.¡±


    Qi Haoran scratched his head, not knowing what to say. He was being kind, but he didn¡¯t seem to have done anything good.


    When they arrived at the edge of the field, Mu Yangling pointed at the Mu family¡¯snd and said, ¡°Here, these are all burned out.¡±


    Qi Haoran saw the ashes on the ground and nodded. ¡°How many days did it burn?¡±


    ¡°Eight days. 1 almost died of exhaustion when setting up the firebreak. If 1 did it bit by bit and plowed the soil like other people, I¡¯d probably have died a hundred times. Therefore, if you want others to adopt my method, 1¡¯11 definitely teach them. However, you have to be careful when setting the fire. If the firebreak isn¡¯t done well, it¡¯ll be very difficult to control the fire once it spreads. Qi Haoran, there are many forests in Mingshui County. If you¡¯re not careful, it¡¯ll result in a disaster. Therefore, you have to think carefully.¡±


    Qi Haoran said solemnly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know what to do.¡±


    The two of them rode to the river. Qi Haoran jumped off the horse first before picking her up. ¡°What are you doing here? The river has long frozen.¡±


    ¡°This is really what 1 wanted to speak to you about. It¡¯s snowed five times this year, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran, who hadn¡¯t counted, looked at Mu Yangling nkly.


    Mu Yangling walked to the river and stopped. ¡°Other than mountains, there are many small rivers in Mingshui County. However, as long as there¡¯s a drought, the river will stop flowing. Few can store water. Qi Haoran, it¡¯s only early winter now, right? There might still be heavy snowter. If what I told you about the summer drought is true, the water level in the river will definitely rise when spring snow melts. Should that happen, we might not be able to keepnd like this.¡±


    Mu Yangling stepped on the ground and said, ¡°After summeres the crucial growth period of wheat. If there¡¯s no water at this time and the river is cut off, how much rations do you think we can guarantee next year?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Then what do you think we should do?¡±


    ¡°Repair the water conservancy facilities.¡± Seeing that he was frowning, Mu Yangling was about to persuade him when he said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get them to stop training and take half a day off every day to repair water conservancy facilities.¡±


    Stunned, Mu Yangling stared at Qi Haoran in a daze.


    However, Qi Haoran looked up at the endless field and sighed with mncholy.


    Qi Haoran ran back to the camp in low spirits. At the thought that he didn¡¯t have to work tomorrow, he simply rode his horse and returned to the West Camp overnight.


    He barged into Big Brother¡¯s study and looked at him aggrievedly.


    Qi Xiuyuan put down the brush and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Pursing his lips, Qi Haoran said aggrievedly, ¡°Big Brother, if the Hus invade, will you let the 5th Division go to war?¡±


    ¡°That depends.¡±


    ¡°Depends on what?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said coldly, ¡°The 5th Division is a ragtag army. Unless more than half of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions end up dead or injured, I won¡¯t send 5th Division to the battlefield.¡±


    Although he had long known that this would be the oue, Qi Haoran still felt terrible hearing it with his own ears.


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Haoran, if you want to bring them to the battlefield, you have to train the 5th Division like how you trained the 4th Division.¡±


    ¡°How is this the same? When I was in the 4th Division, 1 only focused on training them. But now that the military system has changed, everything has changed. Since the 5th Division has to build houses and whatnot, there¡¯s almost no time for training,¡± Qi Haoran said irritably.


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s face turned cold. ¡°You¡¯re just managing a division and you can¡¯t take it already? Then what about me? Do you think 1 just need to train them to know how to fight? 1 have to take care of rations, weapons, winter clothes, military sries, the soldiers¡¯ pensions, and even deal with the cooperation and confrontation with the Xingyuan Prefecture. If you want to catch up or even surpass me, you have to learn all of this.¡±


    Seeing his younger brother lower his head in frustration, Qi Xiuyuan stood up and walked to his side to pat his head. He said, ¡°Sharpening a knife will not dy the cutting of firewood. You¡¯re already great at training soldiers, but it¡¯s far from enough to only train soldiers. I asked you to take over the 5th Division not only because you¡¯re young and can¡¯t receive a title, but also because I want you to slowly learn how to be a good general. I will let you do whatever you want in the 5th Division. No matter what you do, I will support you. I hope that one day, you can surpass me.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up as he looked at Big Brother.


    Smiling, Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t help but pat his head again..

 Chapter 112 - 112: Indulgence

    Chapter 112: Indulgence


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Having regained his fighting spirit, Qi Haoran had a good night¡¯s sleep. However, Mu Yangling could not fall asleep.


    She propped her chin on her hand and sat at the door of her house, looking at the fields outside in a daze. Of course, repairing water conservancy facilities was only beneficial to future generations, but what about the people at this time?


    Now that everyone had to build houses, build camps, train, and farm, how could they have the time to repair the water conservancy facilities?


    At this moment, Mu Yangling was no longer very insistent on her idea. She was not an architect, and she didn¡¯t have any practical experience in terms of farming.


    When Mu Shi returned tiredly with his bag, he saw his daughter¡¯s conflicted expression.


    His daughter was forthright and cheerful, and was never one to take things too hard. What was going on?


    Mu Shi frowned slightly and went forward. As he gently patted her back, he asked, ¡°Why are you sitting at the door?¡±


    ¡°Father?¡± Mu Yangling jumped up. ¡°You¡¯re back. Why are you so dirty? Come in quickly.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Shi was covered in mud, Shu Wanniang quickly went forward to catch his bag and said, ¡°I¡¯ve boiled hot water. Hurry up and wash yourself.¡±


    Seeing that he had lost weight in just ten days, Shu Wanniang¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help but ache. When she came out, she pulled her daughter over and poured out 23 copper coins from her purse to hand to her. ¡°Hurry up and run to the county to buy some meat for your father to nourish himself.¡±


    This was the family¡¯sst bit of money.


    Mu Yangling pushed it back and stood up to take the bow and arrow from the wall. She said, ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll just walk around outside. I definitely won¡¯t go deep and won¡¯t get lost. Don¡¯t tell Father.¡± With that, she turned around and ran.


    Shu Wanniang chased after her daughter for two steps. When she saw that her daughter had disappeared, she stomped her feet and tightened her grip on the copper coins in her hand.


    When Mu Yangling returned with a roe deer, she thought that her father would scold her. Unexpectedly, her father smiled at her and waved. ¡°Hurry up and bring the roe deer in. Are you waiting for me to help you bring it in?¡±


    Mu Yangling immediately revealed a big smile as she skipped to her father¡¯s side. ¡°Father, let Mother braise it tonight. With no fats in my stomach, 1 don¡¯t have the energy to work.¡±


    Mu Shi sighed in his heart and nodded with a smile. He took the roe deer from his daughter¡¯s hand and poured a pot of hot water over it from the kitchen. Then, he took a knife and scraped the skin.


    In less than half an hour, he had cut up the roe deer on the chopping board, and handed it to Xiuhong to bring into the kitchen.


    With slightly reddened eyes, Shu Wanniang rolled up her sleeves and cooked. Ever since Madam Ma-Liu moved into the Mu family, she rarely cooked. However, today, she used all her skills to cook a table of dishes for everyone.


    Not to mention Mu Yangling and Mu Shi, even Little Bowen¡¯s eyes lit up as he swallowed his saliva.


    They finished all the meat dishes on the table.


    As Mu Shi ate, he picked up some food for Shu Wanniang and said, ¡°Eat more. You¡¯ve lost weight.¡±


    Mu Yangling picked up a piece of food for everyone, taking extra care of Little Bowen and Xin.


    Mu Yangling ate until her stomach was round. As she sat on the stool, she did not want to move. ¡°Father, aren¡¯t you going to build a house? Why do you look like you came out of a pile of mud?¡±


    ¡°I dide out of a pile of mud.¡± Mu Shi said drowsily, ¡°Doesn¡¯t building a house require mud? As a sectionmander, I¡¯m in charge of digging mud. We dug a huge pit at the other end of the camp¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling was feeling sleepy too, but when she heard this, she shuddered and shook her father excitedly. ¡°Father, what did you say? You guys dug a huge pit in the mud?¡±


    Mu Shi sobered up in response. Frowning, he said, ¡°Yes, what¡¯s wrong? Now that everyone doesn¡¯t have time to build stone houses, we¡¯ve got to use mud to build the houses.¡±


    ¡°Can all types of mud be used? For instance, the mud by the river.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. We have to use yellow mud to build a house. It has to be more sticky. Only by mixing mud and withered grass to make mud bricks can we build a house. If any type of mud will do, do we have to dig up mud in the camp and transport it elsewhere?¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I¡¯m sure other than the camp, that type of mud can be found elsewhere. Let¡¯s look for more. Perhaps you can build a reservoir while digging.¡±


    ¡°What reservoir?¡±


    ¡°Water conservancy. To store water. This way, even when a drought urs in the future, or if the river is cut off, at least the water in the reservoir canst us for some time. It¡¯d be even better if we can dig a few more channels to the field before the ice melts. This way, even if there¡¯s a drought in the future, the field won¡¯tck water immediately. Previously, 1 was worried that repairing the water conservancy facilities would consume too much manpower, but now, it seems that some things can be done simultaneously.¡±


    Mu Shi pondered.


    Overjoyed, Mu Yangling stretched. ¡°Father, you should rest. I¡¯m going to sleep too. Since I won¡¯t be working in the fields tomorrow, I¡¯m going to look for Qi Haoran.¡±


    Mu Shi watched as his daughter left in a hurry. He opened his mouth and turned to ask his wife, ¡°Does Ah Ling often y with Little General?¡±


    ¡°Not very often, but every few days, Young Master Fan or the little general woulde to talk to Ah Ling. That servant called Fei Bai would send a letter over from time to time.¡± Shu Wanniang paused and said, ¡°I also feel that it¡¯s not good for Ah Ling to interact with them like this, but this child has a mind of her own now. 1 can¡¯t control her anymore.¡±


    Shu Wanniang had always been in a weak position in the family. When her husband was around, she listened to her husband. And when he wasn¡¯t around, she listened to her daughter. If both her husband and daughter were not around, she would even listen to Little Bowen. Her greatest w was that she was gentle, but that was also her greatest strength. Most importantly, she would never hurt her husband and children.


    Even though she knew that Mu Yangling¡¯s actions were not good, she would indulge her when she realized that she would hurt her daughter if she tried to stop her.


    Now, she only hoped that her husband could persuade her daughter. After all, this world had more restrictions on women.


    When Mu Yangling interacted with Qi Haoran and the others, the world would not judge Qi Haoran, but they would think that Mu Yangling did not know the rules. Her husband would definitely mind in the future.


    Her daughter was young and insensible, but Shu Wanniang had to consider it on her behalf.


    However, Mu Shi was thinking about what his daughter had said to him today. His daughter seemed to have taken a huge step forward, and even he could not catch up to her.


    What was he going to do? Restrain her, and let her hunt and farm for the rest of her life to support her family? Then let her marry a capable farmer and continue living like this after having children?


    In the past, Mu Shi did not think that there was anything wrong with this. He felt very happy with such a life, but now, he was a little resistant to the idea that his daughter¡¯s future would pan out simrly.


    With no money in the family, when they encountered a disaster, their daughter would have to start over with nothing like they did now.


    When Ah Ling was born, their family was still rather well-off. It was only after Wanniang took medicine for a few years that the family¡¯s assets slowly emptied. When Bowen was born prematurely and Wanniang almost bled to death, the Mu family suddenly faced difficulties. If the Mu family had more money at that time, Bowen and Wanniang would not have suffered so much. The same logic applied to their present situation. If the Mu family had more assets, even if they encountered a military disaster, the Mu family would not have nothing now. Her daughter even had to take the risk to enter the mountains for her mother to eat an egg.


    Mu Shi slowly hugged his wife tightly and said gently, ¡°Let her go. As long as she¡¯s happy.¡±


    Shu Wanniang looked at her husband in surprise. Mu Shi patted her shoulder and said in a low voice, ¡°I don¡¯t want her to live the same life as us. That child has ideas and is smart. Let nature take its course. There were even female officials in the Imperial Court during Shizong¡¯s era.¡±


    ¡°How is that the same?¡± Although Shu Wanniang still didn¡¯t agree, she didn¡¯t insist..

 Chapter 113 - 113: Setback

    Chapter 113: Setback


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    This was the first time Mu Yangling came to the camp to look for Qi Haoran. Not only did Qi Haoran run out, but Fan Zijin also followed behind him.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Qi Haoran hurriedly asked.


    ¡°Nothing happened. 1 just thought of a good idea and came to tell you that.¡± Mu Yangling looked at him with bright eyes. ¡°What do you think about building a reservoir while you dig for mud to build the houses?¡±


    Qi Haoran was stunned for a moment before he was overjoyed. ¡°You mean to build a reservoir at the ce where we dig for mud? That¡¯s right. Since we have to build civilian houses and barracks, we need a lot of mud. This can save a lot of effort.¡±


    Fan Zijin, who was standing at the side, could not help but dampen their spirits. ¡°You¡¯re dreaming too much. Are you sure there¡¯ll be yellow mud suitable for building houses in the ce where you build the reservoir? Vice versa?¡±


    Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling were both optimistic. He waved his hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find somewhere suitable for both. I¡¯ll send some men to take a look now.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at the enthusiastic duo and swallowed the words that were about toe out of his mouth. Forget it, he would just apany them.


    As Mu Yangling walked, she said, ¡°The reservoir can¡¯t be built just like that. Why don¡¯t we go to the county and ask the registrar? Since they¡¯re in charge of agriculture, they might be able to introduce a few talents to us.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we know nothing about farming. I also want to ask Song Zhi for more people who know how to farm.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded repeatedly. ¡°Yes, certainly. You can also find those old men who are very good at farming in the fields. They know a lot. When you bring them over, you must introduce them to me.¡±


    Mu Yangling had only seen farming before. At most, she had learned a little about it from books and television in her previous life, but there were too many modern factors mixed in. She was not sure if what she knew could be applied to the present. More importantly, understanding did not equate to practice. She had never farmed before.


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll get someone to call youter.¡±


    Looking at the two extremely confident people, Fan Zijin felt a little defeated for no reason. The two of them were people who did whatever they wanted without thinking about the consequences. One Qi Haoran was already tiring enough for him. Now, there was also Mu Yangling. When would the days of cleaning up their mess end?


    When Song Zhi heard that Qi Haoran wanted to build a reservoir, he naturally agreed to help. Even though most of Mingshui County had be under the control of the army, it was still under Mingshui County¡¯s jurisdiction. Of course, he would be d to see Mingshui County do well. Therefore, Song Zhi expressed that apart from manpower and material resources, he would support Qi Haoran on a technical level.


    Qi Haoran had manpower; as for logistics, he could ask his brother for it. The only thing hecked was technical support.


    When he heard that they were going to build the reservoir and dig out mud to build houses at the same time, two drops of cold sweat slid down Song Zhi¡¯s forehead. After some deliberation, he persuaded, ¡°Erm¡­ the ce where the reservoir is built might not have the yellow mud that¡¯s suitable for building houses.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded and said, ¡°1 know. That¡¯s why 1 came to look for Magistrate Song. I want to find a ce that¡¯s suitable for building a reservoir which also has mud suitable for building houses.¡±


    Song Zhi:¡±¡­ I¡¯ll get someone to take a look.¡±


    When the soldiers under Qi Haoran heard that he wanted to build a reservoir, they objected agitatedly.


    In the past ten days, they had already been exhausted from training and work. Most importantly, they could only eat until they were 70% full. If they were to build a reservoir in addition to all that, they suspected they would die from exhaustion. When several of them went home and saw that their brothers were still the same while they had grown as thin as bamboo poles, they immediately felt unbnced.


    Themotion in the military camp became even more serious.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face darkened. He did not expect the greatest resistance toe from his subordinates.


    Fan Zijin said, ¡°We have to give them benefits. Otherwise, we will suffer if they ck off.¡±


    Frowning hard, Qi Haoran said aggrievedly, ¡°Haven¡¯t 1 given them enough? I¡¯ve alreadypressed the four hours of training every day to two hours. What can I aplish in two hours a day? I can¡¯t even line them up properly.¡±


    Seated beside him, Mu Yangling supported her chin with her hand. ¡°We have to let them eat their fill and rest enough. It¡¯s best if we can let them have meat. This way, they¡¯ll be willing to work. There¡¯s still at least two months before the snow melts. It¡¯s enough time for us to dig the reservoir.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound so nice. We don¡¯t have enough grains to feed them. Meat? If there¡¯s enough vegetables, they should be thanking the heavens already.¡± Fan Zijin said unhappily, ¡°The army is very poor. It¡¯s only because Cousin takes care of them that they can eat until they¡¯re 70% full. You don¡¯t know how dissatisfied the generals of the other divisions are.¡±


    This was because in their opinion, the possibility of the people from the 5th Division going to the battlefield was very low, but the treatment they received was better than theirs.


    In the army, good things were reserved for elite soldiers.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°Then what should we do? Conscript the able-bodied soldiers from the military households? Then everyone will definitely have greater objections.¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted and stood up. ¡°If anyone dares to have any objections, just tell them toe at me.¡±


    Qi Haoran left angrily, leaving Mu Yangling and Fan Zijin looking at each other.


    Fan Zijin med Mu Yangling. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault foring up with this rotten idea.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t say that when these reservoirs start working.¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted. Mu Yangling pped her butt and left to go back and plow the soil.


    At this time, Mu Shi was already in the field. He was acting as the ox pulling the iron plow at the front while Madam Ma-Liu was holding the iron plow at the back. They had finished plowing 80-90% of thend after a morning¡¯s work.


    After Mu Yangling ran back, she took a hoe and started plowing from another direction.


    Xiuhong brought Xin and Bowen to pick up the grass stalks at the back. After piling them up, she took them to the edge of the field to discard them.


    Mu Shi took a break halfway and came to look for his daughter. ¡°I low is it? What did Little General say? Are we going to build the reservoir?¡±


    Because he had to find a suitable ce and because of themotion caused by the soldiers below, Mu Shi had already rested at home for three days.


    Mu Yangling shook her head in frustration. ¡°We have to wait for him to think of a solution.¡±


    Mu Shi squatted beside his daughter and patted her shoulder. ¡°Then let¡¯s fix ournd first.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    Although the construction of the houses and the reservoir had been put on hold for the time being, everything else was progressing very smoothly. In the past three days, Mu Yangling had taught them how to go about setting fire to the fields. All the families had started to set fire to the grass. Now, one-third of the grass in the fields had been burned.


    Qi Haoran even sent people to guard the fields every morning. Once the fire went out of control, they would immediately go and salvage the situation. He also strictly stipted that no more fires were allowed after the sun came out.


    Qi Haoran had the power to order for someone to be killed in the military, so no one dared to vite his ban.


    Mu Yangling stood up and pulled up the iron plow. ¡°Father, you can plow thend. I¡¯ll pull it.¡±


    She still felt that pulling the iron plow was the easiest. It was simr to carrying Little Bowen on her back. Compared to plowing the ground, at least now she didn¡¯t have to bend down.


    Knowing that his daughter was strong, Mu Shi knew that pulling the iron plow was not considered hard work for her, so he waved his hand and let her go.


    As she pulled the iron plow, Mu Yangling moved along quickly and steadily. Madam Ma-Liu was focused on holding the iron plow from behind. Seeing the deep and wide plowednd, she took the time to look up at Mu Yangling and felt that she was more useful than a cow..

 Chapter 114 - 114: Plowing the Land

    Chapter 114: Plowing the Land


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling was not tired, but Madam Ma-Liu was exhausted by now. She turned around and saw that they had already plowed two acres ofnd, so she hurriedly said, ¡°Alright, alright. That¡¯s all for this morning.¡±


    Mu Yangling turned around to take a look. ¡°Let¡¯s plow some more. Otherwise, when will we finish plowing?¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu rebuked, ¡°Do you really want to plow all 180 acres? First plow those 23 acres of high-gradend, then plow the medium-gradend. Let¡¯s leave the rest as it is. It¡¯s already not bad if we can nt 50 acres.¡±


    Mu Yangling still felt that it was too little. She said, ¡°Let¡¯s take a look first. Perhaps we can do more.¡±


    Mu Shi red at her as he went forward to support the iron plow. ¡°You¡¯re not tired, but your great-aunt is. Go rest.¡±


    Only then did Mu Yangling see that Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s hands were trembling. For a moment, she smiled awkwardly. ¡°Great-aunt, 1 was distracted just now. You should rest.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu was dumbfounded. ¡°You can even pull a plow when you¡¯re distracted?¡±


    Mu Yangling said nonchntly, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just walking straight? It¡¯s very simple.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu turned around and looked at Mu Shi. ¡°Since All Ling isn¡¯t tired,e and support her. Just press down a little harder like I taught you and hold onto the iron plow.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mu Shi held onto the iron plow and said to his daughter, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Mu Yangling walked forward at her usual speed, but suddenly, there was a tremor behind her. After walking for a while, she heard her great-aunt shout, ¡°Stop! Stop quickly!¡±


    Mu Yangling turned around and saw that the ground that Mu Shi had plowed was curved and of varying depths. Mu Shi looked a little embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯ll try again. Maybe I¡¯ll seed.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu nodded helplessly and advised him from the side. At one moment, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t use too much strength. You won¡¯t be able to move the plow like that.¡± At another moment, she said, ¡°Press the plow back. Don¡¯t be too fast. That way, it¡¯ll result in a curved path. Hold your hands steady.¡± At another moment, she said, ¡°Do use some strength. Look at the soil¡ªonly oneyer came out. It¡¯s not even as deep as your feet.¡±


    In the end, not only was Mu Shi exhausted, but even Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s saliva had dried up. She looked at Mu Shi worriedly. ¡°This won¡¯t do. Plowing is the simplest and others can learn by simply watching. How are you going to farm in the future?¡±


    Mu Shi rubbed his head and said after a while, ¡°Aunt, like my father, I¡¯m not cut out for farming. Why don¡¯t we nt casually?¡±


    ¡°How are you going to provide for your family? With your sectionmander¡¯s military sry? Is it enough for Wanniang to get medicine?¡± Madam Ma-Liu hit the back of his hand with a stick. ¡°Get up. I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±


    Mu Yangling quickly threw down the rope and ran up. ¡°Let me do it. I think 1 know how to do it after listening to your instructions. I¡¯ll give it a shot.¡± Frowning, Madam Ma-Liu pped Mu Shi. ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and pull the plow.¡±


    Mu Shi hurriedly gave the iron plow to his daughter and went forward to pull the plow.


    As Mu Yangling had great strength since she was young, she would always identally crush or smash something. When she was still in infancy, she had started learning to control her strength. It was only when she was six years old that shepletely mastered control over her strength. Only then did Mu Shi and Shu Wanniang dare to let her carry Little Bowen. In the past, Mu Yangling could break Shu Wanniang¡¯s bones if she identally touched her with a light wave of her hand.


    In order to master control over her strength, Mu Yangling asked Shu Wanniang to knead a few balls with flour. She pinched and kneaded them with her hands to make them not concave or too spread out. Today, Mu Yangling¡¯s control of strength surpassed everyone else.


    Therefore, after she mastered the iron plow, other than initially when she made the ground uneven, when she mastered the strength she should maintain, the soil that was dug out was new and deep. The smile on Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s face deepened as she said, ¡°All Ling inherited your grandmother¡¯s capability. Your grandmother was as smart as you in the past. She easily learned everything after watching it a few times.¡± As she spoke, she looked at Mu Shi and sighed. Clearly, she felt that Mu Shi did not inherit his mother¡¯s intelligence and capability.


    Mu Shi looked even more embarrassed.


    Mu Yangling smiled. ¡°Then you don¡¯t have to worry in the future, Great-aunt. I¡¯ll farm my family¡¯snd.¡±


    However, Madam Ma-Liu sighed in her heart and looked at Bowen, who was running around picking grass stems. Ah Ling was a girl after all and would get married one day. Surely she couldn¡¯t abandon her husband¡¯s family ande back to help her maternal family farm?


    Considering Bowen¡¯s poor health, it was already not an easy feat for him to grow up into adulthood.


    Therefore, Madam Ma-Liu looked at Mu Shi again and felt that it was best to work hard to reform her nephew and let him master this.


    When Bosi grew up in the future, Mu Shi could teach his second son. This way, even if Bowen did not know how to farm in the future, he would at least have a younger brother to help him.


    Mu Shi shivered, feeling that someone was talking about him behind his back, and it was not a good thing.


    Because Mu Yangling was a quick learner, with the three of them taking turns, they finished plowing six acres ofnd in a day. The Hu family watched as Mu Yangling pulled the plow as if she was pulling a stick. Seeing her walk quickly and steadily, they were simply envious and jealous. ¡°That youngdy is so strong.¡±


    Old Hu¡¯s youngest son, Hu Gui, said unhappily, ¡°She¡¯s born with great strength because her father has the bloodline of a Hu. If you¡¯re envious, you should¡¯ve asked Great-grandfather to marry a Hu woman. Perhaps then, the three of us brothers will have great strength.¡±


    When Old Hu heard him talk about his ancestors this way, he was so angry that he raised his whip and was about to whip him.


    ¡°Alright, alright. Don¡¯t talk nonsense. Strength alone isn¡¯t enough for farming. I heard from Second Brother that the Mu family used to be hunters. They¡¯re good at hunting, but they don¡¯t know anything about farming. If it weren¡¯t for his aunt guiding them from the side, they might have been sitting at home like the He family in the east. There¡¯s still a long way to go. With theirck of experience, it¡¯s not certain if they can sessfully farm thisnd. In our family, your father is the number one expert in farming in our vige. Third Son, you ought to learn from him. Now that your second brother went to join the army, this family is counting on you and your eldest brother. Do you hear me?¡±


    Hu Gui snorted and agreed.


    At the side, Hu Man¡¯s wife, Madam Hu-Jin, had her head lowered. When she heard her mother-inw say that the family would be depending on the third son and eldest son in the future, she couldn¡¯t help but clench her fists and turn to look at her husband.


    As if he did not hear anything, Hu Man squatted on the ground and kept cutting the grass quickly.


    Now, only the Mu Family had plows and hoe in the entire vige. The other families had also returned to their vige to search, but they could only find some iron pieces sporadically. They could not even find a single hoe. In addition, the grass in the field had not beenpletely removed. Now, only the Mu Family had plowed the soil on theirnd.


    Madam Hu-Jin sighed. When she returned, she walked beside her husband and said, ¡°Since Section Commander Mu is your superior, go greet himter.¡±


    Hu Man nodded and slowed down.


    Madam Hu-Zhang turned around and looked at them. Without saying anything, she walked back to her husband, Hu Dian.


    While the sun was setting in the west, the Mu family started packing their things to return.


    Mu Yangling carried Bowen with one arm and Xin with the other as she ran forward. Xiuhong chased after them with a smile.


    Mu Shi carried everything and walked behind the empty-handed Madam Ma-Liu.


    When Hu Man saw this, he hurriedly handed the scythe in his hand to his wife and took two steps forward to take the iron plow from Mu Shi¡¯s shoulder..

 Chapter 115 - 115: Showing Them Who’s Boss

    Chapter 115: Showing Them Who¡¯s Boss


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Big Brother Mu, let me do it.¡±


    ¡°No need, no need.¡± Mu Shi dodged slightly and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m strong. These aren¡¯t heavy.¡±


    Smiling, Hu Man took the hoe from him and said, ¡°Although it¡¯s not heavy, it¡¯s notfortable to carry so many things on your body. Since our houses are not far away, let me help you carry one.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother Mu, is Little General really going to build the reservoir?¡±


    Mu Shi nodded. ¡°Most likely. The elders all said that things might be bad next year. It¡¯s always a good thing to make some preparations in advance.¡±


    Hu Man lowered his head and did not say anything. Actually, he did not want to build a reservoir either. It was too tiring. The three of them were originally of about the same size. But now, after going to the military camp for just ten days, it was apparent he had lost a lot of weight, especially when he stood next to his two brothers. When he returned, his wife hugged him and cried all night.


    Seeing him sigh like this, Mu Shi said helplessly, ¡°Little General also knows how difficult it is. He has lost a lot of weight himself. He¡¯s still a child.¡±


    Hu Man was a little enlightened. Only then did he remember that Qi Haoran was only 12 years old. After a while, he said, ¡°I forgot that Little General is still young.¡±


    Mu Shi smiled. ¡°Many people have forgotten.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s actions during this period of time made everyone forget his age and truly treat him as a general.


    Mu Shi and Hu Man felt that Qi Haoran¡¯s improvement was great enough. The rate at which he was improving exceeded everyone¡¯s expectations. Even Qi Xiuyuan was shocked.


    After Qi Haoran ran away alone, he went into the county to look for Song Zhi. Then, he went to Minister Sun¡¯s house and Minister Zhao¡¯s house to sit for a while. In less than two days, the Sun and Zhao families brought over 20 carts of food and dered that they were lending it to Qi Haoran. In addition, there were two heavy-duty carriages at the back. It was said that the boxes on them were filled with silver.


    The next day, Qi Haoran called all the soldiers back and directly named the able-bodied men who had been recruited. Other than those who had already joined the army, each family could only keep at home one young man. The rest of the males between the ages of 14 and 45 had to join the construction of the water conservancy facilities. The army would cover all three meals. If anyone dared to ck off, they would be sent to the 1st Division.


    As soon as these words were spoken, no one dared to object.


    The 1st Division was different from the 5th Division. The 1st Division was promising, but they also risked their lives. They had the chance to make contributions at all times, but they also constantly faced the risk of death.


    Didn¡¯t these men not want to be soldiers because they didn¡¯t want to die?


    The eldest son, Hu Dian, had no choice but to follow Hu Man to build the water conservancy. Now, only Hu Gui was left in the Hu family.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s resolve was not just limited to building a reservoir. He invited Song Zhi and a few people in the county who were knowledgeable about building water conservancy facilities. Not only did he set up three reservoirs, but he also nned to open a few channels to introduce water into the fields. This meant that the channels had to pass through the fields.


    Although it was convenient to irrigate water like this, it also resulted in a significant loss of farnd. Many people were unwilling to let the channels pass through their fields because the ditch that Qi Haoran wanted to dig was ten meters wide, almost like a river. The farnd here had been divided into pieces, and ownership wouldn¡¯t change thereafter. It was impossible for the army topensate them for itter.


    Others might not be willing, but Mu Yangling was very willing. She ran to look for Qi Haoran. ¡°Thend on the east side of my house is by the river. You can build it through my family¡¯snd. You can dig all the way to the south where my family¡¯s other plot ofnd is. Don¡¯t worry, 1 have no objections no matter how big of a ditch you dig. Just don¡¯t touch my high-gradend.¡±


    d that she was so supportive of his work, Qi Haoran patted his chest and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll tell those old men. They definitely won¡¯t dare to pass through your high-gradend.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled brightly.


    When Fan Zijin returned and heard Qi Haoran praising Mu Yangling, he couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°She¡¯s very smart. Her family has so muchnd that they can¡¯t finish farming it. By building it on hernd, isn¡¯t she the one to benefit?¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted. ¡°She¡¯s not the only one who can¡¯t finish farming. Why don¡¯t 1 see others who are willing? In the end, those people are too selfish. Hmph, just wait and see. When I have a bumper harvest next year, let¡¯s see what else they have to say.¡±


    After saying that, Qi Haoran went to look for someone to discuss building the houses. Although they had to build the water conservancy facilities, the construction of the houses could not be dyed either.


    Yanmo hurriedly rushed in to look for Fan Zijin. ¡°Master, the generals in front are here again. They said that they want to talk to Fourth Young Master about something.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s face fell and a cold glint shed across his eyes. Standing up, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look.¡±


    Qi Haoran was an acting general, and there were two trainingmissioners and four regimentmanders under him. Even the battalionmanders below were transferred from the other divisions.


    Putting aside the battalionmanders, which one of the two trainingmissioners and four regimentmanders wasn¡¯t a veteran in the army?


    There were all sorts of reasons why they were pushed to the 5th Division by the other divisions, but they all had amon characteristic, which was that they were not capable.


    Fan Zijin looked down on them, but it was undeniable that the operation of the 5th Division depended on these people. At least before Qi Haoran and he developed trusted aides, these people had to be present. Otherwise, the soldiers in the 5th Division would dare to rebel.


    Fan Zijin came out to meet them with a cold expression.


    The two trainingmissioners opened their eyes and nced at him. They asked bluntly, ¡°Young Master Fan, the person we want to see is Little General. We failed to see him for three consecutive days already. Is Little General nning to leave us alone?¡±


    Seated at the head of the table, Fan Zijin looked at them coldly. ¡°Haoran has gone to the West Camp. Cousin wants to summon him for questioning. If anyone wants to see him, you can do so when hees back from the West Camp.¡±


    Training Commissioner Han¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Yesterday, you said that Little General was going to patrol. Previously, you said that he was going to look for Magistrate Song. Today, he¡¯s off to see General. Then, is he going to see the emissary tomorrow?¡±


    Fan Zijin chuckled and looked at him mockingly. ¡°Why? Does Training Commissioner Han have a problem with Haoran going to see the general? Then you can go to the West Camp to lodge aint against him. Cousin has always been fair. Even if Haoran is Cousin¡¯s biological younger brother, he will deal with it impartially.¡±


    Bullsh*t. If the general knew how to deal with things impartially, would he have handed the 5th Division to his 12-year-old brother to manage?


    Fan Zijin took a sip of tea and said slowly, ¡°Training Commissioner Han, don¡¯t think that 1 don¡¯t know what you¡¯re secretly nning. Haoran is upright and doesn¡¯t think about those dirty things, but I¡¯m not so easy to fool. To tell you the truth, Haoran doesn¡¯t handle the ounts, so the grains borrowed from the Sun and Zhao families are all in my hands. It¡¯s now in the storeroom of my residence.¡±


    Training Commissioner Han¡¯s expression immediately changed. He stood up with a whoosh and said angrily, ¡°These grains are borrowed in the name of the 5th Division, and you¡¯re only apanying Little General to train. How can you control the resources of the 5th Division?¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted nonchntly. ¡°Not only am I taking charge of these borrowed grains, but all the ount books of the 5th Division are also in my hands.¡± Fan Zijin nced at them from the corner of his eyes. ¡°Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know? The 5th Division was abandoned and their purpose here is to farmnd for the army.. What do you think your chances of sess are if you run back to the West Camp toin about Haoran now?¡±

 Chapter 116 - 116: Sharing

    Chapter 116: Sharing


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The six of them did not speak because they knew that the possibility was zero.


    Putting aside the fact that Qi Haoran was the general¡¯s younger brother, just as Fan Zijin had said, the existence of the 5th Division was to farm for the other four divisions.


    Other than Qi Xiuyuan, who wanted to train his younger brother, the generals of the other four divisions did not think that the 5th Division could go to the battlefield. This was because the 5th Division consisted of those leftover soldiers, including these trainingmissioners and regimentmanders who had also been eliminated by the various divisions. As such, they just had to farm well.


    And what Qi Haoran was doing now was to try to farm better.


    Training Commissioner Han and these few regimentmanders wanted to be in charge. However, not to mention that Qi Haoran didn¡¯t trust them, even the other four assistantmanders knew their character. If the resources were to be handed over to them, how much would end up being used on the soldiers in the end?


    Training Commissioner Han also knew this, and his expression turned even uglier.


    Seeing that they were all silent, Fan Zijin¡¯s expression changed slightly. He said, ¡°The soldiers of the 5th Division are all leftovers picked by the various battalions. If we want to train them to a decent standard, we¡¯ll have to rely on you. However, next year will be different from the previous years. The frequency of the Hu people attacking south might increase. Didn¡¯t the 1st Division fight with the Jin soldiers outside the pass two days ago? The other four divisions have limited energy for farming and can only rely on our 5th Division. Therefore, Haoran and I definitely won¡¯t allow anyone to cause trouble at this time. After the sowing season, Haoran will have a brand new method of training soldiers. At that time, please help him.¡± As he spoke, he sighed sadly. ¡°1 can only help him with some farming matters.¡±


    The few of them perked up when they heard that, thinking that Fan Zijin would let go of the 5th Division¡¯s resources and focus on agriculture. They looked at each other and felt that it might not be a bad idea to wait a few more months before taking over the authority of the 5th Division. There was no need to go against Qi Haoran at this time and piss him off.


    One had to know that Qi Haoran was famous for being a little tyrant in the army. Although he usually ate and lived with the soldiers, if someone provoked him, he dared to hit even the generals in the camp, let alone the few of them.


    Fan Zijin sent them out. Seeing that their backs had disappeared, his expression darkened.


    Yanmo said, ¡°Master, you should tell Fourth Young Master.¡±


    ¡°Tell him for what? Don¡¯t you think he has enough to be frustrated about? Let them be smug for a few days. When we free up some time, we¡¯ll deal with them.¡± Fan Zijin snorted.


    He had been really busy these few days. Qi Haoran did not know how to manage the ounts. He went to force the Sun and Zhao families to lend him so much grain, but he did not n out how much to cook per day. At this rate, they would be finished by these soldiers in less than two months. Hence, Fan Zijin could only take over this responsibility. Hence, not only was Qi Haoran busy, but he was also not free.


    This group consisting of Training Commissioner Han were all leeches that had an insatiable greed. Previously, they had taken for themselves a lot of the things that Qi Xiuyuan had given to this division. Previously, it happened due to his and Haoran¡¯s negligence, but now, they could not let them do whatever they wanted. Therefore, the resources of the 5th Division were tightly held by him and Haoran.


    Haoran was already in a terrible fix over the matters outside. Of course, Fan Zijin did not want to bother him with these scheming matters. Anyway, having done a lot of cleaning up after Haoran back in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, he was already familiar with it.


    Just as Qi Haoran turned so tanned and thin that Mu Yangling almost couldn¡¯t recognize him, the construction of the house was finallypleted, and the water conservancy project was also halfpleted.


    Qi Haoran was very satisfied with this result, whilst Song Zhi was almost in tears. ¡°I¡¯ve long wanted to build the water conservancy facilities in Mingshui County, but Magistrate Qian had always felt that it was a waste of money and effort, so he put it aside. I didn¡¯t expect that now that Mingshui County has be a military district, the water conservancy facilities ironically end up sessfully built.¡±


    The registrar said, ¡°Sir, this is just a simple water conservancy project. If we want to benefit our descendants, the manpower and resources required far exceeds this scale. 1 think¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Qi Haoran interrupted him. ¡°I know that it¡¯s just three reservoirs and two ditches. It¡¯s not much of a water conservancy project, but my ability is limited now. I had to borrow grains to build this much. If your county office is willing to provide some support, I¡¯ll build a big one. How about that?¡±


    The registrar immediately did not dare to speak. Song Zhi also looked up at the sky and said, ¡°The weather is really good today.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked up at the sky and pursed his lips. ¡°It¡¯s so gloomy and it¡¯s about to snow. How is it good?¡±


    Only then did Song Zhi notice that the sky was dark and the wind blowing against his body was a little cold. He frowned. ¡°Is it going to snow? Can we continue with the project tomorrow?¡±


    Qi Haoran nced at him. ¡°What do you think? My men are also humans. Hmph.¡± As he spoke, he turned around and ordered, ¡°If it snows tomorrow, order the entire camp to go home and rest. Everyone can receive three days of rations.¡±


    The soldiers and able-bodied men working on this project were overjoyed when they heard this, and they worked even harder.


    Song Zhi rubbed his nose and followed Qi Haoran with a smile. cing his hand on Qi Haoran¡¯s shoulder, he said, ¡°Alright, alright. It¡¯s even better if it snows. Come over with your cousin to my ce to drink. Look, you¡¯ve all grown so thin recently.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to look for my Big Brother. What¡¯s the point of drinking with you?¡±


    Mu Yangling, Madam Ma-Liu, and the others had already plowed 23 acres of high-gradend and 60 acres of medium-gradend. However, they were helpless about the remaining 100 acres of low-gradend.


    It was a pity to leave thend there, but it was already not bad that they could nt 83 acres ofnd.


    Madam Ma-Liu was nning to bring them to break up the mud and tten the ground. This way, the soil would be looser and easier to nt. There would also be less grass in theing year.


    When Mu Shi returned with a small bag of grains, Mu Yangling and the others were in the fields.


    Shu Wanniang was sitting in the room, embroidering. When she saw Mu Shi walk in, she was in a daze for a moment before reacting. Then, she quickly got up and took the things from his hand. ¡°You¡¯re back. Hurry up and go in. I¡¯ll get you something to eat.¡±


    Mu Shi shook his head with a smile. ¡°Maybe you can boil water for me to bathe first.¡± Mu Shi stuck his head out to look at the twins and clicked his tongue. ¡°It¡¯s only been 23 days since Ist saw them, but they¡¯ve already grown so big?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know that children grow up quickly.¡±


    Shu Wanniang went to boil hot water for him. Mu Shi was shocked to see the embroidery that Shu Wanniang had ced in the basket. He picked it up and, seeing that there were embroidery patterns on both sides, his face instantly darkened and he could not help but clench his fists.


    Hearing his wife¡¯s footsteps, Mu Shi quickly put down the embroidery and turned around with a smile. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°What do you want to eat? All Ling went into the mountains again a few days ago. There¡¯s still some meat in the kitchen.¡± Seeing Mu Shi frown, Shu Wanniang spoke up for her daughter. ¡°She didn¡¯t go too deep. Just near the ce where they gather firewood.¡±


    Mu Shi rxed his brows and smiled. ¡°I like to eat everything you cook. Make whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Shu Wanniang saw the basket beside Mu Shi and smiled as she went forward to pack it up and bring it back to her room. ¡°Then take care of the kids. I¡¯ll go to the kitchen.¡±


    Mu Shi nced at the basket and nodded in agreement..

 Chapter 117 - 117: Invitation

    Chapter 117: Invitation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When the snow fell in the middle of the night, Mu Yangling felt cold and got up to take a look. The air she exhaled turned into white fog. Frowning, Mu Yangling put on her clothes. She opened the door a crack and looked out. Only then did she realize that it was as bright as day outside.


    A cold wind blew over and Mu Yangling shivered. She hurriedly closed the door and climbed back into bed.


    This wouldn¡¯t do. It was getting colder and colder, but there was still nearly a month before the new year. She had to heat up the brick bed.


    Mu Yangling thought as she fell asleep in a daze.


    The next day, Mu Yangling went to discuss it with her father. ¡°Father, let¡¯s make the brick bed while we have time. Otherwise, it¡¯ll only get colder and colder.¡±


    Mu Shi wrapped the twins and Little Bowen in the nket and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go find Hu Manter and get him to help. I¡¯ll make yours today.¡±


    Mu Yangling saw that Little Bowen only had his head revealed outside of the nket and was full of smiles. She scratched his face and asked, ¡°Why are you smiling?¡±


    Little Bowen whispered, ¡°Sister, I want to go out and build a snowman.¡±


    Mu Yangling touched his clothes and shook her head. ¡°No, your clothes are too thin.¡±


    Little Bowen was disappointed.


    Mu Shi put on his clothes and was about to go out when he saw that his daughter had also lost weight. Seeing that the baby fat on her face had disappeared, his heart ached. He knew that when he was away at the camp, the burden of the entire family could only fall on his daughter. He turned around and stroked her head. Smiling, he said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be busy today. Bring your brother and cousins out to y. Don¡¯t stay at home all the time. There are many other children nearby. Go and y with them.¡±


    What was so fun about ying with other children?


    Mu Yangling did not want to go, but when she saw Mu Shi looking at her gently, she could only nod.


    After eating, Mu Shi went to look for Hu Man. In the end, not only did Hu Mane, but Hu Man¡¯s eldest brother, Hu Dian, also came to help.


    Hu Man was Mu Shi¡¯s subordinate to begin with, and when Hu Dian went to build the water conservancy facilities, he was assigned to Mu Shi. They had all seen Little Generaling to look for Mu Shi from time to time, so it could be seen that he was viewed in high regard. He might have a bright future ahead, so it would not be a bad thing to be chummy with him.


    Since Mu Yangling did not have to do anything today, she just sat on the bed with her younger siblings and yed some small games. From time to time, she would check on the twins.


    As the men in the north all knew how to build brick beds, and the three of them were capable, the brick beds were ready by the time afternoon rolled around.


    Mu Shi didn¡¯t have time to wait for it to dry slowly, so he dried it slowly on a low fire. Madam Ma-Liu had already taken the remaining meat to cook.


    When Hu Man and Hu Dian saw the table full of meat dishes, they couldn¡¯t help but swallow their saliva. Although Qi Haoran used the borrowed money to buy meat for them and they could find one or two thin slices of meat in the dishes every afternoon, that was merely enough to fill the gaps between their teeth. It was unlike the Mu Family¡¯srge tes of meat dishes.


    Hu Dian could not help but ask, ¡°Big Brother, where did you get the meat from?¡±


    ¡°We hunted prey in the mountains. Quickly sit down and eat. We¡¯ll also have to trouble you tomorrow and the day after.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu took two bowls of dishes to her room, and the women and children ate in her room. Looking at the heavy snow outside, Madam Ma-Liu sighed. ¡°How good would it be if we had nted wheat before winter? When snow falls like this, the wheat will definitely grow well in spring.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. We¡¯ll nt winter wheat next year,¡± Mu Yanglingforted her.


    The next day, Mu Shi kicked down the brick bed in Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s room and made a new one. Mu Yangling was originally squatting in front to watch themotion when she heard someone shouting outside, ¡°Mu Yangling,e out quickly!¡±


    Mu Shi and Mu Yangling recognized Qi Haoran¡¯s voice and hurriedly went out. Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin rode on their horses and said smugly, ¡°Mu Yangling, follow us into the mountains to hunt.¡± Seeing that Mu Shi was covered in dust, they asked curiously, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Making a brick bed.¡± Seeing that they were wearing short-sleeved clothes and had bows and arrows on their backs, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but be tempted. She turned around and looked at her father eagerly.


    Mu Shi thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. ¡°Even though you¡¯re more familiar with the forest, do be careful. Take good care of Little General and Young Master Fan, understand?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and ran back to her room to get her bow and arrow. She promised Bowen and the others, ¡°Wait for me toe back. We¡¯ll eat meat tonight.¡±


    The three children watched helplessly as their sister (cousin) jumped onto Qi Haoran¡¯s horse and left together.


    Xiuhong pulled a long face and said after a while, ¡°I don¡¯t like them.¡±


    Little Bowen drooled and said, ¡°1 want to eat venison.¡±


    Xin was also drooling. ¡°I want to eat too.¡±


    Hu Man and Hu Dian were purely envious. They did not expect Mu Shi¡¯s daughter to be on such good terms with the little general.


    Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin tied their horses to a tree. ncing at Yanmo and Fei Bai, Yanmo immediately said, ¡°Young Master Fan, Fourth Young Master, don¡¯t worry. There won¡¯t be any problems with leaving the horses here.¡±


    ¡°You can go into the mountains?¡±


    Fei Bai said proudly, ¡°Fourth Young Master, don¡¯t worry. Although we can¡¯tpare to you and Young Master Fan, we can still shoot arrows.¡±


    Yanmo shot him a nce and remained silent.


    ¡°Alright, follow me. You can carry the preyter.¡±


    ¡°What prey do you want to hunt? Are you going deep into the mountains?¡±


    Qi Haoran said proudly, ¡°Since it¡¯s the deep winter, of course I¡¯m going to hunt deer. We¡¯ll roast deer meatter.¡±


    Seeing that he was beaming with joy, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is there something joyous? Why are you so happy?¡±


    Qi Haoran could not hide the smile on his face. ¡°My Big Brother praised me and allowed me to skip school this year.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan rarely praised Qi Haoran and always praised Fan Zijin instead. Hence, Qi Haoran minded this very much, because he felt that he had always been very hardworking. Although he always dozed off in ss and often did not understand what his teacher taught, he would not skip ss unless there was an urgent matter.


    This time, many people objected to the repairing of the water conservancy facilities, but Big Brother praised him and even asked him to do whatever he wanted. Qi Haoran could not help but feel ted.


    He wanted to find a few people to share in his joy, but in Xingzhou Prefecture, other than Fan Zijin, only with Mu Yangling could he rx and express his thoughts freely. Hence, Qi Haoran dragged Fan Zijin to look for Mu Yangling without thinking.


    Mu Yangling was far more familiar with the forest than Qi Haoran. She led them carefully into the deep forest and said, ¡°I¡¯ve never entered the deep forest here, so I don¡¯t know where there are deer, but if we find a ce with water, we should be able to find their traces.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the water frozen now?¡± Fan Zijin asked in confusion.


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. The water in the forest usually won¡¯t freeze. In winter, the temperature inside the water is warmer than outside.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded repeatedly. ¡°That¡¯s why we have to find a ce with water. Before that, we can also hunt other prey.¡± Mu Yangling pulled out the arrow behind her and nocked her bow.


    The two of them also saw the roe deer sprinting away.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s arrow left the bow and pierced straight into the roe deer¡¯s neck. After the impact, it fell to the ground and struggled a few times before lying down weakly.


    Mu Yangling ran up and said happily, ¡°Roe deer meat is delicious too.¡±


    Qi Haoran swallowed his saliva and nodded repeatedly. ¡°It¡¯s indeed delicious..¡±

 Chapter 118 - 118: Hunting

    Chapter 118: Hunting


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°There they are!¡± Qi Haoran suppressed his excitement and said, ¡°There are two of them. Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little longer. Look at that stomach. It¡¯s a female deer pregnant with a baby deer. Let¡¯s look for the deer herd and see if we can find it. When the timees, we¡¯ll shoot the male deer.¡± Mu Yangling pulled Qi Haoran back and said, ¡°Deer are social animals and have always moved together. The deer herd might be nearby.¡±


    Qi Haoran patiently continued to wait behind the bushes.


    Unable to stand the cold, Fan Zijin blew at his hands and asked, ¡°Are we just going to wait?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s water here and these two deer are here to drink water. Can¡¯t go wrong guarding the water.¡±


    Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t help but look at Mu Yangling. ¡°Do you hunt deer often?¡±


    ¡°Nah. We only go into the mountains in autumn and winter. The deer in the mountains aren¡¯t like rabbits, so we don¡¯t dare to hunt too many. There are many hunters in Xingzhou Prefecture.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded and said regretfully, ¡°When we were in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, if we wanted to hunt, we could only go to the hunting ground because there were very few huge prey in the forest. Deer meat is truly delicious. It was already not bad if we could get a pair of its hind legs in winter. When 1 heard from Big Brother that there were deer herds in Chef Mountain, I dragged Zijin over.¡±


    Lin¡¯an Prefecture was prosperous, so the prices were naturally high. Here, one could buy a deer for ten taels of silver, but in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, one might not be able to buy it for 100 taels of silver because there were too few things and too many nobles.


    As the Qi family and the Fan family were only third-grade and fourth-grade families, they could notpete with the influential people in the capital.


    Having followed Mu Shi into the mountains to hunt deer a few times, Mu Yangling already had a hunting method. At this moment, she brought the four of them to find a suitable ambush location. Indeed, not long after, deer walked over one after another. They lowered their heads and drank water in the waterhole with the two deer. From time to time, they would look up warily at their surroundings.


    When the number of deer exceeded 18, Mu Yangling took out the weeds in her mouth and whispered, ¡°My arrows are very urate. The moment I shoot, you¡¯ll be able to see blood. What about you?¡±


    Qi Haoran hurriedly expressed his stance. ¡°Of course I¡¯m not weak either. I can shoot it at the neck in one shot.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Fan Zijin, who turned his head away. Qi Haoran helped him out. ¡°He¡¯s good at studying.¡±


    Mu Yangling understood. ¡°Then the two of us will be in charge of shooting the deer, and the rest of you will be in charge of rounding up¡­¡±


    After making some arrangements, Mu Yangling took two steps forward with Qi Haoran. ¡°Remember, only kill male deer. How many you can kill depends on luck. Don¡¯t chase after them.¡±


    There were many ferocious beasts in the forest. If they chased after the deer herd, they might lose their way. Should that happen, no matter how capable they were, they would only be ughtered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± As soon as Mu Yangling finished speaking, she stood up and nocked an arrow at the same time. The arrow flew out and pierced into the neck of a male deer under Mu Yangling¡¯s gaze. The male deer fell to the ground in pain and could only raise its neck and scream silently.


    Qi Haoran, who was beside her, was not slow either. Almost at the instant Mu Yangling shot out her arrow, his arrow also shot out and aimed at the neck of a male deer.


    The deer herd immediately became chaotic and fled in all directions.


    Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran did not stop. They kept drawing their bows and shooting arrows. Some hit the deer¡¯s neck, killing it with one arrow, and some hit the deer¡¯s body and were carried away by the deer.


    Fan Zijin brought Fei Bai and Yanmo to surround and capture such deer, so as to not let them escape.


    After the deer herd dispersed, Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran jumped up and ran to help stop the injured deer.


    Fan Zijin ran through the forest in a sorry state. In the end, he simply sat on the ground angrily. ¡°I¡¯m not doing it anymore. You guys do it yourselves.¡±


    However, Qi Haoran was having a great time. He jumped up and punched the injured deer¡¯s head, causing it to fall to the ground with a bang. He let out a carefreeugh and shouted, ¡°Awesome!¡±


    Mu Yangling threw a rock at him. ¡°Shut up. Do you think themotion isn¡¯t loud enough? Hurry up.¡± As she spoke, she grabbed a deer that was running towards her and pressed it down with all her might, knocking it out with a punch.


    Fan Zijin¡¯s mouth fell open. How much strength did she have to exert, considering the running momentum and the weight of the deer?


    Although Qi Haoran was also shocked, he had fought with Mu Yangling many times and so recovered from his shock quickly.


    When everyone dragged over the deer they had hunted, everyone was shocked. ¡°There are actually five of them. Not bad, not bad.¡± Mu Yangling was very satisfied. ¡°Let¡¯s drag the deer out.¡±


    Fan Zijin frowned. ¡°Do you think 1 can drag it?¡±


    Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran looked at his limbs and shook their heads together.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°I can take two myself.¡±


    Qi Haoran gritted his teeth. ¡°I can carry two, too.¡±


    Fan Zijin frowned and pulled him back. ring at him, he said, ¡°Alright, if you can¡¯t carry them out at once, why can¡¯t you make two trips? Do you think a deer is like a rabbit?¡±


    ¡°If we go out now, we might not be able to get the deer when wee in again. The animals in the forest have sharp noses and the smell of blood here is too strong.¡± After some pondering, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s weave a raft and drag it out. I always do this when I hunt too many prey in the mountains.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You have time to weave a raft, but you don¡¯t have time to go out and call for help?¡±


    ¡°Fei Bai, go and pull a few vines over with Yanmo. Hurry up. Qi Haoran,e and help me. Fan Zijin, just stay here and watch.¡± Mu Yangling turned around and left after saying that.


    Qi Haoran hurriedly followed. Before leaving, he didn¡¯t forget to re at Fei Bai and Yanmo. ¡°Hurry up and go!¡±


    Fei Bai and Yanmo hurriedly ran to pull at the vines, leaving Fan Zijin to stare at them.


    Mu Yangling climbed onto a tree and snapped a branch before throwing it down. She said to Qi Haoran, ¡°Break all those leaves and twigs.¡±


    She was strong, had good eyesight, and climbed trees quickly. In just a short while, she climbed five trees and threw down seven branches as thick as a child¡¯s arm. Then, she jumped down from the tree and removed the twigs and leaves with Qi Haoran.


    When the two of them dragged the tree branches back, Fei Bai and Yanmo were still tugging at the vines. Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t stand it and went over to help. He exerted strength in his hand and a vine was pulled off. Qi Haoran handed it to her.


    As soon as Mu Yangling arranged the branches, she took the vines and wrapped them around them. In less than 15 minutes, a raft was ready. Mu Yangling tugged at it and felt that the vines were strong enough, so she said, ¡°Alright, two deer can be ced on it.¡±


    As he spoke, he picked two of the smaller deer and ced them on the raft. Then, he carried the fattest one and pulled the raft using his hand. Turning around, he said, ¡°Alright, the remaining two are yours. Hurry up.¡±


    Fan Zijin, Fei Bai, and Yanmo watched with their mouths agape. Qi Haoran had already picked arger one to carry. Although he was only 12 years old, he had practiced martial arts since he was young, so it was not difficult for him to do so using his internal energy.


    However, Fei Bai and the others were different. Although they were two to three years older than Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin, they still had difficulty carrying a deer.


    Fan Zijin gritted his teeth and rolled up his sleeves. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll carry it with you.¡±


    Fei Bai and Yanmo quickly got to work..

 Chapter 119 - 119: Eating Meat

    Chapter 119: Eating Meat


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    By the time the group walked out of the forest with difficulty, Fan Zijin copsed on the ground from exhaustion. Mu Yangling was rxed, and Qi Haoran was at ease. After he ced the deer on the ground, he waved his hand. ¡°Fei Bai, ride back and get Uncle Mu to pick us up. We¡¯ll barbecue deer meat at the Mu residence tonight.¡±


    Mu Yangling picked up from the raft the roe deer that was killed first and ced it on the horse¡¯s back. ¡°Bring it back to my father. Otherwise, we won¡¯t be able to take itter.¡±


    Fei Bai agreed with a bitter expression.


    Seeing that he had left, Qi Haoran then discussed with Mu Yangling about dividing the spoils. Or rather, the prey. ¡°Since you put in a lot of effort and led the way, thus helping us to find the deer herd so quickly, you should take three while I take two. How does that sound?¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°There are many of you and you contributed a lot. It¡¯s better for you to take three while I¡¯ll take two. If you hadn¡¯te to look for me, my father definitely wouldn¡¯t have allowed me to enter the mountain.¡± Seeing Qi Haoran frown in disapproval, she said, ¡°If you think I¡¯m at a disadvantage, give me a pair of deer whips and deer antlers. How about that?¡±


    Qi Haoran widened his eyes. ¡°You like to eat such things?¡±


    Fan Zijin wished he could close his eyes. Bursting outughing, Mu Yangling said, ¡°It¡¯s not for me. The deer antlers are for my father and mother. As for the deer whip, I¡¯m going to sell it to the pharmacy.¡± As she spoke, she narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°You can save your remaining two pairs for your Big Brother. He¡¯ll definitely like them.¡±


    Qi Haoran reacted by blushing.


    Mu Yanglingughed out loud. Seeing that Qi Haoran was being bullied, Fan Zijin retorted, ¡°You¡¯re really a concerned daughter, huh. You even prepared deer antlers for your parents.¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted. ¡°Well, I¡¯m filial to my parents. I¡¯m happy to!¡±


    Fan Zijin wanted to say something, but Mu Shi had already jogged over with the Hu brothers. When they saw the prey on the ground, the Hu brothers were stunned. Mu Shi, who was already used to it, went forward to greet Qi Haoran. As he picked up a deer, he said, ¡°Little General, let¡¯s go back quickly. My wife has already prepared food.¡±


    Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m not eating with you guys. I¡¯ll just roast venison with Mu Yangling and the others.¡±


    When the group returned to the Mu Residence, Mu Yangling ced Qi Haoran¡¯s three deer aside and chose a fat and strong deer from her share to cut. Mu Shi hurriedly stopped her and said, ¡°Let me do it. Go change your clothes quickly ande back to entertain the Little General.¡±


    Mu Yangling chuckled and ran to change.


    Qi Haoran was circling his prey in satisfaction. He took out a dagger from his calf, cut off the deer antler and deer whip, and handed them to Little Bowen. ¡°Here, this is what your sister wants. Give it to herter.¡±


    He turned around and instructed Fei Bai to go back and get someone to bring the things back. He decided to leave one behind to eat with Zijin and have the rest brought back to the West Camp to give to Big Brother. Yes, he would also send some to Song Zhi.


    Standing at the door, Xiuhong looked at them for a while, before pulling her sister and turning around to clean up the grill. She took out a few potatoes from the corner of the house, washed them, and cut them into slices. Mu Yangling, who had changed her clothes, came out and praised her loudly upon seeing this. ¡°Xiuhong, you¡¯re so thoughtful. We¡¯ll roast potatoes to eatter. It¡¯s a pity that there aren¡¯t any vegetables. Otherwise, it¡¯d be even more delicious.¡±


    Xiuhong pursed her lips and smiled. ¡°I knew you would like it. Cousin, shall we roast venison tonight?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. There¡¯s also roe deer meat. It¡¯s delicious even if it¡¯s roasted. My father¡¯s knife skills are especially good, so 1 asked him to cut it into thin slices.¡± Mu Yangling smacked her lips. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that there¡¯s no chili or ketchup. Otherwise, the roasted venison would definitely taste even more awesome.¡±


    However, because Shu Wanniang was worried about the children¡¯s stomachs, she made some porridge for them using bones. This way, everyone could eat a bowl of porridge before the barbecue. Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin couldn¡¯t escape this either.


    As Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran had big appetites, that small bowl of porridge was not even enough to fill the bottom of their stomachs. They finished it readily.


    Little Bowen wanted to skip it, but Shu Wanniang red at him. He had no choice but to eat a small bowl of bone porridge obediently.


    Little Bowen rubbed his stomach aggrievedly and said, ¡°I¡¯m almost full. 1 won¡¯t be able to eat muchter.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the charcoal absent-mindedly and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll help you eat itter.¡±


    Little Bowen felt even more aggrieved.


    The Mu family didn¡¯t bring their grill with them when they fled their vige previously, so they used a makeshift one this time by digging a pit on the ground. Rocks were ced around it and the charcoal was ced in to be heated. Then, a rectangr piece of iron was ced upon it to form the grill.


    Fan Zijin looked at it with his mouth agape. He muttered, ¡°Can you actually roast something using this?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure this will work. After brushing it with oil, I¡¯ll be able to put the meat inter,¡± Mu Yangling said confidently.


    Qi Haoran also looked on with interest. He had never used such a simple grill before, but he still wanted to learn the skill of being able to construct a grill anywhere. Since it was certain that he would go out to war in the future, there were things he couldn¡¯t bring with him. If he could construct a grill whenever he wanted, he was willing to do so even if it was a simple one.


    Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the piece of iron. As there was a fire in the courtyard, he could clearly see the ck stuff on it. He tried enduring it, but he could not hold it in anymore. Pointing at the thing on it, he asked, ¡°What is this?¡±


    Xiuhong nced at it and said nonchntly, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the mark left behind from the forging.¡±


    ¡°Forging iron? Why haven¡¯t I seen it before on other grills?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Liu¡¯s forging skills are not good enough so the pieces of iron aren¡¯t even. If not for that, we wouldn¡¯t have been willing to use these iron pieces to make a grill. Perhaps with an additional piece of iron added, that¡¯s enough iron to make a scythe.¡±


    ¡°Scythe?¡± Fan Zijin had a bad feeling. His intuition told him not to ask further, but he could not help but ask, ¡°Isn¡¯t this piece of iron a whole piece of iron? What else was this used as before?¡±


    Mu Yangling nced at him strangely. Even Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°They¡¯re farmers. How can they get iron?¡± The country had strict control over iron.


    Xiuhong said, ¡°Who knows what it was used for? Since it was found in our vige, it¡¯s either a scythe or a shovel. When Cousin found it, the iron had already been melted. This cooledter, so we couldn¡¯t tell what it was before.¡±


    Mu Yangling had already ced the meat slices neatly in and sprinkled some salt. Before it was cooked, Qi Haoran picked up a piece and stuffed it into his mouth, shouting, ¡°Delicious!¡±


    However, Fan Zijin could not pick up his chopsticks no matter what. The image of a scythe and shovel kept appearing in his mind.


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t know what he was conflicted about. Seeing that he didn¡¯t make a move, he picked up a piece of freshly cooked food and stuffed it into his mouth before it turned cold. Chuckling, he said, ¡°Hurry up and eat. Mu Yangling¡¯s culinary skills are not bad. It¡¯s delicious! Look, it¡¯s all snatched up by them.¡±


    Fan Zijin:¡±¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t notice Fan Zijin¡¯s expression. She had to take care of Little Bowen, stuff food into her own mouth, and help Xiuhong and Xin snatch a few pieces of roasted meat from time to time. How could she notice others?


    Qi Haoran ate aggressively, always picking up the food as soon as it was cooked or even before it was cooked. Seeing that Xiuhong was no match for him, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but knock his chopsticks with her chopsticks. ¡°Eat slower. My cousins haven¡¯t eaten much yet.¡±


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°The venison here is better than the ones in the capital. Don¡¯t you think so, Zijin?¡±


    Fan Zijin red at him fiercely before snatching the meat from Qi Haoran¡¯s chopsticks.


    Qi Haoran was baffled. He did not know how he had offended him, but every time he picked up a piece of meat, Fan Zijin would snatch it away. It was fine if it happened once or twice, but after it happened too many times, Qi Haoran inevitably got angry. ¡°What are you doing? Must you snatch food from my mouth?¡±


    Fan Zijin sneered and stared at him. The first to weaken his aura, Qi Haoran muttered, ¡°If you want to snatch it, so be it. But 1 want to eat too. I¡¯ll give you half, alright?¡± As he spoke, he picked up a piece for Fan Zijin and another for himself. It was the same for the rest. Before he ate, he picked up a piece for Fan Zijin.


    Fan Zijin tormented him for a long time before his anger dissipated. However, by then, he realized that he was already full.. To think he was full from eating meat roasted using such a piece of iron!

 Chapter 120 - 120: Learning How to Ride a Horse

    Chapter 120: Learning How to Ride a Horse


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    In the end, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin left with their bellies full. Mu Yangling and her siblings also ate until their mouths glistened with oil. Finally, they went to sleep in satisfaction.


    The next morning, Mu Yangling woke up early and ran to look for her father. ¡°Father, let¡¯s drag that deer to the county and sell it?¡±


    ¡°Mingshui County has just suffered a cmity. Other than a few officials, who else can afford it?¡±


    ¡°Then sell it to them.¡±


    Mu Shi smiled and said, ¡°They don¡¯t care for it. I heard that the Sun family is raising dozens of deer in their farm, waiting to kill them during the new year.¡±


    Mu Yangling frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me I have to go to the prefectural capital to sell a deer?¡± She was very unhappy, for she had originally thought that it would be easier to buy and sell things now that she was living beside the county. But it turned out, she still had to travel.


    The open-minded Mu Shi said with a smile, ¡°Just keep it at home for you guys to eat.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°It¡¯s two deer. How can we possibly eat so much? Last night, after Ah Ling and the others ate a hind leg and you shared some with the Hu family, there¡¯s still more than half of that deer left. In my opinion, you should sell that half too. Don¡¯t we still have roe deer meat at home?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sell the other half. I like to eat venison. Great-aunt, we can keep it for some nourishment. Just sell that whole one. If 1 can¡¯t sell it in the county, I¡¯ll bring it to the prefectural capital. I¡¯ll go look for Qi Haoran. He said that he¡¯s going back to visit his brother today, so I can take his carriage.¡± With that, she turned around and ran without waiting for Mu Shi and Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s agreement.


    Mu Shi was a little stunned. In the past, although his daughter had ideas as well, she would definitely ask for his permission before doing it. Mu Shi shook his head and smiled. Forget it. Since his daughter was already grown up, he couldn¡¯t control her much.


    Mu Yangling ran all the way to the camp. Qi Haoran was about to leave when he saw Mu Yanglinging over and stopped in his tracks. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to the prefectural capital?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°You want to go with us?¡±


    ¡°Bring me along.¡± Mu Yangling said with a grin, ¡°Otherwise, how long would it take me to carry a deer on my back?¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait for you. Go back and pack up.¡± Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Don¡¯t you not know how to ride a horse yet? I¡¯ll teach you.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Deal. 1¡¯11 go back now.¡± As she spoke, she turned around and ran home.


    ¡°Great-aunt, I¡¯m going to the prefectural capital. Is there anything you want to buy?¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu shook her head. ¡°If there¡¯s anything 1 need, I can just go to the county. Why the need to go so far? Go ande back quickly. Be careful on the way.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded in agreement and ran to ask Shu Wanniang. Thetter turned around and handed her an embroidered handkerchief. ¡°I embroidered this. Send it to the embroidery store and ask how much it can fetch. If the price is suitable, sell it.¡±


    Mu Yangling took the embroidered handkerchief and saw that one side was embroidered with verdant bamboo, while the other side was a budding flower. She couldn¡¯t help but click her tongue. ¡°Mother, your embroidery is gorgeous. This is double-sided embroidery, right? Why didn¡¯t you teach me before?¡±


    Shu Wanniang tapped her forehead and said angrily, ¡°Didn¡¯t I teach you? What else can you do besides cross-stitching clouds? You don¡¯t even know how to match the thread yet.¡±


    Mu Yangling touched her nose and chuckled. ¡°1 have you to rely on, don¡¯t I? Don¡¯t worry, with your skills, 1¡¯11 learn it even if it means I¡¯m going to blister my hands doing so.¡±


    Shu Wanniang frowned and reprimanded her. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± After hesitating for a moment, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell your father about this first. Let me know the price first. If it¡¯s suitable, I can embroider a screen next time. Perhaps our family will have more money then.¡±


    Mu Yangling blinked and couldn¡¯t help but smile. Nodding, she promised, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. 1 definitely won¡¯t tell Father.¡± Mu Yangling hid the handkerchief in her sleeves before running out to greet Mu Shi. She took three deer whips and picked up the deer before running off.


    Mu Shi only had time to say, ¡°Be careful.¡±


    Mu Yangling threw the deer into Qi Haoran¡¯s carriage and sat in front of him. As she grabbed the reins, she asked excitedly, ¡°1¡¯11 take off now, okay?¡±


    The moment Qi Haoran nodded, Mu Yangling imitated Qi Haoran and tapped the horse with the tip of her foot. The horse leaped out. Qi Haoran leaned back and hugged Mu Yangling¡¯s waist, startled.


    While Mu Yanglingughed heartily against the wind, Qi Haoran¡¯s face darkened as he shouted, ¡°Slow down, slow down. Watch the road. Are you going into the forest?¡±


    Mu Yangling hurriedly tugged at the rope, wanting the horse to move to the right. Unexpectedly, the horse leaned more and more to the left. Qi Haoran had no choice but to hold her hand and rx the reins. He said, ¡°You can¡¯t hold the reins tightly. This will make the horse ufortable. Rx a little. Use your left leg to touch the horse¡¯s stomach slightly. When you pull the reins to the right, it will move to the right. You have to control your strength well and not be too anxious.¡±


    Only then did Mu Yangling calm down and listen carefully to Qi Haoran¡¯s teachings.


    Initially, Fan Zijin was sitting on his horse and waiting to watch them make a fool of themselves. However, when he saw that Mu Yangling could control the horse by herself at the second attempt, he could not help but purse his lips. This was simr to Qi Haoran¡¯s skills. It seemed like she was a quick learner. Mu Yangling invited Fan Zijin. ¡°Do you want toe with us? We¡¯ll run over first and then run back.¡±


    ¡°As if I have nothing better to do.¡±


    Mu Yangling was also straightforward. ¡°Alright, stay behind and help us look after the things in the carriage. We¡¯ll be back soon.¡± With that, she turned her horse around and slowly galloped forward.


    Fan Zijin, who was left behind, could not suppress his anger. So in the end, he had to y guard to their goods huh.


    By the time the convoy arrived at the city gate, Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran had already run back and forth three times. She didn¡¯t dare to say that she already knew how to ride a horse, but at least in the future, when she needed to escape on a horse, she would be able to ride it and know how to control the direction and speed up.


    When they arrived at the prefectural capital, Mu Yangling had to part ways from Qi Haoran. She jumped down from her horse and said, ¡°Remember to look for me when you go back tonight. I still have to ride your horse back.¡±


    ¡°No problem, but where can I find you? You might as welle to the Qi Manor.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll look for you at the Qi Manor after I¡¯m done.¡±


    Fan Zijin nced at her deer and asked, ¡°Who are you nning to sell the deer to?¡±


    ¡°To an eatery or restaurant.¡± The Mu family mostly sold their prey to them.


    Fan Zijin frowned slightly and said, ¡°How much money can you earn? You might as well sell it to the rich families in the prefectural capital.¡±


    Not wanting to interact with them, Mu Yangling frowned. In the past, when she went to the eateries to sell prey, she had also met people who wanted to buy prey from her. However, those people looked down on people like Mu Shi. Not only that, but they even ordered Mu Shi and the others around as if they were their servants. Hence, the Mu father and daughter didn¡¯t like to deal with those rich people.


    Although they earned less selling to the eateries and restaurants, they were interacting as equals. There was no such thing as who was of higher status.


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and shook her head. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll just sell it to the eateries and restaurants. I don¡¯t know those rich people.¡±


    Fan Zijin said with a smile, ¡°We can introduce you. Although we haven¡¯t been in


    Xingzhou for long, we still know a lot of people..¡±

 Chapter 121 - 121: Business

    Chapter 121: Business


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The person Fan Zijin wanted to introduce her to was Wu Shancai¡¯s pitiful eldest son, Wu Jin.


    It was said that when Wu Shancai named him, he had wanted to name him ¡®Jinshi?. But he felt that it was too in-your-face, so he omitted the word ¡®shi¡¯. Unfortunately, his surname was Wu?, so Qi Haoran often ridiculed him for it.


    The 18-year-old Wu Jin was a few years older than Qi Haoran and the others. However, when facing Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin, he was either verbally abused by Fan Zijin or physically beaten up by Qi Haoran. In short, he was very pitiful.


    Fan Zijin pushed Wu Jin out without thinking and said confidently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure you can sell it for a good price.¡±


    Qi Haoran was displeased. ¡°Why should the deer 1 caught be eaten by Wu? No way!¡±


    Fan Zijin nced at him. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t sell it to Wu Jin, you¡¯d have to sell it to someone else anyway. Isn¡¯t it the same? I think it¡¯s much better to sell it to Wu Jin than to others.¡±


    After thinking for a while with a straight face, Qi Haoran did not object.


    Fan Zijin said with a smile, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll help you find Wu Jin first before going back.¡± Fan Zijin looked at Yanmo, who immediately rode towards the academy.


    At this time, the eldest young master of the Wu family should be studying in the academy.


    At their invitation, Wu Jin was brought to the three of them. When he saw Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin, he couldn¡¯t help but shrink his neck. It had only been more than a month since he was beaten upst time. Seeing Qi Haoran now made his body hurt.


    Fan Zijin said amiably, ¡°Young Master Wu, winter is here. Wanna buy a deer and have some venison?¡±


    When Wu Jin saw the three deer in the car behind him, he was conflicted. ¡°Erm¡­ erm, our family has already been gifted¡­¡± Seeing that Qi Haoran was ring at him, he quickly changed his words. ¡°Ok I¡¯ll buy another one for my father out of filial piety.¡±


    Fan Zijin was all smiles. ¡°We can spare one here. Since Young Master Wu is so filial, how about we fulfill your wish?¡± As he spoke, he gave Mu Yangling a look.


    Only then did Mu Yangling understand that they were bullying this fellow. Hesitating, she did not go forward. Even if Qi Haoran was doing this for her own good, she could not bring herself to force others. She wondered how to turn this down without making them lose face.


    Seeing this, Fei Bai thought that she was worried that Young Master Wu could not afford it. He quickly went up and whispered, ¡°Miss Mu, this is Magistrate Wu¡¯s son and he has a lot of money. You just have to carry the deer down.¡±


    When Mu Yangling heard this, she turned around and returned to the carriage. She carried the deer down and ced it in front of Young Master Wu. Then, she took out the deer whip from her bag and asked, ¡°Young Master Wu, do you want this? It¡¯s very effective. You can bring it back to make wine, or give it to your father.¡±


    Young Master Wu¡¯s eyes widened as he stared nkly at Mu Yangling. After a long while, he stiffened his neck and lowered his head to look at the deer in front of his feet. Then, he looked at her and eximed after a while, ¡°Amazing!¡±


    Mu Yangling tilted her head and looked at him. She felt that this Young Master Wu waspletely different from her father, making her heart soften slightly. Fan Zijin could tell that Mu Yangling¡¯s heart had softened and noticed her hesitation. Snorting, he said, ¡°Young Master Wu, this deer whip is great, too. Didn¡¯t you just take in a concubine? This should be of use to you.¡± Fan Zijin pretended to say casually, ¡°By the way, have your two maids? been promoted to concubines?¡±


    Mu Yangling instantly retracted her sympathy for him and looked at him with sparkling eyes. ¡°Young Master Wu, Little General and Young Master Fan personally hunted this deer, okay?¡±


    Young Master Wu touched the pouch on his body. Seeing that Qi Haoran was staring at him with widened eyes, he had no choice but to take out the pouch and say, ¡°I¡­ I only have 20 taels on me¡­¡±


    Before Mu Yangling nodded vigorously, Qi Haoran said unhappily, ¡°Are you dismissing a beggar? Venison in Lin¡¯an Prefecture costs way more than 20 taels.¡±


    Mu Yangling was about to nod when she forcefully retracted her head and looked at Wu Jin.


    Wu Jin licked his lips. He didn¡¯t dare to ask his father for money. Although he didn¡¯t know anything about general affairs, he had treated his ssmates to venison. A treat for more than 20 people merely cost him about 10 taels of silver, including wine and other snacks.


    How could the remote Xingzhou Prefecturepare to Lin¡¯an Prefecture?


    Wu Jin thought for a moment and whispered, ¡°Why don¡¯t I ask my ssmates and see if I can borrow some money from them? I¡¯ll give them all to you, okay?¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned, while Fan Zijin nodded with a smile. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll wait for Young Master Wu here.¡±


    Seeing Wu Jin run away, he turned to Qi Haoran and said, ¡°Don¡¯t push him too hard. It¡¯ll be troublesome if his father finds out.¡±


    Qi Haoran said unhappily, ¡°20 taels of silver is considered too expensive? When 1 was in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, no one sold me a whole deer even if I offered 100 taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°Xingzhou Prefecture isn¡¯t like Lin¡¯an Prefecture. You can buy silk and satin from any cloth shop in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, but only three or four shops here have them. In fact, some things can only be bought in Xingyuan Prefecture.¡±


    However, Mu Yangling was very happy. She waved her hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m willing to wait. I¡¯ll wait however long it takes.¡±


    Initially, she thought that it would be good enough if she could sell three deer whips for 15 taels of silver. She did not expect to get more than 20 taels of silver. Although there was suspicion of bullying here, it seemed eptable if the target was Wu Shancai¡¯s son.


    In the end, Wu Jin didn¡¯t dare to stand Qi Haoran and the others up. He hurriedly ran back after managing to borrow money from his ssmates. He even took out the silver pieces and said with an embarrassed expression, ¡°I only gathered 32 taels¡­¡± Seeing the dissatisfaction on Qi Haoran¡¯s face, his voice became softer and softer.


    Mu Yangling quickly took the money bag from him and nodded. ¡°Enough, enough. Thank you for this, Young Master Wu.¡± Seeing that he only had a servant with him and was weak, she asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t I carry it to your residence for you?¡±


    Wu Jin stole a nce at Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran snorted. ¡°Look at his thin arms and legs. Does he look like he can carry it by himself? You¡¯d better help him bring it to his residence.¡±


    Mu Yangling put the money bag away and said to Qi Haoran, ¡°Then you guys can go home first. I¡¯ll bring it to his residence. I still have something to doter, so I¡¯ll look for you guys after I¡¯m done.¡±


    As Qi Haoran treated Mu Yangling as an adult, he nodded and said, ¡°Then go ahead. When you arrive in the city, just bring up my name.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡±


    Qi Haoran liked Mu Yangling¡¯s straightforwardness the most, for he didn¡¯t have to be restrained around her.


    Mu Yangling carried the deer on her shoulder and turned around to say to the stunned Wu Jin and his servant, ¡°Young Master Wu, let¡¯s leave quickly.¡±


    It was Wu Jin¡¯s servant who came back to his senses first and tugged at his master¡¯s clothes. Wu Jin came back to his senses and nodded with a smile. ¡°Alright, follow me.¡±


    Along the way, Wu Jin kept stealing nces at Mu Yangling. In the end, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Miss, you¡¯re so strong. What¡¯s your rtionship with Young Master Qi?¡± Seeing Mu Yangling look over, he hurriedly exined, ¡°I¡¯m just a little curious. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t answer.¡±


    Mu Yangling seemed to find Wu Jin¡¯s behavior a little funny. She smiled and replied, ¡°My father is Little General¡¯s subordinate. I¡¯m naturally strong, and my father is also very strong.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± When Wu Jin heard this exnation, he heaved a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He then behaved more naturally towards Mu Yangling. Seeing that they were about to reach the government office, Wu Jin hurriedly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go in through the side door.¡±


    If his father found out that he had been bullied by Qi Haoran again, he would definitely be angry again. In fact, he himself would also be lectured. He did not want to kneel in the ancestral hall again.


    Mu Yangling followed him to the side door and handed the deer to the Wu family¡¯s servants. Then, she waved at Wu Jin and said, ¡°Young Master Wu, my father is very good at hunting. If you have any prey you want to eat next time, tell me. My father will definitely help you catch them.¡±


    ¡®How would I dare to buy it from you again when your prey is so expensive?¡¯ Wu Jin thought as he sent Mu Yangling away with a smile.

 Chapter 122 - 122: Resolutely Not Leaving

    Chapter 122: Resolutely Not Leaving


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling also knew that this might be a one-time deal. Those words were just a slip of the tongue. Touching the silver in her arms, she couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. With this silver, the family could at least be more rxed financially. She decided to buy some fine rice for her twin siblings. The two babies had lost weight from starvation these few days.


    Also, she wanted to buy a few hens to nourish Shu Wanniang¡¯s body. When they fled, they did not bring enough nkets. Although Qi Haoran had sent two nkets over, they were still short of one. So, this had to be bought as well. Also, not much of the grains given by the West Camp was left. Hence, she had to buy more while the grain prices were not very high now to avoid running out of it¡­


    Mu Yangling calcted the things she needed to buy in her heart as she walked to the embroidery workshop.


    Mu Yangling looked up at the signboard before walking in.


    The shopkeeper looked up at Mu Yangling before lowering his head again. The assistant quickly came up to greet her. ¡°Miss, what do you want?¡±


    ¡°Do you buy embroidery handkerchiefs here?¡±


    The assistant was stunned. He sized up Mu Yangling and nodded. ¡°Yes, yes, but we have very high requirements.¡±


    Mu Yangling took out Shu Wanniang¡¯s embroidered handkerchief from her sleeve and asked, ¡°What about this kind of double-sided embroidery?¡±


    The assistant took it and was shocked. He hurriedly showed it to the shopkeeper.


    The shopkeeper finally looked up from the ount book. He flipped the embroidered handkerchief and looked at Mu Yangling. With narrowed eyes, he asked, ¡°Youngdy, where did this embroidered handkerchiefe from?¡±


    Mu Yangling frowned. She didn¡¯t like his tone, but she still replied, ¡°My mother embroidered it. I wonder if your embroidery workshop will ept it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± The shopkeeper put the embroidery handkerchief aside and said, ¡°This handkerchief of yours is not bad. Well pay 500 copper coins a piece. If you can use such an embroidery method to embroider a screen, it will be worth more money. I wonder if your mother has any other embroidery?¡±


    Seeing the glint in his eyes, Mu Yangling changed her mind at thest minute and said, ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s hard to say if my mother will sell it or not. She asked me to check how much this handkerchief will fetch. If it¡¯s suitable, I¡¯ll sell it. If it¡¯s not, forget it.¡±


    Mu Yangling took back the handkerchief on the table and stuffed it into her sleeve. She said to the shopkeeper, ¡°Shopkeeper, if there¡¯s nothing else, 1¡¯11 leave first.¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait, we want this handkerchief. No matter how much it is, we will take it. Why are you taking it away, youngdy?¡±


    ¡°The price that you offered is different from what my mother said. I¡¯ll ask the next shop,¡± Mu Yangling said innocently.


    The shopkeeper¡¯s expression changed slightly, and he squeezed out a smile. ¡°Youngdy, you¡¯ve misunderstood. I thought that you only had this handkerchief, so I quoted you the market price. If you have more, I¡¯ll naturally give you a better price.¡±


    Only then did Mu Yangling stop and turn around. The shopkeeper thought for a moment and gritted his teeth. ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll give you 600 copper coins for this handkerchief. How about that? But in the future, you can only sell your embroidered handkerchiefs to me.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Mu Yangling nodded with a smile. She took out the handkerchief and handed it to him before leaving with 600 copper coins.


    Mu Yangling went to the market and chose some gifts for Little Bowen and the other two children before turning to look for Qi Haoran.


    Since she could buy the stuff from the county after returning home, there was no need to buy them from the prefectural capital and carry it back.


    In the Qi Manor, Qi Haoran was roasting venison for Qi Xiuyuan while talking about his hunting process.


    As Qi Xiuyuan listened with a smile, he stuffed meat into his mouth and said, ¡°You¡¯re living a good life in Mingshui County huh.¡± As he spoke, he sized up his brother. Seeing that he had grown up and matured a little more than when he first arrived at Xingzhou Prefecture, a gratified smile appeared on his face.


    Qi Haoran chuckled. ¡°This ce is much better than Lin¡¯an Prefecture.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s smile froze. ¡°Father sent a letter asking you to go back. He said that he had helped you get a spot in the Imperial Academy for you to go back to study.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s expression instantly darkened. ¡°Big Brother, I¡¯m not going back. It sounds nice, but we don¡¯t know who the spot will be for after I return. Besides, I don¡¯t like to study either.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan ignored him and turned to look at Fan Zijin. ¡°Zijin, your mother also wrote to me and said that she hopes that you can go back.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s expression turned cold as well. ¡°Cousin, I¡¯ll go back when Haoran goes back.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan sighed. ¡°You have to know that Xingzhou Prefecture is iparable to Lin¡¯an Prefecture. The teachers I can hire for you are far inferior to those in the Lin¡¯an Academy.¡±


    ¡°Cousin, when ites to studying, it depends more on the individual. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be worse off without a teacher¡¯s guidance. Besides, with people quarreling at home every few days, I might not be able to focus on studying when I go back. Plus, my father is extremely biased. I might as well stay here instead of going back.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan pondered for a long time. Seeing that both of them were insistent, he could only nod and agree.


    It was impossible for him to let his brother go back. It was fine if he wasn¡¯t aware in the past, but now that he knew that his brother wasn¡¯t doing well in Lin¡¯an and Madam Wu schemed against him in every way, how could he let his brother return to the wolf¡¯s den?


    However, Fan Zijin was different. His mother was still around, and he still had ways to nurture his younger brother on the martial arts path. On the other hand, Fan Zijin was a promising student. How could the teachers herepare to the teachers in Lin¡¯an Prefecture?


    He didn¡¯t want to dy his cousin¡¯s future.


    Qi Xiuyuan was still deep in thought when Mu Yangling was brought in. The moment she entered, she smelled the fragrance of roasted meat and her stomach growled.


    When Qi Haoran heard the sound, he turned around andughed when he saw Mu Yangling. ¡°Are you hungry? Come over quickly. I¡¯ve just roasted the meat. I¡¯ll let you try my cooking today.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan snapped out of his thoughts and pped his brother¡¯s head. He said angrily, ¡°Speak properly.¡±


    Qi Haoran turned serious and said to Mu Yangling in all seriousness, ¡°Mu Yangling,e and sit down to eat.¡±


    Mu Yangling, who originally looked a little awkward, couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips and smile. She greeted Qi Xiuyuan, ¡°General Qi.¡±


    A warm smile appeared on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s face as he said warmly, ¡°Come and sit. 1 heard from Haoran that you brought them into the mountain.¡±


    ¡°I grew up in the mountains and am more familiar with them, so 1 brought them along.¡± Mu Yangling sat beside Qi Haoran. Seeing that Fan Zijin looked a little down, she could not help but elbow Qi Haoran and asked in a low voice, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Qi Haoran turned to look at Fan Zijin and said, ¡°Nothing. The meat has been sliced. Hurry up and roast it.¡±


    However, he pulled a stool and sat beside Fan Zijin. He leaned close to his ear and said, ¡°Don¡¯t leave. If you leave, who will be my Military Advisor?¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s brows rxed slightly. After ncing at his cousin, he asked, ¡°What if Cousin insists on sending me away?¡±


    Qi Haoran patted his chest and promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°If he insists on sending me away, you can roll on the ground and beg him.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Qi Haoran lowered his head and pondered for a moment. In the end, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make sure he doesn¡¯t send you away.¡±


    Fan Zijin, who was just joking, could not help but feel guilty when he saw his serious expression. He turned his head and picked up a piece of roasted meat from the grill and ced it on his te..

 Chapter 123 - 123: Agreement

    Chapter 123: Agreement


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When Mu Yangling took out the money bag and ced it on the table, the entire family widened their eyes. Even Shu Wanniang could not help but touch the silver.


    Mu Shi asked with a slight frown, ¡°How can a deer be sold for so much money? Ah Ling, although we¡¯re short of money, we can¡¯t cheat others.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Father, do you still not trust my character? When have I ever cheated anyone? This time, it was Little General and Young Master Fan who helped find a big client.¡±


    ¡°Since Little General found him, that¡¯s all the more reason not to take advantage of him,¡± Mu Shi said. Shu Wanniang and Madam Ma-Liu also nodded.


    Being honest people, they felt that they should gift this deer to Little General¡¯s friend since Little General had done them a favor.


    ¡°That customer is Magistrate Wu¡¯s eldest son. He bought the deer to show filial piety to his father. The price was also negotiated by Young Master Fan and Little General.¡±


    Mu Shi was silent for a moment before nodding. ¡°He¡¯s indeed a big customer. Since Little General was the one who pulled the strings, keep this money well.¡± Since this money came from Magistrate Wu, it wasn¡¯t overboard to ept this money.


    Only then did Mu Yangling happily put away the money bag and take out ten taels of silver. ¡°Great-aunt, let¡¯s go to the county to buy things tomorrow. Buy some grains and hens, and hundreds of eggs for my mother. See if there¡¯s anything weck at home. We¡¯ll buy them all at once.¡±


    Shu Wanniang opened her mouth, but Mu Shi held her hand and looked at her with a smile. Shu Wanniang swallowed her words.


    At night, when Mu Shi was not paying attention, Shu Wanniang pulled her daughter over and asked, ¡°Ah Ling, how much did you sell the handkerchief for?¡±


    ¡°600 copper coins.¡±


    Shu Wanniang frowned. ¡°So little?¡±


    ¡°Mother, double-sided embroidery consumes too much energy. Since you still have to breastfeed, you¡¯d better not embroider that. Embroider something else. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll fetch decent money, too.¡±


    ¡°Did you ask how much a double-sided embroidered screen can fetch?¡±


    Mu Yangling answered in a deted tone, ¡°1 didn¡¯t ask. That shopkeeper isn¡¯t honest. Even if I asked, he definitely wouldn¡¯t tell me. However, 1 feel that it should be quite expensive.¡±


    Shu Wanniang thought for a moment and finally said, ¡°Ah Ling, give me some money. 1¡¯11 go to the county to buy some needles, thread, and satin. 1 want to embroider a big screen.¡± She gently stroked her daughter¡¯s head and smiled gently. ¡°I¡¯ve always relied on you and your father. Now, 1 want to do something for you guys. Even if 1 can¡¯t hold up the sky for you, I can at least share some of your weight.¡±


    ¡°But why are you hiding this from Father?¡± Mu Yangling asked in confusion.


    Her mother clearly did not want her father to know about this, so Mu Yangling instinctively felt that there was more to it. Her mother was used to keeping her worries to herself and had always been very careful with her. Afraid of identally hurting her, Mu Yangling did not dare to make the decision.


    After a moment of silence, Shu Wanniang sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid your father won¡¯t agree.¡±


    This double-sided embroidery method was passed down by the Shu family¡¯s ancestors. It was impossible to tell which generation¡¯s ancestor had brought it over from their maternal family to pass it down to a Shu family¡¯s daughter. In short, every girl had to learn it after turning eight years old. Some seeded, and some did not.


    As Shu Wanniang had a gentle and patient personality, she was the best at double-sided embroidery among her sisters. Even her smartest sister could notpare to her.


    However, the Shu family also had rules. They could make this for themselves and gift it to others, but they were not allowed to sell it. They were very strict about this rule.


    In the past, no matter how difficult life was, Shu Wanniang had never thought of using double-sided embroidery to earn money. However, she saw how tired her husband was and how her daughter, who had always had some baby fat, became sharp-faced. In addition, because of the resentment of being stopped from going south, Shu Wanniang decided to make use of this embroidery skill to make some money.


    Even though she wanted to help her husband and daughter, she didn¡¯t know how to farm and was weak. She couldn¡¯t do anything else, but she could do embroidery.


    Shu Wanniang sat by the brick bed uneasily. After making the bed, Mu Yangling crawled to Mu Shi¡¯s side and whispered in his ear, ¡°Father, hurry up and coax Mother.¡±


    Mu Shi red at her, his heart sour, bitter, and sweet all at once. Taking advantage of the time when his daughter went out to get hot water, he went forward and held his wife¡¯s hand. He said in a low voice, ¡°Do whatever you want. However, don¡¯t tire yourself out lest you hurt your eyes.¡±


    Tearing up slightly, Shu Wanniang held her husband¡¯s hand tightly and leaned her head on his shoulder.


    Mu Shi patted her back.


    Actually, he didn¡¯t want his wife to make money by doing double-sided embroidery. Firstly, he didn¡¯t want to have such entanglements with the Shu family, and secondly, he didn¡¯t want his wife to have a knot in her heart because of this.


    After Mu Yangling bought some fine rice and ground it into powder, she steamed it with two eggs every day. Before the new year, the twins¡¯ faces turned chubby again.


    Mu Yangling was overjoyed to see this. Every day when she came back, she would kiss them. It was the same today. When Mu Yangling kissed their faces, Hu Dian¡¯s voice sounded outside.


    Mu Yangling put down the child and walked out. Shu Wanniang was hiding in the kitchen helplessly.


    ¡°Uncle Hu, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Hu Dian nced at the kitchen. During this period of time, he also knew that Mu Shi and Mu Yangling were in charge of the Mu Residence. When Mu Shi was not at home, he only needed to look for Mu Yangling. On the other hand, Mu Shi¡¯s wife stayed at home all day and almost did not go out. She was like a well-bred youngdy.


    As this thought shed across his mind, Hu Dian smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ve received word that the farming tools and plowing oxen assigned by the Imperial Court have already arrived. They¡¯re asking every family to collect them. Your father isn¡¯t at home, so someone from your family should go as well.¡±


    A smile bloomed on Mu Yangling¡¯s face. ¡°The items are here? Are there many?¡±


    Hu Dian touched his head and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t gone yet. 1 don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a lot. Why don¡¯t we go and take a look together?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Hu, you can go first. 1¡¯11 pack up before leaving.¡±


    Hu Dian agreed.


    Mu Yangling turned around and ran to look for Madam Ma-Liu. Not knowing how to assess farming tools, she had to find her great-aunt to go with her.


    By the time Mu Yangling and Madam Ma-Liu rushed to the camp area, there were already many people standing in front of the camp area. There were old and young people, and Mu Yangling was the only child there.


    The person in front shouted, ¡°The higher-ups have already divided the farming tools. Every family has a limited number of things. However, because there are limited plowing oxens, they are divided ording to section. Each section will receive five oxen, to be shared among the section. You have to remember that these oxen belong to the camp. Don¡¯t work them to death after bringing them back. If they really die, that¡¯s it. Do you hear me?¡±


    The people below were already moring loudly. Someone shouted, ¡°Since each section only receives five oxen, when will it be our turn?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. There are so many families and each family has so muchnd¡­¡±


    The person above shouted, ¡°You think it¡¯s too few? If you think it¡¯s too few, you can choose not to have it. It¡¯s not as if you had oxen at home in the past? Behave yourself. If you continue making a ruckus, you won¡¯t have any.¡± Everyone immediately fell silent.


    Mu Yangling was instantly discouraged. She said to Madam Ma-Liu, ¡°Since there are only five cows per section, 1 think our family can forget about using it.¡±


    However, Madam Ma-Liu said, ¡°Since your father is a sectionmander, he should get to use it first.¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m strong. We should let his subordinates use the oxen instead. Consider us setting a good example to help Qi Haoran out..¡±

 Chapter 124 - 124: New Year

    Chapter 124: New Year


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling took an iron plow and two hoes back. It was said that the seeds would only arrive after the New Year. This being clearly different from everyone¡¯s expectations, everyone was a little depressed.


    Mu Yangling only sighed, but some people cried on the spot. With the absence of a plowing oxen and theck ofbor at home, they could only give up nting arge piece ofnd.


    Unbeknownst to everyone, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin were standing in a corner of the camp and watching them. Seeing that everyone¡¯s faces were downcast, they could not help but clench their fists.


    Fan Zijin patted his shoulder. ¡°Alright, 1 know you don¡¯t feel good, but Cousin has already said that the situation of the other camps is even worse than ours. General Lu Ji from the East Camp ran to Xingyuan Prefecture to cause a scene and is still locked up in jail. I reckon he¡¯ll spend New Year¡¯s Eve in jail. Don¡¯t tell me you want Cousin to go to jail too?¡±


    Anger appeared on Qi Haoran¡¯s face, but he still couldn¡¯t help but p the tree trunk beside him. ¡°They¡¯re simply beetles. They¡¯re even greedy for these things. When I be a general, 1¡¯11 be the first to behead them.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t General Yuan a great general now? But isn¡¯t he not saying a word now?¡± There was sadness in Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes. ¡°The country is not like a country, and the court is as good as non-existent. If you take it seriously, you can only be beaten into the dust. In the past, General Yuan couldn¡¯t stand such things the most. Isn¡¯t he turning a blind eye now?¡± After all, the person at the top was standing behind them.


    Even angrier, Qi Haoran clenched his fists so tightly that they creaked.


    Seeing this, Fan Zijin hurriedly advised, ¡°Don¡¯t be rash. This is different from the past. Cousin can¡¯t handle it either.¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not that stupid. 1¡¯11 remember this debt and deal with them after 1 make a contribution.¡±


    Fan Zijin heaved a sigh of relief. Qi Haoran had always kept his word. Since he said to wait, he would definitely not re up now.


    ¡°But what about the farming tools and plowing oxen? What good can so little do?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better than nothing.¡±


    Worry appeared on Qi Haoran¡¯s face. ¡°Since they tampered with the plowing oxen and farming tools, do you think they also tampered with the seeds?¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s expression changed. Seeds were different from farming tools and plowing oxens. If thetter two items were missing, they could still usebor to make up for it. At most, they could nt less. However, if the seeds were too inferior or too few, they would really have to starve next year.


    Fan Zijin turned around and said, ¡°Stay in the camp. 1¡¯11 go back and discuss it with Cousin. Since the seeds haven¡¯t been nted yet, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s still a way.¡±


    Qi Haoran hurriedly sent him out. ¡°Thene back quickly.¡±


    No matter how disappointed they were, they had to live on. Because they had obtained the farming tools, the next day, the farmers appeared to be in full swing on the edge of the field. It would be the new year soon, so everyone had to hurry up with their work in the field.


    Mu Yangling still brought her great-aunt and Xiuhong to the fields every day. She and her great-aunt plowed the fields while the three children ran all over the ground to pick up the grass stems. When it was almost the new year, she finally finished plowing the 83 acres ofnd that her family had to farm and simply leveled thend a little. Other than Mu Yangling, everyone else felt that they could not straighten their backs.


    Thinking that it was almost the new year, Mu Yangling no longer brought them to the fields. Instead, she brought them to the county to buy new year goods.


    Mu Shi and the others finally finished building the water conservancy facilities on the third day after New Year¡¯s Eve. They had also finished building the civilian houses. Qi Haoran nned to let them continue working on the remaining half of the camp after New Year. The entire camp was allowed to go home for the New Year.


    Therefore, the whole family was going to the market this time. Shu Wanniang also came out with the twins.


    Along the way, Madam Ma-Liu discussed with Mu Yangling in a low voice, ¡°We still don¡¯t know what the situation will be like in spring. You have to spend your money sparingly. It wasn¡¯t easy for you to save up a little.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded continuously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Great-aunt. We definitely won¡¯t buy those useless things. Wouldn¡¯t that be wasting money?¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu heaved a sigh of relief. However, this sigh of relief came too early.


    Mu Yangling brought them straight into the cloth shop and bought a set of cotton cloth for everyone. Then, she bought a lot of cotton and a lot of dried jujube and sugar cakes from the provision store. She also bought all kinds of sacrificial items for the ancestors.


    No matter how much Madam Ma-Liu tried to dissuade her, she refused to listen. Seeing that Mu Shi and Shu Wanniang were letting Mu Yangling make the decision while the other three children watched eagerly, she swallowed the words that were about toe out of her mouth. After all, this past year had not been easy. Besides, she had already paid for everything. If she continued nagging, she would be dampening everyone¡¯s spirits.


    Before returning home, Mu Yangling took out another piece of silver and handed it to Mu Shi. ¡°Father, go buy some grains from the grain store. 1 don¡¯t know how Eldest Great-uncle and the others are doing. 1¡¯11 send them some stuffter.¡±


    Mu Shi paused for a moment before taking the money from his daughter¡¯s hand. He stroked her head and praised, ¡°All Ling is even more considerate than your parents now.¡±


    Mu Yangling raised her head proudly. ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t you know whose daughter I am?¡±


    Mu Shiughed out loud, and Shu Wanniang couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips and smile.


    This time, Madam Ma-Liu did not stop them because rtives should help each other out. Now it was the Mu family who helped them, and in turn, they would return the favor in the future, forming a virtuous cycle. This was the simplest principle.


    Mu Shi and Mu Yangling carried arge pile of things home, while Madam Ma-Liu and Shu Wanniang carried the twins. The three children helped carry some stuff each, too. When they entered the vige like this, the vigers could not help but secretly look over.


    Even the Hu family could not help but stand in front of their door and watch enviously. Everyone was living a miserable New Year¡¯s Eve, and very few people could afford to buy New Year¡¯s goods. The Mu family was considered the first in the vige.


    When Mu Shi returned home and tidied up the things, he said to Mu Yangling, ¡°It¡¯s almost the new year. Let¡¯s send them to your Eldest Great-uncle and the others tomorrow.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and packed up the things she nned to give to them.


    Early the next morning, the father and daughter carried their things and set off.


    As Liu Daqian and the others were not far from them, it would take them less than an hour to walk. However, their environment was moreplicated than Chenggu Garrison.


    Chenggu Garrison was filled with military households, but Chaoxi Vige had a mixture of military personnel and ordinary civilians. With so many soldiers suddenly stationed in the vige, the vigers could not help but feel a little nervous. Mu Yangling had heard from Liu Lang that the children of those families in the vige were unwilling to y with them.


    The father and daughter carried the things and walked straight from the entrance of the vige to a mud house in the middle of the vige. Mu Yangling shouted, ¡°Great-uncle, we¡¯re here to visit you.¡±


    Just as Liu Daqian¡¯s voice sounded, Liu Lang had already rushed out to open the door. When he saw Mu Yangling, he rushed up with a howl and circled around her. He said aggrievedly, ¡°Why are you only here now? Didn¡¯t you say that you woulde and y with me when you¡¯re free?¡±


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve been free?¡±


    Mu Yangling took out a bag of candy from her pocket and handed it to him. ¡°Here, this is for you guys.¡±


    Liu Lang happily handed the things to his younger brother behind him and asked with a smile, ¡°What did you bring to my family this time?¡±


    ¡°Ah Lang, step aside. Who talks like this?¡± Liu Zhuang came out of the house and pped his nephew away, weing the father and daughter in..

 Chapter 125 - 125: Liu Li

    Chapter 125: Liu Li


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian¡¯s families were still neighbors, and they were having an even more difficult time than the Mu family¡¯s.


    At least the Mu family had Mu Yangling to hunt a rabbit or something in the mountains from time to time for a snack. Coupled with the money from selling deer previously, their lives gradually improved after the initial difficulties. However, the Liu family did not have any additional ie.


    Mu Shi carried the things into the house and said, ¡°Eldest Uncle, this is for you and Second Uncle.¡± Mu Shi put down the two bags of grains and took out two pieces of meat from the basket on his back.


    Mu Yangling took out half a bag of grains and half a piece of meat alone and said, ¡°Great-uncle, this is for Cousin Li. Get All Lang to send it overter. We¡¯ll leave the rest to Great-uncle He, and let him distribute some to the vigers.¡± Although the Liu family had been divided into various camps, they were from the same n and the family tree remained unchanged. So, the things to be distributed to the vigers should be handed over to Liu He.


    Liu Daqian looked at the things that were given to Liu Li in surprise and asked, ¡°Why are you giving this to your Cousin Li?¡± After hesitating for a moment, he asked, ¡°Your Uncle Zhuzi¡­¡±


    ¡°Father.¡± Liu Ting interrupted his father and said, ¡°It¡¯s not easy for All Ling and the rest. Shitou has to go to the camp, so there¡¯s only her and Aunt left at home. Considering they¡¯re small and weak, it¡¯s not easy for them to squeeze out this bit of grain. 1¡¯11 take care of Zhuzi¡¯s side.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Liu Erqian, who had entered the house, snorted coldly. ¡°Why does Big Brother still remember them? Second Sister can¡¯t wait to treat us like strangers. She might even me us for going near them.¡±


    Liu Daqian sighed. ¡°After all, we¡¯re rted by blood.¡±


    Mu Shi and Mu Yangling did not speak. They did not have any feelings for Madam Fang-Liu, so they naturally would not consider them when preparing the New Year goods.


    As for giving the stuff to Liu Li, it was because his family was having a really difficult time. Back then, Mu Yangling fought alongside him, so she inevitably became closer to him. Hence, she prepared some stuff for him.


    Liu Erqian turned to Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Deliver the things yourself and receive their thanks in person yourself. Their house is at the end of the vige.¡± Now that every family was hungry, if Liu Daqian really sent the things over, there would be more gossip in the Liu n tomorrow. The Mu family was different. Mu Yangling was not a member of the Liu family, so she could give the things to whoever she wanted.


    ¡°Alright, then Great-uncle, sit down first. I¡¯ll send it to them now. Father, apany Great-uncle and the others.¡± Mu Yangling carried her things and went out.


    Liu Li¡¯s house was at the end of the vige, half a vige away from Third Great-uncle¡¯s house. Ever since Liu Li was pushed out to kill the enemy with Mu Yangling, he and his widowed mother started growing distant with his grandfather and two uncles. Later on, when their family became a military household, he was the one who was pushed out to be a soldier. That was when he forcefully initiated a split of assets with them and moved to live at the end of the vige with his widowed mother and only son.


    Having lost his father when he was young, Liu Li was brought up by his widowed mother. His third great-uncle¡¯s family did not split up their assets, so the mother and son lived with his two uncles. He had lived carefully since he was young and had yet to discuss marriage even though he was already 20.


    In such a situation, by right he shouldn¡¯t have been chosen to fight the enemy with Mu Yangling back then. However, when it was their family¡¯s turn to choose someone, his two uncles didn¡¯t want their children to take the risk and were also afraid of death. Thus, Third Great-uncle made the decision to push this eldest grandson out.


    At that time, when he was on the verge of death, Liu Li had once told Mu Yangling that he had wanted to volunteer himself for no other reason than the fact that his two uncles had raised him since young. However, his grandfather and uncles¡¯ anxious decision still disappointed him. He felt that he would not survive that, so he asked Mu Yangling to take care of his widowed mother in the future.


    At that time, he and Liu Xuan were the most seriously injured. Mu Yangling almost thought that they would not survive, but somehow, he made it.


    Before Qi Haoran said that he would pay for their medical expenses, Third Great-uncle¡¯s family had clearly expressed that they would give up on Liu Li. Because of this, Liu Li¡¯s widowed mother almost had a conflict with Third Great-uncle. After that incident, when Liu Li woke up, he became distant from his grandfather and two uncles. When he was pushed out to join the army, Liu Li did not object at that time. However, after the fields were divided, he suggested splitting up the family assets. Mu Yangling still remembered how Liu Li stood in front of Liu He and disregarded everything.


    Liu Daqian and the older generation felt that Liu Li did not know the bigger picture and shouldn¡¯t have contradicted his elders. However, Mu Yangling sympathized with him and admired his determination.


    This era was different from Mu Yangling¡¯s previous life. In her previous life, the concept of the family was weak. Many things were rted to cause and effect. However, here, family was an important concept and one was expected to obey the n¡¯s wishes unconditionally. However, who had considered Liu Li and his mother¡¯s feelings?


    Liu Li took away the freehold field under his and his mother¡¯s name and moved to the end of the vige. Thereafter, he almost cut off all contact with the main family.


    When Mu Yangling carried the things over, he was sitting at the door and fixing the iron plow. He had an iron plow and four hoes under his name. He directly took an iron plow and a hoe, leaving only two hoes for his two uncles.


    No matter how much his aunt and grandmother kicked up a fuss, he refused to relent. When Liu Li took the things away, he said that if anyone dared to cause trouble for him and his mother, he would tell the battalionmander that they had already split up their family assets. In that case, one of his two uncles would definitely have to enlist in the army. Afraid that Liu Li would fall out with them, they naturally did not dare to cause trouble. They could only watch helplessly as he took away the only iron plow.


    ¡°Cousin Li, what are you doing at home?¡± Mu Yangling ced the things in front of him.


    Liu Li hurriedly stood up. ¡°All Ling, why are you here? Hurry up and have a seat inside. Mother, All Ling is here. Quickly start a fire and cook.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey.¡± Madam Liu-Ma wiped her hands and ran out. When she saw Mu Yangling, she pulled her in enthusiastically. ¡°Ah Ling, you¡¯re here. Hurry inside and have a seat. Aunt will cook for you.¡±


    ¡°Aunt, don¡¯t be anxious. My father is at my great-uncle¡¯s ce. I still have to go backter. I¡¯m here to give Cousin and you something.¡± Mu Yangling handed the things to them and smiled. ¡°We¡¯re going back in a while. This is for you. Have a good New Year this year.¡±


    Madam Liu couldn¡¯t help but wipe her eyes. Ever since her son and father-inw split up their family assets, the vigers didn¡¯t interact much with her.


    However, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t seem to see it. After putting down her things, she was about to walk out and Madam Liu Ma couldn¡¯t stop her no matter how hard she tried. Liu Li held his mother¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Mother, pack up at home. I¡¯ll send All Ling off.¡±


    Liu Li walked beside Mu Yangling and said solemnly after a while, ¡°Ah Ling, thank you. If you need anything in the future, just look for me. I¡¯ll definitely do whatever I can for you.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Liu Li seriously. ¡°Cousin Li, this is all I can do. The one who really treats you well is Aunt. You¡¯re her only son, so you have to take care of yourself.¡±


    Liu Li nodded with a dark expression, his eyes as bright as the stars. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, 1¡¯11 definitely live well.¡±


    Only then did Mu Yangling smile. ¡°Cousin Li, tell Aunt to look for me in Chenggu Garrison if there¡¯s anything in the future.¡±


    Liu Li nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Mu Yangling punched his shoulder. ¡°Hey, we¡¯ve been through life and death together.¡±


    Among the few people who survived, other than Fang Zhuzi who hid behind others and survived, which one of them didn¡¯t fight to the death?

 Chapter 126 - 126: Stealing Fish

    Chapter 126: Stealing Fish


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling squatted at the edge of the field and rubbed the mud in her hands. With a sigh, she stood up to say to her great-aunt, ¡°This won¡¯t do.¡± Great-aunt looked up at the sky and the sun shone brightly into her eyes. Despite wearing a thick cotton-padded jacket, she could only feel a little warmth. It was almost February 2nd, but the ice and snow had yet to start melting. How could it meltpletely at the end of February?


    If the temperature in the fields couldn¡¯t keep up, the seeds couldn¡¯t be sown. The camp had already distributed the seeds. Great-aunt had carefully checked and found that there were no problems with the seeds. Furthermore, Mu Yangling was very surprised to see that there were enough seeds. She wondered what method Qi Xiuyuan had used to make the Imperial Court distribute so many seeds.


    ¡°All Ling.¡± Madam Hu-Jin jogged over with a smile and shouted, ¡°Hurry up and take a look. The ice in the ground has melted!¡±


    Mu Yangling jumped up. ¡°It melted? It hasn¡¯t started melting when I checked it yesterday.¡±


    Madam Hu-Jin smiled and said, ¡°It always happens suddenly, doesn¡¯t it? Everyone went to take a look. Isn¡¯t there a canal that passes through yournd? Do you want to take a look?¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± Mu Yangling abandoned what she was doing and dragged Xiuhong along to take a look.


    Many people gathered by the river to watch themotion. The melting of the ice in the river meant that the temperature in the ground would also rise. It would not be long before the seeds could be nted.


    Mu Yangling ran to the river and knocked on the ice with her stick, making a thumping sound. She exerted a little force with her hand, and the ice cracked. The ice fell into the river, and the flowing river immediately swallowed the ice and disappeared from under the ice.


    Mu Yangling smiled until her eyes curved. The ice had indeed melted.


    As the ice was shattered, a fish jumped out of the river. Xiuhong eximed, but Mu Yangling subconsciously swept the fish that hadnded on the ice to the side, not letting it fall into the river again.


    ¡°Fish!¡± Xiuhong shouted and was about to run up to grab it when Mu Yangling grabbed her cor and pulled her back. ¡°Are you courting death? The ice has thinned.¡±


    Xiuhong was anxious. ¡°Cousin, what a big fish! Take it back for Aunt to eat. It¡¯s perfect for milking.¡±


    Mu Yangling carefully moved the fish to the shore with a stick, grabbed it with her hand, and whispered to her, ¡°Run back and pick the bucket.¡±


    Xiuhong¡¯s eyes lit up as she looked around carefully. When she realized that no one was paying attention to her, she nodded repeatedly and jogged home.


    Mu Yangling took her stick and walked towards the canal in her field.


    Although the canal had been dug, there was no water inside because the ice had been frozen. However, there was a thinyer of ice and snow that was a foot deep.


    As the canal was dug in the middle of Mu Yangling¡¯snd, she was standing alone in the huge field. She turned to look at the Hu family¡¯snd. The Hu family was also standing on their ownnd and looking at the ice in the river with a smile on their faces. From her angle, she could not see what they were doing. Simrly, it could be seen that they definitely could not see what she was doing here.


    Mu Yangling squatted at the mouth of the canal and knocked on the ice with the stick in her hand, but it did not break. After cing aside the fish that had jumped up just now, she looked upstream.


    This river came from Jialing Lake. Once the snow melted, the water volume should not be low, and would probably fill three reservoirs and three canals.


    Thinking that it wouldn¡¯t be long before she could nt the seeds, Mu Yangling was in a good mood.


    Xiuhong ran over with two wooden buckets, panting. ¡°Cousin, can we still catch fish?¡±


    ¡°Depends on our luck.¡± Mu Yangling threw the fish into the bucket and used a stick to pierce through the ice that she had knocked earlier, causing air to enter the water. After waiting for a while, two fish jumped up from the water. Overjoyed, Mu Yangling took the bucket and quickly caught a leaping fish. The other fish fell onto the ice, so she swept the fish into the canal with her stick¡­


    Fish kept jumping up, and Mu Yangling repeated her actions. As long as they fell onto the ice, she would sweep them into the canal. Xiuhong¡¯s heart itched as she watched, and she really wanted to jump into the canal to scoop up the fish. However, Mu Yangling did not allow her to go down. Since there were only twoyers of ice at the mouth of the cana, if water suddenly rushed out of the ice¡­ it would be bad.


    When it was about time, Mu Yangling jumped into the canal and picked up the fish. When the Hu family looked over curiously, they only saw the two children ying at the entrance of the canal. They didn¡¯t think much of it and saw that it was gettingte.


    Mu Yangling and Xiuhong filled two wooden buckets with fish before returning.


    Xiuhong carefully looked around. When Mu Yangling saw this, she smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no one will see.¡±


    At most, others could only see them carrying wooden buckets. They definitely could not see what was in the buckets.


    The houses in Chenggu Garrison were far apart from each other. Although it was inconvenient to visit other households, it also ensured the privacy of each family.


    Mu Yangling returned home from the fields without meeting anyone.


    ¡°Mother, Great-aunt, look what 1 brought back for you.¡± Mu Yangling showed them the wooden bucket as if it was a treasure.


    When Madam Ma-Liu saw so many fish inside, her eyes lit up and she asked, ¡°Has the ice melted?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s starting to melt. These fish jumped up when I broke a hole in the ice. 1 didn¡¯t tell anyone,¡± Mu Yangling said happily.


    Madam Ma-Liu looked at her in amusement and said, ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who knows this logic. When everyone sees someone knocking on the ice hole in two days, everyone will know.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to earn much. I just want to catch more to raise before everyone realizes what¡¯s going on. We can cook one a day to nourish everyone¡¯s bodies,¡± Mu Yangling said as she watered the fish.


    However, Madam Ma-Liu was worried. ¡°How are we going to raise so many fish?¡±


    ¡°We can freeze them.¡± Mu Yangling said matter-of-factly, ¡°Isn¡¯t there a cer at the back? I¡¯ll move the tank down and fill the bottom with ice. Then, I¡¯ll put the fish inside and cover it with ice. Also, pile some ice outside the tank. Considering the temperature in the cer is low, it definitely won¡¯t melt in 20 to 30 days. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Mu Yangling did as she said. As the cer was empty, she figured they would not have any use for this until winter, so she was free to use this cer as she pleased. Not to mention piling some ice, even filling the entire cer up with ice would not be a problem.


    Mu Yangling took the and carried the wooden bucket to the river. Then, she used a stick to stab the ice cubes intorge pieces. After that, she used the to scoop up the ice cubes and ced them in the bucket. When a fish jumped out of the water, she also scooped the fish into the bucket.


    After making two trips back and forth, she realized that the bucket could only hold a limited amount of ice, so she simply used wooden nks to partition the two-wheeled cart and push it to the riverside. After she filled the cart with ice, Xiuhong followed behind excitedly to pick up the fish. In the end, she came over with a bucket full of fish and said regretfully, ¡°Cousin, many fish jumped up and fell into the water again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Fish have to give birth too. If the fish that fell into the water give birth, there will be even more fish in the river next year.¡± Mu Yangling ced the wooden bucket on the cart and pulled it up. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s movements were too loud this time. Old Hu stood at the door and asked loudly, ¡°Ah Ling, what are you pulling?¡±


    ¡°Ice. 1 went to the river to get some ice for the cer.¡±


    ¡°Why are you moving ice all of a sudden? You¡¯ll freeze in the cold.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t find an excuse for a moment, Xiuhong shouted, ¡°1 tend to suffer from a loss of appetite and weight in the summer. When my cousin heard about this, she said she¡¯d store up some ice for me to use in the summer..¡±

 Chapter 127 - 127: Farming (1)

    Chapter 127: Farming (1)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Standing on his tiptoes slightly, Old Hu saw that there was indeed ice on the cart. As the wooden bucket on the cart was too far away, he could not see it clearly and could only vaguely see the ice on the surface of the bucket.


    ¡°Children like to fool around. This river is dangerous. Don¡¯t get too close and be careful not to fall into it.¡±


    Mu Yangling responded and pulled the cart back to the backyard. Seeing that the two children¡¯s hands were red from the cold, Shu Wanniang couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for them. ¡°Alright, alright. This is enough. You¡¯re not allowed to go again. Aren¡¯t you afraid of freezing?¡±


    Mu Yangling took out the bucket. There was a piece of ice on it, and under it was a struggling big fish.


    She first put the ice in and piled up half of the cer before carrying the vat in and freezing it with ice.


    There were still a few lively fish in the wooden bucket. Little Bowen put them in water to be raised, so that they would get to eat fresh ones these few days.


    Mu Yangling took two out for Shu Wanniang and drooled. ¡°Mother, braise one and poach the other.¡±


    Shu Wanniang tapped her forehead with a smile. ¡°Gluttonous cat.¡±


    The fish that Mu Yangling picked out weighed three to four catties. Shu Wanniang was originally worried that she wouldn¡¯t be able to finish it, but surprisingly in the end, it was picked clean by the children. By the time they were done, there was only a set of fish bones and some soup left on the table.


    Mu Yangling hugged her stomach and said, ¡°The fish that are naturally caught in the river are delicious. I¡¯ll go to the river to chisel ice tomorrow.¡±


    Shu Wanniang said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re lucky today. It¡¯s only because the ice surface hasn¡¯t been broken yet that you could catch so many fish after digging a hole. Today, after you broke the ice surface, the ice on the top started to melt. Since the oxygen in the water won¡¯t be as scarce as before, how can you catch as many as today again?¡±


    Mu Yangling chuckled. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try, regardless. If there are fish, I¡¯ll take them. If not, I¡¯ll just transport the ice back and put it in the cer.¡±


    Shu Wanniang was stunned. ¡°Why are you going again? Isn¡¯t there enough ice?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s enough, but I just want to get more to store in the cer. Perhaps this ice might not have melted by the time summer arrives and can be used to reduce the heat.¡±


    Shu Wanniang looked at her daughter helplessly. ¡°Don¡¯t you find it cold?¡±


    ¡°I like to y with water.¡±


    Hearing her daughter¡¯s words, Shu Wanniang didn¡¯t stop her. She just said, ¡°Then be careful. Don¡¯t fall.¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed happily.


    The next day, when Mu Yangling went to the river again, someone was already knocking on the ice. It turned out that early in the morning, someone came to the river and saw that there were fish in the hole Mu Yangling had created. So, he ran home to get a to catch the fish, which triggered the ¡®ice-knocking battle¡¯.


    After Mu Yangling loaded two carts of ice andted a bucket of fish, she stopped. Instead, she squatted at the entrance of the canal and watched the speed at which the ice melted.


    Two dayster, there was only a thinyer of ice left on the river. Some of that ice had even melted into the water. The water level rose to the edge of everyone¡¯s farmingnd. Only then did everyone snap out of their enthusiasm for fishing and look at the river nervously, afraid that it would rise further and drown theirnd.


    Mu Yangling saw that there was already water leaking into the canal from the river, but because there were still some ice blocks blocking the way, there was not much watering out. After looking up and down, Mu Yangling finally knocked off theyer of ice with her stick. The water that had been blocked instantly spewed into the channel.


    At this moment, Qi Haoran was also standing at the entrance of Reservoir No. 1. Seeing the ice on the river melt and the water level rise, he took the hoe from Mu Shi and shattered the ice at the entrance. Then, the water in the river slowly changed course and flowed into the reservoir¡­


    Qi Haoran returned the hoe to Mu Shi and said, ¡°Go and smash the ice at the entrances of the other two reservoirs. Also, clean up the ice at the mouth of the canal. Announce to the entire camp that they will have a seven-day break after training for a day tomorrow. After seven days, regardless of the situation of your farming, I want all of you to return to the camp for training. Do you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Only then did Qi Haoran leave with his sword. Following behind him, Fan Zijin said, ¡°Considering the other camps didn¡¯t give their soldiers a break, is it a good idea for you to do this?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s not good about it? Anyway, Big Brother said that it¡¯s not our turn to go to the battlefield for the time being. In that case, we might as well guarantee next year¡¯s rations first,¡± Qi Haoran said gloomily. ¡°Big Brother Jiang has already faced the enemy three times with his troops¡­¡±


    Fan Zijin smiled when he heard that. ¡°Alright, next year at thetest, I¡¯m sure you will get to go to war.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to fight with my trained soldiers.¡±


    Mu Yangling did not know about Qi Haoran¡¯s lofty aspirations. Her biggest goal now was to be a farming expert and lead her family to a rich and healthy life.


    On the night Mu Shi returned home, Madam Ma-Liu poured out the seeds she had brought back and said, ¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯ll nt wheat first. As for rice, we¡¯ll use the 13 acres near the river to nt rice. We¡¯ll nt wheat on the remainingnd. Coincidentally, the seeds given to us are also mostly wheat.¡±


    As Mu Yangling squatted on the ground and touched the rather plump seeds, she asked, ¡°Then when are we going to start raising rice seedlings?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go down when the weather clears.¡± Madam Ma-Liu was used to farming and had already calcted in her heart before the ice melted.


    ¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯ll take out the plow and plow the ten acres of high-gradend in the south first.¡±


    Mu Shi and Mu Yangling did not know anything about farming, so they did whatever Madam Ma-Liu said.


    The next day, the family carried their things to the edge of the field in the south. When Madam Ma-Liu saw the tender green seedlings on the ground, she said with a happy smile, ¡°Now that the temperature of the ground has risen, the grass is sprouting. We can start nting now. Come, bring the plow over. I¡¯ll teach you to start nting.¡±


    Mu Yangling eagerly carried the iron plow over and let Madam Ma-Liu help her plow two lines. ¡°Shi Tou, did you see it clearly? Plow this depth at this speed. When you nt the seedster, cover the mud with your feet and it¡¯ll be done.¡± Madam Ma-Liu said regretfully, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that we don¡¯t have fertilizer. There isn¡¯t even base fertilizer this year, so we can only nt without any fertilizer. Later, I¡¯ll get your uncle to go to the city to ask around and see if he can buy some night soil to make up for it.¡±


    Mu Shi and Mu Yangling widened their eyes. ¡°N-night soil?¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu red at them. ¡°What¡¯s there to make a fuss about? If there¡¯s not enough fertilizer in the fields, don¡¯t we have to go to the city to buy night soil? Since we have a lot ofnd, we are buying inrge quantities. Plus, we¡¯ll go with your uncle and the others to see if we can lower the price.¡±


    Mu Yangling felt her stomach churn. After a while, she heard herself ask, ¡°Do you use the night soil directly after buying it?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Dream on. How can our family have so much money to buy night soil? We still have to dilute it with water and mud. Moreover, too much of it will damage the seedlings. Anyway, this is a matter for the future. Let¡¯s nt thend first. Shi Tou, you help with the plow. 1¡¯11 go nt the seeds.¡±


    Mu Shi stared at the iron plow in front of him and couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it. He knew very well that he hadn¡¯t mastered it at all.


    Seeing her father¡¯s conflicted expression, Mu Yangling hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Why don¡¯t I do it?¡±


    Mu Shi immediately stuffed the iron plow into his daughter¡¯s hands. ¡°Alright, you do it. 1¡¯11 do the pulling.¡±


    Mu Yangling:¡±¡­¡±

 Chapter 128 - 128: Farming (2)

    Chapter 128: Farming (2)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling tried back and forth a few times. After plowing three lines, she finally mastered the technique. This made Mu Yangling very proud. ¡°Father, perhaps I was born to farm.¡±


    Mu Shi nced at his daughter¡¯s hand and thought of her strength. He said, ¡°I¡¯d believe it if you said that you¡¯re a natural hunter. Back then, when I first brought you into the mountain, you already managed to catch a roe deer alive.¡± But that was a skill from her previous life. Mu Yangling criticized silently, ¡®Aren¡¯t hunting skills simr to catching people?¡¯


    No matter what Mu Shi said, Mu Yangling was very smug.


    The father and daughter worked together and soon covered a great distance. When Madam Ma-Liu saw that it was more than an acre, she waved her hand and said, ¡°Alright, stop nting first. Otherwise, the soil will dry upter.¡±


    The father and daughter walked to Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s side. Madam Ma-Liu taught them how to nt the seeds step by step and said, ¡°Scatter it in slowly like this. It has to be in the middle. Don¡¯t go nted. Also, it can¡¯t be too much or too little.¡±


    Mu Yangling asked curiously, ¡°Who set the rule that it should be this density?¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu was stunned for a moment before she said in amusement, ¡°Who made the rules? For generations, we nted them like this. In the past, there were people who disobeyed that rule and thought that they could harvest more by nting more. Who knew that the wheat seedlings that grew turned out too dense? In the end, the wheat ears weren¡¯t even as long as a finger. What a waste.¡±


    When Madam Ma-Liu said that, Mu Shi became nervous. He squatted on the ground and carefully counted the number of wheat. Mu Yangling was speechless by the sight of this. ¡°Father, when will you finish nting like this? Just an approximation will do.¡±


    Mu Yangling stuffed the wheat seed into his hand. ¡°Try it.¡±


    Mu Shi grabbed a handful of wheat seeds and carefully tapped them down. Madam Ma-Liu frowned when she saw this. The wheat seeds in the gully were sometimes densely spaced and sometimes sparsely spaced. Exasperated, she turned to look at Little Bowen and the others.


    The children had already walked far away.


    Madam Ma-Liu went forward and taught Mu Shi again. After going back and forth three times, she gave up. ¡°Shi Tou, nting is the simplest. Just leak a little between your fingers and the perfect amount of wheat will fall. Why can¡¯t you do it?¡±


    Mu Shi was in a difficult position. ¡°Aunt, my palm is big and that wheat won¡¯t listen to me. When I¡¯m nervous, the amount dropped decreases. When I rx slightly, it will fall out of control¡­¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu looked at her nephew speechlessly. After a while, she said, ¡°Forget it. You¡¯d better follow behind and cover the seeds with soil. You know how to do this, right? Use your feet to cover the seeds in the gully.¡±


    Mu Shi nodded repeatedly. ¡°1 know how to do that.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu watched for a while and only went to the front to dibble in the seeds after confirming that there was indeed no problem. When she passed by where Mu Yangling was, she looked down and couldn¡¯t help but nod to herself. Although her nephew was a little stupid, Ah Ling was indeed cut out for farming.


    At the front, Little Bowen, Xiuhong and Xin were also holding a small bag of wheat and dibbling in the seeds. Because Mu Shi was covering the soil behind them, they didn¡¯t have to turn around and thus progress wasn¡¯t slow.


    By noon, their family had finished nting two acres ofnd.


    Madam Ma-Liu wanted to bring them back to eat, but Mu Yangling waved her hand and said, ¡°Great-aunt, bring Bowen and the rest back. Get Xiuhong to bring us foodter. You guys can rest for a while beforeing back. My father and I will stay here to smooth thend.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu frowned. ¡°We don¡¯t need to rest for that long. We¡¯lle after eating.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Mu Yangling hurriedly said, ¡°The sun is shining brightly. Although my father and 1 don¡¯t need to rest, you guys have to rest for a while. Otherwise, if you fall sick from exhaustion, you¡¯ll have to buy medicer.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine with me and Xiuhong. We¡¯re used to doing this.¡±


    Mu Yangling insisted, ¡°Great-aunt, just listen to me. Even if youe, 1 won¡¯t ask you to work. You might as well rest at home.¡±


    Mu Yangling knew that this was the time for rush-nting and none of the farming families took a break at noon. However, she felt that there were many ways to earn money, but health was of the utmost importance. She did not want to waste her health now and rack her brains to nourish itter. Shu Wanniang and Little Bowen were examples of the fact that even with money and medicine, one wouldn¡¯t necessarily gain health.


    Knowing Mu Yangling¡¯s temper, Madam Ma-Liu could only do as she said.


    After they left, Mu Yangling squatted in front of the gully to take a look. Instead of burying it, she went to dig up the soil that her father had just covered. The corners of Mu Shi¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°What are you ying with?¡± Mu Yangling asked her father, ¡°Father, since the malt breaks through the soil after it sprouts, should we cover a thin or thickyer over it? If it¡¯s thinner, the malt will definitely break through the soil easily. But if the weather is colder, will the frost cause the malt to freeze to death? If it¡¯s thicker, it will definitely keep it warm. But if the malt isn¡¯t strong enough, won¡¯t it die buried underneath the soil if it can¡¯t break through it?¡±


    Mu Shi: ¡°¡­How would I know?¡± After a pause, he asked curiously, ¡°Flow do you know all this?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t itmon sense that soil could keep something warm?


    The father and daughter stared at each other.


    Mu Shi only thought that this was a child¡¯s imagination and did not take it to heart. However, Mu Yangling kept asking herself this question in her heart: ¡®Should the soil be deeper or thicker?¡¯


    Also, it took too much time to plow and bury seeds on so muchnd. Even if the 13 acres of high-gradend in the east could be irrigated to nt rice towards the end, the remaining 6o to 70 acres had to be nted as soon as possible.


    Forget about the first two conditions. Without machinery, they could only rely on manualbor. But what about the work of covering the soilter?


    With Mu Yangling¡¯s limited knowledge of agriculture, she felt that there was something that could rece manualbor.


    Mu Yangling was walking around in the gully when Mu Shi threw her a stick and shouted, ¡°Alright, Ah Ling, stop thinking about it. Follow me to the canal to look for fish. Your mother has been craving fishtely and the ones in the cer aren¡¯t fresh enough¡­¡±


    However, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t hear what Mu Shi was saying anymore. She jumped up and shouted, ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea!¡± Squatting down with the stick, she swiped it horizontally. The soil on the gully slowly slid into the gully to cover the seeds.


    Mu Yangling looked at her father smugly. Mu Shi said in amusement, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, but only the two of us can use this method because this will require a lot of strength.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Father, that¡¯s not the method I¡¯m thinking of. Just wait and see. Anyone can use the method I¡¯m thinking of.¡±


    She remembered that when she went to the countryside to y in the past, she had seen farmers ce a farming tool upside down to cover seeds with soil. Mu Yangling¡¯s blurry memories gradually became clearer because she now had a clear goal.


    She didn¡¯t know what specific uses that farming tool had, but she was certain that she could draw it. Regardless, it was bound to be of some use and was much more advanced than the farming tools in this world. Mu Yangling wanted to try it out with her father when she was free.


    ¡°Father, let¡¯s go cut trees.¡± Mu Yangling looked at her father with sparkling eyes.


    Looking at his daughter, who was spouting nonsense, Mu Shi said with a straight face, ¡°1 want to catch fish. All Ling, you said it yourself that the depth of soil used to cover the seeds varies. Do you think the soil that slides down this way will be of suitable depth? Your great-aunt and the others have never tried this nting method..¡±

 Chapter 129 - 129: Farming (3)

    Chapter 129: Farming (3)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    In a spirit of bold imagination and scientific verification, Mu Yangling said very seriously, ¡°So, Father, I¡¯ve decided. I¡¯m going to use two acres of high-gradend and two acres of medium-gradend for experiments. Father, believe me, farming has to be constantly improved in practice. One day, I¡¯ll create a record of producing 800 catties per acre.¡±


    Mu Shi was dumbfounded. Even if he didn¡¯t know how to farm, he knew that the best yield of wheat now was 200 catties. A yield of 150 to 180 catties wasn¡¯t unheard of either. As for the inferior fields, it was already not bad if they could produce 70 to 80 catties per acre. His daughter actually wanted to yield 800 catties?


    ¡°Father, don¡¯t look at me like that. What 1 said is true.¡± Mu Yangling became serious for a moment. Then, she recalled that in the modern era, even with fertilizers and pesticides, farmers could only produce 1,000 catties per acre. Realizing that she did not seem to understand these things, she changed her words. ¡°At the very least, we can yield 500 catties per acre.¡±


    Having recovered from his shock, Mu Shi snorted and said, ¡°If you can get 200 catties per acre of yield, 1¡¯11 be so happy that I¡¯ll run around the camp area.¡± Seeing his daughter ring at him, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t think that 200 catties of acre can be easily achieved. From what I¡¯ve heard, it¡¯s a yield level only achieved by experts using good-qualitynd. Not only is thend fertile enough, but it also has convenient ess to water. On top of that, it also has to be meticulously cultivated. Do you think our family can do it?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that Mu Shi wasn¡¯t confident, but that he didn¡¯t know how to farm and didn¡¯t have time. In his family, only his daughter and aunt were capable of working. No matter how strong his daughter was, how could she be able to farm meticulously with so muchnd? It was already not bad if she could finish farming.


    Mu Yangling choked and said, ¡°We have to give it a try. Father, let¡¯s go cut two trees before Xiuhonges. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t dy farming.¡±


    Mu Shi could onlypromise and follow his daughter to the mountain to cut two trees before dragging them back at night. Since Mu Shi did not know carpentry and Mu Yangling¡¯s skills were even better than his, she opted to do it herself with the blueprint in her mind. Using a knife, she cut off the branches and pared the wood until it became cylindrical. Then, she drilled two holes at both ends and used two thinner wooden sticks to connect the two smooth logs. Finally, she tied the ends with a rope and pulled them. Seeing that it was rather stable, Mu Yangling smiled in satisfaction.


    ¡°All Ling, it¡¯s time to eat.¡± Madam Ma-Liu looked at the thing she had made curiously and asked, ¡°What¡¯s this? It¡¯s long and rectangr. Are you using it to transport things? That¡¯s not right either. Since it¡¯s hollow in the middle, what can it hold?¡±


    ¡°Great-aunt, 1 n to use it to cover the seeds with soil. This way, we won¡¯t have to slowly do it line by line and can save a lot of time. Today, we only nted more than four acres. How long will it take to nt 83 acres ofnd?¡± Madam Ma-Liu frowned. ¡°Can this thing cover the seeds with soil?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try. If it doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll put a board on it to pull things.¡±


    When Madam Ma-Liu heard her say this, she didn¡¯t think that it was a waste of time anymore. She turned around and returned to the house. ¡°Then pack up ande and eat quickly. You¡¯ve been working hard for the entire day.¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed.


    After eating, Bowen sat on the brick bed and read a book under the light. Xiuhong and Xiny at the side and looked at him enviously.


    Mu Yangling came in after taking a shower. When she saw this, she took out a book called ¡°Thousand Character ssic¡± from the box and waved. ¡°Come here. I¡¯ll teach you how to read.¡±


    Xiuhong and Xin quickly crawled over and asked with sparkling eyes, ¡°Cousin, can we learn to read too?¡±


    ¡°Why not? When we have money in the future, I¡¯ll send you two to school.¡±


    Xin¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Cousin, really?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded, but Xiuhong said, ¡°Only boys can go to school. Cousin, my sister and I won¡¯t go. You should send Cousin there. He cane back and teach us after learning it at school.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Bowen can teach us after hees back.¡±


    Xiuhong pursed her lips and smiled, looking at Mu Yangling happily with her dark eyes.


    After reading for a while, Bowen couldn¡¯t help but crawl to his sister¡¯s side to join in the fun.


    Mu Yangling stroked his head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s read it together.¡±


    After reading a few pages, Mu Yangling taught Xiuhong and Xin two words in particr. ¡°Just remember these two words tonight and memorize them during the day tomorrow. I¡¯ll teach you two other words tomorrow night.¡± Xiuhong and Xin agreed happily.


    Mu Yangling asked Bowen to read at the side while shey on the brick bed to think about something.


    For various reasons, grain production in this world was very low. This was due to factors such as seeds, farming methods, water conservancy, and so on. As for high-end things like fertilizers and pesticides, it was better to leave it to the future generations.


    Recalling she had heard of hybrid rice?, she wondered if wheat could also be hybridized. Improving the seeds seemed to be a very high-end thing.


    In terms of water conservancy, all they really needed was manualbor. Qi Haoran was a good person and she might be able to ask him for help.


    As for the farming method? Mu Yangling felt that she should learn the current farming method first. As for the modern farming method, as long as thend was fertile enough and the water sufficient, one could not go wrong if they meticulously cultivated thend. Since farming relied heavily on experience, she reckoned she should listen to the experience of the elderly. With her intelligence, even if five years was not enough, she was certain she should be able toe up with a brilliant n in no more than ten to twenty years.


    Mu Yangling turned over and thought in a daze. If she managed to achieve a high yield of wheat and rice per acre, she could farm less and harvest more grains. At that time, she could earn more money and Bowen would no longer have to worry about medical fees¡­


    When Mu Yangling woke up the next day, the sky was already slightly bright. By the time she got up, washed up, and finished breakfast, the first rays of the morning sun were shining over.


    Madam Ma-Liu stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We should get to the fields early since your father will be returning to the camp in a few days.¡±


    Mu Yangling brought along what she had madest night. After plowing and nting, Mu Yangling ced the thing on top and pulled it a few times. The soil would indeed fall into the gullies to cover the seeds, but the amount of soil fallen was little. In some instances, it was not even enough to cover the seeds. When Madam Ma-Liu saw this, she said, ¡°This won¡¯t do. It¡¯s not even enough soil to cover the seeds.¡±


    Frowning, Mu Yangling thought for a moment. She casually picked up two wooden nks and ced them on top. Then, she ced the iron plow on it and pulled it a few times. The soil on the gully was pushed down,pletely covering the seeds this time.


    Madam Ma-Liu did not expect the effect to be so good. After circling around, she smiled. ¡°This thing is indeed not bad. You should give it a name.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°Let¡¯s call it a rake.¡±


    pping and cheering, the three kids called out ¡°rake¡± one after another.


    Mu Shi and Madam Ma-Liu were speechless for a while. Madam Ma-Liu said, ¡°If you call it a rake, what about the real rake?¡±


    Mu Yangling thought of the two rows of iron teeth she had seen on the wood in her previous life and said, ¡°Let¡¯s call this the ¡®double-sided rake¡¯ then.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu couldn¡¯t see any simrities between this thing and a rake, but there was no need for her to argue with Mu Yangling over a name. Waving her hand, she said, ¡°Alright, ¡®double-sided rake¡¯ it is. Hurry up and farm. Xiuhong, quickly bring your sister and cousin over to get the seeds. Ah Ling, go and pull the plow with your father. While the ground is still a little wet now, we should plow it first. We¡¯ll cover the soil when the sun rises a little.¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed.


    With the addition of the new tool today, the family finished nting one more acre ofnd than yesterday. However, not to mention Madam Ma-Liu, even Mu Yangling was not satisfied and felt that progress was still too slow.

 Chapter 130 - 130: Help

    Chapter 130: Help


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling rubbed her eyes, grabbed Xiuhong, and asked, ¡°Do you think there¡¯s someone on ournd?¡±


    Xiuhong stood on tiptoes to take a look. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s someone. Someone must havee to steal the wheat seeds.¡±


    ¡°Who would steal the wheat seeds nted on the ground?¡± Mu Yangling ran over to take a look. Behind her, Mu Shi and Madam Ma-Liu also narrowed their eyes and looked over. Madam Ma-Liu said, ¡°Why does that figure look so familiar?¡±


    Of course it was familiar. It was an acquaintance!


    Mu Yangling shouted happily, ¡°Uncle Zhuang, Cousin Li, why are you here?¡±


    Standing in the field were Liu Zhuang, Liu Xuan, Liu Li, and Liu Yong. Liu Lang was squatting on the ground. When he saw Mu Yangling running over, he jumped up and shouted, ¡°And me. How could you not see me? I¡¯m here to help you farm.¡±


    Liu Lang said casually, ¡°My grandfather said that you and Uncle have never farmed before and asked us to help.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Liu Li and Liu Yong. She didn¡¯t expect them toe too.


    Liu Li stood at the side uneasily, while Liu Yong looked at Mu Yangling calmly and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m here to help.¡±


    Mu Yangling hesitated for a moment but did not refuse.


    Mu Shi was only stunned for a moment when he saw them. Mu Yangling nced at the wheat seeds they had brought and knew that it was definitely not enough, so she said, ¡°Father, go back and get more wheat seeds.¡±


    Mu Shi nodded and handed the things to Mu Yangling. Liu Zhuang and the others also started to work. With the addition of these five, their speed increased a lot. In just a day, they had actually nted about 12 to 13 acres. Liu Xuan repeatedly flipped the ¡®double-sided rake¡¯ that Mu Yangling had made. Seeing Mu Yangling looking at him, he asked with a smile, ¡°All Ling, did you make this? Not bad. I wonder if you can make one for me. With this, we¡¯ll be able to farm at a faster speed.¡±


    ¡°No problem. 1¡¯11 cut down some branchester and make it for you when 1 get back tonight.¡±


    When Mu Yangling said that, Liu Zhuang also requested for one. Mu Yangling looked at Liu Li and Liu Yong and waved her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll make one for each of your families when 1 get back.¡±


    Liu Yong smiled and said, ¡°I think it¡¯s not too difficult to make. I can make it myself when I go back. You should make it for Ah Li.¡±


    Liu Li smiled awkwardly, but he did not refuse. There were only him and his mother in their family. If they had this thing, their work speed would definitely increase a lot.


    Mu Yangling wanted to ask them to stay for dinner before going back, but Liu Zhuang did not wait for her invitation and simply carried his things back. Liu Li and Liu Yong also left together.


    On the way, Liu Yong sneered when he saw Liu Li walking with his head lowered. He quickened his pace and walked to his side. Turning his head, he asked, ¡°Why are you avoiding us like a girl?¡±


    Without looking at him, Liu Li said in a muffled voice, ¡°Everyone in the n is avoiding me. Why are you even speaking to me?¡±


    Liu Yong¡¯s eyes were filled with sarcasm. ¡°Aren¡¯t the people in the n avoiding me too? We¡¯re the same now. If you don¡¯t despise me, just call me along if you need anything in the future.¡±


    Liu Li stopped in his tracks and turned to look at him. With raised eyebrows, he asked, ¡°The patriarch and my grandfather have already said that I¡¯m an unfilial and disloyal person. Are you willing to interact with such a person?¡±


    Liu Yong said nonchntly, ¡°The people in the n also said that I¡¯m unfilial and disloyal. Neither of us has the right to criticize each other.¡±


    Liu Li was silent for a moment before suddenly saying, ¡°The people in the n are right. You are indeed unfilial and disloyal.¡±


    Liu Yong was so angry that he kicked him and snapped, ¡°I¡¯ve already changed my ways. Just say if you¡¯re willing or not.¡±


    Liu Li was silent. He did not object or agree.


    Liu Yong snorted and walked away. Behind him, Liu Li opened his mouth and muttered, ¡°I didn¡¯t object.¡± Liu Yong caught that.


    Not sure whether tough or cry, Liu Yong turned around and pulled him over. ¡°Alright, it just so happens that my sectionmander despises me for dragging them down and is thinking of a way to chase me out. I¡¯ll look for you in your sectionter.¡±


    Liu Li frowned. ¡°You have connections?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Liu Yong said frankly, ¡°Connections can always be built. Just wait. We can look out for each other from now on.¡±


    Liu Yong smiled slightly, and his gloomy temperament instantly disappeared. Liu Li turned to look at him and couldn¡¯t help but admire his good luck.


    Liu Yong had good parents, a good younger brother, and a good younger sister. Although his parents med him for what he had done back then and hated him, they still treated him as their son after the period of anger. Although they were guarded around him every day, they treated him well.


    Ever since he took the initiative to stand up and fight off the enemy with Mu Yangling, the knot in his parents¡¯ hearts disappeared and they now treated him extremely well. His younger brother even worshiped him as an idol. As long as he didn¡¯t do anything atrocious like selling his parents and younger brother, the entire family would agree with his decisions.


    Sometimes, Liu Li was so envious that he wanted to beat him up. Liu Yong was clearly not doing as well as him in the past and was isted by the family. As for Liu Li, he had a grandfather, uncles, and a bunch of cousins. He had thought that the entire n was his backer, but now, he felt like he had nothing left. Only his mother was still by his side.


    ¡°Are you still going tomorrow?¡±


    Liu Li nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s help for two days. We¡¯ll go again tomorrow.¡±


    Liu Yong said with a frown, ¡°Your family situation is different from mine. I still have my parents and younger brother at home. You and your mother are the only ones in your family. If you go for two days, can you finish nting your own fields?¡±


    Liu Li didn¡¯t say anything, so Liu Yong advised, ¡°Forget it. Otherwise, All Ling will feel guilty when she finds outter. Since we only have a few days off, you should settle your own fields first.¡±


    Liu Li remained silent. Liu Yong thought that he had agreed, but he was surprised to see Liu Li show up again the next day. Mu Yangling frowned slightly at the sight of Liu Li, but she didn¡¯t say anything and just pulled a plow in front.


    When they finished work at night, Mu Yangling took out a few fish from the wooden bucket at the head of the field and handed them to them. ¡°Take these fish back and don¡¯te back tomorrow. You guys have a lot ofnd to tend to yourselves.¡±


    Liu Lang took it in surprise and asked, ¡°Where did this fishe from? Geez, it¡¯s so cold.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°I caught these some time ago and froze them with ice. It¡¯s still considered fresh. Hurry up and take it back.¡±


    Liu Lang was about to drool.


    Liu Li and Liu Yong also took one fish each. The few of them went back together, but in fact, Liu Zhuang led Liu Lang and Liu Xuan in front, leaving Liu Yong and Liu Li walking at the back.


    The two of them didn¡¯t mind and slowly walked back with their things. Looking at their backs, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Liu Li and Liu Yong seem to have been isted by the n.¡±


    Mu Shi frowned, feeling slightly ufortable as it reminded him of how he had been isted by the vigers when he was young.


    Madam Ma-Liu also looked up and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. Your Great-uncle He and Eldest Great-uncle are getting more and more muddle-headed as they get older. Liu Li¡¯s grandfather is extremely biased and didn¡¯t even say a word of fairness. Now that the child has established himself, your Great-uncle He disdains him for being unfilial. Liu Li isn¡¯t a bad person. Ah Ling, you ought to interact more with him in the future.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu lost her parents when she was young and grew up with her siblings. She lost her husband when she was young and her son when she was middle-aged. Therefore, although she was a woman, her breadth of mind was not inferior to a man¡¯s. In fact, she could see further than the patriarch, Liu He, in some matters..

 Chapter 131 - 131: Upholding Justice

    Chapter 131: Upholding Justice


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When Mu Shi returned to the camp, there were still more than ten acres of wheat left to nt. Mu Yangling and Madam Ma-Liu spent three days nting that with one pulling a plow and the other supporting the plow. Now, only two acres of high-gradend and two acres of medium-gradend remained unnted in the southern corner.


    ¡°All Ling, I think we should nt it like the rest. Why experiment?¡± Madam Ma-Liu felt that she could barely straighten her back and dreaded the thought of slowly dragging this out.


    However, Mu Yangling insisted. ¡°Great-aunt, there are many ways to farm. I want to try different methods so that we can choose a better method next year. Although it¡¯s a little tough, it¡¯s all worth it. However, the intensity of thebor these few days is too high. You can rest for two days. Since there¡¯s nothing else going on right now, let¡¯s leave these two plots for two days.¡±


    Not used to resting before finishing her work, Madam Ma-Liu frowned.


    However, Mu Yangling stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go to Cousin Li¡¯s house to take a look. His family has 40 acres ofnd, and there¡¯s only him and his mother working on it. Now that Cousin Li has returned to the camp, he definitely hasn¡¯t finished nting. I¡¯ll go over to help for two days. You and the kids can rest.¡±


    When Madam Ma-Liu heard her say that, she thought of the difficulties of being an orphan and a widow. So, she hurriedly said, ¡°Alright, go quickly. I¡¯ll take care of things at home.¡±


    Mu Yangling carried a fish to Liu Li¡¯s house early in the morning. As it had been a long time since she had entered the mountains, the only non-vegetarian food they had been eating was fish. Although they were a tad sick of it, they needed meat for the strength to work.


    Despite the fact that it was notte when Mu Yangling reached Liu Li¡¯s house, Madam Liu-Ma was no longer at home. Sticking her head into the courtyard, Mu Yangling saw that there was an iron plow in the corner. She supported herself with one hand on the wall and jumped in. She threw the fish into the kitchen, carried the iron plow, and jumped out again.


    Since it was peak farming season at the moment, the only ones who remained in the vige were children under the age of five who could not go to the fields. Mu Yangling casually pulled one over and asked, ¡°Do you know where Liu Li¡¯snd is?¡±


    ¡°Who is Liu Li?¡±


    Mu Yangling pointed at Liu Li¡¯s house. The child she grabbed replied in a childish voice, ¡°Oh, you mean Grandma Ma? Hernd is at the foot of the ridge. I¡¯ll bring you there.¡±


    When Liu Li requested for a splitting of family assets, he was very unyielding. He did not want the 100 acres of military field, but chose the best 40 acres ofnd that was connected together. Third Great-uncle was wary of his current status and did not dare to object forcefully. He could only swallow this anger, but he could not help treating him with a snarky attitude.


    When Mu Yangling arrived at the foot of the ridge, Third Great-aunt was standing on the ridge and scolding Madam Liu-Ma for crossing the line and upying hernd.


    Madam Liu-Ma swallowed her anger and held the hoe as she worked in the field, pretending not to hear her.


    Many families at the foot of the ridge were secretly watching themotion. They all knew that Madam Liu-Ma was Third Great-aunt¡¯s daughter-inw. If Madam Liu-Ma retorted, it would be considered unfilial and she would drag her son, Liu Li, down.


    At that time, people would probably say that an unfilial mother naturally gave birth to an unfilial son. For the sake of her son, Madam Liu-Ma could only endure this anger. She would not even tell her son when he returned.


    Mu Yangling, who was standing at the back, felt her face darken when she heard the gossip. She strode over with the iron plow on her back and stood directly behind Third Great-aunt. ¡°Third Great-aunt, what are you cursing at?¡±


    Third Great-aunt was shocked. When she turned around and saw Mu Yangling, she couldn¡¯t help but smack her. She snapped, ¡°Why are you standing behind someone and talking? You don¡¯t make any sound when you walk. Are you a cat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already walking very loudly. Third Aunt, you were too focused on scolding people and didn¡¯t notice.¡±


    Looking embarrassed, Third Great-aunt asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Her gaze was glued to the iron plow on her shoulder.


    Mu Yangling said frankly, ¡°I¡¯m here to help Cousin Li. Why? Are you also here to help your grandson? That¡¯s true. Uncle passed away early, leaving only Aunt and Cousin Li at home. Now that Cousin Li has gone to the army on behalf of your entire family, the widow is left on her own. It makes sense that you¡¯vee to help. Third Great-aunt,e and help me with the plow while Aunt nts the seeds.¡±


    Third Great-aunt¡¯s face darkened, but she couldn¡¯t say anything unpleasant to Mu Yangling. She could only suppress the anger in her heart and curl the corners of her lips as she said in a strange voice, ¡°Yo, All Ling didn¡¯t even help her own great-uncle¡¯s family, but came to help Ah Li first?¡±


    Mu Yangling replied with a nonchnt smile, ¡°My great-uncle has a lot of family members and doesn¡¯t need my help. However, Cousin Li only has his mother. Although his family doesn¡¯t have muchnd, one person can¡¯t finish farming alone. Shouldn¡¯t I help out? Besides, earlier on, Cousin Li ran over to help my family farm for two days even though he was having such a difficult time himself.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s voice was not soft. Everyone in the field heard her and lowered their heads in embarrassment.


    Everyone in the Liu n, including those who came from Nearhill Vige, had received Mu Yangling¡¯s favor. They all knew that the Mu father and daughter did not know how to farm, but other than Liu Li and Liu Yong, no one was willing to go over and help.


    Liu Zhuang and his brothers went over because they were the closest rtives and always got involved. They simply couldn¡¯tpare.


    Never mind Liu Yong¡¯s family because he still had parents and a younger brother. However, Liu Li¡¯s family was really struggling as he could only rely on his widowed mother now that he was away at camp.


    Liu He was originally sitting on the ground to rest, but when he heard this, he couldn¡¯t help but stand up in shame. Back then, he had wanted to finish nting his family¡¯snd before asking Liu Dacang to go over to help. After all, the Mu father and daughter didn¡¯t know how to farm, so their speed would definitely be slow. When the time came, they could just go and help tie up the loose ends. Who knew that Mu Yangling would run over to help Liu Li before she finished nting her ownnd?


    As the patriarch, he felt even more ashamed.


    Not caring what they thought, Mu Yangling pulled Third Great-aunt to the field. Thetter hurriedly struggled and said, ¡°Ah Ling, it¡¯s hard for Great-aunt too. Look at how muchnd our family has. How can I find time? I¡¯d better go back and farm my ownnd first.¡±


    Mu Yangling lowered her head to look at the ground under her feet as she said, ¡°From what I heard just now, Aunt has crossed your family¡¯snd? This is a serious matter and can¡¯t be dyed.¡± Her gaze swept across the crowd andnded on Liu He. ¡°Since Great-uncle He and all the vigers are here, why don¡¯t we let them measure it? Otherwise, the harmony within the family will be ruined.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, even Third Great-uncle couldn¡¯t sit still anymore. He hurriedly walked over and said, ¡°Ah Ling, your great-aunt is spouting nonsense. Since there are no signs on the edge of the field, it¡¯s inevitable that she¡¯ll see wrongly.¡±


    Mu Yangling asked him directly, ¡°Third Great-uncle, do you think Aunt has upied your family¡¯snd?¡±


    Third Great-uncle was silent for a moment. Seeing that Mu Yangling was staring at him with bright eyes, insisting that he give an answer, he could only lower his head and say, ¡°No, it¡¯s inevitable that she¡¯s seeing things since she¡¯s old.¡±


    ¡°Alright, since Third great-uncle is worried about being mistaken due to theck of signs, I¡¯ll set up a sign for you.¡± Mu Yangling put down the iron plow and walked towards the road. When she reached the roadside, she picked thergest stone and ced it at the intersection. She patted the stone and said to Third Great-uncle and his wife, who were dumbfounded, ¡°No one can move such a big stone. In the future, no one can upy the other party¡¯snd. Everyone just needs to take a look to know where the boundary lies.¡±


    Third Great-uncle and Third Great-aunt felt as if they had swallowed an extremely bitter pill.


    Madam Liu-Ma, who was originally touched and wiping her tears, couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing when she saw this..

 Chapter 132 - 132: Mutual Help

    Chapter 132: Mutual Help


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Liu Ting also could not help but smile when he heard that. He handed the plow in his hand to his cousin, Liu Yuan, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go over and help.¡±


    Liu Daqian frowned slightly, but Liu Erqian had already waved his hand and said, ¡°Go, go.¡±


    Liu Ting walked over and took the iron plow from Madam Liu-Ma¡¯s hand. ¡°Let me do it. You go and nt the seeds.¡±


    Madam Liu-Ma rubbed her hands awkwardly and looked at Mu Yangling. Smiling, thetter said, ¡°Aunt, quickly go and nt the seeds. Let Uncle Ting help.¡±


    Only then did Madam Liu-Ma stop nting. Initially, since Mu Yangling was noting, she could only use the hoe to slowly start nting. With Mu Yangling pulling a plow, her speed increased by more than three times. Now that she had Liu Ting¡¯s help, it was even faster.


    Mu Yangling walked at a moderate pace as she pulled the iron plow. Liu Ting spoke to her as he held the plow. ¡°Have you finished nting yournd?¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s still four acres left.¡±


    Liu Ting widened his eyes in surprise. ¡°There are only four acres left from 180 acres? Your family is quite fast.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled awkwardly. ¡°Uncle Ting, my family is only nting the high-grade and medium-gradend. We¡¯re not nting the low-gradend.¡±


    Liu Ting thought about the ratio of the threends and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s not bad still. As long as it¡¯s nted well and the heavens give us face, we should have a huge harvest in autumn.¡±


    Knowing that Liu Ting had misunderstood, Mu Yangling chuckled and said in a low voice, ¡°My family¡¯s low-gradend spans 97 acres.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Liu Ting said with a dark expression, ¡°You¡¯re only nting 83 acres?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    ¡°This is too wasteful. Since it¡¯s still early, you should nt morend. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t have seeds.¡± Thinking of the wastednd, Liu Ting¡¯s heart ached.


    Mu Yangling hesitated for a moment before nodding. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take a lookter. If there¡¯s still enough time, we¡¯ll try our best to nt more.¡±


    At the thought that only Mu Yangling and his aunt could work in the Mu family, Liu Ting couldn¡¯t help but sigh and stop talking.


    The two of them worked even faster now that they had stopped talking. After half a morning, they had left Madam Liu-Ma far behind.


    Mu Yangling was not tired yet, but Liu Ting, who was holding the plow, had already lost his strength. Mu Yangling stopped what she was doing and waved at Liu Ting. ¡°Uncle Ting, let¡¯s rest.¡±


    Liu Ting let go of the iron plow and nodded in agreement.


    Mu Yangling turned around to look at the plowed gullies andpared them with her fingers. She realized that the gullies plowed by Liu Ting were slightlyrger than the ones her great-aunt had taught her.


    When Liu Ting saw her gesturing, he walked over and squatted beside her. ¡°By making it a little bigger, the wheat will be stronger and the wheat ears will be longer.¡± Liu Ting swiped the soil on the ground and said in a low voice, ¡°I came to this conclusion after farming for more than ten years. Unfortunately, other than your Uncle Zhuang and Uncle Xuan, your great-uncle and the rest don¡¯t believe me. They don¡¯t even ask me to plow now.¡±


    Mu Yangling said in surprise, ¡°Isn¡¯t the result obvious after nting it for a year?¡±


    Liu Ting smiled bitterly. ¡°If we expand the gully, the number of wheat seeds we nt will decrease. Who knows if the wheat harvested will be enough to make up for that?¡±


    Mu Yangling fell silent. After a while, she said, ¡°That¡¯s not difficult. Can¡¯t you just nt using one method in one year and the other method in another year, thenpare the gains?¡±


    Liu Ting patted her head in amusement and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. The climate differs from year to year, making the harvest unstable. How can wepare?¡±


    ¡°Uncle, why don¡¯t you choose a piece ofnd and split it into two parts? You can nt each part each way. This way, the climate, fertility of soil, fertilizer and weeding will be the same. Won¡¯t you know which method is better when you harvest the crops in autumn?¡±


    Liu Ting fell into deep thought, and his eyes gradually lit up. He lowered his voice and said excitedly, ¡°This is a good idea. I¡¯ll tell your great-uncleter. Actually, I¡¯ve secretly tried it with your Uncle Xuan and the rest in the past. I keep feeling that this method of mine will yield more¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling was all smiles. ¡°Uncle, give it a try. Let me know when the results are out. I¡¯ll do the same next year.¡±


    Liu Ting nodded.


    Mu Yangling saw that on Liu Daqian¡¯s side, Liu Yuan was pulling a plow from time to time, while Liu Erqian was holding the plow. Liu Daqian and her aunts were nting together. As they had to rest from time to time when pulling a plow, they did not plow enough. Madam Liu-Zhang and the others would sometimes go up to rece Liu Yuan.


    Mu Yangling threw away the soil in her hand and ran over. She took the rope from Liu Yuan¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Let me do it. Uncle Yuan, take a rest.¡±


    Liu Yuan grabbed the rope tightly. ¡°How can you do that when you just finished pulling the plow? You ought to take a rest.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, pulling a plow is like putting a rope on my shoulder. It¡¯s not at all tiring for me. Uncle Yuan, rest.¡± She raised her voice and said to Madam Liu-Zhang, ¡°Aunt, I came over to help Cousin Li. Now that I¡¯m helping your family to pull the plow, you have to help Cousin Li¡¯s family nt seeds and rece my uncle.¡±


    When Madam Liu-Zhang heard this, she smiled and said heartily, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll go rece him now to prevent him from cking off over there.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhao smiled and said, ¡°Ah Ling, you saw that your Aunt Ting? was fast so you specially asked her to help Cousin Li, right? What kind of bewitching potion did your Cousin Li feed you for you to dote on him so much? Tell me, so that I can learn it to let you help my family.¡±


    Grandmother Liu red at her second daughter-inw and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t know how to speak, just keep quiet. No one will think that you¡¯re mute.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhao choked. Liu Yuan¡¯s wife hurriedly said, ¡°I want to learn too. Ah Ling,e home with Aunt during lunchter so that we can be closer.¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed immediately. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be sure to eat a lot if you¡¯re cooking. You have to cook a lot.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s definitely enough food for you.¡±


    Only then did the atmosphere improve.


    Mu Yangling did not feel tired when pulling a plow, and her speed was well-proportioned. On the other hand, the person holding the plow had to be reced continuously. This way, after two hours, Mu Yangling was far ahead of the people nting the seeds. The gully she created would be enough for them to nt until the afternoon.


    Only then did Mu Yangling throw away the plow and run back to nt the seeds with Madam Liu-Ma.


    When Madam Liu-Zhang saw hering over, she didn¡¯t go back. The three of them worked in Liu Li¡¯s field. When they were almost done nting the crops on thend that Mu Yangling had plowed today, Mu Yangling wanted to use the ¡®double-sided rake¡¯ to cover the seeds with soil. Seeing this, Madam Liu-Ma quickly pulled her back. ¡°Good child, it¡¯s already half-past noon. Let¡¯s not cover the soil first. Let¡¯s go back and eat beforeing back. At least rest for a while.¡±


    Mu Yangling replied with a smile, ¡°Aunt, I¡¯ll finish nting the plowednd. You can go back and cook first. I¡¯ll go back after covering the seeds with soil. Otherwise, if the wheat seeds are sunbathed like this and the moisture in the soil dries up, it will definitely not be easy to germinate.¡± Then, she lowered her voice and said, ¡°I brought a fish and left it in the kitchen. Aunt, go back and cook first. I¡¯m fast and will be done soon.¡±


    Madam Liu-Ma hesitated for a moment before agreeing.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s nting speed was not as fast as theirs, but no one couldpare to her speed of pulling a plow and pulling a rake. It was very stable, and thend plowed was of even depth. Madam Liu-Ma could not help but feel envious and jealous when she saw this. She felt that it would be great if this was her daughter or son.

 Chapter 133 - 133: Exchange

    Chapter 133: Exchange


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling covered the seeds with soil and was about to pack up and leave when Liu Lang ran over to invite her. ¡°Come to my house for a meal.¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll go to Cousin Li¡¯s house.¡± Mu Yangling nced at the Liu family¡¯s fields and said, ¡°Go back and tell your mother that if she stilles over in the afternoon to help Cousin Li nt crops, I¡¯ll go over and help you plow. In the evening, while the sun isn¡¯t vicious, 1¡¯11 help you plow enoughnd to keep you upied tomorrow morning. How about that?¡±


    Since Mu Yangling¡¯s advantage was her strength, she could achieve the greatest results by helping to pull the plow and alternating between the two sides. Even though there is one fewer person plowing on the Liu family¡¯s side, the number of people nting seeds did not decrease. Since she would always be ahead of the people nting the seeds on each side, there would no longer be a phenomenon of them not having enough plowednd to nt.


    On the other hand, now that Liu Li¡¯s family had an additional person helping to nt the seeds, their speed was not slow either.


    Liu Lang knew for certain that his parents would agree. However, looking at Mu Yangling¡¯s petite frame, he was very worried. In a lowered voice, he asked, ¡°Can you handle this? You¡¯ve been pulling the plow for a day. Even cows have to rest.¡±


    Mu Yangling said nkly, ¡°1 don¡¯t feel tired, because to me, it¡¯s just like walking for a day. Considering I¡¯m in good health, 1 can even walk for a day and a night, much less a day.¡±


    Liu Lang, who could barely pull the iron plow, looked at Mu Yangling speechlessly, his eyes filled with grief and indignation.


    Mu Yangling chuckled in embarrassment and changed the topic. ¡°By the way, doesn¡¯t your section have plowing oxen? Isn¡¯t it your turn yet?¡±


    Liu Lang said unhappily, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. The plowing oxen is still at my sectionmander¡¯s house. Before his family finishes nting their crops, the subordinates won¡¯t have their turn. By the time it¡¯s my family¡¯s turn, the nting season will have long passed.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Your sectionmander actually wants to finish nting his family¡¯snd before passing the oxen to someone else?¡± ¡°Otherwise, do you think everyone is as fair and kind-hearted as Uncle to give up using the oxen and rotate it between his subordinates?¡± Liu Lang said angrily, ¡°If only my family had been assigned to the same section as your family back then. Then, our family would definitely be able to use an ox and won¡¯t have to work so hard now. In fact, my father copsed on the bed right after returning, his shoulders visibly twitching. My mother has cried a few times over this.¡±


    Each section was only allocated five plowing oxen. Mu Yangling felt that since her father didn¡¯t know how to plow thend or nt, it would be a waste to leave the plowing oxen at her house. So, she suggested that each family could only use an ox for four hours before letting the oxen rest for an hour. Then, the oxen would be passed on to the next family. When it was the Mu family¡¯s turn, they would skip it.


    Mu Shi had always listened to his daughter, so he did as his daughter suggested. With Mu Shi in charge, nobody bullied the weak in his section. However, it was different for the other sections. Most of the sectionmanders would hoard the plowing oxen for a long time or favor his rtives and friends. Mu Yangling could also imagine that. But she did not have any good solution, so she waved her hand and said, ¡°How about this? 1 need help with detailed work in two days. If your mother agrees to help me, I¡¯ll help you plow yournd. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Detailed work? In what way?¡±


    Of course, the more detailed the experimental plot, the better. Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t exin it in a short period of time, so she said, ¡°You¡¯ll know in two days. Anyway, go back and ask your mother. If she agrees, ask her toe over with you and your brother to help me the day after tomorrow.¡±


    That was equivalent to pulling out three of the Liu family¡¯sborers.


    Liu Lang was an expert in farming. At the age of 12, he could already be ordered around as if he was an adult. Although Liu Lun was younger, Madam Liu-Zhang was famous in the vige for her ability. Under hermand, oneborer was as good as 1.5borers. Hence, her two sons were equivalent to threeborers.


    Liu Lang replied after some hesitation, ¡°Then 1¡¯11 go back and ask my mother for her opinion.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang agreed without thinking. She twisted her husband¡¯s arm and whispered, ¡°If you and Uncle Yuan have to pull a plow for hundreds of acres ofnd, your shoulders would be totally wrecked by the time you¡¯re done. Do you not want these two arms anymore? 1¡¯11 only be there for two days. No matter how detailed the work is, it¡¯s only four acres in two days. To Ah Ling, pulling a plow is like ying. With her help, how much easier will you and Uncle Yuan have it?¡±


    Liu Ting also lowered his voice and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid Father won¡¯t agree.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because your father is being stubborn. I¡¯ll talk to Mother and ask her to persuade Father. Second Uncle will definitely agree.¡±


    When Mu Yangling carried the plow back to Liu Li¡¯s house, Madam Liu-Ma was standing at the door and looking around. When she saw Mu Yanglinging over, she heaved a sigh of relief and was about to take the iron plow from her shoulder with a smile. ¡°The food is ready. Go wash your hands and eat.¡±


    Mu Yangling avoided her hand slightly and smiled. ¡°Aunt, let me do it myself.¡±


    Mu Yangling ced the iron plow in a corner of the courtyard. Only then did she have the time to size up their courtyard. Smiling, she said, ¡°Aunt, your house is really clean.¡±


    Madam Liu-Ma smiled and said, ¡°Your Cousin Li cleaned this up. He can¡¯t bear to see it dirty and messy, and has to tidy up everything before he feelsfortable. Quickly wash your hands and eat. I¡¯ve braised the fish you brought. We don¡¯t have much to offer you. Hope you don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    Of course, Mu Yangling wouldn¡¯t mind. She washed her hands and sat down at the table boldly. She said to Madam Liu-Ma, ¡°Aunt, you don¡¯t have to stand on ceremony with me. Cousin Li and I went through life and death together. When we fought the Hus back then, he even helped me block the Hus¡¯ knives. If you need anything in the future, just go to Chenggu Garrison to look for me. I¡¯ll definitely help if 1 can.¡±


    Madam Liu-Ma was stunned for a moment before she said with a smile, ¡°We¡¯re all from the same vige. You¡¯re younger than him, so it¡¯s only right for him to take care of you. On the other hand, I didn¡¯t do anything, but you two juniors havee over to take care of me.¡± Madam Liu-Ma wiped her tears and continued, ¡°Speaking of which, it¡¯s fate. Back then, your cousin even studied under the guidance of your mother. In the past two years, when he saw your mother, he even addressed her as ¡®Teacher¡¯. By the way, are your mother and younger siblings alright? This war is really chaotic.¡±


    Back when Shu Wanniang gave birth, Madam Liu-Ma was one of the rare people who sent eggs over. At that time, Mu Yangling still remembered Madam Liu-Ma teasing the twins with a smile, saying that she was here to visit Liu Li¡¯s junior brother and sister on his behalf.


    The memories onlysted for a moment before Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°My mother is doing well, and so are my younger siblings. Aunt, if you want to see them, you can go over and take a look.¡±


    After Mu Yangling finished eating, she sat at the threshold and took a nap. Madam Liu-Ma did not disturb her. After doing the housework, she went into the house to weigh the wheat seeds.


    Waking up with a start, Mu Yangling raised her head and said to Madam Liu-Ma, ¡°Aunt, do weigh more. Aunt Ting? mighte over to help in the afternoon. I¡¯ll go over to my great-uncle¡¯s ce after I¡¯m done plowing here. You and my aunt can nt the seeds together.¡±


    Madam Liu-Ma paused for a moment before saying, ¡°Will this inconvenience your aunt? Y-Your Cousin Li isn¡¯t very popr in the n at the moment.¡± Although it was difficult, Madam Liu-Ma still said it.


    Mu Yangling half-closed her eyes and leaned against the door frame. She said nonchntly, ¡°Who cares? We live our own lives. Why should we care about those gossips? Aunt Ting isn¡¯t that kind of vulgar person.¡±


    Mu Yangling dared to say that because she knew that Madam Liu-Zhang was indeed not that kind of person. She was an open-minded and straightforward good person. Mu Yangling felt that she would not be wrong about her.

 Chapter 134 - 134: Idea

    Chapter 134: Idea


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    By the time Mu Yangling and Madam Liu-Ma reached the fields, the Liu family had already started eating.


    When Liu Ting saw them, he threw down the things in his hand and came over. He said to Mu Yangling with a smile, ¡°Come, Uncle will plow with you.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at his hand and shook her head. ¡°Let Aunt Ting do it. Uncle, you should rest. My father has medicinal wine. If you don¡¯t mind, 1¡¯11 bring half a bottle over tomorrow.¡±


    Liu Ting¡¯s face was slightly red, so Madam Liu-Zhang smiled and pushed him away. ¡°Alright, alright. Do you think you¡¯re the one actually pulling the plow? I still have to push forward with all my might. With All Ling pulling the plow, 1 just have to push a little harder into the ground. Go away, don¡¯t dy our efforts.¡±


    Her words made everyoneugh, Liu Ting could only rub his nose and return, handing the iron plow to his wife.


    Mu Yangling first started plowing in Liu Li¡¯s fields, before running to the Liu family¡¯s side. When the people in the nearby fields saw that Mu Yangling could plow enoughnd for three families, they couldn¡¯t help but envy the Liu n¡¯s good luck. They said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian¡¯s family. After all, they¡¯re biological rtives. However, Liu Li¡¯s family is so lucky. They don¡¯t seem so chummy with the Mu family usually.¡±


    What the people not from Nearhill Vige paid attention to was, ¡°This youngdy¡¯s strength is simply divine. If our son can marry her, even if we don¡¯t have plowing oxen in the future, we won¡¯t have to worry about farming anymore.¡± However, this was just a thought.


    Under the envious and jealous gazes of the others, Mu Yangling alternated between helping the two families. Even though Third Great-uncle¡¯s family was furious, they did not dare to offend Mu Yangling at this moment.


    The Mu Family was no longer just rtives to the Liu Family; there was now also a debt of gratitude. Didn¡¯t they see that Mu Yangling didn¡¯t feel any pressure at all when she contradicted Third Great-uncle?


    Liu He didn¡¯t say a word.


    When the sun was about to set in the evening, Mu Yangling went over to help Liu Daqian¡¯s family plow arge area ofnd. Before she left, she said to Madam Liu-Ma, ¡°Aunt, I¡¯lle back tomorrow. Bring more wheat seeds when youe to the fields.¡±


    Madam Liu-Ma agreed.


    Madam Liu-Zhang also gave Mu Yangling an answer. ¡°I¡¯ll do as you and Ah Lang say. 1¡¯11 go to your house the day after tomorrow and help you do that detailed work. However, let me be clear upfront that you need to give me instructions. 1 have no idea what that delicate work should be like.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aunt. I¡¯ve already thought about it. Just do as I say.¡±


    There were only a few experiments that Mu Yangling wanted to conduct. There were two ways of nting wheat seeds. One way was to directly nt the wheat seeds in the soil like what they were doing now, and the other way was to first soak them in water to allow them to sprout before nting them.


    The two types of wheat seeds would then be covered with soil using two different ways. One way was to use one¡¯s feet to cover the seeds with soil as per tradition, while the other way was to use a ¡®double-sided rake¡¯ to cover the seeds with soil. The depth would vary.


    The two types of wheat seeds were divided into one acre of medium-gradend and one acre of high-gradend. Each of that one acre would be further divided in half for the two different methods of covering the seeds with soil. Next, fertilization and irrigation would be carried out on each plot ofnd simultaneously and in exactly the same way. Finally, when autumn came, she wouldpare the harvest reaped in each experimental plot.


    These four acres ofnd were more even than thend they had farmed previously. Because she wanted them to try their best to plow as deeply and cultivate as intensely as possible, Mu Yangling nned to spend one to two days on the four acres ofnd. Only she, Madam Ma-Liu, and Madam Liu-Zhang would work on these four acres. Little Bowen and the others were still young, so it was inevitable that they would be negligent. Hence, she sent them out to do other work.


    If this experiment was sessful, Mu Yangling¡¯s next experimental target would be rice.


    Compared to flour products, she still preferred to eat rice. s, the production yield of rice was even lower in Xingzhou Prefecture. Therefore, everyone chose to nt wheat, leaving only a littlend to nt rice. Wheat seeds also ounted for the majority of the seeds that were distributed.


    It was the same for the Mu Family. They only reserved 13 acres of high-grade farnd for growing rice.


    However, in fact, Mu Yangling preferred nting these two in equal amounts and in staggered timings. This was because they could nt wheat in February and nt rice in March. This way, the timing would be staggered, the intensity ofbor would decrease, and everyone could farm more meticulously. Before that though, Mu Yangling had to solve the problem of the production yield of rice. If rice remained so low-yielding in Xingzhou Prefecture, not to mention the othermoners, even the Mu family would probably not utilize arge area to nt rice.


    There was really a long way to go.


    Mu Yangling felt extremely regretful. In her previous life, she shouldn¡¯t have listened to her father and gone to a military school. Instead, she should have attended an agricultural university. If she had done so, she wouldn¡¯t be so clueless now.


    Whoever said that agriculture was an unpopr profession? It was clearly the most useful profession.


    When Mu Yangling returned home, she squatted in the basin and looked at the wheat seeds that she had soaked. Seeing that some of the wheat seeds had already sprouted, she heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I was worried that the water would be too cold for it to sprout.¡±


    At this point, Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up slightly. She looked at Madam Ma-Liu. ¡°Great-aunt, why don¡¯t we try using warm water? Perhaps the wheat seeds will germinate faster.¡±


    Great-aunt¡¯s face darkened. ¡°You child¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t find a suitable word to describe her and could only say in annoyance, ¡°Even if there are a lot of wheat seeds, you shouldn¡¯t be this wasteful. The higher-ups have spread the word that the Imperial Court is only distributing wheat seeds this year. We¡¯ll have to rely on ourselves next year. You should be more careful and keep these wheat seeds until next year. If not, keep them to make a bowl of porridge for your younger siblings in the event there¡¯s a shortage of crops.¡±


    Mu Yangling waved her hand nonchntly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Great-aunt. I definitely won¡¯t let you guys starve. I¡¯m conducting an experiment now, aren¡¯t I? I won¡¯t take too much. 1¡¯11 just try a handful. If it doesn¡¯t work, we can then forget it.¡±


    Without waiting for Madam Ma-Liu to object, Mu Yangling ran into the house and came out with a handful of wheat. She mixed some hot water with cold water and poured the wheat in when she felt that it was only slightly warm.


    Xiuhong and the others squatted at the side and watched curiously.


    Seeing that Shu Wanniang only smiled and watched them fool around without stopping them, Madam Ma-Liu said unhappily, ¡°Wanniang, you should take Ah Ling in hand. If this child is already like this now, all the more she won¡¯t listen to you in the future.¡±


    Lowering her head, Shu Wanniang said gently with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Aunt. I¡¯ll just listen to her. She¡¯s right. There¡¯s a lot of wheat seeds at home and we can¡¯t use them all. Why don¡¯t we let her y¡­ 1 mean, do an experiment with it. Perhaps she¡¯ll really find a better nting method than now?¡±


    ¡°Everyone has been farming like this for generations.¡± Madam Ma-Liu said unhappily, ¡°1 don¡¯t see anyone going through all this trouble. Could it be that she can increase the yield of an acre from 200 catties to 250? Such a high yield is only possible through meticulous farming. Our family isn¡¯t arge one, so it¡¯s already not bad if we can produce more than 100 catties per acre.¡±


    Shu Wanniang didn¡¯t know how to farm and hadn¡¯t even farmed before, so she didn¡¯t have deep-rooted thoughts like Madam Ma-Liu. In her opinion, since even the dynasties and heavens could change, what couldn¡¯t be changed in this world?


    She had always been supportive of her daughter, but Aunt was an elder. Shu Wanniang¡¯s upbringing prevented her from contradicting her, so she could only beat around the bush before the two of them and try her best to blur out their conflict.


    Seeing that she wasn¡¯t nning to discipline Mu Yangling, Madam Ma-Liu could only sigh. She thought to herself, ¡®Out of sight, out of mind¡¯, as she went to the kitchen to cook for the children..

 Chapter 135 - 135: Not Good

    Chapter 135: Not Good


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling went to the West Vige to help for two days. On the third day, Madam Liu-Zhang brought her two sons over.


    Mu Yangling did not ask Liu Lang and Liu Lun to nt the seeds. She only gave them a hoe and asked them to crush the clods of earth and tten the ground with Xiuhong.


    Liu Lang asked as he walked around the edge of the field, ¡°This ground is considered t now. What precious thing are you nning to nt? Should we tten it further?¡±


    ¡°Just wheat. Continue ttening it. Can¡¯t you see that the clods of earth on the ground are too big? It¡¯s ufortable to walk barefoot on the ground.¡±


    Liu Lang pursed his lips. ¡°Try finding a spot that doesn¡¯t hurt your feet.¡±


    Mu Yangling had seen it before. In her previous life, when she went to herrade¡¯s house to y, she happened to see someone farming. When the farm equipment went around, the soil spat out was fine and slippery. It was so soft andfortable to step on, unlike now, where there were clods of earth everywhere. Even though she had already used a hoe to hit the clods of earth for a while, they were still rather sizable.


    Of course, there was no way Mu Yangling could show Liu Lang this now. She figured it was unlikely for him to witness it in his lifetime.


    When Madam Liu-Zhang heard this, she pped him on the head. ¡°Hurry up and get to work. You¡¯re talking too much.¡±


    Liu Lang ran to join Liu Lun.


    Mu Yangling took out the germinated wheat seeds. Madam Liu-Zhang looked at them and said in surprise, ¡°Why have these seeds germinated? How are we going to nt them?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll nt germinated seeds in these two acres.¡± Mu Yangling pointed at one acre of high-gradend and one acre of medium-gradend and said, ¡°So we have to be careful not to damage the malt.¡±


    This was indeed detailed work. Madam Liu-Zhang frowned and asked suspiciously, ¡°Can it really be nted like this?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try. Since it¡¯s just two acres ofnd, it¡¯s fine even if there¡¯s no harvest.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang looked at Mu Yangling speechlessly. As a farmer, not to mention two acres ofnd, even 0.2 acres would make her heart ache. Madam Liu-Zhang was d that her father-inw was not here. Otherwise, he would have quarreled with Mu Yangling.


    Farmers simply couldn¡¯t stand to see seeds andnd being wasted.


    Mu Yangling carefully poured the wheat seeds onto the dustpan and said to Madam Liu-Zhang, ¡°Aunt, let¡¯s plow first and nt the seedster.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu walked around the field as she watched them and said, ¡°What¡¯s the use of that bit of fertilizer? From how I see it, you might as well do without the fertilizer altogether.¡±


    Since Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t find any fertilizer, she could only use the ¡®fertilizer¡¯ that had been umted in thetrine pit at home and ask a few families for some cow dung and river mud. Although it was little, it was better than nothing.


    ¡°No, even if we don¡¯t have enough base fertilizer, we can¡¯t do without itpletely. Great-aunt, just do as I say and fertilize it.¡± Mu Yangling was very insistent on this.


    Madam Ma-Liu pouted in dissatisfaction. ¡°If only you¡¯re as thoughtful towards the othernd aside from these four acres.¡±


    When Mu Yangling nted the other fields, she did exactly as Madam Ma-Liu said. However, these four acres ofnd had to be done ording to her ideas and were also the most meticulously cultivated. Since Madam Ma-Liu was counting on the other fields for harvest, she was naturally dissatisfied to see that Mu Yangling had given all the advantages to these four acres ofnd that might not yield anything.


    Looking at Mu Yangling¡¯s smiling face, Madam Ma-Liu could not re up. She could only do as she was told helplessly.


    After plowing, Mu Yangling carefully nted the germinated wheat. Half of it followed Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s density, but she strictly requested for the other half to be nted more densely. Madam Liu-Zhang did as she was told.


    After nting the seeds, Mu Yangling and Madam Liu-Zhang carefully buried the seeds with their feet on half thend. Then, they covered the other half with the ¡®double-sided rake¡¯.


    After that, Mu Yangling checked carefully and covered the gaps with soil. This way, she would finish nting two acres a day. There was still some time, but Mu Yangling stopped Madam Liu-Zhang from doing more and said, ¡°We have to nt two acres in one day. We¡¯ll nt the other two acres tomorrow.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang straightened her back and looked at the other two acres. She couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Alright, 1¡¯11 listen to you.¡±


    Now that everyone was free, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Why don¡¯t youe to my house to rest? When you go backter, bring two fish with you.¡±


    Liu Lang clicked his tongue. ¡°You haven¡¯t finished eating all the fish at home? How many days has it been?¡±


    Xiuhong said proudly, ¡°Cousin caught a lot. It¡¯s going tost us more than a month.¡±


    Bowen covered his mouth in disdain and said, ¡°My mouth smells like fish. I don¡¯t want to eat fish anymore. Sister, I want to eat rabbit meat.¡±


    Xin also looked at Mu Yangling eagerly.


    Mu Yangling looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was still at the top of the mountain. There was still some time before sunset, so she said, ¡°Alright, you guys carry the things back. I¡¯ll go up the mountain.¡±


    Everyone knew that Mu Yangling was familiar with the mountains, so they were very assured to let her go.


    Mu Yangling jogged up the mountain. At this moment, there was no one in the forest. She carefully avoided the trees and entered the mountain. It was spring now, and the wild beasts in the forest were the hungriest after a winter.


    Without a bow and arrow, she did not dare to go deep. She only held a stick and carefully circled around the periphery.


    She had only walked 300 to 400 meters when she saw a patch of green grass emerging from the snow.


    As snow in the forest melted the slowest, it had notpletely melted yet. However, there was a lot of green grass on the ground. It was tender and green, making for a joyful sight.


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s lips curled up slightly. However, after turning around a big tree, Mu Yangling could not help but widen her eyes. She could no longer maintain the smile on her lips.


    The snow in front of her was extremely chaotic, and many footprints could be seen. The grass had all been gnawed away, and some of the grass stems had even been dug up. Mu Yangling¡¯s heart kept sinking. She didn¡¯t even need to squat down to look at the footprints. Just by the smell, she could tell that it was done by rabbits. Moreover, it was by arge number of rabbits.


    This was the best news for the hunters, but the worst news for the farmers.


    Thinking of the number of rabbits in the forest in autumn, Mu Yangling¡¯s heart kept sinking.


    Mu Yangling walked around. This time, she paid attention to the situation of the grass on the ground and realized that the grass further in was especially badly damaged. The grass on the periphery was still better, but she could still see traces of rabbit bites.


    If this was the case now, what if they finished eating all the grass in the forest in a few days? At that time, the crops in the fields would have just sprouted. Mu Yangling suppressed the panic in her heart and determined a direction to walk over.


    A group of rabbits were gathered around munching on grass. When Mu Yangling saw the imaginary enemy, she could not help but feel angry. She jumped out and before the rabbits could react, she swung her stick over and knocked two rabbits unconscious¡­


    Frightened, the rabbits fled in all directions. Mu Yangling did not chase after them. She just kept waving the stick in her hand and knocked the rabbits unconscious. Then, she grabbed two live rabbits with her bare hands and counted the eight rabbits lying on the ground. Only then did the anger in her heart dissipate a little.


    Mu Yangling tied the rabbits together with a rope and carried them out with one hand. With the other two rabbits held in another hand, she walked home with a dark expression..

 Chapter 136 - 136: Worry

    Chapter 136: Worry


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling carried a bunch of rabbits down the mountain. When she returned home, she was surrounded by a few enthusiastic children. Mu Yangling forced a smile as she handed the unconscious or dead rabbits to them. ¡°We¡¯ll eat one tonight and give one each to Eldest Great-uncle and Second Great-uncle¡¯s family. Keep the rest and sell them in the county tomorrow.¡±


    Then, she handed the two rabbits that were still alive to Bowen and Xin. ¡°Here, you can raise these. If we raise more at home, I won¡¯t have to hunt for meat in the future whenever you crave meat.¡±


    Mu Yangling picked two big and fat ones for Liu Lang to bring back. ¡°You guys should hurry back too. Be careful on the way. I¡¯ll catch a few more for you when youe tomorrow.¡±


    Liu Lang and Liu Lun agreed happily before walking home with their mother¡¯s hand in theirs.


    Madam Ma-Liu was also in a good mood. She picked out the unconscious rabbits and stuffed them into the cage, then said, ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll go out early to sell these. You guys go to the fields first.¡±


    Not in the mood to care about this now, Mu Yangling agreed halfheartedly.


    Xiuhong could tell that Mu Yangling was unhappy, so she went to her side and asked in a low voice, ¡°Cousin, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Mu Yangling sighed. ¡°Our fields are too close to the mountain and there are many wild animals in the forest. I¡¯m afraid the crops will be ruined in the future.¡±


    Xiuhong¡¯s eyes were filled with confusion. ¡°What wild animal will go down the mountain? Wild boars?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of wild boars. I can block them out by digging a few traps outside. But, I¡¯m worried about rabbits.¡±


    Xiuhong giggled. ¡°Cousin, are you afraid of rabbits? 1 think you¡¯re excellent at catching rabbits.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not afraid of one or two, but I¡¯m afraid of thousands or tens of thousands of rabbits. No matter how powerful I am, I can¡¯t stop thousands of rabbits.¡±


    Xiuhong¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°How long will it take to eat so many rabbits?¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°You¡¯re focusing on the wrong thing. If these thousands of rabbits run into ournd, we can forget about harvesting any crops. Moreover, ournd is mostly in the south.¡±


    Mu Yangling was so worried that her hair was about to turn white. She could not think of any good way to stop the rabbit tide. Could she keep hunting rabbits? This was obviously impossible. They had to start nting the rice seeds at the beginning of next month, and the remaining 100 acres of low-gradend could not bepletely barren. She nned to plow some low-gradend to nt wheat after she scattered the rice seeds in two days¡­


    How could she have the time to go hunting in the mountains? How many could she hunt alone?


    Mu Yangling held her chin in worry.


    Xiuhong didn¡¯t have a good solution either. She supported her chin and sat at the side, her mind filled with rabbits. In the end, she couldn¡¯t help but drool. ¡°There are so many rabbits that we can eat until we grow up. Cousin, if we can capture and sell all these rabbits, I wonder how much money our family can earn.¡±


    ¡°Do you think rabbits are like sweet potatoes just sitting there waiting for us to pick?¡±


    ¡°Cousin, what are sweet potatoes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simr to potatoes. It grows in the ground and doesn¡¯t move.¡± Mu Yangling stood up and patted her butt, then waved her hand and said, ¡°Alright, stop thinking about it if you can¡¯t think of a good idea. Let¡¯s go eat.¡± Mu Yangling shouted towards the kitchen, ¡°Great-aunt, rabbits have to be braised to taste good.¡±


    Great-aunt chided, ¡°I know, 1 know. Braise half and stew the other half. Your mother doesn¡¯t like braised food. Hurry up and wash your hands. The dishes will be ready soon.¡±


    The next day, Madam Ma-Liu woke up before dawn to make breakfast for them. Then, she carried the rabbits in the cage to the county to set up a stall.


    Mu Yangling waited for the sun to rise outside before getting up with difficulty to wash up. After breakfast, she brought her things to the plot ofnd in the east.


    After crossing the wooden bridge over the canal, Mu Yangling lowered her head to look at the water in the canal. By now, the snow and ice upstream had all melted. The three reservoirs were all filled with water, and more than half of the three canals was now flowing with water. The soldiers and civilians could not help but rejoice when they saw this. Fortunately, they had repaired the water conservancy facilities previously. Otherwise, who knew how muchnd would have been destroyed by the water.


    Qi Haoran was even morecent. Because of this matter, he became even more unyielding in the army. The trainingmissioners and regimentmanders no longer dared to casually refute his orders.


    Mu Yangling only lowered her head to look at the water in the ditch before looking in the direction of Chef Mountain.


    She wondered if what the elders said was true. Would there be a drought this summer? If there was, wouldn¡¯t the rabbits in the forest starve even more?


    If they were miserable, Mu Yangling would be miserable, too.


    Mu Yangling looked at Chef Mountain and sighed. She only hoped that the grass inside wouldn¡¯t run out until she thought of a solution.


    Soon, Mu Yangling was no longer in the mood to worry because Madam Liu-Zhang had brought Liu Lang and Liu Lun over. When they saw that Mu Yangling was the only one in the field, they asked in surprise, ¡°Why are you alone?¡±


    ¡°I asked Bowen and the others to sleep a little longer. Let¡¯s get to work first. Since today¡¯s seeds haven¡¯t sprouted, the time required will be even shorter.¡±


    Liu Lang pursed his lips and clutched his chest as he looked at his mother usingly. ¡°Mother, when can you let me sleep a little longer?¡± Before his mother could p him, he jumped behind Mu Yangling.


    Madam Liu-Zhang could only re at him and say, ¡°Your Cousin Ah Ling is even younger than you. Why don¡¯t I see youparing yourself to her? Your Cousin Bowen is still young. Aren¡¯t you ashamed topare yourself to a baby?¡±


    Liu Lang stuck out his tongue and said, ¡°But you didn¡¯t feel sorry for me when I was five years old, either. Didn¡¯t you drag me out of bed early in the morning to work?¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang red at her. ¡°You were still peeing your pants when you were five. It¡¯s not that 1 didn¡¯t want to ask you to work. Were you capable of working back then?¡±


    Liu Lang¡¯s handsome face instantly turned red. As his memories of being five years old were very vague, he really didn¡¯t remember. He only guessed that his childhood had been very ¡°pitiful¡± based on his current situation.


    Madam Liu-Zhang snorted coldly. He was still too inexperienced to fight with her. He was not a prodigy like Bowen who could remember things at the age of three or four.


    After they finished nting the remaining two acres ofnd, Mu Yangling still had to go into the mountains to hunt. This time, she carried arge basket and a bow.


    Liu Lang was eager to try. ¡°Ah Ling, I¡¯ll follow you into the mountains.¡±


    Mu Yangling tilted her head and thought for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°No, the wild beasts in the mountains are hungry now. If I really encounter a ferocious beast, I can run fast alone. I won¡¯t be able to escape with you.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang quickly stopped him, too. As such, Liu Lang could only watch regretfully as Mu Yangling carried her basket and bow into the mountain.


    This time, Mu Yangling was well-prepared and gained even more. She only came out of the mountain when the basket on her back was filled. At this moment, the sun had already set halfway down the mountain.


    Mu Yangling quickened her pace and walked home. Madam Ma-Liu had already returned and was greeting Madam Liu-Zhang.


    Mu Yangling took out six rabbits and ced them in another basket. After thinking for a moment, she picked up another rabbit and threw it in. She said to Madam Liu-Zhang, ¡°Aunt, let me send you back.¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not far.¡±


    ¡°Let Ah Ling send you guys. After all, you live in a different vige and it¡¯s not peaceful outside. It¡¯s not safe for you to bring the two children along.¡±


    Since Madam Ma-Liu said so, Madam Liu-Zhang could only agree.


    Mu Yangling picked up a stick and carried the basket on her back. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    They had only walked halfway when the sun hadpletely set. Only the afterglow of the sun shone on the ground from the horizon. The four of them could not help but speed up. When the sky gradually darkened, Liu Lun pointed ahead and shouted, ¡°There¡¯s someone there. I think it¡¯s Father and Uncle..¡±

 Chapter 137 - 137: Secretly

    Chapter 137: Secretly


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When Liu Ting saw that his wife and children were not back yet and remembered that the Hus had just retreated, he could not help but call Liu Yuan out to take a look.


    Seeing them, Liu Ting quickly walked forward. He took the hoe from Madam Liu-Zhang¡¯s shoulder and asked, ¡°Why are you sote?¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang blushed and red at her eldest son. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s go home first.¡±


    Mu Yangling followed them to the door of their house, then took out a rabbit and divided the rest into two portions. She handed them to Liu Ting and Liu Yuan. ¡°Uncle Ting, this is for you. I¡¯ll go to Cousin Li¡¯s house to take a look.¡±


    Not standing on ceremony with her, they took it and said, ¡°Then go quickly. We¡¯ll wait for you here. We¡¯ll send you backter.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°If you send me back there, I¡¯ll have to send you back here again. That way, we can forget about sleeping tonight. You should hurry home. Considering my superb strength and the fact that I¡¯ve even killed someone before, what¡¯s there to be afraid of?¡±


    Liu Ting frowned. ¡°You¡¯re a child after all.¡±


    Mu Yangling insisted and pushed him into the house. Waving her hand, she said, ¡°Alright, alright. Go in quickly. I don¡¯t have time to waste with you.¡±


    Mu Yangling turned around and was about to run when Liu Yuan stopped her and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay here for the night? It¡¯s too dangerous for you to be outside at night.¡±


    ¡°How can 1 be at ease when there¡¯s only Great-aunt and my mother at home with the kids? Uncle, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve even broken through the dragon¡¯s pool and tiger¡¯s den. If some clueless people decide to rob me, they should count themselves unlucky.¡±


    After some thought, the few of them agreed. They loosened their grip and Mu Yangling rushed out like an arrow.


    Mu Yangling ran to Liu Li¡¯s house and knocked on the door. Madam Liu-Ma¡¯s vignt voice came from inside. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Hearing her voice tremble slightly, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but frown. She raised her voice and said, ¡°Aunt, it¡¯s me, Ah Ling.¡±


    Madam Liu-Ma hurriedly came out of the house to open the door for her and asked in surprise, ¡°Ah Ling? Why are you here?¡±


    Mu Yangling waved the rabbits in her hand. ¡°I¡¯vee to visit you after sending my Aunt Ting home.¡± Mu Yangling followed her into the house and ced the rabbits in the kitchen. Looking around, she asked, ¡°Aunt, did anyone bully you in the vige?¡±


    Madam Liu-Ma forced a smile. ¡°Who dares to bully me? Our Liu n is considered a big n in this vige.¡±


    Although the Liu n had been scattered into the 4th and the 5th Division and some of them had even been assigned to the 3rd Division, considering that they were from the same n, thend assigned to them by the higher-ups was almost all in this area.


    No matter how unfavored Liu Li was by his nsmen, they were still of the same n and the Liu n would indeed protect Madam Liu-Ma against outsiders. But what if she was bullied by a fellow nsman?


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression was a little ugly, but she did not ask further. She was not familiar with Madam Liu-Ma, so she could only wait for Liu Li toe back when he was on break and tell him.


    Putting the matter in her heart, Mu Yangling¡¯s attention shifted to the soil and the rabbits in the mountains.


    Madam Ma-Liu had been checking the skies every night. After confirming that it would be sunny for the next few days, she said to Mu Yangling, ¡°Let¡¯s water the seedlings tomorrow.¡±


    The rice was nted in the high-gradend facing the river in the east.


    Mu Yangling bore open a hole for the water to flow before repeatedly plowing thend. It wasn¡¯t untilte in the afternoon did she redirect the water towards a deeper area where the saplings could be grown in partitions.


    Madam Ma-Liu stood at the side and guided them the entire time but didn¡¯t go into the fields herself. Little Bowen and Xiuhong Xin were also asked to learn. She said, ¡°How many more years can 1 live? You have to learn how to farm. Otherwise, who will be able to teach you when I¡¯m no longer here?¡±


    Mu Yangling carefully scattered the seeds on the ground. After careful observation, she looked up and asked, ¡°Great-aunt, is this density right?¡±


    After more than ten days, Madam Ma-Liu already understood what Mu Yangling meant by density, nt spacing, and so on. When she heard this, she lowered her head to take a look and nodded. ¡°More or less. That¡¯s it. Scatter on these few ridges. When the sun is about to set in the evening, let some water into the fields. Be careful not to drown the seeds. Just let the water reach this part.¡±


    Mu Yangling firmly memorized the depth and agreed.


    Xiuhong also wanted to go into the field, so Mu Yangling gave her some seeds. Seeing that Madam Ma-Liu had already left, Mu Yangling said in a low voice, ¡°Xiuhong, do you think the seedlings will grow better if we soak them like wheat seeds?¡±


    Xiuhong looked around and whispered excitedly, ¡°Why don¡¯t we give it a try?¡± Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes sparkled as she patted Xiuhong and said, ¡°My good sister, you really understand me. I¡¯ve already secretly soaked a little in my room previously. It¡¯s under the brick bed and has already germinated. Take advantage of the time when Great-aunt is going to the vegetable field to secretly take it out. We¡¯ll scatter those seeds in thest half of the ridgeter.¡±


    Xiuhong listened to Mu Yangling, put down the seeds, and ran home.


    Seeing this, Little Bowen and Xin quickly helped them keep watch. The four little ones secretly scattered the germinated seeds in thest half of the ridge.


    Mu Yangling covered it up a little. After confirming that one wouldn¡¯t be able to tell if they didn¡¯t get close, she straightened her back and touched her lower back. ¡°I¡¯m really exhausted.¡±


    Bowen obediently went forward to massage her waist. ¡°Sister, I¡¯ll help you massage.¡±


    Although Bowen had been under the sun for a few days, his face was still fair and tender. Because of the sun, his face was flushed like a ripe red apple. Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but touch it and said happily, ¡°Step on my back when we get back tonight. I¡¯ll reward you with roe deer meat.¡±


    Bowen pped his hands and said, ¡°Sister, are you going into the mountains to hunt? That¡¯s great!¡± Then, he said, ¡°Sister, 1 think hunting is better than farming.¡±


    ¡°But the money earned from hunting is definitely not enough to pay for the military rations. When there¡¯s no rice to eat, you won¡¯t think that hunting is better than farming.¡± Mu Yangling looked at Chef Mountain and said, ¡°Chef Mountain doesn¡¯t belong to our Mu Family, but themoners of Xingzhou Prefecture. We can¡¯t kill the goose thatys the golden eggs. There are only so many prey in the mountains and they reproduce at such a slow rate. If 1 hunt recklessly, what will be left of Chef Mountain in a decade or two?¡±


    There were so many rare species in the future, and the country had no choice but to legite to protect those animals. Other than war, over-hunting by the predecessors was also an important factor leading to the near-extinction of many species.


    At the moment, who would dare to say that bears and tigers were rare animals? The probability of encountering those things in the deep mountains and forests was too high.


    Deer herds appeared in groups. Wild boars were a scourge. As for rabbits, the thought of them made Mu Yangling chuckle. Soon, everyone would probably be angry and afraid instead of happy when they saw rabbits.


    Thinking of the rabbits in the mountains, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t sit still. Looking up at the sky, she waved her hand. ¡°Alright, you guys can go back. I¡¯ll go into the mountains to hunt some rabbits. If I¡¯m lucky, 1 might be able to catch a roe deer.¡±


    ¡°Cousin, Grandma said that rabbits aren¡¯t easy to sell. The people in the city don¡¯t have money after being robbed by the Hus. We have to go to the prefectural capital.¡±


    Mu Yangling frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can catch more of them alive before bringing them to the prefectural capital to sell.¡±


    When Mu Yangling came out of the mountains, she carried a basket of rabbits on her back and even held a few in her hands. Her movements were known by the people in the vige, but because she rarely interacted with them, no one dared to ask her.


    However, many people came to ask Madam Ma-Liu, who wanted to hide it. After all, this was a way to make money. Unexpectedly, Mu Yangling shouted happily, ¡°Great-aunt, you¡¯ve got to tell them that there are many rabbits in the mountains..¡±

 Chapter 138 - 138: Angry

    Chapter 138: Angry


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Extremely worried about rabbits running rampant in the mountains, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t ask for more if someone was willing to enter the mountains to hunt rabbits. If not for the fact that she didn¡¯t have time, she would definitely take the lead and not take a single cent. It had to be known that out of the 83 acres ofnd that the Mu Family had nted, 40 acres ofnd were in the south, ounting for half of thend.


    As soon as the rabbits headed down the mountain, the first to bear the brunt was her family.


    Mu Yangling hugged Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Great-aunt, since you chat with them, do invite the men in their family who can make the decisions. We¡¯ll treat them to a meal with rabbit meat. After entering the mountains in the past two days, 1 more or less know where there are the most rabbits. I¡¯ll teach them to set up some simple traps and make markings so that people don¡¯t fall into the traps. They¡¯ll definitely catch a lot of rabbits.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu pulled her back resentfully and said, ¡°Silly child, hunting is your forte. In such a time ofck, our family relies on your skills. Why are you still teaching others? You should think for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Great-aunt.¡± Mu Yangling said anxiously, ¡°The situation in the mountains isn¡¯t as simple as you think. Now that there is an overpoption of rabbits in the mountains, those creatures will eat everything. After they finish eating the grass in the mountains, won¡¯t theye and harm our crops? Moreover, now that the grass has been eaten by the rabbits, the only fate that awaits other animals that eat grass is death. You yourself said that my specialty is hunting. Surely 1 can¡¯t hunt rabbits all year round, right? It¡¯s so much work and doesn¡¯t even fetch as much as a deer.¡±


    Great-aunt immediately stopped talking. Mu Yangling looked at her eagerly.


    ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll go, alright?¡± Madam Ma-Liu stood up and said, ¡°But 1 don¡¯t have the strength to cook for them.¡±


    Mu Yangling patted her chest and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Leave the cooking to me. Our family doesn¡¯t have much grains, so we won¡¯t treat them to rice. We¡¯ll just have meat.¡±


    Great-aunt muttered in dissatisfaction, ¡°They¡¯ll be even happier if the entire meal consists solely of meat. I wonder how much these rabbits will fetch if they¡¯re sold.¡±


    Mu Yangling sent her great-aunt out happily before turning around to skin and cut the rabbits¡¯ flesh.


    Mu Yangling was good at cooking arge pot of meat. She would cut the rabbits clean and wash them before chopping them intorge pieces. After using some fat to season the pot, she would pour arge basin of rabbit meat and add some ginger and garlic. When she felt that they were cooked, she would take the pot off the fire. Before Great-aunt returned, she had already finished cooking the third pot.


    After helping her to start the fire, Xiuhong looked worriedly at the chunks of rabbit meat rolling in the pot.


    Xin and Little Bowen stood at the kitchen door hand in hand, their mouths slightly open. Their stomachs, which had originally felt quite hungry, instantly stopped feeling hungry.


    Little Bowen looked at the spat Mu Yangling constantly flipped, and then at the two pots of rabbit meat on the stove. He decisively turned around and ran to find his mother. ¡°Mother, what are we eating for lunch?¡±


    Shu Wanniang was stunned. ¡°Isn¡¯t your sister cooking in the kitchen?¡±


    Little Bowen pouted and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat Sister¡¯s cooking. Mother, go cut some shredded radish and make porridge for us.¡± He thought to himself, ¡®Sister is really too scary! I might as well eat Father¡¯s cooking.¡¯


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t your sister¡¯s cooking taste good?¡± Shu Wanniang ced her baby twins on the brick bed for them to climb on. She got up and went to the kitchen, just in time to see her daughter pour a spoonful of water into the pot. Then, Mu Yangling used the lid to cover the pot before pping her hands and saying to Xiuhong, ¡°Alright, it should be cooked in another 15 minutes.¡±


    Shu Wanniang pointed at her daughter, speechless. After taking a deep breath, she said angrily, ¡°All Ling, who taught you to cook like this?¡±


    Mu Yangling was startled. Only then did she see her mother standing in the kitchen. Shrinking her neck, she said, ¡°Mother, 1 think the dishes made this way are quite delicious. This is called home-cooked food.¡±


    Mu Yangling could swear that this was what home-cooked dishes were like. In her previous life, whenever she went home to cook, her father would bring his oldrade home and kept showing off. Those uncles also ate with relish.


    Why was she so despised here? Although her cooking was far inferior to her great-aunt and mother¡¯s, it was really not bad at all.


    However, Shu Wanniang could not ept such culinary skills. She said to her daughter, ¡°From tomorrow onwards, you have to take time out every night to learn culinary skills from me. All Ling, you¡¯re capable, and I won¡¯t stop you from doing those things, but I hope you be even more outstanding. At the very least, you can¡¯t fall behind in the culinary skills and needlework that girls should know. Otherwise, I¡¯ll confiscate your bow and arrow. Even if our family has to eat chaff and vegetables, I won¡¯t allow you to enter the mountains again.¡±


    When Shu Wanniang got angry, everyone shrunk their necks and became cautious.


    Although Shu Wanniang usually let the kids be and allowed them to develop freely, it was also terrifying when such a person red up, because they would never change their minds once they decided on something. Shu Wanniang was such a person.


    Sighing, Mu Yangling looked at the rabbit meat in the pot. She asked Xiuhong, ¡°Is my cooking really that bad? It¡¯s clearly moderately oily and salty. It¡¯s very tasty.¡±


    Having been eating Shu Wanniang¡¯s dishes for almost half a year, Xiuhong¡¯s taste buds had be rather picky. After hesitating for a while, she did not go against her conscience tofort her cousin. Instead, she whispered, ¡°Your cooking is alright. Those who don¡¯t get to eat meat much will definitely think that your cooking is especially delicious. But anyone who¡¯s tasted Aunt¡¯s cooking won¡¯t want to eat what you make anymore.¡±


    Later on, Mu Shi summarized the difference in one sentence: His daughter¡¯s cooking was like the big pot of dishes he ate in the military camp these days, while his wife¡¯s dishes were like the most exquisite banquet dishes in the prefectural capital¡¯s top restaurant. How could Mu Yangling¡¯s culinary skillspare to hers?


    Anyway, this was a matter for the future. Now, although Mu Yangling¡¯s culinary skills were despised by the Mu Family, it was well-received by the men of Chenggu Garrison. Those who came could not help but swallow their saliva when they saw the meat on the table. When they heard that it was for them, no one could help but snatch it.


    Three full pots of rabbit meat entered everyone¡¯s stomachs, but no one was full. Everyone looked at Mu Yangling, and Old Hu said in embarrassment, ¡°Ah Ling¡¯s culinary skills are so good that we almost forgot where we are. By the way, Ah Ling, where did you get so many rabbits from?¡±


    Xiuhong scoffed at Old Hu¡¯s question. The Hu family was the closest to the Mu family. Wasn¡¯t it Old Hu who discovered and spread the news that Mu Yangling had gone into the mountains to hunt rabbits?


    However, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t mind. She told them about the situation in the mountains, but didn¡¯t mention the potential impact on the Mu family. She only said, ¡°1 also know that the vigers are having a difficult time, too. There are many rabbits in the mountains, so everyone can enter the mountains to try their luck in their free time. However, there are also many ferocious beasts in the mountains. Therefore, it¡¯s best for everyone to enter the mountains in groups and not go too deep.¡±


    Mu Yangling poured a ss of water and raised her ss. ¡°Everyone knows that my father is a sectionmander. Since all of you here are under my father¡¯smand, only when you guys do well can my father do well. Since I have discovered good stuff, 1 naturally won¡¯t forget everyone. I just hope that everyone can get along harmoniously. 1 don¡¯t wish to hear about scheming and dirty things. Otherwise, I, Mu Yangling, won¡¯t give others face.¡±


    Someone secretly nced at Old Hu, causing him and a few others to blush and lower their heads to avoid Mu Yangling¡¯s gaze..

 Chapter 139 - 139: Easily

    Chapter 139: Easily


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Since the aim was to hunt as many rabbits in the mountains as possible, Mu Yangling naturally wouldn¡¯t keep this under wraps. Shortly after telling the vigers in Chenggu Garrison about it, she went to look for her uncle and even specially brought them into the mountains to mark out a safe area for everyone before letting the vigers spread the news.


    This way, at the very least, it could slow down the reproduction speed of some rabbits. Mu Yangling was only worried that the vigers who entered the mountains might not listen to her advice and enter the depths of the mountains.


    However, Mu Yangling had already gotten someone to set up warning signs at various mountain passes. Also, she had spread the word that since the mountains were dangerous, they should enter in teams and were not allowed to go deeper. In the end, if anyone still refused to listen to her advice, Mu Yangling could only say that she had tried her best.


    Those who could enter the mountain were all adults and had their own judgment. Mu Yangling did not think that she should be responsible for them. With these vigers as a buffer, she believed that she could dy the rabbits froming out of the mountains.


    After patrolling the wheat fields that were nted first and starting to germinate, she ran to the camp to look for Qi Haoran regarding the issue of manpower.


    Mu Yangling leaned against the wall and looked down at the camp below. When she saw that the patrolling soldiers had just walked away, she nimbly jumped in.


    Qi Haoran was looking at the map in the tent, staring at the position of Xingcheng Pass without moving. After a long time, he circled a position with his pen and said to Fan Zijin, ¡°If I were the one deploying the troops, I¡¯d definitely set up an ambush here first. Then, I¡¯d lure the Jin soldiers to attack, before turning around andunching a counterattack. Finally, I¡¯d have the men hiding in ambush to alle out and surround the enemy.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked up at the map before continuing to look down at the book in his hand. He said indifferently, ¡°Now that Cousin is leading the troops, his main focus is on ¡®stability¡¯. He won¡¯t agree to this move. It¡¯s good if you can sessfully lure them into a trap, but I¡¯m afraid that the other party will sense it first. At that time, they¡¯ll pretend to have failed and counterattack you. It would be bad if they make use of your trap to attack Xingcheng Pass at close range.¡±


    Just then, Qi Haoran suddenly shouted at the door, ¡°Who is it?¡± He strode forward and lifted the curtain. Mu Yangling¡¯s raised hand almost hit his nose. Startled by Qi Haoran¡¯s shout, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned. ¡°How did you get in?¡± Although the construction of the camp was notplete, the wall was the first to bepleted. Since there were people guarding the four gates, there was no reason for him not to receive a report about Mu Yangling¡¯s visit.


    ¡°I climbed the wall.¡± Mu Yangling said matter-of-factly, ¡°The soldiers guarding the door didn¡¯t let me in and refused to inform you of my arrival, so 1 had no choice but to climb the wall myself.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face darkened, and Fan Zijin could not help but put down his book. His expression turned solemn as he asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t get discovered along the way?¡±


    Mu Yangling sneered and said, ¡°How can anyone find out when your defense is sox? If anyone found out, would I still be here talking to you? Alright, Qi Haoran, I came to look for you because I have something urgent to discuss with you. Are you willing toe into the mountains with me?¡±


    ¡°Whatever for?¡± Qi Haoran asked casually. What he cared about the most was that Mu Yang had easily climbed over the wall and entered his tent. If this ce were to be infiltrated by the enemy during a war, he would probably die without realizing what had happened. Hence, he asked, ¡°What route did you take when you climbed over the wall just now? How many passersby did you avoid? Tell me in detail.¡±


    Mu Yangling was focused on the rabbits in the mountains. Instead of answering, she pulled Qi Haoran back and said, ¡°Follow me into the mountains first. I¡¯ll tell youter.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t in the mood to borate about it, Qi Haoran was afraid that she would brush him offter, so he said seriously, ¡°Alright, 1¡¯11 follow you into the mountains, but you have to tell me in detailter.¡±


    Mu Yangling paused before saying, ¡°I won¡¯t be able to exin this matter in a matter of a few words. I¡¯m so busy now I wish I could clone myself. So, instead of exining in words, I¡¯ll re-enact the scene for you to seeter. Follow me and you¡¯ll naturally know what the problem is.¡±


    By now, Mu Yangling had realized what Qi Haoran was concerned about. Being from the army in the past, she naturally knew the potential damage that this negligence could cause Qi Haoran. However, she had never been good with words. In the past, she had to rack her brains to write reports. Now, it was even more so. In addition, what she said or wrote might not beprehensive due to theck of time. It was better to let Qi Haoran witness it himself and let him think for himself.


    Mu Yangling had her own considerations. Although they had only interacted a few times and hadn¡¯t known each other for long, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but be amazed by Qi Haoran¡¯s talent. She had heard from her captain in the past that when it came to dealing with such a person, one shouldn¡¯t impart to him the knowledge grasped. Instead, she should guide him to think for himself and let him learn on his own, master, and contemte the essence of the matter.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know how to teach people, but she knew how to do the same thing as the captain. How far this could go would ultimately depend on Qi Haoran¡¯s talent.


    Just as this thought shed across her mind, Qi Haoran had already agreed. He found it really refreshing to follow behind the enemy and watch how the enemy broke into his camp. Feeling his blood boil, Qi Haoran said eagerly, ¡°Shall we start now?¡±


    ¡°No, I told you that you have to follow me up the mountain first.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Qi Haoran agreed immediately and turned to change his clothes. He asked casually, ¡°Why are we going to the mountains?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you what it means for the rabbits to conquer the mountains.¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips. ¡°I¡¯ve only heard that the ck bears and the female tigers are overlords in the mountains. When did rabbits¡ªa species that can be crushed with one hand¡ªbe king of the mountains?¡±


    Mu Yangling chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s why I said I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    Curious, Fan Zijin also changed into lightweight clothes. Fei Bai and Yanmo brought their horses over and wanted to follow them. Waving her hand, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Alright, you guys don¡¯t have to follow me. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have to bring you along. How troublesome.¡±


    Frowning, Fei Bai said in a low voice, ¡°Fourth Young Master, you can¡¯t leave the camp at will. Recently, Hu spies have entered the city¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll be caught so easily? It¡¯s best if theye and try to catch me. I¡¯m getting worried that I won¡¯t be able to find them.¡±


    Fan Zijin nced at Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re going to the mountains, not the city.¡±


    Mu Yangling patted her chest and promised, ¡°I will definitely protect the two young masters. Fei Bai, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Mu Yangling drooled as she touched the horse. Then, she climbed up and sat down before waving her hand and saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Qi Haoran jumped onto the horse in disdain and said, ¡°Since you want to ride a horse, you could¡¯ve juste to me. It¡¯s not as if 1 can¡¯t bear to let you ride it.¡±


    Riding on the horse, Mu Yangling replied smugly, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m so free like before? My family relies on me to farm. Now that it¡¯s a busy time for farming, I worked hard to squeeze out an entire day toe out today.¡±


    Qi Haoran asked curiously, ¡°Is it very difficult to farm?¡±


    Sighing, Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°It¡¯s too difficult. Despite all my efforts, ultimately 1 still have to rely on the heavens. It¡¯s really not easy to be a farmer.¡±


    Having asionally walked around the edge of the fields a few days ago, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin fell silent. Moreover, the soldiers who returned to camp after farming seemed to have fallen seriously ill, looking much thinner than before. They could see for themselves that it was not easy for farmers..

 Chapter 140 - 140: Ambition

    Chapter 140: Ambition


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    As Mu Yangling led them all the way into the mountain, some rabbits not far away ran past them. Without thinking, Qi Haoran jumped up to catch them. Grabbing one in each hand, he looked at Mu Yangling proudly. ¡°How is it? I¡¯m awesome, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling asked him, ¡°Didn¡¯t you discover anything along the way?¡±


    Fan Zijin said, ¡°There are a lot of rabbits.¡±


    Frowning slightly, Qi Haoran looked around. Finally, he lowered his head to look at the grass by his feet. Fan Zijin followed his gaze and also frowned slightly.


    At this moment, everything was reviving, but more than half of the grass on the ground had been eaten. Some of the grass stems had even been dug out.


    The brothers looked at each other before asking Mu Yangling together, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly as you see it. You¡¯ve heard of the locust gue, but you must have never heard of the rabbit gue, right? This is the rabbit gue.¡±


    Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin widened their eyes. ¡°There¡¯s even such a thing as a rabbit gue?¡±


    ¡°Anything that exceeds the limits of the environment will culminate in a disaster. My father and 1 had a premonition long before winter, which was why we brought the people from Nearhill Vige into the mountains to hunt. However, we didn¡¯t expect the situation to be more serious than we thought. It¡¯s just early spring now, and the rabbits in the forest have already bitten their way to the periphery. In a month or two, there won¡¯t be any grass to eat in the forest. When that happens, the rabbits can only go down the mountain, and at the foot of the mountain are our crops.¡±


    Since this concerned military rations, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin immediately became serious.


    Mu Yangling continued, ¡°Moreover, the overpoption of rabbits in the forest will definitely affect other animals. I¡¯m worried that the food chain of Chef Mountain will be destroyed. This is a serious matter that will affect future generations in Xingzhou Prefecture.¡±


    Qi Haoran asked, ¡°What¡¯s a food chain?¡±


    ¡°It means that big fish eat small fish, small fish eat shrimp. In the context of the forest, it means that ferocious beasts eat small animals, small animals eat herbivores, and herbivores in turn eat grass. Now that the grass has been eaten by rabbits, the other herbivores will definitely have no room to survive. Carnivores may be able to eat rabbits now, but once the rabbit gue passes, how many rabbits will a tiger have to catch to fill its stomach? As for deer, wild boars, and other herbivores, they might die in this disaster, and their numbers could decrease drastically¡­¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded. ¡°1 understand. It means the bottom levels of the food chain affect the upper levels. Moreover, such an impact will only be even more serious as time passes.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that simple? Can¡¯t we just capture all the rabbits?¡± Qi Haoran drooled. ¡°I love rabbit meat prepared in all ways¡ªstewed, braised, or roasted.¡±


    Speechless, Fan Zijin and Mu Yangling looked at him and said, ¡°You can catch so many rabbits?¡±


    Mu Yangling brought Qi Haoran to see just how many rabbits there were in the forest.


    ¡°Actually, since rabbits are animals that hide during the day ande out at night, there¡¯s rtively fewer rabbits out and about right now. Perhaps it¡¯s because there¡¯s not enough grass that so many rabbits have appeared in the day recently. In the past, if I wish to catch rabbits, I had to either dig holes or set traps the day before. Because of the traps set during the day, when the rabbits came out to move at night, 1 could more or less reap some prey.¡±


    Mu Yangling carefully led the two of them through the forest as she observed a few rabbit groups. Finally, she said, ¡°Do you grasp the gravity of the situation now? If you can capture half of the rabbits, I¡¯ll already be very impressed.¡±


    Mu Yangling squatted on the grass and said worriedly, ¡°Moreover, what should we do with the rabbits after catching them? We definitely won¡¯t be able to eat so much by ourselves. Even if we bring them to the prefectural capital and a few nearby county cities, there¡¯s still too much to be consumed. Though rabbit skin can be kept, rabbit meat can¡¯t be kept now that the weather is gradually getting hot.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes lit up. He looked at the two of them and said, ¡°If you have a way to catch rabbits, I have a way to get rid of these rabbit meat and rabbit skins.¡± Fan Zijin looked at Qi Haoran seriously and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you still owe the Sun and Zhao families a lot of silver and grains? We have to think of a way to repay them, right?¡±


    Shocked, Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling shouted in unison, ¡°You can¡¯t be so evil as to use rabbit meat and rabbit skin as repayment, right?¡±


    Fan Zijin rolled his eyes at the two of them and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to, but do you think they¡¯re that stupid?¡±


    Seeing that there were only the three of them and countless rabbits in the dark, Fan Zijin said, ¡°Haoran, do you still remember that on the way to look for Cousin, we met a kind farmer who gave us a bag of jerky?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded repeatedly. ¡°Yes, yes. Other than Mu Yangling, she¡¯s the only other good person we encountered. It¡¯s just that the quantity wasn¡¯t even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth. In the end, she even pointed the wrong way for us¡­¡±


    Fan Zijin was speechless. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s good that you remember. I¡¯m saying that the jerky is rabbit jerky. Since it¡¯s something that even you and 1 think is delicious, do you think others won¡¯t find it delicious? Moreover, it¡¯s super easy to preserve. I¡¯ve long felt that we shouldn¡¯t ce all our hopes on the harvest of the fields. Just as Mu Yangling said, farming depends on the heavens. If the heavens don¡¯t give us face this year, does that mean we won¡¯t be able to survive? You can force the Sun and Zhao families to lend you grains once, but can you always force them to provide grain? Therefore, we have to find other ways.¡±


    With eyes as bright as stars, Fan Zijin clenched his fists and said, ¡°Mu Yangling, you think this is a disaster, but I feel that this is an opportunity given to us by the heavens. Haorancks everything, but he doesn¡¯tck manpower. The healthy, the timid, the brave, the scheming, the cunning, the disabled, the old, and even those who haven¡¯t even turned 12 years old. Aren¡¯t you worried that it won¡¯t be easy to help settle down those old, weak, and disabled people? Hand them over to me. Not only can I settle them down, but 1 can also alleviate your worries about the debts owed to the Sun and Zhao families.¡±


    Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling stared at him in shock. In the end, Qi Haoran jumped up and hugged him as he shouted, ¡°Good brother, I¡¯ll give you all the manpower you want. Tell me how you want to go about doing it and I¡¯ll definitely get it done for you.¡±


    Mu Yangling stammered, ¡°Y-You guys aren¡¯t going to do market research or something first?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at her in disdain. ¡°Zijin has never failed in anything before. Why would we need to do market research? Speaking of which, what is market research?¡±


    Mu Yangling:¡±¡­¡±


    Ignoring Qi Haoran, she asked Fan Zijin seriously, ¡°Then what do you think 1 can do?¡± Regardless of whether the rabbits could be sold in the end, her crops would be saved after the rabbits were captured.


    Fan Zijin looked at Qi Haoran and said, ¡°We¡¯re not familiar with hunting and most of the soldiers under hismand are farmers.¡±


    ¡°There are many hunters in Xingzhou Prefecture. My father is one of them.¡± Mu Yangling paused before continuing, ¡°However, it seems that all the hunters have been chosen to go to other camps. In the 5th Division, only my father is a hunter.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face darkened and he said angrily, ¡°1¡¯11 look for Big Brother tomorrow and get him to transfer the soldiers who were hunters previously over.¡±


    This time, Fan Zijin and Mu Yangling did not object and nodded in unison. Mu Yangling even said, ¡°Since General dotes on you so much, he will definitely agree as long as you pester him long enough..¡±

 Chapter 141 - 141: Cooperation

    Chapter 141: Cooperation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°My father is very familiar with the forest. If we get him to lead a team to teach everyone how to set up traps, we will definitely be able to catch a lot of rabbits,¡± Mu Yangling said. ¡°Besides, setting up traps or digging up rabbit nests don¡¯t take up too much time. You just have to go and pick up the prey in the traps the next morning. Since there are already so many rabbits out in the day, I¡¯m sure there are as many rabbits out at night as there are people on the streets during the Lantern Festival. The traps set up will definitely be useful.¡± Qi Haoran widened his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve been here at night?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°Although I¡¯ve never been here at night, 1 can tell from the traces on the ground. Actually, although there were many rabbits before winterst year, there were never so many of them. I didn¡¯t expect them to reproduce so many descendants in just one winter.¡±


    Rabbits could breed at three months of age, and each litter contained at least four to five babies. Going by this calction, the number of newly added rabbits was quite sizable.


    However, Fan Zijin asked curiously, ¡°Since rabbits grow so quickly, why have people never thought of raising rabbits? Instead, people usually raise chickens and ducks? Isn¡¯t rabbit meat more expensive than chicken and duck meat?¡±


    Lowering her head, Mu Yangling fell into deep thought. After a while, she said, ¡°Rabbits are difficult to raise because they tend to run away when given a chance. Moreover, rabbits are more difficult to sell. After all, most farmers raise chickens and ducks for their own consumption now. Very few people specially raise them for the purpose of selling.¡±


    However, Qi Haoran said, ¡°We rarely get to eat rabbit meat in the restaurants and eateries when in Lin¡¯an Prefecture. If we want to eat it, we either ask our servants to buy it or hunt it ourselves. If there are many rabbits, the restaurants and eateries can sell dishes made using rabbit meat, like here. The customers will naturally be willing to spend.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at him in admiration. ¡°That¡¯s true. Selling northern goods in the south is a profitable business.¡± Fan Zijin tried to tempt Mu Yangling. ¡°Miss Mu, why don¡¯t we cooperate? You¡¯ll raise rabbits, and I¡¯ll be in charge of selling rabbits to the south. We¡¯ll split the profits 30-70.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°70% for me and 30% for you?¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at her strangely and said, ¡°Of course it¡¯s 70% for me and 30% for you.¡±


    Feeling that he was being too unfair, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of the baby rabbits¡ªyou or I?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s you,¡± Fan Zijin said matter-of-factly. ¡°I¡¯m only in charge of selling them. The work of raising rabbits is all yours.¡±


    This time, Qi Haoran also felt that Fan Zijin was being too unfair to Mu Yangling. Both of them being his good friends, he felt conflicted before deciding to handle this fairly. He pulled Fan Zijin back and said, ¡°This is too disadvantageous to Mu Yangling.¡±


    Fan Zijin sneered. ¡°She¡¯s at a disadvantage? If not for the fact that she¡¯s familiar with us, I would at most buy rabbits from her at a bargained-down price before reselling them. That way, she won¡¯t even get a single cent of the profits.¡±


    Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling¡¯s jaws dropped.


    Fan Zijin continued, ¡°Do you think those rabbits can be sold so easily? I have to stop the merchants from going south and find restaurants and eateries to coborate with. With so many rabbits transported to the south, if they¡¯re alive, I have to ensure that they stay alive all the way to Lin¡¯an Prefecture. If it¡¯s something like jerky, I have to find someone to smoke it or steam it. 1 haven¡¯t even factor in the spices needed. These expenses will all be on me.¡± The more Fan Zijin spoke, the more he felt that he was suffering a loss. He said, ¡°No, 30-70 is too much of a loss for me. We should split it 20-80.¡±


    Mu Yangling hurriedly said, ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. How could there be spices in the jerky given to you by the farmer?¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted and smiled. ¡°Maybe spices weren¡¯t used in the past. But can¡¯t I improve upon it since 1 intend to earn money from this? Considering those who can afford to eat meat all the time aren¡¯t the poor, the better the taste, the better it will sell. It¡¯s settled then. We¡¯ll split it 20-80.¡±


    Mu Yangling could only turn her head to look at Qi Haoran. She did not know how to do business, so she had no idea if Fan Zijin¡¯s calction was right. This was because after taking in consideration various factors, the cost and risk that Fan Zijin had to bear seemed to be greater than her who was raising the rabbits. However, 20% seemed too low, right?


    In her previous life, Mu Yangling was very good atputing, mathematics, and even physics and chemistry. She was one of the top students in her ss, but good mathematics did not mean that she knew how to do business.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t understand, let alone Qi Haoran. After hearing Fan Zijin¡¯s words, he waved his hand and said, ¡°In that case, let¡¯s split it 30-70.¡± Then, he chuckled at Fan Zijin and said, ¡°Since Mu Yangling is a girl, you should give in to her more.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded repeatedly.


    Fan Zijin snorted and asked her, ¡°Let me say this first¡ªthis rabbit business better be of a sizable scale. Have you thought about where to buy baby rabbits? If you don¡¯t have enough money, 1 can lend you some temporarily.¡±


    Mu Yangling waved her hand and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to buy baby rabbits. Aren¡¯t rabbits found everywhere? Besides, since no one raises rabbits these days, you can¡¯t buy baby rabbits from other people.¡±


    Mu Yangling was very certain about this because when she sold wild rabbits back then, she had once wanted to sell them for more money since they were wild. Unexpectedly, her father looked at her strangely and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t all rabbits wild?¡±


    Rabbits were all wild. Other than some people who raised one or two rabbits as pets, there were no domestic rabbits.


    Therefore, if they wanted baby rabbits, they could only go for wild baby rabbits.


    Mu Yangling turned around and said to Qi Haoran, ¡°Didn¡¯t you bring people into the mountains to hunt for rabbits in rabbit holes? Ask your men to keep the baby rabbits for me. Remember, you must keep all the rabbits in the nest. When the timees, I¡¯ll give you one-third of my 30%.¡±


    Fan Zijin swallowed the words he was about to say. ¡®Not bad. Mu Yangling is working for her 30%.¡¯


    Qi Haoran agreed without thinking.


    ¡°Then where do you n to raise the rabbits?¡±


    ¡°I still have more than 60 acres of low-gradend in the east that I haven¡¯t nted. I¡¯ll raise them there.¡±


    Fan Zijin frowned. ¡°They won¡¯t be stolen?¡±


    Stunned, Mu Yangling scratched her head and said, ¡°Then should I go out and guard at night?¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at her body suspiciously. Nodding, Qi Haoran said, ¡°That¡¯s one way to go about it. I¡¯ll go around telling everyone that those rabbits belong to me. Let¡¯s see who still dares to have any designs on them.¡±


    Mu Yangling and Fan Zijin nodded repeatedly. ¡°That¡¯s a better idea.¡±


    After the three of them agreed, Mu Yangling showed them how a hunter hunted for rabbits. Then, she walked out with Qi Haoran, covered in rabbits. Fan Zijin walked two steps behind them, unable to understand why they didn¡¯t find it dirty or smelly to hang rabbits on their waist like this.


    Mu Yangling hung the rabbits on the horse and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to my house first to ce the rabbits. My mother makes a delicious braised rabbit meat dish. Let¡¯s eat at my house tonight.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but you have toe back to the camp with me after you put down your things. I¡¯d like to see how you managed to make your way to my tent while avoiding the patrol soldiers.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    She had been training for such offensive and defensive battles since she was in her sophomore year. After entering the army, she had even participated in arge military exercise. Her usual training mainly involved infiltrating the enemy¡¯s military camp, investigating the enemy¡¯s situation, or assassinating themander-in-chief. In the modern era, she even deployed infrared defense. In this era without such high technology, missions could only be simpler.


    Besides, Qi Haoran¡¯s soldiers had only been effectively trained for less than a month..

 Chapter 142 - 142: Infiltration

    Chapter 142: Infiltration


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Auntie Mu, ask Fei Bai to send more ingredients over. Take your time to prepare the food. We might be backter.¡± Qi Haoran felt that they would have toe back veryte if they wanted to infiltrate the military camp stealthily.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t listen to Qi Haoran. I¡¯m hungry. We¡¯ll be back in an hour at most. Hurry up and cook. We¡¯ll eat the minute we get back.¡±


    After saying that, she pulled Qi Haoran out of the door and said, ¡°It¡¯s only half an hour from the military camp to the entrance of your tent. It¡¯ll be very fast.¡± Qi Haoran¡¯s face was full of shock. ¡°Is it so easy to infiltrate my military camp?¡± Mu Yangling turned around and looked at Fan Zijin, who was following behind the two of them. ¡°You want to tag along too? It¡¯s not that 1 want to discourage you, but if you follow us in, I¡¯m afraid it will take a little more time.¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to enter via the entrance openly.¡±


    Only then did Mu Yangling remain silent.


    Mu Yangling rode her horse and brought them around to the side of the military camp. This ce was far from the military camp¡¯s entrance, so nobody noticed them.


    Mu Yangling whispered to Fan Zijin, ¡°If you want to leave, leave quickly.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded repeatedly. ¡°You¡¯re too big of a target here. You¡¯ll expose us.¡±


    Despite being annoyed at being despised by the two of them, Fan Zijin rode away without saying a word.


    Seeing that he had entered the gate, Mu Yangling got off the horse and hid the horse in a recess. There was soil and rocks in front that blocked out others¡¯ view, so it was not easy for anyone to discover the horse.


    Mu Yangling whispered to Qi Haoran, ¡°Actually, if we want to enter the military camp silently and try our best to dy being discovered, we have to sneak in on foot. Otherwise, it¡¯s very easy to be discovered and arouse suspicions if we tie the horses outside.¡±


    Mu Yangling gestured for him to look around. ¡°There are weeds and vines here. It¡¯s impossible for anyone to discover someone if they hide inside. Besides, you don¡¯t have a watchtower.¡±


    ¡°Watchtower? Is it like the one on the city wall?¡± Qi Haoran asked in a low voice.


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Since this is not a small camp, you should set up watchtowers at the four corners. Even if no one is attacking now, the military camp needs to be guarded at all times. If the guards discover any military intelligence, they can also report it quickly. If you do a good job setting it up, no one will be able to enter or exit the military camp unnoticed.¡±


    Qi Haoran wanted to ask more questions, but Mu Yangling raised a finger by her mouth, indicating for him to be quiet. She leaned her ear against the wall.


    Qi Haoran imitated her and stuck his ear close to the wall. He saw Mu Yangling counting one to four on her fingers. When she counted four, the sound of footsteps happened to pass by and gradually faded into the distance.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s expression was a little strange. He knew that there were four people in a patrol team, but only because it had been arranged by him. Could it be that Mu Yangling could tell how many people there were just from the sound of their footsteps and even know exactly when they would pass by?


    Mu Yangling led him to continue squatting. When the next patrol team passed by, Mu Yangling whispered, ¡°The interval between patrols is 15 minutes. This can be calcted based on breathing. Let¡¯s go in now and not waste any time.¡± With that, Mu Yangling took two steps back and rushed up to step on the wall. She grabbed the top and jumped in with a light leap. The entire process took less than two breaths.


    Qi Haoran was only stunned for a moment, but he did not retreat. Circting his Qi in his stomach, he lightly flew to the top of the wall before jumping down.


    As soon as hended on the ground, Mu Yangling grabbed his hand and ran forward. Another patrol team had already appeared in Qi Haoran¡¯s line of sight. Although they still needed some time to reach the spot where they hadnded just now, they were already in his line of sight.


    Without any hesitation, Mu Yangling pushed him behind a pir while she hid in the shadows of a tent.


    Qi Haoran widened his eyes. Mu Yangling was standing beside the tent, but the patrolling soldiers could not see her at all. They walked forward without looking sideways.


    Frowning, Qi Haoran quickly discovered the crux of the matter.


    Since Mu Yangling stood in the shadows, no one would notice that someone was standing there unless they deliberately looked that way.


    A living person was standing there, right under his soldiers¡¯ noses.


    However, Mu Yangling did not give him a chance to think. Almost as soon as those people walked past, she went forward to hold Qi Haoran¡¯s hand and pulled him to the side.


    Qi Haoran looked up at the patrolling soldiers and thought that they would be able to see them as long as they turned around slightly. However, Mu Yangling would definitely have a way to deal with the situation then.


    Seeing that there was no one around, Mu Yangling said in a hushed voice, ¡°The time between two patrols is too long. If it¡¯s five minutes, the moment the first team disappears around the corner, the other team will appear around the corner. This path can then certainly be seen.¡±


    ¡°How long is five minutes?¡± Qi Haoran had never heard of such a unit of time.


    Mu Yangling was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°It¡¯s one-third of 15 minutes.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to your tent.¡± Mu Yangling pulled Qi Haoran along and was about to follow the route she took in the morning when she suddenly heard arge number of footsteps. Having also heard it, Qi Haoran turned to look at Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows and pulled Qi Haoran in a different direction, hiding behind a pile of clods of earth.


    This was used to build houses in the camp area. Now that Qi Haoran had divided his soldiers into five teams, each team would take turns to build houses every day. Therefore, there were still many clods of earth and bricks in the camp that Mu Yangling could use as cover for the two of them.


    However, Qi Haoran wondered, ¡®If there were no more clods of earth and bricks in the camp, what would Mu Yangling use as cover?¡¯


    Arge group of soldiers had already lined up in front. The leader shouted, ¡°Search this area. From here to Little General¡¯s tent, don¡¯t miss a single spot. The treasure that Young Master Fan lost might have been dropped along the way. You have to find it before dark, do you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Mu Yangling gritted her teeth and whispered, ¡°Fan Zijin is really vengeful for doing this just because of a statement I made.¡±


    However, Qi Haoran chuckled and asked gloatingly, ¡°How are you going to get to my tent now? Can you still get there in half an hour? It¡¯s almost 15 minutes now.¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted, thinking that he was underestimating her. She pulled Qi Haoran and quietly walked away from the back.


    Instead of taking the originally intended path, she pulled Qi Haoran to the back and lowered her voice as they walked. ¡°Remember, if you encounter such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in the future, you must seize the opportunity. Hmph, Fan Zijin has transferred men here to block our way. Since he can¡¯t mobilize the soldiers who are training, he can only deploy the soldiers who are patrolling or resting. That way, the defense in other ces will weaken, and even the entire camp¡¯s line of sight will be directed a certain way by him. With the other cesx in defense, it¡¯s really the best opportunity to sneak in. Look, we¡¯ve been walking for so long, but we haven¡¯t met a single person along the way.¡±


    Stunned, Qi Haoran was dragged forward by Mu Yangling. From time to time, they would avoid the patrolling soldiers. In less than 15 minutes, he arrived at the back of his tent. There were two rows of soldiers guarding in front. It seemed like they were also transferred over by Fan Zijin.


    Mu Yangling took a few nces forward before dragging Qi Haoran to the seam behind the left side of the tent. Just as Qi Haoran was curious about what she was going to do, Mu Yangling pulled out a dagger from the calf of her pants..

 Chapter 143 - 143: Protection

    Chapter 143: Protection


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Under Qi Haoran¡¯s dumbfounded gaze, Mu Yangling sliced open the tent slowly. During this period, only a faint sound could be heard. If Qi Haoran wasn¡¯t watching, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have noticed this subtle sound.


    Mu Yangling sliced until there was enough space for one person to enter before putting away her dagger. Then, she gently climbed in. Under Mu Yangling¡¯s re, Qi Haoran could not help but slowly crawl in. Then, the two of them looked up and saw Fan Zijin sittingfortably in the middle chair, drinking hot tea and looking out of the tentfortably.


    Qi Haoran opened his mouth to speak, but Mu Yangling red at him fiercely. Qi Haoran immediately shut his mouth.


    Mu Yangling walked over quietly. When she passed by the table in the corner of the tent, she even picked up a chopstick from it¡­


    The spot they entered was very ingenious; it happened to be at the right rear of the tent. Fan Zijin was sitting on the chair right in front of Qi Haoran, his gaze facing forward and unable to see the situation behind.


    Mu Yangling went behind Fan Zijin and gently pressed the chopstick against his neck. She pressed one hand on his shoulder and Fan Zijin instantly couldn¡¯t move.


    With the chopstick pressed against his neck, Fan Zijin¡¯s body stiffened. In an instant, he regained hisposure and put down the teacup easily. He asked gently, ¡°Mu Yangling?¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but admire him. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that her hand was pressed upon his shoulder, she definitely wouldn¡¯t have noticed his momentary stiffness. He was only 13 years old, but he was already so scheming. No wonder he coulde up with the idea of selling rabbits in the south.


    Mu Yangling put away the chopstick and said with a smile, ¡°How did you guess that it was me?¡±


    Only then did Fan Zijin turn around and see Mu Yangling standing behind him. Naturally, he also saw Qi Haoran and the big hole not far away. With a smile on his face, he said calmly, ¡°Other than you, who else would dare to do this? I don¡¯t have any value to be assassinated.¡±


    However, Mu Yangling became serious and said seriously, ¡°You¡¯re General Qi¡¯s cousin and Qi Haoran¡¯s ymate since he was young. Not only do you have the value of being assassinated, but you also have the value of being kidnapped. If I were a Jin, I¡¯d definitely capture you in order to restrain General Qi.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at Mu Yangling in surprise. Mu Yangling had already turned around with a smile and said to Qi Haoran, ¡°How is it? I didn¡¯t lie to you, right? It didn¡¯t take more than half an hour.¡±


    Qi Haoran, who was slowly savoring the experience, nodded and said, ¡°My defense is indeedcking in many aspects. After I make some adjustments and adjust the deployment of the soldiers, I¡¯ll invite you to infiltrate again.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Mu Yangling was very forthright. ¡°Let¡¯s just treat it as a game. Mm, let¡¯s call it ¡®Assassin and General¡¯. How about that?¡±


    Fan Zijin pursed his lips in disdain. ¡°How unoriginal.¡±


    However, Qi Haoran felt that this name was appropriate.


    Mu Yangling was already hugging her stomach. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat. I¡¯m starving.¡±


    Qi Haoran waved his hand to call Fei Bai over and asked him to find someone to repair the tent. Then, he brought the two of them out of the military camp.


    Only Fei Bai and Yanmo were left staring at therge hole in the tent with their mouths agape. No matter how hard they racked their brains, they could not figure out why such a huge hole would appear in therge tent. It looked like someone had specially cut it open.


    The three of them arrived at Chenggu Garrison very quickly. By now, the vigers of Chenggu Garrison were already used to it. Since the young general and Young Master Fan came to y with her from time to time, they all knew that the youngdy of the Mu Family had a good rtionship with them. Rumor had it that even General Qi was very friendly and polite to Mu Yangling.


    Thinking about how her parents were extraordinary, rumors gradually appeared that Mu Shi was the son of a general who had to hide his identity and make a living under General Qi due to persecution by the Imperial Court.


    And because General Qi admired Mu Shi¡¯s father¡¯s heroic bearing, he took good care of him. Otherwise, with Mu Shi¡¯s innate strength, why would he not be transferred to the 1st or 2nd Division but stay in the 5th Division to farm?


    General Qi definitely couldn¡¯t bear to see the descendant of that general die, so he arranged for him to be in the safest 5th Division. Although this position was a little useless, at least he could keep his life.


    As for Mu Shi and his daughter, their divine power was inherited from their ancestors.


    There was also an exnation for how extraordinary Mu Yangling¡¯s mother, Shu Wanniang, was. They guessed that General Mu must have arranged for his son to be married to her before the incident, so Shu Wanniang¡¯s status must also be extraordinary, perhaps the legitimate daughter of a certain aristocratic family. Because the family wanted to break off the engagement, she insisted on eloping with her fiance, Mu Shi, and lived here in seclusion.


    Otherwise, how could an ordinary farmer¡¯s wife have such a bearing? Her words and actions were like a fairy¡¯s flowing clouds and flowing water, so graceful.


    The Mu Family naturally didn¡¯t know about such spections, but Chenggu Garrison and even the soldiers in the military campter respected Mu Yangling¡¯s family very much. Other than a small number of people, everyone gave in to the Mu Family and admired them.


    Mu Shi and Mu Yangling had always thought that it was because their family had set an example for Chenggu Garrison, that it was due to their n¡¯s charm and prestige.


    Of course, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know about this yet. At this moment, she was fighting with Qi Haoran over a rabbit leg. She elbowed him and Qi Haoran felt a pain in his chest. He shouted, ¡°Save your strength. I¡¯m dying.¡±


    Mu Yangling snatched the rabbit leg and said impolitely, ¡°With internal energy protecting your body, it¡¯d be strange if you die. You¡¯ve already eaten two just now. This is my brother¡¯s. If you snatch it again, I¡¯ll beat you up.¡± As she spoke, she ced the rabbit leg in Little Bowen¡¯s bowl.


    Little Bowen seemed to be afraid that Qi Haoran would snatch it from him, so he picked up the rabbit leg and took a bite.


    Qi Haoran looked at his saliva in disdain and picked up a piece of rabbit meat. He stuffed it into his mouth and said, ¡°I don¡¯t care for rabbit legs.¡±


    Shu Wanniang red at her daughter. ¡°Ah Ling, you¡¯re too rude. How can you treat Little General like this?¡± Then, she turned to Qi Haoran and said, ¡°Little General, don¡¯t me her. Although Ah Ling is usually mischievous, she knows how to treat guests. It¡¯s just that this child dotes on her younger siblings too much. If you¡¯re fond of this, I¡¯ll cook more for youter. You can bring it back to the military camp to eat. If you want to eat it in the future, feel free toe over. We don¡¯t have anything else at home, but we have enough rabbit meat.¡±


    This time, it was Qi Haoran¡¯s turn to feel embarrassed. He said, ¡°Auntie Mu, I was just fooling around with Miss Mu. It¡¯s not that I have to eat rabbit legs. Your braised rabbit meat is also very delicious.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded. ¡°The other dishes are also delicious. Auntie Mu¡¯s cooking is really awesome.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded repeatedly and praised, ¡°Even the head chef of Zhenxiu Restaurant, the best restaurant in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, isn¡¯t even one-tenth as good as you.¡±


    Shu Wanniang couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips and smile. ¡°I don¡¯t have many hobbies in my life. I just like to make some dishes and embroider some flowers. I¡¯m d you like it.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked up at the baby fat that had already disappeared from Qi Haoran¡¯s face and turned to Shu Wanniang. ¡°Mother, make some for them to bring back so they can eat it tomorrow.¡±


    Then, she said to Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin, ¡°The camp is not far from my house. It takes less than 15 minutes to ride back and forth. Whenever you have time,e to my house for a meal. Just remember to bring some rice and noodles over. We will provide the vegetables.¡±


    Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin looked at the dishes on the table. At the thought of therge pot of food in the military camp that was like pig feed, they hurriedly nodded. ¡°Great!¡±


    Fan Zijin even found a better reason and said seriously, ¡°Coincidentally, aren¡¯t we going to work together? We can discuss it when wee over for a meal.¡±


    Xiuhong looked up at him and pursed her lips before lowering her head, feeling disdain in her heart. It was obvious that he wanted to eat her aunt¡¯s food, but he still found such an excuse..

 Chapter 144 - 144: Understanding

    Chapter 144: Understanding


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After sending Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin away, Shu Wanniang finally had the time to ask her daughter, ¡°What did Young Master Fan mean by working together just now?¡±


    Mu Yangling told him about Fan Zijin¡¯s n to sell the rabbits to the south. ¡°Fie might smoke the rabbits into jerky or turn them into rabbit meat cubes to transport to the south. He needs a lot of rabbits, so 1¡¯11 be in charge of breeding them.¡±


    Shu Wanniang frowned. ¡°Ah Ling, there are only so many people in our family now. How are we capable of doing this? Besides, no one has raised multiple rabbits before. Are you sure you can raise them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to raise herds of wild rabbits. Don¡¯t we still have more than 60 acres of low-gradend to the east of our house? Let¡¯s raise the rabbits there. 1¡¯11 discuss with the two of themter and see if we can buy seeds of grass from the Hu people in the north.¡± Mu Yangling chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to nt wheat, but surely 1 can nt grass?¡±


    Shu Wanniang¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Do we still need to nt grass? Aren¡¯t there plenty on the edge of the fields, in the mountains, and by the river?¡±


    ¡°There is, but it¡¯s not enough to feed the rabbits. Moreover, we have to cut it ourselves. You conceded that there aren¡¯t so many people at home. Later, I¡¯ll get someone to dig a ditch around the 6o acres ofnd before fencing it up with a. The rabbits can only stay inside obediently. I¡¯ll try my best to ensure their food supply.¡±


    Listening from the side, Xiuhong hurriedly promised, ¡°Aunt, we can also help Cousin. Sister and I can do things like mowing grass.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Farming will be less busy in two months. When the children in the vige are free, I can invite them to cut the grass. Mother, don¡¯t worry. If the rabbits end up dying, we can always skin them and eat them. In any case, we won¡¯t lose out.¡±


    Shu Wanniang was stunned. ¡°Don¡¯t you need to buy baby rabbits to raise rabbits?¡±


    ¡°Where can we find so many little rabbits to buy? We¡¯re just going to catch them from the mountains. I¡¯ve already discussed it with Qi Haoran. When the timees, I¡¯ll take 20%. He¡¯ll take 10% and Fan Zijin will take 70%.¡± Mu Yangling continued after a pause, ¡°Since our family doesn¡¯t have money now, 1¡¯11 have to ask Fan Zijin for money to buy grass seeds. He has to provide the grass seeds for the first year no matter what.¡±


    Shu Wanniang looked at her daughter in a daze and couldn¡¯t find any objections. After a while, she said, ¡°Then other than grass seeds, this business doesn¡¯t require any other capital.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? Otherwise, 1 wouldn¡¯t have taken the risk. The most important thing is to capture the rabbits in the mountains. Only then will our crops in the south be safe.¡± Mu Yangling didn¡¯t have much confidence in the rabbit trade. Even if Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran were very confident, her main aim was still to rescue her own crops.


    In any case, since she had no intention of nting those 60 acres of low-gradend, she considered nting grass and raising rabbits there an experiment.


    Mu Yangling went to sleep, feeling rxed.


    In the military camp, Fan Zijin could not fall asleep no matter what. This was the first major thing he was doing sinceing to Xingzhou Prefecture. Having vaguely found his future direction and value, he paid unprecedented attention to this matter. He felt that he had to design every step and key point perfectly.


    Hence, Fan Zijinid on the tablete at night to n.


    Meanwhile, next door, Qi Haoran was already snoring softly and sleeping like a dead pig.


    The next day, Mu Yangling went to the 60 acres ofnd to take a look. Squatting in the field, she said worriedly, ¡°Do you think I should build a small house for the rabbits or something?¡±


    Bowen was puzzled. ¡°Don¡¯t rabbits know how to dig holes? Isn¡¯t that their home? Why do you want us to build it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but if we raise them, they won¡¯t be wild rabbits anymore. If we build a house for them or something, they might change their habit of digging holes everywhere.¡±


    Xiuhong said directly, ¡°Cousin, our family doesn¡¯t have money at the moment.¡±


    Xin nodded repeatedly. ¡°Grandma said that she wants to nt wheat on the 30 acres of inferiornd in the south.¡±


    Mu Yangling felt her entire body ache. After a while, she said, ¡°We can¡¯t nt so many fields now. We¡¯re nearing the end of the sowing season.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why Grandma said that we should start today.¡± Xiuhong said, ¡°Cousin, let¡¯s go to the south quickly. Grandma must have brought the wheat seeds over.¡±


    Mu Yangling was discouraged. ¡°Alright, but let¡¯s just nt five acres and nothing more.¡±


    Great-aunt didn¡¯t want to leave the fields uncultivated, but Mu Yangling persuaded, ¡°Great-aunt, we still have to harvest after nting. When we¡¯re nting, 1 still have some strength to stay ahead, but when we harvest, 1 won¡¯t be able to keep up with Xiuhong. When the timees, we¡¯ll have to rely on you to harvest so muchnd all by yourself. Should we encounter heavy rain, our efforts for more than half a year will be wasted. 1 think we can only nt another five acres at most because 1 want to first see the harvest of the low-gradend.¡±


    ¡°Then do we just leave the other fields uncultivated?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we nning to raise rabbits? When the timees, we¡¯ll nt grass there and cut it for the rabbits to eat. What do you think?¡±


    Just like Shu Wanniang, Great-aunt felt that Mu Yangling¡¯s idea of raising rabbits was unreliable. However, Mu Yangling was right about the fact that this was a business without capital, so she might as well give it a try.


    Seeing that she was silent, Mu Yangling took it that she had agreed. In order to prevent her from being sad, she said, ¡°It¡¯s really because the harvest of rice and wheat is too close. If there¡¯s a longer amount of time between the two harvests, 1 wouldn¡¯t want to leave thesends uncultivated, too.¡±


    Great-aunt looked up at Mu Yangling, who only reached her chest. Yet, her slightly immature face was filled with seriousness. She couldn¡¯t help but sigh in her heart, feeling that she was asking too much of this child. After escaping from Nearhill Vige, because Mu Yangling took the initiative to bear most of the risks, she subconsciously treated her as an adult even though she always called her a child. During this period of farming, she had been treating her as a strongborer, but in fact, she was still a child.


    When Great-aunt thought of her own health condition, her heart couldn¡¯t help but soften. Forget it, so be it. Leaving thend uncultivated was better than ruining the child¡¯s health.


    At the thought of this, Great-aunt immediately felt that even nting five acres was a stretch. She said, ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s just nt another two acres today and see how the harvest of this low-gradend goes.¡±


    Blinking, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to nt five acres?¡±


    Great-aunt red at her and said, ¡°I¡¯m old and tired, alright? Let¡¯s just nt whatever we can today.¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t ask for more, and Xiuhong and the others were also happy. Children didn¡¯t like farming, for they felt that farming was too taxing.


    While Mu Yangling was nting two acres of low-gradend, Qi Haoran ran to Qi Xiuyuan and snatched 20 soldiers who had hunting experience over. He asked them to take turns leading teams into the mountains to catch rabbits and try their best to catch them alive.


    Meanwhile, Fan Zijin began to count the soldiers who could not go to the battlefield and train. From now on, these people would have to work with him.


    On the day Qi Haoran¡¯s men started to enter the mountains, Mu Yangling came to talk about the grass seeds. Fan Zijin agreed to help them get the seeds, but he did not agree to pay for the seeds alone. He said, ¡°All three of us have a share in this business. Since we¡¯re splitting the money between the three of us, everyone has to chip in..¡±

 Chapter 145 - 145: Seeds

    Chapter 145: Seeds


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling gritted her teeth. ¡°Why are you so stingy when the grass seeds aren¡¯t even expensive? Don¡¯t you know that my family is poor?¡±


    ¡°Since it¡¯s not expensive, you can definitely afford it.¡± Fan Zijin nced at her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that raising the rabbits is your responsibility. Haoran and I are already taking good care of you by helping you pay for two portions. This is only for the first year and you won¡¯t get such treatment the next year. Also, Haoran will get all the profits from the wild rabbits in the mountains this time. No one is allowed to touch them.¡±


    Mu Yangling had no objections to this, but she just didn¡¯t want to pay for the grass seeds. As Bowen had already finished his medicine, she had to enter the city today to buy another prescription for him today. Soon after, she would also send Bowen to study in the academy when the new term started. This would all cost money. There wasn¡¯t much money left from the deer salest time, so Mu Yangling decided to fight Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran to the end on this issue.


    Fan Zijin adamantly disagreed. Other than Qi Haoran, who else could take advantage of him? If Mu Yangling got her way this time, she might do the same thing in the future. Even if it wasn¡¯t much money, it wouldn¡¯t be good.


    Seeing that Fan Zijin could not be persuaded, Mu Yangling gritted her teeth and said, ¡°At most, I¡¯ll borrow the money from you first. I¡¯ll return it to you when I earn money.¡±


    Fan Zijin shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t care to lend such a small amount of money.¡±


    When Qi Haoran returned with his whip, he saw the two of them confronting each other. His eyes darted around before he pulled Mu Yangling out and asked in a low voice, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you quarrel with Zijin again?¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted and said, ¡°Who would quarrel with him? I¡¯m just trying to reason with him. Nobody knows how this business will turn out in the future. Yet, I have to be the only one to invest money in it from the beginning. I don¡¯t mind providing thebor, but I really can¡¯t fork out the money.¡±


    Qi Haoran rubbed his head and said, ¡°It requires an investment of money?¡± Qi Haoran thought about his wallet and realized that he didn¡¯t seem to have any money left. Recently, he even had to borrow money from Zijin when he went to the county restaurant to eat.


    ¡°It¡¯s the money for the grass seeds. If we want to raise rabbits, we have to nt some grass. Fan Zijin wants us to split it evenly.¡±


    Qi Haoran felt vexed. ¡°Is it very expensive?¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t even take out two taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°Two taels per person? That¡¯s not expensive.¡± Qi Haoran patted his chest and said, ¡°I have it.¡±


    Mu Yangling sat cross-legged on the grass and said sadly, ¡°Two taels is indeed not expensive. In the past, I could afford it, but I can¡¯t now.¡±


    Qi Haoran sat beside her and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll lend it to you.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at him and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask me why I don¡¯t have money? It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know that 1 just sold a deer for 35 taels of silver when winter came.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯ve been using that 35 taels of silver until now?¡± Qi Haoran looked at her with admiration. ¡°50 taels of silver isn¡¯t even enough tost me a month!¡±


    Qi Haoran did not have a sry, but he had to socialize. Qi Xiuyuan only gave him 50 taels of silver a month, which was not enough for Qi Haoran to spend. As such, he had to borrow money from Fan Zijin every month.


    However, Mu Yangling felt that he was sponging off his brother too much. She asked, ¡°What do you do with the 50 taels of silver?¡±


    Qi Haoran was confused. ¡°It¡¯s just gone without me doing anything.¡±


    Mu Yangling:¡±¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran scratched his head and said, ¡°If it¡¯s only two taels of silver, I can afford it. Why don¡¯t I help you fork out this sum of silver? Even when including Zijin¡¯s share, it¡¯s only six taels of silver.¡±


    Qi Haoran felt that this money was really too littlepared to his expenses. He didn¡¯t understand why Zijin wanted to fight Mu Yangling over this. Didn¡¯t Zijin have more money than him?


    Mu Yangling patted his shoulder and said like they were close brothers, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely return it to youter.¡±


    Qi Haoran waved his hand and said nonchntly, ¡°It¡¯s only two taels of silver. There¡¯s no need to return it.¡±


    ¡°How can 1 do that?¡± Mu Yangling lowered her head shyly, before raising her head again and punching Qi Haoran¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Then 1 won¡¯t stand on ceremony with you.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded happily. ¡°That¡¯s right. You don¡¯t have to stand on ceremony with me.¡± It was only two taels of silver, not 200 taels.


    Although Mu Yangling said that, she remembered this favor in her heart and felt even closer to Qi Haoran.


    Meanwhile, Fan Zijin, who had secretly run over to eavesdrop, could not help but grind his teeth. Mu Yangling was really cunning to have taken advantage of his absence to cheat Haoran of his money.


    Fan Zijin snorted and turned to leave.


    Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran were still chatting happily.


    In the end, it was Qi Haoran who paid for the grass seeds. He handed the money to Fan Zijin and asked him to find someone to buy the grass seeds.


    In fact, the reason why they could buy good grass seeds so easily was because of the Hus¡¯ grazing.


    The ce upied by the Hu people outside Xingcheng Pass was originally a good farnd. However, after the Hu people upied it, because they did not know how to farm and had no desire to farm, they scattered grass seeds in the fields and turned the farnd into a grasnd for grazing.


    Because they nted grass every year, it wasn¡¯t difficult to buy grass seeds. The difficult part was buying seeds from the other side when the two armies were fighting. If the Jin soldiers discovered them, they would most likely be captured.


    However, the bold Fan Zijin found a soldier who had been a scout and simply went over.


    Mu Yangling only knew that he went over to buy seeds, but she did not know that he was carrying other missions on his shoulders. Not to mention Qi Haoran, even Fan Zijin was unwilling to let the scout go over there just to buy those few bags of seeds.


    ¡°Sister, what are we going to buy?¡± Little Bowen held Mu Yangling¡¯s hand tightly and looked curiously at the lively crowd on the street.


    After a winter of recuperation, the county gradually regained its former liveliness. This was the first time Little Bowen had seen such a lively scene. In the past, when they came to buy New Year¡¯s goods, it had not been so lively.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find a bookstore and buy you some school supplies. We¡¯ll go to the pharmacyter to buy you medicine.¡±


    Xin said with a bitter expression, ¡°Cousin, you¡¯re so pitiful to have to take medicine every day.¡±


    However, Bowen was already used to it. ¡°Why is taking medicine pitiful?¡±


    Mu Yangling quickly interrupted Xin and said to Bowen, ¡°Your cousin Xin just thinks that the medicine is very bitter, but actually, it¡¯s not pitiful to take medicine at all. It¡¯s pitiful to need medicine but not have the means to take it.¡±


    Bowen nodded. ¡°I know. Just like Grandma Hu. She¡¯s sick yet she can¡¯t afford medicine. She had to endure her sickness without medicine. She¡¯s so pitiful.¡±


    Some time ago, Grandma Hu had a high fever. Since the Hu family did not have money to buy medicine, they only used cold water to cool her down and she had to endure the sickness for two days. Although she could walk now, she had clearly lost weight. Bowen, Xin, and the other children were shocked to see her in her current state.


    Although it was bad to speak about others behind their backs, Mu Yangling still taught them, ¡°So in the future, when you¡¯re sick, you have to take medicine, especially when it¡¯s such a serious illness. Don¡¯t feel bad about the money. Even if you have to sell everything, you have to get through the illness first. You have to know that people are the most important thing in this world. If you lose your wealth and things, you can always earn them again. If someone loses their life, they¡¯re gone forever.¡±


    Mu Yangling was someone who had been reborn. When she thought about how her father had sacrificed himself in a foreign country and how she had also died in the forest, she still couldn¡¯t understand. Did everyone reincarnate after death, or was she the only exception? Did she forget to drink Old Lady Meng¡¯s soup 9 when crossing the Bridge of Helplessness? ?


    However, it remained unchanged that a death was a death. As an independent individual, even if he could reincarnate or be reborn, this person would no longer be the same person.


    The Mu Yangling in the modern world was already dead. Even if Mu Yangling had the memories of her previous life, she was a different person now.


    Because here, she had parents and rtives that she cared about and did things that she would never have done in her previous life.

 Chapter 146 - 146: Preparation

    Chapter 146 - 146: Preparation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Seeing that his sister was in a daze, Little Bowen couldn¡¯t help but hold her hand nervously. ¡°Sister, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Mu Yangling came back to her senses and put on a gentle smile. Patting his head, she said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s go find the bookstore first. The old bookstore is no longer open because of the Jin soldiers. I wonder where this new bookstore is now.¡±


    After walking around the county, Mu Yangling finally found the new bookstore in a corner of the street where the old bookstore had been previously.


    Mu Yangling looked at the slightly blocked facade at the protruding corner of the wall and then looked up at its que. Only then was she certain that this was really the bookstore she had been looking for.


    Speechless, Mu Yangling pulled Bowen in and asked the boss, who was sleeping on the recliner, ¡°Why did you open a bookstore here? It took us a long time to find this ce.¡±


    The bookstore owner raised his eyelids and nced at them. Then, he lowered his eyes and said, ¡°All the academies and private schools in the county know that my bookstore is located here. You can go and take a look at whatever you want to buy. Just pay the bill when you¡¯re done browsing.¡±


    So this boss was only counting on business from the academies.


    Mu Yangling muttered as she pulled Bowen in. She took the book list that the academy¡¯s teacher had written for him and chose a few books. Then, she went to choose a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. ¡°Bowen,e and take a look. Which one do you want?¡±


    This being Bowen¡¯s first time shopping in a bookstore, he reached out to touch the inkstone on the table lovingly before reluctantly looking away from it. He said obediently, ¡°Sister, just choose for me.¡±


    Mu Yangling stroked his head and reached out to pick up the inkstone he had touched just now. She chose a few more brushes from the brush holder before bringing him to look at the inksticks.


    As these were all marked with prices, Mu Yangling knew at a nce if she could afford them. Hence, she didn¡¯t need to ask the boss for the price.


    When choosing ink, Mu Yangling hesitated.


    She picked up a rtively cheap inkstick and asked the boss, ¡°Will this smudge?¡±


    The boss opened his eyes and took a look. ¡°Yes.¡± He nced at Mu Bowen, who was beside her feet, and said, ¡°Inksticks below 500 copper coins will smudge. If you want something better, buy something that costs 800 copper coins or one tael of silver.¡±


    The inksticks here were sold in packs of ten pieces. Should one wish to purchase an individual piece, it would be more expensive. Since inksticks were bought for the purpose of studying, people would usually buy a pack at once. Frowning, Mu Yangling thought for a moment. In the end, she put down the ink in her hand and picked up an inkstick respectively costing 800 copper coins and one tael to smell. In the end, she decided to buy the ones costing one tael of silver.


    After choosing the items, Mu Yangling brought them over and asked the boss to settle the bill.


    The boss knew at a nce that it was for a new student. He nced at Mu Bowen before asking Mu Yangling, ¡°Where are the adults in your family?¡± ¡°They¡¯re busy, so I came here with my brother.¡± Mu Yangling flipped through the booklet beside her. She remembered that she had always prepared notebooks to record notes when she was studying. After all, there were so many notes that there wasn¡¯t enough space in her textbook to record them. Hence, Mu Yangling took out another nk booklet and handed it to the boss. ¡°I¡¯ll take this too.¡±


    The boss¡¯s lips curled up slightly as a smile appeared on his face. He nodded in admiration. ¡°You sure know how to choose. Is he not the first person to attend school in your family?¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned for a moment before nodding. ¡°My mother and father are both literate. 1 can read a few words too.¡± However, only she and her mother were properly educated. What her father knew was taught by her mother.


    For a family with so many literate individuals, the boss mistakenly assumed them as schrly farmers.


    Schrs tended to have a certain air about them, so upon identifying that they were schrly farmers, and seemingly not well-off, the boss intentionally omitted the price of some items. In the end, hezily calcted the abacus and said, ¡°A total of 9 taels and 520 copper coins.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Isn¡¯t it 10 taels and 320 copper coins?¡± She searched through the items before finally pointing at the two tubes of brushes and pile of paper. ¡°You forgot to calcte these two, right?¡±


    The boss red at her and wrapped it up for her. Then, he said, ¡°10 taels and 300 copper coins then. 1¡¯11 round down those 20 copper coins for you.¡±


    Mu Yangling was a little confused by his re, but she still thanked him and took out money from her pocket.


    Just as she was about to turn around and leave with the things, the boss asked, ¡°How did you calcte so quickly?¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, you¡¯re talking about tallying the bill?¡± Mu Yangling said matter-of-factly, ¡°I calcted it mentally.¡±


    The boss frowned but did not ask in detail. He nced at their baskets and said, ¡°Your brother has to buy a briefcase for school. Otherwise, how can he bring books to the academy?¡± The boss pointed at a corner and said, ¡°The briefcases are over there. Go take a look. I¡¯ll give you a discount.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the boxes and thought to herself, ¡®No matter how cheap it is, we won¡¯t be able to afford it.¡¯ If they bought this on top of the medicine, they¡¯d be using up all their money and could only hope Great-aunt could sell the wild rabbits. It was good to have some spare money at home. Besides, Bowen wouldn¡¯t be able to carry a briefcase considering it was so heavy.


    Mu Yangling declined the boss¡¯s good intentions and held Bowen and Xin¡¯s hands as they left. Xiuhong followed closely behind. After walking far away, Xiuhong said unhappily, ¡°Cousin, that boss isn¡¯t friendly at all.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°This boss is not friendly, but he¡¯s very interesting. He¡¯s even better than the previous bookstore owner.¡±


    Mu Yangling brought them to the pharmacy and took out Bowen¡¯s old prescription for the shopkeeper to see. The shopkeeper looked at the prescription and then at Mu Bowen. Seeing that his face was still rosy, he asked, ¡°When did you start taking this prescription?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been taking it for five months. It was prescribed by the doctor when our family was still in Seven Mile Vige. He¡¯s been taking medicine previously, but it was a different prescription previously.¡± Mu Yangling took out a cloth bag from her pocket and showed him the previous prescription. ¡°This is the prescription for my younger brother before he was two years old. This prescription was given two years ago. When the symptoms started, he took one set every two days. Usually, he takes one set every two days. This one was given inte autumnst year. Usually, he takes one set every two days.¡±


    Nodding, the shopkeeper said, ¡°These are all medicinal herbs that nourish the body. They¡¯re not very toxic, but since he¡¯s still young, it¡¯s more or less harmful to take medicine for so many years. If you want to change the prescription, why don¡¯t you ask my boss to take his pulse and have a new prescription written? If the chronic illness in his body has been cured, then there¡¯s no need to take medicine anymore. Food therapy is much better than taking medicine.¡±


    Mu Yangling hesitated for a moment before agreeing. She held her brother¡¯s hand and went to see the boss.


    Benevolence Hall was a century-old pharmacy in Mingshui County with a ster reputation. Other than an in-house physician, the owner, the Pang family, also treated patients here. Today, the head of the Pang family, Pang Kongqing, was the one attending to patients.


    Mu Yangling led Mu Bowen over and a smile bloomed on his face. He waved at him kindly. ¡°Come and let Uncle take a look.¡±


    Pang Kongqing¡¯s face was gentle and amiable, making people subconsciously trust him. Even Mu Yangling could not help but have a good impression of him, let alone Bowen, who was so young.


    Pang Kongqing smiled, making Little Bowen¡¯s previous nervousness dissipate slightly. He sat obediently on the chair and extended his hand to him..

 Chapter 147 - 147: Food Therapy

    Chapter 147 - 147: Food Therapy


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After Pang Kongqing finished taking his pulse, he looked at Little Bowen and asked softly, ¡°What did you eat this morning? Do you usually eat like this? What did you eatst night? What about yesterday afternoon?¡±


    Little Bowen answered them one by one in a clear and organized manner. Pang Kongqing could not help but take a few more nces at him before nodding slightly. Looking at their clothes and limbs, he understood the situation. After pondering for a moment, Pang Kongqing picked up a pen and said to Mu Yangling, ¡°I¡¯ll prescribe him a warm and nourishing prescription. His diet is usually rather light, but he has to eat nutritious foods as well. Although he¡¯s born with a congenital deficiency, he¡¯s been nursing his health rather well. At this rate, he should be able topletely stop using medicine in three to four years.¡±


    Mu Yangling frowned. Although Traditional Chinese Medicine was rtively gentle and Bowen was taking a warm nourishing prescription, there would definitely be medicinal poison left in his body after consuming it for seven to eight years.


    Pang Kongqing could tell what Mu Yangling was thinking at a nce. Sighing, he said, ¡°It¡¯s not that there¡¯s no better way, but that method of nursing one¡¯s health is too meticulous. I¡¯m afraid your family can¡¯t afford it, and your ability and energy are insufficient.¡±


    ¡°Sir, why don¡¯t you tell us about it? Perhaps my family has a way. Even if we can¡¯t do it now, we can adopt the method when we have the ability in the future.¡± Mu Yangling looked at Pang Kongqing with bright eyes when she heard that there was a safer way.


    ¡°It¡¯s not difficult actually. You have to know that food and medicine have the same origin. In ¡®The Yellow Emperor¡¯s Inner ssic 0¡¯, there¡¯s a saying that goes, ¡®Grains nourish, fruits assist, livestock enhance, vegetables supplement. When vors harmonize and are consumed, they replenish essence and improve energy.¡¯ However in the case of food therapy, to achieve a better nourishment effect, the ingredients and the precision of the cooking are not something an ordinary family can afford.¡± Pang Kongqing paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°First and foremost, it requires one to have the utmost exquisite culinary skills. After cooking, you have to preserve most of the nutrients in the ingredients so that they can take effect from the inside out. Over time, one¡¯s cirction will be enhanced, and their essence energy will naturally be abundant. Moreover, because it¡¯s food therapy, there¡¯s no medicinal poison. One¡¯s internal organs will be nourished, allowing them to regain perfect health.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Yangling understood, Pang Kongqing said with a smile, ¡°I see that you and your younger siblings have calluses in your hands. Other than the new calluses on your younger brother¡¯s palms, the rest are old calluses. Based on this, I don¡¯t think your family is rich. If your younger brother chooses to stop taking medicine and opts for food therapy instead, he has to eat in such a way for years without stopping. Although this warm nourishment prescription is a medicine, it has its own benefits. At least, when your family falls into difficult times, it¡¯s fine to pause consumption for two to three months. He¡¯ll recover after taking it for three to four years. On the other hand, food therapy will definitely take longer and consume more time.¡±


    Mu Yangling lowered her head and thought for a moment. Then, she looked up and said seriously, ¡°Sir, please give us a prescription for food therapy. It¡¯s best if you can write down clearly how to prepare the ingredients and if there¡¯s anything he needs to avoid eating.¡±


    Pang Kongqing looked at her suspiciously. ¡°Someone in your family knows how to cook? This food therapy is very detailed.¡±


    ¡°Sir, don¡¯t worry. My mother¡¯s culinary skills are not bad. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem for her.¡±


    When Pang Kongqing heard her say this, he turned around and went into the inner room to take out a booklet. He said, ¡°This is the food therapy prescription 1 wrote. Preparation methods are written below. Of course, it¡¯s only a rough idea. If your mother¡¯s culinary skills are good, she can improve upon them. However, you have to try your best to ensure that the nutrients in them are preserved. I¡¯ve also recorded all kinds of cooking methods suitable for specific foods.¡±


    Mu Yangling did not expect Pang Kongqing to treat them so well. She could not help but decline. ¡°This must be very precious, right? How can I take it away? Why don¡¯t I make a copy?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Take it, I have multiple copies. But, I have a condition. Your brother has toe over every half a month for me to take his pulse. Also, if you find a way to improve the cooking method, you have to write me a copy.¡± Then, he said, ¡°In return, your brother doesn¡¯t need to pay for any treatment here. Whatever your brother needs to use, I¡¯ll give it to him for free. How about that?¡±


    Mu Yangling widened her eyes and looked at him. She couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Sir, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re experimenting on my brother?¡±


    Pang Kongqing waved his hands and said, ¡°No, no. This food therapy is indeed better than the warm nourishing prescription, but I don¡¯t know just how good it is. After all, no one can persevere for years. Actually, 1 just want to test the taste of the dishes in this booklet¡­¡± Under Mu Yangling¡¯s gaze, Pang Kongqing had no choice but to confess. ¡°The dishes in the booklet do have the effect of food therapy, but the taste is a little strange. Although it¡¯s strange, it¡¯s at least better than bitter medicine. At least, it¡¯s guaranteed that there¡¯s no medicinal poison and no future trouble¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling took the booklet and flipped through it. She realized that it was only a simple cooking method for a single ingredient, as well as some things to pay special attention to. The main aim of the entire booklet was to ensure nutrition. Therefore, some dishes were half-cooked because being too cooked would cause some nutrition of the ingredients to be lost. The amount of oil and salt was also strictly restricted. Mu Yangling felt that she had lost her appetite just by flipping through the booklet.


    She looked down at her brother and began to hesitate.


    One of the greatest joys in life was to ¡°eat¡±. With this booklet, although the ingredients were exquisite, ording to his cooking methods, the deliciousness of the food would undoubtedly be lost. How could her brother, who was still so young, lose such an important thing as the joy of eating?


    Mu Yangling put away the booklet and said to Pang Kongqing, ¡°Sir, I think I have to go back and discuss it with my parents.¡±


    A foodie himself, Pang Kongqing knew the pain as he had tried all the food therapy recipes here. He hurriedly nodded and said, ¡°Go back and ask your parents for their opinions first. I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡±


    Seeing that they were about to turn around and leave, Pang Kongqing quickly stopped them and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I prescribe a few recipes for your brother¡¯s food therapy first? When you get back, you can make them for your brother to try.¡± Pang Kongqing coughed lightly and said, ¡°Although my recipes are a little unptable, it¡¯s true food therapy. You don¡¯t add any medicinal herbs in it at all, unlike medicinal cuisine recipes where you have to add medicinal herbs when stewing vegetables.¡±


    At the mention of medicinal cuisine, Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Sir, there¡¯s also a doctor who prescribed a medicinal cuisine recipe for my brother. He¡¯s actually eaten it for a while. Although it has a medicinal taste, the taste isn¡¯t especially terrible. What do you think about changing to medicinal cuisine?¡± Pang Kongqing was stunned for a moment before saying, ¡°It¡¯s not impossible. Since there¡¯s medicine in medicinal cuisine, it actually works faster than food therapy. However, because there¡¯s medicine in it after all, there¡¯s more or less some medicinal poison. If it¡¯s an ordinary person, medicinal cuisine will naturally be better than food therapy. However, your brother has been taking medicine for many years since he was born. There¡¯s already enough medicinal poison umted in his body. It¡¯s naturally best not to add more at this time. Moreover, using food therapy can slowly eliminate the medicinal poison that has already umted in his body.¡±


    In other words,plete food therapy was the best solution.


    Mu Yangling could only bring her brother home first.


    As today was Mu Shi¡¯s day off, Mu Yangling squatted at the entrance of the vige and waited for him.


    She figured she should ask her father for his opinion on this matter.


    Mu Yangling felt that losing the chance to taste delicacies was a terrible thing, but Mu Shi and Shu Wanniang agreed without thinking. Shu Wanniang even med Mu Yangling. ¡°Child, what¡¯s there to reject when it¡¯s such a wonderful thing?¡±


    ¡°But Mother, Physician Pang said that those dishes all taste pretty crappy. Little Brother has to eat that kind of thing for three meals a day and won¡¯t be able to eat the delicious venison and rabbit meat I roast. Isn¡¯t that sad?¡±


    Xiuhong nodded fiercely from the side. ¡°If 1 could only stand at the side and watch while my cousin and the others were eating roasted meat, I would be very pitiful too.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at her parents with an expression that said, ¡°Right, right? I¡¯m not lying to you, right?¡± She said, ¡°So we have to ask Bowen for his opinion and see if he¡¯s willing to eat those strange-tasting stuff and give up on eating all kinds of delicacies with us.¡±

 Chapter 148 - 148: Meeting

    Chapter 148: Meeting


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Little Bowen looked around and finally said, ¡°1¡¯11 listen to Sister.¡±


    Mu Yangling opened her mouth wide and was momentarily at a loss.


    Mu Shi immediately said, ¡°Let¡¯s use this method. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s costly.


    1 will think of a way.¡±


    Shu Wanniang also said, ¡°I¡¯ll study that food therapy booklet again and see if I can improve the taste. Ah Ling, 1 know what you mean, but to us, nothing is more important than your brother¡¯s health. When he recovers, what can¡¯t he do in the future?¡±


    Having instantly lost the courage to object, Mu Yangling asked her father curiously, ¡°Father, what can you think of?¡±


    Mu Shi rubbed his daughter¡¯s hair and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You just have to take good care of the family. I heard that you¡¯re doing business with Little General and Young Master Fan? Then you have to be more careful. Don¡¯t let them suffer a loss.¡±


    ¡°How is that doing business? I¡¯m just helping them raise rabbits. The business aspect is Fan Zijin¡¯s responsibility.¡± Seeing that her father was unwilling to tell her, Mu Yangling did not ask further.


    The next day, she went to the streets to buy the ingredients on the food therapy booklet. As the three meals each day differed, there were many things to buy. Also, some of those ingredients were quite expensive.


    Great-aunt had taken out all the money earned from selling rabbits over the past few days. It was only when Mu Yangling had money in her purse that she didn¡¯t panic. After buying the goods, she carefully kept them in the basket on her back.


    On the other hand, Pang Kongqing from Benevolence Hall was very happy to know that the Mu Family had agreed to the food therapy treatment. He even introduced two provision stores to Mu Yangling. It was said that the things from these two stores were not bad, where dry fruits and misceneous grains could be bought. It was said that the quality was even better than the goods from legitimate grain stores.


    Mu Yangling remembered that she still had barley rice to buy, so she went to one of the provision stores. As soon as she entered, she saw the owner of the provision store pushing someone out. ¡°We really can¡¯t ept this. Not many people here eat this.¡±


    ¡°Why not? You can eat it with grains after grinding it.¡± The person dragging arge sack had a worried expression on his face. His skin was dark and red from being frequently under the sun, so one could tell at a nce that he was an old farmer.


    The boss waved his hand and said, ¡°Who would be willing to eat this except during disaster years? Hurry up and take it away. I really don¡¯t ept such stuff here.¡± As he pushed, a few corn kernels fell out andnded in front of Mu Yangling.


    When Mu Yangling bent down to pick it up, she was surprised to see that there was already corn at this time.


    The old farmer squatted on the ground with red eyes and was about to cry. He wiped his eyes and choked. ¡°Didn¡¯t people say that this is good stuff? Why isn¡¯t it epted? My mother is still waiting for the money to get the medicine. We¡¯re really screwed by the Old Emperor. How muchnd have we wasted nting this thing?¡±


    The boss could not bear it and could not help but say, ¡°That¡¯s from an old almanac. Emperor Shizong has been dead for so many years and the current Emperor has long forgotten those words. It¡¯s also because you live in the deep mountains and old forests that you don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on outside. Do you think it¡¯s still the same as before? It¡¯s been decades since people nted maize. It¡¯s not delicious and it¡¯s a waste of goodnd. The yield is not high either. I really don¡¯t understand why Emperor Shizong promoted it so much and even went all the way out to the sea to look for it.¡±


    The boss shook his head and patted the old farmer¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I pity you too, but I have to support my family. 1 really have no choice. You should find another store. Perhaps someone will ept it.¡± The boss turned around and saw Mu Yangling carrying a basket on her back. He quickly asked with a smile, ¡°Youngdy, what do you want to buy?¡±


    ¡°Barley rice.¡±


    ¡°All, I just received a new batch. It¡¯s top-notch and cheap. Come in and take a look.¡±


    Mu Yangling raised her feet and was about to walk in when she turned around and saw the man sitting on the steps, looking nkly at the peopleing and going on the street. Mu Yangling stopped in her tracks and turned to ask the boss, ¡°Did hee from the deep mountains?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. No one hase out for decades. I heard that his mother is seriously ill and the barefoot doctor? in the mountains can¡¯t treat her. That¡¯s why he wanted to bring her out to see a doctor, so he brought the grains from home to pay for the medicine. However, no one wanted the corn even if it¡¯s free. It¡¯s been decades since anyone nted this.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Isn¡¯t the yield of corn very high? Why isn¡¯t anyone nting it?¡±


    This time, it was the boss¡¯s turn to be surprised. ¡°Corn is high-yielding? The corn nted on good-gradend and carefully cultivated doesn¡¯t even harvest as high a yield as wheat. It¡¯s not delicious either. 1 really don¡¯t understand why Emperor Shizong insisted on finding this thing.¡± The boss sighed and said, ¡°It¡¯s said in the history books that this is a failure of Emperor Shizong. After spending so much manpower and resources, all they got back was a useless grain. That¡¯s true. Emperor Shizong was born as an emperor, and he has never farmed before. How would he know that corn is high-yielding?¡±


    Because he was a transmigrator, of course he knew. Moreover, he was not wrong. Corn was indeed high-yielding. At leastpared to wheat and rice, it was very high-yielding.


    Mu Yangling thought in her heart.


    When she came out after buying barley rice, the man had already carried his sack and ced it on the cart. She saw him walk to a corner, pick up a ck-haired person wrapped in a nket, and carefully ce her on the cart.


    Mu Yangling knew that it was his mother. Seeing him push the car helplessly, Mu Yangling could not move.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t like to eat corn. In fact, she hated it very much. In elementary school, she would even vomit when she saw corn porridge. In high school, she couldn¡¯t understand why so many people liked such cheap and disgusting food when she saw her ssmates order corn porridge every time they went out to eat porridge.


    Even if the corn porridge they ate at that time was sticky glutinous corn and not the yellow corn that was used to feed pigs, she still could not ept it.


    Because she was sick of eating it, having eaten it since she was young.


    Those few years when she was stationed at the border with her father were the most arduous. She still remembered that year when there was a drought and the local people reaped a poor harvest. Every family could only eat yellow corn. As her father¡¯s regiment saved all the rice and white flour and sent them to the welfare institutes and nursing homes for the children and elders, she could only eat yellow corn with her father.


    Large corn kernels were crushed and ced in a pot to boil. Mu Yangling was only five years old at that time. Before dawn, her father made her wake up and sit in front of the stove to watch the fire, while he went to lead the soldiers to do morning exercises. She could only keep the fire going, hoping to make the corn porridge softer. However, even after using arge pot to cook for two hours, the corn was still hard and took a long time to chew it before she could swallow it. When the corn kernels slid into her throat, there was even a rustling sound. She truly disliked it, but she had no choice but to eat it.


    Her father said that corn porridge was actually very delicious, and it was just that that year¡¯s corn was too old, that¡¯s why it hurt the throat when consumed.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t believe it at all. In her opinion, corn was disgusting.


    That year, the drought made her eat corn porridge for a year and a half. From then on, she stopped eating corn. Mu Yangling felt that she still hated corn, especially now that she was seeing another family sad because of corn.


    But it was undeniable that corn was indeed a high-yielding crop and could be prepared in many ways.

 Chapter 149 - 149: Shizong’s Failure

    Chapter 149: Shizong¡¯s Failure


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling turned around and walked to the man¡¯s side. She asked, ¡°How much is your maize?¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes lit up. He quickly straightened his back and said happily, ¡°Whatever. You can pay whatever price you want.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at his mother. Seeing that she was tightly wrapped, she asked, ¡°You brought your mother to see a doctor? What illness did the doctor say it was?¡±


    The man wilted and muttered, ¡°Yes, the doctor from the Benevolence Hall said that my mother is old and exhausted herself in her younger days. As such, she has to buy a lot of warm and nourishing medicine. When they saw that 1 didn¡¯t have money, they didn¡¯t charge me for the consultation fee, but they refused to agree to exchange the maize for medicine.¡±


    Mu Yangling sighed and touched her purse. ¡°Let me see your corn.¡±


    When the man heard this, he quickly opened his pocket for her to see. Mu Yangling held it in her hand and took a closer look. When she realized that the corn had dried very nicely and could be used as seeds, she threw it down and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have enough money on me, so you have to go somewhere with me. If you¡¯re lucky, 1 can buy all your maize.¡±


    In Xingzhou Prefecture, the only person Mu Yangling could seek help from was Qi Haoran, so Mu Yangling brought him to the entrance of the military camp. When Qi Haoran ran out, he saw the two of them squatting in front of the cart. He nced at the man curiously and asked Mu Yangling, ¡°Who is this? Why are you looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Something major.¡± Mu Yangling patted her butt and stood up. She asked, ¡°Do you know about the corn that Emperor Shizong mentioned?¡±


    Qi Haoran responded with a nk look. He had no idea.


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips. As expected, she couldn¡¯t count on him. She looked at Fan Zijin, who was slowly walking out of the military camp.


    Fan Zijin asked slowly, ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡±


    ¡°Wherever Qi Haoran is, you can be found. Wherever you appear, there will be an encyclopedia. Fan Zijin, give us an introduction to the corn that Emperor Shizong mentioned.¡± Actually, Mu Yangling did not know about this historical event either, but she felt that Fan Zijin must know. Without going through the history books, she could only find out from Fan Zijin.


    Sure enough, Fan Zijin only nced at him before starting to exin, ¡°The corn was something that Emperor Shizong had painstakingly sent a fleet down to Nanyang to find. Back then, Emperor Shizong had once said in front of all the civil and military officials that corn is high-yielding. If the Central ins obtained it, they would not starve even in the deste years. The officials believed him and agreed to Emperor Shizong sending troops out to sea to search for corn. However, by the time the corn was found, Emperor Shizong had long passed away. The farmers nted the corn ording to Emperor Shizong¡¯s wishes. Despite careful cultivation, the harvest was not good, causing farmers to suffer huge losses. In addition, the corn was not delicious, so they gradually abandoned it. Because the corn was well wrapped, everyone started calling it ¡®maize,¡¯ but it was actually a satire on Emperor Shizong. Maize is not the noble rice of the aristocracy.¡±


    Fan Zijin sighed before continuing, ¡°Actually, Emperor Shizong has great talent and great strategies. He rarely makes mistakes, but he has suffered setbacks repeatedly in agriculture. One year, Emperor Shizong held a banquet for hundreds of officials. After getting drunk, he said that in the future, wheat and rice could be produced at a high yield of 1000 catties per acre. However, in fact, no matter how hard the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue tried, they could only increase the entire country¡¯s production yield from no to 150 catties per acre. Jiangnan is better, and it¡¯s not difficult to produce 200 to 300 catties of rice per acre. However, because our Xingzhou Prefecture¡¯snd is of poor quality and water conservancy facilities are inconvenient, a yield of 200 catties per acre is the maximum it can reach. No one has ever dreamed of yielding 1000 catties per acre. Because of this, Emperor Shizong¡¯s wisdom has been discounted a bit. However, it¡¯s undeniable that it was Emperor Shizong who pacified the war and unified the world, allowing the people to live and work in peace. He even established a policy that¡¯s beneficial to helping the people to recuperate and build up strength. Unfortunately, Emperor Shizong died too early.¡±


    Fan Zijin did not say the rest, but Mu Yangling already understood because of the many sighs she had heard in the teahouses and restaurants.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s focus was on corn now. She asked, ¡°Then how did you nt them? Why isn¡¯t the harvest as high as wheat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only half-experienced in agriculture. Coincidentally, there¡¯s no record of the nting of maize in the agricultural books I read.¡± Fan Zijin continued after a pause, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s precisely because this corn was so highly praised by Emperor Shizong that everyone was so unwilling to mention it after it failed. Now that no one is nting maize anymore, why are you asking?¡±


    Mu Yangling pulled open the man¡¯s sack for them to see and said, ¡°He nted this. It¡¯s said that most of their vige is nting this because their county magistrate said that whoever can grow corn of high quality and high yield will be rewarded by the emperor. This order was passed down by their ancestors by word of mouth, therefore they had actually been nting this for decades. Because they haven¡¯t left the mountain much, they actually don¡¯t know that the world outside has changed.¡±


    Stunned, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin widened their eyes and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the county magistrate in charge of their county, as well as the registrar who went to collect taxes, also have no idea?¡±


    Wiping his tears, the man said, ¡°Back then, after our vige nted corn, we sent it to the county magistrate. The county magistrate didn¡¯t give us the reward money and only said that we would be exempted from taxes in the future. He only asked that we keep nting corn. No one came to our vige to collect taxes for so many years. We have to cross three mountains to get out of our vige. The terrain is steep and the vige has everything, so we never came out. We had no idea that the emperor had already been reced several times. Someone even said that our vige was no longer part of the Great Zhou but the Jin Kingdom. Isn¡¯t that nonsense? Our household registration passes were issued by the Great Zhou.¡±


    This time, Mu Yangling, Qi Haoran, and Fan Zijin opened their mouths wide and asked in unison, ¡°Where exactly do you live?¡±


    The man said nkly, ¡°It¡¯s in the mountains. Our vige is called Four Tray Vige.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean which town, county, or prefecture do you belong to? You should know this, right?¡± Qi Haoran asked anxiously.


    The man looked at him nkly, not understanding what he was asking.


    In the end, it was the old person on the cart who lifted the nket with difficulty. She exhaled and said, ¡°We live in Qingshu Town in Baoshan County. My son has never left the mountain, so the children don¡¯t quite remember since the elderly don¡¯t really mention it.¡±


    The elderly woman panted a few times as she spoke. The man quickly went forward to support his mother and looked at Mu Yangling eagerly. ¡°Youngdy, didn¡¯t you want to buy my corn? Are you going to buy it or not? 1 need to bring my mother to get the medicine.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course we¡¯ll buy it.¡± Qi Haoran jumped out and said, ¡°How much is it? I¡¯ll buy it all. But since I¡¯m buying your things, you have to do me a favor.¡± Miraculously, Fan Zijin did not object.


    Mu Yangling blinked and immediately understood their n. Baoshan County had been upied by the Jin Kingdom four years ago and was indeed under the Jin Kingdom¡¯s rule now. The Four Tray Vige they were in might have escaped a cmity because of its istion and remoteness. Since they belonged to Baoshan County, they definitely had a way to reach Baoshan County. However, he actually chose toe to Mingshui County to seek treatment. What did that mean?


    This meant that there was a path that they did not know that led to Baoshan County from Mingshui County..

 Chapter 150 - 150: How to Plant It

    Chapter 150: How to nt It


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    In the end, Fan Zijin had to fork out money to buy his corn because Qi Haoran really didn¡¯t have a single cent left.


    Such seeds were naturally useless for the two of them, so Mu Yangling took over and said to the two of them seriously, ¡°Actually, corn is truly a high-yielding crop that can grow in the drnds, and doesn¡¯t need to be served more meticulously than wheat. When I go back, I¡¯ll nt it in the remaining 20-odd acres of low-gradend in the south.¡± Mu Yangling touched the sack and sighed slightly. ¡°Although 1 don¡¯t like to eat corn, I can¡¯t deny that what Shizong said makes sense. Now that it¡¯s a chaotic world, who knows if the heavens wille out and interfere? Therefore, it¡¯s still better to have an additional life-saving item.¡±


    Mu Yangling pinched the corn and said in the end, ¡°1 prefer to call it maize. Sounds more unptable and cheaper.¡±


    This time, even Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin could sense the deep displeasure in her tone.


    Fan Zijin looked at her suspiciously. ¡°You¡¯ve eaten maize before?¡± He had also seen the description and image of corn in ¡®The Alternate Matter Records¡¯. That was why he could recognize this thing immediately after Mu Yangling mentioned it. Why did it seem like Mu Yangling was very familiar with this?


    Instead of exining, Mu Yangling just looked at the mother and son and asked Qi Haoran, ¡°What do you n to do?¡±


    Qi Haoran replied with a serious expression, ¡°Of course I¡¯ll keep them here. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll arrange their amodation. The military doctor will treat his mother¡¯s illness, and the medicinal herbs will be provided by me.¡± A bear-like glint shed across Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.¡±


    After that, it was all confidential. Qi Haoran stopped talking and Mu Yangling stopped asking.


    Fan Zijin went over to discuss with the man. Although he had juste out of the mountains and was an honest man, he was still vignt. Moreover, Qi Haoran was a soldier. Themoners had never had a good impression of soldiers.


    Fan Zijin pointed at Mu Yangling and said with a smile, ¡°This is our younger sister. She wants to nt the maize you brought here, but she has never nted them before, so we hope that you can stay and give her some pointers.¡± Fan Zijin looked at the old woman lying on the bed and said worriedly, ¡°Your mother¡¯s body is so weak. Even if she takes the medicine, I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t be able to travel such a long distance back. Why don¡¯t you stay and wait for your mother to recover before leaving?¡±


    The man looked at his mother and agreed without thinking. He rubbed his hands helplessly and said, ¡°But how can 1 live in the military camp? Why don¡¯t 1 just find some ce to stay in the county? If the youngdy wants to nt seeds, she can juste and look for me.¡±


    How could Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin let him leave in peace, let alone let him stay in the military camp? This person¡¯s identity had yet to be investigated clearly. Even if he and Fan Zijin already believed his words, they had to investigate further. Otherwise, what if he was a Hu spy? There were many secrets in the military camp.


    Qi Haoran walked over and said, ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to stay in the military camp. I have a friend in the county who has a house there. Bring your mother there to stay. I¡¯ll get someone to take care of youter. The military doctor will also go over to treat your mother. When we¡¯re ready, we¡¯ll invite you over to help see how to nt the maize.¡±


    Qi Haoran waved his hand and called a group of soldiers over. He pointed at them and said, ¡°Let them send you there.¡±


    That man was so frightened that he fell sitting on the ground. He looked at Qi Haoran with a pale face. Looking at the soldiers with sabers and armor, he felt that he might be sent to prison.


    Before Qi Haoran knew what had happened, Mu Yangling had already taken two steps forward tofort him. ¡°Uncle, Little General is concerned about your mother.¡± Mu Yangling tried her best to show a look of reverence and admiration on her face. She said affectionately, ¡°Little General is a very kind person. It¡¯s really because of this that I thought of bringing you here to look for him. As long as there¡¯s any difficulty, as long as he can help, he will do his best to help the people. Everyone in a radius of five kilometers knows this, so everyone adores Little General.¡±


    That man looked at Qi Haoran suspiciously. He was clearly just a teenager. Was he really that powerful?


    Thinking of this, Qi Haoran didn¡¯t seem terrifying. Which man in his twenties or thirties would be afraid of a youth in his teens?


    Seeing that his expression had softened a little, Mu Yangling continued, ¡°Just now, Little General told me that he respected Emperor Shizong the most. How could Emperor Shizong be wrong? It must be that the people aren¡¯t nting the corn the way Emperor Shizong had in mind, so Little General ns to personally experiment. We must try to produce the high-yielding and drought-resistant maize that Emperor Shizong envisioned.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s corn.¡± The man mustered his courage and corrected her. ¡°We call it corn there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s corn, but we have to conform to the requirements of the times. It¡¯s no big deal to refer to it as maize. Don¡¯t you think the name ¡®maize¡¯ is more appropriate?¡±


    Only then did the man stop objecting. Mu Yangling then asked, ¡°Uncle, after talking for so long, I still don¡¯t know your surname.¡±


    The man looked at her nkly. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your surname?¡±


    ¡°My surname is Zhuang?.¡± The man scratched his head and smiled foolishly. ¡°They all say that I have a great surname, so the crops I grow are the best. Take corn, no, maize, for instance. In our vige, my yield is the highest. Last year, one acre of my maize fields harvested about 300 catties.¡±


    Only then did Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes widen. ¡°So much? Back then, when we nted it for the first time, the yield was only 56 catties per acre.¡±


    A mouthful of blood stuck in Mu Yangling¡¯s throat. ¡°How did you produce such a strange yield?¡±


    This time, everyone looked at Mu Yangling. She immediately shut her mouth and said, ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s treat Grandma Zhuang first. 1¡¯11 go back first.¡±


    The man hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯ll help you carry the corn back.¡±


    ¡°No need. It¡¯s just two sacks. I can do it myself.¡± As she spoke, Mu Yangling picked up one sack in each hand, nodded to Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin, and strode away.


    Only the man was left with his mouth agape as he watched Mu Yangling leave.


    Fan Zijin had been paying attention to him. Seeing that his expression did not seem to be fake, the corners of his lips curled up slightly.


    After Mu Yangling carried the corn home and poured it out, she realized that all the corn was not bad and was very plump. She believed that it would work well as seeds.


    Looking at the corn, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but think of her previous life. Speaking of which, that previous Mu family? could be considered to have no progeny anymore. Now that she and her father were dead in that world, she didn¡¯t know if there was anyone to offer incense to her grandparents in the future.


    However, when she thought about how loyal their entire family was, she felt that there should at least be someone offering incense to her ancestors. She just didn¡¯t know if there were many.


    Mu Yangling let her imagination run wild for a moment before packing the corn again.


    As soon as Xiuhong and the others opened the door, they saw a golden patch on the ground. Having never seen this thing before, their mouths immediately fell open. Little Bowen ran to his sister¡¯s side and asked in surprise, ¡°Sister, what is this? It¡¯s gorgeous! Can it be eaten?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to the county to buy food ingredients for your brother? Why did you carry this back?¡± Mu Shi asked with widened eyes.


    Only Shu Wanniang hesitated for a moment before asking uncertainly, ¡°This is corn, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked up at her mother. ¡°Mother, do you recognize it?¡±

 Chapter 151 - 151: Planting

    Chapter 151: nting


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Shu Wanniang replied with a slight smile, ¡°I¡¯m not too sure either. It¡¯s just that when I was young, I heard from the steward that my ancestors had actually been secretly trying to nt this thing because Emperor Shizong said that this thing was a treasure. In addition, it indeed has a gorgeous golden-yellow appearance. But they didn¡¯t seed even after trying for many years. Later on, although the yield per acre was higher than wheat, because it wasn¡¯t delicious, they didn¡¯t feel that it was worth it. In addition, the second-generation corn really differed too greatly from the first-generation corn. It¡¯s much smaller in size. After a few generations, the corn couldn¡¯t be used as seeds anymore.¡± ¡°Mother, how exactly do you grow corn?¡±


    Shu Wanniang shook her head in confusion. ¡°I only vaguely heard about these things from the housekeeper¡¯s wife. I¡¯ve never seen it before, so how would I know? But it should be simr to nting wheat and rice.¡±


    It was indeed simr to wheat and rice. Mu Yangling stood at the edge of the field and looked at Zhuang Dawei stiffly as he gave instructions on growing corn, and important matters to pay attention to.


    Great-aunt listened very seriously. She touched the corn kernels and said, ¡°It¡¯s about the same as nting wheat since you sprinkle it like this. It¡¯s just thinner.¡±


    Zhuang Dawei nodded repeatedly. ¡°It¡¯s just that it¡¯s a little thinner.¡±


    Unable to stand it anymore, Mu Yangling went forward and snatched the corn seeds. ¡°Corn isn¡¯t nted like this.¡±


    She did not know how to grow wheat and rice, for she had only seen the corresponding TV shows on the agricultural channel in her previous life. However,she did know how to grow corn. Because she hated it, she had even run to the fields to see how this annoying corn was grown. Although she had only seen it before and it was very long ago, those memories were rather clear when she tried to recall them.


    The corn was spaced wide apart, about a foot away from each other. If it was really scattered like wheat as Zhuang Dawei had said, it would be strange if the corn could grow well.


    Mu Yangling somewhat understood why the corn here was low-yielding and the corn kernels were getting worse generation by generation.


    ¡°Do you all grow corn like this?¡± Mu Yangling asked Zhuang Dawei.


    Zhuang Dawei looked at her nkly. ¡°Isn¡¯t this how all grains are nted?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, All Ling. Since you¡¯ve never nted corn before, you¡¯d better listen to Brother Zhuang. Having nted corn for several years, surely he¡¯s more knowledgeable in this area than you?¡±


    ¡°Great-aunt, you can¡¯t nt corn like this.¡± Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t exin it for a moment, so she could only say, ¡°Anyway, you have to listen to me this time.¡±


    Qi Haoran stood on Mu Yangling¡¯s side. ¡°Since you guys haven¡¯t managed to produce a high yield of corn after so many years, let¡¯s listen to Ah Ling.¡±


    Fan Zijin also stood on Mu Yangling¡¯s side. ¡°I think Miss Mu seems to be very familiar with corn. Let¡¯s listen to Miss Mu.¡±


    When Mu Yangling heard the hidden meaning in Fan Zijin¡¯s words, she snorted and said, ¡°My luck is soaring. God sent me a dream and said that the Divine Farmer reincarnated. Not only do I know how to nt corn, but I also know how to nt other things.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at her suspiciously. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you even know how to nt wheat and rice?¡±


    Choking, Mu Yangling said, ¡°That¡¯s because I lost my memory. Because God passed on so many abilities to me at once, I failed to capture everything in my memory all at once. I¡¯ll slowly recall it in the future.¡±


    Other than the starry-eyed Xiuhong, Xin and Little Bowen, who were looking at her with reverence, everyone else thought that she was talking nonsense.


    Great-aunt reprimanded her. ¡°How can you speak so casually of ghosts and gods? Hurry up and hit your mouth.¡±


    Mu Yangling chuckled,pletely unconcerned.


    She distributed the seeds into small bags and said, ¡°There¡¯s no fertilizer now, so we can only nt them without. In spite of that, we have to standardize our method. If we really nt them like you do, these two bags of seeds won¡¯t be enough to nt ten acres ofnd. How about this? nt two seeds every two feet, step on them gently with your feet, and then cover the seeds with soil.¡± After Mu Yangling demonstrated it once, Great-aunt and Zhuang Dawei found it uneptable. ¡°Only two seeds every two feet? What can grow out of this?¡± ¡°Corn, of course. Listen to me.¡± Mu Yangling insisted, ¡°That¡¯s what God told me. This is exactly how corn should be nted.¡±


    Trusting his daughter, Mu Shi took the seeds from her hand first. This was because unlike the wheat that had to be continuously scattered and only two seeds needed to be ced each time, he actually seeded at the very first try.


    Then, it was Xiuhong and Little Bowen¡¯s turn. Because they trusted Mu Yangling endlessly, Xin naturally followed her sister and eagerly used her clothes to carry some seeds.


    It was Qi Haoran¡¯s first time farming, so he curiously picked up some seeds as he walked beside Mu Yangling. Only Fan Zijin continued to stand there. Although he trusted Mu Yangling, it did not mean that he wanted to go to the fields personally. He turned around and returned to the military camp to drag a few of his subordinates over. Every one of them had lost an arm. Despite this, it did not hinder their movements.


    They hung the cloth bag around their neck and nted the seeds with one hand. Then, they covered the seeds with the soil using their feet and finally caught up to Mu Shi.


    Seeing this, Zhuang Dawei and Great-aunt sighed and could only go and help.


    Qi Haoran saw that they were progressing at a pretty good speed. But since it was more than 20 acres ofnd after all, it was not easy to finish nting so quickly. He threw down the seeds and ran to Mu Yangling, who was pulling a plow. ¡°Why don¡¯t I go back to the camp and order more men toe over?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s useless even if you do so. I have to pull a plow in front in any case.¡±


    Seeing how easily she pulled the iron plow, Qi Haoran¡¯s hand itched. ¡°Let me try.¡±


    Fan Zijin frowned. ¡°Why do you like to do this too? If your soldiers find out, it will damage your prestige.¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips and said, ¡°I¡¯m close to my men. Besides, I have a share in thisnd.¡±


    Mu Yangling stopped in her tracks and looked at him with Fan Zijin.


    Qi Haoran shouted, ¡°Why? Are you nning to pocket all the profits by yourself? Zijin and I bought these seeds together.¡±


    Coming back to his senses, Fan Zijin hurriedly said, ¡°Yes, Haoran and I bought these seeds together. No matter what, we have a share.¡±


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and continued to pull the plow. Naturally, she did not believe that they would take a fancy to the small amount of profits from farming hernd. This was just an excuse for them to mess with her crops from time to time.


    Thinking that she still needed their reputation to hold sway over the vigers in the business of raising rabbits, she didn¡¯t take heart. Waving her hand, she said, ¡°Alright, there¡¯s a share for you both. Hurry up and find men to help out.¡± Mu Yangling looked at the disabled soldiers and said, ¡°Find people like them.¡± Fan Zijin looked at Mu Yangling. ¡°You¡¯re so kind.¡±


    Mu Yangling said calmly, ¡°They only became like this because they were protecting the country. Since the country¡¯s already made them bleed and cry, there¡¯s no need to put them in further torment.¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted nonchntly.


    However, Qi Haoran¡¯s face darkened. With clenched fists, he said, ¡°One day, I won¡¯t let them cry after bleeding, and I won¡¯t allow anyone to put them in further torment.¡±


    As the Xingzhou Prefecture was at the border, there would be constant wars of various scales every year. If there were wars, there would be casualties. If a soldier died in service of his country, the army would give their familiespensation. Although the Imperial Court gave them little, Qi Xiuyuan would make up for it.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan could only let those who had to retire due to injuries or disabilities take some money back to their hometown.


    That paltry sum was only enough for their travel expenses. Those soldiers went out healthy and returned home disabled. It wasn¡¯t so bad for those whose parents were still alive, for they would at least still be fed. Those whose parents had passed away and had to rely on their brothers were inevitably bullied. Even if they lived with their parents, as time passed, there would be resentment. Therefore, the disabled veterans who returned to their hometown either became lonely for the rest of their lives or left home again and wandered alone. Most of them became beggars, and some evenmitted suicide because they could not stand the humiliation.


    Therefore, the soldiers who entered the battlefield either risked their lives to protect themselves or risked their lives to fight. After being injured, they fought the enemy as if they had a death wish.


    They were willing to die to earn a pension for their family, but they were not willing to live so aggrievedly..

 Chapter 152 - 152: Questioning

    Chapter 152: Questioning


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran was domineering and even a little childish. However, he was able to quickly gain the morale of the army. Other than his ability and personal charm, the most important thing was that he unconditionally epted the veterans and injured soldiers that were eliminated from the various battalions.


    Some of these soldiers nearly forgot where their hometown was. Many of them didn¡¯t have the courage to return to their hometowns, let alone those injured soldiers. If the troops were willing to let them stay, it was a way out for them. They were naturally extremely grateful to Qi Haoran, who epted them unconditionally. Before Qi Haoran came, those injured soldiers didn¡¯t receive such treatment. Most of them were sent home after their wounds healed.


    These soldiers could do what they could in the 5th Division, but there were too many injured and disabled soldiers. Now that the 5th Division¡¯s kitchen had to be tended to by the disabled soldiers, they could not go into the mountains to hunt or train on the drill ground. Those whocked arms or legs could only hand over bricks when building houses. However, they would be more or less despised by others in the military camp. This was especially true of the new recruits, who had yet to develop sympathy with one of its kind. They simply felt that these people would snatch food from them and loathed them from the bottom of their hearts.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s suggestion to let these people farm would only make them feel that they were still very useful and not freeloading. When the other soldiers in the military camp saw that they were working for Qi Haoran, they would also restrain themselves.


    Fan Zijin did not have any extra feelings for those disabled soldiers. Other than his mother, Qi Haoran, and cousin, to him there were only two types of people ¡ªthe useful and the useless.


    However, since Qi Haoran had such determination, although he did not agree, he would try his best to help him achieve it.


    Mu Yangling pulled the plow to and fro twice. Seeing that Qi Haoran was a little down, she put the rope on his shoulder and said, ¡°You do it. I¡¯ll go nt the seeds.¡±


    Only then did Qi Haoran snap out of those feelings and pull the plow forward forcefully. Zhuang Dawei, who was holding the plow behind, shouted, ¡°Stop! Stop!¡±


    He didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry as he looked back. Seeing that the gully was curved and sometimes shallow and sometimes deep, he said with a bitter expression, ¡°Little General, you¡¯re walking too fast. Look, the ground you plowed is curved.¡±


    Qi Haoran turned around and saw that it was indeed so. He said in confusion, ¡°That¡¯s how Mu Yangling did it.¡±


    ¡°Miss Mu moves at a uniform speed. Also, she walks straight and has great strength. I just needed to press down. How is that the same as what you did?¡±


    Fan Zijin narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, ¡°Pulling a plow requires technique and ordinary people can¡¯t do it? Then, does supporting the plow require technique?¡±


    Zhuang Dawei replied with a smile, ¡°Of course. There¡¯s more to supporting the plow than pulling the plow. I¡¯m afraid you young masters will have to put in a lot of effort to learn it.¡±


    ¡°How long did it take you to learn how to plow?¡±


    Zhuang Dawei scratched his head innocently. ¡°I¡¯ve been helping my father hold the plow ever since 1 could remember. 1 mastered it at the age of 12. It¡¯s hard to say how many years it took me to master it. However, farmers all know how to do such work. Little General, just walk ording to the line plowed by Miss Mu and walk forward at a slower speed.¡±


    Fan Zijin gave Qi Haoran a look. Qi Haoran sessfully interpreted it and asked casually as he pulled forward, ¡°Then who pulled the plow in your fields back at home?¡±


    ¡°My cousin and I took turns.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have oxen at home?¡± Fan Zijin asked in confusion.


    Zhuang Dawei smiled. ¡°Other than the rich, very few people in the vige can afford oxen. In our vige, only the vige chief¡¯s family has one. Everyone else pulls a plow.¡±


    Fan Zijin said, ¡°That¡¯s indeed quite tough. Haven¡¯t you thought of doing something else to change the current situation? For example, doing business.¡± ¡°What business can we do when the mountains and roads there are dangerous? We don¡¯t have the capital.¡±


    Fan Zijin said, ¡°1 heard that the red jujube in Baoshan County is very famous. You can nt some red jujube and transport them to Baoshan County to sell. You shouldn¡¯t have a problem finding customers there.¡±


    Zhuang Dawei shook his head. ¡°The road from our vige to Baoshan County is even harder to navigate than the road to Mingshui County.¡±


    Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran looked at each other and feigned a casual tone. ¡°It¡¯s a long walk from your vige to Mingshui County. What about Baoshan County? Are there no other viges on the way?¡±


    After a night of rest, Zhuang Dawei had lowered his guard against them. Also, Qi Haoran had indeed brought a military doctor to treat his motherst night, whose diagnosis was simr to the one they received at Benevolence Hall. The military doctor even prescribed medicine for her. At this moment, he was filled with gratitude. Hence, he answered whatever the two of them asked. By the time Qi Haoran walked for 20 rounds, Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran had roughly grasped the information about that path.


    Qi Haoran happily threw the rope to Mu Yangling before leaving. ¡°1¡¯11 go back and get some men to help you.¡±


    Qi Haoran ran away like a wisp of smoke. Mu Yangling had just picked up the rope and put it on when he ran back and shouted at Mu Shi, ¡°Mu Shi, return to camp in advance.¡±


    Qi Haoran would only call Mu Shi¡¯s name in the military camp or on missions. Mu Shi could only respond loudly, throw down his things, and chase after him.


    Shortly after Mu Shi left, more than ten people came to help. Although they were disabled, they had all farmed before. Other than the fact that they were still getting used to this at the beginning, they slowly got the hang of it.


    Mu Yangling was concerned about their disability, so she let everyone rest for 15 minutes every hour. Great-aunt understood Mu Yangling¡¯s concerns, so she didn¡¯t work. Instead, she sat at the edge of the field with the children or went to check the wheat fields.


    A few veterans also went to plow the wheat field. Since they were farmers before joining the army, they had special sentiments for thend. Just as they started plowing, someone eximed, ¡°The seeds have germinated.¡±


    Mu Yangling jumped up and ran over to take a look. Seeing that the dug wheat had already sprouted tender buds, a smile immediately bloomed on her face. ¡°That¡¯s great. I wonder how the other spots are doing.¡±


    The veteran who had dug up the soil stood up with a smile. ¡°Youngdy, since I¡¯m lucky today, 1¡¯11 help you dig up another spot.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s go somewhere else.¡± Mu Yangling led him to dig three spots in a row. The wheat seeds inside had all germinated. This time, the veteran could not hide the smile on his face.


    Digging the soil to check the seeds was a matter of luck. It was obvious that he was very lucky to discover germinated seeds three times in a row. He felt that his luck would definitely be super good these days.


    Envious of the veteran¡¯s good luck, the other soldiers expressed to Mu Yangling that they wanted to join in the fun in hopes of having some of that good luck rub off on them. Not knowing the significance of this matter, Mu Yangling felt that this was merely something normal. Before her great-aunt could speak, she waved her hand and said, ¡°Go ahead, uncles. Just remember to bury the seeds well after uncovering them.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    Everyone found a spot to dig. Some dug up wheat seeds at every try, while others only seeded once every three times. As they dug up many spots, Mu Yangling had a certain understanding of the sprouting situation.


    As for the veterans, they had more or less dug up germinated wheat seeds. Feeling lucky for doing so, they were all overjoyed.


    Because of this matter, Mu Yangling got along more harmoniously with them. In addition, she was a soldier in her previous life and did not mind their roughness. The veterans weren¡¯t so restrained afterwards. In just two days, they helped Mu Yangling nt corn on all 28 acres of inferiornd. Mu Yangling kept the remaining few catties of seeds and nned to see how the nted seeds grew first. If the harvest was found to becking, she would make up for it when the time came..

 Chapter 153 - 153: Sowing Grass Seeds

    Chapter 153: Sowing Grass Seeds


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling opened the sack to take a look and rubbed the light brown seeds. She asked, ¡°Are these grass seeds?¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded. ¡°These are enough for you to nt 60 acres ofnd. Take them back.¡±


    Mu Yangling asked hesitantly, ¡°How does one nt this? Can you just sprinkle them?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Fan Zijin looked at her seriously. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll know?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Then 1¡¯11 just scatter it casually. Anyway, it¡¯s grass. It¡¯s going to grow no matter what, right?¡±


    Fan Zijin thought for a moment and said, ¡°Grass can be seen everywhere. Even if it¡¯s trampled, it can grow well. So 1 guess you can just sprinkle the seeds casually.¡±


    Seeing that he thought the same way, Mu Yangling was instantly relieved. She carried the seeds and was about to leave. When she reached the door, she turned around and asked, ¡°Where did Qi Haoran and my father go?¡±


    Fan Zijin frowned. ¡°This is a military secret. It¡¯s not your ce to ask.¡±


    Mu Yangling sighed and turned to leave without asking further.


    On the other hand, Fan Zijin looked at her back in surprise. He had thought that she would pester him until the end.


    Mu Yangling had been to the camp twice, but not only could she not see her father, but Qi Haoran, who would definitely appear every time, was also nowhere to be seen. She was not a fool. She was still a soldier in her previous life, so she naturally knew what they would do after learning about that route from Zhuang Dawei. However, it was precisely because she knew that she could not help but ask.


    Now that Mu Yangling had given up on asking, Fan Zijin felt uneasy. After some thought, he asked the person who had gone to help Mu Yangling nt cornst time to go along with her, to find out how Mu Yangling was feeling.


    Since those veterans had never nted grass before, they did as they were told when Mu Yangling told them to casually scatter the seeds. Xiuhong also brought Xin and Bowen to help. These people scatteredrge handfuls byrge handfuls and actually finished all the work in a day.


    Mu Yangling waved goodbye to the veterans and started patrolling the fields. From time to time, she would kick some of the more densely scattered grass seeds to spread them further.


    By the time Madam Ma-Liu returned from selling rabbits in the city and rushed over upon hearing the news, everything had already been settled. She could only stomp her feet and shout, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wait for me toe back? Aren¡¯t you ruining things?¡± Madam Ma-Liu ran over and pulled Mu Yangling¡¯s ear to make her look at the sky. ¡°Are you nting grass or feeding birds?¡±


    Mu Yangling gaped. ¡°Birds eat grass seeds?¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu red at her. Mu Yangling could only look at Xiuhong and the rest. The children retracted their hands and listened obediently as they were lectured.


    Looking at the seeds on the ground and then at the pitiful children, even if Great-aunt was fuming, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to scold them anymore. She could only think of ways to remedy the situation. In the end, she said, ¡°Before the sky turns dark, follow me back and ce a few scarecrows in the fields. You¡¯re not allowed to go anywhere else tomorrow. Come over with a stick to chase away the birds that flow down.¡±


    Looking at the vast 60 acres ofnd, Mu Yangling¡¯s legs instantly went weak.


    Xiuhong and the other two kids also looked at Mu Yangling pitifully.


    Mu Yangling stammered, ¡°Even if the birds eat seeds, they shouldn¡¯t be able to eat much, right? There¡¯s so muchnd¡­¡± Under Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s re, she couldn¡¯t continue. Mu Yangling could only say that she would definitelye to chase the birds away tomorrow.


    However, it drizzled that night. This was the first spring rain since the beginning of spring this year. Not in the mood to cook, Madam Ma-Liu stood under the roof and looked up at the dense spring rain. She said happily, ¡°Excellent! After this spring rain, wheat and rice should be able to grow.¡± Then, she thought of the grass seeds that had just been scattered and said to Mu Yangling thankfully, ¡°You¡¯re lucky to have encountered this spring rain. You can leave aside the work in the fields first.¡±


    Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief.


    Mu Yangling finally understood what it meant by ¡®spring rain is as precious as oil¡¯. This spring rainsted for two days intermittently. When Mu Yangling went to the fields to take a look again, the wheat seeds had already broken through the soil. Surprisingly, the grass seeds that had just been nted actually sprouted.


    Meanwhile, the rice in the rice seedling field had already turned into a sea of green. ording to Great-aunt¡¯s estimation, they would be able to transnt the rice in another 20 days.


    Then, before that, Mu Yangling had to irrigate the fields and harrow the soil again to prep it for farming. Since it was 13 acres ofnd, there was a lot of work to be done.


    Moreover, Great-aunt felt that if they had the time, they could farm meticulously instead of going about it in a rough manner like when they nted the wheat.


    ¡°The 13 acres of fields have to be fertilized. Tomorrow, 1¡¯11 go into the city and ask around to see if I can buy enough fertilizer. Ah Ling, you just have to plow the fields. 1 will deal with the base fertilizer.¡±


    ¡°Fertilizer?¡±


    Great-aunt red at her. ¡°Night soil. Didn¡¯t 1 tell youst time that it costs 1.2 copper coin a barrel? 1 have to negotiate the price and see if it can be lowered to one copper coin a barrel.¡±


    ¡°Great-aunt, you won¡¯t just pour it into the field directly, right?¡± Mu Yangling hurriedly asked.


    ¡°What else do you expect? When you pour it in, rake it again and let the fertilizer seep into the fields. This will allow the rice to grow better.¡±


    Unable to ept it, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Let¡¯s just use the river mud likest time.¡±


    ¡°How will this do? Last time, I was just making do with the river mud. River mud is hard. It¡¯s not even as good as the mud in the ground.¡±


    Mu Yangling said seriously, ¡°Great-aunt, river mud is made of mud clots and is very nutritious. It¡¯s much better than the mud in the ground. This is what the books say. Let¡¯s dry the river mud and night soil before sprinkling it in the field. This matter is decided.¡±


    With that, Mu Yangling ran away.


    Madam Ma-Liu could not stop her at all. Although she had never seen or heard of mixing fertilizer with river mud, she did not object when she heard Mu Yangling say that she had read it in a book.


    Mu Yangling had just run out when she was stopped by Yanmo. ¡°Miss Mu, my young master is looking for you everywhere.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Nonsense. Isn¡¯t it easy to find me? I¡¯m either at home, in the fields, or in the mountains. There are only three ces I can be found. Why would you need to search everywhere? Tell me, why is your young master looking for me?¡±


    Yanmo chuckled and skipped over the previous question. He went straight to the point. ¡°My young master said that there are already more than 100 little rabbits umted in the camp. He asked when you could take over. Our camp has to send a portion of our manpower to help you cut the grass every day. We¡¯re a little short on manpower.¡±


    Mouth opening slightly, Mu Yangling turned around and pointed at the half-finished shed in the courtyard. ¡°Do you think this shed can hold rabbits? Back then, we agreed that 1 would only take over after my grass grows. Now, my grass has only germinated.¡±


    Yanmo said with an apologetic smile, ¡°Miss Mu, it¡¯s because there aren¡¯t enough houses in the campsite.¡± After saying that, he lowered his voice and said, ¡°Just help us out. Eldest Young Master doesn¡¯t know about what my Young Master and Fourth Young Master are doing. Tomorrow, Eldest Young Master wille to inspect the campsite. If he sees Young Master and Fourth Young Master doing these things in the campsite, won¡¯t he be angered to death?¡±


    Mu Yangling said in disbelief, ¡°Didn¡¯t Qi Haoran ask General Qi for many soldiers who know how to hunt? How could General Qi not know?¡±


    ¡°Fourth Young Master only said that he wanted them to bring people into the mountains to catch rabbits for the people in the camp to eat. He didn¡¯t say that he wanted to do business. Since the food supply in the various camps is tight, Eldest Young Master didn¡¯t stop them. Miss Mu, Eldest Young Master won¡¯t agree to Young Master and Fourth Young Master doing business.¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t that be a huge loss for her?


    No matter what, she had to help them cover it up. Mu Yangling agreed without hesitation. ¡°But I¡¯m only halfway through building this shed. How about this? Go back and tell your young master to send some people over to help me. It¡¯ll bepleted in four hours. Also, the skies will probably clear tomorrow. He has to help me build ten sheds in the pastoral area.¡± Seeing Yanmo¡¯s eyes widen, she said, ¡°1 won¡¯t take advantage of him. I¡¯ll give him the rabbits from the first batch for free, and it¡¯ll be counted as the 5th Division¡¯s profits alone. How about that?¡±


    ¡°I still have to go back and ask Young Master for his opinion.¡±


    ¡°Go on, go on. 1¡¯11 wait here..¡±

 Chapter 154 - 154: Trouble

    Chapter 154: Trouble


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling poured out all the copper coins from the money bag on the brick bed and waved at Xiuhong and the others. ¡°Come over and help me count how much money we have.¡±


    Xiuhong looked at the small pile of copper coins on the brick bed and climbed up happily. ¡°Cousin, you have a lot of money.¡±


    Mu Yangling gently stroked these copper coins and sighed. ¡°They won¡¯t be mine soon.¡±


    Bowen also climbed onto the brick bed. When he heard this, he asked, ¡°Sister, are you giving it to me?¡±


    Mu Yangling knocked him on the head. ¡°Dream on. Didn¡¯t you see the hundreds of rabbits outside? I predict that there will be rabbits sent over tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Fan Zijin isn¡¯t kind enough to send over the grass that we need to feed the rabbits, so we have to get the grass ourselves. It¡¯s fine now as there aren¡¯t many rabbits and they¡¯re small. Xiuhong and I can cut enough grass in an hour every day when we go to the mountains, but we won¡¯t be able to handle it in the future. When the sheds in the pastoral area are built, we¡¯ll put the rabbits there. By then, there will be at least 1,000 of them. It will take a long time for the grass to grow. Before that, we have to cut the grass ourselves. Therefore, 1 want to pay someone to help.¡±


    Seeing that so much money would soon belong to someone else, Xin immediatelyy on the coins reluctantly and shouted, ¡°Cousin, give me the money! 1¡¯11 go cut grass for you.¡±


    Mu Yanglingughed out loud and patted her butt. ¡°Since you¡¯re still young, you¡¯re not allowed to go up the mountain. Your sister and I will go. You stay at home with Bowen to take care of Bosi and Kejia. Though we¡¯re paying a small sum of money now, we can earn big money in the future.¡±


    Not troubled at all, Mu Yangling calcted the copper coins and felt relieved when she felt that it was enough.


    Since Fan Zijin had already agreed to her suggestion, how could she not agree to such a good thing? At this moment, he had already assigned some men to build sheds for her in the pastoral area in the east.


    The sheds were built on 60 acres ofnd. As it had been nned from the beginning, Mu Yangling did not nt any grass in this area. It was only 10 feet away from the ditch she had dug and the sheds were built in a row.


    Nine of the sheds would be used to raise rabbits, and she would live in the remaining one when she came over to take care of the rabbits from time to time.


    As themotion here was huge, the first to be alerted was the Hu family.


    Because the shed area was at the other end of the river and not adjacent to the Hu family¡¯snd, they did not know the exact situation. However, this did not stop Old Hu froming over to ask for information.


    The soldiers who were building the sheds had long received Fan Zijin¡¯s instructions. ording to them, Little General had asked Mu Yangling to help him raise rabbits, so this was Little General¡¯s business.


    When Old Hu heard this, he didn¡¯t dare to ask around anymore. Before night fell, everyone in the vige knew that Mu Yangling was raising rabbits for Qi Haoran. Some were envious, and some pitied her. However, no matter what, no one dared to provoke her, let alone have any designs on those rabbits.


    This dispelled any objections the Hu family initially had with regards to the Mu family using the adjacent plot ofnd to nt pasture.


    After all, if pasture was nted on the adjacentnd, the seeds would blow due to the wind in the future, and theirnd would also be affected. However, if the person behind this was Qi Haoran, everything would not be a problem. No one would dare to object.


    Extremely busy right now, Mu Yangling was oblivious to all this. Other than cutting grass, she also had to plow the fields every day. Although she was strong, because this was the first time these 13 acres ofnd had been converted into farnd, the soil was a little hard. In order to soften and loosen the soil, she needed to keep plowing the fields and remove all the weeds within.


    Thisrge paddy field became Mu Yangling¡¯s first agricultural endeavor.


    Madam Ma-Liu stepped on the field and nodded in satisfaction. ¡°That¡¯s enough, let¡¯s just leave it for now. When the seedlings grow up, we¡¯ll start transnting them. By the way, when I went to the south to check on the fields just now, 1 realized that the maize had also grown. However, it¡¯s too sparse and the corn is spaced too far apart. Will there really be a sufficient harvest like this?¡±


    ¡°Great-aunt, maize grows tall. We have to leave enough space for it to grow and let it¡­ bask in the sun. Only then can the maize growrge and have a good harvest. If we really nt it like wheat ording to Zhuang Dawei, it¡¯d be a blessing from the heavens that the maize can grow properly.¡±


    Mu Yangling sighed in her heart, unable to understand why Emperor Shizong hadn¡¯t borated upon how to nt corn. If he had, his people wouldn¡¯t have taken so many detours and wasted hundreds of years.


    How could Mu Yangling know that Emperor Shizong himself had no idea how to farm? Because he had never even seen others farm before, he did not even have basic agricultural knowledge.


    Looking at her cornfield, Mu Yangling realized that already one-third had grown. She was satisfied. Going at this rate, at least half of it would grow.


    Then, she went to check on the wheat field. The wheat was growing pretty well, too. At least, it was better than the nearby families.


    The other families who had alsoe to check on their fields also realized this problem. They shouted at Mu Yangling, ¡°Miss Mu, your crops are really growing well. Did you use fertilizer?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°We don¡¯t have fertilizer. We just nt them directly like everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Then why do yours look so much better than ours?¡± The other party muttered, doubtful.


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because 1 plowed the ground deeply enough before nting the crops.¡±


    The other party looked at her speechlessly for a while before turning around and leaving decisively, while thinking to himself, ¡®The members of the Mu family are all freaks. Do they think that everyone is as strong as an ox like them and doesn¡¯t feel fatigue?¡¯


    Mu Yangling scratched her head, not understanding why the other party had left.


    ¡°Miss Mu.¡± Fei Bai ran over stepping on Mu Yangling¡¯s wheat field.


    Mu Yangling shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t step on my wheat!¡±


    How could Fei Bai care so much? With a light tap of his toes, he ran to Mu Yangling¡¯s side quickly and said anxiously, ¡°Miss Mu, quickly follow me up the mountain to pick up my young master.¡±


    As soon as Fei Bai ran closer, Mu Yangling saw the bloodstains on the corner of his clothes. Her pupils constricted, and she calmly blocked the gazes of the farmers. She asked in a low voice, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Fei Bai said anxiously, ¡°1 won¡¯t be able to exin it in a short time. Miss Mu, follow me up the mountain first.¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him and snapped softly, ¡°General Qi is in the 5th Division today. Do you want to die? Hurry up and hide the anxious expression on your face.¡±


    Fei Bai¡¯s face turned pale, but in an instant, he squeezed out a smile. The anxious expression on his face instantly disappeared. He nced at the farmers who kept stealing nces at them and raised his voice with a smile. ¡°Miss Mu, Little General found a female tiger in the mountains. He knows that you¡¯re strong and wants to ask you to enter the mountains to help. Your father is also there.¡±


    With a smile on her face, Mu Yangling raised her voice and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. However, whether we can defeat it will depend on luck.¡±


    This time, Mu Yangling no longer cared about the wheat field. She cut directly through the wheat field and went up the mountain. Only when she entered the mountains and the people outside could not see her did she ask anxiously, ¡°What happened? Why do you have blood on you?¡±


    Fei Bai did not hide it anymore. He wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and said, ¡°Miss Mu, my young master is seriously injured, but we can¡¯t let anyone know about this. Did Eldest Young Mastere alone, or did he bring someone with him?¡±


    ¡°He brought the assistantmanders of the 1st, 3rd and 4th Divisions over, as well as many soldiers. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Then we can¡¯t let them notice it. We¡¯ll inform Eldest Young Master when the time is right. Miss Mu, 1¡¯11 have to trouble you for this matter. No matter what, you have to hide my Young Master¡¯s whereabouts.¡± Fei Fei¡¯s face was pale and his eyes were red. ¡°My Fourth Young Master has caused a huge disaster..¡±

 Chapter 155 - 155: Severe Injury

    Chapter 155: Severe Injury


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling was shocked. ¡°What trouble did he cause? Why is he avoiding people?¡±


    Fei Bai kept his mouth shut. Although Mu Yangling would find out sooner orter, he could not be the one to tell her about the truth.


    Qi Haoran and the other two were hiding behind a huge rock. When they saw Fei Bai bringing her over, they hurriedly came out. After ncing at Mu Yangling, he scolded him in a low voice, ¡°Why did you bring her here? Didn¡¯t I tell you to go see Young Master Fan?¡±


    Fei Bai said with red eyes, ¡°I know you trust her. Moreover, she¡¯s Uncle Mu¡¯s daughter. Young Master Zijin¡¯s ce is too far away. You can¡¯t afford to wait any longer. Moreover, there are too many people in the camp.¡± Fei Bai looked at him as he said, ¡°Right now, Eldest Young Master is touring the camp with a few other generals.¡±


    Bai Li nced at Mu Yangling and turned to leave without saying anything else.


    Fei Bai quickly pulled Mu Yangling and followed.


    Bai Li was the personal guard Qi Xiuyuan assigned to Qi Haoran. He usually did not appear by Qi Haoran¡¯s side. After all, in Xingzhou Prefecture, no one would be stupid enough to offend Qi Haoran.


    This was the second time Mu Yangling had seen him.


    Qi Haoran was lying behind a huge rock with a pale face. Although his clothes were neat, Mu Yangling could still smell the faint smell of blood. Mu Shi was also sitting at the side with a pale face.


    Mu Yangling looked at him with concern but did not ask. After all, everyone could tell that the person who needed attention the most was Qi Haoran.


    Mu Yangling squatted beside him and asked, ¡°Where are his injuries?¡±


    Panting, Fei Bai said, ¡°He was stabbed in the back and waist. Although the bleeding has stopped for the time being, it¡¯s not handled well. Miss Mu, you have to quickly get a doctor for Young Master. We can¡¯t let outsiders notice anything amiss.¡±


    Mu Yangling was worried. ¡°But how can we bring him out? There are many people working in the fields now. We¡¯ll be discovered as soon as we go out.¡±


    Fei Bai was stunned for a moment. ¡°Young Master¡¯s injuries can¡¯t dy any longer.¡±


    Mu Shi looked up at his daughter and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much. Ah Ling, carry Little General out first. We¡¯ll walk beside you and try our best to block others¡¯ vision.¡± He then looked at Bai Li and said, ¡°Change into Little General¡¯s clothes and walk on Ah Ling¡¯s left. Try your best to keep your body low. All Ling, go and get a roe deer. When you carry Little General outter, carry the roe deer on your shoulder.¡±


    Fei Bai and Bai Li:¡±¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling responded before sprinting into the forest. As she often moved around this area, she knew best where to hunt animals. At this moment, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to conserve her energy. She sprinted over and rushed towards a roe deer.


    The frightened roe deer jumped up and wanted to run, but it was knocked down by Mu Yangling¡¯s fist. She carried the roe deer on her shoulder and ran back.


    As Mu Shi was also injured and could not exert much strength at this moment, he could only let his daughter carry Qi Haoran carefully.


    With the three of them surrounding Mu Yangling, their tall figures blocked most of the gazes that were directed at her. A small portion of the people who did see her would be distracted by the roe deer on her shoulder and ignore the fact that she was also carrying something in her arms.


    Mu Yangling walked home briskly and carried Qi Haoran to her room to ce him on the brick bed.


    Only then did she unbutton his clothes. They realized that his chest had already split open, and blood was slowly seeping out. With reddened eyes, Fei Bai said, ¡°The wound must have burst open on the way because the mountain path is difficult to travel. Miss Mu, please quickly call a doctor over.¡±


    ¡°Wait here. You can go in and out, but Bai Li must stay in the house.¡± Mu Yangling ran out and saw Shu Wanniang, who had heard themotion and came out to check on the situation. Thinking quickly, she pushed Shu Wanniang into the house. ¡°Mother, you¡¯re sick now and can¡¯t get off the brick bed. I¡¯ll go get a doctor for you now. Please don¡¯t get off the brick bed.¡±


    Shu Wanniang paused before asking, ¡°Ah Ling, what are you doing? Is your father back?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and whispered, ¡°Mother, the situation is urgent now, so I won¡¯t borate. Anyway, you have to pretend to be sick now and deceive everyone except our family. No, it¡¯s best if you can deceive our family too. I¡¯ll go get a doctor now. Don¡¯t go out.¡±


    Mu Yangling ran out.


    Shu Wanniang sat on the brick bed for a while. In the end, she lifted the nket andy down on the brick bed. She was smarter than Mu Yangling had imagined. In fact, because she had grown up in a prominent family, she was more meticulous than anyone else in such matters.


    Therefore, when Mu Yangling came back with Pang Kongqing from Benevolence Hall, Bowen and Xin were standing on the steps crying with red eyes. Xiuhong was also boiling hot water in the kitchen with red eyes.


    Great-aunt was anxiously pacing around Shu Wanniang¡¯s room. Mu Yangling had just run to the door when she heard her great-aunt ask her mother anxiously, ¡°Why are you so shy? Let me see where the smell of bloodes from. Why is it so strong? You¡¯re making me so anxious.¡±


    Startled, Mu Yangling hurriedly pushed the door open to enter. Shu Wanniang was lying on the brick bed. When she saw her daughter pulling a doctor in, she hurriedly waved her hand to indicate that she was fine.


    Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief and pulled the doctor to her room.


    Great-aunt grabbed the doctor and shouted, ¡°Doctor, you have to save my nephew¡¯s wife. Although her health has always been poor, she has never bled so much. You have to help her.¡±


    Noticing something amiss, the originally-anxious Pang Kongqing looked at Mu Yangling suspiciously.


    Mu Yangling waved at her great-aunt and said in a low voice, ¡°Great-aunt, just continue shouting like this while I bring the doctor to my room.¡±


    Great-aunt¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°How¡­¡± Just as she said this word, Shu Wanniang nimbly covered her mouth and whispered, ¡°Aunt, my husband is back.¡±


    Great-aunt pulled away her hand and, seeing that something was amiss, also said in a hushed tone, ¡°I know that Shi Tou is back. Isn¡¯t he sitting outside?¡± At the thought of Mu Shi¡¯s unusually pale face, her expression changed slightly. She looked at Pang Kongqing before looking at Mu Yangling suspiciously. ¡°Did you invite the doctor over for Shi Tou?¡±


    Shu Wanniang didn¡¯t know, but she didn¡¯t intend to ask her daughter. She just pulled Great-aunt over and said, ¡°Aunt, let¡¯s not worry about it. My stomach hurts. Please bring me a basin of hot water.¡± This was naturally an excuse. Madam Ma-Liu thought for a moment and still went.


    Mu Yangling pulled Pang Kongqing to her room. Pang Kongqing hurriedly wanted to break free from her, but he soon realized that she was quite strong and couldn¡¯t get away from her. His expression couldn¡¯t help but change. ¡°Miss Mu, I only agreed to treat your mother, but I didn¡¯t agree to anything else.¡±


    Mu Yangling threatened him in a lowered voice, ¡°Physician Pang, you¡¯ve alreadye this far and even heard something you shouldn¡¯t have. Do you think you can still leave?¡±


    Pang Kongqing was furious. ¡°You¡¯re threatening me? Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m a doctor.¡±


    Mu Yangling sneered. ¡°Is Physician Pang alone?¡± Seeing his expression change slightly, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Physician Pang, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just inconvenient for my cousin to go to your pharmacy. We¡¯ll certainly pay the consultation fee. Although he¡¯s a person who lives a dangerous life, he¡¯s also the most trustworthy. You¡¯ll benefit greatly from treating him. He definitely won¡¯t find trouble with you over such a small matter..¡±

 Chapter 156 - 156: Coercion

    Chapter 156: Coercion


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Pang Kongqing¡¯s face was still pale as he looked at Mu Yangling suspiciously. ¡°Y-Your cousin is a bandit?¡± As soon as he said that, Pang Kongqing wished he could bite off his tongue. He knew that he shouldn¡¯t be too curious.


    Mu Yangling looked at him with a faint smile and casually picked up a stone at the door. She tossed and caught it before exerting strength to crush it.


    While Pang Kongqing stared at her with his mouth agape, Mu Yangling said calmly, ¡°Our Mu family¡¯s ancestors have Hu blood, so we¡¯re a little stronger. Naturally, we can livefortably even though we live a dangerous life. It¡¯s just that my mother doesn¡¯t like my father doing such stuff. Physician Pang, our Mu family is very loyal.¡±


    ¡°Y¡ªyou¡¯re bandits from Mount Daluo?¡± Pang Kongqing had only heard that the leader of a group of bandits in Mount Daluo had Hu blood. Could it be that this ¡°cousin¡± was the beloved son of the bandit leader?


    Knowing the bandits of Mount Daluo were the most ferocious, Pang Kongqing did not dare to dy any longer. If he offended them, it was not impossible for them to sneak into Mingshui County to massacre the Pang family.


    Seeing that Pang Kongqing had obediently followed Mu Yangling to her room, Shu Wanniang and Great-aunt heaved a sigh of relief.


    At this moment, Fei Bai had already hidden himself. Only Bai Li looked at Pang Kongqing coldly with a straight face and a sword lying on hisp.


    Pang Kongqing shivered a little, and Mu Yangling quicklyforted him. ¡°Physician Pang, don¡¯t worry. This is my cousin¡¯s servant. He won¡¯t do anything to you. Come and take a look.¡±


    Bai Li had already put on some simple makeup for Qi Haoran. At this moment, his face was even covered by a handkerchief. This attempt to hide his appearance was quite conspicuous.


    Suspicion shed across Pang Kongqing¡¯s eyes, but he had no choice but to calm down and take his pulse. However, he heard two children discussing softly outside. ¡°Cousin is so pitiful. He can¡¯te to the city to y in the future.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen. Cousin said that she¡¯s already covered his face. No one will see his face. In the future, Cousin can stille to the city to y with us.¡±


    Mu Yangling had obviously heard the voices too. After ncing at Pang Kongqing, she went out and pulled the children away. Through the window, Pang Kongqing could not hear her reprimanding the children clearly. However, when he saw the handkerchief on the patient¡¯s face, he no longer had the desire to investigate. In fact, he even hoped that the handkerchief would be more stable and not fall off. Otherwise, if he saw the true appearance of the bandit¡¯s beloved son, he might really die without a burial ce.


    Mu Yangling held Xiuhong and Bowen¡¯s hands and walked to the kitchen. Only then did she squat in front of them and pat their heads. ¡°You¡¯ve done very well. When your Brother Haoran wakes up, I¡¯ll ask him to buy you delicious food.¡±


    Xiuhong was so nervous that her palms were sweating. She was only a few months younger than Mu Yangling, and naturally knew how serious this matter was. She only hoped that Qi Haoran could survive this ordeal and not die in their house. Otherwise, their entire family would be implicated by him.


    Still confused, Bowen asked in confusion, ¡°Just now, Cousin and I were ying by the field. We clearly saw Brother Haoran and the others leave. Why did theye back in the blink of an eye?¡±


    It turned out that after Mu Yangling left, Shu Wanniang realized the many loopholes. She could only get Bai Li to continue pretending that Qi Haoran and Fei Bai had left their house and returned to the military camp, while instructing others to stop Qi Haoran¡¯s bleeding. As long as they left the vige and changed into their clothes where no one could see them before sneaking back from the north, their tracks would be easily covered. This was because that area was filled with bushes and trees.


    She was also the one who had scared Bowen and Xin into crying. No one had expected Great-aunt toe back so early today, not to mention that she had returned with Madam Hu-Fang. Shu Wanniang could only pretend to be seriously ill with a handkerchief stained with roe deer blood in her trouser pocket.


    She managed to trick Madam Hu-Fang, but even Great-aunt was startled.


    Now, as long as one investigated carefully, they could still find some suspicious signs, but at least ordinary people would no longer notice anything abnormal.


    Mu Yangling sighed and went out to help her pale father into the kitchen. She asked in a low voice, ¡°Father, where are you hurt?¡±


    Exhaling, Mu Shi said, ¡°There are a few wounds that have stopped bleeding. I¡¯ll get your mother to apply the medicine for meter. Nothing is more important than Little General at the moment. Ah Ling, hold the doctor backter. Don¡¯t let him leave before Little General is out of danger.¡± Mu Shi took out a bag of silver from his pocket and stuffed it into her hand. He whispered, ¡°Buy medicine with thister. Make sure to get the premium herbs. Also, think of a way to secretly inform Young Master Fan and General. We can¡¯t hide this from them. Little General has caused a huge disaster and we have to make up for it as soon as possible. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid it will implicate the entire Great Zhou.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth fell open. What kind of trouble did Qi Haoran cause that involved the entire country?


    A sound came from the room. Mu Yangling turned around and saw the half-hidden Bai Li looking over. She hurriedly ran over and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Bai Li looked at Pang Kongqing.


    Having just finished examining the wounds on the patient¡¯s body, Pang Kongqing wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and nced at Bai Li. Then, he said to Mu Yangling, ¡°He¡¯s injured his vital points. I don¡¯t know if he can be saved.¡± Seeing Bai Li¡¯s expression change and looking at him fiercely, he hurriedly added ¡°But I¡¯ll try my best. However, if he has a fever or his wound is inmed, there¡¯s nothing much I can do and can only leave it to fate.¡±


    ¡°In that case, Physician Pang, please write the prescription.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Pang Kongqing was afraid of angering Bai Li, so he hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯ll write two prescriptions for him now. One for internal consumption and one for external application. How about it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do as you say.¡±


    Pang Kongqing only wanted to quickly finish writing the prescription and leave, so he did his best to write it. He even specially exined it to Mu Yangling, who was reading the prescription. In the end, he even habitually added, ¡°My pharmacy has all these herbs¡­¡± Pang Kongqing wished he could bite off his tongue.


    However, Mu Yangling had already folded the prescription and ced it in her arms. She said to Pang Kongqing, who was looking at her expectantly, ¡°Physician Pang, as my mother is seriously ill, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to stay here for the night. Tomorrow, when my mother¡¯s life is out of danger, I¡¯ll send you away.¡±


    Not looking at Pang Kongqing¡¯s incredulous eyes, Mu Yangling directly instructed Bai Li, ¡°Let Physician Pang rest in my room. Watch over him and be more polite.¡±


    Bai Li nced at Pang Kongqing and nodded.


    Pang Kongqing could only watch as Mu Yangling left. He turned his head stiffly to look at Bai Li, put on a stiff smile, and greeted, ¡°Brother, please take care of me.¡±


    Bai Li nced at him coldly, turned around and sat down on the stool at the side.


    Pang Kongqing turned his head to look at the patient, but the person lying on the bed had yet to wake up. He could only look at Bai Li, who was constantly releasing cold air. For the first time, he hoped that Mu Yangling woulde back soon.


    Mu Yangling sprinted all the way to the county, but she did not go to Benevolence Hall to get the herbs. Instead, she went to another medicinal shop. The shopkeeper did not think too much about it and simply packed the herbs for Mu Yangling..

 Chapter 157 - 157: Notification

    Chapter 157: Notification


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling quickly sent the medicine back and handed it to Fei Bai, who was hiding in the kitchen, for him to brew the medicine. Only then did she push her father to Shu Wanniang¡¯s room and hand the medicine to her. ¡°Mother, apply the medicine for Father. I¡¯ll go out for a while.¡±


    Mu Yangling went to the camp to look for Qi Xiuyuan and Fan Zijin.


    Qi Xiuyuan would only stay here for a day. If she went to look for him now, she could still find an excuse to muddle through. It would be difficult to look for him when he returned to the prefectural capital. After all, it wouldn¡¯t be nearly as easy to cover her tracks.


    The reason why Qi Xiuyuan came was because Qi Haoran had, on a whim some time ago, requested to go into battle. The assistantmanders were eager toe over to take a look at Qi oran¡¯s training results. If he could really be like how he trained the 4th Division back then, there was nothing wrong with agreeing to let him fight.


    Qi Xiuyuan was happy to agree to this, since it was a glorious matter for his younger brother. Moreover, the recent war with the Jin soldiers hade to an end, so he brought a group of people over.


    Unfortunately, Qi Haoran had brought people into the mountains to hunt and probably wouldn¡¯te out for three to five days.


    Fan Zijin exined to everyone with a smile, ¡°Haoran is energetic. Not only does everyone have to train their troops, but they also have to build a campsite. Hence, now that he¡¯s free and happened to hear that some wild beasts went down the mountain to destroy grains, he brought a few people into the mountain. Thest time he went into the mountain, he stayed for four days beforeing out. I don¡¯t know how long he¡¯ll stay this time.¡± At this point, Fan Zijin smiled helplessly and said, ¡°So I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll disappoint everyone this time. I¡¯m afraid 1 can¡¯t let everyone review the troops.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nced at his cousin and did not say anything.


    Jiang Ze smiled and said, ¡°No big deal. At most, we¡¯lle again next time. Just look at this camp area and it¡¯s obvious that Little General has spent a lot of effort. It¡¯s much more organized than our old camp area.¡±


    With Jiang Ze and Fan Zijin livening up the atmosphere, everyone gradually forgot that Qi Haoran was not at the campsite. Qi Xiuyuan brought everyone to y for a day. When he saw that the sky was about to turn dark, he stood up and smiled. ¡°Alright, we should go back.¡±


    Fan Zijin quickly invited him to stay. ¡°Cousin, why don¡¯t you stay here for dinner with the assistantmanders? Everyone, try our 5th Division¡¯s food.¡±


    The corners of Jiang Ze¡¯s mouth twitched. He had thought that he would invite them to a restaurant in Mingshui County. It was obvious that Fan Zijin did not want to keep them.


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes darkened even more. He nced at Fan Zijin without batting an eyelid and shook his head. ¡°No need. There are so many assistantmanders here so we can¡¯t stay outside overnight. Everyone has to go back today.¡±


    However, before they reached the entrance of the 5th Division, they heard amotion.


    Qi Xiuyuan could vaguely hear crying and couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°What¡¯s going on ahead?¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s heart skipped a beat, for he recognized Mu Yangling¡¯s voice. How could Mu Yangling cry? Back then, she didn¡¯t even cry when she crawled out of the pile of corpses. Moreover, she knew that his cousin woulde today, but she had promised him that she would help him cover it up.


    Jiang Ze had already strode out. When he saw Mu Yangling crying at the entrance of the camp, he couldn¡¯t help but be stunned. He shouted, ¡°Miss Mu, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Mu Yangling wiped her tears and pushed a soldier away before running to Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s side. ¡°General Qi, please save my mother.¡±


    ¡°Your mother?¡± Qi Xiuyuan looked at her in surprise. ¡°What happened to your mother?¡±


    ¡°My mother is sick and urgently needs good ginseng. But my family doesn¡¯t have money or connections and can¡¯t afford good ginseng at all. General, please help save my mother.¡± Mu Yangling reached out to grab Qi Xiuyuan. Her fingers couldn¡¯t help but tighten as she gently tapped his wrist.


    Qi Xiuyuan nced at her without batting an eyelid and sighed. ¡°1 don¡¯t have any good ginseng here either, but it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll get someone to go back and look for it now.¡± As he spoke, he looked at Jiang Ze and said, ¡°Take the soldiers back first. Then, get the butler to find the 100-year-old ginseng in the storeroom and send it over immediately.¡± He then said gently to Mu Yangling, ¡°Miss Mu, don¡¯t be anxious. I¡¯ll go take a look with you. If it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll send a post to invite a famous doctor from the prefecture capital.¡±


    Mu Yangling wiped her tears again and looked at Qi Xiuyuan gratefully.


    Fan Zijin immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look too.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded. ¡°Bring the military doctor along.¡±


    Yanmo dashed off, and not long after, the military doctor came out with a first aid kit. The four of them got on their horses, and Qi Xiuyuan smiled as he reached out to Mu Yangling. ¡°Come here, I¡¯ll bring you.¡±


    Mu Yangling reached out to him and sat behind him.


    Qi Xiuyuan waved at Jiang Ze below and rode out on his horse. After the horse ran far away and Mu Yangling was sure that no one would hear them, she whispered into Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s ear, ¡°General, Qi Haoran is seriously injured and is lying in my house now. Fei Bai said that he caused a huge disaster. No one must know that he¡¯s injured.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s expression darkened as he asked, ¡°How is he now?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s still unconscious. He¡¯s injured his vitals.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan silently sped up.


    Fan Zijin followed a few steps behind the two of them. As the wind was strong and the horses¡¯ hooves were fast, he could not hear what the two of them were talking about at all, but his intuition told him that this matter had something to do with Qi Haoran.


    Thinking about how Qi Haoran had gone deep into the enemy¡¯s territory this time, he could not help but worry. Could something have happened to that silly boy?


    The horse stopped at the Mu residence and Qi Xiuyuan quickly walked in. Mu Shi hurriedly came out of the house to wee him. Qi Xiuyuan only nced at him and smelled the blood and medicine on him. He nodded slightly at him and asked in a low voice, ¡°Where is he?¡±


    Mu Yangling had already run in from outside and said to Qi Xiuyuan, ¡°General, thank you foring to see my mother. Come here and have a seat first.¡± She directly invited him to her room.


    As soon as he entered the room, Bai Li knelt down in front of Qi Xiuyuan. Qi Xiuyuan did not even look at him and directly sat by the brick bed to look at the unconscious Qi Haoran.


    At this moment, Fei Bai had already applied medicine for Qi Haoran. His entire body was wrapped in a white cloth, and his face was pale as hey on the bed lifelessly.


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at him deeply for a while before turning to look at Bai Li with anger in his eyes.


    Mu Shi and Bai Li knelt at Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s feet and did not dare to say a word. Even though Mu Yangling¡¯s heart ached for her father, she did not dare to speak at this moment.


    Fan Zijin followed Qi Xiuyuan into the house. When he saw Qi Hao on the brick bed, his body swayed. Holding onto the door frame, he barely managed to stand still. Trembling, he tried to feel his breath under his nose. After being pped away by Qi Xiuyuan, he heaved a sigh of relief and looked at him with red eyes. ¡°Cousin, Haoran is still alive, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course he¡¯s alive.¡± Qi Xiuyuan suppressed his anger and growled. ¡°If he dares to die, 1¡¯11 go to the King of Hell¡¯s pce and drag him back.¡±


    Fan Zijin slumped on the edge of the brick bed while Qi Xiuyuan said to Yanmo, ¡°Invite the military doctor in. Go outside and guard the door. Don¡¯t let anyone peep.¡±


    Now that something had happened in the Mu residence today, the vigers would stand far away and peep at them. Some of them were thick-skinned enough to stand outside the wall and look in without hiding anything. This was also the reason why Mu Yangling did not dare to show it.


    Qi Xiuyuan naturally understood her concerns and directly asked Yanmo to stand outside. Country bumpkins were all afraid of those in power. Seeing Yanmo, no matter how curious they were, they didn¡¯t dare to get close and peek. This made it easier for them to speak inside the room. At least now, Qi Xiuyuan felt at ease kicking Bai Li away, causing him to fall to the corner with a bang. He didn¡¯t have to worry about the people outside hearing it..

 Chapter 158 - 158: Temptation

    Chapter 158: Temptation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling touched her chest without batting an eyelid, feeling pain.


    Mu Shitou lowered his head and knelt respectfully. After Bai Li was kicked away, he got up and knelt properly. He lowered his head and did not dare to speak.


    xThe military doctor sat on the stool and took Qi Haoran¡¯s pulse, as if he didn¡¯t see anything. After taking his pulse, he checked the wounds on Qi Haoran¡¯s body. Then, he stood up and bowed to Qi Xiuyuan. ¡°General, Little General¡¯s injuries are serious. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not skilled enough.¡± Seeing Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s ugly expression, he said, ¡°As Little General¡¯s vital points are injured, he has to be sent to Doctor Liu at the Concentrated Hall in Xingyuan Prefecture. Perhaps he might be able to save him.¡±


    Bai Li¡¯s expression changed and he looked up at Qi Xiuyuan. Qi Xiuyuan asked, ¡°What happens if we don¡¯t send him to Xingyuan Prefecture and can only let him be treated in Xingzhou Prefecture?¡±


    The military doctor paused and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Then we can only ask Pang Kongqing from Benevolence Hall to help. Although he¡¯s young, his research on internal illnesses is far better than others. This makes him understand a person¡¯s internal organs better than others. As for the external injuries, 1 believe 1 can handle it. I¡¯m 70% confident that Little General¡¯s wound won¡¯t inme.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand and said, ¡°Go out and wait. I¡¯ll ask again.¡±


    Bai Li said in a low voice, ¡°General, Pang Kongqing is in the room next door. Why don¡¯t we get the military doctor to go to the kitchen to take a look at the medicine?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan was furious. What kind of trouble did his brother get into that he had to be so careful? Looking at his brother on the bed, Qi Xiuyuan was really angry and heartbroken. In the end, his anger shifted to Bai Li and he asked coldly, ¡°I asked you to protect and take care of him, not let him risk his life.¡±


    With a pale face, Bai Li lowered his head and did not dare to speak.


    Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand and asked the military doctor to go to the kitchen to take a look at the medicine. The military doctor also knew that he was doing this to hide his whereabouts and try not to let Pang Kongqing, who was in the next room, discover him.


    In fact, Pang Kongqing could not discover it at all because he was tied to a pir by Bai Li. Not only was his mouth stuffed, but his eyes were also blindfolded. If not for the fact that the effect was not great, Bai Li would have plugged his ears, too.


    At first, he only heard many footsteps and knew that someone wasing. Then, there was a loud bang, as if something had hit the wall. Now, Pang Kongqing only wanted to pretend to be dead. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to ask for help, but he had no idea who the person outside was. What if it was an aplice?


    It was fine if he died, but he didn¡¯t want to implicate his wife and family in the end.


    Pang Kongqing really regretted it. He shouldn¡¯t havee just because Mu Bowen was cute. However, he was a doctor. Even if the person who hade to invite him wasn¡¯t Mu Yangling but someone else, he would still havee¡­


    While Pang Kongqing was letting his imagination run wild, Qi Xiuyuan was asking Bai Li what was going on.


    Bai Li looked up at Mu Yangling and Fan Zijin.


    Fan Zijin sat there in a daze and did not move, his eyes focused on Qi Haoran. He, who had always been smart, did not catch Bai Li¡¯s hint. Besides, even if he did, he would not leave. There was nothing about Qi Haoran that he did not know about?


    The n to infiltrate Baoshan County from Four Tray Vige to investigate the enemy was perfected by him and Haoran.


    However, Mu Yangling stood up and was about to leave. Qi Xiuyuan nced at Mu Shi and waved his hand to stop her. ¡°You can stay. Zijin is family, but you¡¯re also someone Haoran trusts.¡± He still didn¡¯t know what trouble Haoran had caused. Judging by Bai Li¡¯s appearance, it seemed to be pretty serious trouble. As such, he would probably have to find Mu Yangling to cover it up in the future. Anyway, her father already knew the truth, so he might as well let her know, too.


    Qi Xiuyuan did not treat Mu Yangling as a child. Instead, he felt that she was more reliable than Mu Shi. Although this was an intuition, Qi Xiuyuan believed it very much. He would never ignore any of his intuitions.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan had thought of all kinds of things, but he did not expect his brother to get into such trouble.


    After confirming that there were only the few of them in the house and that there was no one in the courtyard outside, and that Yanmo was guarding outside, Bai Li said in a low voice, ¡°General, Little General killed the crown prince of the Jin Kingdom, Wo Ben, in Hanzhong Prefecture¡­¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s pupils constricted. He grabbed his clothes tightly and looked at him in shock.


    Fan Zijin also widened his eyes and turned his head, almost twisting his neck because he moved too quickly. On the other hand, Mu Yangling was the calmest. In her eyes, the crown prince of the Jin Kingdom was just a symbol. In this chaotic world where even the emperor might be captured, killing a crown prince wasn¡¯t such a big deal in her opinion.


    Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan and Fan Zijin were silent, Mu Yangling could only ask softly, ¡°Have your identities been discovered?¡±


    Bai Li shook his head. ¡°We were dressed as Hus in Hanzhong Prefecture. At that time, there was a sudden conflict. After Little General killed him, we looked through the things on his body and found out that he was the crown prince of the Jin Kingdom. We retreated almost immediately, but we were still discovered. We only escaped after a bloody attack. General, this matter must not be exposed. The Jin Kingdom already has the ambition to invade our Great Zhou. If this matter is exposed, Little General¡­¡± Bai Li looked at Qi Xiuyuan anxiously.


    Fan Zijin also knelt in front of Qi Xiuyuan and hugged his leg. ¡°Cousin, quickly save Haoran. I was the one who agreed to let him go over. You know that he has always listened to me. Just take it that I did this.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan pped him and said hatefully, ¡°What do you think I want to do? Haoran is my biological younger brother! Can he be saved if you take the me? Knowing what those people in Lin¡¯an are like, the Qi family and the Fan family will probably perish.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s face turned pale.


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but look at them in shock. She couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Didn¡¯t Bai Li say that they still discovered their identities? Then, we just have to clean up the loose ends and frame them to keep them busy.¡± Mu Yangling racked her brains and recalled the often-yed ploys in television dramas. Coupled with her past drills and the battle of wits and bravery with the drug lords, she said, ¡°For example, we can frame the other princes of the Jin Kingdom, such as the Eldest, Second, and Third Princes. Whoever has the ambition to fight for the throne has the potential to be framed. Also, didn¡¯t the Xia Kingdom next door take the opportunity to plunder resources on the Jin¡¯snd in the previous battle with the Jin soldiers? Since they¡¯re also bad people, let them fight each other. Anyway, the Jin and Xia Kingdoms are next to each other, making it more convenient for them to enter the Jin Kingdom than us.¡± Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s expression was still ugly, she added, ¡°Anyway, in their eyes, the Han people are physically weak,ck resources and timid, and are only capable of boasting and scheming. Even if we admit to killing the crown prince of the Jin Kingdom, 1 don¡¯t think they will truly believe it was us. We should, however, be wary that they use this as an excuse to attack our Great Zhou.¡±


    Only then did Qi Xiuyuan look at Mu Yangling with surprise in his eyes.


    Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes lit up. He grabbed Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s robe and said, ¡°Mu Yangling is right. Cousin, let¡¯s do as Mu Yangling says.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan red at him and pulled him up. He stood up, cupped his hands, and bowed deeply to Mu Yangling. ¡°Thank you, Miss Mu.¡± He looked at Mu Yangling deeply and smiled. ¡°Speaking of which, Miss Mu has done us three brothers a huge favor. You saved us again this time. I¡¯m really grateful. Miss Mu, if you need help in the future, just look for me or Zijin. As long as we can do it, we¡¯ll definitely help you achieve it..¡±

 Chapter 159 - 159: Arrangement

    Chapter 159: Arrangement


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    This was the first time someone had said such solemn words to Mu Yangling. She waved her hand in a panic. ¡°No need, no need. Haoran is my friend. It¡¯s only right for me to help out a friend. Moreover, this matter is also rted to my father. Being his subordinate, it¡¯s my father¡¯s responsibility to protect Qi Haoran.¡±


    A smile and admiration shed across Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes. It was obvious that he was very satisfied with Mu Yangling. Seeing this, Bai Li boldly stepped forward and said, ¡°General, it¡¯s all thanks to Section Commander Mu that I was able to escape with Little General from Hanzhong Prefecture this time.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan lowered his head to look at him. Only then did he see Mu Shi kneeling on the ground. He quickly reached out to help him up and patted his hand. ¡°You and your daughter are both excellent. Thank you for your trouble this time. Go and rest since you¡¯re also injured. It¡¯s fine with Ah Ling here.¡±


    With Qi Xiuyuan changing the way of address from ¡®Miss Mu¡¯ to ¡®Ah Ling¡¯, it was as if they were much closer now.


    Mu Shi nced at his daughter, bowed, and slowly left.


    Qi Xiuyuan turned to look at his brother. If it were any other matter, he could still bear it alone and take the risk to bring his brother to the Xingyuan Prefecture to seek medical treatment. But now, if he was not careful, he and his brother might be consigned to eternal damnation. His brother might even have to bear all the infamy. Therefore, he could only follow the second n of the military doctor.


    Qi Xiuyuan asked Mu Yangling, ¡°What excuse did you use to invite Pang Kongqing over?¡±


    Mu Yangling scratched her head and exined in embarrassment how she had threatened Pang Kongqing.


    Qi Xiuyuan was stunned for a moment before looking at her in admiration. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. There are six stockades and eight gangs in Mount Daluo. The leader of the third-ranked Tiger Heaven Stockade happens to have a Hu bloodline. Pang Kongqing definitely hasn¡¯t seen that person before and doesn¡¯t know his situation. Let him think that Haoran is from the Tiger Heaven Stockade. I¡¯ll make some arrangements and try my best to clean up the tail. I¡¯ll leave Haoran with you for the next few days and bring him away when he¡¯s out of danger.¡±


    Mu Yangling patted her chest and promised, ¡°General, don¡¯t worry. I will definitely take good care of Qi Haoran.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded with a smile.


    He lowered his head to look at Qi Haoran and sighed slightly. Seeing this, Mu Yangling wanted to quietly retreat. Bai Li knelt on the ground and did not dare to move. Seeing this, Mu Yangling quickly went forward to help him up and walked out with him.


    Only the three brothers were left in the room now.


    Bai Li broke free from Mu Yangling¡¯s grip. His face was a little dark, but he still cupped his hands and thanked her. ¡°Thank you, Miss Mu.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Mu Yangling looked around and said worriedly, ¡°Are so many of you going to stay here for the night?¡±


    There were only a few rooms in their residence, so it was not a problem to keep Qi Haoran and Bai Li for the night. They could just tidy up a room and let them stay there. However, Pang Kongqing could not stay in Great-aunt¡¯s room all the time. It would be best if he could chase him to Mu Yangling¡¯s room too. Then, the military doctor would stay in the storeroom, and the Mu family could stay in the main room. However, if Qi Xiuyuan and Fan Zijin stayed too, they had to avoid meeting Pang Kongqing, so there would be no ce for them to settle down.


    Just as Mu Yangling was fretting, Fei Bai came over and bowed respectfully. ¡°Miss Mu, my eldest young master said that he¡¯ll just stay in the storeroom for the night. He told you not to be restrained. After we hide, you can get Physician Pang to take a look at Young Master.¡±


    ¡°How will that do? I should let the general stay in the main room,¡± Mu Yangling said apologetically.


    Fei Bai chuckled softly and said, ¡°Miss Mu, there¡¯s no need to be polite with my Eldest Young Master. It¡¯s just to avoid that person now. In a while, Eldest Young Master and Young Master Zijin will pretend to leave ande back quietly when it¡¯s dark. Tonight is the most crucial. Eldest Young Master and Young Master Zijin must watch over Fourth Young Master.¡±


    After Qi Haoran got injured, he had been dragged into the forest by Mu Shi. He had originally brought nine people out, but only four of them survived. The other six had sacrificed themselves to protect him while he left. The past three days had not been peaceful, and Qi Haoran¡¯s injuries had worsened. ording to Pang Kongqing, he had already reached his limit today. If he could survive it, everything would be fine. If he could not, even the gods and Buddhas would be helpless.


    Hence, Qi Xiuyuan and Fan Zijin would definitely watch over Qi Haoran.


    Of course, Mu Yangling was also keeping watch. With such a time bomb living at home, no one was in the mood to eat. However, Great-aunt still cooked a simple meal. After feeding the children, she entered her room and carried a nket out.


    When Pang Kongqing heard someone enter the room, he whimpered twice. Great-aunt couldn¡¯t help but nce at him. Her conscience was a little uneasy, but she still turned her head ruthlessly, picked up the nket with trembling hands, and left.


    ¡°General, do you really n to let him stay in the storeroom? How can anyone live there when it¡¯s so damp there? It¡¯s better to stay in my room. Our family can sleep in your mother¡¯s room for the night.¡±


    The sun had just set when, under the gazes of the vigers, Qi Xiuyuan left with Fan Zijin, whose eyes were slightly red. After returning to the military camp, he did not immediately turn around to return to the Mu residence. Instead, he found his trusted aide and made a series of arrangements. When the sky outside had turnedpletely dark, he picked up a box on the table and left with Fan Zijin again.


    This was the loo-year-old ginseng that Jiang Ze had sent over. It was originally an excuse, but he didn¡¯t expect it to really be used. However, it wasn¡¯t used on Mother Mu, but on his younger brother.


    Thinking about how his usually lively and active younger brother had suddenly be like this, Qi Xiuyuan was really angry and hateful. He hated the Hus and himself even more. He clearly knew that his younger brother was unreliable, but he still transferred him here alone. He did not take good care of him. This was the opposite of what he had said when he wrote a letter and quarreled with his father. ¡°My younger brother will be ten times better off here than in Lin¡¯an Mansion.¡± If he was in Lin¡¯an Mansion, he would not have been so seriously injured no matter what.


    When Fan Zijin turned around and saw that his cousin¡¯s expression was not good, he knew that he had a knot in his heart. He pulled his sleeve and begged, ¡°Big Cousin, don¡¯t be angry and me yourself. Otherwise, Haoran definitely won¡¯t be able to recuperate properly when he wakes up. Actually, this matter isn¡¯t his fault. If not for Wo Ben disregarding human lives and treating us Han Chinese as subhumans, Haoran wouldn¡¯t have killed him so impulsively.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve already contacted General Yuan. Considering he has more connections in the Jin Kingdom than us, we still need his help to sow discord.¡±


    Shocked, Fan Zijin hurriedly said, ¡°Eldest Cousin, how can we tell outsiders about this?¡± In Fan Zijin¡¯s opinion, Bai Li was assigned to his cousin by his uncle, and his indenture was also in his cousin¡¯s hands. That made him his cousin¡¯s death warrior. Mu Yangling was naturally one of them. The military doctor was alsopletely under their control, so it was fine if he knew. However, General Yuan had a high position and authority. Although he was noble and upright, Fan Zijin still could not trust him. He was afraid that one day, should a conflict arise between them, they would be the ones who would be sacrificed.


    Qi Xiuyuan naturally knew what Fan Zijin was thinking. Smiling, he touched his head. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. Of course, 1 won¡¯t tell him what Haoran did. I¡¯ll just say that my people found out that the crown prince of the Jin Kingdom was killed in Hanzhong. It¡¯s up to him what he thinks.¡±


    Since Hanzhong Prefecture was on guard and the entire Jin troop was mobilized, it was impossible for General Yuan to not know anything. Whether they could find out about the death of the crown prince of the Jin Kingdom depended on their own abilities..

 Chapter 160 - 160: Heat

    Chapter 160: Heat


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling and Bai Li escorted Pang Kongqing to the room to take care of Qi Haoran. Seeing that Bai Li and Pang Kongqing looked tired, Mu Yangling went out to move a few benches over and put them together. She simplyid a nket on top and said to Pang Kongqing, ¡°Physician Pang, lie here and rest.¡±


    Pang Kongqing really wanted to re at Mu Yangling and reject her, but he could not withstand his sleepiness at all. He could only snort coldly in his heart and climb up with a cold expression to pull up the nket to cover himself. In order to anger Mu Yangling, he deliberately did not take off his shoes and ced his feet under the nket.


    The nket was half-covered by him, and he was afraid that he would not be able to use it in the future. However, Mu Yangling pretended not to see it and said to Bai Li in a low voice, ¡°You should rest too. I¡¯ll watch over him.¡±


    Having protected Qi Haoran for three days, Bai Li¡¯s body was already at its limit. Hearing this, he did not refuse and leaned against the wall to rest.


    Mu Yangling propped her chin on her hand and sat by the brick bed to look at Qi Haoran.


    Because he had lost too much blood, his face was still pale even after taking the medicine. Mu Yangling looked at him in a daze, and only then did she feel a little strange. Qi Haoran seemed to be only 13 years old now, but he could already affect the diplomatic rtions of several countries.


    Mu Yangling poked his face and sighed. Actually, it wasn¡¯t Qi Haoran¡¯s fault. If it were her, she would definitely have made a move, too. She heard that the crown prince of the Jin Kingdom had already tortured more than 40 beautiful children to death. If she didn¡¯t meet him, she could still treat it as a legend and ignore it. However, she couldn¡¯t ignore it if she saw it.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s actions saved more than 20 children.


    In the middle of the night, Qi Haoran suddenly had a fever. Pang Kongqing had no choice but to get up and help him apply acupuncture to lower his temperature. Mu Yangling kept recing his wet handkerchief.


    In the end, the wet handkerchief had to be changed every 15 minutes. Even the military doctor could not be bothered to hide it. He changed his clothes and covered his face to help. At this moment, Pang Kongqing no longer had the spare brain capacity to think about who had suddenly appeared, let alone care about who was pacing around outside the door. He only knew that this person was extremely valued by this group of people. If he died, he would probably not be able to live either.


    In the end, seeing that the handkerchief was useless, Pang Kongqing said, ¡°Go and get fresh water from the well. It¡¯ste at night, so the water temperature should be low.¡± He muttered, ¡°If only there was ice.¡± He knew that this was impossible. Xingzhou Prefecture didn¡¯t have much heat in summer, so the people didn¡¯t have the habit of storing ice in the cer. Even rich families rarely used ice.


    However, Mu Yangling shuddered and said, ¡°I have ice at home. It¡¯s river ice that I preserved in winter.¡±


    Pang Kongqing stomped his feet. ¡°Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and get it.¡±


    Mu Yangling casually took a basin and ran to the backyard. She opened the cer and couldn¡¯t wait for the air to enter. Holding her breath, she climbed down as the cold air rushed into her bones. She couldn¡¯t care less and squatted down to dig out two pieces of ice. Then, she stuck her head out of the cer and took a deep breath.


    Seeing this, Fan Zijin hurriedly ran over and asked in a low voice, ¡°How is it? Did you get it?¡±


    After Mu Yangling leaned over and handed the basin to him, Fan Zijin picked it up and ran away. Seeing that he had run over, Qi Xiuyuan hurriedly knocked on the door and the military doctor came out to bring it in. At this moment, Pang Kongqing¡¯s mind waspletely focused on Qi Haoran and he did not pay attention to the outside at all. Seeing that his face was still covered with a handkerchief, he turned around and said to Bai Li, ¡°We can¡¯t use a handkerchief on him anymore. We have to make his breathing smooth. Since I¡¯ve already given him acupuncture, it¡¯s useless to use the handkerchief again. Go brew the medicine and cool him down with ice. Just blindfold me.¡±


    Pang Kongqing was not curious about his appearance at all. Knowing he would die if he saw his face, that curiosity disappeared no matter how curious he was.


    Bai Li did not say anything else and directly covered his eyes. He lifted the handkerchief on Qi Haoran¡¯s face. At this moment, his face was flushed and his breathing was heavy. When he touched it, it felt like heated iron. Bai Li¡¯s eyes turned red and he looked at the military doctor anxiously.


    The military doctor shook his head slightly. There was nothing he could do now.


    Mu Yangling ran in and helped break the ice before applying it on his head. She then wiped his palms and feet with cold water to lower his temperature. After a while, Mu Yangling broke out in a sweat and Qi Haoran¡¯s temperature finally decreased slightly.


    The military doctor shook his head and lowered his voice. ¡°That won¡¯t do. If the temperature doesn¡¯t drop, even if we save him, he will be a fool. This temperature is enough to cook an egg.¡±


    Of course, Mu Yangling knew that. Moreover, looking at the situation, it was already very fortunate that he could be a fool. If this continued, he would definitely die from the fever.


    Mu Yangling was anxious. In the end, she thought of something and said, ¡°Wine! Use wine. Which one of you has wine that has about 35% alcohol content?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s 35%?¡± The military doctor turned to ask her.


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t care less anymore. She recalled that Old Hu had saidst time that his family used to brew wine. There were still a few jars of good wine passed down from his ancestors at home. When his grandson got married, he would take out one jar as a betrothal gift. He had even unted this a few times.


    Without thinking, Mu Yangling rushed out and rushed straight to Old Hu¡¯s house. She shook Old Hu awake in his sleep.


    The Hu family was shocked by Mu Yangling. Old Hu almost rolled off the brick bed. When he saw that it was Mu Yangling, he asked angrily, ¡°Ah Ling, what are you doing in the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Hu, where¡¯s your wine?¡±


    ¡°Why do you want my wine?¡± Old Hu asked her in a daze.


    Mu Yangling took out a piece of silver from her pocket and ced it in front of him. ¡°My family urgently needs wine. Where¡¯s your wine?¡±


    Old Hu¡¯s eyes darted around, and he wanted to raise the price. Just as he was about to shake his head, he was pushed down by his wife. Seeing Mu Yangling¡¯s anxious expression, Madam Hu-Fang knew that she needed it urgently. Thinking of the rumors outside that Shu Wanniang was seriously ill and probably wouldn¡¯t live for more than a few days, she quickly got off the brick bed and said, ¡°My old man kept it in the cer. I¡¯ll bring you to get it.¡±


    Mu Yangling could naturally tell what Old Hu was thinking. Although she was angry, this was not the time to fuss about it. She gave Madam Hu-Fang a grateful smile and followed her.


    ¡°Hey, wait a minute.¡± Old Hu got up and chased after her. He shouted, ¡°This wine has been passed down in our family for generations. We won¡¯t sell it easily. Ah Ling, don¡¯t think that you can bully usmoners just because you¡¯re the daughter of the sectionmander.¡±


    Old Hu moved quickly and blocked the cer.


    Mu Yangling was furious, but she couldn¡¯t snatch it by force since the thing did belong to someone else. She could only look at him coldly and say, ¡°Old Hu, I won¡¯t hide it from you. I¡¯m here to save a life. No matter how much money it is, I¡¯ll owe you first and repayter.¡±


    Shaking his head, Old Hu said, ¡°This thing can¡¯t be bought with money. This is something passed down by our ancestors. How can we give it to someone just like that?¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t have time to waste on him. She took out all the silver from her body and threw it at his feet. Staring at the silver on the ground, Old Hu¡¯s eyes widened. Madam Hu-Fang went to push him and snapped angrily, ¡°What are you doing? All Ling is using this to save a life! Move aside.¡±


    Old Hu came back to his senses and pushed Madam Hu-Fang away. With his head raised, he said to Mu Yangling, ¡°I¡¯m not selling this wine.¡±


    Mu Yangling was so angry that sheughed. Instead of being furious, she calmed down. Softening her expression, she said to Old Hu, ¡°How about this, Grandpa Hu? I¡¯ll use my father¡¯s sectionmander position to exchange for it. Give me the wine, and I¡¯ll let Second Uncle Hu be the sectionmander.¡± Old Hu¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    Mu Yangling exuded a terrifying aura and looked at him coldly. ¡°Of course. Grandpa Hu, can you give me the wine now?¡±


    Old Hu felt a force pressing down on him, making him unable to move. When he came back to his senses, Mu Yangling had already gone down to the cer, and he was covered in cold sweat.


    Old Hu shivered and hesitated, but this hesitation disappeared when he saw the silver on the ground and thought of Mu Yangling¡¯s promise..

 Chapter 161 - 161: Out of Danger

    Chapter 161: Out of Danger


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling carried all the wine in the cer back and ced it in front of Qi Xiuyuan. ¡°See which jar of wine is the strongest.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t ask why. He opened the seal and took a sip from each jar. After tasting every jar, he picked out a jar of wine for Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling ran into the room and wiped Qi Haoran¡¯s palms and feet with a soft cloth. She said to Bai Li and the military doctor, ¡°Come on, wipe his palms, feet, and armpits.¡± Mu Yangling sighed. ¡°We can only try our best now.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan opened the door and entered. Shocked, Bai Li turned his gaze towards Pang Kongqing.


    At this moment, Qi Xiuyuan could not care less. He walked to the side and picked up a piece of cloth to help wipe them. Fan Zijin also ran in. No one in the room spoke for a moment, and everyone quietly helped Qi Haoran cool down.


    Although there was an unhappy incident, it had taken Mu Yangling less than ten minutes to run to the Hu family¡¯s house to get some wine. However, Qi Haoran¡¯s temperature seemed to have increased again, and there was even a cold handkerchief on his forehead.


    Although Qi Xiuyuan and the others were still working hard, they didn¡¯t have much hope. The military doctor didn¡¯t know why they were using alcohol to lower his temperature. In his knowledge, alcohol was only used to disinfect and prevent inmmation. But now, he had no choice. Since Mu Yangling had found alcohol, he would do as he was told.


    While things were busy over here, those in the main room could not fall asleep as well. Mu Shi was also having a fever at this moment and was lying weakly on the brick bed. Shu Wanniang looked out worriedly as she took care of him. Great-aunt was also sitting by the brick bed in a daze. Finally, she looked at the children lying on the brick bed and asked Mu Shi softly, ¡°If Little General¡­ will General me us?¡±


    Mu Shi shook his head. ¡°General is not a narrow-minded person.¡±


    Wiping her tears, Great-aunt said regretfully, ¡°Little General is such a good child.¡±


    When Mu Shi recalled Qi Haoran¡¯s expression when he stood in front of those children, he couldn¡¯t help but think of his daughter. Clenching his fists, he got up, lifted the nket, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go over and take a look.¡±


    Shu Wanniang pressed him down. ¡°You¡¯ll only add to the trouble if you go over. Considering you can¡¯t even stand steadily, it¡¯s better for you to sit and wait. Ah Ling will take care of things over there.¡±


    Mu Shi said with reddened eyes, ¡°Wanniang, you don¡¯t know how beastly that person is. Those children are only seven or eight years old, and the youngest is only five or six years old¡ªjust a tad older than Bowen. It¡¯s not enough for him to torment those children himself. He even gave them to his subordinates when he was tired of ying with them. None of the children chosen by him walked out alive. If the one who met him back then was All Ling, then the one lying on the bed now will be¡­ Let me go over and take a look.¡±


    Shu Wanniang was shocked. She only knew that her husband seemed to have offended a big shot when he went out with the Little General, so they fled back after getting attacked. However, she did not expect that person to be so evil. Thinking of her daughter¡¯s character and way of handling matters, and remembering that Qi Haoran was only three years older than Ah Ling and was a child to begin with, she could not help but loosen her grip on Mu Shi¡¯s hand. Mu Shi got off the bed and walked out.


    At this moment, the military doctor in the room was happily feeling Qi Haoran¡¯s temperature. In the end, he asked Qi Xiuyuan in a low voice with uncertainty, ¡°Do you think his face is not as red as before?¡±


    Mu Yangling turned to look at the hourss and said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s been more than a quarter of an hour. It should have some effect by now. Let Physician Pang take a look.¡±


    After Qi Xiuyuan and Fan Zijin left, Mu Yangling helped Pang Kongqing over to take Qi Haoran¡¯s pulse.


    With his eyes covered, Pang Kongqing took his pulse. After a long time, he let go. After hesitating for a long time, his nature as a doctor prevailed. ¡°I need to see his face.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Bai Li, who opened the door and went out. Qi Xiuyuan entered and stood behind Pang Kongqing. He said in a deep voice, ¡°Take off his blindfold.¡±


    Pang Kongqing¡¯s body stiffened. After his blindfold was removed, he still closed his eyes tightly. He did not even dare to look at Qi Haoran, let alone turn behind to look at Qi Xiuyuan.


    With a soft chuckle, Qi Xiuyuan said gently, ¡°Physician Pang, don¡¯t worry. Even if you see my brother¡¯s face, 1 definitely won¡¯t hurt you. However, I hope that you can forget everything that happened yesterday and tonight after leaving here tomorrow.¡±


    Pang Kongqing nodded hurriedly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, hero. 1 won¡¯t remember anything when I wake up tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Then Physician Pang, open your eyes and take a good look at my brother.¡±


    Pang Kongqing carefully opened his eyes and nced at Qi Haoran. Seeing that there were no abnormal signs, he secretly heaved a sigh of relief. He carefully looked at Qi Haoran¡¯s expression before opening Qi Haoran¡¯s mouth to look at his tongue. After a while, he opened Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes to look at his pupils. After knowing what was going on, he let go. Only then did he notice Qi Haoran¡¯s facial features.


    Pang Kongqing had never seen Qi Haoran before. At this moment, he only felt that this person had sharp eyebrows, clear facial features, and even some cute baby fat on his cheeks. Even if such a child was not adorable enough to be loved by everyone, at least he would not be annoying. How could such a child be a little bandit?


    Pang Kongqing shook his head in his heart. Without turning around, he looked at Qi Haoran and said, ¡°His condition has improved, and his temperature is slowly decreasing.¡±


    Although he had been blindfolded, he actually knew everything that had happened in the room. Coupled with the fact that the room was filled with the fragrance of wine, he naturally knew that they were using wine to lower his temperature. Taking into ount his pulse, he estimated in his heart before saying, ¡°Wipe him with wine once every 15 minutes. When the temperature drops a lot, wipe it once every half an hour.¡±


    Seeing that he was so familiar with this, the military doctor said unhappily, ¡°Since you know that wine can lower one¡¯s temperature, why didn¡¯t you mention it before?¡±


    Pang Kongqing was stunned. ¡°1 didn¡¯t know wine could lower the temperature.


    I only found out after you used it.¡±


    The military doctor suddenly did not trust him. If this was the first time he had seen it, how did he know that the patient should be wiped once every x minutes?


    Mu Yangling looked at Pang Kongqing in admiration, feeling that this person was indeed impressive. She turned to Qi Xiuyuan and nodded slightly. Qi Xiuyuan nced at the military doctor, and thetter immediately did not dare to question him anymore.


    Qi Xiuyuan was still standing behind Pang Kongqing. ¡°Thank you, Physician Pang. I¡¯ll definitely repay you in the future. 1¡¯11 have to trouble you tonight. When my brother¡¯s fever subsides, I¡¯ll get someone to send you back.¡±


    Pang Kongqing forced a smile and only heaved a sigh of relief when he heard the person behind him close the door after leaving. That person¡¯s presence was too strong. Inparison, Mu Yangling looked much cuter, even though he had been threatened by her before.


    Although Pang Kongqing had already seen Qi Haoran¡¯s face, Bai Li still covered his eyes.


    Mu Yangling, Qi Xiuyuan, and the others wiped Qi Haoran twice more. Only then did his temperature return to normal and his face no longer flushed.


    Qi Xiuyuan asked Pang Kongqing to take Qi Haoran¡¯s pulse and confirm that he was out of danger. After he readily fulfilled the agreement, he was knocked out before being sent back in a carriage.


    When Pang Kongqing woke up in the carriage and jumped down, he saw the bustling streets. In front of him was his own medicinal shop. He immediately felt that life was so wonderful after being reborn.


    The shopkeeper came out and asked curiously, ¡°Boss, why are you back so early? Didn¡¯t you say that you went to the mountains to pick herbs?¡±

 Chapter 162 - 162: Repaying Kindness

    Chapter 162: Repaying Kindness


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Pang Kongqing red at him. ¡°When did I say that I went to the mountains to pick herbs?¡± Pang Kongqing was extraordinarily resentful. Why didn¡¯t his family look for him when he had gone to the Mu residence to attend to a patient and had not returned all night?


    The shopkeeper said in surprise, ¡°Shunzi came over yesterday to inform us. He said that after you finished treating the Mu family, on the way back, you heard someone mention some nts in the mountains and suspected that they were precious medicinal herbs, so you went into the mountains. Coincidentally, you bumped into Shunzi and asked him toe back to inform us. Yesterday night, Madam even med you for not bringing along more people.¡±


    The boss had done this many times, so although Madam and heined, they were never worried. Knowing the boss was more timid and afraid of death than anyone else, he would definitely not go to dangerous ces. Why did something not sound quite right?


    Pang Kongqing¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Go and find out what happened to Shunzi.¡± He waved his hand and left. Halfway there, he stopped and said, ¡°Since he said that I went up the mountain to pick herbs, just leave it at that. In the future, if anyone should ask, just tell them that.¡±


    The shopkeeper¡¯s expression also turned serious as he nodded in agreement. Looking at the carriage at the side, he asked, ¡°Boss, I¡¯ll get someone to send this carriage to the Thousand Mile Carriage Dealer.¡±


    Pang Kongqing almost fell. He turned around and red at him. ¡°You¡¯re saying that this horse belongs to the Thousand Mile Carriage Dealer? It doesn¡¯t belong to our family?¡±


    Startled, the shopkeeper was even more puzzled. He pointed at the horse carriage and a mark on the horse¡¯s butt and said, ¡°Boss, this horse and carriage are both from the Thousand ATile Carriage Dealer. The mark is still here.¡± After saying that, he continued with a bitter expression, ¡°Boss, don¡¯t think about raising horses anymore. It¡¯s better to raise a donkey as a means of transportation. Our family bought horses twice. Every time, they were expropriated just as they became fat and strong. If this continues, no matter how big our family business is, it will be reduced to nothing.¡±


    Because the Pang Family had two medicinal shops and had umted wealth for more than 100 years, they were considered rich. However, the previous patriarchs of the Pang Family had always been upright and could be considered kind-hearted. Therefore, although the Pang Family had made a fortune earlier than a few Minister Counselors, their family wealth was far inferior.


    In Pang Kongqing¡¯s generation, because Pang Kongqing¡¯s hobbies were a little strange, he spent his family¡¯s wealth at a rtively faster rate.


    Fortunately, the Pang family was diligent and thrifty. They had always had ie and a solid foundation, so he didn¡¯t manage to waste away the entire family fortune. However, for the sake of the next generation, the shopkeeper felt that he had to keep a close eye on the owner no matter what.


    Oblivious to what the shopkeeper was thinking, Pang Kongqing only felt angry. He had thought that this horse and carriage belonged to those bandits. Since they had sent him back in a carriage, this thing naturally belonged to him.


    On ount of that rather handsome horse, he had reluctantly forgiven them for being domineering and unreasonable. But now, Pang Kongqing decided to never forgive them.


    Pang Kongqing, on the other hand, did not know that someone had taken note of his reaction. That person turned around and reported it to Qi Xiuyuan.


    Since Qi Haoran was out of danger, Qi Xiuyuan was in a rxed mood. At that moment, he chuckled and said to Fan Zijin, ¡°This Physician Pang is quite interesting. Since he likes horses, we¡¯ll find a horse to gift to himter. In the future, when we go down to recruit horses, we¡¯ll tell Song Zhi not to conscript horses from the Pang family in the future. Just use the reason that the Pang family has a good reputation in Mingshui County and has always been charitable. Consider it a reward to them from the Imperial Court.¡±


    ¡°Cousin, you¡¯ve already helped him a lot by helping him find the traitor in the Pang family. Why bother to buy him a horse? If there are too many traces, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan shook his head and educated him. ¡°Zijin, you can¡¯t bepletely stuck in such mundane matters in life. If you¡¯re restrained because of fear, you¡¯ll lose yourself. Although he came under our coercion, he did his best for Haoranst night. Half of the reason why Haoran was able to escape danger was because of him. We have to remember this favor in our hearts.¡±


    Although he knew that repaying kindness would increase the chances of this matter being leaked, Qi Xiuyuan was meticulous but never overcautious. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have be a general at such a young age.


    Mu Yangling was twisting a handkerchief to wipe Qi Haoran¡¯s body. Fan Zijin mulled over what his cousin had just said as he walked in. Looking up, he saw that Mu Yangling had removed all clothes from Haoran save for a pair of underpants. He jumped up in fright and ran up to cover Haoran with a nket, before shouting at Mu Yangling, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him. ¡°I¡¯m wiping his body. Can¡¯t you see that he¡¯s covered in sweat? The military doctor said that his sweat has to be dried with a towel. Otherwise, he¡¯ll get sick again if it seeps back into his skin.¡±


    Fan Zijin blushed. ¡°But you can¡¯t wipe him yourself. You¡¯re a girl. Aren¡¯t you shy?¡±


    Rolling her eyes, Mu Yangling said, ¡°I¡¯m only 10 years old, and Qi Haoran is only 13 years old. Your thoughts are really dirty. Since you don¡¯t want me to wipe him,e here and take over.¡±


    Mu Yangling stuffed the towel into Fan Zijin¡¯s arms, got up, patted her butt, and was about to leave. Halfway there, she turned around and said, ¡°By the way, when I was cooling him down repeatedlyst night, I saw his bare body, too. Why didn¡¯t you stop me at that time?¡±


    Fan Zijin pointed at Mu Yangling with trembling fingers, so angry that he could not speak.


    Mu Yangling snorted smugly and opened the door to go out. The moment she stepped outside, she was greeted with Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s smiling face.


    The smile on Mu Yangling¡¯s face froze slightly. She raised her hand and greeted, ¡°General, you¡¯re here to see Qi Haoran.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded with a smile. Stepping aside, he said, ¡°You¡¯ve been busy for a day and a night. Go rest and reassure your family.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and walked to the main room as steadily as possible. After entering the room and closing the door, she couldn¡¯t help but stick out her tongue. It didn¡¯t seem right to say that she had seen him naked in front of his older brother.


    Qi Xiuyuan entered the house and took the towel from Fan Zijin¡¯s arms. He carefully wiped the sweat off Haoran¡¯s body.


    The anger on Fan Zijin¡¯s face had already disappeared. He said, ¡°Cousin, let¡¯s send Haoran back to the camp or the General¡¯s Mansion. Otherwise, how can he recuperate here?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s movements were gentle. Upon hearing this, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for another two days. When his wound scabs over, I¡¯lle over and bring him home. I¡¯ll get a deputy general to take over the 5th Division for the time being. I haven¡¯t cleaned up the traces yet, nor have I made any arrangements. He can¡¯t go back for now.¡± Seeing the displeasure on Fan Zijin¡¯s face, he said, ¡°The military camp is different from Pang Kongqing. Pang Kongqing doesn¡¯t have any interaction with us, so no one will think of investigating us through him. However, there are many spies in the military camp and our residence, from the Imperial Court, the government office, and even other generals. As long as they get some clues, they might be able to find out about that matter, so we have to be careful.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded.


    ¡°So, stay here for the next two days and think of a way toe here more often. I¡¯ll get someone to protect the Mu residence, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Qi Xiuyuan continued after a pause, ¡°Also, I¡¯ve already gotten someone to prepare Haoran¡¯s substitute. In the next two days, I¡¯ll let the substitute stay in the military camp and let people think that Haoran has returned. When Ie to pick Haoran up in two days, you and the substitute will leave the military camp. So, not only do you have toe here, but you also have to ensure that the identity of the substitute won¡¯t be discovered.¡±


    After thinking for a while, Fan Zijin had an idea and nodded in agreement.


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded slightly. Although this cousin was not as magnanimous as his younger brother, his intelligence was not something ordinary people couldpare to..

 Chapter 163 - 163: Consolation

    Chapter 163: Constion


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran took the medicine from Fan Zijin¡¯s hand with a bitter expression. Raising his head, he gulped down all the medicine. Fan Zijin quickly stuffed a candy into his mouth.


    Qi Haoran smacked his lips and felt better. Looking outside, he saw Little Bowen and Xin leaning against the door, looking at him. He looked around the courtyard but didn¡¯t see Mu Yangling and her other cousin, so he asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Mu Yangling?¡±


    ¡°She went to chase the rabbits into the shed.¡± Fan Zijin waved nonchntly and called Xin in to take out the medicine bowl. He asked Qi Haoran, ¡°Why are you looking for her?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much. It¡¯s just strange that 1 didn¡¯t see her when I woke up.¡± The tips of Qi Haoran¡¯s ears were a little red.


    The two of them were so close that they could wear the same pair of pants. Looking at his shy expression dazedly, an idea suddenly appeared in his mind. He pointed at Qi Haoran and asked, ¡°Were you not unconscious?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face exploded with redness as he argued, ¡°Who said I wasn¡¯t unconscious? 1 just could still hear movement. I kept wanting to open my eyes, but I just couldn¡¯t. 1 was in a daze and felt like I was floating on the clouds.¡± Hence, although he was mostly unconscious, he heard many things and naturally knew that Mu Yangling had stripped him bare in order to save him.


    Fan Zijin pulled a long face and looked at Qi Haoran seriously. ¡°Since you have memories, there¡¯s no need for me to say it again. You¡¯ve caused a lot of trouble this time. Eldest Cousin has already decided not to let you return to the 5th Division until you recover from your injuries. There will also be a lot of punishment after this. You¡¯d better be mentally prepared.¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips nonchntly. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯m not afraid. Even if 1 were to do it all over again, I¡¯d still kill him.¡± A sharp glint shed across Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes.


    Fan Zijin sighed and did not say anything else. Instead, he turned around and left.


    He hade here under the excuse of checking on the rabbits, so he naturally had to go to the shed area to take a look.


    Mu Yangling carried all the rabbits to the shed. There were 100 rabbits in one shed, and now, two sheds were full. The third shed was also filled with 80 rabbits.


    Xiuhong dragged the grass out and threw it in for them to eat. Seeing that their appetite was not bad, she smiled at Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Cousin, 1 think the rabbits will be ready for sale soon.¡±


    Mu Yangling took the time to take a look and said, ¡°We can¡¯t always feed them grass. We should also feed them some hayter.¡±


    ¡°Do we need to buy hay too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if it¡¯s for sale. If not, we¡¯ll dry it ourselves.¡± Mu Yangling turned around and looked at the green pasture. Nodding in satisfaction, she said, ¡°At this rate, we should be able to release the rabbits in 20 days.¡±


    ¡°But what if the rabbits escape?¡± Xiuhong looked at the 60 acres ofnd. Considering it was such a big piece ofnd, if the rabbits dug a hole and hid, they wouldn¡¯t know where to look.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Since we haven¡¯t bought a to stop them yet, it¡¯s better not to release them for the time being. When we earn money and buy a, we¡¯ll fence them up and release them. At that time, they can dig holes if they want. Anyway, since it¡¯s only 60 acres ofnd, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find them somehow.¡± Xiuhong disagreed. ¡°But if they keep digging holes and ruining the grass, what will they eat?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When the timees, I¡¯ll definitely train them so that they won¡¯t dare to destroy the grass.¡± The reason why Mu Yangling made this shed was to try her best to tame their wild nature. When they became more docile, she would release them. Even if there were some rabbits that were difficult to tame, she wasn¡¯t afraid. It couldn¡¯t be that all rabbits liked to dig holes and didn¡¯t like to live in the shed, right?


    Fan Zijin walked over and stuck his head out to look at the rabbits in the sheds. He asked, ¡°How long will it take to put the first batch up for sale? Most of the rabbits in the mountains have been caught. Soon, the first batch of rabbit meat will be sent south.¡±


    Fan Zijin had long sent someone to find the woman who had given them the diced rabbit meat. At this moment, she was arranged to help prepare it in the camp. The first batch of rabbit meat had already been made, and Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran both felt that it was delicious. He nned to sell this in the dry goods stores at a high price. As for the other older rabbit meat, he had it smoked dry and made into cured rabbit meat. When the time came, these would be sent south with the trade caravan.


    Fan Zijin hoped that Mu Yangling¡¯s first batch of rabbits would be able to make it in time for the first trip south.


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°Since Chef Mountain is so big, you guys should continue hunting at other spots. Of course, you guys will feel that there are no more rabbits if you keep hunting rabbits in the same area. Go east, or go west a little. There must be a lot of rabbits in these two ces.¡± Mu Yangling thought for a moment before continuing, ¡°But remember not to kill them all. Leave some small ones in the mountains. Otherwise, there won¡¯t be any rabbits in the mountains next year.¡±


    Fan Zijin refused. ¡°Haoran is in charge of hunting. I don¡¯t have the power to order them around.¡±


    Mu Yangling gritted her teeth and went back to look for Qi Haoran. As Qi Haoran carefully stirred the noodles, he said, ¡°You really worry a lot. After worrying about people, you¡¯re even worried about animals.¡± He said nonchntly, ¡°This is just a matter of words. I¡¯ll simply tell themter.¡±


    When Qi Haoran saw that he could no longer stir the noodles, he raised his chin and said, ¡°Can¡¯t you see that it¡¯s inconvenient for me? Come and feed me quickly.¡±


    Mu Yangling picked up the noodles and fed him. One moment, Qi Haoran despised it for being too much, and the next moment, he despised it for being too hot. Mu Yangling was so annoyed that she almost smashed the bowl in his face. It was only when she red at him that he calmed down and ate the noodles obediently.


    Qi Haoran stole a nce at her and said softly, ¡°I¡¯ve heard about the Hu family. Don¡¯t worry, when I recover, I¡¯ll help you teach them a lesson. Even if Hu Man bes a sectionmander, I can still take him down.¡±


    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ve already promised him. Besides, this has nothing to do with Second Uncle Hu. He¡¯s an honest person and is on good terms with my father. Don¡¯t make things difficult for him.¡± Mu Yangling picked up arge chopstick-full of noodles for him and sighed. ¡°Great-aunt said that Second Uncle Hu isn¡¯t having a good time either. Because Old Hu and his wife are biased, Second Aunt Hu has suffered a lot at home. I think it¡¯s not bad for him to be a sectionmander. At least he can be more unyielding at home.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Qi Haoran seriously and said, ¡°I know it¡¯s wrong of me to promise them privately, but since I agreed at that time, it¡¯s no different from you agreeing. Even if they don¡¯t know that the wine was meant to save you, we can¡¯t forget about it. Otherwise, if others find out in the future that I didn¡¯t repay the favor as promised and instead took revenge on them, they will criticize you.¡±


    A vicious expression shed across Qi Haoran¡¯s face. Snorting coldly, he said, ¡°It¡¯s just the most ordinary sorghum wine. You paid more than ten taels of silver for something that can usually be bought with a few hundred copper coins. How dare he covet the sectionmander position? Is that so worthless?¡±


    Mu Yangling knocked his forehead and said, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s the thing that saved your life. Is your life worth this much?¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted. ¡°I¡¯m priceless.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re priceless, so what¡¯s there to be angry about? Hurry up and eat your noodles before sleeping. Your big brother should being to pick you up tomorrow afternoon. By the way, my father¡¯s injuries aren¡¯t light either. Give him more leave and let him rest at home.¡±


    Qi Haoran agreed without thinking.


    Qi Haoran waited for Mu Yangling to leave before his face darkened. He didn¡¯t have a good temper like Mu Yangling. Even if Hu Man was pitiful, he had to torture him and the Hu family a little. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t feel good..

 Chapter 164 - 164: Argument

    Chapter 164: Argument


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Although Mu Shi¡¯s injuries were not as serious as Qi Haoran¡¯s, they were not light either. After the military doctor prescribed medicine for him, Mu Yangling brought the medicine back to Shu Wanniang and asked her to take care of him.


    The children were also made to stay at home. After Qi Haoran left, Great-aunt finally heaved a sigh of relief. She patted her chest and carried the hoe into the field.


    On the way, the people they met greeted them one after another. ¡°Auntie, how¡¯s Sister-inw Mu? I heard that Benevolence Hall¡¯s physician stayed at your home for the night?¡±


    ¡°Section Commander Mu is back, right? Sister-inw Mu usually looks a little weak, but she¡¯s not that sick. Why did she suddenly fall seriously ill?¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu said with a dark expression, ¡°Everyone has their own fortunes. Who can say for sure? However, my nephew¡¯s wife¡¯s illness is already much better. Physician Pang¡¯s miraculous medical skills brought her back to life that night. Now, my nephew has taken a long leave to take care of her at home.¡±


    Someone said enviously, ¡°Sister-inw Mu is so lucky. Not only does she not have to do farm work usually, but Section Commander Mu also dotes on her so much. The daughter she gave birth to is also capable and can handle all the farmwork alone.¡±


    These words were extraordinarily sour. When Great-aunt heard this, she snorted coldly in her heart and pulled Mu Yangling and Xiuhong away. She retorted, ¡°It¡¯s indeed difficult to find someone like my nephew. Also not anyone can give birth to someone like his daughter. If you regret it, you can always find another one while you¡¯re still young.¡±


    The expression of the person who spoke sourly froze.


    Old Hu walked slowly behind her. He was already dissatisfied when he heard the form of address ¡®Section Commander Mu¡¯. Now that he saw that Madam Ma-Liu and Mu Yangling did not refute, he was even more dissatisfied. He strode forward and caught up. ¡°Ah Ling, you have to keep your word that night. Your father isn¡¯t a sectionmander anymore. How could you not correct her?¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, many people stopped and looked over. The mes of gossip burned in their chests.


    Mu Yangling was stunned, for she didn¡¯t expect Old Hu to stop her on the street and confront her about this. She couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    However, Madam Ma-Liu was furious. She pushed Old Hu away and scolded, ¡°Talk about kicking someone when they¡¯re down. Is your wine made of immortal water? Huh? All Ling spent 17 taels of silver to buy your three jars of wine, but that¡¯s not enough for you. You actually forced her father to give the position of sectionmander to your second son. Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s a life-saving thing? How can you be so heartless? To think that back then 1 even told Ah Ling to let your family have the plowing oxen first knowing your family was in difficult times. You¡¯re really ungrateful!¡±


    Old Hu¡¯s face flushed red as he shouted unhappily, ¡°All Ling was the one who said those words. What has it got to do with me? Surely the Mu family¡¯s words have to count for something? That wine has been passed down in my family for more than 50 years. It hasn¡¯t been easy to keep it until now!¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡± Madam Ma-Liu spat on his face. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of hurting your tongue? Haven¡¯t you sold that wine before? Go and ask the Fang family at the vige entrance. That jar of wine of yours was sold for a few hundred copper coins. Why is it that when it conies to Ah Ling, it costs more than ten taels of silver on top of a sectionmander post? You merely took advantage of the fac that our Mu family was in a hurry to save a life, so you raised the price on the spot. Unless 1 turn blind and break my leg in the future, I won¡¯t have anything to do with your family again!¡±


    ¡°Great-aunt!¡± Mu Yangling pulled her back.


    Madam Ma-Liu shook off her hand and looked at Old Hu coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we keep our word. My nephew doesn¡¯t care about the sectionmander position. I only hope that your second son can sit firmly in this position. Hmph!¡±


    Old Hu pointed at Madam Ma-Liu with a livid expression as he covered his chest. ¡°B*tch, b*tch!¡± Tears shed in his eyes, but he couldn¡¯t help but worry in his heart. Mu Shi had already umted a lot of power in the vige. Now that Madam Ma-Liu had caused a scene, it would be even more difficult for his second son to establish his prestige in the vige.


    Old Hu felt a faint regret in his heart. He shouldn¡¯t have confronted Mu Yangling about this on the streets just to force her to admit it. But who knew that Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s personality would be so strong?


    Madam Ma-Liu pulled the two children to the field with a dark expression. She spat at the Hu family¡¯s field and said to Xiuhong, ¡°None of you are allowed to y with their childrenter. If I see you do that, I¡¯ll break your legs.¡±


    Xiuhong shared amon enemy with her. ¡°Grandma, 1 definitely won¡¯t y with the Hu Family¡¯s children.¡±


    Sighing, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Great-aunt, didn¡¯t you say that Second Aunt Hu was having a hard time? Why did you bring this up? It¡¯ll be even harder for Second Uncle Hu and Second Aunt Hu in the future.¡±


    ¡°They deserve it. Didn¡¯t they get any benefits now? Am I forbidden to say anything when they dare do something like this?¡± When Madam Ma-Liu saw the Hu familying over, she deliberately raised her voice and shouted, ¡°1 want everyone to know that they shouldn¡¯t be a bitch and still expect to be hailed saints in the end.¡±


    Mu Yangling tugged at her sleeve and whispered, ¡°But this has nothing to do with Second Uncle and Second Aunt Hu. It was Old Hu who suggested this.¡± Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s expression froze before she snorted. ¡°Serves them right, too. Who asked them to have such a father?¡±


    Mu Yangling was instantly speechless.


    The faces of the Hu family members were very ugly.


    Madam Hu-Jin looked at the ground under her feet and thought of the vigers pointing at her along the way. In the end, she mmed the hoe on the ground and turned to leave.


    Furious, Old Hu shouted, ¡°Second Daughter-inw, where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going back to my parents¡¯ house. Father, even if you aren¡¯t afraid of being criticized, 1 am. My husband and 1 are both honest people. He also has a good rtionship with Big Brother Mu. By doing this, aren¡¯t you pushing us to our deaths? Anyway, if he doesn¡¯t want to be a sectionmander. Whoever wants to be that can have the post.¡±


    ¡°How dare you! Come back,e back!¡± Seeing that Madam Hu-Jin did not stop, Old Hu snapped angrily, ¡°Fine, go ahead and leave. If you dare to leave, 1¡¯11 ask my son to divorce you!¡±


    Madam Hu-Jin¡¯s body stiffened, and she stood there with red eyes for a while before running away.


    Hu Gui also dropped the hoe in his hand and said unhappily, ¡°Father, you¡¯d better apologize to the Mu family. If you do this, we won¡¯t be able to live in the vige in the future.¡±


    ¡°What do you know, brat?¡± Old Hu said, ¡°When your second brother bes the sectionmander, these people will all be controlled by your brother. No matter how dissatisfied they are, they won¡¯t dare to show it. Otherwise, your second brother can have them killed byining to the superiors.¡±


    ¡°But our family¡¯s reputation is already ruined. I haven¡¯t even gotten engaged yet. Can that blockhead Second Brother suppress others? Why should our family sacrifice our reputation to help him? 1 don¡¯t agree.¡±


    Old Hu fell silent. Hu Dian red at Hu Gui and said to his father, ¡°Father, since things have alreadye to this, let¡¯s think of a way to fix our rtionship with the Mu family. Regardless of whether Second Brother is willing to do this or not, our family can¡¯t make an enemy of the Mu family. This time, when Miss Mu¡¯s mother fell seriously ill, General Qi even came over personally to visit her. 1 heard that Miss Mu once saved Little General and Young Master Fan. That¡¯s why the rtionship between their two families is so good. Even if Second Brother bes the sectionmander, he will still be under Little General¡¯s thumb.¡±


    Madam Hu-Fang, who had been silent all this while, couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Old man, forget about the sectionmander position. I didn¡¯t agree with you taking advantage of them back then. Now that things have be so tense with the Mu family, it won¡¯t do our family any good.¡±


    Seeing that no one in the family supported him, Old Hu was so angry that he squatted on the ground and said, ¡°Who am I doing this for? It¡¯s all for you and our family. Now, all of you are ming me. Since you¡¯re unwilling, go and make peace with the Mu family yourself. Anyway, I don¡¯t care anymore.¡±


    Hu Gui¡¯s expression was ugly. ¡°Father, you were the one who caused this mess.. Now, you want to throw it to us with just one sentence?¡±

 Chapter 165 - 165: Silver

    Chapter 165: Silver


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    In the end, the Hu family parted on bad terms. Mu Yangling did not know about this, but she had not expected the rtionship between the two families to deteriorate to this extent.


    However, the most important thing to her was naturally her family. In any case, the Hu family were irrelevant to her. If the rtionship with them worsened, so be it. Shee would just not interact with them in the future.


    Mu Yangling was very optimistic about this matter.


    However, Mu Shi wasn¡¯t as nonchnt. He had a good rtionship with Hu Man and didn¡¯t want to be enemies with him just like that. Therefore, he closed his eyes and said, ¡°When I recover, I¡¯ll speak to the Hu family about this. Since you were the one who promised them this, we can¡¯t me them instead.¡±


    Mu Yangling muttered, ¡°At that time, Old Hu was being aggressive, so I came up with this idea. 1 didn¡¯t do it willingly.¡±


    ring at his daughter, Mu Shi said, ¡°Grandpa Hu is so much older than you. He¡¯s your elder. Should you be addressing him as ¡®Old Hu¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Why are you ming her?¡± Great-aunt protected Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Is he acting like what an elder should be like? Since he dared to do such a thing, he shouldn¡¯t be afraid of gossip. I don¡¯t care what the rtionship between you and Hu Man is like. But in any case, you¡¯re not allowed to give in to the Hu family. If not, they¡¯ll think the Mu Family is a bunch of pushovers!¡±


    ¡°Aunt!¡± Mu Shi had a headache over Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s stubbornness, but there was nothing he could do.


    Shu Wanniang was sitting on a stool embroidering. At this moment, she couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Husband, other than the second branch of the Hu family, there¡¯s no one in that family worthy of being friends with. If you feel bad, just tell the people in the vigeter and express your attitude. In the military camp, as long as you have a good rtionship with Second Uncle Hu, there¡¯s no need to spend so much effort to repair the rtionship between the Mu and Hu families.¡±


    Only then did Mu Shi remain silent. Seeing this, Madam Ma-Liu knew that he had agreed. She snorted and pulled Mu Yangling out.


    When only the couple were left in the room, Mu Shi took out a bag of silver from the bag he had brought back and handed it to her. ¡°Keep these well just in case.¡±


    Shu Wanniang was surprised. ¡°Why are you giving me the money? You should give it to All Ling.¡±


    In the past, Mu Shi was in charge of the Mu family¡¯s finances. Later on, when Mu Shi went to the military camp, his daughter was in charge. Shu Wanniang had never been in charge of the family¡¯s finances.


    Seeing that his wife didn¡¯t ask about the origin of the money, Mu Shi smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give some to Ah Ling too, but that child spends money freely. This is for you to keep safe. In the future, when our family runs out of money and needs it urgently, you can take it out. Since I¡¯m in the military camp, it¡¯s inconvenient for me toe and go. There are many things that I can¡¯t take care of at home.¡± Mu Shi continued after a pause, ¡°We obtained this money after killing someone. Are you afraid?¡±


    Shu Wanniang took the money bag from his hand and said in a low voice, ¡°Since you even dared to kill someone, what am I afraid of? Besides, didn¡¯t you say that that person is an evil person?¡±


    Mu Shi heaved a sigh of relief. He didn¡¯t want to hide what he had done from his wife, but he was afraid of scaring her if he told her.


    Mu Shi was not so worried about his daughter. He handed the other bag of silver to his daughter. Before he could tell her the origin of the money, his daughter had already opened the money bag and asked, ¡°Did the general reward this or did you snatch this after killing that person?¡±


    Both of them knew that ¡®that person¡¯ referred to the Crown Prince of the Jin Kingdom, Wo Ben.


    Three ck lines slid down Mu Shi¡¯s forehead. In the end, he said, ¡°1 obtained this after killing him. There are 68 taels of silver in this bag. Keep it well and don¡¯t spend money extravagantly.¡±


    Mu Yangling tied up the money bag and looked at her father with bright eyes. ¡°Dad, just you wait. Your daughter is doing something big. When I seed, 1 will definitely earn a lot of money.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about raising rabbits, right? I only saw you throwing money in, but I didn¡¯t see you taking money home. Who told me that this was a capital-free transaction back then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the rabbits have yet to grow up.¡±


    ¡°Even after they grow up, it¡¯s a long cycle. I forgot to ask youst time. I only found out today that the money will only be distributed when Young Master Fan¡¯s trade caravan returns from the south. You¡¯re even giving the first batch to Young Master Fan for free. Then do you think our family can earn any silver before next year?¡±


    Frowning, Mu Yangling said seriously, ¡°Father, I know that the cycle is a little long. Before that, I could only go up the mountain to hunt from time to time to supplement the family¡¯s expenses. However, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. The cycle of breeding and nting is long to begin with. I only know how to hunt. I want to earn a lot of money easily, but I don¡¯t have the ability. Even if Fan Zijin wants to earn money, he has to tirelessly organize a trade caravan to go south out of his own pocket. It¡¯s still unknown if this trade is profitable.¡±


    Mu Shi frowned and looked at her. Mu Yangling said to him sincerely, ¡°So, Father, if 1 lose money in this business, you can¡¯t beat me up.¡±


    Mu Shi¡¯s hand, which was hanging by his side, itched, but he did not raise it in the end.


    However, Mu Yangling had already jumped up and ran away.


    She took the money bag back to her house and took out all the money to count it. In the end, she hid the 6o taels.


    The remaining money should be enough for ordinary household expenses. Coupled with the ie from hunting every day, it was more than enough. This way, she didn¡¯t even have to worry about buying nourishing ingredients for her younger brother.


    Mu Shi was not the only one who received the money. Qi Haoran and Fei Bai, who had returned with them, received as much money as him.


    It could be said that everyone who followed Qi Haoran to Hanzhong Prefecture had plundered some silver. However, only he, Qi Haoran, and Fei Bai returned alive with the silver. As for Bai Li, his duty was to guard Qi Haoran closely. Even though everyone was already dividing the silver in full swing, he was unmoved and stayed by Qi Haoran¡¯s side throughout.


    They had set up an ambush in the forest in the suburbs to surround and attack the Crown Prince of the Jin Kingdom. Of course, at that time, they did not know that the young man in embroidered clothes was the Crown Prince of the Jin Kingdom. Qi Haoran simply hated the other party for snatching the Han children and killing them like this.


    He only went with the thought of getting rid of evil for the people. After killing someone, he naturally had to clean up the battlefield.


    Other than Fei Bai, Mu Shi, and Bai Li, the rest of the people who followed Qi Haoran were all veterans from the battlefield who were familiar with doing these things. In the end, they even stripped the clothes of the well-dressed Hus. At that time, they even joked that these clothes could be exchanged for a lot of money.


    Mu Shi was still not used to it, but Qi Haoran was the fastest to get limated, for he had long run out of money. This time, he had secretly run to Hanzhong Prefecture using Zijin¡¯s money. It was great that this group of people was so rich. When he returned, he could repay all his debts and still have a lot of money left.


    Qi Haoran took the initiative to take off the clothes of the most gorgeously-dressed young man in the lead. This was how the seal of the Crown Prince of the Jin Kingdom was discovered.


    Holding the seal, Qi Haoran knew at a nce that he had gotten into trouble. No matter how much he disliked studying, he could recognize the words on the seal.


    At that time, Qi Haoran only knew that he could not let anyone find out, at least not before they escaped from Hanzhong Prefecture.


    He also knew that these children would die if they returned. After weighing the pros and cons, he still could not bear to harm them. He sold these children to the human traffickers, pretending that these children had nothing to do with them.


    It was because this action dyed their escape and revealed their whereabouts that the enemy caught up with them so quickly.


    However, Qi Haoran did not know that not only had his actions saved those twenty-odd children, but they had also helped him to hide himself..

 Chapter 166 - 166: Spies

    Chapter 166: Spies


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The Jill Kingdom was about to fall out because of the Crown Prince¡¯s death, especially in Hanzhong Prefecture. They were still on guard.


    The assassination of the Crown Prince of the Jin Kingdom in the territory of the Jin Kingdom angered the Emperor of the Jin Kingdom. In order to find out the truth, he even sent the Third Prince, Eliduo, and the Fourth Prince, Wulie, over.


    Just like the Emperor, Eliduo and Wu Lie thought that the Crown Prince might have been assassinated by someone from another country. However, after looking at the murder scene and the investigation documents, the two of them could not help but hesitate.


    The crime scene was in a mess. The Crown Prince and his guards had their valuables taken and even their clothes stripped. This was clearly a robbery. If this was an illusion deliberately made up by the other party, what would exin the fact that the children had been sold to human traffickers?


    ording to the governor of Hanzhong Prefecture, the reason why they could discover the other party¡¯s tracks so quickly was because they had revealed their tracks when selling the children. Therefore, this was very likely a robbery and murder case.


    The two princes¡¯ expressions were a little ugly. Their Crown Prince had actually died at the hands of the Han people like this?


    The governor stole a nce at them and said in a low voice, ¡°The Crown Prince never reveals his whereabouts when he goes out. Even I had no idea that His Highness had arrived in Hanzhong Prefecture before. Those people probably were unaware, too.¡±


    Even the governor of Hanzhong Prefecture did not receive the news, so how could the people outside know? Moreover, ording to the investigation, the Crown Prince hade to Hanzhong Prefecture on the spur of the moment after hearing that there was a talented and intelligent boy in the Zhou family in the suburbs. While ying, he ran over to snatch the boy. At the same time, he snatched away a few other six-year-old boys from two nearby viges that caught his eye.


    The governor had also heard a little about the Crown Prince¡¯s special hobbies, but he did not dare to show too much in front of the two princes. However, he hinted simply that this was most likely a murder and robbery.


    But would the two princes admit it?


    Of course not. This was a great humiliation to the Jin Kingdom.


    The Third Prince waved his hand and said, ¡°The Crown Prince¡¯s death was caused by a spy from another country. You have to find out the truth as soon as possible. We can¡¯t allow others to bully our Great Jin Dynasty. We will definitely take revenge for today¡¯s incident.¡±


    The governor¡¯s mouth was filled with bitterness, but he had no choice but to agree. However, he was thinking about whether there had been any abnormal movements in the Great Zhou recently. He wondered if he could push the me to the Great Zhou.


    However, considering the Great Zhou had always been timid, it was obvious that such a thing was not done by them.


    The governor scratched his ears and cheeks. Suddenly, he asked, ¡°Princes, do you think those children should¡­¡± He made a throat-slitting gesture.


    The Third Prince was about to nod when the Fourth Prince hurriedly stopped him. ¡°No, we¡¯ve just separated Big Brother from this matter. If we specially kill those twenty-odd children, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to hide it anymore. Weren¡¯t they sold to a human trafficker? Just instruct that person to sell them far away.¡±


    Failing to change the topic, the governor sighed inwardly. He could only find ¡°evidence¡± to show that the Crown Prince had been killed by a spy from another country.


    When the human trafficker left Hanzhong Prefecture with the twenty-odd children, he encountered a group of people who wished to buy these children on the way. Having been threatened by the governor, the human trafficker had no choice but to sell this cart of children far away. Now that he heard that the buyer wanted to send these children to the brothel in the Great Zhou, he naturally agreed.


    Great Zhou was certainly far enough, so the governor would not have any objections, right? Furthermore, considering these children were all good-looking with beautiful faces, the human trafficker was not surprised at all that they were chosen and sold to such a ce.


    After these children were sent to Qi Xiuyuan, Qi Xiuyuan turned to his brother and said, ¡°Can you recuperate in peace now?¡±


    Clutching his chest as heid on the bed, Qi Haoran nodded repeatedly. ¡°Yes, Big Brother. What arrangements are you making for these children?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan red at him. ¡°How else? They¡¯re originally citizens of the Great Zhou Dynasty and are Han Chinese. Naturally, I¡¯ll send them to school to study or learn some skills. After eight to ten years, when they grow up and gradually forget about this matter, I¡¯ll let them go home.¡±


    Qi Haoran waspletely relieved. ¡°Big Brother, you¡¯re really a good person.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan flicked his forehead and said, ¡°That¡¯s not what you said when you rolled around on the ground two days ago and asked me to save them.¡±


    Qi Haoran chuckled and tried to curry favor with Qi Xiuyuan. ¡°Brother, 1 only said those words out of anger!¡±


    ¡°Alright, go and recuperate. I¡¯ll get someone to send these children away.¡± After Qi Haoran left, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s face darkened. Bai Li came in from outside and knelt on the ground. He said in a low voice, ¡°General, the Zhou family¡¯s head said that he¡¯s willing to be of service to you.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan sat in the chair and said after a while, ¡°I don¡¯t have much use for him now. Just tell him that I¡¯ll remember his kindness to the Great Zhou Empire. I¡¯ll raise his son well for him. If he wants to, he cane and visit him anytime.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Bai Li paused for a moment before saying, ¡°General, a few families of the people who received the news also have the same intention. Some families are willing to move their entire families here and serve you as ves for the rest of their lives.¡±


    ¡°If theye back, they won¡¯t have that value.¡± Qi Xiuyuan took a sip of tea and said, ¡°Moreover, 1 don¡¯t want to force them to repay this debt of kindness. If they have the ability toe over, 1 will arrange their identities and reunite their families. As for bing servants or ves, forget about it.¡± Qi Xiuyuan continued after a pause, ¡°You can also checkout those families. If there are suitable talents, choose and nurture them. Their identities are wless in the Jin Kingdom, so it will be very easy for them to do certain things in the future.¡±


    Bai Li understood what the general meant. He hoped that those people could be his spies in the Jin Kingdom, but if they were unwilling, the general would not force them. Bai Li thought for a moment and had an idea. He bowed and agreed.


    Not long after, several families secretly crossed the border and fled to Great Zhou. When they found out that it was the Han people who had escaped from the Jin Kingdom, Wu Shancai and Song Zhi were very concerned and specially arranged for them to be in the viges under their jurisdiction. Theyforted them and filled in the travel passes for them.


    The Great Zhou had always been kind to the Han people who escaped from the Jin Kingdom. In fact, they hoped that more survivors could escape. After all, they would add to the poption. If more people escaped, they could collect more taxes. This was a political achievement for the prefectural magistrate and county at the border.


    Qi Xiuyuan sent the children of those families to them, while the children of those families who did note continued to be raised by him.


    The Zhou family¡¯s servants had been here a few times. Seeing that although their young master¡¯s life here was not as good as at home, it was still not badpared to most people¡¯s lives, so they respectfully returned to report to the head of the family.


    The head of the Zhou family only had this one son. He had five daughters older than the son and three daughters younger, but he only had this one son.


    Therefore, when his son was snatched away, he almost died. Actually, when Qi Xiuyuan came looking for him, he was not far from death. When he found out that his son had been saved and sent to Xingzhou Prefecture, he instantly came back to life.


    He was also a citizen of the Great Zhou, so he naturally sided with the Great Zhou. Coupled with this matter, he hated the Hus to the core. This time, the head of the Zhou family had directly sent his daughters to Xingzhou Prefecture, while he stayed in Hanzhong Prefecture with his wives and concubines. He wanted to be Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s spy.


    Extremely satisfied, Qi Xiuyuan said to Jiang Ze and Bai Li, ¡°This person is trustworthy.¡±


    Jiang Ze and Bai Li almost rolled their eyes. Of course he was trustworthy. He had already sent his son and daughters over.. How could he not be trustworthy?

 Chapter 167 - 167: Putting Up For Sale

    Chapter 167: Putting Up For Sale


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi oran waspletely oblivoius to all this. Qi Xiuyuan used an excuse to transfer him back to Xingzhou Prefecture and restrained him in the residence to recuperate. In less than two days, he got sick of it and could only get Fei Bai to call Fan Zijin back.


    Thinking that it was something urgent, Fan Zijin abandoned his business and rushed back. When he realized that Qi 1oran was just bored and wanted to find someone to talk to, he immediately rolled his eyes. However, since he was already back, Fan Zijin still apanied him for a long time.


    Later, when Qi Haoran sent someone to call him again, Fan Zijin only returned six out of ten times. Most of the time, he was still focused on the business of the 5th Division.


    Unable to take it anymore, Qi Haoran wanted to go back to the 5th Division. Qi Xiuyuan was also annoyed by him, so with a wave of his hand, he asked the deputy general toe back and let Qi Haoran go back. However, he strictly asked him not to train before he recovered.


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t have to be locked up anymore, Qi Haoran agreed to anything.


    As Qi Haoran was seriously injured back then, Mu Yangling had thought that she wouldn¡¯t be able to see him for more than half a year. Who knew that he would return in just ten days? Although his movements were still a little unsmooth, as long as one didn¡¯t pay special attention, they wouldn¡¯t be able to tell.


    Mu Yangling looked suspiciously at the spot where his wound was. Qi Haoran waved his hand nonchntly and said, ¡°The wound has long healed. If Big Brother hadn¡¯t stopped me, I would have returned long ago.¡±


    ¡°How can it be so fast?¡± Mu Yangling looked at him suspiciously.


    Since Mu Yangling was not an outsider, Qi Haoran said casually, ¡°I¡¯m talented. My wounds heal faster than others since I was young.¡±


    Fan Zijin nced at him before exining to Mu Yangling, ¡°Haoran practices internal energy cultivation, so his wound naturally recovers faster than others.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± There¡¯s such a benefit to internal energy? Tempted, Mu Yangling wondered if she should learn it too.


    Qi Haoran had already poked his head out to look at Mu Yangling¡¯s rabbits and asked, ¡°Why are there so many people here today?¡±


    ¡°The first batch of rabbits is leaving the fence today, so everyone is here to watch the show.¡±


    Back then, some of the rabbits that Fan Zijin had sent over were not small to begin with. He had raised them in the camp for four to five days, and Mu Yangling had raised them for nearly 20 days. At present, they had already grown to the point where they could be ughtered. In addition, Fan Zijin¡¯s trade caravan had already agreed to set off in seven days. Now, there were still four days to make thest batch of diced rabbit meat and cured rabbit meat. Hence, Mu Yangling and Fan Zijin decided to put the rabbits up for sale after some discussion.


    When Qi Haoran heard that they were going to catch rabbits from the shed, he immediately rolled up his sleeves excitedly. Fan Zijin wanted to stop him. ¡°Don¡¯t mess around.¡± Although those rabbits were trapped in the shed, their wild nature did not change, so they were not so easy to catch. Considering Qi Haoran was still injured, his wounds could rupture should he move too much.


    However, Fan Zijin couldn¡¯t stop Qi Haoran. When Mu Yangling saw this, she reached out and pressed a hand on his shoulder, rendering him unable to move instantly. Mu Yangling said with a dark expression, ¡°If you want to cause trouble, don¡¯te here. If the general finds trouble with meter, I won¡¯t let you off.¡±


    Qi Haoran could only suppress his excitement and stand outside to ¡®watch the battle¡¯.


    Xiuhong climbed in with the soldiers. Those soldiers went in to catch rabbits, but Xiuhong was there tofort the young rabbits.


    Seeing that Xiuhong was doing a good job, Qi Haoran raised his chin and said, ¡°Your cousin is quite capable. It seems like you bring her along wherever you go-¡±


    Mu Yangling said proudly, ¡°Of course my cousin is capable.¡±


    Qi Ioran walked around and saw Little Bowen and Xin standing outside handing tender grass to Xiuhong. He asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Bowen is going to school in spring? Why hasn¡¯t he gone yet?¡±


    ¡°ss will only start tomorrow.¡± Mu Yangling said nonchntly, ¡°I¡¯ll bring him to the academy to see the teacher tomorrow.¡±


    After Mu Yangling finished speaking, she was no longer in the mood to chat with him. She went forward to help put the rabbits into the basket that Fan Zijin had brought over and counted the number. Fan Zijin also went forward and picked out a few unqualified ones from time to time to throw them into the shed.


    After a while, there were 238 rabbits ready to be put up for sale in thest batch. It was not a lot, but Mu Yangling was very satisfied. She said to Fan Zijin, ¡°The next batch of rabbits should be three to four times more than this batch.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded. ¡°You¡¯d better think of a way to raise the young rabbits. In another ten days or so, I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t be able to send you any more suitable young rabbits.¡±


    This meant that the rabbit gue on the mountain had subsided.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s lips curled up slightly as she nodded in agreement.


    This batch of rabbits was quickly sent to the 5th Division.


    In order to make it easier for Fan Zijin, Qi Haoran assigned the southwestern part of the camp to him. Everyone knew that this area was used to amodate the disabled soldiers and veterans, and the crops they farmed might be their military rations in the future. Hence, the soldiers in the camp were not dissatisfied.


    Even the two trainingmissioners and the four regimentmanders tacitly agreed with Qi Haoran¡¯s actions.


    However, after seeing the scale of this ce, the two trainingmissioners were tempted again. They were amazed just by counting in their hearts the number of rabbits sent to the camp every day. No matter how worthless rabbit meat was and how cheaply it was sold, it would be a considerable ie.


    Hence, the two trainingmissioners had been causing a lot of trouble recently, eager to take over this area from Fan Zijin. The deputy general that Qi Xiuyuan had sent previously was only trying to smooth things over. Now that he had left and Qi Haoran had returned, the two trainingmissioners quietened down.


    Fan Zijin pretended not to know what had happened and did not tell Qi Haoran. He only invited Mu Yangling to visit their workshop.


    Mu Yangling, who had yet to check out that ce, went to the West Camp with them after asking Xiuhong to bring Bowen and Xin back.


    Fan Zijin¡¯s workshop was divided into four parts. One was in charge of ughtering rabbits, one was in charge of processing the chosen tender rabbits into diced rabbit meat, one was in charge of processing the remaining rabbits into cured rabbit meat, and the other was in charge of skinning the rabbit.


    Mu Yangling picked up a piece of diced rabbit meat and took a small bite. Extremely tender, the diced rabbit meat was easily bitten off. The thick fragrance of meat filled her mouth. Mu Yangling finished one piece and picked up another piece to stuff into her mouth. Nodding at Fan Zijin, she said, ¡°This is indeed delicious, but have you thought of how to preserve it?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Fan Zijin brought Mu Yangling over to take a look. There were already many earthenware pots piled up in the storeroom. ¡°These are all earthenware pots. After they¡¯re sent to the south, they¡¯ll be sold to and retail at dry goods stores.¡±


    Then, he led the two of them to the other side. On this side, there were exquisite porcin jars. Some were round blue and white porcin, while others were slender and warm long bottles. Fan Zijin casually picked up a bottle and opened the cork. Fie poured out a diced rabbit meat and handed it to Mu Yangling. ¡°Try it and taste the difference.¡±


    Mu Yangling took a bite and chewed for a while before saying, ¡°It¡¯s more fragrant and delicate.¡±


    Qi Haoran reached out to grab it. ¡°Let me try it.¡±


    Fan Zijin pped his hand away. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to eat these things since you¡¯re still sick.¡± He turned to Mu Yangling and nodded. ¡°I specially got someone to make this. This is better than that batch. When the timees, we¡¯ll just sell it in jars and bottles..¡±

 Chapter 168 - 168: Suggestion

    Chapter 168: Suggestion


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling carefully touched the porcin and asked, ¡°The cost is quite high, right?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, the price is not low either, so the profit is considerable.¡± Fan Zijin turned around and picked up another can. He waved his hand and said, ¡°If there are buyers, that is.¡±


    Pondering, Mu Yangling said, ¡°If only there was a bag that was waterproof and preserved the quality.¡±


    Fan Zijin did not take it to heart. Such a bag only existed in one¡¯s imagination, and the paper was not cheap either. In that case, they might as well use porcin. Such porcin looked exquisite, but it was actually iparable to the few types of exquisite porcin kilns in the south. The cost was not as high as Mu Yangling had imagined.


    However, Qi Haoran asked curiously, ¡°What kind of bag is so good? Paper and cloth are not waterproof. Could it be oil paper and oil cloth? But it¡¯s dark and not exquisite at all. Who would buy it?¡±


    Mu Yangling briefly described it and said, ¡°When the timees, you can engrave little white rabbits and logos on the bag to give it an exquisite look. Of course, it¡¯s hard to say if it can be made.¡±


    Fan Zijin fell into deep thought and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. We should have a trademark and logo that belongs to us. That way, people will know that this thing is ours at a nce.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Mu Yangling said weakly, ¡°I¡¯m talking about the bag.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s gaze was instantly diverted as he shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll name it.¡±


    Fan Zijin nced at him and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave this matter to you. I¡¯ll even trouble you with the logo.¡±


    Qi Haoran patted his chest and agreed. He drooled as he looked at the bottles and jars. ¡°Zijin, let me try some. Since my wound has already healed, it¡¯s fine to eat a little. I definitely won¡¯t tell Big Brother.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Fan Zijin went out and handed a jar to Mu Yangling. ¡°This is for you. Take it back and try it.¡±


    Qi Haoran was instantly jealous. Why was Fan Zijin so attentive to Mu Yangling? His gaze swept across the two of them.


    Seeing Mu Yangling ept it without standing on ceremony, he was even more unhappy.


    Fan Zijin only thought that his pal was angry because he did not get to eat the diced rabbit meat and did not think much about it.


    Mu Yangling clearly thought so too. Before she left, she even patted his shoulder and said, ¡°When your injuries recover, Young Master Fan will give you as much as you want to eat.¡±


    Qi Haoran said unhappily, ¡°When did you be so close to Zijin? You call me by my full name, but you refer to him so politely.¡±


    Mu Yangling opened her mouth slightly and said, ¡°Alright then, Little General. 1¡¯11 call you that from now on. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡± Qi Haoran looked at her nervously. ¡°Are you angry?¡±


    Mu Yangling burst outughing. ¡°Why would I be angry? Alright,e to my house when you¡¯ve recovered. I¡¯ll get my mother to cook delicious food for you.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s mood instantly improved. ¡°You said it yourself.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and carried the jar back.


    This being the first time the children had eaten this kind of diced rabbit meat, they all found it delicious. Even Great-aunt and Shu Wanniang couldn¡¯t help but eat two more.


    However, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t let the children eat too much. She said, ¡°There¡¯s a lot of spices in this thing and it¡¯s easy to get heaty from eating it. You kids can only eat four pieces a day at most. Two for Bowen.¡±


    Bowen pouted, but he also knew that his sister was doing this for his own good. Picking up thest one, he stuffed it into his mouth and puffed out his cheeks while he chewed.


    Seated on the brick bed, Bosi and Kejia kept drooling non-stop. They stretched out their hands to reach for the jar. Mu Yangling quickly put it away and hid it. Smiling at the two little ones, she said, ¡°You¡¯re still young. You can¡¯t eat this yet.¡±


    Bosi clenched his tiny fists and looked at his sister with tears in his eyes. Kejia, on the other hand, was so angry that she kept wailing and grabbing at Mu Yangling with her hands.


    Mu Yanglingughed out loud, picked up Kejia, and threw her up. With a smile, she said, ¡°Little girl, why are you even fiercer than your brother?¡±


    Shu Wanniang pursed her lips and smiled. She looked at her eldest daughter and then at her youngest daughter. ¡°All the girls in our family have such tempers. On the other hand, the boys are refined. It should be the opposite.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s good that girls have such tempers.¡± Great-aunt said, ¡°Otherwise, if they¡¯re too gentle, they won¡¯tin even when they¡¯re bullied in the future. It¡¯s better for boys to be more refined so that they won¡¯t cause trouble when they go out in the future. If they¡¯re more tolerant, everything will be safe and smooth.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. With your wealth of experience, you must be wiser than us.¡±


    Great-aunt smiled in satisfaction when she heard this. She looked at Xiuhong and Xin and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about Xiuhong. Although this child is usually quiet, she is sharp-tongued and has a mind of her own. So, she won¡¯t let herself suffer in the future. But Xin, this child is too soft-hearted.¡± Great-aunt patted Shu Wanniang¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Not everyone is as lucky as you. It¡¯s not a good thing for a girl to be soft-hearted.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu had been domineering her entire life. She knew that in this world, women were already at a disadvantage. If she continued to be soft-hearted, she would be bullied.


    Face slightly reddened, Shu Wanniang lowered her head and did not speak.


    After Great-aunt left, she stood up and took out a basket from the inner room. She handed it to Mu Yangling and said, ¡°This is a gift I prepared for the teacher at the academy. Bring it with you when you bring Bowen over tomorrow and say something nice to him.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    Shu Wanniang called Bowen over again and said seriously, ¡°It¡¯s not easy for our family to support you to go to school. You have to study hard in school and not fight with others. But if someone bullies you, don¡¯t swallow your anger either. You¡¯re a schr, so you should have the bearing of a schr. Do you understand?¡±


    Mu Bowen agreed seriously. ¡°Mother, I understand.¡±


    Only then did Shu Wanniang nod in satisfaction. After saying some encouraging words, she took out the school bag that Ah Ling had asked her to sew. ¡°Your sister asked me to make this for you. Later, put your books and stationery box in it. Just carry this to school every day.¡±


    Mu Bowen took the bag in surprise and gave his sister a big smile.


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but rub his hair.


    Early the next morning, Mu Yangling changed into clean clothes and held Bowen¡¯s hand as they headed to the county. As Great-aunt was going to set up a stall to sell the rabbits, she carried a basket on her back and wanted to walk with them.


    ¡°Great-aunt, let me carry it.¡± Mu Yangling wanted to take her basket.


    Great-aunt blocked her hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t. You¡¯ve just changed into clean clothes. If you dirty it again, it¡¯ll be a waste of effort. Let¡¯s go quickly. It¡¯s just a basket. Don¡¯t I carry it into the city like this every day?¡±


    Mu Yangling had been busy with work in the fields, so Great-aunt had officially taken over the work of setting up a stall in the city to sell prey. Every day, she would enter the city to sell at the morning market.


    When they arrived at the city gate, there were already people queuing up to enter the city one after another. Most of them were rushing to the morning market like Madam Ma-Liu.


    When Mu Yangling brought Bowen to the entrance of the academy, there were already many parents and students waiting at the entrance..

 Chapter 169 - 169: Ruining the Crops

    Chapter 169: Ruining the Crops


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Although it was still a long time before the academy opened, many people would rush over early to wait in ordance with the principle of respecting their teachers.


    Mu Yangling also wanted to leave a good impression on the teacher, so she brought Bowen here early. She didn¡¯t expect him to not be the earliest.


    As Brightminds Academy was not big, there were only two teachers. One had the surname Liu, and the other had the surname Qin. The two teachers were ex-ssmates and good friends. After passing the Imperial Examination and getting the title of ¡®schr¡¯, they set up this academy together. This way, it would be convenient for them to study while earning some ie at the same time.


    It had long been agreed upon that Brightminds Academy could at most only ept 50 students at any one time. When the time came, the two teachers opened the door and said to everyone, ¡°First-time students, please stand to the right. Students from previous years, stand to the left.¡±


    Mu Yangling quickly pulled Bowen to the right. When the two teachers saw that the students had separated, they nodded slightly. Mr. Liu walked over with a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m your teacher. Now,e in with me to register.¡±


    Actually, they had already registered and made payment before spring. This time, they were just taking attendance of the students who had confirmed their registration.


    Parents were not allowed to enter the ssroom, so Teacher Liu set up a table at the door. The parents lined up with their children and reported the students¡¯ names first before reporting their own. Then, they handed the things to Teacher Liu. They could not help but tell the teacher to educate and scold their child as much as they deemed fit.


    When it was Mu Yangling¡¯s turn, Mu Yangling ced the basket at Teacher Liu¡¯s feet and brought Bowen in front of her. Bowing slightly, she greeted Teacher Liu, ¡°Teacher Liu, my brother has poor health. Please take care of him.¡±


    This being the first person to beg him to take care of a student, Teacher Liu looked up and saw Mu Yangling. He immediately smiled. He had an impression of this child. Other families had fathers or elder brothers bringing students to register, but this boy from the Mu family was brought over by his elder sister. It was said that because their father had joined the army and their mother was weak and had to take care of their younger siblings to take care of, that was why the parents could note.


    Taking a closer look at Mu Bowen, he realized that he was indeed younger than his peers and his face was not rosy enough. He nodded and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep an eye on him. You can go back first.¡± He then turned to Mu Bowen and said, ¡°Go to the ssroom and wait. Find a seat and sit down first.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sir.¡± Mu Yangling pulled Bowen to the side and stroked his head. She said gently, ¡°Have you remembered what Sister instructed you in the past?¡±


    Bowen nodded vigorously. ¡°I remember everything.¡± Bowen looked at the ss excitedly. This was the first time in his life that he had left his sister¡¯s side to y with so many unfamiliar children.


    Seeing that he was not afraid, Mu Yangling was relieved. She patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Then go in quickly. Listen to your teacher and don¡¯t bully your ssmates or be bullied.¡±


    Bowen nodded and ran into the ssroom excitedly with his school bag.


    Mu Yangling stood outside and watched for a while. Because parents were not allowed to stay in the academy, she reluctantly went back.


    Worried, Great-aunt handed the stall to a familiar person halfway through selling the prey and ran over to take a look. When Mu Yangling saw this, she smiled and said, ¡°Great-aunt, go back quickly. Bowen has already entered the school.¡±


    Great-aunt stuck her head out to take a look and asked, ¡°Is the teacher easy to talk to?¡±


    ¡°Teacher Liu is very gentle.¡± Mu Yangling had chosen this academy back then because she had found out about the two teachers¡¯ character. She said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Won¡¯t we know how things went when Bowen returns from school tonight?¡±


    After some thought, Great-aunt agreed. She waved her hand and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back and set up the stall. You should go back quickly too. Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to nourish the corn? Hurry up and go. I¡¯ll look for you in the fields when 1 get back.¡±


    Up until now, Madam Ma-Liu still did not understand where Ah Ling¡¯s corn nting method came from. However, since she had already listened to her in the beginning, she could only continue to listen to her.


    After 20 days, the corn in the fields had grown. In some pits not a single seedling had grown, but in others, three or four had grown. It was obvious that they had identally nted too many in thetter instance.


    But now, looking at it, there were more that had not grown than those that had grown.


    Mu Yang felt that there were three possible reasons for this. Firstly, it was because the seeds were not good. Secondly, it was because they did not use fertilizer. Thirdly, the plowing was not good enough.


    After all, this was nearly 30 acres ofnd. Mu Yangling had only plowed once, but the clods of earth were stillrge. Thend was not very good, so the corn naturally did not grow well.


    Therefore, what Mu Yangling had to do now was transfer the seedlings from the pits with more seedlings to those pits with no seedlings, to bnce them out.


    Mu Yangling handed a two-foot-long sharp bamboo stick to Xiuhong and Xin and said, ¡°Dig with this. Be careful not to hurt the roots when you dig. Just nt the seedlings in the pits. Remember, choose the small and inferior ones, and leave the big ones. Keep the good ones in the original pit. Do you understand?¡±


    Xiuhong and Xin nodded repeatedly.


    After searching for a long time, the two children said, ¡°There are so few with three or four stalks. Cousin, can we dig up the ones with two stalks?¡±


    After hesitating for a moment, Mu Yangling said, ¡°We¡¯ll dig the closer ones. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s not enough. Since there are still corn seeds left at home, we¡¯ll fill the pits with seedster.¡±


    It was probably not good to just nourish the seeds. Therefore, this time, Mu Yangling directly added some fertilizer and mixed some cow dung with the ashes of the wood from the stove. Before dibbling in the seeds, she dug and threw down some fertilizer. This way, even if this batch grewter, its growth would not be too badpared to the ones that grew earlier.


    Mu Yangling and the rest worked for four days before they were done with the 28 acres ofnd. When they were done, Mu Yangling specially went to the east to see her rabbits and crops. When she approached, she realized that something had eaten a portion of the rice crops that her family had just nted.


    Mu Yangling ran over.


    The piece ofnd that had been gnawed on was near the river. Mu Yangling ran over to take a look and realized that it had been ruined. Anger surged within her. Without even wandering around, she saw the ox footprints by the river in the field. Gritting her teeth, she turned around and ran back to the vige.


    Seeing Mu Yangling¡¯s gloomy expression, Great-aunt asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is something wrong with the rabbits?¡±


    ¡°What can possibly be wrong with the rabbits? Those are Little General and Young Master Fan¡¯s rabbits. Even the heavens wouldn¡¯t dare to treat those rabbits unfairly.¡± Mu Yangling was furious as she asked, ¡°Great-aunt, who¡¯s in charge of grazing the oxen in our vige?¡±


    Seeing that she looked like she had eaten a firecracker, Great-aunt said in a daze, ¡°Who else could it be? Hu Man became the sectionmander, so the oxen will naturally be distributed by the Hu family. Aren¡¯t we going to start plowing the wheat fields soon? The oxen are all at their house.¡±


    Mu Yangling turned around and ran to the Hu family¡¯s house. Seeing that the door was closed, she kicked it open and shouted, ¡°I want the person who grazed the oxen today toe out!¡±


    The door mmed against the wall with a loud sound. The Hu family¡¯s wives, who were preparing food in the kitchen, were shocked. Madam Hu-Fang ran out and saw that it was Mu Yangling. She immediately smiled awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s Ah Ling. Why are you here?¡±


    Old Hu walked out with a dark expression and looked at Mu Yangling gloomily..

 Chapter 170 - 170: Conflict (1)

    Chapter 170: Conflict (1)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling looked directly at Old Hu. ¡°Are the section¡¯s oxen all at your house?¡±


    Madam Hu-Fang felt a little awkward when she heard this. When Mu Shi was the sectionmander, he was very fair. Instead of hoarding the oxen for his own family, he distributed them to his subordinates to let them take turns ordering the oxen around. However, when it came to the Hu family, the five oxen were all raised in their house. However, facing the aggressive Mu Yangling, she couldn¡¯t not answer. So, she nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Ah Ling, you want to use them? If so, I¡¯ll ask your uncle to send them to you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No need. I¡¯m just here to ask who went out to graze the oxen today.¡±


    Hu Dian¡¯s son, Hu An, carefully hid behind Madam Hu-Zhang and did not dare to show his face. At this moment, he was looking for his uncle with wide eyes. Hu Gui had already turned around and returned to the house when Mu Yangling questioned him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Madam Hu-Zhang walked forward with a smile and grabbed Mu Yangling¡¯s hand. ¡°All Ling, speak slowly. Your Grandma Hu is old and can¡¯t withstand a scare.¡±


    Mu Yangling sneered. ¡°Grandma Hu can¡¯t take the scare, but can my great-aunt take it? The seedlings 1 nted less than ten days ago were eaten by the oxen. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know that the crops in the fields are the lifeblood of the farmers. Who grazed the oxen today?¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, everyone¡¯s expressions changed drastically. With an ugly expression, Old Hu reached out to pull his grandson¡¯s ear and asked, ¡°Let me ask you, did you let the oxen eat their crops?¡±


    Hu An shouted in panic, ¡°I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t!¡±


    However, Old Hu didn¡¯t listen to his exnation. He picked up the stick and was about to hit him when Mu Yangling stopped him and pulled Hu An behind her. She said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be in a hurry to find a scapegoat. If it was really Hu An who did it, I wouldn¡¯t be so angry. The footprints in the field belong to an adult. No matter what, you have to call that person out today. If it was Hu An who was in charge of the oxen, I can understand that he lost control of the oxen seeing as he¡¯s only four years old. But if it¡¯s an adult, that cow has already eaten a portion of the crops. Isn¡¯t it pretty obvious it was done on purpose?¡±


    Madam Hu-Zhang was looking at her son nervously, but after hearing Mu Yangling¡¯s words, how could she not understand? She turned around and ran back to the house to grab Hu Gui. ¡°Why are you so ruthless? Little An is your nephew. He¡¯s only four years old, but you¡¯re making him a scapegoat. Come out and make things clear¡­¡±


    Hearing themotion in the room, Old Hu¡¯s face turned ashen. Madam Hu-Fang also looked at Mu Yangling helplessly and said, ¡°All Ling, your third uncle definitely didn¡¯t do it on purpose. How about this? 1¡¯11 help you make up for the seedlingster. How about that?¡±


    ¡°How? Do you still have seedlings at home?¡± This was what Mu Yangling was most furious about. Now that the entire stockpile of rice had been nted, there was no way to make up for it even if they wanted to. How could she not be angry?


    Dragged out by Madam Hu-Zhang, Hu Gui pushed her away angrily and said, ¡°It was Little An who was overseeing the oxen. When I went over, the oxen had already gone into the fields. If 1 hadn¡¯t dragged it out of your 13 acres of paddy fields, it would have eaten all the crops already.¡±


    Gloating, Hu Gui said, ¡°Everyone has a share in the oxen. Even if you want to me someone, you can¡¯t only me our Hu family. Why should our Hu family be the one to graze the oxen? Your Mu family has never provided a single de of grass since you received the oxen.¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t.¡± When Madam Ma-Liu, who had rushed over, heard this, she went forward and shouted, ¡°Did our family use the oxen? When we brought them back, Shi Tou had already stipted that the oxen in the section would take turns to be used and let out to pasture. My family didn¡¯t need the oxen. We¡¯d already given them to the vigers, so naturally, we didn¡¯t have to graze the oxen. Now that it¡¯s your family¡¯s turn to be the sectionmander, you even dragged all five oxen into your fields and let your subordinates graze them for you. Do you really think you¡¯re a high-ranking official just because you¡¯re a sectionmander?¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu was not as easy to talk to as Mu Yangling. Her voice was very loud, and not long after, everyone in the vige was alerted and came over. ¡°Today, 1 want the Hu family to say in front of all the vigers¡ªare you going topensate us for the rice? How are you going topensate? Although my Shi Tou is no longer the sectionmander, he¡¯s now Little General¡¯s personal guard. He¡¯s not someone who can be easily bullied!¡±


    Madam Hu-Fang quickly went forward and pulled Madam Ma-Liu back. ¡°Good sister, I didn¡¯t say that 1 won¡¯tpensate. Aren¡¯t we discussing it now?¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to discuss? Hasn¡¯t everyone finished nting the rice in the surrounding viges? How do you n topensate? The difference in days is too great. Can the rice ntedter keep up with the ones nted earlier? Who would believe that your son didn¡¯t do it on purpose? All Ling, tell me, why did youe to the Hu family?¡± She knew her grandniece well. If she hadn¡¯t discovered something, she wouldn¡¯t have attacked the Hu family directly.


    Mu Yangling looked at Hu Gui with a dark expression and said, ¡°You said that the cows were already in the field when you went there. From the looks of it, you were the one who herded the oxen all the way from the edge of your field to the river. There are no children¡¯s footprints there.¡±


    Hu Gui¡¯s expression changed slightly. Old Hu red at him. Seeing that the Mu family was clearly looking for trouble, he said in a low voice, ¡°Then what do you want?¡±


    Great-aunt sneered. ¡°It¡¯s not what I want, but what does your Hu family want?¡±


    The vigers who had gathered outside to watch themotion stood on tiptoe and watched the Hu family. Some even climbed up the tree to look inside. The Hu family members felt their faces burn.


    Madam Hu-Jin leaned against the door and sneered. She went forward and pulled the frightened Hu An to her side to watch themotion.


    When Old Hu saw this, he red at her. After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°I¡¯llpensate you with silver.¡± Now that the rice had been nted, they really couldn¡¯t find any more seedlings to transnt for the Mu family. As it would be toote to nt them, they could onlypensate with silver.


    When Madam Ma-Liu thought of the money that Old Hu had extorted from herst time, she was furious. Holding back her anger, she said, ¡°Alright,pensate me with 17 taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°What?! You might as well snatch it directly. The rice nted in your family¡¯s 13 acres ofnd is worth nowhere near 17 taels.¡± Hu Gui jumped up and shouted.


    However, Old Hu and Madam Hu-Fang¡¯s expressions were ugly. They knew that Madam Ma-Liu wanted to settle the debt for the wine.


    As expected, Madam Ma-Liu smiled coldly and said, ¡°How is it not worth it? The rice seeds used by our family weren¡¯t distributed by the military camp, but by our ancestors. We even ced them in front of the ancestor tablets and burned incense for three years. Our ancestors left a message that this kind of seed is high-yielding and incredibly precious. Yet, you deliberately let the oxen gnaw on a portion of the crops. You¡¯re simply digging out my heart. I¡¯m letting you off easy by only asking for 17 taels of silver. At least I didn¡¯t ask your Hu family to give up the position of the sectionmander.¡±


    Madam Hu-Jin threw away the melon seeds in her hand and went forward. ¡°Auntie, you don¡¯t have to be angry. My man is willing to give up the position of sectionmander. Since Big Brother Mu doesn¡¯t care for it now, this position can be given up to a capable person in the vige.¡±


    ¡°Squandering b*tch, do you have the right to speak? Get down!¡± Old Hu berated her.


    Madam Hu-Jin smiled coldly and said, ¡°Father-inw, you don¡¯t have to re up at me. 1 didn¡¯t say that. It was my husband who said it. If you¡¯re unwilling, then chase me and my husband out.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Old Hu pointed at Madam Hu-Jin, speechless.


    Madam Hu-Fang said, ¡°Second Daughter-inw, this is not a ce for you to speak. Get down.¡±


    ¡°Good child, this matter has nothing to do with you. Hurry up and step back. 1 don¡¯t care if he gives up the position of the sectionmander or not. 1 only want them topensate me with silver. Old Hu, are you going topensate us with silver or not? If not, we¡¯ll go to the battalionmander¡¯s camp to ask for justice.¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t the battalionmander heed Little General¡¯s words? Naturally, Little General would be biased towards the Mu family..

 Chapter 171 - 171: Conflict (2)

    Chapter 171: Conflict (2)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Old Hu red at his youngest son hatefully, wishing he had never given birth to him. After obtaining the 17 taels of silver, he hadn¡¯t had the heart to spend it. Was he going to have to give it back before it had time to warm up in his hands?


    Having never seen so much silver in his life, Old Hu was indignant. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Even if your family¡¯s rice seeds are made of gold, they¡¯re not worth so much.¡±


    Great-aunt sneered. ¡°How can your family¡¯s wine be worth 17 taels when it¡¯s only sorghum? Aren¡¯t my grains more precious than your sorghum?¡±


    Upon hearing this, the onlookers outside all understood. At the end of the day, Madam Ma-Liu was unwilling to ept losing the 17 taels of silver that the Hu family had taken from her by means of threat. This was revenge.


    The people outside were happy to see this. Ever since Hu Man became the sectionmander, their lives had be much harder.


    The Hu family was not as selfless as the Mu family. It was only afterparing their lives under Hu Man that they realized they had it so good back then.


    In the past, when Mu Shi was the sectionmander, when it came to farming work, every family in the vige would just be in charge of their own work. The Mu family did not even upy the plowing oxen and farming tools. This had always been an important reason why they were grateful to the Mu family, and also one of the reasons why Mu Shi could quickly win the respect of his subordinates.


    However, now that the sectionmander was Hu Man, the Hu family upied all five oxen. Previously when they transnted the rice, they even transferred the strongborers from various families to transnt the rice for the Hu family first. Now that it was time to plow the wheat fields, they actually took up all five oxen again.


    Nobody dared to say anything in front of the Hu family, but there wasn¡¯t a single person who didn¡¯t speak ill of the Hu family behind their backs.


    Even though everyone in the military camp knew that Hu Man was innocent, he was still scolded by the vigers over and over again. At this moment, seeing that the Mu and Hu families were at conflict again and that the Hu family was obviously at a disadvantage, everyone cheered for the Mu family.


    Someone was already spreading the news in a low voice. ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? The Hu family isn¡¯t the most powerful family in this vige. The Mu family is suppressing them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Big Brother Mu easily made Hu Man the sectionmander. If the Hu family and the Mu family be enemies again, Big Brother Mu might not keep his promise and directly get rid of Hu Man.¡±


    ¡°In my opinion, Big Brother Mu is too pedantic. Back then, the Hu family was in the wrong. Now that they were even bullying his daughter, why should he keep his promise? They should¡¯ve just thrown the Hu family out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why 1 said that you can only farm, while Big Brother Mu has gained the favor of Little General. This is called having morals and a bottom line. If Big Brother Mu behaves like you, who will listen to him in the future?¡±


    While it was noisy outside, it was also noisy inside. Madam Hu-Jin added to the chaos, but the main force of the Hu family, Old Hu and Madam Hu-Fang, did not show any weakness. They insisted that the rice was not worth 17 taels of silver. Madam Hu-Zhang would help from time to time, and Hu Gui would not admit his mistake. Shrewish since she was young, Madam Ma-Liu was evenly matched with them.


    While Mu Yangling was frowning, Xiuhong squeezed in from outside and said to her, ¡°Cousin, Aunt wants me toe over and talk to you.¡±


    Xiuhong shouted this. Not only did Madam Ma-Liu stop and turn around, but the Hu family also stopped talking and looked over.


    Xiuhong said loudly, ¡°Aunt said that it¡¯s illegal for Third Uncle Hu to let the oxen gnaw on the crops, for it interferes with the farming. Cousin, she wants you to look for the battalionmander directly. If the battalionmander is busy, you can go to the government office. She also doesn¡¯t want you to quarrel with Grandpa Hu and the rest. Thew can decide what¡¯s right and what¡¯s wrong. Since Third Uncle Hu¡¯s mistake isn¡¯t too big, it¡¯ll most likely be offset by a few months of hardbor in prison. They will have topensate twice the amount of our family¡¯s loss of rice. This is written clearly in thew.¡±


    Xiuhong nced at them and lowered her voice. ¡°Aunt said that our family doesn¡¯tck money and told you not to make things difficult for the Hu family. Just follow thew.¡±


    The faces of the Hu family members immediately turned pale.


    Madam Ma-Liu immediately stopped being anxious. Sneering at them, she said, ¡°Indeed. We don¡¯t want these 17 taels of silver anymore. We¡¯ll just send them to the officials and let the officials judge them.¡± As she spoke, she pulled Mu Yangling and Xiuhong away.


    Hu Gui knelt at Old Hu¡¯s feet with a pale face and hugged his leg. ¡°Father, I don¡¯t want to be imprisoned. 1 don¡¯t want to be a coolie. Will I still be able to walk out alive if 1 be a coolie of the Imperial Court?¡±


    Old Hu¡¯s hand trembled. Madam Hu-Fang had already stepped forward to stop Madam Ma-Liu. She cried and begged, ¡°Good sister, you can¡¯t send him to the officials. It¡¯s not a big deal. We¡¯ll just pay more money. How about this? How about five taels?¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu pushed her hand away and sneered. ¡°Our Mu family doesn¡¯tck money. Keep it for yourselves to brew wine.¡±


    Madam Hu-Fang gritted her teeth and knelt in front of Madam Ma-Liu. Wiping her tears, she said, ¡°Good sister, I know you hate my family¡¯s head for selling wine to you at a high price, but that wine saved your nephew¡¯s wife after all. Even if that wine isn¡¯t worth this money, it did save a life, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Madam Ma-Liu had already pushed Mu Yangling and Xiuhong away when she knelt down and made way for her. Now that she heard her question, she stood in front of her instead. However, her face turned ashen as she raised her face and asked, ¡°But what¡¯s our rtionship? Ever since we moved here, you¡¯ve been calling me ¡®sister¡¯. I asked Shi Tou to let your family have the section¡¯s oxen first. Whenever my Ah Ling went up the mountain and obtained something good, 1 gave your grandson a ball of meat every day because I pitied him for being pale. When you were sick and almost died in bed, 1 was the one who brought my nephew¡¯s wife and an old hen over to nourish your body. You called me ¡®sister¡¯ so affectionately. 1 really treat you as my sister, but what did you do? When my family member nearly died from a fever and we begged you for a mouthful of wine to lower her temperature, you were so ck-hearted. 17 taels of silver wasn¡¯t enough for you. You even forced my Ah Ling¡¯s father to give up the position of the sectionmander to your son. Don¡¯t you feel guilty? Don¡¯t call me ¡®sister¡¯! It disgusts me to hear that word from your mouth.¡±


    Madam Hu-Fang¡¯s face was pale.


    Madam Ma-Liu straightened her back and spat fiercely at Old Hu. As the onlookers outside made way for them to leave, someone couldn¡¯t help but say in a low voice, ¡°They really deserve it. They¡¯re ssic ungrateful people. No wonder Madam Ma-Liu hates them so much. If it were me, I would hate them to the core, too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. In the past, the two families were so chummy. The two sons of the Hu family often hung out with Big Brother Mu. Now, they¡¯repletely enemies.¡±


    ¡°The Hu family asked for it.¡±


    Old Hu looked at his youngest son with a livid expression for a while. Then, he turned around and returned to the house to dig out the 17 taels of silver from under the brick bed. He touched it again and again. Finally, he stuffed it into his wife¡¯s hand and waved dispiritedly. ¡°Go, go. Hurry up and send it over.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t just watch his beloved youngest son die. If one was punished to do manualbor for the government office, they could grow so thin to the point of being unrecognizable in just 20 days. In a month and a half or so, they could die of exhaustion at the construction site.


    Looking at the silver, Madam Hu-Zhang gritted her teeth. She said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s spring now, and there¡¯s nothing to do in the government office. How can there be any manualbor?¡±


    Hu Gui red at her and said, ¡°Since Sister-inw says so, let Big Brother take my ce..¡±

 Chapter 172 - 172: Conflict (3)

    Chapter 172: Conflict (3)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your Big Brother who let the oxen eat their crops. Why should he go?¡± Madam Hu-Zhang said unhappily.


    Hu Gui red at her. ¡°It¡¯s not Big Brother, but his son. Little An was the one who grazed the oxen.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t nder him. Ah Ling already said that the ground is full of your footprints. You knelt down and admitted it just now. Otherwise, why would you be so anxious when she spoke of sending the culprit to the officials?¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Old Hu patted the edge of the brick bed and shouted, ¡°Do you still think that the house isn¡¯t chaotic enough? Now that the money has already been taken out, hurry up and send it to the Mu family. Third Brother, go back to your room and stay there. When I¡¯m free at night, I¡¯ll beat you up. Who asked you to herd the oxen to her fields? Are Madam Ma-Liu and Mu Yangling people you should mess with? They¡¯re a family of shrews.¡±


    Hu Gui shrunk his neck and said, ¡°1 didn¡¯t herd the oxen into their field. They went there themselves¡­¡± At most, he didn¡¯t stop them. Who asked Madam Ma-Liu to always re at him? Her eldest granddaughter actually dared to spit at him when she saw him. It was already considered merciful for him to let the oxen eat just a portion of their crops.


    Who knew that this was illegal?


    Hu Gui felt very aggrieved.


    Madam Hu-Fang had already put away the silver. Not daring to dy, she wiped her tears before running to the Mu residence. Madam Ma-Liu took the silver from her with a dark expression and didn¡¯t let her enter the house. She directly shut them out with a bang.


    Madam Hu-Fang stood for a while before leaving.


    Xiuhong stuck her head out to look at the silver in her grandmother¡¯s hand and asked softly, ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to report it to the officials?¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu tapped her forehead and said, ¡°What a silly girl. That was your aunt scaring them. If we really send them to the officials, the vigers will avoid our family in the future. Moreover, how can reporting to the officials be as practical as taking silver?¡± Madam Ma-Liu handed the silver to Mu Yangling and sighed. ¡°But although I¡¯ve gotten the silver back, 1 still feel ufortable. Back then, your Grandma Hu made it sound so nice, even offering toe over to help if I couldn¡¯t manage it. Although she would say some sour words sometimes, it didn¡¯t matter since our family was indeed more well-off than theirs. Who would have expected things to turn out like this?¡±


    Xin went forward solicitously and massaged her shoulders. ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t be sad. We just won¡¯t y with Grandma Hu in the future.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu smiled bitterly and patted her little hand. ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡±


    However, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Xin is right. Great-aunt, it¡¯s fine as long as we don¡¯t interact with the Hu family in the future. Don¡¯t be sad. There are so many old grandmas and grandpas in the vige. Can¡¯t you chat with whoever you want? Why do you have to look for the Hu family?¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s old face instantly darkened. She patted Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Little brat, what nonsense are you talking about? Who likes to chat with old grandpas? You keep your mouth shut. When your fatheres back, 1¡¯11 get him to teach you a lesson.¡±


    Chuckling, Mu Yangling broke away. She threw away the silver in her hand and said, ¡°This much money is enough to do many things.¡±


    However, Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s face darkened slightly as she said, ¡°But what about our family¡¯snd? Was it severely ruined when you went to take a look?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s serious. The top portion of the long seedlings have been eaten and arge area had been stepped on. In any case, it won¡¯t survive.¡± Tilting her head, she said, ¡°Since i¡¯s only o.i acres ofnd, I don¡¯t know what to do with it either. Why don¡¯t we leave it empty?¡±


    ¡°How will that do? Weeds will grow. It¡¯s gettingte today. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll go with you to see if we can salvage some. If not, we¡¯ll nt vegetables on the remainingnd.¡±


    Shu Wanniang¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°But Aunt, our vegetable field is right behind us and is pretty sizable as it is. In fact, 1 nted all the vegetable seeds today. Besides, isn¡¯t it too far away to use it as a vegetable field?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll sell the vegetables grown there in the county instead of keeping it for our own consumption. When I went to sell rabbits these few days, I realized that vegetables sell pretty well in the city, unlike in town. The county is just different. Later, I¡¯ll get Ah Ling to fix up thend for me. I¡¯ll buy some vegetables and nt them. In another 20 to 30 days, 1¡¯11 be able to sell the first batch. It won¡¯t fetch much¡ªprobably 100 copper coins or so. A little makes a lot, so over time it can umte to a small fortune.¡±


    Having had a difficult life, Madam Ma-Liu knew how to umte small sums of money bit by bit.


    Mu Yangling agreed without thinking. ¡°Then when I go hunting in the mountains, Great-aunt will go and collect the vegetables. When Ie back, 1¡¯11 carry them to the county together with you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, with you doing the hard work, I¡¯m even less worried.¡±


    The plot ofnd was not big, so it didn¡¯t take Mu Yangling much effort to segment out the piece of plowednd. She also loosened the soil. As the soil was still wet, Great-aunt nned to wait for the soil to dry up before nting the vegetables.


    Madam Ma-Liu carried the hoe and prepared to head home, while Mu Yangling went to check on her rabbits.


    Xiuhong and Xin were sitting on the grass watching rabbits.


    Mu Yangling handed the task of collecting the grass to Xiuhong. Every morning, she only had to go to the mountains to hunt, and do farm work. In the afternoon, she would clean up the rabbit feces and clean the sheds. At night, she would teach Xiuhong and Xin how to read. Although such a life was tense andpact, it was fulfilling andfortable.


    Mu Yangling did not know how long such a life couldst. She could only work hard to umte capital for the future while enjoying this peace.


    Therefore, she took a keen interest in her wheat, corn, rice, and rabbits. She had to check on them every few days.


    Seeing her cousine over, Xiuhong waved happily and rushed over. ¡°Cousin, good news. The Hu family is fighting.¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡± Mu Yangling asked as she chose a corner and sat down on the grass. She waved at Xin and shouted, ¡°Xiuhong,e over quickly. Don¡¯t step on the grass anymore. Else, the pasture that has just grown won¡¯t grow anymore.¡±


    Xin tiptoed over and sat beside Mu Yangling, imitating her. Xiuhong squatted on the other side of her and said, ¡°Brother Dazhuang told me. When he carried the grass over for me, he even deliberately went to take a look. I heard that Second Uncle Hu gave up his position as the sectionmander. Now, the position has gone to the Sun family who lives at the vige entrance. The oxen have all been taken away, so Old Hu was so angry that he got someone to find Second Uncle Hu and beat him up. I heard that Second Aunt Hu is making a fuss about splitting up the family assets. 1 wonder if the fighting¡¯s stopped.¡±


    Mu Yangling flicked her forehead and said, ¡°Should you be calling him ¡®Old Hu¡¯? Call him Grandpa Hu. Be careful that my father will beat you up if he hears you.¡±


    Xiuhong stuck out her tongue. ¡°I¡¯m only saying this in front of you.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t hit her again and only said, ¡°We have to respect the old and love the young. Some things can be said in front of our own people, but not outside, understand? Sigh, who asked us to be so young?¡±


    Xiuhong also sighed sadly. ¡°I wonder when I can grow up.¡±


    ¡°Soon. You¡¯ll grow up in five to six years.¡± Mu Yangling rubbed her hair and stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to clean the rabbits¡¯ shed. You guys rest. Let¡¯s not bother about the Hu family¡¯s matters. Since things have alreadye to this, it¡¯s impossible for us to reconcile in the future..¡±

 Chapter 173 - 173: Hu Family

    Chapter 173: Hu Family


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling¡¯s perspective was clearly not supported by Mu Shi and Hu Man because the two of them were really good friends.


    Mu Shi knew very well that Old Hu was the one who had added insult to injury, not Hu Man. That was why he specially went to tell Qi Haoran not to make things difficult for Hu Man back then. He even pleaded with their battalionmander to take care of Hu Man more.


    Although Hu Man was forced to take on the position of sectionmander back then, he had always been very uneasy. Coupled with his wife¡¯s words, he was even more repulsed by this.


    His wife had asked someone to pass a message to him, informing him that someone was upying a lot of his section¡¯s resources by unting his sectionmander position. This wasmon in other sections, but it did not mean that Hu Man would agree.


    Hu Man thought of what his wife hadined to him while crying. ¡°What benefits did we get after you became the sectionmander? All the benefits went to your brothers and their wives, but you and I are the ones bearing the infamy. Wouldn¡¯t it be even worse if we have children in the future? I don¡¯t even dare to have children now. As the head of the family, you have to make a decision. We can¡¯t be ungrateful. Judging from Father¡¯s momentum, we¡¯ll end up offending the entire vige. They live a good life in the vige, and no one can bully them. However, you¡¯re in the army and might have to go to the battlefield in the future. Your life will be in danger if the soldiers under you don¡¯t have your back.¡±


    This was the main reason why Madam Hu-Jin had always objected to offending Mu Shi and the vigers. To her, her husband was the most important. If he died, she would really have nothing left.


    It was also this sentence that moved Hu Man.


    Hu Man looked for Mu Shi behind his family¡¯s back, saying that he was not qualified for this position.


    It was naturally impossible for Mu Shi to return to be the sectionmander since he was now Qi Haoran¡¯s trusted aide. His treatment and future prospects were much better than that of a sectionmander¡¯s. Seeing that Hu Man insisted on not doing this job, he brought him to see the battalionmander. He told the battalionmander to reassign the position of the sectionmander.


    The battalionmander was originally going to be angry, but when he heard that he could assign this sectionmander, he restrained his anger. After asking Qi Haoran for instructions, he directly gave the position of sectionmander to Sun Da.


    When the Sun family came to retrieve the oxen, Old Hu found out that the candidate for the sectionmander had changed again. After his second daughter-inw went to the military camp and came back, there was suddenly a change in the position of the sectionmander. Old Hu¡¯s intuition told him that something was wrong. After asking around, he found out that Hu Man had taken the initiative to give it up.


    After removing his burden, Hu Man took half a day off and invited Mu Shi to the city to drink and apologize to him.


    Old Hu was so angry that he fell backward. This way, the benefits he had gained from offending the Mu family would be gone. Why had he spent so much effort back then?


    Even his wife med him. Old Hu had been unyielding for his entire life, so how could he tolerate this? He immediately wanted his son to divorce Madam Hu-Jin. Also, he called Hu Man back to beat him up.


    Hu Man protected Madam Hu-Jin. Seeing that his father was being unreasonable, he shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s split up! If we can¡¯t live together anymore, let¡¯s split up. I don¡¯t want anything. Is that okay?¡±


    Hu Man threw away the stick he had snatched from his father and looked at his parents and brothers with red eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t divorce my wife. She and 1 are going to live together for the rest of our lives. If you can¡¯t live with me anymore, then let¡¯s split up.¡±


    Old Hu pointed at him and could not speak. After a long time, he spat out two words, ¡°Unfilial son!¡±


    Hu Man turned to look at his father and wiped his face. Seeing that his hands were covered in blood, he said, ¡°Father, if you must insist that I¡¯m an unfilial son, so be it. In any case, you and Mother have been biased since we were young. You¡¯ve been biased towards Big Brother and Third Brother. In the past, I¡¯ve tolerated it. I¡¯ve also given up all thend you asked me to give them. I¡¯ve also gone to join the army. When you asked me and my wife to give the house to Third Brother for his wedding, I¡¯ve also conceded. What else do you want?¡± Frowning, Madam Hu-Fang looked at him. ¡°What are you talking about? We gave birth to you and raised you¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, Mother, don¡¯t you think I¡¯ve repaid you by working hard for you for so many years and died for you once? Now, I¡¯ve even gone to the army on behalf of our family.¡± Hu Man looked straight at his mother and asked word byword, ¡°Don¡¯t you think I¡¯ve paid off the debt?¡±


    Madam Hu-Fang¡¯s expression changed drastically as she looked at her quiet son with aplicated expression.


    Seeing that they were silent, Hu Man pulled his wife into the house and said, ¡°Pack your things. Go back to your maternal family and stay for a while. 1¡¯11 go back to the military camp and pick you up when I¡¯m on leave. No matter whoes to talk to you at home, don¡¯t believe them.¡± Hu Man took out a few hundred copper coins from his pocket and quietly stuffed them into her hand. He said in a low voice, ¡°1 secretly saved this. Keep it well.¡±


    Madam Hu-Jin looked at him with red eyes and lowered her head. ¡°Then 1¡¯11 go back and wait for you.¡±


    Hu Man nodded.


    Seeing that his son had sent Madam Hu-Jin away, Old Hu¡¯s expression turned even uglier. He pointed at him and said, ¡°Unless 1 die and step over me, no one is allowed to split from the family!¡±


    Hu Man only looked at him in a daze. For some reason, Old Hu felt a little disappointed. He hugged his head and regretted it. If he hadn¡¯t raised those conditions with Mu Yangling back then, the family wouldn¡¯t have been in such a mess. Even if his second daughter-inw was dissatisfied, she could only hide it in her heart. His second son would still only work hard in silence. Their family would still be the second most well off family in the vige, right behind the Mu family. They wouldn¡¯t be criticized wherever they went, unlike now.


    He had thought that it was an opportunity, but who knew that it was a fire pit? How Old Hu regretted it!


    Hu Man pulled Madam Hu-Jin and was about to leave when Hu Dian and Madam Hu-Zhang hurriedly pulled them back. Hu Dian pressed his second brother¡¯s shoulder and said in a low voice, ¡°Are you really going to be estranged from our family? No matter how chummy you are with him, can you be closer to him than us brothers?¡±


    Hu Man looked up at him with red eyes. ¡°Big Brother, I¡¯m only asking you this. If I die, will you support my wife and children? Will you make sure your wife doesn¡¯t mistreat them? Tell me the truth.¡±


    Looking into Hu Man¡¯s eyes, Hu Dian opened his mouth but did not say anything. Hu Man said in a low voice, ¡°1 knew it long ago. Father and Mother are biased. If I really die on the battlefield, my wife and children will have an even worse life. Big Brother, 1 don¡¯t me you, but your priority will be your own family. Same for me. The annual ie will be in your and Father¡¯s hands. Being the eldest son in the family, Father will certainly not mistreat you. As the youngest son, Third Brother can count on Mother to n for him, so he doesn¡¯t have to worry about anything. However, I¡¯m different. When my wife fell sick and needed to take medicine, 1 had to kneel down and beg Mother. 1 won¡¯t live such a life anymore. There are also examples of families splitting up in West Vige. I¡¯m not afraid of being ostracized by our family and the n. I¡¯m afraid that my wife and children will suffer behind my back. 1 fear that if I die, they won¡¯t be able to survive.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even have children yet.¡± Madam Hu-Fang couldn¡¯t take it anymore and shouted, ¡°If you me us for being biased, why don¡¯t you say that you forgot your mother after getting a wife? You two don¡¯t even have children yet.¡± ¡°Mother, it¡¯s just that we don¡¯t dare to have children!¡±


    Looking into her son¡¯s eyes, Madam Hu-Fang¡¯s words were stuck in her throat. She could only watch as the couple left with a bag..

 Chapter 174 - 174: Incredible

    Chapter 174: Incredible


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Shu Wanniang rubbed her eyes and opened the embroidered screen. The entire family was stunned. Drooling, Mu Yangling asked with sparkling eyes, ¡°Mother, can 1 learn this skill too?¡± As she spoke, she couldn¡¯t help but reach out to touch it.


    Madam Ma-Liu pped her hand away and said, ¡°Don¡¯t touch it. This is worth lots of silver!¡±


    Shu Wanniang pursed her lips and smiled. She said to her daughter, ¡°It¡¯s impossible for you to learn double-sided embroidery. I¡¯d be very happy if you can master the most basic embroidery skills. On the other hand, Xin is very talented. Although she¡¯s a little old, she¡¯ll still be able to achieve something in the future if she works hard from today onwards.¡±


    Xin looked at her aunt excitedly and grabbed her sister¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Can¡­ Can I really learn it?¡±


    Shu Wanniang nodded with a smile. ¡°With your talent, as long as you practice hard, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult.¡±


    Excited, Madam Ma-Liu pushed Xin in front of her. ¡°Then Wanniang, guide this child more often. If she can learn a skill, her livelihood will be guaranteed.¡± ¡°Aunt, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll teach her well.¡±


    Mu Yangling stuck out her tongue and said in a low voice, ¡°She¡¯s only seven years old, and you¡¯re already calling her old.¡±


    Shu Wanniang red at her daughter. ¡°Do you think they¡¯re all like you? 1 started learning to separate the threads at the age of three and picked up a needle at the age of four. I only learned the basics after learning from my teacher for n years. Now, I can embroider this screen because of all the effort I put in in the past ten years. On the other hand, you¡¯re already 10 years old and can¡¯t even sew a dress properly¡­¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu also said, ¡°Ah Ling, you can choose not to learn embroidery, but you have to know how to make clothes. Otherwise, who will make clothes for you in the future? Do you have to find someone else to make clothes for you in the future? Aren¡¯t you ashamed?¡±


    ¡°1 understand, Great-aunt. I¡¯ll definitely practice needlework diligently and strive to be aplished as soon as possible.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu and Shu Wanniang looked at her in disbelief. Shu Wanniang put away the embroidery and handed it to her daughter. ¡°Alright, exchange it for money in the prefectural capital. I¡¯ll think of a way to embroider another setter.¡±


    Mu Yangling put it away with a smile. ¡°Mother, how much can this embroidery sell for?¡±


    Shu Wanniang said, ¡°If it¡¯s in the south, it¡¯s worth at least 500 taels. When the frame is installed, the price will be determined by the value of the frame. However, if it¡¯s leaked out from the Shu family, it¡¯ll be even more expensive.¡±


    Shu Wanniang smiled slightly. ¡°But in Xingzhou Prefecture, it¡¯s already very good if you can sell it for 100 taels.¡±


    Great-aunt clicked her tongue and said, ¡°This is already very high considering you¡¯ve only embroidered for two months. That¡¯s 100 taels of silver in two months. It¡¯s already not bad if in my lifetime 1 can earn half of what you¡¯ve earned in the past two months.¡± She was even more enthusiastic about Xin picking up this skill now.


    Shu Wanniang touched Xin¡¯s head and didn¡¯t say anything. Actually, what she wanted to teach Xin was another type of double-sided embroidery, which was much simpler than this. After all, this was a family heirloom of the Shu family, and she didn¡¯t want it to spread.


    Xin¡¯s aptitude was not bad. As long as she worked hard, she might be able to be an expert in 10 to 20 years.


    Just as Aunt had said, her livelihood would be guaranteed then.


    As it was impossible to sell such a fine set of embroidery in the county, Mu Yangling decided to go to the prefectural capital tomorrow. Since she was going there, she could not just bring along the embroidery. She decided to go into the mountains today to see if she could catch some big prey and drag them to the prefectural capital.


    Mu Yangling told Great-aunt and Xiuhong to go take a look at the rabbit sheds. Then, she carried her bow, arrow, and basket and entered the mountain.


    The rabbits in this area had all been cleared out, leaving only a few sporadically. Every morning, Mu Yangling would go into the mountains to hunt rabbits and pheasants for her great-aunt to sell in the city. Now that she no longer wanted to harm these small animals, she walked straight into the mountains.


    As the number of rabbits decreased, green sprouts could now be seen on the grass in the forest. It was not like the grass that had been eaten clean a while ago.


    Mu Yangling paid attention to the traces on the ground as she walked in. When she heard a rustling sound, she stopped in her tracks. Mu Yangling lightened her footsteps and quietly poked her head in. She saw a big wild boar with six small boars arching the ground. There was a wild yam on the ground.


    Mu Yangling looked at the wild boars for a while and pondered for a moment. She decided to get rid of evil for the people so that this group of wild boars would not run down the mountain to harm the crops.


    Mu Yangling took out the bow and arrow on her back. After thinking for a moment, she lowered it and retreated to a ce where the wild boars could not detect her. She began to pull the withered vines on the tree.


    Mu Yangling pulled the vines down and rubbed them, snapping them into pieces before putting down the basket on her back and walking in.


    The family of wild boars was still there, happily eating yam.


    When the big wild boar heard themotion and raised its front hooves to be on guard, Mu Yangling¡¯s fist had already arrived. She sent the big wild boar flying with a punch. The wild boar flew out and hit a tree before being knocked unconscious by Mu Yangling. Seeing this, two of the little wild boars turned around and fled. The remaining four rushed towards Mu Yangling aggressively. Mu Yangling kicked one away and sent the other flying with her right hand. She grabbed the front leg of the fourth one with her left hand and tied it up with the vines in her hand.


    Only then did Mu Yangling chase after the two little ones that had run away. When she returned with the two, other than the unlucky little wild boar that had not fainted, the others were still unconscious.


    Feeling that their struggles would make it difficult for her to transport them, Mu Yangling knocked out the two still awake and killed the group of wild boars without seeing a single drop of blood.


    Mu Yangling felt that this was an excellent method. As long as she grasped the right amount of strength and method well, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the smell of blood attracting ferocious beasts when hunting in the future. She could also maintain the freshness of her prey to the greatest extent.


    Mu Yangling packed the remaining yams on the ground and threw them into the basket on her back. Only then did she stuff the little wild boars into the basket. However, although the little wild boars were still young and the basket on her back was big enough, it could only fit four. After thinking for a while, she hung the other two on her waist and carried the big wild boar out of the mountain.


    Fang Dazhuang, who was cutting grass at the foot of the mountain to sell to Xiuhong, couldn¡¯t help but widen his eyes when he saw Mu Yangling carrying the wild boars out of the mountain. Swallowing his saliva, he said, ¡°If only I were Uncle Mu¡¯s son too. Then I could also inherit Uncle Mu¡¯s divine strength.¡± ¡°Stop dreaming. Mu Bowen is also Uncle Mu¡¯s son, but he¡¯s like a little chick. If you be Uncle Mu¡¯s son, you might end up like him. Only Mu Yangling in the Mu family inherited Uncle Mu¡¯s divine strength.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be willing, too. With such a sister, won¡¯t there be meat to eat every day?¡± Fang Dazhuang looked at the wild boar on Mu Yangling¡¯s shoulder and drooled.


    Mu Yangling took the things home. Afraid that the wild boar would wake up and struggle, she tied its hooves and locked it in the shed where she had kept the rabbits.


    At night, when the big wild boar woke up and howled, Mu Yangling went in and pped it, knocking it out again.


    Mu Yangling touched its neck and stood up to say to the family members watching outside, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s still alive. It definitely won¡¯t wake up tonight. Everyone can sleep well.¡±


    Shu Wanniang looked at the wild boar¡¯s neck, then at her daughter¡¯s hand. With difficulty, she carried the twins back to the house.


    The twins waved at their sister excitedly.


    Great-aunt closed her mouth and returned to her room, leaving the three little kids staring at Mu Yangling with sparkling eyes.


    Xiuhong said, ¡°Cousin, you¡¯re amazing!¡± She decided to follow her cousin closely in the future.


    Xin said, ¡°Cousin, you¡¯re amazing!¡± Last time, her cousin seemed to have smacked her like this, too. Why didn¡¯t she fall unconscious then?


    Bowen: ¡°Sister, you¡¯re amazing!¡± When he grew up, he¡¯d marry and have a daughter like his elder sister¡­

 Chapter 175 - 175: Breaking the Agreement

    Chapter 175: Breaking the Agreement


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling got out of bed and looked outside. Seeing that the sky was still dark, she fell asleep again. After lying down for a while, she heard the bell from the county.


    It was time to open the city gate.


    Mu Yangling opened her eyes with difficulty and got up to wash up. Since she was going to the prefectural capital, she had to set off quickly if she wanted to rush back before night.


    Mu Yangling tied the still unconscious wild boar to the cart. When Great-aunt saw that she had also tied up the five little wild boars, she quickly stopped her and said, ¡°Such small wild boars aren¡¯t even enough to fill the gaps between your teeth. It¡¯s better to keep it. I¡¯ll raise itter.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Mu Yangling tied up the wild boar and said, ¡°How can it be so easy to raise these wild boars? They¡¯re very independent. If you want to raise pigs, I¡¯ll go to the county and bring back two piglets for you. We should sell these few. Don¡¯t worry, the people in the city like to eat these. They might be worth more than that big wild boar.¡±


    Mu Yangling tied up the things and wrapped the embroidery in oil paper before carefully cing it in her bag and carrying it on her chest.


    Shu Wanniang was already making her pancakes in the kitchen. Seeing that Mu Yangling was about to get up, she quickly wrapped seven to eight pancakes in oil paper and stuffed them into her arms. ¡°Take them to eat on the way. There¡¯s also a bamboo tube on the cart filled with rice soup. Drink it if you¡¯re thirsty. Be careful on the way. Don¡¯t cause trouble when you reach the prefectural capital. If the price isn¡¯t right, juste back and don¡¯t argue with others.¡± ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. When have 1 ever been bullied?¡± Mu Yangling waved at them, lifted the cart, and pushed it away.


    Shu Wanniang stood at the door and watched her disappear before turning around.


    As Great-aunt didn¡¯t have to go to the county to set up a stall today, she pounded her waist and said, ¡°I¡¯ll rest for a while today. When the sunes out, I¡¯ll bring Xiuhong to remove the weeds from the cornfields.¡±


    After thinking for a moment, Shu Wanniang said, ¡°Aunt, 1¡¯11 bring the children and go with you.¡±


    Stunned, Madam Ma-Liu shook her head with a smile. ¡°Why are you going? Aren¡¯t the two children enough to keep you busy? You won¡¯t be able to do any work even if you bring them along. You might as well stay at home and teach Xin how to embroider.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve used up all the embroidery threads at home. There¡¯s only enough for Xin to practice with now. Let¡¯s talk about it when Ah Ling buys it tonight.¡± Shu Wanniang said, ¡°Bosi and Kejia are very obedient. We can put them on the fields where we can see them when we work in the fields. Aunt, 1 don¡¯t know how to do other farm work, but I know how to weed.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu patted her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m not saying you don¡¯t know how to do farm work, but it¡¯s already hard enough to take care of the children. Furthermore, it¡¯s two children. Other than taking care of the children and doing housework, you also have to take time out to embroider. Previously, we were busy with farm work at home and really couldn¡¯t find anyone to help you. Since you¡¯re free now, rest for two more days. Otherwise, when Ah Linges back from the prefectural capital, you¡¯ll have to start embroidering again. Also, we¡¯ll have to start plowing the wheat fields, weeding the cornfields, and fertilizing the wheat. We¡¯ll be even more busy by then. Considering you¡¯re still young, you shouldn¡¯t tire yourself out¡­¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu persuaded Shu Wanniang in a low voice. Meanwhile, Mu Yangling had also arrived at the county entrance and directly passed through Mingshui County to get to the prefectural capital.


    Because she was in a hurry, she walked very quickly. The cart creaked as she moved.


    Mu Yangling was the only one on the entire road. After walking for a long time, she saw a few people intermittently. Everyone was carrying goods and there were some on a donkey cart. Clearly, they were all going to the prefectural capital to do business.


    Seeing that Mu Yangling had caught up, a donkey cart driver nced at the things on her cart and raised his whip. ¡°Youngdy, this thing isn¡¯t light, right? Do you want to take the donkey cart? 1 can throw a rope over and pull it for you. How about 20 copper coins to get to the prefectural capital?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°Thank you, Uncle. 1 can pull it myself.¡±


    That person looked at the things in her car and then at her body. Shaking his head, he said, ¡°When will you be able to walk to the prefectural capital like this? You might wreck your petite body this way.¡±


    Mu Yangling stopped in her tracks and sped up to overtake the donkey cart. She even took the time to turn around and shout at him, ¡°Uncle, you have to speed up too. If you can¡¯t make it to the morning market, you have to arrive before lunch at the very least.¡± With that, sheughed and sped up to leave.


    That person watched Mu Yangling leave with his mouth agape and only came back to his senses after a while.


    Mu Yangling arrived at the prefectural capital before ten o¡¯clock. She directly pulled the wild boar to thergest restaurant in the prefectural capital, Prosperity Restaurant.


    Mu Yangling knocked on the side door and said to the assistant shopkeeper who came to open the door, ¡°My family has just obtained fresh wild boar meat. I wonder if you guys will ept it?¡±


    The assistant shopkeeper looked at Mu Yangling from head to toe and asked, ¡°Are you from Uncle Mu¡¯s family?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and took out five copper coins for him. ¡°My father¡¯s name is Mu Shi. He said that he had an agreement with your shopkeeper previously. Please inform him.¡±


    The assistant shopkeeper took a look at the things on her cart and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to sell this thing of yours. Our restaurant has a fixed supplier. My shopkeeper only agreed to your father¡¯s request because he came to eat with Little Generalst time. Our shopkeeper only said yes on ount of Little General.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Regardless of whether the shopkeeper was faking it or sincerely wanted to buy my family¡¯s prey, 1 have to ask him. If he doesn¡¯t want to buy it, I¡¯ll go to another restaurant. I¡¯m not afraid that no one will buy the prey 1 hunted. Little Brother, help me ask.¡±


    After thinking for a moment, the assistant shopkeeper nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll help you ask. Whether it seeds or not will depend on your luck.¡±


    Prosperity Restaurant was a restaurant that Minister He had set up with Minister Sun and Magistrate Wu. It was considered thergest restaurant in Xingzhou Prefecture. Other than purchasing from the He and Sun families¡¯ manors, they also had fixed suppliers for the rest of their items. Therefore, when the shopkeeper heard that someone from the Mu family had sent prey over, he frowned slightly.


    Previously, he was unwilling to reject them in front of Qi Haoran. During this period of time, when he saw that no one had delivered the goods, he¡¯d thought that the Mu family was tactful. He did not expect them to still deliver it.


    Thinking that there was no need to offend Qi Haoran over such a small matter, he called the second shopkeeper over and said, ¡°Go and see what she sent over. Just give her some money and dismiss her. If she asks about the next delivery, just say that we already have a supplier and give her some reward money to dismiss her.¡±


    The second shopkeeper agreed, but when he was halfway there, he was stopped by an assistant shopkeeper. ¡°Shopkeeper, there¡¯s something wrong with the pork that was just sent into the kitchen. The head chef is angry.¡±


    The second shopkeeper frowned and waved at the assistant shopkeeper. ¡°Go to the side door and send the delivery person away. Tell him that we don¡¯tck ingredients today. Make it sound nice and don¡¯t offend anyone. I¡¯ll go to the kitchen to take a look.¡±


    The assistant shopkeeper agreed and ran to the side door. Mu Yangling was resting on the cart. When she saw the assistant shopkeepering over, she quickly stood up.


    ¡°Miss Mu? I¡¯m really sorry. We have enough ingredients today. I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to purchase the prey that you sent over.. Do you see the Red Taste Restaurant diagonally opposite? Why don¡¯t you try over there?¡±

 Chapter 176 - 176: Business Success

    Chapter 176: Business Sess


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When Mu Yangling saw that only one assistant shopkeeper hade out, she knew that this business was most likely not going to work.


    She did not know what her father had discussed with the restaurant. At that time, he only said that she was sendingrge prey to sell at the prefectural capital, she should look for Prosperity Restaurant.


    Perhaps it was because their family came so suddenly that they no longer needed the goods?


    Just as this thought shed across her mind, Mu Yangling nodded with a smile. ¡°1 understand. Sorry to trouble you to make an extra trip.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Yangling was easy to talk to, the assistant shopkeeper¡¯s smile deepened. ¡°This is what I should do.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go ask at Red Taste Restaurant.¡±


    When the assistant shopkeeper saw that Mu Yangling was really pushing the cart towards the Red Taste Restaurant, he could not help but open his mouth wide. He had just mentioned it casually. Who did not know that Prosperity Restaurant and Red Taste Restaurant were rivals?


    How could someone send goods rejected by Prosperity Restaurant to Red Taste Restaurant? Red Taste Restaurant probably wouldn¡¯t want it either, right?


    However, seeing that she had already reached the entrance of the alley, the assistant shopkeeper did not stop her. Before he returned, he nced at Mu Yangling¡¯s cart and saw a fat ck wild boar on it. There wererge leaves covering its head and body, most likely to prevent dust from dirtying the wild boar¡¯s wounds.


    Mu Yangling had not told them that the wild boar was still alive. On the way, in order to prevent the wild boar from being exposed to the sun, she specially picked somerge leaves to cover its head. As the little wild boars were still young, five or six leaves were sufficient to cover them. Mu Yangling was not stingy and directly covered the little wild boars.


    Red Taste Restaurant was diagonally opposite Prosperity Restaurant and not far away. She was about to push the cart to the side door when she heard the conversation between two people walking out of Red Taste Restaurant and stopped in her tracks.


    ording to the rules of the industry, if one wanted to deliver or rmend goods to a restaurant or eatery, other than high-grade wine and dried fruits, they had to go to the back door.


    It was for no other reason than to make the guests in front feelfortable. Otherwise, if they saw chickens, ducks, geese, and vegetables the moment they entered the door to drink and eat, wouldn¡¯t it make for an unpleasant experience? Therefore, the front door was only meant for the guests.


    Mu Yangling stopped and looked at the two of them.


    One of them stopped the other and cupped his hands. ¡°Boss Li, you don¡¯t have to send me off further. I can go back myself. Go ahead and get back to your own matters.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Chen, 1 wee you at Red Taste Restaurant at any time. Once you¡¯ve thought it through, you can look for me here at any time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Boss Li. 1¡¯11 think about it when 1 get back.¡±


    After watching Mr. Chen leave, Mu Yangling called out to Boss Li, who was about to turn around and go back. ¡°Boss Li, please wait.¡±


    Boss Li looked in the direction of the voice and met a pair of smiling eyes. Just as Boss Li was about to praise the handsome young man in his heart, he realized that the other party was a little girl. However, with her hair tied up and being d in a short coat, she looked just like a boy.


    A smile appeared on Boss Li¡¯s face as he asked politely, ¡°Youngdy, are you looking for me?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and smiled. ¡°Boss Li, you¡¯re the boss of Red Taste Restaurant, right? 1 really wanted to do business with you. It¡¯s a coincidence that I should meet you here.¡±


    Seeing that she was standing at the entrance of the alley and the cart had already entered half of the alley, Boss Li knew that she understood the rules of the industry. Seeing that she did not chase after him, he was satisfied. He took two steps towards her and asked with a smile, ¡°Youngdy, what business is it regarding?¡±


    ¡°My family caught some wild animals and 1 brought them to the prefectural capital to sell. I¡¯m hoping 1 could find an eatery or restaurant that would buy them all at one go.¡±


    Seeing that the other party was so honest, Boss Liughed and went forward to lift a leaf on her cart. Hemented, ¡°This is really a wild boar. However, its meat looks quite tough and it¡¯s a female one. It¡¯s not delicious. I¡¯m afraid our restaurant doesn¡¯t want it.¡±


    Mu Yangling lifted the other leaves and asked, ¡°What about these few?¡±


    The leaves parted to reveal five fat, small, and ck little wild boars.


    Boss Li eximed and asked, ¡°Are these also wild boars?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°They¡¯re caught with this big wild boar.¡±


    ¡°When were they caught?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday, they¡¯re still alive.¡±


    Boss Li reached out to touch one of the little wild boars in surprise. As expected, it was still alive. At this moment, he was a little suspicious. ¡°You caught it alive? Then why is it unconscious?¡±


    ¡°They were knocked unconscious.¡± Mu Yangling said matter-of-factly, ¡°So if you want to buy them, you have to buy four at once. Otherwise, 1¡¯11 have to knock them out again before I can bring them back. In spite of their small size, they can still attack people when they get ferocious.¡±


    Boss Li¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Then do you have a way to wake them up?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°1 only have a way to knock them out.¡±


    Boss Li thought for a moment and said, ¡°Follow me to the backyard. Try sshing water on them. I want to see lively wild boars.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought that this was Boss Li¡¯s special hobby, so she pushed the cart and followed.


    The way to wake a pig up was to ssh water on its face. Mu Yangling only knew that it was useful for humans, but she did not expect it to be useful for pigs as well.


    Seeing that there was a small one in the cart, Boss Li asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you bringing this one up?¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s not for sale. It¡¯s a gift.¡±


    Boss Li didn¡¯t ask further. Instead, he looked at the little wild boars that had already jumped up and were running around the courtyard. Boss Li now believed that these were real wild boars, but he couldn¡¯t do anything to them. Mu Yangling went forward and knocked them unconscious again. Wiping her sweat, she asked Boss Li, ¡°How is it? Do you want them?¡± It would be embarrassing to reject her after subjecting her wild boars to such torture, right?


    However, Boss Li had already nodded with a smile. ¡°Yes, of course. 1 want all four.¡±


    Thinking that the one left outside also appeared excellent, he tempted her and said, ¡°You can choose other things as a gift, right? 1 think that big wild boar is not bad. You can always cut seven to eight catties of pork from that big wild boar and gift that instead. Why don¡¯t you sell me that little wild boar too?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°This has long been reserved for others. Besides, how can a big wild boarpare to a small wild boar? Boss Li, I¡¯ll sell four of them. Do you want that big wild boar? Since your restaurant is so big, you¡¯ll definitely be able to find some use for it.¡±


    Boss Li shook his head and asked someone to retrieve eight taels of silver from the ounts. He said, ¡°That wild boar meat is too tough. Our restaurant won¡¯t ept it. In the future, if there are small or tender ones like this, send them to me. I¡¯ll take as much as you have.¡± Boss Li handed her eight taels of silver and said, ¡°These little wild boars cost two taels of silver each. Four of them cost a total of eight taels of silver. Please count the money properly.¡±


    Mu Yangling held the money in her arms and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll head to another restaurant now. I wish you a prosperous business.¡±


    Boss Li watched her leave with a smile and replied, ¡°I wish you a prosperous business, too.¡±


    Mu Yangling directly pushed the big wild boar to the meat stall. After some bargaining, it was sold for 3 taels and 625 copper coins. After receiving the money, Mu Yangling turned around and went to the General¡¯s Mansion. The remaining little wild boar was for Qi Xiuyuan.


    When Mu Yangling carried her things to the General¡¯s Mansion, the people from the General¡¯s Mansion recognized her and let her in.


    Mu Yangling carried the little wild boar to the kitchen and put it down. ¡°This is for the General. If he asks, just say that I have something on and am in a hurry to go back..¡±

 Chapter 177 - 177: Selling Embroidery

    Chapter 177: Selling Embroidery


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Steward Zhu, who had run over, heard this and hurriedly said, ¡°Miss Mu, since it¡¯s already noon, at least stay for lunch. General should be back soon.¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°I have to make a trip to the embroidery workshop and rush back before nightfall. 1 definitely can¡¯t dy any longer. Steward Zhu, you don¡¯t have to be so polite.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Yangling was about to leave, Steward Zhu hurriedly got someone to get some food from the kitchen and stuffed it into her hand. As he sent her out, he said, ¡°Then take these to fill your stomach. When youe to the prefectural capital in the future, remember toe to the General¡¯s Mansion.¡±


    Steward Zhu knew that the three masters of the Qi family treated thisdy differently, so he did not dare to be negligent.


    When Qi Xiuyuan returned, Steward Zhu reported Mu Yangling¡¯s matter and asked, ¡°Young Master, that little wild boar is still alive. How do you think we should prepare it?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s rare. Keep it for now. I¡¯ll invite a few people to try it tonight. By the way, prepare a birthday gift for Mrs. Qin. 1¡¯11 bring Haoran and Zijin to celebrate her birthday with her.¡±


    The emissary¡¯s mother¡¯s surname was Qin. She came to the office with the emissary, but the emissary¡¯s wife and children were left in the capital as hostages. From this, it could be seen that the emissary was filial to his mother, so Qi Xiuyuan paid a lot of attention to this matter.


    Steward Zhu started to worry. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about this for the past few days, but 1 haven¡¯t been able to find anything suitable. Mrs. Qin is from the south and likes refined and exquisite things. We have no problem finding things like ginseng, lingzhi, or precious fur in Xingzhou Prefecture, but where can 1 find refined and exquisite things?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t help but stop in his tracks. In the end, he waved his hand and said, ¡°If you can¡¯t find it in Xingzhou Prefecture, go to Xingyuan Prefecture to take a look. There¡¯s still a month to go. Take your time.¡±


    Steward Zhu agreed and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to keep this little wild boar until Fourth Young Master and Young Master Zijin return? Fourth Young Master will definitely like this.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan smiled and said, ¡°Do you think he won¡¯t receive one as well? Since Ah Ling gave one to me, I¡¯m certain he won¡¯t receive any less than us since he lives nearby.¡±


    Noticing the change in the way Eldest Young Master addressed Miss Mu, Steward Zhu could not help but rejoice that he was sufficiently polite and warm to Mu Yangling just now.


    After leaving the residence, Mu Yangling went straight to Brocade Workshop. Previously, she had already asked the shopkeeper of Brocade Workshop and he had given her an estimate of about loo taels of silver. Mu Yangling felt that it was alright. At least, it was not much different from what her mother had said and could be discussed.


    However, the shopkeeper of Brocade Workshop was someone else this time.


    Mu Yangling looked at him curiously for a while but did not ask where the previous shopkeeper had gone. After all, no one knew if this shopkeeper had any conflicts with the previous one.


    The shopkeeper opened the embroidery and looked at it for a while. He ced it on the counter and said to Mu Yangling, ¡°This is good stuff with exquisite embroidery skills. How about this? 1¡¯11 give you 20 taels. How about that?¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes widened. The shopkeeper thought that she was shocked. After all, 20 taels of silver was a huge sum of money in this remote vige.


    Unexpectedly, Mu Yangling shouted, ¡°20 taels? Shopkeeper, did you make a mistake? Not 200 taels?¡±


    The shopkeeper¡¯s expression froze. He flung his sleeves and said, ¡°Miss, are you ying with me? What embroidery is worth 200 taels of silver? Have you gone crazy from thinking about money?¡±


    Mu Yangling sized him up and carefully put away the embroidery before turning to leave.


    Realizing that he had met someone who knew the market price, the shopkeeper¡¯s face turned slightly ashen. He originally thought that she was a youngdy who did not know anything, but who knew¡­


    Seeing that she was about to leave, the shopkeeper stopped her. ¡°Miss, wait. Since you¡¯re not satisfied with 20 taels, we can increase the price slightly.¡±


    Mu Yangling turned around and said, ¡°Shopkeeper, you sure like to joke. This is double-sided embroidery. Even if you increase the price by a lot, 1 can¡¯t sell it at such a low price, let alone a slight increase. In short, are you going to give me an honest price? If not, I¡¯ll go to the next shop.¡±


    The shopkeeper gritted his teeth and said, ¡°1¡¯11 pay 50 taels, how about that? It¡¯s 10 taels more than double the previous price.¡±


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and asked, ¡°Then do you know how much the shopkeeper offered me previously?¡± At this point, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t care if she would offend him. As this person was too cunning in doing business, Mu Yangling decided not to interact with him in the future if there was no need.


    With an ashen face, the shopkeeper sized up Mu Yangling and snorted coldly. ¡°Youngdy, the previous shopkeeper was fired by the boss because he didn¡¯t handle things properly andmitted a crime. The price he offered you might not be right. 50 taels of silver is already not a small amount. Don¡¯t you know what kind of territory this is? Who in the entire Xingzhou Prefecture would use such a refined and unique screen? It¡¯s still unknown if it can be sold after framing it.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it might fetch 200 taels in the south.¡± The shopkeeper said, ¡°But it has to be framed. Do you know how much it costs to frame this screen? The frame has to be made of excellent wood. Good quality wood is sold ording to weight. How heavy must the wood be for such a huge screen?¡±


    Mu Yangling sneered. ¡°Shopkeeper, don¡¯t lie to me. Although I¡¯m young, I¡¯m knowledgeable. Before 1 came, my mother specifically mentioned to me that this embroidery can¡¯t be sold for less than 150 taels. If it¡¯s framed, even if it¡¯s only sent to Xingyuan Prefecture, it won¡¯t be a problem to sell it for 500 taels of silver. In Xingzhou Prefecture, it can fetch at least 300 taels of silver. Even if you¡¯re using top-notch wood, the cost of that plus craftsmanship definitely won¡¯t exceed 50 taels of silver. You can use sandalwood, but can you buy it?¡±


    The shopkeeper¡¯s face immediately darkened. If it were any other businessman, they would probably immediately give in. However, this shopkeeper was clearly not as tactful as other businessmen. He immediately flicked his sleeves and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to sell it. Hurry up and leave.¡±


    Mu Yangling, who originally wanted to buy embroidery threads, decided not to buy them here now. She turned around and left.


    It wasn¡¯t as if Brocade Workshop was the only embroidery workshop in Xingzhou Prefecture.


    However, the other embroidery workshops were not as big as Brocade Workshop, so they were not as confident. The highest bid was only 80 taels.


    If it was in the past, Mu Yangling might have considered the difference between 80 and 100 taels. But now, she would calcte that 20 taels of silver was enough for Bowen to attend school without any worries for two years, enough for four months worth of food therapy, or enough living expenses for Bosi and Kejia till they reach the age of three¡­


    In short, she could not back down on the 20 taels of silver.


    After buying embroidery threads from an embroidery workshop, she went home with the embroidery.


    When Mu Yangling returned home, Xiuhong had called Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin over like she had asked. Shu Wanniang was cooking dinner in the kitchen, and Qi Haoran was ying with the children in the courtyard. She didn¡¯t know what Qi Haoran was teasing Kejia with, but Mu Yangling could hear Kejia¡¯s angry cries from afar.


    Fan Zijin was standing in the vegetable field at the back asking Great-aunt some questions, so he did not notice that Mu Yangling had returned.


    However, when Qi Haoran heard the sound of the cart, he looked up and met Mu Yangling¡¯s angry eyes. He hurriedly picked up her sister and ced her on the ground properly. Fie said with his hands behind his back, ¡°I didn¡¯t tip her over..¡±

 Chapter 178 - 178: Argument

    Chapter 178: Argument


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling red at him before going forward to pick Kejia up to check.


    When Kejia saw that her sister had returned, she hugged her neck tightly and looked at her with teary eyes. Then, she reached out to point at Qi Haoran and wailed.


    Surprised that this child couldin at such a young age, Qi Haoran widened his eyes and looked at her. Seeing Mu Yangling look over, he hurriedly exined, ¡°She¡¯s saying that I¡¯m ying with her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a fool. Qi Haoran, if you dare to carry my sister like this again, I¡¯ll throw you into the river.¡±


    Qi Haoran touched his nose and turned to hug Bosi.


    Bosi was much more refined than Kejia. No matter who hugged him, he would simply sit quietly in that person¡¯s arms. Having lost interest after carrying him for a while, Qi Haoran craned his neck to look at the kitchen. ¡°Is your mother done cooking?¡±


    After handing Kejia to Xiuhong to carry, Mu Yangling parked the cart and brought the things back into the house. When she heard this, she said, ¡°More or less I think. By the way, where¡¯s my father?¡±


    Mu Yangling had asked Xiuhong to call Qi Haoran and the rest over for dinner because she hoped that her father woulde back too.


    ¡°Your father has something to do and isn¡¯t in the camp now,¡± Qi Haoran said nonchntly.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t ask further. Shu Wanniang had already raised her voice in the kitchen. ¡°The food is ready. All Ling, quickly call your great-aunt back.¡±


    Shu Wanniang made fragrant pork. It was her first time making such a grand dish, so she didn¡¯t have much confidence. She looked at Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin nervously and asked, ¡°How is it? Does it taste okay?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s mouth was full of oil as he nodded repeatedly. He did not even have the time to say anything.


    More reserved, Fan Zijin stopped eating and nodded slightly. ¡°It¡¯s delicious. Auntie¡¯s cooking is superb.¡±


    Xiuhong and Xin ate without looking up. Bowen took the time to add, ¡°My mother¡¯s culinary skills are the best. My father said that if my sister can learn 20% of my mother¡¯s culinary skills, she won¡¯t have to worry about getting married.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°I¡¯m not worried about getting married now either.¡±


    ¡°No way. Everyone outside says that Sister won¡¯t be able to get married in the future.¡±


    Great-aunt patted his head and said angrily, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? Your sister is good-looking, talented, and capable. Why can¡¯t she get married?¡±


    Bowen said aggrievedly, ¡°They said that Sister is so powerful and fierce. What if she beat up the husband and inws after she gets married?¡±


    Mu Yangling said nonchntly, ¡°I won¡¯t marry someone who has such worries.


    1 bet those are the ones who bully their wives after marrying them.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded repeatedly. ¡°Only incapable men would consider such things. What are capable men afraid of?¡±


    Fan Zijin nced at Mu Yangling¡¯s hands. Thinking about how she had lifted a rockery easily, he couldn¡¯t help but shiver and quickly changed the topic. ¡°Did you go to the prefectural capital today? Did you go to the General¡¯s Mansion?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°1 sent a small wild boar to the general.¡±


    Shu Wanniang took the time to ask, ¡°Have you sold the embroidery?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°The shopkeeper from Brocade Workshop is no longer around. He¡¯s reced by a new shopkeeper and that person lowered the price. I¡¯ve asked other embroidery workshops, and the highest price is only 80 taels.¡±


    Shu Wanniang frowned slightly.


    Great-aunt said, ¡°80 taels is already a lot.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a difference of 20 taels. 1 brought the embroidery back. At most, I¡¯ll bring it to Xingyuan Prefecture.¡± Mu Yangling now deeply realized the importance of money and didn¡¯t want to back down easily. Anyway, she still had money at home now. When she was free after some time, she could take the time to make a trip to Xingyuan Prefecture. It would only take about four days to go back and forth, and she would be able to earn a lot more silver.


    However, to Madam Ma-Liu, Xingyuan Prefecture was too far away. Even she had onlye to Mingshui County for the first time because of this escape.


    Fan Zijin asked curiously, ¡°What embroidery is so valuable?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my mother¡¯s double-sided embroidery.¡±


    After eating, Mu Yangling unfolded the embroidery for Fan Zijin to see. The lights were dim, but Fan Zijin was still stunned. He flipped the two sides over and looked at them repeatedly. In the end, he tapped his hand with his fan and asked, ¡°You want to sell it for 100 taels?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°At least.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll take it for 100 taels.¡±


    Mu Yangling blinked and asked, ¡°What do you want this for?¡±


    Fan Zijin said with a smirk, ¡°A gift. The emissary¡¯s mother, Mrs. Qin, is celebrating her birthday in a month. Eldest Cousin will definitely prepare a birthday gift. Mrs. Qin likes elegant things. This embroidery is exquisite, elegant, dignified and beautiful. She will definitely like it after I frame it up.¡±


    Moreover, it was really worth it to settle the gift for Mrs. Qin with less than 200 taels of silver.


    Unlike Qi Haoran who did not understand such things, Fan Zijin dabbled in everything, and as such has a shrewd taste. If this thing was framed and sent to the south, it would definitely cost at least 1,000 taels of silver.


    Fan Zijin was very satisfied with this great deal, and Mu Yangling was even happier to see that she could sell the embroidery without going out. This deal was happily concluded. Qi Haoran, on the other hand, saw the smugness in Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes and saw Mu Yangling grinning foolishly. He opened his mouth but did not say anything.


    However, the moment they left, Qi Haoran grabbed Fan Zijin and said with a straight face, ¡°Zijin, did you scam Ah Ling?¡±


    Fan Zijin said with a serious expression, ¡°What are you talking about? We¡¯re friends. Why would I scam her?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at him suspiciously. ¡°You¡¯re not lying to me? Then why are you so smug?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Fan Zijin looked at him sincerely. ¡°You¡¯re mistaken.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at him from top to bottom seriously. In the end, he snorted coldly. ¡°You¡¯re lying to me. You¡¯re scamming her.¡± Qi Haoran turned around and left angrily.


    Fan Zijin¡¯s face turned green. Seeing that Qi Haoran was about to disappear inrge strides, he hurriedly chased after him and said helplessly, ¡°Alright, I admit that I took advantage of her. This embroidery is worth more than 100 taels, but she didn¡¯t lose out. No one in Xingzhou Prefecture will be willing to pay 100 taels.¡±


    Qi Haoran said stubbornly, ¡°But we¡¯re good friends.¡± He waved the things in his hand and said, ¡°She shares with us all the good food and fun things. Didn¡¯t you see that she packed more than half of the food for us just now? Her cousin was ring at us. Not only did you not pay the proper amount for Auntie Mu¡¯s embroidery, but you even scammed her. Zijin, I know you¡¯re smart, but I don¡¯t like you taking advantage of your friends.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s face also turned cold. Sneering, he said, ¡°I think you¡¯re like this because you like her. Other than you, I¡¯ve never tricked anyone else. I¡¯ve even tricked Eldest Cousin before, but I¡¯ve never seen you say anything. Which of your friends in Lin¡¯an Prefecture has never suffered a loss under my hands? You¡¯ll onlyugh and p when you hear that. When have 1 ever seen you angry? In the past, I even schemed against Eldest Cousin with you, and you were so smug about it. When did I see you feel sorry for him? When did Mu Yangling be more important than Eldest Cousin?¡±


    Qi Haoran stammered, ¡°Err¡­ how is this the same? Mu Yangling is a girl¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it really because she¡¯s a girl? Then what about those well-bred youngdies in Lin¡¯an Prefecture? You didn¡¯t care back then. When did you, Qi Haoran, be so protective of girls?¡±


    The two cousins parted on bad terms in the end..

 Chapter 179 - 179: Peace

    Chapter 179: Peace


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Thinking that Fan Zijin had misunderstood him, Qi Haoran was furious. How could he be someone who valued a lover over his friend? No, how could he like Mu Yangling?


    Fan Zijin was also very angry. He could see that his brother valued Mu Yangling more and more, but he magnanimously didn¡¯t mind because the other party was just a youngdy. However, Haoran actually red up at him for Mu Yangling. This was absolutely uneptable. He had never been angry with him even when it concerned his eldest cousin. How could he be so upset with him because of an outsider like Mu Yangling?


    This time, Fan Zijin kept a straight face and forced himself not to give in first. Qi Haoran waited for half the night, but Fan Zijin did note over to apologize to him. He then went to sleep angrily. When he woke up the next morning, Qi Haoran temporarily lost his memory and did not remember what happenedst night. He ran into Fan Zijin¡¯s room and went to have breakfast with him.


    Fan Zijin didn¡¯t sleep the entire nightst night and was waiting for Qi Haoran toe and give in to him. Hence, his under-eyes were a little dark. Seeing that Qi Haoran had finallye, his expression improved a little and he went to have breakfast with him with a solemn expression.


    After breakfast, the cousins finally reconciled. Qi Haoran wiped his mouth and said, ¡°I¡¯m going out for morning exercise.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded with a straight face and said, ¡°I¡¯m going back to the prefectural capital to look for Eldest Cousinter. Tomorrow, the trade caravan will start to head south. If you need anything, ask Fei Bai to make a list for me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, 1¡¯11 get Fei Bai to do itter.¡±


    After Qi Haoran left, Fan Zijin ate slowly for a while before waving his hand to call for Yanmo. ¡°Send 100 taels of silver to the Mu family and bring back the embroidery.¡±


    Yanmo asked in confusion, ¡°What embroidery?¡± He didn¡¯t follow his master to the Mu family¡¯s residencest night.


    Fan Zijin looked at him unhappily and said, ¡°Won¡¯t you know when you go? Mu Yangling will give it to you.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yanmo thought for a moment and said, ¡°Young Master, we don¡¯t have so much silver on hand. Why don¡¯t we take some from Fourth Young Master first?¡±


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t Fourth Young Master taken the silver that 1 gave him?¡±


    Yanmo smiled and said, ¡°Fourth Young Master hasn¡¯t gone out recently, so he hasn¡¯t had a chance to spend this money. The money¡¯s still with you.¡±


    Fan Zijin pursed his lips and said, ¡°Then don¡¯t give it to him. Take out another 20 taels of silver from that amount and add it to the 100 taels to be sent to Mu Yangling. Just say that it¡¯s the money for the embroidery.¡±


    ¡®Didn¡¯t you feel sorry for her? I want to see if you feel sorry for your money or for her.¡¯


    Fan Zijin thought as he gritted his teeth.


    When Qi Haoran found out that he only had 50 taels left because of this matter, he wanted to die. He cried dramatically as he said, ¡°How can you be so heartless? 30 taels isn¡¯t even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth. How am 1 supposed to live?¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at him calmly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you feel sorry for Mu Yangling? I¡¯m taking care of her for you.¡±


    Qi Haoran was dumbfounded. ¡°When did I feel sorry for her? I¡¯m just saying that we shouldn¡¯t scam her because we¡¯re good friends.¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted and looked at him with a faint smile. ¡°Then how can you bear to trick Eldest Cousin when he¡¯s your brother? Yinglian is our (female) cousin, but I¡¯ve never seen you pity her. Don¡¯t try to act all nonchnt. In the end, it¡¯s because you like her.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face flushed red. ¡°Nonsense. She¡¯s not pretty. Why should 1 like her?¡±


    ¡°1 find it strange too. She¡¯s not pretty, so why are you always willing to follow behind her? Don¡¯t you hate ying with girls the most? You despise them for being noisy and always crying. Mu Yangling is not even as gentle as a girl, let alone beautiful. I really don¡¯t know what you like about her¡­¡± Fan Zijin became angrier and angrier as he spoke.


    Listening from the side, Fei Bai could not help but defend Mu Yangling. ¡°Young Master Zijin, actually, Miss Mu is very beautiful. It¡¯s just that she usually wears short clothes and dresses like a boy, so her beauty is hidden. Although Miss Mu isn¡¯t gentle enough, she¡¯s skilled and strong. She can exchange more than 150 moves with Young Master. She¡¯s also kind-hearted and is willing to sacrifice herself for her pals. I think there¡¯s nothing wrong with her.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded repeatedly in agreement.


    The corners of Fan Zijin¡¯s mouth twitched as he asked, ¡°Is this a girl you¡¯re describing? Are you guys looking for a pal?¡±


    Frowning, Qi Haoran said, ¡°You look down on women. Be careful or I¡¯ll tell Aunt and let her beat you up.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at him pitifully. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who believes in my mother¡¯s strong personality. If she¡¯s really so powerful, 1 wouldn¡¯t have an eldest brother who¡¯s two years older than me born from a concubine, and my family wouldn¡¯t be in a mess because of the several concubines. I was even so angry with my father that I ran away from home. Mu Yangling looks tough now, but when she gets married and has children in the future, she might not be so powerful. Haoran, don¡¯t treat girls as guys. They¡¯re not worthy.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes were filled with confusion. ¡°But Aunt is clearly very fierce. She even dared to chase after Uncle with a knife. Which madam in Xingzhou Prefecture dares to do this?¡±


    Fan Zijin sneered. ¡°So what if she chased after my father with a knife? Doesn¡¯t stop my father from visiting the brothel and sleeping with his concubines. She couldn¡¯t do anything about it. If other people¡¯s wives didn¡¯t chase after their husbands all over the house, they would at least preserve the dignity of a legitimate wife and retain the status of a legitimate son for their son.¡±


    Qi Haoran said unhappily, ¡°So why didn¡¯t you help Aunt when you know everything? If my mother was still around, I definitely wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to bully her, not even my father.¡±


    Qi Haoran had lost his mother at a young age and had even forgotten what she looked like. However, he still yearned for his mother, so he could never understand Fan Zijin¡¯s attitude towards his mother.


    Fan Zijin naturally knew that this was one of his reverse scales, so he said seriously, ¡°Who said I didn¡¯t help her? If I didn¡¯t help her, her life would only be even more difficult, but she never listened to my advice. This time, 1 came to the border with you to help her.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes were filled with confusion. He couldn¡¯t understand.


    Fan Zijin pushed his head away and said, ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t have to understand. You just have to know that 1 stayed outside to help her.¡±


    Fan Zijin thought coldly that he was forcing her to make a decision. Did she want her husband or her son?


    If she wanted her husband, he could only watch her continue to be entangled with her father like this. At most, he would stand up for her outside. However, if she chose her son, she would have her maternal family, schemes, methods, and him. What was there to be afraid of then?


    Weren¡¯t the concubines easy to deal with?


    However, Fan Zijin was a little disappointed. Until now, other than sending some money, his mother had not said anything. The information Eldest Cousin had received was that she was still fighting with her father and arguing with him non-stop because of him.


    But was it really for him?


    Qi Haoran was not sensitive enough to notice what was on his brother¡¯s mind. After Fan Zijin kept pointing out that he liked Mu Yangling, he really started to think seriously. Did he really like Mu Yangling?


    Qi Haoran thought about it for a few days and finally came to the conclusion that he liked Mu Yangling, but at the thought of marrying her, he felt strange. What if he didn¡¯t want to get married at all?


    In the end, Qi Haoran came to a conclusion. ¡°I treat Mu Yangling like a brother, really!¡±


    Fan Zijin pped his face before turning around to continue sleeping.. He said in a muffled voice, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping at night??

 Chapter 180 - 180: Letting Go

    Chapter 180 - 180: Letting Go


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When Fan Zijin sent the embroidery to Qi Xiuyuan in the prefectural capital, thetter said happily, ¡°1 was just fretting over this birthday gift.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at the embroidery carefully and nodded. ¡°Not bad. Where did you get this from? I was still thinking that if I can¡¯t find a suitable gift in Xingzhou Prefecture, 1 would have to look south.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, it¡¯s luck. 1 happened to see it when I went to the Mu Residence for dinner that day. She tried to sell it at the prefectural capital, but the price offered by the embroidery workshop wasn¡¯t suitable, so she didn¡¯t sell it. If she sold it that day, we wouldn¡¯t be able to buy it at anywhere near this price.¡± Fan Zijin said, ¡°Eldest Cousin, this embroidery has to be paired with superior wood. If we can¡¯t find such good stuff in Xingzhou Prefecture, why don¡¯t we get someone to look for it in the south? When the timees, we¡¯ll get the embroidery workshop to process it when we transport the wood back. There¡¯s still a month¡¯s time. We should be able to make it in time.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nced at him and knew that he was nning to go south. Don¡¯t think that he didn¡¯t know what these two brats were up to in the 5th Division. If he hadn¡¯t helped cover it up, who did they think they could hide their actions from?


    Initially, Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t want to mention it, but now, he had no choice but to warn him. ¡°Zijin, you¡¯re smart and hardworking, passing the Imperial Examination at the mere age of 11. Even if your father passes the hereditary privilege to your half-brother, 1 believe that your future achievements won¡¯t be inferior to his or even your father¡¯s. That¡¯s why 1 tried my best to hire a teacher for you when you came to me. I no longer count on Haoran to study, but 1 don¡¯t want you to neglect your studies.¡±<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Other than Haoran, no one had ever talked to him about his future. His father would only ask him to give in to his brothers, and his mother would only ask him to study hard and not let his step-brothers bully him. Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan was serious, Fan Zijin could not help but be serious as well.


    ¡°I know what you and Haoran are nning, but you have to remember that the 5th Division is only for Haoran to practice. As for you¡­¡± Qi Xiuyuan sighed. ¡°Actually, I wanted you to stay in the prefecture capital to study, but you two brothers are unwilling to be apart, so 1 let youe along. Although 1 agreed to let you be Haoran¡¯s Military Advisor, that¡¯s only so that you can interact with external affairs. Your focus should still be on your studies. The 5th Division only provides the logistics for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Divisions. I don¡¯t understand why the two of you are kept so busy that you don¡¯t even have time to attend sses.¡±


    Fan Zijin could not help but blush. During this period of time, he had indeed spent all his time on business and could only spare two hours to study at night.


    Qi Xiuyuan patted his shoulder and said, ¡°In my heart, you¡¯re my younger brother just like Haoran, so 1 hope you can understand what you want and what sort of a future you wish to pursue. Zijin, how long do you think you can be Haoran¡¯s Military Advisor? In terms of marching and formation, you¡¯re far inferior to Haoran. In terms of winning the hearts of the soldiers, you¡¯re iparable to Haoran who can get along with the soldiers. You even have to rely on Haoran to support you in the army. You¡¯re still young now and only think that it¡¯s fun. But what about 10 or 20 yearster? Will you continue to think this way when you still have to rely on Haoran in the army, andck scope for your abilities?¡±


    Speechless, Fan Zijin was so agitated that he fell onto the stool.


    Qi Xiuyuan patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Think about it carefully.¡± When he opened the door, he said, ¡°You can only do these private businesses this once. How can my brother do such a lowly thing?¡±


    Fan Zijin watched Qi Xiuyuan leave in a daze. He had always told himself that he was helping Haoran by staying in the 5th Division.


    Almost all of Haoran¡¯s logistics were in his hands, and all the supplies in the army could only change hands with his permission. He¡¯d thought that he had helped Haoran a lot, but if not for Haoran suppressing the subordinates in the army, how could he have held onto the supplies in the 5th Division?


    Fan Zijin could not help but feel confused. What path would he take in the future?


    Or should he study and return to Lin¡¯an Prefecture to participate in the Imperial Examination? After passing the Vige Examination and the Pce Examination, he would slowly rise in the ranks starting from a seventh-grade official?


    The civil officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty were indeed very esteemed, but promotion took a very long time. Even if he was talented and smart, he would still have to endure for three years before he could be a schr and enter the six departments before the age of 25. Then, he would be assigned to be a sixth-grade official outside of the capital. Even if he performed well every year, he would have to be outside for at least six years. Then, he would find a way back to the capital to hopefully be promoted to the fourth-grade. The fourth-grade to the third-grade was a huge hurdle. If he was lucky, he might be able to achieve that after enduring six years¡­


    As for third-grade, by then he would be 40 years old. Even if he had the confidence to make it that far, would his father live to see it?


    As long as he could not surpass his father, he would be bound by him.


    However, if he did not take the path of a civil servant, he did not fancy martial arts and militaryw. He did not have other talents, so what else could he do?


    Fan Zijin returned in low spirits. Qi Haoran casually realized that something was wrong with him and hurriedly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why do you look like you¡¯ve lost your soul aftering back from the prefectural capital?¡±


    Fan Zijin said dejectedly, ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of path 1 should take in the future.¡± He told Qi Haoran in detail about how lost he felt.


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips nonchntly and said, ¡°You and Big Brother are thinking too much. If everyone thinks like you, how many people in the world can be happy? Let¡¯s not talk about anything else. Just take the emperor for example. Wouldn¡¯t he be worried to death every day? ¡®What if I lose the world? What if my kingdom falls? Should 1 fight this war or not? What if 1 do? What if I don¡¯t?¡¯ He¡¯d be worried to death and wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything! 1 think we should all look forward to the future. If 1 like to practice martial arts, 1¡¯11 practice martial arts. If 1 like to train soldiers, I¡¯ll train soldiers every day. If the Jin soldiers attack, 1¡¯11 fight them back. If you like to study, then study. If you like to do business, then do it. In the future, if you want to take the Imperial Examination, go take it. Anyway, considering you¡¯ve always been studying plus you¡¯re smart, you can¡¯t fare worse than others. If you don¡¯t want to take the examination, then forget it. Just follow me. If you¡¯re unhappy, go out and have fun beforeing back. It¡¯s a simple thing, it¡¯s your overthinking that makes it tooplicated.¡±


    Frowning, Fan Zijin said, ¡°We have to focus on something. How can we treat every situation the same way?¡±


    Qi Haoran tilted his head and asked, ¡°Why not? That¡¯s what I do.¡±


    Fan Zijin choked and said, ¡°Flow is that the same? You could practice martial arts when you were training, and it didn¡¯t take up much time. Now that you handed half of the training to the regimentmander of the camp, you have even more time now. You¡¯ve been running to Chenggu Garrison more and more diligently these few days.¡±


    Qi Haoran red at him. ¡°Training soldiers is the job of the regimentmander. 1 just have to watch and make sure he doesn¡¯t make any mistakes. Why should 1 keep an eye on him? I want to be a general, not a coach.¡±


    Fan Zijin was silent for a moment, deep in thought.


    Qi Haoran had already muttered, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a lot of time too? You can just hand the rabbit business to the men below, and you don¡¯t have to follow the convoy south. When they return, you just have to listen to their report and check the ount book. With Big Brother watching over the supplies in the 5th Division, our supplies won¡¯t disappear for sure. Considering there are experienced ountants and the warehouse is guarded, you only need to take a look every once in a while. You can just use the remaining time to do your own things, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want to study and are deliberately finding an excuse to skip ss?¡±


    Fan Zijin rolled his eyes at him and said, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m like you?¡± However, he was already enlightened in his heart.. ring at Qi Haoran, he thought, ¡®Indeed, a fool has a fool¡¯s luck!¡¯</font>

 Chapter 181 - 181: Follow-up

    Chapter 181 - 181: Follow-up


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Fan Zijin did not abandon this business as Qi Xiuyuan hoped. Instead, he agreed with Mu Yangling to wait for the trade caravan to return before determining the number of rabbits to be ughtered. Before that, Fan Zijin hoped that she would raise as many rabbits as possible. After all, he was still unwilling to give up this business that he had worked so hard at for so long.


    Not only did he have to think of a way to open up business avenues, but he also had to find other business opportunities. Qi Haoran¡¯s words enlightened him. Since he could not increase his political capital through studying and the 5th Division, he would umte more wealth. At the very least, he would not have to beg for money in the future, right?


    As for what Eldest Cousin said about merchants being lowly, he would just pretend not to have heard it.


    After Fan Zijin¡¯s men went south, they would send news back to him every once in a while. When they arrived at the Jiangling Prefecture, the steward got someone to send back two pieces of ck and red sandalwood.


    When Fan Zijin received it, the corners of his lips curled up slightly. He said to Qi Haoran, ¡°Who said that business is bad? At the very least, it¡¯s easy to buy what you want. If business is to be mixed with politics, what do you think it will be?¡±<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    ¡°A collusion between government and business!¡±


    Fan Zijin rolled his eyes at him and snapped, ¡°It¡¯d be the Imperial Merchants, such as the Shen family.¡± Fan Zijin ced the logs properly and stood up. ¡°General Yuan was able to lead the army for decades. Even if the Imperial Court repeatedly suppressed him, he still stood tall. Half of the credit goes to the Shen family. And the Shen family was able to be the number one Imperial Merchant in the world from their humble beginnings,rgely thanks to General Yuan. Haoran, what if Eldest Cousin also has the Shen family behind him?¡±


    ¡°Then Big Brother will definitely upy a higher position than General Yuan. He might even be a great general.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s lips curled up. ¡°I think so too, so let¡¯s work hard towards this goal. Perhaps Eldest Cousin can really be the general of the world¡¯s troops?¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be Big Brother¡¯s number one general, and you¡¯ll be the number one Military Advisor.¡±


    The two cousins fantasized about the future,pletely ignoring how impractical it all sounded.


    Fan Zijin happily took the embroidery and wood to the Brocade Workshop.


    Because the item was expensive and it was the Qi family¡¯s business, the owner of Brocade Workshop personally weed Fan Zijin and Steward Zhu with the shopkeeper.


    The sandalwood was wrapped in silk cloth, and there were only two pieces. As soon as they opened it, everyone smelled a faint sandalwood fragrance.


    The boss said with a smile, ¡°This is top-quality wood. Young Master Fan, you are indeed resourceful to be able to find such good stuff in Xingzhou Prefecture.¡±


    Because emperors and nobles liked to use sandalwood as coffins, and sandalwood took a long time to grow, sandalwood was very rare in the country. Hence, it was very difficult to find this.


    Even if there were, they were mostly sold to ces where powerful people gathered, such as Lin¡¯an Prefecture. Now that there were war disasters in the north, sandalwood was even rarer.


    Normally, it would be very good if one could gather enough sandalwood to make a box. Now, he could actually find two pieces that were long enough to make a screen.


    Fan Zijin smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m just lucky. However, there are only two pieces of the sandalwood left, so you have to be careful with them. If anything goes wrong, I won¡¯t be able to find any sandalwood here to rece it.¡±


    The owner hurriedly said, ¡°Young Master Fan, don¡¯t worry. Our craftsmen are the best in the entire Xingzhou Prefecture. I¡¯ll get them to work slower on the sandalwood and make sure that nothing will go wrong. Let¡¯s take a look at the embroidery. I¡¯m very curious as to what kind of embroidery is worthy of such wood.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at Steward Zhu, who took out the embroidery piece from a box and unfolded it for them to see.


    As soon as the thing was opened, the shopkeeper¡¯s expression turned a little ugly. He recognized that Mu Yangling had brought this thing here previously.


    After Mu Yangling left, he had asked someone to keep an eye on her. Knowing that she did not sell the item in the end and took it back, he was even less anxious. He thought that the other party would definitely bring it back to Xingzhou Prefecture. When the time came, he would just raise the price slightly. He was not afraid that she would not sell it. Even if she really refused to sell it, he had a way to force her to sell it.


    Unexpectedly, she actually sold it to the Qi family?


    Could it be that there was someone backing her? However, she was wearing ordinary clothes that day, and her clothes were even a little dirty. She was a ssic example of a poor person with no money. How did she manage to sell the item to the Qi family?


    Fan Zijin nced at the shopkeeper and saw the change in his expression. He smiled mockingly but did not expose him.


    The shopkeeper of Brocade Workshop was not the only one who felt aggrieved because of Mu Yangling. The second shopkeeper of Prosperity Restaurant was also aggrieved because there was a problem with the pork in Fortune Gathering Restaurant that day, causing them to be unable to cook many dishes. It would have been fine if it was any other time, because the customers could just order other dishes. Prosperity Restaurant was not only famous for this.


    However, that day, Boss Li bought four small wild boars from Mu Yangling. He raised two of them for the time being and immediately prepared the other two into dishes and ced them on the high tform. He announced that they were Red Taste Restaurant¡¯s specialty dishes of the day.


    Red Taste Restaurant and Prosperity Restaurant were opposite each other. The customers who were originally sitting in Prosperity Restaurant and waiting to order food saw this and went to Red Taste Restaurant to join in the fun. Those who weren¡¯t loyal patrons of the Prosperity Restaurant felt that eating at Red Taste Restaurant might not be a bad idea. In any case, the dishes they wanted to eat in Prosperity Restaurant were not avable that day.


    Therefore, those who had gone over to watch themotion did not return. What was even more amazing was that the two pots of dishes were bought by two tables of guests at a high price in the end. In the end, those dishes were even evaluated in public and were hailed as the most delicious in Xingzhou Prefecture.


    As for the guests who were attracted, after eating the dishes from Red Taste Restaurant, they felt that the taste wasparable to Prosperity Restaurant. When they were about to go to the restaurant the next day, they saw that Red Taste Restaurant was still lively, so they changed direction and went to Red Taste Restaurant again.


    On the third day, although some customers were still used to eating at Prosperity Restaurant, many people chose to go to Red Taste Restaurant. Some people even came directly to the Red Taste Restaurant after seeing that there were many people in Prosperity Restaurant.


    Originally, Prosperity Restaurant had significantly better business than Red Taste Restaurant, but now, both sides were evenly matched.


    The shopkeeper of Prosperity Restaurant naturally had to find out the reason, so he found Mu Yangling.


    The little wild boars that had been made into a dish of ¡¯Fragrant Pork¡¯ was sold to Red Taste Restaurant by Mu Yangling. However, the shopkeeper could not find trouble with Mu Yangling because she hade to look for them first and only went to Red Taste Restaurant after they rejected her.


    Although it was an unwritten rule in this area that if one wanted to do business with Prosperity Restaurant, they could not do business with Red Taste Restaurant. However, it was unwritten after all. Even if Mu Yangling did it, they could not do anything to her.


    Therefore, he could only look for the second shopkeeper. He had asked him to send her away, but since the other party had brought something good, why did he still push her away?


    The second shopkeeper could not say anything. Since the head shopkeeper clearly wanted to use him as a scapegoat, he did not even have the chance to exin himself.


    Mu Yangling did not know about these things. Right now, she was busy fertilizing and plowing the wheat fields. Being a huge project, this was not much easier than nting seeds.


    Old Man Sun brought an oxen over to Mu Yangling and said with a smile, ¡°Although you¡¯re strong, you can¡¯t be so hard on yourself. Come, this is your


    family¡¯s share. 1¡¯11e back to get it in three days..¡±</font>

 Chapter 182 - 182: Calculation

    Chapter 182: Calction


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Before Mu Yangling could refuse, Great-aunt took the rope from his hand and said with a smile, ¡°Thank you, Big Brother Sun. You don¡¯t have to specially let our family have the ox for three days. Just like everyone else, our family only needs it for half a day.¡±


    Old Man Sun did not insist. Hearing this, he nodded and said, ¡°Alright, bring it over to me when you¡¯re done at noon. I¡¯ll send it to the Hu family.¡±


    Great-aunt agreed happily. After watching Old Man Sun leave, she said to Mu Yangling, ¡°It¡¯s better for the Sun family to hold the sectionmander position. At least everyone won¡¯t have so much resentment.¡±


    Now that Old Man Sun¡¯s youngest son, Sun Yue, was the sectionmander, it was naturally the Sun family¡¯s turn to distribute these resources.


    The Sun family was very good at dealing with people. They didn¡¯t make many changes to the Mu family¡¯s previous rules. Each family still took turns having an oxen for half a day. But instead of deciding the order by means of a lottery like previously, it was up to the Sun family to arrange it now.


    Just like the Mu family, the Sun family did not ask the people in the vige to help with their farmwork. Instead, they did their own work. Although there were inevitably signs of favoritism in a few of the measures, with the Hu family as an earlier example, everyone epted the current arrangement very well.


    On the other hand, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t have much of a reaction to this because she didn¡¯t think that she would fight for those resources. Seeing that her great-aunt had epted the ox, she couldn¡¯t help but ask curiously, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the ox would always go astray and ruin the wheat? That it¡¯s easier to order me around instead? Why did you ept it?¡±


    Great-aunt red at her. ¡°How can youpare yourself to an ox? It¡¯s good that we ept it. Otherwise, the vigers will think that we¡¯re easy to bully when they see that we don¡¯t want anything. Even if 1 don¡¯t order this ox around, 1¡¯11 just spend half a day holding it.¡±


    Embarrassed, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°But Great-aunt, if the ox is in our hands, we have to be responsible for the fodder. Moreover, not only do we have to be responsible at this time, but we also have to be responsible for it in the future. Xin has to learn embroidery and help take care of the children. Xiuhong has to follow me to raise rabbits and do farm work. You also have to go into the city to set up a stall aside from doing farm work. My mother is busy with needlework all the time. Bowen has to go to school. Who has the time to be in charge of grazing the oxen?¡±


    Great-aunt was dumbfounded. Only then did she remember that if they used an ox, not only would she have to be in charge of its fodder now, but she would also have to take turns grazing the oxen when farming was less busy in the future.


    ¡°Then, then can¡¯t we just keep it for half a day?¡± After saying that, Great-aunt said with a determined expression, ¡°It¡¯s settled then. After lunch, I¡¯ll talk to Old Man Sun. Considering your father is Little General¡¯s most favored subordinate now, 1 don¡¯t think he dares to arrange for our family to graze the oxen.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what he¡¯s doing,¡± Mu Yangling muttered softly.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I said, I don¡¯t know how many barrels of night soil our family has to buy. Didn¡¯t Grandpa Sun say that if everyone buys the night soil together, we can lower the price? We might be able to lower it to one copper coin a barrel.¡±


    In the past, when everyone went to buy night soil, they would buy it individually or only go with a few families that they were closer with. However, this time, it was the Sun family who organized it. They would step forward and bargain down the price. Later, everyone would hand the money to the Sun family and the Sun family would give it to the person selling the night soil. They only had to bring buckets there to collect it.


    After pondering for a moment, Great-aunt said, ¡°We have a lot ofnd. Don¡¯t you also want to fertilize corn and rice? Why don¡¯t you just buy all the fertilizer needed in one shot? Otherwise, you¡¯ll have to make a few trips. Later, help me calcte how many buckets you¡¯ll need.¡±


    When she returned at night, Mu Yangling took out a pen and paper, and looked at her great-aunt.


    Great-aunt counted on her fingers as she said, ¡°We must certainly fertilize the wheat and rice. There are a total of 72 acres of wheat. We¡¯ve got to fertilize the low-gradend using two buckets per acre. The medium-gradend and high-gradend require a little less¡ªone bucket per acre. That makes 74 buckets. Since the rice is all nted on high-gradend, just one bucket per acre, which makes 13 buckets. How many buckets so far?¡±


    Without even needing to use her pen, Mu Yangling said, ¡°87. There¡¯s still the cornfield. Since the corn is all nted on low-gradend, we have to use more fertilizer.¡±


    Great-aunt frowned. Actually, until now, she still didn¡¯t have confidence in the corn harvest. She had heard that corn was nted in a simr way to wheat, but she had never seen anything like All Ling¡¯s method. And now, everyone in the vige felt that their 28 acres of corn were wasted on the corn, so Great-aunt naturally didn¡¯t want to put in more effort.


    Oblivious to what her great-aunt was thinking, Mu Yangling only bit the tip of her pen and pondered. ¡°The nt spacing and height of corn are bigger than wheat. In other words, it should be able to bear more fertilizer than wheat. Since no base fertilizer was used previously, why don¡¯t we just use three buckets per acre? It¡¯s settled then.¡±


    Mu Yangling wrote down the number 171 on the paper and blew on it. ¡°Great-aunt, this year, our family will use 171 barrels of night soil.¡±


    Great-aunt was dumbfounded. ¡°This is too much. The fertilizer used on these 28 acres of corn is almostparable to the wheat and ricebined. No, no, it¡¯s too expensive.¡±


    However, Mu Yangling was already deep in thought. ¡°Great-aunt, why don¡¯t we buy 300 copper coins worth of night soil? We¡¯ll spread the excess on the pasture. This way, the pasture can grow better and the rabbits can be raised stronger. That¡¯s right, how could I forget about this? The pasture has to be fertilized too.¡±


    Great-aunt, who had never heard that even grass had to be fertilized, couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Doesn¡¯t grass simply grow on its own?¡±


    Mu Yangling knew that it was a little difficult for her to ept this, so she said, ¡°Great-aunt, just treat it as me cultivating thend. Think about it. In five years, my 67 acres of low-gradend will all be medium-gradend. In another five years, it will all be high-gradend. Just the thought of it makes me happy.¡±


    Great-aunt punched her with a smile. ¡°Nonsense. How can the quality of thend be enhanced so easily? Alright, our family doesn¡¯tck these few hundred copper coins now. 1 can earn it back by setting up a stall for half a day. If you want to buy it, just go ahead.¡±


    Now that she went to the morning market every day to sell wild prey, Great-aunt could earn 300 to 400 copper coins a day. Therefore, she didn¡¯t object to this as strongly as she would¡¯ve in the past. Just as Ah Ling had said, if they fertilized thend, it would serve to enhance the quality of their ownnd.


    Mu Yangling happily calcted and finally reported the number of 300 barrels.


    The Hu family¡¯snd was twice asrge as the Mu family¡¯s, but they only reported 300 barrels. Seeing the number of barrels reported by the Mu family, Old Hu couldn¡¯t help but take a few more nces. When Old Man Sun saw this, he said with a smile, ¡°The Mu family doesn¡¯tck this bit of money now. I heard that Ah Ling¡¯s father asked someone to bring things back again. Moreover, their family can earn a lot of money just by setting up a stall in the city every day. Even the Liu family from the neighboring West Vige has gained a lot of glory because they are rtives with them.¡±


    Old Hu turned around and left without a word. Old Man Sun pursed his lips. Originally, because of the good rtionship between the second daughter-inw of the Hu family and Mu Yangling, as well as Madam Hu-Fang and Madam Ma-Liu, the Hu family had benefited a lot from the Mu family. Now that the two families had fallen out, the benefits were finally partially given to them.


    Wasn¡¯t that how his son¡¯s sectionmander position came about?


    Old Man Sun was determined to follow in the footsteps of the Mu family and build a good rtionship between the two families. If nothing else, the fact that Little General woulde here every few days was sufficient motivation for him to do so. If he adhered to this policy, he would not suffer..

 Chapter 183 - 183: Omen

    Chapter 183: Omen


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Night soil was a smelly thing to the people in the city, but to the farmers, it was a good thing.


    The people who poured the night soil had ie from two sources. They poured the night soil for the people in the city at a fee of 1.5 copper coins per barrel. No matter how filled the buckets were, the number of barrels were charged at this rate. And when they sold it to the farmers, they also charged them 1.5 copper coins per barrel. However, that was when they were bought in small quantities. If they wanted arge quantity, the price could be lowered further. For example, thest time, when Great-aunt went to buy it, she lowered the price to 1.2 copper coins. This time, the Sun family could lower the price to one copper coin or even lower.


    When she pulled the buckets to collect it, Mu Yangling deeply felt that it had not been easy for everyone, especially for her. She would probably still be able to smell the stench after three days.


    Mu Yangling went back with a pale face. Great-aunt knew that youngdies liked to be clean, so she said, ¡°When your brother is a little older, 1¡¯11 bring him there. You¡¯re a girl, so you can¡¯t always do such things.¡±


    ¡°Do you think my younger brother can move these buckets with his scrawny arms and legs?¡± Mu Yangling nned to pick some grapefruit leaves to take a shower to remove the filth. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. If the matter of raising rabbits can be stabilized, our family might not have to buy night soil next year. Rabbit dung is also a good thing. Look, it hasn¡¯t been long, but I¡¯ve already cleared out arge pile outside. If we can raise rabbits on this scale until next spring, not only will our family have base fertilizer, but we might even be able to leave a lot to nourish thend.¡±


    Counting with her fingers, Great-aunt said, ¡°Young Master Fan¡¯s trade caravan has been traveling south for seven to eight days, right? I wonder where it has gone? Can the things you guys made really be sold?¡±


    Mu Yangling was half-confident. The rest would depend on Fan Zijin¡¯s ability. She did not know how to do business, so how could she control it?


    Now, all she could do was manage these few pieces ofnd and strive for a bountiful harvest.


    Mu Yangling carried the iron plow and went to the wheat field with her great-aunt to fertilize and plow the 72 acres of wheat fields. By the time they finished with that, it would be time to fertilize the rice fields.


    This was much simpler. She just had to drain some water and spread the mixed fertilizer into the field. When rain fell, it would most likely be fine.


    Mu Yangling and Madam Ma-Liu finished it in a day.


    Then, it was time to fertilize and weed the cornfields. There were only two steps. Once they fertilized the corn at the roots, they just had to use the iron plow and remove the weeds. The fertilizer would be covered with moist soil, allowing the corn to better absorb it. Although it was more tiring than fertilizing wheat, it was much simpler because it was only 28 acres. Mu Yangling and her great-aunt worked hard for six days to finish it.


    It was already mid-April. When Great-aunt went to the wheat field to see how the wheat was growing, she realized that it seemed to have rained twice since the wheat was nted. Moreover, it had not rained for a month. In the past, it would have rained at least twice between mid-March and the end of the month, right?


    Madam Ma-Liu looked up at the bright sun in the sky worriedly, feeling even more ominous.


    It was obvious that Madam Ma-Liu was not the only one who was worried. The people who were used to farming more or less began to worry. Seeing that it had been more than ten days since thend had been fertilized and there was still no sign of rain, Liu Daqian personally came to look for Madam Ma-Liu and said, ¡°Sister, bring All Ling and start watering thend tomorrow.¡±


    Hesitating, Madam Ma-Liu said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little longer. Once our family starts doing this, I¡¯m afraid everyone will start fighting for the water.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t wait anymore. Didn¡¯t you see that the river water has gone down? Tonight, our Liu family will start fetching water to water it, and your family can go tomorrow. So you won¡¯t be the ones taking the lead. My Liu family will be the one who starts this.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu immediately stopped talking.


    Liu Daqian stood up and said, ¡°It¡¯s settled then. Sleep well tonight.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu quickly stopped him and took out half a rabbit from the kitchen and stuffed it into his hand. ¡°Take it back and give it to the children as a snack. 1¡¯11 go into the city to buy a few more wooden bucketster. Don¡¯t worry, no one in Chenggu Garrison will dare to bully the Mu family.¡±


    Nodding, Liu Daqian said, ¡°Although Rocky is capable, he¡¯s not at home after all. If you have any difficulties, get someone to call us. West Vige isn¡¯t far from here. Our Liu family has many people in this area.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Hurry up and go back.¡±


    After Madam Ma-Liu sent him off, she turned around and went into the house to get the copper coins she had saved for the past two days. She entered the city and bought two pairs of wooden buckets.


    Mu Yangling knew nothing about this. She was still looking at her rabbits in the pastoral area. The wild rabbits had already be much more docile by now. This was because the had been pulled over these 60 acres ofnd, and there were ditches dug outside. Not worried that the rabbits would escape or dig holes, Xiuhong would let them out every night ande over early the next morning to chase the rabbits back into the sheds.


    As rabbits moved at night, they slept most of the time during the day. This way, Xiuhong had more time freed up since she did not have to prepare a lot of pasture. She only had to patrol to check where the pasture had been gnawed by the rabbits and sprinkle some seeds. Then, she would pull out the rabbits that were sleeping in the hole they dugst night and drag them back into the sheds. Now, she was very familiar with this job, even more skilled than Mu Yangling.


    Now, more than ten rabbits in the shed were already pregnant. They should be able to give birth soon. This was good news for Mu Yangling and Xiuhong, because this meant that the next generation of young rabbits would be guaranteed.


    When the sky darkened, Mu Yangling and Xiuhong released the rabbits. Seeing that they had excitedly run into the pasture and disappeared, Xiuhong pped her hands and said, ¡°Cousin, let¡¯s go back.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and crossed the ditch with Xiuhong on the wooden nk she had set up. After removing the wooden nk, she stood up and left. ¡°Cousin, why hasn¡¯t anyonee to steal our rabbits? Previously, I was so worried that I couldn¡¯t sleep. I didn¡¯t expect that we wouldn¡¯t lose a single rabbit.¡±


    ¡°Everyone knows that this rabbit was raised for Little General and Young Master Fan. The 5th Division¡¯s camp is there. Who would be so bold as to steal this?¡±


    Actually, this was also because Mu Yangling had been sleeping at home feeling reassured. Seeing that the Mu family was not worried about losing the rabbits at all, they did not dare to steal it. They were afraid that someone was lying in ambush in the pasture and would be caught by the Little General the moment they tried to steal it.


    When the cousins returned home, Shu Wanniang had already prepared food and was waiting. Xin was taking care of Bosi and Kejia, and Bowen was doing his homework under the light. Mu Yangling looked around and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Great-aunt?¡±


    ¡°Your great-aunt is in the room. Hurry up and call her over to eat.¡± Shu Wanniang brought out all the dishes and said, ¡°Your great-aunt still has something to say to you guyster. Hurry up and eat.¡±


    After eating, Great-aunt gathered the entire family over and said, ¡°We¡¯ll start watering the wheat tomorrow. Xiuhong and Xin, go and water the high-gradend and medium-gradend first. Ah Ling, no one is allowed to stay upte tonight. We have to wake up early tomorrow morning..¡±

 Chapter 184 - 184: Fighting For Water

    Chapter 184 - 184: Fighting For Water


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Bowen looked at his sister anxiously. Mu Yangling stroked his head and said, ¡°This has nothing to do with you. You just have to study hard. Come back early to take care of your younger siblings after school.¡±


    Shu Wanniang said, ¡°Aunt, let Xin stay at home to look after the children. I¡¯ll go.¡± Seeing that she was about to object, she said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m also uneasy staying at home. I don¡¯t know if there will be a fight for water. Since I¡¯m an adult after all, I¡¯d be more useful than Xin.¡±


    Great-aunt immediately stopped talking and nodded. ¡°That works too.¡± She looked at them sternly and said, ¡°If someone fights for the water, don¡¯t argue with them. Don¡¯t get into a physical altercation with them, understand?¡±


    Great-aunt¡¯s gaze was mainly on All Ling as she said, ¡°Ah Ling, I know you¡¯re strong, but it¡¯s difficult to fight back when you¡¯re outnumbered. Since you still have to protect us, you will be no match for them. In short, 1 won¡¯t allow you to get into a physical altercation with others for water. I¡¯d rather you go home first. It¡¯s no big deal even if we don¡¯t water the wheat.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu¡¯s son had quarreled with the son of thendlord because of Ma Youcai¡¯s fight for water. When he returned home, he gathered his cousins and went to seek justice together. When they fought, Ma Youcai hid behind and pushed Ma Fugui out. Attacked by thendlord¡¯s son with a hoe, Ma Fugui copsed. When her daughter-inw, who had gone to take a look, saw this, she quickly went forward to stop those people from beating him up. However, she was beaten up indiscriminately and died after giving birth to a baby boy.<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    That baby only lived for half a day before dying prematurely. This was the most painful memory for Madam Ma-Liu, and it also made her wary and afraid of snatching water. However, no matter how wary and afraid they were, they had to irrigate water to their fields. Otherwise, their crops would bear no harvest.


    It was precisely because Shu Wanniang knew the danger that she wanted to follow. After all, she was an adult. Even if she was not strong, she could at least say a few words during a conflict.


    The next morning, the four of them went to the east with buckets. Madam Ma-Liu said, ¡°Ah Ling, go and dig an opening leading to the rice field, and let the water flow into the rice field. Don¡¯t make too wide an opening lest it damages the rice.¡±


    After Mu Yangling responded, Madam Ma-Liu brought Shu Wanniang and Xiuhong to fetch water to water the wheat.


    As the 13 acres of high-gradend was facing the river, Mu Yangling did not have to spend much effort to let the water flow into the rice field. Then, she went to fetch water to water the wheat field with her great-aunt and the others.


    Not to mention Shu Wanniang and Xiuhong, even Great-aunt and Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t stand carrying water non-stop.


    It was inevitable that their shoulders would ache. Even if Mu Yangling was strong and did not feel tired, her shoulder would definitely hurt from being squeezed for such a long time.


    That was just the wheat field here. They had an evenrger field over in the south side, and there was only a canal dug there but no river.


    Mu Yangling looked up at therge wheat field and her eyes couldn¡¯t help but darken. ¡°Great-aunt, you guys rest for a while. I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Great-aunt rubbed her shoulders and gestured for her to look up. ¡°Look, all the families are starting to fetch water. The water level is bound to go down in a few days.¡± Since Chenggu Garrison had started, the other viges on the river must have also started to fetch water to water their fields. This river split out from Jialing Lake and had never been used.


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°Great-aunt, why don¡¯t 1 bring the water over for you guys to water? That way, you can rest and our progress will also be faster.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Panting, Shu Wanniang said, ¡°Your shoulders are still tender. Fetching water is different from carrying things. You and Xiuhong should stop for a while. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to grow tall in the future.¡±


    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry.¡± Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve already thought about it just now. Instead of carrying the buckets on my shoulder, 1¡¯11 bring it over using my arms. This way, it won¡¯t press down on my shoulder. Considering my strength, it¡¯s fine even if I do this for an entire day.¡±


    Mu Yangling did not feel tired carrying water, only that her shoulders hurt from the pressure. Once this problem was resolved, it would be much easier.


    Mu Yangling carried two buckets of water over for them to water the fields. Surprisingly, she could keep up the pace, and they could even rest for a while from time to time. This way, their speed would be faster.


    Mu Yangling looked at the distance between the riverbank and their wheat field and couldn¡¯t help but think that it would be great if there was a water pipe. They could then directly pump the water up and water arge area with the water pipe.


    But this was just a thought. Where could Mu Yangling find a water pipe at the moment?


    Every family had to start watering their wheat fields. Since the river was only so long, it was inevitable that there would be some friction when they came and went. Some people despised those in front for fetching water too slowly, and some would trespass through other people¡¯s wheat fields in order to save time. Everyone was already in a fiery temper to begin with, so conflicts quickly arose.


    Fortunately, this was only the first day. Although there were some disputes, it was not to the point of getting into fights.


    Great-aunt was used to this, for this kind of thing happened every year when people fought for seeds or water. Mu Yangling and the others would look up at first, but in the end, even if an argument happened not far from them, they could still walk past those people without looking sideways.


    The water level of the river began to decrease. Mu Yangling and the others had already watered the wheat in the east, leaving only the fields in the south. At this moment, snatching water also happened from time to time. Just in the vige alone, there had already been two fights, and that wasn¡¯t even counting the neighboring viges.


    When Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin rushed over after hearing the news, they saw the situation on the edge of the field in full swing.


    Frowning, Qi Haoran asked, ¡°Is the drought that serious?¡±


    The battalionmander following behind Qi Haoran who understood the situation said, ¡°Little General, wheat and rice are about to be harvested. During this period of time, the fields require a certain amount of moisture, which is why everyone is in such a hurry. It¡¯s fine if it rains next, but if it doesn¡¯t, they¡¯ll definitely have to water it again when the grouting begins. It¡¯s just that we don¡¯t know if there¡¯ll be enough river water by then. If there¡¯s not enough, the conflict will be even greater.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s still enough river water now, but they¡¯re fighting because of the order and convenience. If there¡¯s not enough river water next time, won¡¯t they fight even more fiercely? These honest-looking farmers will be willing to risk their lives for their crops. I heard that in the past, many people have been killed in the fight for water.¡±


    Qi Haoran went down to the field with a dark expression to take a look at the situation. After walking around and not finding Mu Yangling, he turned around and headed south.


    Shocked as well, Fan Zijin whispered to Qi Haoran, ¡°Fortunately, we dug the reservoir and canal before spring. Haoran, if it doesn¡¯t rain in half a month, send troops to guard those three reservoirs. They can save lives at critical moments.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°1 know.¡±


    Mu Yangling walked quickly in the wheat field with buckets in both hands and brought them to Shu Wanniang. She picked up another pair of wooden buckets before turning around to fetch water from the canal.


    At this moment, Mu Yangling could not help but rejoice that she had asked Qi Haoran to dig the canal in her family¡¯snd. Although it upied a lot ofnd, the convenience was apparent now.


    There was no need to mention the wheat fields in the east. As they were close to the river, the canal was dug through the middle of the low-gradend, so she did not use that canal. However, on the south side, her family could water their fields so quickly because of this canal.


    Since the canal flowed through their family¡¯snd, it took her the shortest time to fetch water there. Hence although their family was small, their progress was not slow. In addition, theirnd upied a rtively small areapared to other families, so they were almost done watering it now.


    Mu Yangling wanted to water the cornfield as well, but Madam Ma-Liu felt that there was no need to be in such a hurry. She said, ¡°Let everyone rest for two days and recover first. I think the corn is still very energetic. There¡¯s no hurry..¡±</font>

 Chapter 185 - 185: Reject

    Chapter 185 - 185: Reject


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Mu Yangling!¡± Qi Haoran ran over and looked at her wheat field. ¡°Not bad. It looks like you¡¯ve almost finished watering.¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, we¡¯re already done. Why are you only here now after such a huge incident happened at on your territory? Also, my father hasn¡¯t been back for more than two years. What exactly did you send him for?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about farming anyway. What¡¯s the use of meing?¡± Qi Haoran looked around before saying softly, ¡°Your father has earned military merits. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Mu Yangling widened her eyes and looked at him. ¡°You sent my father to the battlefield?¡±


    Qi Haoran defended himself. ¡°This is your father¡¯s own request.¡±<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Mu Yangling was silent for a moment and did not ask further.


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°Your father had someone bring something back for you. I¡¯ll bring it over for youter.¡±


    Qi Haoran asked Mu Yangling, ¡°I still remember you saying that there will be a drought in the early summer this year. Now that there are signs, how long do you think the drought willst?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°1 only heard it from the elders in the vige. They won¡¯t know either. If they could predict the weather, farming wouldn¡¯t be so difficult. Perhaps you can ask someone who knows astronomy.¡±


    ¡°Our 5th Division has three reservoirs and three canals. At the very least, our losses won¡¯t be too great, but it might not be the same for other ces. Since the Imperial Court won¡¯t allocate this year¡¯s rations, Big Brother must be in a difficult position now.¡± Qi Haoran was a little depressed. He wanted to help his brother.


    Mu Yangling looked at Fan Zijin, who said, ¡°The trade caravan has just arrived at Lin¡¯an. We don¡¯t know when they¡¯ll return, let alone bring back the money.¡± Without money, they couldn¡¯t buy rations.


    Sighing, Mu Yangling said, ¡°There are still three months before the wheat can be harvested. At the moment, it¡¯s impossible to tell what the harvest will be like.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    As Xingzhou Prefecture was located in the north, the nting startedter, and the harvest was alsoter than Jiangnan. Moreover, rice could be nted twice a year in Jiangnan. The first harvest was in May, and then the seeds were sown. In September, another batch was harvested.


    If he had the money to transfer a batch of grains from Jiangnan¡­


    The corners of Fan Zijin¡¯s lips curled up slightly. He did not have money now, but his mother did.


    Fan Zijin did not think that there was anything wrong with asking for money from his mother. Anyway, his mother only had one son. If she did not give it to him, who else could she give it to?


    Fan Zijin calcted in his heart that perhaps he should let his mother embezzle some of the money in the residence. Most of his father¡¯s money should belong to him, but his absence from Lin¡¯an Prefecture had benefited those concubine-born brothers. If only he could take some of that money.


    While Fan Zijin was scrounging for his parents¡¯ money, Qi Haoran was also scrounging for his own money in his heart. After calcting, he realized that not only did he not have a single copper coin, but he also seemed to owe Fan Zijin a lot of money.


    Qi Haoran felt that he was really poor.


    Qi Haoran had never thought of borrowing money from Fan Zijin to buy rations. It was one thing for him to take advantage of his brother, but it was another thing for the army to take advantage of his brother.


    After the Mu family watered their cornfields, the fields in various ces were also watered one after another. The river water decreased greatly, making everyone tremble in fear.


    Fortunately, the three reservoirs were full of water. Every time the people of the 5th Division saw the threerge reservoirs, they would smile in relief.


    However, things weren¡¯t so optimistic in other ces. Some river segments had already begun to stop flowing, and the heavens still showed no signs of rain.


    The local officials could only look enviously at Qi Haoran¡¯s three reservoirs, but the other camps had alreadye to ask for water.


    The main mission of the 1st and 2nd Division was to guard Xingcheng Pass, thus they weren¡¯t in charge of farming many military fields. However, the 3rd and the 4th Division did not receive any preferential treatment. There were many military fields that they had to be responsible for like the 5th Division, so the two assistantmanders came to look for them.


    Qi Haoran rejected them all and refused bluntly, ¡°Back then, I wanted to build houses, a camp, and repair the water conservancy facilities. When 1 begged you, you said that you wanted to guard the pass and train soldiers. Don¡¯t tell me I didn¡¯t have to train soldiers back then? In short, I don¡¯t have any water! Scram.¡±


    Smiling, the two assistantmanders said, ¡°Little General, aren¡¯t you treating us like outsiders? We¡¯re all working for you. At that time, the Jin soldiers were attacking us fiercely, so we really couldn¡¯t spare the time to help. Now, for some reason, the Jin soldiers have started fighting with West Xia. If you need our help for anything, just say the word and we¡¯ll immediately pull people over.¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve done everything, it¡¯s toote for you to say that. Alright, I still have to train my troops. Please help yourselves.¡±


    When the assistantmander of the 3rd Division saw him wave his hand and leave, his expression turned a little ugly. ¡°He¡¯s too arrogant. We begged him nicely, but he didn¡¯t give us any face.¡±


    ¡°Well, he has the confidence. What can you do when there¡¯s a general shielding him?¡±


    The assistantmander of the 3rd Division gritted his teeth and said, ¡°In the past, I thought that it wasn¡¯t a bad idea to ce him in the 5th Division. At the very least, he helped us take in a lot of trash. But now, it seems that he will still make things difficult for us. If it were anyone else, would they dare to speak to us like this with such a trash battalion?¡±


    ¡°Aiyo, shut up. Do you think Little General is only relying on the general to make a living because he doesn¡¯t have the ability? Previously, the 4th Division was trained by him alone.¡± The assistantmander of the 4th Division said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t anger him. He has a bad temper. Even the general can¡¯t do anything to him when he res up.¡±


    The assistantmander of the 3rd Division waved his hand and left.


    The matter here was quickly reported to Qi Xiuyuan. Jiang Ze said, ¡°General, why don¡¯t you tell the Fourth Young Master to give in to them? Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid the soldiers below will have objections.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said nonchntly, ¡°So what if they have objections? Haoran spent a lot of effort to build the water conservancy facilities. Why should he give it to others just because they ask? Let them make a fuss. I want to see how far they can go. Don¡¯t restrain Haoran. As long as no one dies, he can do whatever he wants. My brother is not a child who only knows how to drink milk. Let him handle it himself.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan also wanted to know how far his brother could go. In the past, he had only dealt with the soldiers under his charge. But now, he was dealing with his colleagues of the same level.


    Since Qi Haoran refused to give it to them, the assistantmanders of the 3rd and 4th Division did note again. Anyway, it was only the end of April, and there was still a long time before they had to water the fields again. It could very well rain during this period of time.


    Now that he didn¡¯t have to be troubled by them, Qi Haoran began to focus on training his troops. With Big Brother¡¯s approval, he established a scout team specializing in detecting the enemy¡¯s situation. Mu Shi was the captain, and he had sent him out. Now, he was staying in the Jin Kingdom. Because of Mu Shi¡¯s looks, it was very easy for him to be trusted by the Jurchens 3 there.


    Qi Haoran opened the bag that he had brought back. After checking and seeing that there was nothing special inside, he tasked Fei Bai to hand it to Mu Yangling.


    Fei Bai took out a gold bar from the bag and asked in a low voice, ¡°Master, do you want to keep this too?¡±


    ¡°Keep it. In the future, as long as it¡¯s not apanied by information, send it to them. Why would I covet the gold bars, especially when Mu Shi risked his life to obtain them?¡±


    ¡°No, I just feel that the amount of gold bars is too big. What if Miss Mu guessed that Uncle Mu is in the Jin Kingdom?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at him disdainfully as he said, ¡°Mu Yangling has long guessed that Mu Shi is in the Jin Kingdom. As long as she doesn¡¯t know what her father is doing there, wouldn¡¯t it be fine? On the other hand, considering you¡¯re always by my side, it¡¯s a wonder it only just urred to you that Mu Shi is in the Jin Kingdom.¡±


    Fei Bai shrank his neck.</font>

 Chapter 186 - 186: Return

    Chapter 186 - 186: Return


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Upon receiving the bag, Mu Yangling opened it. Inside was a five-foot-long soft cotton cloth with a gold bar hidden inside.


    When Madam Ma-Liu saw the gold bar, she was shocked and quickly ran to close the door. ¡°Where did your father get this?¡±


    Mu Yangling also frowned slightly. It seemed that her father¡¯s work was extremely dangerous. Otherwise, how could he have the chance to obtain such a thing?


    Mu Yangling put away the gold bar and said, ¡°Since Little General sent it over, there¡¯s no problem. We¡¯ll just put it away. Great-aunt, we don¡¯t have to worry what to do in the event of a drought now.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu frowned. ¡°But you can¡¯t just rely on your father alone. We can¡¯t just sit at home and live off what we have, right?¡±<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    The optimistic Shu Wanniang said with a smile, ¡°It can¡¯t be more difficult than the times we experienced during winter, right?¡± She took out some small items from her bag. ¡°Your father bought these for you. Ah Ling, give them to your younger siblings.¡±


    Seeing that although Shu Wanniang was smiling, her eyes were red, Madam Ma-Liu knew that she was worried about Mu Shi. She sighed in her heart and stuffed the bag into Mu Yangling¡¯s arms. ¡°Go ahead. I have a few words with your mother.¡±


    Mu Yangling took the things to her room.


    Mu Shi had bought some small pearl flowers for her, Xiuhong and Xin, and gave Bowen a seal.


    Delighted to receive his father¡¯s gift, Bowen blew upon the paper and stamped the seal all over the paper messily. He asked his sister excitedly, ¡°Sister, when will Father be back? I miss him!¡±


    ¡°Soon.¡± Calcting the time in her heart, Mu Yangling realized that Mu Shi had been away from home for two months. No matter how difficult the mission was, it should be almostpleted, right? It wasn¡¯t like he was hiding in ambush for a long time.


    Mu Yangling did not expect that they had to wait for more than a month.


    Mu Yangling was sitting on a stool and haying. The rabbits she raised now had already filled nine sheds, and the remaining shed was used to store the young rabbits. As the rabbits were already very big now, the grass in the pastoral area was a little insufficient, so Mu Yangling went up the mountain and cut a lot of grass. After drying it in the courtyard, she cut the grass into smaller pieces before feeding the rabbits. This way, the rabbit meat would be firmer.


    Madam Ma-Liu sat on the steps and looked at the sun in the sky. With a sigh, she said, ¡°The heavens aren¡¯t giving us a way out.¡±


    Old Man Sun walked over and leaned against the wall of the Mu family. He also looked up at the sky and sighed. ¡°Didn¡¯t the schrs say that in the heavens regard everything on earth equally, including humans? The heavens are heartless and unjust. How can they give us a way out?¡±


    Having just taken the tea bowl to drink water, Mu Yangling spat out a mouthful of water, almost spitting all over the face of Xiuhong who was pouring water for her.


    Mu Yangling coughed and said happily, ¡°Grandpa Sun is really knowledgeable. You even know how to quote LaoziO?¡±


    Old Man Sun scratched his head in embarrassment. ¡°1 heard it from somewhere. How can itpare to you guys who¡¯ve learned to study properly?¡±


    Mu Yangling became slightly serious and said, ¡°Grandpa Sun, Daoism says that the world is heartless, but I don¡¯t agree. Instead, I feel that the heavens are the most benevolent. In this world, all living beings are treated equally and allowed to live and multiply in it. This is the greatest benevolence.¡±


    ¡°Then why doesn¡¯t the heavens bless us with rain?¡± Old Man Sun asked in confusion.


    ¡°This is also a part of nature. Overall, the energy between heaven and earth is bnced. The rain in the sky came from the sun evaporating the water vapor on the ground, after which rain would fall from the sky.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°The snowst year consumed a lot of water vapor. In order to bnce it out, there might be a drought this summer. Perhaps if there¡¯s too much water in another ce, there will be a drought here. Perhaps this year, there will be a drought. In 20 years or so, the clouds that are hiding will appear again, bringing a flood once more. Since we can¡¯t control the weather, we can only try our best to control our actions.¡±


    Old Man Sun and Madam Ma-Liu did not understand.


    Madam Ma-Liu changed the topic and asked, ¡°Brother Sun, why are you free toe over and sit today?¡±


    Old Man Sun was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Isn¡¯t there less and less water in the river? In a few days, if it doesn¡¯t rain soon, are we going to start to irrigate the fields? Sister, do you think your ditch is going to be blocked? It¡¯s fine for the vigers in our vige. Those who live near can still scoop water from your ditch, but the other viges have objections and think that your ditch takes up a lot of water¡­¡±


    Who were those people lying to?


    Madam Ma-Liu despised them in her heart. There were also people from other viges who dug ditches and canals, but she had never heard of anyone asking them to block them. These water conservancy facilities had been painstakingly constructed. How could they block them?


    In the end, it was because the vigers were jealous of the Mu family for having ess to such convenience.


    Not only were there tworge canals that passed through their fields, but there were also small ditches on the 6o-odd acres of pasture. Every day, Xiuhong would bring a spoon and a wooden bucket to carry water up to ssh the weeds. She would only carry about 10 buckets of water a day and that wasn¡¯t tiring for her. If she walked along the small ditches like this, she could finish going through the 6o-odd acres in ten days. Therefore, even during a drought, their pastures grew well and were sufficient to feed more than 3,000 rabbits¡­


    Madam Ma-Liu was silent for a long time. In the end, she was unwilling to get into a conflict with everyone because of this matter. Anyway, as the river water decreased, the ditch would most likely stop being used. So, she went with the flow and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get Ah Ling to block the ditch another day. However, I¡¯ll say this first. It¡¯s fine to block the ditch, but 1 don¡¯t have the time to vent the water in the ditch. Don¡¯t push your luck by asking me to do thister.¡±


    ¡°Gosh, am 1 that kind of person?¡± Relieved to hear that, Old Man Sun stood up and said, ¡°Then 1¡¯11 go back first. I hope you remember this.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu nodded. Seeing that he had left, she turned around and said to Mu Yangling, ¡°Ah Ling, go and block the ditch tomorrow. Then, go to your great-uncle¡¯s house and get a few of your uncles to build a straw hut at the rabbit sheds. In two days, 1 will move there and personally guard it. I¡¯m still worried about leaving the rabbits there. Now that we¡¯re having a drought, people are impetuous. Once they¡¯re impetuous, they¡¯ll easily do bad things.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do. Let me guard the ce instead.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu red at her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the family? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m just going to light amp. As long as the light is on, those people won¡¯t have the courage to try anything funny. On the other hand, although you don¡¯t say it, I know that your father has done something big outside. If the people he offendede looking for him and you¡¯re outside, won¡¯t we be at the mercy of others?¡±


    Mu Yangling was deep in thought when Madam Ma-Liu patted her and said with a hearty smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve more life experience than you. I know those little thieves who spy on rabbits the best. As long as there¡¯s someone there and themps are lit, plus with Little General as our backer, they will consider the consequences before acting. Our Mu family isn¡¯t easy to bully.¡± ¡°Who bullied our family?¡± Mu Shi pulled open the door from outside with a scraggly beard and looked at the people in the courtyard with bright eyes.


    Mu Yangling looked at her father in shock. Before she could react, Shu Wanniang had already rushed out of the house and looked at him with red eyes. ¡°Y¡ªyou¡¯re back?¡±</font>

 Chapter 187 - 187: Happy

    Chapter 187 - 187: Happy


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Shi looked at his wife with a smile as he handed her the bag in his hand. With a gentle smile, he said, ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    Shu Wanniang lowered her head with red eyes and smiled happily. She said in a clear voice, ¡°Come in quickly. Look at you. You¡¯re covered in dust. 1¡¯11 boil water for you to take a bath. By the way, what do you want to eat? Ah Ling went into the mountains to catch a roe deer today, but it¡¯s not very fat. Why don¡¯t 1 ask Xiuhong to buy two catties of pork from the city so that 1 can make braised pork for you?¡±


    Looking at his chattering wife, Mu Shi nodded and said, ¡°Alright, you can make the arrangements.¡±


    Shu Wanniang went into the house happily.


    Mu Yangling stared at her mother with her mouth agape. Just now, she had the feeling that her mother was only a 16-year-old girl. She had never seen such happiness radiating from her.<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Seeing her father look at her mother dotingly, Mu Yangling shut her mouth and finally pulled Xiuhong out with her. She wanted to go into the city with Xiuhong to buy pork.


    Before she left, she also carried Bosi and Kejia away, saying that she would take the two children out for a walk.


    Great-aunt originally wanted to ask Mu Shi what he had been doing for the past few months. Seeing that only the two of them were left in the entire courtyard, she understood tacitly. She turned around, entered the house, took the hoe, and went out. She decided to weed the vegetable fields.


    As for Xin, the child was sitting in the room embroidering. Even if the sky copsed, she probably wouldn¡¯t notice. She believed that Mu Shi and Shu Wanniang would forget about her existence.


    As for Bowen, he was studying in the academy.


    Mu Yangling carried Bosi. Seeing that it was difficult for Xin to carry Kejia, she reached out and carried her with her arm as well.


    The two babies were already eight months old. Having eaten well, they were fair, strong, and active. They looked around, making it difficult for Xiuhong to carry them. However, Mu Yangling held one in each arm as if she was carrying two little melons. No matter how Kejia twisted her body and jumped around on her arm, she would not fall.


    As the two children rarely had the chance to go out, they couldn¡¯t help but gaze around curiously. When they reached the city gate and saw so many people, Kejia reached out to pounce forward. Mu Yangling exerted a little force to pull her back.


    Although Bosi was more refined, he also widened his eyes and pointed at the people, making babyish sounds. After a while, when he saw that his elder sister did not seem to understand, he turned to his younger sister and made those babyish sounds.


    No idea if Kejia understood what he was saying, but she nodded. The two babies leaned their heads against each other and conversed in the ¡°babynguage¡± that only they understood, gesturing from time to time.


    Mu Yangling and Xiuhong first bought two catties of pork belly before strolling around the market. When the two babies saw the many people and colors around them, they kicked their feet excitedly.


    When Xiuhong saw this, she reached out and patted their little feet. With a fierce expression, she said, ¡°What if you hurt Sister? Behave yourself lest you fall.¡±


    Mu Yangling raised her arms and pulled them over her head. Smiling, she said, ¡°If you fall, it¡¯d mean I¡¯d trained for years in vain.¡±


    The two babies suddenly found themselves raised higher and twisted their bodies happily, giggling.


    Shocked, Xiuhong quickly stretched out her arms to protect them. ¡°Aiya, Cousin, quickly lower them. What if they have nightmares tonight?¡±


    Mu Yangling could only lower them and carry them in her arms. On the way, she bought some small items for them. After shopping on this street, it was almost time for Bowen to finish school.


    The two of them brought the babies to the entrance of the academy to pick Bowen up. When the bell rang after school, many children rushed out of the academy. Bowen walked out slowly at the end. Pleasantly surprised to see his sister, he ran over and raised his head to ask, ¡°Sister, why are you here?¡±


    Xiuhong smiled and said, ¡°Your father is back. Cousin brought us out to pick you up and buy pork belly to make braised pork for dinner.¡±


    Bowen drooled. ¡°My mother must be the one preparing the dish.¡±


    ¡°Since Uncle is back, of course it¡¯s Aunt who¡¯s doing the cooking.¡±


    When the few of them returned home, Shu Wanniang had already prepared several dishes. Mu Shi was sitting in the kitchen to start a fire for her. She was cooking in front of the stove with a red face.


    Seeing them return, she couldn¡¯t help but say angrily, ¡°Why did it take you so long? Hurry up and bring it over. 1¡¯11 cut the pork.¡±


    Mu Shi took the pork belly from Xiuhong¡¯s hand and said with a smile, ¡°Let me do it. You can prepare the ingredients.¡±


    Xiuhong stuck out her tongue and ran back into the house with Mu Yangling.


    Seeing Bowen looking at him with sparkling eyes, Mu Shi took the time to rub his head and praised him with a smile. ¡°Not bad. Not only has Bowen grown taller, but he¡¯s also studying now. 1¡¯11 check your homeworkter. You should get back to studying.¡±


    Bowen¡¯s eyes lit up. He responded loudly and ran into the house.


    Mu Yangling ced Bosi and Kejia on her shoulders and rubbed her shoulders. ¡°Carrying these two little ones is more tiring than carrying a big wild boar weighing more than 200 catties.¡±


    Xin was still embroidering with her head lowered when Xiuhong went forward and snatched her embroidery frame. She said, ¡°You¡¯ve been working all day without resting. Sooner orter, your eyes will be damaged. Didn¡¯t Aunt say that you have to stop for 15 minutes every four hours to go out and look into the distance at the mountains outside? Look, it¡¯s almost dark outside, yet you¡¯re still embroidering with your head lowered. Sooner orter, you¡¯ll be blind.¡±


    Xin shrunk her head and lowered it. Mu Yangling sat beside her and said in a low voice, ¡°Your sister dotes on you. She heard that eating wolfberries is good for one¡¯s eyes, so she earned money to buy you some to soak in water for you to drink. You should be more mindful so that she wouldn¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    Xin nodded with red eyes. ¡°I know, but 1 want to learn more so that I can take care of Grandma and Sister.¡±


    Mu Yangling stroked her head and said with a smile, ¡°You can¡¯t be anxious. Like Bowen who is learning to gain knowledge, you have to learn it step by step. If you¡¯re anxious, you won¡¯t be able to learn it well. Xin, 1 don¡¯t know what constitutes good embroidery, but 1 heard from my mother that embroiderers who embroider well are considered embroiderers. However, if the embroidery has spirituality, the embroidery will have its own meaning, which makes a person with such embroidery skills an expert. My mother said that you have enough talent. As long as you work hard, you won¡¯t just be an embroiderer. So Xin, you can¡¯t be anxious. You have to take it slow. Not only do you have to master the foundation, but you also have to fall in love with embroidery. For a person to be a master of an industry, he must love his industry deeply.¡±


    Xin looked at her in confusion. She did not understand what her cousin meant, but she could feel her solemnity. Xin secretly remembered these words, thinking that she might understand them when she grew up.


    Seeing that Mu Yangling wasforting her younger sister, Xiuhong sat at the side and teased Bosi and Kejia. When she saw her cousining over, she whispered, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to scold her. I just couldn¡¯t care less whenever I get anxious.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°I understand.¡±


    Xin put away the things carefully and sat beside her sister. She yed with Bosi and Kejia with her. Soon, the two sisters were talking again.


    Mu Yangling could not help but smile when she saw this. Before the smile on her lips faded, Kejia suddenly let out a cry and pped Bosi¡¯s face with her tiny hand.


    Stunned for a good while before he burst into tears, Bosi threw away the toy he had just snatched away.


    When Kejia saw that Bosi was crying, she also cried out loud. She even pped Bosi¡¯s face as she cried. Mu Yangling quickly went forward and grabbed her small hand. She patted it gently twice and said, ¡°How can you hit your older brother? Even if he snatched the toy from you, you can¡¯t hit him.. Can¡¯t you just snatch back the toy?¡±</font>

 Chapter 188 - 188: Sweetness

    Chapter 188 - 188: Sweetness


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Shi had five days off this time. He told Mu Yangling that he had now settled down in Hanzhong Prefecture and would probably have to be a spy there for a long time. He could only go home every now and then to stay for a few days.


    Qi Haoran did not expect Mu Shi to immediately tell his wife and daughter about this after he instructed him to keep it a secret.


    He did not know that Mu Shi would never hide anything from his wife, for she was unlike others in his eyes. Also, now that his daughter was in charge, it was even more impossible for Mu Shi to hide it from her for safety reasons.


    It would have been fine if his daughter was a child, but this daughter had acted differently from others since she was young. Sensible and obedient, she was already like an adult at the age of six. Mu Shi was already used to discussing serious matters with her, and it was the same this time.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have ess to information over there, and it¡¯s even more impossible for me to interact with you after I go over. I can only ask Little General to bring you some things and a message when 1 deliver news to him. Fortunately, I can obtain some money from time to time over there. Little General won¡¯t ask us to hand it over, so our family¡¯s livelihood shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Shu Wanniang was stronger than Mu Yangling had imagined. Upon hearing this news, she was only slightly stunned before instructing Mu Shi matter-of-factly, ¡°You have to stay alive!¡±


    Mu Shi nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I imed that my father is a Jin, so the Hu people over there won¡¯t make things difficult for me. You have to be careful at home. Ah Ling, 1¡¯11 be away for a long time. If anyone dares toe and make trouble, don¡¯t hold back. Just throw them out. If anything happens, I¡¯ll take responsibility for you.¡±


    ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry. Qi Haoran is very fair. He won¡¯t sit back and do nothing.¡±


    ¡°What did Great-aunt say earlier?¡± Mu Shi asked with a frown.


    Stunned, Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°Father, there are thieves everywhere. 1¡¯11 try to give them a warningter. I guarantee that they won¡¯t dare to pass by ournd for three years.¡±


    A bloodthirsty glint shed across Mu Shi¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°Since I¡¯m at home, I¡¯ll go with you. At the same time, call your uncles over and ask them to help build a straw hut. I¡¯ll also ask them to take good care of you.¡±


    Frightened by Mu Shi¡¯s aura, Shu Wanniang was momentarily at a loss. Mu Shi quickly restrained his sharpness and patted his wife¡¯s hand apologetically.


    Mu Yangling sighed in her heart. She knew that her father had seen blood or that he had killed too many people at once and had yet to recover. 0then-vise, he would have been able to restrain his aura.


    As Mu Yangling stood up to leave, she said in a low voice, ¡°Father, rest first. I¡¯ll go find Uncle and the others tomorrow morning.¡±


    Mu Shi nodded. Seeing his daughter close the door, he held his wife¡¯s hand tightly and asked in a low voice, ¡°Are you afraid of me?¡±


    Shu Wanniang shook her head and leaned her head on his shoulder. She said gently, ¡°You¡¯re my husband. Why should I be afraid of you?¡±


    Mu Shi¡¯s heart warmed. He lowered his head and kissed his wife¡¯s lips, then carried her and walked towards the brick bed.


    Mu Yangling, who was about to carry Bosi and Kejia to her parents, suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned to return to the house.


    Xiuhong asked in surprise, ¡°Cousin, why did you bring them back?¡±


    ¡°Bosi and Kejia will sleep with me tonight.¡±


    Xiuhong looked at her suspiciously. ¡°Are Bosi and Kejia willing to sleep with you? They¡¯ll wake up in the night.¡± Previously, when her aunt was sick and could not take care of the babies, her grandmother had helped to take care of them for the entire night. Tormented by these two babies, she had not slept for almost the entire night. She really did not know how her aunt usually served them.


    Mu Yangling waved her hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. I was the one who took care of Bowen in the past.¡±


    Bowen pursed his lips and said disdainfully, ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense. Father already said that it was Mother who brought me up until 1 was three years old before she handed me over to you.¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him. ¡°Do you dare to say that I didn¡¯t attend to you when you woke up in the middle of the night to pee?¡±


    Bowen¡¯s face flushed red as he shouted, ¡°You¡¯re lying. I went to pee myself. I remember it all!¡±


    ¡°Alright, I remembered wrongly.¡±


    Only then was Bowen satisfied. Pouting, he turned around and crawled into the brick bed to sleep.


    Mu Yangling ced the two little ones in the middle andy at the outermost side. Looking at the two energetic ones, she immediately had a headache. When were these two going to sleep?


    The next day, when Mu Yangling got up, her eyes were half-closed. Mu Shi was already in high spirits after filling the two water vats in the courtyard.


    Seeing that his daughter¡¯s eyes were half-closed, he reached out and flicked her forehead. Smiling, he asked, ¡°What did you dost night? You can barely open your eyes.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at him bitterly. ¡°I took care of the two little ones. They¡¯re still sleeping on the brick bed.¡±


    Mu Shi blushed. He wondered if his daughter knew something, but wouldn¡¯t that make her too mature? Although his daughter was sensible, she shouldn¡¯t be so sensible, right?


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t give him time to think too much. After sshing cold water on her face, she asked, ¡°Father, should I go to Uncle¡¯s house now?¡±


    ¡°All? Oh, let¡¯s go after breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Mother, did you make pancakes?¡± Detecting the fragrance, Mu Yangling tilted her head towards the kitchen.


    Mu Shi nodded and said, ¡°Egg pancakes. You can grab a few to eat on the wayter.¡±


    Drooling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Father, chop up the leftover braised pork fromst night and put it in the pancakes. Then add some vegetables to remove the taste.¡±


    Mu Shi widened his eyes and said, ¡°How can a child eat so much?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious this way.¡± As Mu Yangling spoke, she stopped dozing off and ran to rinse her mouth and brush her teeth. Then, she wiped her face and ran into the kitchen. She picked up a kitchen knife and took the initiative to chop up the remaining braised pork fromst night. She drooled as she said, ¡°If only there were more chili. Add a little bit of chili and it¡¯ll taste superb. It¡¯s a pity that Emperor Shizong didn¡¯t get anyone to bring back chili back then¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling said thest sentence softly. Shu Wanniang didn¡¯t hear it, but the person in front did. Hearing this, he said, ¡°There are many chili peppers in Chuan Prefecture and Guizhou. If you want to eat them, you can check with any merchants thate over from there. However, no one here likes to eat this.¡± Mu Yangling widened her eyes and said, ¡°There¡¯s chili in Great Zhou?¡±


    Shu Wanniang burst outughing and said in amusement, ¡°If there¡¯s no chili in Great Zhou, where did you hear about this thing? It existed loo years ago and was also brought back from a foreignnd by Emperor Shizong. He said that it was delicious when added to dishes, but no one could get used to it. The first time Emperor Shizong ate it, he had diarrhea. Later on, the people in the imperial kitchen insisted on not preparing food with chili for him. The court officials also objected, saying that if the emperor liked spicy food, he could eat ginger, which they considered good stuff. Later on, chili slowly disappeared in the capital. However, the people in Chuan Prefecture and Guizhou liked to eat it very much. When I was at my maternal house in the past, I had once read in ¡®The Alternate Matter Records¡¯ that the people there loved this.¡±


    Mu Yangling was extremely surprised. ¡°The court officials and the imperial kitchen even have to care about what the emperor eats?¡±


    Smiling, Shu Wanniang said, ¡°Of course. How can they let His Majesty mess around when his health concerns the world?¡± As she spoke, she sighed and said, ¡°Emperor Shizong damaged his health precisely because he loved to try these things too much. He died early at the age of 56. If he could live for a few more years, who knows how glorious our Great Zhou would be.¡±


    Mu Yangling said sincerely, ¡°Emperor Shizong is so pitiful!¡±</font>

 Chapter 189 - 189: Catching a Thief

    Chapter 189 - 189: Catching a Thief


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After mourning Emperor Shizong in her heart, Mu Yangling rolled up tworge pancakes and ate them before heading to West Vige.


    Liu Ting and Liu Yuan were weeding their wheat fields at home. When they heard that Mu Yangling wanted to build a straw hut, they called a few nsmen from the vige and brought the tools over.


    Mu Shi was already waiting for them at the foot of the mountain. ¡°Let¡¯s cut down the trees first and build the foundationter.¡±


    Liu Ting wandered around and asked, ¡°How big does the straw hut need to be?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s build one with two rooms. This way, it¡¯ll be more spacious and convenient for people to move around inside. We can also put some things inside,¡± Mu Shi said after some thought.<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    ¡°That¡¯s not difficult. With so many of us, we¡¯ll be done in three to four days. Come, let¡¯s get to work.¡± Liu Ting pped his hands and gestured for everyone to start.


    Turning around, he saw Mu Yangling wandering around the ground, wanting to help. So he went forward and pulled her over. ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no need for you to be here. Go home quickly. Leave it to us uncles.¡±


    Seeing that there were many of them and she was indeed not needed, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back. If you need me, just shout. I can hear you from the foot of the mountain.¡±


    The straw hut was built next to the sheds, about ten steps away. There was a ditch behind it, pasture in front, and a river not far away. Mu Yangling felt that if the straw hut was warm enough, it would actually be quitefortable to live here.


    Once the Mu family started work here, the vigers knew that this hut was built in order for them to keep an eye on the rabbits. Some of those who originally had designs on the rabbits directly gave up. There was also a group of people who nned to take act first while the straw hut was still in construction. When the time came, they would just leave and not return to Xingzhou Prefecture. Even if Little General knew that it was them, there was nothing he could do.


    In any case, the drought in Xingzhou Prefecture hassted for a few months now. Everyone said that there was no way out. Instead of waiting to escape south as a refugee, it was better to gather some money now.


    They didn¡¯t have the ability to enter the house to steal money, but they were fairly confident they could steal rabbits from the fields.


    With this thought in mind, the five of them quietly arrived at the Mu family¡¯s pastoral area on a dark and windy night.


    They were all adults. Without using wooden nks, they took two steps back and jumped over the ditch. However, one of them identally fell and got caught in the, making a loud sound.


    ¡°Be quiet. What if someone finds out?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pitch-ck here and we¡¯re the only ones in the entire field. Even if you shout here, no one will hear you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, stop arguing. Hurry up. We still have to escape after stealing the rabbits. The rabbits have to be sold tomorrow. After taking the money, we¡¯ll go our separate ways. Don¡¯t waste time now.¡±


    The five of them reached the first shed in the dark. Just as they were about to pry open the door, Thief A felt a tap on his right shoulder. With the shovel in hand, he turned to the right impatiently. ¡°Don¡¯t disturb me while I¡¯m opening the door.¡±


    After shouting, he vaguely sensed that there was no one on his right. Although it was dark and windy, it wasn¡¯t so dark that one couldn¡¯t see their outstretched fingers due to the tiny spots of starlight. He could see some blurry outlines. Thief A was on the far right, and there was no one on his right.


    He turned his head stiffly to look at Thief B on the left and asked, ¡°Were you the one who tapped me on the shoulder just now?¡±


    Thief B said impatiently, ¡°Who tapped you? Big Brother, do you know how to open the door or not? If you don¡¯t, let me do it.¡±


    Thief A swallowed his saliva and said after a while, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m skilled at this. Let me do it.¡± As he spoke, he reached out to grab the lock. However, just as his hand touched the lock, someone tapped him on his right shoulder again. He quickly turned his head to the right, but there was still no one on the right.


    Thief A panicked. How could the person who had tapped him have dodged so quickly when he had turned his head so quickly just now?


    Unless¡­ unless it wasn¡¯t a human!


    Thief A¡¯s face was pale as he said with a trembling voice, ¡°S-Second Brother, we might have encountered a ghost.¡±


    Rolling his eyes, Thief B said, ¡°Big Brother, if you¡¯re not opening the door, let me do it. There¡¯s only the five of us here. How can there be a ghost? The five of us are all men and are full of Yang energy. That ghost must be courting death if he¡¯s looking to mess with us. Come, give me the shovel. 1¡¯11 open the door.¡±


    Thief B was about to snatch the shovel from Thief A¡¯s hand when he heard Thief C say, ¡°There are five of us? Then why do I feel like there are six?¡±


    Thief B¡¯s body stiffened. He and Thief A turned around stiffly to look at their third brother. ¡°Third Brother, how dare you lie? Be careful, I¡¯ll beat you up.¡±


    Thief D pointed behind Thief B with a trembling finger and said, ¡°Second Brother, Third Brother didn¡¯t lie to you. That something is right behind you.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± As soon as he finished speaking, a few chuckles came from behind Thief B. The five of them cried out.


    Thief A threw away the shovel in his hand, turned around, and ran. Unable to see clearly in the darkness, he hit his head against the wall. Because he fell too hard against the wall, he fainted after rolling his eyes.


    Thief B copsed to the ground and watched with widened eyes. He was so frightened that saliva flowed out of his mouth. The remaining three people were about to run away when Mu Yangling kicked them to the ground one by one. The one who ran only took a few steps before he was kicked in the chest by Mu Shi, who was standing in the corner.


    Only then did Mu Yangling light thentern. Seeing that it wasn¡¯t a ghost, Thief B was so frightened that he yelled ¡°Oh my god¡± before losing consciousness.


    Mu Shi carried back the person who had fled halfway and smacked his daughter¡¯s head. With a straight face, he said, ¡°Nonsense. What if you scare people to death?¡±


    He wanted to teach them a lesson, but he didn¡¯t want anyone to die. Even though he had killed people before, he still valued human lives. In fact, he all the more felt that life was precious because of those experiences he went through.


    Life was too fragile, so he had to cherish it even more!


    Mu Yangling stuck out her tongue and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect them to be so easily frightened. I won¡¯t dare to do it again next time.¡± Wasn¡¯t it just standing on the left and tapping the person on the right?


    In the past, when she was in primary school, she could already gauge this based on the strength and direction. It was just that this person was too stupid.


    Mu Shi and Mu Yangling had waited here for two nights before finally capturing the thieves.


    Mu Shi and Mu Yangling tied them up and carried them home. They strung them up using a rope and tied them to a tree in front of the door.


    When the five of them woke up, it was almost dawn. They looked at each other with teary eyes. Then, they moved their bodies and tried to untie the rope. However, because they were tied together, soon, the five of them rolled into a ball and did not even have the strength to move.


    The five of them could only stare at the Mu family¡¯s door in a daze with tears in their eyes.


    After the third crow, the vige started bustling with activity. All the families started to get up. The Hu family, who was nearest to the Mu family, habitually looked in the Mu residence¡¯s direction when they opened the door. That was when they saw five people lying on the ground.


    Old Hu even rubbed his eyes to make sure that he had not seen wrongly. There were indeed five burly men lying on the ground with their arms and legs tied up. There were even strips of cloth stuffed in their mouths..</font>

 Chapter 190 - 190: Disposal (1)

    Chapter 190 - 190: Disposal (1)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Having slept well, Mu Yangling only opened her eyes when the sun reached her butt.


    The moment she opened her eyes, she met Bowen¡¯s bright eyes. Mu Yangling reached out and slowly pushed his face away, before turning over to continue sleeping.


    ¡°Sister!¡± Bowen shouted and pressed himself against Mu Yangling. He shouted in her ear, ¡°Sister, get up quickly. It¡¯s so lively outside.¡±


    Mu Yangling opened her eyes and asked, ¡°How is it lively?¡±


    ¡°There are many people surrounding our door. There are also many people kneeling outside, begging Father to let those people go. Father doesn¡¯t care and doesn¡¯t allow us to go out.¡±<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Mu Yangling yawned and slowly got up. ¡°Father is waiting for me.¡±


    Mu Bowen puffed out his chest and said, ¡°Father said that I¡¯m a man and asked me to discuss with you how to deal with this matter.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you think we should do?¡± Mu Yangling asked as she put on her clothes.


    Without thinking, Mu Bowen said, ¡°Send them to the officials. Since they¡¯re thieves, send them to the officials and let them receive their sentence!¡±


    ¡°No, think again.¡±


    Mu Bowen frowned. ¡°Why not? Teacher said that thieves and robbers should be dealt with by the authorities.¡±


    ¡°Because the government also has a way of dealing with the world, and because the officials aren¡¯t the highest authority in this area.¡± Mu Yangling sat cross-legged in front of Bowen and said, ¡°Let me ask you, if these thieves are sent to the officials, will the officials definitely sentence him?¡±


    ¡°Of course. They were caught red-handed.¡±


    ¡°Father is a soldier, and those people are civilians. The two sides have always been divided. Since Father and I were the ones who arrested them, they can very well use us of kidnapping them randomly. They can also argue that they were just passing by our pastoral area. It might work as long as their families are willing to bribe the officials with some money. Alright, even if the world isn¡¯t so dark and we meet a good official who¡¯s upright and honest. We¡¯re naturally happy to see him sentencing the other party ording to thew, but their families will hate us to the core. I can be more careful when we go out in the future. However, we didn¡¯t arrest these thieves to send them to the officials, but to prevent our pastoral area from being robbed again. We want to send the message that even if Father isn¡¯t at home, our Mu family has the ability to protect ourselves and the Mu family¡¯s assets.¡±


    Mu Yangling stroked Bowen¡¯s head seriously and said, ¡°This move emphasizes intimidation, not punishment.¡± Otherwise, Mu Yangling wouldn¡¯t have let those people off so easily and would certainly have sent them to the officials.


    But not this time.


    Bowen seemed to understand.


    Mu Yangling jumped off the brick bed and said, ¡°Alright, follow me closelyter. Our uncles should already be working in the fields. In a while, go and invite them over and let everyone see that although my Mu family is the only family bearing this surname in this area, we have a lot of rtives and friends. We do have support!¡±


    Bowen replied loudly, ¡°Aye!¡±


    Mu Yangling slowly washed up and ate her breakfast before sitting on the chair to drink tea.


    Shu Wanniang took the time to look up at her daughter. Seeing her behavior, she couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips and smile. Seeing that this child could hold her temper, she realized she had been worrying in vain this morning.


    Mu Shi was sitting in the house reading his son¡¯s homework. Seeing that his daughter was ready, he nodded slightly. ¡°Since you¡¯re done, go out and deal with it. I¡¯ll wait in the house.¡±


    ¡°Father, just watch!¡± Mu Yangling held Mu Bowen¡¯s hand as she walked out.


    The people kneeling outside the door were the family members of the five guys caughtst night. They had heard the news and rushed over to plead for leniency. They did want to release the five people on the ground first, but they did not have the guts because there were many people from Chenggu Garrison guarding outside the door. If they really dared to untie the rope, those five people would probably be beaten to death.


    There was no need to pay for killing a thief.


    When Mu Yangling opened the door, the people kneeling outside looked up and was instantly disappointed upon seeing Mu Yangling. However, they still knelt down and kowtowed. ¡°Youngdy, 1 beg you. Let your father and mothere out and talk to us. Our family head knows his mistake. He won¡¯t dare to do it again. Please don¡¯t report it to the officials.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°It¡¯s useless to beg my father and mother for this matter. 1 make the decisions for my family now, and I¡¯m also in charge of this matter. Your family head came to my rabbit shed in the middle of the night to steal rabbits. To think you came looking for me before I could settle the score with you. You¡¯re quite well-informed, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The person kneeling on the ground was stunned. The surrounding vigers shouted, ¡°Auntie, Ah Ling is right. Miss Ah Ling is in charge of the Mu family now. It¡¯s useless even if you beg her parents. You have to beg her!¡±


    When Thief A¡¯s wife heard this, tears immediately flowed down her face. She crawled forward and wanted to hug Mu Yangling¡¯s leg, not minding that thetter was dodging her. She cried, ¡°Miss Mu, you¡¯re a magnanimous person. Please spare our family head. He¡¯s usually very honest and was merely blinded by greedst night. Please spare him this time. He won¡¯t dare to do it again. Our family depends on him for our livelihood. If you send him to the officials, we won¡¯t be able to live.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s the same for my family¡­¡± The family members of the other five men all cried.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°My family also has elders and children. At least you have a man to rely on. My father works in the military camp and might not evene back once every few months. Why don¡¯t you pity me? Do those rabbits belong to my family? They belong to Little General and Young Master Fan. If we lose Little General and Young Master Fan¡¯s things, can our family still live? Really, you should be pitying me instead!¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted coldly. ¡°You want me to let them go? Impossible! If I let these five go, who knows how many thieves will show up tomorrow. In any case, after stealing from us, you may flee from this ce and change your names to start anew. However, our Mu family¡¯s roots are rooted here. Today, 1 want to make an example out of you.¡±


    Thief A and the others¡¯ expressions changed drastically as they whimpered at Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling stepped on him and snorted. ¡°Now you know how to regret it? Why didn¡¯t you feel this way earlier? Judging from your wife¡¯s dressing, you don¡¯t look like you¡¯re starving. Why did you be a thief? Are you bullying our Mu family because we don¡¯t have any backing? Today, I¡¯ll let everyone know that although our Mu family is the only family bearing the surname Mu in the surrounding viges, our inws are all here. Bowen, go and invite my uncles over. Let these dog-eyed people see if our Mu family is easy to bully!¡± ¡°Aye!¡± Bowen replied loudly and turned to run. However, at the vige entrance, he bumped into Liu Ting and the others who hade over together.


    It turned out that Liu Ting had brought a few cousins over early in the morning to help build the straw hut. However, when he saw the situation in Chenggu Garrison from afar, he realized that the Mu family had attracted thievesst night. Without thinking, Liu Ting said to Liu Yuan, ¡°Run back and tell my father to bring a few more people over. I¡¯ll help Rocky. We can¡¯t let them be bullied because they¡¯re outnumbered.¡±


    When Liu Yuan heard this, he immediately ran back to call for help.


    However, Liu Daqian felt that they couldn¡¯t just rely on just these few families. He went to Liu Fie to ask for more support. ¡°Let¡¯s gather the young adults in our Liu family who are at home and make a trip there together.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only right for us to do so since Rocky has treated our Liu family well. I¡¯ll go to each family to call for help now..¡±</font>

 Chapter 191 - 191: Disposal (2)

    Chapter 191 - 191: Disposal (2)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    In this era, one relied not only on the influence of their parents, but also their n.


    The Mu family was the only family bearing the Mu surname here. Even if Mu Shi became the battalionmander or even the assistantmander in the army, the locals wouldn¡¯t take him seriously if the Mu family had no other backing here.


    As the saying went, ¡®One log cannot prop up a tottering building¡¯.


    Back then, the reason why the Mu family could hunt and sell their prey in Nearhill Vige without any worries was because they had the protection of the Liu n. They did not have to worry about being ostracized by the vigers nor did they have to fret about being ckmailed by the Junior Officer and the government office.


    Now that the Mu family had left Nearhill Vige, they were separated from the Liu n to be ced alone in Chenggu Garrison. Although they no longer faced any restrictions imposed by the Liu n, it was also a lot more troublesome now.<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    These days, anyone would dare to inquire about the Mu family. In the past back in Nearhill Vige, should anyone dare to peek outside the Mu Residence, Eldest Great-uncle would be the first to p them.


    Although Mu Yangling had asked Bowen to call her uncles over, she didn¡¯t want to rely on the Liu n to scare them away. She knew that it was better to rely on oneself than on others, and that the Liu n could only stand behind them and serve as a deterrent to a certain extent. The Mu family would still have to provide the real strength.


    Mu Yangling hoped that the Mu family could instill fear and respect in those people.


    Maybe the part about respecting them could be shelved for the time being. For now, she had to make them fear the Mu family!


    Therefore, as soon as Bowen left, Mu Yangling carried a chair and sat down at the door. She said, ¡°I think we ought to send them to the government and let the officials judge it. Thew is always fair, right?¡±


    Thief A wailed loudly. His wife boldly nced at Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Miss Mu, if this case is sent to the officials, our family head won¡¯t be able toe out. How about this? We¡¯llpensate the Mu family for their losses. How about that?¡±


    Blinking, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°What losses has our Mu family suffered? Does suffering a fright count? How should we calcte this loss? No, no. If we ask for too much, you¡¯ll think we¡¯re scamming you. On the other hand, if we ask for too little, 1¡¯11 feel ufortable.¡±


    Thief A finally spat out the cloth in his mouth and alongside with a mouthful of saliva. He asked in a rough voice, ¡°Then what do you want?¡±


    Tilting her head, Mu Yangling thought for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s said that thieves won¡¯t be thieves anymore after their hands are cut off. 1 want to test the effect.¡±


    With a pale face, Thief A straightened his neck and said, ¡°Mu Yangling, don¡¯t go overboard. Even though I did go to your shedst night, I ultimately didn¡¯t do anything. Instead, 1 was startled by you. How are we going to settle this score?¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Are you denying the fact that you attempted to stealst night?¡±


    Thief A felt a sense of pressure under Mu Yangling¡¯s cold gaze. In the end, he did not dare to deny it and only said, ¡°In any case, you can¡¯t cut off our hands. Without our hands, how can we make a living?¡± Seeing that everyone was looking at his hands with bright eyes, he could not help but shout, ¡°I¡¯m not talking about making a living as a thief! Doesn¡¯t one have to use their hands to work in the fields?¡±


    Only then did everyone look away.


    Some of the surrounding vigers began to plead for leniency on their behalf. ¡°Miss Ah Ling, 1 think we should be lenient. Anyway, they know their mistake. If you really cut off their hands, how are they going to support their family in the future?¡±


    Someone even whispered to Mu Yangling, ¡°These five people are from the neighboring vige and have a lot of rtives. If we provoke them, we¡¯ll be in endless trouble in the future. I think it¡¯s best not to go overboard. Otherwise, there won¡¯t be peace in the two viges in the future.¡±


    Mu Yangling lowered her head and thought for a while. Looking around at the surrounding vigers, she saw many strangers. Knowing that they were from the neighboring vige, she said, ¡°I can choose not to cut off your hands. How about letting me pat each of your shoulders? That can be considered your punishment.¡±


    Thief A asked in a daze, ¡°You¡¯re just going to pat me on the shoulder? You¡¯re not going to chop off my hand or send me to the officials?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded with a smile.


    Thief A stood up with difficulty and said, ¡°Alright, let me be the first.¡±


    Xiuhong took a kitchen knife from the house and cut their ropes. Thief A loosened his shoulders before stepping forward to say casually, ¡°You can start from me.¡±


    ¡°How decisive!¡± Mu Yangling stood up and pped his shoulder. Everyone only heard a cracking sound, followed by Thief A¡¯s scream before he fell to the ground in cold sweat.


    ¡°Hubby, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Thief A¡¯s wife quickly went forward to hold him.


    Sneering, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Don¡¯t use too much strength. Otherwise, the bones in his arm will shatterpletely and he won¡¯t be able to reattach them.¡±


    Thief A looked at Mu Yangling with bloodshot eyes. He was in so much pain that he could not speak.


    Mu Yangling walked to the side and touched a rock in front of the door. ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t use much strength. With just a light pat, it shattered. It shattered¡ª¡± Mu Yangling gently smacked the stone with her palm. Everyone clearly saw how the rock, which was the size of two adult heads, became filled with cracks. Then¡ªit shattered!


    Thief A¡¯s wife let out a miserable cry and hugged her husband helplessly. She asked, ¡°What should we do about your broken arm? What should we do? Mu Yangling, you¡¯re so ruthless!¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at her with a smile as she said, ¡°Who said that I¡¯m ruthless? I¡¯m very kind. Instead of chopping off both his hands, 1 merely gave him a pat. He agreed just now.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the remaining four people and said, ¡°How is it? Whose turn is it now?¡±


    The four of them shook their heads in unison and involuntarily knelt on the ground. ¡°Miss Mu, Great-aunt Mu, we know our mistake! We won¡¯t dare to do it again! In the future, when we see you and the Mu family, we¡¯ll take a detour. Please spare us!¡±


    Among the vigers, a man in his fifties stood out from the crowd and checked on Thief A¡¯s condition. After temporarily stabilizing it with wood, he stood up and looked at Mu Yangling solemnly. ¡°Miss Mu, don¡¯t go too far. Although the five of them made a mistake, they¡¯re still from our Horse Head Vige.¡±


    Seeing that someone with authority finally spoke up, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t have to beat around the bush. She asked, ¡°Why? Is your Horse Head Vige invincible? Your viger came to steal something, but you came to find trouble with the victims?¡±


    The person held it in for a while and cupped his hands. ¡°They were in the wrong, but you guys aren¡¯t that clean either. They were caught the moment they got to the door. Weren¡¯t you plotting a scheme? You guys didn¡¯t suffer any losses at all, but you broke his arm and cut off their family¡¯s livelihood. Your Mu family is too domineering.¡±


    Mu Yangling was so angry that sheughed. ¡°So after our Mu family realized that someone might being to steal something, we should have opened the door wide and waited for the thief to enter and take everything before closing the door? Only then would we be considered not domineering and not vicious? What kind of logic is that from your Horse Head Vige? Or have you always been thieves like this? If the victim doesn¡¯t follow that warped logic, the entire vigees knocking on the victim¡¯s door?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. The vigers of Horse Head Vige are decent farmers. Since when did we be thieves?¡±


    Mu Yangling kicked Thief A in front of him and asked coldly, ¡°Then which vige is he from?¡±


    The person was at a loss for words. In the end, he said, ¡°1 refuse to talk to a child like you.. Get your father toe out? How dare a little girl talk to an elder like this? Your Mu family sure teaches their children well!¡±</font>

 Chapter 192 - 192: Disposal (2)

    Chapter 192: Disposal (2)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°I¡¯m in charge of the Mu family. Though, I want to ask who you are. Who are you to interfere with how I punish the thieves who try to steal from my family?¡±


    The person choked and his face darkened. His already dark face became even darker, like charcoal in a ck pot. There were 17 to 18 vigers standing behind him one after another. They mored, ¡°We¡¯re from Horse Head Vige. If you want to deal with someone from our vige, you have to seek our permission first.¡±


    Another old man squeezed out of the crowd and said to Mu Yangling with a smile, ¡°Little girl, don¡¯t be angry. These are all young men from our Horse Head Vige. Young people are hot-tempered, so they speak a little rashly. The five of them did make a mistake, but as the saying goes, ¡®It¡¯s best to let someone have a chance to start anew after knowing their mistakes¡¯. Since the five of them already know their mistakes, do let them off. They¡¯ll remember your kindness in the future.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s gaze slid past him andnded on ck Charcoal behind him.


    She asked, ¡°What if I don¡¯t agree?¡±


    ck Charcoal¡¯s eyes darkened. Looking at Mu Yangling, he said, ¡°Then Miss Mu doesn¡¯t have the final say.¡±


    Liu Yuan, who had already walked over, was about to rush forward when he heard this, but Liu Ting stopped him. Liu Yuan lowered his voice and said, ¡°Big Brother, what are you waiting for? Can¡¯t you see that Ah Ling is being bullied?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you see All Ling wink at us? We¡¯ll go upter. With Ah Ling¡¯s ability, do you think these people can deal with her?¡± Remembering Ah Ling had crawled out of a pile of dead people, Liu Yuan immediately rxed. He suppressed the moring cousins behind him and watched themotion with the surrounding vigers.


    The people from Horse Head Vige had already started making a fuss, shouting, ¡°You better know when to stop!¡±


    The originally smiling old man¡¯s face also turned cold. ¡°Miss Mu, you¡¯re not giving me face by saying this. The five of them indeed deserve to be beaten. Men, bring them back. We will punish them by our n rules.¡±


    A few young men stood up from Horse Head Vige and wanted to escort Thief A and the others away.


    Mu Yangling kicked Thief A out and stepped on his chest. ¡°You¡¯d better not anger me. My strength is not urate. If I¡¯m not careful, 1 could turn a person into a rock.¡±


    After saying that, she moved her foot and stepped on a rock not far away. She rubbed it hard, and the rock cracked.


    The people who went forward looked at each other and did not dare to go forward.


    Xiuhong sneered. ¡°What cowards. You can¡¯t evenpare to a finger of my cousin and you still dare to find trouble with her. How shameless for so many people to go up against one person.¡±


    Bowen tried his best to squeeze past Liu Ting to Xiuhong¡¯s side. He made a face and said, ¡°So many adults are bullying us children. Aren¡¯t you ashamed?¡±


    As soon as he said this, even ck Charcoal and the old man could not help but blush. Those young men from Horse Head Vige were so angry that they rushed forward to grab Mu Yangling. Mu Yangling blocked his hand and grabbed the other party¡¯s cor and waist before throwing him out. Then, she threw a punch at the people who rushed forward. Turning around, she instantly got everyone from Horse Head Vige entangled¡­


    Her movements were swift, and she was very skilled in the ¡®Quick Snatching¡¯ technique. After a while, all 18 people from Horse Head Vige were knocked to the ground by her. Hidden in the crowd, Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw this. In a lowered voice, he said to Fan Zijin, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Mu Yangling use this move before.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a grappling technique?¡± Even if Fan Zijin didn¡¯t like to practice martial arts, he could still see some traces of it.


    ¡°It is indeed, but it¡¯s much more refined. Anyone with a little foundation in martial arts can learn it. It¡¯s more effective than the grappling technique we¡¯re learning in the military camp now.¡± After all, Qi Haoran was an expert of a variety of martial arts techniques and was familiar with the various acupuncture points. Mu Yangling¡¯s ¡®Quick Snatching¡¯ move looked simple, but with just a few movements, she aimed urately at people¡¯s acupuncture points, rendering them strengthless with just a squeeze¡­


    When ck Charcoal and the old man saw that Mu Yangling had single-handedly defeated the people they had brought, their expressions changed drastically. Just as they were about to say something, Liu Ting had already pushed away the people in front of him and brought the youths of the Liu n forward. 25 to 26 strong young men stood behind Mu Yangling.


    ¡°All Ling, what¡¯s going on? Did someone bully you?¡± Liu Ting asked Mu Yangling, but his eyes were on the people from Horse Head Vige.


    Mu Yanglingined in front of them. ¡°Uncle, they¡¯re bullying us. Not only did they want to steal from us, but they also bullied the Mu family for being the only ones with the Mu surname here and wanted to take the thieves away just like this.¡±


    Liu Ting looked at ck Charcoal and said, ¡°Who said that the Mu family doesn¡¯t have any rtives? Even after the daughter of the Liu n marries, she will still be a daughter of the Liu n. Are you people bullying my cousin¡¯s family because he can¡¯t take care of them while he¡¯s in the military camp? Or are you bullying them because the Liu n is not in Chenggu Garrison?¡± Seeing that so many people had suddenly appeared to back up the Mu family, the two of them were truly shocked. The reason why they dared to bring people over to ask for the thieves¡¯ release was because the Mu family was the only one with the Mu surname in the surrounding viges and had no backing. Even if they were unreasonable, they were no match for an entire vige.


    ck Charcoal and the old man looked at each other. In the end, it was the old man who cupped his hands and admitted defeat. ¡°This is Brother Liu, right? This is all a misunderstanding. We want to bring them back to punish them, not to protect them.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to bring them back. You can deal with them in front of my niece and everyone else. This will be more fair. All Ling has already given you a lot of face by agreeing not to send them to the officials. Otherwise, if they go to jail, will they still be able toe out in one piece?¡±


    ck Charcoal and the old man looked at each other and finally nodded. ¡°Since Miss Mu gave us face, we will deal with them here.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°How you deal with them is your business. However, since they have agreed to my request, we have to carry out my punishment first.¡±


    ck Charcoal¡¯s expression changed. With clenched fists, he said, ¡°Miss Mu, you can easily cripple their arms with a single palm strike. Please be magnanimous!¡±


    ¡°As thieves, you have to be prepared to have your hands crippled. This is also a lesson for them. Otherwise, if they even dare to steal from vigers, won¡¯t they dare to kill people outside? Since they don¡¯t know how to conduct themselves, 1 don¡¯t mind teaching them personally and letting them know what they can and can¡¯t do.¡±


    ck Charcoal¡¯s expression changed drastically, but Mu Yangling did not wait for him to say anything. She took a step forward and pressed down on Thief B¡¯s shoulder with a little force. With a crack, Thief B screamed.


    When the remaining three people saw this, they all looked at Mu Yangling in cold sweat. Thief C even lost control of his bowels.


    Mu Yangling mercilessly broke their arms before pping her hands and saying, ¡°This is a lesson for them. Let them remember what they can and can¡¯t do!¡±


    The expressions of the people from Horse Head Vige were not good. However, because there were more than 20 people from the Liu n here, they did not speak fiercely to Mu Yangling like before.


    Seeing that the matters outside were almost settled, Mu Shi opened the door and came out.


    Liu Ting was stunned to see him. ¡°You¡¯re at home? I thought you went to the military camp again. Then why did you call Ah Ling out to deal with it?¡±


    Everyone also looked at Mu Shi..

 Chapter 193 - 193: Support

    Chapter 193: Support


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Shi¡¯s gaze slid across everyone until no one dared to make a sound. Then, he walked to his daughter¡¯s side and cupped his hands at everyone. ¡°Everyone, I am a rough and inarticte man. However, I¡¯m not afraid of offending anyone here since we¡¯re in the right. The old people say that we should be lenient wherever possible. Our Mu family isn¡¯t someone who won¡¯t take a step back, but we also have to see if it¡¯s worth it to retreat. If these five people sincerely admitted their mistakes, my daughter wouldn¡¯t be so angry. My Mu family doesn¡¯t want a grudge with Horse Head Vige, but if things reallye to this, my Mu family isn¡¯t afraid either!¡±


    Mu Shi looked straight at ck Charcoal with a knife-like gaze and said, ¡°I¡¯m someone who licks blood on the edge of a knife. 1 rely on this ruthlessness. If I¡¯m a wolf, my daughter will be a wolf cub. Today, in front of my fellow vigers, I, Mu Shi, will say this first. Whoever bullies my wife and children while I¡¯m not at home, you¡¯d better hope that I die on the battlefield. Otherwise, I, Mu Shi, will fight him to the death!¡±


    The expressions of everyone present changed drastically. Not daring to meet Mu Shi¡¯s eyes, some of the more timid ones even took two steps back involuntarily.


    Liu Ting ced his hand on Mu Shi¡¯s shoulder and shook his head slightly at him. Only then did Mu Shi not say anything else.


    Smiling, Liu Ting walked forward. He cupped his hands at the silent crowd and said with a smile, ¡°Please forgive us, fellow vigers. My cousin is just a boorish person. He speaks a little arrogantly, but he¡¯s a very good person. The people in the vige have been interacting with my brother for half a year, so they should know him well. It is a well known fact that he treats his wife and children like treasures. Other than this, everything else is fine.¡±


    ¡°However, since we are all from neighboring viges, why would anyone bully my sister-inw, niece, and nephew? Is that right?¡± Liu Ting continued with a smile, ¡°Our Liu n is in the West Vige next door, just less than 45 minutes away from here. In the future, if my eldest niece does anything wrong, juste to the vige to look for me. I¡¯ll teach her a lesson.¡±


    Liu Yuan also came back to his senses. He went forward and said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s right. My uncle used to live in our vige near the mountain. My aunt and I only have one son. The couple passed away early, so my uncle and father treated my cousin as their biological son. Back then, my uncle even officiated his wedding. We also treat my eldest niece as our daughter. If she offends the vigers in any way, don¡¯t get angry. Juste to West Vige to look for us. Even though you won¡¯t be able to teach her a lesson, let us lecture her and seek justice for everyone.¡±


    The corners of everyone¡¯s lips twitched when they heard that. Although he was seemingly chiding Mu Shi and Mu Yangling, he was undoubtedly supporting Mu Shi and Mu Yangling. In the future, if Mu Yangling really had a conflict with the vigers, everyone would definitely have to gauge the attitude of the Liu n in the West Vige and couldn¡¯t bully the Mu family too much. Otherwise, if they went back to mobilize reinforcements, they would be up against many members of the Liu n. If they really fought head-on, no one would stand to gain.


    The corners of ck Charcoal¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Since your eldest niece is so capable, I¡¯m afraid no one in the surrounding viges can bully her. We¡¯ll bring these five people back first. Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯ll definitely take a detour when they see the Mu family in the future.¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted coldly. Mu Shi said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that your vige also metes out its own punishments? I¡¯m waiting.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Shi was ying the bad guy, Liu Ting hurriedly came out to y the good guy. With a smile, he said, ¡°Cousin, since he has already said that, he definitely won¡¯t lie to you. However, considering they¡¯re injured now, even if they have to punish him, they can¡¯t do it now. I think it¡¯s better to let them go back first. They¡¯ve embarrassed Horse Head Vige so much, so I¡¯m sure they will be punished by them. If you¡¯re still worried, you can just make a trip to Horse Head Vigeter. It¡¯s not far from us anyway.¡±


    Only then did Mu Shi let them go. Mu Yangling gently tapped Thief B¡¯s arm with the tip of her foot, scaring him so much that he trembled. Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Do you see your Big Brother¡¯s arm? You have to tie yours up like him. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be crippled even if you try to reattach itter. When the timees, don¡¯t say that I¡¯m too ruthless. I actually held back and only broke two of your bones instead of crushing them.¡±


    Although this was a reminder, it was also a threat. Everyone trembled in fear and hurriedly used a tree branch to stabilize their arms before leaving in a hurry. The onlookers also hurriedly took advantage of the chaos to leave. Soon, only the Liu n was left in front of the Mu family¡¯s door.


    Only then did Liu Ting frown and look at Mu Shi. He said disapprovingly, ¡°Since you¡¯re at home, why did you call the children out to settle things?¡±


    ¡°Come in and sit down,¡± Mu Shi exined. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to let All Ling establish her might. I¡¯m often away in the military camp and won¡¯t be able to help much with family matters. The entire family depends on Ah Ling. When others see that she¡¯s a child, they¡¯ll inevitably bully her. This is a good opportunity for her to establish her might. In the future, even if I¡¯m not around, she can shoulder the responsibility alone.¡±


    In the past, when Mu Yangling was in Nearhill Vige, her words were absolute. It was just that with Mu Shi and the Liu n backing her up, no one dared to bully her.


    But it was different outside, for nobody knew Mu Yangling.


    Liu Ting thought about it and understood. Seeing that so many cousins were here, he pped and said, ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re here today, don¡¯t be in a hurry to go back. Help us build a straw hut first. We¡¯re almost done and can finish it today.¡±


    ¡°Brother Ting sure knows how to order people around. Brother Rocky, you have to tell my father that we¡¯re building a straw hut for you instead of skiving


    outside.¡±


    When Mu Shi heard this, he smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely tell them about it.¡± Mu Shi got Mu Yangling to go up the mountain to hunt some prey and distribute some to everyone to bring backter. Then, he went to build the straw hut with them.


    Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin had already left among the crowd. Qi Haoran gestured as he walked. In just a few moves, he had actually mastered the ¡®Quick Snatching¡¯ technique that Mu Yangling had used just now.


    Satisfied, Qi Haoran put down his hands and said to Fan Zijin, ¡°In two days, when Mu Yangling isn¡¯t so busy anymore, I¡¯lle and learn this ¡®Quick Snatching¡¯ technique from her. I¡¯ll practice it with Big Brother Jiang Zeter.¡±


    After saying that, Qi Haoran turned around to look upon hearing no reaction from Fan Zijin. Only then did he realize that thetter had his head lowered in deep thought. He asked, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wondering who Mu Yangling learned her martial arts from. Didn¡¯t you realize that her movements are simple but useful? Previously, when you were exchanging moves with her, in the heat of the moment, every move of hers could strike the opponent fatally. Those moves were simply meant to kill. And when you and Mu Shi were exchanging moves, 1 watched from the side. Mu Yangling was able tost about 150 moves from you, but Mu Shi couldn¡¯t evenst 50 moves. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange that Mu Shi doesn¡¯t know any of the killer moves Mu Yangling knows?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? My father doesn¡¯t know everything that I know either.¡±


    Fan Zijin red at him. ¡°How can that be the same? You have a martial arts master and a secret manual to learn from. Furthermore, your father doesn¡¯t even practice martial arts. But didn¡¯t Mu Yangling learn all her martial arts from Mu Shi?¡±


    ¡°Who said that Mu Yangling¡¯s martial arts were all taught by Mu Shi? Didn¡¯t she say that her grandfather taught her?¡±


    ¡°Her grandfather died before she was born.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s also possible that he left behind a manual or something. What¡¯s there to feel conflicted about? Mu Yangling is more talented than her father, so it¡¯s not strange for her to master what her grandfather left behind at a higher level. Zijin, martial arts are different. If everyone copies from the same essay, their essays would be identical. However, martial arts are different. Different people can achieve different effects with the same actions. Even the same people can perform the same actions differently at different times. Mu Yangling was born with divine strength. How can such a person not have talent? Perhaps she¡¯ll even surpass her grandfather after mastering what he left behind?¡±


    Seeing that Qi Haoran was wholeheartedly speaking up for Mu Yangling, Fan Zijin instantly felt a little helpless. Not in the mood to continue arguing, he nodded perfunctorily and said, ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right..¡±

 Chapter 194 - 194: Transaction

    Chapter 194: Transaction


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After half a day, Liu Ting and his men finished building the remaining parts of the straw hut. The roof was covered with thick thatch. Liu Yuan patted the dry and thick thatch and said to Mu Shi, ¡°As long as there isn¡¯t a heavy rain, there won¡¯t be any problems with the roof.¡± With that said, he looked up at the scorching sun in the sky. Wiping his sweat, he sighed. ¡°I would rather it rain heavily, though. Look, the river water is about to dry up.¡±


    Mu Shi turned to look at the river at the side. The water level in the river had decreased drastically, revealing the stones in the river. Mu Shi stood in the deepest part of the water, and the water only reached his waist. There was only a foot of water left in the dug canal. Now, the water in the river could no longer flow into the canal.


    Now that sunlight was sufficient, the wheat and rice were growing quickly. The wheat would enter the filling stages after another two days of irrigation.


    With so many wheat fields, this bit of river water was definitely not enough to water them. A fight for water was inevitable.


    At the thought that he was leaving the day after tomorrow, Mu Shi couldn¡¯t help but frown. He went back to discuss it with his daughter. ¡°Since I¡¯m leaving the day after tomorrow, why don¡¯t our family start fetching water to water the fields tonight?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you waiting for news from the military camp?¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that Little General might open a reservoir to release water?¡±


    ¡°Even then, we still have to snatch it. While I¡¯m still at home, I can protect you a little. Tonight, we¡¯ll water the rice field first. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll water the wheat field.¡±


    Since Mu Shi had made up his mind, Mu Yangling naturally listened to him.


    At the same time, Qi oran was also telling Fan Zijin about the irrigation. ¡°Irrigation is a big deal this time. 1 think we should give the entire army three days off and let them go back.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at him with raised eyebrows. Sighing, Qi Haoran said, ¡°I have no choice. Big Brother sent me a message. He said that out of the five divisions, only ours is in a slightly better situation. The other divisions didn¡¯t even manage to get much from the tiller stage, much less reach the filler stage. This year¡¯s rations mainly have toe from our camp.¡±


    If Qi Xiuyuan wasn¡¯t his big brother, Qi Haoran would have cursed his mother. But since they were biological brothers, cursing Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s mother would mean cursing his own mother. Since he came here mainly to help his big brother, he could only bear this burden.


    ¡°The assistantmanders of the 3rd and 4th Division are here to borrow water again,¡± Fan Zijin said.


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips and said, ¡°Ask them to exchange weapons for it. 1 don¡¯t want much, just 100 long sabers, 100 spears, and five horses. Let them have all the water in Reservoir No. 1 in exchange.¡±


    Fan Zijin asked, ¡°In total?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at him disdainfully. ¡°How can that be? Of course that quantity is for each camp. Considering Reservoir No. 1 is so big, I¡¯m already suffering a loss by only exchanging it for 200 long sabers, 200 spears, and 10 horses.¡±


    Fan Zijin patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Not bad, not bad. Since you think you¡¯re suffering a loss, I¡¯ll raise the price for you. If you propose this much from the onset, they¡¯ll definitely try to bargain down the amount.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave this matter to you.¡± Qi Haoran wanted to wash his hands off of the matter.


    Fan Zijin turned around and proposed they each give 500 long sabers, 500 spears, and 10 horses each. The assistantmanders of the 3rd and 4th Division almost vomited blood.


    It was not easy to get rations, but it was also not easy to get weapons. The general had given them a fixed number of things. In this aspect, they could notpare to the 1st Division and the 2nd Battalion. Every time good things came down from above, the 1st Division and the 2nd Battalion would have their pick first before it was their turn. As such, there was only so much that they had. Fan Zijin was really daring to ask for so much.


    However, they did not have the confidence to turn around and leave.


    Previously, the 3rd and 4th Divisions did not have any water conservancy measures, and their crops weren¡¯t growing as well as the 5th Division¡¯s. Now, the tilling of the wheat fields was only about 50% sessful. If they did not ensure the filler stage went well, they might have to starve when it came time to harvest next autumn.


    The general had scolded them two days ago, saying that they were inferior to Qi Haoran.


    Qi Haoran, a child in his teens, was actually faring better than them. Although the two of them were aggrieved, they had to admit it.


    There was definitely not enough water in the river, and only Qi Haoran had repaired the water conservancy facilities in the surrounding viges. Now, not only were they envious of the water in Qi Haoran¡¯s threerge reservoirs, but the local squires also wished they coulde up and suck up to Qi Haoran. The two assistantmanders did not dare to be negligent now.


    In the end, after a painstaking negotiation, the two assistantmanders managed to lower the price to 230 long sabers, 230 spears, and five horses per camp.


    The two camps divided the water in Reservoir No. 1 equally.


    Enlightened, Fan Zijin said to Qi Haoran, ¡°1 think the grains you owe the Sun and Zhao families can be offset by this. Aren¡¯t they worried about not having enough water to water their fields? Why don¡¯t you offer them the water from Reservoir No. 2?¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned. ¡°No, 1 have to ensure my production first.¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid that you won¡¯t be able to get water when you have so many soldiers? Won¡¯t you be able to get water if you assign your men to Jialing Lake and dig a big hole before blocking the river downstream?¡±


    If Mu Yangling was here, she would definitely scold Fan Zijin for being immoral.


    Though tempted, Qi Haoran shook his head and said, ¡°No, that Song Zhi will eat me alive. Moreover, this will also cause trouble for Big Brother. We won¡¯t do that sort of immoral thing.¡±


    ¡°Then do you think you can return the grains after the autumn harvest? Eldest Cousin wants so much rations that I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have nothing left. How are you going to return them?¡±


    Qi Haoran tugged at his hair and said shamelessly, ¡°What can they do if I refuse to repay them this year and choose to repay them next year instead?¡±


    Fan Zijin:¡±¡­¡± He admitted defeat at the shamelessness.


    Having made up his mind, Qi Haoran gave all the soldiers a break that same day. The next day, Reservoir No. 2 was opened. All the military households of the 5th Division could go to the reservoir to fetch water and water their fields. No fights were allowed.


    That afternoon, Mu Shi had already picked up a bucket and started to irrigate water into the paddy field with his daughter and the others.


    The reservoir was a certain distance away from theirnd. Since there was still water in the river, no one went to the reservoir. However, on the third day, only muddy water remained in the river. When one lowered a bucket into the river, half of it would be filled with mud.


    Mu Yangling and the others had witnessed three bloody fights in the fight for water. At this moment, Mu Shi had already left for two days.


    Madam Ma-Liu slumped on the ground and said, ¡°Ah Ling, we have to go to the reservoir to fetch water too.¡±


    Mu Yangling was using wooden nks to surround the cart. When she heard this, she said, ¡°Great-aunt, don¡¯t go to the reservoir. I¡¯ll go look for Uncle and the others and go with them. You go to the fields with my mother. 1¡¯11 transport the water back for you to irrigate the fields.¡±


    ¡°How will that do? This cart can hold nine buckets of water. It¡¯ll take several trips back and forth. Anyway, since we still have buckets at home, why don¡¯t I fetch another load?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s very chaotic over at the reservoir. If anyone identally bumps into you, what will happen to our family? Just obediently bring my mother to the fields. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have to take the time to protect you.¡±


    Before Great-aunt could make up her mind, Liu Ting¡¯s voice sounded from outside. ¡°Ah Ling, are you done?¡±


    Liu Ting and Liu Yuan came over with a few cousins. Like Mu Yangling, they were all pushing carts. When Mu Yangling saw that her aunts were also carrying buckets, she asked, ¡°Why are Aunt and the rest going too?¡±


    Liu Ting smiled and said, ¡°Your aunts are very impressive and certainly not inferior to us. Let¡¯s go quickly while it¡¯s still early and there aren¡¯t many people.¡±


    Mu Yangling waved goodbye to her family and pushed the cart away. Madam Ma-Liu wanted to chase after her, but Shu Wanniang stopped her and said, ¡°Aunt, let¡¯s not cause trouble. Let¡¯s just wait in the field like Ah Ling said.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu red at her. ¡°You¡¯re really broad-minded as a mother.¡± Smiling, Shu Wanniang said, ¡°Don¡¯t I have to be? When All Ling was only four years old, she told me seriously that one had to learn to weigh the pros and cons. After so many years, I¡¯m already used to it. If it¡¯s beneficial for All Ling for me to follow her, I¡¯ll follow even if she stops me. But if it¡¯s harmful to her, even if someone forces me with a knife to follow her, I can¡¯t cause trouble for her..¡±

 Chapter 195 - 195: Cooperation

    Chapter 195: Cooperation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Looking at the people carrying buckets and pushing carts on the road, Mu Yangling asked Liu Ting, ¡°You call this not many people?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be dissatisfied.¡± Liu Ting said, ¡°In a while, it will be more crowded, making it difficult to even walk. If we don¡¯t water the fields in time, we¡¯ll miss the timing for grain filling? and the wheat grains will be deted, resulting in a dismal output. So, we can¡¯t rest at all now. If it weren¡¯t for Little General¡¯s order to stay away from the reservoir after seven o¡¯clock, I¡¯m afraid everyone would have watered their fields all night.¡±


    The first time Mu Yangling went to the reservoir, Liu Ting had already been running around for two days. The river and reservoir were about the same distance from theirnd. Instead of running to the river first before running to the reservoir, it was better to familiarize herself with the journey from the reservoir to the field from the beginning.


    Reservoir No. 2 was surrounded with people. Fortunately, there wasn¡¯t a queue like what Liu Ting had mentioned. There were soldiers guarding the reservoir and patrolling back and forth to prevent any fights over the water.


    Mu Yangling parked the cart under the reservoir for Liu Yuan and another cousin to stand guard by it. Then, she carried two buckets to fetch water.


    Being young, small, and agile, in no time, she twisted her way to the front and threw the bucket down. When she raised it again, it was full. Seeing this, Liu Ting hurriedly called his cousins forward and said, ¡°Ah Ling, you¡¯ll be in charge of fetching water over there while we carry the filled buckets down.¡±


    A burly man who was fetching water looked at Liu Ting in disdain when he heard that. Drawing water required much more strength and skill than carrying water. As much water had been drawn from the reservoir over the past few days, the water level had gone down by quite a lot. As such, they had to tie the wooden bucket with a rope and throw it down. When the wooden bucket was filled with water, they would bring it up. Only an adult would be able to pull up a bucket filled with water.


    Mu Yangling had no objections. Everyone in the Liu n knew Mu Yangling¡¯s strength and was happy with such an arrangement. They lined up to ce their wooden buckets over so that Mu Yangling could fill them with water.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s grip was strong, and she easily filled a pair of wooden buckets with water. Liu Ting quickly got someone to carry the filled buckets away. When she filled all the wooden buckets with water, no one came forward to bring her any more empty wooden buckets. There was indeed a long distance between here and their cart. When Mu Yangling saw a few teens pulling up the water buckets, she simply threw a bucket down and filled their bucket with water.


    Stunned, the teens looked up at her.


    Mu Yangling only smiled at them and continued to fetch water for them. The teens blushed and thanked her. ¡°Thank you.¡± Then, they picked up the buckets and left in a panic.


    However, a lot of people rushed up and squeezed their way through. This caused some of the water in their buckets to fall out, and one of them even fell to the ground after being bumped by someone, spilling all the water in the wooden bucket.


    Mu Yangling frowned slightly, but the person who was knocked down seemed to be used to it. He simply got up, picked up the wooden bucket, and came back to fetch water.


    Mu Yangling sighed slightly. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t ask her great-aunt and Xiuhong toe. She turned around and fetched a bucket of water for him. After pouring it into his bucket, she said in a low voice, ¡°Try to avoid them. If it really doesn¡¯t work, stand still and wait for those people to pass first. You could get injured from the fall.¡±


    The young man blushed and nodded hurriedly. After a while, he looked up at Mu Yangling and said in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯re really amazing even though you look pretty young. I can only pull up half a bucket of water every time. Good brother, can you teach meter?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked down at herself. Did she look like a boy?


    After some thought, she said, ¡°I¡¯m naturally strong. You can go back and train your arm strength.¡± Mu Yangling helped him fill the bucket. When she saw Liu Ting bring empty wooden buckets over, she no longer had the mood to talk to him. Turning around, she continued to fetch water for them.


    After three trips like this, everyone¡¯s buckets were filled. In the end, Mu Yangling carried a bucket of water down herself. Her buckets had already been ced on the cart, filled with water. Mu Yangling carefully ced thest bucket on it.


    Seeing that everyone was here, Liu Ting waved his hand and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s walk together. The women will walk in the middle. Those in front, behind, and on the left and right, be careful not to be knocked down. Ah Ling, walk in the middle with your aunts.¡±


    There were good people in this world, but there were also bad people, especially those who could not bear to see others doing well. When they saw someoneing back with water, they would deliberately bump into them. If they made an issue of it, their efforts that day would be in vain. On the other hand, if you did nothing about it, they would be even worse.


    Every time the Liu n came out to fetch water, they would form cliques. When there were many of them, no one dared to provoke them. Flowever, there were also some who were unreasonable and insisted on bumping against them.


    Liu Ting and the rest had only encountered such people twice. Yesterday, they had almost gotten physical. In order not to hurt the women, they had to walk in the middle every time.


    Perhaps it was because of Mu Yangling¡¯s luck, but they actually returned to the field sessfully this time.


    Mu Yangling pushed the cart and was about to turn into her own plot ofnd. Before she left, she waved at Liu Ting and said, ¡°Uncle, ask Cousin Li¡¯s mother to fetch water with uster.¡±


    As the three-day vacation in the military camp was over, Liu Li¡¯s mother was the only one left at home. It was too dangerous for her to go to the reservoir alone to fetch water.


    Liu Ting nced at his cousins and agreed with a smile. ¡°Wait for us hereter. We¡¯ll be here soon.¡± They only sent the water back for the old and young at home to water the fields before returning with empty buckets.


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    The Mu family contained the water using arge vat. Having carried it over from home, Mu Yangling poured the water into the vat. Madam Ma-Liu and the rest then scooped out water with a basin to water the fields, and emptied the wooden buckets so that Mu Yangling could go to the reservoir to fetch more water.


    Since they had yet to arrive, she helped to water the fields. As she watered them, she reached out to pull out some wheat ears to observe carefully. She memorized these conditions and nned to write them down in her notebookter.


    Other than that, there was also the weather every day, the agricultural work that needed to be done, and so on. Mu Yangling recorded them all. She did not know if she would be able to achieve anything in agriculture in the future, but she knew that this information would definitely be useful. Even if she had no use for it, it could always serve as a reference for future generations.


    Therefore, Mu Yangling took this very seriously.


    Seeing that it was about time, Mu Yangling pushed the cart over to the intersection and waited. This time, Madam Liu-Ma indeed followed behind Madam Liu-Zhang, carrying the empty buckets on her shoulder. She knew that Mu Yangling had asked them to let her tag along, and they were only allowing her to do so on Mu Yangling¡¯s ount. She couldn¡¯t help but nod and smile gratefully at Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling only smiled and focused on walking in front. While pushing the cart beside her, Liu Ting whispered, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you help Cousin Li, but don¡¯t be too biased. Otherwise, it will be difficult for your Aunt Ma in the vige.¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted and said unhappily, ¡°Great-uncle He is getting more and more muddle-headed. It¡¯s not Cousin Li¡¯s fault for what happened to his family. If Cousin Li amounts to something great in the future, let¡¯s see what benefits the n can gain if they continue to be so biased.¡±


    Liu Ting did not say anything, but he remembered these words in his heart. Liu Li¡¯s character was not bad, and Uncle He had indeed been a little muddle-headed over the past half a year. On the other hand, Brother Dacang was too honest and might not be able to suppress the people in the n. It was uncertain if the Liu n could still live as peacefully as they had in Nearhill Vige, going forward.


    With the intention of being kind to others, Liu Ting asked his wife to help Madam Liu-Ma more. This resulted in his family bing closer and closer to Liu Li¡¯s family.

 Chapter 196 - 196: Releasing Water

    Chapter 196 - 196: Releasing Water


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Working together, Mu Yangling and the Liu n could make ten trips to and fro a day. Because the Liu n didn¡¯t have much farnd and they had stayed upte to water the fields during the two days when Mu Shi was around, they only went to the reservoir to fetch water for three days before watering the entire wheat field.


    At this moment, Reservoir No. 2 had nearly emptied out. Everyone was waiting for Qi Haoran to open Reservoir No. 3, but Song Zhi approached the military camp at this moment.


    Song Zhi¡¯s face was covered in stubble, and his face was ashen. He looked at Qi Haoran with a haggard expression and said, ¡°Good brother, 1 didn¡¯t want to beg you, but 1 really have no choice.¡±


    Qi Haoran had a good rtionship with Song Zhi. Seeing him like this, he could not help but be surprised. ¡°You¡¯ve been dismissed?¡±


    Song Zhi red at him. ¡°Can¡¯t you think of something better?¡±<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    ¡°I mean, you don¡¯t exactly look like you¡¯ve been promoted.¡±


    Choking, Song Zhi said, ¡°I haven¡¯t been dismissed, but it¡¯s close. There¡¯s only one river in Mingshui County. With a decree from the Imperial Court, all the fields along the river will be military fields and freehold fields for your military households. However, there are still many civilian fields downstream and in the distance. If you use all the river water, those civilians will starve to death.¡±


    ring, Qi Haoran said, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask anyone to cut off the water flow.¡±


    Song Zhi said helplessly, ¡°Yes you didn¡¯t, but there are so many fields to water. How much water can flow down? The civilians are suffering.¡±


    Qi Haoran came back to his senses and said, ¡°Don¡¯t fool me. I¡¯ve already asked around. Previously, these fields belonged to thosendowners and squires. In a drought year, they cut off the water. In a flood year, they release water into the fields. They¡¯ve done this a lot. Now that I¡¯ve taken over these fields, I haven¡¯t done a single guilty thing. 1 don¡¯t believe the civilians¡¯ lives can be worse than before.¡±


    ¡°Little General is benevolent. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t dare toe looking for you.¡± Song Zhi said, ¡°But look outside. The fields of the soldiers under yourmand are by the river. They¡¯re all anxiously fetching water from the reservoir to water their fields. What about themoners who are very far from the river and have no water to use? This year, the heavens are not giving us a way out. It¡¯s about to start collecting autumn taxes. Little General, 1 don¡¯t want to force themoners to death.¡±


    Qi Haoran mmed the table in frustration and said, ¡°What do you want then? Just say it. I don¡¯t have the patience to hear you beating around the bush.¡±


    Song Zhi said carefully, ¡°Little General, I heard that you still have water in Reservoir No. 3.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at him with a dark expression. Song Zhi braced himself and said, ¡°Please take pity on themoners and let them have the water from the reservoir.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Qi Haoran said, ¡°Let me think about it.¡± Qi Haoran stood up and left. He went out to get someone to invite the elders from the various viges to ask about the watering situation.


    Knowing that 70% of the wheat fields had been watered and only 30% were left, and the remaining 30% were still inferiornds, Qi Haoran waved his hand to dismiss them. He returned to say to Song Zhi, ¡°I agree to let them have the water. However, downstream is not only where themoners¡¯ fields are located, but there are also farnd that belongs to the squires like the Sun and Zhao families. 1 can let themoners have the water for free, but I won¡¯t give the water to these squires for nothing.¡±


    The corners of Song Zhi¡¯s mouth twitched. How was this a young master from a rich family? He looked more like someone from a beggar¡¯s gang, not letting go of any benefits.


    Song Zhi asked, ¡°Then what do you want?¡±


    Qi Haoran spat out one word. ¡°Grains!¡±


    Song Zhi thought for a moment before asking, ¡°How much do you want?¡±


    ¡°Not much. Just a token of appreciation from each family. I¡¯ll take ten bags of grain from the Sun and Zhao families each, and the other families will collectively send me ten bags. This isn¡¯t much, right? Also, no one is allowed to dig canals and channel water. My water is mainly for themoners downstream. If those squires take advantage of their numbers to dig canals and store water, won¡¯t my water be wasted?¡±


    Song Zhi was pleased with Qi Haoran¡¯s conditions. He hade for themoners downstream, so he naturally did not want those squires to snatch too many resources from themoners.


    The matter was agreed upon just like that. When the military households knew that the water in Reservoir No. 1 was going to be released and not opened to them, they were immediately unhappy.


    However, with Qi Haoran standing on top and looking at them coldly, they did not dare to cause trouble and could only watch as the water flowed out.


    Someone shouted, ¡°Hurry up and fetch water to water the fields. There won¡¯t be any water left after this!¡±


    Everyone immediately swarmed forward to get water.


    Qi Haoran frowned. ¡°They¡¯ve already watered 70% of their fields. Some families have even finished watering entirely. What¡¯s wrong with giving it to themoners? It¡¯s like harming others without benefiting themselves.¡±


    Fan Zijin waved his fan as he stood beside him. ¡°There have always been many such people. What¡¯s so strange about it? Look, Mu Yangling is among them. Haven¡¯t her family¡¯s fields been watered? Isn¡¯t she here too?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked down and indeed saw Mu Yangling. However, she was passing the water to the person behind her after fetching it instead of using it herself. Looking over, Qi Haoran realized that there were old, weak, women, and children behind her. He thought to himself, ¡®Mu Yangling is so kind to speciallye to fetch water for others.¡¯


    Mu Yangling was not here just to fetch water for others. She was here to fetch water back to water her vegetable fields. Coincidentally, the water from Reservoir No. 1 was being released, so she took a shortcut to the river.


    When she saw a pregnant woman bend down to get water, she kindly helped her retrieve it. When she saw the olddy behind her fetching water shakily, she also quickly helped her get it¡­


    The people behind knew that this youngdy was helping the disadvantaged fetch water.


    After all, as the water had just been released, the opening of the reservoir was quite wide, and the water flow was rapid. If a person identally fell after being hit by a wave, they could very well disappear.


    Those who felt that they were disadvantaged, such as the old, weak, women, and children, consciously stood behind Mu Yangling and lined up. Mu Yangling fetched water continuously.


    Qi Haoran, who was standing at a high ce, quickly saw what was going on. He waved his hand and called for a guard. Pointing down, he said, ¡°Do you see those old, weak, women, and children? Go and get a few who can fetch water. Make them stand in a row to help those people fetch water. Don¡¯t let them fall into the river.¡±


    The guard responded and went down to pick more than 20 people.


    Most of the people who came to snatch the water today were vigers nearby and not from military households. As such, they had been waiting for this water for a long time. Therefore, they squeezed against each other and refused to let anyone in. If not for the soldiers maintaining order at the scene, there would probably be a stampede.


    The guard came over and snatched the wooden bucket from Mu Yangling¡¯s hand. He shouted, ¡°Miss Mu, Little General is here too. Leave this to us. Hurry up and go up.¡±


    Looking up, Mu Yangling saw Qi Haoran standing on the reservoir. She nodded and went out with two buckets of water.


    She walked to Qi Haoran¡¯s side and praised, ¡°Qi Haoran, I didn¡¯t expect you to still care about the people. Everyone is praising you now.¡±


    Blushing, Qi Haoran asked, ¡°What are they praising me for?¡±


    ¡°There are all kinds of praises for you. They say that you¡¯re benevolent and kind, that you¡¯re a good person, that you¡¯re handsome, and that you¡¯re both good-looking and capable¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s smug face instantly fell, and Fan Zijin burst outughing.


    Mu Yangling said seriously, ¡°It¡¯s true. That¡¯s really how they praise you. I almost got calluses from listening down there just now..¡±</font>

 Chapter 197 - 197: Whose

    Chapter 197 - 197: Whose


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran looked at her suspiciously. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you made it up?¡±


    Mu Yangling grabbed his arm and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, then put on makeup ande down with me to listen. They¡¯re so very generous with those kind words.¡± Speaking of this, Mu Yangling was also curious. ¡°Why does it sound like the rtionship between the military and the civilians isn¡¯t very harmonious? Otherwise, why would everyone be so grateful simply because of this one good act by the army?¡±


    The smile on Qi Haoran¡¯s face froze. Smiling, Fan Zijin said, ¡°Other than the Yuan Family¡¯s army, which is well-loved by themoners, the other soldiers are indeed not very popr with themoners.¡±


    Although the soldiers defended their people against the Hus, there were also cases of soldiers snatching the wealth of the civilians and forcefully enlisting strong men. In Great Zhou, ordinary civilians did not like to interact with the soldiers.


    Because the Great Zhou Emperor valued literary talent over martial arts, the local government controlled the rations and supply lifeline of the army. There had always been conflicts between the two sides, so their rtionship was not very harmonious.<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Qi Xiuyuan could be considered to have restrained himself. His rtionship with Wu Shancai was not good either. Because he rarely appeared locally, the citizens of Xingzhou Prefecture were not familiar with him. Although they did not hate him, they did not have a good impression of him either. Instead, they felt some fear and aversion towards him because he had taken over the military households previously.


    Qi Haoran did not know that he had helped Qi Xiuyuan win the favor of the civilians of Mingshui County by releasing the water to them this time. However, what really made everyone feel grateful towards Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran was that thetter had asked the soldiers to help the old, weak, women, and children fetch water.


    Looking at the dense crowd below, Qi Haoran felt a sense of aplishment. ¡°I¡¯ve saved a lot of people today, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling and Fan Zijin nodded as they suppressed theirughter.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you watered your fields? Why are you still fetching water?¡±


    ¡°The vegetables in my vegetable fields are about to die from the scorching sun. I had no choice but toe fetch two buckets of water. Anyway, since you¡¯ve already walked so far, why don¡¯t you go eat at my house?¡±


    Qi Haoran asked as he walked, ¡°What delicious food do you have at home?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been so busy these past few days that I haven¡¯t had time to enter the mountains. How can there be anything delicious?¡± Mu Yangling carried two buckets of water as she walked to Qi Haoran¡¯s left. Coincidentally, she saw the corn standing tall in her field. Her eyes lit up and she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look at the corn. It might be edible already.¡±


    Fan Zijin circled the corn twice and said thoughtfully, ¡°I now understand why you nted two seeds so far away from each other. The corn stalks are so tall and big. If two seeds can grow to be so dense despite being so far apart, what will happen if you nt them like wheat?¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned. ¡°Won¡¯t there be even more corn then?¡±


    Fan Zijin smacked him on the head. ¡°Stupid, can the produced corn stalk grow corn? Even if I don¡¯t know how to farm, I know that it requires sunlight. If it¡¯s so densely nted, the corn will either suffocate or won¡¯t germinate.¡±


    Mu Yangling put down the bucket and went into the cornfield to pick a few to peel. The peeled corn was tender and yellow, and the corn kernels were supple. With a pinch of her fingertips, the slurry flowed onto her fingers. Mu Yangling broke it off and threw it to Qi Haoran. ¡°It¡¯s edible. I¡¯ll take it back and cook it.¡±


    Qi Haoran sniffed and said, ¡°There¡¯s a refreshing fragrance. Didn¡¯t you say that corn kernels aren¡¯t delicious?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what the book said.¡± Fan Zijin pushed the responsibility away. He also pried open two of them and asked Mu Yangling thoughtfully, ¡°Can we harvest this corn?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. It¡¯s still tender and won¡¯t be easy to peel it off. We have to let it stay in the ground for another 20 days.¡±


    ¡°That happens to be when the filler stage ends for the wheat.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    ¡°In other words, corn can be nted with wheat. When the timees, be it nting or harvesting, the timing can be staggered. This is low-gradend, right? The base fertilizer is not good either. Considering just one corn cob alone is so big and heavy, how many catties of corn do you think one acre can produce?¡± Looking at therge cornfield, a fire burned in Fan Zijin¡¯s heart. He vaguely understood why Emperor Shizong said that by nting corn, the people would no longer have to endure hunger in the deste years.


    It wasn¡¯t that Emperor Shizong was wrong, but that they didn¡¯t use the right nting method previously.


    Fan Zijin turned around and looked at Mu Yangling with bright eyes. This was a great contribution that would go down in history. In order to obtain the seeds, Emperor Shizong had specially sent a ship to the west. No one in the Great Zhou Dynasty had been able to grow a good harvest of corn for hundreds of years, but Mu Yangling had achieved it.


    Mu Yangling did not know what Fan Zijin was thinking. She only felt goosebumps all over her body from his gaze on top of an inexplicable chill. She moved lightly and got behind Qi Haoran in order to block Fan Zijin¡¯s gaze.


    Fan Zijin¡¯s gazended on Qi Haoran. The corners of his lips curled up slightly in joy.


    ¡°Since you want to treat us to corn, you can¡¯t just pick a few, right? Yanmo, Fei Bai, go in and pick more. Pick the big ones. We¡¯ll bring the rest back to the military camp to eat.¡±


    Yanmo and Fei Bai agreed happily. They took off their coats and used that to wrap the corn.


    Fan Zijin walked along the edge of the field and observed the cornfield carefully and seriously.


    Mu Yangling leaned close to Qi Haoran¡¯s ear and asked, ¡°Is he up to no good again?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. Then, feeling that he had let his brother down, he quickly shook his head.


    Mu Yangling touched her chin and said, ¡°I think he must be targeting me.¡±


    Fan Zijin returned after walking one round. Satisfied, he asked, ¡°Ah Ling, does anyone usuallye to your cornfield?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°This is our family¡¯snd and it¡¯s close to the foot of the mountain. Who woulde here?¡±


    ¡°But only your family is nting corn. Looking around, only your family¡¯s corn is standing tall amid the low wheat fields and rice fields. Won¡¯t others be curious? Won¡¯t theye and steal it?¡±


    Mu Yangling replied with a smile, ¡°Based on my observation, no one has stolen my corn before. Most of the people here have no idea what it is. When they heard that it¡¯s called ¡®corn¡¯, they weren¡¯t very interested. They¡¯ve heard that the older generations had suffered losses in an attempt to nt this thing before. In addition, no one in Chenggu Garrison really dares to provoke my Mu family.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded as he stroked the corn stalks. ¡°This corn is good stuff. You have to watch it carefully. Before we confirm its production rate, it¡¯s best not to let others find out.¡±


    Mu Yangling blinked and looked at Qi Haoran. They asked in unison, ¡°Didn¡¯t youck confidence in it?¡±


    ¡°That was before, but now I feel that what Emperor Shizong said might be true. Ah Ling, I¡¯ll leave our cornfield to you. This is an important task. If you¡¯re not confident, get Haoran to send a few people to help youter.¡±


    Mu Yangling opened her mouth slightly and asked, ¡°When did this cornfield be ¡®ours¡¯?¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at her strangely and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t this cornfield ours? Have you forgotten that Haoran bought the corn seeds? When the seeds were nted, not only did Haoran and I personally go to the fields, but we also sent soldiers to help out. Although thisnd belongs to your family, you can¡¯t take our share, right?¡±


    This time, even Qi Haoran widened his eyes and pointed at the cornfield. Then, he pointed at himself and asked, ¡°1, too, have a share of this cornfield?¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded matter-of-factly. ¡°Of course.. What do you think?¡±</font>

 Chapter 198 - 198: Consensus

    Chapter 198 - 198: Consensus


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling and Fan Zijin both turned to re at Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran stuttered for a moment under the duo-attack. Then, he turned to Mu Yangling hesitantly and said, ¡°This should be ours, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling thought about it carefully. What Fan Zijin said made sense. On the other hand, it was clearly wrong for her to think of taking advantage of these two people.


    Mu Yangling nodded and said, ¡°Alright, then what percentage do you think belongs to you?¡±


    Under Fan Zijin¡¯s re, Qi Haoran suggested, ¡°io%?¡±


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s 10% enough for? Go away and let Fan Zijin speak.¡±<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Satisfied with Mu Yangling¡¯s generosity, Fan Zijin said, ¡°It¡¯s useless for us to take the corn. It¡¯s at best a novelty for us. It probably won¡¯t earn us much money even if we sell it.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Therefore, I want the nting method and nting data. Most importantly, this belongs to Haoran.¡±


    Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran shook their heads, indicating that they did not understand.


    Fan Zijin looked at the two equally stupid and adorable people in front of him. He found a patch of grass and sat down, gesturing for them to sit down and have a long talk. Mu Yangling nced at the cornfield as Fan Zijin said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Yanmo and Fei Bai won¡¯t take all your corn. These two brats are smart and know that we have things to discuss.¡±


    Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling sat opposite Fan Zijin and supported their chins as they listened to his exnation.


    Seeing the two of them move in unison, Fan Zijin felt a little ufortable. He cleared his throat and said, ¡°Previously, the corn yield was 300 catties per acre because the nting method was wrong. Although they aren¡¯t ready for harvest yet, based on my estimation, the yield should be no less than 500 catties per acre. This is even on the worst low-gradend, plus using inferior base fertilizer. Coupled with the drought this year, even in the worst case, it should produce 500 catties per acre. What if it¡¯s under good circumstances? Ignoring everything else, if we nt wheat in such a low-gradend, we might not even be able to produce 100 catties per acre in the end. If the entire Great Zhou¡¯s low-gradend is nted with corn, even if we encounter a disaster year, themoners won¡¯t starve or be forced to leave their homes and have their families destroyed! Think about it, this is a huge contribution.¡±


    Mu Yangling understood. ¡°You want Qi Haoran to take the credit.¡±


    Fan Zijin raised his head proudly. ¡°This military field is under Haoran¡¯s name and you¡¯re a military household under Haoran. Haoran bought the seeds and even came when the seeds were nted. Don¡¯t you think this is Haoran¡¯s credit?¡±


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth twitched. She patted his shoulder and said, ¡°You should have said so earlier. It¡¯s useless for me to keep the information to myself. I¡¯ll write down the nting method into a book and send it to youter. You can take the credit for it.¡±


    When Fan Zijin saw that Mu Yangling had taken the bait, he immediately smiled in satisfaction.


    Qi Haoran widened his eyes and said, ¡°Why do 1 need this credit? What I want is military merit. I have no problem earning that myself.¡±


    ¡°This is more useful to you than to Mu Yangling. Since you have resources, why waste them for nothing?¡±


    Mu Yangling asked them, ¡°Then are you still taking a share of the corn?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s useless even if we take it. We¡¯ll just take some when we feel like eating it. The rest is all yours,¡± Fan Zijin said decisively.


    Mu Yangling stood up and patted her butt. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back now.¡±


    Seeing that no one was listening to him, Qi Haoran was angered to death. Just as he was about to re up, he thought of Mu Shi and immediately snorted. He thought to himself, ¡®When ites time to take credit, Mu Shi will have to be involved anyway. I¡¯ll just push Mu Shi out then. The credit for Mu Yangling¡¯s farming should go to her father, right?¡¯


    At the thought of this, Qi Haoran immediately became smug. He looked at the two of them and thought to himself, ¡®Just you wait. I¡¯ll surprise you.¡¯


    No one knew where Yanmo and Fei Bai had gone, but they were still nowhere to be seen. Qi Haoran shouted at the cornfield, ¡°Are you nning to spend the New Year inside? Come out quickly!¡±


    Yanmo and Fei Bai answered vaguely from inside. After a long time, they ran out with their heads full of grass and each carried a bag of corn.


    Mu Yangling looked at the two bags of corn and red at them. ¡°Can you finish eating so much? The corn is still tender. Furthermore, you can¡¯t keep it after peeling off the skin. If it goes badter, I¡¯ll stuff it into your mouths. It¡¯s a virtue to love grains and not waste them, understand?¡±


    Yanmo nodded and bowed. ¡°Miss Mu, I wanted to help you conserve the corn, but I thought of giving some to our eldest young master to try, so I specially picked more.¡±


    Only then did Mu Yangling feel better. ¡°Since it¡¯s for the general, you have to choose carefully. I¡¯ll choose some good ones for youter. Don¡¯t peel them off so that they canst for three to four days even when the weather is hot.¡±


    When the group returned to the Mu Residence, Great-aunt was standing at the door and watching. When she saw Mu Yangling, she got angry. Before she could see who was standing beside her, she scolded, ¡°Seriously, weren¡¯t you just fetching water? Why did it take you so long? Gosh, I thought something had happened to you.¡±


    ¡°Great-aunt, look who¡¯s here.¡± Mu Yangling gestured for her to look at Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin. ¡°I¡¯de back long ago. 1 thought that our corn should be edible by now, so 1 brought Little General and the others to pick them.¡± When Great-aunt saw Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin, she weed them warmly and hurriedly asked them to go in. She took the corn from Yanmo and the rest and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go prepare this. Hurry up and sit down. I¡¯ll get Xiuhong to pour tea for you.¡± When she reached the door, she realized that she hadn¡¯t eaten corn before and didn¡¯t know how to prepare it. So, she came back and pulled Mu Yangling. ¡°Ah Ling, go prepare it. I¡¯ll pour tea for Little General and the rest.¡±


    Mu Yangling sent the things to the kitchen and ced the corn in the big pot after washing them in the water. Shu Wanniang watched curiously from the side. Seeing that she had merely poured some salt into the pot before lifting the pot, she hurriedly asked, ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Yeah, what else do you want? Considering salt is so expensive, I¡¯ve already put in so much of it. That should be enough to add vor to the corn. Alright, let¡¯s start the fire.¡±


    Shu Wanniang said hesitantly, ¡°I remember that there are several dishes made of corn in the books. There¡¯s one called ¡®Bountiful Gold-Jade¡¯ and another one called ¡®Abundant Prosperity¡¯. What¡¯s this one called?¡±


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes and said, ¡°This is called corn boiled in salt water. I don¡¯t dare to say anything else, but Emperor Shizong must have eaten this dish before.¡±


    Shu Wanniang smacked her daughter¡¯s head and said, ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense again. When Emperor Shizong said the names of these dishes, corn had yet to be discovered.¡±


    ¡°Then how do you think Emperor Shizong knew about corn and the names of the dishes made of corn? He must have eaten it before. Perhaps he ate it in his dream.¡±


    Not at all believing her daughter¡¯s words, Shu Wanniang stood up and picked up the remaining corn beside her to ponder. ¡°This corn does look good. I¡¯ll see if I can make a few dishes out of itter.¡±


    ¡°Considering this is yellow corn, it probably doesn¡¯t taste good. You have to use glutinous corn and sweet corn for something vorful. But no matter what it tastes like, I don¡¯t like all corn.¡±


    ¡°Why? It smells quite fragrant to me.¡±


    Mu Yangling made up a story. ¡°When I was learning how to grow corn from Bodhisattva Guan Yin, I was forced to eat a lot of corn. 1 ate it every day and every year. I ate so much that I felt like vomiting whenever I saw corn, so I have no desire to eat it anymore..¡±</font>

 Chapter 199 - 199: A Man’s Dignity

    Chapter 199 - 199: A Man¡¯s Dignity


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran, who had heard thetter half of what she said, burst outughing. Blushing slightly, Shu Wanniang felt that her daughter had embarrassed herself in front of the Little General. She pushed her out and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take care of things in the kitchen. Hurry up and leave.¡±


    Qi Haoran pulled Mu Yangling out and said with a smile, ¡°Anyway, since your mother is still cooking, practice a few moves with me first. Teach me the moves you used to beat up the thieves at your doorst time.¡±


    ¡°Were you there?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°Zijin and I came to join in the fun. What¡¯s the name of the move you used?¡±


    ¡°Quick Snatching.¡±<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    ¡°It¡¯s even better than the grappling technique I¡¯m using now. Come, let¡¯s spar?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the grass at the back. It¡¯s spacious there.¡± Mu Yangling pulled Qi Haoran to the grass at the back. Seeing that Fan Zijin did not follow them, she whispered to him, ¡°Let¡¯s make an exchange.¡±


    Qi Haoran sat cross-legged on the grass and listened. ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°I also know many moves that are suitable for group training. I¡¯ll teach you all of themter. Most importantly, I have an entire systematic training n that can help you train an outstanding scout team. How about in exchange, you teach me your internal cultivation techniques?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at Mu Yangling in surprise. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that internal energy is useless to you?¡±


    ¡°That was before.¡± Mu Yangling held a stone and crushed it. ¡°Look, that was me exerting just a little force. You¡¯ll have to use 50% of your internal energy to catch up to my strength. When I was young, it took me nearly six years to control my strength so that I wouldn¡¯t easily hurt people or smash things again. However, after exchanging blows with you, I realized that although my strength could keep up, my endurance couldn¡¯t.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°Your endurance is more than twice that of an ordinary man in his prime.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s still far inferior to martial artists like you who have internal energy.¡± Mu Yangling lowered her voice and said, ¡°Although you said that it¡¯s impossible, I still want to try. Perhaps 1 can master qinggong.¡± Mu Yangling held her chin as she said dreamily, ¡°When the timees, perhaps 1 can fly in the sky too.¡±


    Qi Haoran touched her forehead. ¡°Hmm, no fever. If such a qinggong exists, please inform me. I wish to learn it, too. Didn¡¯t I tell you before that qinggong simply means having light footsteps and a graceful figure? There¡¯s also a need for bounce off something when you leap. Have you ever seen anyone fly in the sky? Do you think you¡¯re a bird who can soar into the sky simply by spreading open your arms?¡±


    ¡°Just tell me if you want to trade or not,¡± Mu Yangling asked.


    Qi Haoran asked, ¡°You said you know how to train scouts?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Actually, hunters are all natural scouts. It¡¯s just that no one has organized the techniques into a system like me.¡± Mu Yangling had already found an excuse for this. ¡°I¡¯ve read some military books. If the scouts are well-deployed, it can determine the oue of a battle. Qi Haoran, tell me honestly, did you transfer my father to be a scout? A scout spy who went deep into the enemy¡¯s territory?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at her with a deep gaze. ¡°Your father told you?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°I guessed it.¡± Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t lying. Before Mu Shi told her, she had already guessed most of it right. She said, ¡°My father has been away from the military camp for so long. Other than scouts and messengers, which soldier would leave the camp for so long? With my father¡¯s ability, he won¡¯t lose to anyone even if he¡¯s ced in the 1st or 2nd Division. You wouldn¡¯t waste his talents by making him send letters, right? Coupled with the huge trouble you caused in Hanzhong Prefecturest time, it¡¯s not difficult to guess where my father went.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s expression changed slightly. ¡°It¡¯s so easy to guess?¡± Did that mean that others could easily guess it too?


    Mu Yangling patted his shoulder. ¡°Only the few of us can easily guess it. How many people know my father and are aware that he hasn¡¯t been in the military camp recently? How many people know about what happened to youst time?¡±


    Heaving a sigh of relief, Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Individualbat is crucial for scouts. Can you really train them?¡±


    ¡°How would you know if you don¡¯t try?¡± Mu Yangling leaned into his ear and said, ¡°But you have to hide this from Fan Zijin.¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried that he¡¯ll say that you¡¯re ying around. If he finds out that you handed the scouts to me for training, won¡¯t hee to settle scores with me? You won¡¯t be able to escape the scolding, too.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°No problem. Then it¡¯s a deal.¡±


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s lips curled up slightly. The scouts of ancient times were equivalent to the special forces of modern times. Mu Yangling was not unfamiliar with these trainings, but there were still differences between modern times and ancient times. This was also the reason why Mu Yangling suggested being in charge with Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran would definitely have knowledge in areas which she did not understand. The duo could train an outstanding scout team by taking advantage of their strengths and making up for their weaknesses. At that time, wouldn¡¯t her father be able to return?


    The two of them discussed the arrangements and venue for this matter. When Xiuhong came over to call the two of them back for dinner, she saw them whispering with their heads leaning together.


    Xiuhong was instantly infuriated. In her eyes, it was Little General who was seducing and teasing her cousin. She was so angry that she spun around and picked up a stick to hit Qi Haoran.


    When Qi Haoran heard the sound of the stick swinging, he pushed Mu Yangling away and nimbly rolled to the side. At the same time, he kicked the attacker. Mu Yangling¡¯s sharp eyes saw that it was Xiuhong and she hurriedly stretched out her leg to offset the force of Qi Haoran¡¯s kick. She quickly pulled Xiuhong to the side with her right hand.


    ¡°Xiuhong, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Xiuhong was so angry that her face turned red. ¡°Cousin, Little General is a bully.¡±


    Qi Haoran red at her. ¡°When did I bully you? I haven¡¯t said a word to you since 1 entered the house.¡±


    ¡°You bullied my cousin. Why are you so close to my cousin for no reason? You lecher, you deserve a beating.¡±


    Leaning against the fence leisurely, Fan Zijin said leisurely, ¡°They were whispering secrets. Miss Xiuhong, it¡¯s better not to disturb them. Otherwise, you might lose an arm or a leg.¡±


    Qi Haoran instantly blushed.


    Mu Yangling red at Fan Zijin and said, ¡°Why are you everywhere? Go away. Xiuhong, don¡¯t let your imagination run wild. I¡¯m talking to the Little General about something. He didn¡¯t bully me.¡±


    Xiuhong looked at Qi Haoran suspiciously. Mu Yangling whispered in her ear, ¡°I¡¯m talking to him about something big which concerns my father. Don¡¯t interfere in this matter. You have to hide it from our family and Fan Zijin. Don¡¯t let them know.¡±


    Xiuhong nodded repeatedly and turned around to block Fan Zijin¡¯s gaze. She red at him and said, ¡°Cousin, Aunt is asking you to go back for dinner. Also, that pot of corn should be ready. I¡¯ve tried it and think it¡¯s quite delicious and sweet.¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted and said coldly in Mu Yangling¡¯s ear, ¡°Your cousin is quite protective of you. I wonder if you treat her equally well.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s hand itched. In the end, she couldn¡¯t help but twist Fan Zijin¡¯s ear and say, ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to do this for a long time¡­¡±


    Stunned to see her twisting his ear, Fan Zijin jumped up with a red face and pointed at Mu Yangling for a long time. He was so angry that she could not speak.


    Equally stunned, Qi Haoran jumped up and pushed Mu Yangling away, shouting, ¡°How dare you pull Zijin¡¯s ear!¡±


    When Fan Zijin heard Qi Haoran¡¯s voice, his eyes instantly turned red. Even his parents didn¡¯t dare to pull his ears. Yet today, his ears were actually pulled by a little girl. How humiliating!


    Qi Haoran was also furious. How could a man¡¯s ears be pulled so easily? How would Zijin establish his dominance in front of others in the future?


    Looking around, he realized that there were only the four of them here. He immediately bared his teeth and threatened Mu Yangling and Xiuhong. ¡°If you dare to tell anyone about this, I¡¯ll beat you to death!¡±


    Mu Yangling and Xiuhong looked at each other. ¡°All I did was pull his ears. Does that warrant such a threat?¡±


    Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin red at the two of them. ¡°This concerns a man¡¯s dignity.¡±


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s lips twitched. She tugged at Xiuhong and nodded. ¡°We definitely won¡¯t tell anyone..¡±</font>

 Chapter 200 - 200: Inquiry

    Chapter 200: Inquiry


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Other than Mu Yangling, this was everyone¡¯s first time eating corn. Qi Haoran said pertinently, ¡°It¡¯s quite delicious and doesn¡¯t hurt my throat.¡±


    Fan Zijin asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t that because it¡¯s still tender?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°We can only eat it like this for about ten more days. The corn grows old very quickly. When the timees, we can only harvest it, dry it, peel off the corn kernels, crush it, and cook corn porridge with it.¡± Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°But I think this is more fit for pigs.¡±


    Great-aunt widened her eyes and said, ¡°Whose pig is so blessed to be able to eat corn? No matter how bad corn tastes, it can¡¯t be worse than chaff, right? Every year, when there¡¯s a shortage of crops, it¡¯s not umon to eat chaff for a month.¡±


    Shu Wanniang also nodded. ¡°If this thing can be used as grains to fill one¡¯s stomach, it can indeed save many people. Ah Ling, don¡¯t say anything about feeding this to the pigs lest it causes a misunderstanding should outsiders hear it.¡±


    In the end, Qi Haoran took a basket of corn from Mu Yangling and asked someone to send it to Qi Xiuyuan.


    Qi Haoran originally wanted Big Brother to try it too, but Qi Xiuyuan called him back overnight and even specially asked the messenger to bring Fan Zijin and Mu Yangling along.


    Mu Yangling had just finished watering the wheat and rice fields and was about to sleep, but as soon as shey down, she was pulled up. When she heard that she had to go to the prefectural capital, Mu Yangling immediately rejected that person. ¡°1 have to be at home in the middle of the night. If my house is robbed, I have to be at home to protect the old, weak and young at home.¡±


    Qi Haoran red at her and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to stand guard at the door. Nobody will dare to barge in. Hurry up and get up. Big Brother is waiting in the prefecture capital.¡±


    Mu Yangling could only get up, put on a shirt, and climb onto the horse in a daze.


    Qi Haoran saw that although Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes were half-closed, she didn¡¯t even sway when she walked. Looking at her in a different light, he jumped onto the horse and started galloping away.


    Fan Zijin followed behind him.


    As soon as the horse started running, Mu Yangling woke up. The three of them headed towards the prefectural capital under the protection of a team of guards.


    It only took an hour to ride a horse from Mingshui County to the prefectural capital. Along the way, they used the token Qi Xiuyuan gave Qi Haoran to get the guards to open the city gate.


    Qi Xiuyuan was sitting in the study waiting for them. There were even dishes on the table.


    After riding for an hour, the three of them were no longer sleepy and now stood in front of Qi Xiuyuan.


    Qi Xiuyuan was chewing on a corn cob in his hand. When he saw them enter, he put down the corn cob in his hand and sized them up carefully. Mu Yangling was only ten years old, and Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran were only 13 years old. Thinking of what these three children had done, Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t help butugh happily. He pped his hands and said, ¡°Not bad, not bad! I underestimated you previously.¡±


    The three children became a little nervous. They stole nces at Qi Xiuyuan shakily and winked at each other from time to time, as if to ask, ¡°Have you done anything bad recently?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan turned around and took out a raw corn from the basket on the table. Then, he turned around and asked them, ¡°Did you make this?¡±


    The three of them looked at each other. In the end, Qi Haoran was the first to nod and acknowledge it. Seeing the smile on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s face, Qi Haoran felt that it was not a bad thing, so he bragged. ¡°Big Brother, Zhuang Dawei brought these seeds over back then. Mu Yangling then nted those seeds. 1 picked these corn out and got someone to send them over for you to try.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ve asked Fei Bai. I heard from him that A Ling¡¯s corn can grow two cobs per stalk. Are all the cobs this big?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely impossible for all of them to be this big, but more or less, I guess.¡± Mu Yangling looked at Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s expression as she said, ¡°Because the corn¡¯s seedling emergence rate is a little low this year, it¡¯s a little sparse. It¡¯s only because the fertilization was done well that the corncobs could be so big.¡±


    ¡°Then will you be able to grow such good corn next year, too?¡±


    ¡°Now that I have experience and time to prepare base fertilizer next year, it should be better than this year¡¯s.¡±


    The corners of Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s lips curled up as he asked, ¡°Then estimate how much your cornfield can produce per acre?¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes were filled with confusion. How could shee up with an estimation when this was her first time farming? She probably only knew how to estimate how big a piece ofnd was.


    On the other hand, Fan Zijin pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Eldest Cousin, I¡¯ve taken a closer look. If nothing unexpected happens, the production per acre should be between 500 to 600 catties.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan instantly clenched the corn in his hand and asked, ¡°What if we nt them on high-gradend?¡±


    Fan Zijin calcted in his heart and said, ¡°That should be about 700 to 800 catties.¡±


    ¡°How many times have you watered the corn during the drought this year?¡± Qi Xiuyuan asked Mu Yangling.


    ¡°Once.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°As corn is a drought-resistant crop, there¡¯s no need to specially water it.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Who knows about your corn farming? Has news of the high yield of corn spread?¡±


    Fan Zijin already had a vague guess in his heart. Only Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling were still confused.


    Shaking her head, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Other than our vige and the Liu family of West Vige, no one knows that mynd is nted with corn because my great-aunt doesn¡¯t have much confidence in that. No one knows that corn will produce high yields. Furthermore, thatnd is in the middle of my family¡¯s fields, near the mountain. Since there¡¯s only my family¡¯snd there, no one else passes by it.¡±


    In ancient times, the poption density was sparse and information didn¡¯t spread easily. Therefore, other than people in her vige and her uncles, no one was aware that she nted corn. Even for Madam Liu¡¯s family, only Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian¡¯s families knew.


    Completely relieved, Qi Xiuyuan said to Mu Yangling, ¡°I want you to keep all the corn harvested this time as seeds. Next year, 50% of all the military fields must be nted with corn, and 40% of the freehold fields must be nted with it.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s expression changed slightly as he asked, ¡°Eldest Cousin, is there a natural disaster?¡±


    Qi Haoran also reacted. ¡°Or is there going to be a war?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan looked outside. After confirming that the guards were guarding outside the study and no one could hear their conversation, he said with a sigh, ¡°The natural disaster has already begun, and the war has also begun. This year, other than the drought in Xingzhou Prefecture, it hasn¡¯t rained in Hong Prefecture for two months. On the other hand, it has been raining intermittently in Jinghu from April until now. It hasn¡¯t been sunny for seven consecutive days. Hong Prefecture and Jinghu are both major grain-producing prefectures. In the past, 40% of the grain shipped to the north came from these two ces.¡±


    The three of them widened their eyes. They only knew that things were hard in Xingzhou Prefecture, but they didn¡¯t expect it to be the same elsewhere.


    Qi Xiuyuan continued, ¡°This year, the Jin Kingdom is worse off than us. After the Jin soldiers upied the Jingzhao Prefecture, they forced themoners to graze cattle in the Hanzhong Prefecture, ruining many fertile fields. The grains they harvested over there was less than 30% of what they harvested in the past. This year, the overpoption of rabbits at the start of spring also ruined more than half of their pasture. 1 heard that a lot of cows and sheep have starved to death. Refugees have been appearing since April. The Jin soldiers are fighting with the West Xia now, but if this situation worsens, in order to obtain more food and resources, they might drag the Great Zhou into it..¡±

 Chapter 201 - 201: Credit

    Chapter 201: Credit


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran swallowed his saliva and recalled the information that Mu Shi had sent back thest time he returned. At that time, he had said that many Han people were looking for a way to escape to Great Zhou.


    This might have been a good thing in the past, but in the face of a natural disaster, it was a terrible situation. If so many refugees fled to Xingzhou Prefecture, what would they use to feed them? If they didn¡¯t have sufficient food for them, wouldn¡¯t Great Zhou be embroiled in this riot?


    The riots of themoners were sometimes even more terrifying than the wars outside. As this thought shed across his mind, Qi Haoran¡¯s heart skipped a beat and he raised his head to look at his big brother.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Qi Xiuyuan turned around and asked when he sensed his brother¡¯s movements.


    Qi Haoran hurriedly shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Big Brother, continue.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan and Fan Zijin nced at Mu Yangling subtly. They knew that Qi Haoran must have thought of something, but he merely didn¡¯t say it out loud because Mu Yangling was around. The two of them did not probe further. Qi Xiuyuan continued, ¡°Now, the army is in charge of their own rations. Although I can ask the Imperial Court for support, the possibility of them distributing grains to us is zero. Therefore, before the chaos begins, I hope that the camp can stock up on more grains.¡± Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°Not only grains, but also forage. All the wheatgrass and straw harvested this year must be dried and stored. Every family has to hand over a certain amount. We¡¯ll discuss thister.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan turned to look at Mu Yangling with a smile. ¡°So you have to keep the harvested corn as seeds. But don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t take your things for nothing. I¡¯ll buy it at a high price. How about that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all up to you, General, but there¡¯s no need to pay a high price. These seeds were paid for by Little General back then.¡±


    Smiling, Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°That wasn¡¯t much money. Now, I¡¯m asking for more than 20 acres of seeds from you. This is a big deal. If you have any other thoughts, tell me. As long as it¡¯s possible, I¡¯ll help you do it.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment before saying solemnly, ¡°General, you said that the future might be chaotic, but in fact, only ordinary people will suffer and starve. Although corn isn¡¯t delicious, it can at least save lives. I want to spread this nting method so that everyone can grow more corn. Even if there are droughts and floods, and the rice and wheat crops fail, at least this can temporarily save their lives.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan reached out and stroked her hair. Smiling, he praised, ¡°I¡¯m heartened to see that you care about the world, All Ling. I have no objections to this, but there are very few corn seeds left in this world. As far as I know, other than some in Four Tray Vige, the batch you have is thergest.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, the seeds of Four Tray Vige are not good.¡± Fan Zijin interrupted. ¡°When Zhuang Dawei was still here, I learned from him that Four Tray Vige is surrounded by mountains, so there are very few farnds and simrly few corn nted. In addition, the harvest is not good, so all of them added up might not be as much as yours.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded. ¡°Even if we pay to round up the seeds of Four Tray Vige, it might not be enough for the military households of our army to nt, let alone spread them.¡±


    Seeing Mu Yangling lower her head in silence, Qi Xiuyuan smiled and said, ¡°However, we can make some preparations in advance. Disasters take time to arrive and there¡¯s still some grains in the treasury. In addition, considering the autumn harvest ising soon, we should be able to survive this year. There won¡¯t be any problems in the first half of next year, too. Times will start to get difficult in the second half of next year. By then, our second batch of corn will be ripe. Not only can we save a portion for food, but we can also choose arge number of seeds. Before that, we can release the news that corn is high-yielding.¡±


    Fan Zijin said confidently, ¡°Eldest Cousin, why don¡¯t you let me handle this?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan shook his head. ¡°1 don¡¯t need you at all. When Ah Ling harvests the corn and obtains the data, I¡¯ll write a letter to ask for credit for Ah Ling. When the Imperial Court rewards her, the entire Great Zhou will know. Why would 1 need you?¡±


    Stunned, Mu Yangling pointed at her nose and said, ¡°Ask for credit for me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Smiling, Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°You were the one who nted the corn. If 1 don¡¯t ask for credit for you, who should 1 ask for credit for? In the past hundred years, ever since the fleet returned, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works have found many farmers to nt corn, but they haven¡¯t been able to nt it well. The highest yield was only 56 catties per acre. The number of seeds scattered was already more than this. Now that you¡¯ve found the right method, shouldn¡¯t you be rewarded?¡±


    Mu Yangling opened her mouth and looked at Fan Zijin. Thetter muttered softly, ¡°The seeds were clearly bought by Haoran.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan red at his cousin and said to Mu Yangling, ¡°There won¡¯t be any actual rewards for the Imperial Court¡¯smendation, but the reputation will be beneficial to you. When the timees, I¡¯ll submit two names. Your father is a soldier, so this reputation is useless for him. Therefore, 1 want to submit your and your brother, Mu Bowen¡¯s names. With the imperial decree ofmendation by the Imperial Court, your parents won¡¯t have to worry about your marriage in the future. As for your brother who is weak, with this, it¡¯ll be easier for him to be a civil servant in the future.¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips and smiled. He winked at Mu Yangling and nudged Fan Zijin before getting up happily.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t expect Qi Xiuyuan to even consider this. After a moment of silence, she said, ¡°General, actually, I can¡¯t take all the credit for this. This is actually something that belongs to the ancestors. I¡¯m just relying on something that others don¡¯t have to produce such a yield, but when ites to farming, I¡¯m as good as anyone. I¡¯ve only nted corn for a season, but the vigers of Four Tray Vige have nted it for nearly a hundred years and studied it for as long. Previously, it was because they were stuck in a dead end, but once they ovee that, they¡¯ll only do better than me. If you really want to write a letter to ask for credit, why don¡¯t youmend Four Tray Vige to the higher-ups?¡± Mu Yangling felt that it was a victory in a sense that a vige managed to persist in studying a crop for a hundred years. Regardless of whether they seeded or not, the fact that they couldst for so long was worthy ofmendation. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you something else. Corn can withstand drought and cold. In our Xingzhou Prefecture, we should be able to nt it a second time this year. I¡¯m just afraid that the cold wave wille too early and the tender corn won¡¯t age. However, I think the vigers of Four Tray Vige might have a way to counter that. If you wish to obtain arge number of seeds in a short period of time, you have to count on them.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran looked at each other. Qi Haoran said, ¡°You want us to take over everyone in Four Tray Vige?¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Four Tray Vige has always been isted from the world. Although it¡¯s in the territory of the Jin Kingdom now, it hasn¡¯t been disturbed. There is a road connecting them to Mingshui County, and there are only about 50 families in the entire vige. It¡¯s not difficult to move everyone out. Previously, when Zhuang Dawei helped me nt corn, he mentioned many things to take note of. Some of them were about dealing with the insects and weeds, but in fact, my attention was mostly on the wheat and rice fields. I really haven¡¯t taken much care of these corn. If you want to ask me how to nt corn, I know roughly, but if you want to ask how to get rid of insects and prevent pests, I don¡¯t have a deep understanding of that. If you want to nt these things on arge scale, these are necessary knowledge.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan knocked on the table and said, ¡°There¡¯s really no one more familiar with corn than the vigers of Four Tray Vige who have been nting it for nearly a hundred years..¡± Qi Xiuyuan looked at Mu Yangling and asked, ¡°Doesn¡¯t it pain your heart to give away such a huge contribution?¡±

 Chapter 202 - 202: Beaten Up

    Chapter 202: Beaten Up


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°General, 1 didn¡¯t deserve this in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Xiuyuan agreed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get someone to look for the people from Four Tray Vige tomorrow and try to settle them down here. Once your corn ripens and the harvest is weighed, we can start to work on that.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan patted Mu Yangling¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°It¡¯ste. Go and rest first. 1¡¯11 get someone to send you back tomorrow.¡±


    After Mu Yangling bade farewell, Steward Zhu brought her away to rest.


    After Mu Yangling left, Qi Xiuyuan looked at Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran with a cold expression. ¡°Whose idea was it to give the credit to Haoran?¡±


    Qi Haoran took a step forward. ¡°Mine!¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan kicked him away and shouted coldly, ¡°Shut up! What aspirations! Fighting to im credit for such a glorious matter, huh?¡±


    Fan Zijin knelt in front of Qi Xiuyuan and said, ¡°Eldest Cousin, this was my idea. I felt it¡¯s good for Haoran¡­¡±


    ¡°Good? In what way? Haoran can¡¯t even differentiate between the various grains. How can he farm?¡±


    Qi Haoran held his stomach and got up to kneel beside Fan Zijin. Qi Xiuyuan looked at them majestically and circled around them twice. In a lowered voice, he scolded, ¡°If you continue to take the me for each other like this in the future, I¡¯ll throw both of you into Jialing Lake.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan stopped in front of Fan Zijin and couldn¡¯t help but pick up the book on the table and p him. He scolded, ¡°What aspirations! You actually tried to snatch the credit from a woman? Did you hear what 1 said to youst time? You¡¯re smart and scheming, but there are many people in this world who are smarter and more scheming than you. 1 wanted you to be aboveboard, but you keep plotting these devious schemes. How can Haoran not be stupid when he¡¯s with you all the time?¡±


    After scolding Fan Zijin, Qi Xiuyuan went to kick Qi Haoran¡¯s butt. In the end, his anger was still not appeased. He punched his back with the book in his hand and said, ¡°You too. Whatever Zijin says, you just do it without questioning. Don¡¯t you have any brains? Don¡¯t you have an idea of what you can and cannot do? Huh?¡±


    Qi Haoran said aggrievedly, ¡°1 didn¡¯t say 1 wanted it. ording to my n, this matter has to go through me anyway. When the timees, I¡¯ll just write Mu Shi¡¯s name¡­¡±


    ¡°Still arguing?¡± Qi Xiuyuan kicked his butt and knocked him down. ¡°Since you know that Zijin was in the wrong, why didn¡¯t you teach him? You only know how to spoil him. Let¡¯s see what will be of him due to all that condoning.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan scolded Fan Zijin, ¡°Fan Zijin, remember this. My younger brothers are aboveboard even when scheming. In the future, if you use such methods again, I¡¯ll beat you to death first so that you won¡¯t embarrass me when you enter the court! Don¡¯t write to your parents for the next two years. If your parents write to you, I¡¯ll ept the letters on your behalf. You can pack your things and immediately move back to the prefectural capital tomorrow. Don¡¯t study anymore. Just follow Rong Ze and serve tea.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at his eldest cousin in shock.


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at him with a dark expression as he said, ¡°Rong Ze is a magnanimous person. 1 hope you can learn a thing or two from him. After the corn is harvested, immediately take the data to the Shen family in Jiangling. Third Master Shen probably won¡¯t see you himself. He¡¯ll probably let the fifth daughter of the Shen family be in charge. Zijin, remember, whether you continue to stay in the prefectural capital or be sent to Xiangyang by me will depend on your ability.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes turned red. ¡°Eldest Cousin, why are you sending me to Xiangyang?¡±


    ¡°Uncle¡¯s family is there. I¡¯ll send you there to train. If 1 don¡¯t separate you two brats, you two won¡¯t know how to conduct yourselves!¡±


    Qi Haoran was also unwilling. ¡°Big Brother, how can you send Zijin away? We¡¯ve been together since we were born.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan pped him. ¡°If I don¡¯t send him away, the two of you will never grow up and never know the severity of matters. If I had known that you guys would act like this, 1 wouldn¡¯t have let the two of you hang out back then no matter what.¡±


    Furious to see their dispirited expressions, Qi Xiuyuan kicked each of them and said, ¡°Kneel down. Only get up when you figure things out. If you can¡¯t figure it out, I¡¯ll send both of you back to Lin¡¯an. You can do whatever you want out of my sight.¡±


    After he was done lecturing them, he mmed the door and left, leaving Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin speechless.


    Ever since the two of them learned how to crawl, they had been hanging out together. Qi Haoran had a small courtyard in the Fan Residence, and Fan Zijin also had an exclusive room in the Qi Residence. It could be said that neither of them had ever left each other.


    The longest time they did not meet was when Qi Haoran sneaked into nzhong Prefecture with his men. However, at least they were staying together and were not separated from each other.


    Now, this pair of brothers that were as close as twins might bepletely separated from each other. Even adults wouldn¡¯t be able to stand it, let alone the two children. The duo was extremely sad.


    In the end, Fan Zijin gritted his teeth and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll learn from Brother Rong Ze. When I go to Jiangling, I¡¯ll definitely be able to handle the Shen family. When that happens, I¡¯ll be able to stay in the prefectural capital.¡±


    Qi Haoran wiped his tears and asked, ¡°Why did Big Brother ask you to go to Jiangling to look for the Shen family? Isn¡¯t the Shen family General Yuan¡¯s inws? How are you going to handle them? Could it be that Big Brother also wants you to marry a girl from the Shen family?¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s sadness instantly dissipated. Gritting his teeth, he looked at Qi Haoran and asked, ¡°How much did you hear from Eldest Cousin?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked up at him nkly and said, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be difficult to marry a girl from the Shen family, right? Why don¡¯t 1 find out for you what the girls from the Shen family like? You can cater to their preferences. If all else fails, we¡¯ll kidnap the bride.¡±


    Fan Zijin stood up and patted his knee. ¡°Eldest Cousin asked me to bring the corn data to the Shen family to discuss the corn business with them. What does it have to do with the Shen family¡¯s girls? Can you use your brains?¡±


    Qi Haoran also got up and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t we have insufficient corn seeds? Why do we still have to do business with the Shen family?¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted coldly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, Eldest Cousin has a ¡®good¡¯ superior above him. If we don¡¯t look for them, do you think Cousin can keep this thing?¡± Since even Qi Xiuyuan needed external help to keep this, how could Mu Yangling keep it by herself? She might even lose her life.


    It was precisely because of this that Fan Zijin had wanted to snatch the credit. Anyway, even if the credit wasn¡¯t given to Haoran, it would go to someone else. In any case, it wouldn¡¯t go to the Mu family.


    Who knew that Eldest Cousin would put in so much effort to help Mu Yangling? Yet, she was unappreciative and offered to let Four Tray Vige take the credit.


    Fan Zijin touched his aching back and thought to himself that only Haoran and Mu Yangling knew what he had said today. Fei Bai and Yanmo had both gone to the cornfield, and the guards they brought with them were standing far away. Then who exactly told Eldest Cousin about the snatching credit thing?


    Since Mu Yangling had been with them the entire time, it couldn¡¯t be her. Could it be Fei Bai and Yanmo? It was also possible that the guards had heard a few words¡­


    Fan Zijin was investigating the traitor when Qi Haoran touched his chest and started hissing. Fan Zijin hurriedly went forward to open his clothes to take a look. When he saw the bruise on his chest, his eyes widened.. ¡°Why did Eldest Cousin use so much strength?¡±

 Chapter 203 - 203: Rush

    Chapter 203: Rush


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Xiuyuan pushed open his door angrily and was shocked by Rong Ze. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡±


    Rong Ze put down the book in his hand and said, ¡°How can 1 sleep without concrete news? How is it? How¡¯s the estimated production of corn?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Qi Xiuyuan exined the general situation and said, ¡°If we¡¯re really sure that we can nt a second season, there will be a lot of seeds next year. I¡¯m not sure about anything else, but at least the rations of the people and troops north of the Yangtze River shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Only then did Rong Ze heave a sigh of relief. With a smile, he said, ¡°That¡¯s good. Otherwise, we¡¯ll have to humbly beg for grains again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of that. I¡¯m just afraid that even begging won¡¯t help. For the sake of the soldiers under me, I¡¯d have no choice but to do some outrageous things¡­¡± Qi Xiuyuanughed self-deprecatingly. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ll get Zijin to follow you for this period of time. Order him around as much as you can. Get rid of the conceit in his bones first. I¡¯ll send him to the Shen family in Jianglingter.¡±


    Rong Ze raised his eyebrows. ¡°Actually, Zijin is very smart.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not the only smart person in this world. What¡¯s the use of being smart if he doesn¡¯t know how to conduct himself? His father isn¡¯t a good person, and my aunt is focused on him. It¡¯s inevitable that she¡¯ll neglect Zijin. He and Haoran fooled around in Lin¡¯an Prefecture and he has grown to be so scheming. Now that he¡¯s under my charge, he has to change his ways.¡±


    ¡°In this world, if you don¡¯t scheme against others, you¡¯ll be schemed against.¡±


    ¡°Still, there are things that you can and cannot do. Even thieves have a moral code. This kid, on the other hand, does all sorts of things. If we don¡¯t correct him while he¡¯s young and before he makes a big mistake, he might cause serious trouble in the future.¡± Qi Xiuyuan originally wanted to say that since he could make use of anyone to scheme for benefits at such a young age, he would probably wreck havoc when he grew up. However, it urred to him that this was a sensitive topic, so he changed his words at thest minute.


    ¡°Shen San was simr to him when he was young. Perhaps it will do him good to spend some time with Shen San,¡± Rong Ze suggested.


    ¡°No way.¡± Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that he¡¯ll be worse. Is Shen San doing well now? You¡¯re just deceived by his facade. He looks bright and open on the surface, but who knows what he¡¯s doing behind everyone¡¯s backs. It¡¯s the fifth daughter of the Shen family that I want Zijin to seek. She¡¯s a forthright and generous girl with the meticulousness of a woman. Let him discuss business with her for a while.¡±


    Thinking of his two younger brothers¡¯ different personalities, Qi Xiuyuan had a headache. ¡°Zijin is too smart, and Haoran is too stupid. If the two of them neutralize each other, 1 won¡¯t have to worry so much.¡±


    Rong Ze burst outughing and said, ¡°You should be content. 1 think they¡¯re both not bad. It¡¯s just that your expectations are too high. Haoran isn¡¯t stupid. He¡¯s just a little slow in reacting, but he¡¯s upright and has a mind of his own. Most importantly, he only likes to train his troops and practice formations. As long as a person is focused on one thing, there¡¯s nothing he can¡¯t achieve. If 1 had two younger brothers who were so easy to deal with, I would wake upughing.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan thought of Rong Ze¡¯s brothers and felt that he was right.


    In the end, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin did not dare to leave the study. They could only sit on the ground and wait for dawn. When they heard footsteps, Fan Zijin pushed Qi Haoran and hurriedly knelt down.


    However, Qi Haoran fell to the ground and continued to sleep. Fan Zijin eximed and reached out to pinch his face. He said in a low voice, ¡°Get up quickly! Eldest Cousin is here.¡±


    Qi Haoran woke up quickly and hurriedly got up to kneel down. Fan Zijin tugged at him. ¡°You¡¯re kneeling in the wrong direction. Kneel inwards!¡±


    The two of them had just knelt down properly when Qi Xiuyuan brought Mu Yangling in.


    Last night, Mu Yangling had a good night¡¯s sleep. After waking up, she sat cross-legged on the bed and practiced her internal strength without any progress. Then, she got up to eat breakfast.


    She was surprised to see that only she and Qi Xiuyuan were at the dining table. Qi Xiuyuan smiled and said, ¡°They¡¯re in the study. I¡¯ll bring you there after we¡¯re done eating. You guys can go back togetherter.¡±


    Mu Yangling stopped asking, but she also wondered if they had any homework to do. Unexpectedly, the moment she pushed open the door, she saw the two of them kneeling side by side with their backs facing them.


    Mu Yangling looked at the candles that had burned to the roots on both sides and was secretly speechless. ¡°Could they have been kneeling sincest night? How pitiful!¡± She immediately lowered her head and pretended not to exist.


    Qi Xiuyuan walked around them and sat behind the desk, before saying to the two of them, ¡°Go back now. Zijin, move back today.¡±


    Fan Zijin said in a low voice, ¡°Eldest Cousin, I still have something to do in the 5th Division¡­¡± Fan Zijin did not dare to continue speaking under Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s cold gaze.


    Qi Xiuyuan said coldly, ¡°Even if you have a mission assigned by the Jade Emperor in the 5th Division, you have to leave it aside. If you can¡¯t follow your Brother Rong Ze and perform to my satisfaction, then you don¡¯t have to go to Jiangling either. I¡¯ll send you straight to Uncle¡¯s ce. Zijin, you know that 1 keep my word. Uncle isn¡¯t as amodating as me. If you return, you and Haoran can forget about meeting again in five to six years.¡±


    Fan Zijin was discouraged. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go back and pack my things now.¡±


    ¡°Get lost. 1 get angry when 1 see you.¡±


    Qi Haoran hurriedly got up and pulled Fan Zijin up. ¡°Big Brother, we haven¡¯t had breakfast yet.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask the kitchen to cook for you. Go out and eat.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s mouth was wide open. Just as he was about to say something, Mu Yangling stepped forward and covered his mouth. Together with Fan Zijin, they carried him out.


    After breaking free from them, Qi Haoran said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let me speak? He didn¡¯t even let me eat breakfast. Am 1 still his younger brother?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just breakfast? Why would you upset the general over a few copper coins? You were beaten upst night, right?¡± Mu Yangling patted his chest with the back of her hand as she spoke. Qi Haoran responded with ¡°Ouch!¡±.


    Mu Yangling was so startled that she retracted her hand. ¡°Did he beat you up for real?¡±


    Fan Zijin red at Mu Yangling. ¡°You happened to hit his wound.¡±


    Mu Yangling carefully looked at his expression and asked, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he hit the back? Why did he hit your chest?¡± Mu Yangling pulled open his shirt and saw that it was bruised. She could even vaguely see a footprint.


    Mu Yangling quickly fixed his clothes and said, ¡°You have to rub it with medicinal wine. Otherwise, it¡¯ll umte blood.¡±


    Steward Zhu came over and said impartially, ¡°Fourth Young Master, Young Master Zijin, Miss Mu, the horses have been prepared for you.¡±


    Fan Zijin red and shouted, ¡°Dog ve, can¡¯t you see that your master is injured? Hurry up and bring the medicinal wine over!¡±


    Steward Zhu said awkwardly, ¡°Well, Young Master Zijin, Eldest Young Master doesn¡¯t want us to give you anything. He even said that Fourth Young Master will lose all his monthly allowance for the next three months.¡±


    This was truly shocking to Qi Haoran. He widened his eyes and looked at Steward Zhu.


    Fan Zijin was about to re up at him when Mu Yangling kicked him, almost knocking him over. ¡°Alright, we should attend to Qi Haoran¡¯s injuries first. I have medicinal wine at home.¡± She pulled Qi Haoran away.


    Fan Zijin could only re fiercely at Steward Zhu.


    ¡°Will your medicinal wine be good? I still have some money on me. I¡¯ll go to the pharmacy to buy a bottle.¡± Fan Zijin caught up with Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling snorted and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look down on my family¡¯s medicinal wine. The ones sold in the pharmacy aren¡¯t even one-tenth as ours. Ours was brewed with tiger bones. It¡¯s good stuff left behind by my great-grandfather. When they fled back then, other than silver, it was the second thing my father carried out..¡±

 Chapter 204 - 204: Exhortation

    Chapter 204: Exhortation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling¡¯s medicinal wine was indeed superb. Not only was it effective, but it was also painful.


    Mu Yangling poured some medicinal wine into her palm and rubbed it against her palms before applying it on Qi Haoran¡¯s body. With a little force, the medicinal wine seeped into Qi Haoran¡¯s chest, bringing with it waves of pain. Even though Qi Haoran prided himself on being a man who was not afraid of pain, he could not help but bite his fist in a bid not to make a sound.


    Seeing the cold sweat on Qi Haoran¡¯s forehead, Fan Zijin couldn¡¯t help but ask anxiously, ¡°Will your medicinal wine work?¡±


    Mu Yangling said as she exerted force, ¡°It won¡¯t hurt after the clotted blood dissipates. Ask Qi Haoran if it¡¯s useful.¡±


    Although Qi Haoran was sweating from the pain, he still took the time to nod at Fan Zijin.


    After Mu Yangling finished rubbing, Qi Haoran felt like he had been pulled out of the water. Fei Bai quickly went into the kitchen to get hot water to help him wipe his body.


    Seeing her daughtere out of the house, Shu Wanniang hurriedly asked with concern, ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to the General¡¯s Mansion? Why did Little Generale back with injuries all over his body? Who did this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the general, Mother. Don¡¯t ask anymore. The general was teaching him.¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted and turned to leave. Mu Yangling gave Shu Wanniang a reassuring look before following him.


    Fan Zijin stood on the grass unhappily and stared at the wheat field not far away in a daze.


    Mu Yangling walked to his side and asked, ¡°Did the general punish you regarding the credits?¡±


    Fan Zijin sneered. ¡°Your guess is quite urate.¡±


    Mu Yangling sat down on the grass and said leisurely, ¡°It¡¯s not difficult to guess. Tell me, how did the general punish you?¡±


    ¡°He punished me by making me leave the 5th Division for a period of time. Happy to hear that?¡±


    ¡°Whether you leave or not has no direct conflict of interest with me. Why should 1 be happy? Fan Zijin, has anyone ever said that you¡¯re a problematic youth?¡±


    Fan Zijin turned around and red at Mu Yangling. However, Mu Yangling patted the grass beside her and said, ¡°Sit down. It¡¯s not tiring for you to stand, but it¡¯s tiring for me to raise my head and talk.¡±


    Fan Zijin stood there for a while before sitting down some distance away from Mu Yangling.


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth twitched as she continued, ¡°Apart from Qi Haoran and Qi Xiuyuan, you rarely have anyone else in your heart. Fan Zijin, to put it nicely, you¡¯recking in emotions and character. To put it bluntly, you¡¯recking in grace.¡±


    Fan Zijin said coldly, ¡°What does it have to do with you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Mu Yangling patted the grass in agreement and said, ¡°It¡¯s precisely because of this that I¡¯m giving in to you in every way. People say that it¡¯s better to offend a gentleman than to offend a petty person, especially a petty person who will seek revenge for the smallest grievance.¡±


    Fan Zijin nced at her and said, ¡°By saying these words in front of me, aren¡¯t you afraid that 1¡¯11 torture you to death?¡±


    ¡°But 1 kind of treat you as a friend now.¡± Ignoring Fan Zijin¡¯s cracked expression, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Qi Haoran treats me as a friend, and you¡¯re his brother. We¡¯vee to know each other in the past year. I consider you to be my friend. If a friend is about to make a mistake, it¡¯s my responsibility to remind him. Fan Zijin, Qi Haoran might not be willing to ept what you think is good for him. What you think is good for him might not necessarily be good for him either. If you continue to be so domineering, no matter how good your brotherly rtionship is, it will be worn down one day.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked straight ahead with a dark expression.


    Mu Yangling turned to look at him and said, ¡°Fan Zijin, you have to remember that you¡¯re an independent person. You have to live for yourself first. Qi Haoran also has his own life.¡±


    Seeing that he was silent, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know how much had gone into his head. She could only pat her butt and get up, letting him sit on the grass and think.


    The carefree Qi Haoran had already fallen asleep.


    It was only when the sun began to set in the west and Yanmo was so anxious that he was about to fray the floor of the Mu Residence that Fan Zijin slowly returned.


    Yanmo hurriedly ran over and said, ¡°Master, let¡¯s hurry up and get on the horse. I¡¯ve already packed everything and asked someone to send it back to the prefectural capital. You¡¯re the only one left now. If Young Master Xiuyuan doesn¡¯t see you when hees back tonight, he¡¯ll definitely get angry.¡±


    Fan Zijin pushed him away and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Fourth Young Master?¡±


    Yanmo wiped the sweat off his forehead and said, ¡°Fourth Young Master is in the room and was about to get up to send you off when Fei Bai pressed him against the brick bed.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, Fei Bai¡¯s moans came from the room. Then, the door opened with a bang and Qi Haoran came out.


    Fan Zijin suddenly smiled and said happily, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Send me to the horse.¡±


    Qi Haoran lowered his head and sent Fan Zijin out. No longer as gloomy as before, Fan Zijin patted Qi Haoran¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Alright, wait for me toe back. You have to apply the medicinal wine a few more times. I¡¯ve ced the silver in your room for you. Go take it yourself. Use the money sparingly. Before Butler Chenes back, 1 don¡¯t have any more silver to give you.¡±


    Fan Zijin nced at the Mu Residence behind him and smiled. ¡°If you¡¯re hungry,e to the Mu Residence to find food. Auntie Mu will wee you very much.¡±


    ¡°1 know. Be careful on the way. If my big brother punishes you, get Yanmo to send me a letter. 1¡¯11 go back and save you.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded with a smile.


    Qi Haoran was in low spirits and wasn¡¯t in the mood to stay in the Mu family. So, he let Fei Bai pack his things and returned to the camp.


    Mu Yangling packed some medicinal wine for him and handed it to Fei Bai. ¡°Give it to the military doctor and ask him to rub it for him before he sleeps at night. In less than five days, the wound on his chest will recover.¡±


    Fei Bai took the reminders to heart.


    Because Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran valued corn very much, Mu Yangling had no choice but to spend half of her attention on the cornfield and record the situation of the corn every ten days.


    Just as the corn was about to be harvested, a heavy rain fell from the sky. This made Mu Yangling tense up, afraid that the corn would be blown down and germinate in the ground. However, this rain came and went quickly, stopping in less than 35 minutes.


    Great-aunt couldn¡¯t stop sighing when she smelled the soil in the air. ¡°There truly is a drought this year. Finally rain arrived, but it ended so quickly. If the sun continues to shine like this, we won¡¯t even have enough water to drink.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°1 only hope that it will rain properly after we harvest the corn. Let¡¯s forget it for now.¡±


    Great-aunt asked, ¡°Is the corn ready for harvest?¡±


    ¡°In a few days, when it¡¯s a little more ripe.¡±


    Great-aunt muttered, ¡°It won¡¯t taste good if it gets any riper.¡± For the past few days, Shu Wanniang had been studying the various ways to prepare corn. She could taste that the more ripe the corn, the less pulp there was in it, and the less sweet it was.


    Mu Yangling naturally knew, but Qi Xiuyuan nned to keep these 28 acres of corn as seeds, so she naturally had to harvest them when they were more ripe. These few days, Mu Yangling had to go to the cornfield to take a look almost every day.


    Great-aunt rejoiced. ¡°Fortunately, it¡¯s staggered from the harvesting time of the wheat and rice. Otherwise, we will be kept so busy by thisrge area when the corn ripens. In my opinion, it¡¯s better to harvest it early. By the time we finish harvesting the corn, the wheat will be almost ready, too.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Great-aunt. When it¡¯s time to harvest the corn, Little General will send someone to help..¡±

 Chapter 205 - 205: Gains

    Chapter 205: Gains


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    On the day of the corn harvest, not only did Qi Haoran bring a group of soldiers, but Qi Xiuyuan and Rong Ze also came personally.


    Fan Zijin was lucky enough toe over to watch the fun.


    Qi Xiuyuan personally broke off a corn cob and weighed it in his palm. With a smile, he said, ¡°It¡¯s quite heavy. After breaking off these corn, send them all to the 5th Division. Zijin, don¡¯t you have a workshop there? Just dry them there. Haoran, make sure the doors stay shut during this period of time so that the news doesn¡¯t leak.¡±


    Agreeing, Qi Haoran kicked the straw under his feet. ¡°Is this thing still useful?¡±


    ¡°It can be used to feed the cows. 1 wonder if the horses will eat it. If not, it can still be used to start a fire.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°But starting a fire doesn¡¯t require so much. If you don¡¯t want it, I¡¯ll use it to nourish thend.¡±


    Qi Haoran asked with interest, ¡°Flow?¡±


    ¡°After cutting it, we¡¯ll leave it in the ground. When it snows heavily in winter, it¡¯ll rot by quite a bit in the ground after an entire winter. When springes, we¡¯ll cover it up with soil. By the time we¡¯re ready to nt the corn, it¡¯ll be about time.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan smiled and said, ¡°You can make the decision on your own. But didn¡¯t you say that corn can be nted for a second season? I¡¯ve asked the vigers of Four Tray Vige. They also said that as long as we seize the time, we should be able to harvest another season before the cold wave. Is your straw still useful?¡±


    ¡°General, this is low-gradend and isn¡¯t fertile enough. After nting for half a year, we have to let it rest for half a year. The second season I¡¯m talking about refers to nting on high-gradend. You have to know that corn seeds are precious now and can¡¯t be wasted. Not counting the other camps, just the high-gradend of our 5th Division alone spans 500 to 600 acres. We merely have enough corn seeds to nt on the high-gradend.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan hadn¡¯t considered this problem. After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know much about this matter, so 1 still have to leave it to you.¡± Qi Xiuyuan turned to Qi Haoran and said, ¡°Haoran, discuss this with All Ling. Since there aren¡¯t enough seeds, nt them in your 5th Division first. Tell the military households that this corn is nted for the military camp. Later, I¡¯ll get your Brother Rong Ze to see how much of next year¡¯s military rations required can be reduced after ounting for the amount of corn handed over.¡±


    Surprised that Qi Xiuyuan would think of such an incentive policy, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    This way, Qi Xiuyuan would not be at a disadvantage. Themoners did not know how to prepare corn, so they might not be able to ept such crops for the time being. However, if by nting corn they could reduce the military rations that they needed to hand over, they would definitely nt them well.


    Meanwhile, the Imperial Astronomer had already predicted that the drought situation in Xingzhou Prefecture would intensify next year and the production of grains would continue to decrease. Under such circumstances, it was still uncertain if they could sessfully collect military grains. Now that they were given such an incentive, it would indeed make everyone pay more attention.


    Qi Haoran quickly understood the crux of the matter and agreed. Turning around, he pulled Mu Yangling back. ¡°Get someone to leave some straws for me. I want some dry and green straws.¡±


    ¡°What do you need it for?¡± Mu Yangling asked curiously.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can feed the horses with it.¡±


    Mu Yangling said in a lowered voice, ¡°Are you willing to let your precious horses eat these things?¡±


    Qi Haoran nced at her and said, ¡°Who said that this is for my horse? Can¡¯t I give it to someone else?¡±


    Those who could afford to raise horses could not afford to feed them?


    However, Qi Haoran had no intention of exining further. He quickened his pace and caught up with Big Brother.


    Qi Xiuyuan asked, ¡°Can you finish peeling them today?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Qi Haoran said confidently, ¡°They¡¯re all proficient now and we have more than enough manpower. They should be able to settle it in a day.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded. ¡°First weigh them raw. Then weigh them again after they¡¯re dried. Get the data as soon as possible. They should¡¯ve more or less finished harvesting the wheat and rice in Jiangnan and by the twokes by now. I hope this set of data can reach the Imperial Court at the same time as their data.¡±


    Fan Zijin lowered his head and calcted. He figured that Butler Chen should be back soon, right?


    Qi Haoran was the one who helped settle down the vigers in Four Tray Vige, so he also understood the corn situation partially. He said, ¡°If it doesn¡¯t rain and the sky is as clear as today, we should be able to obtain all the data in about seven days.¡±


    This was the advantage of having more people. Qi Haoran could settle the matter with just a few dozen people, while Mu Yangling and the others might have to spend half a month or even longer to harvest the corn and dry it, not to mention peeling corn kernels.


    The soldiers threw the corn on the ox cart and pulled it back to the 5th Division to dry it on the field in front of the workshop. This ce was originally used to dry the rabbit skin, but because the workshop had stopped operating for a period of time, the fishy smell had dissipated.


    When the soldiers transported all 36 carts of the corn back, the citizens of Chenggu Garrison stood in front of their houses to watch themotion. When they saw that the corn was transported to the camp, they muttered in surprise, ¡°Isn¡¯t this from the Mu family? Why are they mobilizing the army?¡±


    ¡°We all belong to the army. Whatever the army wants, they can simply take it.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was worried about this year¡¯s military rations. This year¡¯s harvest was poor to begin with. Fortunately, there was a lot ofnd, so even after handing over the military rations, they would be able to live a good life. At least, it would be a little better than before. However, if the army insisted on collecting rations, as someone mentioned earlier, how could they not hand over the rations when everyone was considered to belong to the army?


    Qi Xiuyuan and the others didn¡¯t know what the military households were worried about. They just went to the ground to look at the corncobs scattered all over the field. Looking at the golden corn, Qi Xiuyuan was in a splendid mood. He asked Mu Yangling, ¡°How long will it take to thresh?¡±


    Mu Yangling scratched her head and said, ¡°We should be able to start threshing after the corn dries a little more.¡±


    Rong Ze said, ¡°You have to be careful. If you damage the corn kernels, it will directly affect the nting of the next season. I think it¡¯s better to invite the people from Four Tray Vige over and let them help dry and thresh. When the timees, Haoran will order 20 to 30 of his men to help out. Considering there are 100 people or so, they should be able to finish the work very quickly.¡±


    Nodding, Qi Xiuyuan said to Haoran, ¡°Didn¡¯t you make the arrangements for the people from Four Tray Vige? Later, invite them over. Then, invite the reputable elders from the various sections and those who are better at farming. Let them work with the people from Four Tray Vige, regardless of gender, lest they have to be taught again when they start nting.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Big Brother. I¡¯ve already arranged everything. Now that the people of Four Tray Vige have also received somend and are enlisted into the army over here, there¡¯s no need to worry about confidentiality and safety.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded to himself. Seeing that it was gettingte, he said to Mu Yangling before he left, ¡°When the data is out, we¡¯ll buy it from you for 20 copper coins a catty. I¡¯ll get someone to send you moneyter.¡±


    ¡°But General, how can corn be sold at such a high price when the millet only costs 18 copper coins a catty?¡±


    Smiling, Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°The corn harvested now will be used as seeds. Of course, it¡¯s worth this price. Just ept it. After this year, the price of grains will grow crazily.¡±


    No matter how crazy it grew, it was difficult for the price of corn to reach 20 copper coins per catty. Mu Yangling could only swallow the words that were about toe out of her mouth when she saw Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s determined expression. She vaguely understood that he was apologizing for what Fan Zijin had done previously.


    ¡°Alright, thank you, General.¡±


    Seeing that she had epted it, Qi Xiuyuan smiled happily..

 Chapter 206 - 206: Yield Per Acre

    Chapter 206 - 206: Yield Per Acre


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling stayed in the military camp to learn about the various characteristics of corn from the vigers of Four Tray Vige.


    She had only seen others nt corn and knew the steps roughly, but she was not as familiar with the details as the vigers of Four Tray Vige. Since Qi Xiuyuan had already decided that the entire military district would mainly farm corn in the future, she naturally had to learn more in depth.


    After the corn was dried, everyone rubbed the corn kernels with their hands. As the sun was strong enough, in less than half a month, Zhuang Dawei announced, ¡°This corn can be used as seeds now. We can store them away and there¡¯s no need to dry them further.¡±


    Qi Haoran brought someone over to weigh them.


    The vigers of Four Tray Vige gathered around and upied the innermost floor. They looked at the weighing scale eagerly. As the numbers were reported one by one, many vigers wiped their tears.<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Only the farmers who had been recruited to learn were still a little confused. They did not understand why the vigers of Four Tray Vige were so emotional about it.


    The ountant used a brush to record the individual weights before adding the numbers up using the abacus. When he was done weighing thest bag of corn, he worked the abacus and obtained the total. At the same time, Mu Yangling also had the total in her heart. There was a total of 16,016 catties, and the yield per acre was 572 catties.


    To modern people, this was a very low yield. But to the people here, it was a record high.


    A few older vigers of Four Tray Vige sat on the ground and wailed, ¡°Ancestor, look, we¡¯ve sessfully nted the corn! It¡¯s high-yielding! The emperor didn¡¯t lie to us, and the county magistrate didn¡¯t lie to us either. We were merely ipetent and used the wrong method!¡±


    Zhuang Dawei also wiped his tears as he said, ¡°Corn is grains. We thought that rice, millet, and so on should be directly nted and the level of moisture maintained. But who knew that corn should be nted like this? I¡¯ve never seen such a big corn cob in my life. The ones nted in the vige were all small with only a dozen or so corn kernels on each one¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran walked to Mu Yangling¡¯s side and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. Only the vigers of Four Tray Vige deserve this merit.¡±


    Mu Yangling wondered if this world would have been different if Emperor Shizong had foreseen this back then and left behind the method of nting corn before he died. Perhaps then the vigers of Four Tray Vige would not have been isted from the world for nearly a hundred years for such a goal.


    Qi Haoran was not as sad as Mu Yangling. He only felt sentimental for a moment before turning around to get someone to report to Qi Xiuyuan.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan had gone to Xingyuan Prefecture, bringing along Rong Ze and Fan Zijin. Only then did Qi Haoran realize that Mrs. Qin¡¯s birthday had arrived.


    Qi Haoran was stunned for a moment before howling, ¡°Big Brother, why didn¡¯t you bring me along?¡±


    Of course, it was because Qi Haoran had work to attend to in the 5th Division, so Qi Xiuyuan simply did not bring him along. Although Qi Haoran was angry that he had been abandoned, he still had to work hard to store all the corn in the warehouse and send troops to guard it day and night.


    He then asked the people of Four Tray Vige toe and take a look at their wheat field and asked, ¡°The wheat is about to be harvested. After harvesting it, we¡¯ll immediately nt corn. Can we really guarantee that we can harvest it before winter?¡± Then, he said, ¡°Now that there¡¯s drought everywhere, the river in our Mingshui County is almost dry. Can the corn withstand such conditions?¡±


    Everyone in Four Tray Vige looked at Zhuang Dawei. Zhuang Dawei¡¯s family was the best at farming in their vige, so they had to consult him about such matters.


    Looking at the golden wheat field, Zhuang Dawei gritted his teeth. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve also realized over the years that corn is different from rice and millet. It¡¯s resistant to drought, so there shouldn¡¯t be a problem since there¡¯s no need for water in the field. However, we¡¯ve got to ensure sufficient base fertilizer and fertilizer.¡±


    Qi Haoran chuckled and said, ¡°I may not have much here, but I do have an abundance of manpower. With so many people here, need you worry there won¡¯t be enough fertilizer?¡±


    Having interacted with Mu Yangling for almost a year, Qi Haoran had long understood that the so-called farm fertilizer was actually night soil.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Qi Haoran promised. ¡°Even if there isn¡¯t enough in the 5th Division, there are still the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Divisions. Surely the feces of 30,000 people will be enough for you?¡±


    Mu Yangling elbowed him and said, ¡°Be more refined with your words.¡±


    Rolling his eyes, Qi Haoran said, ¡°If I speak in a refined manner, can they understand me?¡± Qi Haoran looked around and said, ¡°Alright, since it¡¯s already decided, let¡¯s start harvesting wheat in two days. I¡¯ll give the entire army a break to speed things up. Once the wheat is collected, well immediately nt corn. All the harvest will be submitted to the military camp.¡±


    After saying that, Qi Haoran waved his hand and asked the four battalionmanders to announce the conditions set by Rong Ze. He pulled Mu Yangling aside and said, ¡°Big Brother is taking on too much risk. If the corn harvest this year is good, some families will be able to almost offset all the military rations next year. If there¡¯s no drought next year, will the entire army have to subsist solely on corn porridge?¡±


    Two days ago, Qi Haoran got curious and took out two catties of corn to grind into bits and had it made into porridge. Even though the corn porridge had been cooked for nearly two hours, he still had to chew it for a long time. Eating that once or twice might be fine, but if he had to eat it a few more times, he was afraid that his cheeks would break.


    ¡°What are you afraid of? If the harvest is good, you can sell the corn to buy flour or rice. Otherwise, you can exchange it for rice. Even if two catties of corn are exchanged for one catty of rice, you won¡¯t lose out. Think about it. 600 catties of corn can only offset 100 catties of wheat. It¡¯s equivalent to making them exchange six catties of their corn for one catty of your wheat.¡±


    Qi Haoran exined, ¡°But we were the ones who provided the seeds, fertilizer, and technology. We were also responsible for some manpower. For this season¡¯s wheat, 1 even had to shelve half of my military training ns.¡±


    Mu Yangling patted his shoulder and said, ¡°There¡¯s still plenty of time ahead. The most important thing now is to ensure the rations of the army. Otherwise, the 1st and 2nd Divisions won¡¯t have the strength to go to the battlefield.¡±


    The 1st and 2nd Divisions were the elites of the West Camp. Even if Qi Xiuyuan had to starve himself, he would not mistreat them. Qi Haoran also understood this principle. If they wanted to win a war, they had to feed the soldiers. Otherwise, if they did not even have the strength to hold a knife, how could they protect their country?


    The 5th Division was filled with misceneous people. Under such circumstances, sacrificing the training time of the 5th Division to ensure the supply of rations was undoubtedly a consideration for the overall situation.


    Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran went back together. When they reached the intersection, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but stop in her tracks. She pulled Qi Haoran and said in a low voice, ¡°Qi Haoran, we can¡¯t let news of the corn leak yet. Guard the storeroom carefully for the time being.¡±


    Frowning, Qi Haoran asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Mu Yangling continued to walk forward, but her gaze drifted to the intersection at the side. She said calmly, ¡°There have been too many strangers passing by our Chenggu Garrison these past two days.¡±


    Having not noticed it, Qi Haoran was a little surprised by Mu Yangling¡¯s words. Ever since the corn harvest, he had sent people to stand guard in Chenggu Garrison and also sent a message to the military households not to spread a single word about the corn. Those who stayed behind for the past few days did not report anything unusual.


    Looking around, Qi Haoran realized that there was nothing unusual about the people walking around with the hoes. After all, he was not familiar with the families of his enlisted soldiers, so he was not sure that these were all people from Chenggu Garrison..</font>

 Chapter 207 - 207: Start Harvesting

    Chapter 207 - 207: Start Harvesting


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The two of them walked in silence for a while. This was the path that led to the 5th Division¡¯s camp. Other than the soldiers, almost no one else walked here. Qi Haoran stopped and asked her, ¡°What did you discover?¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Not all the people who passed by just now were vigers of Chenggu Garrison. It¡¯s not so obvious on this path yet. When I went to the county yesterday, 1 realized that two or three strangers had appeared on the road from Chenggu Garrison to the county. Yesterday might have been a coincidence, but I saw them when 1 went to the county again today, so 1 don¡¯t think it¡¯s a coincidence.¡±


    Although the other party had disguised themselves, she had also learned how to disguise herself. She was even a farmer now. Since the wheat was about to be harvested, almost no one went to the wheat field these days. Instead, they were all at home cleaning the venue and repairing scythe, carts, and other things to be used on the day of harvest. For the past two days, Great-aunt did not even enter the city to set up a stall. Every day, at dawn, she would clear out the things in the storeroom to make room to stack the harvested wheat. The grass behind was also padded with wooden nks. Mu Yangling sent the necessary tools like scythes to the county to find someone to repair them.


    Those people on the road were either pushing carts to rest by the roadside or walking around with hoes. The first time Mu Yangling saw them, she was merely puzzled. The second time she saw them, she confirmed her thoughts.


    Looking at the 5th Division¡¯s camp, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Have you built the watchtower at the corner of the city wall?¡±<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Qi Haoran nodded and asked thoughtfully, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s someone from the Great Zhou or the Jin Kingdom? Or West Xia?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°Who cares? Since they¡¯re here, just capture those people.¡±


    However, Qi Haoran lowered his eyes and already had an idea in his heart. If he captured one, ten more woulde. Although he was not afraid, it was too troublesome. He preferred to make them his people and would only kill them should he fail to do so.


    Mu Yangling did not know that Qi Haoran had already thought of such a ferocious way to deal with it. She only reminded him, ¡°Anyway, be careful. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be very difficult for the people to attack from the outside. I¡¯m just afraid that someone from the inside is not on your side. With so much corn piled up in the storeroom, even if one or two bags go missing, you won¡¯t be able to detect it for a while.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s brows twitched as he thought of the two disobedient trainingmissioners. Speaking of which, the two of them had indeed be much quieter recently.


    Qi Haoran smiled and said, ¡°I understand. Go back. With me around, it won¡¯t be easy for them to get the corn out.¡±


    Seeing that he had heeded her words, Mu Yangling went home in relief.


    Together with Shu Wanniang, Xiuhong and Xin, Great-aunt was putting wooden nks on the grass behind the house. Bosi and Kejia were ced on a piece of cloth, and they were crawling on it. Seeing their sister return, they reached out to ask for a hug.


    Mu Yangling kissed them and patted their butts. ¡°Go y by yourself. I¡¯m going to work.¡±


    Mu Yangling entered the house, carried the wooden nks, and ced them on the grass one by one. Great-aunt couldn¡¯t help but massage her waist. ¡°It¡¯s faster with you here. Your mother, your cousins, and I spent the entire morning and only managed to do this much.¡±


    Xiuhong looked at Mu Yangling enviously and said, ¡°Who canpare to Cousin? If I¡¯m half as capable as Cousin, let¡¯s see who still dares to bully me.¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°No one dares to bully you now.¡± Xiuhong was famous in the vige for being hot-tempered. Even adults didn¡¯t offend her easily.


    Snorting, Xiuhong said, ¡°It¡¯s all because of you. When I was in West Mountain Vige, I had the same temper, but even a three-year-old child dared to throw stones at me. This was because there was no one in my family who could back me up. Look at them now, who doesn¡¯t call me Miss Xiuhong when they see me?¡±


    Great-aunt poked her forehead with a finger and scolded jokingly, ¡°Don¡¯t tter yourself. That¡¯s because they respect you. Don¡¯t be arrogant and let others see you as a joke.¡±


    Xiuhong raised her head and said, ¡°Who says I¡¯m arrogant? Grandma, am I someone who doesn¡¯t know the severity of things?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Hurry up and get to work. I¡¯ve been listening to your nonsense all morning. All Ling, your Grandpa Sun has already chosen a date. The day after tomorrow, we¡¯ll start harvesting. Tomorrow, go to the city and buy a chicken and two catties of pork. Since our family has extra money this year, prepare more sacrificial items so that the Earth God will bless us with a bumper harvest next year.¡±


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth twitched. Not daring to object to this feudal superstition, she agreed.


    Since she could reincarnate after death, even if she didn¡¯t believe in all that ghost talk, she was no longer as resistant to such ideas. Since she didn¡¯t believe it, she would revere it. This way, it would be good for her and everyone else.


    This year was not considered a bumper harvest, but the situation in Mingshui County was slightly better than other ces. Firstly, it was because there was a river in Mingshui County, and secondly, it was because of the water in the reservoir that Qi Haoran releasedter on.


    Of course, things were even better for the military households of the 5th Division.


    The Mu family¡¯s wheat farming situation was considered above average in Chenggu Garrison. Great-aunt, who had always been top-notch in farming, was dissatisfied with this, but Mu Yangling felt that it was not bad. After all, considering this was her first time farming, it was already God¡¯s blessing to have such an oue.


    Early in the morning, Mu Yangling ced the entire stewed chicken in a basin and covered it. There was also a piece of cooked pork and two eggs inside. This was a very big sacrificial gift. Although it would be used as an offering to the deity before they could bring it back to eat, they were still the first ones in Chenggu Garrison to prepare such a big offering.


    ording to Great-aunt, if she wasn¡¯t afraid of attracting too much attention, she would have bought a pig¡¯s head.


    After putting the things away, Mu Yangling carried the basin out. Great-aunt followed behind and nced at Bowen. Thinking of what Mu Shi had said before he left, she still didn¡¯t stop her.


    She turned and went back to get the firecrackers.


    Other families had males carrying the basin. When the vigers saw that it was Mu Yangling who carried the basin in the Mu family and Mu Bowen walking behind her, they couldn¡¯t help but be stunned. At the thought that the Mu family was now Mu Yangling¡¯s family head, they all looked away.


    Mu Yangling brought Mu Bowen to the vige entrance and ced the basin under an old banyan tree before turning to look at her great-aunt.


    Great-aunt went forward and lit the incense sticks. She inserted them into the ground in front of the banyan tree before pulling Mu Yangling and Mu Bowen to kneel at the back.


    Mu Yangling hesitated for a moment. Seeing that everyone was kneeling in front and she was still standing, she had no choice but to kneel down as well with Great-aunt. In front of her, Old Man Sun was rambling on, mainly asking the Earth God to be merciful and give them a good harvest this year and bless the weather next year. If his wish was fulfilled, he would do his best to build a temple for the Earth God¡­


    After he finished speaking, the families behind closed their eyes and prayed. They kowtowed three times to the Earth God together. Then, each family went forward to burn the firecrackers they brought before bringing the sacrificial items home.


    After worshipping the Earth God, Great-aunt heaved a sigh of relief and said happily, ¡°In a while, your Grandpa Sun will start harvesting. We can harvest the crops tomorrow. All of you have to sleep well tonight in order to wake up early tomorrow morning.. You can¡¯t get to the fieldster than others, understand?¡±</font>

 Chapter 208 - 208: Fake?

    Chapter 208 - 208: Fake?


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling, Great-aunt, and the others went to the fields to harvest wheat. This year, because there was not enough rain, the wheat was not long enough, and the grains of wheat were not supple enough. Fortunately, there was no insect disaster, so the harvest was still within eptable range.


    Because the military fields were different from the freehold fields, two soldiers were sent out for inspection per five families.


    Because the soldiers were randomly assigned, the soldiers and farmers did not know each other and could not fake the data. This being the first year, no one was prepared. However, it was unknown if there would be any tricks in the future.


    However, she believed that Qi Haoran and the others would have a way to counter that. Mu Yangling only hoped that the higher-ups would not oppress them and forcibly collect grains.


    They started harvesting the 72 acres of wheat, beginning from the high-gradend. Halfway through, the rice was ready for harvest, too.<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Compared to noodles, Mu Yangling was more used to eating rice, so she decisively harvested the rice first. The crops she harvested were piled up on the wooden board in three piles. After drying them to a certain extent, they dragged them to the field to thresh.


    After working for so many years, this was the first time Great-aunt had harvested so much wheat and rice. It was also the first time she harvested so much grain. Although she was tired, she was extremely happy.


    She counted on her fingers for a long time before saying happily to Mu Yangling, ¡°Even after handing over the military rations, we¡¯ll still have a lot of grains left. If not for the fact that each family has to send one person to risk their lives at the frontline, it¡¯s actually not bad to be enlisted as a military household. At least we can get so muchnd for free. As long as we¡¯re willing to work hard, we won¡¯t starve.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because we¡¯re lucky.¡± Mu Yangling worked the millstone to thresh the grains as she said, ¡°I heard that the section under General Lu Ji of the East Camp can leave behind 40% of their grains. The most ordinary soldiers can¡¯t even keep 30% of the grains their family harvests. Even if they slog away on the fields, a year of harvesting will only barely provide enough food for the family to subsist on. In the event of an illness or a joyous asion, their savings will be drained.¡±


    Stunned, Shu Wanniang said, ¡°Didn¡¯t the Imperial Court stipte how much grains are to be collected? Isn¡¯t General Lu Ji afraid of being impeached by the censors?¡±


    Sighing, Great-aunt said, ¡°Don¡¯t all officials shield each other? For example, when we paid taxes previously, it became heavier and heavier every year. Could it be that the Imperial Court increases the taxes every year? Isn¡¯t the extra money still going into the pockets of those officials? Therefore, Ah Ling is right. Fortunately, we met General Qi. Otherwise, we might as well just work outside without anynd to our name.¡±


    Mu Yangling also said, ¡°The imperial censor and His Majesty might know about these things, but they just turned a blind eye. His Majesty orders a major renovation of his Imperial Garden every few years and has a taste for rare gems and precious paintings. Since the person at the top is already so greedy, how can the people below not follow suit?¡±


    ¡°Ah Ling is more discerning than your mother,¡± Great-aunt said with a smile.


    Mu Yangling nced at her mother and said, ¡°Great-aunt, my mother is very smart. She is aware in her heart.¡±


    Shu Wanniang tossed the wheat at her and said, ¡°You sure know how to tter me.¡±


    Mu Yangling grinned. After dragging the stone mill a few rounds, a soldier-like person came to look for Mu Yangling. ¡°Miss Mu, Little General wants to see you. Hurry up and pack up before leaving with us.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes shed. She stopped in her tracks and asked with a smile, ¡°Where is Little General?¡±


    The soldier pointed in the direction of the 5th Division and said, ¡°He¡¯s on that path. He said that he has something to discuss with you.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s gaze swept across the area. Seeing that more than half of the vigers of Chenggu Garrison were here, she was slightly relieved. She threw down the rope and said to her great-aunt, ¡°Great-aunt, continue working here with my mother and cousins for a while. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    Mu Yangling went forward and moved the twins¡¯ chair to Shu Wanniang¡¯s side. She waved at Old Man Sun next door and said, ¡°Grandpa Sun, Little General is looking for me. Please take care of my family.¡±


    Old Man Sun was stunned for a moment before saying with a smile, ¡°Ah Ling, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get your uncle toe help you out with the stone millter. Hurry up and go. Don¡¯t let the Little General wait too long.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded with a smile. She turned around and said to the soldier, ¡°Let¡¯s go, but I have to go home and change my clothes first. It¡¯d be disrespectful to the general if 1 show up in these dirty clothes.¡±


    The soldier seemed to find it troublesome, but seeing that Mu Yangling was indeed dirty, he couldn¡¯t object. However, he urged along the way, ¡°Miss Mu, please hurry up.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be quick.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Yangling and the soldier had left, Old Man Sun wanted to call his eldest son over to help the Mu family thresh. Over the past half a year, everyone had finally understood that the Mu family had a close rtionship with the Little General. One wouldn¡¯t go wrong building a good rtionship with them.


    However, just as he was about to speak, he felt that something was amiss. The Little General came to look for Mu Yangling every few days either personally or by asking the servant called Fei Bai to call her over. When Mu Yangling went, she had never said anything to the vigers. It was precisely because the Mu family kept a low profile and did not show off or bully them with the Little General¡¯s backing that the vigers had a good impression of the Mu family and were willing to help if anything happened. However, why did Mu Yangling specially mention it to him this time?


    Old Man Sun stopped what he was doing. Holding the stick, he frowned and carefully considered the strangeness of the matter. His eyes couldn¡¯t help but fall on the Mu family¡¯s wheat field.


    The Mu family was actually not slower than them. Although their family had fewer people, they also nted lessnd than them. Their family had scattered wheat seeds on all thend, but their family still had more than 60 acres of grasnd and 28 acres of cornfield left. Hence, the two families finished harvesting their grains on the same day.


    However, the Mu family was already one step ahead of them. This was because when it came to threshing, Mu Yangling could take on five burly men alone. She wouldn¡¯t feel tired even if she dragged the stone mill for an entire day. In addition, they didn¡¯t nt much wheat and grains, so their progress was even faster. Therefore, why would the Mu family need their help?


    Old Man Sun could not figure it out no matter how hard he thought about it. His intuition told him that something was wrong.


    On the other side, Shu Wanniang had already turned pale with fright. She pulled Great-aunt back and said, ¡°Aunt, something¡¯s not right. That soldier wasn¡¯t sent by Little General.¡±


    Knowing her daughter, she immediately sensed the abnormality in Mu Yangling¡¯s words and actions. She had wanted to ask, but Mu Yangling had not given her a chance to speak throughout. Now that this person had left, the more she thought about it, the more she felt that something was amiss. Thinking about the Little General, she suddenly realized that there was something abnormal about that soldier.


    Great-aunt was confused. ¡°What do you mean that soldier wasn¡¯t sent by Little General?¡±


    Shu Wanniang was so anxious that she spun around in circles. ¡°Aunt, it¡¯s hard to exin this. We have to quickly send someone to inform Little General and get him to bring people to save All Ling.¡± At this point, Shu Wanniang stood up and pushed her children in front of Great-aunt. ¡°Aunt, help me look after the two children. I¡¯ll go to the camp to look for them.¡±


    After hearing the gist of it, Old Man Sun quickly ran over and pulled Shu Wanniang back. ¡°You can¡¯t go. I remember now. Ah Ling might have already realized that something was wrong. Just now she told me to keep an eye on you. If you go out and encounter evil people and get abducted, you¡¯ll implicate Ah Ling.¡±


    This time, Great-aunt understood what was going on. She said in a panic, ¡°Ah Ling was tricked away?¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t tricked into leaving. She left with that person on purpose.¡± Old Man Sun also came back to his senses and said, ¡°She¡¯s putting herself in danger. This girl is too bold..¡±</font>

 Chapter 209 - 209: Counter Abduction

    Chapter 209 - 209: Counter Abduction


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Seeing that the Mu family was so frightened that their faces were pale, Old Man Sun felt a little embarrassed. He quickly shut his mouth. If something really happened to Mu Yangling, considering Mu Shi was away at the army, they would really be reduced to¡­ a family of the old and weak.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be anxious. With Ah Ling¡¯s great strength, ordinary people can¡¯t deal with her. I¡¯ll ask my son to go to the camp and beg the Little General. Perhaps he can save her.¡±


    Shu Wanniang wanted to go personally, but Great-aunt grabbed her hand firmly. ¡°At least think about these two children. You can¡¯t go. That path is usually remote and someone might just knock you out and drag you away.¡±


    Shu Wanniang broke free from her hand and said, ¡°Aunt, Big Brother Sun might not be able to see Little General even if he goes. Let him go with me. No one would dare to abduct a person on the road in broad daylight. Our ce is not far from the camp, and there are still soldiers inspecting the vige. Aunt, you shouldn¡¯t go home either. Just wait here with the children. There are many people here, and the vigers are all here. No one dares to do anything here. I¡¯ll entrust the kids to you.¡±


    Unable to hold Shu Wanniang back, Great-aunt watched helplessly as she and Old Man Sun¡¯s eldest son hurried towards the military camp.<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Mu Yangling followed the soldier forward. When they reached the fork in the road, the soldier suddenly said, ¡°Miss Mu, Little General will be entering the county in a while. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s waiting for us over there. Let¡¯s leave quickly.¡±


    The soldier was pointing at a small forest. Mu Yangling stopped in her tracks and asked in confusion, ¡°That¡¯s not close to the road into the county.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s shady there. We can¡¯t ask Little General to wait for you under the sun on such a hot day, right? Hurry up and follow me,¡± the soldier exined.


    As expected, Mu Yangling did not ask further and obediently followed him in.


    This was a small forest. The trees in the northeast and northwest directions had been cut down and nted with sorghum. To the east was the way into the county, and to the west was a mountain. The forest was neither big nor small, so it was not a problem to hide someone. However, if there was a hugemotion, people passing by outside would definitely notice it easily.


    However, to them, this was an excellent location that would allow them to easily move a person. As long as they knocked that person unconscious and carried them onto the carriage, no one would know what was inside.


    Mu Yangling tried to figure out what they were thinking, taking every step with extra caution.


    She didn¡¯t know how strong they were, so she left a hint for Old Man Sun and Shu Wanniang. She couldn¡¯t avoid it either.


    It was better for them to look for her than for Bowen and the others. If she couldn¡¯t get rid of them altogether this time, she probably wouldn¡¯t dare to let Bowen study in the academy going forward.


    After walking more than 20 steps into the forest, five burly men appeared in front of her. Mu Yangling¡¯s tense heart suddenly rxed, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly as if she had not detected abnormality of the situation. She asked sweetly, ¡°Uncle, where¡¯s Little General?¡±


    The eyes of the burly man in the lead shed. Smiling, he said, ¡°Little General is anxious and has gone into the city. We¡¯ll bring you to see him now.¡± As he spoke, he reached out to grab Mu Yangling¡¯s arm.


    Mu Yangling even replied with a smile on her face, ¡°Okay.¡± However, her right hand quickly grabbed his outstretched hand and pulled it forward. The burly man actually staggered from her pull. Before he got over his surprise, Mu Yangling¡¯s foot swept towards his knee. The burly man only sensed a sharp pain and felt that his leg must have been broken. Just as the thought shed across his mind, he was already kneeling on the ground¡­


    Mu Yangling then chopped the back of his neck with her left hand. Before the burly man could make a sound, he rolled his eyes and fainted.


    These three actions took less than two seconds. Before the remaining five people could react, Mu Yangling had already turned around and kicked the soldier who had brought her here into a tree, rendering him unconscious¡­


    Only then did the four burly men react. They shouted and cursed before surrounding her.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes darkened slightly because of their scolding. As they were conversing in the Hunguage just now, although she did not understand thest sentence, she still managed to make out the word ¡°bastard¡±.


    Knowing that she was facing the Hus, Mu Yangling did not show any mercy and fought the four of them head-on.


    Mu Yangling was strong and had experience in fighting enemies. Coupled with the fact that she was small and agile, she easily defeated the four of them in less than 15 minutes.


    Having had their limbs and bones dislodged by Mu Yangling, for a moment, the four of them could only look at Mu Yangling hatefully. One of them shouted loudly and incoherently. Mu Yangling instinctively felt that something was wrong and quickly went forward to pull down their chins. However, the other three stared at her with wide eyes as ck blood flowed out of their mouths, their faces instantly turning ck. They had actuallymitted suicide.


    This time, Mu Yangling did not dare to be negligent. Although the two of them were still unconscious, she still broke their chins and limbs. This caused the two of them to wake up from the pain.


    The three of them looked at Mu Yangling, their eyes almost burning with anger. They never expected to suffer such a huge setback. Everything was clearly going ording to the n, so why didn¡¯t the people who stayed in Mingshui County tell them that this Mu girl knew martial arts and possessed abnormal strength?


    Seeing that the three of them were no longer a threat, Mu Yangling was in no mood to care about them. She searched the three of them, but there was nothing on them that could reveal their identities.


    Frowning, Mu Yangling squatted in front of the burly man in the lead. She asked, ¡°Are you Hus? Are you from the Jin Kingdom or West Xia? You can¡¯t be from Tibet, right?¡±


    That person red at Mu Yangling angrily, his eyes burning with anger.


    Mu Yangling narrowed her eyes slightly, but thinking that this was not the ce to interrogate people, the most important thing now was to leave quickly. She did not know if they had any aplices nearby.


    Since they had kidnapped her here, there should be another carriage to receive her in order not to attract attention.


    Mu Yangling looked around the forest before deciding to head southwest. After taking a few steps, she heard the sound of horse hooves. Her eyes turned sharp as she ran somewhere that the three of them could not see. After taking two heavy steps, she lightened her footsteps. She climbed up a tree quickly and lightly without making a sound. Just as she squatted on a branch, a dagger slid out of her hand. Looking in the direction of the sound of horse hooves, she heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Qi Haoran sitting on a horse.


    She looked around and indeed saw a carriage parked in an empty space to the southwest.


    Other than Qi Haoran, who had already arrived at the edge of the forest, there was nothing abnormal in her vision.


    Mu Yangling ced her hand on the branch and was about to jump down when she suddenly changed her mind and hid behind the leaves.


    Qi Haoran hurriedly ran into the forest with his men. When he saw the people lying on the ground and that Mu Yangling was nowhere to be seen, his eyes turned red. He stepped on one of those men and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the little girl you tried to kidnap?¡±


    That person looked at Qi Haoran with red eyes. Qi Haoran narrowed his eyes. ¡°There¡¯s poison in your mouth? Did Mu Yangling do this to your chin?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked around and ordered, ¡°Search immediately. We must find Miss Mu and the people who kidnapped her..¡±</font>

 Chapter 210 - 210: Pretending

    Chapter 210 - 210: Pretending


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The soldiers responded in unison and spread out to search from the inside out.


    Qi Haoran lowered his head to look at the marks on the ground. There were indeed signs of a fight here, but it was only in this area. Strangely, there were no signs of fighting outside of this area.


    Bai Li also felt that it was very strange, so he followed the traces to investigate.


    Qi Haoran looked at the person on the ground who had his chin broken and then at the limited traces. He suddenly realized something. Before he could call for help, a figure shot towards him. Qi Haoran only had time to roll on the ground to dodge their attack. Before he could look up and see the figure clearly, he heard the sound of a dagger piercing through the air. Qi Haoran instinctively reached out to block it. Feeling a pain in his arm, he kicked out as he looked towards the assassin.


    Seeing that it was Mu Yangling, he was slightly stunned and his movements slowed down for a moment.<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Mu Yangling¡¯s dagger was already flying towards his neck. Qi Haoran shuddered and threw a kick towards Mu Yangling¡¯s hand that was holding the knife¡­


    The moment Mu Yangling appeared, Bai Li was about to draw his sword and attack. However, when he saw that it was Mu Yangling, he was slightly stunned. This time, Mu Yangling¡¯s dagger directly shed at Qi Haoran. He also saw that Mu Yangling used the unsharpened side of the dagger and held back. Otherwise, with Mu Yangling¡¯s strength, even if it was an unsharpened dagger, Qi Haoran¡¯s hand would still fly out.


    Recalling that the duo loved a game of attack and defense, Bai Li vaguely understood something. The corners of his mouth twitched as he stood at the side with his sword, but his eyes were fixed on the two of them. Even though he trusted Mu Yangling, Bai Li was still very vignt. He nned to rush forward if anything went wrong.


    In the end, this assassination and escape drill ended with both sides suffering heavy losses. Not only was Qi Haoran bleeding, but even Mu Yangling also suffered a p from Qi Haoran. Blood trickled down the corner of her mouth.


    Although she was injured, Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes were unprecedentedly bright. She seemed to have regained the feeling of training back then. Sitting down cross-legged opposite Qi Haoran, she asked, ¡°How¡¯s my strength?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°It hurts enough. Sufficient to hurt the flesh, but not the bones.¡± Qi Haoran nced at her chest worriedly. ¡°I used 70% of my internal energy to p you just now. Are you alright?¡± He¡¯d thought that she would be able to dodge it.


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Sighing slightly, she said, ¡°It¡¯s still the problem with qinggong. I can¡¯t dodge at all because your movements are too fast. If I knew qinggong, 1 could have easily retreated with a step. Your palm would¡¯ve most likely just grazed me.¡±


    Mu Yangling touched her stomach and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing for so long, but 1 don¡¯t even have a trace of internal energy. Is the internal energy cultivation technique you taught me too lousy?¡±


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, ¡°That¡¯s from my uncle. My cousins all practice this set. However, they started learning at the age of five. Considering you¡¯re already ten years old, it¡¯s not surprising that you¡¯re learning this at a slower rate.¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him. Qi Haoran said, ¡°Persevere. If two months isn¡¯t enough, then practice for two years. As long as you have a hint of internal energy, it will be much easierter on. With your figure, you don¡¯t need much internal energy. As long as you gain a 20% to 30% mastery, it will be enough for you to dodge your opponent.¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted. She felt that persisting without seeing any return was too torturous. However, seeing that Qi Haoran was used to it, Mu Yangling could not show too much frustration. If it had to take her two years, so be it. Anyway, there were no entertainment activities now. Other than working and reading, there was not much going on. She could just sit cross-legged and meditate whenever she was free in the future. She did not believe that she would fail to cultivate her internal energy.


    Mu Yangling gritted her teeth as she thought. On the other side, Bai Li had already called all the soldiers back. The six people on the ground had also been carried away. The dead were piled up in a carriage, and the living were brought back for interrogation.


    Seeing that the two of them were still sitting on the ground, he walked over and gave Mu Yangling a bottle. ¡°Miss Mu, I see that you¡¯ve suffered internal injuries. This is the medicine that we usually use. Here.¡±


    Mu Yangling took it and thanked him. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Mu Yangling stood up and patted Qi Haoran¡¯s shoulder. Seeing that he was in so much pain that he bared his teeth, she said with a smile, ¡°Go back and treat your wound too. By the way, those people are Hus.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡°Hus? There are Hu spies in Mingshui County?¡±


    ¡°I think so. Otherwise, how would they know about the corn so quickly?¡± Only this matter would make them look for Mu Yangling.


    Otherwise, Mu Yangling did not know what else she had that was worth the Hus going to such lengths.


    Mu Yangling wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and tidied her messy clothes. Just as she was about to leave, Qi Haoran suddenly grabbed her and said, ¡°You¡¯d better lie down and let us carry you out.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mu Yangling asked with widened eyes.


    In the end, Mu Yangling was carried back on a stretcher by two soldiers. Her eyes were closed the entire time, and there was blood at the corner of her mouth that Qi Haoran had smeared using the blood from his arm. In addition, Qi Haoran had even rubbed her hair with a handful of grass scraps. Mu Yangling looked like she was about to die.


    Mu Yangling was carried back to the Mu Residence. The soldier merely said this before leaving, ¡°Little General will help your family seek justice.¡±


    Seeing Mu Yangling like this, Shu Wanniang and Great-aunt felt that the sky was about to copse. Shu Wanniang trembled as she touched her daughter¡¯s nose. Seeing that she was still breathing, her heart rxed and she said in a panic, ¡°I¡ªI¡¯ll go get a doctor.¡±


    Xiuhong and Xin knelt beside Mu Yangling and cried bitterly. Shu Wanniang staggered as she got up. Just as she was about to run out, her hand was suddenly grabbed. Thinking that it was Great-aunt who was grabbing her, she said with red eyes, ¡°I¡¯m going to get a doctor for All Ling¡­¡±


    Great-aunt, who was wiping her tears at the side, was the first toe back to her senses. Looking towards Shu Wanniang¡¯s arm, Great-aunt saw Mu Yangling winking at her as sheid on the stretcher. Instantly not sad anymore, Grand-aunt pulled Shu Wanniang and knelt in front of Mu Yangling, crying, ¡°My grandniece, why is your life so bitter?¡±


    Mu Yangling opened her eyes and whispered, ¡°Great-aunt, cry out loud ¡®I want justice! All the corn in our family has been taken away by Little General! There¡¯s nothing left at home!¡¯.¡±


    Shu Wanniang, Xiuhong and Xin stared nkly at Mu Yangling, who had woken up as if nothing had happened, and Great-aunt, who was bawling her eyes out.


    Great-aunt was already sitting on the ground and wailing loudly as she pounded the floor. ¡°Little General, you have to uphold justice for our Mu family. Back then, you were the one who asked our Ah Ling to nt corn. Other than eating this for two meals, we didn¡¯t leave a single grain of corn at home. Where can we get these things for you¡­¡± Seeing that she was the only one crying in the room, Great-aunt pinched Xiuhong and Xin.


    Xin cried out in pain, but Xiuhong came back to her senses and wailed, ¡°Cousin, wake up quickly! What are we going to do if you die¡ª¡±


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth twitched. Shey down on the stretcher again, her hands hanging by her sides, as if she had fainted again.


    At this moment, Shu Wanniang also knew that her daughter was pretending. She couldn¡¯t imitate the way Great-aunt and Xiuhong cried, so she could only sit on the ground and wipe her tears with a handkerchief. This looked more real to outsiders..</font>

 Chapter 211 - 211: Diagnosis

    Chapter 211 - 211: Diagnosis


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When the vigers outside heard the news, they rushed to the Mu Residence. Many of them came in to take a look at the situation. Seeing that the Mu family was crying miserably, they hurriedly helped them. ¡°Let¡¯s carry All Ling onto the brick bed first. If we leave her on the ground, she might catch a cold.¡±


    Someone also said, ¡°What a sin. Hurry up and fetch her a doctor.¡±


    ¡°And quickly send someone to the academy to fetch Bowen back. Ah Ling is the pir of their family. Now that she¡¯s copsed, he¡¯ll have to take her ce.¡± Another person asked Great-aunt, ¡°Who was so ruthless to do this? She¡¯s still a child. Was it for the corn?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s the seeds that Little General gave us. Our Ah Ling is good friends with him. Since he asked the people of Four Tray Vige to teach us how to nt it, we did as we were told. However, the vigers also saw when the corn was being collected. It was Little General who directly brought the troops to collect it. Our All Ling doesn¡¯t even know how many catties was collected. Why did those peoplee to our Ah Ling for this? How am I supposed to answer to my eldest nephew now that she¡¯s be like this?¡± Great-aunty by the brick bed and cried bitterly.


    Old Man Sun asked in surprise, ¡°Is it the golden corn that Little General asked us to nt in the high-gradend?¡±<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    ¡°Yes it is. It¡¯s said to be something that even the old emperor said was good, but they¡¯ve been nting it for several lifetimes without producing a decent yield. Why are the thieves targeting us after we merely nted it once? If the thief wants to steal it, he can go to the camp to steal it himself. What¡¯s the use of kidnapping my Ah Ling? Isn¡¯t this taking my life?¡±


    Xiuhong pulled her sister, Xin, and held onto Mu Yangling¡¯s arm as she cried. Unable to squeeze out tears, she pulled Mu Yangling¡¯s arm to cover her eyes and wailed.


    When Bowen stumbled back, he saw the entire family crying around his sister while sheid on the bed. It was unknown if she was dead or alive.


    Bowen was so frightened that his face turned pale. Trembling, he ran to the brick bed and grabbed his sister¡¯s arm. He asked in a sharp voice, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Sister? What¡¯s wrong with Sister?¡±


    Shu Wanniang was afraid of scaring her son, but there were too many people in the room, so she didn¡¯t dare to exin for a moment. Afraid that others would notice something amiss, she could only hug him and pat his back tofort him. ¡°Your sister is incredible. The heavens will definitely bless her. Good child, don¡¯t be anxious.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. All Ling is very lucky. She will definitely be able to avert danger,¡± many peopleforted him.


    Great-aunt didn¡¯t think it was a good idea for so many people to surround the house. What if All Ling couldn¡¯t pretend any longer and someone saw through her?


    Coincidentally, the vigers had invited the physician of the Benevolence Hall over.


    When he heard that he wasing to the Mu Residence, Pang Kongqing initially didn¡¯t want toe. However, the person who went to invite the doctor begged bitterly and said that Mu Yangling could only breathe in and not out. As a doctor, he couldn¡¯t bear to leave her to die, so he brought the first aid kit over. However, he even brought a servant with him this time because he was afraid that he would encounter the same situation again.


    Seeing that Mu Yangling¡¯s face was pale and there was blood at the corner of her mouth, Pang Kongqing hurriedly went forward to take her pulse. After a while, he frowned slightly and everyone looked at him nervously.


    The vigers were afraid that something would happen to Mu Yangling, while the Mu family was afraid that the matter would be exposed. Only Mu Yanglingy down peacefully.


    Pang Kongqing retracted his hand and said, ¡°She suffered internal injuries. It looks serious, but it¡¯s actually not a big deal. She¡¯ll be fine after taking the medicine and resting for two to three days.¡±


    Great-aunt and Shu Wanniang heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that Little General had instructed someone to collude with Physician Pang. The vigers also heaved a sigh of relief knowing that at least she wouldn¡¯t die.


    Only Mu Yangling knew that this was her true situation.


    Pang Kongqing prescribed a prescription and said, ¡°Get someone to go back with me to collect the medicine now.¡± After a pause, he continued, ¡°Miss Mu, you¡¯d better be careful. Although it¡¯s a small injury this time, it might not be the case next time. Internal injuries have always been the most difficult to treat. Besides, Miss Mu is healthy and can withstand such internal injuries. But if this force is used on an ordinary person, they won¡¯t be able to get out of bed without lying down for three to five months. In the future, I¡¯m afraid your internal organs will be weaker than others. Miss Mu, even if you don¡¯t think for yourself, you should think for your family.¡±


    Pang Kongqing knew that Mu Yangling was feigning unconsciousness, so he said this for her to hear. He thought that Mu Yangling was injured again because of her bandit rtive.


    He saw that other than her father and her, everyone else in the Mu family was weaker than ordinary people. It was better for them to stay away from the bandits under such circumstances.


    Mu Yangling understood what he meant. Feeling a tad amused, she inwardly thanked him for his good intentions. Then, she opened her eyes slightly and pretended to have just woken up.


    Initially, Bowen was really holding back his tears. After all, his sister had copsed. As a man, he naturally had to support this family. Therefore, when his mother¡¯s tears fell into his neck, he really wanted to cry as well, but he had been holding it in. However, when he saw that his sister had woken up and heard from the doctor that her sister was fine, he could no longer hold back the fear in his heart. He burst into tears and pounced forward to hug Mu Yangling tightly.


    Being hugged by her brother, Mu Yangling instantly forgot what she wanted to say to Physician Pang. She only cared about patting her brother¡¯s shoulder andforting him. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. 1 will be fine after taking the medicine.¡±


    Bowen hugged his sister and cried until he burped. With tears in his eyes, he said, ¡°I¡ªI¡¯ll avenge you. Who bullied you?¡±


    Mu Yangling stroked his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to wait for you to avenge me. 1 stabbed him and he¡¯s in a worse state than me now.¡±


    The vigers who had yet to retreat felt a chill on their stomachs and their bodies trembled slightly.


    Great-aunt hurriedly wiped her tears and gratefully sent everyone out.


    Seeing that there was nothing else they could do here, everyone bade farewell.


    Physician Pang looked at Mu Bowen¡¯s expression for a while. Seeing that he was still burping after crying for a long time, he opened the first aid kit and took out two silver needles to prick him twice. Mu Bowen stopped burping and stared at Pang Kongqing in a daze.


    Seeing that his round eyes were still filled with tears, Pang Kongqing¡¯s heart softened even more. He reached out and patted the head of the innocent six-year-old. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Your sister will be fine after taking the medicine and sleeping. She¡¯s in better health than ordinary people.¡±


    Mu Bowen sniffed and thanked him obediently. ¡°Thank you, Physician Pang.¡±


    In a good mood, Pang Kongqing smiled and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. 1 think you have to take a set of medicine too. Were you frightened just now? 1¡¯11 give you a prescription to calm your nerves. You¡¯ll be fine after a peaceful night of rest. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll have a fever at night.¡± He turned his head and said thest sentence to Shu Wanniang.


    Shu Wanniang said seriously, ¡°Thankyou, Physician Pang.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Other than treating Mu Yangling not as nicely, Pang Kongqing was still very amiable to the other members of the Mu family. After prescribing a prescription for Mu Bowen and giving some instructions, he returned with the servant.


    Xiuhong took some silver and followed him to the Benevolence Hall to get the medicine. Since she had to do her best to put on a show, she naturally had to get medicine for Mu Yangling..</font>

 Chapter 212 - 212: Interrogation

    Chapter 212: Interrogation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Xiuhong came back with two sets of medicine, pouting slightly. She said to Shu Wanniang unhappily, ¡°Aunt, Physician Pang clearly knows that Cousin is pretending, but he still prescribed such expensive herbs for her. There¡¯s either ginseng or lingzhi in it. He said that it¡¯s to nourish the Qi and blood and strengthen the organs. He also used many terms that 1 didn¡¯t understand. Anyway, in a nutshell, it¡¯s expensive. One set of medicine costs 1 tael and 50 copper coins, and he prescribed three sets at once. Cousin¡¯s medicine cost only 23 copper coins per set.¡±


    Smiling, Shu Wanniang said, ¡°In order for this to look more real, no matter what, you have to buy this medicine. Otherwise, others will know what¡¯s going on once they find out. Since that medicine is so precious, keep it first. It might be useful in the future.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Having heard the gist of it in the room, Mu Yangling quickly sat up. ¡°Mother, brew it for me to drink. Since the herbs have already been mixed together, it might expire if we keep it for longer.¡±


    Shu Wanniang was stunned. ¡°How can you take medicine casually when you¡¯re not injured? What if you get sick after taking it?¡±


    ¡®Dear Mother, I¡¯m really sick.¡¯ Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t voice her bitterness and could only say, ¡°I¡¯m just trying to make it more realistic. How can there be no smell of medicine in the courtyard when I¡¯m injured?¡±


    Smiling, Shu Wanniang said, ¡°I¡¯ve already thought it through. Since your brother has to take medicine too, we can just brew his medicine. It¡¯s not as if passers-by can tell what medicine it is just based on the medicinal fragrance alone. You just lie in bed obediently for two days, and we¡¯ll be able to cover up this lie.¡± Seeing that Mu Yangling really wanted to take medicine, Shu Wanniang looked at her suspiciously. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re really injured?¡± ¡°Mother, do I look like I¡¯m injured? I just felt that it¡¯s a waste to keep it since this medicine is so expensive. Besides, most of the herbs are tonic. Anyway, I¡¯ve been very tired recently so I can use some nourishment.¡±


    Knowing her daughter wasn¡¯t someone who would take medicine so as not to waste it, Shu Wanniang looked at her suspiciously.


    Mu Yangling could only keep a straight face and puff out her chest to prove that she was really fine.


    Shu Wanniang took the prescription and looked at it. In the end, she said, ¡°That¡¯s fine too. I¡¯ll go brew medicine for you and your brother now.¡±


    Shu Wanniang knew that her daughter was most likely injured. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t waste the medicine just because it was expensive. Since she didn¡¯t want to say it out loud and make everyone worry, she would pretend not to know.


    However, knowing that her daughter was injured, Shu Wanniang couldn¡¯t help but feel a little worried. In the evening, she didn¡¯t let her get out of bed during dinner. At night, she even handed the twins to Great-aunt to take care of them and moved over to sleep with Mu Yangling and Bowen so that she could take care of her.


    Feeling a pain in her chest at night, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but get up to drink hot water. Shu Wanniang woke up the moment she moved. She quickly pressed Mu Yangling down and said, ¡°What do you want? 1 will go get it for you.¡±


    ¡°I want to drink water. Hot water.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s some in the kettle. I¡¯ll pour it for you.¡± Shu Wanniang put on a set of clothes and got out of bed, then took a bowl and poured hot water for her. Seeing that she was leaning against the pillow to drink, she couldn¡¯t help but touch her face and reprimand in a low voice, ¡°How dare you say that you¡¯re not injured when your face is so pale. You¡¯re too bold. Despite knowing that he¡¯s a bad person, you still dared to follow him. If you do this again in the future, 1 beat you up directly without waiting for your father toe back.¡±


    Mu Yangling stuck out her tongue and hugged Shu Wanniang¡¯s arm. ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that Great-aunt and Bowen will be worried. Mother, don¡¯t be angry. Physician Pang also said that I¡¯ll be fine after sleeping for two days.¡±


    ¡°So Physician Pang was telling the truth and wasn¡¯t bribed by Little General?¡±


    Mu Yangling lowered her head and smiled. ¡°Little General can¡¯t wait to avoid him. How would he dare to bribe him?¡±


    Only then did Shu Wanniang remember that back when Qi Haoran was seriously injured, he had pretended to be a bandit and forced Physician Pang to stay in the house to treat him.


    Shu Wanniang looked at her daughter helplessly and gently pinched her ear. ¡°You can¡¯t scare me like this in the future.¡±


    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. 1 won¡¯t do this again,¡± Mu Yangling said as she hugged her arm.


    Shu Wanniang sighed. ¡°You¡¯re just paying lip service. I also know that there¡¯s no such thing as guarding against thieves the day before yesterday. Your father isn¡¯t at home, and your brother has to go to the academy every day. It¡¯s not safe for us to stay at home either. You were following them because you¡¯re afraid that if we rm them this time, they¡¯ll attack us directly next time. That¡¯d be impossible to guard against. This time, if we capture them directly, it can be considered as a deterrent to those people. They¡¯ll then have to consider carefully going forward.¡±


    ¡°Mother knows me best.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°In addition, since Great-aunt has spread the word, they probably won¡¯te looking for me anymore and will directly go find trouble with Qi Haoran.¡±


    Shu Wanniang said worriedly, ¡°Can we push the matter to Little General like this? Will he me us?¡±


    ¡°Qi Haoran was the one who came up with this idea. He said that the young and the old in our family were a burden and that he wouldn¡¯t be able to exin things to my father if anyone from our family was kidnapped. So, he directly eliminated those potential future troubles.¡±


    Only then did Shu Wanniang heave a sigh of relief. Smiling, she said, ¡°Little General is a good person. In the future, you have to be more polite to him. Don¡¯t always call him by his full name. He¡¯s magnanimous and doesn¡¯t mind, but it¡¯s not good should outsiders hear it. Also, 1 will ask Xiuhong to buy two catties of pork belly tomorrow and prepare some good dishes. I¡¯ll make his favorite braised pork and ask Bowen to invite him over for a meal, okay?¡±


    Mu Yanglingy on the bed and slept. She closed her eyes and said, ¡°He¡¯s busy and hasn¡¯t been free for the past few days. 1¡¯11 eat the braised pork and good dishes on his behalf.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. How do you know he won¡¯te when Bowen hasn¡¯t even invited him yet? Write an invitation tomorrow and ask Bowen to send it over.¡±


    Qi Haoran really didn¡¯t have time because another one of the three kidnappers who were still alive had died. Now, there were only two left. However, those two were very stubborn and refused to speak no matter what torture they used. The three of them had poison sacs stuffed in their mouths. The military doctor identally damaged one of them, and that was how the kidnapper died. The remaining two were sessfully taken out, but they were extremely tight-lipped and stubborn.


    Although they did not confess, it was certain that they were Hus.


    However, they couldn¡¯t tell if they were from the Jin Kingdom or the Xixia Kingdom. Also, they couldn¡¯t get any information regarding the other spies left in Mingshui County.


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t have enough interrogation experience, so he had no choice but to drag those two to the prefectural capital and hand them over to Qi Xiuyuan.


    Seeing his cold expression, Qi Xiuyuan asked, ¡°Do you want to stay and watch the interrogation?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded, so Qi Xiuyuan got up and brought him to the dungeon. As he walked, he said, ¡°Interrogation is also a skill you have to learn on the battlefield. You can¡¯t guarantee that you¡¯ll have enough time to interrogate the captives every time, so you have to obtain information that is beneficial to you in the shortest time possible.¡± Qi Xiuyuan turned around and looked at him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to make the other party confess. There are some things that he thinks are useless to you or are wrong information. You have to judge and deduce them yourself. Haoran, 1 hope that you¡¯re not just a fierce general on the battlefield, but also a wise general..¡±

 Chapter 213 - 213: Paying Taxes in Grains

    Chapter 213: Paying Taxes in Grains


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling supported her chin and sat in line on the paddock, waiting to pay taxes in grains. There were soldiers guarding the paddock, and there were also soldiers helping to carry the grains.


    Even though they were paying taxes, everyone¡¯s faces were filled with smiles because after paying taxes, the remaining grains would be theirs.


    The people in front had already said that the Little General¡¯s people strictly collected grain ording to the Imperial Court¡¯s rules and did not collect excess from them. Since they were not taxed in excess and did not have to pay a porter or other misceneous taxes, everyone was naturally happy.


    When it was the Mu family¡¯s turn, Mu Yangling held Mu Bowen¡¯s hand and went forward. TMu Yangling was actually the Mu family¡¯s family head in practice, but ording to thew, it was supposed to be Mu Shi. If Mu Shi wasn¡¯t around, Mu Bowen would rece him. Hence, Mu Bowen needed to sign the document for such an important matter.


    The siblings stood at the side as the soldiers weighed the bags of grains one by one. After doing some calctions, the ountant said, ¡°Mu Bowen, your family has nted wheat, rice, and corn, and even raised rabbits. These are all to be considered. How do you n to pay for the taxes?¡±


    Mu Bowen nced at his sister and said, ¡°We¡¯ll settle it with wheat.¡±


    The ountant nodded and was about to speak when a soldier jogged over and whispered a few words in his ear. The ountant changed his words and said, ¡°Because Little General and Young Master Fan share in the rabbit farming, this part is not counted. The corn is nted for General Qi, so this part is exempted as well. In the end, your family will have to pay 6019.4 catties of grain. You can take the rest home.¡±


    Mu Bowen leaned close to his sister¡¯s ear and asked, ¡°Then, Sister, how much is left?¡±


    Frowning, Mu Yangling said in a low voice, ¡°There¡¯s still 4,925 catties left.¡± Mu Yangling nced at the ountant and asked in a voice that only the two of them could hear, ¡°Is Little General being magnanimous?¡±


    The ountant frowned and looked at Mu Yangling. Mu Yangling said, ¡°Although Little General and Young Master Fan have a share in the rabbit farming, thend is mine. ording to the usual practice, for the 68 acres, taxes should be calcted ording to the average yield of the low-gradend. As for the corn ntation, forget it. But you have to calcte the taxes for the rabbit farming for me.¡±


    The ountant looked at her in astonishment. Mu Yangling looked at him firmly and said, ¡°These are the rules.¡±


    She was so insistent not because of the rules, but because she had never evaded taxes in her life. She was afraid that she would not be able to sleep at night.


    Seeing that Mu Yangling was standing in front of him and not leaving, the ountant hesitated for a moment before softening his voice. ¡°Miss Mu, don¡¯t make things difficult for me. This is Little General¡¯s idea. If I ept it, Little General will me meter¡­¡±


    With a smile, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll exin this to him. 1 won¡¯t make things difficult for you.¡±


    Only then did a smile appear on the ountant¡¯s face. He picked up the abacus and said, ¡°Since Miss Mu insists, 1¡¯11 help you calcte. However, the average wheat production in the low-gradends hasn¡¯t been calcted yet. So, I¡¯ll usest year¡¯s yield as an example and deduct 20 catties for you. How about that? After all, with the drought this year, the harvest is generally poor.¡±


    Mu Yangling had no objections.


    The ountant counted and finally said, ¡°Miss Mu, you still have to pay 1,932 catties in the end.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. This number was the same as what she had calcted in her heart. She nodded slightly at Mu Bowen, and he signed his name on the document and pressed his thumbprint on it.


    In the end, Mu Yangling pulled back nearly 3,000 catties of wheat and 2,128 catties of rice, which made a total of 5,100 catties of grains. It sounded like a lot, but it was not much to eat.


    Excluding Mu Shi¡¯s rations, there were still eight people in their family who had to eat. Eating three bowls of rice per meal, Mu Yangling had to eat half a catties of rice each time. Although there were many children in the family, kids that were still growing had healthy appetites. Even the youngest twins had to eat a bowl of rice paste with two eggs for each meal. This was the lowest requirement. Considering the two of them had to eat five meals a day, that was actually more than what Bowen ate in a day.


    Therefore, this 5,100 catties of food was really just enough for them to eat for about eight months.


    Great-aunt was very satisfied with this result. Her way of calcting was different from Mu Yangling¡¯s. In the past, after they paid taxes for farming, the remaining grains would be enough tost them six months in a semi-hungry state. It was already considered pretty good if they could eat chaff for the remaining days. Considering they could still keep so much grains despite the rtively poor harvest this year, how could she not feel delighted?


    Great-aunt counted on her fingers for a long time. In the end, she said with a smile, ¡°There¡¯s so much grains. If we go semi-hungry, it¡¯d be enough tost us for two years. We don¡¯t have to worry about next year¡¯s harvest anymore.¡±


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Great-aunt, has our family ever been semi-hungry?¡±


    Great-aunt paused. It was true. After arriving at the Mu Residence, they had been eating their fill every day. They ate porridge or pancakes in the morning, and rice for lunch and dinner. There was always enough food in the house.


    Great-aunt looked at the children and did some calctions again. She said worriedly, ¡°If we eat like this every day, there will only be enough grains tost us eight to nine months.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Eight or nine months will do. Won¡¯t there be harvesting next year? If not, we can always spend more money to buy grains.¡±


    The Mu family had always been spending money to buy grains and this was the first time they were eating grains nted by themselves this year. So, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t feel pressured at all when she said this. However, Great-aunt felt bad having to buy grains for their own consumption when they were growing grains themselves.


    ¡°The money at home doesn¡¯te from nowhere. 1 think it¡¯s better to save as much as possible. Why don¡¯t we eat porridge for lunch in the future?¡± Great-aunt asked.


    Mu Yangling jumped off the brick bed and said with a smile, ¡°Up to you. As long as 1 can eat my fill, it¡¯s fine. But now, 1 have to grind a bag of new rice to try it. Since it¡¯s the first time in my two lifetimes that I¡¯ve nted grains, I simply have to taste it.¡±


    ¡°Child, you¡¯ve only lived for ten years in this lifetime. Where did the two lifetimese from?¡± Great-aunt scolded her jokingly. ¡°You only know how to talk nonsense.¡±


    Grinning, Mu Yangling went to grind the rice. She shouted, ¡°If I tell the truth, you¡¯ll think I¡¯m joking. When I¡¯m joking, you¡¯ll think I¡¯m telling the truth. It¡¯s too difficult to be an honest person.¡±


    Great-aunt asked Shu Wanniang, ¡°You and Rocky are both honest people. How did you give birth to such a cunning child?¡±


    Shu Wanniang pursed her lips and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m also curious. If I didn¡¯t give birth to her, I would have wondered where she was picked up from.¡±


    Mu Yangling carried a bag of rice and went to Old Man Sun¡¯s house at the entrance of the vige. In the entire vige, only his house had a stone mill for milling rice. Usage of the stone mill was allocated by the camp. The stone mill would be kept at the sectionmander¡¯s house. In the past, it was ced not far from the Mu family¡¯s door. Whoever wished to use it only had to clean it. Later on, when Hu Man became sectionmander, it was moved to the courtyard in the Hu Residence. Later, when it was moved to the Sun Residence, the Sun family tidied up a room and ced it there. This way, it wouldn¡¯t be exposed to the rain or wind and it would be less dirty. Whoever wanted to mill rice would just have toe.


    Old Man Sun didn¡¯t expect Mu Yangling toe so early to grind the new rice. Stunned for a moment, he said, ¡°Child, finish the old rice first. Keep this new rice for a longer time.¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Grandpa Sun, 1 know. I just want to try the taste of this new rice.¡±


    Old Man Sun:¡±¡­¡±

 Chapter 214 - 214: Difficulty

    Chapter 214: Difficulty


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Butler Chen walked out of the grain store in a daze and returned to the small rented courtyard with a frown. The lead guard, Wei Yan, hurriedly came out to wee him. ¡°Butler Chen, how is it?¡±


    Butler Chen shook his head. ¡°Not only did the price of grain not decrease, but it even increased a lot.¡±


    Frowning, Wei Yan said, ¡°Then what should we do? We¡¯ve been out for so long. If we don¡¯t go back soon, Little General and Young Master Fan will probably be anxious. Moreover, the prices of goods in Lin¡¯an Prefecture are too high. The daily expenses of more than 30 of us are not small.¡±


    Rolling his eyes, Butler Chen said, ¡°You can just say this in front of me but don¡¯t say it outside, lest others think that we¡¯re poor. You can¡¯t show your fear in a rich ce like Lin¡¯an Prefecture. Otherwise, no matter how much money you have, you¡¯ll be cheated. Besides, are we people who care about that little expense? The money earned from those diced rabbit meat and cured rabbit meat is enough for you to feast for ten lifetimes.¡±


    Wei Yan frowned and said angrily, ¡°But that money belongs to our master. I¡¯ve long had a problem with you taking his money out to treat people to a feast.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Butler Chen red at him. ¡°You¡¯re really taking it seriously? This is called doing business, understand? If we don¡¯t treat people to a meal and drink, can our things be sold for such a high price? Oh, if we do things your way, aren¡¯t you tired of rmending our goods going door to door at every dry goods store? This is secondary. If you do this, aside from lowering your status, the assistant shopkeeper will also bargain down the price. This is why Young Master Fan told you to listen to me.¡±


    Wei Yan turned his head and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to everything you say. Tell me, when can we buy grains and return to Xingzhou Prefecture? 1 don¡¯t want to stay in Lin¡¯an Prefecture for another day.¡±


    The first few days were still very novel. After all, this was the first time he had seen such a huge and prosperous city in his life. However, after shopping for a few days, Wei Yan was already tired of it.


    The flourishing Lin¡¯an Prefecture was a ce of wealth and splendor, and those living there seemed to be unaware of the sufferings outside. If not for the fact that he had juste from Xingzhou Prefecture and had lived at the border since he was young, he would have thought that the Great Zhou Dynasty was prosperous and peaceful.


    The longer Wei Yan stayed here, the more unhappy he became. How many lives had it taken to achieve such prosperity? Furthermore, the General and Little General had to lower their status to do business in order to earn money to buy rations for the soldiers and give out military sries.


    These people were clearly under their protection, but they were taking it for granted.


    Was it the fault of the people of Lin¡¯an Prefecture? Not really. Wei Yan had once stood up for the border soldiers in a wine shop, but the people at the nearby tables said that despite paying an additional amount of military expenses every year, the many soldiers in the Great Zhou could not even defend their country.


    Only then did Wei Yan know that the soldiers at the border were the targets of scolding and disgust, except for the Yuan family¡¯s army.


    If Butler Chen had not stopped him, Wei Yan would have fought with them long ago. He felt that they had been wronged. They had always been collecting their rations and military sry from the local people all these years. Whenever they asked the Imperial Court for money and rations, the Imperial Court would at most send some horses and weapons, and it would usually take about half a year to get these things.


    It was already not bad if one-thousandth of the military expenditure handed over by Lin¡¯an Prefecture and Jiangnan fell into their hands.


    Wei Yan widened his eyes and asked Butler Chen to give him a return date. In response, Butler Chen squatted on the steps and scratched his head. ¡°How would 1 know when to go back? Young Master asked us to exchange 80% of the silver for grains after selling the items and only bring back 20% of the silver. Didn¡¯t 1 dy for a month because 1 wanted to buy more after Jiangnan starts harvesting, hoping that the grain price would decrease? What the hell? Not only did the grain price not decrease, but it increased. How am 1 going to buy the grains now? Won¡¯t Young Master kill me when 1 go back?¡±


    Wei Yan said shamelessly, ¡°You¡¯re in charge of this business. 1 don¡¯t care. In any case, I want to go back as soon as possible. It¡¯s not a solution for us to stay here forever. Are we going to stay here forever if the price of grains doesn¡¯t drop? Before 1 came out, the Jin soldiers were already eyeing our Xingzhou Prefecture covetously. I have to go back and help Little General.¡±


    ¡°Forget it. Little General doesn¡¯tck people like you.¡± Butler Chen rubbed his face and said, ¡°Since we can¡¯t buy at the grain stores, let¡¯s go to the countryside to take a look. Don¡¯t be idle. Send someone to inquire about the grain price in the countryside. If it¡¯s not high, we¡¯ll buy it directly from the farmers. As soon as we get the grains, we¡¯ll set off immediately.¡±


    ¡°You should have said so earlier. Why did you only think of such a good idea now?¡±


    Butler Chen snorted and said, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s easy? When you go out and do it, you¡¯ll know how difficult it is.¡± Butler Chen patted his butt and left.


    After the ordinary families paid taxes, how many families could take out grains to sell? Most of them could only store them in their houses and eat them sparingly until next year. Only rich families and smallndlords had surplus grains to sell, but such people often cooperated with various grain stores.


    This was a one-off business. Even if they offer those people a better price, they would not offend the grain merchants who had worked with them for a long time just for a one-off business. There were rules in this industry.


    Butler Chen was taking the risk of breaking the rules to do such a thing only because he was hoping to get lucky. He only hoped to encounter a few richndlords who were in urgent need of money or were so stupid that they did not care about the industry rules.


    As for them, their people and foundation were all in Xingzhou Prefecture. Even if those grain merchants were angry, they wouldn¡¯t be able to catch them.


    However, Butler Chen didn¡¯t dare to have too much hope. He returned to his room to find the letter Fan Zijin had given him before he left. It was a letter for Mrs. Fan. Butler Chen didn¡¯t want to take it out, but Wei Yan was right. They couldn¡¯t keep dying in Lin¡¯an Prefecture. Not knowing what the situation in Xingzhou Prefecture was like, they had to hurry back.


    When he came, Young Master Fan didn¡¯t ask him to pay his respects to the Fan family. He even said not to look for Mrs. Fan unless it was absolutely necessary. It could be seen that Young Master Fan didn¡¯t have a very good rtionship with his mother. It was also because of this consideration that Butler Chen didn¡¯t let the Fan family know that they were Little General and Young Master Fan¡¯s men.


    Should they sessfully sell all their diced rabbit meat and cured rabbit meat, the profits were indeed shocking. However, this was only half of what Young Master had instructed them to do.


    Why did they spend so much effort to earn money?


    Wasn¡¯t it to buy grains?


    He had to bring the grains back toplete the mission.


    Butler Chen prepared a few small gifts and brought a guard to the Fan Residence to deliver the invitation. Not long after the invitation went in, Butler Chen was respectfully brought to the reception pavilion.


    After reading the letter, Mrs. Fan pressed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. Her eyes were slightly red as she asked, ¡°When did youe to Lin¡¯an Prefecture?¡±


    Butler Chen lowered his head and said in embarrassment, ¡°I came a few months ago. It¡¯s just that 1 haven¡¯t been able toplete what Young Master instructed me to do. I was too ashamed to see Madam, so I dragged it out until today.¡±


    Mrs. Fan touched the letter and looked at Butler Chen for a while. Her heart sank and she forced a smile. ¡°You¡¯re really considerate. Tell me, what¡¯s making you so troubled?¡±


    She knew her son well. It was most likely because her son did not want her to know about him.


    Mrs. Fan had not expected her son to be so distant from her..

 Chapter 215 - 215: Battle Between Husband and Wife

    Chapter 215: Battle Between Husband and Wife


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Even if Mrs. Fan was sad, she couldn¡¯t do anything to Fan Zijin for the time being. After all, her son wasn¡¯t by her side now. He wouldn¡¯t listen to her when he was around, let alone when he wasn¡¯t around.


    However, she still had to do her best to help her son achieve what he wanted to do. No matter what, she wanted to repair the rtionship between mother and son.


    After thinking for a moment, Mrs. Fan said, ¡°It¡¯s not difficult for you to buy grains. Coincidentally, my dowry farm hasn¡¯t been sold yet. My Fan family also has hundreds of acres of fertilend under our name. The harvested grains are still piled up in the warehouse. I¡¯ll sell them to you at a 20% discount off the grain merchant¡¯s price.¡±


    Butler Chen hurriedly bowed and said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare, I wouldn¡¯t dare. How can 1 let Madam suffer a loss? I¡¯ll pay whatever price the grain merchants offer you. Otherwise, if Young Master finds out, I won¡¯t be able to exin myselfter.¡±


    Mrs. Fan looked at him with a frown. Butler Chen smiled bitterly and said, ¡°Please understand, Madam. I think Young Master wishes to aplish a great career to impress you. I¡¯m afraid Young Master won¡¯t feel good if you lower the price now.¡±


    Mrs. Fan sneered and said with tears in her eyes, ¡°He probably doesn¡¯t want to owe me too much, right?¡±


    ¡°Madam, you¡¯re just saying that out of anger. You gave birth to Young Master. Is there a bigger debt of gratitude than that?¡±


    Hearing Butler Chen¡¯s words, Mrs. Fan finally felt a little better. She waved her hand and said, ¡°Alright, you can leave. I¡¯ll get the steward to look for youter. I also have a few good friends here who have quite promising dowries. Let me know how much grain you wish to buyter, and I¡¯ll help you be the middleman.¡±


    Butler Chen didn¡¯t expect the problem that he had been struggling with for so long to be resolved just like that. He simply knelt down in gratitude before returning happily.


    Mrs. Fan turned around and went back to the house to prepare something for her son. Since Butler Chen was going back to Xingzhou Prefecture, she would ask him to bring some things back for him. Also, Haoran and Xiuyuan were men and there wasn¡¯t ady to take charge of affairs in the house. It was inevitable that they weren¡¯t attentive enough in their daily life, so she had to prepare some things for them.


    Mrs. Fan¡¯s order made the entire Fan Mansion bustling with activity. When Fan Wensi returned from the government office, he saw that the people in the mansion were busy. Frowning, he pulled a servant girl over. ¡°What are you going to do with this?¡±


    When the youngss saw that it was Old Master, she was shocked. She said, ¡°Master, please rest. These are clothes prepared for Second Young Master. I went to the sewing room to bring them back.¡±


    Fan Wensi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Zijin is back? Why didn¡¯t anyone inform me?¡±


    The youngss quickly waved her hand and said, ¡°Second Young Master didn¡¯te back. He sent a steward here. Madam wants to pack some things and ask that steward to bring it over to Second Young Master.¡±


    Fan Wensi heaved a sigh of relief and touched his chest. ¡°Phew. I thought that unfilial son was back.¡± At this point, he felt that she had been too cowardly just now, so he frowned and said, ¡°It¡¯s best if he doesn¡¯te back for the rest of his life. If he dares to return, I¡¯ll definitely break his legs. Unfilial son!¡±


    Fan Wensi returned to the backyard angrily. Seeing that the main wife was so busy, he turned around and decided to go to his concubine without thinking.


    Unexpectedly, when Mrs. Fan heard that Fan Wensi was back, she came out to wee him. Seeing that he was heading west, she knew that he was going to his concubine¡¯s ce again.


    With a scowl, Mrs. Fan shouted, ¡°Fan Wensi, don¡¯t you dare go to the West Wing!¡±


    Fan Wensi was shocked. When he came back to his senses, he saw Mrs. Fan running over aggressively and hitting him. He quickly reached out to block her and shouted, ¡°Your ce is in a mess. I¡¯ve been exhausted for the entire day. Why can¡¯t 1 go elsewhere to rest?¡±


    ¡°Pfft, are you going to rest or work out with those little vixens? Why aren¡¯t you asking why my ce is messy? Our son has been gone for a year, and this is the first time he took the initiative to ask someone to send a letter back. Aren¡¯t you going to ask about him or read it? Are you even human?¡±


    When Mrs. Fan thought about how her rtionship with her son had deteriorated because of this man, she was so angry that she punched him.


    As Fan Wensi dodged, he shouted, ¡°It¡¯s best if that unfilial son doesn¡¯te back for the rest of his life. Why should I ask about him? Don¡¯t you think about what he did? Not only did his letter make me lose hereditary privilege which I had painstakingly obtained, but it also made me impeached by the imperial censor. What do you want me to ask about him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s in Xingzhou Prefecture, where there¡¯s a war. Why are you so ruthless? Is he your biological son?¡± Mrs. Fan kicked his butt. As she chased after him, she said, ¡°If you hadn¡¯t begged for hereditary privilege for your concubine¡¯s son, would he have run away from home? You can¡¯t differentiate between legitimate and concubines. You dote on your concubines and disrespect your main wife¡­¡±


    Fan Zijin did not know that another huge battle had broken out between his parents because of him. At this moment, he was solemnly cing a cloth bag on the table and opening it, revealing the golden corn inside.


    Fifth Miss Shen picked up a corn and looked at it. She asked, ¡°Is this the corn that Emperor Shizong mentioned and the maize that was belittledter on?¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded. ¡°This year, our Xingzhou Prefecture nted 28 acres.¡±


    Smiling, Fifth Miss Shen threw down the things. ¡°My Shen family¡¯s ancestors have also nted them before. Putting aside the taste, the yield is far from what Emperor Shizong said. 1 wonder why Young Master Fan brought this thing all the way to Jiangling?¡±


    Fan Zijin chuckled and sat opposite her. ¡°The Shen family failed to achieve a good yield because you didn¡¯t use the right method. Do you know how much corn we harvested from our 28 acres?¡±


    Fifth Miss Shen looked at him with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°16,016 catties. That¡¯s 572 catties per acre.¡±


    Fifth Miss Shen¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but she said, ¡°It sounds not bad, but it¡¯s far from what Emperor Shizong said. In a high-gradend, if it¡¯s meticulously tended to and is well-fertilized, a yield of 300 to 400 catties per acre of wheat is not unachievable. This corn is a novel thing after all. Even if the yield of the acre is higher, everyone¡¯s eptance of it is still not very high.¡±


    Fan Zijin knocked on the table and said, ¡°It was nted on low-gradend. Base fertilizer wasn¡¯t used and it wasn¡¯t all that well-fertilized. Furthermore, there¡¯s a drought in Xingzhou Prefecture this year.¡±


    Only then did Fifth Miss Shen gradually be serious. She pinched the corn and did not speak for a long time. Finally, she asked, ¡°Is this your business?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Fan Zijin looked at her with starry eyes and smiled. ¡°This is the West Camp¡¯s.¡±


    Fifth Miss Shen was surprised. She thought that this was Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s personal business, but she didn¡¯t expect it to be the entire West Camp¡¯s. Frowning, she said, ¡°This is a big business. I can¡¯t make the decision. I have to wait for my third brother toe back.¡±


    Fan Zijin said with a smile, ¡°I can wait, but the data in our hands can¡¯t wait. In just 20 days, three passers-by have already visited my cousin¡¯s camp.¡±


    Smiling, Fifth Miss Shen said, ¡°I¡¯ve long heard that Little General Qi is incredibly skilled in martial arts. He shouldn¡¯t have let those people seed so easily, right?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, but it¡¯s tiring to be disturbed like this.¡±


    Fifth Miss Shen thought for a moment and said, ¡°My third brother will be back soon. As soon as hees back, I¡¯lle with him to see you. How about that, Young Master Fan?¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for the two of you in the inn.¡± Fan Zijin cupped his hands in greeting..

 Chapter 216 - 216: Fishing

    Chapter 216 - 216: Fishing


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After Fifth Miss Shen came out of the restaurant and got into the carriage, she said with a frown, ¡°He¡¯s like a tight-lipped fox at such a young age. Other than the first two statistics, he refuses to spill anything else.¡±


    Fifth Miss Shen¡¯s most senior servant, Hong Xin, said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we get someone to go to Xingzhou Prefecture to ask for information?¡±


    ¡°Forget it. Didn¡¯t you hear him say that he captured all three groups of people? We probably won¡¯t be able to get any information even if we go. If we end up getting caught, it won¡¯t look good for everyone. Let¡¯s wait for Third Brother toe back and let him negotiate. 1 think the two of them are quite simr. They might just hit it off.¡± At this point, Fifth Miss Shen sneered. ¡°Let me see who¡¯s cleverer¡ªthe old fox or the little fox.¡±


    Hearing this, Hong Xin couldn¡¯t help but be amused. After some thought, she took out a few corn kernels from her pocket and looked at them. She asked in a low voice, ¡°Fifth Miss, do you think this thing is really that good?¡±


    Fifth Miss Shen took the corn from her hand and said, ¡°Emperor Shizong is wise and mighty. It¡¯s also because of this that everyone regards his words as a ssic. Although he had merely mentioned it casually, Emperor Shizong did say that this thing is resistant to cold and drought and has a high survival rate aside from producing a high yield. Even in the year of a disaster, as long as you nt this, themoners won¡¯t starve to death. It was also because of this sentence that so many of the future generations have been experimenting. Although corn disappeared after the Imperial Court failed to sessfully nt it, some families with some foundation and skills actually collected this thing and secretly studied it. Our Shen family¡¯s ancestors had nted it for many years, but the harvest was not ideal. Although there were gains, the yield was not even half of the rice. It was nothing like what Emperor Shizong said. Our family only stopped after trying for decades, having exhausted all the seeds on hand. I didn¡¯t expect someone to sessfully nt this thing.¡±


    Hong Xin asked, ¡°Then do other people still have seeds?¡±


    Smiling slightly, Fifth Miss Shen said confidently, ¡°Most families have used up their seeds like us. As for those who still have seeds, let¡¯s not talk about whether those seeds can still be used. How many seeds do you think they left behind?¡±


    ¡°But Young Master Fan and the others don¡¯t have much. How can a mere 10,000 catties or so be enough for us to split?¡±


    Fifth Miss Shen frowned. ¡°That¡¯s why we have to hurry up. If this business is sessful, our Shen family will definitely be able to take more initiative in the future.¡±


    At this moment, Fan Zijin was standing at the window of the restaurant and watching the Shen family¡¯s carriage leave. Yanmo asked in confusion, ¡°Young Master, why didn¡¯t you tell Fifth Miss Shen that we n to nt the corn for a second season and will be able to trade more seeds next year? The general doesn¡¯t intend to sell the 16,000 catties to the Shen family. What if Fifth Miss Shen misunderstands?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s her business. 1 didn¡¯t say that I¡¯ll only have 16,000 catties when it¡¯s time for us to trade.¡± Fan Zijin put away his fan and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Didn¡¯t I ask you to find out what fun ces are in the Jiangling Prefecture? Let¡¯s go out and shop.¡±


    Yanmo asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t we waiting for Third Young Master Shen?¡±


    ¡°We can y and wait at the same time. When hees back, he¡¯ll naturallye looking for us. Only by being patient can we catch good fish. So,¡± Fan Zijin tapped Yanmo¡¯s shoulder with his fan and said with a smile, ¡°Why should we be anxious? They¡¯re the ones who should be anxious!¡±


    Qi Haoran also said to Bai Li with a cold expression, ¡°Why should we be anxious? They¡¯re the ones who should be anxious!¡±


    Bai Li looked at Qi Haoran, who was still reeking of blood, and lowered his head. ¡°But General wants us to settle this quickly. This matter can¡¯t be dyed for too long. Although Xingzhou Prefecture is far from Lin¡¯an Prefecture, people with ulterior motives can quickly spread the news to the capital. At that time, the Imperial Court will know the details first, which will be disadvantageous to us. Therefore, Little General, we should clean up the spies in Mingshui County as soon as possible to ensure that the news of the corn won¡¯t spread beyond Xingzhou Prefecture.¡±


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t Big Brother¡¯s official document already been sent out? The time was written on it and there are also stamps of various ry stations. Even if the Imperial Court receives the news before they receive the official document, they can only me the ry stations for being inefficient.¡± Qi Haoran sneered and said, ¡°Other than urgent battle reports, the documents sent back to the capital by the generals will all be suppressed by the Cab. Even if the ry stations send out the document as usual, this document will still be suppressed by the Cab for at least 10 to 20 days before reaching the Imperial Pce. It¡¯s good to teach them a lesson using this incident. I can¡¯t wait for someone to report the news before His Majesty sees the document. At that time, there will be a good show to watch.¡±


    Bai Li looked at Qi Haoran in shock. He did not expect Qi Haoran to grow so quickly.


    Qi Haoran had already asked, ¡°They¡¯ve already started nting corn for the second season, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it started yesterday. Miss Mu said that they will finish nting all the seeds in eight days, but after nting them, they need to water them once. It¡¯s too difficult to transport water from Jialing Lake.¡±


    Qi Haoran only frowned slightly as he asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to find someone proficient in astronomy? Why haven¡¯t you found him yet?¡±


    Bai Li rubbed his nose. He really wanted to say that he was a guard and not a servant, but he still epted his fate and said, ¡°There¡¯s no such talent in Xingzhou Prefecture. I¡¯ve already sent people out to search. All the schrs in the world are aiming for the Imperial Examination. It¡¯s really too difficult to find someone who¡¯s proficient in astronomy.¡±


    Qi Haoran nced at him and said, ¡°Brother Rong Ze knows astronomy. Alright, continue searching. I¡¯ll go back and ask Brother Rong Ze if it¡¯s going to rain in Xingzhou Prefecture soon. If not, we¡¯ll still have to gather manpower from the 5th Division and choose strongborers from the various sections to transport water from Jialing Lake.¡±


    After Qi Haoran finished arranging the farming, he got up and went to the dungeon. ¡°Let¡¯s go and see them. They¡¯ve attracted many guests for me these few days.¡±


    Bai Li knew that he was referring to the few groups of spies who visited the military camp one after another.


    Qi Haoran was still learning how to interrogate prisoners from Qi Xiuyuan in the prefectural capital when someone visited the military camp at night.


    Every time he thought of this, Bai Li could not help but rejoice at Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling¡¯s strange hobby.


    If from time to time, Mu Yangling hadn¡¯t yed infiltration and defense games with Qi Haoran and avoided the patrols of the military camp to sneak into Qi Haoran¡¯s room, the defense of their military camp might not have improved so much.


    It had to be known that the three groups of spies were all elites in this area. One of those groups had almost reached the storeroom before being discovered and taken down.


    Qi Haoran rushed back after the first batch of spies was caught. Then, he got Mu Yangling to check the defense situation of the military camp. Thest batch was discovered by the secret sentries who had been added at thest minute.


    Qi Haoran was angry and excited about the fact that spies were sneaking into his military camp one after another. On the plus side, after preparing for so long, he finally had a chance to practice. He interrogated them overnight and obtained the list of spies left in Mingshui County, but he did not want to take action now.


    If so many spies were hiding in the tiny Mingshui County, what about Xingzhou Prefecture and Xingyuan Prefecture?


    He decided to ignore Xingyuan Prefecture for now, but he had to uncover those spies in Xingzhou Prefecture because that was where his big brother was staying. Furthermore, the missions he gave Mu Shi in Hanzhong Prefecture let him know how dangerous it was to leave spies around his big brother¡¯s residence.


    Therefore, he didn¡¯t mind taking the risk to catch a big fish..

 Chapter 217 - 217: Furious

    Chapter 217 - 217: Furious


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran appeared in front of Mu Yangling, both of them looked smug.


    At that time, Mu Yangling was looking at the rabbits in the shed and worrying. Most of the rabbits she raised could be put up for sale already, and the second-generation rabbits were almost able to give birth to the third-generation rabbits. Yet, Fan Zijin still had not sent anyone to collect them.


    Xiuhong was encouraging her to sell the rabbits to someone else. At least this way, she could reduce some losses.


    The moment Fan Zijin arrived, he heard Xiuhongining about him. ¡°¡­Young Master Fan shouldn¡¯t be like this. Why didn¡¯t he send someone to inform us if he wants the rabbits? If we continue raising the rabbits, they will be old. Cousin, listen to me and sell the rabbits.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent a letter to Fan Zijin. I¡¯ll only sell the rabbits if he doesn¡¯t reply in a few days. We signed a contract back then.¡±


    Fan Zijin, who hade to show off to Mu Yangling, immediately put away the smug look on his face. He coughed lightly to attract their attention and raised his chin. ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to take the rabbits away tomorrow. I¡¯ll naturally keep my promise.¡±


    Mu Yangling sized him up and asked with a smile, ¡°Have you been released?¡±


    Fan Zijin blushed and nodded. ¡°Thanks to you. Although we can¡¯t return to the 5th Division yet, we have freedom of movement.¡± When Fan Zijin said this, he had a serious expression on his face. This was very inconsistent with his usual sarcastic manner.


    Surprised by Fan Zijin¡¯s change, Xiuhong widened her eyes and looked at him.


    Qi Haoran ced his hand on Fan Zijin¡¯s shoulder and boasted to Mu Yangling, ¡°Zijin haspleted a huge business deal. Big Brother felt that Zijin was changing his ways, so he allowed him to regain his freedom. Although he still let him stay in the prefectural capital, he didn¡¯t restrict him from returning to the 5th Division.¡±


    Seeing the joy between his brows, Mu Yangling asked with a smile, ¡°Then what good news do you have?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a secret. I can¡¯t tell you.¡± Qi Haoran said that he couldn¡¯t tell Mu Yangling, but his face was filled with joy. He couldn¡¯t hide the smugness between his brows.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t ask further. Since Fan Zijin wanted to take away these grown rabbits, her troubles disappeared. She happily sat cross-legged on the grass with the two of them and discussed the recent situation.


    The three of them were happy, but who knew how many people would be angered?


    Firstly, there was Third Young Master Shen. He had already discussed the conditions for purchasing corn seeds with Fan Zijin and had already signed the contract. Only after that did he know that Qi Haoran had nted all the corn seeds. The part that angered him the most was that they had to pay within three days after receiving the goods, but the time for receiving the goods was not stated, allowing Fan Zijin to take advantage of the loophole.


    Now, the 8,900 catties of corn seeds that he¡¯d thought was the majority of the total amount avable, suddenly didn¡¯t seem like much.


    As it turned out, corn could be nted in Xingzhou Prefecture for a second season.


    Since 16,000 catties could be harvested from 28 acres of low-gradend, how much could one harvest from 16,000 catties of seeds?


    Since the other party dared to nt all the corn seeds, it meant that they had great confidence in the second season¡¯s harvest.


    In that case, his 8,900 catties were not worth mentioning after ounting for the second season¡¯s harvest. The Shen family could not gain the upper hand, and he had spent so much effort only to be fooled by a 13-year-old boy.


    Shen San was so angry that heughed. ¡°Fan Zijin is really good. No wonder Qi Xiuyuan asked that kid toe to the Jiangling Prefecture alone. 1 underestimated him. Where is he?¡±


    Shen San¡¯s subordinate lowered his head and said, ¡°Young Master Fan left the Jiangling Prefecture early yesterday morning. He left a letter saying that there¡¯s no need to send him off. Third Young Master, isn¡¯t General Qi afraid of offending our Shen family after making us suffer such a loss?¡±


    Shen San snorted. ¡°Who said that the Shen family would suffer such a loss? Didn¡¯t Fan Zijin run so quickly because he wanted me to go to Xingzhou Prefecture to personally negotiate with Qi Xiuyuan?¡± However, with this contract in ce and him taking the initiative to look for them, he had lost the initiative.


    But thinking of the Imperial Astronomer¡¯s prediction, Shen San had no choice but to go.


    Even though the Imperial Astronomer¡¯s prediction was not announced, he learned about this through his own connections. Clearly, Qi Xiuyuan also had his own connections to know about this in advance.


    The Imperial Astronomer could make mistakes in predicting the wind and rain in a specific ce, but his predictions about the weather in such arge area had never once been too off.


    After Shen San followed Fan Zijin to Xingzhou Prefecture, both parties signed a new contract. Under the same conditions, the 8,900 catties was changed to one-third of the second season¡¯s harvest. This would ensure the Shen family¡¯s initiative in this crop war.


    Then, there were the people sent over from all over. Not only were the Hus captured by Qi Haoran, but there were also the people sent from Xingyuan Prefecture and various parties to investigate.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s blow was very wide-ranging. Everyone who had infiltrated the 5th Division had been arrested, and some of them confessed as they could not withstand the torture. Although Qi Haoran did not find them, he still obtained a lot of information.


    In order to reduce their losses, they had no choice but to withdraw the spies they had left in Xingzhou Prefecture. However, they were even more interested in the corn in the storeroom of the 5th Division. With such tight defenses, how could it be ordinary crops?


    Some people even suspected that what Qi Xiuyuan ced in the 5th Division was not corn at all, but some kind of weapon. The corn seeds were just a cover. After all, people had been nting that thing for over a hundred years ago, but no sessful cases were known so far.


    Hence, even though the spies were withdrawn, they sent more powerful subordinates to scout the 5th Division at night.


    In the end, Qi Xiuyuan had no choice but to send two toonmanders from the 1st Division to support them.


    While the scheming Qi Haoran had the storeroom of the 5th Division heavily guarded, he distributed the seeds in the house where he and Fan Zijin lived and got someone to nt them in the fields.


    Those spies actually ignored this and rushed into the heavily guarded storeroom.


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth couldn¡¯t help but twitch. ¡°Aren¡¯t they here for the corn? Now that we¡¯ve all nted it in the fields, couldn¡¯t they just dig up two in the dark while nobody¡¯s watching?¡±


    Qi Haoran nced at her and said, ¡°You¡¯re the only one who can think so simply. Aside from the Hus, the only ones who can pay attention to the 5th Division at ail times and send spies are the various military camps. To make them believe that what the soldiers are protecting is a crop and not a weapon, you have to cut off their heads first and install them on the farmers¡¯ heads.¡±


    Ignoring Mu Yangling¡¯s widened eyes, Qi Haoran said, ¡°I knew long ago that they weren¡¯t here for the corn, so I moved the things into my and Zijin¡¯s house early in the morning. Then, 1 ced a fewrge boxes in the storeroom. Now, everyone is protecting those fewrge boxes.¡±


    In the entire 5th Division, other than the storeroom, only his room was the most tightly protected. The corn was also safe there.


    Hence, those people were wasting their efforts. Now that Qi Haoran was guarding the 5th Division, he would catch whoever came.. How could others not be angered?

 Chapter 218 - 218: Suggestion

    Chapter 218: Suggestion


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After counting the rabbits in the shed, Fan Zijin said, ¡°There are only about 4,000 that can be put up for sale. Isn¡¯t that too little?¡±


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth twitched as she said, ¡°Even if you think it¡¯s too little, you have to look at how big mynd is. It¡¯s already a high burden for me to raise so many rabbits on my 68 acres ofnd. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that these rabbits aren¡¯t picky about food and can even be fed with just dry wheatgrass, 1 would have sold all 4,ooo-odd of them. You have to know that 1 still have thousands of little rabbits on hand.¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted and said, ¡°Whether you have enoughnd or not is your problem. I only care about the results. If it¡¯s not enough, you can convert foresnd or directly buynd.¡±


    Qi Haoran took a piece of pasture and bit it in his mouth. He spoke up for Mu Yangling. ¡°How can she have the money to buynd when she hasn¡¯t earned a single cent yet?¡±


    Then, he assured Mu Yangling, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about raising the rabbits. The trade caravan that Zijin sent south has already returned. Our diced rabbit meat is very popr. Butler Chen has already negotiated with someone to send them three shipments a year. I¡¯ve asked the ountant to calcte it for you. ording to such a profit, you can earn a lot of money a year.¡±


    Fan Zijin red at him and said to Mu Yangling, ¡°There¡¯s no problem with the sales now, but there are too few raw materials. Every time, there are only a few thousand rabbits. The diced rabbit meat made looks like a lot, but in fact, there¡¯s not much at all when it¡¯s distributed.¡±


    Not someone who would only set his sights on Lin¡¯an Prefecture, Fan Zijin did not want to let go of any of therge cities outside Lin¡¯an Prefecture. Butler Chen had just transported the grains back when he brought thest batch of diced rabbit meat out. This time, his main mission was to discuss business and find good sales channels. There were only a few hundred jars of diced rabbit meat, which wasn¡¯t much.


    Qi Haoran had already nned to officially allocate a part of the 5th Division to build a workshop for him. Fan Zijin had also chosen a manager from among the veterans and remnants of the army. As for the soldiers sent from the various camps who could no longer go to the battlefield, they were all assigned to the workshop.


    Not only were they ensured to be fed, but all the medicine they needed to treat their injuries would also be provided by the workshop. In addition, the workshop would also give them a military sry.


    Aside from reducing the army¡¯s expenditure, the veterans who would have been starved for food and clothing were also resettled.


    Themotion in the 5th Division was too big, so it was inevitable that it would attract the attention of outsiders. In the end, Qi Xiuyuan asked Mo Xiong to bring people over. ¡°Little General, the general asked me to take those fewrge boxes and escort them back to the West Camp.¡±


    Qi Haoran blinked. ¡°Just the few of you?¡±


    Smiling, Mo Xiong said, ¡°Therefore I still need Little General to send someone to escort me.¡±


    Although there were only stones in those fewrge boxes, many people had designs on them. Since Qi Haoran had to send this trouble away, he naturally could not let anyone know that the things inside were simply stones.


    Qi Haoran and Mo Xiong brought their troops to the West Camp in a high-profile manner. Along the way, there were many people watching, but nothing happened.


    That cart was protected by severalyers of men. Whoever rushed out would be courting death.


    Jiang Ze took over these big boxes and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m taking over trouble, eh.¡±


    Mo Xiong nced at him and said, ¡°If you¡¯re unwilling, I¡¯ll tell the general. I can take care of this.¡±


    Jiang Ze snorted and said, ¡°If you want to snatch credit, say so. Don¡¯t make it sound too nice, as if you¡¯re helping me out.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t pretend toin after getting an advantage. How much credit can these boxes bring you? Our West Camp is not totally under the general¡¯s control now. If the general wants to use this matter to kick those people out, you should open your eyes and see who has been fooling around in front of you recently.¡±


    As the general only told a few trusted aides about the corn, the other soldiers had no idea of the exact situation.


    With the corn seeds nted, they could naturally hide it for as long as possible. The Shen family was also paying close attention to this matter.


    Initially, he thought that Qi Xiuyuan could only dy it for at most another ten days to half a month. Surprisingly, after a month, the corn had already grown to the height of a calf, yet the Imperial Court still had not heard anything.


    Shen San wanted to cover his face, but Fifth Miss Shen asked in surprise, ¡°Is Qi Xiuyuan too good at keeping secrets, or is the Imperial Court too ipetent? The people here have more or less guessed it, right? How long has it been?¡± Shen San said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid Qi Xiuyuan is also anxious to let the Imperial Court know now. His documents have probably been withheld by the Cab.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s document had indeed been detained by the Cab. Since it was only stamped as urgent and not a military report, after the Cab received it, they did not even open it and simply directly put it aside. Because the harvest of grains everywhere this year was poor, more and more troops had submitted letters requesting military rations since May. The Emperor was furious. Hence they could dy the less-urgent memorials as much as they could.


    Therefore, when the Emperor finally saw the corn data reported by Qi Xiuyuan and the document asking for rewards for Four Tray Vige, the corn in Xingzhou Prefecture had already been harvested.


    The Emperor¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the data on it. Then, looking at the date below, his hand couldn¡¯t stop trembling. He pointed at the Cab ministers below and was so angry that he could not speak.


    ¡°¡­Such an important expedited document, but you actually suppressed it for so long before submitting it. You¡¯re simply neglecting your duty. I¡­¡± The Emperor took a deep breath and said, ¡°I¡¯ll punish you by deducting half a year¡¯s sry. Go back and write a confession memorial.¡±


    Minister Qin lowered his head and had no choice but to take a step forward and ask in a low voice, ¡°Your Majesty, I wonder what General Qi wrote in the memorial that made you so infuriated?¡±


    ¡°Infuriated?¡± The Emperor directly pped the memorial on his head. ¡°I¡¯m delighted. If you had reported the memorial instead of suppressing it, would I be angry? Someone under Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s rule sessfully nted corn, the corn Emperor Shizong mentioned.¡±


    The Emperor¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Didn¡¯t the Imperial Astronomer say that there might be a drought in various ces next year? Coincidentally, this corn can withstand drought. If we nt it widely, my subjects will be able to survive this crisis.¡±


    Minister Qin picked up the memorial and read it carefully. He narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled. ¡°Congrattions, Your Majesty. It¡¯s just that General Qi said in the letter that the yield of an acre is only 572 catties. There¡¯s still a huge difference between this yield and the 1,000 catties per acre mentioned by Emperor Shizong.¡±


    The Emperor smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s because they used low-gradend. If it¡¯s nted on high-gradend, the yield will naturally be higher. Even if it can¡¯t reach 1,000 catties per acre, it¡¯s already not bad to have 600 to 700 catties.¡± ¡°Sounds right, but General Qi only has 16,000 catties of corn on hand. Even if we use all of them as seeds, we won¡¯t be able to nt much. I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± Seeing the Emperor¡¯s expression darken slightly, Minister Qin continued, ¡°Therefore, I¡¯m afraid the main crops will still be wheat and rice. However, since General Qi knows how to nt them, it won¡¯t be long before we can promote corn cultivation widely. In two to five years, we will definitely be able to nt more corn to use as seeds. Therefore, His Majesty, let General Qi send people to transport the 16,000 catties of seeds to the capital first. Next spring, we will distribute the seeds to the farmers to nt. Oh right, the vigers of Four Tray Vige have to be sent to the capital too, in order to guide the farmers. This way, we can ensure that nothing goes wrong.¡±


    Minister of Revenue, Zhang Cheng, took a step forward and said, ¡°Your Majesty, Minister Qin is right. Jiangnan has always been known for its fish and rice. It¡¯s definitely better to nt corn here than in a deste ce like Xingzhou Prefecture. We should have issued a decree for General Qi to send the seeds and people over..¡±

 Chapter 219 - 219: Joy and Anger

    Chapter 219: Joy and Anger


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Your Majesty. We ought to issue an imperial edict as soon as possible. Otherwise, should it start snowing in the north, it won¡¯t be easy to walk on the snowy roads. You have to preserve the seeds well. If they get wet, I¡¯m afraid it will affect the nting.¡±


    The ministers left behind in the imperial study responded one after another.


    The Emperor, who had originally wanted to leave the issue until the next day, could not help but feel anxious. ¡°Then I¡¯ll issue a decree now to let the emissary immediately leave the city and head to Xingzhou Prefecture.¡±


    The corners of Minister Qin¡¯s mouth curled up as he cupped his hands in congrattions. ¡°I congratte Your Majesty in advance. The emissary should be able to reach Xingzhou Prefecture in 20 days if he hurries. In less than two months, Your Majesty will be able to see the seeds that Emperor Shizong praised highly of.¡±


    The Emperorughed and said, ¡°This is all thanks to Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s discerning eyes. The vigers of Four Tray Vige also contributed greatly. For the past hundred years, they did not forget Emperor Shizong¡¯s teachings and diligently studied the nting method of corn. Even when theirnd was upied by the Jin soldiers, they did not forget their hometown and came to us with the seeds and nting methods. They deserve to be rewarded.¡±


    After the Emperor finished speaking, he asked the Imperial Advisor to draft a decree and said, ¡°The vigers of Four Tray Vige will be rewarded with 1,000 taels of gold and a third-grade honor. Qi Xiuyuan also contributed greatly.¡± The Emperor paused for a moment before saying, ¡°Reward him by promoting him to the third-grade and have him follow the emissary to Xingzhou Prefecture together with the imperial edict.¡±


    The corners of Minister Qin¡¯s lips curled up as he took the lead to kneel down and say ¡®long live¡¯.


    The Emperor looked at the ministers below proudly, basking in joy.


    The next day, Qi Feng found out that his son had been promoted from the fourth-grade to the third-grade. Although he was still only in charge of Xingyuan Prefecture¡¯s West Camp, he was already a third-grade general. He would only advance faster in the future. When he heard that his son had discovered such an important thing without informing him, his eyes darkened.


    Which father and son didn¡¯t exchange information and help each other? Only that unfilial son would keep such news to himself. Otherwise, why would he be so passive?


    Qi Feng¡¯s smile stiffened as he responded to his colleagues¡¯ congrattions. He could not help but think of calling his youngest son back. If his youngest son was still with him, would his eldest son still act with disregard to him?


    After Qi Feng returned home, he asked the housekeeper¡¯s son, Zhu Xingzong, to immediately set off to Xingzhou Prefecture to bring his youngest son, Qi Haoran, back.


    The Emperor hoped that the emissary would bring the things and people back. Qi Feng also hoped that Zhu Xingzong would bring his youngest son back, so he paid more attention to Xingzhou Prefecture.


    When the emissary arrived at Xingzhou Prefecture, the corn that had been nted had just budded. Mu Yangling and the vigers were weeding the cornfields.


    When Qi Xiuyuan heard from the emissary that he wanted to bring the seeds and the vigers of Four Tray Vige to the capital, he blinked and said innocently, ¡°I¡¯ve long written a letter to His Majesty, but there¡¯s been no response. 1 thought that His Majesty was unhappy with the yield, so in order to experiment, 1 nted all the seeds again. As for the vigers of Four Tray Vige, they¡¯ve all been enlisted into the army and are now guiding everyone to nt corn in the fields.¡±


    The emissary widened his eyes and asked, ¡°General Qi, why are you still nting when it¡¯s already autumn? Can the corn still grow?¡±


    Even if the emissary had never farmed before, he knewmon sense. He had only heard that one could nt crops for a second season in the warm and humid south, but he had never heard that the cold and dry Xingzhou Prefecture could also produce grains for a second season.


    Qi Xiuyuan hurriedly said, ¡°Sir, you might not know this, but corn is resistant to drought. After harvesting the wheat, as long as we nt it immediately, perhaps we might be able to harvest it before the first snow.¡±


    The emissary¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Perhaps?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan coughed lightly and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m doing this to try and produce the corn yield mentioned by Emperor Shizong. Since His Majesty hasn¡¯t replied for a long time, I thought that it was because the yield per acre is too low, so¡­¡±


    The emissary¡¯s face darkened, but he couldn¡¯t say that it was because the Cab had suppressed the memorial. Considering it had been three months since Qi Xiuyuan submitted the memorial, it was no wonder that he was nervous.


    The emissary¡¯s breath was stuck in his chest. In the end, he had no choice but to wave his hand and say, ¡°This is caused by theck ofmunication. It¡¯s not General Qi¡¯s fault. It¡¯s better to call the vigers of Four Tray Vige over. His Majesty has a reward for them.¡±


    The emissary had announced both decrees, but he was not happy at all. He had onlypleted one of the three tasks given by the emperor. It was easy to bring the vigers of Four Tray Vige back, but since the seeds could not be brought back, what was the point of taking them with him?


    It was still uncertain if the corn could be harvested this time. Knowing that Qi Xiuyuan had nted all the seeds, he was even more worried.


    Hopefully they didn¡¯t destroy all the seeds after finally discovering a method to nt the corn sessfully.


    The emissary could only write an urgent document and send it out with a bronze te bestowed by the Emperor. Fortunately, the Emperor gave him this before he left. Otherwise, who knew how he would inform the Emperor.


    With the bronze te, the ry stations did not dare to dy. They chose the best horse and messenger to travel day and night. They rushed to Lin¡¯an Prefecture at the speed of 400 to 500 miles a day and arrived six dayster. The messenger almost copsed as he delivered the letter to the Cab.


    When the Cab saw that it was an urgent document from the messenger, they did not dare to dy and sent it to the pce overnight.


    When the Emperor got up from his beloved concubine¡¯s bed and opened the letter, he almost vomited a mouthful of blood. He pointed at the messenger below with a trembling finger, speechless.


    The concubine quickly patted his chest to calm him down and shouted, ¡°Your Majesty, what¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t scare me!¡±


    With reddened eyes, the Emperor gritted his teeth and said, ¡°By my orders, the Cab has neglected their duties and are hereby all fired!¡±


    The Emperor was so angry that his soul almost left his body. He resented the Cab ministers and was also furious at Qi Xiuyuan, but since Qi Xiuyuan had a good reason, he could not vent his anger on him. He could only vent his anger on the Cab, who was the culprit.


    The four pitiful Cab ministers had thought that they would only be fined for half a year. Who knew that there was more to it.


    The Emperor sat by the bed with red eyes for a long time before finally saying, ¡°By my orders, the emissary is to stay in Xingzhou Prefecture to see the effects of the nting. If the corn can be sessfully nted in Xingzhou Prefecture for a second season, I¡ªI will reward Qi Xiuyuan handsomely.¡±


    The Emperor really did not want to reward the generals, but this time, the generals were involved in farming.


    The most important thing to a country was agriculture, for it concerned the livelihood of the people. The Emperor did not identify as being a wilful person, so if Qi Xiuyuan really made a great contribution to this matter, he was willing to reward him handsomely. He could even confer him a title.


    The Emperor spread this message and only hoped that Qi Xiuyuan could work harder after hearing this.


    However, that was not what Qi Xiuyuan aspired towards. Like General Yuan, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s greatest wish was to recover his homnd and revive the Great Zhou.


    When the Emperor said this, he was discussing with his brother how to upy Baoshan County.


    Qi Haoran was the one who suggested upying Baoshan County. This idea hade to him when Zhuang Dawei first appeared. After more than half a year of preparation, he nned to take action now..

 Chapter 220 - 220: Discovery

    Chapter 220 - 220: Discovery


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Baoshan County and Mingshui County were neighbors, though one belonged to Xingzhou Prefecture and the other to Hanzhong Prefecture.


    Although the two counties were neighboring counties, transportation was not convenient. This was because there were continuous mountains and rivers between the two counties. In the past, there was a narrow path for people to travel between the two counties, but that was only a narrow path. The mountains and rocks on both sides were so tall that even a small cart could not pass through. Therefore, all along, everyone had to pass through Xingcheng Pass in Xingzhou Prefecture to enter Hanzhong Prefecture, before finally arriving at Baoshan County.


    After the Jin soldiers upied Hanzhong Prefecture, the Great Zhou soldiers blew up the rocks on the mountain and blocked the path.


    However, Zhuang Dawei pointed them to another path.


    Even though the roads between Baoshan County and Mingshui County were blocked, Qi Haoran¡¯s ultimate goal was not it, but the entire Hanzhong Prefecture.


    Qi Xiuyuan naturally knew his brother¡¯s ambition. He didn¡¯t want his brother tomand this battle, but to be the vanguard.


    Qi Haoran had once boasted in front of him about how powerful the scout camp he had trained for half a year was. Hence, this was a test for him.


    There were no Jin soldiers stationed in Baoshan County. As long as they upied the county office and controlled the people inside, they could use Baoshan County as a stronghold to expand to the entire Hanzhong Prefecture. If Qi Xiuyuan wanted to silently send arge number of troops into Hanzhong Prefecture, he could not pass through Baoshan County. Because horses, supplies and rations could not travel on that path, after Qi Haoran and the others upied Baoshan County, they had to quickly control Qinghe Town, which was twelve miles away from Baoshan County.


    Qinghe Town led straight to Xingzhou Prefecture¡¯s Shunzhen County¡¯s Baiqi Town. There were checkpoints between the two countries there and soldiers guarding it. Qi Haoran¡¯s mission was to kill those soldiers so that Qi Xiuyuan could lead his troops straight to Qinghe Town.


    Once the troops entered Hanzhong Prefecture, they could simultaneously attack from both inside and outside to take down Hanzhong Prefecture.


    For Qi Xiuyuan to dare to attack Hanzhong Prefecture at this time, other than the fact that his troops were strong and all the newly recruited soldiers had been trained, the most important thing was that Hanzhong Prefecture had been a little chaotic recently because of the poor harvesting.


    Attacking Hanzhong Prefecture now was beneficial to gaining the hearts of the people. Moreover, there might be a huge disaster next year. This was both a disaster and an opportunity. Taking advantage of this opportunity to recruit more soldiers and military households would only be beneficial to him.


    Of course, Qi Xiuyuan would not take this risk himself, so after formting the n, he sent a letter to General Yuan and asked him to recover the country¡¯snd together.


    This was General Yuan¡¯s lifelong wish. As long as it was possible, he would work hard. Although Qi Xiuyuan did not write down the exact time of his operation, he believed that the elites of the Yuan family army would definitely be prepared at all times. As long as he made a movement here, the Yuan family army would appear to restrain the troops in Cai and Tang Prefecture.


    Qi Xiuyuan had considered every problem. Seeing that Rong Xuan couldn¡¯t find any problems, he said with a smile, ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. Only the four of us know about this. Don¡¯t tell the soldiers first. Haoran, go back and prepare now.¡± Seeing that everyone had something to do except for him, Fan Zijin hurriedly said, ¡°Eldest Cousin, there¡¯s still me. I¡¯ll follow Haoran.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Qi Xiuyuan said coldly, ¡°Follow Rong Xuan obediently and distribute rations with him. Haoran is going to kill people, not go on an outing. You¡¯ll only cause trouble if you go.¡±


    Fan Zijin widened his eyes and looked at Eldest Cousin in disbelief. When had he ever caused trouble?


    Rong Xuan chuckled and said to him, ¡°Haoran and the others are going on an urgent march. Even trained soldiers might not be able to withstand this intensity. Forget about following them. Preparing the rations is the most important task at the moment. By the way, we¡¯ll make a requisition of the grains your men brought back to West Camp from Lin¡¯an Prefecture first. After we upy Hanzhong Prefecture, we¡¯ll return them to the 5th Division.¡±


    This time, it was Qi Haoran¡¯s turn to jump up. ¡°How will that do? That¡¯s our 5th Division¡¯s rations. We¡¯re going to run out of rations if you do this.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan flicked his forehead with a finger and said, ¡°Don¡¯t think 1 don¡¯t know how much military rations your 5th Division collected this year. Among the five camps, you have the most. How much did you retain privately?¡±


    Qi Haoran shouted, ¡°I¡¯ve already submitted one-third more than them. Big Brother, you can¡¯t ask for all the military rations, right? Back then, when we were repairing the water conservancy facilities, 1 borrowed a lot of grains from the Sun and Zhao families and haven¡¯t returned it to them.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan coughed lightly and put his arm around his brother¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I know that you¡¯re having a difficult time now, but isn¡¯t this a special situation? If we want the soldiers to fight for us at the frontline, we have to feed them.¡± Qi Haoran said unhappily, ¡°Aren¡¯t all those military rations that I gave you in the storeroom? We spent a lot of money to buy those things that Zijin brought back from Jiangnan.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reserved for next year. As soon as we use it, we¡¯ll be discovered. Isn¡¯t the current operation a secret? His Majesty doesn¡¯t want there to be another war at the border. Do you want us to be summoned back by His Majesty before we make it beyond the pass?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s shoulders slumped and he could only agree. However, he was silently grumbling about the Emperor. He was clearly going to help the Emperor recover his territory, but thetter was seemingly stopping him with all his might. He did not know what the Emperor was thinking.


    Qi Haoran went back to prepare and made ns to transfer away the scout team that he had trained with Mu Yangling for half a year. He did not say what they were going to do specifically and only encouraged them. Then, he instructed the kitchen to prepare good food and wine for them.


    The next morning, Qi Haoran quietly led his men into the mountains.


    Mu Yanglingy in the forest and watched Qi Haoran bring the scouts up the mountain. She couldn¡¯t help but frown. Although she and he often brought people to train in the forest, they had never been so prepared.


    From the way those men were fully armed, it was obvious that they were going on a mission.


    Mu Yanglingy in the forest and watched them disappear into the forest. She recalled that it seemed to be a pathway to Four Tray Vige.


    After making sure that they had gone far away, Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief. She stood up and patted away the grass. Then, she picked up the bow and arrow on the ground and was about to turn around when her body suddenly stiffened. As she turned around stiffly, she saw Qi Haoran looking at her coldly. With a stiff smile, Mu Yangling waved her right hand like a fortune cat. ¡°What a coincidence.¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted and said, ¡°You should¡¯ve breathed more lightly.¡±


    Mu Yangling knew that he was telling the truth. The moment she saw Qi Haoran just now, her thoughts fluctuated. She had already fused with the environment, but she identally leaked her aura. It was only for a moment, but she did not expect Qi Haoran to sense it.


    While Mu Yangling was vexed at her own negligence, she was also happy for Qi Haoran¡¯s growth. It was all thanks to her teachings that he could be so brilliant. ¡°You¡¯re going to Hanzhong Prefecture?¡±


    Initially, Qi Haoran didn¡¯t want to say it, but he still nodded and red at her threateningly. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about this.¡±


    However, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t feel intimidated at all and merely looked at him with a smile. ¡°Then be careful. You have toe back alive. Don¡¯t lose half your life likest time.¡±


    Qi Haoran also became serious and nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitelye back alive. Your father will alsoe back alive.¡±


    Mu Yangling widened her eyes. ¡°My father is participating too?¡±


    Qi Haoran smiled. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? How stupid.¡± He waved his hand and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m leaving. When I¡¯m not around, help me pay more attention to the situation in the 5th Division. Also, you have to take care of the corn. Don¡¯t let it be stolen..¡±

 Chapter 221 - 221: The Battle Begins

    Chapter 221 - 221: The Battle Begins


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran hid in the forest with his men and used his telescope to observe the situation at the checkpoint. Now, they were staying behind the checkpoint and Baoshan County was already under their control. As there were Jin soldiers stationed in Qinghe Town, Qi Haoran¡¯s men did not dare to act rashly. They were afraid of alerting the garrison of Hanzhong Prefecture, so they nned to get rid of the people at the checkpoint first. After Jiang Ze brought his men over, they would knock down the garrison in Qinghe Town together.


    Qi Haoran ced the telescope into the wooden tube he carried with him and said in a low voice, ¡°Everyone, hide yourselves. We¡¯ll attack while they¡¯re having dinner. Don¡¯t make too much noise. Mu Shi, bring people to guard the various intersections. No one is allowed to escape.¡±


    Mu Shi agreed and left with a team.


    Qi Haorany in the forest with his eyes closed to rest. When the time came, he opened his eyes. Fei Bai, who was dressed in a short outfit,y beside him and said in a low voice, ¡°Master, it¡¯s time. They¡¯ve all finished their shifts and gone to eat.¡±


    ¡°Act immediately.¡±


    The people behind Qi Haoran split up and snuck into the house at the checkpoint. Qi Haoran brought Fei Bai and a few others to the checkpoint.


    There were 18 soldiers guarding there. At this moment, the sky was already dark. Qi Haoran hid behind one of the trees and advanced. He slid down the dagger in his hand and covered the mouth of one of the men and wiped his nose when no one was paying attention¡­


    45 minutester, everyone gathered here. Qi Haoran asked, ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°All 64 of them are here.¡±


    Mu Shi nodded and said, ¡°No one escaped.¡±


    ¡°Report to our people that they cane over now and move the checkpoint away. Take turns to rest now. We¡¯re going to Qinghe Townter. We have to take down Qinghe Town before dawn.¡±


    Everyone agreed.


    Mu Yangling was sitting halfway up the mountain, looking down at the cornfield below. The rate at which the corn was growing was delightful. Two days ago, it had just rained heavily. Not only did it ease the drought in the field, but it also relieved the water situation for everyone.


    Now, the corn in the cornfield had already grown corn kernels. Because of Qi Haoran¡¯s instructions before he left, Mu Yangling paid more attention to the safety of the cornfield. Although there were soldiers patrolling here every day, she still sat halfway up the mountain every day and looked down.


    However, with her eyesight, the ces she could see were still limited.


    Mu Yangling thought that it would be great if she had binocrs. Perhaps she could make a pair herself¡­


    Knowing Qi Haoran treasured the telescope in his hand very much, she wondered what expression he would have after she sessfully made one herself¡­


    While Mu Yangling was letting her imagination run wild, a distant horn suddenly sounded from the direction of Xingzhou Prefecture.


    Mu Yangling jumped up and tiptoed to look in the direction of Xingcheng Pass.


    The people working in the fields below also heard the sound of the horn. They all stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction of Xingzhou Prefecture.


    They were not unfamiliar with the sound of the horn after all these years. Since the Jin soldiers had often attacked the city this year, they often heard the sound of the horn signaling the retreat or defense. However, this was the first time they had heard such a drawn-out but somewhat impassioned horn signal. Mu Yangling had already run down the mountain. The people at the foot of the mountain might not understand, but she understood. This was the signal to attack.


    Qi Xiuyuan wanted to start a war with the Jin Kingdom? Did Qi Haoran go to Hanzhong Prefecture two days ago because of this? She¡¯d thought that he was going to assassinate someone.


    Mu Yangling ran down the mountain, but she had nowhere to ask for information. She was extremely anxious and worried about both her father and Qi Haoran.


    Since it was such arge-scale military operation, his father would definitely participate. Was he in front or behind the enemy now? If she had known earlier, she would have prepared more medicine for him when he leftst time, just in case.


    Shu Wanniang also came out of the house. Seeing that her daughter looked a little anxious, she asked, ¡°Ah Ling, what¡¯s wrong? What did that horn sound mean? Are the Jin soldiers attacking the city again?¡±


    Many vigers were loitering outside the Mu family¡¯s courtyard. When they heard this, they pricked up their ears. They knew that Mu Yangling was close to the Little General and might know some inside information.


    Mu Yangling shook her head and said with a dark expression, ¡°Our people went to attack the Jin soldiers¡¯ city.¡±


    Shu Wanniang widened her mouth and eyes. ¡°General Qi is going to reim our country¡¯snd?¡± She was slightly excited, then a little worried. ¡°Will your father go to the battlefield too?¡±


    ¡°Mother, Father is a soldier. There¡¯s no soldier who doesn¡¯t go to the battlefield.¡±


    Shu Wanniang gritted her teeth. ¡°Then, then what should we prepare for your father?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s useless to prepare anything since the war has already started. Before the war ends, it¡¯s impossible for us to send anything in.¡± Mu Yangling only wanted to find out Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s strategic goal. Was he only nning to rm the Jin soldiers and make them restrain themselves, or take down the city? To what extent?


    Mu Yangling thought for a long time, but after a while, she was discouraged. She used to be a soldier and knew that those questions were all confidential. Neither Qi Xiuyuan nor Qi Haoran could tell her.


    The people outside the courtyard were also a little sad because all of them had family members in the military camp. Someone said hesitatingly, ¡°The 5th Division doesn¡¯t have to go to the battlefield, right? Didn¡¯t they say that our 5th Division consists of leftovers and cowards?¡±


    Xiuhong red at him. ¡°Who said that the 5th Division is cowardly? My uncle is a warrior.¡±


    The person outside pursed his lips and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being a coward. As long as they don¡¯t have to go to the battlefield.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t say anything. She just sat on the steps with her chin on her hand and said, ¡°Whether they¡¯re cowards or not, we have to protect our crops amid the chaos.¡± Mu Yangling looked up at Old Man Sun and said, ¡°Grandpa Sun, you still have to step forward for this matter. Pleasee forward and initiate a discussion among the various sections. Arrange for strong men from each section to patrol and ensure the safety of our crops.¡±


    Old Man Sun also became serious, but his heart was surging. This was a good opportunity to establish his might.


    He thought for a moment and agreed. After some deliberation, he said, ¡°However, it¡¯s best to get the approval of Little General first. That way, everyone will be morepliant.¡±


    Mu Yangling lowered her eyes and thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll help you handle this.¡±


    Old Man Sun heaved a sigh of relief and said with a smile, ¡°Ah Ling, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely lead my men to guard the crops well. No one can take away a single corn under my charge.¡±


    There were also people who suggested that the 5th Division send more soldiers to patrol. This way, they wouldn¡¯t have to transfer strong men. After all, they assumed that the 5th Division didn¡¯t have to go to the battlefield.


    However, this suggestion was rejected as soon as it was proposed. This was because the 5th Division was also going to the battlefield. They were assigned to the logistics department to escort the rations for the soldiers at the front line.


    Mu Yangling specially took the time to check the traces on the road made by the supplies, in order to infer the scale of this battle.


    After calcting in her heart, Mu Yangling was both happy and worried. She was happy that Qi Xiuyuan dared to make such a big move because it must mean he had a certain level of confidence. However, she was worried that she did not know how long this war wouldst. Her father had not returned home since he leftst time, and she did not know when he would return next time.


    Mu Yangling looked at the marks on the ground and finally caught up with the team in front. Before they could appear to stop her, she grabbed one of them and pointed at the marks on the ground. ¡°Ask two people to deal with the marks at the back..¡±

 Chapter 222 - 222: Inference

    Chapter 222 - 222: Inference


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The people escorting the rations were from the 5th Division. Most of them knew Mu Yangling. The people who had wanted to stop Mu Yangling hurriedly smiled when they saw that it was her. ¡°So it¡¯s ATiss Mu.¡± He nced at the traces on the ground and came to a realization. ¡°Miss Mu, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll get someone to deal with the traces now. Thank you for your reminder.¡±


    Mu Yangling only nodded slightly before turning around to leave.


    She used a tree branch to draw a rough map on the ground, highlighting Jingzhao Prefecture, Hanzhong Prefecture, and Cai Prefecture.


    Since Hanzhong Prefecture was being attacked, if she was from the Jin Kingdom, she would first seek help from the Jingzhao Prefecture. At the same time, she would also send a message to the Cai Prefecture¡¯s garrison to make preparations and provide support.


    The Jingzhao Prefecture was the capital, and it was also the political center of the previous Great Zhound now upied by Jin soldiers. The people of the Jin Kingdom called this ce Xijing. They definitely did not dare to send too many reinforcements in case someone attacked the Jingzhao Prefecture.


    However, the number of Jin soldiers stationed in Cai Prefecture was no less than in Jingzhao Prefecture. This was because outside Cai Prefecture was the Yuan family¡¯s army.


    Mu Yangling had heard from Qi Haoran that there were more than 120,000 soldiers in the Yuan family¡¯s army, and this was merely the data that Qi Xiuyuan knew. The Yuan family¡¯s army would only increase in size after the restructuring of the military system, so the number of Jin soldiers stationed in Cai Prefecture was not small.


    It would take seven days to march from Cai Prefecture to Hanzhong Prefecture. Unless Qi Xiuyuan couldpletely upy Hanzhong Prefecture in seven days, he might face a pincer attack from three sides.


    Mu Yangling propped her chin on her hand and squatted on the ground to think. Qi Xiuyuan was an experienced general when it came to leading troops, so he definitely knew this. She just didn¡¯t know what other trump cards he had.


    Mu Yangling quickly knew what trump cards he had.


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s dispatch of troops to Hanzhong Prefecture stunned a group of people. There were people who objected, and there were also people who cheered.


    Discussions about this matter could be heard everywhere in Xingzhou Prefecture. The storyteller in the teahouse had already changed to talking about Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s story and the anecdotes of various generals reiming their homnd.


    As the magistrate of Xingzhou Prefecture, Wu Shancai only found out about this after Qi Xiuyuan sent out his troops. In the past, he could still restrain the army because the army¡¯s rations came from the locals. However, now that the army¡¯s rations were about to be self-sufficient, Qi Xiuyuan was not restrained at all.


    Wu Shancai went to the military camp to protest, but he did not even see Qi Xiuyuan. The citizens of Xingzhou Prefecture looked outside Xingcheng Pass in fear and anticipation. On the first day, they only heard the shouts and horns outside the pass. After that, the soldiers led by Qi Xiuyuan seemed to have rushed to the territory of Hanzhong Prefecture, and the ordinary citizens could no longer hear any news of them.


    Just as they were worried about the future of the West Camp and Xingzhou Prefecture, news came from Cai Prefecture that the Yuan family¡¯s army had also sent troops to Cai Prefecture.


    The citizens of Xingzhou Prefecture were instantly in an uproar as they shouted, ¡°Reim our homnd!¡±


    Everyone¡¯s worries about Qi Xiuyuan vanished and they now said confidently, ¡°With General Yuan sending troops, we might really be able to take back Hanzhong Prefecture this time.¡±


    ¡°The Yuan family army has a total of 130,000 soldiers and is very disciplined. Plus, General Yuan is very strategic. As long as the Emperor doesn¡¯t stop him, he will definitely be able to take back Hanzhong Prefecture.¡±


    Suchments filled the streets and alleys of Xingzhou Prefecture. Only then did Mu Yangling know the reason why Qi Xiuyuan dared to attack Hanzhong Prefecture.


    Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief. With General Yuan sending troops, the pressure on the West Camp would be much less.


    However, Fan Zijin was a little unhappy. It was clearly Eldest Cousin¡¯s decision to send troops to take back Hanzhong Prefecture, and the troops were also sent by Eldest Cousin. Why did all the credit go to General Yuan in the end?


    However, he could not say this to Rong Xuan. He could onlyin to Mu Yangling when he returned to the 5th Division to transport the rations.


    However, Mu Yangling said, ¡°You think that General Yuan took the credit that rightfully belongs to General Qi, but how would you know that General Yuan is willing to take the credit? It¡¯s still unknown if it¡¯s a blessing or misfortune. But to General Yuan, such rumors are more harmful than beneficial.¡±


    ¡°The Emperor might be wary of him because of his aplishments?¡± Fan Zijin asked in return.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know much, I¡¯ve heard His Majesty is suspicious of General Yuan. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have sent eight gold medals to recall General Yuan back then, causing him to lose Jingzhao Prefecture and the other three prefectures. Now that such words have spread, wouldn¡¯t it be more harmful than beneficial to General Yuan? He probably knows that the Emperor will be even more suspicious after he sends out his troops, but he still sent out troops to help General Qi restrain Cai Prefecture¡¯s troops. To be honest, I admire him very much.¡±


    Fan Zijin smiled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯ve judged a gentleman¡¯s heart with my own narrow-mindedness.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and patted his shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s why General Qi asked you to learn more from Brother Rong Xuan. You can tell Brother Rong Xuan about your doubts. I¡¯m sure he will be happy to teach you.¡±


    Fan Zijin raised his eyebrows and looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re addressing him so affectionately. When did you be so familiar with Brother Rong Xuan?¡±


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Since when did I be familiar with Brother Rong Xuan? He was the one who asked me to call him that. Although we¡¯ve only met a few times, I think 1 have pretty good judgment.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Don¡¯t interfere in this matter. Don¡¯t rify it, and don¡¯t add fuel to the fire. The general should have a way to deal with it.¡± Mu Yangling looked at him and said, ¡°You guys sent the troops without the Emperor¡¯s approval this time, right? What¡¯s the attitude of the emissary?¡±


    ¡°If they waited to submit a letter asking for the Emperor¡¯s permission, the Jin Kingdom would have already deployed their troops.¡± Fan Zijin pursed his lips and said, ¡°As for the emissary, he¡¯s being served well in the General¡¯s Mansion now. He¡¯s extremelyfortable.¡±


    Mu Yangling knew that they had ced him under house arrest. She thought for a moment and said in a low voice, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s better to let him go now than to put him under house arrest.¡±


    Fan Zijin blinked and looked at Mu Yangling for a while. Enlightened, he looked at Mu Yangling with aplicated expression and said, ¡°1 didn¡¯t expect you to be so smart. I¡¯ll remember this favor. When Eldest Cousines backter, I¡¯ll tell him toe over and thank you.¡±


    Mu Yangling waved her hand and said, ¡°We¡¯re grasshoppers on the same rope. It¡¯s only when you guys are doing well that my family will be doing well. I don¡¯t want you guys to celebrate in prison after risking your lives to take down Hanzhong Prefecture.¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted. ¡°You¡¯re underestimating us too much. Eldest Cousin already has a way to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still inevitable to suffer, right?¡± Mu Yangling looked in the direction of Xingcheng Pass and asked, ¡°Although 1 know I shouldn¡¯t ask, 1 still want to know where the general and the others are now.¡±


    Fan Zijin was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Your father isn¡¯t with Eldest Cousin. He¡¯s with Haoran at the back, but as long as Haoran is fine, your father should be fine.¡±


    Mu Yangling patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Fan Zijin stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m here to escort the rations. It¡¯s time to leave now. By the way, more than half of the people from the 5th Division have been transferred away. There are very few people left now, so you have to pay attention to therge cornfields here. Keep a close eye on it and don¡¯t let anyone steal from it.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, I remember now.¡± Mu Yangling jumped up and said, ¡°Grandpa Sun asked me to ask you for an authorization document so that he can organize a patrol day and night.¡±


    To Fan Zijin, this was very simple. He immediately got Yanmo to get a piece of ink and wrote it down. Then, he stamped his seal and handed it to her..

 Chapter 223 - 223: Scheme

    Chapter 223 - 223: Scheme


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When Rong Xuan heard that Fan Zijin wanted to set the emissary free, he looked at him in surprise. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°It¡¯s good to let him take the initiative to report this matter to the Emperor. Otherwise, should the matter reach the Emperor without any movement from the emissary, I¡¯m afraid the Imperial Court will use General Qi of putting the messenger under house arrest and use us of being negligent.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded. ¡°But we can¡¯t let him go just like that. Brother Rong, I don¡¯t know what kind of hobbies this messenger has. The messenger is His Majesty¡¯s eyes and ears. Even if he doesn¡¯t favor us in the memorial and only speaks impartially, it¡¯s still better than us having to defend ourselves.¡±


    Rong Xuan looked at him approvingly and nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. 1¡¯11 handle this myself. 1 won¡¯t let the general fall into danger.¡±


    Rong Xuan had already inquired about the emissary¡¯s personality and hobbies after he arrived at the Xingzhou Prefecture. Naturally, he knew what to say and what to do to win his favor.


    Therefore, when the Emperor received the news that Qi Xiuyuan had sent troops to Hanzhong Prefecture, he also received the emissary¡¯s letter.


    Even though the emissary mentioned in the letter that Qi Xiuyuan was loyal and patriotic despite being too unyielding, the Emperor was still very angry.


    Now that the treasury was empty, he was still fretting about the money he would give to the Jin Kingdom and West Xia next year. Just as he was about to plead with the Jin Kingdom and West Xia to be lenient, Qi Xiuyuan directly sent troops over. Wasn¡¯t this causing trouble for him?


    However, the Yuan family¡¯s army had also been mobilized. If it was only Qi Xiuyuan alone, the Emperor could have simply removed his power. However, now that the Yuan family¡¯s army was involved, the imperial censors andmoners already had many objections to his summoning back the Yuan family¡¯s army then. If he were to make a fuss this time, themoners would definitely have something to say.


    The Emperor did not want to give themoners more reason to gossip about him.


    The Emperor regretted cing General Yuan in an important position back then. At that time, he saw that General Yuan came from a poor background and had no one to rely on in the army or the court. He thought that General Yuan would listen to him, but who knew that General Yuan¡¯s temper was so stubborn? In the past few years that General Yuan had been in control of the military power, he had sent out troops against the Emperor¡¯s will. However, he still had a solid reputation among the people. If the Emperor could not find any evidence against him, he could not deal with him easily.


    However, General Yuan had the help of the Shen family. He was clean and loved the people, so the Emperor could not find anything on him at all.


    Currently, the most powerful person in Great Zhou other than Minister Qin was General Yuan. However, Minister Qin¡¯s power came from him, while General Yuan¡¯s power was independent of the Emperor. The Emperor punched the dragon throne with an ugly expression and thought to himself, ¡®1 originally wanted to support Minister Qin to keep General Yuan in check, but now it seems that the effect is minimal. After all, Minister Qin doesn¡¯t have military power, so it¡¯s very difficult for General Yuan to have any scruples.¡¯


    Previously, in order to resolve the crisis of the national treasury, he had asked the army to settle their own rations. In the past six months, the Emperor had already vaguely regretted it because he realized that his control over the army, which was originally not much, had be weaker as a result.


    With a sigh, the Emperor said, ¡°If only there was someone who could keep the Yuan family army in check.¡±


    When the chief eunuch heard this, he rolled his eyes and said in a low voice, ¡°Your Majesty, isn¡¯t there a ready-made candidate?¡±


    The Emperor looked up at him and asked, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°General Qi Xiuyuan.¡± Seeing the Emperor frown, the chief eunuch said in a low voice, ¡°Your Majesty, this General Qi is a young talent. If you promote him and make him a great general, won¡¯t he be able to keep the Yuan family army in check?¡±


    The Emperor frowned. ¡°I¡¯m afraid the Qi family army will follow in the Yuan family army¡¯s footsteps. When the timees, he will still be disobedient.¡±


    Smiling, the chief eunuch said, ¡°Your Majesty, you¡¯re overthinking. General Yuan leads the troops, and so does General Qi. Since one mountain cannot amodate two tigers, won¡¯t you be the one to benefit from their fight?¡±


    ¡°But 1 heard that Qi Xiuyuan admires General Yuan very much.¡±


    The chief eunuch smiled nonchntly and said, ¡°That¡¯s because General Qi is currently a Grade 3 Heralding Grand Master, holding a Grade 4 military rank. He only has three or four thousand men under hismand. General Yuan, on the other hand, is a Grade 1 general with over 140,000 men under hismand. If they were standing on the same level, General Qi would be much younger than General Yuan¡­¡±


    The Emperor couldn¡¯t help but smile when he heard this. He pped his hands and said, ¡°Good n. It¡¯s just that at Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s age, it¡¯s already fast enough for him to advance to the third-grade. There¡¯s no reason to promote him at this time.¡±


    ¡°How could Your Majesty forget that General Qi is currently attacking Hanzhong Prefecture? If he recovers Hanzhong Prefecture, it will be a great merit.¡±


    ¡°What if he fails?¡± The Emperor¡¯s smile faded slightly as he asked.


    ¡°That means that Qi Xiuyuan is not worth nurturing. Isn¡¯t it up to Your Majesty to decide whether he lives or dies then?¡±


    The Emperor said in distress, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that after we take over Hanzhong Prefecture, the Jin Kingdom will have objections. If we reward Qi Xiuyuan, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll be enemies with the Jin Kingdom.¡±


    The chief eunuch looked at the Emperor speechlessly. The Great Zhou and the Jin Kingdom had always been on bad terms, alright? Even if he was a eunuch, he knew that the reason why the Jin soldiers did not go south for a long time was because their country was not peaceful either. Moreover, their country¡¯s strength was not enough to support their southern attack. Moreover, Great Zhou was willing to pay arge amount of money to maintain peace on the surface.


    However, even so, there were many conflicts at the border every year. Take this year as an example. The various ces reported that the Jin soldiers had gone south to plunder resources on the enemy¡¯snd more than a hundred times. What made the Emperor think that the two countries had very good diplomatic rtions?


    Did he think that they were brothers like what the credentials said?


    However, the chief eunuch only dared toin in his heart and did not dare to say it out loud. He onlyforted the Emperor and said, ¡°Your Majesty, taking back Hanzhong Prefecture is the wish of the people of the world. I believe the Emperor of the Jin Kingdom will understand.¡±


    The Emperor shot him a look that said, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a fool?¡± The chief eunuch said, ¡°Now that General Qi has already sent troops to Hanzhong Prefecture and the Yuan family¡¯s army has also left Cai Prefecture, it¡¯s better to win than lose.¡±


    The Emperor thought about it and agreed. Since they had already offended the Jin Kingdom, it was better to win than to lose.


    ¡°Order Qi Xiuyuan not to take another step forward after taking over Hanzhong Prefecture to prevent arge-scale counterattack by the Jin Kingdom. Then, send a message to General Yuan and ask him to quickly retreat from Cai Prefecture. Considering there are more than 100,000 Jin soldiers in Cai Prefecture, how much rations will it cost to mobilize these troops? Now that the treasury is empty and disasters are gradually appearing everywhere, I don¡¯t have any grains to support them now, nor will I have any next year.¡±


    The chief eunuch quickly went down to call the emissary in to write the imperial edict.


    When Qi Xiuyuan received the imperial edict in Hanzhong Prefecture, he had already upied more than half of the counties of Hanzhong Prefecture. He put away the imperial edict and agreed with a slight smile. With only 40,000 men in his troops, he had no intention of continuing north. Taking back Hanzhong Prefecture was good enough for now. He nned to take back his homnd step by step.


    Jiang Ze led his troops over to meet themander. After dismounting, he reported, ¡°General, all the counties and towns on the south road of Hanzhong Prefecture have been recovered. All the Jin soldiers have been eliminated, except for a small group that has fled north.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded. ¡°There¡¯s no need to chase after them. Stay behind and guard the county gates. When Rong Xuanes, immediately arrange for the recruitment of troops. It¡¯s time for our troops to expand.. Take back all thend upied by the Jin Kingdom¡¯s nobles and use them as military fields¡­¡±

 Chapter 224 - 224: Maintaining the Army

    Chapter 224 - 224: Maintaining the Army


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Of course, Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t turn all thend upied by the Jin Kingdom¡¯s nobles into military fields in the end. lie only managed to snatch about a quarter of thend. The remaining half was returned to the people and the other half was nationalized.


    The good news was that he had recruited nearly 20,000 troops, and the Imperial Court actually agreed with his actions. The bad news was that he had to fork out all the military equipment for this group of people.


    Even if Qi Xiuyuan used up all his assets, he would not be able to gather enough military equipment for all 20,000 soldiers. Aside from the 20,000 soldiers, there was also their families which he had to support. These people were willing to bring their families to be military households because they could not survive on their own for they had not even a single grain. After hearing that should they follow Qi Xiuyuan, not only would they receivend, but they would also receive grains, many came to Qi Xiuyuan with their families.


    Qi Xiuyuan was so worried that he didn¡¯t even have a good time drinking the celebratory wine. Fan Zijin pulled Qi Haoran closer to him and said, ¡°Eldest Cousin, the fastest ways to earn money in this world are robbery and business. Robbery is illegal, so we naturally won¡¯t do it. Then, there¡¯s only business left.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan frowned at the two of them and asked, ¡°What are you guys up to this time?¡±<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Fan Zijin secretly pinched Qi Haoran. Without changing his expression, Qi Haoran said, ¡°Big Brother, the diced rabbit meat produced by Zijin¡¯s workshop is delicious. It is well-received in the south. Butler Chen said that even if we triple the production, the supply would not be able to meet the demand. And now, he¡¯s still looking for even more sales channels in the south.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He looked up at them slightly. ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, look outside. There¡¯s pasture everywhere because of the Hu people. If they raise rabbits and we buy the rabbits from them, they¡¯ll earn money. Then, the pressure on us will be much less.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°No, we¡¯re Han Chinese. Han Chinese mainly farm. The people of Hanzhong Prefecture are already averse to farming. If we don¡¯t abolish this move and support it instead, their hatred for the Hu people will shift to us.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not touching themoners¡¯ fields. We¡¯re simply asking the military households to do this.¡± Qi Haoran muttered, ¡°I¡¯m doing this for their own good. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m taking advantage of them for nothing.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nced at him and said, ¡°That won¡¯t do either. Those in the military households are stillmoners.¡±


    Fan Zijin said with a smile, ¡°Cousin, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re asking them to use all thend to raise rabbits. Even if they wish to do that, I won¡¯t be able to buy so many from them. There are so many military households under us. As long as some people are willing to use a few acres of low-gradend to raise a few hundred rabbits, it¡¯s enough. 1 won¡¯t be able to ept any more for the time being. How about we force them this year and let them decide for themselves next year? Cousin, each of them has more than a hundred acres ofnd under their name. They won¡¯t be too resentful if we force them to raise rabbits on just a few acres. Look at the 5th Division. All the high-gradend has been forcefully nted with corn by us.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at Fan Zijin deeply and said, ¡°How much can this ie be? Can it support the soldiers under me?¡±


    Fan Zijin met his eyes and nodded dumbly. ¡°More or less. I¡¯ll think of another way when the timees.¡±


    Satisfied, Qi Xiuyuan smiled and said, ¡°Alright, you guys make the decision on your own.¡± With that, he stood up happily and left.


    Fan Zijin couldn¡¯t help but say in frustration, ¡°We were tricked by Cousin.¡±


    Qi Haoran was puzzled. ¡°How so?¡±


    Fan Zijin could not help but pat his head. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what Cousin asked just now? All the money we worked so hard to earn will be used by Cousin to feed his soldiers.¡±


    Qi Haoran escaped from him and said indignantly, ¡°The money earned was meant to feed the soldiers in the first ce. Otherwise, what else can it be used for?¡±


    Fan Zijin opened his mouth and, after thinking about it, felt that it made sense. Even if his cousin did not say anything now, should food run out at the West Campter, Haoran would take out his grains and from Fan Zijin to give to his cousin. In any case, all the money would still be used on feeding the soldiers in the end¡­


    In the end, Fan Zijin could only wave his hand. ¡°Forget it, consider it a bargain for Mu Yangling.¡± Seeing the confusion in Haoran¡¯s eyes, he said, ¡°Back then, the contract we signed was the ie of the entire workshop, and they had to take the young rabbits from Mu Yangling to raise them. So, this contract won¡¯t change¡­¡±


    In the end, Mu Yangling would be the only one to earn money from this, while he and Haoran could not get a single cent from the workshop that he had painstakingly built.


    Fan Zijin gritted his teeth and racked his brains. ¡°We can¡¯t always buy grains and transport them back after selling the diced rabbit meat. The cycle is too long. Moreover, it¡¯s too dangerous to transport these grains.¡± Fan Zijin rolled his eyes and said, ¡°If I spread the news that there¡¯s a drought in the north, will those merchants transport arge amount of grains over? At that time, our trade caravan can buy other goods to sell. At least, we won¡¯t be limited to the diced rabbit meat business.¡±


    Qi Haoran only lowered his head and thought for a moment before rejecting. ¡°No, once this news spreads, the first to suffer will be themoners. Once the price of grains increases, they won¡¯t be able to afford food. We took down Hanzhong Prefecture to protect themoners inside. I don¡¯t want a riot to happen in the blink of an eye.¡±


    Fan Zijin rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Who said I¡¯m going to spread this news in Hanzhong Prefecture? I want Butler Chen to spread it in Jiangnan. Since information doesn¡¯t flow between the two ces and the news takes some time to spread, both sides can only be skeptical. As long as we refute the rumors slightly, nothing will happen.¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted and smiled. ¡°When the two prefectures have more grains, the people will be able to settle down and the pressure on you will be lessened.¡± ¡°Are you trying to scam those businessmen?¡± Qi Haoran tilted his head and asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a scam. 1 just want them to earn less.¡± Fan Zijin said, ¡°The two prefectures are indeed short of grains. Now, the price of grains is also slowly rising. They can still earn money by sending grains over, but it¡¯s not as profitable as they think. The business world is like a battlefield. I don¡¯t think this is a scam.¡±


    Not objecting anymore, Qi Haoran only asked curiously, ¡°You just said that you wanted to import goods from the south. Didn¡¯t we use all our money to feed the soldiers and prepare for armaments? How can we still have money?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there still Mu Yangling?¡± Fan Zijin snorted and said, ¡°She¡¯s lucky. 1¡¯11 speak to herter and ask her to hand the money to me. I¡¯ll definitely be able to earn more money for us.¡± Seeing that Qi Haoran was about to object, he hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯m not taking advantage of her. Although I¡¯m using her money, I¡¯m the one conducting this business and your people are the ones escorting the things all the way here. Therefore, we deserve a share of the profits.¡±


    Fan Zijin tried to figure out how much he and Qi Haoran would get. However, since he had never done business before, he had no idea how to do the calctions.


    If it was Mu Yangling, she would probably be able to guess how much she could get. After all, she was just an investor and did not have to worry about anything else. The share she could get would not be too high.


    The idea was Fan Zijin¡¯s, and Fan Zijin was in charge of the business. Also, it was a long journey from Jiangnan to Xingzhou Prefecture. Even if they just hired an escort agency to escort the goods, they would have to pay a high price.


    Fan Zijin wanted to buy some satin and cloth. As there had been war at the border, very few merchants were willing toe here to do business.


    Previously, Xingzhou Prefecture was small, so Fan Zijin had no interest in it. However, now that they had upied Hanzhong Prefecture, this was a huge ce. There were many wealthy families in Hanzhong Prefecture, most of them who did not have the time to escape south and were unwilling to leave their hometown. Ever since Hanzhong Prefecture was upied, there were fewer and fewer things in the city. At this moment, they were certain to make money by doing business here.


    Of course, the people in Hanzhong Prefecture City were still being investigated and they were not allowed to leave the city casually. Even if someone thought of doing business here, they were bound by restrictions. Only Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran could put such ns into action..</font>

 Chapter 225 - 225: Spoils of War

    Chapter 225 - 225: Spoils of War


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The weather began to turn cold, and the corn stalks in the field were already half-withered. Mu Yangling crawled into the cornfield and broke off a corn. She peeled off the skin and saw that the corn kernels inside were golden and plump. When she pinched them with her fingers, they were hard. Unlike more than ten days ago, when pulp would get all over her fingers with just a pinch. This time, only her nails were slightly wet after the skin broke.


    Mu Yangling handed the corn to Xiuhong and said, ¡°The corn is ready for harvest. Go back and tell Great-aunt that we¡¯ll go into the fields tomorrow.¡±


    Xiuhong happily agreed and rubbed her arms. ¡°The weather is about to turn cold. If we don¡¯t harvest now, the corn won¡¯t survive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re very lucky.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°We actually managed to nt it for a second season.¡±


    The sisters took a few corncobs home and were about to tell Great-aunt the good news when they saw many people standing in front of their house.<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Mu Yangling and Xiuhong looked at each other and ran back. Before Mu Yangling could reach them, she heard a deep voice say, ¡°Fellow vigers, I was transferred to the front line and was not in the same ce as the other soldiers of the 5th Division, so I don¡¯t know their situation. However, the war has ended now. Everyone should be able to receive the news in two days. Fellow vigers, go back and wait for a few more days.¡±


    The vigers who came to gather information left in disappointment, revealing Mu Yangling behind them.


    When Mu Yangling saw Mu Shi standing at the door with an unshaven beard, her eyes lit up. She shouted and climbed up to hug her father¡¯s arm, shouting, ¡°Father, you¡¯re back!¡±


    Mu Shi¡¯s face was also filled with a smile as he stroked her hair with eyes full of smiles. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m back.¡±


    Shu Wanniang was leaning against the door with the twins, looking at the father and daughter. When she saw Mu Shi walking over, she nced at him and squatted in front of the twins. She pointed at Mu Shi and said, ¡°This is your father. Quickly call him Father.¡±


    Almost a year old, the twins stood on the ground and tried their best to look up at Mu Shi. They called out incoherently before hiding behind their mother timidly to peek at this big guy.


    Feeling guilty, Mu Shi squatted down and looked at the two children at eye level. He took out some trinkets from his pocket and shook them. ¡°This is for you. Do you want them?¡±


    Bosi and Kejia looked at the trinkets, then at the big guy in front of them. Finally, they stuck their heads out to look at their sister and realized that she was looking at them with a smile. Instantly, their confidence multiplied. They snatched the trinkets from Mu Shi¡¯s hands and hugged them.


    Seeing this, Mu Shiughed and said happily, ¡°As expected of the Mu family¡¯s descendants. This is how it should be.¡±


    Shu Wanniang red at him and rebuked, ¡°Your children are like tyrants. Even Bowen learned to fight in school, yet you still praise them. Be careful not to let them be even morewless in the future.¡±


    Mu Shi picked up the twins from both sides and entered the house. ¡°They just have to listen to me and you.¡±


    Great-aunt asked, ¡°How long can you stay at home this time?¡±


    Mu Shi ced the twins on the brick bed and smiled at Great-aunt. ¡°Now that the war is over, this time, the general granted me half a month¡¯s leave. There shouldn¡¯t be anything important before the new year, so 1 can go home for two days every ten days.¡± After a pause, he continued, ¡°I¡¯ve been promoted topanymander, and my military sry has increased.¡±


    Mu Shi had brought back a lot of things this time. He said to Mu Yangling, ¡°Go and fetch Bowen back. Don¡¯t let him attend school in the afternoon.¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed happily. She entered the house, took the money bag, and ran out. Xiuhong pulled Xin and followed her. ¡°Cousin, we¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go quickly.¡± Mu Yangling held their hands as she ran into the city. She first went to the academy to pick up Bowen before buying meat and some ingredients.


    Bowen drooled as he looked at the meat. ¡°Sister, I want to eat braised pork too.¡± Bowen¡¯s diet was different from theirs. When he saw that Mu Yangling had bought two catties of pork belly, he knew that his mother was going to make braised pork tonight and his stomach started to crave it.


    Xiuhong pleaded on his behalf, ¡°Cousin, since Uncle is back, let Cousin eat the same food as us tonight.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought about it and nodded. ¡°Alright, but only tonight.¡±


    Bowen nodded repeatedly and added, ¡°Physician Pang said that my health has improved greatly and my qi and blood are stronger than before. When I yed with the other kids yesterday, they couldn¡¯t catch up to me.¡±


    ¡°Good job,¡± Mu Yangling praised him. ¡°Keep up the good work. If no one in your academy can catch up to you, you¡¯ll be considered to have recoveredpletely. When that happens, you don¡¯t have to be abstinent in the future and can eat whatever you want like us.¡±


    Bowen looked forward to this beautiful future as he followed his sister to buy things with a smile.


    Although he was very gluttonish, Bowen still only picked up three chopsticks worth of food from each dish during dinner that night. He was unwilling to eat more. Mu Yangling nodded to herself when she saw this. Although Bowen looked weak, he had a lot of self-control. He had always known what to do and what not to do, and he could always restrain himself.


    More than half of the food went into Mu Shi¡¯s stomach. Not only did Shu Wanniang feel sorry for him, but Mu Yangling also picked up two chopsticks of food for her father. ¡°Father, you¡¯re too thin. Since you guys have to go to the battlefield to fight, didn¡¯t the Little General feed you properly?¡±


    Mu Shi exined, ¡°Little General eats the same food and stays in the living conditions as us. I¡¯m considered not bad already. I¡¯m strong and healthy to begin with, so it¡¯s no big deal losing some weight. You haven¡¯t seen Little General. He¡¯s grown so much thinner he¡¯s barely recognizable.¡± Mu Shi¡¯s heart ached. ¡°Little General is only three years older than Ah Ling. He¡¯s still a child.¡±


    Hence, fighting alongside Qi Haoran on the battlefield was a huge test for Mu Shi. He always subconsciously treated Qi Haoran as his nephew, but sometimes, he couldn¡¯t help but admire Qi Haoran¡¯s ruthlessness.


    After the meal, the family nestled on the brick bed. Mu Shi took out the tworge bags he had brought back and opened one of them. The family was instantly stunned.


    Qi Haoran stuffed a pair of gold bracelets into Great-aunt¡¯s hands and said, ¡°This is for Xiuhong as her dowry.¡± Then, he picked out four jade pendants from the pile of jade essories and gave them to Xiuhong and Xin. ¡°Take these too. Two each as your dowry when you get married in the future.¡±


    Seeing his four children widen their eyes as they watched from the side, he picked a jade horse and gave it to Bowen. Then, he gave two smaller jade pendants to Bosi and Kejia. Finally, he gave Mu Yangling a dagger encrusted with diamonds. The scabbard was also encrusted with two rows of small diamonds. But the most eye-catching thing was the eye-sized dazzling ruby on the hilt.


    Smiling, Mu Shi said, ¡°Don¡¯t think that it¡¯s useless just because it¡¯s beautiful. Its sharpness isn¡¯t inferior to the one your grandfather left behind. It can slice through iron as if it were mud. Take it with you wherever you go. It¡¯s both dignified and self-defense.¡±


    Mu Yangling widened her eyes at the things Mu Shi had brought back and asked, ¡°Father, did you fight a war or did you rob someone?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re pretty much the same thing.¡± Mu Shi sat cross-legged on the brick bed and said, ¡°I was lucky and fought the first battle with the Little General. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to snatch these good things. The rest were all handed over and only these were hidden.¡±


    Mu Yangling frowned. ¡°Hidden? Isn¡¯t this against military discipline?¡±


    Mu Shi stroked her head and smiled. ¡°This is an agreed upon rule that¡¯s been in existence for a long time. General and Little General both know about it. As long as it¡¯s not too much, the army won¡¯t forcibly take it back..¡±</font>

 Chapter 226 - 226: Discussion

    Chapter 226: Discussion


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Since the army can¡¯t guarantee the soldiers¡¯ monthly military sry, they can only rx their requirements during war. Moreover, with these spoils of war motivating us, the soldiers will fight harder.¡±


    Wealth moved people¡¯s hearts.


    Mu Shi had directly ransacked the house of a noble of the Jin Kingdom. Of course, most of the things had been handed over, and only a small portion had been divided by them.


    Qi Haoran took the lion¡¯s share, followed by Mu Shi, and the remainder was split among the soldiers below.


    As there were many children in the family, most of whom are girls, Mu Shi had chosen some things for girls. The precious dagger in Mu Yangling¡¯s hand was obtained by killing a deputy general of the Jin Kingdom on the battlefield. The deputy general was probably a noble, so he would wear such a precious dagger encrusted with gems on his waist. Spoils obtained on the battlefield did not have to be handed over, so this dagger belonged to himpletely.


    Qi Haoran would not snatch these from his subordinates, so Mu Shi kept it.


    Apart from these things, Qi Haoran also brought back a few pearl flowers and a few silver hairpins for Mu Yangling, Xiuhong and Xin. He felt that the three girls were getting older by the day and had to learn to dress up.


    Great-aunt also received two silver bracelets. Mu Shi forcefully put them on and said, ¡°Aunt, if you weren¡¯t at home, 1 wouldn¡¯t be at ease at home even if All Ling is capable. These silver bracelets weren¡¯t bought either. They were given to me after we snatched them from the enemy. It wouldn¡¯t be eye-catching for you to wear them.¡±


    What Mu Shi gave Shu Wanniang was a pair of sparkling and lustrous jade bracelets. Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t take her eyes off them. Of course, Mu Shi only took them out when the couple was alone at night. Mu Yangling only saw the bracelets the next day, but Great-aunt didn¡¯t notice them. It was only after a long time that she suddenly realized that Shu Wanniang was wearing them.


    Compared to essories, Great-aunt was more concerned about whether Mu Shi had snatched some silver. Hence, when she untied Mu Shi¡¯s two bags and realized that there were only some small essories and bundles of fabric, she couldn¡¯t help but ask in confusion, ¡°You didn¡¯t snatch any gold or silver? These things look good, but they can¡¯t be used as money.¡±


    Mu Shi touched his nose and said, ¡°The gold and silver have to be taken back. I hid these gold and silver essories in the cracks between the stones before secretly going back and bringing them out.¡±


    Shu Wanniang asked curiously, ¡°Considering jade is more expensive than gold and silver, why are they only so strict about gold and silver?¡±


    ¡°Mother, gold and silver are money. As long as these jewelry are melted, they can be used. However, other things, such as jade and gems, have to be exchanged for money. Since they wouldn¡¯t be exchanged for a good price if there¡¯s too much, it¡¯s better to leave such things for the soldiers as spoils of war while they take back the gold and silver.¡± Mu Yangling continued after a pause, ¡°Since the General has upied Hanzhong Prefecture, he has to rebuild the defensive line and also recruit soldiers and buy horses. These all require money, so he¡¯s forbidding the soldiers from keeping the gold and silver, right?¡±


    Mu Shi nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. Keep these things. If our family needs money in the future, we can pawn them and exchange them for some money. However, in troubled times, we don¡¯t know how much money these things can be exchanged for.¡±


    Great-aunt quickly turned around and took out the pair of golden bracelets. ¡°Then I can¡¯t take this. Get your wife to put it away.


    Shu Wanniang pushed the bracelets back and grabbed her hand. ¡°Aunt, there¡¯s a lot of money at home now. We haven¡¯t even touched the money that General sent overst time. This pair of gold bracelets is very pure. One might not necessarily be able to make such a good one in Xingzhou Prefecture. Keep them as Xiuhong¡¯s dowry in the future. It¡¯s dignified!¡±


    Mu Shi asked in confusion, ¡°Why would General send money to our family?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the money for the corn seeds. It¡¯s a total of 320 taels. Originally, All Ling wanted to pay the tax ording to the ratio, but the general refused no matter what. He said that it was already a great merit for Ah Ling to nt this thing. It¡¯s fine if she doesn¡¯t want a reward, but he won¡¯t collect this tax from her.¡± Great-aunt was happy when she said this. She had only nted the corn because she couldn¡¯t dissuade Mu Yangling, but it turned out to be such a rewarding matter.


    ¡°Speaking of corn, 1 was about to tell you guys that the corn can be harvested tomorrow. I¡¯ll go tell Grandpa Sun and inform the others to quickly dry it while the weather is still good. Otherwise, the seeds will be affected.¡± Mu Yangling looked at her father and said with a smile, ¡°Since Father can now help with work at home, it¡¯s the perfect timing. It doesn¡¯t take any skill to harvest corn and only requires strength.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan took the harvesting of the corn very seriously. After receiving the news, he specially rushed over. Rong Xuan and the emissary came with him. Meanwhile, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin were already standing in Mu Yangling¡¯s field.


    Qi Haoran was rolling up his sleeves and personally helping to break the corn. Fan Zijin helped to put the corn into a bag while discussing business with Mu Yangling. ¡°¡­You¡¯ll only be in charge of nting rabbits, and the contract for the workshop will still be in effect. How about that? This way, you don¡¯t have to worry about having too many rabbits and not enough pasture.¡±


    Because this was indeed advantageous for her, Mu Yangling agreed without thinking.


    Fan Zijin took the opportunity to bring up the topic of selling goods from the south to the north. ¡°Hanzhong Prefecture is arge city. Things like satin, tea leaves, and so on are very easy to sell. It¡¯s just that the Great Zhou and the Jin Kingdom¡¯s borders were sealed previously, so things can¡¯t be transported over, so these things are verycking. Anyway, since Butler Chen has toe back after selling the diced rabbit meat, why don¡¯t we let him bring these things back? We can earn another sum via this method.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up. This kind of business was not something that ordinary people could do. At the very least, travel passes were not so easily obtained. Since Fan Zijin was willing to rope her into this business, it could be seen that he really treated her as a friend.


    Mu Yangling took the time to pat his shoulder and said, ¡°Good brother, 1 won¡¯t forget you. If you encounter any troubleter, just look for me. I¡¯ll definitely help if I can.¡± Mu Yangling didn¡¯t expect Qi Xiuyuan to be so good at teaching people. He had taught Fan Zijin to be cheerful, loyal, and less money-grubbing so quickly.


    Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t help butugh when he heard that. ¡°All Ling, Zijin needs your help now.¡±


    Mu Yangling tilted her head and looked at Fan Zijin.


    Fan Zijin coughed lightly and said, ¡°Haoran and I don¡¯t have much money, so you have to fork out all the capital.¡±


    Mu Yangling immediately retracted her hand from his shoulder and said with a straight face, ¡°Although we¡¯re friends, we still have to discuss business. Tell me, how much profits will I get if 1 fork out all the funds?¡±


    Fan Zijin counted with his fingers. ¡°Butler Chen is my man. He¡¯ll be in charge of deciding what to buy and sell, how to go about doing it, as well as determining the price. Also, the items will be escorted back by Haoran¡¯s men. In that case, Haoran and 1 will take 30% while you take 70%. How about that?¡±


    Mu Yangling calcted in her heart and felt that she wouldn¡¯t lose out, so she nodded and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s split it like this. But how can you guys not have money when you also upy a lot of shares in the workshop?¡±


    ¡°We need the money urgently now and can¡¯t withdraw it for the time being.¡±


    Mu Yangling said generously, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t have money. Tell me if you have any good ideas in the future. I support you, but you can only take out the money from the amount you helped me earn. You can¡¯t have any designs on my family¡¯s money.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked around her crops and asked, ¡°How much can these things of yours be sold for? I remember that you nted so much wheat and rice, but in the end, after handing over the military rations, it was only enough for your family¡¯s own consumption. You seem to have earned a profit from the corn. 320 taels? Cousin didn¡¯t ask you to deduct the military rations from that, right? Haoran, tell her how much your monthly sry is.¡±


    ¡°50 taels.¡±


    Fan Zijin red at him. Qi Haoran said, ¡°Big Brother gives me 50 taels of silver a month. Zijin also gives me another 50 taels a month.¡±


    ¡°Look, your family¡¯s money isn¡¯t even enough for him to spend for two months.¡± After filling a bag with corn, Fan Zijin pped his hands. ¡°It¡¯s only because of me that you can earn so much and take money out to let us do business..¡±

 Chapter 227 - 227: Inspection

    Chapter 227: Inspection


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When the emissary saw the lively harvest scene in the fields, he was shocked. Before he could react, he saw Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin working in the fields. With a sigh, he said, ¡°1 didn¡¯t expect Fourth Young Master and Young Master Fan to be so close to the people.¡±


    Smiling, Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°Sir, you can¡¯t praise them. They¡¯re very naughty. They¡¯re not here to help, but to cause trouble.¡± As he spoke, he brought him over and exined, ¡°That¡¯s the Mu family. The children of the Mu family are ymates with them, so theye over to y on the fields from time to time. Sir, why don¡¯t you take a look? 1 was also a little surprised when I saw the corn for the first time.¡±


    The emissary remembered that he had to report to the Emperor when he returned. If he could describe the growth of the corn, the Emperor would definitely think that he was talcing the job seriously, so he readily agreed.


    Mu Shi and Fei Bai were cutting the corn with pickaxes and then dividing them into piles. Mu Yangling and the others sat on the ground and broke off the corn. This was much better than digging into the cornfield to break the corn. It was not stuffy and they did not have to stand. Each of them upied a pile and could chat.


    Seeing Qi Xiuyuan bring people over, everyone hurriedly stood up. Mu Shi was about toe over to greet him when he saw Qi Xiuyuan wave his hand and say to everyone, ¡°Go ahead. The messenger is just here to take a look.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked up at the emissary before lowering his head to continue breaking corn. Fan Zijin smiled and stood up to greet the emissary politely before following behind Qi Xiuyuan.


    The emissary¡¯s smile faded slightly as he nodded politely at Fan Zijin. When Qi Xiuyuan was not around, he had received a lot of hospitality from Young Master Fan.


    The emissary turned around to take a closer look at the corn stalk that was still erected in the ground. To his surprise, he realized that there were two corns on it. He personally went forward to peel them open to take a look. The one at the bottom was rtivelyrge, withrge andpact corn kernels. When he broke off one with his fingers and pinched it, the pulp flowed all over his fingers.


    Although the one above was smaller, there were also a lot of corn kernels. The emissary looked at the cornfield thoughtfully. No wonder the corn production was so high.


    Even if there was only one corn on a corn stalk, considering the size and density, the harvest was indeed quite considerable. However, why didn¡¯t they sessfully nt it in the past?


    Before he could think further, Qi Xiuyuan said with a smile, ¡°1 came backte. If it were 20 days ago, I would definitely treat you to a taste of this boiled corn. It tastes pretty good.¡±


    The emissary pped his hands and asked, ¡°I heard that corn doesn¡¯t taste good when cooked into porridge.¡±


    With a sigh, Qi Xiuyuan nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be used to the taste. It¡¯s fine to eat this asionally, but it¡¯s a little hard on the throat if you eat it a few more times. However, for ordinary people, it¡¯s already not bad to be able to eat their fill.¡±


    The corners of the emissary¡¯s mouth curled up slightly as he understood. Only ordinarymoners would eat this thing. Those who were more well-off probably wouldn¡¯t bother to eat this. As such, it wouldn¡¯t have much of an impact on wheat and rice.


    The emissary was no longer interested in staying here after making a decision on how to report to the Emperor.


    When Qi Xiuyuan and Rong Xuan looked at each other, he gave Rong Xuan a look. Rong Xuan quickly went forward with a smile and said, ¡°Sir, you¡¯ve been walking for half a day. Why don¡¯t we go to the county to rest? You haven¡¯t visited Mingshui County yet, right? Why don¡¯t I bring you around?¡±


    The emissary looked at Qi Xiuyuan, who smiled and said, ¡°Sir, please forgive me. I still have some military matters to attend to. Why don¡¯t 1 let Military Advisor Rong bring you around and have fun? 1¡¯11 hold a banquet at Red Taste Restaurant tonight. Please do me the honor.¡±


    As the emissary did not like to stay with the serious Qi Xiuyuan, he replied with a smile, ¡°Then General Qi, you can go ahead. I¡¯ll leave with Military Advisor Rong first.¡±


    Seeing that they had walked far away, Fan Zijin turned to ask Qi Xiuyuan, ¡°Cousin, from how I saw it, he was astonished previously, but now, he seems to look down on the corn.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan broke off the two pieces of corn that the emissary had peeled just now and ced them in his hand. ¡°Because only ordinary people will eat these things, and the high-ranking officials and nobles won¡¯t eat these things. But what he doesn¡¯t know is that four-fifths of the people in the world are ordinary people who eat chaff for at least a month every year. No matter how bad this thing tastes, it¡¯s still grains. It¡¯s countless times better than chaff. Fine rice is delicious, but how many people in the world can afford to eat it? Even I only get to eat fine rice a few times a year. Moreover, many farmers have to set aside many chores to serve the fields meticulously for a year for it. Even what we have here is only enough to guarantee that the three of us have enough to eat for a month. The gains don¡¯t make up for the losses.¡±


    He ced the two corns in Fan Zijin¡¯s hands and said, ¡°So, Zijin, don¡¯t forget your priorities no matter what you do in the future. How can the blessings of one person override the blessings of 10,000 people?¡±


    Fan Zijin lowered his eyes and asked, ¡°Does that also apply to the Emperor?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan was silent for a long time before asking, ¡°If the people of the world don¡¯t recognize him to be the ruler, will he still be the ruler of the world?¡± When he thought of the Emperor¡¯s current situation, he felt embarrassed for him. Being criticized and scolded by the people every day, Qi Xiuyuan felt that the Emperor had excellent psychological makeup. Of course, he could not rule out the possibility that the Emperor might not know what was going on outside the pce.


    Seeing that his brother and Mu Yangling were looking over curiously, Qi Xiuyuan smiled and patted Fan Zijin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If you have nothing to do,e and y with Haoran and Mu Yangling more often. Learn more from their strengths.¡±


    The corners of Fan Zijin¡¯s mouth twitched as he asked, ¡°And then be stupid?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan red at him and left him behind. He looked down at the corn that his brother had broken off and said, ¡°You even know how to do farm work. Very good. All Ling, call him along when your family nts next time and get him to help you.¡±


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and smiled. ¡°General, he came to help when we nted the corn for the first time, but seeing as he¡¯s so busy now, I¡¯m too embarrassed to drag him to do these things.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always good to learn more.¡± Qi Xiuyuan lifted his robe and sat beside her. ¡°You¡¯re good friends with Haoran and Zijin, so you don¡¯t have to be so polite with me. Call me Big Brother Qi from now on.¡±


    Mu Yangling readily greeted him, ¡°Big Brother Qi.¡±


    Happy to hear that, Qi Xiuyuanughed heartily. He liked Mu Yangling¡¯s straightforwardness. She was very simr to his younger brother, Haoran, in that sense. It was just that Haoran was not as sensible as Mu Yangling. Otherwise, he would be even happier.


    When Qi Haoran heard Mu Yangling call him ¡°Big Brother Qi¡±, he hurriedly dropped what he was doing and crawled over. He sat opposite Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Since I¡¯m also older than you, and considering I¡¯m the fourth eldest in the family, call me Fourth Brother Qi.¡±


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes in front of Qi Xiuyuan and called out, ¡°Qi Haoran.¡±


    Qi Haoran red at her.


    ¡°Qi Haoran, Qi Haoran, Qi Haoran¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t call me that, I¡¯ll get Yanmo and Fei Bai to return and not help your family anymore.¡± Seeing that Mu Yangling was unmoved, he continued, ¡°1 have something to ask your father to do¡­¡±


    ¡°Fourth Brother Qi.¡± Mu Yangling looked at him with sparkling eyes. ¡°Fourth Brother Qi, my mother will make a lot of delicious food tonight. You and Big Brother Qi can stay for dinner.¡±


    Only then was Qi Haoran satisfied. ¡°Although my matter is very urgent, Fei Bai can go. Your father doesn¡¯t have to go.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan shook his head in amusement as he watched them bicker. He rolled up his sleeves and got up to cut off corn stalks with Mu Shi..

 Chapter 228 - 228: Ideal

    Chapter 228: Ideal


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The yield of corn per acre was quickly calcted. It was 658 catties, merely 138 catties higher than that produced by the Mu family¡¯s low-gradend in spring. Not only Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran, but even Mu Yangling was not very satisfied with this.


    However, there was less rainfall in the second season and the fields were only watered once. In addition, the sunlight was far inferior to the first season, so it was understandable.


    Qi Xiuyuan kept all the harvested corn in the West Camp¡¯s storerooms, filling two storerooms.


    Of course, these corns could not all be used as seeds. They had to be screened. Moreover, they had to discuss how much to give the emissary to bring back to Lin¡¯an Prefecture.


    Minister Qin had written a secret letter to the emissary, hoping that he could bring all the seeds back. Even if he couldn¡¯t, he had to bring most of them. Unfortunately, the letter was intercepted by Qi Haoran before it could reach the emissary¡¯s hands. Then, it went to Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s desk.


    Qi Haoran had a perfect exnation for this. ¡°I¡¯m investigating the spies left behind. That person was riding a tall horse and was not from the ry station or the Imperial Court. 1 thought he was a spy, but who knew that he was Minister Qin¡¯s man?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan picked up the envelope and looked at it. Seeing that the envelope had been opened, his brother had obviously read the letter. He asked, ¡°Where¡¯s that person?¡±


    ¡°He fell off his horse and died while attempting to escape.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan looked up at him and put down the letter. ¡°Since he¡¯s not good at riding, that¡¯s none of our concern. Go back and keep an eye on the roads in Mingshui County. Make sure you don¡¯t let those spies slip through. As for the emissary, I¡¯ll exin it to him.¡±


    Unconvinced, Qi Haoran said, ¡°Big Brother, Qin Fang is too nosy. We have so many seeds, but he actually wants all of them.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan snorted and said, ¡°So he might not live long. Go back. The seeds have been selected. The Shen family wille in a few days to take a third of their share. Be careful not to let the emissary know.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, how much do you want to hand over to the emissary?¡±


    ¡°The remaining half.¡± Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°Jiangnan isn¡¯t small either. However, it¡¯s known for fishing and rice production, and has convenient water conservancy facilities. So, there¡¯s really no need to nt corn there. On the other hand, things aren¡¯t going well in Chuangui this year. 1 don¡¯t know how much the Imperial Court is willing to share with them, but we definitely have to share some of the remaining half. There¡¯s also Xingyuan Prefecture. Dai Wei and Lu Ji have already asked them to send someone over. I have to leave some for them. Also, in addition to the share allocated to the military households, 1 have to give some to themoners¡­¡± Qi Xiuyuan had already nned in his heart. Even if there was really a drought next year, he couldn¡¯t let people nt corn on all thend just to ensure harvest.


    Therefore, wheat and rice also had to be nted. Most of the high-gradend and medium-gradend had to be used to nt wheat and rice. The rest would be used to nt corn.


    Qi Haoran calcted in his heart and said, ¡°Big Brother, I want to raise horses.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you raising your ¡®little pony¡¯ now?¡±


    ¡°No, I want to raise arge number of horses.¡± Qi Haoran looked at him seriously and said, ¡°Big Brother, the Hu cavalries are powerful. Previously, after we attacked the city, if our cavalrymen could keep up, theirmander wouldn¡¯t have escaped. If we want to take back our homnd, we have to train our cavalrymen. Although Hanzhong Prefecture was previously upied by the nobles of the Jin Kingdom, they did raise a lot of pasture despite ruining plenty of good farnd.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan frowned at him. ¡°This will disrupt the people¡¯s livelihood¡­¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, I don¡¯t want to upy the people¡¯s farnd to raise horses, but 1 want you to give me a piece ofnd to raise horses. Even Jingzhao Prefecture and Pingyang Prefecture have horse farms. Why can¡¯t we build one in Hanzhong Prefecture?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°The horse farms were all built by the country and governed by the Imperial Court. Why would you set up a horse farm in Hanzhong Prefecture?¡±


    ¡°The horses in Fen Prefecture don¡¯t belong to the country, for instance. If the Imperial Court wants to buy horses, they even have to secretly do business with them. Big Brother, we have to beg for the horses raised by the Imperial Court to get them. If you ask for ten horses, he will give you one. In that case, it¡¯s better for us to raise the horses ourselves. In less than five years, we can build a cavalrymen¡­¡± Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Hanzhong Prefecture isn¡¯t far from Jingzhao Prefecture. As long as there are horses, we can go back and forth the two ces. We can even take a detour to Hua Prefecture to attack from the east. Attacking from both sides will give us a high chance of taking back Jingzhao Prefecture.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s hand on hisp couldn¡¯t help but bend slightly. He tapped his thigh with his fingers and said after a while, ¡°Do you have money?¡±


    Qi Haoran raised his head and said proudly, ¡°As long as you agree, 1 can get the money.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan chuckled and thought for a moment before waving his hand. ¡°Alright, before the new magistrate of Hanzhong Prefecture takes office, 1¡¯11 circle out a piece ofnd for you first. That was originally used by a noble of the Jin Kingdom to race horses. It¡¯s at the foot of Mount Elephant 30 miles northwest of Hanzhong Prefecture, spanning about 300 acres. Outside Mount Elephant is a grasnd. However, there¡¯s also danger there¡ªthere¡¯s no barrier to keep the people of the Jin Kingdom and the Xixia Kingdom from entering and exiting. Whether you can keep the horses depends on you.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. Qi Xiuyuan continued, ¡°1 know that you and Zijin n to use the money from doing business to help me feed my soldiers, but you should keep that money for yourselves. You¡¯re all grown up now, so you have to have your own private savings. I have my ways.¡±


    Previously, Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t say it because he was d that these two little ones were considerate and knew to share his burden. However, seeing that their own matters were in a mess and they had a bunch of things to do, he didn¡¯t intend to tease them anymore.


    Sincerity was what counted. The little money the two of them had earned was not even enough to fill the gaps between the teeth of the army. He was feeding 70,000-odd soldiers, not 7,000-odd. Their money would be gone in just a day if they were going to pay for his army¡¯s rations.


    Qi Haoran scratched his head and chuckled. He turned around to look for Fan Zijin, who was pounding the ground. ¡°Why didn¡¯t Cousin say so earlier? I¡¯ve already informed Butler Chen toe back. If he had said so two days earlier, I would have asked him to use all that money to buy goods. That way, he wouldn¡¯t have to transport the silver back.¡±


    However, Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s fine too. I¡¯m nning to buy foals.¡± Fan Zijin red at him. ¡°Don¡¯t you already have a horse?¡±


    ¡°I n to build a horse farm to raise horses.¡± Qi Haoran told him his n and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already asked Bai Li to find someone who knows how to raise horses for me. When the timees, 1¡¯11 bring people to the foot of Mount Elephant to build fortifications and houses. The horses will be raised there. That was where the Jin Kingdom¡¯s nobles raced their horses previously. Even the pasture is ready-made. There are also many houses, which saves a lot of trouble.¡± Fan Zijin stroked his head and asked, ¡°Are you joking? Do you know how much a horse costs? How many can we afford? Besides, don¡¯t we have to spend money on fodder? We¡¯re poor now.¡±


    Qi Haoran widened his eyes and looked at him. Fan Zijin couldn¡¯t stand his round eyes and sat on the chair. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you want to raise horses, but not this year or next year. You have to give me time. Let¡¯s do it the year after next. When I earn enough money, I¡¯ll buy you hundreds of horses at once with sufficient fodder. What do you think?¡±


    Qi Haoran counted with his fingers and shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s too long. After buying the foals, 1 still have to raise them for two to three years before they can be of use. I also have to train the cavalrymen. That¡¯s too great a dy.¡± ¡°Haste makes waste.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because 1 know that time is precious that I want to take back my homnd in my lifetime.¡±


    Fan Zijin red at him. ¡°Why do 1 feel like you¡¯ve been possessed by General Yuan? All you think about is reiming your homnd.¡±


    ¡°General Yuan is someone I admire..¡±

 Chapter 229 - 229: Building a House

    Chapter 229: Building a House


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    In the end, neither managed to convince the other and they went back to their rooms angrily.


    Qi Haoran felt that this would be a rare opportunity in the next few years. They could use Hanzhong as a stronghold and recover all the other lostnd. In that case, they could not dy the matter of the cavalrymen anymore. If not for the fact that he did not have the money to buy adult horses, he would not have wanted to buy foals and slowly raise them.


    On the other hand, Fan Zijin was worried that there wasn¡¯t enough money. A foal cost about 20 taels of silver, and in each division there needed to be about 500 cavalrymen. It was a standard configuration for each person to have a horse each, plus another one for backup. Alright, even if the backup was 0.5 horse per person, they would still need 750 horses. ording to the lowest price, it would cost 15,000 taels of silver, not to mention the subsequent fodder¡­


    Fan Zijin sat in the study and calcted the money he could take out. In the end, he still felt that he was too poor.


    Perhaps he shouldn¡¯t ce all his hopes on Butler Chen¡­


    While Mu Yangling repaired the iron plow in the courtyard, Great-aunt guided her to stuff a piece of shaved wood into it. Then, she used her hand to try and break it. Feeling that it should be stable, she said, ¡°Alright, this will work. You have to learn how to repair these things. Otherwise, if they break, you¡¯ll have to enter the city to find someone to repair them. That¡¯s too expensive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned it now. Great-aunt, are we going to plow the fields tomorrow?¡±


    Great-aunt tucked her hands into her sleeves. The weather was already a little cold. Looking up at the sky, she said, ¡°Are you really nning to nt winter wheat?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s take advantage of the fact that we don¡¯t have any work to do now. Otherwise, we definitely won¡¯t be able to handle it at the beginning of spring next year. Look at this spring. In a month, which one of us hasn¡¯t lost weight? It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s just once or twice, but as time passes, our bodies won¡¯t be able to take it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but we¡¯d be farming the fields back to back. I¡¯m afraid thend will be ruined.¡± This was what Madam Ma-Liu was most worried about. In the past, they would nt thend for half a year and let thend rest for half a year. This way, they could preserve the fertility of thend.


    However, this year, wheat and rice was first nted on those high-gradends. After harvesting the wheat and rice, they nted corn. Now, they were going to nt winter wheat. Under such intense farming, the fertility of thend could not keep up, and high-gradend could easily turn into medium-gradend or even low-gradend.


    ¡°I know what you mean. Don¡¯t worry. Don¡¯t we have four to five piles of rabbit feces on ournd? I¡¯ll go to the city to buy some night soilter and dig up some river mud to mix and dry in the sun. I¡¯ll spread a thickyer on the ground and plow it twice. 1 don¡¯t believe that thend can¡¯t stay fertile this way.¡±


    Madam Ma-Liu widened her eyes in shock. She had never seen such a way to preserve the fertility of thend after living for so long.


    Mu Yangling stood up and shook the iron plow. Smiling, she said, ¡°Since my father has the day off tomorrow, we can get him to help out.¡±


    Great-aunt poked her forehead and said with a smile, ¡°Mischievous girl, it¡¯s not easy for your father to finally get a two-day break. Yet you¡¯re putting him to work the moment he returns. You¡¯re not giving him a chance to rest.¡±


    ¡°If my father were to rest at home, he would feel even worse.¡± Mu Yangling carried the things into the storeroom and closed the door. However, her movements were a little too big, causing the yellow mud on the wall to fall down.


    Mu Yangling widened her eyes and stared at it for a while before reaching out to poke the wall¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡± Just as Great-aunt spoke, Mu Yangling had already broken off arge piece of yellow mud from the wall. Feeling guilty, she threw the yellow mud away and wiped her hands on her clothes. With a chuckle, she said, ¡°Great-aunt, my strength seems to have increased again¡­¡±


    ¡°Geez. You brat, this house is already in a bad enough state. Aren¡¯t you afraid that the house will copse if you continue to dismantle it?¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t we build a big house for our family? Great-aunt, our family doesn¡¯tck money now.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°When my fatheres back, I¡¯ll speak to him about it. We¡¯ll build a two-entry green brick tiled house. We¡¯ll build five rooms for each entry. When the timees, everyone will have a room. Then, we¡¯ll build an embroidery workshop for Xin and my mother and a study for Bowen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Great-aunt pondered and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how long we can stay in this house. While your father is at home, it¡¯s time to get someone to build a house. Anyway, it¡¯s off-peak season now and everyone is so bored at home. I¡¯ll call your uncle and the others toe and help outter.¡±


    Mu Yangling was just about to heave a sigh of relief when Great-aunt said, ¡°But even if our family is going to build a new house, you can¡¯t pry the mud off the wall anymore. With your strength, you might just cause the house to copse. Do you hear me?¡±


    ¡°I heard it, 1 heard it. Don¡¯t worry, Great-aunt. I definitely won¡¯t touch this wall again. If you don¡¯t believe me, call Xiuhong to keep an eye on me. If I touch it, you can chop off my handter.¡±


    Great-aunt patted her hand and said, ¡°Stop joking. Alright, hurry up and go y. I¡¯m going to work on the vegetable field behind.¡±


    Seeing that Great-aunt had left, Mu Yangling picked up a rock under her feet and crushed it. Mu Yangling looked at her hand in a daze. Why did her strength increase again?


    Logically speaking, it was impossible. Her strength had not increased since she was nine years old. It had already been a year, and she thought that her strength had reached its peak. She did not expect it to suddenly increase again. Could it be because she had been practicing internal energy?


    However, she had been meditating and cultivating for more than half a year. Yet, she could not even feel a trace of Qi in her dantian. Instead, all it did was make her legs turn numb and her to feel restless and sleepy.


    Or could it be that one¡¯s strength would increase with age? When would it reach its peak?


    ¡¯20 to 30?¡¯


    Mu Yangling clenched her fists and thought to herself, ¡®It¡¯s a pity that the army doesn¡¯t ept women¡­¡¯


    If they wanted to build a house, they had to choose a plot ofnd. They naturally could not choose the site which they were currently living on, so they could only choose a plot ofnd by the side.


    No one objected. Having been promoted to apanymander, Mu Shi was currently the highest-ranking official in the vige. Therefore, he quickly agreed with his section to carve out a plot ofnd for him beside his current house.


    Liu Ting and the rest came over to help the Mu family build the house, while Mu Shi took out some money and hired nine people. He discussed with Liu Ting and the rest how to build the house. Even if he was not at home, there was Liu Ting supervising the work at the side. With the Liu n around, they were not afraid that the other workers would think that the Mu family was cking off just because there wasn¡¯t a man in their prime at home.


    The Mu family paid the nine workers 20 copper coins a day. This price was neither high nor low and was considered above average. When Mu Yangling flipped through the ount book, she realized that Liu Ting and the rest were helping for free and weren¡¯t paid any money.


    Stunned, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Great-aunt, why didn¡¯t Uncle and the others get paid?¡±


    Without raising her head, Great-aunt said, ¡°They¡¯re family. Why do they need to be paid? Don¡¯t talk nonsense. Go to the city tomorrow and buy two catties of pork belly. Buy some fatty ones and not the thin ones. Since they¡¯re here to work for our family, we have to let them eat well. Only after eating well will they have strength.¡±


    Whenever All Ling went to buy pork, other than pork belly, the meat she bought tended to have more lean meat than fats. Their family was used to eating meat and felt that it was alright. If it were anyone else, they would inevitably feel that it was not fatty enough.


    Mu Yangling also knew that fatty meat was preferable in this era, so she nodded and agreed. After hesitating for a while, she said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to give Uncle and the others money? I think it¡¯s quite hard for them to work for our family.¡±


    This time, Great-aunt raised her head. She looked at Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Child, don¡¯t do anything stupid. If you dare to mention the sry matter to them, see if your uncles will ignore you in the future. It¡¯s out of kindness that they came to help, so why would you give them a sry? I¡¯ve never heard that one has to get paid to help your rtives build a house. Have you charged your great-uncle and the others when you helped them do work in the past?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head.


    ¡°In the past, when your father and uncles went to repair my house, did they dare to mention money to me?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head.


    ¡°See? Don¡¯t worry about the house. You should start plowing tomorrow. Didn¡¯t you say that you still have to nt winter wheat on 30 acres of medium-gradend? Thatnd has to be plowed before it can be fertilized.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t plow it alone¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Great-aunt frowned. ¡°Then 1¡¯11 go with you tomorrow. With your uncles watching over the house, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem..¡±

 Chapter 230 - 230: Suggestion

    Chapter 230 - 230: Suggestion


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Liu Ting looked at the iron plow and then at his aunt. Finally, he said, ¡°Aunt, it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t go. Go back and call my wife over and let her help. Since Ah Lang is already old enough to plow, call him over too. Let the mother and son take turns helping All Ling with the plow. You can stay at home and watch the door.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, aren¡¯t you growing winter wheat?¡± Mu Yangling asked.


    Liu Ting sighed and said, ¡°We do want to nt it, but the higher-ups have sent word that the weather might not be good next year. Therefore, they want everyone to leave thend to nt corn.¡±


    At the side, Liu Yuan said worriedly, ¡°But we don¡¯t know how to nt corn. Although they will send someone down to teach us, we don¡¯t have confidence in things that we have never nted. Moreover, I heard that corn isn¡¯t exactly delicious, so I still want to nt some wheat.¡±


    ¡°I think the weather next year might really be bad.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°In the past, it would rain once or twice every month, but it¡¯s been so long since thest two rains. There¡¯s not even a sign of the dark clouds since.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°There¡¯s only oneyer of mud at the bottom of the river left now. The rest of the river is dry and cracked. 1 just want to nt some winter wheat. If it¡¯s a drought in spring, at least we¡¯ve nted some winter wheat. With the snow water from winter as the foundation, the winter wheat will definitely grow. Even if there¡¯s a drought in spring, it should rain at least once in spring. With that rain, the wheat will be able to enter the tiller and filler stage. Even if the harvest is slightly worse, it¡¯s still better than spring wheat.¡±<div>


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    Liu Ting squatted on the ground and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°But what about the warmth? Our Xingzhou Prefecture is very cold in winter, and the ground is as hard as a brick. If you fall headfirst, you¡¯ll break your head. Will wheat sprout in spring?¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°It¡¯s also cold in winter. Don¡¯t underestimate these crops¡ªthey can even burst through rocks. However, what you said makes sense. I n to cover the ground with all the wheatgrass and straws at home after I nt them. This way, they can keep the ground warm. There will also be a buffer when the snowes in winter. The most important thing is to preserve water to the greatest extent. After spring, if the sun doesn¡¯t directly shine on the ground, the evaporation of water can be reduced by quite a lot. Don¡¯t forget that we still have water conservancy facilities, three canals, and threerge reservoirs here.¡±


    Liu Yuan said, ¡°Those reservoirs and canals belong to your 5th Division. Last time, Little General was benevolent. If there¡¯s really a drought next year, I¡¯m afraid your 5th Division won¡¯t be willing to open the reservoir again.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there another winter? You guys can also build water conservancy facilities.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°I heard from Little General that he wants to make the opening of the Jialing Lake to our river bigger. You can tell your assistantmander to build arge canal from the river and construct a reservoir.¡±


    Liu Ting and Liu Yuan smiled bitterly. ¡°Do you think everyone is like Little General? Ignoring the fact that we don¡¯t get to see the assistantmander at all, even if we do, he won¡¯t waste his manpower on building the water conservancy facilities. Your Uncle Xuan and the others aren¡¯t in Xingzhou Prefecture and have all been transferred to Hanzhong Prefecture. They¡¯re guarding the city there now. They won¡¯t be able to return home on break. We haven¡¯t seen them for more than three months. If they hadn¡¯t sent someone back to report that they¡¯re still alive¡­¡±


    Liu Ting looked worried. ¡°This can only work if we repair the water conservancy facilities ourselves. However we have manpower but no tools. In addition, we can¡¯t make the decision on this matter, so we can¡¯t organize it¡­¡± Liu Ting and Liu Yuan felt that it was a pity that they had not been assigned to the Little General back then. Although Qi Haoran was young, he listened to advice and valued agriculture. Unlike the other assistantmanders, who mainly focused on training their troops. Regarding agriculture, they only looked at the results and not the process.


    They clearly did not have any advantages, yet they set such a high goal. Liu Ting felt that he seemed to have aged ten years in just a year.


    This time, Mu Yangling was at her wit¡¯s end. She couldn¡¯t ask Little General to step forward, right? That would be crossing the line, and it would make him very annoying.


    Mu Yangling could only suggest, ¡°Uncle Ting, why don¡¯t you try to organize people to dig a canal and reservoir? Our Liu n has a lot of people, as long as we can convince the n, we can convince others. It doesn¡¯t have to be just people from your camp. You can gather the people from two or three nearby viges. Since yournds are in the same area, the canal and reservoir can be used by everyone. You can set the restriction that only those who send out manpower to help construct will have ess to it in the future.¡±


    Liu Yuan looked at his eldest cousin with shining eyes.


    Liu Ting¡¯s scalp went numb as he said, ¡°I¡¯ve never done this before.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a first for everything. Do youck an arm or a leg, or do youck a headpared to others? Can¡¯t you figure it out yourself?¡± Great-aunt said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ve never done this, but the others haven¡¯t either. As long as you show off your aura, they¡¯ll listen to you.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°Uncle, give it a try. If it doesn¡¯t work, it¡¯s none of your business. You can just shrug and say too bad. At least you would¡¯ve tried, right?¡±


    Liu Yuan nodded repeatedly. ¡°Big Brother, if you suggest it, I¡¯ll be the first to respond.¡±


    Liu Ting rolled his eyes at him. ¡°We¡¯re brothers. How dare you not respond?¡±


    Liu Yuan scratched his head and smiled.


    Liu Ting sat cross-legged on the ground and did some calctions as he drew on the ground with a stick. Frowning, he said, ¡°We don¡¯t have enough manpower. There are a few families in our vige that can¡¯t produce able-bodied men. Those families consist of either aged mothers or little kids. It¡¯s not as if we can drag them over to help.¡±


    Shelving her ns to go to the fields, Mu Yangling sat down and gave him an idea. ¡°Then you can get them to pay for the water conservancy facilities. You need some tools anyway. Those who can¡¯t help out physically should support this project marily. This way, others won¡¯t have any objections when they use the water conservancy in the future. If they can¡¯t afford this, you can arrange some easy jobs for them.¡±


    Mu Yangling listed out the tasks that needed to be done to build the water conservancy one by one. ¡°Digging the canal and digging the reservoir will definitely require adult men to do it, but carrying the mud and foundation stones is something that even half-grown children and young women can do. If you start building now, you should be able toplete it before spring.¡± Then, she said, ¡°Uncle, you also have to find someone who knows about water conservancy to choose a good site for you. You can¡¯t just randomly find a plot ofnd. If you choose a good location, you can get twice the results with half the effort.¡±


    Liu Ting lost even more confidence. ¡°Where can I find such a capable person?¡±


    Indeed, Liu Ting could note into contact with such a person. Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I help you ask Little General and see if he can help you find such a person?¡±


    Liu Ting heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°If we fail in the end, won¡¯t we be letting Little General owe others a favor for nothing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Uncle, don¡¯t worry and just do it. Little General will speak to that person. There¡¯s no such thing as guaranteed sess in this world. They won¡¯t me us.¡±


    Liu Ting pondered and said, ¡°Since Great-uncle He is capable and is from the older generation, it might be better for him to step in.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Mu Yangling and Great-aunt objected at the same time.


    Great-aunt nced at Mu Yangling and said, ¡°He¡¯s old and a little muddle-headed. You young people can make the decision on this matter. Don¡¯t trouble him with everything.¡±


    Liu Ting, Liu Yuan, and Mu Yangling felt a little awkward. Mu Yangling gave a dryugh before saying with a serious expression, ¡°Uncle Ting, Great-uncle He only has prestige in the n. Your vige and the nearby viges might not listen to him. There are also elders in other families. If they start arguing, nothing will get done. I think we really need the younger generation to handle this. It will appeal to more people, and the elders won¡¯t object too much.¡±


    Mu Yangling coughed lightly and said in Liu Daqian¡¯s tone, ¡°You¡¯re all grown up. It¡¯s time for you to umte some life experiences. Won¡¯t these things depend on you in the future? While we¡¯re still alive, I can help give you some advice from the side. Just go ahead and do whatever you want..¡±</font>

 Chapter 231 - 231: Reciprocity

    Chapter 231 - 231: Reciprocity


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Even if Liu Ting had the intention to repair the water conservancy facilities, it wouldn¡¯t be done in a short period of time. Hence, he still brought people over during the day to help the Mu family build a house. At night, he would go back and think of a way to convince everyone.


    First were the people from Liu n, then the entire West Vige, and finally the people from the two neighboring viges.


    Madam Liu-Zhao took her sons, Liu Lang, and Liu Lun over to help plow thend. Mu Yangling pulled a plow in front while they took turns to support the plow behind. As Madam Liu-Zhao paid attention to the ground under her feet, she said, ¡°Our family has also decided to nt about 20 acres of winter wheat. We¡¯ll see how it goes this time. If the results are good, we¡¯ll nt it like this next year.¡±


    ¡°Then after plowing my family¡¯snd, I¡¯ll help you plow yournd.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Uncle and the others also have a lot of work to do. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if every family had an oxen? That way, it will be much easier on everyone.¡±


    Smiling, Madam Liu-Zhao said, ¡°That¡¯s what rich families think. It¡¯s already not bad for our five families to share one oxen. Who can afford it when one oxen costs eight taels of silver?¡±<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Mu Yangling wanted to buy one. She thought that after the new house was built, she would build a row of small houses on the left side of the courtyard to store oxen.


    ¡°Aunt, since there¡¯s no cattle farm in this county, where can we buy oxen from?¡±


    ¡°That depends on luck,¡± Madam Liu-Zhao said. ¡°Those calves are all sold after the cows give birth. Only those in urgent need will sell adult cows. It¡¯s because cows are rare that they¡¯re expensive.¡±


    ¡°No one specializes in raising cows to sell?¡±


    With a smile, Madam Liu-Zhao said, ¡°I¡¯ve only heard of people specializing in raising horses to sell. I¡¯ve never heard of anyone specializing in raising cows to sell. Rich people don¡¯t care for this, and only rich people can afford to raise them.¡±


    Mu Yangling could not help but have an idea. At present, almost everyone relied on manpower to farm theirnd. Because of the war,bor was already in short supply. If they could ensure the supply of plowing oxen, the development of agriculture would definitely speed up.


    In the first season, her experiments had already yielded results. For the nting of wheat on the high-gradend, when seeds were more densely nted and the double-sided rake was used, yield was 28 catties higher. That was whenpared to nting the fields more sparsely and when covering the seeds with soil using one¡¯s feet. For medium-gradend, the difference was 16 catties.


    In the low-grade fields, yield was four catties less in the densely-nted fieldpared to the sparsely-nted one. However, using the double-sided rake, yield was 6.5 catties higher than when soil was covered manually with one¡¯s feet.


    It could be seen that in the high-gradend and the low-gradend, the seeds of wheat should be nted more densely, and the seeds should be covered with a thinneryer of soil. That could be achieved by using the double-sided rake. In the low-gradend, perhaps because thend was not fertile enough, the density of the seeds had to be reduced.


    This was an experiment on nting methods. She nned to conduct a more advanced experiment with the seeds in the future. Since Mu Yangling had already decided to farm in the future, she naturally hoped for better development within the industry. With the plowing oxen, agriculture would only develop faster.


    It was a pity that she didn¡¯t have a ce to raise cows now. She had to go back and see if there was a ce nearby that she could rent or buy. She would buy a plot ofnd to nt pasture, build a row of cow sheds, and raise dozens of cows. She didn¡¯t believe that she wouldn¡¯t be able to make plowing oxens mainstream in five to six years.


    Now that she had this idea, she started paying attention to the nearby area.


    Thisrge area was all ssified as a military district, but only about a third of it was farmed. The remaining half was dense forest, and the other half was wastnd.


    When Mu Yangling was free, she would go to those wastnds to walk around, but she realized that they were not connected. It was not ideal to set up a ranch here to raise cows.


    She had no choice but to look further away. Finally, she set her sights on thend behind Chef Mountain.


    Seeing that Mu Yangling had returned in the dark again, Great-aunt asked, ¡°You¡¯ve been going out every evening. What exactly are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Mu Yangling scooped some water and washed her face. She looked at the house next door that was already more than half-built and asked, ¡°Great-aunt, how long will it take for this to be done? Can we live in it before winter?¡±


    ¡°With the current speed, it¡¯ll be done in seven to eight days. We¡¯ll definitely be able to live in it before winter. Haven¡¯t you finished plowing thend for the winter wheat today? Tomorrow, go to your uncle¡¯s house to help and bring Xiuhong along.¡±


    ¡°Xiuhong should stay. She still has to feed grass to the rabbits. If she goes, who will look after the rabbits?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you still have me and Xin?¡± Great-aunt said, ¡°Your aunt and her family have been working hard with us for a few days. It won¡¯t make sense if Xiuhong doesn¡¯t go. Bring her along tomorrow and help tten thend.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine too. The hay is already piled up in the shed. You can just throw it down after measuring the right amount. 1¡¯11 go up the mountain tomorrow morning to see if I can catch prey. We¡¯ll bring some over and let them have a good meal too.¡±


    Great-aunt had no objections.


    Mu Yangling had kept the traps on the mountain there all along. From time to time, she could find one or two prey in the traps. This morning, she went up the mountain early in the morning. Because she was already familiar with this area, she walked straight into the deep forest.


    Mu Yangling squatted in the forest for a long time. Finally, she saw a strong roe deer. Mu Yangling drooled. Autumn roe deer¡­


    She nocked an arrow and shot through the roe deer¡¯s neck, before running out and stepping on the struggling roe deer. Seeing that it was dead, she carried it and ran home.


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with it, so she directly called Xiuhong over. ¡°Carry the basket on your back. We¡¯ll deal with it when we reach Uncle¡¯s house.¡± Then, she untied the two pheasants and a rabbit from her waist and left them at the kitchen door. She said to Great-aunt, ¡°Great-aunt, give them this extra food. I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    Mu Yangling and Xiuhong walked out quickly. Shu Wanniang rushed out and shouted, ¡°Come back early tonight. Your father has the day off tomorrow and will be back soon¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling responded loudly and disappeared into the morning fog with Xiuhong.


    Carrying the basket on her back, Xiuhong rubbed her arms and said, ¡°Cousin, the weather is starting to turn cold. Look, I¡¯m getting goosebumps.¡±


    Mu Yangling nced at her and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it starting to get cold? In another ten days or so, we¡¯ll be nting the winter wheat. When this is done, I won¡¯t go to the fields anymore. 1¡¯11 focus on raising our rabbits. In addition, I¡¯ll just make a trip into the mountains every day. You guys should rest too. It¡¯s been a tiring year.¡±


    ¡°No matter how tired 1 am, I¡¯m not as tired as you. I haven¡¯t seen you rest for the past year.¡± Xiuhong said, ¡°My grandmother said that farming is neverending. When it¡¯s time to rest, you have to rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that makes sense.¡±


    Xiuhong carefully took a few nces at Mu Yangling and said thoughtfully, ¡°Cousin, actually, 1 think raising rabbits is much more cost-effective than farming. Look at the money Young Master Fan brought over thest time. We can earn more than 500 taels just from one batch of rabbits. If we can raise more rabbits, won¡¯t we be earning even more money?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head, smiling. ¡°That¡¯s because we¡¯re lucky. If not for Young Master Fan¡¯s recipe and him selling the stuff to the south, how could we have sold so many rabbits? If we think this way, others will think the same. If we don¡¯t farm anymore, we won¡¯t be able to buy grains no matter how much money we have in the future..¡±</font>

 Chapter 232 - 232: Question

    Chapter 232: Question


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Then should the farmers spend the rest of their lives farming and being poor?¡± Xiuhong¡¯s eyes were red as she said indignantly, ¡°We¡¯ve worked so hard, but the gains from a year of hard work are not evenparable to a month or even a day of ie for others. The Imperial Court also increases the taxes all the time. I still remember that one year, when the grains harvested by our family were not even sufficient for us to pay the taxes, Grandma had no choice but to pawn everything my father left for us¡­¡±


    Xiuhong looked at the fields on both sides in a daze and said, ¡°Farming depends entirely on the heavens. Just like a few years ago, the heavens didn¡¯t bless us and the yield per acre was less than 120 catties. Grandma stayed in the fields all day long and was so tired that she couldn¡¯t straighten her back. Cousin, 1 think raising rabbits is excellent because other than working a little hard at the beginning, things get much easier after the pasture grows taller. Furthermore, the rabbits can be put up for sale in just four months. Each batch earns us several times more money than the crops in the fields. But you¡¯re right. If everyone stops farming, what will we eat?¡±


    ¡°But just because of thisst sentence, the farmers have to work themselves to death farming theirnd in order to serve those who don¡¯t farm?¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but stop in her tracks. She said seriously, ¡°That¡¯s why 1 want everyone to not have to work so hard in the future and live on the whims of the heavens. Xiuhong, I know it¡¯s very difficult, but someone has to move forward. If more people walk on that path, that path will start to widen. Your opinion isn¡¯t wrong, but 1 hope you can keep it in your heart, okay?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t afraid that Xiuhong would cause the farmers to stray from farming, but she was afraid that Xiuhong would be hurt because of this.


    Xiuhong asked, ¡°Will I be able to make others ept my thoughts when 1 have enough ability in the future?¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°You have to be someone that others respect and believe in. Even if you have the ability, others might not believe in you. Faith can¡¯t be changed just like that.¡±


    Xiuhong nodded thoughtfully. Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know if she understood.


    The two of them bumped into Liu Ting and the rest who were going to the Mu family to build the house.


    The rest of the Liu n looked enviously at the roe deer on Ah Ling¡¯s shoulder. Someone shouted, ¡°Ah Ling, you can¡¯t just let your Uncle Ting have all the good stuff. I am also your uncle, I don¡¯t dare to ask for roe deer meat like them. Later, just catch a rabbit so that we can have a nice meal.¡±


    Laughing, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After the house ispleted, 1¡¯11 go into the mountains and catch a wild boar to send to you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Your cousins are all craving meat so much that their eyes are red. Remember, even if there are no wild boars, you can just let us try the roe deer meatter.¡±


    Liu Yuan kicked him and scolded jokingly, ¡°You¡¯re quite thick-skinned. Alright,e to my house for dinner tonight. You don¡¯t have to wait for Ah Ling to send it to you. I¡¯ll let you eat your fill tonight.¡±


    The others cheered, ¡°Brother Yuan, there¡¯s still me.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Yuan, can 1 go? Although I¡¯m not Ah Ling¡¯s uncle, I¡¯m her cousin.¡±


    Everyone burst intoughter.


    Liu Ting pushed them and waved his hand. ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s go quickly. The sun is about to rise. Ah Ling, your aunt and the rest haven¡¯t gone to the fields yet. Hurry up. If you don¡¯t see anyone when you go back, just climb over the wall and enter.¡±


    Mu Yangling responded and quickened her pace.


    When they arrived, Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian¡¯s families were indeed not at home. Mu Yangling carried the roe deer over the wall and ced it in the courtyard first. She covered it with something before turning around and taking off the linen cloth on her shoulder. After patting her shoulder, she asked Xiuhong, ¡°Is there blood on my clothes?¡±


    Xiuhong took a closer look and replied, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Although they¡¯re old clothes, they can still be worn. Let¡¯s go and find Great-uncle and the rest in the fields.¡±


    Xiuhong looked around and saw that someone from the neighboring families was secretly looking at them from the back of the courtyard. She asked in a low voice, ¡°Cousin, can we just leave the things here? Would someone steal them?¡±


    Mu Yangling only nced at those people and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. They don¡¯t dare.¡±


    Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian had a good rtionship. Be it in Nearhill Vige or in West Vige, the two families worked together as one. This was because Liu Ting and his three cousins had a good rtionship and the two elders were around to guide them. As such, there had never been any unhappiness.


    However, this time, Madam Liu-Zhang was very unhappy. Her husband, Liu Zhuang, could not return from the military camp, but the remaining two strongborers, Liu Ting and Liu Yuan, still went to the Mu residence to help build a house. Even if they couldn¡¯t decline the Mu family because they were rtives, they could¡¯ve just sent one person. Why did they have to go together?


    Now, she had to do the plowing.


    Seeing her long face, Liu Daqian couldn¡¯t help but frown. He said to Liu Lang, ¡°Ah Lang, go pull the plow with your mother and get your aunt to help support the plow.¡±


    When Eldest Aunt heard this, she tugged at him and said, ¡°The eldest son and Ah Lang have been out working for a few days. It¡¯s better to let the third son¡¯s family do it.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang said indignantly, ¡°Mother, I haven¡¯t been idle at home either. Moreover, Eldest Sister-inw went to help the Mu family out of her own ord¡­¡± Seeing Liu Daqian ring at her, Madam Liu-Zhang gradually lowered her voice.


    Liu Yang frowned at his mother and jogged forward to pull the rope. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang quickly pulled off the rope and lectured him, ¡°What are you doing, child? Is this your job?¡±


    His eldest aunt also said to him, ¡°You¡¯re still a kid and have to wait another two years before you can help out. Come over quickly. Don¡¯t cause trouble for your mother and the others.¡±


    Liu Yang was a little indignant. When he looked up and saw Mu Yangling and Xiuhong walking over, he was slightly stunned. Then, he was overjoyed. He jumped up and waved his hand as he shouted, ¡°Cousin, Cousin, over here!¡±


    Mu Yangling had already seen them and was walking over hand in hand with Xiuhong.


    When Madam Liu-Zhao saw Mu Yangling, she heaved a sigh of relief and pushed her son. Liu Lang jumped up and ran over, howling as he ran.


    Liu Lun and Liu Yang felt that it was fun, so they followed his example and rushed over. In order to increase the effect, the two little ones even pulled some grass and waved it around.


    Liu Erqian was putting on a rope at the side when the children suddenly shouted, startling him, causing him to almost fall to the ground. He looked up to scold them with a smile.


    Liu Rong also rushed over. Liu Lang and the others were old enough to know that they shouldn¡¯t pounce on her and hug her like before. So, they stopped in front of Mu Yangling and asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us you wereing overst night? 1 could have asked my grandma to buy two catties of meat.¡±


    Xiuhong snorted and said, ¡°We don¡¯tck meat. When has Cousin evere to your house empty-handed? You don¡¯t have to worry about the meat. We brought some.¡±


    The three boys were too embarrassed to pounce on them, but Liu Rong, who was behind them, wasn¡¯t held back. She ran over and hugged Mu Yangling and Xiuhong. Smiling, she said, ¡°It¡¯s great that you¡¯re here. This way, my mother won¡¯t have to fight with my aunt.¡±


    Liu Lang knocked her head and whispered, ¡°Lower your voice. Don¡¯t let Mother hear you.¡±


    Liu Yang and Liu Lun nodded in agreement. ¡°You¡¯re going to get an earfulter if she hears you..¡±

 Chapter 233 - 233: Bullying

    Chapter 233: Bullying


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: Attas Studios


    Mu Yangling only smiled. Eldest Aunt smiled and asked, ¡°Ah Ling, Xiuhong, have you eaten breakfast?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°We came over as soon as we left the mountain and haven¡¯t eaten yet. Eldest Aunt, we left the roe deer in your courtyard. The blood hasn¡¯t dried up yet. Go back and deal with it quickly. Otherwise, it won¡¯t be easy to deal with when the blood hardenster.¡±


    Eldest Aunt nced at her sister-inw. Second Aunt smiled and said, ¡°Sister-inw, go back. All Ling counts as three people. Bring these little ones back too. Get them to bring breakfast overter.¡±


    None of them had had breakfast. They were all used to working until the sun rose halfway into the skies before eating their first meal, and would only eat two meals a day. However, since Mu Yangling was here, they would eat ording to her habits.


    Liu Ting and the others who could work were all left behind. Eldest Aunt only brought Liu Yuan¡¯s son, Liu Ying, along. He was only five years old. Even if he was brought to the fields, he was only asked to throw some stones out.


    Liu Yun looked at her grandmother and Liu Ying, then at Mu Yangling and Xiuhong. In the end, she lowered her head and walked to her cousin, Liu Rong.


    Seeing her like this, Liu Rong knew that she wanted to ck off again, so she said, ¡°Follow your brother to pick up stonester. We¡¯ll level the clods of earth.¡± Liu Yun responded dejectedly and asked, ¡°When can we rest? I can¡¯t wait for the new year.¡± Only during the new year did they not have to work in the fields.


    ¡°There are still a few months left. With Ah Ling¡¯s help today, it will be much faster. If you don¡¯t work, progress will be even slower. If we¡¯re not done by the New Year, we won¡¯t be able to celebrate the New Year.¡± Liu Rong frightened her. ¡°When the timees, other people will be at home celebrating the New Year, and we¡¯ll have to work in the fields.¡±


    Liu Yun shivered and quickly went to pick up the stones with a dustpan.


    When Xiuhong heard Liu Rong scaring Liu Yun, she couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips and smile. Meanwhile, Mu Yangling had already pulled the rope while Madam Liu-Zhao held the plow. On the other side, Liu Daqian was pulling the rope while Liu Erqian held the plow. It was faster working with two iron plows.


    Mu Yangling worked continuously. Liu Daqian would rest for a while after plowing a line. Seeing that the girls had already surpassed them by a lot, he shook his head andughed. ¡°I¡¯m old, I¡¯m old. Back then, when I plowed, I didn¡¯t stop either.¡±


    Liu Erqian chuckled. ¡°Even if I¡¯m old, 1 plow without stopping, too.¡±


    Liu Daqian nced at him and threw the rope to him. ¡°Then you can pull it. I¡¯ll help support the plow.¡±


    Stunned, Liu Erqian held his waist and said, ¡°Aiyo, I identally twisted itst night. It still hurts.¡±


    Liu Daqian kicked him angrily. ¡°How old are you? Other than bragging, what else can you do?¡±


    Second Madam Liu, who was ttening the ground, was also so angry that she picked up the clods of earth in the ground and threw them at Liu Erqian. She said angrily, ¡°Old thing, if you dare to lead the kids astray, I¡¯ll peel your skin.¡±


    Liu Erqian jumped up and shouted, ¡°Look at you. You¡¯re clearly the one who are leading the children astray.¡±


    Liu Daqian originally didn¡¯t want to interfere in his sister-inw teaching his younger brother a lesson. After all, this was a matter between a married couple. However, when he saw the children looking over excitedly, he had no choice but to interrupt. ¡°Alright, alright. Let¡¯s talk when we get back. Erqian, if you continue fooling around, I¡¯ll beat you up. You¡¯re already so old¡­¡±


    As Liu Daqian spoke, he went forward to pull the rope and was about to leave when Liu Erqian hurriedly rushed over to snatch the rope. ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll do it. You go support the plow.¡±


    Unlike what he said about plowing continuously, Liu Erqian also had to rest a short while after plowing a line.


    Liu Daqian did not rush him. Instead, he kicked some clods of earth behind him.


    Mu Yangling was wearing gloves and wasn¡¯t tired from pulling the rope. However, Madam Liu-Zhao would get tired, so Second Madam Liu would exchange ces with her every 45 minutes.


    When Liu Ying ran over crying, she handed the plow to Madam Liu-Zhao. When she saw her grandson running over covered in mud, she was shocked. She quickly ran over to pull him back and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Seeing that his palm was bleeding, she asked, ¡°Who did this?¡±


    Liu Ying, who was only five years old, pointed at the path and cried. ¡°Brother Xizi snatched it away, and Great-aunt even scolded me.¡±


    Second Great-aunt Liu immediately frowned. ¡°Fang Xi? He snatched the breakfast?¡± Seeing her grandson nod, she stood up angrily and scolded, ¡°Is he a hungry ghost reincarnated? He even snatched away your breakfast? Is your great-aunt there too?¡±


    Seeing her grandson nod, Second Great-aunt Liu turned around and red at Liu Erqian. ¡°Liu Erqian, are you going to interfere in this matter or not?¡±


    Liu Erqian¡¯s face darkened and he silently looked at his big brother. Liu Daqian also looked a little angry. He went forward and dusted the dirt off Liu Ying¡¯s body, then patted his head and said, ¡°Good child, don¡¯t cry. Go y with your brothers first.¡±


    Liu Ying looked at him in confusion before turning around to look for Liu Ting.


    Mu Yangling paused for a moment. She felt that this was the Liu n¡¯s family affairs and that it was not appropriate for her to interfere, so she called Madam Liu-Zhao and started to pull the plow.


    Liu Ying¡¯s mother, Madam Liu-Sun, was originally working with Madam Liu Zhang at the other end. When she saw her son crying over, although she couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying, she knew that something was wrong when she saw the two elders¡¯ expressions. She smiled apologetically at Madam Liu-Zhang and said, ¡°Third Sister-inw, let¡¯s go over and take a look too.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang also looked up and wanted to say something, but when she saw Madam Liu-Sun¡¯s pleading gaze, she said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m thirsty too. Let¡¯s go over and drink some water.¡±


    The two sisters-inw rushed over. Madam Liu-Zhang went to drink water, but Madam Liu-Sun asked her son, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you so dirty? Weren¡¯t you asked to deliver breakfast?¡±


    When Liu Ying saw his mother, the tears that had just stopped flowed down again. Liu Ting said angrily, ¡°Auntie, it was Fang Xi who pushed him. He even snatched the pancake that Grandma baked for us. Little Great-aunt was also there.¡±


    Madam Liu-Sun¡¯s face couldn¡¯t help but turn cold. She asked Liu Ying, ¡°Did your cousin Xizi snatch it?¡±


    Liu Ying nodded with tears in his eyes.


    Madam Liu-Sun gritted her teeth and stood up to look at her mother-inw. Second Great-aunt Liu¡¯s expression was not good either, but with Liu Daqian in front of her, she did not dare to shout at Liu Erqian like before.


    Seeing that Ah Ling was still working, Liu Daqian said, ¡°Work first. I¡¯ll get Ah Lang to go back and get breakfast. I¡¯ll call her over at noon to ask.¡±


    Everyone knew that the ¡®her¡¯ referred to Madam Fang-Liu.


    Seeing that Liu Daqian was willing to step forward, Second Great-aunt Liu¡¯s expression improved.


    However, there was no need for Liu Daqian and the others to look for her. Madam Fang-Liu came straight over, her expression even uglier than Second Great-aunt Liu¡¯s. When she saw Mu Yangling pulling a plow for the Liu n in the fields, her expression turned even uglier. She sneered and said, ¡°Sure, Big Brother is close to Second Brother¡¯s family, and is chummy with the Mu family. Eldest Sister is even living in the Mu Residence now. So I¡¯m the only outsider in the family, right? Why is she helping you but not me when we all live in the same vige? Our Fang family is in a more difficult situation than yours.. She only knows to send meat to her eldest great-uncle and second great-uncle, but didn¡¯t even bother to send a piece of vegetable to me, her third great-aunt? What sin did Imit in my previous life¡­¡±

 Chapter 234 - 234: Looking for Trouble

    Chapter 234 - 234: Looking for Trouble


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Iler voice was loud enough for everyone present to hear.


    Right now, there were many people in the vige. Because Liu Ting did not hide anything and spread Mu Yangling¡¯s words in the vige, many families decided to nt some winter wheat like the Liu n.


    Seeing that there was a show to watch, they stopped what they were doing and looked over excitedly.


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but stop in her tracks. She turned around and asked, ¡°Third Great-aunt, are you talking about me?¡±


    Madam Fang-Liu spat and said, ¡°So you get it.¡±<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°It¡¯s because you behave like this that I have to avoid your house.¡±


    As soon as she said this, the people who came to watch themotionughed. Madam Fang-Liu¡¯s face turned red. Just as she was about to speak, Second Great-aunt Liu had already taken a step forward and stood in front of Mu Yangling. She sneered and said, ¡°1 don¡¯t know if youmitted any sins in your previous life, but I know that you¡¯vemitted many sins in this life.¡±


    ¡°Second Sister-inw,¡± Liu Daqian said disapprovingly.


    Second Great-aunt Liu said with red eyes, ¡°Uncle, don¡¯t stop me. There are some things that I¡¯ve been holding in for too long. If 1 don¡¯t say them, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll fall sick in the future.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, let her speak. I want to hear what Second Sister-inw has to say.¡± Madam Fang-Liu stared at her fiercely and said, ¡°Flow did 1 get in your way? If you hadn¡¯t sowed discord from the side, would my rtionship with my second brother be so bad? I want to hear what you¡¯re nder about me now.¡± ¡°nder you? Do you think I¡¯m as good-tempered as Eldest Uncle and Eldest Sister-inw and will simply let you say whatever you want? I¡¯m going to set aside work today to argue with you.¡± Second Great-aunt Liu simply threw away the things in her hand and walked towards Madam Fang-Liu.


    Xiuhong ran over and pulled Mu Yangling back. She said in a low voice, ¡°Cousin, let¡¯s go and watch themotion.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhao only nced at them. Mu Yangling tapped her forehead, but she still pulled Xiuhong to the periphery. Liu Ting and the others stopped working and surrounded them. Those who had originally been embarrassed to go closer walked in when they saw this. Some simply sat cross-legged on the ground and watched.


    Liu Ting and the others followed suit and sat on the ground. Mu Yangling looked around and felt that she looked too conspicuous standing, so she sat on the ground as well.


    Coincidentally, there were a lot of weeds growing on the ground, so it shouldn¡¯t dirty her pants. Mu Yangling let her imagination run wild.


    Liu Daqian was so angry that his beard curled up. However, he couldn¡¯t teach his sister-inw a lesson in front of outsiders, so he turned to look at his brother.


    Unexpectedly, Liu Erqian himself was sitting cross-legged on the ground. Seeing that her father-inw was about to explode, Madam Liu-Zhao came over and said in a low voice, ¡°Father-inw, if we don¡¯t make this clear, we will implicate Ah Ling. She¡¯s already io years old and will be 11 after the new year. It¡¯d soon be time to discuss her marriage.¡±


    Liu Daqian immediately stopped talking. Madam Liu-Zhao gave her sister-inw, Madam Liu-Zhang, a look. Madam Liu-Zhang stood behind Second Great-aunt Liu and nned to support her when Madam Fang-Liu made a scene.


    Standing at the side with her son in her arms, Madam Liu-Sun wiped her eyes with her sleeve and tears streamed down her face. She secretly pinched her son under her clothes. Liu Ying was still young, so he burst into tears immediately.


    During these few seconds, Second Great-aunt Liu walked up to Madam Fang-Liu and heard her grandson crying. She started to ask, ¡°Let¡¯s just talk about what happened today. Why did you snatch the breakfast my grandson brought to us? To think that you¡¯re a great-aunt. Aren¡¯t you embarrassed to bully a five-year-old child?¡±


    Madam Liu-Sun added at the right time, ¡°If you wish to eat pancakes, 1¡¯11 squeeze them out of my mouth to show my filial piety to youter. Why did you have to snatch them from Ah Ying? You even beat the child up like this.¡±


    Madam Fang-Liu opened her mouth and scolded, ¡°Who snatched his things? There¡¯s no justice in this world. Are you framing me because I¡¯m a widow?¡± However, in the end, her eyes flickered slightly due to guilt.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to howl. It¡¯s easy to find out if you did snatch it from him. Sister-inw¡¯s basket and tes are all marked. Find Xizi and ask him. Ah Ying said that your grandson was at the side when you snatched the food from him,¡± Second Great-aunt Liu said.


    Madam Fang-Liu choked. Seeing that Madam Liu-Zhang had really gone to look for evidence and her grandson, she gritted her teeth and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a joke between children.¡± Her intuition told her that something was wrong. She hade to seek justice from Mu Yangling, not to quarrel with her elder brothers¡¯ families. She instantly turned to look for Mu Yangling and said to her, ¡°All Ling, let me ask you, is your Mu family nning to disown me? We¡¯re all biological rtives, so why are you favoring one over the other? It was fine when we were in Nearhill Vige in the past, but now that we¡¯re in trouble and everyone¡¯s lives aren¡¯t easy, you exclude me from everything. Do you still treat me as your great-aunt?¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned. She didn¡¯t know why she was involved again. Seeing that everyone was looking at her, Mu Yangling asked in a daze, ¡°Third Great-aunt, weren¡¯t you the one who didn¡¯t acknowledge my family back then? My father even said that my grandmother cried for a long time over this matter and even fell seriously ill. Before my grandfather passed, he left a message not to let my father acknowledge you as his aunt¡­¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. Your grandfather won¡¯t care about this. It¡¯s just that your grandmother was petty and evil. I¡¯m her biological sister¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Liu Erqian shouted. ¡°Third Sister, don¡¯t make me say anything unpleasant. Second Sister has a good temper, while Eldest Sister is magnanimous and won¡¯t argue with you. Do you really think that means we¡¯ll give in to you in everything?¡±


    Liu Erqian and Liu Erniang were close in age, so their rtionship was the best. It was also because of this that his rtionship with Madam Fang-Liu was the worst. He looked at his third sister with a sharp gaze and said, ¡°The Mu family and the Fang family haven¡¯t interacted much even back in Nearhill Vige. Rocky only addresses you as Aunt because you¡¯re older. Otherwise, do you expect him to even look at you? His father doesn¡¯t acknowledge you as his rtive, so Rocky naturally doesn¡¯t acknowledge you. Ah Ling can¡¯t acknowledge you either. If you have any objections, go look for Second Brother-inw and confront him.¡±


    Stunned, Madam Fang-Liu sat on the ground and cried, ¡°What sin have Imitted? My biological brother actually cursed me to die!¡±


    Sneering, Second Great-aunt Liu said, ¡°You must¡¯vee crying after seeing that Ah Ling gave our two families roe deers and didn¡¯t give you any, right?¡±


    Madam Fang-Liu stopped crying, and Second Great-aunt Liu became even more certain. She looked at her coldly and said, ¡°You¡¯re so thick-skinned. Who from Nearhill Vige doesn¡¯t know that you don¡¯t have a good rtionship with the Mu family? Back then, wasn¡¯t Rocky forced to leave all thanks to you? If you ask me, he¡¯s already done enough for you, his aunt. Back then, when he went hunting in the mountains, All Ling didn¡¯t leave your Fang family behind. When we had to flee from the vige because of the Hus invasion, they also brought you along. What else are you not satisfied with?¡±


    Madam Fang-Liu only cried, ¡°We¡¯re all biological rtives¡­¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips and say, ¡°Great-aunt, do you want All Ling to send a roe deer to your house too? Or do you want All Ling to help your family plow the fields?¡±


    Madam Fang-Liu wiped her tears and looked at Mu Yangling. ¡°We¡¯re all rtives. Even if you¡¯re biased, you can¡¯t be this biased. I¡¯ve never seen anyone who doesn¡¯t give gifts to their rtives. When you came to the vige, you only gave your two great-uncles gifts and ignored me. What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± She was just short of outright asking Mu Yangling to send some prey to her, too.


    With a smile, Mu Yangling looked at her innocently. ¡°1 simply don¡¯t want to acknowledge you as my great-aunt..¡±</font>

 Chapter 235 - 235: Disown

    Chapter 235 - 235: Disown


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Madam Fang-Liu was stunned. She did not expect Mu Yangling to be so direct.


    Liu Daqian¡¯s eyebrows twitched. He immediately went forward and said, ¡°Third Sister, you¡¯re not allowed to fool around anymore. All Ling sent the roe deer over because Ah Ting¡¯s family went over and helped her for a few days¡­¡± It could be considered an exnation for Mu Yangling.


    However, Mu Yangling said seriously, ¡°This is only part of the reason. Great-aunt doesn¡¯t know yet, right? My family is building a new house, so during this period of time, Uncle Ting brought the Liu n¡¯s uncles and cousins over to help me. He even personally went to the city to buy the needed stones, bricks, and wood. For the construction of my family¡¯s house, they dyed many of their own matters. Aunt also brought Cousin Lang and Cousin Lun over to help me plow thend. I thought that they rarely got to eat meat during this period of time, so I took the time to go into the mountains and hunt a roe deer for them.¡±


    ¡°As for giving them all kinds of wild animals in the past, that¡¯s because they¡¯re my great-uncles and uncles. Our Mu family only has a few rtives in Xingzhou Prefecture, the Liu n and the Ma n. Of course, we have to interact with them more often.¡± Mu Yangling turned to smile at Liu Daqian and said, ¡°My mother said that only by visiting each other from time to time we be closer. Otherwise, after a few years of not seeing each other, our rtionship will fade in spite of the blood ties.¡±


    The surrounding people nodded and said, ¡°There¡¯s a saying that distant rtives can¡¯tpare to close neighbors. Don¡¯t rtives have to visit each other from time to time to be close?¡±<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Mu Yangling continued, ¡°If Great-uncle and the others treat us well, we¡¯ll naturally treat them well. As for you, to be honest, if not for the fact that I see you at Great-uncle¡¯s house every New Year, I probably wouldn¡¯t know that you¡¯re my great-aunt.¡±


    When everyone heard this, they looked at Madam Fang-Liu in surprise, shocked that they were so distant from each other despite living in the same vige. It seemed that their rtionship was really bad.


    Mu Yangling said so much because she wanted topletely break off ties with this third great-aunt. She was not afraid of threats from Madam Fang-Liu. Life was sometimes boring. With her spicing things up, she would just treat it as watching a joke from time to time. However, this problem would be a source of disaster if it was left to fester. She did not want her rtionship with the Liu n to be affected because of this.


    Therefore, Mu Yangling slowly exined, ¡°My father only told me that we have an eldest Great-aunt who lives in the neighboring West Mountain Vige, who¡¯s been good to my grandmother since she was young. She even said that my grandmother and great-uncles were all raised by Eldest Great-aunt. She asked me to help Eldest Great-aunt if I had the ability in the future. My mother only asked me to hang out with my cousins from my great-uncles¡¯ families. She never mentioned to me that 1 have a third great-aunt in the vige.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Madam Fang-Liu, who had an ugly expression on her face, and continued, ¡°Third Great-aunt, my grandmother is your elder sister. Every year during the Qingming Festival, Great-uncle and the others will pay their respects to my grandparents. Many families in the vige will even offer incense to them. I¡¯ve remembered it in my heart, but I¡¯ve never seen you or your sons offer incense to my grandparents. It was onlyter when I identally heard someone say that my great-grandparents gave birth to three daughters and two sons that I realized that you and my grandmother are biological sisters.¡±


    ¡°In the past, when I was in Nearhill Vige, my family was weak. Whenever something happened, my two great-uncles and four uncles woulde to help. However, I¡¯ve never seen Third Great-aunt ask about us, let alone see your sons visit. I¡¯m young and don¡¯t know much, so I really don¡¯t treat you as my great-aunt. To me, you¡¯re just an elder in the vige.¡±


    Madam Fang-Liu pointed at Mu Yangling and only managed after a while, ¡°What poor upbringing¡­¡±


    Xiuhong stood up and spat at her. ¡°Do you have a proper family upbringing then? My grandmother said that she didn¡¯t expect to raise an ingrate.¡±


    So angry that she rolled her eyes, Madam Fang-Liu jumped up and was about to hit her. ¡°You uneducated thing. Did your grandmother teach you to talk to your great-aunt in this manner?¡±


    Mu Yangling grabbed her hand and said calmly, ¡°Actually, what Eldest Great-aunt said back then wasn¡¯t entirely right. My father had already told me about what happened back then. I thought you knew very well why my grandparents didn¡¯t acknowledge you as their rtive.¡±


    Liu Daqian¡¯s expression had already changed drastically when Xiuhong spoke. At this moment, he couldn¡¯t care less. He went forward and pulled the two children behind him. He shouted at Madam Fang-Liu, ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s ugly? Go back!¡±


    Madam Fang-Liu cried, ¡°Big Brother, they¡¯re all bullying me. Why don¡¯t you speak up for me? Am I still your sister?¡±


    ¡°Third Great-aunt, I sent food to my great-uncle¡¯s family because my heart aches for my cousins. It¡¯s also because when my brother was born back then, my family was in trouble and couldn¡¯t pay taxes. It was Eldest Great-uncle and Second Great-uncle who took out their own grains to help my father survive that disaster, despite having a hard time themselves. Then, they even set aside their pride to borrow fine rice to grind into rice paste for my brother to eat. I came over to help my great-uncles with the farm work because whenever something happened to my family, my uncles and aunts would also go over to help.¡± Mu Yangling looked straight at Madam Fang-Liu and said, ¡°If you and your sons can be like my great-uncles and their sons, 1 will naturally treat you like how I treat them.¡±


    Xiuhong continued, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that it¡¯s toote. Now that you¡¯re here, everyone knows what¡¯s going on. Back then, you were raised by my grandmother. In the end, when my family was in trouble, you didn¡¯t even bother to ask about us. When my family moved to Cousin¡¯s house, you didn¡¯t dare to show your face even though we were clearly in the same vige. My cousin doesn¡¯t acknowledge you as her great-aunt, so I won¡¯t acknowledge you either. Great-uncle, let¡¯s put it this way. From now on, we¡¯ll only acknowledge you as our rtives. We don¡¯t have the fortune of being rtives with the Fang family.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Liu Erqian pulled Liu Daqian back and said, ¡°Big Brother, this is a matter between the Ma family, the Mu family, and the Fang family. Don¡¯t interfere.¡±


    Liu Daqian sighed and did not say anything. He gave Madam Liu-Zhao a look.


    Madam Liu-Zhao quickly went forward to support the dejected Madam Fang-Liu and whispered, ¡°Aunt, I¡¯ll send you back¡­¡±


    Coming back to her senses, Madam Fang-Liu pushed Madam Liu-Zhao away and ran away.


    Mu Yangling supported Madam Liu-Zhao. ¡°Aunt, are you alright?¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhao took a deep breath and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Your third great-aunt is quite strong.¡±


    Seeing that her face was a little pale, Mu Yangling asked worriedly, ¡°But why do you look so pale?¡± Mu Yangling reached out to touch her forehead. She could sense that her forehead was cold, and cold sweat was breaking out on her forehead.


    Mu Yangling felt that something was wrong, so she said to Eldest Great-uncle, ¡°Eldest Great-uncle, Aunt Ting is not right. We have to get a doctor to take a look at her. Aunt, where did Third Great-aunt push you?¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhao pointed at her chest and stomach and said, ¡°Here and here.¡±


    Second Great-aunt Liu quickly went forward to support her. After pondering for a moment, she leaned close to her ear and asked, ¡°Is your period on time?¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhao looked at her in a daze. Second Great-aunt Liu immediately knew the answer and couldn¡¯t help but say anxiously, ¡°Ah Ling, I¡¯m afraid your Aunt Ting is pregnant. Hurry up and carry her back.¡± She scolded, ¡°Darned her. Of all ces, she had to push your stomach¡­¡±


    Stunned, Mu Yangling immediately picked Madam Liu-Zhao up and ran home..</font>

 Chapter 236 - 236: Stable

    Chapter 236: Stable


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Because Second Great-aunt Liu¡¯s voice was very soft, the surrounding people did not know what had happened at all. When they saw Mu Yangling carrying Madam Liu-Zhao into the vige, they were all stunned.


    Liu Ting was originallyughing and fooling around with his brother. When he saw his mother being carried away by Mu Yangling, his expression could not help but darken. He jumped up and wanted to chase after her, but Second Great-aunt Liu stopped him and said, ¡°What are you waiting for? Quickly go find a doctor. Your mother is sick. Hurry!¡±


    Stunned, Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian asked, ¡°She seemed fine just now. Why did she suddenly fall sick?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all because of your good sister,¡± Second Great-aunt Liu replied angrily. Then, she said to Madam Liu-Zhang, ¡°Hurry up and go to the city to get a doctor. Your sister-inw is probably pregnant. Madam Liu pushed her stomach just now.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang¡¯s expression changed. ¡°I¡¯ll go now.¡± She jogged towards the city.


    Second Great-aunt Liu wanted to go back and see how Madam Liu-Zhao was doing, so she waved her hand and left. Only Madam Liu-Sun was left to help the children pack up and go back. There was no way they would work in the fields again today.


    Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian also carried the iron plow back with gloomy expressions. When the surrounding people saw this, they dispersed.


    With reddened eyes, Liu Erqian said, ¡°This is our Liu n¡¯s grandson. If something really happens, 1 won¡¯t let her off.¡±


    Seeing Liu Daqian remain silent, Liu Erqian said angrily, ¡°Big Brother, why are you still protecting her?¡±


    Liu Daqian sighed and said, ¡°Ah Ting¡¯s wife hasn¡¯t rested for the past year. Also, she¡¯s been busy the past few days¡­¡±


    Liu Erqian looked angry. ¡°But if she didn¡¯t push her, Ah Ting¡¯s wife would have been fine. She would have found out that she was pregnant sooner orter. In short, I don¡¯t care. I won¡¯t allow you to interfere in the Fang family¡¯s matters in the future. In any case, I won¡¯t interfere anymore.¡± After saying that, Liu Erqian waved his hand and left.


    Mu Yangling had already carried Madam Liu-Zhao back to Liu Residence. Eldest Aunt was dealing with the roe deer¡¯s internal organs. When she saw this, she could not help but be stunned. She asked anxiously, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Aunt Ting seems to be pregnant.¡± Mu Yangling carried her into the house like a gust of wind and ced her on the brick bed.


    Although her speed was fast, she ran very steadily. Madam Liu-Zhao did not feel any bumps, but the pain in her stomach still made her feel very ufortable.


    Eldest Aunt couldn¡¯t care less. Upon hearing this, she washed her hands briefly and rushed in. Seeing that her eldest daughter-inw¡¯s face was pale and her forehead was still covered in cold sweat, she pushed Mu Yangling. ¡°Hurry up and get out. I¡¯ll take a look.¡±


    Mu Yangling could only go out and wait. Second Great-aunt Liu rushed back and ran into the house to take a look.


    Mu Yangling stopped Liu Rong and Liu Lun, who were about to rush in, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t go in. Wait here.¡±


    Liu Rong was anxious. ¡°Will my mother be alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine.¡± Mu Yanglingforted her. ¡°We discovered it in time. Your mother is in good health, so she should be fine.¡±


    Without waiting for the doctor to confirm, Eldest Great-aunt Liu and Second Great-aunt Liu were certain that Madam Liu-Zhao was pregnant. After all, they had given birth to a few children and could easily tell.


    As it had been several years since there was a new addition to the Liu n, they could not help but ask anxiously: ¡°Why isn¡¯t the doctor here yet?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no doctor in our vige. We can only go to the neighboring vige to get Physician Lian over.¡± Second Great-aunt Liu looked outside and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I go out to wee him¡­¡±


    Just as she finished speaking, Liu Lang had already run in with Physician Lian like a gust of wind. He pushed Physician Lian anxiously. ¡°Physician, quickly take a look at my mother.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, 1 know. Slow down. My old bones are about to fall apart.¡± Physician Lian took a deep breath and went forward to take Madam Liu-Zhao¡¯s pulse. After a while, he said, ¡°She¡¯s fine. The fetal qi is affected. She just has to take two sets of medicine and rest well.¡±


    Everyone heaved a sigh of relief. After Physician Lian wrote the prescription, Eldest Great-aunt Liu quickly went into the house to get the consultation fees for him. Liu Lang took the prescription and was about to get the medicine. However, before he left the vige, he met Madam Liu-Zhang and Pang Kongqing, whom the former had brought back on a donkey cart.


    Liu Lang immediately decided to wait for the second doctor to look at his mother before getting the medicine.


    The donkey cart belonged to Pang Kongqing. The moment he entered the courtyard, he saw Mu Yangling. He stopped in his tracks and the corners of his mouth twitched. Why did he always bump into Mu Yangling when he went out for consultations?


    Mu Yangling also saw Pang Kongqing. She immediately went forward and pointed in the direction. ¡°Physician Pang, my aunt is in this room.¡±


    Pang Kongqing nodded with a straight face and entered the house.


    Pang Kongqing¡¯s medical skills were much better than Physician Lian¡¯s. After taking her pulse for a moment, he looked at Madam Liu-Zhao¡¯s expression, then said, ¡°You¡¯ve affected the fetal qi. Plus, your body is a little weak due to over-exhaustion. Fortunately, your foundation is not bad. This fetus should be fine. I¡¯ll write a prescription for you to get the medicine right away.¡±


    The servant immediately opened the medicine box and arranged the brush, ink, and paper. After Pang Kongqing wrote down the prescription for them, he picked up his mini scale and immediately weighed the herbs from the medicine box.


    Everyone looked at him in a daze. Eldest Great-aunt Liu asked, ¡°Physician Pang, you even carry herbs with you?¡±


    The servant said proudly, ¡°This is because our master is kind-hearted. Those whoe to ask for a consultation are usually patients with acute illnesses, and it¡¯s not easy to move them around. Naturally, the more quickly you let them take the medicine, the better. Therefore, my master will ask about the situation and bring some herbs with him. This way, after taking the patient¡¯s pulse, he can immediately give them the correct mix of herbs, brew it, and let them drink it.¡±


    Eldest Great-aunt Liu heaved a sigh of relief and said with a smile, ¡°Physician Pang is indeed kind-hearted.¡±


    Pang Kongqing handed the medicine to them and said, ¡°This is for stabilizing the fetus. Let her drink it first. You need to get the rest of the herbs from the medicinal shop because 1 don¡¯t have enough here.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang quickly went forward to take the herbs and went to the kitchen to brew it.


    After asking for the consultation fees and medicine fees, Eldest Great-aunt Liu entered the house and took out the money jar. After counting, she sighed and brought the copper coins out in a pouch for Physician Pang.


    Physician Pang did not even look at it and handed it to the servant. He cupped his hands and said, ¡°Then 1¡¯11 go back first.¡±


    Liu Lang and Mu Yangling sent him out. Mu Yangling said to Pang Kongqing, who had climbed onto the donkey cart, ¡°Physician Pang, you¡¯re a good doctor.¡±


    The corners of Pang Kongqing¡¯s mouth twitched. He looked at her warily and said, ¡°Thank you for your praise, Miss Mu. Actually, 1 feel that my medical skills still have a lot of room for improvement.¡±


    Mu Yangling chuckled softly and said, ¡°Physician Pang, you don¡¯t have to be so afraid. I¡¯m saying that you have excellent medical ethics. 1 rarely encounter a doctor as good as you.¡±


    Pang Kongqing paused in surprise. The coachman had already asked, ¡°Master, are we leaving?¡±


    He came back to his senses and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Since the Liu n could not go to the fields today, everyone sat in the courtyard in a daze. Mu Yangling supported her chin and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I go home ande back tomorrow?¡±


    Liu Erqian said, ¡°Why go back? You should have lunch first before leaving.¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°Forget it. Before the weather turns cold, I want to enter the mountains to take a look.¡± Mu Yangling wanted to enter the mountains and set up a few traps to see if she could catch wild boars. She could not bring bows and arrows into the mountains to hunt again.


    Seeing that the house was in a mess, Liu Daqian nodded and said, ¡°Alright, go back first. Come back tomorrow.¡±


    Mu Yangling pulled Xiuhong back. Xiuhong held her stomach and said, ¡°Cousin, I haven¡¯t had breakfast yet. If I had known earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have slept in this morning¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll eat when we get back.¡± Mu Yangling quickened her pace and said, ¡°We have to go back and tell Uncle Ting to go home.¡±


    Xiuhong¡¯s eyes sparkled as she asked, ¡°Cousin, do you think Uncle Ting will cause trouble for the Fang family?¡±


    ¡°Most likely, but don¡¯t even think about watching themotion. Even if Uncle Ting finds trouble with the Fang family, he won¡¯t let others know. Eldest Great-uncle won¡¯t allow it..¡±

 Chapter 237 - 237: Ending

    Chapter 237: Ending


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Liu Ting rushed home upon hearing the news. Considering their youngest son was already eight years old, he¡¯d thought that he would not have another son. Thus, news of his wife¡¯s pregnancy came as a surprise for him.


    When Shu Wanniang heard that Madam Liu-Zhao had affected her fetal qi, she gave Mu Yangling some silver pieces and said, ¡°Your aunt¡¯s fetal qi was affectedrgely because she has beening over to help us plow thend for the past few days. Their family doesn¡¯t have much money now. Go to the city and find Physician Pang to buy a few sets of medicine for them, as well as a few hens and eggs.¡±


    Giving someone items was more eptable than outright giving them money. Mu Yangling took the money and whispered into her mother¡¯s ear, ¡°1 knew Father would secretly leave you money¡­¡±


    Blushing, Shu Wanniang knocked her daughter¡¯s head. ¡°Hurry up and go. Why are you so long-winded?¡±


    Mu Yangling gave the money to Xiuhong and asked her to buy the things while she carried her tools into the mountains to set up traps.


    Xiuhong bought the items and sent them over to the Liu Residence. Eldest Great-aunt Liu was just fretting about the money for the medicine, so when she saw her send the medicine over, she had mixed feelings and did not know what to say.


    ¡°Great-aunt, this is from Aunt Mu. She said to let Aunt Ting rest well and not worry about work in the fields. Tomorrow, Cousin and I wille over to help.¡±


    Eldest Great-aunt Liu stroked Xiuhong¡¯s hair and smiled. ¡°Help me thank your Aunt Mu. Tell her that when your Aunt Ting recovers, 1¡¯11 get her to thank her personally.¡±


    Xiuhong only smiled.


    When Liu Ting lifted the curtain and saw her, his gloomy expression softened slightly as he asked with a smile, ¡°Xiuhong, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Wanniang bought some things for your wife. Xiuhong sent them over.¡± Eldest Great-aunt Liu waved the things in her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to brew medicine for your wife. Don¡¯t go out and make a fool of yourself, lest your father beats you up.¡±


    Liu Ting agreed with a smile, but Xiuhong felt that he was lying. His nonchnt look was very simr to how her cousin had promised Mu Shi that she wouldn¡¯t go deep into the mountains, but she still ran into the mountains the next day.


    The smile on Xiuhong¡¯s face widened, and her eyes almost sparkled as she said, ¡°Great-aunt, Uncle, I¡¯ll go back first and let Aunt rest well. My grandmother also said that she wants toe and see Aunt. She¡¯s still sad because of Third Great-aunt¡¯s words, and will probably onlye in two days.¡±


    Liu Ting narrowed his eyes and smiled. ¡°Tell your grandma that your Aunt Ting is fine and she doesn¡¯t need toe over.¡±


    Xiuhong responded and turned to run.


    Liu Ting¡¯s eyes turned to the Fang Residence with a faint smile on his lips. Startled by the look on his face, Eldest Great-aunt Liu said carefully, ¡°Son, go in and apany your wife. I¡¯ll stew chicken for her tonight¡­¡±


    In fact, Liu Ting really didn¡¯t do much. It was just that as his authority in the vige increased, he would intentionally or unintentionally ostracize the Fang family. The Fang family would always have conflicts with other families because of various matters. By the time Liu Daqian realized that something was wrong, the Fang family had already been isted by the entire vige. Madam Fang-Liu looked as though she had aged ten years. Not only had this setback not tame her hostility, but it actually intensified. She would snap back at anyone who would speak to her.


    Anger rose in Liu Daqian¡¯s heart, but looking at his eldest son, who was already in charge of the family, he suppressed the anger in his heart and only said, ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard. After all, we¡¯re biological rtives. She¡¯s my sister.¡±


    At that time, Liu Ting said very seriously, ¡°Father, I¡¯ve long stopped. They¡¯re the ones who are perpetuating this.¡±


    Liu Daqian was speechless for a moment. He could not tell if his son was telling the truth or not because his sister¡¯s temper was indeed awful. However, although she was not very popr in the Nearhill Vige in the past, there were a few families that were close to her. Now, the Fang family seemed to be living alone on a deserted ind. It was as if they were invisible to the entire vige. Even the Fang children were ostracized.


    Second Great-aunt Liu only had onement about this. ¡°This is retribution. If it weren¡¯t for her back then, would the Mu family have been ostracized by the entire vige?¡±


    Of course, this was said in the future. At this moment, Madam Fang-Liu still did not know that this conflict would bring such serious consequences to her and the Fang family. When she heard that Madam Liu-Zhao was pregnant and her fetal qi was affected after being pushed, she stayed at home and refused to go out.


    After waiting for a few days and seeing that Liu Ting did note looking for her, she felt relieved and went about her business. However, she did not know that Liu Ting had been keeping an eye on her. Likewise for Liu Lang and Liu Lun.


    In the evening, when she returnedte, a shadow suddenly rushed out of the corner and floated in the air, shouting at her. Madam Fang-Liu was so frightened that she fell to the ground and screamed. The shadow disappeared with a whoosh.


    Madam Fang-Liu was so frightened that she lost control of herself. She fell hard and identally sprained her waist. When Fang Zhuzi found her, Madam Fang-Liu¡¯s entire body was emitting cold air. She pointed at his head shakily and said, ¡°Son, there¡¯s a ghost in our vige. A ghost floated there just now.¡± Fang Zhuzi rolled his eyes and picked her up. ¡°Are you seeing things? How can there be ghosts in this world? Why would ghosts look for you when you didn¡¯t do anything wrong?¡±


    Madam Fang-Liu wanted to say that she had really done many guilty things in her life, but she could not say it in front of her son.


    When she returned home, the more Madam Fang-Liu thought about it, the more she felt that something was wrong. If there truly was retribution, it should havee more than ten years ago. Why hadn¡¯t it appeared until now?


    Moreover, they had already moved to another vige. Recently, she had only offended her big brother¡¯s family and the Mu family. The Mu family was not staying in the same vige as them, so it was definitely not Mu Yangling¡¯s doing. Then, it could only be her big brother¡¯s family.


    Madam Fang-Liu gritted her teeth and asked her son to go to the Liu Residence to seek justice.


    The Liu Residence and Fang Residence were not far apart. These two days, Fang Zhuzi had been smelling the fragrance of meating from the Liu Residence, so he had been craving it for a long time. Hearing this, he immediately put down his bowl and chopsticks, wiping his mouth: ¡°1 will go over and take a look, it must be those brats ying around.¡±


    When Fang Zhuzi went over, the Liu family had almost finished eating, and there were only a few pieces of meat left on the te. He stared at the table and asked: ¡°Uncle, Cousin, are you guys eating?¡±


    Liu Ting looked at him with a dark expression. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Fang Zhuzi came back to his senses and immediately asked with a straight face, ¡°My mother was frightened by a child on the way back just now. I came over to ask where Ah Lang and the rest were earlier on.¡±


    Eldest Great-aunt Liu pped her chopsticks down and red at him with a knife-like gaze. ¡°What do you mean? Are you suspecting that my Ah Lang pranked your mother?¡±


    Sneering, Madam Liu-Zhang said, ¡°What a joke. How old is All Lang? How old is Aunt? How can he scare Aunt? Don¡¯t tell me Aunt did something guilty and saw something she shouldn¡¯t have seen?¡±


    Liu Yang also shouted, ¡°Big Brother was ying with us just now. San¡¯er from next door can also testify.¡±


    Just as Fang Zhuzi was about to say, ¡°You two colluded together. It can¡¯t count.¡± He saw Liu Ting stand up and move his hand. His eyes widened as he asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Liu Ting looked at him indifferently and asked, ¡°Your mother bullied my wife, and now you¡¯re bullying my son?¡±


    Fang Zhuzi took a few steps back and stammered, ¡°I-I¡¯m just here to ask where Ah Lang was just now. I didn¡¯t say that he must have done it.¡± After saying that, he turned around and ran away, not daring to pursue this matter.


    Liu Ting looked at his son, who had been silent all this while. His hand moved, but he still did not hit him in front of everyone. However, when he was sleeping at night, he pressed his son against the brick bed and beat him up. Liu Lang shouted, ¡°She didn¡¯t see me! I hung a shirt on a stick and swung it around to scare her.¡±


    Liu Ting said angrily, ¡°Who asked you to do this? She¡¯s old. What if she dies from fright? If you do such a thing again in the future, 1¡¯11 break your legs.¡±


    Liu Lang said with reddened eyes, ¡°She bullied Mother!¡±


    ¡°Even so, you shouldn¡¯t be the one to act. Am I a dead person?¡± Liu Ting beat him up. Liu Lun and Liu Yang watched the entire process and could not help but shrink their necks..

 Chapter 238 - 238: Construction

    Chapter 238 - 238: Construction


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The Mu family¡¯s house was finallypleted in the morning. Xiuhong happily pulled Xiuhong and Bowen around the house.


    There were two entrances to the house. There were five rooms at the front and five at the back. There was a courtyard in front and behind. A kitchen was built on the right side of the front courtyard, and there were two rooms on the left that were used to store food and chores.


    In the backyard, Liu Ting built a cowshed and pigpen for them. This way, it would be more convenient for them to raise livestock in the future. He built them all on the left side, and Great-aunt nned to nt some vegetables on the right side.


    The courtyard was huge, and Bosi and Kejia were already old enough to run all over the ce. Now, as long as the door was closed, they could run around as they pleased.


    Of course, as the new house was still damp, they would not be living in it for the time being. The newly built brick bed also had to be heated once a day to rid it of humidity. ording to Shu Wanniang¡¯s calctions, they should be able to live in it before the winter solstice.<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    Today, Mu Yangling would settle the wages for the nine people hired. As for Liu Ting and the rest, they would be given strips of pork each weighing about two catties. Each person would receive two pieces of fatty pork belly.


    Liu Yuan asked gluttonously, ¡°Ah Ling, this pork doesn¡¯t look wild. It looks domesticated.¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°It¡¯s domesticated. I carried the wild boar I caught two days ago to the city and exchanged it for a domesticated pig. The people in the city like to eat wild boar meat more.¡±


    Liu Yuan nodded. ¡°Domesticated pork has a higher fat content, but wild boar meat is firmer and more fragrant!¡±


    Great-aunt brought out pots of vegetables from the kitchen with a smile. ¡°Alright, everyone, sit down and eat. I got All Ling to bring back two catties of wine. Have a good drink.¡±


    This was a joyous asion in the vige. On the day a house waspleted, they had to treat the people who built it to a good meal. When they moved into the new house, they had to invite their rtives and friends to warm up the house and have a meal.


    The nine people who were hired to build the house were very happy to see how generous the Mu family was. They sat down one after another. Since Mu Shi was not around, Liu Ting brought Liu Yuan to entertain the guests on his behalf.


    Including those from the Liu n, there were a total of twenty-one people. Two tables were filled in the courtyard.


    Liu Xing stuffed a few mouthfuls of meat into his mouth, then squeezed his way to Mu Yangling. He asked, ¡°Ah Ling, my big brother hasn¡¯t returned in the first half of the year, and there¡¯s no news in the middle of the year. Do you think something happened to him? Can you help me find out what he¡¯s doing?¡±


    Liu Xing¡¯s eldest brother, Liu Yong, was in the 3rd Division. Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t he transfer to be with Cousin Li? Is there no news of Cousin Li either?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because there¡¯s no news of Brother Li that I¡¯m anxious. When he didn¡¯te back in the first half of the year, my parents thought that he had something to attend to. In addition, Brother Li didn¡¯te back either, so we weren¡¯t anxious. However, there¡¯s no news in the middle of the year either. It¡¯s almost the end of the year. Look, even after the winter wheat has been nted, there¡¯s still no news. Do you think they¡¯ve been sent on some dangerous mission? There¡¯s no news of the few people who are in the same section as my brother.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to find out. There¡¯s a littlepetition going on between the camps. If there¡¯s a mission, it¡¯s even more impossible to find out.¡± Seeing Liu Xing¡¯s frustration, Mu Yangling said, ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll help you ask the Little General the next time I see him.¡±


    Liu Xing heaved a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, quickly go eat. If you don¡¯t go now, they¡¯ll finish all the food.¡± Mu Yangling pushed Liu Xing to eat.


    After sending everyone away, Great-aunt circled the house happily and said, ¡°Great, we won¡¯t have to fret about winter anymore. Ah Ling, bring Xiuhong and Xin with you tomorrow and gte more firewood. I¡¯ll help you watch over the rabbits.¡±


    Xiuhong said, ¡°Cousin, didn¡¯t you say that you would send a wild boar to your uncles after the house ispleted? You haven¡¯t caught one yet.¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°That¡¯s not difficult. I¡¯ve already found its hiding spot two days ago. I¡¯ll go catch it tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°You have to be careful. Don¡¯t be careless just because you¡¯re capable.¡± Shu Wanniang said, ¡°Many idents start from underestimating the enemy.¡±


    ¡°Mother, I know. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Mu Yangling had already figured out most of the terrain on the mountain in the past year, so even if the weather had already begun to turn cold, she was not as afraid of entering the mountain asst year.


    Mu Yangling located the wild boar¡¯sir and scattered the wild boars. She led them to run in the mountains for a while before choosing a fat wild boar to kill. Just as she was about to carry it down the mountain, she took another look at the forest on the left.


    Mu Yangling lowered her body and hid behind the forest. She remembered that she had run around that ce just now. The bushes there didn¡¯t seem to be so dense then.


    Mu Yangling tightened her grip on the bow and arrow in her hand as she observed her surroundings. Seeing that the leaves in front of her on the left also moved slightly, she slowly retreated. After retreating from the ce just now, she slowly circled around to the bushes.


    The leaves were dense and nothing could be seen. Mu Yangling picked up a stone from the ground and threw it in another direction, but there was still no movement at all.


    Mu Yangling tilted her head and threw a rock at the spot where she had been lying just now. The bushes moved slightly, and a head carefully stretched out to look at the spot where Mu Yangling had been lying just now. It carefully moved over.


    Seeing that person¡¯s face, Mu Yangling frowned slightly and looked around. She cursed in her heart. Qi Haoran really had nothing better to do. To think he dared to surround and lie in ambush for her.


    Mu Yangling looked at the wild boar on the ground as she weighed the pros and cons. In the end, she took out a dagger from her leg and quietly approached the person lying in ambush in the bushes¡­


    Mu Yangling circled behind them, ced the dagger on their necks, or shed at them. They all consciously realized they had to fight for their lives.


    Mu Yangling pulled out the waxed arrows behind them, nocked the bow, and shot them out one by one. The people who were shot felt pain in their backs and flopped to the ground, pretending to be dead.


    Qi Haoran, who had been secretly aiming arrows at Mu Yangling, couldn¡¯t help but frown. Mu Yangling¡¯s mobility was too strong. Almost as soon as he saw her, she vanished behind the bushes without a trace. If this continued, his people would all be ¡°killed¡± by her.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s gaze turned sharp. He left the ambush spot and focused all his attention on Mu Yangling¡¯s trajectory. Just as she dodged and hid in the bushes again, Qi Haoran¡¯s arrow left the bow at the same time. When Mu Yangling heard the sound of the arrow piercing through the air, she subconsciously dodged to the right, but the arrow still hit her shoulder. Mu Yangling fell to the ground from the force. Not daring to be negligent, she rolled away from the spot just now. Just as she was about to draw the bow and shoot, she remembered that her left hand was already crippled in theory and she could not pull the bow.


    Mu Yangling hid behind a tree, threw the bow and arrow, and held the dagger tightly in her right hand.


    Qi Haoran smiled when he caught up to the bow and arrow that Mu Yangling had thrown down. He also threw down his bow and arrow, drew his sword, and chased after her.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s advantage was her bow and arrow. If she couldn¡¯t use this with her injured arm, it was only a matter of time before he caught her.


    It was indeed a matter of time. But in the end, they waited in the forest until evening. Just as the sun was about to set, Qi Haoran finally managed to press Mu Yangling under him and held the dagger against her neck.


    Mu Yangling looked at him and said, ¡°You lost because you¡¯re not familiar with the terrain. How does it feel to be led around by the nose for a day?¡±


    ¡°But in the end, you still ¡®died¡¯ in my hands,¡± Qi Haoran said.


    Mu Yangling nudged him. ¡°Alright, get up quickly. You¡¯re suffocating me.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°You¡¯re not any better.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at his chest. If she hadn¡¯t used the back of a knife to put on an act, Qi Haoran definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to get up.


    Qi Haoranid on the grass and said, ¡°I think your strength has increased again. Did you really not cultivate your internal energy?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t feel anything at all. Do you think there¡¯s a problem with the mental cultivation technique you gave me, or is my understanding wrong?¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips and said, ¡°Fortunately, you haven¡¯t seeded. Otherwise, I would have died in your hands today.¡±


    Mu Yangling kicked him and said, ¡°Get up quickly. The sun is about to set. We have to get out quickly..¡±</font>

 Chapter 239 - 239: Bribe

    Chapter 239 - 239: Bribe


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The soldiers who had already been ¡°killed¡± by Mu Yangling were already waiting at the foot of the mountain with Mu Yangling¡¯s prey and bow and arrow. When they saw the two of theme out, they immediately stood up and lined up, calling out, ¡°Little General, Miss Mu.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded and waved his hand. ¡°Two of you leave behind to carry the things. The rest of you, return to the camp.¡±


    lie nced at the prey that Mu Yangling had hunted and asked, ¡°Is your family short of money?¡± In his impression, Mu Yangling preferred hunting things like deer, roe deer, and rabbits. She only hunted wild boars when she was short of money.


    ¡°No, this is for my uncles to thank them forpleting the construction of my new house.¡± Mu Yangling pointed at the sun on the horizon and said, ¡°Look, I originally could¡¯ve been done in half a day, but because of you, I was dyed for a day.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the two soldiers carrying the wild boar and said, ¡°Alright, help me carry my house. I¡¯ll send it to my unclester.¡±<div>


    <font <="" div="">


    ¡°Just buy one with money. There¡¯s no need to spend so much effort.¡±


    Mu Yangling only smiled. Aside from the fact that she had a lot of time now, she typically would not spend money when she could. Furthermore, it was not difficult for her to hunt a wild boar.


    Mu Yangling changed the topic and asked, ¡°Weren¡¯t you staying in nzhong Prefecture? Why are you back?¡±


    ¡°The 5th Division is here, so I naturally have toe back and take a look.¡± Qi Haoran slowed down and the two of them gradually distanced themselves from the soldiers in front. Only then did Qi Haoran say in a low voice, ¡°I want to ask you to do me a favor.¡±


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows and looked at him.


    ¡°I know you can fight, and you¡¯re good at raids. I want you to give me a reference.¡±


    Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you look for Big Brother Qi? Considering he¡¯s been in battle for so many years, isn¡¯t he more experienced than us?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t let Big Brother know about this. He definitely won¡¯t agree.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I want to steal horses.¡±


    Mu Yangling stopped in her tracks. ¡°The Jin soldiers¡¯?¡±


    ¡°No, West Xia¡¯s.¡± Qi Haoran said, ¡°I¡¯ve investigated the Jin Kingdom before. Perhaps because they just lost the Hanzhong Prefecture, they are too vignt at the moment. The risk is too high. On the other hand, West Xia is watching themotion. Moreover, there¡¯s a small horse farm in West Xia not far from the Hanzhong Prefecture. There are more than 200 horses inside meant for the West Xia guards nearby.¡±


    This area was far from West Xia¡¯s country, so strategic supplies could not be delivered on time. However, this was the border of the three countries, and there were constant wars. Therefore, West Xia and the Jin Kingdom had special horse farms here to raise horses to rece the losses of the army.


    This was also the reason why Qi Haoran wanted to build a horse farm. The horses of the other two countries could be reced immediately after they were injured or killed. Only the Great Zhou still had to spend time and effort to buy them. Coupled with the time spent on transportation, it would be good enough if they could get them in three months.


    On the battlefield, an instant could change the oue of the battle, let alone three months.


    Since he didn¡¯t have the money to buy the horses, he could only snatch them.


    Mu Yangling did not think that he was wrong. Instead, she thought about it seriously and said in a low voice, ¡°I want the topographic map of the neighboring mountain on the left, as well as the topographic map and defensive map of the border between the three countries.¡±


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, ¡°I also want the defensive map of the border of the three countries, but where can I go to find it if even the Emperor doesn¡¯t have it?¡±


    ¡°Then mark what you know.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°You can¡¯t let the people of West Xia know that it was you who stole their horses, right?¡±


    Having just recovered nzhong Prefecture, it might look like the West Camp¡¯s morale was high, but they had also suffered a huge loss. Otherwise, Qi Xiuyuan would not have ordered a shrinking of the defense line, and merely guarded nzhong Prefecture instead of pursuing the victory.


    Qi Haoran was themander of the army, so he naturally knew the situation of the West Camp better than Mu Yangling. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°I¡¯ve already found many Jin Kingdom¡¯s soldiers¡¯ costumes.¡±


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and smiled. The two of them had the same thought.


    Qi Haoran snorted. ¡°Since West Xia took the me for us once, we¡¯ll let the Jin Kingdom take the me for us this time.¡±


    After Qi Xiuyuan pinned the death of the Jin Kingdom¡¯s Crown Prince on West Xia, the situation in the Jin Kingdom and West Xia was tense now. At least before the war in nzhong Prefecture, the two countries were fighting fiercely.


    Mu Yangling said regretfully, ¡°Actually, I¡¯d be more inclined to believe that West Xia stole the Jin Kingdom¡¯s horses when they were down. That¡¯d be more convincing.¡±


    Frowning, Qi Haoran said, ¡°They¡¯re too vignt. The losses of robbing the Jin Kingdom are too great.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. 1¡¯11 look for you tomorrow, okay?¡±


    Qi Haoran really wanted to drag Mu Yangling to the campsite now, but the sun was about to set and Mu Yangling was a girl. He couldn¡¯t keep her in the campsite for the night, so he could only reluctantly agree.


    Mu Yangling carried the wild boar to West Vige and was seen by the children at the vige entrance as soon as she entered.


    The children immediately wailed and shouted, ¡°ughter the pig! ughter the pig!¡±


    An adult opened the door and came out to take a look. When he saw Mu Yangling carrying a wild boar weighing more than 200 catties, he could not help but click his tongue. He said enviously, ¡°This is for Liu Ting and Liu Yuan¡¯s family, right? They must have umted good karma for 18 lifetimes to have such a niece. It¡¯s even more useful than a son.¡±


    ¡°The key is filial piety. Ever since they moved here, they¡¯ve received a lot of pheasants, rabbits, and roe deers. And now, she even brought over a wild boar.¡± However, the Liu n knew that this wild boar did not belong to Liu Ting and Liu Yuan, but to all the Liu nsmen who went to help build the Mu family¡¯s house.


    They thought that the two pieces of pork they had brought back that day were all that they would receive. After all, five catties of pork was not a small amount. For 12 people, that totalled to 60 catties¡­


    Unexpectedly, Mu Yangling carried over a wild boar now. So she was only fulfilling her promise today.


    Those who had gone to help the Mu family build their house turned around and called their families to go to Liu Ting¡¯s house.


    Before Mu Yangling reached Liu Ting¡¯s house, Liu Ting received the news. Heughed and shook his head. ¡°Ah Ling is trying to win people¡¯s hearts, eh. All Lang, pack your things. We¡¯re treating the n to a wild boar feast tonight.¡±


    Eldest Great-aunt Liu took out a pot from the house and handed it to Madam Liu-Zhang. She said, ¡°Go and collect grains from every family. Take note not to collect too little or too much.¡±


    This was the rule of the n. Whoever hosted the wild boar feast would only serve the dish, but the rice would be provided by each family.


    Mu Yangling ced the wild boar in the courtyard and said, ¡°Uncle, I¡¯ll leave the wild boar here for you. You and Uncle can discuss how to split this equally among the 12 of you.¡±


    ¡°All Ling, it¡¯s only for the 12 families? Aren¡¯t you going to let Aunt try it? Your cousin hasn¡¯t tasted meat for more than half a year.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled shyly and said, ¡°Aunt, I promised to give this to my cousins. This is theirs. You have to ask them if you wish to have some.¡±


    Third Aunt Liu sneered. ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t make things difficult for All Ling. If you asked your family head to help the Mu family with Uncle Ting and the rest, wouldn¡¯t you also receive a share now?¡±


    The other families who had a share immediately nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. This is All Ling¡¯s reward for her uncles and cousins.¡±


    Mu Yangling touched her nose. She knew that there would be some twists and turns when she sent the things over. Liu Ting pulled Ah Ling over and waved at the juniors behind her. ¡°Why are you still standing there? Are you waiting for me to serve you? Hurry up and get a knife. The sun is about to set. We have to shave the boar and cut it open quickly.¡±


    The youngsters immediately cheered and ran home to get a knife. The women surrounding them did not have time to chat anymore. They went into the house to boil water, cook rice, and go to the vegetable garden to pick vegetables. Used to doing these jobs, they were very orderly.


    Liu Ting pulled Mu Yangling outside and said, ¡°Are you staying tonight?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°You can host it. I have to go home and watch over my mother and the others.¡±


    Liu Ting nodded. Since they were no longer staying in the same vige, it was indeed inappropriate for Mu Yangling to spend the night outside. Thinking of what had happened just now, he pointed at Mu Yangling again and said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re getting smarter. If anything happens to the Mu family in the future, the n won¡¯t refuse to help next time..¡±</font>

 Chapter 240 - 240: Scheme

    Chapter 240: Scheme


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and smiled. She said in a low voice, ¡°Uncle, you can¡¯t tell anyone about this.¡±


    Mu Yangling would only call Liu Ting ¡®Uncle¡¯ when she had something to ask of him. Liu Ting looked at Mu Yangling, who had already reached his chin and looked like a grown-up girl. He stroked her hair with mixed feelings and said, ¡°Do you think the elders in the n don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking?¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted. ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as they don¡¯t go around telling everyone. Besides, when have I ever let them suffer a loss?¡±


    Actually, Mu Yangling could just carry the wild boar back to her house and call the 12 people who helped her work over to kill the pig and split the pork. This way, although the people in the n would be envious when they saw them carrying the pork back, they would not be jealous. This was because they had received the pork for their work, which was simr to a sry.


    However, when Mu Yangling carried the entire wild boar to Liu Ting¡¯s house and everyone saw it with her own eyes, the impact was much greater.


    This escted into jealousy. Some petty people even felt resentment and regretted not helping the Mu family back then.


    Mu Yangling was using this wild boar to tell the Liu n that she, Mu Yangling, would not mistreat the people who sided with the Mu family. In the future, not only would the rtionship between the Mu family and Liu n not be estranged because of this, but they would actually be closer.


    This would leave a mark in their hearts especially in the eyes of those teenage boys and children. If they followed Mu Yangling, they would have meat to eat!


    In the past, Mu Yangling would never use such methods, or to put it more urately, she deigned to do such things. Liu Ting did not know if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but the child was indeed growing.


    ¡°Then go back. Other than what¡¯s used for the wild boar feast, 1¡¯11 split the rest of the things and only give them to the 12 families.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up as she nodded. ¡°Thank you, Uncle.¡± It was precisely because of Liu Ting¡¯s help that she dared to use this method. Otherwise, if Liu Ting offered to share the pork with everyone in the n, her efforts would have been in vain.


    The Liu Residence bustled with activity for half a night, and in the end, Liu Ting divided all the meat into 12 portions in front of the entire n. Other than the pig offal and five catties of pork used at the feast tonight, Liu Ting divided all the remaining meat, but he left the pig trotters for the oldest elders in the n.


    The 12 portions were drawn by lottery among the 12 people.


    There was not much difference between the 12 portions, so no matter which portion they got, plus considering they were drawing lots, no one had any objections.


    Usually, when rtives went to help build a house, they would only get a bowl of decent dishes in the end. No one expected the Mu family to be so generous. The other families who had not gone were envious.


    By the time everyone dispersed, many people from the Liu n were already discussing that they would go over and help the Mu family if anything happened next time since Mu Yangling always made sure to reciprocate generously.


    As Liu He sat on the steps and smoked, he said to Liu Daqian, ¡°Your grandniece doesn¡¯t resemble her grandfather or grandmother. Now, I don¡¯t know who she takes after.¡±


    Liu Daqian smiled nonchntly and said, ¡°Who cares who she takes after? I¡¯ll be relieved if she¡¯s good.¡±


    Liu He looked at the lively crowd below and did not say anything.


    When Mu Yangling returned to the Mu Residence, the lights were on in Shu Wanniang¡¯s room. When she heard themotion, she opened the door and came out. Seeing that Great-aunt had alsoe out, Shu Wanniang said with a smile, ¡°Aunt, go back and rest. I¡¯ll heat up the dishes for her.¡±


    Great-aunt turned around and went back. She said, ¡°Sleep early after eating. You¡¯ve been tired all day.¡±


    Shu Wanniang pulled her daughter into the room and asked: ¡°How is it? Is everything going well with the Liu n?¡±


    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. I handed it to my uncles. Someone was already saying sour words when I left.¡±


    As Shu Wanniang heated up the dishes for her, she said, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of them saying anything. I¡¯m just afraid that they won¡¯t say anything. That¡¯s good. Don¡¯t go over there for the time being. Just settle the matters at home first. This year, I¡¯ll give your uncles 30% more gifts. I¡¯ll arrange itter.¡±


    Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief. Her mother was better at this kind of thing. Mu Yangling sat by the stove and ate as she whispered, ¡°Mother, I have to go to the camp tomorrow. Father might be away on business again.¡±


    Shu Wanniang was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, ¡°I understand. 1¡¯11 prepare some things for you to bring to him.¡±


    Early the next morning, Mu Yangling first brought Xiuhong and Xin up the mountain to chop a cart of dry firewood before going to the camp.


    This time, Mu Yangling obediently walked through the gate. The soldiers on the southwest and southeast towers heaved a sigh of relief when they saw Mu Yangling obediently walk to the entrance of the camp to report. Fortunately, Miss Mu did not sneak into the camp this time.


    Every time Miss Mu and the Little General yed a game of ¡®assassination and counter-assassination¡¯, ¡®infiltration and counter-infiltration¡¯, they would always be the ones punished in the end because Miss Mu always had a way to sneak into the camp and into the Little General¡¯s room.


    Fei Bai personally came to pick Mu Yangling up. After bringing her to Qi Haoran¡¯s study, he bowed and left.


    Seeing that she was a little dirty, Qi Haoran knew that she had juste down from the mountain. He asked, ¡°Do you want to eat something first?¡±


    ¡°Ask Fei Bai to bring some pastries over. Let¡¯s talk while eating.¡±


    Qi Haoran called Fei Bai over. ¡°Go get two tes of snacks and a pot of tea. Stand guard outside. Without my instructions, no one is allowed to enter.¡±


    Fei Bai agreed.


    Only then did Qi Haoran take out a map and unfold it on the table. ¡°This was marked after my field trip.¡±


    ¡°Is this what you went to Hanzhong Prefecture to do?¡± Mu Yangling looked at the map carefully and saw that some ces were marked very carefully, but some only showed the general situation.


    ¡°This is just in passing.¡± Qi Haoran said, ¡°1 have a lot of things to do. It¡¯s not like this is my only task on hand.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    Qi Haoran retracted the smile on his face and pointed at two routes. ¡°I¡¯m a little hesitant about these two routes. I want to split into two groups. One group will attract the attention of the West Xia soldiers. 1¡¯11 bring people to take a detour around their horse farm and chase the horses away. They¡¯ll retreat after we¡¯re three miles away.¡±


    Qi Haoran pointed to a road and said, ¡°This road is rtively close. There are no soldiers guarding or patrolling along the way, but the mountains on both sides are high and dense, and the road is also rugged. It¡¯s not easy for us to walk with horses.¡± He pointed to another road and said, ¡°This road is t, but not far from here is the border with the Jin Kingdom. There¡¯s a Jin Kingdom¡¯s guardhouse here. If themotion is too big, it will definitely rm them. However, if we retreat with the horses and go via this route, we can reduce the time needed to travel by a third. Even if the West Xia soldiers chase after us on horseback, it¡¯s very difficult for them to catch up with us with us having a lead of three miles. However, this is only effective for the cavalrymen. For the team that¡¯s in charge of attracting the enemy, this road is too far¡­¡±


    Hence, Qi Haoran could not decide which path to take.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up as she asked, ¡°How do you n to frame the Jin Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we wearing the Jin people¡¯s clothes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not enough.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°West Xia might suspect that we framed them.¡±


    Qi Haoran was silent. He imagined that if he was from West Xia, he would indeed be suspicious.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have to be more realistic.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Let¡¯s say we are Jin soldiers who rob the horse farm and want to frame Great Zhou.. What do you think we would do?¡±

 Chapter 241 - 241: Plan

    Chapter 241: n


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran fell into deep thought.


    Mu Yangling pointed at the map and said, ¡°Split up into three groups. One group will ambush here in advance. Remember, your men have to wear the military uniform of the Jin soldiers. The other two groups will take a shortcut to surround West Xia¡¯s guardhouse from here. One group will be responsible for attracting their troops. The other group will go to the horse farm to steal horses. After stealing the horses, get the group in ambush to retreat immediately. When the timees, the West Xia soldiers will definitely discover our true goal and chase after us. There¡¯s no need to fight the rest of the way and we¡¯ll retreat from the original path. They¡¯ll be ambushed when they chase us here. Then, directly lure them to the Jin Kingdom¡¯s guardhouse. Remember, you have to pretend to be powerless.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°If we clean up the traces, they definitely won¡¯t be able to guess that we did it.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Those who go to steal horses and attract troops have to wear our Great Zhou¡¯s military uniform, but the clothes can be mixed. For example, a team of people can have two of them wearing thepanymander uniform or something.¡±


    ¡°They will think that the person who took the shortcut and left are Jin soldiers trying to frame the Great Zhou. This will add credibility to the story.¡± Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we send a few more people to shoot a few fire arrows at the Jin Kingdom¡¯s guardhouse at the critical moment and let the Jin Kingdom and West Xia fight? Even if they figure out that they were schemed against by us by then, they will also have be enemies.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up as if there was a fire in them. ¡°Qi Haoran, you¡¯re so smart! Let¡¯s do that. However, the person who does this has to be more flexible. He mustn¡¯t be caught, and we can¡¯t leave our men¡¯s corpses around for them to discover.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°Looks like 1 still have to prepare a few sets of West Xia military uniforms.¡± After saying that, he said with a frown, ¡°But that guardhouse is not far from that road. My men are not familiar with that area and only know the general direction. What if they fail to lure them over?¡±


    ¡°My father is familiar with the forest. As long as he has a general direction, he can always find the guardhouse.¡±


    Qi Haoran scratched his head and said in distress, ¡°But I¡¯ve already sent your father away. He won¡¯t be back anytime soon.¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you asked my father to be a spy again?¡±


    Seeing that Qi Haoran did not deny, Mu Yangling gritted her teeth and said, ¡°My father is already apanymander. Why are you still asking him to do this?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t despise it. This mission allows one to umte military merits quickly. Furthermore, your father was the one who took the initiative to ask for it.¡± Qi Haoran nced at him and said, ¡°Your younger brother came in first in the entire academy for this year¡¯s examination. Doesn¡¯t he have to work harder to remove your family¡¯s military status before your younger brother participates in the Imperial Examination?¡±


    Mu Yangling gritted her teeth, but she had nothing to say. After a moment of silence, she said, ¡°Can I achieve military merits?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re a girl.¡± Qi Haoran said, ¡°My dynasty have long stopped deploying female generals.¡± Emperor Shizong did have female generals when he was in power, but after Emperor Shizong died, Emperor Gaozong let the two female generals retire in glory. There had not been any female generals in the Great Zhou for a hundred years.


    ¡°Then put the military credit in my father¡¯s name.¡±


    Qi Haoran thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°Alright, but are you nning to go with me? You have to think carefully. You might not be able to survive on the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m only going to shoot arrows at the Jin Kingdom¡¯s guardhouse. This won¡¯t kill me. In the mountains, no one can kill me.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°I¡¯m only responsible for luring the Jin soldiers and West Xia soldiers to meet. I don¡¯t care about anything else.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded and said confidently, ¡°I onlyck someone for this. How many people do you want?¡±


    ¡°Three.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°The clothes, arrows, and knives have to be in West Xia¡¯s style and bear their logo.¡±


    ¡°No, if you run into West Xia¡¯s soldiers, are you going to use these arrows too? Half of the arrows 1 give you will be unmarked, so that you can use those to shoot anyone.¡±


    The two of them discussed the time and number of people who would be taking action. After finalizing the n, Mu Yangling finally had time to eat the snacks on the table.


    She poured herself two cups of tea and asked, ¡°I heard that you removed the two trainingmissioners?¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted coldly. ¡°I¡¯ve already given them enough face by enduring for a year before removing them. Initially, 1 thought that since I¡¯ve endured them for a year, it¡¯s no big deal to endure them for a few more years. But the two of them actually dared to lead troops to rob themoners. I didn¡¯t kill them only because they previously risked their lives with Big Brother.¡±


    When the two trainingmissioners led their troops to guard Hanzhong Prefecture, they had a conflict with themoners. Fortunately, no one died in the end. Otherwise, with Qi Haoran¡¯s temper, these two people would not have been spared from death.


    ¡°I¡¯ll follow you, but I¡¯m worried about my family. You¡¯ll have to send some reliable people to keep an eye on them for me.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Don¡¯t worry. You will return to find your mother and younger siblings in the same state as when you left.¡±


    Only then did Mu Yangling leave in relief.


    Fei Bai said with a headache, ¡°Master, we¡¯ve already asked six people to take turns guarding the Mu family. Isn¡¯t it too much to add more people?¡±


    ¡°Add three more. Previously, we only asked them to protect them from afar because we were afraid that Ah Ling would discover them. Now, tell them to protect them at a closer distance so that if anything happens to the Mu family, they can immediately provide support.¡±


    Fei Bai did not dare to say that Miss Mu had caught the six of them previously. He could only smile apologetically and say, ¡°General, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll ask them toy ambush in the fields. Not only will the people who go to find trouble not notice, but even ATiss Mu won¡¯t notice.¡±


    Qi Haoran patted his head and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what Ah Ling said? The most powerful spies aren¡¯t the ones who hide very well and aren¡¯t discovered. Instead, they¡¯re the ones whose presence people don¡¯t sense is out-of-ce even though they¡¯re just standing right there. What¡¯s the use of getting them toy an ambush in the fields?¡±


    Fei Bai smiled bitterly. However, there were only a few people in Chenggu Garrison and Mu Yangling knew everyone there. As long as there were strangers entering and leaving, Mu Yangling would definitely know. How could she not realize it?


    However, he did not dare to say this out loud. He thought that since Mu Yangling already knew that there was someone protecting her family, so be it. It was fine as long as they could fool others.


    Mu Yangling went back and went up the mountain to cut two carts of firewood. Xiuhong dragged the dried branches over for her to tie up and said, ¡°Cousin, these branches are too small and won¡¯t burn. We have to cut from some big trees.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not small. I¡¯ll chop off more of these first and see if there are any big tree trunkster.¡±


    ¡°Everyone chops down entire trees¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling turned around and looked at her seriously. ¡°That¡¯s others. I don¡¯t agree with cutting down entire trees. Xiuhong, I¡¯m a hunter who relies on the mountain for a living. I¡¯ve never cut down an entire tree in my life, and neither has my father.¡±


    Xiuhong thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°Alright, then I won¡¯t cut down an entire tree in the future.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be anxious. I¡¯m strong and my speed is several times faster than others. If 1 make a few more trips a day, I¡¯ll definitely be able to chop enough firewood for the family to survive the winter before the winter solstice arrives.¡±


    Mu Yangling brought the two carts of firewood home and ced them in the courtyard to dry.


    Xin and Bowen helped Bosi and Kejia out and carefully taught them how to walk. When they saw Mu Yangling and Xiuhong, Bowen shouted happily, ¡°Sister, our academy is on holiday. Sir has assigned us a lot of homework and asked us to study at home. We¡¯ll return to school next spring.¡±


    Mu Yangling patted the sawdust off her body and said, ¡°Your academy¡¯s holiday starts really early. You have to stay at home for more than three months.¡±


    However, when she thought about how Bowen and the others didn¡¯t have the so-called summer break, she felt relieved..

 Chapter 242 - 242: Entrust

    Chapter 242: Entrust


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Bowen said, ¡°Sir said that winter break isn¡¯t a thing in the south, unlike here. It¡¯s so cold in the winter that people can freeze, so we have to take a break. Otherwise, the students will freeze to death in the academy.¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned. ¡°Is this why your teacher releases you guys for winter holidays?¡±


    ¡°Winter holidays?¡± Bowen tilted his head. ¡°Isn¡¯t it winter break? Our teacher said this is called winter break.¡±


    ¡°Right, winter break.¡± Mu Yangling said thoughtfully, ¡°So the winter break is in ce because the winter is too cold and the students will freeze to death in the academy otherwise?¡±


    Mu Yangling went to hug Kejia and Bosi and asked, ¡°The two of them will be one year old soon, right? That¡¯s a big asion¡­¡± Only then did Mu Yangling remember that she would probably still be in Hanzhong Prefecture that day. She likely wouldn¡¯t be able to make it back for their one-year-old birthday celebration.


    Mu Yangling went to look for Shu Wanniang and said, ¡°Mother, Father might not make it back for Bosi and Kejia¡¯s first birthday celebration.¡±


    Shu Wanniang paused in her embroidery and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s fine. You hosting it doesn¡¯t make a difference.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked down at her toes and said, ¡°1 might not be able to make it back in time, too¡­¡±


    Shu Wanniang put down her things and sat upright. She looked at her daughter and asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m making a trip to Hanzhong Prefecture with Little General. There¡¯s something to do.¡± Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°Mother, why don¡¯t I get Aunt toe over and help?¡±


    Shu Wanniang shook her head. ¡°Between your father and you, at least one has to be present. Ah Ling, this is thergest banquet that our Mu family has ever held since we moved here. Not only will the vigers from Nearhill Vigee, but the vigers from Chenggu Garrison will alsoe. It¡¯s not that your great-aunt and I can¡¯t handle it, but the head of the Mu family has to be present. This is a chance to establish your status. In the future, you can speak on behalf of the Mu family outside and no one will dare to object.¡±


    Seeing that her daughter had her head lowered, Shu Wanniang asked, ¡°When can youe back?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back by the 29th at thetest.¡± If they attacked on the 26th, and they hurried back from Hanzhong Prefecture on a horse, they coulde back in a day. Even if an ident happened, they should return by 29th.


    Kejia and Bosi¡¯s birthday was on the 27th.


    Shu Wanniang said, ¡°Then we¡¯ll postpone their first birthday celebration for two days. Your great-aunt and 1 can arrange everything else. You just have to appear at noon on the 29th and personally carry your siblings out for the zhuazhouQ.¡±


    A smile appeared on Mu Yangling¡¯s face. She hugged her mother¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely be back before noon on the 29th.¡±


    Shu Wanniang tapped her daughter¡¯s forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you and Little General are doing outside, but you have to take care of yourself, understand?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. I cherish my life very much. 1 know that as long as I¡¯m alive, there¡¯s hope. If I die, there¡¯s nothing left.¡±


    Shu Wanniang hugged her daughter and patted her shoulder gently. ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand. When are you leaving?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave on the 23rd.¡±


    Shu Wanniang frowned. ¡°You¡¯ll be gone for seven days? That¡¯s too long.¡±


    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. Little General has asked someone to secretly guard our house. Don¡¯t worry and sleep tight at night. If anything happens, do as I told you. Throw themp outside the window and light the hay below. The soldiers of the 5th Division wille over when they see it¡­¡±


    There had always been a handful of hay under Shu Wanniang and Great-aunt¡¯s window. Mu Yangling reced it every day. Shu Wanniang didn¡¯t understand why in the past, but she finally understood now.


    Great-aunt didn¡¯t agree with Mu Yangling¡¯s decision to leave home. She didn¡¯t understand why Shu Wanniang didn¡¯t stop her. ¡°Ah Ling is a girl. How can you let her go out with the Little General for so many days? Why didn¡¯t you stop her as her mother?¡±


    ¡°Aunt, Ah Ling knows what she wants. She¡¯s never been a child.¡± Shu Wanniang had always felt that her daughter was fulfilling her duties as an adult, so she should receive the rights of an adult. She wasn¡¯t smart enough, but she knew her daughter well. Sometimes, she was even less considerate than her husband. How could she treat such a daughter as an ordinary person?


    Since she had supported the family at such a young age and assumed the responsibility of being the family head, she should have the right to control the family and be free toe and go as she pleased.


    Hence, Shu Wanniang blocked all of Great-aunt¡¯s objections, and simply asked Mu Yangling to prepare everything and leave in peace while she and Great-aunt took care of the house.


    Seeing that Shu Wanniang kept objecting to her, Great-aunt was so angry that she didn¡¯t speak to her for two days.


    ¡°All Ling,¡± Great-aunt said with a straight face, ¡°1 know you¡¯re capable, but no matter how capable you are, you¡¯re still a girl. How can you go out with a bunch of men for so many days? Besides, how old are you this year? How am I going to answer to your father when hees back?¡±


    ¡°Geez, Great-aunt, why are you still harping on this when I¡¯m leaving tomorrow? My mother has already agreed. You don¡¯t have to do anything. You just have to cover for me. If anyone in the vige asks, just say that 1 went to visit a rtive because something happened to them. I¡¯lle back in two days. It¡¯ll be even better if no one asks. No one dares to mess with our family anymore.¡±


    Great-aunt red at her. ¡°When your fatheres back¡­¡±


    ¡°My father will definitely not scold me when hees back. My father will unconditionally agree to whatever my mother consents to.¡±


    Great-aunt could only re at her.


    Mu Yangling gave Xiuhong a look.


    Xiuhong immediately climbed onto the brick bed and hugged her arm. ¡°Grandma, it¡¯s getting cold. Can our rabbits survive the winter? Do you want to cover them with a nket?¡±


    ¡°Go, go, go. What nket? Take out the remaining wheatgrass, dry it, and sprinkle it in the shed. Then, block the spots where wind leaks.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the baby twins¡¯ first birthdaying soon? How many tables of guests will we have to treat¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling quietly slipped back to her room.


    She heaved a sigh of relief and wiped the dagger that her grandfather had left behind before putting it aside. Then, she took out the sleeve arrow that Qi Haoran had given her and examined it carefully. Bowen¡¯s sudden appearance startled her.


    ¡°You startled me.¡± Mu Yangling pulled her brother to her side and said, ¡°How did you walk without making a sound?¡±


    ¡°Sis, where are you going?¡±


    Mu Yangling leaned close to his ear and said, ¡°Sister is going to get something.


    1 didn¡¯t even tell Mother about this. You have to keep it a secret.¡±


    Mu Bowen suddenly felt like a trusted man who could be entrusted with responsibilities. He looked at Mu Yangling with determination in his eyes and said, ¡°Sister, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely keep it a secret for you.¡± He forgot what he had originally wanted to ask.


    ¡°I believe you.¡± Mu Yangling let him sit on the brick bed and whispered in his ear, ¡°You¡¯re the only man in our family. When I go out, you have to protect Mother and your younger siblings, understand?¡±


    Mu Bowen nodded vigorously, but he asked in confusion, ¡°Isn¡¯t Father a man?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Isn¡¯t Father often not at home? That¡¯s why you¡¯re the only man left in the family. Bosi is still young. He¡¯ll only be a man when he¡¯s your age.¡±


    Mu Bowen looked at the dagger that his sister had ced on the brick bed and said, ¡°All men have knives.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment before taking out the precious dagger encrusted with gems from the box. She pulled it open and closed it before handing it to her brother. ¡°You have to keep it well. This is a weapon you use to protect yourself and our family. You can¡¯t take it out easily. Once you take it out, blood will be shed.¡±


    Clenching his precious dagger tightly with both hands, Mu Bowen looked into his sister¡¯s eyes and said seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sister. I¡¯ll definitely protect Mother, Great-aunt, Cousins, and my younger siblings.¡±


    Mu Yangling revealed a gratified smile.

 Chapter 243 - 243: Preparation

    Chapter 243: Preparation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°You¡¯ve been wandering in the forest for a day and a night. How is it? How confident are you?¡± Qi Haoran asked Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling took a sip of water and said, ¡°I only walked about five miles around the guardhouse. I¡¯m only 70% confident. It will depend on the cooperation of the ambushers here.¡±


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°After I steal the horses, I¡¯ll stay behind to stall them while my men bring the horses back to the camp.¡±


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s lips curled up slightly. ¡°With our chemistry, the chances of sess can increase by another 10%.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s do this. Go back and sleep. We¡¯ll start after dark.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and turned to go to her tent. Seeing that she had left, Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, ¡°Everyone, go to sleep. After dinner tonight, we¡¯ll start breaking camp.¡±


    Qi Haoran had brought his scouts and personal guards out in the name of patrolling. At this moment, they were stationed ten miles away from Hanzhong Prefecture.


    Everyone knew that Qi Haoran was the general¡¯s younger brother and had always been doted on, so they did not stop him. Anyway, this young master did not go far. If anything happened, they could help.


    The sun was still high in the sky, and the entire camp was very quiet. Only a portion of the soldiers guarding the camp were still patrolling back and forth.


    Qi Haoran also returned to his tent to sleep. Before the sun set, everyone was woken up for dinner. After dinner, everyone split up and left.


    Qi Haoran looked at Mu Yangling and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave these men to you. After they¡¯re done lying in ambush, you can go to the Jin Kingdom¡¯s guardhouse.¡±


    Mu Yangling knew that Qi Haoran wanted her to help find the ambush location.


    Actually, the two had already found it when they scouted the ce. However, he was afraid that the soldiers were not hiding well enough, so he asked Mu Yangling to take a look.


    Mu Yangling agreed and high-fived Qi Haoran before leaving with the men.


    They chose to ambush on both sides of the forest. Based on the principle of ambushing on higher ground, this ce was actually not very suitable for an ambush. However, the road here was t and was very suitable for horses to run upon it. Since they had to pass by here after stealing the horses, they had no choice but to ambush here.


    It was already the end of autumn, but the leaves in the forest were still dense. Mu Yangling had arranged for them to lie in ambush and let them use some branches as camouge. This way, as long as the people hiding below did not move, no one would be able to tell that there was someone lying in ambush below.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°I know it¡¯s cold at night, but no matter how cold it is, you have to endure it. When the pursuing West Xia soldiers arrive, immediately take action. Remember, you¡¯re not allowed to speak or shout throughout the entire process. You¡¯re acting as Jin soldiers now. You don¡¯t know how to speak Mandarin, or at least, you don¡¯t know how to speak fluent Mandarin. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°Very good. You can lie in ambush here. If everything goes smoothly, you should be able to see Little General when the moon rises to the middle of the sky.¡± Mu Yangling led the remaining three people to the Jin Kingdom¡¯s guardhouse.


    The three of them were very agile and ran very quickly. That was why they were chosen by Qi Haoran to follow Mu Yangling.


    At this moment, the sky was alreadypletely dark. As Mu Yangling lit a torch and walked in front, she whispered to the people behind her, ¡°Walk in pairs and follow closely. Don¡¯t fall behind.¡±


    Looking around, Datong could not see the direction at all in the pitch-darkness. He said, ¡°Miss Mu, is this the right direction?¡±


    ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t we just walk past here this morning? Cut the crap and follow closely.¡±


    The three of them looked at thepletely indistinguishable forest and hurriedly followed closely beside Mu Yangling. In the silent forest, the three of them became more and more nervous and could not help but swallow their saliva. Mu Yangling chuckled and the three of them were so frightened that they almost fell to the ground. Mu Yangling secretly regretted that she should not have slept in the forestst night. Instead, she should¡¯ve brought them around at night to train their mental fortitude.


    Although she regretted it, Mu Yangling asked in a rxed tone, ¡°Do you know how long we¡¯ve been walking?¡±


    Erqing said, ¡°It¡¯s been about two hours, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling resisted the urge to hold her forehead and said briskly, ¡°You¡¯re too inurate. We¡¯ve only been walking for 45 minutes. It only feels like a long time to you because it¡¯s nighttime and you only see trees in the entire forest. Actually, you can use your ears to listen. Isn¡¯t it very noisy in the forest?¡±


    The three of them couldn¡¯t help but listen to Mu Yangling¡¯s words. Indeed, there were all kinds of sounds of insects and wolves. Mu Yangling said in a rxed tone, ¡°Actually, this is the same as the forest in the day. Don¡¯t always look at those trees. Look at your feet. Is there a slight trampling mark below? This was left behind by us when we walked here today. Now, we¡¯re just following the original path. After walking past the big tree in front, we¡¯ll reach the ce where we campedst night. We spent the night therest night¡­¡±


    Thinking of the scene in the forest during the day, the three of them were immediately no longer nervous. Only then did they have the mood to look around. Little Quan said, ¡°The forest looks dark at night. If we¡¯re not careful, we might really get lost.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, after the attack, you have to follow closely in my footsteps. If you lose me, find a dense bush to hide ande out of the mountain at dawn. You remember the marks 1 left yesterday and this morning, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Follow the marks outside. If you run to a ce outside the marks, it will depend on your luck whether you cane out or not.¡±


    The three of them couldn¡¯t help but be nervous. Mu Yangling continued, ¡°But you don¡¯t have to be especially afraid. Do you still remember the methods I taught you to determine the direction?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Datong said, ¡°We can look at the sun. If there¡¯s no sun, we can look at the branches and leaves. Our camp is in the southeast¡­¡±


    A smile appeared on Mu Yangling¡¯s face. ¡°As long as you remember.¡±


    Mu Yangling suddenly ced the torch on the ground and said in a low voice, ¡°The Jin Kingdom¡¯s guardhouse is just a short distance ahead. Put out the torch.¡±


    After Mu Yangling squatted on the ground and extinguished the torch with soil, she looked at the three people surrounding her and asked, ¡°How is it? Can you adapt to the darkness now?¡±


    Tonight was a good day. The moon was hanging in the sky, shining through the leaves. The trees were no longer as dense as before, but there was some light.


    The three of them quickly adapted and replied in a low voice, ¡°Miss Mu, we can all see each other.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡±


    Mu Yangling led them to sneak outside the guardhouse andy on the ground to keep an eye on it.


    ¡°Miss Mu, when are we going to make a move?¡±


    ¡°10 p.m.¡± This was the time Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran had agreed on. If anything happened, someone would light up the fireworks at the ambush location to warn them. She woulde to help when she saw the signal.


    However, neither Mu Yangling nor Qi Haoran was willing to light the fireworks because it would undoubtedly increase the possibility of Great Zhou being exposed.


    However, it was obvious that fate wasn¡¯t always on their side. Before 9 p.m., Mu Yangling saw the fireworks in the sky. Datong almost jumped up and cried out, ¡°Miss Mu, something happened to Little General..¡±

 Chapter 244 - 244: Escape

    Chapter 244: Escape


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Do it.¡± She took out the arrow from the quiver on her back, lit it, and rushed towards the Jin Kingdom¡¯s guardhouse.


    Mu Yangling moved too quickly and Datong couldn¡¯t stop her in time. He could only shout in a low voice, ¡°Miss Mu, we have to rush to Little General¡¯s rescue.¡± ¡°So we¡¯ll only shoot a few arrows.¡± Mu Yangling red at them. ¡°Hurry up and light the fire. I¡¯ll shoot.¡± As she spoke, Mu Yangling¡¯s second fire arrow had already flown out and was aimed at the g on the guardhouse. The guardhouse fell into chaos.


    The three of them gritted their teeth and took out their arrows to help Mu Yangling light the fire. After shooting five arrows, Mu Yangling saw that the people from the guardhouse were already chasing after them, so she said, ¡°Run.¡±


    Datong and the other two hurriedly followed closely behind Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling seemed to have night vision and coulde and go freely in the forest. The three of them stumbled as they ran behind Mu Yangling.


    After running for a while, Mu Yangling turned around and saw that the torches of the Jin soldiers were already far away from them. After thinking for a moment, she said, ¡°Who else has torches?¡±


    Little Quan stumbled over and panted. ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Light it up. I¡¯ll hold it while you guys follow me.¡±


    ¡°Miss Mu, if we light the fire now, we¡¯ll be targets,¡± Datong said.


    ¡°Shut up. Their arrows can¡¯t reach us yet. Hurry up. In your current situation, if you can¡¯t see the path under your feet, you¡¯ll either be killed or captured.¡±


    Little Quan immediately turned on the lighter and lit the torch. She ran ahead with the torch. With the light of the torch, the three of them moved much faster. However, it also pointed the chasing Jin soldiers in their direction. They followed Mu Yangling all the way.


    After chasing for a while, the angry soldiers of the Jin Kingdom came back to their senses. The leader shouted, ¡°Stop chasing. Be careful it might be a conspiracy. Go back and guard the ce.¡±


    However, when they heard the soaring battle cries in front of them, the Jin soldiers who chased after them were shocked and uncertain. Just as they were hesitating, a soldier with sharp ears heard a sentence in the Jinnguage¡­


    At this moment, Mu Yangling was pushing Qi Haoran away to dodge the arrows. She hid behind a tree and shot at the West Xia soldiers who were chasing after her, then shouted, ¡°Quickly find me a soldier who can speak the Jinnguage and shout.¡±


    Qi Haoran was at a loss for a moment. Then, he grabbed the clothes of one of the soldiers and said, ¡°Hurry up and shout!¡±


    That person said with a long face, ¡°Little General, 1 don¡¯t know what to shout.¡± ¡°Just shout out ¡®Darned you!* or something. In short, shout out whatever the Jin soldiers scolded at the city gate in the past.¡±


    He knew how to do this. The soldier thought for a moment, gathered his energy in his dantian, and cursed loudly in the Jinnguage.


    Qi Haoran looked at Mu Yangling and waved at the soldiers behind him. ¡°Archers, shoot. The rest of you, charge with me.¡±


    With Mu Yangling holding down the fort, Qi Haoran rushed toward the West Xia soldiers in a moment. He was like a god of death in closebat. The West Xia soldiers quickly realized that he was the leader. Although he was only wearing the costume of an ordinary Great Zhou soldier, the West Xia soldiers quickly surrounded Qi Haoran.


    When thepanymander of the scout camp saw that Little General was surrounded, he was about to call for people to break out of the encirclement and save him when he recalled Mu Yangling¡¯s death order that they were not to speak Chinese.


    His face instantly turned red. At the same time, Mu Yangling, who was standing high up, quickly realized that Qi Haoran was in danger. She pulled out three arrows and fired them at the same time, opening up a gap for Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran nced in Mu Yangling¡¯s direction and leaped out of the encirclement¡­


    At the same time, the Jin soldiers who had been chasing after Mu Yangling also arrived. When Mu Yangling saw them, she whistled. This was a secret signal to retreat.


    In the end, Qi Haoran picked two people consecutively and waved his hand to signal for everyone to retreat. The people from the scout camp wordlessly dragged the corpses and injured people on the ground to the forest on the left. Mu Yangling brought the archers to take care of things at the back. When the West Xia soldiers, who were already in a frenzy from killing, saw a group of Jin soldiersing out of the forest on the right, they thought that the enemy¡¯s reinforcements had arrived and rushed forward to kill them without thinking.


    Before the Jin soldiers who hade chasing could see the situation clearly, they were killed by the West Xia soldiers. Instantly, without thinking, they picked up their sabers to attack¡­


    Meanwhile, Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran had already left with their troops under the cover of the night and trees.


    After running for half an hour, Mu Yangling stopped and reached out to make them stop. She said to Qi Haoran, ¡°Count the number of people.¡±


    After Qi Haoran gave the order, thepanymander of the scout camp reported, ¡°Little General, nine died, 38 were injured, and five were seriously injured. We¡¯ve brought them all back.¡±


    ¡°Stop their bleeding first. Leave five people behind to clean up the traces. Everyone else, quicken your pace.¡±


    Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran helped carry the injured. After running for about two hours, they finally returned to the camp.


    The military doctor was already waiting in the tent. The five seriously injured people were sent in first.


    Mu Yangling knew how to deal with simple wounds and wanted to stay in the tent to help. However, Qi Haoran pulled her out and said, ¡°There are enough military doctors.¡± After pulling her back to the tent, he said angrily, ¡°You¡¯re a girl. How can you bandage a man¡¯s wound? Be more self-aware in the future.¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him and said, ¡°Why are you categorizing men and women on the battlefield? They¡¯re all your soldiers.¡±


    ¡°I know, so I¡¯m in charge of their lives. You¡¯re not allowed to go to the military doctor¡¯s tent again. You¡¯re a girl. You shouldn¡¯t see anything you shouldn¡¯t see.¡±


    At the thought that most of the men in the military doctor¡¯s tent were naked, Qi Haoran¡¯s face darkened at the thought of this. ring at Mu Yangling, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to get you hot water to bathe. Never mind, forget about bathing tonight. We¡¯ll wait till we return to the city tomorrow.¡±


    Qi Haoran felt that the tent was not very safe now. It seemed that the shadows would cast on the tent through the light, so he decided to bathe after returning.


    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. I want to ask you what happened. Why was the operation so early?¡±


    They had calcted how and when to act. However, the West Xia soldiers arrived an hour earlier than they had nned, and the people chasing them were more than twice as many as they had expected. If they had not seeded in luring the group of real Jin soldiers over to share the burden of the troops and killed enough West Xia soldiers previously, they might not have been able to make it back tonight.


    Qi Haoran sat on the chair and said solemnly, ¡°Someone seemed to havee to West Xia¡¯s guardhouse. They discovered the horses as soon as we chased the horses out. I thought that all the troops had been attracted to the front, but who knew that half of them were still guarding arge tent. The situation was too urgent at that time, so I didn¡¯t have time to think too much about it.¡± ¡°What about the group of men in charge of attracting the troops¡¯ attention?¡± Mu Yangling asked anxiously.


    ¡°They¡¯ve already retreated. Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re familiar with that shortcut, so there aren¡¯t many casualties. On the other hand, the number of troops chasing us is more than twice what I imagined. Didn¡¯t we just steal 100-odd of their horses? Is there a need for them to fight so hard?¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, someone outside wanted to report the situation. Qi Haoran did not hold back just because Mu Yangling was around and asked that person toe in.


    ¡°General, all the horses have been brought to the guardhouse at Mount Elephant. Do you want to take a look?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up as he asked, ¡°How many are there in total?¡±


    ¡°178. General, there are eight adult horses among them,¡± the person who came to report also said with shining eyes..

 Chapter 245 - 245: Blushing

    Chapter 245: Blushing


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°No one noticed, right?¡± Qi Haoran asked. Themotion caused by more than 100-odd horses was not small.


    ¡°General, don¡¯t worry. We walked around the outside of the city and entered the guardhouse directly. We didn¡¯t rm the city.¡±


    In other words, other than Qi Haoran¡¯s subordinates, no one else knew about this.


    ¡°Very good. Those horses haven¡¯t matured yet. Detain them in the horse farm from before and get the men at the guardhouse to intensify their patrol. Don¡¯t let anyone discover them.¡±


    ¡°Is Mount Elephant guardhouse yours?¡± Mu Yangling asked.


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°Big Brother has already assigned that ce to me. In order not to attract attention, I built a guardhouse there as a cover for the horse farm.¡± Qi Haoran said, ¡°Before I have the ability to protect the horse farm, this horse farm can¡¯t be exposed.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you can hide it?¡± Mu Yangling asked with widened eyes. Mount Elephant was only 30 miles away from Hanzhong Prefecture.


    However, Qi Haoran asked curiously, ¡°Why not? Everyone in the guardhouse is my men. The 50 miles northwest of Hanzhong Prefecture have been assigned to the 5th Division, so that also makes that my territory. If I can¡¯t even hide this, why would I bother being a general?¡±


    Mu Yangling immediately stopped talking.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there spies or something?¡±


    Qi Haoran leaned back in his chair and said, ¡°Even if there are spies, they¡¯re in the 1st or 2nd Division. The spies whoe to my 5th Division will probably be caught very quickly. I¡¯ve already made up my mind. I¡¯ll transfer all the soldiers who were originally guarding the 5th Division to the Mount Elephant guardhouseter. With your additional training and torture for the previous year, they probably won¡¯t let go of a single spy who tried to sneak into the guardhouse.¡±


    Mu Yangling:¡±¡­ I¡¯m going to sleep. It¡¯s almost dawn, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at the hourss and said, ¡°Go. You can only sleep for two hours. We have to enter the city before dawn.¡±


    In order to conceal themselves, they were going to enter the city as soon as the city gate opened. At that time, it was still dark and there were not many people in the city. They could ce the injured on the carriage or let them walk in the middle, so that others wouldn¡¯t detect anything amiss.


    As soon as Mu Yanglingy down, she closed her eyes and fell asleep. However, she did not dare to fall asleep. The moment she heard voices outside, she woke up. She got up and opened the tent. Qi Haoran turned to look at her. ¡°You¡¯re awake? Then let¡¯s go.¡±


    Mu Yangling rode beside Qi Haoran. The soldiers who opened the city gate checked the tokens and took a closer look at Qi Haoran before letting them enter the city.


    After Qi Haoran settled the injured soldiers and arranged the funeral arrangements for the deceased soldiers, he finally had time to catch his breath. At this moment, Mu Yangling had already taken a shower and fallen asleep again.


    Qi Haoran simply washed his face before knocking on Mu Yangling¡¯s door and dragging her out of bed. ¡°Come, follow me to see our results.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with her eyes shut, ¡°You can just go and take a look yourself. Why must you drag me along?¡±


    Qi Haoran tempted her. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to learn how to ride a horse? How can you learn how to ride a horse without having one of your own? Since you made a great contributionst night, I¡¯ll give you one.¡±


    Mu Yangling immediately sobered up. ¡°Really?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°When have I ever lied?¡±


    Mu Yangling jumped up and said, ¡°Then go out first. 1¡¯11 put on my clothes. It won¡¯t be long.¡±


    Only then did Qi Haoran realize that Mu Yangling was only wearing an undergarment. His face instantly turned red. He immediately turned around and walked out quickly. When he went out, he even tripped over the threshold.


    Mu Yangling had just woken up and was still a little confused. Thinking that he was just excited, she went forward and closed the door. At the thought that she was about to own a horse, she jumped on the ground excitedly.


    Ahorse, ahorse!


    Mu Yangling changed her clothes and ran to pull Qi Haoran. ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly. I¡¯ll ride my horse home tomorrow.¡±


    However, Qi Haoran flung her hand away as if he was shocked, his ears as red as fried prawns. When he saw Mu Yangling looking at him with wide eyes, he blushed even harder. Snorting, he said, ¡°How can you tug at a man like that?¡± With that, he walked in front.


    Mu Yangling scratched her head and muttered, ¡°Haven¡¯t we always been that way with each other?¡±


    Mu Yangling ran after Qi Haoran.


    Qi Haoran kept a straight face the entire time and did not speak to Mu Yangling. At first, Mu Yangling found it quite novel, but halfway through, no matter what Mu Yangling said to him, Qi Haoran turned his face away from her. ring up, Mu Yangling shouted, ¡°Didn¡¯t 1 just hold your hand? We even hugged and rolled around when we were fighting. I didn¡¯t see you say anything at that time.¡±


    The apanying personal guards pricked up their ears and secretly nced at the two of them.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face exploded with redness and even his eyes turned red. He red at Mu Yangling and stammered, ¡°W-Who hugged you¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling red back at him and shouted angrily, ¡°Me! I hugged you!¡±


    The guards looked enlightened and turned to look at Qi Haoran.


    Qi Haoran almost fell off his horse. He pointed his horsewhip at Mu Yangling, speechless. In the end, he raised his whip angrily and sped up his horse, leaving Mu Yangling behind.


    Half of the guards immediately split up to chase after him, while the other half guarded Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling gritted her teeth. She didn¡¯t know what was wrong with Qi Haoran, but she still sped up to chase after him.


    After running for about two miles, she saw Qi Haoran waiting for her by the roadside. Mu Yangling rode to his side and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted and did not answer the question. ¡°There will be Hus appearing in this area. Follow closely.¡± After saying that, he rode his horse and left, but this time at a much slower speed.


    Mu Yangling stared at his back for a while before finally catching up.


    Seeing that Qi Haoran had already rode to the front, the guard whispered to Mu Yangling, ¡°Miss Mu, Little General was worried that you would be in danger on the way and specially waited for you.¡±


    H 11


    Mu Yangling followed Qi Haoran to the Mount Elephant guardhouse. Behind the guardhouse was the horse farm left behind by the former Jin nobles. The 178 horses they had robbedst night were all locked in the horse shed.


    Perhaps because they were not used to this new ce, the horses were a little restless.


    Mu Yangling looked over and said, ¡°These foals are quite big. They should be able to go to the battlefield by the end of spring next year.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry next year. I n to leave some behind to be stallions.¡± Qi Haoran stroked the head of a foal and turned to ask the soldier apanying him, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that eight of them are adults? Where are they?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re in the horse shed in front. Because they¡¯re adults, they¡¯re ced alone.¡± The soldier continued after a pause, ¡°Little General, there are saddles installed on the horses. They probably have an owner.¡±


    Mu Yangling burst outughing. ¡°Which one of these horses don¡¯t have an owner?¡±


    With a reddened face, the soldier replied, ¡°Miss Mu, what I mean is that the eight horses have been tamed and recognized a specific person as their master. You¡¯ll know when you see them. The horse trainer said that the eight horses are excellent horses and won¡¯t be easily ridden by others.¡±


    Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran looked at each other before walking towards the horse shed together..

 Chapter 246 Defensive Map

    246 Defensive Map


    Tied up in a separate shed, the eight horses were restless. They ignored the fodder in the horse trough and kept kicking, making dissatisfied noises through their noses.


    Qi Haoran came over and frowned. "Who asked you to lock them together? Separate them so that they can''t see or hear each other."


    The horse trainer said after some hesitation, "Little General, I''m afraid this will anger these horses."


    Qi Haoran snorted coldly. "They''d only be angry for a moment. When they''re alone and helpless, I''ll see if they''ll still throw a tantrum. Separate them."


    The horse trainer was hired by Qi Haoran to raise horses. He had experience raising horses, but he had never been on the battlefield. He felt that it was not good for Qi Haoran to do this.


    However, the soldiers only listened to Qi Haoran''s orders. The moment Qi Haoran gave the order, someone went forward and pulled out the horses inside to keep them separate. Although this made the already few horse sheds even more crowded, it finally made the seven horses quiet down.


    The only horse that had not calmed down was surrounded by Qi Haoran and the others.


    The maroon horse had smooth curves. Mu Yangling drooled and said, "This is a good horse."


    Qi Haoran chuckled. "Don''t think that it''s a good horse just because it''s handsome. But it indeed is a good horse." Qi Haoran looked at its hooves and then at the saddle on its back. "Its original owner should also know this, so he spoiled the horse. Since this saddle alone is worth more than 100 taels, its owner must be rich."


    Mu Yangling was speechless. "So the reason why those people chased after us so relentlesslyst night was because of this horse? Is there a need to go so far? No matter how good this horse is, there''s no need to sacrifice so many soldiers to chase after it¡­" Mu Yangling suddenly paused at this point and said solemnly, "So all the important figures of West Xia''s guardhouse were therest night?"


    Qi Haoran''s brows also twitched. The borders of the three countries were a dangerous area. Who would go there in the middle of the night for no reason?


    Even he was forbidden by Big Brother to set foot there. After all, it was too dangerous.


    Recalling the pursuitst night, Qi Haoran vaguely felt that something was wrong. The people from the guardhouse were not just trying to chase after these stolen horses in order to perform in front of that big shot. Some of them were chasing after them like their life depended on it, as if¡­ they were chasing after a treasure.


    Qi Haoran''s eyes lit up. He waved his hand to dismiss his men and only let his bodyguards guard the vicinity.


    Just as Mu Yangling was considering whether she should leave as well, Qi Haoran pulled her into a horse shed and whispered, "Find out if there''s anything on the horse."


    Mu Yangling raised her head and carefully sized up the horse. Finally, her gazended on the saddle on its back. "Saddle?"


    Qi Haoran''s eyes lit up. He reached out and carefully touched the saddle, not letting go of a single corner.


    The maroon horse was a little restless. After being red at coldly by Qi Haoran, the horse was suppressed for a moment before bing more obedient.


    It felt that this person''s aura was even stronger than its master''s. Since the horse identified as a smart horse, it would be better to adapt to the situation.


    Mu Yangling touched it carefully from the other side, but the two of them couldn''t find anything even after touching the saddle. Qi Haoran frowned. Could it be that he was wrong?


    However, Mu Yangling stood at the side and pondered. "Qi Haoran, try riding the horse."


    Qi Haoran frowned and said, "The ceiling of this shed is so low. How can I ride it?"


    "Then ride it outside."


    Qi Haoran led the horse out. Mu Yangling raised her head and looked around. Finally, she pointed at a ce and said, "Go there. That''s a blind spot. No one can see there from high up."


    Smiling, Qi Haoran led the horse over to stand in that blind spot. He asked the guards to stand at a distance before jumping onto the horse himself. Mu Yangling stood at the side and looked at him. She asked, "If there''s something important in the saddle, that person will definitely ce it somewhere that he can see or touch at all times. Which position is most suitable when he''s sitting on the horse?"


    Qi Haoran pondered for a moment and was about to lower his head when Mu Yangling said, "You have to look straight ahead. You can''t lower your head from time to time when riding a horse."


    Qi Haoran moved his hand and touched the strap of the saddle in front of him. "Here."


    This strap was dispensable, but some people liked to hold onto this when riding horses. Qi Haoran had always held a rope with one hand and a weapon with the other, and would never touch this spot.


    Qi Haoran took out his dagger and carefully removed the strap as he rode on the horse. As soon as he peeled off the skin, a small roll of silk was revealed. As it was stuffed into the saddle as a small roll without any creases, that was why Qi Haoran could not feel it just now.


    He took out the silk and stuffed it into his arms. After jumping off the horse, he took the entire saddle and called for his bodyguard to hand the horse to him. "Watch carefully. Don''t let it escape."


    The bodyguard agreed and watched in confusion as the Little General left with the saddle. Could it be that the Little General had gone to so much trouble for so long just for this saddle? Then couldn''t he just take it off in the horse shed earlier on?


    Could it be that he felt that this saddle was not worthy of this horse, so he nned to rece it with a better one after testing it out? It seemed that this horse was something that Little General had taken a fancy to. He had to take good care of it.


    The bodyguard said to the horse trainer, "Little General has taken a fancy to this horse. You have to serve it well."


    When the horse trainer heard this, he naturally did not dare to be negligent. In the future, when the soldiers came to pick a horse, they would directly exclude this horse. In the end, other than the horse trainer and a few bodyguards, no one else knew that there was a luxurious shed at the end of the row of horse sheds that contained Little General''s reserved horse.


    Qi Haoran found a room and entered with Mu Yangling. This was also left behind by the previous owner. Since this was a horse farm after all, when he came to ride the horses, he had to have a ce to rest. Hence, the interior was well-equipped and the room was well-built.


    Qi Haoran threw the saddle on the ground and left it alone. Then, he took out the silk and unfolded it. Mu Yangling had already lowered her head and turned around. When Qi Haoran saw this, he asked curiously, "What are you doing?"


    "It''s confidential. I''d better not read it."


    Qi Haoran said, "This wouldn''t be the first confidential thing you hear or see. Never mind. Hurry over and take a look at what this is¡­" When Qi Haoran lowered his head, his mouth dropped open in shock instantly.


    Mu Yangling had already turned around to look. When she saw the pattern on it, her mouth fell open. Although she didn''t understand the words on it, she knew how to look at pictures, okay?


    Mu Yangling asked hesitantly, "Is this the defensive map of the Jin Kingdom?"


    Qi Haoran''s expression turned cold, but his eyes were as dazzling as the sun. He looked at Mu Yangling and asked in a low voice, "Do you think this is real?"


    Equally amazed, Mu Yangling went forward to check the map and touched the ink on it. She replied in a lowered voice, "It''s been a long time since this was drawn. Still, we can''t rule out the possibility that someone deliberately drew this to confuse people."


    Qi Haoran kept the map and said, "Whether it''s true or not, we''ll know based on West Xia''s next reaction."


    Mu Yangling said, "We have to tell General about this!"


    Qi Haoran was a little afraid of being punished by his big brother, but when he thought of the consequences of this matter, he gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, I''ll go back with you tomorrow."


    Qi Haoran rolled the drawing into a small ball and stuffed it into his arms, but he felt that it was not safe in his arms either.


    Seeing that he had changed several ces, Mu Yangling looked at his boots and said, "Although it stinks a little, I think it''s better for you to put it in your socks."


    Qi Haoran''s reddened as he said, "My feet don''t stink." He heeded Mu Yangling''s idea and hid it in his socks.


    When he untied his shoes and saw Mu Yangling looking over, he roared in a low voice, "You''re a girl. Be more reserved and turn around."


    Mu Yangling gaped. "You''re taking off your shoes, not your clothes¡­" However, she still turned around, so she didn''t see that the tips of Qi Haoran''s ears were burning red.

 Chapter 247 Accounting

    247 ounting


    When Qi Haoran brought Mu Yangling to pick the horses, she didn''t say that she wanted one of the eight adult horses, and Qi Haoran didn''t mention letting her take a look at those. Regardless of whether this defensive map was real or fake, this matter was very dangerous. Hence, the eight horses could only disappear in the end.


    In the end, Mu Yangling chose an above average foal among the foals that were about to mature. Qi Haoran picked a better foal for her, but Mu Yangling shook her head and rejected, "It''s better to keep a low profile."


    Qi Haoran frowned. Why was there a need to keep a low profile in his territory? However, when he saw Mu Yangling stroking the chosen horse happily, Qi Haoran didn''t object anymore and only asked her, "Give it a name."


    "Snowy? Traceless? Sprinting? Lightning? Swifty?"


    Qi Haoran''s face darkened at Mu Yangling''s suggestions. In the end, he interrupted her and said, "Let''s just call him ckie. It''s a joke to call him by other names."


    Qi Haoran patted the ck horse''s body and said, "Its speed is average, so it can''t be considered a good horse. When you grow up in the future, I''ll help you pick a better one."


    As if he knew that Qi Haoran was talking about him, ckie snorted indignantly. Mu Yangling hugged his neck and said, "Even if it''s not the fastest, I like it. It''s already my horse. Unless it dies of old age, I won''t rece it."


    One should treat their horse the same way they treated their gun. Even if it wasn''t the most advanced, it was still her partner and she was most familiar with it. A gunman wouldn''t casually change his gun.


    ckie seemed to be able to hear their words and turned his head towards Mu Yangling.


    Qi Haoran raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips when he saw Mu Yangling ying with the horse.


    "Since you''ve chosen, let''s go and choose a saddle. We have to return to the city first and set off for Xingzhou Prefecture tomorrow morning."


    As Mu Yangling''s horse was not an adult yet, Qi Haoran did not have a matching one, so they could only buy it in the city.


    As Hanzhong Prefecture had once been upied by the Hus, many saddles could be found there. One could see many shops in the bustling area of the city.


    Qi Haoran handed the horse to the guards and brought Mu Yangling in to choose.


    When the assistant saw a group of people behind Qi Haoran, he knew that a big client had arrived. He hurriedly weed him in. "Young Master, what are you looking for? I''ll show you."


    "A saddle." Qi Haoran pointed at ckie at the door and said, "A saddle for that horse."


    "Aiyo, that''s one handsome horse. Young Master, wait for me. I''ll prepare it for you now." The assistant turned around to look for a few good saddles.


    Mu Yangling blushed and pulled the assistant. "This horse is mine. Just an ordinary saddle will do."


    "Erm¡­" The assistant looked at Qi Haoran. A huge deal was going to fly away?


    However, Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, "Just bring it out."


    The assistant responded happily and turned around to take out a few top-notch saddles.


    Qi Haoran asked Mu Yangling, "Which one do you want?"


    Mu Yangling''s malerades had told her that the most terrifying scenario about shopping with a girl was when a girl declined despite wanting that something, and they had to spend a long time persuading her.


    Mu Yangling nced at Qi Haoran. Seeing that he was determined, she started to seriously choose from these saddles.


    Qi Haoran was indeed happy to see this. He pointed out a few to her. "These few sets are not bad, and they''re all suitable for ckie."


    "Then let''s try it and see which one ckie likes."


    Qi Haoran helped her put it on the horse. When he was putting a maroon saddle on ckie, it snorted and tilted its head towards Qi Haoran for the first time. Mu Yangling walked over and touched its neck. "You like this?"


    ckie lowered its head. Smiling, Mu Yangling said, "Alright, this one it is."


    Qi Haoran went to settle the bill and walked to a ce where Mu Yangling couldn''t see. He took out a token and said to the assistant, "Put it on Young Master Fan''s ount."


    The assistant took the token in a daze and immediately reacted with a smile and a bow. "Young Master, please wait a moment. I''ll write it down for you now."


    The assistant took out a ledger and recorded it down. Only then did Qi Haoran remember to ask, "How much is this saddle?"


    "Young Master, 62 taels. Look, I''ve written it down for you."


    Qi Haoran looked down and nodded. "Got it." He took the token and stuffed it into his arms before turning to leave.


    Mu Yangling was already waiting for him on her horse. When she saw hime out, she asked, "How much?"


    Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, "Not much. Let''s go back quickly and rest well today. We''ll be on our way tomorrow morning."


    Fan Zijin, who was doing the ounts in Ruyi Restaurant, suddenly sneezed. He frowned slightly, wondering if he caught a cold.


    He put down the ount book and asked, "When can our foals be delivered?"


    "Young Master, with the horses'' speed, they should arrive in another five to six days. Should we tell Fourth Young Master and ask him to prepare?" Yanmo asked.


    The corners of Fan Zijin''s mouth curled up as he said happily, "He goes to check on his horse farm every day and has made the preparations long ago. This is a surprise for him. Let''s not tell him yet. When the horses arrive, we''ll directly bring them to the horse farm. When the timees, I''ll bring him over to take a look."


    As soon as he finished speaking, the shopkeeper below brought an assistant shopkeeper up. "Young Master, this is an assistant shopkeeper from Chen''s Tack Shop. He''s here to settle the bill."


    "Bill?" Fan Zijin asked curiously, "When did I go to Chen''s Tack Shop to buy something?"


    "A customer asked to put it on your ount just now." The assistant shopkeeper hurriedly said, "He used Ruyi Restaurant''s token. As it''s the end of the month, our shopkeeper asked me toe out and settle the bill."


    Fan Zijin took it and took a look. When he saw Qi Haoran''s signature on it, he knew what was going on. Although he felt that 62 taels of silver for a saddle was too expensive, he still waved his hand and asked Yanmo to bring the money over.


    The assistant shopkeeper heaved a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Young Master Fan, Young Master Qi left in a hurry previously. I forgot to instruct him that if he wishes to change the saddle to a bigger size in the future, he cane to our shop directly. Our shop will rece it for them for free."


    "Them?" Fan Zijin raised his eyebrows and asked, "Who else was with Young Master Qi?"


    "There''s also a girl with the surname Mu. That saddle was bought by that Miss Mu."


    The smile on Fan Zijin''s face faded. After waving the assistant shopkeeper and shopkeeper out, he asked Yanmo, "What is Miss Mu doing in Hanzhong Prefecture?"


    Yanmo was equally confused. "There aren''t any adult males at home in the Mu family. How can she be at easeing here?"


    Fan Zijin pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "Forget it, let them be. However, don''t let too many people know that Miss Mu came to Hanzhong Prefecture."


    Although he did not know what the two of them were up to, his intuition told him that it was not a good thing.


    "How''s the preparation of the silk shop going?" Fan Zijin asked.


    "Young Master, don''t worry. The shop has already been renovated. We''ll be able to open once Butler Chen delivers the goods." Yanmo said hesitantly, "Young Master, is it really a good idea for us to leave them behind and open the shop alone?"


    Fan Zijin sneered and said, "I didn''t want to open my own shop in the beginning. If they hadn''t lowered the price so harshly, why would I want to open my own silk shop?"


    He had just opened a restaurant and had taken out such arge sum of money to buy horses. He was really short of money. If it weren''t for the fact that thendlords and merchants of Hanzhong Prefecture had bargained down the price too much, would he need to tighten his belt and open a shop at this time?

 Chapter 248 First Birthday Present

    248 First Birthday Present


    Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling returned to Xingzhou Prefecture at full speed. When Qi Haoran''s horse stopped in front of the General''s Mansion, he said to Mu Yangling, "I''ll get a personal guard to send you back."


    "It''s only an hour''s journey. Do I need someone to send me back?"


    "It''s better to let them send you back." Although he felt that no one would know about his actions that night, it was better to be careful.


    Mu Yangling could only bring Qi Haoran''s four personal guards home.


    She was riding an army horse, but beside her was ckie. ckie was still young, so it was not a problem to ride it for a few hours. However, the journey from Hanzhong Prefecture to Xingzhou Prefecture was still too strenuous, so Mu Yangling only held it as she rode another horse.


    It was already dark when they returned to Chenggu Garrison. After getting off the horse, Mu Yangling handed it to the four guards. "No need to follow me further. You''ll cause too much of amotion if you go in."


    The four personal guards cupped their fists and said, "Then we''ll take our leave first. Take care, Miss Mu."


    Mu Yangling nodded and led ckie home.


    When Mu Bowen heard themotion in the house, he jumped off the brick bed and ran out. Through the moonlight, he could vaguely see his sister outside the door. Mu Bowen jumped up happily and shouted, "Sister is back! Sister is back!"


    "Shh!" Mu Yangling ced her finger on her lips to signal him to lower his voice. She said in a low voice, "Don''t disturb other people."


    Great-aunt, Shu Wanniang, and the others in the house all opened the door and came out. When they saw Mu Yangling return, they heaved a huge sigh of relief.


    "Child, I thought you wouldn''t make it in time."


    When Xiuhong saw the horse behind Mu Yangling, her eyes lit up and she asked, "Cousin, what is this?"


    Mu Yangling touched ckie''s neck and said, "This is our horse."


    The three children opened their mouths wide and surrounded ckie. Bowen carefully stroked ckie''s fur and asked softly, "Sister, is this really our horse? How much does it cost?"


    "It''s free. Qi Haoran gave it to me." Mu Yangling arranged for ckie to stay in the shed and fed it the grass for the rabbit. She smoothed its fur as she said, "We''ll make do with this first. I''ll buy you high-grade grass tomorrow."


    As grass, hay, and wheat straw were all coarse materials, it was naturally impossible to feed horses with just these. Otherwise, Qi Haoran wouldn''t haveined that raising horses cost a lot. Every day, other than coarse materials, he also had to feed them with fine ingredients, such as soybeans, peas, wheat, and wheat bran. Sometimes, he even had to pour some vegetable oil into the wheat bran. And this was only how they treated ordinary horses. Thousand-mile horses ate even more exquisitely.


    Of course, with corn, there was another variety added to the horse''s menu. The advantage was that corn had a higher yield than any of the above.


    Since Mu Yangling had decided to treat ckie well, she naturally had to feed it these things.


    However, the most important thing now was the gifts for her twin siblings. "Mother, have you prepared the things for Bosi and Kejia''s zhuazhou?"


    "It''s all ready." Shu Wanniang looked at ckie and said, "Considering it''d be chaotic tomorrow, is it inappropriate to leave the horse at home? Might startle it."


    "It''s fine. I''ll bring it to the backyard of the new house tomorrow morning and lock it up. No one will know that there''s a horse inside."


    "Then you have to wake up early tomorrow. Your aunt and the rest wille over early in the morning to help cook."


    "Mother, don''t worry. I still have to go into the city to buy fodder for it." Mu Yangling couldn''t bear to mistreat her little friend.


    Great-aunt tugged at Shu Wanniang''s sleeve and asked her to ask Mu Yangling what she had been doing for the past few days. Shu Wanniang only smiled and said, "Alright, it''s gettingte. Go back and sleep. Ah Ling, there''s still hot water in the kitchen. Hurry up and take a shower. I will fetch you some hot water."


    Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief. She had naturally seen Great-aunt''s actions, and was very d that her mother did not ask anything.


    Seeing that Shu Wanniang didn''t ask, Great-aunt found it even more difficult to ask. Seeing that even the mother was so indulgent towards Mu Yangling, she could only sigh slightly and wave at the children. "Alright, alright. Go back to sleep. No one is allowed to ck off tomorrow. Everyone has to wake up early to help with work."


    The first birthday celebration was very grand. Although they had already made preparations the day before, it still took a lot of time to cook the next day.


    Fortunately, with Madam Liu-Zhang and the others'' help, although there were few people in the Mu family, everything proceeded smoothly.


    Mu Yangling fed ckie some fine ingredients. When she returned, she happened to see Madam Liu-Zhao bending down to wash the vegetables. She quickly went forward and took over the work from her. "Aunt Ting, didn''t I tell you to rest? Why are you helping out?"


    Smiling, Madam Liu-Zhao said, "Do you really think I''m made of y? I''m in good health. It''s not like I''m doing heavy work in the fields. No matter how much housework I do, I won''t be tired."


    "You''ll be tired as long as you work." Mu Yangling pulled her back and pressed her onto the chair. Looking at her stomach, she said, "Alright, even if you''re not tired, just sit here to put me at ease. I can''t stand to see a pregnant person work hard."


    When Madam Liu-Zhang heard this in the kitchen, sheughed out loud and said, "Ah Ling doesn''t look like someone who came from our vige at all. Who doesn''t work in the fields when they''re pregnant? Back then, I also entered the fields when I was seven or eight months pregnant. Your Aunt Ting didn''t rest when she was pregnant with Ah Lang. Wanniang is so lucky to be doted on when she''s pregnant. In the past, Rocky doted on her, and now, her daughter dotes on her. Geez, I wonder every day, why didn''t I give birth to a daughter who dotes on me so much?"


    With a smile, Madam Liu-Ma said, "In your next life, perhaps. I''ve never seen a daughter like Ah Ling who''s so capable and dotes on her family so much. It''s Wanniang''s fortune to have such a daughter."


    "Next life is fine too. This means that I''m also umting blessings in this life." Madam Liu-Zhang smiled smugly.


    "Dream on. You really took it for real, huh," Madam Liu-Ma teased her. Everyoneughed when they heard that.


    Guests arrived one after another. Mu Yangling brought Xiuhong to set up the tables while Liu Lang and the others helped to serve the dishes.


    Although they drooled at the food on the table, no one picked up their chopsticks. Instead, they looked at the table in the middle, which was filled with things for zhuazhou.


    This was the first time they had seen such a neat zhuazhou ceremony.


    When the auspicious time arrived, Mu Yangling stood in front of the stage and cupped her hands. "Everyone, today is my younger brother and sister''s first birthday. Thank you foring to give them blessings. Now that the auspicious time has arrived, let''s start directly."


    Bosi and Kejia, who were wearing bright red clothes bearing the character ''auspicious'', were carried up. Mu Yangling and Mu Bowen took them and ced them on the stage.


    This action should have been done by Mu Shi, but Mu Shi was not around. ording to the rules, as the eldest brother, Bowen should do it. Now that Mu Yangling and Bowen were doing it together, the people sitting below did not have any objections, as if it was only right.


    ced on the stage, the two toddlers'' eyes darted around. This being the first time they were surrounded by so many people, they looked around with interest and ignored the things on the stage.

 Chapter 249 Zhuazhou

    249 Zhuazhou


    Shu Wanniang pped her hands to attract their attention. She pointed at the things on the stage and said, "Hurry up and choose what you like. Go quickly."


    Everyone cheered for them to go. Xiuhong even specially picked up something and shook it to attract their attention.


    Kejia stared at Xiuhong''s hand for a while before losing interest. She turned her head to look at the people watching them carefully. As if she thought of something fun, she suddenly giggled. Bosi looked up at his sister seriously before turning his head to continue staring at the guests expressionlessly.


    Three ck lines slid down Mu Yangling''s forehead. Just as she was wondering if she should cheat and help them sweep the things in front of them, Kejia stoppedughing and turned to look at the things on the stage. She supported herself with her small hand and lifted her butt first. Then, she got up with difficulty and staggered towards arge pile of things.


    Everyone who was worried about the awkward silence heaved a sigh of relief. It was fine as long as they were willing to make a move.


    Kejia wanted to kick something, but since she could barely walk, how could she kick anything? As soon as she raised her foot, she fell to the ground. Perhaps because it was a little painful, she was stunned for a moment before looking at her mother nkly.


    Shu Wanniang quickly turned her head to the side to avoid looking at her, but Kejia touched her butt with her tiny hand and looked at her mother. When she happened to catch her mother''s gaze, she burst into tears and opened her arms aggrievedly to ask for a hug.


    Shu Wanniang pointed at the things on the stage and said, "Kejia, be good. Pick up something you like first. Mother will hold youter."


    Refusing to listen, Kejia continued wailing.


    Shu Wanniang could not help but feel anxious. Bosi finally looked over. He looked at his sister and then at his mother. Then, a disdainful expression appeared on his face.


    Mu Yangling swore that she had not seen wrongly. It was a disdainful expression.


    Bosi got up from the ground and jogged to Kejia''s side. He rubbed her face with his small hand. Mu Yangling felt that he might have wanted to wipe her sister''s tears, but he didn''t seem to have seeded. He wiped her tears all over her face, so he might as well not wipe them.


    Realizing this problem as well, Bosi squatted in front of his sister and looked at her face. Finally, he grabbed his sister''s sleeve and wiped it on her face¡­


    Mu Yangling almost wanted to cover her face. The courtyard was also silent as everyone looked at the siblings on the stage.


    Bowen tugged at his sister''s sleeve and whispered, "Sister, why don''t we help Bosi and Kejia?"


    "How can we help them in front of everyone?"


    Bowen cocked his head. "Put something in front of them?"


    Mu Yangling looked at the stage and said, "Forget it. They''re still young anyway. Just let them y."


    Kejia couldn''t cry out loud because of her brother. In the end, when her sleeve was let go, her nose was red and the tears on her face were gone, but there was some suspicious substance on her sleeve.


    Looking at his sister''s face, Bosi was satisfied. He propped himself up on the ground with his small hands and pushed everything to surround his sister. However, Kejia probably felt that it was fun and forgot about her grievances just now. She got up and followed her brother to push the things on the stage over to make a pile.


    Seeing that it was gettingte, Great-aunt couldn''t help but be anxious. She lured the two children and said, "Bosi, Kejia, quickly choose something you like. Once you''ve chosen it, I''ll give you candy."


    Bosi raised his head and nced at Great-aunt. He casually picked up the book beside him and handed it to her. Beaming, Great-aunt said, "Alright, alright. You chose a book. Our Bosi will take the Imperial Examination and be a high-ranking official in the future."


    The people around them quickly chimed in, "Bosi looks bright. He will definitely seed in his studies and be a high-ranking official in the future."


    Bosi tilted his head in confusion and looked at Great-aunt for a while. Seeing that she did not take it, he threw the book in his hand away. He was by the side of the stage, so when he tossed it aside, the book fell to the ground.


    Bosi lowered his head to take a look, but Kejia also quickly crawled over and lowered her head to take a look. Perhaps she thought it was fun, she also threw down the things beside her. As she threw them down, she pped her hands andughed.


    Perhaps Bosi was still thinking about what his mother and great-aunt had said just now and thought that they wanted something from the stage. Therefore, he kept picking it up and extending it to them. When he saw that they didn''t want it, he threw it down and went to pick up something else¡­


    Shu Wanniang and Great-aunt: "¡­"


    Fortunately, there were a lot of things on the stage. Kejia eventually got tired of throwing them and felt that it wasn''t fun anymore. She started to focus on the things on the stage. Seeing that the rouge was brightly-colored and morous, she picked it up and looked at it. Before everyone could praise her for having great beauty when she grew up, she threw it aside. Then, she excitedly grabbed a book at the side and opened it like her elder brother. She pointed at the words on it and babbled something that only she could understand¡­


    Everyone fell silent for a moment before saying, "Kejia will definitely be a talenteddy in the future¡­"


    However, Bosi grabbed a wooden sword on the stage. There were small animals carved on the wooden sword that Shu Wanniang had chosen. Perhaps attracted by those animals, he held the sword to study it. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief and praised, "Bosi is going to be a great general in the future¡­"


    Shu Wanniang didn''t dare to let the two children stay on the stage anymore. Just as she was about to carry them down, Kejia looked up and saw the sword in her brother''s hand. Her eyes lit up. With the book in hand, she crawled over to grab the sword from her brother''s arms¡­


    At the same time, Shu Wanniang and Great-aunt were about to pick them up when Kejia screamed and grabbed the wooden sword, refusing to let go. Bosi cried out anxiously and tugged at the wooden sword, refusing to give it to her.


    Kejia picked up the book from earlier and stuffed it into her brother''s arms, wanting to snatch the wooden sword.


    Without so much as a nce at the book, Bosi held the sword in one hand and pushed his sister with the other. Soon, the two of them were fighting. Shu Wanniang and Great-aunt could not tear them apart no matter how hard they tried.


    Mu Yangling couldn''t let everyone watch themotion. She went forward and carried the sword and the book back into the house. Then, she ced the two little ones on the brick bed, but they were still fighting over them.


    Mu Yangling patted their heads and said, "Go ahead. As long as they don''t hurt each other, it''s fine. Xiuhong, watch them. Don''t let them hurt their eyes with that sword."


    "Is this how an elder sister should react? Hurry up and break up the fight," Great-aunt said.


    "If we do that, they''ll definitely cry." Mu Yangling said, "There are so many guests outside. Leave them be. They won''t cry anyway."


    ording to past experience, things would be fine after a victor emerged between the two children. The victor wouldn''t show off after winning, and the loser wouldn''t cry after losing. How wonderful!


    Shu Wanniang originally wanted to separate the two children, but when she heard this, she turned around and left. She even pulled Great-aunt along. "Forget it, let them be."


    As expected, as soon as the two little ones were ced on the brick bed, they immediately started fighting again. Bosi grabbed the thing desperately and pulled it towards himself without saying a word.


    Kejia, on the other hand, liked to scream as she pulled. From time to time, she would even use some children''snguage to try to persuade or attack Bosi as she pulled the thing towards herself.


    Mu Yangling, Bowen, and the rest watched with interest. In the end, Bosi took the initiative to let go after he got bored of it. Only then did Kejia sessfully snatch the wooden sword.


    Perhaps feeling embarrassed, Kejia hugged the wooden sword tightly and stuffed the book she had decided against into her brother''s arms. She said fawningly, "Ah, ah."


    Mu Yanglingughed out loud and stroked Bosi''s head. "Bosi, this is from your younger sister."


    Bosi looked at his elder sister and finally took the book, feeling aggrieved. He unfolded it on his calf and lowered his head to read.


    Satisfied, Kejia carried the wooden sword and turned around to y by herself.

 Chapter 250 Guess

    250 Guess


    The atmosphere at the border suddenly became strange as West Xia and the Jin Kingdom went into war. West Xia used the Jin Kingdom of viting the treaty and snatching their horses, and demanded they return them.


    However, the Jin Kingdom retorted that West Xia had ambushed their guardhouse. As for the theft of the horses, they denied it entirely.


    Because West Xia had lost something important, and that thing was rted to the Jin Kingdom, they were especially guilty. They suspected that the Jin Kingdom had received intelligence and specially came to snatch the defensive map back.


    The Third Prince of West Xia, who was tasked to bring the defensive map back, could only send people to investigate secretly while arguing with the Jin Kingdom. He firmly believed that the person who stole the horses that night was from the Jin Kingdom, or rather, their goal was not the horses at all, but the defensive map in the saddle.


    Trying to mislead him by wearing the Great Zhou''s military uniform? The Third Prince, Li Ningling, sneered at the thought of that. Having just taken down Hanzhong Prefecture, Great Zhou was doing its best to hold on to the city. What reason did they have to provoke his country?


    However, the Jin Kingdom suspected Great Zhou. Although the people who came to attack the guardhouse that day were wearing West Xia''s military uniform and using West Xia''s arrows, the soldiers who chased after them saw that some of the retreating people were wearing the Jin Kingdom''s military uniform.


    However, they had never been able to find out who this group of soldiers was. The purpose of this inexplicable battle was clearly to make the Jin Kingdom and West Xia fight, so they felt that this was a trick of the Great Zhou.


    However, just as this topic was raised, before they could discuss it in depth, they were angered by West Xia''s endless requests for the return of the stolen military horses. Moreover, it turned out the few captured West Xia spies were actually there to find those horses.


    It was just a hundred horses or so. When did West Xia be so petty?


    The Jin Kingdom wanted to investigate aggressively, but West Xia became even more careful. On the Hanzhong Prefecture''s side, after seeing his brother, Qi Xiuyuan did not investigate the authenticity of the defensive map first. Instead, he ordered the Hanzhong Prefecture to appear rxed on the outside and tighten up defenses on the inside.


    The defense outside did not change, but the soldiers of the 4th Division were secretly sent to Hanzhong Prefecture to observe the situation closely. Once there was a change, they would defend Hanzhong Prefecture.


    Qi Haoran thought that his brother would punish him, but Qi Xiuyuan only told him to consider things more carefully in the future and left him alone.


    Qi Haoran scratched his head and asked his brother, "Big Brother, do you think this map is real or fake?"


    "We''ll know if it''s true or not." Qi Xiuyuan said, "But now is not the time to fight. We have to strengthen our troops first. When the timees, we''ll use Jingzhao Prefecture as an experiment."


    Qi Xiuyuan put away the map and brought his brother to his bedroom. He knocked open a hidden brick under the bed and revealed a small space. Then, he ced the box containing the map inside and said to him aftering out, "This is where I hide the confidential stuff. Other than this map, there''s only onemander''s seal. You have to remember it."


    Qi Haoran nodded.


    At this moment, Fan Zijin, who had sent the horses to the horse farm, jumped up when he saw the horses living in the stable. He shouted angrily, "Qi Haoran, how dare you not tell me!"


    Yanmo and the horse trainer were 30 feet away from Fan Zijin.


    In the end, it was Yanmo who shrunk his head and went forward. "Young Master, Fourth Young Master might have forgotten because he was too busy. How do you think we should settle the horses we bought?"


    "Settle them? Return them all! I don''t want them anymore." Fan Zijin was so angry that he spun on the spot. "To think he bought the horses and didn''t tell me." Fan Zijin paused and turned his head to ask, "Where did he get the money?"


    Yanmo shook his head in a daze. "Could it be from Young Master Xiuyuan?"


    "Impossible. It''s impossible for me not to know if Eldest Cousin gave him money." Fan Zijin looked at the horses suspiciously and said, "Don''t tell me these are stolen?"


    The horse trainer did not know the origins of these horses. He only knew how to raise horses. Therefore, when he saw Fan Zijin''s gaze, he immediately waved his hand and said, "Young Master Fan, I have no idea. I only know that these horses were sent over by Little General with the scout camp and his personal guards."


    "Who else?" Fan Zijin asked suspiciously when he thought of Mu Yangling, who had appeared in Hanzhong Prefecture a few days ago.


    "Oh, there''s also Miss Mu."


    Fan Zijin lowered his head and fell into deep thought. Since the two of them were not rich, it was impossible for them to buy horses so quickly. A while ago, Haoran had pestered him to lend him money to buy the horses. Now, so many horses had appeared out of the blue¡­


    Although he didn''t want to think about it, Fan Zijin still remembered the news about West Xia and the Jin Kingdom in the past few days. In just a few days, West Xia and the Jin Kingdom had fought a few battles at the border. Although the scale was small, Fan Zijin still heard that it was because of a batch of missing horses in West Xia.


    Fan Zijin suppressed his temper and said, "Forget it. Send someone¡ªno, never mind. Go get the soldiers from the 5th Division stationed in Hanzhong Prefecture to start building the horse shed. The weather is about to turn cold. If one of the 200 horses that I spent a lot of money to buy dies, I''ll get Qi Haoran topensate!" Fan Zijin gritted his teeth at the end of his sentence.


    Yanmo didn''t dare to say that these horses were originally for the Fourth Young Master anyway, so he could only agree. He turned around and ran off to give instructions.


    When Qi Haoran returned to Hanzhong Prefecture from Xingzhou Prefecture and ran have to hurry up and build a horse shed. These foals can''t stand the cold."


    10:13


    Qi Haoran cherished these foals more than him. He patted his chest and said, "Don''t excitedly to the horse farm to see his horses, he saw the sulky Fan Zijin sitting at the door as a supervisor.


    Qi Haoran ran over excitedly and boasted, "Zijin, I was just about to tell you that I have horses now."


    "Mm," Fan Zijin replied indifferently. He raised his eyebrows and said, "I know. Wasn''t it me who sent them to you?"


    Qi Haoran was stunned. Just as he was about to say that he had stolen these horses, Fan Zijin pulled him into the house. Only then did Fan Zijin snort. "Do you wish for more people to find out? It''s already very difficult for the Great Zhou to deal with the Jin Kingdom now, and now you even went to provoke West Xia."


    "Anyway, nothing we can do about it since you''ve already stolen the horses." Fan Zijin said, "But this matter can''t be spread."


    Qi Haoran shouted, "It''s not as if I''m announcing it to everyone. I''m only telling you." After saying that, he sighed and said, "That''s why I didn''t dare to tell anyone that there are horses in the horse farm now. Even the fodder has to be bought with Big Brother''s help. Otherwise, if I buy the fodder myself, everyone will know that there are horses in my horse farm."


    Fan Zijin snorted and said, "From now on, you can openly tell others that there are horses in your horse farm, but there are only 200 of them. You can slowly increase the numberter."


    Qi Haoran widened his eyes. "Where did the horsese from?"


    "I bought them." At the thought of this, Fan Zijin got angry. "I originally wanted to give them to you as a birthday gift, but I''ve changed my mind now. I''m lending them to you."


    Qi Haoran chuckled and went forward to put his hand on his shoulder. "I know. It''s a gift for me. Thank you. Brother, let''s go and check out the horses you bought."


    The foals that Fan Zijin bought were much smaller than the foals that Qi Haoran had stolen. After all, he had bought them for Qi Haoran to raise, but the foals stolen by Qi Haoran were ones that West Xia was about to use.


    However, Qi Haoran was still overjoyed to see so many horses.


    Fan Zijin said, "Don''t rejoice too early. I think it will start to turn cold in a few days. You have to hurry up and build a horse shed. These foals can''t stand the cold."


    Qi Haoran cherished these foals more than him. He patted his chest and said, "Don''t worry, I''ll definitely take good care of them."

 Chapter 251 Enlightenment

    251 Enlightenment


    After putting on a thick cotton-padded jacket, Great-aunt went out and saw Mu Yangling fiddling with a mousetrap. She asked, "Are you going into the mountains?"


    "I''m going into the mountains to set up a few traps." Mu Yangling ced the things in the basket on her back and picked up a machete and a bundle of ropes to carry. She stood up and said, "Since there''s no work to do in the winter, I''ll go get some firewood after setting up the traps."


    On the day of the winter solstice, the Mu family moved into the new house. Mu Yangling now had a room of her own, and likewise for Bowen. Xiuhong and Xin had originally stayed in separate rooms, but it had been too cold for the past two days, so they stayed in the same room again. However, this meant that they had to burn twice as much firewood as before, so the firewood they had prepared previously was a little insufficient.


    For the past few days, Xiuhong had brought Xin and Bowen to the foot of the mountain to pick firewood with the children in the vige. However, two days ago, a wild boar ran out of the mountain and almost injured the children. It was only because there were adults nearby who threw stones to chase the wild boar away that the children were saved.


    However, Mu Yangling did not allow them to gather firewood anymore.


    The weather this winter was a little abnormal, and the wild beasts in the mountains were restless. Who knew what would run out of the mountains next time?


    Mu Yangling was about to carry her things out when Old Man Sun rolled up his sleeves and came to look for her. When he bumped into her, he hurriedly asked, "Ah Ling, are you going into the mountains?"


    Mu Yangling nodded. "Grandpa Sun, what''s the matter?"


    "Something''s up. Didn''t the wild boar go down the mountain two days ago? I heard that someone in the neighboring vige was killed by the wild boaring down the mountain." Frowning, Old Man Sun said, "I don''t know what''s wrong with the heavens. It''s been almost a month since the winter solstice, but there hasn''t been a single snowfall. The mountains aren''t peaceful either. The weather is getting colder and colder every day and everyone doesn''t have enough firewood. If this continues, people won''t starve to death. Instead, they''ll die of cold."


    When Great-aunt heard this from the courtyard, she walked out with a handful of green onions and leaned against the wall. "Big Brother Sun, if there''s anything, just say it. You don''t have to preface the topic with such stuff to hold my Ah Ling hostage. No matter what you ask her to do, don''t expect our Mu family to suffer a loss."


    "Yes, yes. How can we let you guys suffer?" Smiling, Old Man Sun said, "Isn''t Ah Ling the only one in the vige who knows how to hunt and set up traps? That''s why I want to ask Ah Ling to set up some traps in the periphery of the mountain. This way, we won''t be afraid of big prey breaking out. Everyone can be at ease and cut some firewood in the periphery. Of course, since you''re providing thebor for the vige, the prey in the traps will still go to Ah Ling. What do you think?"


    Great-aunt looked at Mu Yangling and asked, "Considering it''s not hard to set up traps for hunting, everyone can master it after watching it a few times. Will you secretly learn Ah Ling''s skills?"


    "Of course not. Everyone knows that the Mu family is a hunter family. How can they steal your livelihood?" Old Man Sun patted his chest and said, "Don''t worry. If there''s anything that needs to be der, just instruct them to do it. They definitely won''t look at what they shouldn''t."


    However, Mu Yangling said with a smile, "Actually, it''s not a big deal for them to learn my skills. Learning another skill will also ensure their survival. I have nothing to hide. If you want to set up traps in the forest, it won''t be done in a day or two. How about this? Get them to cut down a few sections of trees first. Around 30 feet long. I still have something on today, so I''ll teach everyone tomorrow."


    Great-aunt pulled Mu Yangling''s hand, and thetter patted her handfortingly.


    Old Man Sun chuckled and said, "Alright, alright. I''ll go tell everyone now."


    "Ah Ling, I have no objections to you teaching these skills to your uncles, but why are you even teaching them to the vigers? If everyone knows how to hunt in the future, what money will our family earn?"


    "Don''t worry, Great-aunt. Even if I want to teach them, they won''t be able to master it just because they want to. Moreover, our family''s reliance on our hunting ie is reducing. It''s fine to teach them."


    Great-aunt looked at her suspiciously. "That''s definitely not the reason. Tell me honestly and I''ll consider letting you go."


    Mu Yangling smiled and said honestly, "Great-aunt, hoarding skills isn''t what''s best for a person. Instead, it''s best to disseminate them and let everyone learn and improve upon them. We''ll benefit that way even more. Of course, I''m not talking about hunting. If everyone learns to hunt, it won''t be good. The wild animals in the forest will suffer."


    "Then what do you want to do?"


    Mu Yangling was silent for a moment before saying, "I''ve always felt that hunting and fighting have something inmon. We''re living at the border now, and there are wars almost every year. Who knows when we will find ourselves facing the Hus? I just hope that everyone can have more capital to survive. Moreover, as Grandpa Sun said, it''s too cold this year and everyone doesn''t have enough firewood. If we don''t gather more, we might really freeze to death."


    "How can it be so fast? Before winter, every family prepared enough firewood to survive the winter. Even if it''s colder this year, there must be a lot left. How can it be used up?"


    "A person who doesn''t think far ahead will definitely have immediate worries. Great-aunt, we can''t wait until we run out of firewood before thinking of going up the mountain to get firewood. Xiuhong, I, and the others have been going up the mountain to get firewood every day. We still have a room full of firewood at home now."


    Great-aunt remained silent.


    Mu Yangling continued, "Since it''s not snowing yet, everyone will naturally try their best to transport firewood home. When it starts snowing and the forest is sealed, no one will be able to enter even if they want to."


    "Alright, alright. I know you''re kind. Go, go. But you have to be tough. Don''t let them think that it''s easy to take advantage of our Mu family. Don''t be as good-natured as you were at Nearhill Vige."


    "Don''t worry, Great-aunt. I know. Then I''ll go into the mountains first. I won''t being back for lunch at noon. I''ll eat in the mountains."


    As there was no snow in the mountains, Mu Yangling made a rustling sound each time she stepped on the dry leaves. She went straight into the depths of the forest to set up traps. By the time she was done, it was almost noon.


    Mu Yangling looked around for pheasants, wanting to catch one to fill her stomach.


    However, it was a little difficult to find such prey in winter. Perhaps they had caught too many rabbits this spring, so even rabbits were rare in the forest.


    In the past, Mu Yangling could find prey anywhere near the water source in winter. However, it had not snowed since winter this year. The water source in the forest was upied byrge animals, and many weak animals did not dare to go over. Mu Yangling did not dare to go over either, for she did not know where they had hidden.


    To the south was the middle section of Chef Mountain. Mu Yangling often hunted there. After thinking about it, she headed northwest. That side was close to Luocong Mountain. As there was not much vegetation on that mountain, she never went over. Perhaps she could go over and take a look today.


    Just as Mu Yangling carried the basket on her back and walked over, a pheasant pped its wings and flew to a branch. Mu Yangling''s eyes lit up. Just as she was about to pull out an arrow to shoot it, the startled pheasant flew into the dense forest. Mu Yangling could only give up on shooting and chase after it. She held her breath and originally wanted to catch up in one go before using the bow and arrow, but she felt that her lower abdomen was slightly warm. However, her footsteps were faster and she could jump forward lightly, her footsteps no longer as heavy as before.


    Mu Yangling''s heart stirred. She vaguely understood something as she chased after the pheasant. When she encountered any obstacles, she would leap over. She chased the pheasant all the way from the depths of Chef Mountain to the edge of Chef Mountain.


    If that pheasant had any mental activity, it would definitely feel extremely resentful. For this person chased after it relentlessly, even ignoring the roe deer and rabbits that passed by on the way, how much hatred did she have for it?


    Qi Haoran was originally lying on the ground and staring at the deer not far away, drooling. When he heard themotion, he snuck over to take a look and saw Mu Yangling chasing after a pheasant. Qi Haoran burst outughing and stood up to ask loudly, "Why didn''t you shoot it? You''re in the mood to chase after it?"


    Mu Yangling stepped on the ground and easily jumped onto the branch where the pheasant had been standing. Bending her waist, she dodged the branch blocking the way. Then, she jumped down and continued to chase after the pheasant.


    The smile on Qi Haoran''s face froze. Watching the scene seriously, he threw the bow in his hand to Fei Bai and got up to chase after the girl and the pheasant.

 Chapter 252 Qinggong

    252 Qinggong


    Fei Bai opened his mouth wide and asked, "Master, you''re not hunting anymore?"


    He turned back to look at the deer herd, only to find that the herd they had been waiting for all morning had long fled in shock. He sighed in frustration and could only follow.


    After all, Qi Haoran was familiar with qinggong. Coupled with his deep internal energy, he soon caught up with Mu Yangling and even rushed to the front to watch her. He carefully observed Mu Yangling''s actions and gradually realized something.


    Qi Haoran''s martial arts talent was outstanding to begin with. When he saw that Mu Yangling''s every jump had its trajectory and her footsteps became lighter, he knew that Mu Yangling hadprehended another rule.


    He had once heard from his uncle that there were many ways to achieve qinggong. One was to practice internal energy like him and then learn qinggong. With more training, one would naturally be able to achieve it. This was alsomon knowledge.


    The other method was to practice qinggong through body tempering. For example, tying heavy objects on one''s calf to practice jumping and running. As the days passed and the years passed, one should increase the weights. When one reached a limit and removed the heavy objects, they would be lighter and master qinggong.


    However, the second method was inferior to the first method, but the benefits were obvious. Those who had internal energy as the foundation would not be able to use qinggong after using up their internal energy. Unlike the second type of practitioner whereby the qinggong had already be a part of their body. As long as they could move, they would be able to utilize qinggong.


    However, this body tempering method was too difficult. One had to persevere for ten years.


    Qi Haoran looked at Mu Yangling''s pursuit with bright eyes. Her method was different from the above two methods mentioned. Instead, it seemed to be abination of the two. Although it was very subtle, he could still sense the internal energy brought about by her actions.


    She had cultivated internal energy.


    Obviously, she had figured out this method herself.


    The pheasant seemed to have reached its limit as it pped its wings and flew out. Mu Yangling chased after it relentlessly. Behind the bushes was Luocong Mountain. The weeds on the mountain were all dead, with only a few low trees growing sporadically. The panicky pheasant had flown itself into a dead end.


    Qi Haoran also flew out, followed by Mu Yangling. With a tap of her toes on the rock, she pounced forward and pressed down on the pheasant. The pheasant let out two weak cries beforepletely quietening down.


    Exhausted, Mu Yanglingy on the rock and wiped her sweat. She reached out and handed the pheasant to Qi Haoran. "Take it. I want to rest."


    Qi Haoran took it and asked, "How did youe up with this training method?"


    "By chance. I sensed it when I was chasing after the pheasant just now. I thought I was hallucinating a few days ago, but it turns out that I''ve really cultivated internal energy."


    Although she had yet to seed up till now, she had already developed a habit. Every night before sleeping, Mu Yangling would meditate and practice the internal cultivation technique that she had not made any progress in. A few days ago, she''d felt a heat in her lower abdomen and thought that she had cultivated internal energy. No matter how hard she held her breath, she could not express it. She thought that it was just her imagination, but today, she realized that it was real.


    Mu Yanglingy on the rock as she looked at the blue sky and white clouds. "I think I might have used the wrong method to use internal energy. Otherwise, why couldn''t I do it two days ago?"


    Qi Haoran smiled when he heard that. "You didn''t use the wrong method. It''s just that your internal energy isn''t enough to release the Qi to begin with." At this point, Qi Haoran became serious and said, "Since you''ve already cultivated your internal energy, things will be much smoother from now on. If you persevere every day, there will be a day when you can be an expert."


    Mu Yangling sat up and said with bright eyes, "Don''t worry. If nothing else, I don''tck perseverance and willpower. One day, I''ll be able to master qinggong to the point where I can tread on the snow without leaving a trace."


    Qi Haoran touched her forehead. "You don''t have a fever. Why are you talking nonsense? Do you think you can achieve such qinggong with your little internal energy? I''ve never heard of anyone''s qinggong allowing one to walk on the snow without leaving a trace."


    Mu Yangling said in a daze, "Isn''t that what the books say? Is there no one in the pugilistic world who can walk on the snow without leaving a trace, or float on the water or something?"


    Qi Haoran couldn''t help but hold his stomach andugh. "I told you to read fewer such books, but you didn''t listen. Those are all nonsense written by people who don''t understand. Moreover, I don''t see such characters described in any books. There must be a leverage for qinggong. For instance, on water, unless there''s a floating board or rock in the water to leverage on, how can a person float on the water?"


    "How far can you float on the water with your qinggong?"


    "If I have a good leverage point on the shore and use the water as a second leverage point, I can leap 40 feet at most." Qi Haoran patted her head earnestly and said, "So don''t believe what''s written in the books."


    However, Mu Yangling was not depressed. Instead, she said happily, "That''s good. I was originally worried that there would be such a person in the world. Wouldn''t we be very unsafe if that were the case? I''m stronger than ordinary people. If I can master qinggong on top of that, I won''t have to be afraid of anyone in the future."


    Qi Haoran said solemnly, "If you want to master it as soon as possible, the method you used today is actually not bad. You can circte your internal energy and practice your lightness at the same time. In the future, you can also tie sandbags on your feet to practice. The effect will be enhanced."


    Mu Yangling couldn''t help but pat the rock under her and said excitedly, "Then help mee up with a n. At the same time, teach me how to circte this internal energy in detail. When I was circting my internal energy just now, I didn''t dare to speak, afraid that the Qi would get disrupted if I spoke."


    This was not difficult for Qi Haoran. He waved the pheasant in his hand and said, "Then should we go back first or roast it first?"


    "Let''s eat first before going back. I''m starving." Mu Yangling had already been busy the entire morning. Coupled with the fact that she had been fully focused on chasing this pheasant, she had utilized a lot of mental and physical strength. Now, she only felt so hungry that she couldn''t walk.


    Qi Haoran found a rope from her basket and tied the poor pheasant up. Then, he said to Mu Yangling, "Then I''ll go pick up some dry firewood. Wait here."


    Mu Yangling nodded eagerly.


    When Fei Bai finally caught up, the two of them had already started a fire behind a rock. Mu Yangling was eagerly watching Qi Haoran deal with the pheasant.


    Fei Bai''s heart was about to jump out of his chest from running. When Qi Haoran saw him, he instructed him, "Where''s the kettle? Hurry up and bring it up."


    Fei Bai couldn''t even catch his breath, but he still carried Qi Haoran''s bow and ced it on the ground. He took out the kettle and washed the pheasant for Qi Haoran.


    Fei Bai looked at his master and then at Miss Mu. Thinking of their appetite, he looked pitifully at the ughtered pheasant. He was hungry too!


    Qi Haoran didn''t think of this problem, but Mu Yangling did. Hence, she searched in the basket on her back and took out the sleeve arrow that Qi Haoran had given her previously. She handed it to Fei Bai and said, "Take it to catch a pheasant or rabbit. You know how to use this, right?"


    "Yes, thank you, Miss Mu." Fei Bai received it with a smile and touched it cherishingly. This sleeve arrow was a treasure.


    Qi Haoran nced at him and said, "Don''t damage it. Hurry up ande back."


    Fei Bai responded and ran into the forest happily.


    Seeing that Qi Haoran was unfamiliar with marinating the pheasant, Mu Yangling wanted to help him. Unexpectedly, the moment she stood up, the rock behind her fell, startling the two of them.

 Chapter 253 Current Situation (1)

    253 Current Situation (1)


    Qi Haoran jumped onto the rock to take a look. He pointed at the huge rock and asked with a twitch of his lips, "Isn''t this the rock you were lying on? Did you shatter it with your palm just now?"


    Mu Yangling opened her mouth wide and said, "I controlled my strength. Did my strength increase again?"


    She lowered her head to look at the rocks, then picked them up and weighed them in her hand. "Why do I feel that these rocks look familiar?"


    "You justy on them. How can they not look familiar?" Qi Haoran reached out to pat the rocks. Seeing that none fell, he did not take it to heart and squatted down to continue roasting his pheasant.


    Mu Yangling, who had wanted to help, pinched the rock and frowned in confusion. Rocks all looked simr, but why did this particr one piqued her interest?


    Mu Yangling looked down at the ck and red rock in her hand in a daze.


    Fei Bai quickly brought back a rabbit and a pheasant and returned the sleeve arrow to Mu Yangling. "Miss Mu, thank you for lending me this sleeve arrow. The prey this year is much harder to hunt thanst year. I chased after them for a long time before catching up to these two."


    "It hasn''t snowed this year and it was drought before, so the prey is harder to hunt than in the past." Mu Yangling ced the few rocks aside and took the pheasant from Qi Haoran''s hand. "Let me do it."


    Qi Haoran was happy to rx and watch, so he threw it to Mu Yangling and sat at the side to wait. "There''s arge temple fair in Hanzhong Prefecture at the beginning of next month. Are you going?"


    "Why would I go to the temple fair?" Mu Yangling said in a daze, "Moreover, Hanzhong Prefecture is so far from my house. I don''t feel at ease leaving them at home."


    "Then bring them along." Qi Haoran said matter-of-factly, "There''s nothing much to do in the winter. You can also visit your father when you go to Hanzhong Prefecture."


    Mu Yangling''s eyes lit up and she asked, "My father is in Hanzhong Prefecture?"


    Qi Haoran nodded.


    Mu Yangling said angrily, "Then why can''t you let him rest normally? My father hasn''t been home for three months. Bosi and Kejia are going to forget how he looks soon."


    "He has a mission and can''t leave Hanzhong Prefecture easily. If you want to see him, I can arrange something for you when you go to Hanzhong Prefecture, but it''s impossible for him toe."


    Mu Yangling was silent for a moment before asking, "Is the temple fair in Hanzhong Prefecture very lively?"


    Qi Haoran nodded. "Don''t you have a lot of leather goods at home? You can sell them at this temple fair. Don''t worry, if you go to Hanzhong Prefecture, I''ll be responsible for the food and amodation."


    Mu Yangling looked at him strangely. "Why are you so keen on us going to Hanzhong Prefecture?"


    Qi Haoran nced at Fei Bai. Thetter could only pick up the pheasant and rabbit and deal with them silently. Only then did Qi Haoran say in a low voice, "Let''s make another move before the new year?"


    Mu Yangling replied equally softly, "Are you addicted to being a bandit?" Mu Yangling refused. "Aren''t you just asking to get caught if you act at this time? Don''t mess around. Big Brother Qi will be angry."


    "This time, we''ll rob the Jin soldiers."


    Mu Yangling snorted and said, "If you do it so soon, people will make associations. It won''t be good if it affects the Great Zhou. The Emperors of the Jin Kingdom and West Xia aren''t afraid of war, but our Great Zhou''s Emperor likes to seek peace. When the timees, the money and sry you lose will be enough for you to buy a horse ranch."


    "Now that West Xia and the Jin Kingdom are fighting, they might not think of us," Qi Haoran argued.


    "All the more reason not to go. It''s rare for the border to be peaceful for a period of time. Not only do the civilians have to recuperate, but the soldiers also need it. In addition, it''s almost the new year. Can you bear to send a funeral report to someone''s family at this time?" Mu Yangling persuaded. "Besides, for the horse farm, stealing horses can only resolve the urgent need. The proper way is to use money to buy foals. In two to three years, the first batch of horses will be able to mate and the horse farm will achieve a decent scale."


    "But the Jin Kingdom and West Xia might not let us live in peace for two to three years." Qi Haoran still felt that they should quickly take back the lostnd.


    On the other hand, Mu Yangling said, "Haste makes waste. General Yuan is almost 40 years old, but he''s not in a hurry. Big Brother Qi is not in a hurry either. Why are you in a hurry?" She looked to the north and said in a low voice, "The Great Zhou is not afraid of a prolonged war. Compared to West Xia and the Jin Kingdom, the Great Zhou can afford to waste more time. Moreover, even if you take back the lostnd, the Emperor might make you lose it. Just look at what happened to General Yuan. When the timees, not only will the price you pay for a quick battle not be worth it, but you will also lose even more. In that case, it''s better to take thend back slowly, a little every year. Hold on to thend you took it back and recuperate before another step forward. I don''t believe that after 10 or 20 years, you won''t be able to take back your homnd."


    Qi Haoran''s expression turned cold and solemn. "You''re coaxing me. Things change rapidly on the battlefield, and state affairs are ever-changing. Who knows what will happen tomorrow? Perhaps in a few years, the world will have changed."


    Mu Yangling looked at him in surprise and asked, "I''m surprised at your bluntness. I thought you''re loyal to the Emperor."


    "I''m loyal to the country and the world." Qi Haoran looked at Mu Yangling with bright eyes. "I know that you''re the same as me. Even if you don''t say it, you can''t hide it from me."


    Mu Yangling smiled. Indeed, she had never said anything like "the Great Zhou might notst long" in front of them. This was because themoners would scold the Emperor and ministers, but they would never speak of their country perishing. That was treason.


    Mu Yangling lowered her voice and chuckled. "Then what do you think?"


    Qi Haoran''s heart ached, but more than that, he was angry. "The Emperor is letting the officials leech off themoners like this. He would rather build a huge building than pay the military sry. How many more years can Great Zhou continue like this?"


    "It''s not the first or second day that the Great Zhou Dynasty has been like this. Hasn''t it been this way for a hundred years already?"


    Qi Haoran said angrily, "That was achieved with money."


    Every year, Great Zhou''s annual exports of coins, silk, tea leaves, and porcin to the neighboring countries ounted for arge portion of the national treasury. Then, the Imperial Court would transfer this burden to themoners. Although Qi Haoran did not know much, he often heard the discussion between Zijin and his elder brother, so he knew a lot about how such things operated.


    "Then do you think the Great Zhou will perish in the hands of other countries?"


    Qi Haoran nced at Mu Yangling. "What do you think?"


    "I feel that the Great Zhou Dynasty will die in the hands of themon people and himself. Yes, there''s also what youmonly call the Heavens." Mu Yangling said in a low voice, "In the five years after next year, the soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty will have to cross the most arduous hurdle. If they fail to cross it, the Great Zhou Dynasty will be gone."


    Qi Haoran gaped and he widened his eyes at her. Although he said that the Great Zhou Dynasty would perish, it was more of an outlet for anger and his expressing his uncertainty about the country''s future. Perhaps the Great Zhou Dynasty would perish one day, but Qi Haoran did not think that he would experience it in his lifetime.


    He blinked, closed his mouth, and looked at Mu Yangling seriously for a moment. Seeing that she was serious, he moved closer to Mu Yangling. "Tell me about it."

 Chapter 254 Current Situation (2)

    254 Current Situation (2)


    After all, Qi Haoran was still young and had been neglected by his father since he was young. He did not like to study and only liked to practice martial arts back in Lin''an Prefecture. His greatest wish was to be a general under his brother when he grew up and reim his hometown with him.


    He was more loyal to his country than the Emperor, unlike what most people thought.


    If Qi Xiuyuan heard Mu Yangling''s words, he would definitely reprimand her. If other officials heard this, they would probably arrest her.


    Since Qi Haoran was like this, Mu Yangling did not hide anything and told him her opinion. "The weakness of Great Zhou is apparent whenpared to West Xia, the Jin Kingdom and Tibet. However, our Great Zhou has abundant resources. With General Yuan, General Yang, and General Zhu guarding the borders, in addition to the fact that there is no peace between the countries, it will be very difficult to destroy Great Zhou from the outside. Therefore, if Great Zhou is to perish, it can only be destroyed from the inside."


    Sighing, she continued, "That''s why I said that the heavens are not giving the Guo family a way out. With the current climate, our Xingyuan Prefecture might not have a smooth sailing next year. There are a few other ces that have a situation as abnormal as Xingzhou Prefecture. The harvest is poor, yet the taxes have not decreased. If the Imperial Court still courts death by increasing the taxes now, what do you think will happen to themoners if they are forced to a dead end?"


    Qi Haoran squatted on the ground and pondered. Mu Yangling nimbly flipped the pheasant in her hand. When she felt that it was cooked, she tore a piece and ced it in her mouth. She split the pheasant into two and gave half to Qi Haoran. Leaning against the rock, she ate as she said, "So I feel that if I can earn money now, I should earn more and buy more grains to save up. If the world really falls into chaos, at least I can protect my family and won''t let them starve."


    Qi Haoran had been silently eating the pheasant in his hand. When Fei Bai felt that it was safe, he sneaked back and found a stick to roast the rabbit and pheasant.


    After the three of them had their fill, Qi Haoran stood up and pped his hands. "Let''s go. Fei Bai and I will help you get firewood."


    Mu Yangling asked with a smile, "How did you know that I was going to fetch firewood?"


    "When have you not dragged a few bundles of firewood down the mountain these past few days?"


    Mu Yangling tilted her head and looked at him. "How did you know?"


    "Is there anything I don''t know in my territory?"


    Mu Yangling only smiled. After gathering four bundles of firewood, Mu Yangling returned to where she was just now and picked up a few rocks. She ced them in Qi Haoran''s arms and said, "Since there''s nothing you don''t know in your territory, go and find out who the descendant of this rock is. Don''t forget to thank meter."


    With that, she strung up the four bundles of firewood with a stick and carried them away.


    "Miss Mu, let me help you tie them up." Fei Bai hurriedly chased after her. Mu Yangling waved her hand and said, "There''s no need. You should help your master pick up a few more rocks."


    Fei Bai scratched his head and asked, "Fourth Young Master, since when did Miss Mu like to joke so much?"


    Qi Haoran hugged the rock in his arms and kicked him. "What are you talking about? Hurry up and pick up more rocks."


    Fei Bai jumped away and looked at the rocks on the mountain in confusion. He muttered, "What''s the use of picking up all these rocks?" However, he still obediently went to pick up the rocks. When he saw the ck and red rocks in Qi Haoran''s arms, he specially chose rocks of this color. In the end, the two of them carried back more than ten rocks.


    Qi Haoran ced the rocks on the desk, propped his chin on his hand, and red at them. He asked, "Other than being a little ugly, what else is special about these rocks?"


    Fei Bai stood at the side and shook his head. "Master, Miss Mu might be joking with you."


    "Its descendants? Aren''t rocks'' descendants still rocks? Can gold grow out of rocks?" Qi Haoran''s eyes lit up when he heard this unintentionally. He mmed the table and shouted, "That''s right. Doesn''t gold grow out of rocks?"


    Fei Bai stuttered, "Fourth Young Master, don''t tell me you really believe it? These rocks look no different from ordinary rocks. Moreover, gold is yellow. Look, this rock is ck and red."


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and scolded, "You''re even more stupid than me. If there''s gold in the rock, can''t there be other things? For example, copper, iron, and tin. Don''t they alle from rocks? Hurry up and get a box. I''ll put them in for Big Brother to see."


    Seeing that Qi Haoran was serious, Fei Bai could only turn around and carry a box over. He said worriedly, "Master, what if this rock doesn''t have any descendants? Will Eldest Young Master me us for causing trouble for no reason?"


    "I''m very lucky. No matter what, it can''t be the case. There are so many rocks on Luocong Mountain. Could it be that every single one of them has this ''sterilization disease''?" As he spoke, he said fiercely to him, "If these few rocks can''t be refined into descendants, go up the mountain and move the rocks until you find one that can give birth to descendants."


    Fei Bai hugged a rock and cried, "Miss Mu, you''ve really harmed me this time. Good treasure, good rock, you must have many children and grandchildren."


    "Pfft!" Fan Zijin saw this scene as soon as he opened the door. He could not help butugh and ask, "How can a rock have many children and grandchildren?"


    Yanmo also teased Fei Bai with a grin. "It''s probably Brother Fei Bai who gave birth to them. That''s not right either. Brother Fei Bai is a man. Could it be that rocks bore Brother Fei Bai''s descendants?"


    "Go away, what nonsense are you spouting?" Fei Bai packed the rocks into the box and said to Fan Zijin, "Young Master Zijin, it''s good that you''re here. With a word from Miss Mu, our master was possessed. He thought that these rocks could give birth to gold, silver, or iron and copper."


    Stunned, Fan Zijin lowered his head and looked at the rocks carefully. After a while, he said, "Don''t even think about gold and silver. Though, iron might be possible."


    Qi Haoranughed out loud and looked at Fei Bai smugly. "How is it? Am I right?"


    Fei Bai said in a daze, "The rocks really can give birth to descendants?"


    Fan Zijin said in a low voice, "Don''t jump to conclusions so early. Take these to Xingzhou Prefecture and let Eldest Cousin take a look. Big Brother Rong is knowledgeable. He might know. By the way, where did you get these rocks?"


    Qi Haoran pointed outside and said, "It''s in front of our camp."


    Fan Zijin tilted his head. "In the field? Was that thrown by someone?"


    Qi Haoran revealed his white teeth, his eyes filled with smugness. "Luocong Mountain. The mountain is filled with rocks."


    Fan Zijin recalled that Luocong Mountain was filled with rocks and only had some weeds and a few low trees. It was indeed possible that it was a mine.


    However, Luocong Mountain was so close to the county. How could it not have been discovered all these years?


    Qi Haoran closed the box and said, "Let''s just verify if it''s real or fake."


    After thinking about it, Fan Zijin agreed. The few of them packed up and got into the carriage to rush to Xingzhou Prefecture. When the soldiers outside saw Fei Bai and Yanmo carrying the box, they only thought that Little General was going to give the General another gift.

 Chapter 255 Iron Mine

    255 Iron Mine


    When Qi Xiuyuan saw his brother carrying such a big box in, he raised his eyebrows and looked at them calmly.


    Rong Xuan nced at the smiling Qi Xiuyuan and asked with a beam, "Haoran, what good stuff did Zijin bring to the General this time?"


    Qi Haoran ced the box on Qi Xiuyuan''s desk. Fan Zijin quickly moved Qi Xiuyuan''s documents and other things aside.


    Fei Bai and Yanmo couldn''t help but shrink their necks and hide outside. Young Master and the others were too bold. They didn''t even know what was going on, yet they dared to move the Eldest Young Master''s documents to make room for the fewrge rocks on the desk.


    Sure enough, no matter how steady and capable the two young masters were outside, they were still like children who had seen their father in front of Eldest Young Master.


    Fei Bai and Yanmo looked at each other and felt that this analogy was very appropriate. The two of them exchanged nces and stood guard outside the study.


    The interest in Qi Xiuyuan''s eyes intensified. Rong Xuan also looked on curiously. They all thought that the two children had brought something good for Qi Xiuyuan, but who knew that when the box was opened, there were more than ten rocks inside?


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at Qi Haoran and sized him up seriously to make sure that he was not ying with him.


    Rong Xuan coughed lightly and tried his best to suppress his smile as he turned his head to the side. After a moment, when he felt that his face was serious enough, he turned around and looked at Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin. He asked, "What is this?"


    Qi Xiuyuan red at him. Even if he wanted to pretend, he should put in more effort. What was the use of keeping a straight face when the smile in his eyes was about to overflow?


    Qi Xiuyuan nced at his document and asked, "I also want to know what this is."


    "These are rocks." Qi Haoran looked at Qi Xiuyuan expectantly. "Big Brother, can''t you tell what they are?"


    Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan was about to explode, Fan Zijin quickly added, "Eldest Cousin, Haoran means that these rocks might not be ordinary. He asked if you can tell what they are."


    Qi Xiuyuan said angrily, "You guys brought it over. If you don''t know, how would I know what it is?"


    "Haha¡­" Rong Xuan couldn''t help butugh out loud. He held onto the table and asked, "What do you think these rocks are?"


    When Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin saw Rong Xuanughing like this, they were a little 10:21


    depressed. "We thought it was an ore. Mu Yangling gave me this rock and asked me what the descendants of these rocks were. Zijin also said that the rocks might be an iron mine¡­" The more Qi Haoran spoke, the more depressed he became. "So these are just ordinary rocks."


    As he spoke, he sat down on the chair beside him. "To think I rushed to the prefectural capital in a hurry, thinking that I had discovered a mountain of treasures."


    Qi Xiuyuan and Rong Xuan looked at each other and stopped smiling. They lowered their heads to look at the stones in the box. Rong Xuan even picked up a piece and looked at it carefully.


    Fan Zijin was originally dejected, but when he saw them like this, his eyes lit up again. He and Qi Haoran looked at them expectantly.


    Not an expert in such things, Qi Xiuyuan did not see anything different even after staring for a long while. He turned to look at Rong Xuan. Rong Xuan was knowledgeable. Although he had never seen iron ore, he knew what they were like based on the description written in the books. He turned the rock in his hand and its appearance really looked like what was written in the books.


    He pondered for a moment and said, "I''m not sure if it''s an ore. I have to test it. Haoran, what did Miss Mu say?"


    Compared to Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin, he and Qi Xiuyuan were obviously more inclined to believe Mu Yangling. Qi Haoran was a little unconvinced, but he still recalled carefully. "At that time, she said that this rock looked a little familiar. However, she was lying on it previously and identally shattered that rock with a p. It was no wonder she found it familiar, so I didn''t take it to heart. However, she looked at those rocks for a long time and asked me to bring these rocks along before we parted ways. She asked me to look for their descendants." Qi Haoran red and said, "How can rocks have descendants? Even if there are, aren''t they still rocks? Unless it''s ores that can give birth to gold, silver, and the like."


    Qi Xiuyuan and Rong Xuan looked at each other. Qi Xiuyuan said in a low voice, "Ah Xuan, carry out the test immediately. Don''t spread this matter yet. Haoran, how many people know about this?"


    "There''s only the few of us, Fei Bai, Yanmo, and Mu Yangling."


    "Mu Yangling knows the severity of the matter and is also tight-lipped. She won''t tell anyone. There''s no need to give her special instructions. Go and call Fei Bai and Yanmo in."


    After instructing Fei Bai and Yanmo, Qi Xiuyuan left with the box of rocks and Rong Xuan. Qi Haoran watched as they disappeared. "Zijin, do you think it''s an ore?"


    "I don''t know, but since Mu Yangling said that, it''s very likely." Although he didn''t like Mu Yangling, Fan Zijin had to admit that she was reliable.


    "If it''s iron ore," Qi Haoran drooled and said, "then we won''t have to beg the Ministry of War and Ministry of Revenue for our weapons in the future."


    "Nah." Fan Zijin said, "The iron ore should belong to the Imperial Court. Even if it''s confirmed to be iron ore, Eldest Cousin might not be able to keep it. Unless," Fan Zijin looked at Qi Haoran and said, "it''s private mining."


    Qi Haoran frowned. "Then wouldn''t my 5th Division have to move?"


    This silly boy''s focus was always on the wrong thing. Fan Zijin was so angry that he did not want to talk to him anymore. He turned around and left.


    "Hey, where are you going?"


    "Eat. Aren''t you hungry?"


    Only then did Qi Haoran realize that it was already dark outside. His stomach growled and he hurriedly chased after Fan Zijin. "I''lle along too."


    Qi Xiuyuan and Rong Xuan disappeared for a day and a half. When they reappeared, their eyes were bloodshot, but they were in high spirits. Qi Xiuyuan brought Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin to the study and whispered excitedly, "It''s an iron mine. Furthermore, it''s an iron mine with a high iron content. Oh right, Haoran, where did you find it?"


    Rong Xuan looked at him excitedly.


    "It''s on Luocong Mountain."


    "Luocong Mountain?" Rong Xuan''s eyes lit up as he clenched his fists and said, "That''s right. Luocong Mountain is filled with rocks, with only some weeds and low bushes growing upon it. This is one of the signs of iron ore."


    "Is the entire mountain filled with iron ore?" Qi Xiuyuan asked.


    Rong Xuan said, "We''ll only know after a field investigation. Haoran, what did Miss Mu say?"


    "She didn''t say anything, but there are plenty of rocks like that up on the mountain."


    "That''s great. Xiuyuan, if the iron ore on Luocheng Mountain is abundant, it will be a great merit should we report it to the Imperial Court."


    Also beaming, Qi Xiuyuan nodded. "Let''s investigate first, then I''ll write the memorial."


    Qi Haoran said unhappily, "Why must we report this to the Imperial Court? Big Brother, my 5th Division is at the foot of Luocheng Mountain. It took me a lot of effort to build it to this scale. Once the Imperial Courtes, I definitely have to move. Where can I find such a good ce?"


    However, Fan Zijin said, "Eldest Cousin, the court is a little chaotic now. I heard that many aristocratic families have colluded with officials to mine privately. If we report this mine, it''s not certain if it will fall into the hands of the Imperial Court. Why don''t we put this matter aside and investigate the situation on the mountain first?"

 Chapter 256 Thoughts

    256 Thoughts


    Rong Xuan thought about how the application for military supplies was being dyed. He pondered for a moment and said, "Chengde, Zijin and Haoran are right. Let''s put this matter aside for now. There''s no hurry to report it. The fields of the 5th Division are all over there, and we nned to use them to nt corn next year. It''s not certain if thend will still be ours after we report it."


    Qi Xiuyuan knew what Rong Xuan and the rest were thinking. He looked at his brother and Zijin and waved his hand. "Alright, we''ll take care of things from here. Go and rest."


    "Big Brother." Qi Haoran was about to say something when Fan Zijin stopped him. He could only swallow the words that were on the tip of his tongue and leave with Fan Zijin.


    After they left, Qi Xiuyuan sat on the chair and said with a headache, "I know what you mean. If this wasn''t an iron mine, I might have swallowed it myself. However, we can''t touch gold, silver, iron, and copper. Jinyu, don''t forget that I''m a general leading the troops. As long as I get involved with this, if the Imperial Court so much as catches a whiff of this, I won''t be able to escape the charge of rebellion."


    The Emperor was most wary of generals nowadays, and things like gold, silver, copper, and iron were sensitive to begin with. If sensitive people touched sensitive things, even if they did not have such thoughts, the Emperor would definitely kill them.


    Qi Xiuyuan only wanted to have a smooth official career and reim his homnd. He did not want to rebel.


    Rong Xuan was silent for a moment before he smiled and said, "I understand. It''s not that we''re not reporting it now, but we haven''t confirmed the news yet, so we''re not reporting it yet. Chengde, Haoran''s 5th Division isn''t dispensable now. Even if it''s to protect the fields under the 5th Division, we can just don''t touch these ores."


    "Let me think about it," Qi Xiuyuan said tiredly.


    Rong Xuan stood up. "You''ve been up all day and night. Rest first. I''ll go back and sleep too."


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded. Rong Xuan came out and turned to go to Qi Haoran. Fan Zijin was also in his room. The two of them looked at him eagerly. Smiling, Rong Xuan said, "Your big brother agreed to consider it. Haoran, although I''ve carefully investigated Luocong Mountain, from the situation you mentioned and the looks of it, there should be a lot of mineral resources. Although we won''t report it, we won''t mine it either. So you have to watch carefully. Don''t let anyone take away the rocks on the mountain under your nose."


    "Don''t worry, Brother Rong. I''ll get someone to keep an eye on the mountain."


    "Alright, I''ll go back and rest first. I''ll bring people to the mountain to take a look in two days. It''s best if I find a good excuse."


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, "Why don''t you use the excuse of hunting? There''s a lot of prey on Chef Mountain. We can enter the mountain to surround the deer herd."


    "That''s a good excuse. I''ll mention it to your big brotherter." Rong Xuan bade farewell and left. He also had his own room in the General''s Mansion. As he was too tired, he couldn''t be bothered to return home and simply slept in the General''s Mansion.


    However, after lying on the bed, he could not fall asleep.


    Xiuyuan was focused on recovering the country, but Rong Xuan himself was not as confident as him. The Emperor had always been wary of generals. General Yuan came from a poor family and did not have any siblings. He was a person with no foundation to begin with. The Emperor would not be at ease using such a person. Furthermore, Qi Xiuyuan had a family, his younger brother was quite talented in war, and his external family was the Zhu family, who controlled a military power. The Emperor would probably be even more worried about using such a person.


    Rong Xuan was Qi Xiuyuan''s Military Advisor, so he naturally had to think more about the West Camp and Qi Xiuyuan. If they could have an iron mine in their hands, they would be even less restrained by the Imperial Court.


    Oblivious that the few rocks she had asked Qi Haoran to bring along could cause so much trouble, Mu Yangling was leading people to set up traps in the forest at the moment. As they wanted to stop big wild beasts from leaving the mountain and this area was too big, there were many traps to be set up.


    Mu Yangling exined to them as she set up the trap. After setting up thest trap, Mu Yangling straightened her back and said, "Alright, I don''t know if this can stop all the ferocious beasts, but it should be of some use. However, if you want to enter the mountains to gather firewood, it''s best to enter the mountains in groups. Not too big a group though. Five to ten people per group. This way, we can guarantee the number of people and not lose people."


    "But even if there are many people entering the mountains, as long as we encounter ferocious beasts, there will still be casualties." Frowning, Old Man Sun said, "I''m afraid that wild beasts will hurt people. There aren''t many able-bodied men left in our vige. If anything happens to any family, we won''t be able to save them in time."


    Mu Yangling said, "For ordinary ferocious beasts, such as wild boars, as long as you don''t provoke them, they won''t take the initiative to attack people. If you encounter wolves, show your aura first and get people to shout loudly. I''m usually in the vige or in the forest. As soon as I hear it, I''ll rush over immediately. If you encounter ck bears and female tigers, don''t call me because I don''t have the ability to help. Split up and escape. But I reckon everyone''s luck won''t be so bad."


    Everyoneughed. Bowen ran up from the foot of the mountain, panting. "Sister, Sister


    ¡ª"


    Mu Yangling turned around and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "Sister, hurry up and go down the mountain. General Qi and the others are here and are looking for you."


    Old Man Sun''s eyes lit up. He quickly pushed Mu Yangling and said, "Then, Ah Ling, go quickly. We''ll just pack this up."


    "Then be careful. Don''t step into your own trap."


    "Don''t worry. Go quickly. Don''t let the General wait too long."


    Old Man Sun and the others watched Mu Yangling and her brother leave. Someone said enviously, "Ah Ling''s rtionship with General Qi''s family is really good. Not only does Little Generale to look for her often, but General Qi also has to visit the Mu family when hees over. I heard that Mu Shi now holds an important position in Hanzhong Prefecture."


    "Isn''t that so? Who in our vige doesn''te home once every three months? Now that Mu Shi is ced in an important position in Hanzhong Prefecture, I''m afraid he won''t be able toe back even once in half a year."


    "Hey, do you think Mu Shi has another home in Hanzhong Prefecture?" someone asked gloatingly.


    "Do you think Mu Shi is like you? Don''t you see how much Mu Shi dotes on his wife? She''s so precious to him."


    "Speaking of Mu Shi''s wife, despite having been her neighbor for a year, I haven''t really seen what she looks like. Last time, during their first birthday celebration, she was either in the kitchen, or surrounded by people from Liu n when she dide out. All I saw was the top of her head from outside. Sigh, have any of you seen Mu Shi''s wife?"


    Old Man Sun looked at them coldly and said, "Go on, continue. Mu Yangling''s ears are very sharp and she might just hear this. Are you tired of living?"


    The crowd instantly fell silent. Someone chuckled and said, "Uncle Sun, isn''t everyone just joking?" When a group of men gathered together, other than talking about work in the fields, didn''t they have to talk about women?


    Old Man Sun snorted and said, "Don''t me me for not reminding you. That eldest daughter of the Mu family doesn''t have a good temper. She usually smiles and doesn''t argue with you because she hasn''t encountered anything that she can argue with you about. If she does, no one can rest in peace. Also, that cousin of hers has a sharp tongue. Go ahead and say whatever you want after I leave."


    After saying that, he left with his hands behind his back. As soon as Old Man Sun left, everyone winked and didn''t dare to continue this topic. They packed their things and went down the mountain.

 Chapter 257 Family Friends

    257 Family Friends


    Qi Xiuyuan was sitting with his men at the Mu family''s house. He took a look at the Mu family''s new house and smiled. "This house is not bad. Is it warm to live in?"


    "It''s quite warm." Shu Wanniang made tea for Qi Xiuyuan and asked with a smile, "General, why are you looking for Ah Ling?"


    "Auntie, you don''t have to be so polite. Just call me Xiuyuan." Qi Xiuyuan paused for a moment and said, "You can call me Chengde."


    Shu Wanniang nced at the things that Qi Xiuyuan had brought and couldn''t figure out what he meant. Were they bing family families who visited each other from time to time? However, her husband was just a soldier under Qi Haoran. Although her daughter had a good rtionship with Qi Haoran, the Mu family''s family background was too different.


    While Shu Wanniang was still in shock, Qi Xiuyuan had already straightened his back and leaned forward slightly. "Auntie Mu, I came this time to officially make the two families interact with each other." Seeing Shu Wanniang looking at him warily, he smiled and said, "Uncle Mu is very capable, and Ah Ling is also extremely bright. Our families have interacted with each other for the past two years. The Mu family should have a certain understanding of the Qi family, right? I like Ah Ling very much and treat her like a younger sister."


    Shu Wanniang asked nervously, "So?"


    Qi Xiuyuan''s eyes shed with a smile. He looked at Shu Wanniang seriously and said, "I''m busy with work and in the prefectural capital, so it''s inevitable that I can''t take care of Haoran. That child is a tyrant and has a stubborn temper. He doesn''t listen to anyone. Only the words of his cousin, Zijin, and I can enter his ears. Ah Ling is on good terms with him, so he heeds a little of what she says. Therefore, I want to ask Auntie and Ah Ling to help me pay more attention to this child in the future. If he does anything out of line, please advise him."


    Although he said that he was inviting Shu Wanniang and Mu Yangling to pay attention, he was actually only inviting Mu Yangling alone.


    Shu Wanniang heaved a sigh of relief and agreed with a smile. "Don''t worry, General. I''ll talk to Ah Ling. Actually, I think Little General is quite sensible."


    "You don''t have to call him that since he''s just a child. Just call him Haoran in the future." As he spoke, he looked at Fei Bai. Fei Bai immediately handed over the gift he had prepared earlier. There were two high-grade crystal clear jade pendants, three white and wless jade pendants, and a pair of sparkling white jade bracelets. The jade pendants were for Bowen and Bosi, the white jade pendants were for Xiuhong, Xin, and Kejia, and the jade bracelet was for Mu Yangling.


    Once they epted these gifts, the Mu and Qi families would have an extraordinary rtionship in the future, and be considered family friends, even though the Qi family was out of the Mu family''s league.


    Shu Wanniang only paused for a moment before epting it. Actually, she had no choice but to ept it. The Mu family was already dependent on the Qi family to begin with. It was already a blessing that the Qi family was willing to set aside their status and interact as if they were equals.


    Shu Wanniang took the gift and smiled. "Then I''ll take advantage of my seniority for once. In the future, I will call you Chengde."


    With a smile in his eyes, Qi Xiuyuan stood up and bowed to Shu Wanniang. When Mu Yangling ran in, she happened to see this scene. She scratched her head in confusion and asked, "What happened?"


    Qi Xiuyuan turned around to look at her and asked with a smile, "You''re back? Didn''t you see Haoran outside?"


    "No, Big Brother Qi, why are you here?"


    "I came to Chef Mountain to hunt. Haoran said that he would look for you whenever he wanted to enter the mountain, so I came to look for you."


    Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin were looking at ckie in the backyard. When they heard the voice ahead, they stood up and came out. Seeing Rong Xuan standing alone in the courtyard and looking up at the sky, they also looked up at the sky. After a while, they still didn''t see anything. When they retracted their gazes, they realized that Rong Xuan was looking at them with interest.


    Qi Haoran asked, "Brother Rong, what are you looking at?"


    "At the sky."


    Fan Zijin nced at the sky again and asked, "What''s wrong with the sky?"


    "The heavens are blind." Rong Xuan turned around and walked into the house. "Alright, go in. Miss Mu is already back. By the way, the Mu and Qi families are family friends now. You have to be more respectful to the Mu family. Otherwise, be careful that your Big Brother will deal with youter."


    As they spoke, Mu Yangling walked out with Qi Xiuyuan with a bow and arrow on her back. "Aren''t we going hunting? Let''s go."


    Shu Wanniang hurriedly chased after her and said, "Do eat first before going."


    "No need. We were just thinking of settling our meal in the mountains," Qi Xiuyuan said. "It''s gettingte. If we enter the mountains now, we probably won''te back tonight. Auntie, don''t worry. We''ll take good care of Ah Ling."


    Shu Wanniang didn''t expect them to spend the night in the mountains hunting. After all, her daughter was a girl. How could this be convenient? She hurriedly turned to look at her daughter.


    However, Mu Yangling waved her hand and said, "Mother, go back quickly. Let Big Brother Qi''s men stay in the front yard tonight. I''ll stay in the forest for a night at most. It''ll be fine."


    Seeing her daughter''s calm expression, it was obvious to Shu Wanniang that she had made up her mind. "Then be careful." She watched them leave anxiously, still feeling a little uneasy. Why did Qi Xiuyuan suddenly think of making the two families be family friends?


    Not many people were brought into the mountain by Qi Xiuyuan. Other than Rong Xuanhao and Zijin, there were only Fei Bai, Yanmo, two servants, two guards, and an old man who had been lowering his head in silence.


    Mu Yangling took a few more nces at the old man. He looked to be in his forties, but be blocked and no one will notice."


    15:14


    he was energetic and his eyes were bright. It was obvious that he was in good health.


    Mu Yangling nced at his limbs and stopped in her tracks. She turned around and said, "Big Brother Qi, let''s go up the mountain from there. I rarely go to that forest. There should be a lot of prey there."


    That was the intersection between Chef Mountain and Luocong Mountain.


    What a clever girl!


    Qi Xiuyuan said with a smile in his eyes, "You''re the guide, so we naturally listen to you."


    Qi Haoran could not help but roll his eyes. There were only a few of them standing in the endless field and no one could eavesdrop. Everyone present knew what they were going to do. They could just say that they were going to Luocong Mountain to look at the minerals. Why did they have to make up such an excuse?


    Fan Zijin elbowed him to indicate to him not to say anything else and to follow obediently.


    Mu Yangling led them straight into the mountain. After entering the deep forest, they continued to walk down. Qi Haoran wiped the sweat off his forehead and asked, "Why are we going further in?"


    Mu Yangling said, "Not only is Chef Mountain long, but it''s also wide enough. Of course, we have to go further."


    "You want to pass through Chef Mountain?" Qi Haoran red at her and said, "After Chef Mountain is the territory of the Jin Kingdom. This Chef Mountain is not small. Wouldn''t it take us more than two days? Furthermore, there isn''t a route."


    "I didn''t say that I was going to pass through Chef Mountain. I''m just bringing you to the other side of Luocong Mountain." Since they were in the deep forest, Mu Yangling didn''t like to beat around the bush anymore. She said directly, "Luocong Mountain isn''t small either. Not to mention its length, its width is half that of Chef Mountain. After that is another mountain range. Aren''t you going to check the situation of the mineral resources? Then you have to take a look at everything, right? Now, Luocong Mountain is almost equivalent to a naked mountain. It''s obvious if you stand on it."


    Mu Yangling looked up at the surroundings and said after seeing the mark she had made, "Let''s go. We''ll reach a junction not far away. Let''s go out from there. That ce slightly exceeds the top of Luocong Mountain. If we go out from there, our figures will be blocked and no one will notice."


    Qi Xiuyuan took a closer look and finally found a mark in an inconspicuous ce on the ground. Only then did he know that Mu Yangling had done her homework in advance. He asked, "Ah Ling, you already knew that this was an iron mine mountain?"

 Chapter 258 - 258: Patrolling the Mountain

    Chapter 258: Patrolling the Mountain


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I rarelye here. I only discovered those rocks thest time I came with Haoran.¡± Mu Yangling paused for a moment before smiling. ¡°At that time, I just felt that those rocks looked familiar. After thinking for a long time, I remembered what I read about iron ore in the books, but I wasn¡¯t certain, so I asked Haoran to take them back and take a look.¡±


    ¡°Then why did youe to scout ahead of time?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? She must think that there¡¯s a high chance that this ce is an iron mine, and that we¡¯ll definitelye back to look for her when the timees. So, she should do some homework in advance, right? Anyway, she has to enter the forest to hunt every day, so it was just on her way back.¡± With a frown, Qi Haoran said, ¡°Big Brother, stop asking questions. Let¡¯s hurry up and make something to eat after we go out. I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Qi Xiuyuan red at his brother.


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and smiled as she led the way.


    After they left the forest, they arrived at the other side of the Luocong Mountain. The old man went into the mountain with two guards. Qi Xiuyuan nced at him and waved his hand. ¡°Alright, let them take a look. Let¡¯s hunt some prey to fill our stomachs first.


    Fan Zijin looked at Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling. Mu Yangling picked up her bow


    and smiled. ¡°You guys sit here first. I¡¯ll go hunt.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately grabbed his bow and arrow and jumped off the rock.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nced at them and waved his hand with a smile. ¡°Alright, go ahead. We¡¯ll start a fire here and wait for you.¡±


    Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling entered the forest together. Fan Zijin picked up a leather kettle and said, ¡°Eldest Cousin, I¡¯ll go nearby to see if there¡¯s any water.¡± ¡°Bring Fei Bai and Yanmo along. If you can¡¯t find it, juste back. Ah Ling brought two cans of water with her in the basket. It should be enough.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Rong Xuan smiled and said, ¡°We still have to stay here for a day and a night. This bit of water is not enough for so many people. Let¡¯s find a water source. But it doesn¡¯t matter if we can¡¯t find it. Since Miss Mu is familiar with the forest, we can ask herter. She probably knows.¡±


    ¡ö¡öYou¡¯re the only one who likes to be clean. I didn¡¯t see you being so particr when we were at war in the past, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because it couldn¡¯t be helped and I have no choice but to adapt. Now that there might be better conditions, why should I settle?¡± Rong Xuan looked at a corner on the mountain and gestured. ¡°I can tolerate it, but Old Master


    Chen might not be able to.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯S not as particr as you. When we cross the mountains, it¡¯s not inferior to the hardships of war.¡± Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand and asked Fan Zijin to bring Fei Bai and Yanmo away. As he and Rong Xuan picked up firewood, he asked, ¡°Luocong Mountain is not small. How long do you think this secret can be kept?¡±


    ¡°Haoran¡¯s <sub>5</sub>th Division is here, and Xingzhou Prefecture is our West Camp¡¯s territory. As long as we want to keep it a secret, we can.¡±


    Mu Yangling led Qi Haoran through the forest. In the end, she squatted on the grass and looked at a mark beside her. She asked, ¡°Will roe deer do? One is enough to feed us for an entire day.


    ¡°My big brother has a big appetite. There being so many of us, one roe deer is just enough for one meal. How can it be enough for a day? Besides, won¡¯t you get tired of just eating roe deer?¡± Qi Haoran lowered his voice and said, ¡°I want to eat venison.¡±


    ¡°No hunting deer takes too long. Besides, where can I find the deer herd?¡± She pointed at the marks on the ground and said, ¡°I can only find roe deer. If you want to eat venison, enter the mountain next time. Let s go!


    Qi Haoran could only follow. As he walked, he muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll get Big Brother to let me go into the mountains to hunt tomorrow. We don¡¯t know how to mine minerals, so what¡¯s the use of us tagging along? Moreover, since we¡¯re using the excuse of going into the mountains to hunt, we can¡¯t leave the mountains empty-handed, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right You can mention it to Big Brother Qi when we get out.¡± Mu Yangling tugged at Qi Haoran and hid behind a tree. She stuck her head out and looked around. A roe deer was lowering its head and eating grass. From time to time, it would look up and look around vigntly. Seeing that the other party was quiet, it lowered its head and resumed eating grass.


    Mu Yangling looked at Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran took an arrow and nocked it on the bow. just as he was about to pull the bowstring, the roe deer suddenly ran away as if it had been frightened. Mu Yangling chased after it without thinking. Qi Haoran cursed in a low voice and ran as well. His speed was faster than Mu Yangling¡¯s. With a few light leaps, he leaped past Mu Yangling and ran ahead of her. The arrow on the bow left the bow and shot straight into the roe deer¡¯s neck. After falling to the ground from the impact, the roe deer raised its head slightly and wailed. Then, it struggled a few times before dying.


    Qi Haoran handed the bow and arrow to Mu Yangling and carried the roe deer on his back. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Let me carry it. I¡¯m stronger.


    ¡ö¡öNo, I¡¯m a man. With me around, how can I let you carry this? Hurry up and leave! Don¡¯t dawdle.¡±


    Seeing that he could manage, but his round face was still slightly childish, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips and smile. She happily agreed and carried her bow and arrow as she followed behind him.


    After walking for a while, Qi Haoran suddenly stopped and said in a muffled voice, ¡°How can I talk to you if you¡¯re standing at the back? Walk in front.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Mu Yangling had no choice but to walk in front and ask, ¡°What do you want to tell me?¡±


    Qi Haoran secretly heaved a sigh of relief. After thinking for a long time, he asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask youst time if you were going to the temple fair in Hanzhong Prefecture? How is it? Have you decided?


    ¡°I¡¯ve asked my mother. She said that as long as you can arrange for us to meet my father, we can hire a carriage and stay in Hanzhong Prefecture for a few days beforeing back.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s so boring to stay in one ce all the time. You don¡¯t have to hire a carriage though. Just use our Qi Manor¡¯s. Come with us when the timees.¡± ¡°But let me make things clear first. Although I¡¯m going to Hanzhong Prefecture, I won¡¯t do that kind of business with you anymore.


    ¡°I know, I know. Big Brother doesn¡¯t agree either.¡± Qi Haoran was a little disappointed. He said regretfully, ¡°I have almost 400 horses now. As long as I have another too horses, I can build a cavalrymen camp.


    When the two of them walked out of the forest, Fan Zijin had already returned with water. Qi Xiuyuan had also started the fire. Qi Haoran threw the roe deer to the ground and asked, ¡°Where is the water? If it¡¯s not far, we can take the roe deer there to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°NO, there are often ferocious beasts there. What if they smell blood and rush over?¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Pick up a clean rock and set it aside. I¡¯ll skin and shave the roe deer. Even if there¡¯s not much water, I can clean it up.¡¯


    Qi Xiuyuan kicked his brother and said, ¡°Go and help. Learn from her. It¡¯ll be useful in the future.¡±


    Qi Haoran took out his dagger to help. After they skewered the roe deer meat with a stick and hung it over the fire to roast, Old Master Chen returned with two guards. They each carried a few rocks.


    Qi Xiuyuan hurriedly went forward to receive it personally. Old Master Chen took the opportunity to let him carry everything. He nced at the roe deer on the fire and said, ¡°You guys sure know how to enjoy life. However, this roe deer is old and doesn¡¯t taste good. Gazelle on the grasnd is the tastiest. Not only are they fat, but they¡¯re also tender. Be it stewed, stir-fried, or roasted, they¡¯re delicious regardless of the preparation method. After applying some chili and cumin, they¡¯ll be even more delicious.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Cumin?¡±


    Old Master Chen looked at Mu Yangling and smiled. ¡°Youngdy, you don¡¯t recognize it, right? That thing came from overseas with the corn and chili. Unfortunately, because of the corn, the things that came in with it have also been beaten into the abyss. Actually, I think cumin is quite delicious, but everyone isn¡¯t used to it..¡±

 Chapter 259 - 259: Delicious

    Chapter 259: Delicious


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Other than him, no one else had eaten the stuff he mentioned. Mu Yangling had eaten it in her previous life, but she had never even seen it in this life.


    She wasn¡¯t particrly interested in cumin. What she was interested in was chili. She had loved spicy food in her previous life. ¡°Then, Old Master Chen, do you have these things on you now?¡±


    Mu Yangling had once asked the merchants about chili, and many of them knew about it. Even the merchants from Chuangui liked to eat it, but because they knew that the people in the north didn¡¯t like it, they didn¡¯t bring any seeds with them. Some people did carry chili powder with them, but they only cared about eating it themselves. Most importantly, Mu Yangling wanted seeds, not stir-fried chili powder.


    Old Master Chen smiled and turned around to take the cloth bag he carried with him. Smiling, he said, ¡°I do have it on me.¡± He took out his things. Not only was there chili powder and cumin in a cloth bag, but there was also salt and even a small bottle of sauce.


    Mu Yangling was speechless. ¡°Old Master Chen, you really have everything one could need.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m used to it. I¡¯ve traveled extensively. Sometimes, I¡¯ll go out for months or even a year and a half. When I can¡¯t find a shop or a vige, I¡¯ll have to sleep in the wild. Naturally, I have to carry this seasoning bag with me.¡±


    Although Mu Yangling had also brought seasoning bags, there was only oil and salt.


    She brought Old Master Chen¡¯s things over and found a dented stone to wash it clean. Then, she poured some oil in, added salt, chili, and Old Master Chen¡¯s sauce, and found a tree branch. She took out a dagger and divided one end into locks. Old Master Chen said in surprise, ¡°Youngdy, you have good knife skills.¡±


    ¡°I honed this skill by making brushes in the wild.¡± Mu Yangling waved her hand and shook off the broken splinters. She dipped the newly made brush in seasoning, and brushed it on the roe deer¡¯s meat. As she brushed, she turned it. With her incredible strength, she could turn it with one hand, even though it usually required two people to do it together. This made Old Master Chen take a few nces at her.


    Qi Xiuyuan and the others were already used to it. Even the two guards only took a nce before calmly turning their heads away.


    The roe deer meat was roasted very quickly. Roasted with oil, the fragrance kept wafting out through theyer of meat that Mu Yangling had brushed with oil. Even Qi Xiuyuan, who was not very hungry, and Rong Xuan, who was more particr, stopped talking and sat around her.


    Qi Haoran squatted beside Mu Yangling and helped her carry the stone as he watched eagerly.


    Seeing that he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the food, Mu Yangling nced at Qi Xiuyuan and stuffed a de-full of meat into Qi Haoran¡¯s mouth. It was already dusk, and the temperature was dropping rapidly. However, even so, Qi Haoran was still scalded. Then, he squatted down and puffed up his mouth to eat. The slightly spicy stimtion exploded on his taste buds.


    He looked at Mu Yangling with sparkling eyes and eximed in a low voice, ¡°Delicious!¡±


    Fan Zijin red at the two of them angrily. Qi Xiuyuan and Rong Xuan pretended not to see it. Old Master Chen looked at Qi Haoran and then at Mu Yangling. He shook his head andughed. Then, he sat on the rock and closed his eyes to rest.


    When Qi Haoran saw Fan Zijin ring at him, he said to Mu Yangling, ¡°Give some to Zijin.¡±


    Zijin snorted coldly. Was he angry because of that? He was angry because¡­.


    Fan Zijin¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He suddenly did not know why he was angry. In any case, he was angry.


    Mu Yangling nced at him and pretended not to hear him. She smiled at Qi Xiuyuan and the others. ¡°Old Master Chen, Big Brother Qi, it¡¯s done. Everyone, gather around and eat.¡±


    Everyone carried a dagger. Even Old Master Chen took out a knife from his waist, so they each used their own knives to cut and eat. They continued roasting meat while eating. Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran helped brush the seasonings and rotate the skewers. They were so busy that soon, sweat broke out on the tip of their noses.


    Fan Zijin sat beside Qi Haoran and suddenly realized that he was excluded from the atmosphere between the two of them. This had never happened before. When Qi Xiuyuan looked over, he saw that his expression did not look good. Following his gaze, he realized that Fan Zijin was looking at Haoran and Mu Yangling. The two of them cooperated well, and his younger brother would cut a piece of meat for Mu Yangling from time to time. As Mu Yangling stuffed it into her mouth, she twirled the stick in her hand and even added seasoning¡­


    After a while, Mu Yangling would cut a few pieces of meat for Qi Haoran or wipe the sweat off his forehead.


    Qi Xiuyuan retracted his gaze silently. A momentter, he shook his head and smiled. Why was he thinking so much? He himself hadn¡¯t even gotten engaged yet, and his brother was still young. He decided to see what the situation was like in a few years.


    Realizing that Qi Xiuyuan was not listening to him at all, Rong Xuan nudged him and asked, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. What did you just say?¡±


    Rong Xuan followed his gaze and looked at Qi Haoran, Mu Yangling, and the others. ¡°Old Master Chen said that the area he walked in this afternoon was all filled with iron ore. However, we have to dig to know how much there is underneath. Moreover, the ce he walked to isn¡¯t far, and Luocong Mountain isn¡¯t small. If we dig further, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to finish it in a day tomorrow. Xiuyuan, we can¡¯t stay away from the West Camp for too long.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll go back tomorrow. We¡¯ll just send two more people to help.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Old Master Chen said, ¡°With the help of these two youngds, it¡¯s enough. General Qi, it won¡¯t be a secret anymore if more people know about it.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan smiled. ¡°As long as Old Master Chen isn¡¯t afraid of hard work, there¡¯s no problem on our side.¡±


    Old Master Chen waved his hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m used to living like this. Furthermore, you even sent two people to help me, so it¡¯s not hard.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan stood up and bowed. ¡°Thank you, Old Master Chen.¡±


    Old Master Chen waved his hand and turned to Mu Yangling with a smile. ¡°Youngdy, help me brush more chili on this side. This little bit of spiciness isn¡¯t spicy enough.¡±


    As Qi Xiuyuan and the others were used to eating lighter vors, this level of spiciness was just right for them. At this moment, they were already sweating profusely from eating. When they heard that Old Master Chen wanted more spicy food, they couldn¡¯t help but click their tongues.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t dare to eat food that was too spicy, too. After all, in these ten years, she hadn¡¯t eaten chili, and most of the spicy food she ate was ginger. Mu Yangling walked over to Old Master Chen and brushed ayer of red chili powder on his meat. She asked again, ¡°Do you want to sprinkle some cumin?¡± Old Master Chen looked at her in surprise. ¡°Youngdy, do you know how to eat these two things? I think you¡¯re very proficient when ites to matching the spices, but don¡¯t the people in Xingzhou Prefecture not like to eat them? Some people have never even heard of them.¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°My mother knows. Moreover, I often interact with those merchants. I heard them mention it before, that¡¯s how I know how these two spices should be used.¡±


    Although Old Master Chen didn¡¯t believe her, he didn¡¯t probe further. Brother Qi Xiuyuan trusted her, so why should he worry about this for them?


    Rong Xuan nced at Qi Xiuyuan, who shook his head slightly. Rong Xuan didn¡¯t say anything else. As for Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin, they were already used to Mu Yangling knowing things that others didn¡¯t.


    At night, everyone set up camp here. As Rong Xuan and Qi Xiuyuan stood at a high ce and looked down at them setting up the tent, he said, ¡°Miss Mu is clearly just a hunter¡¯s daughter, but she always knows something that others don¡¯t. I heard that she even helped Haoran train the scout team together..¡±

 Chapter 260 - 260: Beg

    Chapter 260: Beg


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Beaming, Qi Xiuyuan asked, ¡°What are you worried about?¡±


    Rong Xuan nced at him and said, ¡°You¡¯re so carefree.¡±


    ¡°The Mu family has its own secrets. As long as it¡¯s harmless to us, we don¡¯t have to investigate.¡± Qi Xiuyuan looked down at Mu Yangling and the other two and said, ¡°Mu Yangling has a good temperament. I¡¯m more at ease if Haoran and Zijin hang out with her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Haoran has grown quite a lot in the past two years and Zijin has not continued his crooked ways. So you n to continue to ignore the letters from your father and Old Master Fan and leave the two of them here?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡°Otherwise should I let them go back and be bullied? Do nothing every day and cause trouble? If they stay here¡­¡± At the thought that his brother was focused on the military camp and reiming his homnd, and that Zijin had his own direction, Qi Xiuyuan could not help butugh. These two children had really been acting like adults for the past two years.


    Although Qi Xiuyuan felt that they were overreaching, he still decided to leave the two of them here. He didn¡¯t want to see two profligate sons when he returned to the capital.


    Everyone stayed overnight in the tent. The next morning, Qi Xiuyuan got someone to pack up. They were going into the mountains to hunt.


    Since he was using hunting as an excuse, he had to leave the mountain with some prey.


    Mu Yangling was in charge of leading the way. When they left the mountain in the afternoon, everyone¡¯s hands were upied. Mu Yangling dragged a deer using a makeshift mop and carried a wild boar on her shoulder. Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran also carried a deer. Even Rong Xuan and Fan Zijin were not empty-handed and were carrying some small prey.


    After sending the things back to the Mu family, Qi Xiuyuanughed out loud and said happily, ¡°It¡¯s indeed satisfying. I¡¯ve never been so happy when hunting in the past. No wonder Haoran likes to hunt with you. Ah Ling, if Ie over to hunt next time, can you lead the way for us?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded with a smile.


    ¡°Alright, Fei Bai, go get someone to bring the prey back.¡± Qi Xiuyuan only chose a deer and some small prey. The rest, he left for Mu Yangling.


    However, Mu Yangling waved her hand and said, ¡°Big Brother Qi, you don¡¯t have to leave so many things for me. My family can¡¯t finish so many prey and will have to sell them anyway. You might as well bring back more and share some with the soldiers.¡±


    As she spoke, she went forward and picked a fat and tender deer to carry to the side. Then, she went up and chose some small prey, all of which were tender. ¡°Alright, if Big Brother Qi doesn¡¯t mind that I¡¯m picky, I¡¯ll keep these. You can take the rest back.¡±


    Seeing that she had chosen what her family liked and didn¡¯t stand on ceremony with him, Qi Xiuyuan felt good. He nodded with a smile. ¡°Then I¡¯ll ept your kindness and take the rest back.¡±


    While they were talking, Shu Wanniang had already cooked some dishes. ¡°Children,e and eat. I made bone broth this morning and it¡¯s been simmering over a slow fire. Have a bowl to warm your body first.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Auntie.¡± Just as everyone was about to enter the house, someone shouted anxiously from outside, ¡°Brother Haoran, you¡¯re finally back!¡±


    Everyone turned around and saw Song Zhi, who had a small beard, rushing in with a follower.


    Mu Yangling and Fan Zijin couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing.


    A smile shed across Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes. Then, he cupped his hands and said with a straight face, ¡°So it¡¯s County Magistrate Song. Why are you looking for my younger brother?¡±


    Only then did Song Zhi notice Qi Xiuyuan and the others. He felt a little awkward, but it onlysted for a moment. Smiling shyly, he said, ¡°Big Brother, you¡¯re here too. Nice to meet you.¡±


    The corners of Qi Haoran¡¯s mouth twitched. How could he have the cheek to call him ¡®Big Brother¡¯ when Qi Xiuyuan was eight or nine years younger than him?


    ¡°Brother Song, why are you looking for me?¡±


    Song Zhi heaved a sigh of relief. After thinking for a moment, he was about to speak when Xiuhong came out of the house and said, ¡°Big Brother Qi, my aunt asks you guys toe into the house. It¡¯s cold outside. If you have anything to say, say it in the house. I¡¯ve already heated up the wine for you.¡±


    Song Zhi¡¯s emotions, which had been brewing for a long time, instantly dissipated. Qi Xiuyuan and Rong Xuan couldn¡¯t help but find it funny. ¡°County Magistrate Song, let¡¯s talk inside.¡± The two of them led the way into the house.


    The dishes had already been ced on the table in the central room. Everyone sat down, but Mu Yangling wanted to turn around and go to the kitchen. Qi Xiuyuan nced around and saw that Shu Wanniang was not in the central room. He knew that she was deliberately staying away, so he called out to Mu Yangling, ¡°Ah Ling, sit down and eat too. You¡¯ve been busy for half a day.¡±


    Mu Yangling only smiled. ¡°You guys eat. I¡¯ll go pack up the prey. My mother must have left something delicious for me in the kitchen, so I won¡¯t fight for the food with you guys.¡±


    Only then did Qi Xiuyuan not force her.


    Mu Yangling called Fei Bai and Yanmo out and said, ¡°Go to the kitchen and eat.¡±


    ¡°Miss Mu, let us know if you need us to do anything.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. This is my house. Why would I starve myself? Hurry up and eat. After you¡¯re done, go serve your master.¡±


    Fei Bai and Yanmo responded with a smile and turned to leave.


    As Mu Yangling tidied up the prey, she listened to the voices in the room.


    Song Zhi had been waiting for Qi Haoran for a day. The moment they entered the mountain, he had arrived. He hade to look for Qi Haoran to beg for corn seeds.


    As soon as the news of the corn spread, he also got excited. However, the emissary then took away several carts of seeds. Later, the Shen family took away another batch. In addition, people from Xingyuan Prefecture and other ces had also taken some from the West Camp. He estimated in his heart that the seeds left behind were only enough for the West Camp to nt themselves, so he gave up on the idea of asking for seeds.


    Even if he did not nt it next year, there was still the year after. He would just wait another year.


    However, it had not snowed since winter this year. Coupled with the previous drought, Song Zhi did not dare to harbor any hope.


    He could leave the other ces be, but the citizens of Mingshui County recognized him as their local magistrate. Therefore, he could only shamelessly ask Qi Haoran for seeds.


    Upon hearing this, Qi Haoran looked at Big Brother. He knew that thetter had specially left some seeds for themoners. Not only for themoners of Xingzhou Prefecture, but also for themoners of Hanzhong Prefecture. However, because the county magistrates and magistrates of the various counties did note looking for him, Qi Xiuyuan did not mention it.


    At this moment, Qi Haoran suddenly understood that Big Brother did not want to give them the seeds for free. He had to make them pay a price.


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t know what his Big Brother wanted, so he pushed the matter to him. ¡°Brother Song, the seeds are all in my big brother¡¯s hands, so you¡¯d better beg him.¡± Then, he said to Qi Xiuyuan with a shy smile, ¡°Big Brother, Brother Song is chummy with me. He helped me a lot when I first moved to Mingshui County. Can you help him?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan pretended to re at his brother. Song Zhi heaved a sigh of relief and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s what I should do. Brother Haoran and I hit it off at first sight, plus we share the same interests. I¡¯ll naturally help if I can..¡±

 Chapter 261 - 261: Going Out

    Chapter 261: Going Out


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling ced a thick nket on the carriage and patted it. Then, she turned around and shouted, ¡°Mother, are you done?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Shu Wanniang carried a bag out and ced it in the carriage. Mu Yangling eximed, ¡°Mother, we¡¯re only going for a few days. There¡¯s no need to bring so many things.¡±


    ¡°These are all Bosi and Kejia¡¯s clothes. We have to bring them. Alright, quickly carry them out.¡±


    Bosi and Kejia were dressed thickly and were sitting side by side on the brick bed with their calves hanging down. When they saw their sister enter, they stretched out their arms to ask for a hug.


    Bowen helped them put on their shoes and reached out to hug Bosi. However, Bosi was chubby to begin with. Coupled with the fact that he wore thickyers during the winter, he slid down the moment Bowen tried to pick him up.


    Mu Yangling took Bosi from him and picked up Kejia. ¡°Alright, go get Xiuhong and the rest.¡±


    When Qi Haoran rode over with his men, Mu Yangling and the rest had just packed up. The leather goods were ced in a donkey cart at the back. Shu Wanniang and the rest were sitting in the carriage. As there was hot tea in the corner, they did not feel cold.


    Mu Yangling closed the door and instructed the Sun family to help look after the house. Then, she jumped onto ckie and waved at everyone. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The coachman immediately raised his whip and started riding. Qi Haoran rode beside Mu Yangling. Seeing that she kept looking back, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already instructed the soldiers who went to help you look after the rabbit shed to visit your house from time to time. It¡¯ll only take five to six days. What are you worried about?¡±


    ¡°Do you think everyone is like you? I have a big family and business. It¡¯s natural for me to feel worried now that everyone in my family is going out all at once.¡± Mu Yangling looked up at the sky and said, ¡°The weather looks not bad. We should be able to reach Hanzhong Prefecture before dark, right?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    As it was winter, the wind was strong and the temperature was low. Mu Yangling and the others did not say much as they rode on their horses. With their necks and mouths wrapped up, they stopped by the roadside for lunch.


    This being the first time Bosi and Kejia had gone on a long trip, they widened their eyes and carefully moved their round bodies around the empty space. Not to mention the two children, Bowen, Xiuhong and Xin were also very excited. Although there were bare trees everywhere they looked, it didn¡¯t stop them from running around excitedly.


    Great-aunt ced the lumps of the bone broth that she had brewed a few days ago into the pot and increased the heat. Soon, a fragrant pot of bone broth was ready. She waved at Fei Bai and the others and said, ¡°Hurry up and get a bowl. Everyone, drink a bowl of hot bone broth to ward off the cold. There¡¯s a lot of ginger inside.¡±


    Fei Bai squatted in front and swallowed his saliva. He happily responded and ran to the donkey cart to search for the bag containing the bowls.


    Great-aunt cooked noodles using anotherrge pot of soup, then said, ¡°Only Ah Ling is so particr. If you ask me, we can just fill ourselves up with some dry rations on the way. Why do we have to bring all these things? Isn¡¯t this a waste of time?¡±


    Shu Wanniang said, ¡°Ah Ling is considerate of the fact that Bosi and Kejia are still young and can¡¯t eat pancakes.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, we can get there before dark. Grandma, what are you worried about? I think this is good. We can y on the road.¡± Xiuhong nudged her sister. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Xin nodded repeatedly. ¡°I like it, too.¡±


    ¡°This road is bare. What¡¯s so fun about it?¡±


    Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran dragged two pieces of firewood over. When they heard this, they said, ¡°If you want to admire the scenery, we¡¯lle again in spring when everything revives. Qi Haoran said that the roads will be filled with wildflowers in spring. It¡¯s quite a beautiful sight.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Great-aunt said, ¡°Even if you want toe out and y, you have to wait until you¡¯re done farming.¡±


    Xiuhong stuck out her tongue at Mu Yangling and shrugged, indicating that she probably wouldn¡¯t have a chance next year.


    The group arrived at Hanzhong Prefecture at four in the afternoon, but the number of pedestrians on the streets did not decrease at all. The carriage headed straight for Qi Haoran¡¯s residence.


    Xiuhong and Xin rolled up the curtain of the carriage and leaned against the window with Bowen to look out. Shu Wanniang wanted to say that this was against the rules, but when she thought about how they were now farmers and didn¡¯t have to observe these so-called rules, she swallowed her words.


    This was also the first time Great-aunt had seen such a lively and bustling ce. Her eyes widened as she looked outside and sighed. ¡°Hanzhong Prefecture is even bigger than Xingzhou Prefecture.¡±


    Shu Wanniang nodded. ¡°Other than Jingzhao Prefecture, Hanzhong Prefecture is thergest in the north. The prosperity level is naturally not something Xingzhou Prefecture canpare to.¡±


    This was also Mu Yangling¡¯s first time shopping on such a lively street. She had been in a hurry thest time she came to Hanzhong Prefecture, so she had not taken a closer look. At this moment, she was also looking around with interest. ¡°I think there are more people in Hanzhong Prefecture than thest time I came.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Qi Haoran said, ¡°With the recovery of Hanzhong Prefecture, merchants from all over Great Zhou have begun toe. Coupled with therge temple fair the day after tomorrow, there will naturally be many more people thanst time.¡±


    ¡°By the way, where¡¯s my father?¡± Mu Yangling asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you would let my father go on a break as soon as we arrived?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already asked someone to call him in advance. He¡¯ll probably be here by the time you¡¯re done packing.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s mansion was in the west city. There were mainly officials and nobles from Hanzhong Prefecture living there. The house had five entrances and five exits, plus two small gardens. Qi Haoran had seized this house.


    Qi Haoran was the first to attack Hanzhong Prefecture with his troops. After upying the government office, the second ce to upy was here. This was because the nobles and officials of the Jin Kingdom in Hanzhong Prefecture lived here. Other than the treasury in the government office, they had seized the most money here.


    At that time, Fei Bai was careful and directly upied this house for Qi Haoran. He handled military affairs in this house. When Qi Xiuyuan came, he also stayed here. After the new magistrate took over, he did not dare to ask them to move out. Anyway, since this house would either be left vacant or sold to the squires of Hanzhong Prefecture, it made no difference to let Qi Haoran stay here.


    Hence, Qi Haoran got someone to write a que that said ¡°Qi Manor¡± and hang it at the house. This could now be considered his home in Hanzhong Prefecture.


    As he rarely stayed here, Fan Zijin was the one who stayed most of the time. Since there was only one master or two most of the time, there were not many servants. As soon as Qi Haoran and the rest arrived at the door, the butler brought someone to personally wee them at the foot of the stairs.


    Fan Zijin stood on the steps. When he saw Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling dismount, he nodded slightly at Mu Yangling. Then, he smiled and went to the carriage to bow and greet Shu Wanniang and Madam Ma-Liu. Ever since Qi Xiuyuan said that the two families had be family friends, Fan Zijin had been very respectful to Shu Wanniang and Madam Ma-Liu, although his attitude towards Mu Yangling was still not considered affectionate.


    Shu Wanniang liked this schrly child very much. Seeing hime over, she smiled and asked Bowen to learn from him.


    Mu Yangling, however, did not want her brother to learn Fan Zijin¡¯s temper. She immediately went forward and said with a smile, ¡°Mother, let¡¯s go in first. Haoran said that Father might be here soon.


    Shu Wanniang chided, ¡°You child, how many times have I told you? Haoran and Zijin are older than you. You should call them elder brothers.¡±


    ¡®Yes, yes. Brother Haoran, Brother Zijin. Let¡¯s quickly enter..<sup>1</sup>

 Chapter 262 - 262: Pocket Money

    Chapter 262: Pocket Money


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When Qi Haoran heard Mu Yangling call him that, he moved closer to her. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard you call me ¡®Brother¡¯. Call me that again.


    Fan Zijin snorted disdainfully.


    Mu Yangling pushed Qi Haoran¡¯s head away and entered the residence.


    The Qi Manor was majestic and imposing. Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but click her tongue when she saw the furnishings in the house. She took down a bronze Buddha statue from the treasury and sized it up. She asked, ¡°These are all antiques, right? You¡¯re really rich.¡±


    ¡°These are all left behind by the previous upants.¡± Qi Haoran said nonchntly, ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a golden Buddha statue. What¡¯s the use if it can t be exchanged for money? If you like it, take it away. There¡¯s a lot more in the storeroom.¡±


    ¡°You should keep it for yourself. When the world is at peace in the future, there will be many good things here that can¡¯t be bought with money. You should leave it for your descendants to give them a good foundation.¡± Mu Yanghng put the things back and looked around. ¡°Last time, you only stayed here for two nights. Since you came and went in a hurry and didn¡¯t have time to tour your house, you¡¯ve got to take a good look this time.


    Fan Zijin said, ¡°You should go pack your things first. I¡¯ll bring you around for a tour after dinner.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you guys chat first.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Yangling had left, Fan Zijin turned around and asked Qi Haoran, ¡°Are you nning something by inviting her here?


    ¡±1 did, but she didn¡¯t agree.¡± Qi Haoran said regretfully, ¡°This time, we can only go to the temple fair.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, she didn¡¯t agree. Let me tell you, Haoran, the situation between the Jin Kingdom and West Xia is tense now. The war might expand. It¡¯s best for us to be calm and conserve our strength.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know about this?¡± Qi Haoran red at him.


    ¡°I only received the news in the afternoon. I received the news from the businessmen of the Jin Kingdom. I haven¡¯t had the time to tell you and Cousin yet.¡± Fan Zijin had already started smuggling between the three countries with the support of Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran.


    Qi Haoran went to Fan Zijin¡¯s side and said with a smile, ¡°Zijin, lend me some money. If I see any precious daggers for sale at the temple fair, I¡¯ll buy er.¡±


    Fan Zijin knew that Qi Haoran was out of money again. He looked at Qi Haoran strangely and said, ¡°Where did you spend your money? Not to mention what Eldest Cousin gave you, I¡¯ve already given you too taels a month. Back in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, it wasn¡¯t enough because you had to treat those people. Why is it still not enough now that you¡¯re in the military camp all day?¡±


    Qi Haoran scratched his head. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know where I spent all my money either. I¡¯ll get Fei Bai to bring you the ountster for you to take a look. Give me some money first.¡±


    Fan Zijin returned to the house and took out too taels of silver for him. At the thought that the temple fair was very big and that Qi Haoran was going to have fun with Mu Yangling and the others, he worried that he wouldn¡¯t have enough if he eyed something expensive. Not wanting Qi Haoran to embarrass himself in front of Mu Yangling, he added another too taels of silver. ¡°If it¡¯s not enough, get Fei Bai to look for me in the restaurant or get someone to record it down. I¡¯ll settle it at the end of the month.¡±


    Overjoyed, Qi Haoran threw the silver ingot to Fei Bai. He patted his chest and said, ¡°I¡¯ll return it to you when I earn money.¡±


    Fan Zijin waved his hand. He had heard this since he was young. Ever since Qi Haoran knew how to spend money, he had always said this. The only time he had received back money from him was when he wanted Fan Zijin to take out more money so that he could buy a precious dagger that had flowed out of the Western Region.


    Fei Bai happily carried the silver and went out. When he returned to the house, he sent Qi Haoran¡¯s ount book over to Fan Zijin.


    Fei Bai recorded all the expenses. Qi Haoran brought Fei Bai along wherever he went. When he spent money, Fei Bai was the one who paid. Hence, he recorded everything, no matter how big or small the sum, even including the money for the food he ate at Red Taste Restaurant.


    Fan Zijin originally did not intend to check the ounts, but when he saw that the ounts book was already there, he casually flipped through the pages. He could not help but frown. He pointed at the ounts and asked Fei Bai, ¡°Why is your master¡¯s allowance still linked to the military supplies?


    ¡°When Master was in the military camp, he ate and lived with the soldiers. Seeing that everyone was training hard, he gave everyone extra food. Since the military budget is limited, Master can only pay for it himself.¡±


    Fan Zijin closed the ount book and handed it to Fei Bai. He said to Qi Haoran, ¡°You¡¯ll spoil them like this. What if they growcent and don¡¯t listen to orders in the future?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to Fei Bai¡¯s nonsense. Do you think I¡¯m so stupid? It¡¯s not like I m just giving them extra food randomly. I¡¯ll only reward them with my private savings if their training or missions exceed my expectations or if they make a great contribution.¡±


    Only then did Fan Zijin feel relieved. However, he was still worried about Qi Haoran¡¯s wallet. ¡°In that case, no matter how much pocket money you have, it won¡¯t be enough.¡±


    Fan Zijin was about to suggest Qi Haoran buy some properties in Mingshui County so that he could live off the rent in the future. That way, when he needed money, he would not have to ask him and Eldest Cousin for it. When he looked up and saw Fei Bai looking at him in fear, he swallowed the words that were about toe out of his mouth. After Qi Haoran went to wash up, he called Fei Bai over for questioning.


    ¡°Why did you break out in cold sweat just now? Why were you looking at me like that?¡±


    Fei Bai bowed and said, ¡°Young Master Zijin, I know that your heart aches for my master. I was afraid that you would offer to give my master more money or assets¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you afraid of this?¡± Seeing that Fei Bai was peeking at him, he threw the teacup in his hand on the table and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question.¡± Fei Bai immediately knelt on the ground and said, ¡°Young Master Zijin, you know Master¡¯s character. He spends frivolously and is loyal. Even with only 50 taels of silver on hand, he can spend 100 taels of silver. Now, Master receives 50 taels of silver a month, plus 20 taels of silver given by Eldest Young Master and too taels of silver given by you. However, when we settle the ounts at the end of each month, there will always be a debt of 40 to 50 taels of silver which we have to pay for the next month. If you give him more money, he will only owe more. If you give him assets, then¡­¡± Fei Bai looked at Fan Zijin eagerly, his meaning clear. When the time came, Qi Haoran would only owe more money.


    His master was still a child when it came to spending money and would not save at all. As Qi Haoran¡¯s personal servant, not only did he have to take care of him, but he also had to be responsible for guiding him. Otherwise, he would still have to shoulder his master¡¯s mistakes in the end. For starters, the eldest young master would not let him off.


    Although his master did not spend a lot of money, the debts he owed outside were all based on his monthly allowance. For example, when he had little money in the past, he would at most owe about 20 taels of silver outside. It would definitely not exceed one-third of his monthly allowance.


    Sometimes, Fei Bai would wonder if his master had done his calctions.


    Fan Zijin grew up with him and had cleaned up after him. Naturally, he knew about his ¡°talent¡±. Feeling a headache, he held his forehead and waved his hand. ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± After a pause, he said, ¡°I won¡¯t increase his allowance.¡±


    Fei Bai heaved a huge sigh of relief, bowed, and left.


    Qi Haoran did not know that while he was showering, he had lost a source that could continuously provide him with additional pocket money..

 Chapter 263 - 263: Attention

    Chapter 263: Attention


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Shi rushed over and finally arrived at the Qi Manor before dark. He nced at his wife with bright eyes before picking up the twins. identally poking them with his stubble, the twins started crying out loud.


    Seeing this, he handed them to Mu Yangling and waved his hand. ¡°Alright, bring your younger siblings out.¡±


    In an instant, only the couple were left in the room.


    Mu Yangling carried the twins back to her room and took out a string of money from her bag to open it. She said, ¡°I¡¯ll split the money with you. If you see anything you like on the streets tomorrow, buy it yourself. If you don¡¯t have enough money, call me over.¡±


    Although it was said that they were shopping, their main mission tomorrow was to sell leather goods. However, it was impossible for everyone in their family to stand in front of the stall.


    Therefore, after pushing the cart to a good spot in the market, Mu Yangling waved her hand and pushed Mu Shi and the others out. ¡°Go y. Xiuhong and I will watch over this ce.¡±


    Great-aunt was a little tired from the journey yesterday, so she didn¡¯te today. Xin looked at her sister and cousin eagerly. Mu Yangling asked her and Bowen to hold hands and said, ¡°Don¡¯t let go. Father, watch over them. Alright, go y and don¡¯t get in the way here.¡±


    Mu Shi knew that his daughter had a mind of her own, so he carried the twins and brought his wife and the others shopping.


    The temple fair would only start tomorrow and wouldst for three days. However, it was already very lively today. There were many merchants and peddlersing and going.


    Mu Yangling and Xiuhong untied the rope on the cart. Not at all afraid, Xiuhong climbed onto the cart and grabbed a fox skin before shouting, ¡°Leather goods! Top-notch leather goods! Fox skin, rabbit skin, and everything. Everyone,e and take a look.¡±


    Xiuhong¡¯s voice was crisp and loud, making those who heard her look in this direction. Seeing that a youngdy could stand on the cart and shouting, the merchants from the south could not help but click their tongues. They felt that people from the north were really bold. At least in the south, the youngdies and their wives did not have the guts. Thedies from rich families even had to wear veiled hats when they went out.


    The merchants from the north smiled knowingly and nced at their leather goods. They decided to walk near and take a look.


    Wulie stood in the teahouse and looked down, facing Mu Yangling¡¯s cart. Not only could he see the two of them clearly, but he could also see the goods on their cart clearly.


    Seeing that there were many wolf skins on the cart, he couldn¡¯t help but narrow his eyes and say, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the Han people to be more and more valiant. They can even fight wolves.¡±


    ¡°Fourth Young Master, this is because Hanzhong Prefecture was once ruled by our country, so themoners learned these hunting skills. If we go further south, themoners of the Great Zhou are still as weak and useless as before,¡± Pidusi, who had followed Wulie over, said.


    Wulie did not believe it. Their Jin Kingdom had failed to take over the Great Zhou Dynasty after trying for a hundred years. Although the citizens of this country were weak and useless, they had their own tenacity. This was also the reason why he had always been very cautious about the war with the Great Zhou Dynasty.


    The Hanzhong Prefecture that had long been upied by them was snatched away by the Great Zhou¡¯s West Camp. Qi Xiuyuan effortlessly made the citizens in the city warmly wee them. Contrasting how difficult it was for the Jin Kingdom when they established the government in the Hanzhong Prefecture back then, Wulie was now even more cautious towards the Great Zhou and the Han Chinese.


    He pointed at Mu Yangling¡¯s stall below and said, ¡°Go and buy one of the various types of leather goods.¡±


    Pidusi was puzzled. ¡°Fourth Young Master, our Great Jin¡¯s leather goods are many times better than theirs. Why do we have to buy theirs?¡±


    Wulie nced at him coldly, making Pidusi¡¯s heart skip a beat. He knelt on one knee and said, ¡°I deserve to die. I shouldn¡¯t have asked that.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. Buy some of each.¡±


    Pidusi turned around and left the private room to go downstairs.


    Tired from shouting, Xiuhong happened to be resting on the cart. Mu Yangling was sitting on a stool and looking around when a thunderous voice exploded in her ears. ¡°Miss, how much are you selling your leather goods for?¡±


    Xiuhong¡¯s mood immediately soared. She hugged a fox skin and said, ¡°I wonder which type you¡¯re referring to? We have fox skin, rabbit skin, and wolf skin here. We also have two top-notch pure-colored fox skins here.¡± As she spoke, Xiuhong took out a bag from the leather goods and opened it. Two fiery red fox skins appeared in front of her.


    This was brought back by Mu Shi. When he went out on a mission, he encountered a fox family and hunted two of them. There were also a few wolf skins. Although he did not say that the mission was dangerous, one could imagine that a mission which involved encountering a wolf pack would not be easy.


    Pidusi lost interest after taking a look. Although the fiery red fox fur was rare, the Fourth Prince did notck it. What leather goods did he not have in the storeroom?


    He had no intention of wasting the Fourth Prince¡¯s money, so he randomly chose a fox skin, a wolf skin, and a rabbit skin. He asked, ¡°How much is this?¡±


    Xiuhong blinked and looked at him. What was the use of buying only one of each? Only then did Mu Yangling retract her gaze. After sizing up Pidusi, she went forward with a smile and said, ¡°Sir, it¡¯s a total of 7 taels and 28 copper coins. Aren¡¯t you going to choose something else? Not to mention anything else, a single piece of rabbit skin can¡¯t do much. Why don¡¯t you buy a few more?¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap. Hurry up and wrap it up for me,¡± Pidusi said in a tiger-like voice.


    Seeing that he was shouting at her, Xiuhong frowned in dissatisfaction. However, Mu Yangling smiled respectfully and said, ¡°Please wait a moment. I¡¯ll tie it up for you now.¡± As she spoke, she took out a hemp rope, rolled up the fox skin and rabbit skin, and ced them in the wolf skin. She rolled up the three pieces together and tied them up with a rope, before handing them over respectfully with both hands. After taking the bundle from her, Pidusi took out money to hand them to Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling identally touched his palm twice, but Pidusi did not take it to heart because Mu Yangling looked a little afraid.


    Sensing that something was wrong, Xiuhong stood quietly at the side and watched.


    Mu Yangling watched Pidusi intently as he headed upstairs. Sensing that someone was looking at her, she did not dare to look up at the window of the teahouse opposite. She only wiped her forehead to wipe away the non-existent cold sweat. Turning around, she said to Xiuhong, ¡°That person just now was so scary.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Xiuhong looked at her cousin awkwardly. That person only looked slightly more muscr, but he was not even as tall as her uncle. She really did not understand what was so scary about him.


    However, Mu Yangling only stroked her head without saying anything. A look of contemtion shed across her lowered eyes. That man was wearing ck official leather boots, and the saber on his waist was in the Hu style. The scabbard was tattooed with the totem of Karl, the Jin Kingdom¡¯srgest tribe, and there was a thick callus on his hand that held the saber. Although he spoke Mandarin very well, he still sounded like a Hu.


    It was not strange for there to be Hus in Hanzhong Prefecture because this ce had once been upied by the Jin Kingdom. After the Jin soldiers retreated, not all the Hus left. Some married Han women and stayed here, and some settled down here because they were unwilling to move. The Great Zhou did not chase them away.


    However, there were very few people who pretended to be Han Chinese even though they were clearly Hus. Moreover, the other party¡¯s clothes and essories were not ordinary. The thick calluses on the hand holding the saber made Mu Yangling even more vignt..

 Chapter 264 - 264: Conversation

    Chapter 264: Conversation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Wulie flipped the three skins and said, ¡°This is quite nicely tanned, simr to the ones tanned by our hunters.¡± Wulie threw the things aside, clearly not in a good mood.


    ¡°We upied thend of the Great Zhou Dynasty and ruled the Han people, but we didn¡¯t learn their farming and weaving. Every year, we still have to buy arge amount of grains from the Great Zhou Dynasty. However, their people have learned our hunting methods. They even learned the form and method of tanning leather. Father refuses to heed any advice, and the leaders of the various tribes are short-sighted. If they had followed my instructions to develop forest conversion and cultivatend after conquering the Jingzhao Prefecture and Hanzhong Prefecture, our people might have also mastered the advanced farming techniques of the Han people. Instead, such fertilend was wasted on pasture for them to graze cattle¡­¡±


    Pidusi lowered his head in shame.


    Wulie sighed. When he walked to the window again, he realized that there were two more youths at the stall. The two of them were dressed in embroidered clothes and had a servant and guard behind them. Wulie was about to look away, but when he saw the two of them chatting happily with one of the youngdies selling leather goods, he couldn¡¯t help but take a few more nces.


    Wulie pointed at them and asked Pidusi, ¡°Who are those two?¡±


    In charge of the intelligence work in Hanzhong Prefecture and Xingzhou Prefecture, Pidusi walked to the window and took a look before saying, ¡°Fourth Young Master, that¡¯s Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s younger brother, Qi Haoran, and his cousin Fan Zijin.¡±


    ¡°Qi Haoran, who was the first to open the gates of Hanzhong Prefecture?¡± ¡°Yes!¡±


    Wulie narrowed his eyes. ¡°He seems young. Let¡¯s go down and take a look.¡±


    ¡°No, Fourth Young Master, although this Qi Haoran is an idiot, his martial arts skills are excellent¡­¡±


    ¡°To be able to upy Qinghe Town without alerting anyone and even charge into the heavily-guarded Hanzhong Prefecture, do you really think he¡¯s an idiot? I think this word more aptly describes you.¡± Wulie turned around and went down.


    Pidusi¡¯s face turned red as he hurriedly chased after them with his guards. Facing the window of the teahouse, Mu Yangling smiled and asked Qi Haoran in a low voice, ¡°Do you think friends from neighboring countries will visit such a lively temple fair?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyebrows did not move as he said matter-of-factly, ¡°Of course. Why?¡±


    If he could get his people to infiltrate the Jin Kingdom and West Xia, so could the two countries.


    Nothing. I just feel that those people are very likely nearby.¡± Mu Yangling had been observing her surroundings. When she saw Wulieing out of the teahouse with a group of people behind him and walking towards them, and the suspicious-looking Pidusi, she said with a smile, ¡°Perhaps the new guest wants to meet you and make friends with you.¡±


    Recalling the plot in ancient dramas, Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°I just don¡¯t know if you two will grow to admire each other or something.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked Qi Haoran up and down seriously for a while before turning to Mu Yangling. ¡°That¡¯s very likely.¡±


    Qi Haoran stomped his feet in anger. ¡°The two of you are ganging up to scold me?!¡¯<sup>1</sup>


    Mu Yangling and Fan Zijin looked at Qi Haoran seriously and said, ¡°When did we scold you?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at them suspiciously. ¡°Then what did you mean by what you said just now?¡±


    Before Mu Yangling could answer, Wulie and the others walked over. Mu Yangling shut her mouth and smiled as she picked up the bundle containing the fiery red fox skin and stuffed it into Qi Haoran¡¯s arms. She said with a smile, ¡°Little General, take these two fox skins as a gift from me. I¡¯ll need you to take care of our family¡¯s business in the future.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at her in a daze and did not react for a moment. On the other hand, Fan Zijin picked up two pieces of pure white rabbit skin with his fingers and threw them to her. ¡°Wrap these up. I¡¯ll use them as scarves.¡±


    Mu Yangling immediately tied them up with a rope and smiled respectfully. ¡°Young Master Fan, if you like it, just take it. If it¡¯s not enough, I¡¯ll look for more with pure colors.¡±


    Wulie found an opportunity to interrupt. ¡°Although it¡¯s not difficult to find pure white rabbit skin, it¡¯s not easy to find inrge quantities.¡± He nced at Fan Zijin¡¯s face and smiled. ¡°With his handsome looks, this young master does look good with a white scarf, but in fact, gray isn¡¯t bad either.¡±


    Qi Haoran still had some tacit understanding with them. Seeing this, he immediately understood what was going on. He sized up Wulie and asked, ¡°You¡¯re familiar with these. Judging from your clothes, you¡¯re a Hu, right?¡± Actually, he could tell that Wulie was a Hu because he looked like a Hu. However, the guards behind him were all dressed like Han Chinese, and many of them had the appearance of Han Chinese.


    Seeing that he had finally spoken, Wulie replied with a smile, ¡°My mother is a Hu. My surname is Wu. May I know your names? I heard from my servant that the temple in Hanzhong Prefecture will be very lively, so I came over to y.¡± Seeing that they had started a conversation, the corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s lips curled up slightly. Xiuhong, who was focused on selling the goods, pointed at the group of merchants in front and whispered, ¡°Cousin, they¡¯re out.¡±


    Mu Yangling turned her head to look. The group of merchants were the ones who had gone shopping topare the various sellers¡¯ leather goods. Now that they were out, Mu Yangling observed their expressions and saw that they did not look happy. She knew that their business must not have seeded, so she gave Xiuhong a look.


    Xiuhong immediately climbed onto the cart and grabbed a piece of wolf skin. She waved it and shouted, ¡°Leather goods! Leather goods! High-quality leather goods, fox skin, wolf skin, rabbit skin of a wide variety of colors. Don¡¯t miss them!¡±


    The sudden voice startled Wulie and Fan Zijin, who were talking. The two of them looked up at Xiuhong speechlessly. Qi Haoran smiled and winked at Mu Yangling. He cupped his hands at Wulie and said, ¡°Young Master Wu, why don¡¯t we find a ce to sit down and talk?¡±


    ¡°Brother Fan and I hit it off at first sight. I have the same intention. Since my men booked a private room in the teahouse just now, why don¡¯t we go upstairs and sit?¡±


    The group returned to the teahouse, leaving Mu Yangling and Xiuhong behind The duo sessfully attracted the attention of the group of merchants.


    They quickly surrounded Mu Yangling¡¯s cart. She greeted them with a smile. ¡°Boss, take a look. Let us know if anything catches your eye, and I¡¯ll wrap it up for you.¡±


    Mu Yangling and the others opened the leather goods and ced them on the cart. One of the bosses took a look and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s good, but it¡¯s too little.¡±


    Boss, this is only a portion. I don¡¯t have much fox skin and wolf skin, but I have a lot of rabbit skin. I wonder which kind you like?¡±


    Do you have a lot of rabbit skin?¡± Southerners preferred fox skin and rabbit skin, but fox skin was expensive. It was even rarer if it was pure color However, very few people had arge batch of fox skin. At this time, since rabbit skin was the most popr, they mostly bought rabbit skin when they came to replenish their stock.


    Mu Yangling managed to hunt rabbits in the mountains almost every day. Sometimes, she had to skin the rabbits before selling them because the buyers didn¡¯t know how to skin them, let alone tan them. Skinned rabbits was cheaper than unskinned ones, and it saved them a lot of trouble. Naturally, the Mu family had a lot of stock.


    Coupled with the rabbit gue at the beginning of spring this year, she had also stored up a lot of rabbit skin, so there were especially many rabbit skins this year.


    Mu Yangling turned around and took out arge bundle from under the felt and ced it on the cart. She patted it and said, ¡°Look, these are all rabbit skins. There are another three bundles underneath..¡±

 Chapter 265 - 265: Bargaining

    Chapter 265: Bargaining


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The merchants¡¯ eyes lit up as they asked, ¡°Can you open it for us to see?¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Mu Yangling gave Xiuhong a look, and thetter quickly went forward to untie the rope. Mu Yangling turned around and took out another bundle. She patted it and said, ¡°Our rabbit skin is all of fine quality. I don¡¯t dare to say that it¡¯s the best in the world, but I dare to say that our family¡¯s rabbit skins are the best in Hanzhong Prefecture. If you don¡¯t believe me, feel it. Isn¡¯t it very soft? There¡¯s no dirt on it at all.¡±


    Xiuhong took out a piece of pure white rabbit skin and rubbed it. Smiling, she said, ¡°The tanning craftsmanship has been passed down in my family for generations. This kind of rabbit skin doesn¡¯t need much processing to be made into clothes and scarves.¡±


    The merchants looked at each other and picked up a piece to look at it carefully. ¡°Where¡¯s the other bundle? Youngdy, why don¡¯t you take it out and let us take a look?¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°Thatst bundle is different from these. The price is also different.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they all rabbit skins? What¡¯s different?¡±


    Mu Yangling came back to her senses and lifted the felt. When she took out thest bundle, everyone¡¯s eyes were glued to it.


    The three bundles consisted of rabbit skins of very pure colors¡ªpure white, pure gray, and pure ck, respectively. Contrasting the ones on the cart with mixed colors and don¡¯t at all stand out, these three bundles were clearly much more sophisticated.


    Mu Yangling patted the bundle of rabbit skin and said, ¡°My family specially picked out the best. They tanned these skins especially meticulously, too. If you don¡¯t believe me, take a look. Isn¡¯t the skin of this bundle of rabbit skin softer?¡±


    Mu Yangling took out a few pieces for them to examine. The bosses took turns touching them. When they realized that it was indeed the case, one of them pondered and said, ¡°With such a big bundle rolled together, no one knows what the inside pieces look like.¡±


    ¡°Boss, don¡¯t worry. You can buy them piece by piece. When the timees, you¡¯ll definitely have to open the bundle. If you find a piece that you¡¯re not satisfied with, just take it out. We¡¯ll ept the punishment.¡± Smiling, Xiuhong said, ¡°Our family never cheats others. Considering our family ns to continue doing business here in the future, we won¡¯t dare to do something that destroys our reputation.¡±


    Mu Yangling realized that Xiuhong was even more eloquent than her, so she slowly let her take the initiative and just stood behind her as her backing.


    The few merchants were very satisfied with Mu Yangling¡¯s leather goods. They were all from the same hometown and hade together, so after some discussion, they decided to purchase all of Mu Yangling¡¯s leather goods together.


    Even though they saw that there were only two youngdies watching the stall here, they did not dare to underestimate them after this lengthy conversation. Not to mention the eloquent youngdy in front, the youngdy standing at the back and smiling at them was not to be trifled with either.


    Having traveled extensively, they were more urate in judging people than others. Thedy looked at them with a burning gaze, and although Miss Xiuhong was smiling, she was neither servile nor overbearing. Hence, after discussing for a while, everyone said, ¡°Youngdy, your leather goods are indeed not bad, so we n to take them all. Look, since we¡¯re buying all of them from you, you should be able to reduce the price, right?¡±


    Xiuhong looked at Mu Yangling, who nodded encouragingly at her. Xiuhong thought of what her cousin had said. In the future, the rabbit shed¡¯s business would be handed over to her, and even the ounts would be managed by her. Mustering her courage, she clenched the corner of her shirt tightly. ¡°How about this? There are only a few fox skins and wolf skins, so the price can¡¯t be lower. The fox skins are four taels each, and the wolf skins are three taels and 400 copper coins each. I originally nned to sell the rabbit skins for 16 copper coins each. Now, I¡¯ll charge you one copper coin less for each for the ordinary ones. Those specially-tanned ones are 18 copper coins each, and that¡¯s the lowest I can go. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°This is still too expensive. We¡¯re buying in bulk and taking all of them from you all at once. The rabbit skins in the other stalls aren¡¯t sold at such an expensive price. The best ones are only 15 copper coins apiece, and the ordinary ones cost just 12 to 13 copper coins.¡±


    Xiuhong insisted, ¡°But our quality is far better than others. If you don¡¯t believe me, you canpare. The other sellers¡¯ best rabbit skins that cost 15 copper coins definitely can¡¯tpare with the ones on our cart. It¡¯s already not bad that I can lower the price to 15 copper coins.¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s too expensive. How about this? If you¡¯re willing, we¡¯ll take all the ones on the cart for 13 copper coins apiece. Then, for the special ones, 15 copper coins each. How about that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, youngdy. We¡¯re in it together. If you¡¯re willing, we¡¯ll take them all. If not, we wouldn¡¯t want any of it.¡±


    Xiuhong¡¯s face was a little red, and her grip on the corner of her shirt gradually tightened. Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Bosses, we¡¯ll suffer a loss if we consent to the price you offer. If we sell it separately, many people will stille to buy it for 16 copper coins apiece. This temple fair will stay lively for five days. You¡¯ve suddenly lowered the price so ruthlessly. Considering we have more than 2,400 rabbit skins and we¡¯ll lose three copper coins per piece, how much of a loss do you think we¡¯ll suffer?¡±


    Xiuhong nodded repeatedly. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. At most, Cousin and I will work hard for a few more days. That¡¯s more than seven taels of silver. That¡¯s pretty much the ie of a farming family for an entire year.¡±


    Mu Yangling hurriedly smiled and said, ¡°Everyone, it¡¯s embarrassing, but my family doesn¡¯t have muchnd. After deducting taxes, I really only earn this much from a year¡¯s harvesting. However, it¡¯s different for business owners. From your ents, I can tell that you¡¯re from Lin¡¯an Prefecture. I¡¯m fairly certain if you transport these things back and sell them, you should be able to earn a rather handsome profit, right? I heard that two years ago, a mixed-colored fur rabbit skin from Lin¡¯an Prefecture could be sold for 50 copper coins. At present, with the quality of my leather goods, it can be sold for at least 60 copper coins apiece, right? Not to mention that I still have 632 specially-made and pure-colored rabbit skins here.¡±


    The merchants raised their eyebrows and asked in surprise, ¡°Youngdy, you¡¯ve been to Lin¡¯an Prefecture?¡± This was aplete joke. How old was Mu Yangling? How could she have been to Lin¡¯an Prefecture? Even if she said it, the merchants wouldn¡¯t believe her.


    Of course, Mu Yangling wouldn¡¯t say that she had been there. She only said, ¡°I¡¯ve never been there, but I know two friends from Lin¡¯an Prefecture who recently visited here. They said that the wild animals here are cheap, and leather goods are even cheaper. For example, this fox skin can be sold for at most four to five taels here, but it can be sold for 20 taels in Lin¡¯an Prefecture. If it¡¯s of a superior color, even 40 to 50 taels won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    The few merchantsughed and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. These leather goods in Lin¡¯an Prefecture are indeed expensive, but the cost of living there is also high. Youngdy, don¡¯t feel bad just because these things are sold for a high price there. You have to know that we have to take quite a lot of risks to transport these from north to south.¡±


    ¡°I know. I heard that there are many bandits along the way, as well as checkpoints set up by the government. Coupled with the money paid to the escort agency, there are indeed many risks.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Yangling actually understood, the few merchants had a better impression of her and took the opportunity toin. Unexpectedly, Mu Yangling continued, ¡°But even though the risks you take are huge, the profits are also huge. You won¡¯t have to worry about money for three years after this trip. On the other hand, we have to take a lot of risks when hunting in the mountains. Many hunters won¡¯t be able toe out after entering the mountains. We also risked our lives to get these leather goods. Coupled with the medicinal herbs and other materials needed to tan these leathers, our price is already very low.¡±


    Only then did the few merchants realize that Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t done negotiating. Hence, a new round of bargaining continued. In the end, the two sides reached an agreement. An ordinary rabbit skin sold for 14.5 copper coins, while a special rabbit skin sold for 17 copper coins. They did not negotiate prices for the fox skin and wolf skin. Although the price Mu Yangling offered was slightly more expensive than others, her leather goods were well-tanned and the fur wasplete, which made it worth this price.


    The few merchants started calcting together. Mu Yangling and Xiuhong both knew how to do mental calctions. Mu Yangling was multitasking, and Xiuhong kept an eye on the remaining merchant. She was not afraid that they would deliberately miscalcte the total..

 Chapter 266 - 266: Exposed

    Chapter 266: Exposed


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After counting the number and confirming the total price, the few merchants gathered together to discuss the quantity they each wanted. Then, they took out the money on the spot. The rabbit skin was sold for a total of 38 taels and 34.8 copper coins. Including the price of the fox skin and wolf skin, it was a total of 66 taels and 523 copper coins. Mu Yangling directly rounded down the total and charged them 66 taels and 500 copper coins.


    After exchanging the silver and goods, the merchants directly divided the leather goods among themselves. Someone asked Mu Yangling, ¡°Youngdy, I think your leather goods are not bad. Do you know of anyone else who has simr leather goods? It¡¯s fine even if the tanning quality is slightly worse.¡±


    They were leather goods merchants, and their main purpose foring to the north was to stock up on leather goods for resale.


    Mu Yangling replied with a smile, ¡°There are a lot of leather goods in the north, but they¡¯re all scattered. If you don¡¯t find it troublesome, you can go to Xingzhou Prefecture to take a look if you don¡¯t manage to buy enough leather goods at the temple fair in Hanzhong Prefecture.¡±


    ¡°Xingzhou Prefecture?¡± The merchants looked at each other and asked, ¡°Youngdy, are you from Xingzhou Prefecture?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded, and the merchants¡¯ eyes lit up. They asked, ¡°Do you know that there¡¯s a family in Xingzhou Prefecture that makes diced rabbit meat especially well?¡±


    ¡°Seeing as your family has so many rabbit skins, do you sell rabbit meat to them?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about the diced rabbit meat from Whole vor?¡± Mu Yangling did not expect the businessmen from the south to ask her about this. Fan Zijin¡¯s diced rabbit meat business had only been in existence for half a year, and it could already lure people here?


    ¡°Exactly. Have you heard of it, youngdy?¡± The few merchants asked excitedly.


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Yes, the workshop is in our area. Do you want to import diced rabbit meat? Aren¡¯t you leather goods merchants?¡±


    ¡°Since we¡¯re businessmen, we naturally import whatever makes money. Youngdy, you don¡¯t know, but this diced rabbit meat is very famous in our Lin¡¯an Prefecture and the nearby provincial capitals. Many people love it. Unfortunately, other than knowing that ites from Xingzhou Prefecture, we don¡¯t know where to import the goods from. We can only earn very little from Shopkeeper Chen¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling frowned. Although she did not know much about the workshop, she had heard Fan Zijin instruct Butler Chen to publicize the diced rabbit meat and try to get the people from the south toe up and stock up on their own. This way, they could simplify the process by a lot¡­


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression only changed for a moment before she quickly restrained her emotions and asked, ¡°Whole vor¡¯s diced rabbit meat has only been out for more than half a year, right? It¡¯s actually so easy to sell?¡±


    ¡°Youngdy, you have no idea. The south isn¡¯t like the north where there¡¯s a lot of meat in the forest. For snacks, the only meat snacks that we have are the ones by Xingzhou Prefecture¡¯s Whole vor. The others are all desserts and dried fruits.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, this diced rabbit meat has all kinds of vors. The vors vary from sweet to spicy, and the fragrance of meat is awesome. Although it¡¯s a little expensive, well-off families can usually buy some.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it almost the new year? Who doesn¡¯t buy new year goods during the new year? We don¡¯t just want to import leather goods. If we can import Whole vor¡¯s diced rabbit meat, we¡¯ll probably have to take in fewer leather goods.¡± The other merchants nodded and said, ¡°There isn¡¯t enough diced rabbit meat where we came from. The supply is too little.¡± As they spoke, the leading merchant took out two taels of silver and stuffed it into Mu Yangling¡¯s hand. He lowered his voice and asked, ¡°From the sounds of it, you know someone from Whole vor?¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help butugh. The excited Xiuhong wanted to proudly tell them that her cousin had a share of Whole vor. However, Mu Yangling nced at her and she suppressed her excitement.


    Mu Yangling took the silver and smiled. ¡°I know someone from Whole vor indeed. Moreover, I know that they have umted two batches of diced rabbit meat and are nning to transport them to the south after some time. If you want to get in touch with them, you¡¯ve got to act fast. However, the owner of Whole vor has a huge appetite. If you guys are only nning to import small quantities, I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be willing to share the profits.¡±


    What she meant was that if they wanted to reach a deal, they would probably have to import arge quantity. The other party might even ask them to buy everything. After all, it¡¯s the same amount of effort for them.


    The few merchants looked at each other and felt a lot of pressure. The price of diced rabbit meat was not low, but since they could leave their hometown ande out to do business, it went to show their ambition. Hence, they said, ¡°Youngdy, can you help us connect?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Coincidentally, the owner of Whole vor is also here. I¡¯ll go and ask him first. But how should I inform you?¡±


    Their eyes lit up as they said excitedly, ¡°We live in the Peace Inn not far away. My surname is Zhao. How should I address you, youngdy?¡±


    ¡°My surname is Mu, Boss Zhao. Once I get the news, I¡¯ll get someone to invite you.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll thank Miss Mu here first.¡±


    At this moment, Fan Zijin was also discussing business with Wulie, but they were talking about the silk business. As Qi Haoran sat at the side and drank tea, his gaze swept across the people Wulie had brought and he asked, ¡°Where did Young Master Wu enter Hanzhong Prefecture from? I remember that the border has been sealed.¡±


    Wulie¡¯s body stiffened, and his servant also ced his hand on the hilt of his saber. Qi Haoran¡¯s guards also looked at them warily, and the atmosphere froze.


    Looking around, Fan Zijin suddenly smiled. ¡°Young Master Wu, please forgive me. My cousin is in the military and has a straightforward temper.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Wulie held the teacup in his hand and looked at Fan Zijin teasingly. ¡°Young Master Fan, do you mean that you¡¯re very tactful?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a businessman. I only talk about business. As long as there¡¯s enough profit, I don¡¯t mind if the other party is from the Jin Kingdom, West Xia, or the Great Zhou.¡±


    Wulieughed out loud when he heard this. His gaze met Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes like lightning, but his words were directed at Fan Zijin. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not what Little General Qi thinks.¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted and turned his head away. Fan Zijin patted his hand and said to Wulie, ¡°Young Master Wu, don¡¯t worry. This cousin of mine listens to me. Besides, he has a share in my business. As long as you abide by thews of my Great Zhou, he will still open the doors of convenience for you.¡±


    Seeing that Qi Haoran was reluctantly spinning the teacup in his hand but did not object, Wulie nced at Pidusi before they moved their hands away from the hilts of their knives.


    ¡°Young Master Fan and Little General Qi, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m also a businessman. Ever since the borders of the two countries were sealed, the price of satin tea leaves in the Jin Kingdom has remained high. I heard that many merchants from the south will participate in the temple fair in Hanzhong Prefecture this time, so I took the risk toe over and give it a try. I didn¡¯t expect to be able to befriend Young Master Fan and Little General Qi. As the saying goes,moners don¡¯t fight with officials, let alone an ordinary businessman like me. Therefore, don¡¯t worry. In the Great Zhou, I will definitely abide by yourw.¡±


    This was a joke to Qi Haoran. The smuggler was actually saying that he would definitely abide by thew.


    However, when he thought about how he often sneaked into the Jin Kingdom and West Xia to gather information and how there was a smuggling merchant sitting beside him, he stopped talking..

 Chapter 267 - 267: Confrontation

    Chapter 267: Confrontation


    Trantor: As Studios J Editor: As Studios


    After the rm was lifted, Wulie and Fan Zijin reached a deal again, as if they had already be friends. Smiling, Wulie asked, ¡°I wonder how Little General Qi found out that I¡¯m not from Xingyuan Prefecture but from Jingzhao Prefecture?¡±


    Qi Haoran sized him up and asked, ¡°When did I say that you¡¯re from Jingzhao Prefecture? I thought you were from the Jin Kingdom.¡±


    Wulieughed out loud. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m from the Jin Kingdom and am currently living in the Jingzhao Prefecture. However, there are also many people like me who have moved over from the Jin Kingdom. How did Little General Qi know that I crossed the border?¡±


    ¡°The Jin people of Xingyuan Prefecture won¡¯t hold something with Karl¡¯s tribe totem engraved on it.¡±


    Only then did Wulie know where their greatest exposure was.


    Sabers and horses were the lives of warriors. In their lives, they could change anything, but they would not change their horses and sabers that they were used to. Coincidentally, most of the guards he chose this time were from the Karl tribe.


    Wulieughed and pped. ¡°Little General Qi, you¡¯re very observant. I¡¯m impressed.¡± He nced at the sky outside and smiled. ¡°If not for the fact that I don¡¯t have time, I would definitely drink with the two of you.¡±


    Wulie regretfully expressed that he still had something on and had to leave.


    Fan Zijin only pretended to stay for a while before sending him to the door of the private room. Wulie, Fan Zijin, and Qi Haoran cupped their hands and left with their men. Just as they walked out of the other party¡¯s line of sight, Wulie instructed Pidusi in a low voice, ¡°Hurry up and prepare. We¡¯ll leave immediately.¡±


    ¡°Fourth Young Master?¡±


    ¡°Since Qi Haoran could see the totem on our sabers, he must have guessed that we¡¯re not ordinary businessmen.¡± Those who could afford to use sabers of this level were not ordinary people, not to mention that they were only his guards.


    Qi Haoran was not stupid. Since he recognized the totem, he must have thought of this too. What if he made a move to keep him here?


    Although Wulie was ambitious and bold, he knew that a gentleman would not stand under a dangerous wall. The most important thing now was to leave Hanzhong Prefecture as soon as possible.


    Seeing Wulie and the others leave in a hurry, Fan Zijin turned to ask Qi Haoran, ¡°Did we startle them too much?¡±


    Qi Haoran was confused. ¡°When did I startle him?¡±


    ¡°You specially pointed out their totems. How was that not startling them? With the level of the totems on their scabbards, this Young Master Wu must be a big shot in the Jin Kingdom. He¡¯s at least the son of a tribal leader or the legitimate son of a high-ranking official.¡±


    Qi Haoran stomped his feet. ¡°In that case, how can we let them leave? I¡¯ll get someone to chase after them.¡±


    Fan Zijin held him back and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t mess around. Our main mission now is to recuperate. Have you forgotten that you just killed the Crown Prince?¡± Then, he asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t know what level that totem indicated? Then why are you mentioning this?¡± He thought that Qi Haoran had finally telepathicallymunicated with him for once and scared the other party away without having to exchange a look with Fan Zijin.


    ¡°I just want to know where he¡¯s from. I only recognize that totem. So their totems represent different levels?¡±


    Fan Zijin:¡±¡­¡±


    Therefore, there was no need for Wulie to escape in a hurry.


    ¡°Now that he¡¯s escaped, what about your business?¡±


    Smiling, Fan Zijin said, ¡°When he realized that we didn¡¯t chase after him, he naturally thought that we weren¡¯t suspicious. Didn¡¯t he spend so much effort toe to Hanzhong Prefecture to obtain some useful information? Is there a better information channel than us?¡± Fan Zijin knocked on Qi Haoran¡¯s chest and said, ¡°We¡¯re young and are the easiest to deceive.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Why must you do business with him?¡± ¡°Although we don¡¯t know his exact identity, he seems to be quite powerful.


    Working with him is much more profitable than doing small business transactions now. Moreover, since he can get information from us, we can naturally get some information from him, too. And we¡¯re young, so it¡¯s understandable that some of the information we obtained is fake.¡±


    It meant that they could send the wrong information to the Jin Kingdom through this person.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    Just as Fan Zijin had said, Wulie realized that he was not being pursued after escaping back to Jingzhao Prefecture. So, he immediately suspected that Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran did not recognize the level of the totem. Thinking that the two of them were still a little childishpared to him, he was unwilling to give up such a good channel. He immediately sent a trusted aide to sneak across the border to Hanzhong Prefecture to find Fan Zijin and conclude the business they had signed previously.


    As a matter of course, Fan Zijin pulled out the satin that he had prepared and settled the transaction with them. Both parties were very satisfied and agreed to cooperate again next time.


    This time, the other party returned to Jingzhao Prefecture using the road pass given by Fan Zijin, via the area guarded by Qi Haoran.


    The Fourth Prince, Wulie,ughed happily. ¡°They actually opened the border gate for us over a mere 8,000 taels worth of silk. They¡¯re still too inexperienced.¡±


    Fourth Prince, I¡¯ve asked around in Hanzhong Prefecture. It¡¯s said that Qi Haoran is very short of money and is nning to build a horse farm, so he spends a lot of money. Qi Xiuyuan can¡¯t give him the money he needs.¡± ¡°A horse farm can¡¯t be built with just 10,000 taels of silver or so. How dare he have such thoughts without 20,000 to 30,000 taels of silver? This Qi Haoran is really bold.¡±


    Pidusi smiled and said, ¡°Fourth Prince, Qi Haoran isn¡¯t so ambitious. He only wants to build a horse farm with 300 to 400 horses.¡±


    Wulie was stunned. ¡°Is that even called a horse farm?¡±


    Horse culture yed a big role in the Jin Kingdom culture. Everyone was a soldier, and almost every family had horses. Wulie himself had two horse farms, and there were no less than 10,000 horses in each horse farm. Every year, he relied on these horses to make money by trading with the Great Zhou, West Xia, or his own country¡¯s army.


    He could not imagine what a horse farm with only 300 to 400 horses was like.


    Pidusi said proudly, ¡°How can the Zhou Dynastypare to our Great Jin?¡± Wulie smiled nomittally and stroked the silk on the table with his fingers.


    Since theyck money, well continue this business. These silks are very profitable in our Jin Kingdom. There¡¯s also tea leaves. Find someone to be in charge of this area. Pick someone who¡¯s not only smart and business-sawy, but also knows how to obtain information.¡±


    Pidusi agreed and left.


    Wuhe opened up the silk on the table and muttered to himself, ¡°I hope the two young friends won¡¯t disappoint me.¡±


    At this moment, Fan Zijin was also deploying his men. ¡°¡­Your team is in charge of monitoring them. Remember, every time theye over, you have to monitor them well. At the very least, you can¡¯t let them pass through Hanzhong Prefecture to the south.¡±


    Seeing that Yanmo had taken the men away, Qi Haoran asked, ¡°Why do you have to do business with them when it¡¯s so troublesome? Haven¡¯t you already gotten in touch with a few businessmen from the Jingzhao Prefecture?¡±


    ¡°How is that the same?¡± Fan Zijin said, ¡°Do they dare to sell us the Jin Kingdom horses and the Jin Kingdom sabers?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That Wu guy dares to sell it?¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at him confidently. Qi Haoran mmed the table and said, ¡°Alright, you mustn¡¯t let him slip away. In the future, I¡¯ll open the door for you to do any business.¡±


    Fan Zijin rolled his eyes and said, ¡°You have a share in this business too. Don¡¯t make it sound like you have nothing to do with this..¡±

 Chapter 268 - 268: Shopping

    Chapter 268: Shopping


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After Mu Yangling and Xiuhong finished selling the rabbit skins, they set down the cart in an alley. Holding hands, they ran to look for Mu Shi and the others.


    Seeing all kinds of snacks on the stall, Xiuhong drooled. She pointed at a stall sellingmb skewers and said, ¡°Cousin, I want to eat that.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡± Mu Yangling pulled her in and said to the vendor, ¡°Give us 20 skewers.¡±


    Xiuhong tugged at her sleeve and whispered, ¡°I can¡¯t eat so much.¡±


    ¡°I can.¡±


    The vendor quickly ced the 20mb skewers on the grill, as if he was afraid that they would go back on their word.


    In this era, there weren¡¯t as many seasonings for roasted mutton skewers. However, the sheep here were raised on the grasnd and did not have a gamey vor. They only needed to apply a little seasoning to roast them and they would turn out delicious with a strong mutton vor. Unlike in the future, where one could only taste the barbecue vor, and chili and cumin.


    Mu Yangling looked at the sizzling mutton and couldn¡¯t help but drool. From time to time, she would point out, ¡°Just make it 80% cooked.¡±


    When the vendor heard this, he smiled and said, ¡°Miss, you¡¯re an expert at eating mutton. This is my first time setting up a stall. Don¡¯t me me if I don¡¯t do well.¡±


    ¡°No, no. I saw that you flipped through it quite quickly.¡± Mu Yangling looked up at him and saw that he was a standard Han Chinese. Smiling, she asked, ¡°Did you raise the sheep yourself? The citizens of our Great Zhou rarely raise such sheep.¡±


    The vendor smiled bitterly. ¡°How could we have raised them by choice? We were forced. Previously, the Hus didn¡¯t let us farm and insisted that we raise sheep and cows. Furthermore, those cows aren¡¯t even plowing oxen that can farm? Since we don¡¯t drink the milk that they produce, and considering cows are expensive, we had no choice but to raise sheep. Then, before we could ughter them, our Great Zhou fought back.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡± Xiuhong asked.


    ¡°Sure, why not? Firstly, this winter¡¯s taxes are waived. Secondly, we can keep all the sheep. Most importantly, we can remove the grass in the fields next year and switch to farming. It¡¯s just that the people south of Hanzhong Prefecture are not used to eating mutton. We have too much mutton and can¡¯t sell them all. That¡¯s why I decided to set up a stall at the temple fair to sell some mutton skewers, to try to earn as much money as I can.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the fresh mutton hanging beside her and drooled. ¡°You can¡¯t even sell such good mutton? What a waste.¡±


    Xiuhong¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She tugged at Mu Yangling¡¯s sleeve and whispered, ¡°Cousin, do you think it¡¯s because Little General and the others are still sealing the city gate that they can¡¯t sell it? Why don¡¯t we buy it and sell it back home?¡±


    Since people ate mutton in winter, as long as they were willing to go south, they would definitely be able to sell it. Mu Yangling stroked her chin and lowered her voice as well. ¡°But how much can we buy considering we only have more than a hundred taels of silver on us? Even if we include the money we have at home, it¡¯s only about 600 taels of silver. However, I don¡¯t mind doing the business on a smaller scale. We¡¯ll revisit this after we¡¯re done shopping at the temple fair.¡±


    While they were talking, the vendor had finished roasting themb skewers. Mu Yangling handed him the money and walked forward with Xiuhong while eating half each. Suddenly, a hand reached for her chest. Mu Yangling merely gently pped it, and that person screamed. He covered his hand and looked at her with a pale face. Mu Yangling bared her white teeth at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m a hunter.¡±


    That person covered his hand and turned to run. Mu Yangling snorted and didn¡¯t chase after him. Only then did Xiuhong realize that they had almost been robbed just now. She said indignantly, ¡°Cousin, why didn¡¯t you catch him and send him to the officials?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to, but I don¡¯t want to fight now.¡± As she spoke, she gestured for her to look at the corner of the street. There was a group of people standing there. The oldest was in his thirties, and the youngest was 12 or 13 years old. All of them red at Mu Yangling unkindly.


    They thought that they had spotted an easy target, but who knew that they had encountered a difficult opponent?


    After the leader red at Mu Yangling, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go elsewhere.¡±


    Seeing that they had left, Mu Yangling dragged Xiuhong along and continued shopping. They saw their families halfway.


    With the twins in his arms, Mu Shi said, ¡°I was just about to go back and look for you. Since it¡¯s lunchtime, let¡¯s find a ce to eat.¡±


    Shu Wanniang asked, ¡°How did the sale of the leather goods go?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve all been sold.¡± Mu Yangling held Xin¡¯s hand with one hand and Bowen¡¯s hand with the other as they walked forward. Only then did the two children let go of Shu Wanniang¡¯s clothes. There were so many people, and they were so afraid of getting lost.


    The family found a good eatery and went to the second floor. Bowen said excitedly, ¡°Sister, they said that there will be antern festival here tomorrow night. Let¡¯se and take a look too.¡±


    Mu Yangling stroked his head and agreed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bring you out when the timees.¡±


    ¡°Considering it¡¯s easy to get lost in such a crowded ce, and there are beggars, it¡¯s better to stay in the residence.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°What are you afraid of? When the timees, get Qi Haoran to send a few guards to follow us closely. Nothing will happen.¡± ¡°Whatever for?¡± Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin, who had been searching all the way here, happened to hear thest sentence.


    Mu Yangling told him about thentern festival that Bowen wanted to check out. Qi Haoran said nonchntly, ¡°When the timees, I¡¯lle out too. Let¡¯s go together.¡±


    When Mu Shi saw Qi Haoran and Fan Zijining over, he hurriedly stood up to give them a seat. Fan Zijin said with a smile, ¡°Uncle Mu, don¡¯t get up. We¡¯ll just sit at the adjacent table.¡±


    Seeing that it was a little crowded, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Let¡¯s get two tables. One table is too crowded.¡±


    Xiuhong and the others couldn¡¯t ask for more. They were always a little restrained when eating with adults, so they felt much more at ease eating by themselves.


    Mu Yangling immediately stood up and upied the adjacent table. She waved at the waiter, who was about to object, and said, ¡°Give me another serving of the dishes from that table just now.¡± Then, she said to Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin, ¡°Order whatever else you want to eat.¡±


    ¡°I just drank a pot of tea and am about to starve to death. I need to order more dishes.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the waiter immediately went forward happily and reported the names of the dishes. He also told them about the dishes that Mu Yangling and the others had ordered just now. Qi Haoran added two dishes, and Fan Zijin also added two. This way, there were many dishes on their table, filling the table.


    However, they finished it all. When the waiter came up to settle the bill, he couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue. Fan Zijin looked at Qi Haoran and then at Mu Yangling. He felt that with the two of them around, he wouldn¡¯t have to be afraid of wasting food when he ordered dishes in the future.


    He gestured for Yanmo to settle the bill. Mu Shi had already settled the bill first. Carrying the two sleepy little fellows in his arms, he said to Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin, ¡°Little General, Young Master Fan, my wife and I will bring the children back to sleep first. Go y by yourselves.¡± Then, he looked at Mu Yangling and instructed, ¡°Keep an eye on your younger siblings.¡±


    Bowen and Xin cheered softly. Without the adults restraining them, they could have more fun.


    Mu Yangling responded. Since Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin had brought many guards with them, Mu Yangling only had to keep an eye on them from afar. The guards would naturally watch over the children.


    Seeing that Xiuhong was also excited, she patted her shoulder and said, ¡°Go y with Bowen and Xin. I have something to say to Brother Haoran and the others..¡±

 Chapter 269 - 269: On the Road

    Chapter 269: On the Road


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran was thrilled to hear Mu Yangling call him ¡®Brother¡¯. Just as he was about to ask her to repeat it a few more times, Mu Yangling had already turned around to talk to Fan Zijin.


    She told Fan Zijin about the few merchants. She didn¡¯t mention that Butler Chen had the intention to stop the merchants from going north. She only said that a few merchants wanted to import goods and sell them south.


    Given Fan Zijin¡¯s shrewdness, it would definitely ur to him to ask about this when he saw them. Therefore, there was no need for her to y the bad guy here.


    When Fan Zijin heard that a customer hade to ask about the diced rabbit meat, he was in a good mood. Since no one had approached him about this so far, he¡¯d thought that they could only do the diced rabbit meat business themselves.


    This was his first business. Even if he did not earn a lot now, he was still very concerned. He had originally nned to expand the workshop and build another workshop in Hanzhong Prefecture. This way, he would be able to produce more diced rabbit meat. When the time came, he would let the merchants from the south sell it. This way, he could reduce his costs by a lot.


    However, he had never seen anyonee to ask. He¡¯d thought that it was because the diced rabbit meat had just beenunched recently and the profits had not yet been enticing enough to drive those merchants toe. Now, it seemed that the timing was just not right.


    When Fan Zijin realized that Butler Chen was behind this, he was so angry that he almost fainted. However, Butler Chen was still in the south at this moment. Even if he wanted to re up, he couldn¡¯t find a target.


    After ying to her heart¡¯s content for two days, Mu Yangling borrowed 400 taels of silver from Fan Zijin. Together with the 100 taels of silver she had on her, she found the vendor who sold mutton skewers and discussed buying sheep with him.


    ¡°1 tael 500 copper coins per sheep of my choice. What do you think?¡±


    The peddler said with a bitter expression, ¡°But Miss, sheep can usually be sold for two taels of silver each. You¡¯re too ruthless to directly bargain down half a tael of silver.¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°The sheep you raise can¡¯tpare to the ones raised by the Hus. The price you mentioned is from the past. Now, one tael of silver in Hanzhong Prefecture can buy a sheep. After I buy it, I still have to rush south to sell it. 1 tael 500 copper coins is a fair price.¡±


    The peddler was silent for a moment before asking, ¡°How many are you buying, Miss?¡±


    ¡°300.¡±


    The peddler¡¯s eyes lit up. This way, more than half of the sheep in their vige would be gone.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you the price of 1 tael 500 copper coins per sheep. Help me organize it and let me choose. As for how much you give them, it¡¯s up to you. But there¡¯s one thing. The worst sheep can¡¯t be worse than that one.¡±


    Mu Yangling pointed at a sheep tied to the back of his stall. After weighing the pros and cons, the vendor nodded. ¡°Miss, don¡¯t worry. I can help you get it done. When will you collect the sheep?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow afternoon.¡±


    ¡°This is too rushed.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°I have to leave early the day after tomorrow.¡±


    The vendor could only agree. No longer in the mood to set up a stall, he packed his things and went home to discuss it with the vigers.


    Mu Shi and Shu Wanniang had always been supportive of their daughter¡¯s business. No matter what she did, they did not object.


    However, Great-aunt had always been very conservative. After learning that Mu Yangling was taking out more than half of the family¡¯s savings at once, although she wanted to object, she felt discouraged when she thought of the past results. She felt that it was better to let them do it.


    However, when she found out that Xiuhong was the instigator, she twisted her ear and lectured, ¡°Your cousin is already bold enough. If you still add fuel to the fire, won¡¯t the family business be ruined by the two of you in the future?¡±


    Unconvinced, Xiuhong said, ¡°Grandma, we build up the family business with our hard work. Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t lose anything. Even if we can¡¯t sell them, we can raise these sheep and bring one to the market every day to sell.¡± ¡°Bullsh*t. How long will it take to sell them all if you sell 300 sheep at one per day? And don¡¯t these sheep eat grass? Won¡¯t they age? The mutton may be alright now. But if we raise them for a few more months, see who else will eat them.¡±


    Although she was skeptical, Great-aunt still actively prepared things for them to go out. This time, Mu Yangling brought Xiuhong and Bowen out. Her reason was that the two of them were not young anymore and should go out to see the world.


    Mu Yangling asked Qi Haoran to help take care of things at home. She stuffed the clothes she needed into her bag and said to Shu Wanniang, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take good care of Xiuhong and Bowen. Now that there¡¯s nothing to do in the fields, you and Great-aunt should rest too. I reckon Father will be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Then how long will it take you toe back?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely be back before the new year.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still more than a month before the new year.¡± Shu Wanniang asked hesitantly, ¡°Does it have to be that long?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll head all the way to Xingyuan Prefecture. If we still haven¡¯t finished selling all the sheep by the time we reach Xingyuan Prefecture, we¡¯ll continue walking east along Xingyuan Prefecture. Don¡¯t worry, your daughter won¡¯t suffer any losses.¡±


    ¡°Control your temper outside. Although you¡¯re powerful, two fists can¡¯t defeat four legs. Besides, you have Xiuhong and Bowen with you¡­¡± Shu Wanniang reminded her carefully. In the end, she said, ¡°It¡¯s fine even if you can¡¯t finish selling everything in the end. We¡¯ll slowly think of a way after you bring the sheep back. Don¡¯t get angry.¡±


    After agreeing readily, Mu Yangling spread the nket on the carriage and took out the things she had packed one by one. She had bought this carriage for ckie in Hanzhong Prefecture. Although it was a waste of talent to use ckie to pull the carriage, she had no choice. After all, their family only had ckie now.


    Mu Yangling looked at the unwilling ckie and thought that it would be best to buy a donkey or mule when she returned. It was fine if it was once or twice, but she couldn¡¯t always let her ckie pull the cart.


    Mu Yangling touched its neck andforted it. ¡°I¡¯ll find you apanion when youe back. Don¡¯t be angry. Let¡¯s go out and rx.¡±


    ckie affectionately touched Mu Yangling¡¯s head with its head before reluctantly pulling the carriage.


    Bowen and Xiuhong climbed into the carriage and waved goodbye to their families excitedly. ¡°Great-aunt, Mother, we¡¯re leaving.¡±


    Xiuhong was also promising her sister, ¡°I¡¯ll buy you beautiful embroidery threads.¡±


    Mu Yangling chased the sheep out. There were 300 sheep, with a rope tying every ten sheep together. This way, the sheep wouldn¡¯t be able to escape even if they wanted to, and the head sheep led the way.


    Xiuhong and Bowen sat on one side of the carriage. ckie could keep up with Mu Yangling, and there was no need to rush at all. When they reached the main road, Mu Yangling wouldn¡¯t have to chase the sheep. She would sit in the carriage herself, and just had to make sure that the sheep didn¡¯t get lost.


    Looking around, Xiuhong saw that all the leaves on the trees on both sides had fallen. She immediately felt a little bored. ¡°Cousin, where are we sleeping tonight?¡±


    ¡°In the wild.¡± Mu Yangling had already confirmed the route before setting off. With their current speed, they could only sleep in the wild at night.


    Both Bowen and Xiuhong were excited since it was their first time sleeping in the wild. ¡°Will there be wolves?¡±


    ¡°It depends on luck. I don¡¯t think our luck is that bad.¡±


    The two of them nodded in disappointment. Mu Yangling looked at the two brats and gritted her teeth.


    There was a fork in the road ahead. Seeing the leading sheep walk straight ahead instead of turning south, Mu Yangling quickly jumped off the carriage and passed through the sheep to drive the leading sheep away. This made the orderly sheep chaotic for a moment. When Mu Yangling corrected the course of the leading sheep, the sheep behind rioted again before order was restored.


    With a sigh, Xiuhong said, ¡°Fortunately, we¡¯re the only ones on this road. Otherwise, other people will definitely have a problem with this.¡± Their sheep upied the entire road..

 Chapter 270 - 270: Survival in the Wild

    Chapter 270: Survival in the Wild


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Before the sun set, Mu Yangling began to look for a suitable ce to stay in the wild. The wind was strong in winter, so she didn¡¯t dare to live in an empty space. She stopped in a small forest by the roadside and counted the number of sheep before tying them all to the trees.


    Xiuhong and Bowen carried the pasture down from the back of the carriage for the sheep to eat. Mu Yangling took out a bow and arrow from the carriage and waved at the two of them. ¡°After feeding them, go and pick up some dry firewood. Pick up more. Also, pick up more dead leaves. We have to start a fire


    tonight.¡±


    Although the sun had not set, cold air kept emitting from their bodies. Even though they were wearing thick clothes, they still felt a little cold.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t go far and merely went nearby to see if she could catch prey. Although they had brought food, it certainly couldn¡¯tpare with fresh prey.


    As much as possible, Mu Yangling would not mistreat her stomach. After a while, she discovered a pheasant hiding in the bushes. When the pheasant saw her, it let out a cry and pped its wings, about to fly up. No time to chase after it, Mu Yangling simply shot an arrow at it. The arrow pierced through the pheasant¡¯s neck and made it fall to the ground. Mu Yangling jogged forward and carried the pheasant back.


    She took out a wooden bucket from the carriage. The water in the wooden bucket had frozen into ice. That¡¯s right, it was ice. The night before Mu Yangling left, she boiled a pot of boiling water and poured it into the wooden bucket. Then, she ced it in the courtyard. The next day, ayer of ice had formed on the water in the wooden bucket. Although the ice was only ayer of two to three millimeters thick on the surface, now she didn¡¯t have to fear that the water would spill out when ced in the carriage.


    Mu Yangling carefully knocked open an opening and poured the water from the bottom into the pot. She cut open the pheasant and cleaned the internal organs inside, but did not remove its fur. Instead, she dug up some loose yellow mud nearby and soaked it in water before crushing it. She ced the mixture there for the time being so that the soil could fully absorb the water. Then, she went to the carriage and took out some dry goods to soak.


    When Bowen and Xiuhong returned with dry firewood, Mu Yangling had already stuffed the dry goods into the pheasant¡¯s stomach.


    This being the first time the two of them had seen someone clean up a pheasant like this, they squatted at the side curiously and watched.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°This is the famous Beggar¡¯s Chicken. I heard that it tastes better wrapped in lotus leaves. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have lotus leaves now, so we can make do with yellow mud.¡±


    Xiuhong looked at the lump of yellow mud on the ground and tried her best to imagine. She asked, ¡°Is it edible when wrapped in this?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t tried it either, but it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. If it doesn¡¯t work, don¡¯t we still have rations in the car?¡±


    The two of them were very depressed by their sister¡¯s answer. ¡°Then you might as well just roast it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to get heaty if you always eat roasted meat in the middle of winter. Mu Yangling smeared a thickyer of yellow mud on the pheasant and dug a shallow hole at the ce where she took the mud just now, burying the


    pheasant.


    Mu Yangling went to break the dry firewood and started a fire with dead leaves.


    ¡°Sis, will the pheasant be cooked when it¡¯s buried underground? ¡°Theoretically, it will.¡± Mu Yangling remembered that she had once read about this in elementary school. In that story tranted into Chinese from a foreignnguage, a father had used this method to survive in the mountains with his son. It was simr to the ancient Chinese¡¯s ¡®Beggar¡¯s Chicken¡¯. Perhaps, it actually was the Chinese¡¯s ¡®Beggar¡¯s Chicken¡¯.


    Anyway, Mu Yangling felt that there was no problem.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you try it before when you and Father went into the mountains?


    ¡°Father prefers roasted chicken and roasted rabbit.


    Bowen despised her. ¡°You didn¡¯t dare to challenge Father¡¯s authority, right? Sister, you bully the weak and fear the strong. To think you¡¯re using our dinner as an experiment.¡±


    Mu Yangling set the fire aze and pped her hands. ¡°If you have the ability, resist.¡±


    Bowen gritted his teeth. Xiuhong pursed her lips and smiled.


    Mu Yangling went to check on her sheep. After walking around, she cleared the t area around them and swept away the dead leaves.


    She had to start a fire here at night to keep them warm, so when she tied the rope previously, she specially tied them in a circle, leaving an empty space in


    the middle.


    Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief. The damn weather was at least -10 degrees Celsius, but there was no snow at all. It was dry and cold. Fortunately, the wind in the forest was not very strong. Otherwise, it would be even harder to endure at night.


    Mu Yangling looked at her younger siblings and said, ¡°We have to find more dry firewood. The fire must not be extinguished at night.¡±


    Half of the sun was still hanging in the sky, so it was not far from dark. Fortunately, this forest was far from where people lived, so no one came here to pick up dry firewood. They easily found arge pile nearby.


    Xiuhong and Bowen liked to find dry firewood that was as thick as a small arm. On the other hand, Mu Yangling preferred those branches that were as thick as a thigh. This was because they could burn for a long time and also produced a very high temperature. Therefore, Mu Yangling only nced at the forest to see if there were dried tree trunks or branches. If there were, she would pull them out.


    With the fire as the center, Mu Yangling walked one round. In the end, she pulled out two withered trees as thick as a calf. One of them had traces of being chopped. Someone probably attempted to cut it as firewood, but for some reason, they gave up halfway. Mu Yangling simply broke the withered treepletely and carried it back.


    Xiuhong said excitedly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to fear with you around.¡±


    Bowen nodded at the side. Seeing his sistere back with a tree in each hand, he was indeed not afraid.


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes and cut each withered tree into three segments. She ced three segments on her side and three segments where the sheep were.


    Bowen and the others each dragged back a bundle of firewood. Mu Yang felt that they had enough, so she built a small fire for the sheep. She felt that she had to wait until it waspletely dark before she added more firewood to


    make the fire bigger.


    When they were almost done, wisps of fragrance came out of the fire.


    It waspletely dark.


    Xiuhong ced the three rtivelyrge pieces of firewood in a triangr shape into the fire. Then, she ced the pot on top. When the water in the pot boiled, the pheasant buried underground would be cooked.


    Mu Yangling moved the fire to the side, then dug up the pheasant and threw it beside the fire. After which, she quickly filled the soil back and propped the tent on the ground. The tent that Mu Yangling brought this time was sewn by Shu Wanniang for them with a thick felt cloth. It was surrounded on three sides and faced the fire on the empty side. Mu Yangling used a stick to erect the tent. Feeling that the temperature on the ground had dropped a little, she spread on the ground some dead leaves that she had picked out just now.


    They were petite, and the fire just now was quite big, so it was just right for the three of them to sleep after covering it with dead leaves.


    Xiuhong reached out to touch the dead leaves. Seeing that they were warm to the touch, she knew that the heat would continue to surge up from underground. Her eyes sparkled as she said, ¡°Cousin, it¡¯s not cold at all.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get toocent. The temperature on the ground will dissipate in an hour at most. Bring me those small branches and dead leaves. We have to spread a thickyer and pad two quilts so that it won¡¯t be cold at night.¡¯


    ¡°Two quilts?¡±


    ¡°Yes, two.¡±


    The first quilt was brought out by them from Nearhill Vige previously. After they moved to a new house, this quilt had been lying idle. This time, Mu Yangling brought it to cushion the bottom of the carriage. After carrying it out, she threw it on the dead leaves. Then, shey out the new quilt on top of it. With felt to block the wind and these warm measures, sleeping in the wilderness shouldn¡¯t be a problem..

 Chapter 271 - 271: Three Springs County

    Chapter 271: Three Springs County


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    By the time all of this was done, their stomachs were already growling. Only then did Mu Yangling bring the gray pheasant over from the side of the fire and remove the clods of earth. As the feathers were stuck to them, they were plucked off together. The fragrance wafted into their noses. When Mu Yangling peeled the entire pheasant and ced it into the pot Xiuhong had brought over, even she couldn¡¯t help but drool when she saw the fragrant pheasant.


    Mu Yangling grabbed a drumstick and gently pulled it out. The dry goods inside were also revealed. She gave Bowen and Xiuhong a drumstick each and said, ¡°There¡¯s no rice. Go heat up the pancakes and eat them.¡±


    Bowen and Xiuhong couldn¡¯t help but start eating. Mu Yangling had no choice but to go to her bag and heat up the pancakes that Shu Wanniang had made for them. The three of them finished the pheasant and even ate five pancakes. There was only the dry goods in the pheasant¡¯s stomach left in the pot.


    Xiuhong and Bowen were already hugging their stomachs and shouting, ¡°I¡¯m so, very full.¡±


    Mu Yangling touched their stomachs and turned around to heat up the fire for the sheep. When everyone was almost done digesting, Mu Yangling patted them and said, ¡°Go in and sleep.¡±


    The quilt on the floor was a little warm, making it especiallyfortable to lie on it. Xiuhong and Bowen took off their cotton clothes and squeezed under one quilt each.


    Xiuhong was sleeping outside, and Mu Yangling was in the same bed as her. Her bow and arrow were ced beside her hand, and there was also a dagger which she kept on her at all times. With her eyes open, she listened to the movements around her before slowly closing her eyes.


    That night, Mu Yangling got up three times to add firewood to the fire. The fire never extinguished, and the temperature near them never dropped.


    Early in the morning, after she woke up, she added a few handfuls of rice to the pot and ced it over the fire with the dry goods.


    When Xiuhong and Bowen opened their eyes and woke up, the two of them realized that the sky was already bright outside. Mu Yangling had already fed the sheep hay. Seeing that they had woken up, she said, ¡°You¡¯re awake? There¡¯s hot water in the kettle. Quickly wash your face. We¡¯ll leave after eating porridge. We should be able to reach the county of Three Springs County at noon, and stay there for a day and see if we can sell some.¡±


    Three Springs County was a county under the jurisdiction of the Xingyuan Prefecture. It was a fortress that connected the north and south, so it was considered prosperous. Mu Yangling and the others naturally couldn¡¯t drive a group of sheep into the city like this. If the sheep identally damaged or dirtied someone else¡¯s things, they wouldn¡¯t be able topensate them even if they sold themselves.


    Therefore, Mu Yangling rented a ce from a family in the vige outside the city for 30 copper coins a day.


    There were many merchants who rented houses in the vige because they could not enter the city in time. However, there was no one like Mu Yangling who could not enter the city because she had so many live sheep with her. Therefore, the vigers watched them curiously.


    Mu Yangling chased the sheep into the fence and said to Xiuhong and Bowen, ¡°Pack up and follow me into the city.¡±


    ¡°Sister, are we leaving our sheep here?¡±


    ¡°I paid thendlord for them to help take care of the sheep.¡± Otherwise, if only the two children, Xiuhong and Bowen, were left here, they would probably not be able to guard these sheep. It was better to hand them over to thendlord. Since they were the local tyrants here, no one would offend them. There were precedents.


    Perhaps to intimidate the vigers, after chasing them out, Mu Yangling entered the fence and grabbed a sheep with one hand, easily bringing it out.


    The vigers were stunned. Then, they clicked their tongues. This sheep must weigh more than a hundred catties, not to mention that the sheep was even struggling.


    Mu Yangling held one in each hand without any difficulty. Even if the onlookers had any designs on the sheep previously, those thoughts werepletely dispelled by now.


    Indeed, as the saying went in the martial arts world, ¡®Among those who traveled alone outside, single children, women, and old people were thest types of people one should provoke.¡¯


    This was because the martial arts world was fraught with danger to begin with. Since these three types of people dared to travel by themselves, it could be seen that not only were they capable, but they were also ruthless.


    Mu Yangling and the other two were rather young. The boy looked to be only about six or seven years old, but he was not afraid of so many of them. It was obvious that he was not someone to be trifled with, either.


    Mu Yangling found thendlord and took out 100 copper coins for him. ¡°There are still 298 sheep inside. Count them. Our contract expires at tonight¡¯s sunset. If I don¡¯te back by then, you don¡¯t have to watch over them for me.¡±


    Thendy was already counting sheep with her son. After a while, she nodded at the family head. Thendy put away the 100 copper coins and handed over a piece of paper. After writing the number 298, he did not know how to write the rest. He scratched his head anxiously.


    Mu Yangling took the pen from him and filled in the words ¡°goats¡± before signing her name. ¡°Take a look and see if it¡¯s right.¡±


    Thendlord bowed and said, ¡°Geez, Miss, I can¡¯t read. Wait for me, I¡¯ll get someone to take a look.¡±


    These documents were all written in advance by the people in the vige who were literate. Some asked them to look after their luggage, and they just had to fill in the numbers.


    After finding a literate person to read it, thendlord nodded. ¡°No problem. Just sign it.¡±


    After thendlord signed it, he and Mu Yangling each kept a copy.


    Only then did Mu Yangling pick up the two tied sheep and enter the city. She wanted to find a sales channel, but she didn¡¯t have time to slowly herd the sheep into the city.


    Mu Yangling first ced the sheep in a corner, then went to the market to buy pork. She asked, ¡°Boss, do you have mutton?¡±


    The butcher looked up at Mu Yangling and shook his head. ¡°It was sold out in the morning. You¡¯re only here now. It¡¯s long gone.¡±


    ¡°Is mutton that easy to sell?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. There¡¯s not much mutton in Three Springs County, and it¡¯s winter. Everyone likes to eat mutton.¡±


    ¡°Then how much does the mutton here cost per catty?¡±


    ¡°It depends on what mutton. Goats cost 43 copper coins a catty this morning, and grasnd sheep cost 50 copper coins a catty.¡±


    ¡°Does the price of mutton differ every day?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not to the extent of changing every day, but now that the weather is getting colder, everyone likes to use mutton to stew soup. The closer it is to the new year, the more expensive it will naturally be. Youngdy, why are you asking in such detail?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Thank you, Boss.¡± The first thing Mu Yangling did when she came out of the market was to go to the mutton restaurant in the city. The boss there looked at Mu Yangling¡¯s sheep and heard that they were grasnd sheep raised by Hanzhong Prefecture. After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°Miss, name a price.¡±


    ¡°It depends on whether you¡¯re talking about one sheep or going by catty.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the price for each case?¡±


    ¡°In terms of catties, it¡¯s 28 copper coins per catty weighed raw. If it¡¯s weighed after ughtering the sheep, It¡¯s 40 copper coins per catty. If you¡¯re buying the entire sheep, it¡¯s 3 taels per sheep regardless of size.¡±


    The boss muttered, ¡°It¡¯s a little expensive.¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°The grasnd sheep outside are sold for 50 copper coins a catty now, and will only be more and more expensive as new year approaches. Boss, even if you cooperate with the butchers, it will definitely not be as cheap as mine. It took me three days of walking to rush here from Hanzhong Prefecture from afar..¡±

 Chapter 272 - 272: Sale

    Chapter 272: Sale


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling included the journey from Hanzhong Prefecture to Xingzhou Prefecture. If they walked on foot, wouldn¡¯t they have to walk for two days?


    The boss fell silent. Xiuhong encouraged him from the side. ¡°Boss, what are you hesitating for? We¡¯re selling you live sheep. As long as there¡¯s grass, you can raise them and ughter them when you need to cook it. The price is much cheaper than the ones you buy from butchers.¡±


    Seeing that the boss was tempted, Bowen tugged at Mu Yangling¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Sister, why don¡¯t we find a butcher? Sell it to him for 40 copper coins per catty. If he sells it for 50 copper coins, he can earn 10 copper coins per catty.¡±


    The boss immediately asked, ¡°Miss, how many sheep do you have?¡±


    ¡°How many do you want?¡±


    After weighing the pros and cons, the boss said, ¡°Six, all alive. As for whether we¡¯re going by weight or the number of sheep, I¡¯ll have to take a look before deciding.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    The boss continued, ¡°You can only sell your sheep to our mutton restaurant.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled. ¡°That goes without saying.¡±


    Only then was the boss satisfied.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deliver them before the sun sets.¡± After saying that, Mu Yangling picked up two sheep and was about to leave. Seeing this, the boss quickly stopped her. ¡°Leave these two sheep here. Just bring four more sheep.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do. I still have to find other buyers.¡±


    The boss said unhappily, ¡°You clearly said that you would only sell it to my mutton restaurant.¡±


    ¡°I said that I¡¯ll only sell it to your mutton restaurant. However, there¡¯s still thergest eatery, thergest restaurant, and thergest butcher in Three Springs County.¡±


    The boss was dumbfounded. So Mu Yangling was only exclusively selling to one of each type? However, he couldn¡¯t find any fault with that reasoning. Thinking that although there waspetition between them, it was much less than that of other mutton restaurants, he didn¡¯t stop Mu Yangling anymore.


    He watched as the three of them disappeared and sighed. ¡°Each generation is better than thest. To think they dare toe out and do business at such a young age. I must admit I¡¯m getting old.¡±


    Just like that, Mu Yangling went to thergest restaurant and eatery. Then, she ran back to the butcher from before. She received an order of 34 sheep collectively, which made a total of 40 sheep when including the six from that first mutton restaurant.


    Mu Yangling did not have to spend long negotiating with them, half an hour at most for each. However, it still took her quite a long time after adding the time up among the various buyers.


    Xiuhong took the money to buy a few buns to fill everyone¡¯s stomachs. Mu Yangling left the two sheep at the butcher¡¯s and took the three taels of deposit he had given her. As she ate the buns, she went back to herd the sheep over.


    Of the 40 sheep, Mu Yangling chose 38 from inside the fence. These 38 were less energetic than the others, and they varied in size.


    Mu Yangling used a rope to split them into three groups and started herding them forward. Mu Yangling was in a hurry, afraid that she would not be able to return to her rented ce before the sun set. So, she stuffed another 100 copper coins into thendlord¡¯s hands and asked them to watch over the sheep for a longer time.


    Thendlord was overjoyed. He had earned more money today than he had in two months, so he agreed happily. In fact, he even hoped that Mu Yangling and the others woulde back aste as possible. This way, they might be able to get an additional reward tomorrow.


    He could also tell that although Mu Yangling and the others were not dressed well and hade out to make a living at such a young age, they were even more generous than those merchants.


    The three of them herded the sheep into the city. Not long after, Mu Yangling was way ahead of Bowen and Xiuhong. Worried that they wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the city at night, Xiuhong shouted, ¡°Cousin, you can leave first. We¡¯ll walk slowly.¡±


    Mu Yangling waved at them and herded her ten sheep away.


    Tied together, the ten sheep were quite well-behaved after entering the city. Mu Yangling carefully herded them to the entrance of the mutton restaurant and wiped the sweat off her forehead. ¡°Finally here. I was afraid that I would bump into something on the way.¡±


    When the boss heard this, he came out and saw the ten tied sheep. Smiling, he said, ¡°Miss, since you can rush here from Hanzhong Prefecture, why are you afraid of entering the city?¡± He walked around the ten sheep and chose six that looked fatter. He asked casually, ¡°Miss, how many sheep did you herd over this time?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not much left. We stopped for a day each at Xingzhou Prefecture and Mingshui County.¡± Mu Yangling kicked a sheep in the middle and said, ¡°Boss, this one is not bad. It¡¯s energetic.¡±


    Seeing that she did not answer the exact number, the boss did not ask further. He looked at the one Mu Yangling had chosen and thought for a moment before recing it. He said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take these six.¡±


    Mu Yangling untied the rope and pulled out the six for him. She asked, ¡°Do you want to go by number of sheep or weight?¡±


    The boss chose all the fat and strong ones, so he naturally chose to go by number of sheep. He paid Mu Yangling 18 taels of silver happily.


    Mu Yangling appeared a little indignant, but she still held the remaining four sheep and turned to leave.


    Seeing that she had left, the boss rubbed his hands and said, ¡°I¡¯ve made a killing this time.¡±


    Mu Yangling went to the eatery next. When she saw Bowen and Xiuhong there, she asked, ¡°Did the journey go smoothly?¡±


    Xiuhong nodded. ¡°Since there were fewer people on the streets, I didn¡¯t bump into anything.¡±


    The next three buyers also chose their sheep. Some chose to pay ording to the number of sheep, while others chose to pay by weight. However, even when paying by weight, they were weighed raw. Arge part of the reason why they bought Mu Yangling¡¯s sheep was that her sheep were alive and could be kept.


    In the end, Mu Yangling received 124 taels of silver. The sun was about to set. Having fulfilled her end of the agreement, Mu Yangling was in a good mood. She waved at the two children and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the restaurant today and have a good meal.¡±


    Xiuhong said excitedly, ¡°Cousin, let¡¯s charge them ording to weight in catties and not by number of sheep next time. It¡¯s more profitable that way.¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°You win some, you lose some. We have a lot more time now, right? Alright, let¡¯s go eat first. After dinner, I¡¯ll go buy some grass. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll still stay in Three Springs County for a day and only reach Xingyuan Prefecture the day after tomorrow. We can¡¯t let the sheep starve.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we¡¯d only stay for a day?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see that when we went to the eatery and restaurant to deliver the sheep just now, many people in gorgeous clothes looked at us? I just asked the assistant of the eatery and found out that many of the squires in Three Springs County like to eat mutton, especially hot-boiled mutton. Tomorrow, we can go visit them. We might be able to sell them some. Considering there are still so many sheep left, we can¡¯t ce all our hopes on Xingyuan Prefecture.¡±


    ¡°Since they saw it, why didn¡¯t theye over and ask if they were interested? Sister, asking thendlord to help look after the sheep is too expensive.¡±


    With a smile, Mu Yangling said, ¡°They naturally won¡¯t take the initiative to mention it to us because of their status. However, if there¡¯s really a family that likes to eat very much, someone will probablye looking for us tomorrow.¡±


    Mu Yangling was right. The next morning, someone really came knocking on her door. It was Landlord Bai who lived in the north of the city. His mother loved mutton, and in a few days, his mother was hosting a banquet. Many youngdies and daughters-inw in the city would go to his house for a meal, and he would drink and chat with a group of men in the front yard.


    Since the weather these days was so cold, the olddy suggested eating hotpot. How could there be no mutton when eating hotpot? Thus, he asked his steward to go out and look for Mu Yangling for some fresh grasnd mutton.


    As Mu Yangling did not hide her whereabouts yesterday, they could easily find her by asking around..

 Chapter 273 - 273: Pity

    Chapter 273: Pity


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling stayed for another day. After walking around the city, she brought back four stewards and let them have their pick for four taels of silver per sheep.


    The four stewards were all stewards of famous wealthy families in the city, and were very dissatisfied with Mu Yangling¡¯s increase in price. ¡°Youngdy, I heard that you just sold one to someone for three taels yesterday. Why did the price increase by one tael in just a day?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if our boss is rich, he won¡¯t let others take advantage of him like this.¡±


    Mu Yangling hurriedly exined, ¡°Steward uncles, you¡¯ve misunderstood. I chose the sheep I herded into the city yesterday. They wanted 40 sheep, so I herded 40 there. Among those sheep, the smallest one is only worth 3 taels and 60 copper coins when going by weight. I sold it to them in one go. As for thergest one?¡± Mu Yangling smiled in embarrassment and said, ¡°Although I haven¡¯t weighed it, I know a little about the sheep since I¡¯ve raised them for so long. Thergest one is worth about 3 taels and 500 copper coins by weight. But look at the sheep the few of you are choosing here.¡±


    Mu Yangling pointed at the sheep and said, ¡°Other than the six that the Bai family brought away this morning, there are still 254 left- If I let you choose one for three taels of silver, won¡¯t the few of you choose the best ones? Thatst one can probably be sold for five taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t. Our family head is an honest person. Why would he take advantage


    of you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re so poor that they can¡¯t eat.¡± The four stewards looked at the flock of sheep and felt that a few of them were especially strong and energetic. They waved their hands and said, ¡°Alright, alright. Four taels it is. How should we get them out?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just point it out to me and I¡¯ll capture it for you.¡±


    The four stewards also found it dirty, so they stood outside the fence and wandered around the sheep. Someone pointed at a fatter one and said, ¡°I want this one.¡±


    Mu Yangling stepped into the fence and stared intently at the sheep, then quickly grabbed one of its legs and carried it out.


    The four stewards clicked their tongues and ordered sheep one after another for Mu Yangling to catch. In the end, Mu Yangling caught a total of 15 sheep. Mu Yangling tied up the sheep selected by the four stewards separately before washing her hands and settling the bill with them.


    Knowing that the sheep they chose was worth more than four taels, they happily paid Mu Yangling the money.


    Those 15 sheep cost a total of 60 taels of silver. After the silver and goods were exchanged, each steward herded their sheep back.


    Xiuhong curled her lips and said, ¡°They¡¯re really stingy, unlike the Bai family who immediately said that they were willing to buy one for five taels of silver. After that, they even gave two taels of silver as a reward.¡±


    Smiling, Bowen said, ¡°The Bai family¡¯s steward is also smarter than them to ask Sister to help them choose the sheep. Those six sheep were all chosen by Sister and were much more muscr than the ones chosen by the stewards.¡± ¡°Bowen is right. We have a win-win situation with the Bai family. Alright, throw some grass into the flock. Don¡¯t forget to refill the water. Serve them well. Let¡¯s go eat our fill and sleep in a while. We have to set off before dawn tomorrow. Otherwise, we won¡¯t have time to find a ce to stay when we reach Xingyuan Prefecture.¡±


    Mu Yangling sat cross-legged on the brick bed and counted the money she had earned over the past two days. Excluding the copper coins, she had collected a total of 216 taels of silver. It looked like a lot, but it did not actually feel like much when ced in the pouch, weighing merely slightly over 13 catties. Mu Yangling expressed that as long as it was silver, the heavier the better.


    After counting the money, she ced the bag on the brick bed and leaned against the wall to look outside. As this window faced the flock of sheep, she would be able to see the sheep once she opened her eyes. Bowen and Xiuhong had gone to sleep, and she didn¡¯t know where thendlord¡¯s family were. The people wandering behind the trees outside didn¡¯t dare to go forward. After taking a look, Mu Yangling yawned. Having lost interest, she fell asleep on the brick bed with the nket over her.


    Mu Yangling thought that the other party would make a move in the afternoon, when they were sleeping more soundly, but she still overestimated them. When she woke up, those people were still hesitating behind the tree and did not dare to go forward. Perhaps because it was daytime, they still did not have the guts.


    Mu Yangling sat on the brick bed and thought for a while. She felt that this was most likely not a habitual thief, so she put on her clothes and walked out in the direction where they were hiding.


    Unexpectedly, after only about 20 steps, those people realized that something was wrong and turned around to run. Mu Yangling could only stop in her tracks and watch helplessly as they disappeared. She didn¡¯t want to arrest them. She just wanted to talk to them about life, but the other party seemed to be very afraid of her.


    After some thought, she turned around and went back.


    Having woken up by now, Xiuhong and Bowen looked at Mu Yangling in confusion. ¡°Sister, where did you go just now?¡±


    ¡°I just walked outside for a while. Since you¡¯re up, get out of bed. We¡¯ll make dinner. Also, we have to prepare the rations for tomorrow. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have time to stop and rest at noon tomorrow.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Xiuhong instantly sobered up and immediately got off the brick bed. Considering her cousin¡¯s culinary skills, the task of cooking ultimately fell upon her.


    Mu Yangling also knew that she wasn¡¯t very good at this. She felt that her home-cooked food was very decent, but it certainly couldn¡¯tpare to Shu Wanniang and Great-aunt¡¯s superb culinary skills. Even Xiuhong¡¯s culinary skills had improved dramatically this year. Shu Wanniang¡¯s opinion was that she was already three streets ahead of Mu Yangling.


    Hence, Mu Yangling assisted Xiuhong in the kitchen.


    By the time they had prepared the rations for tomorrow, it was already dark.


    Mu Yangling and the others began to eat.


    They didn¡¯t eat badly, but it couldn¡¯tpare to what they usually ate at home. However, this was enough for the children of thendlord¡¯s family to drool.


    Mu Yangling had just eaten a mouthful of meat when she saw the two children hiding outside the door and looking in eagerly¡­ at the meat on her chopsticks, swallowing their saliva from time to time.


    Mu Yangling waved at them and said, ¡°Go home and bring over a bowl of rice.¡± The older sister understood and pulled her younger brother to run next door. Soon, the two little ones brought two bowls of rice over.


    Seeing that they were standing there uneasily, and even when Mu Yangling asked them to eat, they merely timidly pick up a chopstick of food. After thinking for a while, she took an empty bowl and filled it up with some food. Then, she ced them aside and said, ¡°Eat.¡±


    The two children carefully nced at Mu Yangling and the rest before wolfing down the food.


    Bowen¡¯s eyes widened, but Xiuhong stared at them in a daze. She remembered that when she first arrived at the Mu Residence, she, too, had fought for food like this. As she was really too hungry and greedy, she couldn¡¯t focus on anything other than the food.


    Mu Yangling knocked on the bowl and said, ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and eat.¡±


    The two of them quickly lowered their heads and ate.


    Mu Yangling and the others had made quite a lot of food, but the rice was only enough for themselves. However, the two children clearly did not need more rice. They gobbled up all the dishes on the table and their stomachs were full. Mu Yangling was afraid that their stomachs would burst, so she kept reminding them not to eat too much.


    The two children only lowered their heads and ate fiercely.


    The elder of the two children was only five years old. Although her face was a little sallow, their family situation shouldn¡¯t be so bad that their kids had to starve, right?


    Xiuhong leaned close to Mu Yangling¡¯s ear and said, ¡°Farmers can¡¯t bear to eat much. If they have some money, they want to save it first in case they need it urgently in the future. I think their parents must be even more ill-fed than them. Everyone lives like this..¡±

 Chapter 274 - 274: Thief

    Chapter 274: Thief


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Around four in the morning, Mu Yangling woke Bowen and Xiuhong up. The cold wind outside was chilly enough to freeze people to death, but she still decided to set off now. They didn¡¯t pass through the county, but bypassed it and walked east. The prefectural capital of Xingyuan Prefecture was east of Three Springs County.


    Although it would take a lot of time to enter the county and leave the east gate, the city gate had yet to open, and she was herding a flock of sheep. The soldiers guarding the gate might not be willing to let her in, and who knew how much money they would try to extort from her before they let her enter.


    Mu Yangling had already asked thendlord about it. There was a gentle slope on the main road. As long as they crossed the gentle slope, they would be able to see a small path. They could walk directly from there and finally reach the main road of Xingyuan Prefecture.


    Mu Yangling put on a rabbit fur scarf, a dog fur hat, and a wolf fur coat on them. In the end, only their eyes and noses were revealed.


    Exhaling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Cousin, why aren¡¯t you dressed like us?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in good health. Besides, I¡¯m also wearing a hat and gloves. I¡¯m fine.¡± The key was that she still had to herd sheep.


    Mu Yangling touched ckie and kissed its neck affectionately. ¡°Thanks for the hard work in advance, buddy. There¡¯s a section of road that¡¯s more difficult to walkter.¡±


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t take the carriage anymore. Let¡¯s walk for a while first. Otherwise, you¡¯ll die from the cold.¡± Mu Yangling chased the sheep out and walked in front. Xiuhong hurriedly walked in front and held thentern. ckie didn¡¯t have to be led and followed behind smartly.


    Bowen stumbled a little, but at least he caught up.


    When they were about to walk out of the vige entrance, Mu Yangling herded the sheep forward and walked down the main road towards a tree. Then, she stretched out her leg and kicked the two trembling people. Seeing that they did not wake up, she exerted more strength and kicked them to the ground. Trembling as they opened their eyes, the two of them were startled to see Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling removed the wine sks on her waist, unscrewed the lids and poured a mouthful into each of their mouths. She said unhappily, ¡°Consider yourselves lucky. This wine happened to be warm because it was ced beside the stovest night.¡±


    When the wine entered their bodies, the two of them felt hot from the inside out. They shivered and looked at Mu Yangling in a daze.


    Mu Yangling patted their faces and felt that they should be awake now, so she said, ¡°Alright, hurry up and go home. Why would you want to be a thief?¡± With that, Mu Yangling took out a tael of silver from her pouch and stuffed it into their hands. She waved her hand and said, ¡°Leave quickly, or I¡¯ll beat you up.¡± After saying that, she turned around and caught up with the flock of sheep in front.


    Xiuhong jogged to Mu Yangling¡¯s side and asked, ¡°Cousin, who are they? Aren¡¯t they courting death by sleeping outside on such a cold day?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. They want to be a thief yetck the guts. They¡¯ve been watching for an entire day and night. As a result, I¡¯ve been on guard for half a night for nothing.¡±


    Because she knew that there were thieves outside, she didn¡¯t dare to fall asleep and merely dozed off in short bouts. After causing her trouble for a day and a night, not only did they not have the guts to steal, but they even almost froze to death outside. Mu Yangling was speechless.


    When Xiuhong heard that they were thieves, she immediately widened her eyes. ¡°Then, Cousin, why did you still give them silver?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Sister. It¡¯s already good enough that we don¡¯t send them to the officials, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling patted their heads and said, ¡°They just had the intention to steal but they haven¡¯t done it yet. It¡¯s obvious that they¡¯re newbies and aren¡¯t bold ¡¯ enough. Such a person won¡¯t do it again after someone gives them a helping hand. Therefore, we have to forgive people wherever possible.¡±


    The group climbed the gentle slope and then climbed down the gentle slope. Then, there was a rtively gentle path. Although the ground was still a little uneven, it was much easier to walk than the gentle slope before.


    Starting to sweat, just as Xiuhong and Bowen were about to loosen their scan/es, Mu Yangling quickly pped their hands and said, ¡°Don¡¯t remove it. You¡¯ve just started sweating and you¡¯re removing your scarf? If the cold wind enters your body, can you withstand it? Walk forward slowly and extend your breathing. You¡¯ll be fine in a while.¡±


    The two of them could only stop.


    By the time they walked onto the main road, the sky was already bright and the cold air had been dispelled by the sun. The three of them turned around and saw that Three Springs County was already way behind them.


    Mu Yangling stopped at a ce and waved at them. ¡°Alright, go find some dry firewood. Let¡¯s start a fire and have breakfast.¡±


    The flock of sheep stood at the side to rest. It was also very difficult for them to travel in such cold weather.


    ¡°Cousin, I feel colder today than yesterday and the day before.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°I reckon we¡¯re unlucky to have encountered a cold current.¡± Mu Yangling turned around and red at a spot. ¡°How long do you n to follow us?¡±


    Startled, Xiuhong and Bowen turned around and saw two half-dead youths stumbling out from behind a tree at the entrance of the path. The two of them were supporting each other and wearing patched cotton clothes, looking at Mu Yangling in fear.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s gaze slid past their hands and knees. Seeing that there was some mud on them, and even a vague trace of blood, she knew that they had fallen on the road.


    It turned out that she hadn¡¯t heard wrongly. When she was going down the slope, she heard something roll down. As it was dark, she couldn¡¯t see anything. She¡¯d thought that the two people who had secretly followed her had identally dropped something, but it turned out that they had actually fallen themselves. How stupid.


    Mu Yangling turned around and ignited the firewood with hay, then waved at them. ¡°Come over. Are you nning to be a Wife-watching Stone? over there?¡± The two young men blushed and supported each other as they walked over. They nced at Mu Yangling timidly, and the younger young man said, ¡°W- we¡¯re not married.¡±


    If Mu Yangling had water in her mouth, she would definitely spit it out. What kind of godly reply was this?


    Xiuhong and Bowen couldn¡¯t help but be amused. They weren¡¯t so wary of them now.


    Seeing that they were talking, Xiuhong and Bowen went over to bring over the dry rations they had prepared. Although it was called dry rations, it was ten steamed buns, half a pot of braised pork, and 20 pancakes.


    Bowen ced the pot filled with braised pork on the fire to heat it up. Soon, there was a sizzling sound of oil, and fragrance kept wafting out.


    Xiuhong, on the other hand, picked up a pair of chopsticks and roasted the steamed bun by the fire. After heating it up, she made an incision and picked up the braised pork to fill the steamed bun.


    The two young men looked at the things in their hands without blinking, swallowing their saliva the entire time.


    Mu Yangling stretched out a pot of water in front of them and said, ¡°Drink a


    few mouthfuls of water before eating.¡±


    The two of them took it in a daze and gulped down half a pot of water. Only then did they realize that they weren¡¯t that hungry anymore. The two of them looked at Mu Yangling resentfully, took the meat buns that Xiuhong had stuffed into their hands, and wolfed them down.


    After they ate and drank their fill, Mu Yangling propped her chin on her hand and looked at them. Seeing that his brother was still eating, the older brother pushed him. The younger brother immediately wiped his mouth and sat up straight to look at Mu Yangling.


    ¡°Alright, can you tell me what¡¯s going on now? What are your names, where are you from, and why are you following me?¡±


    The younger brother looked at the older brother. The older brother was at a loss for a moment before managing to speak. ¡°M-Miss Mu, our surname is Zhang. My name is Zhang Wu? This is my cousin, Zhang Liu?.¡±


    ¡°Your names are quite easy to remember.¡±


    Zhang Liu scratched his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no one who can read in our family, so the kids are all named ording to their order of birth. I¡¯m the sixth in the family, hehe.¡±

 Chapter 275 - 275- Moving People

    Chapter 275- Moving People


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Your family has quite a lot of kids.¡± Bowen curiously sized them up as he asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold dressed like this outside?¡±


    Zhang Wu smiled bitterly. ¡°These are all the clothes we have.¡± How could they not be cold? If Mu Yangling hadn¡¯t woken them up, they might have already be corpses.


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu were from the vige where they stayed earlier. Their parents had died when they were very young. First, Zhang Wu¡¯s parents passed away when he was six years old, after which he was raised by his uncle, Zhang Liu¡¯s father. However, in just three years, Zhang Liu¡¯s father died when he went out to do hardbor. Zhang Liu¡¯s mother raised them for two years beforemitting suicide due to hardship when Zhang Liu was nine years old. Therefore, the two brothers had always relied on each other. The vigers had helped them before, and they had also gone to the county to beg. They would pick up scraps during the autumn harvest and beg for a bowl of rice when they worked for others in the fields in spring. The two of them had managed to survive until today by living this way.


    However, life was especially difficult this year. First, there was the drought in early summer. The grains harvested in the fields was not even enough to pay taxes, so the vigers naturally did not have any excess rations to support them.


    The alms they received in the city also became less and less. On the day Mu Yangling entered the vige, they had been starving and digging up the undead grass stems to eat.


    Their faces were sallow. The two of them were thin and weak, but they looked old. It was all because of years of hardbor. Actually, Zhang Wu was only 18 years old this year, and Zhang Liu was only 16 years old. In Mu Yangling¡¯s previous life, they would merely be two high school students. Yet, they had already experienced too much.


    They only wanted to steal Mu Yangling¡¯s sheep because they truly were at their wit¡¯s end this time.


    However, after watching for a day and a night, they stillcked the guts to make a move. They could not get over the hurdle in their hearts.


    Zhang Wu had said that the two of them had been helped by many people along the way as they grew up. Although they didn¡¯t know much, they knew right from wrong. Back then, when he was squatting behind the tree and his consciousness became more and more blurry, he¡¯d felt that perhaps dying wasn¡¯t so bad. At the very least, he wouldn¡¯t do anything to embarrass his parents, uncle, and aunt.


    When Zhang Wu said this, Zhang Liu lowered his head in shame. It was because he couldn¡¯t stand the hunger that his cousin wanted to steal Mu


    Yangling¡¯s sheep.


    ¡°Then why are you following us now?¡± Mu Yangling crossed her arms and looked down at them. ¡°I remember giving you five taels of silver. If you use it sparingly, you should be fine when spring arrives soon.¡±


    Face reddened with shame, Zhang Wu took out the piece of silver that was still warm from his body and stuffed it into Mu Yangling¡¯s hand. He said uneasily,


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    With that, he pulled his younger brother to bow to Mu Yangling and turned to run.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Mu Yangling called out to them. She frowned as she looked at their feet, which were only d in straw sandals. She felt cold for them.


    Mu Yangling could not sit back and do nothing. If the two of them ran away like this, they would freeze to death in less than three days even if they did not starve to death.


    She handed the silver back and said with a rxed expression, ¡°Take it. Go to the city and find something to do. You¡¯re all grown up. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem for you to support yourselves.¡±


    Zhang Wu hesitated for a moment before ncing at his brother. In the end, he still took the silver. He bowed gratefully to Mu Yangling and said with reddened eyes, ¡®Til use this money to buy tools for forest conversion. I¡¯ll definitely convert two acres ofnd before spring. At that time, we¡¯ll have the money to buy seeds and won¡¯t starve to death in winter. Miss Mu, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re strong and will return the money to you one day. But where can I find you when I have the money?¡±


    ¡°If you use money to buy tools and seeds, what will you eat and wear?¡± Mu Yangling said angrily, ¡°This is for you to live. Since you live so close to the county, can¡¯t you find work in the city? With your limbs intact, there¡¯s plenty of work that you can do.¡±


    If they nned to farmnd converted from foresnd, Mu Yangling felt that before they could start farming, they would have already started to starve to death.


    ¡°How can it be that simple?¡± Zhang Liu shouted, ¡°Competition is tough for people who wish to be apprentices. In order to snatch a spot as an apprentice or assistant shopkeeper, People make use of connections and bribes. We don¡¯t have anything, and everyone in Three Springs County knows that we¡¯re beggars. No one will use us.¡±


    Zhang Liu¡¯s eyes were filled with tears as he said, ¡°Two years ago, my older brother helped out at the grain store, helping them carry grains and sweep the floor, in short, he fought to do all kinds of dirty and tiring work. He just wanted to be an apprentice. He didn¡¯t ask to be paid. He just asked for three meals a day, so that he could eventually have a way out.¡±


    ¡°But after four months of carrying grains and doing all sorts of dirty and tiring work, all he got was a ck bun every day and nothing else. My brother merely probed if he could be an apprentice, and they chased him out and even beat him up. Nobody would even hire him to do manualbor. We only thought of stealing because we really have no way out. In my opinion, it¡¯s better to farm. All we need to do is serve thend. It won¡¯t scold us, hit us, or despise us. Brother, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    Zhang Wu nodded repeatedly and looked at Mu Yangling eagerly. He tightened his grip on the silver in his hand, afraid that Mu Yangling would take it back. Mu Yangling held her forehead with a headache. After looking up at the time, she waved her hand. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talk about thister. Coincidentally, I need someone¡¯s help here. The two of you can follow me for now.¡± Zhang Wu¡¯s eyes lit up. He pulled Zhang Liu to kneel on the ground and kowtowed to Mu Yangling and the others three times. ¡°Young Misses and Young Master, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll definitely work hard.¡± Before Mu Yangling could stop them, she grabbed the back of their cors and picked them up. ¡°Alright, stop kneeling. Also, don¡¯t call our Young Miss and Young Master. Just call me Miss Mu. Our family doesn¡¯t raise servants.¡± Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu looked at Mu Yangling in a daze. ¡°Isn¡¯t Miss Mu going to take us in?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head repeatedly. ¡°You¡¯re all children of good families. It¡¯s not as if you sold yourselves away previously. What right do I have to buy your indenture? Alright, help me herd the sheep on the way.¡± Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu opened their mouths. Zhang Wu really wanted to tell Mu Yangling that they actually wanted to sell themselves away, but rich families wouldn¡¯t take them in. Everyone in Three Springs County knew that the two of them were beggars, so they associated things like stealing and fighting with them. That was even though they had never done anything bad since they were young. Well, except for wanting to steal Miss Mu¡¯s sheep. However, if they did not sell themselves to the rich families to be servants, they could only sell themselves to the mines. That kind of lifestyle was worse off than being a beggar or dying.


    However, seeing that Miss Mu had already herded the flock of sheep to the main road, the two of them wisely did not exin and followed behind to help herd the sheep.


    Bowen and Xiuhong climbed into the carriage and sat down, feeling a little drowsy.


    ¡°Have you guys been to Xingyuan Prefecture before?¡± Mu Yangling asked as she walked behind.


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu shook their heads repeatedly. ¡°We¡¯ve never left Three Springs County.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t quite understand this. ¡°Xingyuan Prefecture isn¡¯t far from Three Springs County. It¡¯s only a day¡¯s walk. If you pack up and go to Xingyuan Prefecture from here, who will know who you are there? You¡¯ll slowly find a way out.¡±


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu fell silent. Like most people, they feel fear and aversion to unfamiliar ces. Most people in Three Springs County had never been to Xingyuan Prefecture, so they naturally did not have such thoughts.


    Mu Yangling could only remain silent. It was said that humans had great ability to adapt.. Why couldn¡¯t these two adapt to circumstances?

 Chapter 276 - 276: Inquiring

    Chapter 276: Inquiring


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Xingyuan Prefecture was the capital of the entire Lizhou Circuit. It controlled 17 prefectures, such as Xingzhou Prefecture. Therefore, although it was located in the bitterly cold north, thisrge city was also extremely prosperous.


    The city wall was tall, and the city gate was about 50 meters long. There was a 30-meter gap in the middle for carriages and people to enter and exit. On both sides, there were other checkpoints where goods and strangers had to enter through. Seeing that the items of some small vendors had been detained, Mu Yangling knew that she would be extorted if she herded this batch of sheep in.


    Stunned by the gates of Xingyuan Prefecture, the four people by her side could not recover for a moment.


    After a long while, Zhang Wu smacked his lips and sighed. ¡°So this is Xingyuan Prefecture.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we can¡¯t enter the city today. Let¡¯s find a ce to stay nearby and rest for the night. We¡¯ll enter the city tomorrow.¡±


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu hurriedly helped to herd the sheep in another direction and found a small vige nearby.


    Because the city gate was still open, there were not many people who needed to stay outside. Therefore, the newndlord did not charge them a lot of money. At least, it was much cheaper than staying in the city. After all, they still had arge flock of sheep, and ordinary inns would not ept this.


    Zhang Wu had just moved the things on the carriage into the house when he saw that Xiuhong wanted to measure the rice and cook. He quickly went forward to help, but Xiuhong stopped him and asked, ¡°Do you know how to cook?¡±


    Zhang Wu scratched his head and chuckled. ¡°My cooking is edible.¡±


    ¡°Then let me do it. Help me buy some vegetables. We have meat here.¡± As she spoke, she took out ten copper coins and handed it to him.


    Mu Yangling was asking thendlord about the situation in Xingyuan Prefecture and the taxes levied on goods in order to bring them into the city.


    Thendlord took a look at their sheep. Mu Yangling cleverly stuffed ten copper coins into his hand. Smiling, thendlord said, ¡°Miss, the Governor of Xingyuan Prefecture is kind-hearted. For farm products like cows, sheep, and vegetables, we just need to give them a small token when we enter the city. However, considering you have a lot of sheep, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling hurriedly said, ¡°Uncle, these sheep don¡¯t all belong to my family, but to the various families in the vige. Didn¡¯t the Hus get chased away by General Qi? No one will keep these sheep now. There¡¯s a drought this year, and crop harvest is poor. My vige had no choice but to let me herd the flock of sheep here to try my luck.¡±


    ¡°Well, you should be able to pay less tax if you secretly give some money to the soldiers guarding the gate.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± In that case, she¡¯d better pay the taxes. It was precisely the additional money that she needed to give the soldiers that she was afraid of paying.


    If she wanted to herd her entire flock of sheep into the city, it would at most cost four to five taels of silver. However, if the guards wanted to take away two sheep, should she resist or pretend not to see them?


    Bribing soldiers was more expensive than paying taxes.


    Mu Yangling was troubled. ¡°How are we going to herd such arge flock of sheep in?¡±


    Bowen scooped a bowl of rice for his sister and said, ¡°Why must we herd all of them in? Sister, we can invite the buyers out of the city like we did with Landlord Bai and the others. Let them choose for ourselves. Those soldiers guarding the door only dare to ask for bribes because we¡¯re foreigners. If we were locals, we wouldn¡¯t encounter such trouble. If we don¡¯t manage to sell everything, we can then herd the sheep into the city and try again.¡±


    Overjoyed, Mu Yangling ruffled Bowen¡¯s hair and said, ¡°Clever kid. I didn¡¯t think of this. Then let¡¯s eat, shower, and have a good sleep first. We¡¯ll enter the city tomorrow.¡±


    Mu Yangling left Zhang Wu to look after the flock of sheep and brought Zhang Liu, Xiuhong, and Bowen into the city.


    Following the crowd into the city and passing through the city gate, the streets inside were suddenly revealed in front of everyone. The streets were twice as wide as Xingzhou Prefecture. The sun had just risen but already, there were many people on the streets.


    Mu Yangling stood there for a while before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the teahouse to eat breakfast and ask around.¡±


    The group found a teahouse that looked pretty good and sat down. The teahouse had two floors, and there was even a shed outside. There were four to five tables inside, and more than half of the first floor was upied. However, there were few people on the second floor. Clearly, these people were here to eat breakfast and chat.


    This was simr to Xingzhou Prefecture.


    Mu Yangling found a table and sat down. A smiley waiter came forward to wipe the table. When he looked up and saw them, he was stunned. He had never seen them before. Although this was a teahouse, those who came to eat breakfast were all familiar faces. Few strangers appeared. It was not like they were drinking tea in the afternoon¡­


    ¡°Dear guests, what would you like to eat?¡± The waiter¡¯s gaze hesitantly swept away from Zhang Liu andnded on Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling nced at the other tables and said, ¡°Give me ten big meat buns, four bowls of mutton soup, and a te of beef.¡± Mu Yangling asked after a pause, ¡°Do you have beef?¡±


    ¡°Geez, Miss, you¡¯re so lucky. Yesterday, our shopkeeper just managed to get his hands on dozens of catties of beef. He was about to add another dish to the lunch menu.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all for now. Go ahead.¡±


    When everyone heard what Mu Yangling ordered, they turned to look at them curiously. However, they only took a few nces before turning their heads away.


    In this era, the meat buns were twice as big as the ones Mu Yangling had bought in her previous life. Although the skin was a little thick, they were equally delicious.


    Mu Yangling ate four of them herself. Bowen and Xiuhong each ate one and a half. Zhang Liu also ate three. After sweeping the beef on the table clean, the four of them drank the hot mutton soup in satisfaction.


    Seeing that the waiter was no longer so busy, Mu Yangling waved him over and asked, ¡°Brother Waiter, where is the mutton seller in the city?¡±


    ¡°Miss, you want to buy mutton? Then you have to go to the East Market. There are the most mutton there, but you might not be able to buy it after noon.¡±


    ¡°Is mutton in such short supply?¡±


    ¡°Geez, other than pork which is constantly avable, mutton and beef have to be bought as early as possible.¡±


    ¡°How can mutton bepared to beef? Cows can¡¯t be ughtered at will. But considering our Xingyuan Prefecture isn¡¯t far from the border, how can there be no mutton?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you have no idea.¡± Seeing that she was younger than him, the waiter who was usually lectured by others and rarely had a chance to lecture someone, said excitedly, ¡°Although our Xingyuan Prefecture is close to the border, don¡¯t you see that the market here closed four to five years ago? Where can we buy sheep? We do have people raising sheep, but most people focus on farming. Not even one out of ten families raise sheep. Even then, they raise goats and not sheep. However, the taste of goats is simply notparable to grasnd sheep.¡±


    Seeing Mu Yangling nod as she listened, the waiter became even more excited. He said, ¡°It¡¯s an old habit left behind by our ancestors. In the winter, we¡¯ll eat mutton, drink mutton soup, warm our bodies, and build our foundation. Those with money might even buy a few catties of donkey meat to try. Everyone wants to buy it, so they¡¯ll naturally fight over it. Usually, the mutton will be sold out after noon, so if you want to buy it, you should hurry after finishing your breakfast.¡±


    ¡°How much is mutton for a catty?¡±


    ¡°That depends on what kind of mutton. Goats are 50 copper coins a catty. As for authentic grasnd sheep that doesn¡¯t taste gamey, it costs 56 copper coins a catty.¡±


    Alright, considering the huge difference in price, this trip was totally worth it.


    Seeing that she was deep in thought, the waiter said, ¡°Grasnd sheep are easier to sell than goats, but there are also people who like the gamey smell of goats and like the kick of it.¡±


    Mu Yangling took out two copper coins for him and asked with a smile, ¡°Then if I wish to eat mutton, where should I go?¡±


    Two copper coins was not much, but it was a surprise to the waiter, who rarely received tips. Hence, he became even more excited and said, ¡°There are plenty of options. Guest, wait for me to slowly tell you about it.¡±


    ¡°What about? I want to hear it too.¡± A sinister voice sounded from behind.


    The waiter was so frightened that he jumped forward. When he looked up, the shopkeeper was standing behind him and ring at him..

 Chapter 277 - 277: Change of Plan

    Chapter 277: Change of n


    Trantor: As Studios , Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling pulled the waiter up and smiled at the shopkeeper. ¡°Shopkeeper, please forgive me. This is my first time here, so there are many things I don¡¯t¡¯ understand, so I asked Brother Waiter some questions to find out more.¡±


    When the shopkeeper faced Mu Yangling, his disposition turned sunny. With a beam, he said, ¡°Miss, you¡¯re too polite. I¡¯m just worried that this kid will spout nonsense and dy your matters. It¡¯s simple if you want to eat mutton. Any eatery in the city has it. There are a few mutton restaurants along the way.¡±


    Mu Yangling finished the mutton soup in her bowl and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. Then, she stood up and cupped her fists. ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Shopkeeper. I¡¯ll settle the bill now and take my leave.¡±


    Mu Yangling took out some money to pay for the meal and pulled Bowen and the rest out.


    Xiuhong hurriedly finished all the mutton soup before catching up. ¡°Cousin, why are we leaving in such a hurry?¡±


    ¡°We met a smart person.¡± Mu Yangling looked ahead and sighed. ¡°I originally wanted to sell the sheep to a few families like in Three Springs County, but that shopkeeper could guess that I was here to sell mutton based on what little he heard¡­¡±


    ¡°Others aren¡¯t stupid. Since we have no one to rely on in Xingyuan Prefecture, we have to be careful. Otherwise, we won¡¯t even know if we¡¯re sold.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try the mutton restaurant. If it really doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll go to the market and ask for the price.¡±


    However, progress was not very smooth because they did not even get to see the owner of the mutton restaurant. However, the shopkeeper said that they already had a coborative butcher and would not want the mutton Mu Yangling brought. Even if Mu Yangling said that theirs was top-notch grasnd sheep, the shopkeeper was unmoved.


    Mu Yangling encountered the same situation three times in a row. Xingyuan Prefecture was different from a county like Three Springs County. These shop owners clearly trusted their long-term partners more than Mu Yangling, who appeared out of nowhere.


    Mu Yangling thought about it and felt that since she couldn¡¯t work with them, she could just find the butcher they coborated with and sell the sheep to that butcher. Although she would receive less money, it would save her the trouble of running around.


    Mu Yangling looked at Zhang Liu and said, ¡°It¡¯s up to you now.¡±


    Zhang Liu¡¯s eyes were filled with confusion. Mu Yangling gave him half a tael of silver and said, ¡°Go and find out who supplied the mutton to these shops.¡± Zhang Liu was street-smart and knew best who to ask about these things. After receiving the money, he went to buy some food and deliberately ate not far from some stalls. From time to time, he would say a few words to the stall owner. In no time, Mu Yangling could see that Zhang Liu was already squatting down with the stall owner as he ate, even joking andughing loudly.


    Xiuhong and Bowen widened their eyes, dumbfounded. Bowen stuttered and asked, ¡°Erm¡­ Brother Liuzi is so capable. How can he be buddies with that guy so easily?¡±


    ¡°Humans are biased. Everyone in Three Springs County knows that the two brothers are beggars, and the two of them aren¡¯t very bold. I¡¯m afraid even beggars looked down on them. Even if they have the ability, they won¡¯t be able to use it. But this is Xingyuan Prefecture, and he¡¯s wearing newly-bought shoes and a wolf fur coat. Not only can he afford to eat sugar stir-fried chestnuts, he can even treat a stranger to it without any care. That vendor doesn¡¯t know his background, so he naturally has some respect¡­¡±


    Bowen seemed to be deep in thought. ¡°That¡¯s why Sir said that you can¡¯t judge a book by its cover and shouldn¡¯t despise someone just because they were down on luck at the moment. Who knows if this person is actually capable and promising?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Zhang Liu, who had already left for another street. Then, she retracted her gaze and looked at her brother seriously. ¡°Even if the other party is not very capable and promising, we can¡¯t look down on him. Respecting people is basic morality. Those who respect others will always receive respect from everyone. Bowen, Xiuhong, remember this.¡±


    Xiuhong was originally listening in a daze. When she heard her name, she immediately replied in unison with Bowen, ¡°We¡¯ll remember.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and nced in Zhang Liu¡¯s direction. ¡°I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll take some time. Let¡¯s go shopping in the bookstore first. Bowen, Xiuhong, I brought you guys here this time to let you see the world.¡±


    In this world, other than the south, there were no female studies in the north, so she felt that it was a pity. ¡°Xiuhong, I also want to buy a few more books for you and Xin. Now that you¡¯ve finished reading the Three Character ssic and the Thousand Character ssic, you can recognize the basic words. Therefore, you have to start reading some history books. Yes, it¡¯s best to read some general books. They record what famous schrs see and hear on their travels.¡±


    ¡°Sister, don¡¯t forget about poems. My teacher said that it¡¯s best for girls to read some poems. The rest are secondary.¡± Bowen was very concerned about this matter because he had three sisters studying at home.


    Mu Yangling paused for a moment before nodding. ¡°You can read this too. Yes, poems and songs can temper your emotions.¡±


    Xiuhong lowered her head like a defeated rooster. She didn¡¯t like to study. She felt that what she had learnt so far was enough for her already, but her cousin always said that studying more could broaden her horizons. Though, she didn¡¯t know exactly what was broadened.


    On the other hand, her younger sister read with an obsession. It was clearly just the Three Character ssic.


    However, Xiuhong didn¡¯t dare to say it in front of her cousin.


    However, Mu Yangling was very excited. This was something she had nned long ago. Whenever she had the time, she woulde to Xingyuan Prefecture to buy books. This was because the collection of books here was much moreplete than in Xingzhou Prefecture. Of course, they were also cheaper.


    Mu Yangling followed the direction that Zhang Liu had just walked in and realized that he was squatting in front of a restaurant. She was slightly stunned before she smiled happily. This kid was smart enough to figure out her thoughts.


    Mu Yangling patted Bowen and said, ¡°Go tell Zhang Liu that we¡¯re going to the bookstore first and will probably take a long time. Tell him to wait for us here after he¡¯s done.¡± As she spoke, she took out a tael of silver from her purse and handed it to him. ¡°Give this to him. Since this kid is street-smart, that half tael of silver might not be enough.¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± Bowen took the money and ran over to pass it to Zhang Liu, conveying Mu Yangling¡¯s words.


    Zhang Liu was excited. If he performed well, would thedy keep him and his older brother?


    Filled with fighting spirit, Zhang Liu looked at Bowen with bright eyes and promised, ¡°Young Master, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely do my best.¡±


    Bowen was confused. He didn¡¯t know why Zhang Liu suddenly felt as excited as if he had eaten an immortal pill. He nodded and stood on his tiptoes to pat his shoulder, imitating his older sister. ¡°Yes, work hard and my sister will treat you fairly.¡±


    With that, he ran away.


    The vendor standing with Zhang Liu came up and asked, ¡°Brother, how many years have you worked for that young master?¡±


    Zhang Liu nodded. He¡¯d wanted to say that he was a ve, but he remembered that Mu Yangling had said that there were no ves in the Mu family, so he said, ¡°I¡¯m a short-term worker in their family. Young Master and Young Miss are going to buy books, so they asked me to shop around to buy some things for them.¡±


    This exined why the other party had given him a tael of silver.


    The vendor¡¯s eyes immediately lit up as he looked at him. ¡°Way to go, Brother. From the way Young Miss and Young Master trust you so much, you must be doing really well. In the future, when you save money, you can go home and get a wife.. You haven¡¯t gotten a wife yet, right?¡±

 Chapter 278 - 278: Buying Books

    Chapter 278: Buying Books


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The bookstore in Xingyuan Prefecture was not far from the prefectural school. In the past, the row was filled with books and various school supplies. This was the first time Bowen had seen so many bookstores lined up side by side. Like a mouse who had fallen into a rice warehouse, his eyes lit up as he looked around, unsure which shop to go to first.


    Mu Yangling pulled Bowen to thergest bookstore.


    The bookstore had a total of two floors. His shop was twice the size of other shops, and it was divided into two parts. There were five rows of bookshelves on the left, all filled with books, and on the right were various learning tools, such as brush, ink, paper, and inkstones. There were even some famous calligraphy paintings hanging on the front wall, and the wall on the right was filled with consigned calligraphy paintings. Mu Yangling looked up and realized that the calligraphy paintings on it were not bad. Yes, at least she could understand them.


    There were many prefectural students reading in the bookstore. Xiuhong¡¯s face flushed red. Seeing that her cousin was focused on the painting on the right wall, she cowered behind Bowen timidly. On the other hand, the usually timid-looking Bowen calmly went forward to take out a book to read. He even patted his cousin to reassure her.


    When Mu Yangling turned around and saw this scene, she was slightly surprised.


    It seemed that Xiuhong still felt a little inferior. Although she was energetic in the vige, she would be timid when she met someone with a higher status than her. On the other hand, seeing as Bowen had always been a little weak and timid, she didn¡¯t expect him to be so calm and steady.


    Mu Yangling was pleasantly surprised.


    She went forward and patted Xiuhong. Thetter immediately held her cousin¡¯s hand and calmed down.


    ¡°Bowen, take a look at what you need. We brought enough money. Go ahead and choose what you want with no regards to the money..¡± They could save on anything, but they couldn¡¯t scrimp on food and education.


    Bowen agreed with a smile.


    Mu Yangling was about to choose a book herself when the assistant shopkeeper hurriedly followed her and asked in a low voice, ¡°Miss, you want to buy books? I wonder what kind you want to buy. I¡¯ll help you find them.¡±


    Mu Yangling and the others did not dress like people who bought books. Although they were wearing wolf fur coats, the designs were that of the working ss. They did not look like educated people.


    Mu Yangling did not notice the assistant shopkeeper¡¯s thoughts. She told him that she wanted to read some books on history and geography.


    With the assistant shopkeeper guiding the way, Mu Yangling quickly found where they were located. There were a few young students standing there. When they saw the two girlsing over, their faces turned red and they turned their bodies slightly to avoid them.


    Mu Yangling had only read history books in bookstores, and she never really had the money to buy them. The Tang history up till that point was exactly the same as in her previous life, and what differed was the period after Tang.


    However, she only had a rough idea of the previous history, but she did not know the specific historical events. Moreover, the history written by the ancients was different from the second-hand history tranted by theter generations. Therefore, Mu Yangling¡¯s choice of history books on the period after the Qin Dynasty were those that were publicly recognized.


    Before the Ming Dynasty, the Emperor and those in power could rarely interfere with the writing of history books. In addition, the Ming Dynasty did not exist in this world. ording to historical time, it had not developed to the Ming Dynasty, which made this roughly the Southern Song Dynasty.


    Therefore, themoners could also write historical books. At this time, there were quite a lot of books. Fortunately, there was a most outstanding book in every era. Mu Yangling only needed to read that book to know the basic history.


    The assistant shopkeeper couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue when he saw Mu Yangling pick out four books at once.


    Mu Yangling handed the books to him and went to the geography section. She went to pick out three books that caught her interest.


    Initially, no one noticed Mu Yangling, but after the assistant shopkeeper walked back and forth twice, those who were reading couldn¡¯t help but look over. Seeing that Mu Yangling only picked up a book to read the first few pages before handing it to the assistant shopkeeper, they couldn¡¯t help but size her up carefully. They felt that she didn¡¯t seem to be someone who could afford arge number of books.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s five senses were sharp, and she had long sensed that the people in the bookstore were looking at her. She quickly understood what was going on. In this era, although there was the use of movable printing and paper-making techniques, books were still very expensive because there was no such thing as piracy in this world. All books were authentic.


    It had to be said that ancient vendors were still very conscientious. The books were exquisite and durable, and there were very few mistakes in typography.


    Ancient people treated books with a serious attitude, while modern people only bought books for no reason other than the fact that they wanted to read. However, not only did the ancient people buy books to read themselves, but they also had to pass them down to future generations. This was unlike in the modern world, where books were sometimes thrown away or sold as waste paper in just a few years or more. For books in this era, even decades or centuriester, the handwriting on the books was still clear and the paper was still intact.


    This was why books were very expensive in this era.


    It was so expensive that other than the children of rich families, even middle-ss families could not buy books freely.


    ¡°Assistant shopkeeper, do you have any books on agriculture and water conservancy projects here?¡± Mu Yangling felt that since she might have to farm for the rest of her life, she had to learn more about this topic considering she didn¡¯t have much knowledge in this from her previous life. It wasn¡¯t enough to just learn from Great-aunt and the others. She had to read books.


    The assistant shopkeeper looked at Mu Yangling in a daze. ¡°Erm, there are books on agriculture?¡± He hadn¡¯t started working in the bookstore for long, and had only heard people ask him where books such as ¡®The Analects¡¯ and history books were. No one had asked him where the agriculture books were.


    The shopkeeper had been paying attention to them. When he heard this, he immediately came up and said with a smile, ¡°Youngdy, are you looking for something like ¡®Important Arts for the People¡¯s Welfare¡¯?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded with a smile. ¡°Yeah, books like this. There are also books on water conservancy construction.¡± Mu Yangling was very good at science in her previous life. She was familiar with science topics, so she wanted to see if she could self-learn some knowledge about water conservancy engineering. When it came to farming, the water conservancy conditions had to be good.


    All of this was for better farming.


    ¡°This kind of book is a little unorthodox, so it¡¯s on the second floor. I¡¯ll bring you upstairs to look for it.¡± The shopkeeper led the way.


    When everyone saw Mu Yanglinging down, she was holding four more books.


    However, the shopkeeper was more respectful to Mu Yangling. When Mu Yangling was choosing the books just now, he had been observing from the side. She had chosen those books very carefully. First, she browsed the contents page, then the preface. She even randomly chose a chapter to read. He watched her choose four out of more than ten books, and these four were the best books in agriculture and water conservancy projects.


    It was obvious that she wasn¡¯t picking randomly.


    By the time Mu Yangling had chosen what she needed, Xiuhong found two picture books at the bottom and said excitedly to Mu Yangling, ¡°Cousin, I want to buy these two books for Sister.¡±


    The shopkeeper said with a smile, ¡°Miss, these are the most popr flower designs this year.¡±


    Mu Yangling flipped through it. ¡°Then buy them.¡± Although her mother knew how to draw flowers herself, it wasn¡¯t a bad idea to check out currently trending designs.


    Including these two books, Mu Yangling chose a total of 13 books. Bowen also carried three books over and handed them to his sister with a red face. He leaned close to her ear and said, ¡°I also want to buy a copy of Zhu Zi¡¯s Annotations, but it¡¯s so expensive. One book costs 12 taels of silver.¡±


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows in surprise.. Was a copy of Zhu Zi¡¯s Annotations that expensive?

 Chapter 279 - 279: Reprimand

    Chapter 279: Reprimand


    Trantor: As Studios | Editor: As Studios


    Zhu Zi¡¯s Annotations¡± was a thick volumeprising Zhu Xi¡¯smentaries to the Four Books, namely, ¡°University¡±, ¡°Higher Education¡±, ¡°The Analects¡±, ¡°Meng Zi¡±, as well as ¡°The Five ssics¡±.


    Because theter generations respected Zhu Xi, they changed the title from ¡°Commentaries on the Four Books¡± to ¡°Zhu Zi¡¯s Annotations¡±. How could a book be that expensive, however important it might be? Besides, it was just a reference book.


    Mu Yangling was not very willing for her brother to buy this book. With this book, it was much easier to interpret the Four Books, but students would then not use their brains to think on their own. What they learned would also be more superficial.


    However, she was unwilling to disadvantage her younger brother when everyone had them.


    When the teacher asked a question, other students would understand what it meant after referencing the book. However, her younger brother had to rack his brains toe up with an answer. It seemed a little pitiful.


    The shopkeeper exined, ¡°This is an exquisite version. It¡¯s much better than the other versions.¡±


    Then there are other versions?¡± Since it was just a reference book, she reckoned there was no need to buy such a good one.


    ¡°¡­¡± The shopkeeper: ¡°Please forgive me, Miss and Young Master. Coincidentally, the other versions have been sold out. There are only two exquisite versions now. If you wish to wait for the other versions, we will only have the stock after the new year.¡±


    Why is your business still so good when you¡¯re so slow in restocking?¡¯


    Mu Yanghng flipped through ¡°Zhu Zi¡¯s Annotations¡± and still felt that there was no need to buy such an exquisite reference book. Hence, she said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we check out other bookstores? If they sell in separate volumes, we can just buy the annotations for ¡®Meng Zi¡¯ and ¡®The Analects¡¯.¡±


    Bowen asked in a daze, ¡°Why not the entire volume?¡±


    The schr beside her was also a little dissatisfied when he heard that. He saw that Mu Yanghng had bought many useless books, but she was unwilling to spend money on her brother who was studying. In the spirit of speaking out in the face of injustice, the schr said to Mu Yangling seriously, ¡°Miss, studying is the most important thing for men. A copy of ¡®Zhu Zi¡¯s Annotations¡¯ may be expensive, but as long as you buy fewer misceneous books, you can afford it. Do you know the importance of a copy of ¡®Zhu Zi¡¯s Annotations¡¯ to schrs?¡±


    He looked longingly at the exquisite and heavy book beside Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and said, ¡°How many students have lived frugally for years just to buy a copy of ¡®Zhu Zi¡¯s Annotations¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that ¡®Zhu Zi¡¯s Annotations¡¯ is that important.¡± Mu Yangling snorted coldly and said, ¡°I only know that the ¡®Zhu Zi¡¯s Annotations¡¯ has wasted the brains of many teachers and students. It¡¯s precisely because of this book that the teachers teach ording to the book, and students trante the Four Books ordingly. As a result, their essays and insights are almost identical. What¡¯s so good about that?¡±


    After saying that, she turned around and scolded Bowen with a cold expression. ¡°Even if we buy this book, I won¡¯t allow you to read it easily. If I find out that you copied the lecture notes on it for your homework, I¡¯ll whip you. There¡¯s a book at home called ¡®Shuowen Jiezi?¡¯. Break up the text and trante it yourself. If you don¡¯t understand, ask your ssmates and teacher. This book can only be used as a reference at most. If I find out that you use this as a bible, not only will I burn this book, but you¡¯ll also kneel in the ancestral hall.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s anger frightened Bowen and Xiuhong. She had always doted on them and rarely got angry. Even if she was angry, she would mostly reason with them in a soft voice and rarely red up so fiercely.


    Xiuhong tugged at her cousin¡¯s sleeve, and Bowen lowered his head to admit his mistake. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted and red at ¡®Zhu Zi¡¯s Annotations¡¯ for a while before putting it into the pile of books.


    All the schrs in the bookstore looked over. Some red at Mu Yangling, feeling that she had insulted Zhu Zi, while others lowered their heads in thought.


    The schr who had been preaching to Mu Yangling previously took two steps back after a long silence. He bowed solemnly to Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Miss, thank you for enlightening me. I now understand why my teacher asked us to trante the text in the ssroom but not to read ¡®Zhu Zi¡¯s Annotations¡¯.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at him strangely and said in a voice that only the few of them could hear, ¡°Your teacher must regret taking in a student like you.¡±


    The schr didn¡¯t expect that the youngdy would actually humiliate him when he thanked her. His face flushed red and he was about to re up when he heard the youngdy sigh and say, ¡°The reason why your teacher didn¡¯t say it clearly is because he couldn¡¯t say it. Think about Zhu Xi¡¯s influence among the schrs now, silly child!¡±


    The schr¡¯s face turned even redder, this time not due to anger but embarrassment. He felt that he had let down his teacher.


    Moreover, it was because of the youngdy¡¯s words, ¡°Silly child¡±. To think he was called a silly child by an 11 or 12-year-old child¡­


    The shopkeeper also looked at Mu Yangling in surprise, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Seeing that they had already decided, he asked, ¡°Miss, do you want to take a look at those learning tools? The brush, ink, and paper here are also cheaper than outside.¡±


    ¡°Shopkeeper, since we¡¯re buying so many things, you have to give us a good price.¡± Xiuhong, who had not said a word, started bargaining.


    The shopkeeper was stunned. Seeing that Mu Yangling was also looking at him, he smiled and nodded. ¡°No problem.¡±


    ¡°Bowen, go and choose some more paper. Aren¡¯t you running out of brush and ink?¡±


    Bowen had already snapped out of his thoughts and ran to choose arge pile of paper. Just as the shopkeeper had said, the paper here was indeed cheaper than in the county, so he bought more.


    Mu Yanghng propped her chin on her hand and sat at the side, watching her brother move everything he liked over like a hardworking rat.


    She couldn¡¯t help but touch the silver in the bag. Fortunately, she had brought all the money with her. Otherwise, she really wouldn¡¯t dare to buy things without worry.


    Everyone watched in fear. Even the shopkeeper was suspicious. Were their parents really so assured to let their children bring so much money to buy books?


    Judging from their attire, they didn¡¯t look like they came from a rich family. Bowen brought over a box of ink with a smile and said in satisfaction, ¡°Sister, I¡¯m done buying.¡±


    Mu Yangling pushed the items in front of the shopkeeper. ¡°You can calcte the total. You¡¯ve got to give me a better price.¡±


    The shopkeeper took out an abacus and started to calcte. In the end, he said, ¡°A total of 52 taels 300 copper coins.¡± The shopkeeper was silent for a moment ¡¯ before saying, ¡°Forget about the 300 copper coins. Just give me 52 taels of silver.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Xiuhong, but Xiuhong¡¯s gaze was on the pile of paper at the door. She took a dozen from the top and said, ¡°Shopkeeper, since we bought so much, do give us a few dozen stacks of paper.¡±


    How could there be a copper stench in a refined ce like the bookstore?


    The people who came to buy books never bargained. Never mind that this person bargained with him, but she actually wanted to ask for freebies too? Did she think she was buying vegetables at the market?


    The shopkeeper¡¯s expression turned serious as he said, ¡°Miss, our bookstore has never entertained haggling. I only gave you a 300 copper coin discount because your total exceeds 50 taels of silver.¡±


    Xiuhong hugged a stack of paper and looked at him with teary eyes. ¡°Uncle, I know, but we spent so much money on this trip. My grandma will definitely be unhappy. If you give us a few dozen stacks of paper, my grandma might not me us.¡±


    The shopkeeper opened his mouth and asked, ¡°Doesn¡¯t your family know that you came out to buy books?¡±

 Chapter 280 - 280: Inviting Someone

    Chapter 280: Inviting Someone


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°They do, but they definitely didn¡¯t guess that my cousin would buy so much. We didn¡¯t expect a book to cost 12 taels. This is enough for our family to feed on for a year.¡± Xiuhong looked at him eagerly and said, ¡°I have another younger brother and two younger sisters at home. They¡¯re also learning how to read, so these papers are for them to practice their calligraphy. I saw that you ced these papers at the door and they were a little yellow. It doesn¡¯t seem like they can be sold. Why don¡¯t you give me a few dozen of them?¡±


    ¡°A few dozen won¡¯t do. At most, I¡¯ll give you one dozen.¡± The shopkeeper gritted his teeth and could only whisper.


    Xiuhong beamed with joy and took the opportunity to carry another dozen over. ¡°Two dozen, two dozen. We can carry them.¡±


    No matter how bad the quality of these papers were, a dozen of them were so thick that they could be sold for 300 copper coins. Two dozen of them would be 600 copper coins.


    The shopkeeper said angrily, ¡°Can you children carry so many things?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Of course! We can carry it even if there are a few more dozens.¡±


    The shopkeeper hurriedly said, ¡°Alright, alright, but certainly no more than that. Miss, hurry up and pay the bill.¡±


    Only then did Mu Yangling take out 52 taels of silver from the pouch and give it to him. The shopkeeper watched as their backs disappeared, and the anger on his face immediately disappeared. He shook his head andughed as he said, ¡°These children are quite smart.¡±


    The books were wrapped in oil paper and Mu Yangling carried them in her arms. When the three of them returned to the agreed ce, Zhang Liu was already waiting there.


    ording to his sources, the mutton restaurants and eateries in the west of the city imported all their mutton from three butchers.


    This was good news. There were few people, so it was easy to invite them.


    Zhang Liu said, ¡°The biggest supplier is a butcher surnamed Qin. You can find him in the market.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked up at the sky and decided to have lunch first before inviting them over.


    After lunch, there were not many people in the market. Most of the stalls were empty, so Butcher Qin leaned back in his chair and slept.


    Mu Yangling and the others had found their way here by asking people along the way. The moment the tall, strong, and fierce-looking man lying on a chair with his feet on another chair came into view, the three of them knew that he was Butcher Qin. It couldn¡¯t be helped, for he looked too iconic.


    The three of them walked up to him. Mu Yangling looked at the meat on his chopping board and felt that since he didn¡¯t pack up and go home, he must still be in business. Therefore, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for her to wake him up-right?


    Just as Mu Yangling was about to reach out to call for help, Butcher Qin¡¯s fierce eyes opened. When he saw the three kids standing in front of him, he asked with a grin, ¡°Are you buying meat?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Butcher Qin, whose smile was rather terrifying, and silently retracted her hand. She shook her head and said, ¡°Uncle Qin, I have a business to discuss with you.¡±


    Butcher Qin frowned at them.


    Mm, his frown was even fiercer than his smile, but the three of them were sessfully not frightened. Instead, Xiuhong and Bowen sized him up curiously.


    When the person beside him heard this, heughed and said, ¡°Old Qin, don¡¯t scare the child. Discuss nicely with them, ah!¡±


    Mu Yangling was sure that she saw embarrassment on Butcher Qin¡¯s face. She was definitely not wrong, although he was still fierce when he was embarrassed.


    ¡°What business do you want to discuss?¡± Butcher Qin asked in a loud voice. Seeing that the three people in front of him didn¡¯t seem to be frightened by him, he had a good impression of them.


    The market was not a ce to discuss business. Mu Yangling looked around, and Butcher Qin understood at a nce. He handed the stall to someone beside him to help take care of it and took the initiative to find a ce.


    Hence, the four of them stood in the cold wind as they discussed business. Mu Yangling quickly motioned for Bowen and Xiuhong to go to the corner to stay away from the wind. Seeing Butcher Qin¡¯s expression change, she said with a smile, ¡°This ce is not bad. The air is good, and there¡¯s no one here.¡±


    Butcher Qin looked even more embarrassed and hurriedly exined, ¡°This street is filled with market stalls and there¡¯s no teahouse to rest at all. This ce is the quietest and doesn¡¯t smell¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Uncle Qin, I have a batch of grasnd sheep, so I want to ask if you want them?¡±


    Stunned, Butcher Qin sized up Mu Yangling and asked, ¡°You¡¯re not from Xingyuan Prefecture?¡±


    Xingzhou Prefecture wasn¡¯t far from Xingyuan Prefecture, and Xingzhou Prefecture was a prefecture under Xingyuan Prefecture, so Mu Yangling didn¡¯t have an ent problem.


    ¡°I¡¯m from Xingzhou Prefecture, but I¡¯m from Xingzhou Prefecture. My sheep came from Hanzhong Prefecture.¡±


    He had heard that the people in Hanzhong Prefecture had been forced by the Hu people to raise sheep in the fields. At that time, he had even scolded the Hu people for being perverted. Instead of nting grains on perfectly fertilend, the Hus were forcing people to grow pasture and raise sheep. Wasn¡¯t that asking for trouble?


    He perked up and believed most of Mu Yangling¡¯s words. After sizing her up, he asked hesitantly, ¡°Youngdy, you¡¯re only 12 years old, right? Why did the adults in your family send you to discuss this business?¡±


    After the new year, she would indeed turn 12. Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°My parents didn¡¯te. Only my younger siblings and I came.¡±


    Knowing Xingyuan Prefecture was quite some distance from here, Butcher Qin¡¯s mouth fell open. At the very least, he had never been there.


    He red at her fiercely. But not to mention the little girl in front of him, the two children beside him also looked at him calmly, not afraid at all. The boy even yawned and leaned against the wall, wanting to sleep.


    Judging from their calm dispositions, it did seem like they were capable of serious business.


    However, even if Xingzhou Prefecture was at the border, the children there shouldn¡¯t be so mature and capable. To think that at only 12 years old, she dared to venture out with her younger siblings.


    Butcher Qin thought for a moment and felt that there was nothing the children could gain from him, so he nodded and said, ¡°Then wait for me. I¡¯ll go and close the stall, then follow you to take a look at the sheepter.¡±


    Butcher Qin carried all the meat on the chopping board to another butcher and patted his shoulder before leaving.


    Seeing that Bowen had been dozing off the entire way, Mu Yangling knew that it was time for this child to take an afternoon nap. Because he was weak, his schedule had always been very routine. Afternoon naps were non-negotiable for him.


    Although he had been traveling for the past two days, as soon as it was time for his afternoon nap, he would climb into the carriage and lie on the thick quilt. After covering himself with another quilt and curling up slightly, he would fall asleep in no time.


    Zhang Liu, who had returned early with his things, was already looking around the vige entrance. When he saw Mu Yangling return, he hurriedly ran over and said, ¡°Miss, a rich family in the vige wants to buy sheep from us. We didn¡¯t dare to make the decision and are waiting for you toe back.¡±


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows in surprise, not expecting business to show up by itself. Smiling, she asked, ¡°How much does he want to buy?¡±


    ¡°Everything.¡± There was a faint anger on Zhang Liu¡¯s face. ¡°Miss, he¡¯s very arrogant. That¡¯s not all, but he offered a price the moment he arrived. He said that he would buy them all for two taels each. He even brought many people to surround the fence.¡±


    The smile on Mu Yangling¡¯s face disappeared. Not minding that Butcher Qin was present, she asked Zhang Liu, ¡°A rich family in the vige? Very rich?¡±


    Zhang Liu immediately told them everything about this family. From this, it could be seen how powerful they were. Zhang Liu had only been back for a short while, but he could already find out about these secrets from the vigers..

 Chapter 281 - 281: Conflict

    Chapter 281: Conflict


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Before Mu Yangling reached the rented house, she heard an arrogant vorce shout, ¡°You better reciprocate while I¡¯m talking to you nicely. To tell you the truth, you have to sell us this sheep even if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    The vigers were all smiling as they watched, and they were all thirty feet away from the person who had spoken.


    If the person who spoke was not Hu Cai, they might have helped cheer or something. Since it was Hu Cai, forget it. If they could step on him, they would definitely not use their hands.


    Hu Cai was from this vige. When his mother was young, she became someone else¡¯s mistress. Hu Cai was the child that his mother had schemed to give birth to. Although he did not manage to be recognized legitimately in the end, his mother still received a lot of benefits.


    After buying too acres ofnd in the vige, he had been living off the rent every year. After more than 20 years, he had actually saved a lot of money which he used to buy morend in turn. Now, Hu Cai was thergestndowner in the vige.


    However, no one looked up to him, let alone his mother.


    This kid had caused a lot of trouble in the vige since he was young. The vigers were always eager to see him make a fool of himself.


    Hu Cai had some business acumen. He heard that someone from the vige had herded over a flock of rather energetic grasnd sheep. Coincidentally, he had been craving for this recently. Thinking that mutton was twice as expensive as pork outside, Hu Cai had an idea.


    He felt that if he could buy all the sheep and sell them, he would probably be


    able to earn twice as much.


    Hence, Hu Cai gathered all the thugs he hired and came.


    The five of them surrounded the fence as they demanded Zhang Wu sell the sheep to them.


    Zhang Wu was not a fool. One look and he knew that Hu Cai did note with good intentions. Indeed, Hu Cai offered to pay two taels of silver for a sheep, regardless of size.


    Zhang Wu chuckled. Two taels of silver? Miss Mu could sell the sheep for four taels of silver each in Three Springs County. Here, the price was reduced by half?


    Hence, Zhang Wu ran back and took out a broadsword from Mu Yangling¡¯s bag.


    Heid it across his chest and red at Hu Cai aggressively.


    Otherwise, by the time Zhang Liu returned, the sheep would have long been forcibly bought by him.


    This broadsword not only frightened the vigers, but also Hu Cai.


    Hu Cai was stunned for a moment before he became even angrier. Standing on tiptoes on a rock, he tried to suppress the other party with his aura. He shouted at Zhang Wu, ¡°You better know what¡¯s good for you¡­


    The excited vigers were eagerly watching with shining eyes.


    However, before they could get all excited, Zhang Liu returned. When he saw so many people surrounding the fence, he knew that something had happened. However, the precious books that Mu Yangling had bought were also very important. So, he carried the things back to the house and ced them on the brick bed first. Before he could see the situation clearly, he picked up a long bench in the house and ran out. He stood side by side with Zhang Wu and shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s see who dares to cause trouble!¡±


    The rock under Hu Cai¡¯s feet was small and uneven to begin with. With Zhang Liu¡¯s roar, he fell straight down. It was only because the thugs behind him caught him quickly that he did not lose face.


    However, this weakened Hu Cai¡¯s aura. Meanwhile, Zhang Wu became even more confident because of his brother¡¯s arrival. With this change in events, Hu Cai could only try to threaten Zhang Wu and his brother verbally.


    Zhang Liu saw that Hu Cai was getting more and more impatient. Seeing as the other party¡¯s five thugs were tall and strong, the two brothers were probably not evenparable to one of their arms.


    Zhang Liu could only sneak out to look for Mu Yangling as support. He was lucky to bump into her as soon as he ran out.


    Mu Yangling easily saw Hu Cai strutting around with his five men, since he was the only one blocking the entrance of the fence. Opposite him stood Zhang Wu, who was holding a knife. Although the vigers were surrounding them, they were all standing around the courtyard or fence. From Mu Yangling¡¯s point 0 view, the entire vige was on Zhang Wu¡¯s side and opposing Hu Cai.


    It seemed that Hu Cai¡¯s reputation in the vige was indeed not good. Otherwise, the vigers would not have opposed him so tantly without giving him any face.


    The vigers were the first to notice Mu Yangling and the others walking over. Then, they focused their attention on Zhang Wu, who was staring at Hu Cai.


    When Zhang Wu saw Mu Yangling and the others, he rxed and tightened his grip on the saber.


    Only Hu Cai, who was still moring, did not notice anything amiss.


    Mu Yangling walked behind him and patted his shoulder gently.


    Hu Cai angrily reached out to pat the hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he shouted, ¡°Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m busy?¡±


    When he saw Mu Yangling, he was stunned for a moment. Then, his eyes lit up as he stared at Mu Yangling¡¯s face and drooled. ¡°When did such an exquisite youngdy appear in the vige?¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s originally smiling face instantly darkened. She looked up and carefully sized up Hu Cai before asking, ¡°Are you teasing me?¡± The onlookers wanted to cover their eyes. ¡®Girl, isn¡¯t that obvious?¡¯ When Xiuhong heard that her venerable and adorable cousin had been teased, she rushed up with a howl and kicked Hu Cai¡¯s crotch.


    Hu Cai originally wanted tough evilly and say, ¡°If you be my woman, I guarantee that you¡¯ll have a good life.¡± However, before he could say anything, he suffered a heavy blow at a crucial part. As he let out a scream, he fell to the ground while clutching his crotch and mping his legs. He was in so much pain that he couldn¡¯t say a word.


    Having been eating meat every meal with the Mu family and had been doing farm work in the past two years, Xiuhong¡¯s strength had been steadily increasing. In addition, Mu Yangling had taught her the ¡¯18 Self-Defense Techniques for Women¡¯ from time to time, so her kick was ruthless and urate.


    Not only were the onlookers stunned, but even Mu Yangling was stunned. However, Hu Cai¡¯s thugs were unfazed. One of them went to help Hu Cai up, and the two of them rushed towards Xiuhong and Mu Yangling, wanting to capture them and let Hu Cai deal with them.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression did not look good. It was one thing to force her to buy and sell, but it was another to tease a woman like that. From the looks of it, this was not the first time Hu Cai had done this.


    Mu Yangling stopped the thug from grabbing Xiuhong¡¯s hand with one hand. With just a slight twist, the thug howled and dislocated his wrist.


    Clearly dissatisfied, Mu Yangling vented her anger on the thug and kicked his leg. When he knelt down, she twisted back and dislocated his entire arm. With a kick to his butt, she sent him flying.


    The other thug who charged at her ended up in an even worse state. Before he could reach her, he was sent flying by Mu Yangling¡¯s kick. At that time, Mu Yangling was at her angriest, so she used 30% of her strength in that kick and that man was sent flying. Seeing as he even spat out a mouthful of blood, he probably injured his internal organs.


    The remaining two panicked and rushed forward with their clubs. Before the vigers could recover from the shock of Hu Cai being kicked down there, Hu Cai¡¯s four thugs were lying on the ground.


    The thug who went to help Hu Cai opened his mouth wide and looked at his brother, who was lying on the ground and could not get up. Then, he looked down at Hu Cai, who was covered in cold sweat and in so much pain that he could not speak. He stood up decisively and ran towards Mu Yangling. Mu Yangling was about to kick him again when the other party fell to the ground with a plop. With a tilt of his head, he fainted.


    Even though she was still angry, Mu Yangling could not help butugh out loud. She lowered her head and asked Hu Cai, who had calmed down a little, ¡°How is it? Does it feel good? Do you want to kick me again?


    Hu Cai mped his legs.. Retracting the smile on her face, Mu Yangling asked with a dark expression, ¡°Were you teasing me just now?¡±

 Chapter 282 - 282: Alliance

    Chapter 282: Alliance


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Although Hu Cai really wanted to say a firm ¡®yes¡¯, he still cowered when he met Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes. ¡°I-I was purely praising you, really!¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted and looked up at her surroundings. She asked, ¡°Why is everyone surrounding this ce?¡±


    Zhang Wu immediately went forward and reported, ¡°Miss, this person wants to buy our sheep, but he¡¯s only willing to pay two taels of silver for one. When I said that I wanted to wait for you to return, he wanted to snatch the sheep bv force.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Hu Cai¡¯s pain subsided a little. Only then did he know that Mu Yanghng was the girl Zhang Wu was talking about. He quickly exined, ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to snatch anything. I¡¯m buying it with money.¡± ¡°Two taels of silver for a sheep. Old Master Hu, you¡¯re really good at doing business. I wonder if you sell sheep yourself. Let me know and I¡¯ll buy them all.¡±


    Hu Cai choked.


    Xiuhong spat, ¡°How shameless. Two taels of silver for a sheep. In Xingyuan Prefecture, what¡¯s the difference between that and directly snatching it?¡± Hu Cai red at Xiuhong with hatred in his eyes. He hadn¡¯t forgotten about that kick just now.


    Not at all afraid of him, Xiuhong red back fiercely.


    Bowen also took two steps forward and stood beside her to help her re at Hu Cai. It was now two against one. Hu Cai¡¯s eyes were small, so he was the first to lose.


    Mu Yanghng had no time to care about them. She raised her voice and said, ¡°I, Mu Yanghng, am here to do business, not to make enemies. If you want to buy sheep, I wee you. But if you¡¯re sincerely looking for trouble, I¡¯m not afraid.¡±


    Behind them, after watching this scene, Butcher Qin felt that these three children were indeed impressive. No wonder they dared to venture out at such a young age. For a moment, he was excited and wondered if he should go out and adventure after finishing this business.


    Mu Yanghng had already turned around with a smile and invited Butcher Qin to look at her sheep. She introduced, ¡°It only took three days for these sheep to be transported here from Xingzhou Prefecture. We have been feeding them fodder, so they¡¯re still very energetic. If you don¡¯t believe me, take a look.¡± This was what Butcher Qin did for a living. After only randomly choosing a few sheep to look at and touch when he walked into the fence, he already knew the quality of this flock of sheep.


    ¡°Miss Mu, how many do you have in total?¡±


    ¡°239¡±


    Butcher Qin pondered for a moment. He couldn¡¯t take so many alone.


    ¡°I wonder how much it¡¯ll cost.¡±


    ¡°If you buy a lot, I¡¯ll charge you 28 copper coins a catty, weighed raw. If you find it troublesome, you can go by number of sheep. No matter how big or small it is, it¡¯ll be 4 taels and 500 copper coins each. What do you think?¡± Butcher Qin shook his head. ¡°This way, we won¡¯t earn much. I¡¯d only earn about ten copper coins for one catty of mutton.¡±


    Frowning, Bowen said, ¡°Uncle Qin, pork costs only 25 copper coins a catty. You can earn 10 copper coins per catty of mutton?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but it¡¯s also risky for me to buy so many supplies at once. Since I¡¯m buying inrge quantities, in order for neither of us to feel bad, let¡¯s call it 25 copper coins per catty, weighed raw.¡±


    Then the price was not evenparable to that in Three Springs County.


    Xiuhong and Bowen were unwilling.


    Mu Yanghng also felt that he had bargained the price by too much. She shook her head and said, ¡°25 copper coins per catty is too cheap. I¡¯d suffer a loss at such a price. It¡¯s not easy for us to travel from Xingzhou Prefecture to Xingyuan Prefecture. Moreover, with such arge flock of sheep.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard. What about me?¡± Hu Cai shouted angrily when he saw that they were almost done negotiating the price. ¡°I took a fancy to this sheep first. You have to wait for me to buy it before the next buyer gets his turn.¡± Mu Yanghng and Butcher Qin looked at him as if they were looking at an idiot. It was obvious that this fellow was here to cause trouble. How stupid would they be to wait for him to finish choosing before starting the deal?


    ¡°28 copper coins per catty. Are you buying?¡± Mu Yangling waved her hand and interrupted him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear two taels of silver per sheep. If you want to go by number of sheep, it¡¯s 4 taels 500 copper coins per sheep. Don¡¯t you dare mention two taels of silver.¡±


    Hu Cai looked at Mu Yangling in grief and indignation. Pointing at her with a trembling finger, he shouted, ¡°It¡¯s only right to bargain. What right do you have to stop me from bargaining?¡±


    Mu Yangling said calmly, ¡°But it¡¯s not right to forcefully buy and sell. Going by the number of sheep, it¡¯s 4 taels 500 copper coins per sheep. Do you dare to buy it?¡±


    Looking at her disdainful expression, Hu Cai got rash and he shouted angrily, ¡°Fine! It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have the money. I¡¯ll buy it all for 4 taels 500 copper ¡¯ coins each!¡±


    The thug who was lying on the ground feigning unconsciousness could not pretend anymore. How much would it cost to buy 239 sheep at 4 taels 500 copper coins each?


    He didn¡¯t know what the total was, but he knew that if he didn¡¯t stop him today, Old Madam would skin him when he returned tomorrow morning. When Old Master came back to his senses tomorrow, he would skin him again. By then, he wouldn¡¯t just be punished by a dozen strokes for pretending to faint.


    The thug ¡°woke up¡± with difficulty. He climbed up and hugged Hu Cai¡¯s leg, crying, ¡°Master, don¡¯t be muddle-headed. How many acres ofnd will we have to sell for this? If Old Madam finds out, she will im our lives. Let¡¯s give up on these sheep, okay.¡±


    Hu Cai was filled with anger, but he didn¡¯t dare to vent it on Mu Yangling. There was nothing he could do to the vigers either. He wanted to vent his anger on Butcher Qin, but when he saw Butcher Qin¡¯s fierce expression, he decided to swallow his anger.


    Just as he was about to swallow his anger, the thug pounced on him. That was <li>His anger erupted immediately.</li>


    He kicked the thug¡¯s chest and flew into a rage. ¡°Dog ve, didn¡¯t you faint? Why don¡¯t you just die? And you guys.¡± Hu Cai pointed at the other four thugs who were wailing on the ground. ¡°Trash, trash, all of you are f*cking trash!¡± Mu Yangling was originally impatient to hear him pester her endlessly, but Xiuhong suddenly tugged at Mu Yangling¡¯s sleeve. Mu Yangling immediately stopped talking and crossed her arms as she watched from the side.


    Xiuhong and Bowen looked at each other, and Xiuhong gave Bowen a look.


    Bowen said impatiently, ¡°Hey, Master Hu, are you buying or not? If not, we¡¯ll have to sell the sheep to someone else. We don¡¯t have the time to waste here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯ve dyed us for so long. That should be enough to appease your anger, right? If you continue pestering my cousin, she¡¯ll be angry.¡± ¡°Who said I¡¯m not buying the sheep?¡± Hu Cai turned his head and red at the two of them, especially Xiuhong. He gritted his teeth in hatred, but his crotch was still in pain. Having witnessed Mu Yangling¡¯s martial strength, he suppressed his anger. ¡°Hmph, isn¡¯t it just four taels of silver? I¡¯ll buy it. Ding Er, go back to the ountant and retrieve 500 taels of silver immediately.¡± Xiuhong quickly corrected him. ¡°It¡¯s 4 taels 500 copper coins each, not four taels.¡±


    Hu Cai¡¯s heart ached, but he had already said it, so there was no possibility of taking his words back. He could only stare at Ding Er, who was still hugging his leg, with a dark expression and say, ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go back to get the silver.¡±


    Ding Er was dumbfounded. Really?


    ¡°M-Master, there¡¯s not even 500 taels of silver in the ounts room.¡±


    There is in Madam¡¯s room. Go and get the bag of silver I took out yesterday and transfer it to the ounts.¡± Hu Cai was afraid that others would think that his family did not have money, so he said this in a lowered voice..

 Chapter 283 - 283: Seesaw Struggle

    Chapter 283: Seesaw Struggle


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    However, Mu Yangling still heard it. Seeing Ding Er run back, Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Master Hu, you won¡¯t be able to finish eating so many sheep even if you buy them back. Why don¡¯t you just buy a hundred of them?¡±


    Bowen knew that his sister was afraid that the other party would not be able to pay if he bought too much, so he quickly agreed. ¡°That¡¯s right. You still have to provide fodder for so many sheep. Do you have enough fodder at home?


    Hu Cai also heaved a sigh of relief, but his face was filled with anger. He said arrogantly, ¡°I have plenty of money. In short, before this deal ispleted, I won¡¯t allow you to discuss other deals.


    Was he trying to thwart their business? Mu Yangling turned her head to look at Butcher Qin and gestured with her hand by her side.


    Butcher Qin thought that he had seen wrongly because this gesture was only used by butchers. It was most likely invented to help themmunicate when it was inconvenient to speak while they were ughtering pigs or entertaining guests.


    Seeing that he was staring at the hand beside her, Mu Yangling thought that he wanted to increase the price. After some thought, two fingers became three.


    Three taels of silver wasn¡¯t considered low, right? He was just putting on an act with her, after all.


    This time, Butcher Qin saw it clearly. Without thinking, he gestured in agreement, but he was puzzled. Was this girl¡¯s family also in this line of work?


    Satisfied, Mu Yangling turned to look at Hu Cai and pondered for a long time before reluctantly agreeing.


    Overjoyed, Hu Cai went forward and kicked his thugs to get them up quickly. Other than two who got up without hurting their legs, the other two were powerless.


    Although Hu Cai felt that it was detrimental to his prestige, he also knew how much strength Mu Yangling had used just now. They had really spat out a mouthful of blood earlier, so he could only let them lie on the ground.


    ¡°Master Hu, do you n to choose immediately, or wait for your servant to bring the money over before choosing?¡±


    Hu Cai snorted. ¡°I want to choose now.¡±


    He took two steps and hissed a few times. Feeling that his crotch still hurt, he instructed the two thugs, ¡°Go in and choose. Pick the big ones for me.¡±


    The two thugs were very willing to do this job that made Mu Yangling grit her teeth, but the key was that they couldn¡¯t do it. One of them had his hand twisted and dislocated, and the other had been kicked in the stomach and was now walking with his back bent.


    Mu Yangling rolled up her sleeves and got Zhang Wu to bring a long stick to Hu Cai. ¡°Point and I¡¯ll catch it for you.¡±


    Hu Cai was excited. He did not expect to be able to order Mu Yangling around. Bowen and Xiuhong looked at him as if they were looking at a fool. They took the rope and nned to put it on the sheep after their sister caught it.


    Zhang Liu and Zhang Wu hurriedly rolled up their sleeves and wanted to help. Before Mu Yangling could wave her hand, Hu Cai instructed unhappily, ¡°The two of you are not allowed to enter. I¡¯ll want Miss Mu to catch them for me.¡± Mu Yangling bared her white teeth, but Hu Cai was shocked by her smile. His aura fell and he muttered, ¡°You mentioned it first.¡±


    ¡°I was the one who mentioned it first, so don¡¯t worry, Master Hu. I promise to catch whichever one you point at. However, you only have three chances to order me to catch any one sheep. Don¡¯t deliberately point at the wrong ce and say that it¡¯s not what you want. After three times, I¡¯ll simply randomly catch one for you. No matter how big or small it is, you have to agree.¡± Hu Cai immediately choked. He had wanted to do this previously, but he did not expect Mu Yangling to make a rule in advance.


    In the face of power, Hu Cai had no choice but to admit it. However, he did not let Mu Yangling rx. Every time, he had to specially reselect once or twice.


    After Mu Yangling caught the 100 sheep, Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu tied them up with ropes. At this moment, Ding Er was already standing at the side with two bags of silver.


    -These 100 sheep cost a total of 450 taels. How about it? Does Master Hu want to buy 500 taels worth of sheep?¡± Mu Yangling asked.


    Hu Cai was stunned. Only then did he realize that he had spent 450 taels in just the blink of an eye. This was impossible in the past.


    However, looking at the sheep all over the ground in front of him, he could not bring himself to go back on his word. He could only pinch his nose and admit it. ¡°It¡¯s merely 450 taels. Ding Er, give her the silver.¡±


    ¡°Master, out of these 450 taels of silver, more than half of it is from the rent collected this year. If Old Madam finds out¡­¡±


    Hu Cai red at Ding Er. ¡°You dare to disobey me?¡±


    Ding Er could only count out 450 taels of silver to Mu Yangling sullenly. Ten silver pieces worth 20 taels of silver each, four silver pieces worth 50 taels of silver each, and five silver pieces worth 10 taels of silver were handed over to


    Mu Yangling.


    After verifying that there were no mistakes, Mu Yangling ced it in the bag. The vigers looked at Mu Yangling with envy, jealousy, and hatred.


    Mu Yangling clenched her fists at Hu Cai and said, ¡°Please forgive me for offending you just now. However, it¡¯s best not to do anything immoral in the future. Think of it as umting some good deeds for yourself. After all, you still have to live in this vige for 40 to 50 years.¡±


    Hu Cai was stunned. He was already 27 years old this year. How did this person know that he could live past 70?


    One had to know that being able to live past 60 years old was already considered a long life.


    The servants of the Hu Family supported Hu Cai and herded the flock of sheep home. When they reached home, Hu Cai¡¯s rationalitypletely returned. As he looked at the sheep at home, hepletely regretted it.


    How was he going to sell so many sheep?


    He had originally nned to buy it for two taels of silver and sell it for four taels of silver each. He could still earn twice as much, but now, after buying it for 4 taels 500 copper coins each, could he sell it for five taels?


    Even if he was willing to sell it, no one was willing to buy it.


    At this moment, Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu had already evacuated the vigers. Mu Yangling invited Butcher Qin into the house to talk.


    Mu Yangling first gave Butcher Qin the reward of three taels of silver. Speaking of which, these three taels of silver were meant to keep Butcher Qin.


    Butcher Qin naturally knew, but he still had doubts in his heart. He asked, ¡°Are there butchers in Miss Mu¡¯s family?¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned for a moment before she replied with a smile, ¡°No, but my family used to be hunters and relied on hunting for a living.


    Since hunters and butchers interacted the most, Butcher Qin smiled with understanding. ¡°No wonder Miss Mu knows about these gestures.¡± With that said, he said seriously, ¡°Miss Mu, since you¡¯re familiar with butchers, you should know that we¡¯re only earning hard-earned money. To be honest, I can¡¯t buy so many sheep alone, so I have to find two friends to join me. You have to lower the price for me.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°Then 27 copper coins per catty?¡± Seeing Butcher Qin¡¯s calm expression, Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Uncle Qin, I¡¯m only earning a small profit, too. Now, the price of mutton in Xingyuan Prefecture is 56 copper coins per catty. Even if the supply you provide to the eatery is cheaper, it definitely won¡¯t be lower than 52 copper coins, right?¡± Butcher Qin was stunned for a moment before he smiled and said, ¡°So Miss Mu has found out everything. However, you should know that it¡¯s already not bad for a sheep that weighs about 120 catties to weigh 70 catties after being ughtered. In other words, I can only earn 400 copper coins per sheep.¡± Mu Yangling smiled. ¡°These sheep of mine are all fat.. Do you think a live sheep weighing 120 catties can¡¯t produce 80 catties of meat?

 Chapter 284 - 284: Letting Them Go

    Chapter 284: Letting Them Go


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    In the end, Butcher Qin agreed to the deal at the price of 27 copper coins per catty. He needed to go back and find three people to work together to round up the remaining sheep. Moreover, weighing them was also aborious and time-consuming job.


    Therefore, the two of them agreed to trade tomorrow.


    Before Butcher Qin left, he couldn¡¯t help but remind her, ¡°Miss Mu, since Hu Cai gave you so much money in public today, I¡¯m afraid it will attract some thieves. I think you should move to the city.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your reminder, Uncle Qin. I understand.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Yangling didn¡¯t seem to take it to heart, Butcher Qin could only sigh.


    It was not that Mu Yangling did not take it to heart, but she had already thought of this when Hu Cai asked his servant to go back and get the silver.


    By the time she concluded the deal with Hu Cai, it was already gettingte. No matter how fast the news spread, it could not be spread out of the vige. It was not the modern era where information disseminated rapidly.


    As for the people in the vige, Mu Yangling believed that she could still deal with them.


    Therefore, at night, Mu Yangling let Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu sleep in the room and asked them to be more alert.


    She let Xiuhong and Bowen sleep in her room.


    The next morning, when Xiuhong and Bowen woke up and opened the door, they saw a group of people tied up in the courtyard. Their jaws dropped.


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu were hugging their sticks and sitting on stools inside, dozing off. The mes in the brazier had already extinguished.


    Upon hearing themotion, the two of them jumped up and rushed out with their sticks. When they saw that it was Xiuhong and Bowen, they retracted their nervous expressions. ¡°Miss Xiuhong and Young Master are awake? I¡¯ll go to the kitchen to see if the soup is ready.¡±


    Bowen quickly pulled him back and pointed at the people tied up on the ground. ¡°Brother Liuzi, who are these people?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, who else could it be? Thieves from the vige who actually dared to steal from Young Miss.¡±


    Bowen frowned. ¡°That many?¡±


    Zhang Liu¡¯s expression turned even worse. ¡°There are a total of four groups, not just one group of people. Yesterday, Young Miss threw out each group as they arrivedst night. This only stopped at dawn.¡±


    Xiuhong opened her mouth wide and stared at the group of people lying on the ground. She asked, ¡°Then what should we do now? Send them to the officials?¡±


    The thieves, who were originally lying obediently on the ground, hurriedly whimpered. They mustn¡¯t send him to the officials. If they did, their lives would be over.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t send them to the officials because they were all newbies who probably couldn¡¯t resist the temptation and came to steal the sheep. Although they were despicable, she had no intention of leaving them with no way out.


    If it was a police station in her previous life, it would be fine if one was sent to jail. At most, they would be released after a few months of imprisonment. However, here, thieves had to be subjected to heavy beatings first before being imprisoned for a few days. If they were obedient, they would be sent to a cold ce to be reformed. Under the circumstances where one could not receive medical treatment when injured, very few of them woulde back alive.


    Those who came back alive either changed for the betterpletely and did not dare to steal again, or became even more ruthless. This was a chaotic world, not an era of peace and prosperity.


    However, Mu Yangling did not let them off just like that. If they were not taught a lesson, they would probably continue to do such immoral things in the future.


    Hence, Mu Yangling tied them up and threw them into the house. When she caught thest group of people in the morning, she directly threw them into the courtyard.


    It was the most torturous to wait endlessly without knowing whatid ahead of them. At least, a few of the younger ones were already in tears. If not for the fact that their mouths were stuffed with something, they would have knelt in front of Mu Yangling and begged for mercy.


    That was not all. Mu Yangling asked Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu to note down their family situation and asked their families toe and fetch them.


    Their eyes were red and their faces were burning with embarrassment and shame.


    Seeing them lying on the ground wearing so little, Bowen whispered to his sister, ¡°Sister, why don¡¯t we get them into the house? If they really catch a cold, you¡¯ll have to worryter.¡±


    Mu Yangling carried them back to the house, so when their families came to look for them, Mu Yangling was waiting for them in the hall. There were a bunch of young men in their twenties on the ground, and two of them were only 15 or 16 years old.


    The parents were embarrassed and ashamed. In this era, people were still very pure and friendly. Seeing that their children had be thieves, and the victim hade knocking on their door, their faces were filled with embarrassment and shame. Then, they red at their unfilial and disappointing son on the ground.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s gaze slid across everyone¡¯s faces. Seeing that the parents were all ashamed and angry, she was not in the mood to test them. Just as she was about to speak, some honest parents knelt on the ground and begged Mu Yangling to spare them. As long as she did not send them to the officials, they wouldpensate for the losses. Later, they would definitely break their limbs when they returned home¡­


    With a pair of parents doing this, the other parents also followed suit and started kneeling on the ground.


    Mu Yangling looked at the people tied up on the ground. Two of them looked at their parents with red eyes as tears slipped down their faces. Because their mouths were gagged, they could only whimper.


    Mu Yangling went forward to help the parents up, before turning around and asking the people on the ground, ¡°Do you see how disappointed your parents are?¡±


    A parent wiped their tears and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Do you see what a disappointment you are? Miss Mu, no matter who they let down, they¡¯re still our children. This is a debt. I only beg that you don¡¯t send them to the officials. We¡¯ll do anything.¡±


    Mu Yangling sat on the chair and said, ¡°If I wanted to send them to the officials, I wouldn¡¯t have informed you.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the people on the ground and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sending you to the officials because firstly, you¡¯re newbies and I don¡¯t want you to ruin your future or lose your lives. Secondly, it¡¯s for your parents.¡±


    ¡°I once heard a story about a thief who was sentenced to death for theft and murder. Before he died, he said that he hated his parents, friends, and neighbors. Many people were puzzled. Do you know what he said?¡±


    The people on the ground looked at Mu Yangling nkly.


    Mu Yangling looked at the blue sky and white clouds outside as she said, ¡°He said that the first time he stole, he only stole candy. If his parents could hit him at that time, his friends could dissuade him, and his neighbors could scold him, he might not have gone on to steal grains, money, or even kill people.¡±


    A mocking smile appeared on Mu Yangling¡¯s lips. ¡°I don¡¯t think his crimes are someone else¡¯s fault. His nature and self-control are the main reasons, but I¡¯ve also been wondering if he would stop if someone had corrected him, taught him a lesson, and told him that it was wrong and that the gains weren¡¯t sufficient to make up for the losses.¡±


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m doing what he resented before he died. This time, I won¡¯t report it to the officials. Whether you can change for the better depends on yourselves. I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t have the chance to meet again in the future. You have to take responsibility for your lives.¡±


    Mu Yangling waved her hand for Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu to untie them. The parents quickly went forward to help their children up.


    ¡°You guys can leave.¡±


    A father pped his son¡¯s face and shouted, ¡°Hurry up and kneel down to our benefactor!¡±


    His son fell kneeling on the ground with a plop. The others also knelt down and kowtowed to Mu Yangling before limping away.


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu wiped their tears. They had once been one of them and had also been woken up by the youngdy.


    ¡°Sister, will they take revenge?¡± Bowen asked with a frown.


    ¡°How dare they!¡± Xiuhong jumped up. ¡°Cousin has already let them off.¡±


    ¡°No one knows if they¡¯ll change, so pack up. As soon as this batch of sheep is sold, we¡¯ll leave.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re traveling through the night?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and said to the reluctant Xiuhong, ¡°We¡¯ll listen to Bowen on this matter. We have to believe in human nature, but sometimes, we also have to doubt it. Not everyone has a good heart.¡±


    Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t afraid that the vigers would steal again, but she was afraid that they would spread the news. Since there weren¡¯t many mountain bandits outside Xingyuan Prefecture, it was fine if she was by herself, but she still had Bowen and Xiuhong by her side..

 Chapter 285 - 285: Sudden Change in Weather

    Chapter 285: Sudden Change in Weather


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Giddyup!¡± Mu Yangling told ckie to speed up. Seated under the shaft of the carriage, she looked up at the sky worriedly.


    ¡°Miss, do you think it will snow?¡± Zhang Liu sat at the side and exhaled. He looked up at the sky with anticipation and resentment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know if I want it to snow or not.¡± It was almost the new year, and the first snow since winter was about to appear. How tragic that they had to be on the road at a time like this.


    Butcher Qin kept his promise and brought two friends over in the morning. Those two people were the butchers who monopolized the mutton supply in West City with him. Mu Yangling had not expected these were the two people he mentioned yesterday.


    Because the price had already been negotiated, they directly weighed the sheep. In the end, 139 sheep were sold for 689 taels and 468 copper coins. Mu Yangling rounded down the total and only charged them 689 taels.


    After the transaction, Butcher Qin and the others had just herded the sheep away when Mu Yangling put the things into the carriage and left. She even ate lunch in the carriage.


    She did not even inform thendlord, merely mentioning that she had something to do in the city. Now that all the sheep had been sold, everyone entered the city together.


    As thendlord camete, he didn¡¯t see Xiuhong and the others packing their things, nor did he see Mu Yangling put her things on the carriage. He also didn¡¯t go into the house to check, so he didn¡¯t know that Mu Yangling and the others had left.


    After getting into the carriage, ckie ran forward happily. It had been suffocating to walk slowly behind the flock of sheep for the past few days. Mu Yangling was also ted. She felt that at this speed, it would not be a problem to reach Three Springs County before dark. Hence, they could stay in the county and their safety would be much more guaranteed.


    However, the heavens begged to differ. After traveling for less than 45 minutes, the weather became colder and colder, and the wind became stronger and stronger. A rare dark cloud appeared in the sky. An hourter, the dark clouds fully covered the sky.


    If Mu Yangling hadn¡¯t confirmed that it was only two in the afternoon at most, she would have believed it if someone told her it was six in the afternoon.


    As the weather became colder and colder, and the wind felt like ice shards on their faces, Mu Yangling knew that they would not be able to reach Three Springs County today. Not to mention the humans, even ckie could not stand this weather.


    Mu Yangling asked Zhang Wu, ¡°Do you know if there¡¯s a vige nearby? We have to find a vige to settle down and see how it goes tomorrow.¡±


    Zhang Wu looked at the road outside in a daze and tried his best to recall the Vige he had heard of. Finally, he said, ¡°Miss, how long will it take us to reach Three Springs County?¡±


    ¡°At this speed, we should be able to reach there in two hours.¡± However, at this speed, ckie would also be frostbitten after two hours. Considering ckie was still young, it was already a little hard on him to drag a carriage full of people along, let alone in such weather.


    In the carriage, Bowen and Xiuhong couldn¡¯t take it either.


    ¡°Miss, I remember that there¡¯s a ce called Big Tree Vige about four hours from the vige outside. The maiden family of someone we knew of in our vige lives there.¡±


    As ckie was fast, the journey from Three Springs County to Xingyuan Prefecture which would have taken them a day on foot, took them only four hours by carriage.


    Mu Yangling did some calctions in her heart and felt that they should be able to reach the ce Zhang Wu had mentioned in another 30 to 45 minutes. Zhang Wu pushed Zhang Liu into the carriage. Seated on the shaft of the car, he widened his eyes. ¡°The reason why Big Tree Vige is called Big Tree Vige is because there¡¯s a huge tree at the vige entrance. It¡¯s humongous. As long as you see it, you can¡¯t mistake it.¡±


    Hence, Zhang Wu looked at the trees on both sides energetically. Mu Yangling said helplessly, ¡°That day, we didn¡¯t see any big trees along the way from here. This means that the vige isn¡¯t next to the main road.¡± She recalled carefully and said, ¡°There are a total of five forks along the way from Three Springs County to Xingyuan Prefecture. One of them is rtivelyrge and should lead to Chuangui. The other four are rtively small. We¡¯ve already passed by one just now. ording to the speed you mentioned, it¡¯s most likely the two in the middle.¡±


    Fortunately, the two paths were on both sides of the road, so Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Did the people in your vige say if that vige was on the right or left?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Zhang Wu was originally thinking hard about how many forks they had encountered on the way, but when he heard Mu Yangling¡¯s words, he suddenly understood.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Then it¡¯s not far. It¡¯s just ahead.¡±


    ¡®How did you know?¡¯ Zhang Wu swallowed his words.


    Indeed, less than 1<sub>5</sub> minutes ahead, they saw a small forked and bent path. Mu Yangling let ckie go that route without thinking.


    Zhang Wu opened his mouth but couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Miss, what if we go the wrong way?¡±


    ¡°If the speed and direction you mentioned was correct, then there can¡¯t be any mistakes.¡± She had been trained and had been on high alert on the way here. Not to mention the few forks on the road, she could even estimate the distance between the forks.


    If she could not even do this, her investigation training in her previous life would be in vain.


    Just as Zhang Wu was feeling uneasy, a huge tree came into view. It was truly humongous. At least, Zhang Wu had never seen a tree bigger than this in his life.


    The branches extended over two to three acres ofnd, and there was a branch at the top thick enough for someone to lie on it and sleep.


    Mu Yangling also felt that this tree should be very old. In fact, an adult could lie down on a branch and ce their arms by their side without them sliding down.???? <sup>6</sup>


    Xiuhong and Bowen poked their heads out of the carriage and asked, ¡°How old is this tree?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it must be at least 400 to 500 years old, right?¡±


    ¡°More than that, I think. Even if the branches of a banyan tree are big, it shouldn¡¯t have grown so big in just 400 to 500 years.¡±


    A gust of cold wind blew over, making Mu Yangling shrink her neck. No longer in the mood to look at the tree, she headed straight for the vige.


    Mu Yangling and the others were received by the vige chief¡¯s family.


    The story they came up with was that the five siblings were going to Xingzhou Prefecture to visit their rtives. However, after walking here, the weather changed and they had no choice but to find a ce to rest.


    Zhang Wu said worriedly to the vige chief, ¡°I originally wanted to rush to Three Springs County, but who knew that the weather would change so quickly? In another two hours, we¡¯ll probably freeze into ice. It¡¯s useless even if we reach Three Springs County.¡±


    The vige chief looked at Xiuhong and Bowen, who were standing at the side with their necks shrunk. Nodding, he said, ¡°Considering you even have children with you, it¡¯s definitely harder on you.¡±


    Zhang Wu quickly agreed. ¡°That¡¯s why we came to the vige. We wish to stay


    for the night and leave when the sun rises tomorrow.¡±


    The vige chief naturally had no problem with it. In this era, people were only d to help others, so he firmly rejected the copper coins Zhang Wu offered him.


    There were very few outsiders who came to their vige, so they naturally did not run a business of renting out houses. Visitors would simply stay there when they arrived, and the host would warmly serve them the best food.


    This time, it was Mu Yangling and the others¡¯ turn to feel embarrassed..

 Chapter 286 - 286: Be Careful

    Chapter 286: Be Careful


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling was a carnivore, and Xiuhong loved to eat meat, too. Hence, when they came out, they¡¯d brought a lot of meat from home. The meat was all marinated or frozen, so there was no concern of them spoiling at all.


    Because they had eaten fresh meat along the way, Mu Yangling asked Zhang


    Liu to take out all this frozen meat and hand it to the vige chief.


    The vige chief¡¯s family did not expect them to bring so much meat along with them. Unable to react for a moment, they only stared at the frozen meat on the table.


    The children of the vige chief couldn¡¯t help but swallow their saliva. Although the vige chief did likewise, he still pushed the meat back and said, ¡°Keep this for yourselves and save it for eating on the way.¡±


    Zhang Wu nced at Mu Yangling and said with a smile, ¡°Take it. If the weather doesn¡¯t improve, we won¡¯t dare to stop on the way to cook these meat. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to eat dry rations. Besides, it¡¯s heavy to bring it with us. We¡¯ve already imposed on you by staying at your house. Therefore, you must ept these things.¡±


    in the end, the vige chief¡¯s wife could not resist the temptation of the meat fragrance. She said in a low voice, ¡°Father-inw, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s going to start snowing. The guests might stay for a few days.¡±


    That way, they wouldn¡¯t feel bad eating their meat.


    The vige chief¡¯s wife stared fixedly at the meat. It had been three to four months since she had eaten meat. She¡¯d thought that she would only get the chance to do so on Chinese New Year¡¯s Eve.


    There must be more than ten catties of meat on the table, right?


    Even if the majority of the meat was given to the guests, they would still be


    able to eat two or three pieces per person¡­


    Mu Yangling did not know what she was thinking. In any case, the vige chief ultimately epted the meat in the end.


    She quickly received something in return, too. The vige chief had originally reserved a room for them because she¡¯d mentioned that they were siblings, which meant it was fine for the five of them to stay in the same room.


    It was not that the vige chief was petty, but their family only had five rooms, and he had three sons and an unmarried daughter. Now that one of his sons was already married, they only just had enough rooms to live in.


    The room that was allocated to Mu Yangling and her group belonged to the youngest son. He had asked his youngest son and second son to stay in the same room. But now that Mu Yangling had taken out so much meat and even brought some sweets for his two grandsons, he felt that he should return the favor. Hence, he moved his daughter to his and his wife¡¯s room and let Mu Yangling and Xiuhong stay in his daughter¡¯s room.


    He let Zhang Wu, Zhang Liu, and Bowen stay in his youngest son¡¯s room.


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t ask for more than to have her own space. She hadn¡¯t counted the money after the sheep were sold, as she had left in a hurry.


    Hence, now that she had some private space, Mu Yangling got Xiuhong to guard the door. She took out all the silver and counted it.


    She had earned 260 taels of silver from selling sheep in Three Springs County and 450 taels of silver from Hu Cai. As for thest batch, she had sold them for 689 taels of silver, making it a total of 1,355 taels of silver. Mu Yangling recorded the ounts in the ount book and carefully counted the money. Excluding the silver and copper coins she had brought with her, there was a total of 1,300 taels of silver in the pouch. 55 taels of silver had been spent on buying books and bribing Butcher Qin.


    Mu Yangling stretched out the pouch and carefully put the silver inside. Then, she plugged the two holes with two pieces of old clothing.


    Xingzhou Prefecture was different from Xingyuan Prefecture. There, banknotes weren¡¯t used. Hence, she didn¡¯t exchange them for banknotes that were easy to carry around in the city. Instead, she used a pouch to store the silver.


    1,300 taels of silver sounded like a lot, but it was actually only about 82 catties, li didn¡¯t take up a lot of space, and a pouch was just enough to store it all. In fact, there was even enough room to stuff a piece of clothing stuck in the hole.


    Mu Yangling had always carried this pouch with her and never let it leave her side. At this moment, she spread out the nket on the brick bed and ced the pouch inside to hide it. Then, she called Xiuhong in and instructed, ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone touch this.¡±


    -What should we do when we eat?¡± Xiuhong asked worriedly.


    This was the first time she carried so much money with her, so she was a little flustered.


    However, Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°We¡¯ll sit at the tableter and leave the table earlier. Leave the rest to Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu. Xiuhong, you have to remember that the two of them are our elder brothers now. We, as younger siblings, don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡±


    Therefore, it was normal for them to return to the room to rest after eating.


    When it was time to eat, the vige chief¡¯s family would definitely be present. However, if his family wanted to enter this room, they had to pass by the hall where they were eating. She believed that she still had this bit of observation ability.


    No one could enter this room without being discovered by her. Most importantly, who would know that they carried so much silver with them and specially came to steal it?


    After hearing her cousin¡¯s arrangements, Xiuhong finally felt a little relieved. However, she still nervously paid attention to the outside while eating. Mu Yangling found it funny, but she didn¡¯t reassure her. It was good to be cautious. After dinner, Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu stayed behind to chat with the vige chief and his three sons. Mu Yangling brought Xiuhong and Bowen back to the room.


    The vige chief¡¯s daughter followed her in to y. When she saw a pouch on the brick bed, she curiously took a few more nces. Xiuhong became nervous. Mu Yangling followed her gaze and smiled. She exined, ¡°These are the things that my rtives asked me to bring.¡±


    The vige chiefs daughter nodded. Mu Yangling calmly changed the topic and pointed at the handkerchief in her hand. ¡°Your handkerchief is really beautiful. Did you buy it or embroider it yourself?¡±


    The vige chief¡¯s daughter said proudly, ¡°I embroidered this myself. My sister-inw has embroidery skills and she taught me. My mother said that my embroidery skills are not inferior to Sister-inw¡¯s now. Do you want to see it?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not good at needlework, but my younger sister is better than me. My mother knows embroidery too. We usually learn from her, but we¡¯ve been busy with farmwork this year and have been neglecting our needlework for a period of time.


    The vige chief¡¯s daughter said seriously, ¡°Embroidery is unlike other skills. You can¡¯t ck off every now and then. You have to persevere to cultivate this skill¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling gave Xiuhong a look, and Xiuhong immediately took over. She had also learned from Shu Wanniang for two years. Although she couldn¡¯tpare to her sister, Xin, she was much better than her cousin. Soon, she hit it off with the vige chief¡¯s daughter.


    The vige chief¡¯s daughter instantly regretted not meeting her sooner. She held Xiuhong¡¯s hand with both hands excitedly, and her eyes even shed with tears of excitement.


    When Mu Yangling saw this, she leaned against the pillow and closed her eyes to rest. Bowen also listened curiously for a while before losing interest. He stretched and looked out, only to find snowkes floating in the sky.


    Bowen opened his mouth in shock and shouted, ¡°Sister, it¡¯s snowing!¡±


    Mu Yangling opened her eyes and looked out of the window. Only then did she realize that snowkes the size of chicken feathers were floating down from the sky.


    The vige chief¡¯s daughter and Xiuhong jumped up in excitement, then put on their shoes and ran out. Mu Yangling shouted, ¡°Put on a coat.. Don¡¯t catch a cold!¡±

 Chapter 287 - 287: Stay or Go

    Chapter 287: Stay or Go


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Bowen was the first to notice the snow. After he shouted, everyone saw the snowkes floating outside. Then, the vige chiefs family ran out noisily.


    Later, the entire vige became noisy.


    Some of the elders even stood at the door and looked up at the sky, disregarding the obstruction of their descendants. They reached out to touch a snowke and said with tears streaming down their faces, ¡°It¡¯s snowing. The heavens aren¡¯t out to get us.¡±


    As the snow had just fallen, there were only some white marks on the ground. However, this did not affect the children from rushing into the snow. As they screamed, they raised their heads and opened their mouths to catch the snow.


    The young and strong adults were careful not to let the elderly slip as they scolded the children to ask them to go back into the house.


    Xiuhong also dragged Bowen out andughed loudly a few times. Mu Yangling did not go out. She only looked at the snow falling outside the window, feeling both happy and worried.


    She wondered if the road would be sealed because of the snow tomorrow, and also, when they would be able to return home.


    She hoped the snow would stop soon, but she also hoped it wouldst longer. Overjoyed, the vige chief began to get people to reinforce the houses that were obviously problematic. He even informed the entire vige, ¡°Everyone, be more vignt at night. I¡¯ll get up from time to time to take a look. If the snow is too heavy, you have to get up and sweep the snow off the roof. The brick bed has to be heated up, too. You can¡¯t fall asleep, do you hear me?¡±


    The young and strong men gathered in the vige responded.


    ¡°The women will prepare ginger soup at home. When the men return from sweeping the snow, the first thing they will do is drink ginger soup to ward off the cold. If they fall sick from the cold, no amount of money can cure it.


    The vige chief gave a warning before going home. As he had said, the snow fell heavily. Around two in the morning, the vige chief rang the bell at the head of the vige and asked everyone to get up and sweep the snow.


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu also got up to help sweep the snow off the roof.


    The vige chief¡¯s family was overjoyed to have two more strongborers. When it was time to drink the ginger soup, they gave the two brothers an extra


    bowl each.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t leave the room the entire night. Her hand was on her pouch the entire time. The next day, when she opened her eyes early and pushed open the door to take a look, she was almost blinded by the white light.


    She blocked it for a moment and waited for her eyes to adjust before lowering her hand. The first thing she saw was whiteness. It was all white. The courtyard, the walls, the roof, the trees, and the distant mountain were all covered in white snow.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s feet made a creaking sound on the ground as she measured the depth of the snow with her fingers. In just one night, the snow on the ground was already as deep as a finger.


    The vige chief opened the door and saw Mu Yangling looking at the sky worriedly. Smiling, he asked, ¡°Miss, why are you worried at such a young age?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Vige Chief, do you think it will still snow tonight?¡±


    The vige chief also looked up at the sky. Although there were no clouds in the sky, there were several thick dark clouds on the horizon. He sensed the direction of the wind and said, ¡°There¡¯s an 80% chance that it will, unless the wind changes direction or those dark clouds get blown away.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, you¡¯re worried about going home, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    The vige chief was silent for a moment before suggesting, ¡°I can¡¯t tell if your horse is good or bad, but it looks young. It¡¯s probably a little difficult to get it to bring you to Xingzhou Prefecture on such a snowy day. Why don¡¯t you sell the horse for a mule? It is cheaper than a horse, and it¡¯s also less squeamish aside from having a higher endurance than a horse. It¡¯s more likely to travel well in


    such snow.¡±


    Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Is there a family in the vige who sells mules?¡±


    The vige chief shook his head. ¡°You need to go to Three Springs County to buy it. It¡¯s not far from here to Three Springs County. If it doesn¡¯t snowter, you can leave when the sunes out.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    The vige chief put his hands behind his back and sighed as he walked out. ¡°These days are difficult. We worry whether it snows or not. We have to go and see if any houses in the vige have been crushed. Considering the weather this year is so cold, I wonder how many old people will be left in the end.¡±


    Mu Yangling watched as the vige chief¡¯s figure disappeared. When Zhang Wu, Zhang Liu, and the others woke up, she instructed them to pack their things and leave as soon as the sun rose.


    The temperature today was higher than yesterday. Coupled with the fact that it had snowed, the air was a little moist, and the wind was much lighter. Other than the snow on the ground making it difficult for the carriage to travel, the situation was better than yesterday.


    After breakfast, Mu Yangling and the others bade farewell. They nned to enter Three Springs County to buy arge mule. The size of the mule wasrger than horses and donkeys. Moreover, horses could only be ridden after three years old. Of course, foals were just right for children to ride.


    ckie was one year old this year, which was just right for an 11 or 12-year-old like Mu Yangling. If she raised him like this for three years, the horse would be able to enter the battlefield when it grew up. By then, Mu Yangling would also have grown up.


    However, mules were different. They wererger than horses, more tolerant of work, and more resistant to drought. They were also more capable of farming than donkeys and horses. At the age of two, they could pull a cart weighing about five hundred kilograms. At the age of two and a half, they were capable of military missions for adults.


    The most important thing was that mules were cheaper than horses, although


    they could not reproduce.


    In the carriage, Mu Yangling said, ¡°I originally wanted to buy a cow. Forget it, I¡¯ll buy a mule. It¡¯ll make farmwork easier during spring plowing.¡±


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu were a little nervous seeing as they were about to reach Three Springs County. They wondered if thedy would ask them to get out of the carriage.


    Xiuhong nced at the uneasy Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu and asked her cousin in a low voice, ¡°Cousin, what about Brother Liuzi and his cousin?


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu instantly pricked up their ears. Bowen pursed his lips and smiled. Since his sister did not mention this topicst night, he knew she would keep the two of them behind. However, he nced at the uneasy Zhang brothers and did not say anything.


    Mu Yangling kicked the ball back to the brothers and asked, ¡°What are your ns?¡±


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu immediately knelt down in the carriage and said, ¡°Miss, we¡¯re willing to follow you as long as you give us a morsel of food to eat.¡± Mu Yangling lowered her eyes and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Alright, thene with me. However, you have to listen to everything I say in the future. I don¡¯t want you to sign an indenture contract. I¡¯ll only hire you. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re well-fed. As for the monthly sry, I¡¯ll decide after I go back and discuss it with my mother.¡±


    The two of them immediately expressed that they did not need to receive a sry. They were already very grateful that Mu Yangling was willing to let them follow her.


    Mu Yangling was embarrassed. Did she look so much like an exploiter?


    Mu Yangling only retorted them with one sentence. ¡°Are you nning to work for me for the rest of your lives? Are you not going to get married and have children?¡±


    The two of them muttered, ¡°Actually, there¡¯s nothing wrong with not marrying.¡±


    Given their previous situation, it was already good enough that they managed to stay alive. How could they dare to hope for a wife?


    Mu Yangling ignored them. When they arrived in Three Springs County, she asked them to bid farewell to the vigers while she went to buy a tall, strong, and robust mule. Yes, the mule had just turned three this year and was in its prime.


    With a price tag of 6 taels and 300 copper coins, it was a little cheaper than cows and a little more expensive than a donkey.


    Mu Yangling attached a carriage to it, and ckie followed beside it. When the group left the city gate, Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu were already waiting by the gate. When they saw Mu Yangling and the others, their hearts immediately rxed.


    Although they knew that Mu Yangling would keep her word and not leave them behind, they stillcked a sense of security. Before they got to see her, that fear would always linger. Now that they saw Mu Yangling and the othersing out of the city, the two of them realized that their hands and feet were a little weak.


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu climbed into the carriage on all fours. Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Have you bade farewell to the vigers?¡±


    Zhang Wu nodded. ¡°I just informed the vige chief and kowtowed to the vigers beforeing out..¡±

 Chapter 288 - 288: Going Home

    Chapter 288: Going Home


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The eldest daughter of the Mu family had returned and even brought back two young men. Geez, they looked energetic and strong.


    Most importantly, she had also brought back a carriage of good stuff and bought a mule. Strong and solid, that mule was a head taller than the foal beside her.


    The vigers of Chenggu Garrison all stood at the entrance of the Mu Family s house in envy and jealousy. They wanted to find out more information, but they didn¡¯t dare to visit.


    Ever since the Mu family moved in, they had been a level higher than them. The vigers were already used to looking up to their family. Hence, when they saw that the Mu family had brought back another carriage of good stuff, although they were envious and jealous, no one dared to say anything unpleasant. At most, they would say a few jealous words and say that Mu Shi and Shu Wanniang had given birth to a good daughter.


    After Mu Yangling unloaded all the things she had bought from the city, Great-aunt looked around and said, ¡°Are you preparing new year goods?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about time. We¡¯ll just go into the city to buy some incense, candles, firecrackers, and so on during the new year.¡± Mu Yangling earned the things back to her room. Now that there were many rooms at home, these things could be ced in a separate room.


    Great-aunt nced at Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu, who were chopping firewood, and asked Mu Yangling in a low voice, ¡°Are you really nning to keep them?


    Where would they stay? Considering your father is always not at home, you can¡¯t let them stay in our house.¡±


    Mu Yangling knew that Great-aunt was considerate of her mother¡¯s reputation. Moreover, Shu Wanniang would indeed feel ufortable interacting with outsiders.


    Beforeing back, Mu Yangling had already thought it through. ¡°They¡¯ll stay in the old house next to ours. They can move in after heating up the brick bed for a day tomorrow. Buy them four new nkets and two winter clothes. Let the brothers stay in the guest room tonight.¡±


    As the brick bed in the old house had not been heated up for a long time, they had to heat it up first to rid the brick bed of the dampness.


    After some thought, Great-aunt nodded in agreement. Then, she asked, ¡°How much do you n to pay them? It¡¯s off-peak farm season now, so there¡¯s no work to do.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled. ¡°Great-aunt, since when has our family stayed idle? Such a big rabbit shed isn¡¯t just for decoration. Besides, I also want to buy oxen to raise after spring. I want to open an oxen farm so that the vigers can afford to use plowing oxen in the future.¡±


    Great-aunt was stunned. ¡°Where will everyone get the money to buy an ox?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it to them.¡±


    ¡°Geez, you unlucky child. Other people do business to earn money, but you do business to lose money. I don¡¯t agree.¡± Great-aunt said, ¡°If this business isn¡¯t profitable, I won¡¯t allow you to raise cattle.¡±


    Mu Yangling hugged Great-aunt¡¯s shoulder and chuckled softly in her ear. ¡°Great-aunt, do you know how much money we earned on this trip?¡±


    ¡°How much?¡±


    Mu Yangling leaned over and whispered a number into her ear. Great-aunt clutched her chest and widened her eyes at her. ¡°Oh my god, have you and Xiuhong be profiteers?¡±


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes. ¡°If I don¡¯t earn money, you¡¯ll say that I¡¯m working for nothing. Now that I did earn money, you¡¯reining I¡¯m earning too much. But then again, this is nothingpared to the amount of money our family has left with Fan Zijin.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡±


    With a broad beam, Mu Yangling whispered into her ear, ¡°More than 12,000 taels?¡±


    ¡°Sheesh, we didn¡¯t do anything and we got so much?¡± Great-aunt muttered, ¡°Young Master Fan has suffered a huge loss. In the future, when hees, you and Xiuhong are not allowed to be disrespectful to him.¡±


    ¡°Great-aunt, you¡¯ve maligned me. When have I not been respectful to him?¡± ¡°Then, when can you get that money?¡± Great-aunt was thinking about where to hide so much money.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of taking it back? We¡¯ll hand it over to Fan Zijin to continue earning money. Great-aunt, Young Master Fan may sometimes be snarky, but he¡¯s quite kind-hearted. At least he¡¯ll never leave us behind in business. He has the ability, too. Anyway, our family isn¡¯t in a hurry to use that money now. I mean, we¡¯ll give him as much as we earn and continue investing that money. In the future, well collect dividends when we need money.¡±


    ¡°What if we can¡¯t get it back?¡± She would not feel at ease until she had the money in her hands.


    However, Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s just treat it as a beautiful dream.¡±


    Mu Yangling had never ced much importance on money. She had always felt that as long as her family was safe and sound, it was fine as long as they had enough money to spend. Now that the Mu family had a lot of cash, she did not keep a close eye on the money in Fan Zijin¡¯s hands like before.


    ¡°Geez, that¡¯s a lot of money!¡± Great-aunt spun around on the spot before following Mu Yangling into the house, still feeling a little dazed. In the end, she said to herself, ¡°Forget it. Let the children fool around by themselves.¡±


    At the thought that they now had 1,800 taels of silver at home, Great-aunt felt that she didn¡¯t have to worry about anything.


    After everything was settled, Mu Yangling officially introduced Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu to her family and told them about the arrangements for them. ¡°In the future,e here to eat at mealtime. Anyway, the two houses are connected. Later, move some ingredients over. If you get hungry at night, you can cook some porridge yourself.¡±


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu got up and knelt down to Great-aunt, Shu Wanniang, and the others.


    Great-aunt hurriedly helped them up. As soon as she held their hands, she realized that they were only skin and bones. Their hands were cold. Realizing that they had not eaten their fill since they were young, her heart softened, and she wiped her eyes. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, stay in peace. Our family is easy-going. Tell me if you need anything. Great-aunt will get it for you.


    Shu Wanniang said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything at home. You just have to help Ah Ling and Bowen outside. There¡¯s only one thing. Although you¡¯re not our servants, since you¡¯vee to our house, you have to be loyal to the Mu family for as long as you¡¯re here. Don¡¯t let me find out that you¡¯ve betrayed your master.¡±


    Shu Wanniang said these words with a smile. When the teacups were ced on the table, they didn¡¯t even make a sound. However, Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu couldn¡¯t help but tremble. They hurriedly expressed their loyalty. ¡°Madam, don¡¯t worry. Since we¡¯ve already decided to follow Miss and Young Master, we will never betray the Mu family until the day that we die.¡±


    Shu Wanniang nodded slightly. ¡°It¡¯s good that you remember. Alright, get up. From now on, just listen to your Miss and Young Master¡¯s instructions.¡±


    Only then did Mu Yangling continue the topic with a smile. ¡°Mother, we bought some fabric when we came back. The things there are cheaper than those in Mingshui County. Pick two bundlester and I¡¯ll send them to Great-uncle and the others.¡±


    ¡°You have to tidy up the things you bought tomorrow and send some to your Great-uncle and the others. It¡¯s all thanks to them taking care of things here that we could go to Hanzhong Prefecture thest time.¡± Shu Wanniang looked at Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu and said, ¡°Bring Wuzi and Liuzi along and let your two great-uncles meet them. This way, they¡¯ll recognize them should their paths cross in the future.¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed.


    Although the Mu family had 1,800 taels of silver at home, they still owed Fan Zijin 400 taels of silver for the purchase of the sheep in Hanzhong Prefecture.


    After Mu Yangling found an opportunity to return the money to him, there was only 1,400 taels left in the family. This time, she had earned a total of 905 taels from selling sheep, nearly twice the amount she had earned in the past two years.


    Mu Yangling could not help but sigh. Although the past few days had been a little harder, this one trip earned them enough money to hve on for three years. If not for the low status of businessmen and the fact that many peoplecked the courage to venture out, people would go crazy for such a profit..

 Chapter 289 - 289: Yearning

    Chapter 289: Yearning


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The first snow of this winter only fell that night. After that, it fell three times in a row. Itsted not long, only half a night. However, when the sky cleared, the snow was half a foot high on the t ground that no one had stepped on. When one stepped on it, it covered one¡¯s calves. Naturally, it was under the condition that one was wearing boots.


    Under such circumstances, Mu Yangling naturally couldn¡¯t go out, so she only went to the rabbit shed every day. Otherwise, she would stay at home and read books. It was extremely leisurely.


    Therefore, she didn¡¯t expect to meet Butcher Qin under such circumstances. Butcher Qin had speciallye to look for Mu Yangling. He was wearing a cotton shirt and his shoes were all wet. Mu Yangling looked at him in shock, and her first reaction was, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you walked all the way here?¡± Her second reaction was, ¡°Is there a problem with the mutton?¡± Hence, the victim came knocking on her door.


    Seeing her face darken, Butcher Qin hurriedly exined, ¡°No, the sheep are excellent. I came to look for Miss Mu to do business with you.¡± only then did Mu Yangling heave a sigh of relief. ¡°Let¡¯s talk when we get back.¡± Mu Yangling invited him home and hurriedly asked Xiuhong to bring the brazier over. She also asked her mother for a set of her father¡¯s clothes for Butcher Qin to change into.


    After Butcher Qin toured the Mu Residence, he could tell with just one look that the Mu family was living a good life. No wonder Mu Yangling had the guts to sell so many sheep to Hanzhong Prefecture.


    ¡°Uncle Qin came alone?¡±


    Butcher Qin shook his head. ¡°I have a friend apanying me. He¡¯s currently in an inn in the city. I only came to try my luck and didn¡¯t expect to really find


    you here.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled. Back then, Butcher Qin had felt that this business was of too big a scale, so he cautiously asked to look at Mu Yangling¡¯s road pass. That was how he knew that she lived here.


    ¡°Uncle Qin, what business do you need me for?¡±


    Butcher Qin put down his teacup and leaned forward slightly. ¡°Miss, you might not know, but not long after you left, the price of mutton increased again. However, our supplier now charges us an even higher price for the mutton. These days, our profit per catty of mutton is even less than eight copper coins.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Therefore, I discussed it with my friend and borrowed money from the bank to buy sheep in Hanzhong Prefecture.¡± With a sigh, Butcher Qin said, ¡°But now, Xingzhou Prefecture is under martialw. Unless we have a road pass and a permit stamped by the government office, we can¡¯t enter.¡±


    Mu Yangling frowned in confusion. Previously, the government office at Hanzhong Prefecture was not so strict.


    ¡°Miss Mu, you also know that other than bribes, you have to find the right person to do things at the government office. My friend and I only found out about this when we arrived at Xingzhou Prefecture. We¡¯re unfamiliar with this ce. We found two people and spent nearly 20 taels of silver, but we didn¡¯t even see a trace of the permit. We weren¡¯t willing to make a wasted trip, so I came to look for you, to see if there¡¯s a way to help us or if you know where we can find grasnd sheep.¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t give him an answer immediately. ¡°I¡¯ll help you ask.¡± Not expecting Mu Yangling to be so straightforward, Butcher Qinughed and cupped his hands at her. ¡°Then I¡¯ll thank Miss Mu in advance. If it seeds, my friend and I will definitely show our appreciation handsomely. I just don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll get the letter.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know if Qi Haoran was in the military camp or not. She hadn¡¯t seen him recently, so she said, ¡°In three days. I¡¯ll try my best. Where can I find you when I get the news?¡±


    ¡ö¡¯I stay in the Peace Inn in Mingshui County. As long as you go there, you can find me.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. After sending him away, she changed into a clean set of clothes and went to the camp. When the soldiers guarding the door saw Mu Yangling, they called for someone to inform Little General while stopping her from entering. ¡°Our Little General said that he doesn¡¯t want to see you now. If you insist on seeing him, don¡¯t make things difficult for me¡­¡± You can enter from a ce that¡¯s not the main door¡­


    However, before he could finish his sentence, Mu Yangling turned around and left. The soldier opened his mouth wide and stared nkly as Mu Yangling returned where she came from.


    Mu Yangling frowned slightly. What was wrong with Qi Haoran?


    Little General and Miss Mu loved to y attack and defense games. The soldier stared at her closely to see if Miss Mu was nning to climb the wall and enter, just as he was about to see which direction she turned to ask hisrades to block her, unexpectedly, Mu Yangling went straight back.


    The soldier opened his mouth wide. It was not until Mu Yangling¡¯s back disappeared at the end of the road that he realized that he had caused a huge trouble. He hurriedly got someone to guard the door for him and ran to report


    it.


    Qj Haoran was sitting on the armchair with a serious expression. As soon as there was movement at the door, he snorted and said, ¡°You still know toe?¡±


    ¡°Little General, I have something to report.¡±


    Only then did Qi Haoran realize that it wasn¡¯t who he¡¯d thought it was. His face turned red. Fortunately, he was alone in the room, so embarrassment shed across his face merely for a brief second. He shouted unhappily, ¡°Come in.¡± Qi Haoran red at the soldier and said angrily, ¡°You¡¯d better have something important to report. Otherwise, run five rounds around the camp.¡± A bitter expression appeared on the soldier¡¯s face as he stammered, ¡°Little General, Miss Mu has left.¡±


    Qi Haoran was stunned. ¡°Left? Which direction did she go? Where is she going to sneak in from?¡±


    -Miss Mu was walking towards Chenggu Garrison.¡± The soldier carefully looked at Qi Haoran¡¯s expression and said, ¡°I saw that Miss Mu seemed to be sad. When she heard that you didn¡¯t want to see her, her eyes turned red and she turned to leave without a word. Her back view was¡­ was¡­¡± The soldier thought for a long time before finding a suitable word. ¡°Was so lonely.¡± Qi Haoran¡¯s mouth fell open. Then, he jumped up and shouted, ¡°What did you say to her? Didn¡¯t I ask you to just stop her slightly?¡±


    ¡°I only stopped her for a while. Before I could finish speaking, Miss Mu ran away sadly. Little General, quickly go and chase her back.¡± Qi Haoran got up, grabbed his cloak, and ran out. He rode his horse and chased after her.


    The soldier behind Qi Haoran wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. He prayed that Buddha would bless the Little General and ensure that he could woo Miss Mu back. Otherwise, their lives would only be more difficult in the future.


    At this moment, Mu Yangling had just walked out of the camp¡¯s tower¡¯s view. She picked up the withered grass and branches nearby, weaved them into a disguise, and draped them over her body. All she could see was whiteness before her eyes, for there was snow everywhere outside. If she wanted to approach the camp, she could only disguise herself and hope that she could muddle through. These days, it was getting increasingly harder to fool Qi Haoran¡¯s soldiers.


    Only then did Mu Yangling walk into the snow. She bent down and quietly approached the camp.


    Mu Yangling thought that Qi Haoran wanted her to test his defenses. After all, in the past, when he wanted her to try, he had asked the soldiers guarding the door to stop her from entering. Although what he said this time was a little strange, Mu Yangling felt that she did not misunderstand. Unexpectedly, after walking for more than 20 steps, she heard the sound of horse hooves. Mu Yangling secretly looked up and saw Qi Haoran galloping over on his horse. Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t care less about being exposed. She suddenly stood up and waved. ¡°Qi Haoran!¡±


    ¡°Phew-¡± Qi Haoran stopped his horse and suddenly turned to look at Mu Yangling. He saw the person he had been worried about for the past few days smiling brightly at him.


    Qi Haoran only felt sour and sweet in his heart. Blinking and suppressing the emotions in his heart, he asked angrily, ¡°Where were you and what were you doing?¡±


    Mu Yangling tilted her head. Did she misunderstand?


    -Didn¡¯t you want me to test your defense?¡± Mu Yangling pointed at the camp and asked.


    Qi Haoran was so angry that he leaned back.. ¡°It took you half a month toe to me just to test my defenses?¡±

 Chapter 290 - 290: News

    Chapter 290: News


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling poked Qi Haoran¡¯s waist and asked, ¡°What exactly are you angry about?¡±


    Qi Haoran opened his mouth. He didn¡¯t know why he was angry, but he was indeed angry.


    He knew that Mu Yangling had gone to Xingyuan Prefecture to sell sheep. Because of the sudden heavy snow, he had been anxious for a while. He had originally brought people out to look for her, but who knew that Mu Yangling and the others would take a detour ande back? He had missed her group because of this, causing him to worry for nothing for half a day.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know about these things, so he couldn¡¯t me her. However, after having been back for seven to eight days, she had no intention of visiting him at all upon returning. When had he not informed her immediately when he returned from Hanzhong Prefecture?


    Qi Haoran felt his heart ache, but he could not say it out loud.


    If Mu Yangling found out that he was angry about this, it would make him seem petty.


    After sulking for a while, Qi Haoran asked, ¡°Why are you looking for me?¡±


    Although he was a little angry, Mu Yangling only thought that he was simply at a rebellious stage. Smiling nonchntly, she said, ¡°I came to ask you something.¡±


    ¡°Hanzhong Prefecture was fine. Why is there martialw again?¡±


    Qi Haoran thought that she had found out from the soldier and did not hide it from her. ¡°My big brother is now in Hanzhong Prefecture. Seven days ago, someone attempted to assassinate him.¡±


    ¡°Is Big Brother Qi alright?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine. How dare those small fries show off in front of an expert? I captured two of them alive, but the others are all dead.¡±


    ¡°But going by that logic, Jingzhao Prefecture and Hanzhong Prefecture should be the ones ced under martialw. Why is there martialw here in Xingzhou Prefecture?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Because the assassin came from Xingzhou Prefecture.¡±


    Mu Yangling also reacted. After a moment of silence, she asked, ¡°Is there a mistake? Big Brother Qi is only a third-grade general. He¡¯s not hindering anyone in the Imperial Court.¡±


    Qi Haoran never suppressed his temper in front of Mu Yangling. When he heard this, he said angrily, ¡°If they had such awareness, Great Zhou wouldn¡¯t have lost so much. Previously, they targeted General Yuan because they were afraid that he would gain military power and suppress the ruler with his contributions. And now, my Big Brother has only just taken back Hanzhong Prefecture, and things have already gotten to this step.¡±


    However, Mu Yangling felt that something was wrong. The Emperor of Great Zhou was a little crazy, but he was not stupid. Whether from the perspective of the country or from a personal perspective, nurturing Qi Xiuyuan was more beneficial to him.


    Putting everything else aside, the duo effects of calming down theints of the citizens and suppressing General Yuan were worth the Great Zhou Emperor cing Qi Xiuyuan in an important position.


    However, seeing that Qi Haoran was so angry, Mu Yangling said with a littleck of confidence, ¡°It can also be a misunderstanding. Big Brother Qi only has 50,000 to 60,000 men under him. He can¡¯tpare to those generals who easily have hundreds of thousands of mercenaries. Even if the Emperor wants to attack generals, his target shouldn¡¯t be Big Brother Qi.¡±


    Qi Haoran widened his eyes in surprise.


    ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± Mu Yangling felt even less confident when she saw Qi Haoran looking at her like that.


    Qi Haoran lowered his head and smiled. ¡°Who told you that we suspect that the Emperor did it?¡± Retracting his smile, he said, ¡°If the Emperor wants to im Big Brother¡¯s life, he can easily do that. With an imperial edict, Big Brother has to return to the capital even if he doesn¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Who else could it be but the Emperor?¡±


    ¡°There are many people in the court who try to figure out the Emperor¡¯s intentions. Moreover, Big Brother¡¯s taking back of the Hanzhong Prefecture has worsened the rtionship between the Jin Kingdom and the Great Zhou. The conflict at the border has intensified, and the wrangling in the court has worsened. This has harmed the interests of many people. Besides, our goal is not only the Hanzhong Prefecture.¡±


    In other words, this was a political battle. It had not reached the point where the Emperor and ministers were suspicious of each other.


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s General Yuan? Now that the Emperor¡¯s cing Big Brother Qi in an important position, General Yuan¡¯s position is threatened.¡± It wasn¡¯t that Mu Yangling was petty, but she felt that it was impossible for a person without any foundation to climb from a soldier to a first-rank general in just ten-odd years without some scheming.


    The Great Zhou was not like the Southern Song in her previous life. In her previous life, when the Southern Song moved south, they had lost control over most of Jiangnan. Yet he could muster an entire army¡ªall loyal, fighting for their nation and people¡ªwith a wave of his hand.


    Even when Great Zhou was fleeing south, the country¡¯s army still resisted the Jin soldiers in an orderly manner. Although the Imperial Court¡¯s control over the army slowly weakened, it still held their lifeline.


    The army¡¯s rations, weapons, horses, and fodder came from the treasury, unlike the Southern Song, where the general practically raised his own soldiers.


    General Yuan had relied on the Shen family to raise his army for the past few years. Even so, the Shen family¡¯s resources had to first be handed over to the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War. They could not be handed over to General Yuan directly. This kind act was called ¡®donation¡¯.


    Otherwise, if the army was raised by the Shen family and General Yuan, would the army belong to the Imperial Court or the two families?


    Qi Haoran said that he wanted to raise horses for the army, but in fact, the horse farm was under his name. In the future, when it was time to enter the battlefield, he had to either report to the Ministry of War and ask for money to buy horses from him, or he could only get Fan Zijin to send a batch of money to the Ministry of War. After the procedures werepleted, the Ministry of War would send the money back. That sum of money would be considered money to buy the horses, and only after that could they deploy the horses.


    Otherwise, Qi Xiuyuan would be severely censured if such arge fleet of horses were to enter the battlefield without going through the Ministry of War.


    Of course, there was no need for Qi Haoran to report it if he was arming his personal guards with those horses.


    Therefore, Mu Yangling suspected that General Yuan was the one who did it.


    Qi Haoran expressed his anger at Mu Yangling for thinking so highly of his idol. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t treat General Yuan as those ambitious civil officials. General Yuan is bent on taking back our country¡¯s territory. Back then, we were able to sessfully take down Hanzhong Prefecture because General Yuan held back more than half of the Jin Kingdom¡¯s troops at the border. Otherwise, if those tens of thousands of people infiltrated Hanzhong Prefecture and attacked from both inside and outside, we wouldn¡¯t be able to defend it after taking down Hanzhong Prefecture.¡±


    ¡°All kinds of situations are possible. I¡¯m just suggesting a possibility, aren¡¯t I? I haven¡¯t even assumed that your father could be behind this. The rtionship between the three of you has never been good. It can even be said to have deteriorated. The rtionship between you and your stepmother is even more irreconcble. What if your father sent someone here because he was muddle-headed?¡±


    Qi Haoran opened his mouth and looked at Mu Yangling without saying anything.


    Mu Yangling jumped up. ¡°Nah that couldn¡¯t be. I just blurted it out as it came to mind.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. How can a civil servant, whose servants can¡¯t even fight, send someone to assassinate Big Brother?¡± However, he could not rule out the possibility of him betraying Big Brother¡¯s information.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s expression darkened.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know what he was thinking. She patted her chest in shock and said, ¡°You scared me to death. By the way, I came to ask if you could help a friend of mine get a document to pass the checkpoint. He wants to go to Hanzhong Prefecture to sell sheep.¡±


    ¡°Who is he?¡±


    ¡°A butcher from Xingyuan Prefecture.¡±


    ¡°Is selling sheep so profitable? Is it worth him taking the risk to go to Hanzhong Prefecture?¡± It had to be known that Hanzhong Prefecture was under martialw now. The army and the government office were checking back and forth. Their army was fine, because they were disciplined and did not dare to take the property of themoners. However, those bailiffs had too many methods of extortion, causing there to be fewer merchantsing to Hanzhong Prefecture now.


    Unfortunately, the military couldn¡¯t control the ce. Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t vent his anger.


    ¡°If we eliminate the cost plus expenses of the round trip, they can earn twice as much silver.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at her strangely and asked, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you do the business yourself?¡±


    Mu Yangling said helplessly, ¡°I want to, but I can¡¯t leave home. Besides, it¡¯s too tiring to run outside. Once a year is enough, when ites to such business.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at her as if she was a fool. ¡°Who asked you to bring the sheep to Xingyuan Prefecture? Aren¡¯t they going to sell sheep? You can just go buy the sheep in Hanzhong Prefecture and resell it to them when you return. You cane and go freely in Hanzhong Prefecture.. Who dares to extort you?¡±

 Chapter 291 - 291: Cooperation

    Chapter 291: Cooperation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran¡¯s words opened a door for Mu Yangling. One look at her reaction and Qi Haoran knew that it hadn¡¯t urred to her. He snorted and mocked her.


    ¡°You said you wanted to do business, but you didn¡¯t even notice the business that came knocking on your door.¡±


    Qi Haoran said seriously, ¡°Go and tell them that outsiders are now prohibited from entering Hanzhong Prefecture. Now, those who cane and go freely are all major merchants. It might take them an entire lifetime to earn the sort of money needed to bribe the government office. Tell them this to make them give up on the idea of going to Hanzhong Prefecture.


    Mu Yangling had never done such a thing. After all, he had asked her to inquire about the travel documents, but by doing this, she would be intercepting his business.


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes at her. ¡°You can¡¯t set aside your pride, huh. Let them wait, ni go and see them personally.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Mu Yangling pulled him back. ¡°I can¡¯t take all the benefits while you bear the infamy. I¡¯ll talk to them.¡±


    Mu Yangling kept mentally building herself up and said, ¡°This is normal in business, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran huffed at her. ¡°It¡¯s a very normal thing.¡±


    Mu Yangling had a document personally stamped by Qi Xiuyuan. Not to mention going to Hanzhong Prefecture, even if she went all the way to the capital, she wouldn¡¯t have to go through the government office. Moreover, with her rtionship with Qi Haoran, the bailiffs of Hanzhong Prefecture really didn¡¯t dare to take amission from her goods.


    Perhaps Qi Haoran could not wait for them to slip up themselves. At that time, he would have a reason to punish them. However, one who could rise to be a magistrate in Hanzhong Prefecture was certainly no fool. He had long given orders to his subordinates not to investigate anything rted to Qi Xiuyuan and his brother. Therefore, not only did the bailiffs pretend not to see Fan Zijin¡¯s goods entering and leaving Hanzhong Prefecture, but they did not even dare to ask him for the entrance tax.


    As for the soldiers guarding the city? They would only help with the cart.


    Therefore, Mu Yangling could be considered to have relied on their power for once.


    Mu Yangling returned home and mentally prepared herself for the night. Still blushing slightly, she brought Zhang Liu and Xiuhong to look for Butcher Qin.


    The person who came with Butcher Qin was not a stranger. Thest time, Butcher Qin hade with him to collect Mu Yangling¡¯s sheep. His surname was Hua, and he was also a butcher.


    Mu Yangling had never been good at beating around the bush, so although she blushed, she still said, ¡°Uncle Qin, I¡¯ve helped you ask around. Now, Hanzhong Prefecture is very heavily guarded. Those who can pass are all major merchants who have the means to pay a very heavy bribe to the government office. With your assets, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    Butcher Qin and Butcher Hua¡¯s expressions were a little dark. Actually, they had already found out yesterday. After all, Mu Yangling was only a child of a military household, so Butcher Qin mainly focused on the bailiffs in the government office.


    Perhaps because the bailiff felt embarrassed for epting 20 taels of silver for free, he had finally told the truth yesterday. Not to mention them, even officials below the sixth-grade in the government office could not enter Hanzhong Prefecture. Those who could pass through Xingzhou Prefecture were all backed by officials from both Xingzhou Prefecture and Hanzhong Prefecture. And also, the major merchants at the West Camp.


    And what they heard from Mu Yangling today only made them more convinced of this news.


    This could be said to be a shocking thunderbolt for the two of them. Not to mention that they had wasted the past few days, they had spent more than 30 taels of silver on food and amodation. In addition, they had spent more than half a year¡¯s worth of ie to gather information and find connections.


    This time, in order to be able to import mutton, he had set aside his pride to borrow money from the bank.


    ¡°Moreover, Hanzhong Prefecture is very strictly watched at present. Extortion by the bailiffs happens from time to time. Considering we¡¯re only doing a small business, if someone takes some away, there won¡¯t be much left.¡±


    Butcher Qin forced a smile and cupped his hands at Mu Yangling. ¡°No matter what, I have to thank Miss Mu. You¡¯ve made a wasted trip.¡±


    He turned around and said to Butcher Hua, ¡°Brother, I¡¯ve implicated you this time.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Big Brother?¡± Butcher Hua said angrily, ¡°Do I look like an irresponsible person? At that time, I was the one who wanted to go with you. So what if I suffered a loss? At most, I¡¯ll tighten my belt and in two years¡¯ time I¡¯ll recover. But you¡­ your mother¡¯s medicine money¡­¡±


    Butcher Qin hurriedly waved his hand to interrupt him. ¡°There will be a way out when the timees. I don¡¯t believe that the heavens will leave me with no way out.¡±


    Mu Yangling blushed when she heard that. Just as she was about to speak, Xiuhong beat her to it and said, ¡°Uncle Qin, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s no way.¡± ¡°What way is there?¡± Butcher Qin and Butcher Hua looked up at Xiuhong, but they didn¡¯t harbor much hope.


    Smiling, Xiuhong looked at Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Cousin, don¡¯t you have a document personally signed by Big Brother Qi? Uncle Qin and his friend can¡¯t go, but you can.¡±


    Butcher Qin and Butcher Hua looked at Mu Yangling with bright eyes.


    Mu Yangling could only y along and nod. ¡°I can go, but my document only allows me to bring one person over. Moreover, that person has to be my family and have a household registration and road pass.¡±


    Butcher Qin and Butcher Hua were not fools. They instantly thought of a solution. Their eyes lit up as they said, ¡°Miss Mu, I have a business deal. I wonder if you¡¯re interested?¡±


    ¡°I know what business the two of you are talking about, but the end of the year is approaching. I¡¯m not sure if the shepherds in Hanzhong Prefecture still have their sheep.¡±


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re willing to go, you¡¯ll definitely be able to find it. When the timees, give us a price. We¡¯ll take over the sheep from you, and earn less at most. At least that would mean we didn¡¯t make a wasted trip.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but you have to wait at the checkpoint. I¡¯m in a hurry to go home, so it¡¯s impossible for me to herd the sheep to Xingzhou Prefecture.¡± It had to be known that it took her a day to ride a horse from here to Hanzhong Prefecture. If she were to herd the sheep on foot, it would take two days.


    Butcher Qin nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°Miss Mu, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll wait for you at the checkpoint and trade there. As for the price¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s not set the price yet. We¡¯ll talk about it after I get the goods. As you know, I don¡¯t know what the shepherds are asking for now.¡±


    Butcher Qin and Butcher Hua could only suppress their eagerness and directly report how much silver they had on them. ¡°We brought a total of 800 taels of silver this time. Miss, you can buy the sheep as you see fit.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t expect them to be so honest. In that case, Mu Yangling returned the sincerity and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, since I won¡¯t be spending much effort this time, I won¡¯t make things difficult for you with the price.


    Butcher Qin heaved a sigh of relief. After sending them away, Butcher Hua said anxiously, ¡°Why did you reveal what we had? Aren¡¯t we giving her control this way?¡±


    ¡°Brother, when have I ever misjudged someone?¡± Butcher Qin said, ¡°This Miss Mu is not inferior to men. Her straightforwardness is not inferior to mine. If we treat her sincerely, she will definitely treat us sincerely. I¡¯ve just calcted in my heart. As long as her final price is not higher than four taels, we can still make a profit on this trip.¡±


    Butcher Hua sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that she¡¯ll directly quote a price of 4 taels and 200 or 300 copper coins. When the timees, each of us will only earn three taels of silver per sheep. That¡¯s not much different from losing money. Besides, it¡¯ll take five days to walk from Hanzhong Prefecture to Xingyuan Prefecture.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, we can only gamble.¡± Butcher Qin was also a little disappointed. This time, it was because his mother¡¯s illness had flustered him. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have borrowed 400 taels of silver and taken on such a risk.


    Butcher Hua also felt that the past few days had been too exciting and feared that his heart couldn¡¯t take it. Regardless of whether he would break even or make a loss on this trip, he felt that he would only do this once..

 Chapter 292 - 292: Price

    Chapter 292: Price


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    With only Xiuhong by her side, Mu Yangling went straight to look for the shepherd who sold sheep to herst time.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t bring Zhang Wu along. Instead, she chose to bring Xiuhong along because she felt that it was difficult for women to survive in this era. As such, she hoped that Xiuhong could learn more. Only when she was capable could she make her own decisions.


    The more ces she traveled and the more things she saw, the wider her horizons would be.


    The two of them entered Hanzhong Prefecture. As it was gettingte, they found an inn to stay in. The next morning, they went to that vige to look for the shepherd.


    The vige in Hanzhong Prefecture was even more dpidated than Xingzhou Prefecture. Against the white snow, it looked even more deste. Xiuhong felt emotional at the scene. ¡°Cousin, didn¡¯t you say that Hanzhong Prefecture is even more prosperous than our Xingzhou Prefecture? Look at the city. It¡¯s twice the size of our prefectural capital. But why is the vige so dpidated? It wasn¡¯t like this thest time we came?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you haven¡¯t seen what Hanzhong Prefecture City was like after it has just been taken back. It¡¯s cold and cheerless inside, and there aren¡¯t many people walking around. What¡¯s the use of being big? The borders have been sealed off by the Great Zhou and the Jin Kingdom, so it can¡¯t be prosperous. Now, Hanzhong Prefecture looks prosperous with merchantsing and going, but merchants don¡¯te to these viges.¡±


    Mu Yangling exined, ¡°Thest time we came here, although the houses here were a little dpidated, they still looked somewhat okay. Those that copsed were probably crushed by the snow. From this, it can be seen that the citizens of Hanzhong Prefecture were not doing well under the rule of the Jin Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Will the sheep freeze to death?¡± Xiuhong asked worriedly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. The snow hasn¡¯t been heavy, and it¡¯s lighter than in previous years. I¡¯m not worried about cows and sheep. I¡¯m worried about humans.¡± Mu Yangling sighed and said, ¡°They haven¡¯t nted grains for three to four years. In the past, they relied on selling sheep to buy grains. Now that the Jin Kingdom has withdrawn their troops, almost every family in Hanzhong Prefecture is raising sheep. Without the Jin Kingdom¡¯s market, they can only starve.¡±


    Although meat could replenish stamina, how could one keep eating meat?


    This was also why Mu Yangling did not directly go to the localndlords to buy sheep, in order to save effort. Instead, she went to the countryside to visit each household one by one. She hoped that she could help the ordinary people as much as she could.


    The localndlords were also ordered to raise sheep, but their requirements were much more rxed. At the very least, they could leave somend for farming, which would provide enough grains for themselves and their families. They also raised a lot of sheep. Mu Yangling did not want much. Every time she found andlord, she could buy enough sheep. Since the supply was greater than the demand at the moment, price was negotiable.


    However, although it was difficult for thosendlords, it was not a life-and-death situation yet. On the other hand, thesemoners would probably starve to death if they could not sell them.


    Mu Yangling wondered if she should suggest to Qi Haoran to let the government office take the lead and help them sell these sheep to the south and east.


    However, when she thought about how the generals could not interfere with local government affairs, Mu Yangling could only suppress this thought.


    When the two of them reached the vige, the shepherd fromst time was wearing a patched cotton shirt and sweeping the snow. When he saw Mu Yangling, he was stunned for a moment before he was overjoyed. He threw down his broom and ran over. ¡°Miss Mu, why are you here?¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m here to discuss business with you. How is it? Are you having a hard time this winter?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. We can survive. Speaking of which, it¡¯s all thanks to you buying our sheep that our family has money to buy food. Otherwise, we would have to go up the mountain to peel tree bark like other viges.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s smile froze and she asked, ¡°Tree bark? You guys have to eat tree bark?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you still have sheep?¡± Xiuhong asked with widened eyes.


    The shepherd smiled bitterly and said, ¡°Although the sheep can¡¯t be sold now, who can afford to eat them? They all want to see if the sheep can be sold after spring. It will take seven months before they can harvest the first batch of grains in spring. They can¡¯t go up the mountain to dig grass roots in those seven to eight months, right? It¡¯s only when their children really can¡¯t endure it anymore, that a few families will work together to kill one sheep. The next time, it¡¯ll be the next family¡¯s turn to offer up a sheep. This way, everyone should be able to survive until spring.¡±


    For a moment, Xiuhong felt terrible. She had also led a tough life. When she cried, her grandmother would bring her up the mountain to peel tree bark and eat them. However, these days wouldn¡¯tst long. Her grandmother would always get some fragmented chaff rice to make porridge for her and her sister. After arriving at the Mu Residence, she¡¯d never had to go hungry.


    Seeing that the sisters were silent, the shepherd quickly changed the topic with a smile and asked, ¡°Miss, are you here to buy sheep?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°You know your way around here, so I want you to bring me to a few nearby viges.¡±


    ¡°Miss Mu, we still have sheep in our vige.¡±


    Mu Yangling knew that he was talking about the leftovers she didn¡¯t pickst time. Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°I know, but I¡¯ll only choose those that are big and energetic. If they don¡¯t meet my requirements, I won¡¯t take them. I¡¯m in a hurry. Go get someone to bring the sheep out.¡±


    The shepherd replied happily and ran to beat the gongs and drums.


    Because Mu Yangling wanted to leave some quota to those families in more difficult circumstances, she did not choose many sheep in this vige. After all, she had just made a deal with them not long ago. The money they earned previously was enough for them to survive until next autumn.


    However, Mu Yangling still chose 12 good sheep and said to the shepherd, ¡°I¡¯ll offer you two taels of silver each, regardless of size.¡±


    The vigers thought about how the price had actually increased in just half a month. It had to be known that the price of sheep in Hanzhong Prefecture had already fallen to 1 tael 100 copper coins apiece. This was entirely unprofitable for them and no one would buy them even if they sold them at a loss.


    As for the shepherd who knew Mu Yangling, he vaguely guessed that Mu Yangling pitied their situation. He quickly winked at his parents and stopped a few rtives who wanted to bargain.


    When Mu Yangling turned around to touch the sheep, she told them her guess in a low voice. In order to increase her credibility, she even said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see her cousin looking at her in surprise just now? This is ast-minute increase in price, not the price they discussed previously. Don¡¯t be silly and make her angry. If she decides she doesn¡¯t want it anymore, she can easily turn around and go to another vige. Not to mention two taels, even if she¡¯s offering 1 tael 200 copper coins, someone will send it to her door.¡±


    Everyone thought about it and agreed. They became very respectful to Mu Yangling.


    Xiuhong was also talking about this. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that we would pay the same price asst time?¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled bitterly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see how difficult their lives are? I feel a little uneasy about earning their money. Let¡¯s give them two taels. In past years, they sold their sheep at this price, too.¡±


    ¡°Then how much are you selling to Uncle Qin and his friend?¡±


    ¡°2 taels 500 copper coins.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°It takes five days to walk from Hanzhong Prefecture to Xingyuan Prefecture, and they have to sleep outside on three of those days. In such weather, it¡¯s extremely hard on them to do so. Coupled with the risks on the way, we can¡¯t just let them earn a tiny amount, right? If there¡¯s no high profit, they won¡¯t be willing to endure such suffering.¡±


    Mu Yangling also had a certain estimate of the mutton market in Xingyuan Prefecture. If they bought it from her at 2 taels 500 copper coins and sold it at 4 taels 500 copper coins in Xingyuan Prefecture, their profit would be two taels per sheep. Scaling up, this figure would be very significant.


    Xiuhong thought for a moment and understood. ¡°Cousin, you wish for this to be a long-term business?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°I said that I want to build a cattle farm. There¡¯s no suitable ce in Xingzhou Prefecture, but there¡¯s one in Hanzhong Prefecture. This way, they and I can be considered to be from the same hometown. I¡¯ll consider it as doing some good for my fellow vigers.¡±


    Xiuhong pursed her lips and smiled. ¡°If you want to do it, just go ahead. Why do you have to find such an excuse? Anyway, I¡¯ll follow you no matter what you do.¡±


    Mu Yangling tapped her forehead and chuckled softly. ¡°Then go handle Great-aunt. She¡¯ll definitely be unhappy to see that we¡¯re still running around outside even though it¡¯s almost the new year.¡±


    Xiuhong pouted. ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t assign me an easy task..¡±

 Chapter 293 - 293: Bitterness

    Chapter 293: Bitterness


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling gave the shepherd five taels of silver and let him lead them around the various viges. Also, his family had to help them look after the sheep they bought.


    The shepherd couldn¡¯t ask for more. Without being asked by Mu Yangling, he directly told his family, ¡°I think Miss Mu wants to continue this business for the long term. You¡¯d better attend to her needs seriously. Otherwise, she won¡¯t approach me for this job next time.¡±


    His family was very proud and happy that he could gain Mu Yangling¡¯s trust. Therefore, they patted their chest and promised that they would definitely keep an eye on the sheep and feed them until they were fair and fat.


    Then, Mu Yangling herded the mule to pull the cart along, officially beginning the acquisition journey.


    Mu Yangling asked the shepherd to bring her to a rtively poor vige. The shepherd said that other than some rich families andndlords, the surrounding viges were all poor. Before the Hus invaded, everyone was living well.


    Compared to Hanzhong Prefecture, which was located on the ins, the soil was rtively fertile. It was countless times better than Xingzhou Prefecture. Therefore, although the citizens there were also poor, their lives were really not bad. At the very least, they did not have to eat chaff when the harvest was poor. They could survive by eating porridge.


    However, the moment the Hus entered, the first thing they did was rob their homes. At that time, the rich families and somendlords had also been robbed clean. Somendlords¡¯nd had been directly upied by the nobles of the Jin Kingdom, and their families destroyed.


    Xiuhong quickly asked, ¡°What about themoners? Don¡¯t those Hus upying themoners¡¯nd?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The shepherd sighed and said, ¡°No matter what, themoners are always the ones who suffer the most and benefit the least. Seeing as you twodies are still young, perhaps you haven¡¯t even heard of Hanzhong Prefecture four to five years ago. At that time, the Hus came in andmitted arson, murder, and robbery. It was simply tragic. In addition,ter on, the nobles surrounded thend and chased away themoners and vigers. What happened to those people now? They all became refugees. Either that, or they ran into the mountains to be bandits. Only a few people could rely on their rtives.¡±


    ¡°So why didn¡¯t anyone say anything when Little General came in? Why did they secretly help to hide things? In the Hanzhong Prefecture¡¯s territory, all the Han Chinese have a feud with that group of Hus. Fortunately, life is slowly getting better now. Next year, we can plow the fields and harvest grains again.¡± When the shepherd said this, he was very happy. ¡°When General Qi came in, he said that tax exemption would be granted next year. The Imperial Court¡¯s official document from two days ago has also been issued. Next year, they will give tax exemption to the citizens of Hanzhong Prefecture.¡±


    Mu Yangling forced a smile, not daring to tell him that there might be a drought next year.


    Farmers had always been the most cowardly, but they were also the most tenacious. They would always think of resisting only at thest moment, but they could always shoulder those disasters that came their way and move forward step by step in this difficult world.


    Mu Yangling was just a small fry. All she could do was try her best to help them within her capabilities.


    While Mu Yangling was thinking, the shepherd pointed at the vige ahead and said, ¡°Miss Mu, we¡¯re here. My uncle¡¯s house is in this vige. They don¡¯t raise many sheep, but whatever few sheep they raise, they raise them well¡­¡±


    This vige was clearly more dpidated than the shepherd¡¯s vige. At this time, the adults were peeling tree bark on the mountain while the women and children slept on the brick bed and covered themselves with nkets. The shepherd brought them straight to his uncle¡¯s house.


    However, his aunt could only lie on the brick bed and talk to him. As their lives were too tough, they couldn¡¯t bear to kill the sheep, so they could only pawn two of the three sets of cotton clothes they had and leave one set to change into. Hence, she could only lie on the brick bed in summer clothes and cover herself with a nket as she talked to Mu Yangling and the shepherd.


    However, it was obvious that the two sets of patched cotton clothes did not exchange for much money, so they still had to go into the mountains to peel bark every day.


    Mu Yangling was worried that those trees would not be able to survive the winter without their bark.


    Upon hearing that Mu Yangling was here to buy sheep and even offered two taels of silver for one, his aunt could no longer hold it in and got up from the brick bed. She immediately went to open the fence for Mu Yangling to choose the sheep.


    Mu Yangling quickly pressed her down and said, ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. If you get up and catch a cold, you¡¯ll have to spend money on medicine.¡±


    His aunt said anxiously, ¡°Miss, I¡¯m in good health. I¡¯ll be fine even if I roll around in the snow.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t believe it. How good could her health be if she didn¡¯t eat her fill and didn¡¯t wear warm clothes?


    She held down his aunt and asked the shepherd to quickly go up the mountain to call his uncle back. At the same time, she also called the vigers back.


    The shepherd immediately ran out. In less than half an hour, there was a bang at the door. A group of men ran in, panting. When they saw Mu Yangling and Xiuhong sitting in the central room, they were a little disappointed. These two were still kids. How many sheep could they possibly buy?


    Although Mu Yangling and Xiuhong had always dressed simply and neatly outside, everyone could tell at a nce that they weredies judging by their hairstyle, figures and looks.


    The reason why Mu Yangling didn¡¯t dress up as a man was firstly because the restrictions on women in the north weren¡¯t too great. Secondly, she wanted everyone around her, even those who came into contact with her, to think that it was only right for a girl to go out and do things. From the looks of it, the results were not bad, although everyone still couldn¡¯t help but look down on her when they saw that she was a girl.


    Mu Yangling knew what they were thinking at a nce. Instead of exining, she said directly, ¡°Uncles, you came back from the mountain, right? Coincidentally, I don¡¯t have much time, so we¡¯ll cut to the chase. I have to choose the sheep that I decide to buy. No matter how big or small it is, it¡¯ll be two taels of silver each.¡±


    The shepherd¡¯s uncle asked nervously, ¡°Then how many do you n to buy, Miss Mu?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a look first. I can¡¯t give you an answer yet.¡± Mu Yangling did not want to give away her bottom line.


    Although his uncle was a little disappointed, he still warmly weed Mu Yangling to his fence. The vigers followed closely behind.


    The shepherd was right. The sheep in this vige were fatter and stronger than the goats in their vige. Perhaps it was because the vigers were poor and had little quantity, but Mu Yangling was also very generous. Seeing that his sheep were all very energetic, she wanted them all.


    The 18 sheep cost a total of 36 taels of silver. Mu Yangling settled the transaction with him on the spot.


    The shepherd¡¯s uncle clearly did not expect to receive so much silver so quickly. Before he could recover from the shock, the other vigers were in an uproar. They surrounded Mu Yangling and wanted to pull her to their fence to take a look.


    Mu Yangling shouted, ¡°Where¡¯s your vige chief?¡±


    An old man squeezed in with all his might and raised his hand. ¡°Me! I¡¯m the vige chief. I¡¯m the vige chief.¡±


    Mu Yangling pushed her way out of the encirclement formed by the few young men around her with one hand. A few of them had bigger movements, so Mu Yangling directly lifted them up and threw them out of the encirclement.


    She controlled her strength and since the mennded on the thick snow, they merely rolled around on the snow a little, unscathed. Though, they were startled and sat on the snow in a daze.


    The crowd finally quietened down. The vige chief, an old man, finally squeezed in. He panted as he looked at Mu Yangling and said enthusiastically, ¡°Miss Mu, don¡¯t mind it. Don¡¯t mind it. The children are all excited. This is the first time someone hase to the vige to buy sheep. This is too exciting..¡±

 Chapter 294 - 294: Purchase

    Chapter 294: Purchase


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling squeezed out of the crowd and pulled Xiuhong behind her. She frowned at the vige chief and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everyone. As long as your sheep meet my standards, I will definitely want them. Please don¡¯t be so nervous.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Miss, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make them behave themselves now.¡± The vige chief shouted. Although everyone was still in amotion, they no longer made a loud noise. The crowd gradually quietened down. Only then did the vige chief say, ¡°Alright, Miss Mu said that every family will definitely get their turn. Go back and tidy up quickly, then wait at home. I¡¯ll bring Miss Mu over immediately.¡±


    Seeing that everyone was still unwilling to leave, Mu Yangling said, ¡°You should have fodder for sheep at home, right? I bought your sheep, but no matter how many I bought, you have to prepare the fodder for them to eat for the next five days.¡±


    This was not difficult for everyone because before winter, everyone had prepared the fodder for the sheep to eat for the entire winter. Not to mention five days worth of fodder, even if Mu Yangling asked them to hand over all the fodder they had on hand, they had no objections.


    The shepherd¡¯s uncle immediately entered the house and took out the best bundles of grass at once. He helped Mu Yangling put them on the cart.


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly and looked at the vige chief. ¡°Let¡¯s go now. Who¡¯s next?¡±


    ¡°My house, my house! Third Grandpa, my house is close.¡±


    ¡°My house isn¡¯t far away, too. I have 23 sheep at home. They¡¯re all fat and strong.¡±


    Everyone squeezed over again.


    The vige chief shouted at them, ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? We¡¯ll head to Old Wang¡¯s house next. No arguing. Go home immediately and stop making so much noise. If the youngdy leaves because she can¡¯t stand the din, I¡¯ll teach you a lessonter.¡±


    Only then did the crowd quiet down.


    Old Wang¡¯s family lived at the end of the vige, which was a little far from here, but Mu Yangling still followed the vige chief over.


    Old Wang was a 58-year-old man with two grandsons and granddaughters. Along the way, the vige chief introduced Old Wang¡¯s tragic background to Mu Yangling. His son and daughter-inw were killed by a group of soldiers when the Hus entered the pass, so he led a tough life with the two children alone.


    Other families at least had a set of cotton clothes for winter, but he didn¡¯t have any. He was able to survive so far only because the vigers would give him a little when they went up the mountain to peel tree bark. Each family would give him a little, and that was how the three of them lived until now.


    Although it was not convenient for him to go out, his sheep were very energetic. Moreover, Mu Yangling was very satisfied with how fat they were. Mu Yangling bought all 11 of them.


    The vige chief led Mu Yangling starting from the family in the most difficult circumstances. He left his family for thest. The sheep she chose had to be healthy, fat, and energetic. In one of the families, she hesitated for a long time before choosing seven out of 23 sheep. This was the smallest ratio.


    The man from that family was stunned for a moment before expressing his displeasure. ¡°Miss Mu, why do you only ept so few when it¡¯s my family¡¯s turn?¡±


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows. Was he taking her kindness for granted?


    Mu Yangling directly deducted two and said to the unbelievable man, ¡°You only have five here that meet the requirements. I only epted those two because I pity you. Since you¡¯re dissatisfied, I won¡¯t ept them. Are you selling these five? If not, I¡¯ll leave for the next house.¡±


    With a frown, the vige chief said, ¡°Lai San, look at your sheep. Isn¡¯t this a waste? Who in the vige starves their sheep like you? It¡¯s already not bad that Miss Mu is willing to ept five of them.¡±


    Lai San opened his mouth, turned around, and kicked his wife¡¯s waist, sending her to the ground. He shouted, ¡°Squandering b*tch, you¡¯ve ruined all the sheep at home.¡± As he scolded, he kicked her.


    Xiuhong jumped in fright and hid behind Mu Yangling in shock. Mu Yangling¡¯s face darkened and she kicked Lai San¡¯s waist, sending him flying. The vigers were all shocked and looked at Mu Yangling in a daze.


    Mu Yangling looked at Lai San sinisterly and said, ¡°How is it? How does it feel to be kicked in the waist?¡±


    Lai San was someone who bullied the weak and feared the strong. At this moment, he did not even dare to look at Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling snorted and turned to leave. Lai San hurriedly shouted, ¡°Miss Mu, you haven¡¯t given us the money.¡±


    Mu Yangling sneered. ¡°I¡¯m not taking your sheep anymore.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lai San shouted indignantly.


    ¡°I¡¯m in a bad mood. I hate men who beat their wives and children, so I won¡¯t take any of your sheep.¡±


    Mu Yangling pulled Xiuhong and was about to leave when Lai San¡¯s wife hurriedly hugged Mu Yangling¡¯s leg and cried, ¡°Miss, take pity on me. I still have two children at home. His father is insensible, so please forgive him this time. Please buy our family¡¯s sheep. You only like five, right? Then just ept five.¡±


    Mu Yangling pulled off her fingers and took three steps back. ¡°I won¡¯t ept it because your man hit you. I hate men like this. I simply refuse to ept it.¡±


    As she spoke, she pulled Xiuhong away. Lai San¡¯s wife watched helplessly as Mu Yangling walked away. Suddenly, she felt despair. She howled and rushed forward to hit Lai San.


    Having been kicked hard by Mu Yangling, Lai San could only cry out and dodge.


    The vige chief opened his mouth beside Mu Yangling, but in the end, he did not dare to intercede.


    Old and experienced, he had developed a good judgment of people. Seeing as this person was someone who would be stronger when faced with stronger opponents, it would probably be very difficult to make her change her mind. Sighing, he could only help the Lai familyter, to at least help them survive this winter.


    Mu Yangling went to every family and bought a total of 480 sheep. Including the 12 sheep she had bought previously, there were a total of 430 sheep. She spent a total of 860 taels. By the end of it, Mu Yangling did not have much money left.


    The cart was filled with grass. Mu Yangling did not stay any longer. Seeing that it was only past noon, she bade farewell to the vige chief and the others, hoping they could reach the checkpoint before dark. Otherwise, it would be difficult for them to watch over so many sheep.


    The vige chief wanted to ask Mu Yangling to stay for dinner, but Mu Yangling declined. To save time, it was better to eat rations in the carriage.


    Mu Yangling got Xiuhong to drive the mule cart at the back while she and the shepherd led the way in herding the sheep.


    After returning to the shepherd¡¯s vige to retrieve the 12 sheep, Mu Yangling herded the flock of sheep into the city.


    Hanzhong Prefecture had a total of six city gates. Mu Yangling¡¯s luck was not bad. She entered from the southeast city gate and walked for half an hour before arriving at the south city gate. The checkpoint from Xingzhou Prefecture to Hanzhong Prefecture was right outside the south city gate.


    The shepherd¡¯s vige was not far from the southeast city gate.


    When the soldiers who set up a checkpoint at the south city gate saw Mu Yangling herding a group of sheep over, the people in the government office were all smiling. It was obvious that she had no background. Just as they were thinking about how many sheep they would make her leave to share among themselves, they saw the garrison general guarding the checkpoint opposite them go up to her eagerly.. He cupped his fists and bowed to the youngdy, and even helped her herd the sheep respectfully¡­

 Chapter 295 - 295: Deal

    Chapter 295: Deal


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The bailiff guarding the gate watched helplessly as Mu Yanghng herded the flock of sheep out of the city gate. Then, she handed the document to the garrison general who merely pretended to check it before letting her pass the checkpoint.


    He turned his neck stiffly and asked his colleague beside him, ¡°Are they the rtives of the garrison general?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this giving them no way out? They could not afford to offend therge merchants passing by because they had powerful backgrounds. They could only survive on some tips and asionally take some benefits off these vendors. s, as soon as the city gate was cordoned off, the vendors disappeared entirely. More than half of the medium-scale merchants also disappeared, causing their ie to plummet. It was not easy for one to show up today, but it turned out she had a powerful background?


    The bailiff felt that he had to find out more. In their line of work, they could take less profits, but they couldn¡¯t offend people they shouldn¡¯t offend. Therefore, when they changed shifts at night, the bailiff went to look for the garrison general for a drink.


    There were only two sixth-grade regimentmanders sent to guard the gate who took turns doing the day and night shift. As they were the highest authority at this checkpoint and the city gate, they were called garrison generals.


    The garrison general did not hesitate and directly told him that the youngdy was a good friend of Little General. Even Military Advisor Rong, the general¡¯s trusted aide, had to be respectful when he saw her.


    The garrison general knew that this girl often went in and out of the 5th Division. When she interacted with the Little General, Young Master Fan, she showed no fear around them and yed around at ease. Sometimes, when she taught the Little General a lesson, the General would even p and cheer at the side. Therefore, although her father was only apanymander, his future was definitely brighter than his.


    He had been a soldier for nearly ten years before he managed to be the regimentmander of the camp. In contrast, Mu Shi had only been a soldier for a year before he became apanymander. This was an incredible speed of promotion.


    Mu Yangling did not know what had happened behind her. Just as she herded the sheep out of the checkpoint, Zhang Wu, Butcher Qin, and Butcher Hua came up to her.


    Butcher Qin was stunned when he saw the number of sheep. With their money, it didn¡¯t seem like they could buy so many, right?


    ¡°Let¡¯s find a ce to rest first. We¡¯ll talk tonight.¡± Mu Yangling was starving and did not want to discuss business under such circumstances.


    Butcher Qin nodded and brought them to the tent where they had set up.


    Outside the checkpoint was arge open space. It was now filled with tents, carriages, mules, donkey carts, and various other carts. These were things that could not enter the checkpoint for the time being and were awaiting collection by their owners.


    As Mu Yangling and the others had arrived a day earlier, they had upied a good location.


    Among therge pile of silk, tea, porcin, spices, and various other goods, Mu Yangling¡¯s goods were too strange. Everyone avoided her.


    Zhang Wu started a fire and began to busy himself with the preparation of dinner. Mu Yangling sat in front of the fire and warmed herself. Only then did Butcher Qin have the time to ask, ¡°Miss Mu, there are too many sheep. As you know, we don¡¯t have much money on us. I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to buy


    them all.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s face was filled with fatigue. ¡°I know. I didn¡¯t want to buy so many at first, but you don¡¯t know how difficult it is for farmers in Hanzhong Prefecture now. Anyway, since you want to keep this business going for a long time, I can let you take them on credit first.¡±


    Butcher Qin opened his mouth. He wanted to say that they only nned to do this once and not for the long term, but when he saw Mu Yangling¡¯s tired expression, he swallowed his words. Since he was the one who roped her in, he had to be responsible to the end, no matter what. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Since Miss Mu trusts me, I¡¯ll definitely return the money to you. What price do you have in mind?¡±


    Mu Yangling sat up slightly and said, ¡°I bought the sheep from the farmers at two taels of silver each. Now, I¡¯ll sell them to you for 2 taels 500 coppers each. I¡¯m earning 500 copper coins each. I don¡¯t care how much you sell them in Xingyuan Prefecture, but there¡¯s one thing. You have to send the amount of money you owe back to me.¡±


    Butcher Qin and Butcher Hua looked at each other in surprise. They didn¡¯t expect Mu Yangling to offer such a low price. Butcher Qin was so excited that he forgot his identity. ¡°Miss Mu, this price is too low. We can¡¯t let you suffer a loss.¡±


    Butcher Hua tugged at his sleeve. They seemed to be the subject of negotiation now, right? Why were they standing there talking?


    Mu Yangling also smiled and said, ¡°We all know in our hearts whether I¡¯m suffering a loss or not. I¡¯ve walked from here to Xingyuan Prefecture and know how difficult the journey is. Coupled with the heavy snow now, it will only be more difficult. It¡¯s not easy for me to earn money, and it¡¯s not easy for you to earn money either.¡±


    In just two days, she could earn 500 copper coins per sheep. To Mu Yanghng, it was a huge profit. After all, she did not have to worry about sales. She just had to acquire the sheep and bring them past the checkpoint to hand over to Butcher Qin and Butcher Hua.


    430 sheep were worth 1,075 taels of silver. After paying 775 taels of silver upfront, Butcher Qin and Butcher Hua still owed her 300 taels of silver. Next time they came, they would bring the remaining amount for Mu Yangling.


    Butcher Qin and Butcher Hua wrote the document and signed it. Mu Yangling also signed her name and pressed her thumbprint. That concluded the deal.


    On this trip, Mu Yangling earned 210 taels of silver. After eating and drinking her fill, Mu Yangling entered the tent to sleep in a good mood.


    However, Xiuhong tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Mu Yanghng woke up in the middle of the night and asked, ¡°What are you thinking about? You actually have insomnia at such a young age.


    ¡°Cousin, why didn¡¯t you buy the sheep from Lai San today? I think his wife is very pitiful. Do you think she¡¯ll be beaten upter? I think their family isn¡¯t having a good time either. I nced at their kitchen, and only saw chopped tree bark mixed with a few grains of rice.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. Other than his family, everyone in their vige has sold sheep. Since they¡¯re all from the same vige, surely they¡¯ll lend them money? Lai San¡¯s wife is pitiful, but if I ept their sheep under such circumstances, she¡¯ll only be even more pitiful in the future. If Lai San sees that I¡¯ll ept their sheep whether he hits his wife or not, he¡¯ll think that he can achieve his goal by beating up his wife to soften people¡¯s hearts.


    ¡°But now, he has paid the price for hitting his wife. He didn¡¯t sell the sheep. In order to survive, he will need to take on debt. The farmer¡¯s conservative character will prevent him from borrowing too much. Therefore, he will most likely still have to eat porridge mixed with tree bark and rice grams. He will now be the worst-off in the entire vige. This difference will make him not dare to hit his wife again. At least, the next time he wants to hit his wife, he will think twice.¡±


    ¡°AS for Lai San¡¯s wife, didn¡¯t you see how she scratched Lai San when we left? She¡¯ll be even more unyielding in the future. Xiuhong, the reason why I didn¡¯t buy his sheep is to force her to be more unyielding. Women can only rely on themselves.¡±


    Mu Yangling lectured her in a low voice, ¡°To the maternal family, a married daughter is like water that has been sshed out. The daughter who returns home is a guest. Although the maternal family can support her when she gets bullied by her inws, this is merely an asional urrence. Do you think the maternal family can stand up for their married daughter in everything?


    Xiuhong shook her head.


    ¡°In the inws¡¯ family, the son and grandson are considered family. Only my daughter-inw has an outsider¡¯s surname. The only person who is not rted by blood is the wife. Therefore, I always say that a woman can only rely on herself. Of course, I¡¯m not trying to teach you to be cold and heartless. There are many examples of daughter-inwspletely integrating into their inws¡¯ family. I just hope that you can be more self-reliant in the future.


    Xiuhong looked at the tent with her eyes open while she mulled over her cousin¡¯s words. Just as Mu Yangling thought that she had fallen asleep, Xiuhong suddenly said, ¡°Cousin, I understand. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely cherish myself..¡±

 Chapter 296 - 296: Transition

    Chapter 296: Transition


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The 23rd year of Jingyan was the year with the most disasters in the Great Zhou Dynasty. ording to history, it was generally believed that the Great Zhou Dynasty had perished at this time.


    Back then, Emperor Duanzong and his ministers did not see thising. Although there had been less rain since the beginning of spring, they felt that the imperial Astronomer had already predicted thisst year, so they were not worried and just did what they had to do.


    Emperor Duanzong was still looking forward to the construction of the Spring Mountain Pce? outside the city, hoping to move in this winter. Yes, he also looked forward to staying on the mountain to avoid the summer heat during


    summer.


    Although the most important thing on Spring Mountain was the hot spring, it was still very cool halfway up the mountain.


    If the Emperor knew that his country would perish in less than ten years because of the events of this year, he would not force the Ministry of Revenue to give him money to build a pce on Hotspring Mountain. Instead, he would use that money to strengthen the military. No, he should use it to provide relief


    to the people.


    In the autumn of the 23rd year of Jingyan, there was a drought along Lizhou Circuit Almost no grains of rice were harvested. The highest yield of wheat was only 120 catties, and the lowest yield had fallen below historical records at only 18 catties, barely enough to recover the grain seeds.


    Fortunately, with the corn seeds contributed by Qi Xiuyuan and the corn cultivation method he promoted, the highest yield per acre now was 632 catties, and the lowest was 289 catties. Contrasting the poor harvest of wheat and rice, it could be said to be a strong performer.


    However, other prefectures weren¡¯t as lucky as Lizhou Circuit. The area around Lin¡¯an Prefecture had also be drought-stricken, but there were floods in the twokes. Not only did they flood the farnds, but many houses were also destroyed and drowned. Themoners were disced.


    The Miao people in the southern borders were also restless. However, in the eyes of the Imperial Court, these were merely small-scale disasters. In Lin¡¯an Prefecture, the Imperial Court was holding a banquet. Firstly, it was to celebrate thepletion of Spring Mountain¡¯s temporary pce so that the Emperor could move in to avoid the cold.


    Secondly, it was to celebrate the bountiful corn harvest. That¡¯s right, the corn harvest.


    One-fourth of the corn seeds that the Imperial Court forced Qi Xiuyuan to hand over were handed over to the Emperor. The Emperor handed them to the Imperial ntation for nting. The remaining three-quarters were divided between the ministers and the aristocratic families.


    After a winter of wrangling, the seeds were carefully nted in the fields by their tenants after being divided up. They were nted ording to the nting method submitted by Qi Xiuyuan. Not long ago, they had just harvested the autumn crops, and their acre yield had reached 748 catties. Of course, this was the highest yield, but this also indirectly proved that Emperor Shizong¡¯s evaluation of corn back then was correct.


    Regardless of whether corn was delicious or not, such a high yield would definitely ensure that the people wouldn¡¯t starve to death after they were made mainstream. Therefore, when they heard that there were refugees rebelling everywhere, they did not take this matter to heart.


    What a group of unruly people. They had already obtained such a high yield of crops, yet they still rebelled.


    At this moment, they had forgotten that the corn seeds were not disseminated enough, and the corn seeds from the south had all been pocketed by them. Not a single one had flowed out.


    After hearing that there were also people rebelling on Lizhou Circuit, the Emperor of Great Zhou waved his hand and asked Qi Xiuyuan to lead his troops to quell the rebellion.


    When Qi Xiuyuan received the document, he almost gritted his teeth. He mmed the document on the table and said angrily, ¡°Didn¡¯t anyone persuade him to make peace?¡±


    Qi Haoran was also very angry. When it was time to make peace, those ministers would not say a word. On the other hand, when it came to dealing with the Hus, they would eagerly suggest making peace with the other party.


    -Big Brother, I¡¯ve gone to investigate. They¡¯re all farmers in the Tongchuan area who only attacked the county office because they couldn¡¯t survive. They didn¡¯t kill anyone. All they did was open the government office¡¯s granary.¡± At this point, Qi Haoran gritted his teeth and said, ¡°I heard that themoners in the Tongchuan area have already reached the point of exchanging their children with one another to eat them, but the county office and the government office simply refuse to open the granary.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan held his forehead with a headache. ¡°You can¡¯t me Tongchuan¡¯s magistrate for this. He reports to the Imperial Court every other day, but the imperial Court only tells him to hold on and not open up the granary to provide disaster relief. The Emperor still thinks that the unruly people are just messing around like before.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at Rong Xuan and said, ¡°Military Advisor, draft a memorandum and I¡¯ll hand it overter. Exin the situation here clearly. Considering those are farmers who farm, it¡¯s better to negotiate with them peacefully.¡±


    Rong Xuan responded.


    ¡ö¡¯But since the Emperor wants us to go to quell the rebellion, we can¡¯t sit around and do nothing. At the very least, we have to control the situation in Tongchuan Prefecture. Haoran, immediately lead the troops to Tongchuan Prefecture and bring the 4th and 5th Division with you. You¡¯ll be inmand, and Mu Shi will be the vanguard. We¡¯ll set off tomorrow.¡±


    Qi Haoran replied listlessly.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Qi Xiuyuan looked at him strangely and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you usually jump up in excitement when you hear about war? Why are you listless now?¡±


    Smiling, Rong Xuan said, ¡°General, have you forgotten? It¡¯s Miss Mu¡¯s birthday the day after tomorrow. Little General even said that he wanted to hold a birthday banquet for Miss Mu in Hanzhong Prefecture.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuanughed out loud and patted his shoulder. I thought it was something important. Leave with peace of mind. Since you¡¯re not at home, I¡¯ll get Zijin to help you handle it. I¡¯ll also help you supervise.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t depressed because of this, okay? He had spent a month preparing a birthday gift for Mu Yangling, but now, it was all gone.


    Qi Haoran left listlessly. Rong Xuan watched him leave before turning to look at the smiling Qi Xiuyuan. ¡°Chengde, Haoran is getting more and more concerned about Miss Mu.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan shook his head andughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this kid to find a wife before I did.¡±


    Rong Xuan looked at him in shock. ¡°You really don¡¯t mind? The Mu family doesn¡¯t have a good family background.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s expression was slightly cold as he said, ¡°AU my life, I hate prejudices about one¡¯s family status the most.


    His mother, him, and his younger brother had been harmed by this all their lives.


    ¡°What family status does the Qi family have? Five generations ago, our ancestors were just illiterate farmers. It was only in the third generation that a xiucai? appeared. He¡¯s only the son of a fifth-grade official, but he actually despises others for their family background. What¡¯s wrong with the Zhu family?¡±


    Rong Xuan immediately fell silent. He knew that the Qi family and the Zhu family¡¯s enmity was a melodramatic debt. Until now, no one could say who was right or wrong. However, to Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran, Qi Feng had indeed let them down.


    After calming himself down, Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°Haoran has a bad temper and rarely heeds anyone¡¯s advice. Other than me and Zijin, Mu Yangling is the only one who can restrain him. Since he likes her, there¡¯s no need for us to stop him. I¡¯ll mention it to the Mu family when they¡¯re older.¡±


    At the thought of Shu Wanniang¡¯s behavior, Qi Xiuyuan rxed and said, -Maybe the Mu family also has a good family background. As long as they don¡¯t look down on our Haoran.¡±


    Rong Xuan rolled his eyes and knew that he was joking. Seeing that he wasughing happily, he said dryly, ¡°Chengde, you¡¯re 20 years old this year, right. You¡¯re 21 years old in terms of nominal age, eh. Isn¡¯t it about time you get married?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan froze.


    Rong Xuan originally said this to rebut him, but after saying it, he started to think seriously. He suddenly realized that his words were urate. His good pal was already 21 years old, but he was still not married.

 Chapter 297 - 297: Rebellion

    Chapter 297: Rebellion


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran was a little dejected because Shu Wanniang said that Mu Yangling had never had a proper birthday celebration before. He¡¯d wanted to give her a proper birthday present when she turned 12.


    Qi Haoran had volunteered to take on this heavy responsibility. He had already nned to hold it in the Qi Manor of Hanzhong Prefecture and invite a few familiar people over to y. The most important thing was to let Mu Shi take some time off to attend his daughter¡¯s birthday banquet.


    Qi Haoran had even prepared a huge gift for her, but now that he was going to Tongchuan to quell the rebellion, it was impossible for him to participate.


    He went to look for Mu Yangling in frustration to tell her the bad news.


    However, Mu Yangling¡¯s thoughts were focused elsewhere. When she heard that Qi Haoran had be the first general to lead the army to quell the rebellion, her first thought was that Qi Haoran was going to go down in history. Yes, the kind that would be reviled byter generations-feudal rulers suppressing peasant uprisings!


    Her second thought was, if Qi Haoran killed themoners, would he umte bad karma?


    Hence, Mu Yangling advised him seriously. Her general meaning was that he could go ahead and quell the rebellion, but those were all pitiful people. If he could let them off, he should try and let them off. The key was that he should not kill the old, weak, women, and children.


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Am I such a cruel person?¡± As he spoke, his expression darkened. ¡°But if they participate in the rebellion and kill and rob, I definitely won¡¯t let them off.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just ordinary people. Why would they kill and rob?


    ¡°Why not?¡± Qi Haoran was very unhappy with Mu Yangling¡¯s arbitrariness. He said, ¡°Many rich families in Tongchuan have been robbed, and many of their families have been killed. Among them, a few families have a good reputation in the countryside and often do good deeds.¡±


    What Qi Haoran didn¡¯t tell Mu Yangling was that almost none of the men from those families survived. All the women had been raped andmitted suicide.


    If Qi Haoran was a little resistant to quelling the rebellion in the beginning, he wanted to hurry to Tongchuan now.


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t refute for a moment. After a while, she said, ¡°There are good and bad people everywhere. There are naturally scumbags among the farmers, but you can¡¯t deny that there are many good people among them.¡±


    ¡°Do good people rebel?¡±


    ¡°If one is forced to the extreme, even a Saint can¡¯t help but rebel. Haoran, if you have to watch your rtives starve to death in front of you, unless you¡¯re a heartless and cold-blooded person, no matter how magnanimous you are, that magnanimity would be ground into hatred.


    Qi Haoran was silent. Thinking about how there were more or less people rebelling everywhere, he was momentarily at a loss.


    Mu Yangling patted his shoulder and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you have a clear conscience. Haoran, when you go to quell the rebellion, you just have to kill the leaders and the few evildoers. If no one encourages them anymore, they¡¯ll disperse. Let the old, weak, women, and children live.¡±


    Qi Haoran agreed, but when he arrived at Tongchuan, he realized that the situation was moreplicated than he had imagined. The rebels were not all in cahoots.


    Tongchuan¡¯s rebel team was roughly divided into three factions. The first faction had thergest number of people, reaching more than 40,000. Qi Haoran, who had only brought 20,000 men over, was originally a little nervous. However, when he heard theirposition, he instantly became less nervous.


    Of the more than 40,000 rebels, only 10,000 were young and strong. The remaining 30,000 were actually all old, weak, women, and children. The youngest was merely three or four years old, and the oldest was in their sixties. Their modus operand! was to rush in to rob grain warehouses before speedily leaving. Though they would definitely not leave a single grain of rice behind, they would only hurt people and not kill them.


    ording to the statistics, among their many operations, the most seriously injured person from the Imperial Court only had a fractured leg. Qi Haoran did not even ask about the specific situation. The scout who came to report told him what had happened vividly.


    This group of people seemed to be helped by the heavens. It was as if they had descended from the sky, for the Imperial Court¡¯s army had never been able to figure out their whereabouts. When they sent troops to guard this grain warehouse in this county, they bypassed several counties and went straight to thest county. By the time the Imperial Court¡¯s army and bailiffs rushed over, they were long gone. Only the hundred-odd guards in the grain warehouse were tied up and thrown into the grain warehouse.


    The one who suffered the most serious injuries was because he had been tied up for too long. When he stood up, he lost his bnce and fell, identally breaking his bones.


    ¡°Little General, don¡¯t you think the heavens are helping them? They¡¯ve robbed a total of three granaries, but the magistrate of Tongchuan can¡¯t even find their shadow,¡± the scout said excitedly.


    Qi Haoran red at him and said, ¡°What¡¯s so difficult about that? Tongchuan has countless forked paths to begin with. Coupled with the dense forest and so many elders among the 40,000 people, who knows how many passageways the Imperial Court doesn¡¯t know about? As for those people from the government office.¡± Qi Haoran gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Considering they don¡¯t hide their actions, others will easily know which grain warehouse they¡¯re guarding after asking around.¡±


    ¡°However, what I admire is that the leader can actually control 40,000 people. When he rushed into the grain warehouse, he didn¡¯t injure a single person. There was no infighting when they moved the grains.¡± It had to be known that there were all kinds of people among the 40,000 people-the old, weak, sick, young, strong, and women and children. Such a mixed group was most prone to conflict and casualties. It was a feat that the leader could actually control them.


    Since this faction had never killed anyone, Qi Haoran did not intend to kill them. He decided to deal with the other two factions first.


    The other two factions were almost allposed of young and strong men. One faction was like what Qi Haoran had told Mu Yangling¡ªthey robbed the rich and killed everyone. The leader was Feng Yu, a 28-year-old from Tongchuan County. There were more than 2,400 people in total. Not only did this person rob the rich, but he also didn¡¯t let go of the viges he passed by. Some viges were even massacred. His methods were so cruel that even the Hu people Qi Haoran had interacted with in the past two years couldn tpare to him.


    Hence, Qi Haoran¡¯s first target was him. He would not let go of anyone who participated in murder and rape.


    The third faction was much more normal. It was a ssic rebellion.


    The leader was called Jiang Zhong, and he was from Jiangyou, Tongchuan Prefecture. Almost from the moment the first faction robbed the county office and granary, he brought 400 people to take advantage of the situation and upied the county. Then, he took in the original bailiffs and the young men in the city, gathering 1,700 people in total. Before the Imperial Court could react, he upied another county. His modus operand! was to attack cities. This kid was very talented in rebellion. As soon as he conquered the county, he opened the small spare granary in the county office. Then, heforted the people and forced the rich families in the county to take out rations and silver to reward his army. Fortunately, other than the casualties during the siege, this person had not killed anyone randomly.


    ording to the estimation of the damage, Qi Haoran put this faction in second ce. He nned to snatch back the county office that had been upied by Jiang Zhong after dealing with Feng Yu.


    However, the magistrate didn¡¯t think so. He felt that Jiang Zhong was the most dangerous, followed by the elusive 40,000 people, and finally, Feng Yu.


    Never one to submit to a civil official, Qi Haoran told him directly that he was the one who was fighting this battle, so he had to listen to him.


    Speechless, the magistrate of Tongchuan pointed at Qi Haoran and was so angry that he could not speak..

 Chapter 298 - 298: Quiet Battle

    Chapter 298: Quiet Battle


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    It was not difficult to determine Feng Yu¡¯s whereabouts. Qi Haoran ordered 2,000 troops and asked Mu Shi to lead 5,000 people to surround Jiangyou. That was Jiang Zhong¡¯s main camp and his main force was there. Assistant Commander Lu of the 4th Division would lead the remaining 13,000 people to guard Tongchuan Prefecture and be in charge of logistics and brakes.


    Assistant Commander Lu felt that Qi Haoran should bemanding the troops instead of rushing to the frontlines.


    Assistant Commander Lu was not good at attacking and fighting. Mu Shi also had to defend against Jiang Zhong, so he naturally had to take on Feng Yu himself. Moreover, he was still young. Although he had the experience of attacking Hanzhong Prefecture prior to this, other than the 5th Division, it was still difficult for him to convince the soldiers of the other four divisions. Assistant Commander Lu would be able to convince the masses better if he stayed behind. After he got rid of Feng Yu, he would slowly boost the morale of the army.


    After Qi Haoran finished setting up the defenses, he immediately got someone to set up a pot and cook in the field. They nned to set off before dawn tomorrow.


    Meanwhile, Feng Yu had just heard that the Imperial Court was sending an army to suppress them. At this moment, they had just upied a town and robbed the rich families andmoners in the town. It was enough for them to live a carefree life for a period of time. Therefore, Feng Yu did not want to move, so he asked someone to inquire when the Imperial Court¡¯s army would arrive.


    Feng Yu did not expect the army to move so quickly. He¡¯d felt that it would be four to five days before they arrived at Tongchuan Prefecture. Then, they would need three or four days to seek their whereabouts. By the time they actually sent troops to eliminate them, it would at least be ten dayster.


    He¡¯d reckoned ten days of rest would be sufficient. When he had snatched enough things, he would bring his brothers up the mountain. Tongchuan Prefecture had many forests. As long as they entered the mountain, even General Yuan would not be able to do anything to them, let alone an army. It was extremely difficult to find someone in the vast mountain range. Furthermore, it was filled with dangerous terrain that was easy to defend and difficult to attack. ording to Feng Yu¡¯s guess, this battle would most likely be left unsettled.


    Therefore, he very leisurely asked someone to go out and find out when the


    Imperial Court¡¯s army would arrive.


    Because of Feng Yu¡¯s evil deeds, all the families in Tongchuan Prefecture who could have left had already fled outside. Therefore, before the people he sent out heard the news, Qi Haoran had already rushed straight to the town they were stationed in.


    Qi Haoran was a regr soldier and Qi Xiuyuan had always been very strict with him. His homework was assigned by three teachers. One of them was a teacher like Fan Zijin. He only asked that Qi Haoran roughly read the four books and five scriptures. Qi Xiuyuan did not expect him to be proficient.


    However, he had to memorize the military manuals like ¡®Wu Zi¡¯, ¡®Sun Bin¡¯s Art of War¡¯, and ¡®Duke Huangshi¡¯s Three Strategies¡¯. These military strategies were all exined to him by Qi Xiuyuan and Rong Xuan. Coupled with the fact that he¡¯d had opportunities for practical practice, he was way more expert than Feng Yu, who was illiterate and had never fought with a regr army. Hence, the scouts that Feng Yu sent out to gather information were captured by Qi Haoran¡¯s scouts after merely being out for half a day. They were escorted back to Qi Haoran. Deducing ording to the itinerary, Qi Haoran said, ¡°Inform the soldiers to speed up. We¡¯ll take down the rebels in one fell swoop today before entering the town to recuperate.¡±


    ¡°Little General, the soldiers have been marching for a day. I¡¯m afraid they¡¯re not strong enough,¡± someone advised.


    Qi Haoran nced at him coldly, and the person who suggested it immediately lowered his head. Qi Haoran ordered, ¡°Order the soldiers to speed up. We must reach the town before the sun sets.¡±


    This time, no one dared to have any objections. They all quickened their pace. 2,000 people were stationed in the forest outside the town, but Feng Yu¡¯s men did not notice them.


    Qi Haoran went to see the two people who had been caught and asked about their situation again. After confirming that he had not overlooked anything, he let the soldiers rest. They were not allowed to start a fire and could only eat the dry rations they brought.


    After eating, he only let the two teams patrol and guard the high ground. The rest of the soldiers immediately took the time to rest.


    Fei Bai stayed by Qi Haoran¡¯s side and was a little nervous. ¡°Master, are we really going to make a move tonight? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to leave it until tomorrow when the soldiers will be more energetic?


    Qi Haoran red at him and reprimanded in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯ve attended so many lessons with me in vain. There¡¯s no better opportunity than tonight. By tomorrow morning, our people might be afraid, and the risk of being discovered will increase. This is the best opportunity. Just follow meter and don¡¯t get your head chopped off.


    Qi Haoran hugged his sword and closed his eyes as he leaned against the tree to sleep. Some timeter, all of a sudden, he opened his eyes and nced at the moon in the sky. He patted Fei Bai awake and asked him to wake the soldiers up.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s troops split into three groups. 500 people guarded this exit of the town, while the other 500 went around the town to guard the southern entrance. He brought 1,000 men into the town.


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone escape. Fire more arrows. If there are a lot of people, use a diversionary tactic and wait for our reinforcement.


    ¡°Little General, they have more than 2,000 people, but you only brought


    1,000¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted and said, ¡°Our soldiers are all trained. Feng Yu has only fought with a few bailiffs and has long developed an arrogant personality. Moreover, the spies we caught reported that they are not stationed together. Another reason why Qi Haoran looked down on Feng Yu was that this person never set up defenses. At most, he would get someone to patrol their residence. He didn¡¯t believe that after two years of training, his soldiers who could rival the Hu people would lose to these ragtag soldiers who had only held swords for less than a month.


    Hence, Qi Haoran boldly brought 1,000 men and quietly approached the town. The people Feng Yu sent to patrol were all killed by Qi Haoran¡¯s men.


    Having robbed the home of two ministers in town, Feng Yu now stayed in one of their houses. Because there were many people and few rooms, there were people sleeping in the courtyard with mats and nkets. They were caught off guard.


    Qi Haoran walked into the door that had been pried open. When he saw the people sleeping on the ground, the corners of his mouth twitched. He waved his hand and called the captain of the scout team over. He said in a low voice, ¡°Go and find Feng Yu immediately. Capture him and gag him. Notify us after you seed.¡±


    Then, he got a sectionmander to bring his men to guard the various exits. This way, the two manors were surrounded. There were even sounds ofughter, crying, and cursinging from some rooms. After listening for a while, Qi Haoran¡¯s heart burned with anger. He said to Fei Bai with a cold expression, ¡°Bring two sectionmanders to those rooms that are still making a din. Tie those people up. If you can¡¯t tie them up, kill them and save the hostages.¡±


    Fei Bai knew that the Little General hated this kind of thing the most. He immediately agreed in a low voice and brought his men over.


    The people in the courtyard were obviously well-adapted to such a noisy environment because even Qi Haoran could not stand the screamsing from the room. Yet, the people on the ground could still sleep soundly. It was only asionally that someone would curse with their eyes closed.


    To think none of them noticed Qi Haoran and his men walking around.


    Qi Haoran estimated that it was about time. Seeing that themotion had gradually disappeared, he waved his hand and got the soldiers behind him to quietly start tying people up from the corner.


    They spared no mercy. One soldier would cover a man¡¯s mouth, while another soldier would restrain his limbs. A third soldier would tie up the man¡¯s hands and feet with a sweat towel. Then, he took off the other party¡¯s smelly socks and stuffed them into his mouth..

 Chapter 299 - 299: Disposal

    Chapter 299: Disposal


    Trantor: As Studios | Editor: As Studios


    Finally, the noise in the roompletely disappeared. Those who were still awake felt that something was wrong. When they opened their eyes, they were greeted by a cold spear and a sharp de. Turning their heads stiffly, they saw that the courtyard was surrounded by the Imperial Court¡¯s army. At the same time, a burst of fireworks exploded in the backyard¡­


    Some residents of the town took a look outside and cursed in their hearts. ¡°Ugly people are really troublesome. They even set off fireworks.¡± They gritted their teeth in hatred towards Feng Yu.


    The two toonmanders who were ambushing on both sides of the town¡¯s exit didn¡¯t see anyone escape. Seeing that it was almost dawn and there was still no movement at all, the two toonmanders gradually became anxious. Just as they were about to rush over to help, a horse galloped out of the town. ¡°L-Little General ordered Battalion Commander Fang to immediately bring people into the town and set up defenses at the northern entrance. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter or leave!¡±


    After confirming that it was a messenger, Battalion Commander Fang immediately jumped out of his hiding spot and asked anxiously, ¡°What happened in town? Why didn¡¯t I hear anything?¡±


    The messenger grinned. ¡°Little General has already captured everyone. It¡¯s just that dozens of them managed to escape. That¡¯s why Little General had to spend some time looking for them and verifying the number of people. Now, we¡¯ve confirmed that there¡¯s no one missing.¡±


    Meanwhile, Battalion Commander He, who was guarding the southern entrance, also received such an order. The two of them were extremely surprised. They didn¡¯t hear anymotion from the town and it was over just like that?


    Qi Haoran stood in front and looked at the unruly Feng Yu. Suddenly, he sneered and kicked him away. Seeing him spit out a mouthful of blood, he felt slightly appeased.


    Fei Bai, get someone to send those girls away and secretly send them out through the back door. Give them some of the wealth that Feng Yu plundered.¡± Fei Bai agreed. Qi Haoran looked at Feng Yu coldly and said, ¡°As for him, just keep him alive and don¡¯t kill him.¡±


    Feng Yu panicked when he saw Qi Haoran turn around and leave. He was not afraid that Qi Haoran would beat him up or scold him because as long as hemunicated with him. If he had an outlet to vent, he might be able to persuade him to let him go, escape, or defend himself. However, when Qi Haoran did not even speak a word to him and simply turned to leave after kicking him. From the sound of it, he had no intention of interrogating him. Seeing that Qi Haoran was about to disappear from his sight, Feng Yu hurriedly asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know the location of my treasures?¡±


    Qi Haoran continued walking without stopping. Fei Bai sneered and said, ¡®What¡¯s so difficult about that? Could it be that you can hide those treasures yourself? We can just ask one of your subordinates.¡±


    Feng Yu¡¯s face turned pale. Although he had tried his best to minimize the number of people who knew, it was impossible for him to carry so many things alone. Therefore, there were really many people who knew. He really did not know if those people had told anyone.


    The residents of the town did not expect their world to change in just one night. The residents who had been living in fear immediately cried bitterly. Because some of their families had died in the hands of the rebels, they wanted to rush to the rebels and beat them up to vent their anger.


    However, when they rushed forward and saw the heavily guarded soldiers, they were discouraged.


    The two squires who had been chased away returned with tears all over their faces to thank Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran said coldly, ¡°Your residence has been temporarily requisitioned. We¡¯ll return it to you after we leave.¡±


    The two squires were stunned for a moment before they smiled obsequiously and said, ¡°General, you can stay as long as you want. We definitely have no problem with it. But the things in the residence¡­?¡±


    ¡°The things snatched by the rebels are all in your residence, so make a list of the things in your residence. I¡¯ll take away what doesn¡¯t belong to youter.¡± The residents of the town had also lost a lot. Qi Haoran obviously didn¡¯t want to give up halfway, so he nned to distribute the things. At the very least, he couldn¡¯t let these two squires benefit, right?


    It was already a huge surprise to be able to get their things back. Hence, the two squires were extremely grateful to Qi Haoran.


    Qi Haoran was waiting here for the county magistrate. He was going to fight in a war, so he naturally couldn¡¯t bring these captives with him. Moreover, the prison in the government office couldn¡¯t hold more than 2,000 people. Even if it could, the county magistrate was afraid that they would break out of prison and rebel. Moreover, where could he find food for more than 2,000 people?


    Hence, Qi Haoran decided to execute these rebels on the spot. Of course, he couldn¡¯t kill every single one of them. However, as long as their hands were stained with human lives or they had raped women, they would be executed on the spot. Qi Haoran would temporarily be in charge of the executioners.


    He had no intention of staying here any longer. Hence, he had to kill those who deserved to be killed within two days. Only then did Qi Haoran feel that it was not good to quietly take down the entire rebel army, for it increased his workload.


    If the two armies had fought back then, they might have been able to directly eliminate more than half of the other party¡¯s manpower. However, this would undoubtedly have put his soldiers at more risk and would have harmed the town¡¯s residents.


    Qi Haoran self-identified as an upright and kind young man, so this thought merely shed across his mind.


    Before the county magistrate arrived, Qi Haoran had already begun his investigation. By the time the county magistrate arrived, Qi Haoran had already identified 639 people who had either killed or raped girls.


    This number looked a little high, but it was not arge proportion in a team of more than 2,400 people. Qi Haoran only found out after checking that 1,000 of them had only joined this team a few days ago and had not had the time to do evil. There were also some people who either had a conscience or no guts. Hence, they only rushed forward to scare people, but they had never killed anyone.


    Qi Haoran started fretting about what to do with the remaining 1,800 people. Fei Bai came up with a bad idea. ¡°Master, why don¡¯t we just take them all in? These people who follow Feng Yu are all in their prime and don¡¯t have much family. If we bring them back, they can at least form a division.¡±


    Although Qi Haoran was also tempted, he said, ¡°How much manpower do we have? What if they betray us on the way back?¡± Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, ¡°But we can let one person give it a try.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    Qi Haoran grinned. ¡°That leader of the 40,000 people whom we can¡¯t find no matter how hard we investigate. That person can bewitch 40,000 people, among which many are old people. It shouldn¡¯t be difficult for such a person to bewitch these young and strong men.¡±


    Fei Bai was dumbfounded. ¡°But Master, where are we going to find them? And what do we do with these people for now?¡±


    Qi Haoran chuckled and said, ¡°I was originally worried that it would be too slow for the infantry to attack Jiangyou. Now, it seems that we can station an army here. Well guard the remaining 1,800 people first and crush them psychologically first. Then, it¡¯ll be easier to control them.¡±


    ¡°2,000 men watching over 1,800 people? Didn¡¯t you object to this before?¡± Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t help but smack his head. ¡°Previously, I objected because it was impossible for 2,000 people to escort 1,800 people all the way. Now that we have control over their fate, can¡¯t we even keep an eye on them? In at most five days, I¡¯ll be able to find that person..¡±

 Chapter 300 - 300: Capture

    Chapter 300: Capture


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After Qi Haoran killed Feng Yu, he led 20 people to Jiangyou. At the same time, he even sent a letter to Assistant Commander Lu to send another 2,000 people to the town.


    Although there were already rumors that they would not take those people s lives and had even brainwashed them mentally, there might be people who could not help but want to escape. As long as one of them escaped, there would be no stopping itter. Hence, Qi Haoran still made some preparations.


    Mu Shi had already surrounded Jiangyou and Jiang Zhong in the county.


    The rebel army that wanted to return to reinforce Tongchuan Prefecture was


    held back by the garrison.


    In the county, Jiang Zhong looked at the motionless army outside with a dark expression and said, ¡°We can¡¯t wait any longer. We¡¯ll break out tonight. Otherwise, even if they don¡¯t attack the city, we¡¯ll die due to the encirclement.¡±


    At this moment, Qi Haoran, who had just rushed to the camp, also said, ¡°We¡¯ll make a move tonight. You guys have surrounded him for three days and he has already reached his limit. We can¡¯t let him be driven to desperation. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to protect the citizens in the city.


    Although Jiang Zhong had always been polite to the wise and treated themoners well, if forced into a desperate situation, he might resort to threatening Qi Haoran with themoners.


    Qi Haoran was sure that he would notpromise, but it was naturally better if fewer people died.


    ¡°When do we do it?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see when they break out. Let them out and ambush them on the way.¡± ¡°But Jiangyou has a total of four city gates and we only have 2,000 troops. If we split up, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to stop them.


    Qi Haoran looked at the map and said in a low voice, ¡°The mountains in the east are high and dense, but the roads are blocked. If he wants to escape to the south, there¡¯s only one main road. Most importantly, Zitong is not far to the south¡¯ and that ce is still under the control of the Imperial Court. He just escaped from here, so he won¡¯t mess with Zitong.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯S Xingyuan Prefecture to the north, Xiamao County to the south, and Li County to the west. There are even dense forests there where it¡¯s convenient to hide people. Based on Jiang Zhong¡¯s traditionalbat style, he will definitely bring most of the people out from the west gate. The remaining people will break out from the north gate and attract our attention. Therefore, I¡¯ll bring 1,000 people to the west gate, while you bring 800 people to guard the north gate. The remaining 200 people will be spread across the south and east gates, in order to create the illusion that there are many people. These people will only surround the ce but not attack.¡±


    ¡°Little General, is bringing 1,000 men along enough?¡±


    ¡°Besides, Jiang Zhong¡¯s soldiers were randomly gathered in a rush, but they haven¡¯t been trained.¡± Such people were usually cannon fodder on the battlefield. If any random person could go to the battlefield, they wouldn t have to spend so much effort to recruit soldiers and train them.


    ¡°Little General, it¡¯s better not to underestimate the enemy.¡± Mu Shi felt that Qi Haoran was being a little arrogant. After all, the other party had fought a few battles and seen blood.


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± Although he was proud, he was not arrogant. Naturally, he knew that one had to be bold in war but fight cautiously.


    Jiang Zhong led his men to open the west gate. When he heard the shouts from the north gate, he knew that the people he had arranged had already rushed out to fight with the Imperial Court¡¯s army.


    He ordered people to open the west city gate. The soldiers stationed outside clearly did not expect someone to rush out at this moment, so they were stunned for a moment. Jiang Zhong shouted, ¡°Charge out!


    The rebel army charged at the soldiers. The army clearly did not care about the west gate and actually only sent too to 200 people to guard the west gate. When those people saw that they wereing aggressively, they symbolically resisted for a moment before fleeing in all directions. Instead of chasing after them, the rebel army ran forward with Jiang Zhong.


    Jiang Zhong led his men and ran for three miles before he slowly felt that something was amiss. Considering the west city gate was an important ce only second to the north gate, how could they rush out so easily?


    ¡°Stop.¡± Jiang Zhong waved his hand to restrain the team and looked at the two sides of the road suspiciously. Suddenly, he felt that this road was abnormally quiet. His expression immediately changed and he shouted, ¡°Retreat! Retreat quickly!¡±


    However, it was already toote. Arrows shot out from the forest on both sides, and huge rocks even rolled down from the mountain on the left. When Jiang Zhong retreated, he realized that the soldiers who had fled previously had surrounded him again. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t merely loo-odd soldiers like before. It seemed that he had fallen into their trap.


    Jiang Zhong could only draw his sword and shout, ¡°Brothers, let¡¯s fight it out with them!¡±


    However, he did not dare to fight the Imperial Court¡¯s army to the end. Therefore, when it was almost dawn, he saw that there were only 300 to 400 people left on his side, but they could not break through the defense line no matter what. He had no choice but to put down his sword and surrender.


    After Qi Haoran detained them, he began to clean up the battlefield and count the casualties. When everything was settled, Mu Shi also sent a letter informing that dozens of people escaped, but most of them were captured. Qi Haoran nodded and escorted him back to Tongchuan Prefecture. He directly handed him over to Assistant Commander Lu to deal with.


    Jiang Zhong was different from Feng Yu. Qi Haoran could kill a scumbag like Feng Yu without informing the Imperial Court. However, a rebel leader like Jiang Zhong had to be escorted into the capital and be adjudicated by the Emperor.


    Qi Haoran took out the map and asked, ¡°Are there still no traces of those 40,000 people?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Assistant Commander Lu frowned. ¡°It¡¯s as if they¡¯re ghosts. There¡¯s no news of them at all. It¡¯s not like there are 40 to 50 people. This is 40,000 people. How can there be no trace of them at all?¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned. ¡°Are there any fortifications nearby that can hide so many people? For example, theirs of the mountain bandits that were exterminated.¡±


    Assistant Commander Lu felt that Qi Haoran was thinking too much. ¡°When the Imperial Court exterminates bandits, they will destroy the bandit¡¯sir when they leave. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t they be providing convenience to those whoeter?¡±


    Qi Haoran scratched his head. ¡°Since there are old and young among the 40,000 people, it¡¯s impossible for them to stay outside. They must be staying somewhere. Considering this ce is only so big, I don¡¯t believe we can¡¯t find them. Go and ask the magistrate of Tongchuan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve asked, but he doesn¡¯t know anything.¡± Assistant Commander Lu was also a little angry. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t known he¡¯s a magistrate, I would have suspected that he was hiding the people.¡±


    After all, how could 40,000 people not leave any traces behind? Previously, Assistant Commander Lu thought that they were careless and didn¡¯t investigate carefully. But damn it, even after he sent the most impressive scouts, they still couldn¡¯t find any traces.


    Qi Haoran narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Where did they appear for the first time?¡±


    Assistant Commander Lu looked at Qi Haoran strangely. Shouldn¡¯t he be asking about where they appeared thest time?


    However, he still pointed at a point on the map and said, ¡°Here, Zhaohua.¡±


    Qi Haoran instructed, ¡°Send someone to bring back all the captives in the town. I¡¯ll bring people to inquire.¡±


    When Qi Haoran appeared again, he was wearing a set of clothes that he had exchanged for two taels of silver with a beggar in the city. Fei Bai could only smear his face and follow beside him. ¡°Master, are we really not bringing anyone along?¡± Fei Bai advised Qi Haoran as he looked around anxiously.


    Qi Haoran replied calmly, ¡°Aren¡¯t you ¡®someone¡¯?¡±

 Chapter 301 - 301: Search

    Chapter 301: Search


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran had painted his exposed skin sallow. He stood at the foot of the mountain outside Zhaohua City with Fei Bai, like two refugees who had been forced to run away from home. Qi Haoran was only 15 years old this year and was still a youth. Wrapped in a wide beggar¡¯s robe, no one could tell that he was strong. As for Fei Bai, he had always been thin. Although he was two years older than Qi Haoran, he looked about the same age. He was wearing tattered and smelly beggar¡¯s clothes as he followed beside Qi Haoran.


    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to walk normally, but the shoes on his feet were tattered, and the sole of his left shoe was a little damaged. When he walked, it was no different from stepping barefoot on the ground. As there was a lot of gravel on the ground, it hurt too much to walk.


    The two of them walked into the mountain without saying a word. At noon, they dug some grass stems from the ground and stuffed them into their mouths to chew.


    In the evening, Fei Baiy on the grass with his arms and legs spread out. Through the gaps between the leaves, as he looked at the white clouds floating across the sky, he felt that he would be the next white cloud to drift away. He was truly famished, having not eaten a single morsel of food since this morning. That is, unless you counted those grass stems as food.


    Fei Bai turned around and nced at his young master. Seeing that he was working hard to dig out the grass stems, he wanted to cry but had no tears. Since when did his young master like to eat these things so much?


    However, Qi Haoran was even more silent. After digging up the grass stems, he stuffed some into his mouth and threw the rest to Fei Bai. He looked deep into the mountains and thought for a moment before saying to Fei Bai, ¡°Wait for me here. I¡¯ll go in and find something.¡±


    ¡°Master, no, Little Brother, why are you going into the mountains?¡± Fei Bai quickly got up and dissuaded him. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and walk forward. I can¡¯t take the hunger any longer.¡± Fei Bai lowered his voice as he said thest sentence.


    However, this still made Qi Haoran re at him. ¡°I¡¯ll go in and look for wild fruits. Lie here and wait for me.¡±


    How would Fei Bai dare to let Qi Haoran go in alone? If Eldest Young Master found out about this, wouldn¡¯t his skin be peeled off?


    But in the end, he still sumbed to Qi Haoran¡¯s fierce gaze.


    Qi Haoran went into the mountains and only came out after about an hour with some wild fruits wrapped up in his clothes.


    However, these wild fruits were sour and astringent. The more he ate, the hungrier he became. Fei Bai couldn¡¯t eat anymore after eating two. He touched his stomach and thought that he might as well not eat.


    Qi Haoran stuffed one in his mouth as he red at Fei Bai. Fei Bai could only continue eating.


    Qi Haoran had once heard Mu Yangling talk about the tragic lives of refugees. These wild fruits did not look filling, but eating several could indeed make one feel full. At least it served as some nutrition and they could replenish some moisture. At the very least, one wouldn¡¯t starve to death. Therefore, grass stems and wild fruits were things that refugees would choose to eat.


    Qi Haoran had a feeling that he was being targeted. He didn¡¯t believe that after doing so much, the other party would still suspect his identity.


    There were more than 40,000 people, old and young. This meant that the other party was kind-hearted. At the very least, he could not bear to see those old, weak, sick, and disabled people starve to death. To a certain extent, Qi Haoran was also considered one of the weak, right?


    Mm, he¡¯s only 15 this year.


    Qi Haoran walked forward for a while before there was a sudden sound in the grass. He and Fei Bai seemed to be shocked as they widened their eyes and looked at the grass in a daze. Two adults walked out from behind the grass. When they saw the two of them, they burst intoughter and said, ¡°You two brats, you¡¯re lucky we¡¯re not wild boars. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t you be dazedly encircled by wild boars?¡±


    Qi Haoran stared at them nervously and swallowed his saliva. ¡°We¡­ we don¡¯t have anything to eat.¡±


    The other party¡¯s expression changed when he heard his words. ¡°Someone snatched your food? They even snatched the food of two kids? How inhumane.¡± The other narrowed his eyes and sized up Qi Haoran and Fei Bai. He asked, ¡°From your ents, you¡¯re not from Tongchuan Prefecture. Where are you from?¡±


    Fei Bai¡¯s tears were about to fall. He wiped his eyes and said, ¡°We¡¯re from Xingyuan Prefecture. Uncle, if you¡¯re not robbing us, can you give us something to eat?¡±


    Fei Bai¡¯s emotional performance was much better than Qi Haoran¡¯s. After all, he was a servant to begin with. In terms of observation, Qi Haoran was far inferior to him.


    The uncle with narrowed eyes immediately took out a sesame seed cake from his pocket and handed it to Fei Bai. Fei Bai¡¯s eyes lit up and he immediately tore off most of the sesame seed cake for Qi Haoran.


    Qi Haoran frowned but still took it and slowly stuffed it into his mouth.


    The uncle asked with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re from Xingyuan Prefecture? Then why are you here?¡±


    It would have been better if he hadn¡¯t asked. When he did, Fei Bai could only stop eating for the time being. With tears streaming down his face, he said, ¡°My father and mother heard that the grain prices in Tongchuan Prefecture were high, so they collected a lot of corn from our vige and nned to sell it to earn some money. Unexpectedly, just as our cart reached Jiangyou, we were robbed by a group of people. In a bid to protect us while we escaped, my father got shed. We only had a small amount of silver on us and all the things we bought were snatched away. Therefore, we could only leave for Xingyuan Prefecture. Fortunately, my mother didn¡¯te out with us this time¡­


    Fei Bai had already practiced this speech many times. So much so he could even recite it backwards.


    The two adults asked about his family¡¯s situation in Xingyuan Prefecture. Fei Bai simply described the Mu family¡¯s situation. Coupled with the fact that he had gone to the fields with Qi Haoran before, he sounded savvy when he spoke about nting. This caused the two uncles to say enviously, ¡°Xingyuan Prefecture is so lucky to be given corn seeds by General Qi. Although there¡¯s a drought this year, with those corn seeds, at least there¡¯s a way out.¡± When it came to praising his young master, Fei Bai was very eloquent. He said gratefully, ¡°My father also said that if it weren¡¯t for the seeds given by General Qi this year, I¡¯m afraid our family wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive. We didn¡¯t even manage to harvest a single grain of rice, and it¡¯s already not bad if we can breakeven on the wheat.¡±


    The two uncles¡¯ eyes were filled with tears as they said hatefully, ¡°It¡¯s all this damn Imperial Court¡¯s fault. Back then, General Qi gave most of the seeds to the Emperor because he wanted the Emperor to distribute them to themoners. Who knew that the dog Emperor would actually pocket them with the aristocratic families? Instead of being considerate of themoners, the Emperor only cared about his own interests. The country is not far from perishing.¡±


    Fei Bai¡¯s eyes widened. Even Qi Haoran was stunned. Two ordinary-looking uncles actually were so knowledgeable?


    Thinking that they had frightened the two children, the two uncles wiped their tears and said, ¡°Forget it, what¡¯s the point of talking about this? Fortunately, we have a Celestial Master descending to the mortal world to save us. Brothers, why don¡¯t youe with us? Although Tongchuan Prefecture and Xingyuan Prefecture are connected, it takes a long time to walk between the two. Since you don¡¯t have anything to eat and there is chaos everywhere, why don¡¯t you rest here for the time being and leave after things calm down?¡±


    Fei Bai looked at them warily. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re dragging us away to eat us?¡± The two unclesughed loudly and said, ¡°How much meat can the two of you have when you¡¯re so thin? Don¡¯t worry, we don¡¯t eat humans.¡± ¡°Then, do you have anything to eat?¡± Fei Bai swallowed his saliva and asked. The two uncles looked at the two children sympathetically and nodded. ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t guarantee that you¡¯ll be full, but you definitely won¡¯t starve.¡± Fei Bai heaved a sigh of relief and tugged at Qi Haoran. ¡°Then let¡¯s go. We can only work when we have strength.¡±


    The two uncles nodded with a smile and left with Fei Bai and Qi Haoran. On the way, one of the uncles looked at Qi Haoran and asked Fei Bai, ¡°Why doesn¡¯t your younger brother like to talk?¡±


    Fei Bai¡¯s eyes turned red again. He said dejectedly, ¡°At that time, my father pushed me away. When he saw that my younger brother couldn¡¯t get away from the bad guys, he went back to save him and pounced on him. With one sh, he¡­ After that, my younger brother didn¡¯t like to talk much.


    So his temperament had changed drastically after seeing his father die trying to save him. The two uncles nodded to themselves.


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes in his heart, for this was not what they had agreed on previously. But he decided to forget about it and let Fei Bai say whatever he wanted..

 Chapter 302 - 302: Thinking

    Chapter 302: Thinking


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Of the two uncles who brought Qi Haoran and the others in, one was called Shi Zhu and the other was called Yuan Xing. Although they did not say anything, Qi Haoran noticed that Shi Zhu and Yuan Xing were probably patrolling previously. Although they did not meet anyone along the way, Yuan Xing would make a gesture every time they arrived at a location. Although it was not obvious, it did not escape his eyes.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes darkened. It seemed that they had indeed found the right ce. Those people were hiding on the mountain outside Zhaohua City. However, it was strange. Why couldn¡¯t they find any traces when they sent their men to search Tongchuan Prefecture previously?


    Yuan Xing led Qi Haoran deeper into the mountains. Then, the two of them saw a huge creature built in the valley. That¡¯s right, it was a huge creature.


    From their angle, they could look down on the entire valley. If someone told Qi Haoran that this was a city, he would believe it. The houses below were all built with stone, and there was a city wall outside that was also made of stone. From here, he could see that there were people moving around in the city.


    Fei Bai¡¯s mouth was also wide open in shock. Then, his heart trembled. He felt that they were done for. His master had walked into a trap. How could they escape from such a city?


    Fei Bai could not help but curse the county magistrate in his heart. He actually did not know that a city had been built in the mountains?


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes darkened even more as he quickly thought about it. This was definitely a rebellion. Could it be that he had guessed wrongly from the beginning?


    But who would bring the old, weak, sick, and disabled along in a rebellion?


    Qi Haoran followed the two of them down the mountain without batting an eyelid. However, Fei Bai¡¯s eyes were wide open, and he looked like he was stammering and unable to speak. Shi Zhuughed and patted his shoulder. ¡°How is it? Are you frightened? Come, I¡¯ll bring you in. Since you¡¯re here, you don¡¯t have to worry about not having food anymore. As long as you¡¯re willing to work here, you¡¯ll definitely be able to eat your fill.¡±


    However, Yuan Xing looked at Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran¡¯s originally expressionless face was also filled with surprise as he looked around. Relieved, Yuan Xing brought the two of them in to register.


    Although Qi Haoran was already 15 years old, he was still ssified as a minor. Therefore, he was sent to the group of elderly and kids, while Fei Bai was arranged to stay with young people around his age.


    Even though Fei Bai said that Qi Haoran would be 16 next year, Yuan Xing did not agree to let him join the youth group because they had to do plenty of heavy chores there. The Celestial Master was very strict about this.


    Qi Haoran was very satisfied with this arrangement. Among the group of elderly and kids, he quickly blended in and found out some information.


    Then, Qi Haoran almost jumped up in shock.


    This valley, which Qi Haoran had thought was a city, was just a mining and smelting nt. It mined silver ore and refined silver ore.


    Qi Haoran felt that he had really shot himself in the foot. Realizing he had indeed underestimated his enemy this time, he looked at the heavens in grief and indignation.


    Fan Zijin also looked at the heavens in grief and indignation. He red at Qi Haoran¡¯s bodyguard, who hade to deliver the letter, and said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t your master arrange it himself?¡±


    The bodyguard shrunk his neck and whispered, ¡°Our master originally wanted to arrange it himself, but he was suddenly transferred to quell the rebellion. He simply didn¡¯t have the time.¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted and looked at the letter on the table. Gritting his teeth, he finally waved his hand and said, ¡°Get lost. I understand.¡±


    The bodyguard hurriedly bowed and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±


    Fan Zijin picked up the letter on the table and pondered for a while. In the end, he still went to decorate the cattle farm that Qi Haoran had chosen for Mu Yangling.


    If not for the fact that his bodyguard hade, he would not have known that Qi Haoran nned to gift this plot ofnd to Mu Yangling. Previously, when Qi Haoran asked him to look for the magistrate of Hanzhong Prefecture, he¡¯d thought that he nned to use this piece ofnd to expand his horse farm. Who knew that he was nning to give Mu Yangling this as her birthday gift?


    Why didn¡¯t he receive such treatment on his birthday?


    Every time he celebrated his birthday, Qi Haoran would just get him some random present. Also, he didn¡¯t seem to care much about Eldest Cousin¡¯s birthday. Fan Zijin had thought that he would be like that for the rest of his life. So, it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t care about birthday gifts, but simply that it depended on whose birthday it was.


    Although Fan Zijin nagged, he still did his best to set up the ce ording to Qi Haoran¡¯s request. When Mu Yangling came to Hanzhong Prefecture again, he brought her over to take a look at the cattle farm that had already been built and said, ¡°This is Haoran¡¯s birthday gift to you.¡±


    Mu Yangling widened her eyes and said, ¡°It¡¯s been five days since my birthday.¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted and lied through his teeth. ¡°Of course I know. However, I was discussing business with someone else previously and forgot about this matter. You didn¡¯te to Hanzhong Prefecture, so I kept it until now.¡±


    In reality, Qi Haoran originally wanted to gift Mu Yangling a plot ofnd that was not far from his ranch. However, because he could not personally deliver it to Mu Yangling, he felt guilty, so he decided to also build a house in the cattle ranch for Mu Yangling.


    After all, since she was raising cows, there had to be a cowshed, a storeroom, and so on.


    After Fan Zijin received Qi Haoran¡¯s letter, he worked overtime to get it ready for him. He finally finished building 20 cowsheds and three stone houses for Mu Yangling today.


    Because he needed it done urgently, Fan Zijin paid a lot more money. Even the materials were snatched from others.


    Mu Yangling did not expect Qi Haoran to give her such a big gift. For a moment, she was stunned and did not know what to say.


    Fan Zijin did not disturb her and handed the deed to the cattle farm to her. ¡°This is a token of Haoran¡¯s appreciation, take it.¡±


    Fan Zijin turned to leave, but stopped after taking two steps. Without looking back, he said, ¡°I understand Haoran¡¯s thoughts. You should also understand. Don¡¯t let him down.¡±


    Mu Yangling frowned as she watched Fan Zijin leave. She sat on the grass and supported her chin as she looked at the circled grasnd.


    Qi Haoran was very generous. Probably because this was a grasnd to begin with, he had reserved nearly 300 acres ofnd for her in one go. However, no matter how worthless thisnd was, 300 acres ofnd was not cheap.


    On Qi Haoran¡¯s birthday, she had only given him some ordinary item worth less than 20 taels.


    She also knew that Qi Haoran cared about her. She was not blind. In the past year, Qi Haoran¡¯s temper had been getting worse and worse, so she could naturally sense it.


    But then again, he was only 15, and she was only 12. At this age, she wouldn¡¯t think too far ahead.


    Secondly, the family backgrounds of the two families were too vastly different. Her father was a soldier under Qi Haoran¡¯smand. If Qi Haoran was her father¡¯s subordinate instead, that would be more like it¡­


    Mu Yangling had never believed that in reality, Cindere could live happily with the prince. She believed in marrying within one¡¯s ss.


    Not to mention their family backgrounds, Mu Yangling also felt that she and Qi Haoran were notpatible as individuals.


    She had a bad temper, but Qi Haoran had an even worse temper. The two of them had quarreled quite a bit in the past two years. Yes, there were also fights that one might call spars.


    In terms of ability, although she had been a soldier in her previous life and had gone to military school, she could fight alone, help out as a scout, or even give some suggestions about the soldier¡¯s training. However, when it came to leading troops to war, Mu Yangling felt that she was far inferior to Qi Haoran, who had alreadymanded several battles and been to the battlefield.


    Most importantly, Qi Haoran clearly aspired to be a great general. On the other hand, she was looking to make a career in agriculture and animal husbandry. In the future, she would nt wheat and rice, and raise rabbits, cows, and even sheep. She could not imagine what it would be like for the two of them to get together..

 Chapter 303 - 303: Yuan Hui

    Chapter 303: Yuan Hui


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    But if she and Qi Haoran weren¡¯tpatible, what kind of person was suitable for her?


    Mu Yangling thought for a long time but couldn¡¯t figure it out. In the end, she decided to let nature take its course. Forget it, there would be a way out when the time came. Perhaps before she even had to reject him, Qi Xiuyuan would already have made Qi Haoran dispel those thoughts.


    However, having received such a grand birthday gift from Qi Haoran this time, what gift should she return next time?


    Mu Yangling had a headache. At this moment, Qi Haoran looked at Yuan Hui expressionlessly¡­ Master, if this 25-year-old monk could be considered a master.


    Yuan Hui looked at Qi Haoran gently and said, ¡°Young Master, you have a full forehead signifying a lifetime of wealth. Logically speaking, you shouldn¡¯t be stranded here. Mm, despite having a faint rtionship with your father, you have deep brotherhood ties. Young Master, you¡¯re very lucky.¡±


    Yuan Hui¡¯s eyes sparkled as he sized up Qi Haoran. In the end, he concluded, ¡°Young Master definitely shouldn¡¯t have fallen into such a state.¡± He asked in confusion, ¡°Can I take a look at your palm?


    The corners of Qi Haoran¡¯s lips twitched. Since he could guess that someone like him shouldn¡¯t end up in such a state, why couldn¡¯t he guess that he had infiltrated?


    Since he was already here, Qi Haoran decided to just show him his palm.


    Yuan Hui held his hand in satisfaction and looked at it. He said happily, ¡°Young Master, you have excellent palm lines. Although you¡¯re not cut out to be a schr, you have the makings of a martial marquis. If you join the army, you will definitely be a great general.¡±


    Yuan Hui hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Young Master, do you have other brothers? I¡¯m not referring to the one who came with you.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at him meaningfully and said, ¡°I still have another elder brother.¡±


    Yuan Hui heaved a sigh of relief. As expected, he had calcted correctly. He looked at the young man in front of him with a conflicted expression. Should he take this opportunity to curry favor with him?


    As soon as this thought appeared, Yuan Hui hurriedly despised himself. How could a monk behave in a subservient manner?


    Yuan Hui puffed out his chest to show that he had a backbone.


    Just as Qi Haoran was about to say something, the door was pushed open forcefully. A ck tower-like figure walked in quickly. When he saw Qi Haoran in front of Yuan Hui, he asked with a frown, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Seeing the wariness in his eyes, Qi Haoran took a step back and lowered his head. ¡°I¡¯m here to deliver clothes to the Celestial Master. He offered to read my fortune and see how my future luck is.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± ck Tower narrowed his eyes and looked at him as he slowly asked,


    ¡°Then what did Celestial Master say?¡±


    Yuan Hui frowned, but he still didn¡¯t say anything. Qi Haoran didn¡¯t even raise his head as he replied, ¡°Celestial Master said that I will be a rich person thanks to my big brother in the future.¡± Qi Haoran raised his head and revealed a mouthful of white teeth. His eyes sparkled as he said, ¡°In the future, I won¡¯t have to worry about starving anymore.¡±


    ck Towerughed loudly, and patted Qi Haoran¡¯s shoulder with hisrge hand, saying, ¡°Good luck. Without having to rely on your big brother, you don¡¯t have to go hungry now. Alright, you can leave. I¡¯ll call you if I need anything.¡± Qi Haoran retreated. When he closed the door, his footsteps could not help but slow down and lighten. In the room, ck Tower warned, ¡°Celestial Master, if there¡¯s nothing important, it¡¯s best not to summon outsiders¡­


    It turned out that the Celestial Master was not free to act as he pleased.


    Qi Haoran started analyzing the situation in his heart. The people in the city seemed to be very convinced by the Celestial Master. Then, did they know that the Celestial Master was being controlled?


    When Fei Bai saw Qi Haoran return, he heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly pulled him to a secluded ce. He said in a low voice, ¡°Master, I¡¯ve asked around. Other than the Celestial Master, everyone here listens to Tang Jing. Tang Jing is the tall guy who looks like a ck tower. 1 heard that he used to work in the silver mine¡­ Master, this ce is too dangerous. There are nearly 8,000 young adults here. Let¡¯s think of a way to leave, okay?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Fei Bai said happily, ¡°You agreed?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°But we have to bring the people here out too. At least, we have to bring these 8,000 young men out.¡±


    Fei Bai looked at Qi Haoran in a daze. Was this a dream, or was this a dream?


    Fei Bai was about to go crazy. There were only two of them!


    Qi Haoran used facts to prove that he was not dreaming.


    Yuan Hui was controlled by Tang Jing. Although he was smiley, it didn¡¯t mean that he was willing to be treated as a puppet. How long could Tang Jing let Yuan Hui be the supreme god of this city?


    The conflict between the two was already very obvious. If Yuan Hui didn t do anything, the only fate that awaited him was an ascension to the heavens, just like the ascension of Buddha.


    Hence, Qi Haoran approached Yuan Hui when he went out and told him that he should cooperate with him if he wanted to obtain freedom.


    Yuan Hui agreed without any hesitation, making Qi Haoran, who had prepared a lot of excuses, unable to react for a moment. However, Yuan Hui seemed to have seen through him and said, ¡°I knew long ago that someone woulde to save me and these 40,000 people. And since you¡¯re the brother of the Son of Destiny, I can¡¯t go wrong following you.¡±


    Qi Haoran went crazy after a moment of shock. Son of Destiny? It mustn¡¯t be what he thought.


    He and his Big Brother were dedicated to serving the Imperial Court and dying for the Great Zhou. Qi Haoran red at Yuan Hui and wondered if he should end this person after leaving this ce.


    However, Yuan Hui seemed to know what Qi Haoran was thinking and said directly, ¡°Young Master, don¡¯t worry. I definitely won¡¯t tell anyone about this, except your big brother.¡±


    Qi Haoran took a deep breath and said, ¡°If you¡¯re not afraid of death, go ahead and say it. Even if my big brother has a good temper, he won¡¯t let you off.¡±


    However, Yuan Hui said firmly, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely tell him when I¡¯m certain he won¡¯t kill me. Of course, I¡¯ll be even happier if you can tell your big brother before I do.¡±


    ¡®Then you will die even faster.¡¯ Qi Haoran swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and said, ¡°Be prepared. We will only bring those 8,000 young men out. After we deal with them, we wille back to pick up thesemoners.¡±


    Yuan Hui nodded as if he was not worried about how Qi Haoran would deal with them at all. He only looked at the starry sky in worry and said, ¡°The world is about to change, but the Emperor still doesn¡¯t know how dangerous it is.


    Sigh¡ª¡±


    Qi Haoran wondered what the Emperor would do to Yuan Hui if he handed him over to the Imperial Court.


    ¡°Did you people rob so many grain warehouses because of what you said to Tang Jing?¡±


    There was a hint of sadness in Yuan Hui¡¯s eyes. ¡°Everyone aspires to greatness in their hearts, but few know the number of lives that would be sacrificed in order to achieve it. In the past, Tang Jing was very loyal and treated his brothers well. Although his methods were a little ruthless, he never bullied themoners for no reason. I didn¡¯t expect certain words to affect him so much.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you still say it?¡±


    Yuan Hui looked at Qi Haoran with even more sadness in his eyes. ¡°But I just couldn¡¯t help it. Sometimes, I want to cut off this tongue, but I can¡¯t bring myself to do it. Master said that someday I¡¯ll die because of this mouth of mine. I¡¯ve been waiting for that person to kill me.¡±


    Qi Haoran opened his mouth wide, feeling that he had most likely met a lunatic. Yet, this lunatic was praised as a Celestial Master and everyone obeyed his words.


    Qi Haoran scratched his head and decided to stop killing any of his brain cells. He said, ¡°Then be prepared. Don¡¯t worry, as long as they don¡¯t resist, we definitely won¡¯t kill anyone..¡¯<sup>1</sup>

 Chapter 304 - 304: Pulling In the Net

    Chapter 304: Pulling In the Net


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The Celestial Master said that tomorrow was an auspicious day, so Tang Jing decided to go and destroy the granary in Nanjiang tomorrow. It was a small granary, so they didn¡¯t have to mobilize all of them this time. In the past, in order to prevent Tang Jing from abandoning the old, weak, sick, and disabled in the city, Yuan Hui would definitely suggest that everyonee along.


    However this time, he didn¡¯t mention it.


    When Tang Jing looked at him in confusion, Yuan Hui said with a smile, ¡°Since Nanjiang isn¡¯t far from here, we can go back and forth in a day. Even if you want to abandon them, you won¡¯t have enough time.


    Tang Jing¡¯s expression was a little ugly. He reached out to hold his neck and asked sinisterly, ¡°Can¡¯t you turn off your mind-reading ability? Didn¡¯t anyone warn you that you would die because of this one day?¡±


    Yuan Hui shook his head. ¡°My master said that I¡¯ll die because of my mouth in


    the end.¡±


    Tang Jing¡¯s face twisted and he gritted his teeth. ¡°What¡¯s the difference?


    Sometimes, I really want to pull out your tongue.


    Sighing, Yuan Hui said, ¡°I also want you to pull it out, but I know you can¡¯t bear to. Therefore, I can only continue to suffer in this world.¡±


    Yuan Hui had known since he was young that he was different from others. Ever since he was picked up by his master, the senior brothers in the temple adored him very much. However, ever since he started learning how to speak, the senior brothers gradually disliked him. He knew that it was all because of this mouth, but he could not control it.


    He had to answer whatever others asked. He couldn¡¯t not say it, nor could he


    lie. This feeling was really painful.


    Therefore, he could only leave the temple that had raised him for nearly 20 years. However, when he came out, his situation was even worse. He really hoped that someone would pull out his tongue. After that, he should be able to live a stable life.


    However, no one was willing to do it because they needed his mouth. Of course, he could not do it himself because he was terrified of pain.


    Yuan Hui nced at Tang Jing pitifully. Fortunately, Tang Jing didn¡¯t know him well enough. If it were his senior and junior brothers, they would definitely ask if they would encounter any cmity on their way and if they could survive it.


    If Tang Jing asked him this question, he felt that his mouth would definitely tell him that he would be attacked on the way and that he might not be able to break out¡­


    Of course, since Tang Jing didn¡¯t ask, he didn¡¯t tell him. Hence, Qi Haoran¡¯s troops sessfully surrounded the 8,000 people who had just walked out of


    the mountain.


    This time, Assistant Commander Lu and Mu Shi led the troops together. 15,000 people coldly aimed their sabers and guns at the 8,000 people they were surrounding in the middle.


    Tang Jing¡¯s face was pale. They only had hoes and wooden sticks, but he wasn¡¯t willing to give up just like that, so he shouted, ¡°Brothers, let¡¯s rush out!¡± The 8,000 people began to mor, and the situation suddenly changed. Everyone nervously gripped the weapons in their hands as a Buddhist promation suddenly sounded.


    ¡°Amitabha!¡±


    It was just a soft sound, but everyone couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved. Tang Jing looked at Yuan Hui hatefully. He knew Yuan Hui¡¯s ability. If they were to encounter such a huge cmity, how could he not have anticipated it?


    Yuan Hui took a step forward, turned around, and said to the 8,000 young men, ¡°This is where everyone belongs.¡±


    One of the younger ones immediately cried and shouted helplessly, ¡°Celestial Master, I don¡¯t want to die! I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡±


    Many people¡¯s eyes turned red.


    Yuan Hui smiled and looked at them lovingly. He said gently, ¡°Who said that you would die? Silly children, I¡¯m saying that your ce is in the army, not to constantly hide from the officials and live a life where you can¡¯t see the light of day!¡±


    Everyone was obviously stunned.


    Assistant Commander Lu took the opportunity to get the soldiers to shout, ¡°Those who put down your weapons will not be killed!


    ¡°Yuan Hui!¡± Tang Jing roared. ¡°You betrayed me!¡±


    Yuan Hui shook his head and said sympathetically, ¡°How can I betray you when I¡¯ve never been loyal to you? My original intention was just to hope that these innocent people can survive. Now that the Imperial Court¡¯s army has already found them, if you lead them to fight for their lives without weapons or rations, how long do you think they can live? General Qi has already promised us that as long as they don¡¯t resist, they won¡¯t be killed. Those who are willing to join the army can even follow him. At least they won¡¯t starve or freeze in the future. Those who aren¡¯t willing to join the army can just take the travelpensation and return to their hometown.¡±


    ¡°Tang Jing, a general¡¯s sess is worth tens of thousands of lives, while the position of the ruler is exchanged using the lives of countless people.


    Tang Jing red at him. ¡°Now that the Emperor of Great Zhou is sitting on his throne, aren¡¯t we suffering? Look outside and see how many people have starved to death on the way. What is the Emperor of Great Zhou doing? He¡¯s embracing beauties in the Pce of Spring Mountain! What right has he?¡± Yuan Hui shook his head and sighed. ¡°Although you have lofty ideals, you don¡¯t have any aspirations. You¡¯re also too narrow-minded. You¡¯re not even as good as the Emperor of Great Zhou when ites to politics.¡±


    Perhaps this was the truth, but to say such things to a narrow-minded person was undoubtedly courting death. Hence, Tang Jing roared angrily as he stabbed


    Yuan Hui¡¯s heart.


    Qi Haoran snatched a wooden stick from someone beside him and blocked his sword. In an instant, he started fighting Tang Jing.


    Although Tang Jing was a strong adult who had fought many times, in terms of sparring skills, he really couldn¡¯tpare to Qi Haoran, who sparred every day. Hence, in just 12 moves, Qi Haoran managed to strike his arm with a stick. The sword in his hand fell and the stick hit his leg, causing him to involuntarily kneel down.


    Assistant Commander Lu immediately got someone to go forward and tie him up. At the same time, he gagged him.


    Now that the leader had been seized, the remaining people were persuaded by the Celestial Master to submit. Everyone threw away the weapons in their hands.


    Qi Haoran got someone to tally the numbers while bringing his men to bring out the remaining people in the city.


    At this moment, Qi Haoran finally realized how sharp-tongued Yuan Hui was. Initially, they were worried that these 40,000 people would mutiny. After all, there were only 15,000 of them here. Although these 40,000 people were imprisoned separately, there were nearly 10,000 people in a group.


    However, the Celestial Master only said a few words on the stage, and the people below sobbed and expressed that they would cherish their lives and definitely not go against the Imperial Court¡¯s army.


    ording to the statistics, 23,000 people wanted to leave, including more than 2,000 young and strong men. Most of them brought their families with them and were about to leave after taking the food distributed.


    Of course, Qi Haoran would not let 23,000 people go at once. What if they gathered together halfway?


    Therefore, he would only release some people every once in a while. In addition, the remaining people had to be incorporated. Hence, some time was wasted here.


    As for Yuan Hui, Qi Haoran had already asked Mu Shi to escort him back to Tongchuan Prefecture and ask him to persuade the 1,800 prisoners to surrender.


    Assistant Commander Lu looked at the group of old and weak people and frowned. He persuaded Qi Haoran earnestly, ¡°Little General, never mind those young and strong men. But why did you also take in the old, weak, women, and children? Our army can¡¯t afford to raise so many people.¡±


    Although their West Camp¡¯s corn harvest this year was considered good, there were also many soldiers.. Considering these old, weak, women, and children could not go to the battlefield, wouldn¡¯t the grains be wasted on them?

 Chapter 305 - 305: Divide the People

    Chapter 305: Divide the People


    Trantor: As Studios | Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran had always remembered what Mu Yangling¡¯s words. What this eracked was notnd and grains, butbor and advanced farming techniques and seeds.


    Although there was a good mix of elderly, kids, and women among them, they all had good farming potential.


    Hence, Qi Haoran smiled and said, ¡°Since there¡¯s so muchnd in Hanzhong Prefecture, let them nt it. They¡¯ll be able to support themselves next year.¡± But they¡¯ll also consume a lot of grains over one winter. There are more than 12,000 people here. Assistant Commander Lu said anxiously, ¡°Little General, let¡¯s report this matter to the General. Although thend in Hanzhong Prefecture is deste, it¡¯s not under our West Camp¡¯s name.¡±


    Back then, when the Hu people entered the pass, many people in Hanzhong Prefecture fled south, leaving thosends deste. Later on, the nobles of the Jin Kingdom used them to raise sheep and horses. After the Great Zhou took thend back, they were transferred to the state. Although the poption of Hanzhong Prefecture had been increasing, it had increased at a very slow speed, so not muchnd was distributed.


    However, even if they couldn¡¯t distribute thend, the government office wouldn¡¯t give it to the West Camp.


    But Qi Haoran already had an idea in his heart. ¡°Bring them back. When the timees, half of the 12,000 people will go to Hanzhong Prefecture and the other half will be enlisted into the army.¡± After a pause, he said, ¡°That half refers to the 12,000 people. Those 6,000 young men will all be enlisted into the army.¡±


    Assistant Commander Lu¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Will Magistrate Fang agree?¡±


    Magistrate Fang was the magistrate of Hanzhong Prefecture and had only been in office for a year.


    Qi Haoran chuckled. ¡°He¡¯ll definitely agree. Hanzhong Prefecture has only expanded by more than 300 households a year. If I give him 6,000 people at once, he¡¯ll be more than pleased with such a political achievement. Besides, the corn seeds are still in our hands.¡±


    Although Qi Xiuyuan had given the local governments corn seeds, there were not many of them. Most of them were still in the hands of the military. Therefore, if Magistrate Fang wanted the seeds, he had to build a good rtionship with the West Camp.


    It had to be known that in the annual political performance assessment, the increase in poption and the production of grains were the two most important assessment factors.


    When Assistant Commander Lu heard Qi Haoran¡¯s words, he waspletely relieved. His expression towards the 10,000-odd refugees also improved a lot. At least they weren¡¯t making a huge loss.


    Assistant Commander Lu was originally worried about losing money, but when he took them back to Hanzhong Prefecture, he realized that not only did they not lose money, they even seemed to have profited.


    As Qi Xiuyuan was recruiting troops, he had to pay for the recruitment. It wasmonly known as the settlement fee, and he had to pay each person at least two taels of silver.


    However, when he saw the 6,000 strong men that Qi Haoran had brought back, Qi Xiuyuan immediately got someone to pack up and stop the recruiting. What a joke. He saved 12,000 taels of silver in an instant.


    As for the old, weak, women, and children, Qi Xiuyuan did not mind. He took them to Hanzhong Prefecture and spoke to Magistrate Fang about it.


    Overjoyed to see so many people, Magistrate Fang immediately offered a high price for the 8,000 people. Of course, in return, he could give the West Camp three times as many military fields.


    Qi Xiuyuan was about to agree, but Qi Haoran, who happened toe to watch the battle, quickly blinked. Qi Xiuyuan changed his mind and shook his head. ¡°8,000 people is too many. 5,000 at most.¡± He paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°There are many families among them, so of course we can¡¯t split them up. 5,000-odd is fine.¡±


    Magistrate Fang was so angry that his beard twitched. There were at most four or five people in each family who had fled with their families. That was just a fraction of the thousands of people discussed here.


    Magistrate Fang felt that Qi Xiuyuan was too petty.


    ¡°The elders in those families are already in their sixties, and the younger ones are only five or six years old. There isn¡¯t even a young man in his prime in those families. What use does the West Camp have for them?¡± Magistrate Fang said unhappily, ¡°It¡¯s not like they can go to the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°Farming.¡± With a sigh, Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°Sir, as you can see, the borders have been unstable this year. Not only do the soldiers have to train in the army, but now, they also have to be responsible for their own rations and military sry. Manpower is needed to produce those rations? That¡¯s why they have to farm. Although this group of people consist of the old and young, they are tough after what they¡¯ve been through. Even kids can go to the fields at the age of six. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I don¡¯t have anynd, I wouldn¡¯t be willing to exchange thisbor with you.¡±


    Magistrate Fang frowned. ¡°But seeing as it¡¯s almost winter, food and amodation are a problem for these people. Does the West Camp have enough grains?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan s eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s why I need your help.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Magistrate Fang waved his hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m also fretting over here. Although the situation in Hanzhong Prefecture is better than Tongchuan Prefecture, there are also manymoners whock food and need relief.¡± At this point, Magistrate Fang rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Speaking of this, I remember the grasnd sheep business in Hanzhong Prefecture. Last year, ady bought mutton from Hanzhong Prefecture and saved manymoners from hunger and cold. I heard that thatdy is General Qi¡¯s subordinate?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan knew that he was talking about Mu Yangling. Mu Yangling¡¯s mutton businessst year was indeed carried out on arge scale. At first, it was only 400 to 500 taels of silver, then 1,000 taels of silver, then 4,000 taels of silver, before growing to more than 10,000 taels of silver. The mutton business only stopped when nting season began in spring.


    As there were not many people in Hanzhong Prefecture, there was not much farmingnd. Therefore, the grass seeds that had been nted in the fields previously thrived in spring. Thosemoners who had a taste of the benefits started raising sheep while farming. In any case, the Imperial Court was not like the Jin Kingdom who restricted them from farming or raising sheep.


    Who wouldn¡¯t like an extra source of profits?


    ¡°Are you talking about Ah Ling? That child is even more ambitious now and is tinkering with raising cows. Look, she has already bought a plot ofnd in Hanzhong Prefecture to build a cattle farm.¡± Qi Xiuyuan shook his head and said, ¡°But that plot ofnd is only 300 acres. How many cows can she raise?¡± Magistrate Fang was stunned. ¡°Why does Miss Mu like these Hu things so much? First it¡¯s sheep, and now it¡¯s cows?¡±


    Magistrate Fang frowned slightly. Although he hoped that Mu Yangling could buy more sheep to help the people under his rule survive another winter, it did not mean that he supported raising sheep and cows. It was fine since there was morend than people in Hanzhong Prefecture now, but should the poption increase in the future and everyone still did this without nting grains, wouldn¡¯t that shake the foundation of the country?


    ¡°Magistrate Fang, you¡¯ve misunderstood.¡± Qi Haoran hurriedly exined, ¡°Ah Ling doesn¡¯t raise cows for milk or ughter, but water buffaloes or cattle that can help with farming.¡±


    Seeing that his big brother was also surprised, he said, ¡°She feels that the profits from nting are too low at present. Firstly, it¡¯s because of the seeds. Secondly, it¡¯s because of the nting techniques. Thirdly, it¡¯s because thebor is all tied to thend. The efficiency of farming is too low, making meticulous farming difficult.¡±


    Hearing Qi Haoran mention farming, Magistrate Fang couldn¡¯t help but sit up straight. His eyes lit up as he asked, ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way to improve the seeds and nting technology for the time being. We have to do it step by step, but there¡¯s a clear direction to improve thebor force. If every family had a plowing ox¡­¡± Qi Haoran did not have to finish his sentence and Magistrate Fang and Qi Xiuyuan already understood what he was trying to say.


    Nowadays, plowing in the fields required manpower. Sometimes, it took two people to pull the plow, plus another person to support the plow. That meant that threeborers were held up at once. However, it was different if they had an ox. One ox could rece twoborers, or even more.


    After all, an ox¡¯s endurance was much stronger than a human¡¯s..

 Chapter 306 - 306: Dividing the Land

    Chapter 306: Dividing the Land


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Magistrate Fang paced around the study excitedly and asked Qi Haoran with bright eyes, ¡°But even if she managed to raise the oxen, no one would have the money to buy it?¡±


    ¡°Ah Ling said that she can rent it to them.¡±


    Magistrate Fang pped his hands and threw outpliments as if they were free. ¡°Wonderful person! General Qi, You have a wonderful person under you!¡± The corners of Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Magistrate Fang, Ah Ling only has 300 acres ofnd. Even if she wants to raise oxen, she can¡¯t raise much¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Isn¡¯t it justnd? I¡¯ll give it to her.¡± Magistrate Fang said generously, ¡°But after she seeded in raising the oxen, she has to rent 100 oxen to our government office first. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t bargain down the rent. I¡¯ll pay as much as the others. Also,moners have the same rental rights as military households. You can¡¯t be biased towards military households just because she belongs to a military household.¡±


    The corners of Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask Ah Ling for her opinion on that. However, I can help you agree to the 100 oxen for the government office.¡±


    Seeing that Magistrate Fang was still not satisfied, Qi Xiuyuan said with a smile, ¡°Since Magistrate Fang can find out that Ah Ling is my subordinate, you should know that that child has always been soft-hearted and can¡¯t bear to see others suffer.¡±


    When Magistrate Fang heard this, he immediately felt relieved. When he came to officest autumn, there were many things waiting to be done. Although business in the Hanzhong Prefecture was thriving, themoners outside the city were living a different life.


    Although Magistrate Fang was not an upright and honest official, he still hadpassion. However, Qi Xiuyuan had moved away everything in the treasury before he came. Of course, Qi Xiuyuan had said that the Jin soldiers had moved the things away when they retreated, but he didn¡¯t quite buy it. It would be strange if the Jin soldiers had the time to move all the rice in the granary in the midst of escaping.


    Of course, he could not find any evidence.


    Since he could not find any evidence, he could not ask Qi Xiuyuan for grams. He could only force the merchants to pay more taxes or bribe him. Then, he would use the money to buy grains from the merchants to help the people.


    However, there was only so much money. Considering there were 12 counties and 32 towns under Hanzhong Prefecture, how could he save them?


    Just as Magistrate Fang was certain he was going to get fired, Mu Yangling came to buy the sheep. Of course, he didn¡¯t realize it at first. By the time he realized it, Mu Yangling¡¯s business had already grown to the scale of 10,000 taels per deal.


    The people under Hanzhong Prefecture had safely survived that winter, so Magistrate Fang wanted to establish a long-term cooperation with Mu Yangling. However, when he sent someone to look for her, he realized that she was not amoner, but belonged to a military household instead. Also, she had a good rtionship with Brother Qi Xiuyuan. Therefore, he temporarily suppressed his ns.


    At that time, he didn¡¯t know Qi Xiuyuan well. His intuition told him that Mu Yangling was doing this on behalf of the Qi brothers. After all, how could a military household fork out so much money?


    Since Qi Xiuyuan nned to do a good deed anonymously, there was no need for him to express his gratitude.


    However, after a year, he had more or less figured out that the youngdy was conducting the business alone. Therefore, Magistrate Fang nned to continue working with her, hoping that Mu Yangling would continue to buy sheep for another year.


    She was a soft-hearted girl. Previously, she had steeled her heart and lowered the price to 1 tael 500 copper coins. However, after seeing the living conditions of thosemoners, she actually raised the price.


    If it were him, Magistrate Fang felt that he would definitely take the opportunity to lower the price to less than 1 tael 200 copper coins. Therefore, the not-so-noble Magistrate Fang liked the noble Mu Yangling very much. Hearing Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s answer, Magistrate Fang nodded and thought to himself, ¡®If it doesn¡¯t work out, I¡¯ll get thosemoners to beg her at the cattle ranch in tattered clothes. I don¡¯t believe she can be so hard-hearted as to not rent the oxen to them.¡¯


    On the other hand, Qi Haoran was more concerned about how many acres ofnd Magistrate Fang nned to give Mu Yangling. The corners of Magistrate Fang¡¯s mouth twitched as he said, ¡°Little General, I didn¡¯t say that I would give it to her. I¡¯m renting out thend to her.¡±


    Qi Haoran was unhappy. ¡°How much will that cost? Ah Ling spent all her money buying the calves. If she has to spend more money to rentnd, how many oxen will she have to raise? Magistrate Fang, you just said that you are very supportive of farming. So you were just paying lip service. If you really support it, you should give thend to her directly.¡±


    Magistrate Fang said seriously, ¡°That won¡¯t do. What if Miss Mu sells thend or uses it for other purposes?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan hurriedly said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s simple. Raising oxen isn t something that can be done overnight. Why don¡¯t we do this? Magistrate Fang will let Ah Ling use thend for free for 20 years, but she can only use thisnd to raise oxen. Once it¡¯s used for another purpose, the government office can take it back. What do you think, Sir?¡±


    Magistrate Fang lowered his head in deep thought.


    Smiling, Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°Sir, how many families in Hanzhong Prefecture have oxen? Once this cattle farm is built, it will benefit the people and be a splendid thing in the future. How many people in this world are willing to spend their energy, money, and time to do this?¡±


    Qi Haoran sighed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t we know how important plowing oxen are to agriculture? However, the situation of the plowing oxen remains the same after ten years have passed.¡±


    Magistrate Fang gritted his teeth and asked someone to bring a map over. He looked at the grasnd and drew a circle with his eyes closed. Then, he looked straight at Qi Xiuyuan and said, ¡°General Qi, I¡¯ll give you face. This is a total of 500 acres ofnd which she can use for 20 years.


    Qi Xiuyuan did not expect Magistrate Fang to be so generous. Hearing this, heughed and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll be the guarantor.¡±


    Magistrate Fang heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he saw the roster beside him and was a little vexed. They were here to talk aboutbor. Why did it end up with him paying out 500 acres ofnd?


    Magistrate Fang immediately shouted, ¡°General Qi, you brothers have tricked me. No, you have to give me 6,000 people. 5,000 people is too few.


    Without thinking, Qi Xiuyuan nodded and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you 6,000 people. The roster is here. Those from the same family are all connected with a line. Sir, you just have to mark it with a blue pen.


    Magistrate Fang, who was originally worried that Qi Xiuyuan would not agree, immediately regretted it. Geez, he should have suggested 6,500 instead¡­


    After choosing people, they naturally had to split thend. Not only did they have to allocate a portion of thend to Qi Xiuyuan as military fields, but the new citizens of Hanzhong Prefecture would also be givennd.


    Magistrate Fang was overjoyed to suddenly have an additional 6,002 people under his rule at once. Although he had to give up arge area ofnd, he didn¡¯t feel heartache for it. Since there was no one to farm thosends anyway, he might as well allocate them. Otherwise, in two years, thosends wouldpletely be wastnd.


    As Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran walked out of the Fang residence together, Qi Xiuyuan had a smile on his face and was clearly very happy. ¡°Even though Magistrate Fang looks slick and sly, he can be considered a good official.¡± ¡°Big Brother, I¡¯ll go tell Ah Ling this good news. I¡¯ll apany her to the government office tomorrow to settle the procedures so that the people in the government office won¡¯t bully her for being young.


    Qi Xiuyuan nced at his brother and saw that his mind was elsewhere. He patted his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m talking to you about serious matters. You can go to Ah Ling¡¯s ce in the afternoon..¡± Qi Xiuyuan asked seriously, ¡°Let me ask you, what¡¯s going on with Tang Jing and Yuan Hui?¡±

 Chapter 307 - 307: Confession

    Chapter 307: Confession


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    As the bandit leader of a faction, Feng Yu was beheaded by Qi Haoran. Because of the urgency of the matter and the fact that the county magistrate was the witness and supervised the execution, although he did not report the verdict to the Ministry of Justice, it was still somewhat in line with the usual procedure.


    The leader of the other rebel faction, Jiang Zhong, was escorted back to the capital for trial. This was more in line with the procedure.


    But what was going on with Tang Jing and Yuan Hui?


    Although those 40,000 people did not injure anyone, they did rob the Imperial Court¡¯s granary. Although thew did not punish the masses, more than half o them were let go and the remaining half was taken by them. As the bandit leader, he had to be escorted into the capital no matter what.


    However, Tang Jing was killed on the way back to Xingzhou Prefecture while trying to escape, and Yuan Hui became a monk under duress.


    Others might not be able to tell whether Tang Jing did die because of his escape, but it couldn¡¯t be hidden from Qi Xiuyuan. Moreover, after Yuan Hui arrived at Xingzhou Prefecture, he directly moved into the general¡¯s residence. Never one to believe in gods and Buddhas, when had Qi Haoran ever treated a monk so politely?


    Qi Haoran choked. He couldn¡¯t possibly say that Yuan Hui said that Big Brother might be the Emperor in the future, and he silenced Tang Jing because he knew too much, right?


    He scratched his head. In the end, he felt that this matter was too crucial and exceeded his ability to deal with it. Therefore, he decided at thest minute to return to Xingzhou Prefecture today ande to Hanzhong Prefecture to look for Mu Yangling tomorrow.


    Qi Haoran mounted his horse and said, ¡°Big Brother, let¡¯s talk as we walk.¡± Frowning, Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand at the back, and the bodyguards immediately retreated. The two brothers rode side by side. After leaving the city gate and entering the main road, Qi Haoran gradually stopped the horse and let it move slowly.


    Knowing that their masters had something important to say, the bodyguards behind all reined in their horses and followed from afar, just near enough to keep the two of them in sight.


    Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t expect his brother to be so cautious, so he scolded jokingly,


    ¡°Alright, isn¡¯t it just a bandit leader? Hurry up and tell me.¡±


    Qi Haoran said with a serious expression, ¡°Big Brother, you know that I¡¯ve never believed in supernatural powers, but Yuan Hui is very strange. He seems to really be able to read people¡¯s physiognomy and palms. When I infiltrated back then¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran exined the situation. Seeing that his big brother¡¯s expression had also changed, he said, ¡°Big Brother, either he has seen me before and knows about our family¡¯s situation, or he can really foretell the future.¡±


    However, Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t believe in such things. A cold glint shed across his eyes as he said, ¡°You should have dealt with him like you dealt with Tang


    Jing back then.¡±


    However, Qi Haoran had a strange feeling in his heart. He whispered, ¡°Big


    Brother, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s lying.¡±


    Stunned, Qi Xiuyuan looked at his brother seriously. Qi Haoran also nodded seriously. ¡°Big Brother, I couldn¡¯t feel any malice from him.


    Qi Xiuyuan fell silent. He knew that his brother¡¯s intuition had always been very urate. He could sense danger and people¡¯s emotions very clearly.


    Perhaps it was because he had lost his mother since he was young. But in short, he was more sensitive than ordinary people.


    When he was only two years old, he knew that his wet nurse did not like him. Although she had never abused him, nor had she said anything unpleasant in front of him, nor had she shown any coldness on her face, he could tell from his instincts that this wet nurse did not like him.


    It was also because of this that he found out that his younger brother¡¯s wet nurse was actually arranged by that woman, despite the fact that their rtionship was very secretive.


    At that time, he thought that it was because the child was sensitive or because he had a pure heart, so he could sense others¡¯ emotions more clearly. However, although this talent of his slowly weakened with age, it was always there, especially when it came to sensing danger.


    When Haoran said that, Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t help but be serious. ¡°Even though he doesn¡¯t have any ill intentions towards you on the surface, it doesn t prove that what he said is true.


    ¡°Haoran, although Great Zhou is weak, our situation is clearly improving. We¡¯re only having a small-scale conflict with the Jin Kingdom and West Xia now.


    How can it be¡­ So forget about this matter and obediently be your little general. This time, you¡¯ve made a great contribution in quelling the rebellion. I will officially request a decree from the Imperial Court to reward you.¡± Qi Haoran thought about it and felt that it was too early to think about this. Even if Big Brother really became the Emperor, it might be decadester. He might even be old by then because from the looks of it, the situation in Great Zhou indeed did not appear too bad.


    Even though there were many natural disasters this year, the chaos was only in a small area. Under the suppression of the Imperial Court¡¯s army, peace should be restored soon.


    Qi Xiuyuan calmed his brother down. The first thing he did after returning to his residence was to see Yuan Hui. His expression was a little cold. He felt that he couldn¡¯t keep such a person around, lest he instigated his brother to make a mistake he shouldn¡¯t have made.


    Yuan Hui¡¯s assertion did not cause any ripples in his heart. It was not that Qi Xiuyuan was not ambitious, but because even if the world was in chaos, it would not be his turn, right?


    In front of him was General Yuan, who controlled an army of 200,000 soldiers, as well as the Zhu and Xiao families. Any one of them could easily suppress Qi


    Xiuyuan.


    Whether it was his family background or his current power, Qi Xiuyuan could only barely stand in the middle position.


    Therefore, his intuition told him that Yuan Hui had merely coaxed his younger brother in order to survive.


    Qi Xiuyuan pushed open the door with a bang and met a pair of emotionless eyes. He was stunned momentarily. When Yuan Hui saw him, he smiled and stood up calmly. Pressing his palms together, he bowed slightly. ¡°Benefactor Qi, Yuan Hui has been waiting for you for a long time.


    Qi Xiuyuan frowned. ¡°You¡¯re the one who coaxed my brother?¡±


    Yuan Hui smiled and looked straight at Qi Xiuyuan. After a moment, he sized him up and nodded. ¡°Benefactor Qi, it¡¯s you, indeed.¡± Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s face darkened even more. Heughed sinisterly. ¡°How dare you lie to me in my face?¡±


    ¡°Benefactor, no one doubts your loyalty. However, if the heavens want to destroy the Great Zhou, what can a general like you do?¡± Qi Xiuyuan frowned. Yuan Hui looked at the sky outside and sighed. ¡°This year¡¯s drought and flood is only the beginning. It will only be more and more chaotic in the next few years. General, you should be prepared.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you people who know how to foretell the future say that the secrets of heaven can¡¯t be leaked? If it¡¯s leaked, won¡¯t it reduce your lifespan? Why don¡¯t you mind at all?¡±


    Sadness flickered across Yuan Hui¡¯s eyes. ¡°Because I¡¯m different.


    Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t tell what was different about him, but he touched the scabbard and hesitated for a moment. In the end, he didn¡¯t pull it out. He snorted and said, ¡°Master, it¡¯s best not to say such things again. Others aren¡¯t as kind as me.¡±


    Yuan Hui couldn¡¯t promise him, so he could only say, ¡°As long as others don¡¯t ask me who the next Emperor is.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he strode out.


    The next Emperor?


    He was already 42 years old. How much longer could he live? If he was the next sessor, did that mean the world was about to descend into chaos?


    ¡®No, no, I don¡¯t believe it¡­¡¯


    Although Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t want to believe it, his heart was still in a mess. He locked himself in the study and thought hard.


    On the other hand, Qi Haoran felt refreshed after telling him about the matter. He did not feel conflicted at all. The next day, he came to look for Yuan Hui and asked him to apany him to Hanzhong Prefecture. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to read fortunes? Then you definitely know how to read feng shui. Help me take a look at the feng shui of a cattle farm..¡±

 Chapter 308 - 308: Meeting

    Chapter 308: Meeting


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After spending a lot of effort, Mu Yangling managed to buy 100 calves. Now, she had just herded them to the cattle ranch to let them gradually adapt, and she was eating and living in the cattle ranch.


    Fortunately, Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu could share a lot of the burden with her now. As soon as the cattle ranch got on track, she would be able to leave everything in Hanzhong Prefecture to Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu. She would then still return to the city.


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu dragged two carts of pasture back from outside. ¡°Miss, should we dry this grass first or let them eat it directly?¡±


    As this area was 20 miles away from the nearest stockade, there was an abundance of pasture. As long as Qi Haoran¡¯s horses did not cross the border to eat their pasture, there would be more than enough pasture tost until next spring.


    However, no matter how lush the pasture was, it would wither and fuse with the soile winter. Therefore, they needed to cut more pasture, dry it, and store it for the cows to eat in winter.


    Mu Yangling looked up and said, ¡°Dry them in the sun. Herd the calves outter and let them eat on the grasnd.¡±


    ¡°But these calves have only been here for two days. Will they run away?¡± Zhang Liu said worriedly. These calves were still young¡ªthe oldest was only four months old, and the youngest was only two months old. Perhaps because they hade to an unfamiliar ce, they had been very restless these two days.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll split them up. We¡¯ll release a batch in the morning and a batch in the afternoon. You can watch them while cutting the pasture. Leave some hay for those inside the fence to eat. Otherwise, no matter how hard we cut, there won¡¯t be enough hay for them to fill their stomachs.¡±


    It was almost winter, so it was better to harvest as much pasture as possible.


    Just as Mu Yangling was about to go back and hire someone to help with the work, Qi Haoran brought Yuan Hui over.


    Yuan Hui looked around for a while and nodded. ¡°The feng shui of this cattle farm is excellent. I don¡¯t have any pointers for you.¡±


    Yuan Hui was slightly stunned when he saw Mu Yangling. Then, he nodded slightly at her and did not speak.


    Mu Yangling also looked curiously at Yuan Hui¡¯s smooth head for a while. After which, she pulled Qi Haoran over and asked in a low voice, ¡°Why did you bring a monk here?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my Big Brother¡¯s advisor now. He knows how to read feng shui, so I brought him here.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes were filled with stars as she asked in confusion, ¡°Aren¡¯t Daoists the ones who know how to read feng shui? Can monks do it too?¡±


    Qi Haoran was stunned and a little confused. With some hesitation, he said, ¡°Aren¡¯t Daoists and monks simr? They should be connected, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Qi Haoran speechlessly and changed the topic. ¡°Then what did he say?¡±


    Qi Haoran grinned and said, ¡°He said that the feng shui in your cattle farm is excellent.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, as long as there¡¯s no need to make any changes.¡± Mu Yangling replied nonchntly before asking about thebor. ¡°I was just about to hire some people to help me work. Didn¡¯t you bring back a group of people? Do you have any arrangements for them?¡±


    Qi Haoran said happily, ¡°I¡¯ve already handed them to Zijin, but he¡¯s receiving Shen San these few days. Last night, he stayed up all night to make arrangements for them. If you¡¯d like to take them in, you can have as many as you want. You don¡¯t even have to pay them a sry. Just give them something to eat.¡±


    Mu Yangling also knew thatbor was cheap now, but she didn¡¯t want to take advantage of this. Although she wasn¡¯t paying a high sry, it wouldn¡¯t be lower than the market price.


    ted, Qi Haoran decided to tell Fan Zijin the good news when he returned. He had sent the 6,000 young men to build the house they were going to live in. As for the remaining 12,000 people, no, 6,000 people, it was not easy to make arrangements for those 6,000 people. They consisted of old people, children, women, and arge group of young teens. He could only hand them over to Fan Zijin.


    However, Fan Zijin was also busy, for this year was the most critical period for his career. During this period of time, he was so busy that he even fell behind on his homework. Qi Xiuyuan scolded him a lot, but even so, Fan Zijin still stayed upte to formte a n to make arrangements for those people.


    Mu Yangling seemed to be quite good at this. With her help, Zijin should be able to rx a lot.


    Qi Haoran also conveyed how highly Magistrate Fang viewed and cared for her cattle farm.


    When Mu Yangling heard that she had suddenly gained 500 acres ofnd, she immediately looked in the northwest direction of the pasture with her mouth agape. She pointed at therge grasnd and said, ¡°Did Magistrate Fang really say that that area belongs to me?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded with a smile. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go to the government office with youter to settle the procedures.¡±


    Mu Yangling fell into deep thought. ¡°100 calves is not enough. We can raise another 400 calves. Coincidentally, you have someone there. Let¡¯s go to the government office first before looking for Fan Zijin.¡±


    Yuan Hui followed beside the two of them without saying a word, causing Qi Haoran to take a few nces at him.


    Mu Yangling followed his gaze. Although she felt a little strange, she did not ask. Instead, she waved Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu over and asked them to watch the cattle ranch while she went out to handle some matters.


    When Mu Yangling and the rest came out of the government office, it was already noon. Qi Haoran smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go eat at Zijin¡¯s ce.¡±


    Poor Fan Zijin was buried in a pile of documents. This year, he could not give the money earned from diced rabbit meat and cured rabbit meat to Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling. All that money was invested in other businesses. Now, his business spanned several areas¡ªtea, silk, and porcin. If not for the fact that he did not have enough money, he would also like to get involved in the grains industry.


    However, this was enough for him to be busy. After all, he was only 15 years old and had to clean up Qi Haoran¡¯s mess from time to time. Hence, he fell behind on his schoolwork by quite a lot in the past six months.


    When he saw Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling walking over leisurely, he instantly gritted his teeth. Other than the restaurants, these two had shares in every single one of his businesses. But why was he the only one who had to work so hard?


    Feeling indignant, Fan Zijin looked at the documents on the table. He wondered if the two of them would ruin the businesses he had painstakingly built if he handed these matters to them to handle.


    Seated on the chair casually, Qi Haoran said, ¡°Zijin, we¡¯re here to eat with you.¡± After saying that, he directly instructed Yanmo, who was serving them tea, to serve them a table of fine dishes.


    Yanmo looked at Fan Zijin, who rubbed his forehead and waved his hand. ¡°Go ahead. Bring the food to this room.¡±


    Seeing Fan Zijin¡¯s headache, Qi Haoran frowned and said, ¡°One can never finish earning all the money in the world. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re short of money now. Didn¡¯t I just move a lot of silver back two days ago?¡±


    Fan Zijin nced at Yuan Hui and red at him.


    Was this something that could be mentioned casually?


    Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, ¡°Even if we can hide this from others, we can¡¯t hide it from him. He was the one who brought us to empty the silver from the ce.¡±


    Fan Zijin immediately choked. Didn¡¯t they say that the silver had been handed over to the Imperial Court? Now that he put it that way, even a fool would know that they had pocketed the silver.


    However, Yuan Hui did not seem to have heard him. He merely sat there with his brows slightly lowered. Sometimes, he would frown. Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t help but take a few more nces at him. He kept feeling that Yuan Hui was very strange today.


    Fan Zijin had only seen Yuan Hui once, and Qi Haoran had not told him those words said by Yuan Hui. Hence, when he saw that Yuan Hui did not react, he was satisfied, for he assumed this was Yuan Hui being tactful. However, he did not know that Yuan Hui was not listening to them at all..

 Chapter 309 - 309: Taking Them Down a Notch

    Chapter 309: Taking Them Down a Notch


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Fan Zijin took out the roster that Qi Haoran had given him and said, ¡°As there are too many people, I can¡¯t make arrangements for them all. I¡¯ve arranged for those women and some old people to enter the workshop, but the workshop can take in at most 3,000 people.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling and said, ¡°This is under the circumstances that the rabbits are fat and can be put up for sale in autumn. If not for the sudden increase in orders, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to take in even 2,000 people at the workshop. Those young and strong men will go dig for stones to build houses and try to let everyone move in before the temperature drops.¡±


    Fan Zijin had wanted to say ¡°before the first snow arrives¡±, but he remembered that there were not even a few drops of rain this year, let alone snow.


    ¡°Those male young teens have all gone to the mountain to help carry the stones, but there are still more than 2,700 people idle there. All of them are children under the age of 12, both male and female. Among them, there are 1,952 people under the age of eight.¡±


    From this, it could be seen how different the ages of the people they brought back this time was.


    Some of them were orphans, but most of them had fled with their mothers or grandparents. All of their fathers had abandoned their families.


    Some children¡¯s mothers followed their husbands, but most mothers couldn¡¯t bear to part with their children. Therefore, the mothers took their children with them and fled with their inws. As these people were old and weak, they walked together on the way. Fortunately, they encountered Yuan Hui, who had just escaped the control of the silver mine.


    The benevolent Yuan Hui decided to first bring these people to the silver mine.


    ¡°Ah Ling, how many people can you take in?¡± Fan Zijin turned to look at Mu Yangling.


    These people had nothing to do for the entire winter. Even if they could provide them with food, clothes and various daily necessities, it required money. The army could not provide for them all, so he arranged for them to enter the workshop. This allowed him to save costs, and they could also obtain more capital to survive.


    Mu Yangling calcted in her heart and said, ¡°Hand everyone to me. I¡¯m expanding the cattle farm, which means I¡¯m going to need to build more cowsheds. I also need some young and strong men there. As for kids around 12 years old, they can go and cut the pasture since it isn¡¯t tiring.¡±


    Fan Zijin immediately said, ¡°Then there are still 6oo-odd elderly aged 52 years old and above. You can make arrangements for them too.¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned. ¡°Didn¡¯t you arrange for them to enter the workshop?¡±


    Fan Zijin said with a headache, ¡°Since your cattle farm needs them, take them away. I still have to get someone to keep an eye on them in the workshop to prevent them from stealing the rabbit meat. You can¡¯t imagine how many ways they havee up with to steal a piece of rabbit meat.¡±


    Mu Yangling frowned slightly. ¡°When did you be so kind? If you don¡¯t restrain them, the workers in the workshop will probably follow suit in the future.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re old and thick-skinned. No matter what I punish them with, they¡¯ll ept it with a smile. The workshop punishes thieves three times the amount of silver, but these elderly don¡¯t own anything valuable. Even their food and clothes are provided for by us. The only thing they have is their life. Surely I can¡¯t kill them for stealing?¡±


    A cold glint shed across Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes. He sneered and said, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t spoil them.Just give the order. Whoever dares to steal anything again will be chased out of the workshop, and their family will never be hired again. And, they will be rankedst when ites to being allocated a house.¡±


    Qi Haoran felt that he had treated them quite well. Although he could not guarantee that they would get to eat dry food every meal, they could eat until they were 70% full. Wasn¡¯t that better than them being on the run previously?


    ¡°Hand them to me. I¡¯ll let them cut the pasture. Surely they won¡¯t even steal the pasture, right?¡± If they really did steal pasture though, Mu Yangling felt that she probably wouldn¡¯t mind.


    This way, more than 3,000 people surged into Mu Yangling¡¯s cattle farm. A few soldiers carried a fewrge wicker baskets up. The scythes inside were ordered by Mu Yangling previously, and some were bought yesterday. Finally, they managed to gather so many.


    Looking at the chaotic crowd, Mu Yangling did not say a word.


    The children were a little nervous, but the 6oo-odd elders who had been kicked out of the workshop at thest minute were very resistant. They were doing well in the workshop, but they were suddenly sent to this ce. They used to work indoors, but now they had to work outdoors. Furthermore, instead of working with fragrant rabbit meat, they now dealt with inedible pasture. Their expressions did not look good.


    Mu Yangling got someone to bring a chair over. She sat there and read a book about agriculture. The children were still chattering uneasily at first, but when they saw that Mu Yangling was ignoring them, they gradually quietened down.


    As for the elders, they became even angrier and spoke louder. Seeing that it was almost noon, Mu Yangling put away her book and turned to Zhang Wu, who was standing behind her. ¡°Let¡¯s go back and eat.¡±


    Mu Yangling carried the chair back.


    The 3,000 people immediately widened their eyes and watched as Mu Yangling ignored them and walked away.


    The children who had finally gotten this job were anxious. They vaguely sensed that they were being despised because they were too noisy. One of the children red at the old people. ¡°You¡¯re all bad people! Bad people!¡±


    Some of the elders¡¯ faces were green and red.


    Mu Yangling, Zhang Wu, and Zhang Liu went back and heated up the pancakes to eat. Looking outside worriedly, Zhang Wu said in a low voice, ¡°Miss, if they get impulsive¡­¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing but grass and grains in the cattle ranch. What¡¯s there to be impulsive about?¡±


    As they had just moved in and Qi Haoran¡¯s horse farm was just next door, they went to his ce to eat. They nned to officially move in after these people left. Hence, other than an empty three-entrance house and a row of cowsheds with 100 calves, there was nothing to eat here.


    Mu Yangling quickly finished the pancake in her hand and took a sip of water before getting up. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go see if they¡¯ve toned down.¡±


    Mu Yangling pitied them, but she would not be soft-hearted enough to be bullied. She knew that they were pitiful and that some of their actions were forced by life, but that did not mean that she would ept it.


    When Mu Yangling stood in front of the crowd, the 3,000 people gradually quietened down. Mu Yangling looked at the elders on the left and sneered. ¡°Why? Why have you stopped talking?¡±


    The elders¡¯ faces turned red, and Mu Yangling¡¯s face turned cold. She looked at them with murderous eyes and said, ¡°I respect you as elders, but you have to respect me as the boss. I promised Qi Haoran to help settle you down. I don¡¯t want your gratitude, but you have to perform your duty well. Otherwise, hmph, I¡¯m not as good-tempered as Fan Zijin. Remember, if you can¡¯t do your job well, I won¡¯t keep you on my ox farm. You can go wherever youe from. If you anger me, I¡¯ll hand you all over to Qi Haoran. His temper is even worse than mine. Although there are very few people above the age of 50 in the army, it¡¯s not that there aren¡¯t any. If I remember correctly, you all belong to military households now, right?¡±


    The elders¡¯ faces turned pale, and the indignation on their faces instantly disappeared. That¡¯s right. They now belonged to military households, which meant their lives were in Qi Haoran¡¯s hands. If they really angered him, what if he dragged them into the military camp?


    These old bones of theirs really could not endure that kind of a torture..

 Chapter 310 - 310: Arrangement

    Chapter 310: Arrangement


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Seeing that they had be obedient, Mu Yangling said, ¡°It¡¯ste today, so we won¡¯t start work. Because you guys caused trouble, today¡¯s work was dyed. I won¡¯t punish you, but I won¡¯t give you today¡¯s rations and sry. In order to prevent you from making simr mistakes in the future, I¡¯ll exin the rules today.¡±


    ¡ö¡¯Firstly, don¡¯t be noisy when you¡¯re forming a line. After you fall in line, listen to my instructions.¡±


    Mu Yangling then divided up the work specifically.


    All the children under the age of six were to stay here to dry and transport the pasture. This was the least-physically demanding job, and the sry was calcted ording to the number of bundles.


    Children above the age of six and under the age of 12 were asked to cut the pasture. Ten of them would form one group, and the sry was calcted ording to the results achieved by the group collectively.


    On the other hand, children above the age of 12 were divided into three groups. One group was to manage the children under the age of six and helped them move the pasture off the cart. Another group was to harvest the pasture and record down the quantity. Thest group were to build cowsheds with the elders below the age of 55-


    Because it was more tiring to build a cowshed, the sry was also the highest. Of course, Mu Yangling left it up to them to register for this task without forcing anyone. But unexpectedly, everyone who met the criteria went for this job first.


    Mu Yangling asked Zhang Wu to pay attention to the screening and not let those scrawny and weak children into the third group.


    As for the elders above 55 years old, they went to cut the pasture with the children.


    Mu Yangling chose another 20 old women with clean fingers and rtively neat clothes to be in charge of everyone¡¯s food.


    These 3,000 people were all divided into groups of 10, and 10 groups formed one team. The group leader would only look for the team leader, and the team leader would only manage the team members. Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu would be in charge of them.


    After giving the instructions, Mu Yangling asked them to go back for the day. When they came tomorrow to collect the scythe, she specially instructed the 20 old women in charge of the food to stay here at night because time was tight. Of course, they could choose to go back, but they had toe to the cattle farm at dawn (5am).


    The 20 old women said hesitantly, ¡°Boss, it¡¯s fine to serve breakfast at 9am. We can make it even if wee at the same time as them.¡±


    Mu Yangling nced at them and said, ¡°I serve three meals a day here. Everyone will eat at 6am and start work at 6:15am. Lunch is served at noon, followed by a break, and work will resume at 1pm. At 5pm, we¡¯ll have dinner. Then, the soldiers will escort you back. Rinse and repeat.


    Not only the 20 women, but the eyes of everyone who heard this lit up. They could actually eat three meals?


    Although they felt that this girl was too particr, they did not object at all. In any case, she had already said that she would take care of the food. The elders, who were originally a little resentful, immediately calmed down.


    Although it was a little tougher here, they could at least eat three meals. Perhaps they could even save up some food for the future if they ate sparingly. After all, although the army said that they would be in charge of their food, no one knew how much rations they would distribute.


    It was better to eat while there was still something to eat.


    Mu Yangling lowered her head and saw the children standing there with their necks shrunk. Her heart ached, but she suppressed her concern and only waved them back.


    It was already the end of autumn, and she was wearing a jacket. Although the children were wearing cotton-padded jackets, they were all tattered and leaking wind.


    Winter had alwayse early in the north. In another ten days, they definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the house like this. Since Mu Yangling saw this, she couldn¡¯t very well ignore their plight.


    Hence, that night, Mu Yangling took out the ount book to calcte how much money she had left. Only then did she realize that she still had a lot of money.


    Last year, her business deals with Butcher Qin earned her a total of 46,000 taels of silver. Although she had built two rabbit sheds in one go this year and also spent some money buying calves, she seemed to still have a lot of money left.


    She had yet to receive any return from her investment in the rabbit sheds, because Fan Zijin reinvested all the profits into the business. Although it was a profitable venture, the money was immediately reinvested again.


    They had no money, so they could only reinvest the profits continuously in order to expand their business step by step.


    Therefore, the money Mu Yangling had now was earned from selling sheepst year.


    She had set aside a budget of around 2,000 taels to buy the 500 calves. But it urred to her that there were so many freeborers now and their military camp was not far from here, so it should not be difficult to hireborers in the future. In that case, should she buy more? She might as well raise 1,000 calves in one go.


    It was not that Mu Yangling had a big appetite, but she felt that this cattle rearing n was urgent. But where was she going to buy so many calves? Alright, she could give Butcher Qin a try. Since he would definitelye to sell sheep again this year, perhaps he could make two trips this time. At most, she would offer him a higher price¡­


    Mu Yangling wrote down a number on the paper. In that case, she still had about 38,000 taels of silver left. Mu Yangling immediately took out 5,000 taels of silver. She would discuss with Fan Zijin tomorrow to buy some cotton and fabrics to make some clothes for the children.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t have much sentiments towards the elderly and adults, but she was very soft-hearted towards children. After making up her mind, she called Zhang Liu over. ¡°Go back and fetch Miss Xiuhong tomorrow morning. Get her to bring the sandalwood box I gave her. Also, bring over the three cow-raising masters that we found not long ago. Since we¡¯re expanding our cattle farm, it¡¯s definitely not enough to just rely on these three masters. We have to find five more. Also, find a doctor who knows how to treat livestock illnesses to take charge of such matters here.¡±


    Zhang Liu was speechless. ¡°Miss, isn¡¯t there a doctor at the horse farm next door?¡±


    ¡ö¡öBut we can¡¯t go to them for everything. We have to find someone for our own cattle ranch.¡±


    ¡°Miss, didn¡¯t you say that you would only raise 500? Isn¡¯t eight masters too many?¡± Zhang Wu asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind. I want to raise 1,000.¡±


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu looked at Mu Yangling in shock They didn¡¯t expect their master to change her mind so quickly.


    ¡°But we only have 800 acres ofnd. Is that enoughnd to raise 1,000?


    ¡ö¡öWho owns thend beyond the 800 acres?¡± Mu Yangling asked.


    ¡°It belongs to the state.¡±


    ¡°Since it belongs to the state, it also belongs to everyone. Whoever stiptes that the grass on statend can¡¯t be cut?¡± Mu Yangling asked Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu with a smile.


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu shook their heads repeatedly. That¡¯s right. Who said that the grass on statend couldn¡¯t be cut? The rivers, roads, and mountains in this world all belong to the state. Still, that never stopped them from walking on thosends, fetching water there, and entering the mountains. ¡°Then, then why are we still buyingnd?¡± Zhang Liu felt that they had spent money for nothing and shouted, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have spent this money in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°How stupid.¡± Zhang Wu knocked on his brother and said, ¡°If we don¡¯t buynd, where will our cowsheds be built? Moreover, how big is 800 acres? As long as one doesn¡¯t go inside to take a look, no one knows what¡¯s going on inside. Much less thend on the outside. Considering thend here is vast and sparsely popted, as long as no significant events happen, no one will go there. All we¡¯re doing is cutting the grass. Just don¡¯t go around shouting for everyone to know..¡±

 Chapter 311 - 311: Inspiration

    Chapter 311: Inspiration


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Mu Yangling smiled. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to worry. It¡¯s fine even if others find out. This ce is different from the Hus¡¯ territory. As long as you don¡¯t upynd to farm or build houses, it¡¯s not illegal.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not worried about our people. I¡¯m worried about the Hu people from the Jin Kingdom. This ce is close to their territory, and there aren¡¯t many soldiers stationed here. If theye to steal or plunder resources, we¡¯ll be in danger.¡±


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu opened their mouths wide. They had never thought of this question.


    ¡°Little General¡¯s horse farm is next door¡­¡± Zhang Liu immediately said confidently.


    ¡°That¡¯s why thieves usually don¡¯t dare toe. Those who doe are bandits.¡±


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu looked at Mu Yangling eagerly.


    ¡°Now, they¡¯re building a military camp in Lower Tree Ridge, but I don¡¯t know how many people will be stationed here. If there are too many people, the Jin soldiers will also have some scruples. However, you should be more vignt. Once something goes wrong, don¡¯t worry about the cows. It¡¯s more important to stay alive.¡±


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu agreed.


    The next morning, Zhang Liu drove the mule cart home to pick up Xiuhong.


    Mu Yangling and Zhang Wu stayed in the cattle farm to supervise. The old women who came to cook washed the rice and cooked porridge under Mu Yangling¡¯smand.


    The porridge was cooked using 70% corn kernels. After the corn kernels were cooked, they added some rice in and let it continue simmering for another half an hour.


    The old women in charge of food swallowed their saliva upon seeing the thick porridge.


    However, Mu Yangling frowned as she scooped out the porridge and pressed upon it. She even pinched a corn kernel and ced it in her mouth to chew.


    The olddies were a little nervous. ¡°Miss, we cooked ording to your measurements. We didn¡¯t cook too much.¡±


    The others nodded, thinking that Mu Yangling minded that the porridge was too thick and was a waste of grains.


    However, Mu Yangling said, ¡°The corn kernels are still not soft enough. Cook them for a longer time next time. Most of the people here are old people and children.¡±


    Everyone heaved a sigh of relief and agreed.


    There were a total of 20 pots of porridge. The people in charge of the food would be in charge of scooping porridge for everyer, so they ate till they were half full in the kitchen now. Perhaps because Mu Yangling was in the kitchen, they did not dare to eat to their heart¡¯s content.


    As the fragrance of the porridge wafted out, the elders and children who had been escorted over surrounded them. Zhang Wu picked up a gong and drum and beat it. He shouted, ¡°Line up. All of you, line up for me. Take your rice bowls and don¡¯t cut the queue or make amotion.¡±


    At this moment, the sky was still dark, and only the skies in the east were slightly brighter. When everyone saw the 20 steaming pots, they squeezed forward anxiously. However, when they saw Mu Yangling, who was illuminated by the fire in front of them, they still consciously stood still.


    Pushed out from the side, a three-year-old child fell to the ground and looked around nkly.


    His older brother hurriedly pulled him up and wanted to put him in front of him. Unexpectedly, he was pushed by the person behind him and got squeezed out himself.


    At this moment, the brothers wanted to cry.


    This scene fell into Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes. Her eyes turned cold as she looked coldly at the noisy people below and shouted, ¡°All of you, line up. If anyone dares to squeeze anyone out or make a fuss again, everyone can forget about eating breakfast today!¡±


    As Mu Yangling¡¯s voice was loud, everyone present heard it. The crowd instantly fell silent. Slowly, everyone shifted back slightly. Mu Yangling said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ll forgive what happened this morning. But from noon onwards, everyone will line up ording to their age. The youngest will stand in front, the older ones will stand in the middle, and the elderly will stand at the back.¡±


    Mu Yangling red at the elders angrily and said, ¡°I know you¡¯re old foxes, but remember, I¡¯m the one who calls the shots here. If anyone is unhappy, you can turn around and leave! The children under the age of six are the most important here. If I see you squeeze the children out again, I¡¯ll throw you out.¡±


    Although the old man¡¯s expression was ugly after being shouted at, he did not dare to refute. After all, the boss was the one who fed them. Even though, all the elderly present felt that Mu Yangling was ill-mannered and did not respect the elderly at all.


    Mu Yangling was about to go crazy from anger. The reason why she was willing to take in these old people was firstly because she pitied them for being old, and secondly because they were quite strong. Thirdly, they had so much energy after all and had plenty of life experiences. But what was wrong with these old people?


    Yesterday, they tried to take her down a notch, and today, they were here to bully children?


    Mu Yangling stood on top with a cold expression and watched as someone scooped a spoonful of porridge and some side dishes for them. The children watched eagerly. As soon as the scoop of porridge was ced in their bowl, they ran out. An old granny hurriedly shouted, ¡°Children,e back. There¡¯s still the side dishes.¡±


    The side dish was pickled vegetables that Mu Yangling had bought. Although the 3,000 people consumed a huge quantity, because of the cheap price, this small expense was not worth mentioningpared to the various grains.


    The children ran back together, took the side dishes, before running out again. Then, they gathered together to eat. As they ate, they looked around warily, afraid that someone would snatch their food.


    Mu Yangling kept walking around the field to prevent anyone from snatching others¡¯ food.


    However, she couldn¡¯t stay here every day to stop such things. Hence, she still had to get Qi Haoran to send a team of soldiers over to maintain order and suppress them. Only then would she feel more at ease.


    Over the past two days, Mu Yangling had also seen clearly that not every elder was as adorable as her great-uncles and the others, especially these elders who had fled from their homes and even experienced life and death.


    Almost all the children here were under the age of 12.


    That¡¯s right. She had said that she would be in charge of children under the age of 12. In the end, almost all the children Fan Zijin sent over were under the age of 12. Only 378 children were above the age of 12. Mu Yangling had carefully looked at the rosterst night. Previously, some really young children were also in the mix¡ªfor instance, she saw that the youngest was only two years and three months old. Mm, the toddler couldn¡¯t even speakplete sentences, but they had no problem running around.


    Mu Yangling felt that she was not hiringborers, but opening a kindergarten. Most importantly, when she thought about instructing these childborers to workter, Mu Yangling felt guilty.


    Looking at the child who had just reached her thigh, Mu Yangling sighed. Forget it, she would just treat it as ying with the child.


    Mu Yangling squatted down and met these timid eyes. She asked, ¡°Child, how old are you?¡± Mu Yangling really couldn¡¯t tell if they were a boy or a girl.


    The child looked at her nervously and gripped the porcin bowl in their hand tightly.


    Mu Yangling touched the child¡¯s head. A seven or eight-year-old child scrambled over and looked at Mu Yangling in panic. Shielding the child behind him, he stammered, ¡°M¡ªmy younger brother is three years old.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the child and asked softly, ¡°Is he really three years old?¡±


    Perhaps because she had said this in a deep voice, she appeared more imposing. The seven or eight-year-old child¡¯s eyes were slightly red as he replied with his head lowered, ¡°He¡¯s already one year and eight months old, but his nominal age is three. Boss, he can also work now. Really, he can carry a lot of pasture.¡±


    Mu Yangling sighed and asked, ¡°Where are your parents?¡±


    The boy was stunned for a moment before he lowered his head and said, ¡°They¡¯re dead. They were beaten to death for snatching food from someone when we were fleeing..¡±

 Chapter 312 - 312: Plan

    Chapter 312: n


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart ached. Her voice became even gentler as she asked, ¡°Then who brought you here?¡±


    ¡°I followed my uncle and aunt here. My uncle is in the military camp, and my aunt has gone to the workshop. I also have a male cousin and a female cousin. There¡¯s nothing to eat at home¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the increasingly embarrassed boy and roughly guessed that it was already not bad for her uncle and aunt to bring his female cousin here.


    Mu Yangling looked at the children on the grass. How many of them were orphans like him? Qi Haoran had actually recruited all of them into the military households. He probably wanted to use them to increase the farnd quota, but what should they do about these children?


    Without adults, they could not even support themselves. Mu Yangling frowned.


    Mu Yangling could foresee that the money in her purse was rapidly disappearing. She stroked the child¡¯s head and said, ¡°Alright, follow your older brother closely and don¡¯t run around.¡±


    The boy heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly pulled his brother to kowtow to Mu Yangling before turning to run.


    When it was time, everyone began to put down the bowls and chopsticks to collect the tools to work. As the bowls and chopsticks were all prepared by themselves, the person in charge of the food did not have to help them wash them. Seeing Mu Yangling enter the kitchen, the people eating porridge hurriedly stood up.


    However, Mu Yangling brought over tworge sacks of flour and said, ¡°This is white and ck flour. Mix them to make steamed buns. Cook another 15 pots of porridge for lunch. There are cabbages in the house next door. Go and get them yourself. Since you¡¯re all experienced cooks, you should know how much to cook for 3,000 people. Do the estimation yourselves.¡±


    The few of them thought about it. Although there were 3,000 people, more than half of them were children under the age of eight. Children had a small appetite, so there was really no need to cook so much.


    Not wanting to lose this job, the few of them quickly pondered.


    Mu Yangling went out to be a supervisor. Although she was a supervisor, she was also helping with the work. She carried the pasture that the children had cut onto the cart before pulling the cart back.


    These pastures did not grow naturally. Instead, they were from seeds nted by the Hus in the past. After the Hus retreated, no one cared about this ce anymore. However, as winter passed and spring came, the pasture seeds fell to the ground and grew again. Because no one had grazed herest year, most of the pasture seeds had fallen to the ground. Furthermore, because of the spread of the wind, the pastures in this area grew to be very lush.


    Back then, the reason why Qi Haoran chose this area for her as a cattle farm was not only because this ce was close to his horse farm, but also because the area within a radius of 20 miles from here waspletely uninhabited. It was also filled with pasture, making it very convenient for them to graze.


    However, no matter how much pasture there was, it would definitely not be enough with so many cows and horses working hard. Therefore, she had to nt more pastures next year. She wondered if she could talk to the magistrate and ask him to rent the nearbynd to her.


    While Mu Yangling was letting her imagination run wild, Qi Haoran had already arrived in front of her. He raised his voice and asked, ¡°What are you thinking? Why aren¡¯t you answering me?¡±


    Mu Yangling straightened up and ced the pasture on the cart. She nced at him and asked calmly, ¡°Are you so free?¡±


    Qi Haoran jumped off the horse and said smugly, ¡°Now, even the deputy can supervise the training. There¡¯s no need for me to follow them around all the time. Unlike you and Zijin, who do everything by themselves. No wonder you two are so busy.¡±


    Then, Qi Haoran lectured her on the principle of knowing how to use people well.


    Mu Yangling said in distress, ¡°Of course I know that I have to know how to use people well. It¡¯s impossible for me to do everything myself, but I don¡¯t have anyone to order around.¡±


    ¡°I told you to buy a few servants to order around. This way, you don¡¯t have to worry about your family everywhere you go.¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°My family isn¡¯t used to using servants, and I don¡¯t want my younger siblings to develop that kind of bad habit. It¡¯s better to do things on their own.¡±


    Qi Haoran said indignantly, ¡°How is ordering a servant a bad habit? I¡¯ve had servants since I was young. Am I not a good person?¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned. Seeing how angry he was, she said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. It¡¯s just that we¡¯re a farming family. Which farming family doesn¡¯t throw their children into the fields at the age of four or five? It¡¯s already good enough that I didn¡¯t force them to go to the fields. But I can¡¯t let them develop the habit of being waited on hand and foot.¡±


    Mu Yangling handed the cart to a child and pulled Qi Haoran towards an empty spot. ¡°I have something to discuss with you.¡±


    Qi Haoran indicated that he was all ears.


    ¡°You brought back so many children this time. What are you going to do with them?¡±


    Qi Haoran said in distress, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Back then, when I said that I could give them traveling expenses, I hoped that other than those young and strong people, it would be best for everyone else to leave. But who knew that they were so smart? Who knew that the lone ones would all choose to stay behind? Just the orphans alone numbered more than 700¡­ But there are also benefits. I listed them all as military households and obtained a lot of military fields. When the timees, I¡¯ll rent the fields out. The money I¡¯ll earn should be enough to support them.¡±


    Mu Yangling wished she could knock his head. ¡°Do you think the people of Hanzhong Prefecturecknd to farm? Magistrate Fang distributednd to every family as soon as they came over. As for the military households, the military households alone have 100 acres of military fields, and that doesn¡¯t even include the freehold fields they get. Who do you think will rent those children¡¯s fields?¡±


    Qi Haoran opened his mouth wide and stuttered, ¡°Th¡ªthen what should we do? You can¡¯t expect me to keep paying for their expenses, right?¡±


    Frowning, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Are their plots far apart?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not far. In order to make it easier to rent out and manage, I¡¯ve asked for the orphans¡¯nd to be all in one ce.¡±


    Mu Yangling gritted her teeth and said, ¡°I¡¯ll rent them all.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t help but jump up and shout.


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°I originally nned to build a nursery and let all the orphans live there.¡± Mu Yangling looked at Qi Haoran. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that when you asked your subordinates to build houses for them, you also built houses for the orphans.¡±


    Qi Haoran rubbed his nose awkwardly and said, ¡°I was hoping the people who rent their fields would bring those children back to raise them. Time is tight now, and everyone can¡¯t build so many houses.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at him disapprovingly. ¡°But you can¡¯t hand the children over to the tenants. Who knows if they will treat the child well?¡±


    ¡°I originally nned to build a nursery and put all the children in it to manage them uniformly. Then, I¡¯ll hire a few teachers to teach them a few words and let them learn some skills. Yes, we¡¯ll also teach them how to farm and weave. They¡¯lle out from the nursery after they turn 14 years old. At that time, you¡¯ll have to be in charge of their houses. When they leave the nursery, I¡¯ll return thend to you. I originally thought that this would be a loss-making business. Since you n to rent out theirnd anyway, rent it more cheaply to me as a reward.¡±


    Qi Haoran felt that Mu Yangling was here to take advantage of him. However, even if he wanted to rent out thend, no one would probably take it up. Just as she said, in the vast and sparsely popted Hanzhong Prefecture, no oneckednd.


    Therefore, he agreed.


    Neither of them asked the orphans. There was really no need to. The youngest was only one year old, and the oldest orphan, at only a little over 12, couldn¡¯t even plow in the fields.


    ¡°You have to build a house in the nursery for me. I¡¯ll get someone to draw a blueprintter. Get someone to build it ording to the blueprint.¡± Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but sigh. It would be good if she had arge bunch of subordinates at a time like this. Whatever she wanted to get done, she could just wave her hand and let them handle it.


    ¡°Do you know how much it costs to raise more than 700 children? Not to mention the annual food supply, just the cost of two seasons of clothes, medical treatment, and medicine. Moreover, you even n to hire teachers for them¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Qi Haoran solemnly and said, ¡°Children are the future of a country. If we can¡¯t even protect our children, will our country still have a future?¡± Mu Yangling sighed at this point. ¡°I really admire Yuan Hui. How did he gather these people together? Could it be that all the orphans, elderly, and weak in Tongchuan Prefecture are gathered here? Otherwise, why are there so many orphans, elderly and weak?¡±


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t dare to answer ¡°yes¡± because that was more or less the truth. Yuan Hui seemed to treat everyone simrly, but in fact, he was more soft-hearted and tolerant of the elderly and children. Hence, whenever he encountered the elderly and children along the way, he would take them in. He only skipped over the elderly and children who were being led by young men..

 Chapter 313 - 313: Division of Labor

    Chapter 313: Division of Labor


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The children on the cattle field had been working hard, but some of the elders stared at Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran from the corner of their eyes. Seeing that they were chatting merrily, they gradually deted. Seeing as Little General and Miss Mu had such a good rtionship, they would probably really lose ayer of skin if they caused trouble. Hence, everyone became much more obedient.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know that talking to Qi Haoran would have such an effect. She was discussing the address and various supplies of the nursery with Qi Haoran.


    As the children were still young and there were both boys and girls, even if the older kids could take care of the younger ones, they still needed the adults to take care of them. Hence, the nursery still had to hire some people to cook for the children. As for washing clothes and cleaning, because children above the age of six were capable of such chores, Mu Yangling nned to let them do that themselves.


    ¡°TWhat are you going to do with so muchnd?¡±


    ¡°nt grains.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Two-thirds of them will be used to nt grains, and one-third will be used to nt pasture. Both the rabbit sheds and the cattle farm need pasture.¡±


    ¡°Thesends belong to more than 400 households, spanning more than 60 hectares. Do you have so much manpower?¡± Qi Haoran said, ¡°You won¡¯t be able to hire so many people even if you want to.¡±


    The current Hanzhong Prefecture did not have so many idleborers.


    Smiling, Mu Yangling gestured for him to look at the cattle farm with her chin. ¡°Do you think thosemoners who can¡¯t even eat their fill will have the money to rent my oxen?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at her with widened eyes. ¡°They¡¯re going to usebor to exchange for it?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°When the timees, I¡¯ll set a number. They¡¯ll have to help me farm a certain area ofnd for however many days they rent the ox from me. If it really doesn¡¯t work out, I¡¯ll pay a high price to hire some help. Anyway, thend can¡¯t be left idle.¡±


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    Mu Yangling patted his shoulder with a smile. ¡°Forget it. You should go back and train your soldiers. It¡¯s not as if you know how to farm.¡±


    Qi Haoran expressed that although he didn¡¯t know how to farm, he could still do other things. After thinking for a moment, Mu Yangling handed the nursery to him. ¡°Speaking of which, considering they¡¯re all from your 5th Division, it makes sense for you to take care of them.¡±


    Qi Haoran was wondering which of his subordinates to deploy when Xiuhong jogged over to look for Mu Yangling with a small box in her arms.


    ¡°Cousin, why are they all children?¡± Xiuhong asked breathlessly. Although Zhang Liu had said that they were hiring many people to expand the cattle farm, she never expected that arge number of them would be children. When she ran all the way down, she even encountered a child who could barely walk. The kid was not even as tall as the pasture.


    ¡°You brought the things?¡± Mu Yangling looked at the box in her hand without answering.


    Xiuhong nodded and said in a low voice, ¡°Half of the family¡¯s money is here.¡±


    After the family had more money, Mu Yangling naturally couldn¡¯t hide tens of thousands of taels of silver at home, so she deposited most of the money into two banks. Half of it was left with Shu Wanniang, and the other half was left with Xiuhong.


    Mu Yangling gestured for her to look at the children and said, ¡°Xiuhong, you have to go to Hanzhong Prefecture to buy some cloth and cotton to make a set of winter clothes for these children.¡±


    Stunned, Xiuhong looked around and saw that there were children everywhere. ¡°Cousin, this isn¡¯t just ¡®some¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I know, so I have to earn money. Didn¡¯t Butcher Qin send me a message two days ago? I have to reply to him. Let¡¯s continue with that business.¡±


    Xiuhong frowned. ¡°Cousin, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too tiring to sell sheep? It¡¯s so time-consuming.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re in a hurry to use money now. Besides, how can it not be tiring to earn money?¡± Mu Yangling had said that previously because she¡¯d felt that her family had enough money. Moreover, she¡¯d wanted to focus on the cattle field, so she had not agreed to it immediately.


    Now that Hanzhong Prefecture was no longer under martialw, Butcher Qin and the others coulde here to sell sheep themselves. However, because they had more money now, they wanted to make it more hassle-free. Secondly, it was because Mu Yangling was more familiar with this area. Thirdly, it was because they were strangers to Hanzhong Prefecture. If they wanted to do business here, they had to pay bribes to the government office. In that case, they might as well give the money to Mu Yangling and let her earn some of it. This way, they could save a lot of effort.


    At this moment, Mu Yangling only sighed. Indeed, money was never enough.


    Qi Haoran listened from the side. In order to express his support for her, he nned to donate all his money to Mu Yangling to run the nursery.


    This time, Mu Yangling did not decline and epted it with a smile.


    Mu Yangling watched over the cattle farm for a day. After confirming that no one was causing trouble, she handed it to Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu. She tasked Xiuhong with settling the children¡¯s cotton-padded clothes while she went to buy the seeds for next year.


    Typically, farmers kept their seeds for themselves. Sometimes, the Imperial Court would also distribute them. However, they usually only distributed seeds to counties in difficulties. Furthermore, it was only a small quantity. The rest were bought from grain stores.


    Before Mu Yangling bought the seeds, she rode her horse around the plot ofnd. The plot ofnd that Qi Haoran wanted to rent out was not bad. There were a total of 65 hectares with two small streams. Although it was dry now, it should be able to store some water when rain fell, so it should not be a problem to nt rice nearby.


    With the stream as the center, wheat could be nted around it, and corn could be nted around the wheat. Lastly, the outer ring could be nted with pasture.


    Mu Yangling checked the condition of the soil and felt that the moisture level was alright. The overall situation was better than her ownnd.


    Satisfied, Mu Yangling began to look for the grain merchant to discuss buying seeds.


    Actually, there was one advantage to using their own seeds, for they would have a very good grasp of the characteristics of the crops. But there were also huge drawbacks. The more seeds they kept, the lower the yield. Even if they specially chose those plump seeds when choosing which ones to keep, the quality would still deteriorate after three generations.


    Therefore, generally speaking, after using their own seeds for more than three years, everyone would go to the grain merchants to buy new seeds.


    Hence, the seeds sold by grain merchants were usually of the first generation, so they were naturally expensive.


    Mu Yangling naturally had to be more cautious when buying so many seeds at once, afraid that others would sell her inferior seeds while disguising them as good-quality ones. However, in terms of research, she couldn¡¯tpare to the elderly. Therefore, Mu Yangling nned to go back and pick up Great-aunt. She decided to buy some in Mingshui County, Xingzhou Prefecture, and Hanzhong Prefecture. This way, it wouldn¡¯t be eye-catching and she would be able topare the quality.


    Actually, Mu Yangling was more inclined to cultivate higher-yielding seeds herself. She had no ns for wheat for the time being, but rice could be hybridized.


    Why did Hanzhong Prefecture and Xingzhou Prefecture nt so little rice? Wasn¡¯t it because there was less water and rice couldn¡¯t withstand drought?


    However, it might take ten or even 20 years to produce hybrid rice. This was because it took one year to hybridize a rice with a certain characteristic.


    Furthermore, it required constant selection, elimination, and searching for rice without ears?. It could be said that there was a long way to go. Moreover, even if they found it, it was not certain if they could sessfully hybridize it


    Mu Yangling did not dare to yearn for the yields achieved by future generations, but it was already not bad to reach 50% of that. Moreover, since an improvement in farming techniques was also a factor, Mu Yangling felt that it was already not bad to realize 500 catties per acre.

 Chapter 314 - 314: Seed Selection

    Chapter 314: Seed Selection


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling rubbed the seeds in her hands as she looked at Great-aunt. Great-aunt nodded slightly at her, and the shopkeeper said with a smile, ¡°Miss Mu, don¡¯t worry. The seeds here are all top-notch. Not to mention anything else, I guarantee that they are all first-generation. The most supple wheat seeds have been chosen and have been fully basked in the sun. You can take them back and hang them on the beam. It won¡¯t be a problem for you to keep them for two winters.¡±


    ¡°If we n to keep the seeds for two winters, we wouldn¡¯t be buying it at this time.¡± Great-aunt said unhappily, ¡°Your seeds are fine, but the price is too expensive.¡±


    ¡°Geez, Madam, it¡¯s not expensive at all. Why don¡¯t you take a look at the price of grams this year? Considering the price of grains has increased day by day ever since April, the price of my seeds is not high.¡± The shopkeeperined. ¡°If not for Miss Mu, I wouldn¡¯t even have offered this price.¡± Great-aunt sighed. This year¡¯s grain prices were indeed very high. She thought for a moment before saying to Mu Yangling, ¡°Ah Ling, let¡¯s nt wheat next year. I know you like to eat rice, but rice is not easy to grow. Look at our ten acres of rice fields this year. We only collected a total of 108 catties. One acre only yielded slightly more than a catty of grains. And that¡¯s even before grinding them into rice¡­¡±


    When the shopkeeper heard this, he smiled and said, ¡°Gosh, that¡¯s considered a huge harvest. My family nted rice on more than eight acres and only harvested a total of three catties.¡±


    Embarrassed, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Did your family harvest all the grains?¡± ¡°Who has the time to do that?¡± The shopkeeper said, ¡°We took a scythe and walked in the fields, then only cut off the grains with ears. Who has the time to cut them all? Later, we just let an ox into the fields and let it eat all the rice without ears. When I harvested the grains, my wife even said that I was wasting my time.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that. Three catties of grains can fill our stomachs for a day. Although we have food now, we can¡¯t waste it.¡±


    My sentiments exactly. Look at those refugees outside. They can even kill someone for 0.2 catties of rice, let alone three catties of grains. Moreover, I don¡¯t dare to say that every single one of these three catties of grains are ¡¯ supple, but they¡¯re all puffed up. It just makes me feel bad to look at them. Back then, I nted more than three catties of seeds.¡±


    Mu Yangling was originally listening with interest at the side, but when she heard this, she could not help but be surprised. She asked, ¡°Shopkeeper, have you eaten the three catties of grains?¡±


    ¡°Nope. My family is used to eating noodles. Moreover, how can we eat three catties of grains? I n to grind them together the next time I buy grains.¡± Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Then can you sell it to me?¡±


    The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment before he replied with a smile, ¡°Miss Mu, are you joking with me? What¡¯s the use of these three catties of¡¯ grains? If you want to buy them, I have plenty here. I can give you a good price for it.¡±


    ¡°No, I want the three catties that grew on the drought-affectednd.¡±


    The shopkeeper was suspicious, but he did not question her. He only said, ¡°I¡¯ll send someone back to get it now.¡± Then, he asked casually, ¡°Miss Mu, is there anything wrong with my grains?¡±


    Mu Yangling only thought for a moment before confessing, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong. It¡¯s just that I suddenly remembered that since these grains managed to grow on such drynd, perhaps they can adapt to the arid climate. Thus, I¡¯m thinking of doing an experiment.¡±


    If this method was spread, someone might be able to produce drought-resistant rice faster.


    When the shopkeeper heard this, he shook his head and smiled. He felt that Mu Yangling was thinking too simply. He¡¯d originally thought that there was some secret behind this.


    Great-aunt sighed and didn¡¯t say anything. She knew that Mu Yangling had always wanted to improve the quality of seeds and nting technology. She had spent quite a bit of effort on this during the past two years. In that case, she would just let her continue doing so.


    Mu Yangling obtained the three catties of grains as she wished. When she returned, shepared them to her own 108 catties. The shopkeeper¡¯s grains were even fuller than hers. She guessed that the bad grains had been removed during the harvesting.


    Mu Yangling poured out the 108 catties of grains, nning to screen them and keep the plump grains as seeds. Dumbfounded, Great-aunt asked, ¡°Are you really nning to use these as seeds?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Great-aunt, I still want to buy more. Later, go to the vige and ask if anyone has any grains left behind this year. Buy the supple ones. Remember, they must be from this year¡¯s harvest.¡±


    Great-aunt looked at the grains on the ground and saw that they were orange-yellow. Considering they were indeed plump enough, and they came from her ownnd, she felt that it would be good to use them as seeds. Therefore, she didn¡¯t object. Nodding, she said, ¡°Alright, I understand. Then should we go to the grain store to buy some rice seeds?¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°Let¡¯s buy some. When the timees, we¡¯ll nt them separately andpare the effect. If there¡¯s no basis forparison, there¡¯s no way to tell if this method will work.¡±


    ¡°Are you nning to nt so much rice?¡± Great-aunt was still more inclined to nt wheat because rice was too low-yielding. Although corn was high-yielding, it was too coarse.


    ¡°Great-aunt, didn¡¯t I tell you? I just rented 65 hectares ofnd in Hanzhong Prefecture.¡±???????????????????? ¡±


    ¡°How much rent does it cost to rent so muchnd?¡±


    ¡°Not much. I just need to support those littlend owners.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Great-aunt didn¡¯t understand.


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Brother Haoran brought back a group of children and drafted them into the military households. However, those children are still young. Although they have arge plot ofnd under their name, they can¡¯t farm it, so I took over thend. Qi Haoran said that he¡¯ll only take half of the taxes levied every year. The remaining money will be used to raise the children.¡±


    Great-aunt immediately felt uneasy. ¡°Well, since you¡¯re doing this via the back door, how can you pay less taxes? Later, tell Little General that we¡¯ll pay the proper amount of tax. As for the children, we¡¯ll continue to raise them. Since we¡¯re renting theirnd, it¡¯s only right that we pay the rent.¡±


    With a smile, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Great-aunt, forget about paying more tax. Though, we can give the children more things. If Qi Haoran doesn¡¯t rent thend to us, not only will they not get a single grain, but they will also have to pay for the grains to feed those children.¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t make Little General suffer a loss,¡± Great-aunt muttered. ¡°We¡¯rew-abiding people.¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips and smile. She didn¡¯t dare to tell her great-aunt about the expenses of the nursery. Otherwise, her heart would ache again.


    When Shu Wanniang came in, she heard Great-aunt teaching Mu Yangling to be a good person. She couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips and smile. She said to Mu Yangling, ¡°Ah Ling, listen to your great-aunt.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and agreed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll discuss it with Brother Haoranter.¡±


    Only then did Great-aunt give the mother and daughter some space. Shu Wanniang tapped her daughter¡¯s forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you¡¯re doing outside, but you have to remember not to take advantage of others. It¡¯s a blessing to suffer a harmless loss.¡±


    Mu Yangling said helplessly, ¡°Mother, I know. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t take advantage of those children just because they¡¯re still insensible. I will give them what they rightfully deserve..¡±

 Chapter 315 - 315: Teaching Her Daughter

    Chapter 315: Teaching Her Daughter


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know why her mother was worried about this. Could it be that she had already be a despicable person in their eyes?


    Shu Wanniang patted her daughter¡¯s head and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll take the wrong path. There are many people in this world who change when they have money. You¡¯ve already earned a lot this year.¡±


    Mu Yangling sat up straight and said seriously, ¡°Mother, although I don¡¯t know how far I can go in the future, I hope to help everyone. Since 90% of the people farm in this world, it¡¯s a good thing to strive for higher yields per acre of farnd.¡±


    Shu Wanniang had always known that her daughter was conducting experiments on the fields to increase the production of grains, but she didn¡¯t know that she wanted to bless the world. She had thought that she was doing it for her own family¡¯s yields.


    Shu Wanniang was silent for a long time before she shook her head and said, ¡°Ah Ling, it¡¯s not that I want to discourage you. When ites to hunting, no one canpare to you. But in terms of farming, if you want to achieve results, you should find someone to help you.¡±


    ¡°Listen to me first.¡± Shu Wanniang held her daughter¡¯s hand. ¡°I know you have many ideas, but not all ideas will be fruitful. After all, you don¡¯t know enough aboutnd and crops. You have to know that there are specializations in various fields. Why don¡¯t you tell your ideas to those who know how to farm and let them study them? That way, you can still take time out to do what you¡¯re good at.¡±


    At this point, Shu Wanniang smiled. ¡°Moreover, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve put much effort into the experimental fields. You just use a different nting method on different fields. However, even if I don¡¯t know how to farm, I know that farming isn¡¯t just about nting. From the moment you level thend to the end of the harvest, this entire process spanning four to five months requires knowledge every step of the way.¡±


    Mu Yangling blushed and hugged her mother¡¯s waist. She wheedled, ¡°Mother, I know I was wrong. I should have let others do it.¡±


    Shu Wanniang stroked her daughter¡¯s head and said, ¡°I know that firstly, you haven¡¯t found a suitable person. Secondly, you don¡¯t want to spend money on that. Thirdly, you don¡¯t want to listen to your great-aunt¡¯s nagging. However, one is bound to encounter many setbacks if they want to achieve something great. If you don¡¯t take it step by step, how can you carve out a path eventually? Based on what I¡¯ve observed this year, you¡¯ve been too impatient. However, you¡¯ve had your own opinions since you could speak and walk, making your own decisions after the age of six. Thus, I really don¡¯t want to restrain you.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked up at her mother with sparkling eyes. ¡°Mother, if I did something wrong, just tell me. Don¡¯t hold it in. I can take it.¡±


    Shu Wanniang smiled slightly. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of hurting you, but I¡¯m afraid that if I don¡¯t have the right understanding, I¡¯ll harm you instead. The world changes every day. Who knows when the world will descend into chaos? Should that happen, ruthless people will survive, and kind-hearted people might be buried in the mountains. Ah Ling, although I hope that you can be a good person, all the more so I hope that you can survive.¡±


    Shu Wanniang¡¯s eyes turned red as she spoke. Over the past year, with her husband away from home for more than half a year, she had not been able to sleep peacefully. He was either lying in ambush in the Jin Kingdom to hide or fighting at the front line. Other than returning to farm, her daughter also ran back and forth between Hanzhong Prefecture and Xingzhou Prefecture. Even though she knew that her daughter was highly skilled in martial arts, she could not help but feel worried.


    Mu Yangling leaned into her mother¡¯s arms, not knowing how tofort her. No matter what she did in the past two years, her mother would support her and even help her persuade her great-aunt. It was only now that Mu Yangling knew that her mother was not unafraid.


    Shu Wanniang patted her daughter¡¯s head and said, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough wheedling. Sharpening the knife won¡¯t dy the chopping of firewood. Since you¡¯re delving into so many areas, you definitely won¡¯t be able to take care of everything by yourself. It¡¯s better to hire more people. If you can¡¯t make up your mind, bring the potential candidates back. I¡¯ll help you vet them.¡±


    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll put up a notice tomorrow to recruit young men who know how to farm and have ideas of their own.¡±


    Shu Wanniang frowned. ¡°Why young men?¡±


    ¡°At the very least, they can¡¯t be old men.¡± Mu Yangling slumped her shoulders and said, ¡°Great-aunt, Great-uncle and the others don¡¯t approve of me going through so much trouble. They think that it¡¯s good to follow the rules when farming. Many old people think that way, but I think that¡¯s not right. In the beginning, no one knew how to farm and had to figure it out step by step. This requires ideas, so we have to find someone who has ideas and knows how to farm. Generally speaking, those who dare to boldly carry out their ideas are mostly people in their twenties or thirties.¡±


    Shu Wanniang burst outughing. She tapped her daughter¡¯s forehead and said, ¡°Are those in their twenties or thirties considered young men still? They¡¯re old enough to be your uncles.¡±


    Mu Yangling blushed slightly as she said, ¡°I¡¯m just saying. You have to know that in front of Great-aunt and the others, those in their twenties and thirties are considered young men.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have enough money, I still have some here. Your father sent a lot of money back this year¡­¡±


    ¡°Mother, I haven¡¯t used the money in the small box I gave you yet. Why would I need to use the money Father gave you?¡± Mu Yangling leaned close to Shu Wanniang¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°Mother, only when there¡¯s food at home can we not panic. It¡¯s the same for our family. We need to have money around at all times, so keep the money Father gave you and set it aside. Even if I spend all the money at home, I can¡¯t use that sum of money. It¡¯s for emergencies. Do you understand?¡±


    Shu Wanniang responded and said, ¡°Your younger brother¡¯s teacher at the academy fell sick, so school has stopped for the time being. When he recovers from his illness, it¡¯ll be about time for winter solstice and winter break again. When you leave, bring him along and let him gain some life experiences by your side.¡± Shu Wanniang thought for a moment and said, ¡°Bring Xin along too. This child is getting more and more shy. Although she¡¯s talented in embroidery, she can¡¯t not learn other skills. Let her be Xiuhong¡¯s assistant and train her character.¡±


    Mu Yangling asked with a smile, ¡°Should I also bring Bosi and Kejia along? Mother, there¡¯s a one-year-old childborer in my cattle farm. Bosi and Kejia are already three years old and can work.¡±


    Shu Wanniang was dumbfounded. ¡°W¡ªwhy are you so ck-hearted? You even recruited a one-year-old child?¡± Shu Wanniang couldn¡¯t help but smack her daughter and say, ¡°Even if you want to help them, you can find another way. Why torture the child? It¡¯s torturous for a kid that young to wake up that early in the morning.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled bitterly and said, ¡°Mother, how could I not know? But those elders saw that I was young and were all putting on airs like old foxes. When I carried the children into the house, they started lying on the ground andining that their chest hurt. Theyined that they were old and couldn¡¯t walk anymore.¡±


    Shu Wanniang frowned. She had never seen such people in her life.


    ¡°Therefore, I can only make those children suffer for the time being. Since there are so many people, they¡¯ll be done after ten days of work. No matter how many cows I raise, I won¡¯t be able to use up so much hay. When the timees, I¡¯ll dismiss them. No matter what I do to the children, they won¡¯t be able to make trouble for me.¡±


    Shu Wanniang hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Ah Ling, aside from loving the young, you should first and foremost respect the old¡­¡±


    ¡°Mother, I know that respecting an elder is a virtue and even a basic morality, but your daughter isn¡¯t capable enough now. In the cattle farm, there are more than 1,900 children under the age of eight and more than 700 of them are orphans. I know that we should help the elderly, but they have knowledge, life experience, greater strength than children, and various ways to survive. However, children are different. Some have never left their viges prior to this and don¡¯t even have the most basic understanding of this world. Some don¡¯t even know their own surnames¡­¡± Mu Yangling thought of the panic in the children¡¯s eyes and felt even more bitter. ¡°Mother, they¡¯re about the same age as Bowen and Bosi. This world is too chaotic. Even I can¡¯t guarantee that I can protect you guys 100%. I only hope that someone can help them if they¡¯re in trouble one day, and that they can persevere until I find them.¡±


    Shu Wanniang sighed and did not say anything else..

 Chapter 316 - 316: Favor

    Chapter 316: Favor


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Bowen had moved his things back from the academy in the afternoon, a little depressed. Though he cheered up at the sight of his sister, his eyebrows still furrowed.


    Seeing this, Mu Yangling could not help but pinch his bun-like face. ¡°What are you worried about at such a young age?


    ¡°Sister, I¡¯ve grown up.¡± Bowen pulled down his sister¡¯s hand and said with a frown, ¡°My teacher is sick. We went to visit him in the morning. He¡¯s very sick and his wife has been crying. I wonder if he can be cured.


    After saying that, his eyes reddened.


    Stunned, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Why is it so serious? Didn¡¯t they say it was just a cold?¡±


    ¡°But Teacher is already bedridden and has a high fever. I heard from his wife that he suffers from chills at night.¡± Bowen¡¯s eyes were a little red. ¡°It¡¯s all our fault for not being obedient. Teacher was still teaching us even though he was already sick the day before yesterday. He fainted in ss yesterday. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have known that Teacher was sick.¡±


    ¡°What did the doctor say?¡± Mu Yangling asked with concern.


    As Bowen was not in good health, Teacher Liu had always taken good care of him. Naturally, Mu Yangling was very concerned about this problem.


    ¡°The doctor can¡¯t say.¡± Bowen said disappointedly, ¡°Teacher can¡¯t afford good medicine. I¡¯ve already given all my pocket money to his wife. Sister, let¡¯s hire another doctor for Teacher so that he can get a better prescription.¡±


    ¡°How much pocket money can you have?¡± Mu Yangling red at him. ¡°That¡¯s not right either. How do you know that Teacher Liu can¡¯t afford good medicine? His family should have a lot of money too. He should be able to afford medicine, right?¡±


    The cost of living in Mingshui County was not high. Considering Teacher Liu¡¯s family also hadnd and fields, coupled with the tuition money he collected, his family should have a lot of savings.


    ¡°There are many people in Teacher¡¯s family. In the past two years, the crop harvest has beenckluster. Teacher has been supporting the family with his tuition ie. His wife said that Teacher has been sick for more than ten days this time. In spite of that, he had to teach us and create exam papers for us. In addition, there were many other things for him to do at home. When all these came together, Teacher¡¯s illness became even more severe.¡± Bowen said, ¡°Sister, I¡¯ve seen his prescription. It¡¯s good, but there are a few herbs that can be better. I¡¯ve also asked the doctor. His wife asked him to change the previous prescription because they didn¡¯t have enough money.¡± Having been ill for a long time, Bowen could tell the medicinal properties and quality of certain herbs at a nce. That was why he rushed back to take the pocket money he had saved and send it over. Although it was not much, he had saved almost two taels of silver over the past two years.


    Ever since Bowen started going to school in the county, Mu Yangling would give him too copper coins every month for emergency use. He would use the money to buy school supplies, buy food, or treat others. Coupled with the red packets for the new year, he had saved up some money over the past two years. Although this amount of money was not much to Mu Yangling, it was a huge sum of money among Bowen¡¯s peers.


    However, this huge sum of money was gone without even a ripple in the face of the costly medical fees.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t ask further and went straight into the house to get some money. ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look.¡±


    Hearing themotion, Shu Wanniang came out and asked in surprise, ¡°Where are you going? Didn¡¯t you juste back?


    Upon hearing that Teacher Liu was sick, Shu Wanniang hurriedly went into the house and ced some eggs in the basket for Mu Yangling. ¡°Take these with you. Teacher Liu has always taken good care of Bowen. Do help him out wherever possible.¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed and brought Bowen to Teacher Liu¡¯s house. Teacher Liu¡¯s house was very lively. More than half of his 23 students showed up, apanied by their parents. Some carried baskets of eggs like Mu Yangling, some carried a chicken, and some carried half a bag of rice. Some even directly stuffed some money into their hands¡­


    In this era, a teacher was like a father. As a student, one had to pay a visit no matter what, even if it was just to kowtow.


    Mu Yangling waited for everyone to leave before leading Bowen in. Madam Liu¡¯s eyes were red and swollen, but when she saw Mu Yangling and the others, she still forced a smile and stood up. ¡°Bowen, you¡¯re here? Considering your poor health, it¡¯s better not to go in and see your Teacher, lest he passes his illness to you.¡±


    Mu Yangling patted Bowen¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Madam Liu, let me go in and kowtow to Teacher Liu.¡±


    Madam Liu was a little hesitant because the children had all left after kowtowing at the door. However, Mu Bowen was her husband¡¯s most favored student, so he might be happy to see him. Hence, Madam Liu hesitated for a moment before letting Mu Bowen and Mu Yangling in.


    Teacher Liu was indeed very sick. His face was flushed and he was lying on the bed with a frown, covered with a thick nket. Mu Yangling¡¯s heart could not help but twitch as she looked at him. She asked, ¡°Which doctor did you hire for Teacher?¡±


    ¡°I invited Physician Liu from Wellspring Hall. It¡¯s my fault for not paying attention. Previously, he was about to recover after taking the medicine. Who knew that his illness would return after staying upte a few days ago¡­¡± Madam Liu¡¯s heart had been in turbulence for the past two days. If she hadn¡¯t neglected her husband, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have be so sick.


    ¡°Madam Liu, why don¡¯t you invite the doctor of Benevolence Hall to take a look?¡± Mu Yangling stuffed ten taels of silver into her hands and said, ¡°If you use better herbs, his fever might subside. He might even be able to return to the academy to give Bowen and the others an exam before the Winter Solstice.¡± Madam Liu looked at the silver in her hand in shock. Although there were also parents who gave money, most of them only gave too to 200 copper coins as a token of appreciation. The 1 tael 800 copper coins that Bowen had brought over today was already a lot. Yet here they were, giving them even more money. Madam Liu hurriedly pushed the money back and said uneasily, ¡°Physician Liu¡¯s prescription is not bad either. Previously he almost recovered from taking his medicine¡­¡±


    Towards the end, Madam Liu was a little ashamed. She was the one who asked Physician Liu to prescribe a cheaper prescription because her family really couldn¡¯t afford a set of medicine that cost one or two taels of silver.


    ¡°Nothing is more important than Teacher¡¯s health.¡± Mu Yangling held her hand and smiled. ¡°Use this money first. When Teacher recovers, I¡¯ll bring Bowen to see him.¡±


    Madam Liu opened her mouth but still epted the money. Seeing that Mu Yangling had stood up, she hurriedly sent her to the entrance. When she returned, she immediately sent someone to invite Pang Kongqing over for treatment.


    After a night of torment, Teacher Liu finally broke out in a cold sweat. He drank another bowl of porridge and felt much better after his body was wiped. Teacher Liu finished the medicine in one gulp and handed the bowl to his wife. He asked, ¡°Who wrote this prescription? Why is the effect so strong?


    Teacher Liu was in a daze. Although he knew that there was someone in the room, he did not know who it was and could not hear anyone speak. However, after drinking a bowl of medicine yesterday afternoon, he started to sweat and his fever slowly subsided. Naturally, his mind was no longer dizzy.


    Teacher Liu knew a little about Chinese herbal medical science, so early in the morning, he took a look at the prescription. Although the form was wonderful, the quantity of the herbs used was rather aggressive. It could be seen that it was prescribed by a bold and meticulous person. Furthermore, Physician Liu, whom they often hired, was used to being cautious. He did not have the guts to prescribe such a strong medicine.


    At the mention of this, Madam Liu¡¯s eyes turned red again. As she wiped her tears, she said, ¡°It¡¯s Physician Pang from Benevolence Hall. Fortunately, Miss Mu asked me to invite him. Otherwise, you¡­¡±


    ¡°He said that the evil wind has been in your body for a long time and the root of your illness is buried deep in your body. If you didn¡¯t sweat it out, you¡¯d probably die from the fever. It¡¯s all my fault. In order to save that bit of money, I asked Physician Liu to prescribe a cheap prescription¡­¡±


    Knowing his family¡¯s situation, Teacher Liu patted his wife and asked, ¡°How much money did you borrow this time for my medicine?¡±


    ¡°I borrowed some from Father and Mother. Teacher Qin gave me three taels. By the way, Bowen also gave me 1 tael 800 copper coins. Including what the other students gave me, there¡¯s a total of about six taels.¡± Madam Liu carefully nced at her husband and said, ¡°Yesterday, Bowen and his older sister came over and gave our family ten taels..¡±

 Chapter 317 - 317: Ideal

    Chapter 317: Ideal


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Teacher Liu was only stunned for a moment. Then, he said, ¡°Write it down. I¡¯ll return it when I have moneyter.¡±


    Madam Liu nodded. ¡°We have to thank Bowen and the Mu family. If not for these ten taels of silver, I wouldn¡¯t know where to find the money to buy medicine for you.¡±


    Pang Kongqing¡¯s medicine was aggressive, but it was also expensive. Coupled with the tonic to nourish the body in theter stages, they ended up spending around ten taels of silver in total. That was why people said that one mustn¡¯t fall sick.


    Teacher Liu nodded and said regretfully, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Bowen belongs to a military household. Otherwise, with his eagerness to learn and intelligence, he would definitely be more aplished than me in the future.¡±


    Smiling, Madam Liu said, ¡°I heard that Commander Mu is now a battalionmander. If he advances another grade, he will be able to leave the military. At that time, Bowen will be able to take the Imperial Examination.¡±


    Teacher Liu smiled bitterly. ¡°How can it be so easy? There¡¯s quite a threshold for a battalionmander to cross to be a general. Some people can¡¯t cross it in their entire lives. It¡¯s not just about achieving military credits. It also requires connections and qualifications. Although I¡¯m not familiar with the military system, I can more or less guess. The battalionmander is following orders, but assistantmanders have to train and lead troops into battle. Unless General Mu can advance another level within the next ten years, Bowen will be dyed.¡±


    ¡°Actually, if Bowen wasn¡¯t in a military household, he could¡¯ve given the exam a shot next year.¡±


    Madam Liu did not expect her husband to have such a high opinion of Mu Bowen. ¡°That child will only be nine next year, right?¡±


    Teacher Liu nodded. ¡°Actually, the children¡¯s examination mainly tests one¡¯s ability to memorize and recite. These two are Bowen¡¯s forte. That child recites things very quickly. He can recite the textbook two or three times with his eyes closed and memorize the entire article after reading it twice. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen such a smart person in my life.¡±


    Madam Liu smiled and said, ¡°I thought he had a photographic memory.¡±


    Teacher Liu said with a straight face, ¡°How can there be so many people in this world who have a photographic memory? It¡¯s already very good that he has this ability. The key is that he also hasprehension abilities. He has never copied the sentences in ¡®Zhu Zi¡¯s Annotations¡¯. He has always read the text by himself first and then referenced the trantions of the ¡®Speech and Verbal Interpretation¡¯ one by one. If he has doubts, he will flip through the ancient books and ask me if he doesn¡¯t understand anything else. Only then, if he still can¡¯t clear his doubts, will he flip through ¡®Zhu Zi¡¯s Annotations¡¯. That child has his own understanding of the trantions and doesn¡¯tpletely agree with Zhu Zi¡¯s exnation. It can be seen that he¡¯s talented. It¡¯s a pity that he¡¯s not an ordinary civilian¡­¡±


    Madam Liu often heard her husband sigh about this. In the past, she only thought that it was because Mu Bowen was obedient, sensible, smart, and studious. But now, it seemed that her husband sympathized with him because of his talent.


    ¡°However, it¡¯s also because he has ess to resources. His sister buys him a lot of books and lets him read as many books as he wants. Ordinary students can¡¯t afford that. Even the most well-off student in the academy can¡¯t spend so much silver to buy so many books, unlike what Bowen¡¯s sister does for him¡­¡±


    One had to know that most children¡¯s early learning materials were the ¡®Thousand Character ssic¡¯, the ¡®Three Character ssic¡¯, and ¡®The Analects¡¯. Those who were more well-off would buy their kids a single volume of ¡®Zhu Zi¡¯s Annotations¡¯. Only those with talent would continue to buy books beyond those mentioned.


    ¡°Husband.¡± Madam Liu hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Then will you be participating next year?¡±


    Next year happened to be the triennial vige examination.


    Faced with Madam Liu¡¯s expectant gaze, Teacher Liu shook his head while enduring the pain. He held his wife¡¯s hand and said, ¡°I can¡¯t let you and our children suffer with me just for the Imperial Examination, right?¡±


    Madam Liu immediately said, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. Husband, you should go down and give it a try. Let¡¯s stop the academy for a year next year. I¡¯ll wash clothes for others to earn some money. With Father, Mother, your brother and sister-inw farming, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Anyway, Xingyuan Prefecture is only a few days away from here. Go and give it a try.¡±


    Teacher Liu was silent for a long time. In the end, he shook his head and said, ¡°No, there was droughtst year and this year¡¯s drought is even worse. No one knows what will happen next year. With just thosends, we might not even be able to pay taxes.¡±


    Madam Liu immediately stopped talking. This was becausest year and this year, the output in the fields was not even sufficient to pay taxes. It was her husband who took out additional silver to make up for it. However, this way, the remaining money that they had painstakingly umted at home was instantly gone.


    Teacher Liu closed his eyes and said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait one more time. Let¡¯s get through these two years first. I¡¯ll have more confidence after studying the books further.¡±


    Madam Liu didn¡¯t encourage him anymore, but she was indeed much more depressed.


    After returning home, Mu Yangling began to get her brother to write a recruitment letter. She nned to recruit three young adults who were good at farming and had ideas in the area of farming.


    As Bowen wrote, he asked, ¡°Does one even need to study farming?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need to study it to know how to nt it?¡±


    Bowen thought about it seriously. ¡°I didn¡¯t know how to do it in the past, but I know how to do it now.¡± Bowen said, ¡°I think farming only requires experience. I learned it after nting once.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not farming. That¡¯s just following orders.¡± Mu Yangling found the ¡®Important Arts for the People¡¯s Welfare¡¯ and showed it to him. ¡°People who really know how to farm will know how topare and research. They aim to pursue optimal production using minimumbor. Farming is also an art.¡±


    Bowen¡¯s jaw dropped. This was the first time he had heard that farming could be a form of art.


    Mu Yangling touched his head and said, ¡°Look, you don¡¯t understand either, right? But Jia Sixie conveys the message that agriculture can be a separate subject. Bowen, if not for the fact that Father and Mother wants you to take the Imperial Examination, I really don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything good about you researching the eight-part essay [l.one of the most important and basic style of writing of the Imperial examination in Ming-Qing Dynasty]. I¡¯d rather you choose a subject you¡¯re interested in and delve into that.¡±


    Bowen put down his pen and asked seriously, ¡°Then, Sister, what do you like?¡±


    ¡°I used to like weapons, so I studied mechanical manufacturing and automation. But now, I think that farming and animal husbandry are not bad. At least for now, I¡¯m very interested in them. My goal is to upgrade these two technologies and develop these two industries¡­¡±


    Bowen looked at his sister with his mouth agape. Because he was surprised that Mu Yangling regarded farming and animal husbandry so highly, he did not take the first sentence to heart. Looking at his sister whose eyes were sparkling with excitement, he felt that she did not treat farming as simply farming. At least, she did not think like Great-aunt, who felt that farmers should just toil away in the fields for food. Instead, he felt that his sister treated it as a goal to fight for and an ideal to strive towards.


    It turned out that farming and animal husbandry could also be an ideal!


    Then what was his dream?


    Bowen frowned. Be an official after excelling at the Imperial Examination? But what was the purpose of bing an official?


    Bowen suddenly felt a little panicked, as if he did not know what he should do.


    Not noticing her brother¡¯s abnormality, Mu Yangling only smiled and stroked his head. ¡°So we have to hire a few people who are proficient in farming and have ideas to study with me. Perhaps in the future, we will achieve the same yield for rice in our Xingzhou Prefecture as in Jiangnan, or even higher. The yield per acre of wheat will also be higher.¡±


    Bowen immediately picked up his pen. ¡°Then, Sister, I¡¯ll pen it down now. I¡¯ll go to the county with you tomorrow.. How much do we have to pay them?¡±

 Chapter 318 - 318: Guidance

    Chapter 318: Guidance


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling¡¯s recruitment notice did not even cause any ripples when it was posted. This was because in this era, there were too few people who knew how to farm and read.


    She had no choice but to invite two people to stand by the side and read it out


    loud to exin to everyone.


    However, everyone did not believe her recruitment notice and felt that she was kidding. What a joke. Was it even necessary to study farming? Couldn¡¯t she just hire a random someone to work in the fields?


    Therefore, although there were many onlookers, no one went forward to register. This matter became a joke that spread throughout the surrounding viges.


    Mu Yangling took the time to send Bowen and Xiuhong to Hanzhong Prefecture. She got the two of them to work with Xiuhong on the children s winter clothes. Even when they returned, no one had registered.


    Just as Mu Yangling was wondering if she should try Xingzhou Prefecture, Liu


    Ting came looking for her.


    Liu Ting did not enter the city often, so he only found out about Ah Ling¡¯s recruitment after hearing the discussions in the vigest night. The elders in the family felt that Ah Ling was fooling around, but Liu Ting was tempted.


    In the past two years, Ah Ling had always used a few acres of hernd to do experiments. He knew that because he woulde over to help each time. He had also personally helped tidy up those experimental fields. Sometimes, he could not help but think that Ah Ling might be right. Didn¡¯t people not know how to nt in the past?


    They had all figured it out step by step. During Emperor Gaozong¡¯s time, although everyone had corn seeds, they had been ignored for nearly a hundred years because they didn¡¯t know how to nt them. If they could experiment all kinds of methods to nt them like Ah Ling and think about the reasons for the varying results, wouldn¡¯t they have long seeded in nting corn? If they had done that a long time ago, everyone wouldn¡¯t starve every time they encountered a natural disaster by now. Even the worst case scenario would be much better than now, right?


    Hence, Liu Ting informed his cousin, Liu Yuan,beforeing to look for her.


    Liu Yuan also wanted toe, but he was tied down by something, so he could only let his cousin ask first.


    Shu Wanniang was very respectful to Liu Ting. After pouring him a cup of tea, she went to the kitchen to cook for him and let the two of them talk.


    Liu Ting looked around and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your great-aunt?


    ¡°Great-aunt couldn¡¯t stay idle and went to the backyard to take care of the vegetable field.¡±


    Liu Ting nodded. ¡°Do you have enough vegetables at home? If there¡¯s not enough, I¡¯ll get your aunt to carry a load over for you.¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Not only did Great-aunt nt vegetables in the backyard, but she¡¯s also tending to the vegetable fields at the back of the old house, so we certainly don¡¯tck vegetables. It¡¯s just that there are fewer varieties after winter. In a few days, we can only eat cabbage every day.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t eat cabbage in winter, what else can you eat?¡± Liu Ting said nonchntly, ¡°I¡¯ll help you repair the certer. Change the water diligently so that the cabbage will dry up slower.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. Seeing that Liu Ting was beating around the bush, she asked, ¡°Uncle, why are you looking for me?¡±


    Liu Ting felt uneasy for a moment before asking, ¡°I heard that you posted a recruitment notice in the county to recruit people who know how to farm?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    Liu Ting was silent for a moment before asking, ¡°What is considered a person who knows how to farm?¡±


    ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re someone who knows how to farm.¡± Mu Yangling knew that many people disagreed with her point of view, so she exined, ¡°But I think there¡¯s a technique to nting. From leveling thend to nting, then fertilizing, watering, and harvesting, different methods yield different harvests. I want to find a better method for each specific crop by improving the nting techniques. Also, I think seeds can be cultivated.¡± Seeing that Liu Ting was listening attentively, Mu Yangling slowed down and said, ¡°Now, the seeds of rice are not drought-resistant and are not high-yielding. The ears are not long and the stalks are not tall. I want to cultivate rice that is drought-resistant, high-yielding, and tall.¡±


    Liu Ting frowned as confusion shed in his eyes. ¡°But the seeds are all left behind from the previous generation. How¡­ how do we cultivate them? It¡¯s not as if we can inject immortal spells into the seeds. If we wish to cultivate high yield seeds, we can only try to farm as meticulously as possible. When fertilizing the ground, we have to be more careful to ensure moisture levels¡­¡± The more Liu Ting spoke, the more discouraged he became. ¡°It¡¯s not like we can graft? them like fruit trees?¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up. She couldn¡¯t exin the concept of gics and hybridization to him, but survival of the fittest could also be an exnation. Mu Yangling entered the house and ced a handful of rice seeds on the table. ¡°Uncle, look. My family harvested these this year.¡±


    Liu Ting peeled a grain and put it in his mouth to chew. He nodded and said, ¡ö¡¯It¡¯S quite delicious. It¡¯s full and fragrant. To be able to harvest such good grains in such dry weather, it looks like you¡¯ve done your best. However, I remember that most of the rice in your field didn¡¯t have any ears?¡±


    Puzzlement shed across Liu Ting¡¯s eyes. Could he have remembered wrongly?


    With a smile, Mu Yangling said, ¡°I harvested a total of 108 catties of rice on ten acres.¡±


    Liu Ting¡¯s face darkened. This yield¡­


    ¡°These grains grew in a dry field, while the nearby rice didn¡¯t even produce heads. But these grains were able to withstand the drought. Uncle, do you think their descendants will be able to do the same?


    Liu Ting was taken aback as he pondered seriously.


    ¡°I think these seeds are the same as humans. Not only is it survival of the fittest, but it can also pass on the genes of those which are superior. Therefore, I n to use these seeds for experiments next spring.¡±


    ¡°What if these seeds are not resistant to drought?


    ¡°There must be some rice that produced heads, right? When the timees, we¡¯ll choose the winners. However, this only takes care of the drought aspect. We also have to ensure high yield. Therefore, Uncle, I n to enter the field next year to take a closer look and observe if there are any rice with especially long ear nodes and that produces especially many grains. We¡¯ll keep those as seeds.¡±


    ¡°But how did you turn two seeds into one?¡± Liu Ting widened his eyes and said, ¡°They can¡¯t mate¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling immediately smiled brightly. Liu Ting was dumbfounded. ¡°W- what¡¯s going on in your head? Rice can mate too?¡± As he said that, he muttered to himself, ¡°That¡¯s right. That ear? is the flower. You have to sow it before grain filling can take ce. But how do you make them mate?¡± When Liu Ting saw Ah Ling looking at him with bright eyes, he reached out and pped himself. Look at what he was saying in front of the child. It was simply too embarrassing!


    Mu Yangling did not expect Liu Ting to think of this. She said happily, ¡°Uncle,e and help me. You don¡¯t have to worry about the fields. When the timees, I¡¯ll hire people to work in the fields. The few of us will just focus on those few acres of experimental fields.¡±


    Liu Ting shook his head. ¡°It won¡¯t take long even if you walk one round around the fields every day. Ah Ling, your Uncle Yuan has more ideas than me. He and I can help you. I think you should remove the recruitment notice and not waste the money.¡±


    -No, it¡¯s not enough to rely on you guys alone. It¡¯s better to recruit a few more people and brainstorm. They might be able toe up with more ideas. The main reason was that she didn¡¯t know much about some things. Although she had read two farming books in the past year, there were still many things she hadn¡¯t mastered. Therefore, she had to learn step by step and figure it out from the beginning.


    ¡°But if those workers aren¡¯t from here, it¡¯s not convenient for them toe to your ce to work.¡±


    ¡°There will be a way. Since the old house next door is still empty, at most, 111 let them live there.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu live there?¡±


    ¡°They moved to Hanzhong Prefecture. I asked them to keep an eye on the cattle farm. Even if theye back, they can also live there, considering the old house isn¡¯t small. Our entire family used to live there, too.¡±


    Just as Liu Ting was about to object, there was a knock on the door and someone shouted, ¡°Is anyone home?


    Liu Ting could only stop and wait for Mu Yangling to open the door.

 Chapter 319 - 319: Recruiting

    Chapter 319: Recruiting


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The two men stood in front of Mu Yangling uneasily. Their mouths were agape, and their faces were flushed red, but they did not say a word.


    Mu Yangling sized up the two of them. One was strong and the other was thin. They had honest expressions and thick palms. Standing in front of Mu Yangling, their backs were slightly hunched. As if seeing that the person beside them was standing upright, he also wanted to straighten his back, but it was a little futile. Therefore, cold sweat gradually broke out on his forehead.


    The thin man beside him had a calmer expression than him. He had a straight face, but his eyes were also filled with uneasiness. He kept rubbing his hands in front of him as he stood in front of Mu Yangling, not saying anything for a long time.


    Mu Yangling had a guess in her heart. Smiling, she asked, ¡°Uncles, are you here for the recruitment?¡±


    The two of them nodded repeatedly. The thin guy nced at the person beside him. Seeing that he had no intention of speaking, he said, ¡°Miss, my name is Xu Jian. I heard that you want to recruit people who know how to farm, so I¡¯m here to give it a try.¡±


    After saying that, he pulled Chen Sanzhu beside him. Chen Sanzhu immediately nodded and said, ¡°Yes, yes, me too. My¡­ my name is Chen


    Sanzhu.¡±


    ¡°You two know each other?¡±


    Xu Jian exined that they met in front of the recruitment notice, so they came together.


    Looking at the two of them, who were so nervous that they were stuttering, Mu Yangling could roughly guess that the two of them must havee together to embolden themselves. That was because Xu Jian had already been standing before the notice for two days, and Chen Sanzhu, for an even longer time. Almost as soon as the recruitment notice was posted, he had been squatting under the wall. However, because he was dressed so badly, everyone simply thought that he was a beggar.


    Actually, Chen Sanzhu was indeed a beggar. To put it more urately, he was a refugee who had wandered over from Xiangyang Prefecture.


    On the other hand, Xu Jian was from Xingzhou Prefecture. What was even more amazing was that he could recognize a few words. Although it was really just a few words, Mu Yangling was d to see that.


    After Mu Yangling invited the two of them to the central room, Liu Ting hurriedly stood up when he saw her bringing the two of them in.


    When the two of them saw Liu Ting¡¯s attire, they thought that he was a parent and bowed respectfully.


    Liu Ting was a little depressed. Did someone reallye to apply for the job? Shu Wanniang had already prepared lunch. Mu Yangling went to the kitchen to bring over the dishes and asked her mother to eat with the twins and Great-aunt in the backyard. She wanted to talk to them about something.


    ¡°You should also take note of their character. Since you and your father will often be away from home in the future, you can¡¯t recruit people with bad


    morals.¡±


    -Mother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely do an in-depth investigation into their eight generations of ancestors,¡± Mu Yangling promised.


    She could not find out what Chen Sanzhu¡¯s eighth generation ancestor did for a living, but the previous five generations were all tenant farmers. He was also a tenant farmer, but he was more pitiful. His previousndlord was forced to sell thend after squandering away their family assets, and the newndlord did not choose to lease thend to him. Without any family assets, he could only be a refugee.


    Fortunately, his parents were dead. Although he had several siblings, he was the only one who managed to survive the hunger, cold, and illness. Because he had no money, he did not marry, so he was still single without kids.


    Although it was scary to leave one¡¯s hometown, one could not survive without leaving one¡¯s hometown. Therefore, he packed his bags and walked west. Why did he walk west?


    Because he couldn¡¯t recognize the direction, he originally followed the crowd south. However, as he walked, everyone dispersed. He felt that he had been walking in the same direction, but at some point, he had deviated to the Xingzhou Prefecture. Before getting to know Xu Jian, he had always firmly believed that he would reach the capital of Great Zhou, Lin¡¯an Prefecture, after walking a little further.


    When he found out that not only was he not getting nearer to Lin¡¯an Prefecture, but he was also getting further and further away, he was not depressed. He felt that he could make a life for himself anywhere. Moreover, Xingzhou Prefecture seemed to be an easier ce to live because even farmers could be recruited. His ancestors had been farmers for five generations, and he was also a farmer. He reckoned he was familiar with the work in the fields and had thought that Mu Yangling was either recruiting tenant farmers or long-term workers, so he was very tempted.


    However, though tempted, he did not have the guts to sign up. He could only squat in the corner to look at the notice and the people who came forth to read the notice out loud.


    Mu Yangling felt that although he was a timid person, he had not done anything evil.


    An ordinary person who had not done anything evil in the past 28 years would have a very low probability of doing anything evil in the future.


    After understanding the other party¡¯s life experience and household registration status, the next step was naturally to test his work abilities. Mu Yangling handed this matter to Liu Ting, who chatted with him for a while regarding the work in the fields. As it turned out, Chen Sanzhu was very good at farming. Having started working in the fields since he was five years old, he had been farming for 23 years.


    Although Chen Sanzhu was naive, he was not stupid and knew that he had probably passed most of the tests. When he spoke to Liu Ting, he could answer everything based on his extensive farming experience. Even Liu Ting had to admit that in terms of farming crops, he could notpare to Chen Sanzhu.


    While Liu Ting and Chen Sanzhu were talking, Xu Jian, who was standing at the side straightened his back and clenched his fists as he listened. Seeing that his expression was getting more and more tense, Mu Yangling asked him with a smile, ¡°Uncle Xu, are you from Mingshui County and came to the county to do business?¡±


    The corners of Xu Jian¡¯s mouth twitched as he said uneasily, ¡°No, I-I came to see if I could find work. The autumn harvest has passed, and I have nothing to do the entire winter, so I came to the county to look for work.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Xu, what kind of work do you usually look for?


    ¡°I¡¯ll do anything. I¡¯ve been an assistant shopkeeper who ran errands, I¡¯ve helped out in the kitchen, and I¡¯ve also carried sacks. Don¡¯t belittle me. I can do anything.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly. ¡°Your family farms too?¡±


    Xu Jian nodded. ¡°I-I also have a few acres ofnd, but farming hasn¡¯t been easy in the past two years, so¡­¡± Since Xu Jian couldn¡¯t even afford to pay rent for the farnd, he felt that he might as well get a long-term gig working for others. Although it was hard and tiring, at least he could consistently put food on the table and wouldn¡¯t owe money. It had to be known that there wasn¡¯t much harvest from this year. After paying all the grains as rent for thend, he realized that he actually owed money. He was already poor, but now, he was even poorer.


    ¡°Who taught you how to write?¡±


    ¡°I learned it from my great-uncle. He used to be an assistant shopkeeper in the county. Later on, he became an ountant and secretly learned some words. When he returned, he taught me some¡­¡±


    After understanding about their ancestors, Mu Yangling told them her conditions and said, ¡°When the timees, not only will you be in charge of the experimental fields, but you¡¯ll also have to help farm my family¡¯s fields. It¡¯s simr to the long-term work you mentioned, but I¡¯ll provide your sry, food and clothing as promised. On the contrary, should the experimental fields yield results, I¡¯ll give you a red packet.¡±


    Chen Sanzhu and Xu Jian smiled uneasily. Regardless of whether they believed it or not, they were happy to hear it.


    Liu Ting felt that these conditions were too good and could not help but tug at Mu Yangling¡¯s sleeve.


    Mu Yangling smiled at himfortingly and continued to say to the two of them, ¡°Since you don¡¯t have a home now, you can move here. The old house next door also belongs to my family. Two of my people live there too, but they¡¯re in Hanzhong Prefecture now. If the two of you can get along, you can share a room. Make do with it first. I¡¯ll expand the house next year.¡± Chen Sanzhu and Xu Jian quickly waved their hands and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to expand it. Miss, we can get along well and have no problem staying in the same room.¡±


    It was already good enough to have a ce to live in. Chen Sanzhu and Xu Jian were not people who did not understand the world. Most of the long-term workers working for other families lived in wood sheds or cowsheds. They were already very satisfied to have a proper room and a brick bed to sleep on..

 Chapter 320 - 320: Working Hard

    Chapter 320: Working Hard


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    As Chen Sanzhu did not have any luggage, he could move in directly. On the other hand, Xu Jian needed to go home and pack up. Mainly, he had to tell hisndlord that he wouldn¡¯t be renting the tenantnd next year. He also had to make clear to hisndlord that he was only going out to find a job and wasn¡¯t running away. He nned to slowly repay his debt in the future.


    The moment they left, Liu Ting turned his head and asked Mu Yanghng, ¡°The conditions you offered are too generous. How is this hiring long-term workers? Even the assistant shopkeepers in the county don¡¯t receive such treatment.¡±


    ¡°I offer a high sry, but the work is also tedious.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Uncle, I¡¯ll get them to plow thend tomorrow. You and Uncle Yuan cane over and help too. When the timees, you and Uncle Yuan will lead them. Other than food and amodation, you¡¯ll receive double their benefits.¡±


    Thinking that Mu Yangling was joking, Liu Ting shook his head andughed. ¡°Child, I don¡¯t know who you take after. It¡¯s as if your mouth is smeared with honey. Alright, I¡¯lle over with your Uncle Yuan tomorrow.¡± Hence, the next day, Chen Sanzhu and Xu Jian met Liu Ting and Liu Yuan at the door. Mu Yangling introduced them before taking out two contracts. She said to the two of them, ¡°This is the contract stipting that you have to work for my family for ten years. After ten years, it¡¯s up to you to decide if you want to stay or leave.¡±


    Xu Jian hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Miss, then, can we get married when we save up money in the future?¡±


    Stunned, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t this your own business?¡±


    Smiling, Liu Yuan said, ¡°Ah Ling, a long-term worker has to receive the approval of their employer should they wish to get married.¡±


    Weren¡¯t the employers too controlling?


    Liu Ting exined in a low voice, ¡°Generally, in order to feed fewer mouths, the employers don¡¯t allow their long-term workers to get married¡­¡±


    This was because the long-term workers¡¯ family had to live with the employer¡¯s family. Getting a wife was not a problem, because although the wife was an additional mouth to feed, she was also a source ofbor. However, children were a different case because children under the age of eight were not very useful.


    Realization dawned on Mu Yangling. She looked at Xu Jian, whose face had turned red, and said, ¡°You guys can make your own decision on this. If you want to marry, just do it.¡± After a pause, she continued, ¡°If you guys do a good job and the experimental plots yield results, I can even help you with the betrothal gifts.¡±


    This time, not only Xu Jian, but even Chen Sanzhu¡¯s eyes lit up.


    Initially, Chen Sanzhu did not take this matter to heart because he felt that he might be single for the rest of his life. Getting a wife required money. He could not even support himself, so how could he get a wife?


    However, if his employer was willing to help, it would be different.


    Chen Sanzhu and Xu Jian patted their chests and promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss.


    We¡¯ll definitely work hard.¡±


    Satisfied, Mu Yangling signed the contract with them before bringing them to the fields to show them the Mu family¡¯snd. Then, she brought them to see the experimental fields that had been set aside and said, ¡°In the future, we¡¯ll mainly work on this piece ofnd. Before the sky turns cold and the ground freezes, I want you guys to plow thend and bury the grass.


    Chen Sanzhu and Xu Jian expressed that there was no problem and started plowing thend one after another. Mu Yangling looked at them for a while and felt that her family still had to buy an adult cow. Now that the mule and cart were being used by Xiuhong, they needed livestock to help out with the farming at home.


    Mu Yangling nned to nt all the rice seeds she had harvested this year next year. As for wheat, she had no idea yet. She could only hope that the four of them would have some ideas.


    Mu Yangling had already told Liu Ting and Liu Yuan her thoughts, but whether it was effective or not, she could only find out when she did theparison next year after the rice ripened and harvested.


    Hence, Mu Yangling only gave them a few pointers before entering the city to buy two sets of clothes for Xu Jian and Chen Sanzhu. After moving two bags of grains over for them, she said, ¡°The vegetables are in the vegetable garden at the back. While I¡¯m not around, you guys can go to the fields and work on your own. If you have anything you don¡¯t understand, just ask my great-aunt. If my great-aunt asks you to do anything, just obey. If you need anything, look for my Uncle Ting and Uncle Yuan. Do you understand?


    Xu Jian and Chen Sanzhu agreed respectfully. After Mu Yangling rode away, they straightened their backs.


    Chen Sanzhu touched the brand new clothes on his body and sighed. ¡®Tve never worn such new clothes in my life.


    ¡ö¡öSo what Miss said is true.¡± Xu Jian¡¯s eyes lit up as he clenched his fists and said, ¡°As long as we work hard and achieve results in the experimental field, Miss will definitely help us out with the betrothal gifts when we get married.¡± -Do you really want to get married that badly?¡± Chen Sanzhu looked at Xu Jian in confusion.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to?¡± Xu Jian said, ¡°Pm the only one in my family. If I don¡¯t get married, that¡¯s the end of my family line.¡±


    Chen Sanzhu was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°My father didn¡¯t ask that


    I marry. He only asked me to try my best to stay alive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different. Now that we have hope, we have to set higher ideals. Let s go change and go to the fields. Although Miss said that we should focus on the experimental fields, we can¡¯t neglect the other fields. Perhaps if Miss will find us hardworking, she will help us marry in four to five years.¡±


    Chen Sanzhu was also full of enthusiasm when he heard that. He went back with Xu Jian to change into old clothes, before leading the newly-bought cow and carrying the iron plow to the fields.


    Great-aunt had been secretly watching them. Seeing that the two of them continued working in the fields from early tillte even after four to five days, she was finally satisfied. She said to Shu Wanniang, ¡°Don¡¯t think that Ah Ling is young. She has very shrewd judgment. The people she hired are conscientious about work and highly diligent. Aside from Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu, Chen Sanzhu and Xu Jian are also full of energy even when no one is watching them.¡± Shu Wanniang pursed her lips and smiled. ¡°Aunt, are you relieved now? Since Ah Ling dared to leave them here and go elsewhere, it can be seen that she has made arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Even if she said that thetrine pit was fragrant, you would still nod vigorously.¡± Great-aunt muttered, ¡°I really don¡¯t know if you¡¯re the mother or if she is. I¡¯ve never seen anyone so obedient to their daughter.


    Shu Wanniang knew that Great-aunt was just teasing, seeing as Great-aunt also went along with whatever Xiuhong said these days. She went into the house and gave her some money. ¡°Aunt, go to the city and buy two catties of meat. Send some over to them. Our family should eat some fresh meat, too.¡± When Bosi, who was ying with wood chips at the side, heard this, he immediately stood up and looked at the two of them with shining eyes. He shouted while breathing heavily, ¡°Meat! Meat! I want to eat meat, too!¡± Kejia looked at her younger brother in disdain and turned to her mother. ¡°I want braised meat.¡±


    Shu Wanniang wanted to hold her forehead. ¡°There¡¯s no shortage of meat for you guys to eat. There¡¯s meat every day, but it¡¯s as if you haven¡¯t seen meat in eight lifetimes.¡±


    Great-auntughed out loud and said, ¡°These two kids are like their fathers. They all like to eat meat!¡±


    At this moment, Qi Haoran alsoughed out loud and said straightforwardly in front of everyone, ¡°Like her father, Ah Ling likes to eat meat. So Magistrate Fang, just ask them to serve meat dishes. I¡¯ll leave these vegetable dishes for you guys to eat.¡±


    The smile on Magistrate Fang¡¯s face remained unchanged as he obediently got someone to change the menu to one with meat dishes in the restaurant.


    Mu Yangling secretly pinched the flesh on Qi Haoran¡¯s waist. However, she said with a smile, ¡°Sorry to make you splurge, Magistrate Fang. I¡¯m okay with both meat and vegetarian dishes.¡±


    The smile on Qi Haoran¡¯s face froze. It was only after Mu Yangling let go of him that he let out a huge exhale.. It hurt too much!

 Chapter 321 - 321: Negotiation

    Chapter 321: Negotiation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    New dishes were quickly served, this time all meat dishes.


    If not for the fact that they weren¡¯t alone in the private room, Mu Yangling would definitely hold her forehead and beat Qi Haoran up. It was too embarrassing.


    How embarrassing in front of Magistrate Fang!


    Magistrate Fang politely invited Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling to eat. Even Xiuhong, Xin, and Bowen, who were sitting at the side, were also invited to eat.


    He looked at Bowen with admiration and asked with a smile, ¡°I heard that the little master is studying? Which academy is he in?¡±


    Bowen answered respectfully.


    ¡°It¡¯s not time for winter break yet. Little Master, are you here to gain life experiences?¡±


    Bowen nced at his sister. Seeing that she had no intention of interfering, he replied with a smile, ¡°Our Teacher is sick, so he let us go on winter break in advance. Mother said that it¡¯s better to travel a thousand miles than to read ten thousand books. I¡¯m not young anymore, so she asked me to follow my sister out to broaden my horizons.¡±


    Nodding, Magistrate Fang said in admiration, ¡°Mrs. Mu is so magnanimous. Many people know this, but very few people are willing to let their children out. No wonder Miss Mu and Young Master Mu are so capable and kind at such a young age. So you¡¯ve been taught by such a kind mother.¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but cough twice. This time, even Xin could tell that Magistrate Fang had a favor to ask of them.


    If he didn¡¯t ask clearly, she was afraid that this meal wouldn¡¯t taste good no matter what.


    Mu Yangling put down her chopsticks and smiled. ¡°Sir, you¡¯re too kind. I wonder why you invited us here this time?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Magistrate Fang did not expect Mu Yangling to be so direct. He hesitated for a moment before asking shamelessly, ¡°I heard that you¡¯re nning to expand your cattle farm, Miss Mu?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded with a smile. ¡°I have to thank Magistrate Fang for this. Because you gave us 500 acres of cattle farmnd, I decided to expand the farm.¡±


    Magistrate Fang chuckled and said, ¡°Actually, you can expand it even further¡­¡± ¡°Magistrate Fang, by nning to raise 1,000 cows now, I¡¯m already incurring a huge expense. I won¡¯t be able to afford it if it¡¯s any bigger. Besides,nd is a problematic issue.¡±


    ¡°Land is not a problem.¡± Magistrate Fang immediately said with a smile, ¡°Miss Mu, thend 20 miles west and north of your cattle farm is unupied. Thosends are all under the Imperial Court¡¯s name now. You can cut the pastures above and graze on them as you please. If you¡¯re worried, I¡¯ll sign a contract with you specifying I won¡¯t use, sell or rent out that piece ofnd for ten years. How about that?¡±


    This time, even Qi Haoran¡¯s mouth was agape. Qi Haoran turned his head and carefully sized up the two of them. He didn¡¯t see that they looked alike. They shouldn¡¯t be a long-lost pair of father and daughter or something, right?


    Never one to believe that pies would fall from the sky, Mu Yangling asked even more carefully, ¡°May I know what Magistrate Fang¡¯s conditions are?¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Magistrate Fang replied with a smile, ¡°If Miss Mu expands the cattle farm, you¡¯ll definitely need a lot of workers to help cut the grass, right? I happen to have 6,000 people on hand. How about letting them help you? I don¡¯t ask that you offer them excellent conditions. I just hope that you can feed them three meals a day and give each person one catty of grains a day. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s corn kernels or ck flour.¡±


    Mu Yangling stuttered, ¡°Magistrate Fang, even if I expand the cattle farm, I won¡¯t need 6,000 people?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Xiuhong continued and said worriedly, ¡°Besides, we still have to save money to buy calves. We don¡¯t have enough money to buy calves to begin with. How are we going to feed 6,000 people?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Miss Mu¡¯s problem. Miss Mu, I¡¯m only offering you such conditions now. After spring, it will be different. Now that Hanzhong Prefecture is gradually settling down, there will be more and more immigrants in the future, sond will only be more and more precious. It¡¯s already very risky for me to make a ten-year promise.¡± Magistrate Fang said, ¡°I know that Miss Mu has great ambitions and is quite capable. Ignoring everything else, you¡¯re bound to expand the cattle farm in the future. Not to mention buying thend, renting these thousands of acres ofnd will cost thousands of taels of silver a year, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips. ¡°Magistrate Fang, don¡¯t bully us because we¡¯re young and ignorant. Hanzhong Prefecture is the border. If you walk 20 miles north of the cattle farm, you¡¯ll probably encounter a Jin soldier every three steps. Who would buynd there? Even if the other plots ofnd in Hanzhong Prefecture are sold out, I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t be able to sell that piece, right?¡±


    Smiling, Magistrate Fang said, ¡°Isn¡¯t Little General¡¯s 5th Division going to be stationed there? Just hearing about it strikes fear in the Hus. When the timees, selling thend there won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Although Qi Haoran wascent, he could still distinguish between ttery and reality. ¡°The Hus only fear my Big Brother, not me.¡± Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Even if the cattle farm expands, the 6,000 people will be able toplete it after working for no more than half a month.¡±


    Magistrate Fang chuckled. ¡°How can it be so fast? It¡¯ll take at least a month.¡±


    Mu Yangling secretly cursed him for being an old fox. For a month, she would be in charge of a day¡¯s worth of food in addition to one catty of grains a day per person. The grains saved up would be enough for these 6,000 people to survive the winter.


    It was equivalent to Mu Yangling helping him feed his people for the entire winter. She calcted in her heart. With enough money to buy enough calves, it was not impossible. On the contrary, it was very worth it.


    Mu Yangling nced at the smiling Magistrate Fang and felt that he was not someone who would suffer a loss, so she said, ¡°It¡¯s not impossible for me to hire them for a month, but Magistrate Fang, you have toplete the paperwork. I like to ink deals with contracts.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course. When the timees, I¡¯ll definitely write the first condition in detail.¡±


    ¡°The first condition?¡± Mu Yangling smiled and said gently, ¡°I thought that was the only condition.¡±


    Magistrate Fang said with a solemn expression, ¡°How is that possible? That¡¯s the right to use dozens of hectares for ten years. Miss Mu, although I¡¯m not experienced in business, I still know how to calcte.¡±


    ¡°But Magistrate Fang, no one wants that piece ofnd of yours now. If the Great Zhou can take over the Jingzhao Prefecture and guard it within five years, that piece ofnd might be bought or rented in another ten years. Don¡¯t say that you¡¯re letting me use that piece ofnd now. But in fact, even if you don¡¯t let me use it, no one will say anything even if I herd the cows there to eat grass.¡±


    Magistrate Fang blushed. Of course, he knew this too. The Han people were different from the Hu people. The Hu people would fight for the pasture, but the Han people fought fornd to nt crops. If thend was not used for farming, the grass growing on it really did belong to the public. It didn¡¯t matter if one cut it or grazed the oxen there. Even if one burned it, as long as the fire didn¡¯t spread to the forest, no one would say anything.


    Unlike the Hus, who would threaten to kill should one trespass their pasture.


    It was precisely because he knew that the Hu people were too close to that piece ofnd and no one would want them that he wanted to use thend to exchange for something useful from Mu Yangling.


    For example, helping these 6,000 people survive this winter. Another example was the winter clothes she was making for the children in the cattle farm and the nursery..

 Chapter 322 - 322: Title

    Chapter 322: Title


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Magistrate Fang looked at Qi Haoran with an aggrieved expression. Although he had been careful enough, there were still many children and orphans on the list. He couldn¡¯t very well ignore them. On the other hand, he didn¡¯t have the means to provide for them since there was no money or grains in the government office now.


    in the past few days, those 6,000 people had already depleted all of his grains.


    He was just short of selling everything.


    Magistrate Fang red at Qi Haoran again. If not for the fact that the Qi brothers had emptied the government office when they rushed in, he would not have ended up like this.


    The most important thing was that he had not heard back from the aid report he had sent to the Imperial Court. Without any external help, just this year¡¯s small amount of taxes was really not enough.


    Therefore, Magistrate Fang could only target Mu Yangling.


    Hearing Magistrate Fang¡¯s suggestion to provide winter clothes for children under the age of 12 and let orphans under the age of 12 enter the nursery, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but frown and say unhappily, ¡°Magistrate Fang, you¡¯re an official. Don¡¯t you have a way to settle them down? It¡¯s not that I¡¯m rejecting you but even if you don¡¯t know my background clearly, you should be able to guess my circumstances. Do you think I can take care of these 6,000 people?¡± Magistrate Fang coughed lightly, and the tips of his ears turned red. ¡°That¡¯s why I said I wanted to discuss it with Miss Mu. If you have any requests, you can raise them. I¡¯ll definitely satisfy them.¡±


    Mu Yangling narrowed her eyes, but Bowen beat her to it. ¡°In that case, Magistrate Fang, why don¡¯t you give us those plots ofnd? Should you do so, we can feed them not just this winter, but also next winter.


    Not only Magistrate Fang, but even Mu Yangling almost fell off her chair. She red at her brother, but she maintained the principle of not letting her brother embarrass himself outside and did not object.


    Seeing that Mu Yangling was silent, Magistrate Fang said helplessly, ¡°Young Master Mu, you must be joking. How can I give away dozens of hectares just like that? I¡¯ve already spent a lot of effort to get you ten years of use.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious that Magistrate Fang is insincere for rejecting me so quickly.¡± Mu Bowen said, ¡°I naturally know that this matter is difficult, but it¡¯s no small feat to feed 6,000 people either. Moreover, there are many orphans under the age of 12. It¡¯s not a small expense to feed, clothe, and educate these kids at the


    nursery¡­¡±


    Seeing that Magistrate Fang¡¯s frown was deepening, Mu Bowen said, ¡°How about this? Let¡¯s extend the ten years to 20 years. What do you think? This will be the same time limit as the previous 500 acres.¡±


    After a long silence, Magistrate Fang said, ¡°Let me think about it. I¡¯ll give you an answer in three days. How about that?¡±


    Mu Bowen looked at his sister and Mu Yangling nodded slightly. Having reached a consensus, they were finally in the mood to eat.


    The few of them swept the table clean. Magistrate Fang marveled at their appetites before getting up to leave.


    Xiuhong went to get a pot of tea, and everyone gathered around the table for a meeting.


    Mu Yangling asked Qi Haoran, ¡°Is Magistrate Fang so unreliable? He took those people with him without having a means of settling them down?¡¯


    -He got them to repair the roads, but most of them are old and weak. In particr, young teens aren¡¯t strong, but they eat a lot. The government office doesn¡¯t have much grain to begin with. He tried to borrow grams, but it didn t seem to go smoothly,¡± Qi Haoran exined.


    Frowning, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you took everything when you entered the city back then? You didn¡¯t leave anything for him at all?¡± Qi Haoran red and said righteously, ¡°Our men risked their lives. Naturally, they have to receive some remuneration. Otherwise, who would want to charge in front?¡±


    They could not rob themoners, and there were only so many nobles left in the Jin Kingdom¡¯s Hanzhong Prefecture. Other than robbing the government office, who else could they rob? Anyway, at that time, the government office was actually the Jin Kingdom¡¯s government office.


    At the thought of this, Qi Haoran got angry. He snorted coldly and said, ¡°After we took back Hanzhong Prefecture, ording to the rules, the Imperial Court was supposed to provide support. However, it¡¯s been almost two years and nothing has been sent over. It can be seen that the Imperial Court doesn¡¯t have much confidence in us guarding Hanzhong Prefecture. They don¡¯t even bother to pretend to care anymore.¡±


    Mu Yangling swallowed her saliva and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that the Imperial


    Court has half a mind of abandoning Hanzhong Prefecture.¡±


    Anger appeared on Qi Haoran¡¯s face, but he did not retort.


    Mu Yangling mmed the table and shouted, ¡°Why? Haven¡¯t we been guarding it for two years? Now that the Jin soldiers are stopped outside the city by us and can¡¯t enter Hanzhong Prefecture, why is the Imperial Court still doing this?¡±


    ¡°Hanzhong Prefecture isn¡¯t like Xingzhou Prefecture. Xingzhou Prefecture has Xingcheng Pass. As long as we guard the pass, we can block arge number of Jin soldiers heading south. However, the terrain outside Hanzhong Prefecture is open, and shares too long a border with Jingzhao Prefecture. The terrain is almost t With a few scattered mountain ranges there, it s very easy to be surrounded.¡± Qi Haoran said, ¡°It¡¯s only because they failed three times in a row that Hanzhong Prefecture isn¡¯t being attacked now. Ah Ling, if it¡¯s just the garrison of Jingzhao Prefecture, Big Brother and I aren¡¯t afraid. But if one day the Jin soldiers want tounch arge-scale attack, we won¡¯t be able to defend Hanzhong Prefecture. We can only give up on it and retreat to defend Xingzhou Prefecture. Otherwise, why do you think my big brother didn¡¯t shift the West Camp here even though Hanzhong Prefecture is twice as big as Xingzhou Prefecture? Instead, he merely transferred part of the troops from various


    divisions here.¡±


    With a sigh, Qi Haoran said, ¡°We set up such defenses to guard against that ¡®What if. However, I can¡¯t take it lying down that the Imperial Court has already tacitly agreed to lose Hanzhong Prefecture.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s not easy to guard Hanzhong Prefecture, we¡¯ll just seize Jingzhao Prefecture over. Isn¡¯t there a pass at Jingzhao Prefecture, too?¡± Bowen interrupted.


    Qi Haoran was overjoyed. ¡°Goodd, you¡¯re ambitious. That¡¯s what I told Big Brother too. However, he said that there are too many guards at the Jingzhao Prefecture. Having just experienced a huge battle, he reckoned we shouldn¡¯t not start a war anytime soon. When the opportunity arises¡­¡± Qi Haoran looked at them with bright eyes, his meaning clear.


    Mu Bowen was enthusiastic. ¡°Fourth Brother Qi, bring me along when the timees.¡±


    Mu Yangling smacked him down. ¡°Why are you getting involved when you¡¯re so weak a gust of wind can knock you down?¡±


    Mu Bowen said indignantly, ¡°I¡¯m in much better health already. Physician Pang said that I¡¯m about the same height as my peers.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s wait until you¡¯re taller than your peers and have learned the basic defense techniques.¡± As she spoke, Mu Yangling chuckled and said, ¡°Or should I send you to Father¡¯s side and tell him that you want to go to the battlefield with


    Qi Haoran?¡±


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes. ¡°Mu Yangling, can you not be so fickle? You call me Brother Haoran in front of the elders and when you need my help. You call me Fourth Brother Qi in front of outsiders. And now all of a sudden, you¡¯re calling me by my full name. Those who don¡¯t know might think that you have a grudge against me.¡±


    ¡°There are only the few of us in this private room. Who would misunderstand?¡± Mu Yangling said indignantly, ¡°Don¡¯t you call me by my full name too? Don¡¯t think that I haven¡¯t noticed that you and Fan Zijin call me ¡®Mu Yangling¡¯ all the time.¡±


    Qi Haoran blushed slightly, then straightened his neck and refused to admit it. ¡°When did you hear that? I¡¯ve always called you Ah Ling. I only called you by your full name when we first met.¡±


    Xiuhong quickly adjusted. ¡°Alright, alright. Fourth Brother Qi, my cousin is just used to doing this since she was young. She sometimes calls our cousins by their full name too, even though they grew up together.


    Xin and Bowen quickly nodded to testify.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t call you by your full name because I¡¯m distant from you. It¡¯s just a habit. After all, we¡¯re not used to calling you Brother Haoran.¡¯


    Xin and Bowen nodded again..

 Chapter 323 - 323: Opinion

    Chapter 323: Opinion


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran brought Mu Yangling over to take a look at the half-pleted nursery. ¡°Take a look and see if there¡¯s anything else that needs to be changed. When the timees, let them fix those changes all at once.¡±


    After looking around, Mu Yangling was very satisfied. ¡°That¡¯s it. Build more.¡±


    ¡°Are you really going to agree to Magistrate Fang¡¯s request?¡± Qi Haoran disagreed. ¡°This is the military camp. Those children belong to military households. However we treat them is our business. If it involves the outside world though, others might think that we¡¯re trying to buy people¡¯s hearts.¡± Considering his big brother held military power, it was very easy for people to misunderstand.


    Mu Yangling smiled. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll get Magistrate Fang to give us a guarantee when the timees.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s heart skipped a beat. This way, Magistrate Fang would bepletely tied to them. Although the military and government had always been separated, it would be more convenient for them to do things in the future if they could build a good rtionship with the local officials.


    ¡°Then I have to go back and discuss it with Big Brother.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°It¡¯s best if Big Brother Qi pretends he doesn¡¯t know about this. The few of us should handle this by ourselves, considering Magistrate Fang might change his mind.¡±


    Qi Haoran chuckled. ¡°He will definitely regret looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Who said that? I¡¯m so kind-hearted and even helped him feed so many children.¡± Mu Yangling said righteously, ¡°This is mutually beneficial. Yes, it¡¯s at most a game. Who asked him to look down on us because of our age?¡± Qi Haoran also said in all seriousness, ¡°Yes, perhaps he¡¯ll learn from his mistakes and won¡¯t underestimate his enemy in the future. It¡¯s ultimately a good thing for him.¡±


    Mu Yangling turned to look at the three little ones and educated them. ¡°Do you see that? This is the consequence of judging people by their looks and underestimating the enemy. Even if you haven¡¯t suffered such a loss before, you have to remember not to underestimate your opponents easily in the future. Yes, you can¡¯t underestimate yourpanions either.¡±


    Bowen nodded fiercely. Only Xiuhong and Xin were still a little confused, not understanding how Magistrate Fang had suffered a loss.


    Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran went to look at the canteen prepared for the children. Bowen exined to them in a low voice, ¡°The generals stationed here are not allowed to collude with the local officials. In order to avoid suspicion and because there are conflicts between the military and politicians, the rtionship between the two sides has never been good. Magistrate Fang has just arrived, and the Imperial Court doesn¡¯t have any food relief for him. He can only rely on Big Brother Qi to intimidate the local squires to collect taxes or borrow grains. Therefore, Big Brother Qi¡¯s rtionship with him is still alright. At least, it¡¯s not as bad as with Magistrate Wu of Xingzhou Prefecture.¡± Xin asked in a low voice, ¡°What does that have to do with us letting him suffer a loss?¡±


    ¡°Listen to Bowen. Don¡¯t interrupt.¡± Xiuhong tugged at her.


    Xin immediately shut up and made a show of listening attentively. ¡°Of course it¡¯s rted. The Imperial Court has qualms about generals, so much so generals above the third-grade have to leave their families in the capital as hostages. From this, it can be seen how much the Imperial Court guards against generals, right? When we set up the nursery, we only adopted orphans who had registered as military households. As their lives and deaths are decided by the military camp, it¡¯s not considered buying people¡¯s hearts. The Imperial Court won¡¯t care either. However, the people sent over by Magistrate Fang are different. They are all ordinary civilians. If anything goes wrong, the imperial censor will impeach Big Brother Qi and he will be the one to bear the me.¡±


    Xiuhong pursed her lips and said disdainfully, ¡°Is it wrong to do good deeds? Are you saying that we should just watch those children starve to death?¡± ¡°This is a taboo in the Imperial Court. In the past dynasties, there were many traitors who bought people¡¯s hearts like this. Of course, those who sessfully rebelled can¡¯t be considered traitors¡­ Anyway, Big Brother Qi can¡¯t do this, so Sister said that she wanted Magistrate Fang to make a promise.¡± Bowen chuckled. ¡°Hanzhong Prefecture doesn¡¯t have an imperial censor.¡±


    Although he was still young, because Teacher Liu wanted to take the Imperial Examination and he was Teacher Liu¡¯s most valued student, Teacher Liu often talked to him about current affairs after ss. Besides, his sister often brought Fourth Brother Qi¡¯s report back to read, and that was how he came to know so much.


    Since the Imperial Court hasn¡¯t sent an imperial censor to Hanzhong Prefecture yet, the people left in the government office are all low-ranking officials who used to work in the Jin Kingdom¡¯s government office. The officials who came with Magistrate Fang were either demoted or half exiled here. As long as Magistrate Fang controls them, the news won¡¯t reach the Imperial Court¡¯s ears. In the future, it will be very easy for Big Brother Qi and the others to do anything.¡±


    Xin did not understand what Big Brother Qi and the others wanted to do behind the Imperial Court¡¯s back. She was not too interested in these things either. Feeling bored, she turned to look at the house that had already been built beside her.


    However, Xiuhong looked at Bowen with bright eyes and said, ¡°I know, I know. For example, the Magistrate Fang won¡¯t snitch on us when we snatch things from the Jin Kingdom.¡±


    Bowen grinned. ¡°That¡¯s only one aspect. There are many other benefits to us. Our cattle farm, Fourth Brother Qi¡¯s horse farm, and many of Second Brother Fan¡¯s businesses are in Hanzhong Prefecture. We have to deal with the government office in these matters. If Magistrate Fang bes one of us, how convenient would it be for us?¡±


    Then let¡¯s hurry up and ede to Magistrate Fang¡¯s request.¡± Xiuhong said happily, ¡°Why do we have to drag it out?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do. We have to discuss this matter slowly. If we agree too early, we¡¯ll suffer in the future. Now that we¡¯ve already suffered a loss, we have to make it back no matter what.¡± Bowen said happily, ¡°Fortunately, although we¡¯ll lose a lot of money, it¡¯s worth it to pull Magistrate Fang into the same boat as US.¡±


    Seeing that Xin was standing at the side without much interest, Bowen said unhappily, ¡°Sister Xin, Mother asked you to learn more from Sister Xiuhong to broaden your horizons. Why won¡¯t you listen?¡±


    Xin pouted and said, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about, and I don¡¯t have no interest either. I only like to read and embroider.¡±


    Xiuhong tapped her forehead and said, ¡°You¡¯re really a bookworm. Just stay at home in the future.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Bowen said domineeringly. ¡°Sister said that Sister Xin will be easily bullied in the future like this. In order to learn to be stronger, you should stay by our side. If you don¡¯t understand, I can teach you.¡±


    Xin was discouraged, for she had thought that she could go home. She muttered unhappily, ¡°Aunt isn¡¯t bullied either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because she has Uncle and Cousin protecting her,¡± Xiuhong said. ¡°Will you be able to marry someone like Uncle in the future? Will you be able to give birth to a daughter as capable as Cousin? Bowen is right. Even if you have no interest, you have to broaden your horizons. Otherwise, you¡¯ll suffer after getting married in the future.¡±


    Xin blushed when she heard the topic of marriage. She held her sister¡¯s hand and followed obediently, not daring to object further.


    Seeing her aggrieved look, Xiuhong couldn¡¯t help but feel angry. Why didn¡¯t she know toin when she felt aggrieved?


    If she was like this even in front of her own sister, wouldn¡¯t she be even more timid when she married in the future? Xiuhong immediately decided to toughen up her younger sister¡¯s temperament.


    Xin, who had juste to broaden her horizons, didn¡¯t expect to be targeted. After that, her sister made her change into tattered clothes and cut the pasture with the children. Seeing that she was soft, those kids spared no effort in bullying her.


    Xin¡¯s eyes were red and swollen. She thought that her older sister would ask, but she turned a blind eye to it. Hence, Xin, who neverined, began to stutter andin to her sister.


    Of course, that was a matter forter..

 Chapter 324 - 324: Spending Money

    Chapter 324: Spending Money


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    They nned to build threerge canteens in the nursery, where the children would gather for meals in the future. Apart from that, they also had to build ssrooms. As there were many children of all ages, they had to be taught separately. Some of them had to learn how to read, while others had to learn various skills.


    As such, there were many tools that needed to be bought. To learn carpentry, one needed a saw, a knife, and so on, right? To learn how to calcte, one needed an abacus, right?


    This would cost a lot of money.


    Qi Haoran was originally showing Mu Yangling around proudly, but when he saw the things on her to-buy list, he couldn¡¯t help but worry. ¡°Do you have enough money?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s not enough, I can ask Zijin for it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Zijin is rich.¡± Qi Haoran immediately felt relieved. ¡°If it¡¯s difficult for you to ask, I¡¯ll help you ask for it.¡±


    Mu Yangling stopped and looked up at him. ¡°You went to get money from Zijin again recently?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°The Hushave a kind of scimitar? that¡¯s especially useful. As I n to distribute it to the cavalrymen, I bought 500 of them in one go. That cost quite a lot of money.¡±


    Mu Yangling said resentfully, ¡°No matter how much money Fan Zijin earns, it won¡¯t be enough for you to spend like this. Why do you have to buy 500? Just buy 10 or so and let the craftsmen study the scimitar so that they can forge their own.¡±


    ¡°The scimitars were smuggled from the Jin Kingdom?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°Otherwise, where do you think they came from? If they came from our Great Zhou, I would have already closed the shop and won¡¯t have to spend the money on buying.¡±


    The Imperial Court had very strict controls on iron. The civilians had to obtain documents from the government office to forge iron, and there was a limit to the amount of crude iron they could buy every time.


    It was impossible to buy 500 at a go in the Great Zhou.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart ached even more after learning that these weapons were smuggled from the Jin Kingdom and were not cheap. She endured the pain and asked, ¡°How much is one?¡±


    Qi Haoran scratched his head and chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s not particrly expensive. 4.5 taels.¡±


    Mu Yangling almost wanted to stretch out her leg and kick him away. ¡°That¡¯s enough to buy a foal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed a fine knife, sharp and durable. I¡¯ll get one for youter. Try it. After all, these scimitars have to cross the border and the other party also spent a lot of money on them from the Jin soldiers. Therefore, it¡¯s naturally more expensive.¡±


    Mu Yangling gritted her teeth and said enviously, ¡°If only I had a Fan Zijin too.¡± No matter how much money was spent, someone would pay for it.


    If she took even the slightest advantage of Fan Zijin, it would be as if she wanted his life.


    ¡°You¡¯d better let the craftsmen study the scimitars. Find a few more craftsmen and they¡¯ll definitely seed in forging it. At that time, you won¡¯t have to waste money buying from others anymore.¡± Mu Yangling asked Qi Haoran to discuss with her or Fan Zijin before buying things in the future. After all, their money was hard-earned.


    Especially Fan Zijin. In order to earn money, he even dyed his studies.


    She heard that Qi Xiuyuan had him dragged back two days ago and locked up in the study to study.


    ¡°My big brother wants Zijin to go back and take the Imperial Examination. Next year will be the triennial vige examination.¡±


    Mu Yangling could not help but stop in her tracks. ¡°Fan Zijin is a xiucaiO?¡±


    Qi Haoran nced at her and said proudly, ¡°What else do you think? He became a tongsheng? at the age of nine. He¡¯s already a xiucai at the age of 11. Even in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, he¡¯s one of the top schrs who excels at his studies. Our academy¡¯s teacher said that he¡¯ll be able to take the Imperial Examination after another term, with at least a 70% chance of doing well. Next year will be the second term. Hahaha, a 16-year-old juren?! Hahaha¡­ How is it? Isn¡¯t Zijin awesome?¡±


    Mu Yangling knew that Fan Zijin was smart, but she had never thought that he was so smart!


    The vige examination was even more difficult than the college entrance examination in her previous life. Although they were more or less tested on those same few books, to answer the questions well, they also had to reference plenty of extracurricr books. They had to at least roughly read up on all the history up till that point. When it came to historical events, they had to be somewhat knowledgeable regardless of the scale of that event.


    Of course, for someone who had experienced the college entrance examination in their previous lives, it might not be difficult. After all, they had all done it before. But what if they had to choose 200 top students from 30,000 to 40,000?


    This selection ratio was too small, and there were even more students in Lin¡¯an Prefecture. Nearly 80,000 people werepeting for 200-odd spots in the vige examination, let alone the general examination. That was like the entire country¡¯s studentspeting for less than 500 spots.


    Mu Yangling sighed sincerely, but she still said, ¡°Fan Zijin has been focused on doing business for the past two years. What do you think his chances of doing well are?¡±


    Qi Haoran fell silent.


    Mu Yangling sighed and said, ¡°I think he should wait for another three years. That way, he¡¯ll be more confident.¡± Mu Yangling nced at him and said, ¡°You should also worry him less. Perhaps then, he¡¯ll spend more time on his homework.¡±


    Qi Haoran was stunned for a moment before nodding. ¡°Alright, let him study hard. In that case, Mu Yangling, do help him. Since you know how to do business too, take over some of his work so that he has more time to study.¡±


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes impolitely and said, ¡°Which eye of yours saw that I know how to do business? I only know how to farm, sell sheep, and raise cows. You might as well hand the business over to the stewards.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Qi Haoran nodded and said, ¡°You look smart, but you¡¯re actually very stupid.¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him. ¡°How am I stupid?¡±


    Qi Haoran chuckled. ¡°How are you not stupid? It¡¯s obvious that you¡¯re going to lose money by running the nursery. It¡¯s even a huge loss, but you insist on doing it. If you¡¯re not stupid, what are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to.¡± Mu Yangling raised her head and turned to leave.


    Qi Haoran hurriedly chased after her and said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m leaving Hanzhong Prefecture in two days. Give me the Winter Solstice gift tomorrow.¡± ¡®When did I say I was going to give you a gift for the winter solstice?¡¯


    Seeing Qi Haoran look at her eagerly, Mu Yangling did not say this out loud. She could only nod and say, ¡°Pay more attention to your safety.¡± She did not ask him where he was going.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s round face was instantly filled with smiles as he nodded happily. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely be careful.¡±


    When Mu Yangling returned, just as she was wondering what gift she should give Qi Haoran, Xiuhong came to look for her with the ount book. ¡°Cousin, I¡¯ve already discussed it with the cotton and cloth merchant. This is the price, but who should we ask to sew the clothes? It¡¯s very expensive to let a tailor shop do it.¡±


    ¡°Magistrate Fang won¡¯t drag it out for long. When he sends those people over, we¡¯ll just choose from among them. All the women who know how to make clothes will stay behind to make clothes. Later, take the measurements of children of varying heights. Make clothes of small, medium, andrge sizes ording to their heights. Delegate the task.¡±


    Xiuhong agreed and took down what Mu Yangling said.


    ¡°Keep a close watch when you¡¯re supervising. Don¡¯t let anyone take the cotton or cloth out. We don¡¯t have much money to begin with. If the things get stolen, there won¡¯t be enough clothes for the children to wear.¡±


    Xiuhong said hesitantly, ¡°Cousin, those elders are also very pitiful.¡±


    ¡°I know, but we can only take care of the children for now. Get someone to pay attention to the elderly. If any of them has a headache or fever, remember to call a doctor. We¡¯ll take care of their medical fees.¡±


    Seeing as her current budget was about to exceed all her family savings, she didn¡¯t even dare to think about making winter clothes for the elderly. Now, she could only ce her hopes on Butcher Qin and Butcher Hua, hoping that they woulde soon. After selling the sheep, she might be able to earn more money to buy winter clothes for them before the weather turned cold.

 Chapter 325 - 325: Unknown

    Chapter 325: Unknown


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The few of them were now living in the house on the cattle farm. Although it was newly built, because the walls were thick enough and they had smoked it before, it was not cold.


    Mu Yangling found a ck leather coat from under the box. She had made this for her father, and there were still two sleeves that had not beenpleted. She originally wanted to make a gift for her father for the New Year. Since Qi Haoran wanted a gift for the Winter Solstice, she would give it to him and make another one for her fatherter.


    Mu Yangling used a pair of scissors to cut off the halfpleted sleeves. Xiuhong, who was calcting at the side, eximed, ¡°Cousin, why did you cut off the sleeves?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m converting it into a short-sleeved coat, so 1 won¡¯t do the sleeves anymore.¡± Mu Yangling measured the lengths with a measuring tape and nned to alter the coat smaller overnight.


    Xiuhong bit the tip of her pen and said, ¡°But didn¡¯t you say that this is tight-fitting? How can someone wear it like this?¡¯


    -Why not? He could just put it on. With so manyyers of clothes on the outside, no one will know that he¡¯s wearing this on the inside. This is for self-defense, not for warmth and aesthetics.¡±


    When Xiuhong saw that Mu Yangling was altering the coat to make it smaller, she paused before she asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it for Uncle?


    ¡°I¡¯ll make another one for my fatherter. This is a Winter Solstice gift for Qi


    Haoran.¡±


    Xiuhong blushed slightly and looked at her with sparkling eyes. However, she asked worriedly, ¡°Cousin, will Big Brother Qi agree?¡±


    Not knowing why she had to seek approval from Qi Xiuyuan for gifting Qi


    Haoran something, she nodded randomly and said, ¡°Mm¡±.


    Looking at the busy Mu Yangling, Xiuhong heaved a sigh of relief. She propped up her chin and smiled.


    Mu Yangling spent the entire night altering the coat and finallypleted it before dawn. She took out a round heart-protecting mirror from under the box and ced it at the position of the heart. Then, she sewed up the hole with a thick thread and touched it. Although the protruding part didn¡¯t look good, it could save his life at a critical moment.


    Mu Yangling personally handed the gift to Qi Haoran. She didn¡¯t know if it was her imagination, but she felt that Qi Haoran¡¯s face was a little red and his eyes were frighteningly bright.


    After taking the coat from her, Qi Haoran wanted to remove his coat and put it on. just then, Mu Yangling hurriedly said, ¡°The weather is starting to turn cold.


    Don¡¯t be silly. Change it when you get back indoors. If it doesn¡¯t fit, bring it over and I¡¯ll alter it for you.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded and put away the coat. With a straight face, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll definitelye back alive. I¡¯ll speak to Big Brother as soon as Ie back.¡±


    Without waiting for Mu Yangling to reply, he turned around and jumped onto his horse. Fei Bai, who was at the side, scrambled onto his horse and chased after him. As he chased, he waved goodbye to Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling swallowed the question that was on the tip of her tongue. Then, she shook her head and went back.


    Magistrate Fang had already gotten someone to inform Mu Yangling that he had agreed to her request. Today, she was going to the government office to settle the procedures and sign the contract with him. Yes, she also wanted him to produce a certificate indicating that the nursery was jointly set up by the military and government.


    Mu Yangling quickly forgot about her gift to Qi Haoran, but Xiuhong remembered it in her heart. When she wrote to Shu Wanniang, she told her about it, indicating that her aunt could start preparing the dowry for her cousin.


    When Shu Wanniang received the letter, she only sighed and felt that her daughter was too bold to have agreed to this marriage without asking for their opinion. However, she did not say anything. In the past, she only thought that Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling were children and did not take it to heart. However, in the past two years, Qi Haoran kepting here and was very attentive to her and Great-aunt. She naturally knew what this meant.


    If Qi Xiuyuan had shown the slightest dissatisfaction or disapproval, she would have stopped the two of them from interacting. However, he chose to


    acquiesce.


    Given her daughter was so capable, it would be a pity for her to marry a farmer in the mountains in the future.


    Shu Wanniang was naturally unwilling, so she tacitly allowed her to chase after Qi Haoran. However, this did not mean that she was okay with her daughter epting the marriage without asking her family.


    Shu Wanniang picked up her pen and wanted to lecture her daughter, but after sitting in front of the table for a long time, she still couldn¡¯t write anything. Forget it, since her daughter had grown up, she decided to let her fly freely.


    Meanwhile, the free-to-fly Mu Yangling was oblivious to it all. She was arranging for Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu to take over all the refugees, and nned to start collecting sheep tomorrow. Butcher Qin and Butcher Hua, whom she had been waiting for a long time, finally arrived. They brought good and bad news.


    The good news was that they nned to go beyond Xingyuan Prefecture and sell the sheep all the way to Xiangyang and Jiangling. They had already found the sellers along the way and even hired more than ten assistant shopkeepers to escort them. Therefore, the demand for the sheep would only increase.


    The bad news was that since the journey was too far, they only nned to make one trip. Therefore, for the sake of greater benefits, Butcher Qin and Butcher Hua hoped to owe Mu Yangling the money first and settle it when they returned.


    She agreed. When they returned, Mu Yangling would earn more than 50% than before. If she did not agree, she would earn significantly less. No matter what the subsequent sales were like, Mu Yangling would not lose money for her payment was guaranteed.


    Mu Yangling thought for a long time and finally said, ¡°There are only 16 of you.


    Can you handle so many sheep?¡±


    ¡°The people we hired are all strong and ruthless people in the underworld. As long as we don¡¯t encounter bandits, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    ¡°What if you do run into bandits?¡±


    Butcher Qin and Butcher Hua looked at each other and hesitated. Mu Yanghng paced on the spot and said after a while, ¡°I think we should take it one step at a time. We might not be able to handle things on such a big scale.


    Butcher Hua frowned. Mu Yangling could understand his eagerness. After all, they had earned a lot of moneyst year. ¡°Since there are many refugees this year, there must be even more bandits on the mountain. Sheep is different from silk and tea leaves. With a whip, the mule pulling the cart can be made to run out. Considering the flock of sheep is tied together, if arge group of people blockyour path, you won¡¯t be able to make it out of the encirclement no matter what.¡±


    Butcher Qin nced at Butcher Hua and said, ¡°Old Hua, I think Miss Mu is right. Why don¡¯t we make a few more trips? I¡¯d rather work harder than waste our money. It wasn¡¯t easy for us to earn this money. When we finally got to rest after New Yearst year, we were so thin and scarcely alive. We mustn¡¯t lose this money we risked our lives to earn.¡±


    Butcher Hua gritted his teeth and stomped his feet. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you and make a few more trips.¡±


    Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief and stood up with a smile. ¡°Then I¡¯ll start collecting the sheep for you tomorrow. Have a good rest in the inn.


    Butcher Qin sent Mu Yangling out and said with a smile, ¡°I thought you¡¯d agree to take the risk. I didn¡¯t expect you to talk us out of it instead.


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°I¡¯ll naturally take the risk when it¡¯s worth it, but I prefer stability.¡± Mu Yangling sighed and said, ¡°I can¡¯t afford to make a mistake because I urgently need money now.¡±


    Butcher Qin smiled and said, ¡°Once the goods are in our hands, you¡¯ll have fulfilled your end of the bargain. Even if we end up getting robbed, we¡¯ll still give you the money somehow.¡±


    Mu Yangling nced at him and said, ¡°Where will you get the money if your goods are gone? Won¡¯t you still owe me when the timees?¡±


    Butcher Qin smiled and said in a low voice, ¡°We knew that you were loyal and couldn¡¯t bear to force us. Don¡¯t worry, with so many people added to this trip, it will definitely go smoothly.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded..

 Chapter 326 - 326: Homework

    Chapter 326: Homework


    Trantor: As Studios I Editor: As Studios


    There¡¯s news about the calves you asked me to inquire about.¡± Butcher Qin took out a few pieces of paper from his pocket and said, ¡°I can¡¯t find 700 calves for you at once, and only managed to find these.¡±


    Mu Yangling opened it and realized that the townships along the pipeline from Xingyuan Prefecture to Jiangling Prefecture had been marked. They must have done the investigation when they went to seek out sales channels for the mutton.


    ¡°I can only find about 50-60% of that 700 that you want. Do you want it? If yes, we¡¯ll bring them for you when wee back. I won¡¯t earn much from you, just 500 copper coins per calf. How about that?¡±


    Mu Yangling replied with a smile, ¡°Thank you, Uncle Qin, but considering it¡¯s not safe on the road, 1 reckon we should buy less for the first time. By the way I want more than 700 this time. 1¡¯11 take as many as you manage to find.¡± Seeing Butcher Qin raise his eyebrows in surprise, Mu Yangling exined, ¡°My cattle farm has expanded again.¡±


    Since the cattle farm was expanding and there was also sufficientbor, Mu Yangling naturally wanted to raise more oxen.


    Oxen that were half a year old could already work in the fields. And at the age of one and a half, they could mate and give birth to calves. After some careful calctions, Mu Yangling realized that these oxen could be useful after raising them for one winter. By spring, they could start plowing the fields. After raising them for another year after that, some female cows would be old enough to mate.


    This way, in two years, the cows in the cattle farm could be sold and supplied to the outside world. She believed that one day, every family of farmers here would have a plowing ox.


    Armed with ambition, Mu Yangling went to collect sheep for them. This time, she only brought Bowen along with her. The two of them drove the mule cart around the various viges. As she had already collected sheep oncest year, everyone was very familiar with Mu Yangling. Like before, they brought her to their own sheep pen for her to choose. Regardless of the size, it was two taels per sheep.


    This time, Bowen was in charge of calcting the money and dealing with the vigers. Mu Yangling was only in charge of catching sheep and keeping an eye on them. She did not say more than ten sentences along the way.


    At first, Bowen¡¯s face was still a little red. Later, when he saw that the people he was dealing with all had their heads lowered and were listening to him respectfully, and his sister did not interrupt, he slowly calmed down.


    Mu Yangling herded the flock of sheep to Butcher Qin and Butcher Hua and settled the bill on the spot.


    After bringing Bowen back, Mu Yangling asked him, ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°Farmers suffer too much.¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned, for she was asking how he felt about interacting with those farmers. However, she did not harp on this question and only continued to ask, ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡°Sister, if we can really cultivate excellent seeds like you said and increase the production yield, this situation might be improved. Sister, I also want to go home and farm.¡±


    Mu Yanghng¡¯s hand itched, but she resisted the urge to hit him. She only thought for a moment and said, ¡°Bowen, do you think the farmers are suffering because of the low production of grains? This is only an objective reason. The country¡¯s mechanism is iplete. When the harvest is poor, the people will starve. And when the harvest is good, the people will suffer as well. Think about why this is so.¡±


    Alright, this is your homework for the winter. Write a thesis. I want to check it when youe home for the New Year.¡±


    Bowen¡¯s eyes widened, but since his sister had taught him to face difficulties head-on, he merely agreed with a pout. It seemed like he would have to stay upte again tonight.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re going to write this thesis, you can¡¯t just follow us. You have to interact with the people and experience their lives first-hand to know why they¡¯re suffering. So tomorrow morning, eat the same porridge as them and cut the pasture using the scythe. Have a chat with them and ask them what their lives were like previously and how they became refugees. How they managed to escape here and what ns they have for the future. You have to ask people of varying ages, both male and female. Go.¡±


    Bowen felt that this task was too difficult, but he still braced himself and returned to the house to write down the outline. He decided to look for children around his age tomorrow before looking for those three or four-year-old children¡­


    Bowen also knew that in order to infiltrate the crowd, he had to be like them, so he spent the entire night digging out his oldest clothes. However, even so, those clothes appeared new in front of those children. After thinking for a while, he took the clothes outside and rubbed them against the stones. Hence, he appeared in front of everyone the next day wearing clothes that were extremely worn out.


    Seeing Bowen like this, Xiuhong and Xin couldn¡¯t help but open their mouths wide.


    Even during the Mu family¡¯s most difficult times, the Mu family¡¯s precious son, Mu Bowen, had never worn such clothes.


    Mu Bowen blushed and said shyly, ¡°Cousin, others won¡¯t be able to tell who I am now, right?¡±


    Mu Bowen¡¯S hair was a little disheveled. Coupled with his tattered clothes and some gray charcoal on his face, one could not tell what he looked like originally.


    Knowing that he was going to practice among the refugees, Xin looked at him pitifully and asked her sister timidly, ¡°Sister, do I have to go too?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go.¡± Frowning, Xiuhong said, ¡°Go hang out with the children in our military camp today. Considering the neers are still too unruly, you¡¯ll probably be bullied if you go.¡±


    He was going to ask for information, so it didn¡¯t matter where he went. Since that was the case, he naturally had to choose the simplest option, so he nodded and agreed.


    Xiuhong went into the house and scooped some millet porridge for him. There were some side dishes on the table. She said, ¡°Hurry up and eat. The workers are all here. You have to catch up to them.¡±


    ¡°Cousin, I have to go out and eat with them. You guys should eat this millet porridge.¡±


    Xiuhong and Xin couldn¡¯t help but be stunned. This millet porridge was Bowen¡¯s special privilege, and there were also barley and yams inside. It was a dietary therapy prescription prescribed by Physician Pang. Millet wasn¡¯t cheap, and barley rice was even more expensive. Furthermore, yams could only be bought in the pharmacy. Back then, her cousin had worked hard because Bowen¡¯s food therapy cost a lot of money.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not eating this, then what are you eating?¡± Xiuhong asked in a daze.


    ¡°I¡¯m going out to eat corn porridge with them.¡±


    ¡°How will that do?¡± Xiuhong was secretly anxious. ¡°Too much porridge causes one¡¯s stomach to bloat up. How can you eat that when you suffer from indigestion?¡±


    Smiling, Bowen said, ¡°Physician Pang said that I¡¯ve already recovered. Now, my stomach might even be stronger than yours. Alright, this is Sister¡¯s arrangement. If I don¡¯t eat the same food as them, how can I talk to them?¡±


    Xiuhong immediately took out some porridge from the bowl and stuffed it to him. ¡°Then eat some to fill your stomach first. Hurry up, or I won¡¯t let you go out.¡±


    Bowen could only eat half a bowl of millet porridge before he was released. He took a small bowl and jogged to the crowd to queue up. The granny who was scooping porridge for him was stunned when she saw his small bowl. After looking up at Mu Bowen, she poured him a full bowl. However, she muttered in her heart that this child was silly. Didn¡¯t everyone carry a big bowl over when they came to get porridge?


    Even the one-year-old one was tightly hugging a big bowl which was not much smaller than his head as he queued up, but this one was holding such a tiny bowl..

 Chapter 327 - 327: Finishing Up

    Chapter 327: Finishing Up


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Hey, have you heard? The boss wants to distribute winter clothes to children under the age of 12.¡± A woman in her thirties held herpanion back and said enviously.


    Herpanion pursed their lips and said, ¡°This is all news from a few days ago. The clothes are already ready, and you¡¯ve only just heard? Alright, no matter how envious you are, you don¡¯t have a share.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true that I don¡¯t have a share, but my son does. He¡¯s only eight years old this year, which makes him nicely qualified to receive the winter clothes. I wonder if Boss will still want to hire workers next spring.¡±


    ¡°Do you have time? Magistrate Fang has given us so muchnd. Just the work in the fields is enough to keep us busy.¡±


    ¡°Even if I can¡¯te, my child cane. The workers¡¯ three meals are taken care of here. Young teens have huge appetites but aren¡¯t capable of much work. If the cattle farm is hiring, I¡¯ll make hime even if they don¡¯t give him a sry, rd be d if they¡¯d just feed him.¡±


    Herpanion¡¯s eyes darted around and they said, ¡°1 heard that we have to rear thousands of calves. Look at the number of calves sent over these few days. Too many to be counted. They have few workers at the moment, so they might really hire more people.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if I can get to speak with Miss Xiuhong. If I can, I might be able to reserve a spot¡­¡±


    Many people heard this, so Xiuhong realized that recently, there were always people around her who were extremely attentive. When she went over to settle ounts, people would take the initiative to help. There were even people who served her tea and brought her a stool.


    Xiuhong merely raised her eyebrows and didn¡¯t ask for the reason. She just turned around and went back to look for Zhang Liu.


    Zhang Liu thought for a moment and said, ¡°Now, both states know that we need calves for ourrge cattle farm. Many people have sent calves over these few days. They naturally know that we¡¯re hiring workers next year, so they want to please you in the hopes of reserving a spot.¡±


    ¡°They want toe instead of working in their own fields?


    ¡°It¡¯s for their kids.¡±


    Xiuhong nodded. She knew it. Hanzhong Prefecturecked everything now, especiallybor. It wasn¡¯t so bad during winter and farm time, but during peak farming season, it was impossible to hire people. Only children coulde to the cattle farm to do some odd jobs.


    Thinking about how Mu Yangling nned to expand the cattle farm to rear 3,000 calves, she didn¡¯t say anything and only nodded. ¡°If anyone asks you guys, don¡¯t agree casually. Just say that Boss will arrange it next year.¡±


    Zhang Liu agreed.


    Mu Yangling went to make a deal with Butcher Qin.


    Butcher Qin had herded over 365 calves this time. After not seeing him for a few days, Butcher Qin had clearly lost weight. When he saw Mu Yangling, he heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Miss Mu, at longst I made it back to see


    you.¡±


    Realizing that Butcher Hua had a knife wound on his face, Mu Yangling asked in surprise, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Butcher Hua smiled bitterly. ¡°Fortunately, we listened to Miss Mu¡¯s advice. We encountered robbers on the way. Fortunately, there weren¡¯t many of them. We barely managed to protect the flock of sheep with more than ten people on our side. Otherwise, we would have really lost everything this time.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression sank. In that case, their business probably couldn¡¯t continue. Indeed, Butcher Qin and Butcher Hua said, ¡°The journey from Hanzhong Prefecture to Xingyuan Prefecture was fine, but the east of Xingyuan Prefecture is chaotic. Many refugees who dispersed from Tongchuan Prefecture went up the mountain to be bandits. As there aren t many of them, the Imperial Court didn¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°How many are there?¡±


    ¡°There are only about 10 to 20 of them. Fortunately, there aren¡¯t many of them. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape.


    ¡°What about this business?¡±


    Butcher Qin and Butcher Hua looked at each other and shook their heads. ¡°The trip to Xingyuan Prefecture is fine, but beyond that, it won¡¯t work. Miss Mu, we definitely can¡¯t buy so many sheep, and we only made a trip. We found these calves for you in Xingyuan Prefecture. This is the most we can find.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and squeezed out a smile. ¡°Thank you for that.


    After Mu Yangling settled the bill with them, they began to discuss how many sheep they were going to take away this time. Meanwhile, Bowen had already herded the calves back with the others.


    ¡°Uncle Qin, since you¡¯ve passed many ces along the way, there¡¯s something else I need your help with.¡±


    Butcher Qin leaned forward slightly and smiled. ¡°Miss Mu, just tell us. We will definitely do what we can.¡±


    ¡°The two of you also know that I don¡¯t have time to go out now, so I want you to help me promote the cattle farm along the way. If anyone wants to sell calves, just bring them over. I¡¯ll definitely offer them a suitable price.¡±


    Since it was just rying a message, Butcher Qin immediately agreed.


    Mu Yangling went to look for Magistrate Fang again, hoping that he could support the construction of the cattle farm through official channels and attract more people to herd their calves here.


    Eager to rent her cattle at the beginning of spring next year, Magistrate Fang was very d to help, so he agreed.


    Under this two-prong approach, there were indeed many people who brought their calves to the cattle farm to sell. There were cattle dealers, but most of them were individuals who brought their calves over in groups.


    The price Mu Yangling offered was very fair. Although it would take a few days to herd the calves over from afar, Mu Yangling would give them an additional 200 copper coins for the travel expenses. This was a huge sum of money for a farmer who could not even earn too copper coins a month. Once this matter spread, those who had calves at home were more willing to bring them to the cattle farm, which increased the price of calves in the market.


    On the day of the winter solstice, there were already 3,085 cows in the cattle farm. Only then did Mu Yangling spread the news that five dayster, the cattle farm would no longer ept cows.


    As for why the cut-off wasn¡¯t that day itself, it was naturally because of the people who were already on the way. She couldn¡¯t possibly refuse the cows that those farmers had painstakingly dragged to the cattle farm, right?


    At this moment, the rooms and cowsheds in the cattle farm had already been built. More than 3,000 cows had been herded into the cowshed. Mu Yangling divided the cattle farm into three districts. Each district had 1,000 cows, and there weren¡¯t many leftovers.


    There was a district leader in each district, and there were ten people under him. Each person was in charge of about too calves.


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu were in charge of these 33 people.


    The harvesting of the pasture was alsoing to an end. The dried pasture was piled in the room, on the roof of the cowshed, and in the thatched hut. The military camp was settling payment in wages, while the ordinary civilians were settling payment in grains. In order to prevent looting from happening, Magistrate Fang specially brought the bailiffs over that day to maintain order. Because there were many people, Mu Yangling directly invited the soldiers from the 5th Division to help distribute the wages and grains.


    Magistrate Fang looked at the vast field in the cattle farm and the copper coins in the bamboo basket behind Xiuhong, as well as the mountain of food not far away. He sighed at Mu Yangling and said, ¡°There¡¯s a lot of money to be made in business. No wonder so many people in Great Zhou abandoned their fields to do business.¡±


    The business environment of Great Zhou was very prosperous, surpassing any previous dynasty. Mu Yangling did not deny this. Although the current dynasty looked down on businessmen, they did not restrict the development of business.


    Magistrate Fang¡¯s eyes were filled with worry. ¡°Emperor Shizong made a mistake. If he had focused on farming and suppressed trade, there wouldn¡¯t be unfarmed wastnds and no grains in the treasury now..¡±

 Chapter 328 - 328: Separation

    Chapter 328: Separation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips in disagreement and asked, ¡°Does Magistrate Fang really think that the current situation is caused by the profiting of the merchants?¡±


    Magistrate Fang saw the mockery in Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°There¡¯s bound to be some connection.¡±


    Mu Yangling said calmly, ¡°Poor businessmen. They took the me for you guys


    for no reason.¡±


    Magistrate Fang looked a little embarrassed. Mu Yangling was just short of saying that it was all because of them that themoners were in such a state.


    He touched his nose and stopped talking. However, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Magistrate Fang, I made my money from selling sheep, I saved a lot of people, right?¡±


    Magistrate Fang was even more embarrassed. He nodded repeatedly and said,


    ¡°Yes, those words weren¡¯t aimed at Miss Mu.¡±


    Only then was Mu Yangling satisfied.


    Although there were many people, they finished distributing all the wages by noon.


    Mu Yangling looked at the crowd that had yet to disperse and nodded at Xiuhong. Xiuhong raised her voice and said, ¡°All children under the age of 12, stand in line to receive your winter clothes.¡±


    The crowd was in an uproar, but because this news had already spread a few days ago, although everyone was excited, chaos did not ensue.


    The children ran over screaming as they lined up again.


    Xiuhong said loudly, ¡°Including children who have reached the age of 12. We have a list here. You¡¯re not to im more than what you¡¯re allowed. The older ones give way to the younger ones. Don¡¯t squeeze out other people.


    When the surrounding youths heard that even those who were 12 years old were included, they shouted and rushed over excitedly. The remaining youths looked at them enviously, but no one said anything sour.


    The elderly, who were usually cunning, didn¡¯t say anything. They just looked at the children with a quiet smile. Magistrate Fang stroked his beard and said sincerely, ¡°I thank Miss Mu on behalf of the children.¡±


    ¡°If Magistrate Fang wants to thank me, please support the cattle farm in the future.¡±


    Magistrate Fang faked a smile. ¡°Of course, of course.¡±


    The 20 old women who were distributing the clothes were the ones in charge of cooking. They only needed to take a look at the children to know what clothes to distribute to them, so the queue moved along very quickly.


    A set of cotton clothes, including a cotton jacket and cotton pants, was stuffed with good-quality cotton. When Mu Yangling had instructed her workers to make the clothes a little bigger. Therefore, other than a few people who received perfectly-fitting clothes, everyone else¡¯s was a tad longer. Everyone was even more grateful to Mu Yangling.


    This excess length could allow them to wear it for two more years before passing it down to their younger siblings.


    At this moment, it was already past the winter solstice. When the wind blew, it was as if ice sand was blowing on their faces. Although these children had put on severalyers of clothes, those thin and tattered clothes could not keep them warm at all. Now that they had obtained the cotton clothes, some children directly put them on. Some felt that the clothes on their bodies were too dirty and wanted to go back to shower and wash their clothes before putting on the brand new cotton clothes.


    Mu Yangling took another booklet from Xiuhong and brought a chair over. She stood on it and Zhang Wu struck the gong and drum, signaling for everyone to be quiet.


    The crowd gradually quietened down. Mu Yangling took out the name list and said, ¡°Those who are orphans, stand on the left.¡±


    The children looked at Mu Yangling in confusion.


    Seeing the confusion in the children¡¯s eyes, Mu Yangling softened her voice. ¡°Before Little General left, he handed all the orphans to me to manage. Because you¡¯re still young and can¡¯t survive alone, the military camp has arranged another ce for you. I have a list here, but because there are too many people, I don¡¯t want to read the names one by one. Those who are orphans, please take the initiative to move to the left.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, the children all ran to the right.


    Although they had been getting along quite well during this period of time, everyone was still mostly afraid of the military camp. Now that they heard that orphans had somewhere else to go, not only those children, but even the adults and elders had an unsavory spection.


    The news of Mu Yangling building a nursery did not spread. Even the soldiers in the military camp did not know much. They only followed orders to build rows of houses in the farmstead and did not ask about their use.


    Because confidentiality was the most important thing in the military camp, no one asked what shouldn¡¯t be asked.


    Mu Yangling saw that there were only more than 20 very young children standing there in a daze. The others had all run to the right. Many of the children were dragged away by their parents. If not for the bailiffs and soldiers surrounding them, they would perhaps have run away.


    Mu Yangling took out the name list and said, ¡°Since everyone is unaware of their status, I¡¯ll read out the names.¡±


    Many children¡¯s eyes turned red. One of them, who was about seven or eight years old, hesitated for a moment before pulling his two-year-old sister to the left. When he stood still, he couldn¡¯t help but burst into tears.


    With the first kid taking the lead, the kids on the right started going over in spite of their reluctance. The younger ones started crying, and the older ones looked at Mu Yangling with hatred.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t exin and just continued to look to the right. Only when people stopped moving over, Mu Yangling asked someone to count the number of people. When she realized that there were 25 missing people, she looked to the right and opened the name list. ¡°If you don¡¯t move over, I¡¯ll take attendance one by one. In the end, you¡¯ll still be found, but you¡¯ll dy lunch for everyone. If you stand out now, we can enter the house for lunch.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at them quietly. After about two minutes, a youth stood out, followed by a youth holding a five or six-year-old boy¡­


    When everyone was present, Mu Yangling looked to the right and said,


    ¡°Children with parents should return to their parents.¡±


    The children scattered and ran into the crowd to find their mothers or grandparents.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s gaze searched the crowd until she confirmed that there were no recements. Then, she waved her hand and said, ¡°Alright, everyone, disperse.¡±


    Mu Yangling jumped off the stool and nodded at the magistrate. ¡°Magistrate Fang, you¡¯d better count the number of people on your side and bring them over tomorrow.¡± As she spoke, she smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t spread the news about the nursery first.¡±


    Magistrate Fang knew Mu Yangling¡¯s concerns. If word got out about the nursery, many parents would abandon their children and make them -orphans¡±. After all, not only would Mu Yangling¡¯s nursery provide the orphans with food, shelter, and clothes, but they would also hire someone to teach them literacy and life skills.


    Magistrate Fang nodded and left with the more than 6,000 ordinary civilians. In an instant, there were only 700-odd orphans left in the cattle farm.


    Everyone looked at Mu Yangling quietly. Some of the children¡¯s eyes were still red and swollen, and some were even burping. It was obvious how badly they had cried just now.


    Mu Yangling stood back on her chair and said, ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, but since the Little General brought you back, he won¡¯t abandon you, let alone harm you. Now that you belong to a military household and the 5th Division, you¡¯ll be protected by General Qi and the Little General.


    Mu Yangling slowed down her tone and tried her best to let everyone understand her words. ¡°Thend under your name has been rented to me now. When you turn 14 years old, you can be independent. At that time, you can take back yournd and farm it at will. Before that, you have to live in the nursery together. I will be in charge of your food and clothes. If you fall sick, I will take care of that. Little General even asked me to hire teachers for you. Whether it¡¯s a boy or a girl, you have to enter the ssroom to learn how to read.. The older ones also have to learn some skills while learning how to read¡­

 Chapter 329 - 329: Reassurance

    Chapter 329: Reassurance


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    As realization dawned on the older children, they widened their eyes and looked at Mu Yangling in disbelief. The younger ones stared at her in confusion, not really understanding. However, they sensitively sensed the change in emotions in the arena. The older kids didn¡¯t seem to be angry or frightened anymore.


    Mu Yangling pped her hands and said, ¡°Alright, take your bowls to lunch now and rest for a while. I¡¯ll bring you to the nurseryter. You can stay there


    tonight.¡±


    Previously, these children had been living with the refugees. Their luggage had long been robbed on the way. If they hadn¡¯t met Yuan Hui, they might not have survived. Therefore, they didn¡¯t have much to pack.


    Because theycked a sense of security, they carried all their valuables with them. But really,their only possessions were the clothes they were wearing and the bowl in their hands. Of course, now there were also the set of cotton clothes and copper coins that Mu Yangling had given them.


    Previously, they had been worried that they wouldn¡¯t be able to keep these things, but now, they didn¡¯t need to worry anymore.


    Everyone consciously queued up to get porridge for lunch.


    Then, Mu Yangling brought them to the nursery.


    There were a total of fiverge rows of houses in the nursery. Eachrge row had two rows of houses with their backs facing each other, and there was only a palm-wide gap in the middle. The doors of the houses in the adjacentrge rows faced each other, so there were a total of ten rows of houses, each row


    having 12 rooms.


    Each room was about 40 square meters. There were tworge brick beds, one on the left and one on the right. Also, there was a desk in the middle at the


    back, plus 12 stools.


    Each room had to amodate 12 people.


    The boys and girls lived separately. As there was a difference between men and women, Mu Yangling arranged for the girls to stay in thest two rows opposite each other. The middle row was empty.


    Brothers lived in the same room, and sisters lived in the same room. Aside from that, the older kids would take care of the younger ones.


    Mu Yangling gathered the children in the canteen and said, ¡°Children, you might not understand what I¡¯m saying, but I hope you remember that although you¡¯re young, you¡¯ve experienced a lot. You should know that life isn¡¯t easy, but no matter how difficult it is, you¡¯ve survived thus far. Therefore, I hope that you can continue to live happily and freely in the future!


    ¡°Remember the people who helped you and those you¡¯ve helped in the past. I don¡¯t need you to be kind, but I hope that every single one of you can at least


    have a clear conscience.¡±


    Everyone looked at Mu Yangling who was standing on the chair and gazing at them quietly. ¡°The budget for the nursery is rather low, so we can only afford to hire very few people.¡±


    A youth opened his mouth and muttered, ¡°Miss, w-we can work on our own.


    You don¡¯t have to hire anyone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Miss. You don¡¯t have to hire people.¡±


    Everyone looked at Mu Yangling timidly, afraid that Mu Yangling would take back her previous words. Then, they would probably have to return to the refugees camp or live on the streets.


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth curled up slightly, but she said worriedly, ¡°Children above the age of six naturally don¡¯t need to be taken care of, but there


    are younger ones.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s gaze was fixed on a three-year-old child in front of her. This child did not have any siblings. He was brought up by his grandmother whoter died in Stone City. Due to Yuan Hui¡¯s refusal to abandon the old, weak, sick, and young, this child miraculously survived.


    When Qi Haoran brought him back, the child who had taken care of him previously stumbled after him.


    Everyone followed Mu Yangling¡¯s gaze and looked over. The smart young men and women immediately said, ¡°We can take care of the younger kids.¡±


    ¡°We can cook..¡±


    ¡°We can help them bathe and wash their clothes¡­¡±


    ¡°And take them to bed, Miss. We¡¯ll definitely take good care of them¡­¡±


    Everyone promised eagerly, and the room instantly became chaotic. Mu Yangling waved her hand to suppress everyone¡¯s voices and nodded. ¡°In that case, I¡¯m relieved. I¡¯ll assign rooms to everyer. Remember, the older ones have to take care of the younger ones. Don¡¯t bully them. Everyone will supervise each other and help each other, understand?


    The children nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hand you the ingredients in the nursery and let you manage them. Although you said that you can cook, I still hired some people to help. These people will be managed by you. The people in charge will be divided into ten groups. Each group will take charge for five consecutive days. I¡¯ll get someone to teach you how to keep track of the ounts. I hope you can officially get used to it before springes.¡±


    ¡°Apart from the kitchen, where I¡¯ll hire help, you can do everything else yourself.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°You have five days to adapt to life here. The teachers I hired will arrive in five days. At that time, they¡¯ll teach you how to read. Whether it¡¯s a boy or a girl, you can choose the skills you¡¯re interested in to learn. However, considering that you¡¯ll have to farm in the future, you must learn agriculture, understand?¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± the children replied loudly. Their eyes were filled with hope as they looked at Mu Yangling excitedly.


    Although what Mu Yangling said had yet toe true, everyone could not help but trust her.


    Mu Yangling nodded secretly and beckoned Bowen and Xiuhong over. She said to everyone, ¡°For the next five days, you¡¯ll be under their management. Follow them and slowly get used to life in the nursery. The rules of the nursery and the punishment for viting them are written on the stone tablet in front. Everyone has to memorize and understand the meaning behind it. No one is allowed to vite the rules.¡±


    When everyone saw Bowen, they widened their eyes in surprise. They recognized Miss Xiuhong as Mu Yangling¡¯s cousin who often went around with an ounts book and helped to distribute their wages. But why was Bowen, who had previously cut grass with them, also standing up there?


    Mu Yangling quickly resolved their doubts. ¡°Bowen is my younger brother, and Xiuhong is my cousin. In the future, you don¡¯t have to call us Miss and Boss when you see us. Like you, we¡¯re all military households of the 5th Division. It¡¯s only because you¡¯re still young that I¡¯m managing you. In the future, when you see me, you can just call me (Older) Sister Mu.¡±


    There were some youths who did not understand. Why was Mu Yangling always referring to them as children when she was even younger than them?


    Furthermore, (Older) Sister Mu?


    Some of the youths were already past 12 years old and were a few months older than Mu Yangling. They could not bring himself to call her ¡°Older Sister¡±.


    However, Mu Yangling did not dy everyone¡¯s time. After distributing some daily necessities to everyone, she began to allocate the rooms to them.


    This was divided ording to the previous name list. Not only did it list everyone¡¯s age, but it also included their respective rtionships. It was also updated after Bowen investigated who had a better rtionship with whom and who had conflicts with whom.


    This was how Mu Yangling separated the people. There was a bed and nket in every room. Two people to one nket, and six people to one big brick bed. There would be one dorm leader in charge of all the arrangements in each room.


    After allocating rooms for them, Mu Yangling handed them over to Bowen and Xiuhong. ¡°You guys can arrange the rest. Make sure you settle down every single one of them. You guys can stay here for the next five days. We¡¯ll only go back after all the arrangements have been made.¡±


    This was the first time Bowen and Xiuhong were independently in charge of such a huge matter, so they were a little nervous. Although Xiuhong had done ounting and nning at the cattle farm, Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu were the ones in charge after all. And here, she and Bowen were the ones discussing and making decisions..

 Chapter 330 - 330: Advice

    Chapter 330: Advice


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling still couldn¡¯t make up her mind who to hand over the nursery to because she couldn¡¯t find a suitable person.


    The people there were all powerless children who could endure hardships. As long as it did not kill them, they could endure the suffering. It wasn¡¯t hard to find someone who could control them.


    However, what Mu Yangling wanted was not to ¡°keep them under control.¡± She did not want these children to be eager to grow up and leave the nursery. She hoped that they could enjoy the joy of growing up while learning what they should learn.


    Since she was already in charge of this matter, they were her responsibility Naturally, she had to do better. She didn¡¯t need a cold manager or even someone who would bully them. Instead, she wanted a wise and loving educator.


    Since she couldn¡¯t find a suitable candidate, she could only take care of them for the time being and run back and forth.


    Fortunately, Magistrate Fang sent over the orphans on his side the next day. This way, there were a total of 1,238 orphans in the nursery. The rooms were a little tight. Mu Yangling felt that after the cold wave passed, she could get someone to carve out a plot ofnd and build another five rows of houses. This way, the boys and girls could be separated on both sides, and some ssrooms could be built in the middle.


    Anyway, since she had suggested it, both Qi Haoran and Magistrate Fang would agree to help. Other than being in charge of the workers¡¯ three meals a day, she did not have to pay anything.


    Mu Yangling found the leaders among the kids and said, ¡°We¡¯re going home for a while. I¡¯ll leave the nursery to the few of you for the time being. I¡¯lle over often to take a look. If there are any issues, tell me. This ce is very close to the military camp and the nearby farmsteads. Try not to get into any conflicts with them. If anyonees to provoke you, settle it yourself if you can If you can¡¯t, look for their vige chief. Tell them that I said that Little General gave his permission to build this nursery.¡±


    The nearby viges were all new viges that the refugees had just settled down in. In the past two days, the news of the nursery had already spread. It was said that not only did it provide food and clothes for the children, but they were also taught literacy and life skills. Many people brought their children over and knelt outside to beg Mu Yangling to ept them.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression was very ugly. Probably to soften her heart, the children were not wearing their new cotton clothes and were only kneeling in the cold wind in thin clothes.


    For the past two days, Mu Yangling had ignored them. Seeing that more and more people were kneeling at the door, Mu Yangling finally flew into a rage yesterday. She took a kitchen knife from the kitchen and threw it in front of them. With a sneer, she said, ¡°The nursery only epts orphans. It¡¯s not impossible for you to send your children in. Firstly, everyone in the family who has passed the age of 14 will slit their throats. Also, rent all the military fields and freehold fields under the kid¡¯s name to me. That rent will be used to provide for them. If you¡¯re willing, start slitting your throats now.¡±


    The people kneeling did not expect Mu Yangling to be so ruthless. Some of them muttered and cursed, while others cried pitifully and begged Mu Yangling to let them go. It was as if Mu Yangling was bullying them or something.


    Mu Yangling sneered and said, ¡°Go ahead and cry. If you anger me, I¡¯ll find trouble with you every day. With more than 1,200 children under me, I can easily send ten people to your house every day to cause trouble. You won¡¯t get to enjoy peace for the next ten years. If you don¡¯t believe me, give it a try. Xiuhong, note down their names. Later, bring some people over and let them howl in front of their house. I want to see who canst until the end.¡±


    The people who were crying and cursing paused and looked up at the group of children behind Mu Yangling. They all fell silent, but they could not help but me Mu Yangling for being too ruthless.


    When Xiuhong heard their cursing, she couldn¡¯t help but snort coldly. She raised her voice and said, ¡°To those who are using my cousin of being ruthless, she¡¯s just giving you a taste of your own medicine. Some of you can even pm your biological children against the icy ground. Why should we feel sorry for them when we¡¯repletely unrted to them? If you don¡¯t even feel sorry for your own children, who will feel sorry for them?¡±


    Bowen nced at the children kneeling in the cold wind and sighed. He advised, ¡°Hurry up and bring your kids back to put on more clothes. If they catch a cold in such freezing weather, it could be fatal. My sister won¡¯t ept these children. The purpose of the nursery is to take care of those children without parents and rtives. Our family has already emptied our assets because of this. Not to mention that you parents are still alive, we won¡¯t even be able to ept any more orphans from outside. We really can¡¯t afford it.¡± When everyone heard Bowen¡¯s words, they put away the resentment in their eyes and started to drag their child away.


    Mu Yangling held her forehead with a headache and nodded slightly at Bowen. Bowen immediately said, ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t be in a hurry to leave. If you go back in the wind in such freezing weather, you¡¯re going to be sick. Go to the canteen to drink a bowl of ginger soup first and let the children warm up before leaving.¡±


    Bowen and the older kids from the nursery led those children to the canteen to drink ginger soup. This way, most of the adults¡¯ anger disappeared, and some of them even looked a little ashamed. Only a few of them continued staring sinisterly at Mu Yangling and the others.


    Mu Yangling only snorted coldly and turned to leave, ignoring those people When she returned to the office, she couldn¡¯t help but have a headache. Xiuhong also said angrily, ¡°If not for the fact that these viges are not far from the nursery and we have to interact with them often in the future, I really don¡¯t want to bother with them.¡±


    It was precisely because of this consideration that Mu Yangling arranged for Bowen to y the good cop while she yed the bad cop with Xiuhong.


    ¡°Fortunately, the military camp isn¡¯t far from here, so there won¡¯t be a big conflict. However, we have to find a Nursery Manager soon. Otherwise, I really won¡¯t be able to handle it.


    Never one who was good at dealing with such conflicts, Mu Yangling had always advocated fighting violence with violence.


    ¡°But Cousin, what kind of person are you looking for? There have been a lot of applicants these past few days.¡±


    ¡°None are suitable. When they talked about the children in the nursery, they all looked like they¡¯re giving alms. When they were brought to watch the children y, I observed from the side. They had an arrogant expression on their faces that suggested they were looking at beggars. I¡¯m hiring them to take care of the children and educate them, not to give alms to them. Forget it, we shouldn¡¯t make do in this case. Before the position of the Nursery Manager is filled, I¡¯ll take care of the nursery with you guys first. I¡¯ll send you guys back first ¡¯ tomorrow. My mother has already sent letters to urge us to go back several times. Great-aunt is very angry that we haven¡¯t gone back since the Winter Solstice.¡±


    Xiuhong stuck out her tongue, not daring to object.


    Winter Solstice was a very important festival here, no less grand than the Dragon Heads-raising Day?-


    Speaking of which, it was strange. In her previous life, the Mid-Autumn Festival ranked second in importance to the Spring Festival. However, in this era, the Mid-Autumn Festival wasn¡¯t highly regarded. Other than the Spring Festival, the most grand festivals were the second of February, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Winter Solstice. The other festivals were somewhat dispensable.


    Therefore, not only was Great-aunt angry that Mu Yangling and the others were absent from the important Winter Solstice, but even the good-tempered Shu Wanniang was angry.


    Therefore, they could not dy returning any longer.


    Bowen brought the older children to repair their rtionship with those people. In the evening, when those parents realized that they really couldn¡¯t leave their children behind, they had no choice but to bring them away dejectedly.


    For the first time, Bowen felt tired. Although those people had left, he didn¡¯t know if they would find an excuse to cause trouble. Considering the oldest in the nursery was only 13 years old, they definitely couldn¡¯tpare to those adults and elders. Hence, before Mu Yangling left, she gave reminders to the older children in the nursery. In the end, she even said, ¡°If the vige chief dilly-dallies or doesn¡¯t care, quickly go to the cattle farm to look for Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu. Get them to inform me. Remember, it¡¯s more important to protect yourselves and the younger kids.¡±


    She wanted them to avoid physical conflict with those people as much as possible, for it was too dangerous.


    The older children all agreed.

 Chapter 331 - 331: Shock

    Chapter 331: Shock


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Mother, Great-aunt, we¡¯re back!¡± Before they reached the door, Mu Yangling shouted, signaling their return. Many other families opened the door, too. Someone asked with a smile, ¡°Ah Ling, where did you go? Why haven¡¯t you been home for more than a month?


    Someone asked directly, ¡°Ah Ling, I heard that your family built a cattle farm in Hanzhong Prefecture? Why did you go to a foreignnd to build it? If you want to build it, you should do it here.¡±


    Mu Yangling replied with a smile, ¡°I wanted to build it here, but there isn¡¯t enoughnd. Thend nearby are used for farming purposes, so we can only look elsewhere.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, the door in front of them opened with a bang. Two round children rushed over with arms spread open.


    When Xiuhong and Bowen saw the two little round fellows, they immediately jumped off the mule cart and rushed over to hug each of them. They asked with a smile, ¡°Who opened the door for you?¡±


    The two children were only waist-high. Even if they stood on tiptoes, they could not touch the door.


    ¡°Great-aunt! Great-aunt opened it!¡± The two children pointed behind them. Only then did they see their great-aunt standing at the door with a dark expression. Everyone smiled awkwardly and greeted her. ¡°Grandma.¡± Mu Yangling also smiled ingratiatingly. ¡°Great-aunt, I¡¯ll drive the mule cart back.¡±


    Although Great-aunt was angry that the children had left for more than a month, she still didn¡¯t lecture them in front of outsiders. She only opened the door and let the mule cart in. As for those who wanted to watch the show, Great-aunt didn¡¯t have such a good temper towards them, simply closing the door with a bang.


    The people outside rubbed their noses. Although they were unwilling, they didn¡¯t dare to badmouth the Mu family in front of their house now that the Mu family was at its peak.


    Great-aunt turned around and aggressively went to settle scores with the children. Ignoring the obedient and timid Xin, she pinched Xiuhong¡¯s ear. ¡°If you want to build a cattle farm and raise cows, I won¡¯t stop you. If you want to run around doing business, I won¡¯t stop you. But now, you¡¯re too bold. You¡¯ve been gone for more than a month without even showing up. You¡¯re even better. You haven¡¯t evene home for almost two months. That¡¯s fine, but tell me, how many letters have you written to your family during this period of time?¡±


    The more Great-aunt spoke, the angrier she became. ¡°You clearly know that Hanzhong Prefecture is at the border, and there are no passes blocking it. Don¡¯t you know that we¡¯ll be worried?¡±


    ¡°Grandma, we know we were wrong. We¡¯ve been too busy recently. Almost every time we¡¯re done with work, we¡¯ll fall asleep right after lying down on the brick bed¡­¡±


    ¡°How much time will it take you to write a few words? You simply didn¡¯t take it


    to heart. Don¡¯t make up excuses.¡±


    After teaching Xiuhong a lesson, she lectured Mu Yangling and Bowen. ¡°The two of you are the same. You usually look steady and sensible, but in the end, you¡¯re also insensible. Look at how worried your mother is for you.¡±


    As she spoke, she patted their shoulders angrily. ¡°I really raised you guys for nothing. In my opinion, I shouldn¡¯t have let you out. Otherwise, you won¡¯t even know when you¡¯ll disappear.¡±


    Mu Yangling hurriedly admitted her mistake. ¡°Great-aunt, we know our mistake. No matter where we are in the future, we will definitely write a letter home every ten days to report our safety.¡±


    Bowen nodded repeatedly. ¡°Great-aunt, we definitely won¡¯t dare to do it again.¡± Only then did Great-aunt wipe her tears and soften her tone. ¡°It¡¯s not that I want you to do anything, but how can you note back even during the winter solstice? Why didn¡¯t you send a message back? That day, your mother and I were so worried that we couldn¡¯t eat, so we waited at the vige entrance for a day. If I hadn¡¯t met someone in Mingshui County the next morning who told me that you were doing fine in the cattle farm, your mother and I would have gone to look for you¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling immediately felt a little ashamed. At that time, she was finishing up the work. Because she had to give out a sry to everyone, she needed a lot of copper coins. Her mind was focused on exchanging for the coppers, so she didn¡¯t remember to inform her family that she wouldn¡¯t go back for the Winter Solstice.


    The few of them cated Great-aunt a great deal before she let the matter rest. Seeing that her mother did note out for a long time, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Great-aunt, where¡¯s my mother?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s in the house. That day, your mother stood in the wind for an entire day and was worried for the entire night. The next day, she wanted to go to Hanzhong Prefecture to look for you. After finding out that you were safe, she fell ill and is still taking medicine. These two little ones haven¡¯t seen your mother for a few days, for she was afraid that she would pass on her illness to them.¡±


    The twins were sitting on the left and right of Bowen, asking for something to y with. From time to time, they would moan. When Great-aunt saw this, she sighed and said, ¡°Look, they haven¡¯t been able to see your mother and I¡¯ve been taking care of them these few days. They¡¯ve been whining non-stop.¡±


    Upon hearing that her mother was sick, Mu Yangling became anxious. ¡°I¡¯ll go see Mother.¡±


    Bowen quickly stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go too.¡±


    The two twins followed closely behind, but the few of them were locked outside the door. Shu Wanniang said calmly from inside, ¡°Ah Ling,e in. Bowen, bring your younger siblings out to y. You¡¯re not in good health, so I can¡¯t risk passing the illness to you.¡±


    Bowen was anxious. ¡°Mother, Physician Pang said that I¡¯ve already recovered¡­¡± ¡°Even if you¡¯ve regained your health, your body constitution is still worse than others. Don¡¯t be so long-winded.¡± Perhaps because she was sick, Shu Wanniang¡¯s tone was a little snappy.


    Mu Yangling patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Take the twins to the central room to y first. I¡¯ll go in and take a look.¡±


    Shu Wanniang was half-leaning on the brick bed. Although her face was slightly pale, she was in good spirits. When she saw her daughter enter, she hurriedly pulled her and looked around. After a while, she heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Child, you didn¡¯t make people worry at all in the past. The older you get, the more insensible you be. Come sit beside me and tell me what you¡¯ve been busy with. Why didn¡¯t youe back even for the Winter Solstice?¡±


    Mu Yangling said in shame, ¡°Mother, I didn¡¯t expect you to value the Winter Solstice so much. If I had known, I¡¯d definitely havee back. Even if I didn¡¯t, I¡¯d have gotten someone to send you a message.


    Shu Wanniang frowned. ¡°The Winter Solstice has always been an important festival. How could you not know?¡±


    This was the aftereffect of her memories of festivals in her previous life. In her previous life, she did not celebrate the Winter Solstice much. Aftering here, she did have to worship her ancestors every year during the Winter Solstice, burn winter clothes offerings to them, as well as celebrate the asion with a sumptuous feast. However, people in the vige pretty much did the same for other festivals, so up till that point she was not under the impression that Winter Solstice was a grand festival.


    After receiving the letter from home and sensing that something was wrong, she checked and realized that the ancients really valued the Winter Solstice. There was a saying that the Winter Solstice was as important as the New Year. People celebrated the festival for three days, during which the Emperor did not govern, the officials expressed good wishes, and the citizens also went on break. Yes, Bowen and the others would also have a holiday. She did not know about the south, but in their area, the winter break began on the day of the Winter Solstice.


    ording to the books, doctors would also hold a ¡°cold-relief gathering . Everyone would hold a cocktail party to eat and drink, recite poems, and draw a ¡°cold-reducing painting¡±.


    This was only what was recorded in the books. The people certainly valued the Winter Solstice more highly than what was recorded in the books. It was like how her family would be worried if she didn¡¯t go home during the Spring Festival.


    Therefore, Mu Yangling recognized her mistake very quickly.


    This made Shu Wanniang sigh slightly. She only thought that her daughter was young and didn¡¯t care about some things, so she touched her head and said, ¡°Alright, this matter is over. Just take it to heart in the future. I don¡¯t me you, but I have something to ask you.¡±


    Shu Wanniang sat up straight and asked, ¡°Why did you privately agree to Haoran¡¯s marriage proposal? Why didn¡¯t you tell us about it?


    Mu Yangling widened her eyes and cried out, ¡°Mother, when did I agree to Qi Haoran¡¯s marriage proposal?¡±

 Chapter 332 - 332: Persuading Her to Marry

    Chapter 332: Persuading Her to Marry


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    With a slight frown, Shu Wanniang asked, ¡°Xiuhong said that you gave Haoran a leather jacket as a Winter Solstice gift. Was that not right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I did.¡± Mu Yangling nodded and said, ¡°I did give Qi Haoran a leather jacket as a gift, but what does this have to do with our marriage?¡± Shu Wanniang¡¯s mouth fell open, not understanding why her daughter was oblivious to this matter. Could it be because she hadn¡¯t hinted at it before? However, there was no need for a mother to say such things explicitly. Wouldn¡¯t the girls know when they got together and chatted about it?


    Oh, right. Her daughter didn¡¯t have any best friends. Other than Xiuhong and Xin, no other girl was especially close to her. Clearly, Xiuhong definitely hadn¡¯t discussed this with Mu Yangling, but who would have known that she was in the dark about this custom?


    Everyone clearly knew about it, right?


    Shu Wanniang said with a headache, ¡°Silly child, why did you have to give him a Winter Solstice gift of all times? When young men and women give each other Winter Solstice gifts, it means that they¡¯re agreeing to get married.¡± In the north, they only had free time when winter came. It was fine for rich families, who usually took three to four years from raising the matter of marriage to finally getting married. They started to talk about marriage at the age of 12, settled their marriage before the age of 15, and could get married at the age of 16. However, most families couldplete the entire process in a month or two.


    Many marriages were held in winter. This way, the new wife could rest for half a winter after entering the family and could work in the fields after spring. As for her maternal family, they would have one fewer mouth to feed in addition to receiving a betrothal gift. Thus they would have an easier time in the new year by marrying off their daughter in the winter. Therefore, the Winter Solstice gave unmarried men and women the opportunity to get to know each other. At first, it was only popr in the countryside. Later on, small families in the city began to join in. In the end, some squires and aristocratic families also joined in. Of course, they would not be as explicit as ordinary people.


    Instead, they invited a few familiar families to hold a ¡°cold-relief gathering¡±. The madam of the family would bring together the youngdies to have fun. Those who had unmarried daughters would be observed by the family head¡¯s wife. If a girl caught the madam¡¯s eye, thetter would hint to them by requesting the youngdy to draw a ¡®cold-relief painting¡¯ personally. If the other party was also satisfied with this marriage proposal, the woman¡¯s mother would agree on their behalf and send a ¡°cold-relief painting¡± over in a few days. If they were not satisfied, they would use the excuse that the child¡¯s skills were poor or that she was still too young to draw well. Everyone naturally had a tacit understanding.


    Although the process of expression was different, the methods were simr.


    If the man took a fancy to a girl, he would ask her to give him a Winter Solstice gift. The gift itself didn¡¯t matter, and it counted even if it was a piece of withered grass that the girl casually plucked by the roadside.


    If the girl didn¡¯t agree, she would find an excuse to reject him. That way, both parties would know each other¡¯s intentions.


    Although Qi Haoran had only been in Xingzhou Prefecture for three years, he obviously knew about this custom, so he¡¯d directly asked Mu Yangling for a Winter Solstice gift.


    To think Mu Yangling was oblivious about this well-known custom and gave it away without knowing what was going on. In fact, she even gave him a handmade leather jacket. Qi Haoran was probablyughing in glee now.


    Shu Wanniang asked carefully, ¡°Ah Ling, actually, Haoran is not bad. I don¡¯t think General Qi would have any objections. Why don¡¯t we just y along with this mistake?¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s face turned red. ¡°Mother, how can I do that?¡±


    ¡°Then tell me, who else do you want to marry other than Haoran?¡± Shu Wanniang looked at her daughter seriously and said, ¡°It¡¯s not difficult to annul this marriage. Since the two of you haven¡¯t received permission from the adults, I can always be thick-skinned and help you ask him to return the gift But you have to think carefully. Once I do so, it¡¯ll be impossible for you and Haoran in the future.¡±


    Seeing her daughter lower her eyes, Shu Wanniang sighed and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I only have my eyes on him, but out of so many people you know, only Haoran and Zijin are the most suitable. Not to mention you, even I don¡¯t think highly of the others. Besides, with your strong personality, are you willing to stay in the backyard and take care of your inws after marriage? Other than Haoran, who can tolerate your aspirations?¡±


    ¡°Even Zijin, who is usually all smiles, will not allow it. So, child, I really feel that Haoran is not bad.¡±


    But she couldn¡¯t lie to him.


    Mu Yangling felt that this would be the greatest unfairness to Qi Haoran.


    ¡°Mother, this is unfair to Qi Haoran.¡±


    Shu Wanniang didn¡¯t understand why this was unfair to Qi Haoran.


    He likes me, but I don¡¯t like him as a man yet. It¡¯s not fair to him romantically.¡±


    Shu Wanniangughed and said, ¡°Silly child, feelings can be nurtured. If you don¡¯t give it a try, how do you know that you won¡¯t like him?¡±


    Shu Wanniang patted her daughter¡¯s hand lovingly and said, ¡°Women are indeed the happiest to be able to marry someone who loves them and loves them. Otherwise, marrying someone who loves them is also a good choice. The reason why I agree to this marriage is because Haoran is a magnanimous child. Although he¡¯s usually carefree, he actually knows what he¡¯s doing. It¡¯s the greatest blessing that he can tolerate you doing what you like. If it were anyone else, do you think your husband would still be willing to let you do whatever you want after you get married?¡±


    Mu Yangling fell silent.


    There was some gentleness in Shu Wanniang¡¯s eyes. She looked out of the Window and said softly, ¡°Child, do give this a shot. Perhaps you¡¯ll find this marriage very suitable?¡±


    ¡°In terms ofpatibility and usibility, your father and I are the most impossible match. Before I was 15 years old, who would have thought that I would marry your father? I was a rich youngdy, and he¡¯s just a hunter in the mountains. In the past, I wouldn¡¯t have taken another look at him. When I was first saved by your father, I felt that it was better to die just like that. However, your father took care of me for a year. He¡¯s upright, kind, and gentle. He took ¡¯ care of me so well. Even if he¡¯s a boor in the eyes of outsiders, I¡¯m still happy. I¡¯m very d that I gave myself time at that time. All these years, I think that no one in this world has been more blissful than me.¡±


    ¡°It was also because I married your father that I had you, Bowen, Bosi, and Kejia. No matter how bitter the subsequent days were, I felt that there was a sweetness to them. Therefore, child, you should try to ept Haoran and give him a chance. You¡¯d also be giving yourself a chance.¡±


    Feeling gossipy, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Mother, now that Father onlyes back a few times a year, do you regret it now? Are you angry?¡±


    Shu Wanniang shook her head. ¡°I just feel sorry for your father. Other than the days when hees home, when has he ever felt at ease? Out of 365 days a year, he spends 300 days in fear. In fact, I hate myself for being useless and unable to share his burden.¡±


    The door was suddenly pushed open, startling the two of them. Shu Wanniang looked up and met her husband¡¯s shining eyes. At first, she was ecstatic, then she was so embarrassed that her face turned red. She didn¡¯t know how much her husband had heard from the door.


    Mu Shi looked at his wife with bright eyes. Seeing that even her neck was burning red, a smile shed across his eyes. Only then did he force himself to look away and fix his gaze on his daughter.


    Mu Yangling had already stood up and was about to sneak out. Seeing her father looking over, she hurriedly said, ¡°Father, Mother is sick. Talk to her first while I boil some water and do the cooking..¡±

 Chapter 333 - 333: Transfer

    Chapter 333: Transfer


    Trantor: As Studios | Editor: As Studios


    After running out of the room and gently closing the door, Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief. She pinched Bosi¡¯s face and asked Bowen, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you guys shout to let us know that Dad is back?¡±


    ¡°Right after we opened the door for Father, when he heard that Mother was sick, he immediately rushed over,¡± Bowenined. ¡°Thatmotion even frightened Bosi and Kejia. However, Father seemed to have been standing at the door for a long time just now. What did you say to Mother?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Seeing that his sister refused to tell him, Bowen didn¡¯t ask further. He just said, ¡°Sister, Fei Bai is outside. He said that he has something for you.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s face turned slightly red. She left them behind and went out first. Fei Bai was here to deliver a gift on behalf of Qi Haoran who was still in Hanzhong Prefecture and could note over.


    Fei Bai handed the wooden box to Mu Yangling and said with a smile, ¡°Miss Mu, I spent a lot of money to snatch this from the barbarians. Try it and see if you like the grip.¡±


    Inside the box was a short dagger with a ck sheath. When she pulled out the short dagger, she saw that the dagger was also pitch-ck. When her fingers swiped across the de, a chill seeped into her heart. Holding the short dagger in her hand, Mu Yangling felt that this dagger was about twice as heavy as the one she used in the past. Her eyes lit up slightly.


    With her incredible strength, daggers usually felt light in her hand, and sometimes even weightless. However, this dagger felt just right.


    Mu Yangling asked Xin to go into the kitchen and fetch a kitchen knife. She shed the kitchen knife with the short dagger. She moved too quickly and Fei Bai couldn¡¯t stop her in time. He could only watch as the kitchen knife was cut into two. Even Mu Yangling was surprised. Then, she eximed happily, ¡°Excellent dagger! How much did Qi Haoran buy this for?¡±


    Fei Bai chuckled and did not say the number. He only said, ¡°Miss Mu, my master said that good daggers are hard to get even with a thousand taels of gold?.¡±


    Mu Yangling put away the dagger and smiled. ¡°As long as he didn¡¯t truly pay a thousand taels of gold.¡±


    ¡®Even if it¡¯s not a thousand taels of gold, it¡¯s not far from that.¡¯ Fei Bai cursed in his heart.


    ¡°When is your mastering back? I-I have something to say to him.¡± Since she wanted to try to ept him, she naturally had to spend more time with him. Besides, there were some things that she had to rify to give him a heads-up.


    Fei Bai scratched his head and said, ¡°Master might not return to Xingzhou Prefecture. He will only stay in Hanzhong Prefecture for two days before going out again. He might not even be able toe back during the New Year.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that my father can¡¯te back for the New Year, too?¡± With a smile, Fei Bai said, ¡°No, that¡¯s not the case. I heard that General Mu has already been transferred to the general¡¯s charge. He should be staying in Xingzhou Prefecture for the time being.¡±


    Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief. Although she didn¡¯t know why her father was transferred to Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s camp, this was obviously good news. Putting everything else aside, he would only be promoted faster.


    Mu Yangling sent Fei Bai off. When she ran into the house, Mu Shi had alreadye out of the room. His expression had softened quite a bit. At this moment, he was teasing Bosi and Kejia with something, hoping to hug them.


    Seeing his eldest daughter enter, Mu Shi nodded slightly and said, ¡°After dinner,e to the study with Father. I have something to tell you.¡± Not only did Mu Shi call Mu Yangling along, he even called Bowen and Xiuhong along. This surprised Great-aunt. Then, her eyes turned red and she felt grateful to Mu Shi.


    She knew that this was a sign that Xiuhong was participating in the Mu family¡¯s decision-making. Although she had always treated the Mu family as her own family and worked hard, she had always ced herself on the side of the guests when it came to making decisions. She felt that this was the only way to not make them dislike her.


    Seeing that Xiuhong had followed them into the study, she turned around and went to the kitchen. She didn¡¯t know how long their discussion wouldst, so she decided to make some supper for them.


    Mu Shi sat behind the desk and nced at the three children. Smiling, he said, ¡°I know everything you¡¯ve done. You¡¯ve done very well. I won¡¯t stop you from ¡¯ doing what you¡¯re doing now, but I hope that you can be more thorough in the future. At the very least, you can¡¯t let the family worry.¡±


    Mu Yangling hurriedly nodded. ¡°Father, we didn¡¯t think it through this time. This won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°Tm not ming you. Despite your young age, you¡¯ve already aplished so many things. I keep feeling that I¡¯m being too hasty, and I feel even more guilty¡­¡± After all, this was originally his responsibility. Self-reproach shed across Mu Shi¡¯s eyes.


    Mu Yangling went forward and hugged her father¡¯s arm. She said with a smile ¡°Father, you¡¯ve been risking your life for our family. If in spite of that we can¡¯t¡¯ live well, we should me ourselves.¡±


    Bowen nodded repeatedly. ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m already grown up and can take care of Mother and my siblings.¡±


    Mu Shi looked at his tenacious eldest son and vaguely felt that even though he was still that delicate child yesterday, he had suddenly grown up.


    Mu Shi immediately felt a little tired. In the past three years, he had missed many important milestones in his children¡¯s growth. In the past, he rarely left home. In the morning, he would go hunting in the mountains and return from the city at noon. In the afternoon, he would make some small wooden swords and horses for his daughter and son. In the evening, he would bring his son to the river for a walk¡­


    If it rained or snowed, he would stay at home to teach his son how to read and supervise his writing. However, now, he did not even know when his son had grown taller. He had no idea when his son had read that book. He did not even know when his daughter had developed feelings for the little general.


    Mu Shi felt that he had failed. At this moment, he felt disgusted by the war. He wondered when he would be able to return to his old life with his family.


    However, when he thought of how angry and ipetent he had been when he was drafted into the army, he felt resolute about his goal again. No matter what, he would not allow his family¡¯s fate to be in the hands of others, not even his wife¡¯s family.


    Mu Shi took a deep breath and patted his daughter¡¯s back. He looked up and said, ¡°I¡¯m now under General Qi¡¯smand. Although I¡¯ve returned to Xingzhou Prefecture, I might not be able toe back for the New Year, but I will often send someone back to deliver a message. Bowen, you¡¯ll be nine next year. Read more books when you¡¯re at home. Our family still has to rely on you to bring glory to our ancestors. Only by bing a schr can you better protect your family.¡±


    Bowen nodded fiercely and said confidently, ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m the best student in the academy now.¡±


    Mu Shi did not feel that there was anything wrong with being proud. When he heard this, he even nodded in relief and said, ¡°That¡¯s good. In the future, not only do you have to be first in your academy, but you also have to be first in the entire Mingshui County. As for the entire Xingzhou Prefecture, you just have to be in the top five. If nothing goes wrong, you should be able to take the exam in two years.¡±


    This meant that Mu Shi should be promoted to assistantmander within two years. And he could only be promoted so quickly because of war and military achievements.


    Mu Yangling frowned, but looking at the two children in the room who were looking at Mu Shi respectfully, she did not ask. She nned to ask her father when they were alone.


    Just as Mu Yangling thought of this, Mu Shi said, ¡°Xiuhong, your cousins aren¡¯t meticulous enough. You¡¯re a capable girl. Do keep an eye on things and remind them if they do anything wrong.¡±


    Xiuhong agreed happily.


    Then, Mu Shi got Xiuhong and Bowen toe out, leaving his daughter alone. Mu Shi looked at his usually sensible daughter and sighed. ¡°General Qi has already discussed the Qi family¡¯s marriage proposal with me.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth fell open. Qi Xiuyuan knew?

 Chapter 334 - 334: Marriage

    Chapter 334: Marriage


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t expect his younger brother to be so aggressive as to directly ask the girl for a token. He knew a little about his brother¡¯s thoughts, but he mostly wanted them to get married when the conditions were right. Anyway, the two children were still young. They could always discuss marriage in two years¡¯ time.


    Most importantly, he, the older brother, was not even married yet, but this kid was already ahead of him.


    No matter how satisfied he was with this marriage and how much he doted on his younger brother, he would not agree to let Qi Haoran get married before him. Should that happen, not only would he be a joke, but his younger brother would also be criticized.


    Therefore, he could only discuss it with Mu Shi. The marriage between the two families could be decided in private first, and he could organize his younger brother¡¯s wedding after he himself got married.


    Since Qi Xiuyuan was not in a hurry, Mu Shi was even less anxious. His daughter was only 12 years old this year.


    However, Mu Shi could no longer stay under Qi Haoran. After all, now that he was his future father-inw, it would not be easy for him to carry out his work. Hence, Mu Shi was transferred to Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s tent.


    There was another important reason for calling him back. Since the two families had already decided to be inws, they had to rify the Mu family¡¯s background in Lin¡¯an Prefecture to prevent them from being implicated in the future.


    Although Mu Shi didn¡¯t want to expose his wife¡¯s background, he was afraid that the Shu family would cause trouble for them in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, so he simply mentioned it.


    Qi Xiuyuan raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn¡¯t care about family background, but he didn¡¯t expect his brother to marry a granddaughter from the side branch of an aristocratic family. The Shu family was much more powerful than the Qi family. However, when he thought of Shu Wanniang¡¯s current situation, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s already-poor impression of schrs worsened. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect them to be cold-blooded people. Schrly people are willing to do anything for that bullsh*t pride and chastity.¡±


    Mu Shi looked at Qi Xiuyuan in confusion. Qi Xiuyuan did not exin and only said, ¡°Uncle Mu, don¡¯t worry. We brothers don¡¯t care about family backgrounds and don¡¯t care for marriage alliances. Since Ah Ling caught Haoran¡¯s eye, he will definitely treat her well in the future. If he dares to have an affair and abandon her, I won¡¯t let him off.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s heart was biased. Although Mu Shi did not believe it, he still thanked him happily and chatted happily with Qi Xiuyuan for the entire night.


    Mu Shi¡¯s heart was filled with sadness. His daughter, whom he had painstakingly raised, was already engaged. Qi Xiuyuan was filled with bitterness. His younger brother had already found a partner, but there was still no movement on his side. It seemed like he had to put his marriage on the agenda.


    Mu Shi did not ask about Father Qi¡¯s opinion simply because he had forgotten about his existence. In his opinion, since Qi Xiuyuan had taken over the fatherly role, this matter only required Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s consent.


    As for Qi Xiuyuan, he deliberately hid it. Not to mention his brother¡¯s marriage, even if it was his, the Qi family could forget about interfering. Didn¡¯t his brother leave home because of the marriage arranged by the Qi family?


    Hence, Qi Xiuyuan specially hid this news. Since he couldn¡¯t find a marriage partner in Lin¡¯an Prefecture or even in the south, he could only search nearby. That night, he found Rong Xuan and said seriously, ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me to get married? Do you have a candidate?¡±


    Rong Xuan widened his eyes and said, ¡°You¡¯re the one getting married, not me? Why are you asking me for a candidate?¡±


    Seeing Qi Xiuyuan frown at him, Rong Xuan coughed lightly and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I get someone to find some portraits? You can choose then.¡±


    ¡°Well-bred youngdies are raised in seclusion, aren¡¯t they? Where are you going to gather the portraits?¡±


    Rong Xuan looked at him disdainfully. ¡°Are all the scouts you raise freeloaders? Don¡¯t worry, these are all small matters. Oh, right, marriage can¡¯t be done in a day or two. Why don¡¯t I find two concubines first?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan blushed and couldn¡¯t help but kick him. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? I want to get married quickly so that Haoran can start to discuss marriage.¡±


    Rong Xuan jumped back lightly and dodged his foot. He raised his eyebrows. ¡°Haoran is only 15 years old, right? He can afford to wait another three years.¡±


    ¡°That kid was anxious and couldn¡¯t wait any longer. During the Winter Solstice, he hurriedly asked Ah Ling for a love token.¡±


    Rong Xuan was speechless. ¡°The new generation really surpasses the old. It¡¯s no wonder you¡¯re anxious. Seems like we¡¯ve truly got to find a wife for you soon. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely gather all the youngdies in Xingzhou Prefecture and Hanzhong Prefecture for you. If that¡¯s not enough, we can look in Xingyuan Prefecture, too. We¡¯ll definitely find you a virtuous, kind, beautiful, and generous wife.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan rolled his eyes and returned to his desk to sit down. After a while, he said, ¡°Find a capable one. Someone with a fierce personality will do, too. But she¡¯s got to be gracious and presentable, and has the ability to handle all sorts of situations.¡±


    Rong Xuan raised his eyebrows. Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s expression was a little dark as he said, ¡°By bypassing those in Lin¡¯an Prefecture with regards to Haoran¡¯s and my marriage, they¡¯ll probably make a big fuss when they find out. Haoran is straightforward and doesn¡¯t know how to beat around the bush. Ah Ling is also a straightforward person. If they return to Lin¡¯an Prefecture in the future, they won¡¯t have it easy.¡±


    Rong Xuan understood. Qi Xiuyuan wanted to marry a capable woman who could protect the entire family.


    In that case, they had to select the candidate carefully. At the very least, she had to have foresight and be sensible. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be good if she got into a conflict with Mu Yangling before those in Lin¡¯an Prefecture start making a fuss.


    Not a girl who would suffer losses, Mu Yangling had a violent temper and had no problem resorting to physical altercations in the face of disagreements. Therefore, the woman had to be tolerant.


    Head hurting, Rong Xuan regretted taking on this matter. This was even harder than choosing an empress.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already transferred Mu Shi to mymand. Change the defense in advance on the eighth of November and let Mu Shi stay. The rest of you, go to Hanzhong Prefecture to set up defenses.¡±


    ¡°Only one battalion?¡± Seeing that he was talking about serious matters, Rong Xuan also became serious. Frowning, he said, ¡°Considering Xingzhou Prefecture is our main camp, it¡¯s not good to only leave one battalion, right? It¡¯s almost the New Year. The Jin Kingdom might not attack Hanzhong Prefecture at this time.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan lowered his eyes and quietly twirled the teacup in his hand. Rong Xuan was slightly surprised. Seeing Qi Xiuyuan looking at him with a faint smile, he immediately cried out, ¡°No way? Aren¡¯t you afraid of bing the target of public criticism?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t speak, so Rong Xuan lowered his voice and advised, ¡°The country is unstable, and there are traitors everywhere. Aren¡¯t you going to stand out if you rush out now? Now that the Jin Kingdom is fighting with West Xia, can¡¯t we just recuperate?¡±


    With a smile, Qi Xiuyuan lowered his voice. ¡°There¡¯s something I didn¡¯t tell you. Even Haoran doesn¡¯t know.¡±


    Rong Xuan looked at him, his heart beating wildly. Qi Xiuyuan smiled happily. ¡°This is General Yuan¡¯s suggestion.¡±


    Rong Xuan clutched his chest and wailed, ¡°Then the situation will only get worse. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know that the Emperor is wary of General Yuan. Yet you¡¯re still coborating with General Yuan¡­¡±


    The smile on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s face faded slightly as he said, ¡°Jinyu, don¡¯t forget our original intention of joining the army to reim the country!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t forget.¡± Rong Xuan roared in a low voice, ¡°But timing matters, too. There are rebels everywhere now and the Emperor keeps sending troops to suppress them. What will the Emperor think if you cause such a hugemotion now?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan became frustrated. ¡°Then what should we do with the Imperial Court being so passive? If we rely on the decree of the Emperor, we won¡¯t be able to recover our territory for the rest of our lives..¡±

 Chapter 335 - 335: Promotion

    Chapter 335: Promotion


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°This is a rare opportunity.¡± Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to give up.¡±


    Rong Xuan rubbed his temples. He also felt that this was a rare opportunity, but he also cared about the Imperial Court¡¯s opinion because whether Qi Xiuyuan could lead the troops depended on the Emperor.


    General Yuan was extremely high-regarded by the people and had an army of more than 200,000 soldiers. Even if the Emperor was wary of him, he wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything. However, Qi Xiuyuan was different. He had just started out and only had 70,000 to 80,000 people under him, among which only about 60,000 people could fight. Thus, they couldn¡¯t afford to gamble.


    However, he knew that it was very difficult to convince Qi Xiuyuan to give up this opportunity. He could only try to analyze the difficulty of the mission to make him give up.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what the defenses of the Imperial Capital Prefecture are like. The exact military strength is even more vague. With our very few men, not only do we have to guard Xingcheng Pass, but we also have to guard Hanzhong Prefecture. How many can we deploy to charge and break through?¡± ¡°Haoran is in the Jingzhao Prefecture now.¡± Qi Xiuyuan nced at Rong Xuan. Back then, the Jin Kingdom¡¯s defensive map that he had obtained from West Xia contained the defenses of the Jingzhao Prefecture. Haoran had already made a copy and went to investigate.


    Rong Xuan thought that Qi Xiuyuan was asking Qi Haoran to inquire about the enemy, so he smiled bitterly and said, ¡°I know Haoran is brilliant, and the scouts under him are also the most outstanding in the West Camp. But that doesn¡¯t mean that he can inquire about the defense and military deployment of the Jingzhao Prefecture in a short period of time. Moreover, the border of Hanzhong Prefecture is too long. Who will guard it then? Who will attack the city? Jiang Ze and Mo Xiong can¡¯t be in two ces at once, and Xingzhou Prefecture still has to be guarded.¡±


    However, Qi Xiuyuan had already made arrangements. ¡°Jiang Ze will guard Hanzhong Prefecture, and Mu Shi will take care of Xingzhou Prefecture.¡±


    You re crazy. Mu Shi is only a battalionmander.¡±


    ¡°If he guards Xingcheng Pass well, he will no longer be.¡±


    Rong Xuan frowned. ¡°Even if you want to promote him, you don¡¯t be so aggressive about it, right?¡±


    However, Qi Xiuyuan had already made up his mind. He took down the map and looked at him shamelessly. ¡°How is it? Just tell me whether you¡¯ll help or not.¡±


    Rong Xuan stood up helplessly. ¡°I¡¯m your Military Advisor. Do I have a second choice?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan smiled happily.


    Rong Xuan walked to the edge of the map and pointed at a canyon. ¡°Haoran is good at raiding. Get him to lead a group of people here¡­¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded. He had the same thought.


    At this moment, Mu Shi did not know that he would be entrusted with a big responsibility. He was brewing medicine for his wife.


    When Great-aunt saw him sitting on a small stool and gently fanning the mes, she couldn¡¯t help but shake her head. He¡¯d insisted on snatching the work that she could have done from her.


    At this moment, Shu Wanniang had alreadye out of the house, but she asked Bosi and the rest to stay half a room away from her so that they wouldn¡¯t get sick.


    Mu Yangling felt that her mother was being too careful. ¡°Mother, the doctor said that you¡¯ve almost recovered. Why are you still avoiding others?¡±


    It doesn¡¯t matter since you¡¯re strong. Your younger siblings can¡¯t afford to fall ill.¡±


    ¡°How can a child not fall sick from time to time?¡± Mu Yangling muttered. ¡°A child who never falls sick is the one that¡¯s unhealthy.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Shu Wanniang red at her. ¡°I really hope that you guys will be safe and sound for the rest of your lives and never fall sick.¡±


    ¡°Mother, only when one contracts minor illnesses every once in a while will they not fall seriously ill. Colds and fevers are all minor illnesses. After recovering from it, your immunity will go up another level. The illnesses in your body can also be brought out through these minor illnesses. If someone doesn¡¯t fall sick all year round, the illnesses in your body will umte all year round. Once the illness in the body erupts, one will fall seriously ill. Therefore, it¡¯s best to have minor illnesses once or twice a year.¡±


    Shu Wanniang felt that her daughter was being ridiculous, so she insisted that they keep their distance.


    Mu Shi brought the medicine in. ¡°Come, Wanniang, drink the medicine first. You can argue after you¡¯re done.¡±


    Having grown ustomed to drinking medicine, Shu Wanniang simply drank it without changing her expression.


    Bosi and Kejia widened their eyes and watched. When they saw their mother drinking the medicine, their little faces scrunched up. They even closed their eyes slightly and hissed, ¡°It¡¯s so bitter! So bitter!¡±


    When Mu Yangling saw them staggering on the brick bed as if they had really drunk the medicine themselves, she immediately smiled andy on the brick bed. She pinched their lotus root-like feet and said, ¡°Bitter? Have you ever taken such medicine before? Should I feed you some too?¡±


    The two children immediately shook their heads like rattle drums.


    Alright, stop teasing them.¡± Mu Shi took the medicine bowl down and washed it. When he returned, he carried a child in each arm and ced the twins on his knees. Smiling, he said, ¡°Bosi, Kejia, I¡¯ll bring you guys to buy New Year¡¯s goods tomorrow, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yay! Yay!¡± Bosi and Kejia pped their hands and looked around. Then, they pulled Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Come with us, Sister.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to buy a lot of things!¡± Bosi nced at his sister and said seriously, ¡°Sister must go.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s face darkened. ¡°So my role is to pay for you?¡±


    Every time they went out to shop, Mu Yangling would fork out money to buy things for them. The two little guys would remember it, so every time they wanted to buy something or go shopping, they would mor to bring their sister along. They were extremely smart.


    After knowing the whole story, Mu Shiughed out loud and kissed them on the cheek. Heughed and said, ¡°Good son, good daughter. You¡¯re indeed my, Mu Shi¡¯s, children. You¡¯re smart.¡±


    Shu Wanniang rebuked, ¡°If you continue spoiling them, they might be extravagant in the future.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Ah Ling and Bowen also grow up being pampered? I didn¡¯t see them beingwless. Instead, they¡¯re very capable. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Mu Shi was very rxed. He felt that although he doted on his children, he didn¡¯t make any mistakes in matters concerning principle, so he didn¡¯t have to worry at all.


    Shu Wanniang hadn¡¯t fully recovered yet, so she couldn¡¯t go out lest she be exposed to the wind. Also, Great-aunt said that she was old and didn¡¯t want to move around, so Mu Shi could only bring the kids out to buy New Year goods.


    ¡°We need to buymore things this year. With me being away from home these days, it¡¯s all thanks to your uncles and the others taking care of you guys, so we need to prepare more gifts for them this year.¡±


    Mu Yangling had no objections at all.


    When they went to buy candy, she met Bowen¡¯s ssmate. The other party¡¯s parents obviously knew Bowen too. When they saw him, their eyes lit up and they asked, ¡°Brother Mu, which academy do you n to study at next spring?¡± Mu Bowen¡¯s grades were very good, and his ssmates¡¯ parents knew about it. Hence, they wanted to know his choice to serve as a reference.


    Bowen was a little confused. ¡°I don¡¯t n to switch to a different academy.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t heard? Teacher Qin and Teacher Liu are going to take the exam next year. They won¡¯t have time to teach students.¡±


    Stunned, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°We didn¡¯t receive any notice.¡±


    ¡°Our family was informed by Teacher Qin. Little Brother Mu was taught by Teacher Liu, right? Perhaps Teacher Liu has been so busy recently that he forgot. However, now that you know the news, you have to quickly find a new academy. Otherwise, it will be toote when springes.¡±


    Mu Yangling thanked the other party.. Seeing that they had left, Mu Shi said with slight dissatisfaction, ¡°Since Teacher Liu isn¡¯t running the academy anymore, why didn¡¯t they inform us?¡±

 Chapter 336 - 336: Closed School

    Chapter 336: Closed School


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Bowen was very protective of his Teacher and said, ¡°Father, Teacher is not that kind of person. He might have been held up by something. He even fell seriously ill previously.¡±


    Mu Yangling also added, ¡°Father, Teacher Liu has a good character. There might be some misunderstanding. Coincidentally, I¡¯m free today. I¡¯ll bring Bowen to visit Teacher Liuter.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go too.¡± Since Mu Shi was not at home all year round, he felt that it should take the chance to meet his son¡¯s teacher. He could ask him to take care of Bowen.


    Mu Yangling looked at Mu Shi, who was like a mountain, and felt that if he came along and asked about this, Teacher Liu¡¯s family would probably think they were seeking trouble. Hence, Mu Yangling tried her best to dissuade him. ¡°Father, Bosi and Kejia want to go to the market to y. Bring them to y first. Bowen and I are just going to greet them. It won¡¯t be convenient for our entire family to show up if we bring Bosi and Kejia along.¡±


    As she spoke, she gave Xiuhong a look. Xiuhong hurriedly grabbed Xin¡¯s arm and looked up with a smile. ¡°Uncle, my sister and I want to buy some embroidery threads and satin. Come with us and buy some fabric for Aunt and Cousins to make clothes.¡±


    It was indeed not safe to leave the twins to the two youngdies, Xiuhong and Xin. On the other hand, it wouldn¡¯t be good if they all went. So Mu Shi could only nod after hesitating for a moment. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll choose fabrics in the shop and wait for you.¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed with a smile and bought two catties of pastries with Bowen before going to the Liu Residence.


    When Madam Liu saw Mu Yangling and Mu Bowen, she was slightly stunned. Then, she warmly invited them in. ¡°Why are you here? It¡¯s almost the New Year¡­¡±


    ¡°We wanted to see if Teacher Liu has recovered.¡± Mu Yangling handed the pastry to Madam Liu and asked, ¡°Is Teacher not at home?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s gone to the bookstore to read, but he should be back soon since it¡¯s almost lunchtime. Have a seat. I¡¯ll go into the kitchen and make you something to eat.¡±


    Mu Yangling quickly pulled her back. ¡°Mistress, you¡¯re wee. We¡¯re just here to check on Teacher Liu¡¯s illness.¡± As she spoke, she smiled in embarrassment. ¡°My father called us over this time. He just returned and apanied us to buy New Year goods today. Upon hearing from us that Teacher had fallen sick, he asked us to hurry over and visit him again. He has to take care of my younger siblings and couldn¡¯te over. Please don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    Madam Liu understood that Mu Shi didn¡¯te because he was afraid of causing trouble for them. After all, it was indeed difficult for her to attend to so many of them. Madam Liu patted her hand warmly and said, ¡°Silly child, you should have called your father over and let Teacher have a drink with him. Previously it was all thanks to the money you sent over that my husband¡¯s illness could be cured. Otherwise, I don¡¯t know what would have happened.¡±


    After saying that, she turned to Bowen and said, ¡°Bowen, quickly bring your father and younger siblings over. I¡¯ll make lunch for you.¡±


    Mu Yangling quickly pulled her back. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare. Mistress, please don¡¯t busy yourself. Otherwise, we¡¯ll have to turn around and leave.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Yangling was serious, Madam Liu hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°Alright, sit down. I¡¯ll pour tea for you.¡±


    Mu Yangling let her go. When she returned and sat down again, Mu Yangling deliberated and asked, ¡°Mistress, next year is the year of the vige examination. I heard that Teacher Liu has good literary talent. Will he be participating next year?¡±


    Madam Liu forced a smile and shook her head. ¡°I would like that, but our crop harvest has been poor for the past two years. We¡¯ve been relying on his teaching sry to support our family, so if he won¡¯t be participating next year. In the future, perhaps.¡±


    Surprised, Mu Yangling replied with a smile, ¡°I thought that Teacher Liu would participate in the exam like Teacher Qin. Just now, we met Bowen¡¯s ssmate¡¯s parents in the market. He¡¯s Teacher Qin¡¯s student and told us that the academy won¡¯t open next year. I was originally worried that Bowen wouldn¡¯t be used to a new teacher. Since Teacher Liu will continue to teach next year, I guess there¡¯s no need to worry.¡±


    Madam Liu¡¯s body stiffened slightly and she asked, ¡°Teacher Qin said that the academy won¡¯t open next year?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    Madam Liu was in a daze. Bowen saw that her eyes were a little red and was secretly worried. Mu Yangling took the opportunity to express her intention to leave with Bowen.


    When Madam Liu suddenly heard this news, she couldn¡¯t ept it for a moment. It wasn¡¯t good for her to keep Mu Yangling and Bowen, so she sent them out.


    After walking for a long time, Bowen said with a frown, ¡°What Teacher Qin did wasn¡¯t right.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Teacher Qin and Teacher Liu are schoolmates and good friends. Besides, the two of them have been running the academy together for so many years. It might not be Teacher Qin who did it.¡±


    ¡°Then who is it?¡± Bowen asked angrily. Teacher Liu was Bowen¡¯s mentor and had always doted on and taken care of him. Hence, he was very dissatisfied with the schemes that Teacher Liu had encountered.


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Mu Yangling was more open-minded. ¡°Anyway, no matter who it is, Teacher Liu will definitely suffer a loss. I wonder how many students he can retain in the end. If he can¡¯t retain them, I wonder if he can still open the academy next year.¡±


    This was also an old rule here. Most students had to find an academy before the new year and pay a certain amount of deposit. Next spring, the parents would directly bring the students over and pay the remaining tuition.


    This was because many academies first confirmed the students before arranging the ssrooms and tables and chairs inside.


    Students fought to enter good academies, so half of the students would change academies not long after the Winter Solstice.


    As for people like Bowen who didn¡¯t want to switch to a different teacher, he just had to wait until the beginning of spring to hand in the tuition fees. There was no need to specially reserve his spot in winter.


    Once the news of Teacher Qin ¡°not opening the academy¡± was released, who knew how many students Teacher Liu could retain.


    Obviously, Madam Liu had also thought of this problem, so she was very anxious to go out and look for Teacher Liu. However, she did not expect to bump into Teacher Liu the moment she went out.


    Seeing that his wife¡¯s face had turned pale from anxiety, Teacher Liu asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Madam Liu quickly pulled him back and told him about Mu Yangling¡¯s arrival and everything she had said. She asked, ¡°Has he discussed this with you?¡±


    Teacher Liu¡¯s expression also darkened slightly. He nodded and said, ¡°We¡¯ve discussed it. He¡¯s going to participate in the exam next year. Since I¡¯m not going, he agreed that he would hand the academy over to me while I find another ssmate to help.¡±


    ¡°Then, then why did others say that the academy won¡¯t be open? Could those students have gone to other academies?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. I¡¯ll go and askter.¡± Teacher Liu felt that Teacher Qin would not deliberately cheat him. After all, they had been ssmates for more than ten years and had run the academy together for so many years. The two families had always been on good terms.


    Teacher Liu didn¡¯t even eat lunch and went out directly. After he left, Madam Liu remembered that her husband didn¡¯t eat lunch and became vexed again.


    Indeed, Teacher Qin did not know about this. Upon hearing this, he said in astonishment, ¡°I didn¡¯t inform them that the academy will be closed. I just n to gather the students together and tell them that I can¡¯t teach them next year, but the academy will find a good teacher. Most importantly, I haven¡¯t gathered the students yet.¡±


    Therefore, how did they know that he would be participating in the exam and that the academy wouldn¡¯t be opened?


    Teacher Qin and Teacher Liu looked at each other. Teacher Qin stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll go to the student¡¯s house with you to take a look..¡±

 Chapter 337 - 337: Unemployed

    Chapter 337: Unemployed


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When Teacher Qin came out of the student¡¯s house, his expression was a little ugly. Although Teacher Liu¡¯s expression was not good, he was much more open-minded. He patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Don¡¯t me Sister-inw for this. It was us who didn¡¯t make things clear.¡±


    Teacher Qin¡¯s expression turned even uglier. ¡°Since when is it her turn to interfere in our matters outside? You don¡¯t have to persuade me. It¡¯s obvious that she has bad intentions.¡±


    At this point, Teacher Qin was slightly discouraged. ¡°But what¡¯s the point of saying this now? The most important thing is you. I don¡¯t know how many students you¡¯ve lost. I¡¯ll go visit them with you one by one.¡±


    Teacher Liu nodded. Since the academy belonged to the two of them, it was more convincing for the two of them to show up together.


    However, the situation was not optimistic. After walking around, they realized that most of the students had gone to a new academy to pay the deposit. Even of the 12 who had not paid the deposit, eight had found a new academy and had to hand in their deposit in the next two days. Among the remaining four, two had decided not to continue their studies, and two had also found an academy they liked.


    Therefore, although Teacher Qin and Teacher Liu sincerely apologized, they might not be able to retain them in the end.


    Teacher Qin said in shame and anger, ¡°I will definitely give you an exnation¡­¡±


    Teacher Liu shook his head and patted his shoulder. ¡°The most important thing for you now is to study. Don¡¯t worry about this. There¡¯s still a lot of time before spring. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find a way.¡±


    ¡°By the way, we haven¡¯t gone to the Mu family yet.¡± Teacher Qin said, ¡°Haven¡¯t you always liked that child? Go and ask him if he¡¯s switched to a new academy.¡± ¡°He hasn¡¯t, but he¡¯s the only one left now¡­¡± Teacher Liu sighed. ¡°Forget it, go back first. Don¡¯t argue with Sister-inw about this. We¡¯ll talk about it after your exam.¡±


    Teacher Qin¡¯s lips twitched. Knowing that his friend wanted to calm down he nodded and left.


    Teacher Liu returned home in low spirits. Madam Liu was pacing around the house uneasily. Her children¡¯s eyes were wide open and they squeezed together uneasily.


    When Teacher Liu saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but look at his wife reproachfully He quickly went forward to hug the children and patted their backs with a smile. ¡°Daddy is back. Tomorrow, Daddy will bring you to the streets to buy candy, okay?¡±


    When the children saw their father¡¯s smile, they immediately felt at ease and happily replied, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Teacher Liu patted their butts and asked them to go back to their rooms to y. Madam Liu hurriedly asked, ¡°How is it? What did Teacher Qin say?¡± Teacher Liu roughly exined the situation and said, ¡°It¡¯s not Old Qin¡¯s fault. Don¡¯t mention this matter anymore. Let¡¯s just let it go.¡±


    On the other hand, Madam Liu cried out loud. ¡°Then what about our family? It¡¯s almost the New Year now. Mother just sent a letter two days ago to ask for money for the New Year. Big Brother and Sister-inw have provided for you for so many years. Now that the harvest is bad, they¡¯re counting on you to support them¡­¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll go find a few teachers to see if their academy is still hiring.¡± Madam Liu opened her mouth but didn¡¯t say anything discouraging. However, they all knew in their hearts that this would probably be very difficult.


    For two consecutive days, Teacher Liu did not make any progress. In the end, he knew that he would not have any worke spring. Without students, it ¡¯ was impossible for the academy to open.


    Teacher Liu said, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the Mu Residence today and exin this matter to


    Miss Mu so that they can find an academy for Bowen.¡±


    Madam Liu nodded. Since her husband could no longer open the academy, they could not let Bowen wait in vain.


    When Teacher Liu arrived at the Mu Residence, Mu Shi had yet to set off for Xingzhou Prefecture. This was the second time the two of them had met.


    As far as Teacher Liu knew, Mu Yangling had always been acting as Mu Bowen¡¯s parent. He also knew that Mu Shi was in the military camp and rarely went home. Hence, he was surprised to see Mu Shi this time before exchanging pleasantries.??????????????????????? ¡ã


    Very sad that he could not continue studying with Teacher Liu, Mu Bowen stood behind his father in a low mood. When Mu Yangling brought tea in, she saw him and dragged him out.


    ¡°Why do you look so dejected?¡±


    ¡°Teacher said that the students have all left, so the academy can¡¯t be opened anymore. He wants to give the examination a shot next year.¡±


    Mu Yangling tilted her head. ¡°Does he have the money?¡±


    ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t, he doesn¡¯t have a choice now that he doesn¡¯t have any students anymore. Instead of wasting a year waiting, he might as well give it a try.¡± Bowen said sadly, ¡°But I¡¯m very fond of Teacher Liu. He treats us very well Teacher Qin even punishes students by making them stand in the corridor but Teacher Liu never punishes us. If we make a mistake, he will only call us out to reason with us¡­¡±


    Most importantly, Teacher Liu liked him the most and had always taken good care of him. Mu Bowen also liked his lessons. He felt that if it were another Teacher, he would definitely not be able to adapt quickly.


    Is Teacher Liu in severe need of money?¡±


    Bowen nodded. ¡°Unfortunately, he ran all over the county but couldn¡¯t find a second student. Why are students so difficult to find nowadays? In the past, Teacher merely posted an announcement and students simply signed up.¡± ¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s toote,¡± Xiuhong said from the side. ¡°Academies usually post an announcement on the second day after the Winter Solstice. Afraid that the slots for good academies will be taken up, the parents are usually in a hurry to confirm an academy. At thetest, ten dayster, even the worst students will have signed up. Teacher Liu also found out toote because he wasn¡¯t informed in time. Therefore, Cousin is right. We have to listen to the voices outside often. Otherwise, we¡¯ll really be frogs in a well.¡±


    Bowen felt that Xiuhong was wrong and frowned slightly when he heard that. Just as he was about to retort, he heard Mu Yangling say in a cadence, ¡°Students? I have plenty of them. Ah, so my Nursery Manager is here. To think I had been searching for so long¡­¡±


    As Mu Yangling spoke, she turned around happily and pinched her brother¡¯s chubby cheek. ¡°Kid, don¡¯t you want to manage the nursery but are afraid of dying your studies? I¡¯ve found a bnced method for you, as long as your beloved Teacher Liu agrees to it.¡±


    After saying that, she ran into the kitchen and picked up a te of snacks before running in.


    Bowen and Xiuhong looked at each other and ran in as well.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s idea was very simple. She hoped that Teacher Liu could be the Nursery Manager of the nursery.


    Mu Yangling had hired teachers in academics and crafts for the nursery, so Teacher Liu did not need to teach the students. However, they still needed someone to manage such a huge academy. Mu Yangling had been looking for a suitable candidate, but until now, she had not found anyone.


    just as Bowen had said, Teacher Liu was a person with a good character who adored children. Now that he was in a hurry to use money, Mu Yangling felt that it was not difficult to convince him to be the Nursery Manager.


    Mu Yanglingid out the conditions and said very sincerely, ¡°A portion of the misceneous matters in the nursery can be handed over to Xiuhong and Bowen. Teacher Liu, you only need to oversee and deal with some important matters. Of course, because Bowen has to stay at the nursery, he can¡¯t fall behind in his homework, so I hope Teacher Liu can continue to teach him. We¡¯ll pay you for tutoring him as well..¡±

 Chapter 338 - 338: Consolation

    Chapter 338: Constion


    Trantor: As Studios | Editor: As Studios


    Teacher Liu did not expect that the job opportunity that he had been looking for for a few days would suddenly appear in front of him. The sry that Mu Yangling offered was not high, but it was not low either. The sry of the Nursery Manager was two taels of silver a month, and the tuition fee he would receive for teaching Bowen was five taels a year. It was a little less than when he opened the academy, but it was much better than what he had now.


    Teacher Liu was never one to bite off more than he could chew. He was very satisfied with the sry that Mu Yangling offered, but he was more interested in the affairs of the nursery. This was the first time he had heard of such an organization, which sounded much different from the Imperial Court¡¯s Health Care Halls.


    Although the Health Care Halls also took in abandoned or homeless children, most of them were only responsible for one meal. Moreover, most children would be chased out after the age of eight after which they had to rely on themselves. Only children under the age of eight were allowed to stay. Even so, the children inside were not treated well.


    Otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t be so many beggars on the streets.


    Teacher Liu asked about the operation model of the nursery in detail. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Miss Mu, I can promise you now, but where will I stay when I reach the nursery?¡±


    ¡°The nursery is outside Hanzhong Prefecture, not far from Jingzhao Prefecture, so there might be barbarians intruding. Teacher Liu, if you mind, don¡¯t bring your family over. The nursery is still under construction. I¡¯ll get ¡¯ them to build a few houses in the middle of the male and female dormitories. You can stay there.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Bowen and smiled. ¡°When the timees, Bowen will also be staying in the nursery. He will still be studying under your tutge and will only deal with the nursery matters in his free time. If you wish to participate in next year¡¯s vige examination, you should be able to take the time to study.¡±


    Teacher Liu smiled. ¡°Since Miss Mu is assured that Bowen will stay there with me, it¡¯s obvious that you¡¯re very assured of the safety there. In that case, I¡¯ll stay there with my family.¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t ask for more. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get someone to build a three-entrance house in the middle so that your wife can move in too.¡±


    Teacher Liu was a man, so it was probably not easy to manage the matters of the girls. However, with Madam Liu around, it was different. Many things would be much more convenient.


    Mu Yangling and Teacher Liu discussed and agreed to go to the nursery tomorrow to take a look.


    Teacher Liu went home happily to tell his family the good news. When Madam Liu heard that he had a n, she immediately heaved a sigh of relief. However, she was a little nervous about leaving the familiar Mingshui County.


    Teacher Liuforted her. ¡°The nursery isn¡¯t far from Mingshui County, just a day away by mule cart. We can go home anytime we want.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯S not far from the Hus, is it?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡± Teacher Liu said gently, ¡°I¡¯ve asked Miss Mu. She said that the military camp and Little General¡¯s horse farm are stationed not far away. Oh, Miss Mu¡¯s cattle farm is also nearby.¡±


    Upon hearing that the military camp was nearby, Madam Liu became even more worried. ¡°I wonder if it will disturb us.¡±


    ¡°If it were any other general, we would still have to worry a little. However, that¡¯s General Qi¡¯s territory. He rules the army strictly and never harasses themoners. Besides, you guys don¡¯t have to move there right now. Miss Mu said that there are still a few rows of houses to be built in the nursery. I¡¯m afraid the construction will only bepleted in spring, so I¡¯ll go there and settle down first. You can move over when springes.¡±


    ¡°Then be careful.¡± Madam Liu quickly went into the house to pack some simple luggage for him. Thinking of the news from the Qin family today, she hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°There was a hugemotion at the Qin Residence today. Teacher Qjn threw a huge tantrum and wanted to divorce


    Sister-inw.¡±


    Teacher Liu frowned slightly. In the end, he sighed and said, ¡°Just pretend that you don¡¯t know about this. Let¡¯s leave him be.¡±


    Madam Liu frowned slightly and persuaded, ¡°She¡¯s the one in the wrong. I was also angry previously and told myself that I would never interact with her again for the rest of my life. However, divorce is too serious a matter. Hubby, if a woman is divorced, it will be a fate worse than death. Why don¡¯t you talk to Teacher Qin?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that Madam Liu was soft-hearted, but that a woman¡¯s life would be worse than death if she was divorced and returned to her maternal family.


    Even if she could remarry, her maternal brothers wouldn¡¯t find a good family for her. A good family wouldn¡¯t fancy a woman who had been divorced. Thus, it would be a nightmare if she remarried. Although she hadn¡¯t seen it before, she had heard of such cases many times.


    However, Teacher Liu was not very worried. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Old Qjn won¡¯t really divorce her. If he wants to be an Imperial Examination official, it¡¯s better to avoid trouble. He¡¯s just saying those words in a fit of anger. He¡¯ll be fine after some time.¡±


    When Madam Liu heard this, she felt relieved. She packed Teacher Liu¡¯s bag and instructed him to be careful on the way.


    The next day, Mu Yangling drove the mule cart over to pick him up. The two of them rushed to Hanzhong Prefecture.


    The children had already settled down in the nursery. Every age group had something to do. Every day, after eating, they would go to the ssroom to read and write, and in the afternoon, they would learn crafts.


    There was a shift schedule in the canteen. The people who took turns cooking and taking care of the children every day were different. They were responsible for their own hygiene. The older ones washed their clothes themselves, as well as the clothes of the younger ones whom they were in charge of taking care of.


    Although there were also fights andmotions, they were rather minor incidents that could be resolved by a few of the older kids.


    However, the disadvantage of not having a manager also appeared. The children had been eating porridge since Mu Yangling left. There were only two ck and white steamed buns at noon every two days. The vegetables had always been cabbage and some pickled vegetables.


    It was not that Mu Yangling did not prepare enough food, but the children kept feeling uneasy. They were afraid that Mu Yangling would despise them if they consumed too much food and felt that they could be full after eating watery food, so they tried their best to scrimp as much as possible.


    Mu Yangling had originally found a butcher in the city and asked them to send some meat over every three days, but those children simply froze the meat.


    Only when they had severe cravings would they cut some and cook it with cabbage.


    Mu Yangling had a headache over these ¡°stingy¡± children. She said to Teacher Liu, ¡°Therefore, there still has to be someone in charge of this nursery.


    Initially, I had already formted a menu there, but other than the first two days, the porridge they make is starting to be more watery.¡±


    She naturally didn¡¯t like it if the children kept eating and wasting food, but she didn¡¯t like this increasing stinginess either.


    Teacher Liu had seen Mu Yangling¡¯s menu which listed three meals a day. Porridge was served at breakfast and dinner, and there were ck and white buns for lunch. In addition, there was meat every three days. This wasparable to the well-off families in the vige.


    No wonder the children were uneasy. Even he was very uneasy.


    Teacher Liu deliberated and said, ¡°Miss Mu, I think the children are right.


    Winter is still long. Can the money you have support them till autumn harvest next year? I think there¡¯s no harm in scrimping and saving a little.¡±


    The older children nodded and looked at Mu Yangling nervously. ¡°Mu, Sister


    Mu, we have more than 1,000 people here. Everyone can eat a lot.¡±


    Teacher Liu nodded. With so many young teens, even finishing a mountain of grains would not be a problem.


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I naturally can¡¯t afford to feed them until autumn, but it won¡¯t be a problem until spring.¡±


    When the children heard this, their faces immediately turned bitter. In other words, their good days could onlyst until spring?


    They all looked at Mu Yangling in fear.


    With a smile, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m raising you for nothing? In spring, after you finish studying, you¡¯ll also get an internship in the fields and have to help cut some pasture. I n to build a row of houses behind the nursery for you to raise pigs. If you raise them well, you won¡¯t have to worry about having no meat to eat next winter.¡±


    ¡°Then, Miss Mu, what will happen to the grains in the nursery after spring¡¯ Even if the children can go to the fields, they won¡¯t be able to do much work. Moreover, since you even asked them to be literate and learn craftsmanship, there¡¯s even less time¡­¡±


    You don¡¯t have to worry about that. I have my ways.¡± Mu Yangling turned to look at them. Seeing that they were frowning like old men, she smiled and said, ¡°Alright, I still have some business in Hanzhong Prefecture. As long as the Hus¡¯ don¡¯t upy Hanzhong Prefecture again, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to provide for you..¡±

 Chapter 339 - 339: Establishing Might

    Chapter 339: Establishing Might


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling left Teacher Liu 300 taels of silver and said, ¡°The grains in the storeroom can definitely feed everyone until the beginning of spring. Use this money for the daily expenses of the nursery. This is the ount book. I¡¯lle over every five days to take a look. If you encounter any difficulties, just tell me.¡±


    After saying that, Mu Yangling brought Teacher Liu to meet the teachers and workers hired by the nursery. She even gathered the children and officially announced that Teacher Liu would take over immediately as the Nursery Manager.


    Teacher Liu stayed at the nursery that night, but Mu Yangling stayed at the cattle farm. Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu had just returned from patrolling and were very happy to see Mu Yangling. After reporting their recent work, they said, ¡°Miss, are we going back for the New Year this year?¡±


    Mu Yangling said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you brothers will have to stay in the cattle farm for the New Year this year since those workers are all new hires. Although we¡¯ve signed a contract, I¡¯m still worried about handing over such a huge cattle farm to them, so you guys have to work harder. If it¡¯s regarding the New Year¡¯s goods, I¡¯ll send some over to you. If you want to buy anything, you can take the time to make a trip to the city. Do you still have enough money on you?¡±


    Zhang Wu hurriedly said, ¡°Yes, yes. Everything is provided for in the cattle farm, so I didn¡¯t spend much money.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the cattle farm to you. I hope these oxen can be of use in spring.¡±


    Mu Yangling originally wanted to visit Qi Haoran, but who knew that he was not there when she went to the military camp? Fei Bai had clearly said that Qi Haoran was staying in the Hanzhong Prefecture¡¯s camp.


    Mu Yangling thought that Qi Haoran had something on and went out. She felt that she was simply unlucky to have missed him, so she drove the mule cart home.


    Mu Shi was meeting Xu Jian and Chen Sanzhu in the hall.


    Although this was not the first time they had seen Mu Shi, the two of them could not help but feel nervous. The aura exuded by Mu Shi was too strong. Xu Jian and Chen Sanzhu only felt their hearts tremble and subconsciously felt afraid.


    Mu Shi was very satisfied with their reaction. With only his defenseless wife and children at home, it was better to make them fearful than to make them feel that his family was easy to bully.


    Mu Shi exined the Mu family¡¯s rules with a straight face before saying some encouraging words. Then, he took out four taels of silver and said, ¡°I know you¡¯ve onlye to work for my family for a short time, but the Mu family has never mistreated the people who work for us. You don¡¯t have much on you either and it¡¯s almost the New Year. Take these to buy some New Year goods.¡±


    The two of them widened their eyes. Two taels of silver per person. Even if they worked in the city, they might not be able to save two taels of silver a year after paying for food and clothing. A little nervous, the two of them smiled apologetically. ¡°Master, this is what we should do.¡±


    Mu Shi only nodded slightly and gestured for them to put away the silver.


    When the two of them saw that Mu Shi was sincere about giving them the silver, their hearts surged. They carefully put away the silver and chuckled at Mu Shi. Looking at Mu Shi¡¯s cold face, they felt even more reverence.


    When Mu Yangling came in from outside, she saw the two long-term workers smiling apologetically at her father.


    Mu Yangling was confused, not knowing what they were up to. However, when she saw her father nod slightly at her, she didn¡¯t read too much into it. Instead, she thought of something.


    Mu Yangling said to Xu Jian and Chen Sanzhu, ¡°If you hadn¡¯te, I would have forgotten. You¡¯ve almost finished eating your grains, right? Bring two bags over with meter. By the way, we went to buy New Year¡¯s goods the day before yesterday. Bring some of that over too.¡±


    Xu Jian and Chen Sanzhu stole a nce at Mu Shi and whispered, ¡°Miss, we can buy the New Year goods ourselves¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, but we bought some candies and whatnot for you guys as employee benefits. Hurry up and get them from Miss Xiuhong.¡± Mu Yangling said with a beam, ¡°After eating my family¡¯s New Year treats, you have to work hard next year.¡±


    Xu Jian and Chen Sanzhu knelt down with a thud and kowtowed three times to Mu Yangling. They promised loudly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss. We¡¯ll definitely work hard and not ck off!¡±


    Startled, Mu Yangling looked at the two of them in a daze. She nodded in a daze. ¡°Alright, I understand. You can leave.¡±


    Seeing that they had left respectfully, Mu Yangling patted her chest and said, ¡°Father, what¡¯s wrong with them? They scared me.¡±


    ¡°Although you have to show kindness to your employees, you have to establish your might even more. Your great-aunt said that you¡¯re too tolerant of them. Now that they¡¯ve just arrived and haven¡¯t familiarized themselves with the ce, they¡¯re naturally respectful to you. However, when they be more familiar in the future, they won¡¯t be so timid any more. When that timees, it¡¯ll be difficult for you to manage them. Therefore, you should have made them revere you from the beginning.¡± Mu Shi looked at his daughter and sighed in his heart. Ultimately, she was still too young and soft-hearted. She only knew how to show kindness but didn¡¯t know how to establish her might.


    However, Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°Father, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t do without them. If they be unreasonable, I¡¯ll just fire them. Why would I need to show kindness and establish my might?¡±


    ¡°Then why are you being so nice to them?¡±


    Mu Yangling was at a loss. ¡°Do I treat them well? That¡¯s their employee benefits. I¡¯ve already reduced it a lot¡­¡±


    Mu Shi looked at his daughter speechlessly. ¡°Do you know what the prices of things are outside?¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled when she heard that. ¡°Father, I¡¯m not ignorant. How can I not know? All I did is to let them eat their fill and wear warm clothes, and have a little extra money. If they don¡¯t have anything to look forward to, how can they work for me in peace?¡±


    ¡°Then if they bully you¡­¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t bully me.¡± Mu Yangling interrupted him. ¡°In all my life, have you seen anyone bully me when I¡¯m unwilling? In my rtionship with them, they¡¯re the weaker party. If anything, you should pray that your daughter doesn¡¯t bully them.¡±


    Mu Shi immediately said, ¡°I don¡¯t mind you bullying them.¡±


    Mu Yangling:¡±¡­¡± Aren¡¯t you afraid of leading your child astray like this?


    Although Mu Shi trusted his daughter, he still decided to ask Liu Ting and the rest for help. He felt that his daughter was sometimes too soft-hearted and thin-skinned, so sometimes, others had to help her do such things. He heard that Liu Ting and Liu Yuan also followed his daughter to work on those experimental plots ofnd.


    Mu Shi specially brought a bunch of things over. Of course, he brought his entire family over, including Great-aunt, Shu Wanniang, and the twins.


    The entire family and the New Year goods filled up the mule cart.


    Mu Shi said regretfully, ¡°I¡¯ve been sitting at home these past few days until my bones are loose. I should have gone into the mountains and hunted some wild animals for your great-uncle and the others.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so difficult about that? Seeing that it¡¯s still early, I¡¯ll bring Cousin Lang and the others into the mountainster.¡±


    Xiuhong immediately raised her hand. ¡°I want to go too.¡±


    Bowen followed closely behind. ¡°I¡¯ll go too.¡±


    The twins immediately joined in the fun. ¡°I¡¯ll go too! I¡¯ll go too!¡±


    Mu Yangling pinched their faces and asked with a smile, ¡°Do you know what they¡¯re going to do there?¡±


    Kejia blinked and said, ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll go wherever Sister goes.¡±


    Bosi nodded seriously. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about leaving us behind.¡±


    Mu Yanglingughed out loud and hugged them in her arms. She said with a smile, ¡°When you¡¯re a few years older, I¡¯ll bring you there. Not now though. Since you¡¯ve only started learning to run steadily, I don¡¯t dare to bring you into the mountains..¡±

 Chapter 340 - 340: Visiting Relatives

    Chapter 340 - 340: Visiting Rtives


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Bosi and Kejia immediately pouted. Shu Wanniang said with a bitter expression, ¡°What am I to do if all of you enter the mountains? There¡¯ll be no one to y with me.¡±


    Feeling conflicted, Bosi and Kejia looked at their older sister and then at their mother. In the end, their hearts ached as they reached out to Shu Wanniang. ¡°Mother, we¡¯ll y with you.¡±


    When Mu Shi saw how filial his children were, he immediatelyughed happily. He ignored the mule cart and reached out to hold his wife¡¯s hand. His eyes lit up as he said, ¡°Wanniang, thank you.¡±


    Shu Wanniang¡¯s face flushed red. She suddenly pulled her hand out and carefully nced at her children and Great-aunt. Seeing that everyone¡¯s eyes were fixed elsewhere, but they were secretly sneaking nces over from the corner of their eyes, her face was as red as a rose in spring.


    Mu Shi looked at his wife in a daze.


    Seeing that the mule was deviating further and further away from the path, Great-aunt could only reach out and pinch Mu Shi to snap him out of his dazed state.


    Mu Shi¡¯s face was also red, even his ears. He did not dare to look at his wife and quickly reached out to pull the mule cart.


    Mu Yangling lowered her head and chuckled.


    Hearing her daughter¡¯sughter, Shu Wanniang¡¯s face turned even redder.


    Xiuhong also pursed her lips and smiled. On the other hand, Xin looked at everyone nkly, not understanding what was going on.


    Bowen also looked at them nkly. Great-aunt pretended not to see the confusion in the two children¡¯s eyes and turned her head away.


    Mu Shi¡¯s group was toorge, and they also brought a lot of things, so they attracted a crowd the moment they entered the vige. The news spread to the Liu n like the wind.


    Someone reported to Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian, ¡°First Master Liu, Second Master Liu, your nephew¡¯s family is here. They brought a lot of things.¡±


    Eldest Great-aunt Liu quickly stood up, wiped her hands, and asked, ¡°Where are they?¡±


    ¡°They were at the vige entrance. I think they should be here soon. Oh my, is that your nephew¡¯s wife sitting in the middle? This is the first time I¡¯ve seen her. She¡¯s really good-looking.¡±


    When Eldest Great-aunt Liu heard this, she hurriedly called her daughter-inw out. She didn¡¯t expect Shu Wanniang toe too, for she was a person who didn¡¯t leave the house easily. What was going on today?


    When Madam Liu-Zhao and Madam Liu-Zhang quickly followed her out, the mule cart happened to arrive. Second Great-aunt Liu and her daughter-inw, Madam Liu-Sun, also came out. The two families went up to them and asked with a smile, ¡°Why are you all here?¡±


    Mu Yangling jumped down with the twins in her arms. Eldest Great-aunt Liu had already personally gone up to help Great-aunt Ma-Liu down.


    Great-aunt patted her hand and said, ¡°Well, Rocky? said that he¡¯s away from home most of the year. Since he¡¯s home for the new year, he came to visit you.¡±


    Eldest Great-aunt Liu and Second Great-aunt Liu didn¡¯t believe it. Although the Mu family was close to their family, this was mostly because Mu Yangling and the younger generation were chummy. If Mu Shi could avoid interacting with them, he would nevere over. The only few times he did so were because of Shu Wanniang.


    However, the two of them still opened the door and let Mu Shi drive the mule cart in.


    As usual, whenever the Mu family came over, the two families would cook and eat at Liu Daqian¡¯s ce.


    Mu Yangling had already ced the twins on the ground. Seeing that only Eldest Great-aunt Liu and the rest were at home, she asked, ¡°Great-aunt, where¡¯s Great-uncle and the rest?¡±


    ¡°He went to your Great-uncle He¡¯s house. His family is building a house, so they went to help today. Your Cousin Lang and the others went to join in the fun as well, but they should be back soon.¡±


    When those younger ones heard that Mu Yangling and the others were here, they would definitely run over.


    Indeed, just as Eldest Great-aunt Liu finished speaking, Liu Lang mmed open the door with a bang. When he saw Mu Yangling and Xiuhong, he immediatelyughed out loud. ¡°You¡¯re finally here. I thought those boys were lying to me.¡±


    Mu Yangling only felt dizzy for a moment. Xiuhong frowned impolitely and criticized, ¡°Why do you have a croaky voice? It¡¯s too unpleasant.¡±


    Liu Lang nced at her proudly and raised his head. ¡°My father said that this is the sign of me growing up. I¡¯m an adult now, and adults don¡¯t argue with kids.¡± Xiuhong looked down on him with her nostrils. ¡°You¡¯re so frivolous. How do you look like you¡¯ve grown up?¡±


    Liu Lang jumped up and said, ¡°A good man doesn¡¯t fight with a woman. Just wait. My father said that he would hand this family to me next year.¡±


    This time, even Mu Yanglingughed. Eldest Great-aunt Liu smacked him. ¡°What are you talking about? Hurry up and tidy up the things your uncle brought. Also, bring your cousins into the house. It¡¯s freezing outside.¡±


    Eldest Great-aunt Liu also pulled Great-aunt into the house and said, ¡°Eldest Sister,e in and sit. I¡¯ll go to the kitchen to tidy up.¡±


    Great-aunt pulled her. ¡°Alright, you always have endless worries even at your age. What¡¯s the use of a daughter-inw? Come with Second Brother¡¯s wife. We¡¯ll talk in the room and leave the kitchen to them.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhao also said, ¡°Mother, go sit in the room with Aunt and Second Aunt. We¡¯ll take care of things in the kitchen.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhang and Madam Liu-Sun took out two pieces of pork from the New Year goods Mu Shi had brought. Secretly speechless, they said with a beam, ¡°That¡¯s right. Go in quickly. Leave the kitchen to us.¡±


    Eldest Great-aunt Liu indeed had something to ask Great-aunt, so she agreed and the three of them entered the room to talk.


    Shu Wanniang followed Madam Liu-Zhao into the kitchen. Madam Liu-Zhao wanted to push her out, but Shu Wanniang smiled in embarrassment and said, ¡°I can¡¯t rx even if I go out. I might as well work in the kitchen.¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhao thought about it and agreed. There was a group of children outside, and when Liu Ting and the others returnedter, there would be a group of men there. Shu Wanniang was indeed lonely outside, so she let her stay in the kitchen and gossiped.


    In the room, Eldest Great-aunt Liu was asking Great-aunt, ¡°Why did Rocky think of bringing his entire family here?¡±


    Even though he had gotten much closer to their family this past year, he had only brought Bowen or Ah Ling here himself.


    Knowing what they were thinking, Great-aunt sighed and said, ¡°That child¡¯s heart aches for his family. Last year, he stayed at home for at least two to three months. Usually, he could find time to go home and check on things. But this year, he was transferred to Hanzhong Prefecture and has been away for half a year. He¡¯s afraid that the old and young at home will be bullied by the vigers.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s still worried about that? Not to mention anything else, there are a few of his cousins here. As long as Ah Ling calls for help, Ah Ting and the others won¡¯t dare to not go over.¡±


    ¡°In that case, what are you worried about?¡± Great-aunt red at the two of them and said, ¡°No matter what, you should be happy that Rocky is willing to let go. Human hearts are made of flesh. In the past two years, Ah Ting has been running around because of the Mu family. No matter how much resentment he had towards you, he couldn¡¯t very well me it on Ah Ting and the rest. In addition, Ah Ting and Ah Yuan will be working for Ah Ling next year. As her father, he has to pave the way for his daughter.¡±


    Eldest Great-aunt Liu smiled in embarrassment, believing most of it. They all knew how much Mu Shi valued his family.


    Curious about what Ah Ling wanted to do, Second Great-aunt Liu asked, ¡°We didn¡¯t understand what Ah Yuan and Ah Ting told us. But isn¡¯t this still farming? Why are they meticulously serving those few acres ofnd, hiring people, and even needing Ah Yuan and Ah Ting¡¯s constant care?¡±


    In fact, Great-aunt didn¡¯t really understand either, but she knew how to simplify things. She said, ¡°Who cares? Let the children busy themselves. Anyway, I know that if they seed, it will be a great thing for the country and the people. If they fail, there will still be a harvest. In any case, there won¡¯t be any losses.¡±


    When Eldest Great-aunt Liu and Second Great-aunt Liu heard that, they felt that it was true. Putting everything else aside, considering the two children were good at farming, they wouldn¡¯t lose money, right?

 Chapter 341 - 341: Nurturing

    Chapter 341 - 341: Nurturing


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When Liu Daqian heard that Mu Shi¡¯s family was here, he wanted to bring them back. Liu He said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s almost lunchtime. Bring Mu Shi overter.¡± Liu Erqian walked past Liu Daqian and said with a smile, ¡±Brother He, it¡¯s rare for the child toe back. Just attend to him at home. You can bring everyone to eat.¡±


    Liu Daqian nced at his brother and said, ¡°Another day, perhaps. Rocky will definitely make a trip back on the second day of the Lunar New Year. I¡¯ll bring him over then.¡±


    Liu He did not say anything, but after sending them off, he stopped smiling. He sighed slightly. He knew that Liu Daqian and his brother were a little dissatisfied with his attitude towards Liu Li and his mother. In addition, the crop harvest in the past two years had not been good, and the conflicts between the vigers and neighbors had not been handled well. Thus, they were dissatisfied with his actions, which affected the Mu family¡¯s attitude towards the Liu n.


    However, a clever housewife could not cook without rice. In addition, everyone was constantly doing risky things that could endanger their lives now, so it was inevitable that they would be more frustrated. He had no choice.


    Fortunately, although Liu Daqian and his brother had objections, they were still quite respectful to him outside.


    When Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian returned to the Liu Residence and saw Mu Shi, they smiled and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re here, Rocky? Come and sit.¡±


    Liu Ting went over and patted his shoulder. Smiling, he said, ¡°You¡¯ve be sturdier. Looks like being a soldier is still beneficial.¡±


    Thest time I saw Liu Xuan, he also became much sturdier.¡±


    Liu Erqian¡¯s eyes lit up and he asked, ¡°You saw Ah Xuan? That kid hasn¡¯t been home for more than a month¡­¡±


    The few of them pulled out stools and sat under the roof to talk. Mu Shi mainly came to ask Liu Ting and Liu Yuan to take care of his family. After all, they were working on the experimental fields with his daughter and would make a trip there every few days.


    Even if Mu Shi did not say it, Liu Ting and Liu Yuan would still take it to heart, so they agreed immediately.


    In the room, Liu Lang was also talking about his future ns. ¡°My father wants me to be an apprentice in the city. This way, after three to four years, I can settle ounts and be an ountant. I¡¯d have a more promising future that way.¡±


    Xiuhong widened her eyes and said, ¡°Is there a need to be an apprentice¡¯ Why don¡¯t you be my apprentice? I¡¯ll definitely teach you everything I know. You¡¯ll be able to master it in half a year, not three to four years.¡±


    Liu Lang looked down on her. ¡°Stop bragging. This is different from buying a few catties of rice or oil for your home. There¡¯s a lot of knowledge involved.¡± Xiuhong chuckled and asked, ¡°What kind of knowledge? Cousin Lang, tell me.¡± Liu Lang could tell that she was teasing him. His face instantly turned red as he said in embarrassment and anger, ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you anymore. You¡¯re not even listening seriously.¡±


    Mu Yangling was ying with Madam Liu-Zhao¡¯s youngest son, Liu Jin. When she heard this, she kicked Xiuhong and said, ¡°Speak properly.¡±


    Xiuhong put on a serious expression and said, ¡°I¡¯m serious. Instead of learning from those ountants and being tortured by them, why don¡¯t you follow me¡¯ I¡¯ll show you my ount bookter. My cousin even praised me for doing well.¡± Liu Lang was skeptical. ¡°But why would I follow you?¡±


    ¡°How stupid.¡± Xiuhong red at him and said, ¡°Cousin is now nting dozens of hectares ofnd. In addition, the ie and expenditure of the cattle farm and the nursery are all handled by me. Are you still afraid that you won¡¯t have anything to do?¡±


    Mu Yangling also put Liu Jin down and let him crawl on the brick bed to y. She said to Liu Lang, ¡°Cousin Lang, Xiuhong is right. If you want to learn how to be an ountant, you can follow Xiuhong. In a year or two, you¡¯ll master the skills. If you be an apprentice for someone else, they¡¯ll only provide food and amodation. You won¡¯t even get paid.¡±


    Liu Lang¡¯s eyes lit up. He went to Mu Yangling¡¯s side and asked, ¡°Then, Ah Ling, if Ie work for you, will you pay me?¡±


    Don¡¯t ask me about this. Xiuhong is in charge of this. Go and ask her,¡± Mu Yangling said with a smile.


    Xiuhong craned her neck and said, ¡°That depends on your performance.¡± Liu Lang immediately jumped off the brick bed and ran into the kitchen to bring a bowl of water. He bowed to Xiuhong and said, ¡°Female Teacher, greetings. Here, I¡¯m offering this wine to you as your apprentice. Try it!¡± Xiuhong looked down at the in water in the bowl and asked, ¡°You¡¯re so stingy. At least give me some tea. You actually used in water to fool me.¡± Who said that this is in water?¡± Liu Lang shouted. ¡°This is clearly clear water that was scooped up from the water vat. It¡¯s sweet. Try it?¡± ¡°Alright, you didn¡¯t even boil the water and simply let me drink it as it is. No, 1 won¡¯t ept a disciple like you.¡± Xiuhong saw Liu Lunughing at the side and pulled him back. ¡°I¡¯d better take Cousin Lun as my disciple.¡±


    Liu Lun was most afraid of reading. When he heard this, he immediately ran away. ¡°I¡¯m not doing it. Cousin, you should go to my brother.¡±


    Liu Langughed out loud. ¡°Good kid, I¡¯ll remember your kindness.¡± When the people in the room heard the children making a ruckus, Eldest Great-aunt Liu shouted, ¡°Ah Lang, what are you guys doing?¡±


    Liu Lang rushed in and shouted, ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m not going to that eatery to be an apprentice in spring. I want to be Cousin Xiuhong¡¯s disciple.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eldest Great-aunt Liu almost jumped up. Her son had spent money to pave the way for Liu Lang to be an apprentice to the eatery¡¯s ountant. After mastering the skills, Liu Lang could also be an ountant. Even if crop harvest was poor in the future, he would still have a way to survive. And he simply gave up just like that?


    Before Eldest Great-aunt Liu could jump up, Liu Lang continued, ¡°The ountant only manages one eatery and he¡¯s not even as good as Cousin Xiuhong. She¡¯s in charge of Ah Ling¡¯s dozens of hectares and cattle farm. She said that if I go over to help her, I¡¯ll graduate in two years at most.¡±


    Liu Lang deliberately dragged it out because he wouldn¡¯t be able to master it in a year or so, lest it turned out he was stupid or Xiuhong couldn¡¯t teach well. In any case, he couldn¡¯t go wrong giving a longer duration.


    Seeing Eldest Great-aunt Liu frown, Great-aunt patted her hand and said ¡°Alright, let the child go.¡± Great-aunt waved her hand to motion Liu Lang to go out before saying, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that Ah Ling is willing to help out her cousins. You might not know it since you live in the West Vige, but Ah Ling has expanded the family business by a hundred fold.¡±


    Eldest Great-aunt Liu and Second Great-aunt Liu were stunned. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything about it. I just heard that she raised a lot of rabbits and is nning to open a cattle farm this year. But isn¡¯t she raising those rabbits for Little General and Young Master Fan?¡±


    Great-aunt didn¡¯t tell them the truth and only said, ¡°That¡¯s true, but she didn¡¯t lose out either. With Little General and Young Master Fan backing her up, the cattle farm was set up easily. There are more than 3,000 oxen inside¡­¡± Eldest Great-aunt Liu¡¯s eyes darkened. Their Liu n had worked hard for so many years but still could not afford a single ox. It wasn¡¯t that an ox was terribly expensive. If they kept saving money, it would take them two years to afford one.


    However, the family had to eat and drink, and the house had to be repaired. Someone in the family was bound to fall sick during the year, or they would have to prepare dowry for the girl and betrothal gifts for the boy. It was fine on their side, but didn¡¯t Liu Xuan from the second branch not get married because he couldn¡¯t afford a decent betrothal gift?


    Now that he was a soldier, it was even harder for him to get a wife.


    Hence, while the two families could not afford even one ox, Mu Yangling directly bought more than 3,000 oxen.


    This intuition made her know that Great-aunt was not spouting nonsense.. She said nervously, ¡°Then, will Ah Lang cause trouble if he works for her?¡±

 Chapter 342 - 342: Are You Joining?

    Chapter 342: Are You Joining?


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as he doesn¡¯t cheat, take bribes, or do bad things, Ah Ling is very tolerant of the children. My Xiuhong didn¡¯t even know how to read at first. Now, Ah Ling even dares to let her manage the ount book.¡±


    Eldest Great-aunt Liu heaved a huge sigh of relief. Second Great-aunt Liu hesitated for a moment and asked, ¡°Then in the future, the few younger ones¡­¡±


    Great-aunt knew that Mu Shi came this time to get closer to the Liu n hoping that they would be more eager to help out with the Mu family¡¯s matters when he wasn¡¯t home. Thus, she immediately agreed. ¡°Don¡¯t you know Ah Ling? As long as the children are obedient, she won¡¯t hesitate to help if she can.¡±


    Great-aunt looked at the two surprised sisters-inw and said, ¡°But although Ah Ling is usually good-tempered, she¡¯s very bad-tempered when someone crosses her bottom line.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Eldest Sister. If the children are disobedient, I¡¯ll bring them back first without Ah Ling having to ask. I won¡¯t let them embarrass themselves in front of Ah Ling,¡± Eldest Great-aunt Liu promised.


    Second Great-aunt Liu quickly agreed, too.


    After the Mu family had a lively lunch in the Liu Residence and they finished up work in the kitchen, the three families gathered in the central room to talk.


    Shu Wanniang took out the four bolts of cloth that they had brought. ¡°These are to make some new clothes for the children.¡± Each family was given two bolts of cloth. She didn¡¯t need to split the rest of the things because they were all double portions. Only this cloth was more expensive. She was afraid that if she didn¡¯t exin clearly, the two families would get into conflict over how to split it.


    Oblivious to what Shu Wanniang was thinking, Eldest Great-aunt Liu and Second Great-aunt Liu were just thrilled to receive such an expensive gift.


    They didn¡¯t have anything to return the favor, so they could only carry two bags of vegetables out of the cer and put them in the cart. Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian also prepared baskets and dustpans that they had weaved themselves for them.


    There was a good reason for the gift. ¡°You have to use these things at home and you don¡¯t even know how to weave them yourselves. Since Rocky isn¡¯t at home most of the time, you¡¯d have to buy them outside. You should bring all these back with you.¡±


    Great-aunt thought about it and agreed.


    Thus, even though Mu Yangling and the others came with one cart-full of things and left with a cart-full of things, the people of West Vige were still very envious of the Liu n.


    ¡°That cart of expensive goods turned into a cart-full of junk when they left. When can I have such a rtive?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead and be jealous, the Liu n is not bad either. Whenever anything happens to the Mu family, doesn¡¯t the Liu n go over to help?¡±


    ¡°The Mu family brings wild animals over every few days, lends them money when they¡¯re in need, and even gifts them meat, sugar, and cloth during the Lunar New Year. If I had rtives like them, I¡¯d also be willing to go to their house all the time. Not to mention anything, I¡¯d go over to help even if there was nothing going on.¡±


    ¡°Keep bragging. If you have such a rtive, I bet you¡¯d cling onto them like a leech. Pretty sure they¡¯ll be scared to death.¡±


    Liu Daqian naturally heard those discussions. He closed the door and ignored them. Liu Erqian pursed his lips and said, ¡°There aren¡¯t many gossipy women in this vige, but there sure are plenty of gossipy men.¡±


    Among the few voices just now, the male voices were the loudest.


    Liu Daqian red at him. ¡°Alright, if you didn¡¯t go out and brag often, would the discussion outside be so loud?¡±


    Liu Erqian was unconvinced. ¡°What secrets can there be in this vige? Would they not know if I didn¡¯t tell them? Ah Ling came over with all that stuff, and they were all watching when her family arrived. Moreover, what¡¯s wrong with my nephew and grandniece being filial to me? They¡¯re just jealous.¡±


    ¡°Our Liu n has many people, and Rocky is also Brother He¡¯s nephew.¡±


    ¡°How is that the same?¡± Liu Erqian muttered, ¡°They¡¯re just distant rtives¡­¡±


    Seeing that Big Brother was ring at him again, Liu Erqian stopped talking. He leaned over with a smile and asked, ¡°Big Brother, since Ah Ting and Ah Yuan will go over to work with Ah Ling next year, do you think we can borrow two oxen from Ah Ling to plow our fields?¡±


    This was a big deal. Everyone in the family pricked up their ears.


    ¡°No.¡± Liu Daqian rejected him immediately and said straightforwardly, ¡°The two of them are only going to tend to those few acres of experimental fields. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re in charge of Ah Ling¡¯s family¡¯snd. They¡¯ll just be taking a few days and go over every two to three days to take a look. We¡¯ll nt our fields the same way we nted them this year.¡±


    ¡°But then again, this year andst year, Ah Ling even came to pull a plow for our family. Considering she¡¯s so busy now, do you still expect her toe next year? If she doesn¡¯te, can we finish farming our fields? If we can borrow an ox, why not do it?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t ask her of this.¡± Liu Daqian red at him: ¡°You¡¯re really brainless. You¡¯re already so old, can¡¯t you be more thorough in your consideration? There are so many people in our Liu n, and many of whom Ah Ling addresses as ¡®Great-uncle¡¯ and ¡®Uncle¡¯. It¡¯s not like her family only has one or two oxen, in which case it¡¯s reasonable for her to only help our two families. However, she has more than 3,000 oxen. When the timees, if everyone in the Liu n swarmed over like a swarm of bees, should she lend the oxen to them or not?¡±


    When Liu Daqian said that, everyone fell silent.


    ¡°If you borrow the oxen for the spring plowing, are you also going to borrow it for the autumn harvesting? Then wouldn¡¯t Ah Ling be raising her oxen for nothing?¡± Liu Daqian looked at his brother resentfully and said, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to mention this to Ah Ling. Even if she brings the oxen to you, you have to return them to her.¡±


    Liu Ting knew that his father had always been straightforward. Hearing this, he hurriedly said, ¡°Father, even if our family doesn¡¯t borrow it, others might go to her to borrow it. When that timees, Ah Ling will also be in a difficult position. Why don¡¯t we do this? Didn¡¯t Ah Ling say that she was raising the oxen to rent them out? Then we¡¯ll also rent them ording to the rules. If there¡¯s no grains at home, we¡¯ll work for her to make up for it.¡±


    Liu Lang mocked his father unceremoniously. ¡°Father, even when our family doesn¡¯t borrow oxen from our cousin, we have to help her family farm theirnd. Aren¡¯t you borrowing them for nothing?¡±


    When Liu Yuan saw how his nephew was undermining his father, he could not help but burst outughing. Seeing Liu Ting re at him, he hurriedly said with a smile, ¡°Why don¡¯t we split it evenly? We¡¯ll rent two oxen. We¡¯ll pay the rent for one of them using grains, and the other will be calcted ording tobor. With our family taking the lead, it won¡¯t be easy for the others to take advantage of Ah Ling.¡±


    After saying that, he said with a smile, ¡°Uncle, if you¡¯re afraid that this will ruin Ah Ling¡¯s reputation, let my father loudly dere in the vige that it was his idea. He can say that he¡¯s embarrassed to take advantage of his grandniece.¡±


    Second Great-aunt Liu pped her hands and said, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. If such nonsensees from his father, no one will suspect him. Even the patriarch won¡¯t be able to do anything.¡±


    So angry that his neck turned red, Liu Erqian straightened his neck and asked, ¡°Am I nonsensical? Why should I be the one to give such a speech? Liu Yuan, what kind of a rotten idea is that?¡±


    Madam Liu-Zhao and the other two daughters-inw pursed their lips and smiled. Liu Lang and the others did not dare to smile in front of them and could only wink and hold back their smiles.


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Liu Daqian stopped him. ¡°Ah Yuan didn¡¯t say that you¡¯re nonsensical. I think this idea works. Let¡¯s do thister.¡±


    Liu Erqian looked at his Big Brother sadly. However, he had always been afraid of his Big Brother, so he could only re at his son and wife. When he left, he even followed behind Second Great-aunt Liu and asked, ¡°Tell me clearly, how am I nonsensical? When in the past few decades have I ever behaved in a nonsensical manner?¡±


    After questioning his wife, he went to question his son. ¡°Liu Yuan, tell me, how am I nonsensical? You brat, if I¡¯m a nonsensical person, would I be able to give birth to a brat like you?¡±


    Second Great-aunt Liu red at him and said, ¡°Just based on what you said, you¡¯re a nonsensical person.¡±


    Liu Yuan wished he could bury his head in the ground and turn back time. If he¡¯d known better, he never would¡¯ve said those words..

 Chapter 343 - 343: Correction

    Chapter 343: Correction


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    In the end, Mu Shi could not stay at home for the New Year. The day after New Year¡¯s Eve, he was called away by the military camp.


    But this time, after knowing that he would be in the West Camp of Xingzhou Prefecture, everyone happily sent him off.


    As for Liu Lang, ever since he said that he wanted to learn how to manage ounts from Xiuhong, he woulde here every day. He woulde in the morning and go back in the afternoon. In the beginning, Xiuhong could still proudly impart to him the mnemonic rhymes and teach him how to settle ounts. Unexpectedly, merely seven to eight dayster, Liu Lang could already smoothly recite the rhymes. Although he wasn¡¯t as quick as Xiuhong in using the abacus, he could now do the calctions very smoothly.


    Not only Xiuhong, but even Mu Yangling was shocked. After looking at the ounts he had calcted, she smiled and said, ¡°Cousin Lang is very talented in this aspect. No wonder Uncle Ting found him an ountant apprenticeship.¡± Xiuhong nodded tiredly. ¡°Going at this rate, Cousin Lang might be able to take over the ounts in less than half a year.¡±


    Learning from an ountant naturally couldn¡¯tpare to learning from them. They would teach him as much as they knew, unlike the ountant. For the sake of his job or in order to make the apprentice work for free for a few more years, the ountant would hide his knowledge. Even if he did teach him ounting skills in the end, he would only teach him 50-60% of what he knew. The rest would depend on his own ability.


    Therefore, Liu Lang improved very quickly here because Xiuhong had taught him the key points the moment he arrived.


    Previously, Liu Lang had followed his father to the eatery to meet the old ountant who currently had an apprentice under his wing. Although it had only been a day, he knew how bad that apprentice¡¯s life was. Coupled with his father¡¯s and his family¡¯s repeated reminders to be tolerant, he knew that life as an apprentice was not easy.


    Hence, he was very grateful for Xiuhong¡¯s selflessness. However, considering Xiuhong waspetitive, if he thanked her verbally, she would probably feel bad. So, he would asionally bring her some small gifts.


    He weaved grasshoppers himself and made wind chimes in his spare time. asionally when he saw wildflowers by the roadside, he would pluck them for her. Sometimes, he even plucked a handful of foxtail grass and ced it in a bottle for her to admire.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped. Wild flowers were too difficult to find in winter, but foxtail grass was everywhere.


    Xiuhong really wanted to throw the foxtail grass in his face, but seeing that he had ced the grass nicely in the bottle, she still ced the bottle on the stone table in the courtyard. To put it nicely, it was better to enjoy it together than to enjoy it alone. Everyone could now admire the foxtail grass together!


    Everyoneughed. Even Bosi and Kejia ran in circles around the stone table and shouted, ¡°Admire the grass! Admire the grass¡­¡±


    It was rare for Liu Lang to blush.


    Great-aunt chased them away. ¡°Alright, alright. Go back to the house after you¡¯re done making a fuss. Don¡¯t catch a flu in the cold. Bosi, Kejia, don¡¯t run anymore. Go back to the house with your older brother to y.¡±


    It was rare for Bosi and Kejia to be able toe out and have fun. When they heard this, they did not stop in their tracks. They turned around and rushed towards the door tacitly.


    Mu Yangling quickly grabbed the back of their necks and picked them up. ¡°Where are you running to? Listen to Great-aunt and go home.


    Bosi and Kejia struggled in Mu Yangling¡¯s hands and shouted, ¡°Help, help-I want to get out, I want to get out¡ª¡±


    When Shu Wanniang heard the cry, she ran out. When Bosi and Kejia saw their mother, they opened their arms pitifully and shouted, ¡°Mother, help¡ª Mu Yangling was originally smiling, but when she saw Shu Wanniang¡¯s cold face, she was stunned for a moment and asked, ¡°Mother, what¡¯s wrong?


    Shu Wanniang pulled Bosi and Kejia down and pulled them into the house with a dark expression. She asked them to stand against the wall, ¡°Who taught you to shout for help?¡±


    Shu Wanniang didn¡¯t lose her temper easily. Once she lost her temper, even Great-aunt didn¡¯t dare to speak.


    The people who entered the house fell silent for a moment and looked at Bosi and Kejia.


    Bosi and Kejia immediately felt immense pressure. The two three-year-old children opened their mouths and looked at their older sister nkly.


    Shu Wanniang couldn¡¯t help but m the table and ask in a slightly higher voice, ¡°Let me ask you, who taught you to shout for help?¡±


    The two children shrunk their necks and tears welled up in their eyes. They said in a trembling voice, ¡°Outside, we¡¯ve seen the older brothers and sisters do that.¡±


    The children in the vige liked to y war games. Sometimes, when they were in a chaotic battle, it wasmon for them to shout for help.


    Shu Wanniang suppressed her anger and said, ¡°Do you know what shouting for help means?¡±


    The two children shook their heads in confusion.


    Shu Wanniang said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s only when you¡¯re captured, or those close to you are captured, or severely injured, that you can shout for help. Now, you¡¯re only being grabbed by your older sister and not allowed to go out to y. Should something really happen in the future, who will believe you when it¡¯s time to call for help?¡±


    The two three-year-old children did not understand, but they knew in their hearts that it was wrong for them to shout for help just now. They looked at their mother with tears in their eyes.


    Shu Wanniang¡¯s heart had softened a long time ago, but she knew that three to four years old was the most important stage of a child¡¯s personality development. In the past, when Bowen was still young and soft, she had already been able to steel her heart to teach him a lesson. Although her heart had softened by now, she still said coldly, ¡°Do you know your mistake?¡±


    The two children hurriedly nodded and promised, ¡°We won¡¯t shout for help again.¡±


    Mu Yangling hurriedly said, ¡°It¡¯s not that you mustn¡¯t shout for help, but just don¡¯t do so easily.¡±


    The two children quickly changed their words. Only then was Shu Wanniang satisfied and waved for them toe over.


    When the twins saw that their mother had finally waved at them and they were finally not isted on the side, they immediately plunged into their mother¡¯s arms and wailed.


    Seeing that they were crying at the top of their lungs, Shu Wanniang didn¡¯t stop them. She just hugged them with each hand and patted their backs to calm them down. She said softly and gently, ¡°Remember, don¡¯t shout for help so easily in the future when your older brothers and sisters are just ying with you. If you shout for help now, when you really need help in the future, others will think that you¡¯re ying around. What will happen then? Your mother and older siblings can¡¯t always be by your side¡­¡±


    In the end, the twins cried until they were tired and needed to rest.


    The two children¡¯s eyes were red and they would twitch from time to time. It was obvious that they had cried terribly just now. Even when they slept at night they were still groaning.


    Great-aunt sighed. Only then did she understand that it wasn¡¯t that Shu Wanniang didn¡¯t care about taking the children in hand. It was just that she usually let the children be. However, she wouldn¡¯t go easy on them when she felt that she needed to speak up.


    At the thought of this, she became even more open with Mu Yangling and the other children. Anyway, since their mother was in charge of them, she would let them do as they pleased.


    Just as Great-aunt was about to brew some calming tea for the two children, Shu Wanniang stopped her. ¡°The two children are still young and don¡¯t have to drink that. Besides, they¡¯ll be fine after they¡¯re done crying.¡±


    The reason why Shu Wanniang made them cry so much was to let them vent the fear and grievances in their hearts. Although they were still groaning now, they would be fine after a night.


    When Great-aunt heard this, she agreed. Smiling, she said, ¡°Although I¡¯m your elder, sometimes I¡¯m really inferior to you in raising children.¡±


    Shu Wanniang blushed. ¡°Aunt, you¡¯re too modest. Other than Bowen, you¡¯ve helped take care of all the children. It was your idea that helped us solve the problem of Ah Ling refusing to drink milk back then. Otherwise, this child wouldn¡¯t have survived till this age.¡±


    Shu Wanniang had always regarded Great-aunt as her ¡°mother-inw¡±, so she was the one who made most of the decisions in the family. As long as it wasn¡¯t a principle of issue that involved the children, she didn¡¯t care.


    On the other hand, Great-aunt had always been a little apprehensive about living under someone else¡¯s roof. Therefore, although she was domineering in daily life, she usually listened to Mu Yangling and Shu Wanniang when it came to important matters. That was why everyone got along so well. Otherwise, if it were someone else, this family would have probably fallen apart.


    Now that Great-aunt had a deeper understanding of Shu Wanniang¡¯s other side as a mother, she felt even more at ease. She felt that although Shu Wanniang was always behind closed doors embroidering or teaching her children how to read, she didn¡¯tck knowledge and even had much more brilliant methods than her.


    If it were her, the disobedient child would most likely be beaten up and reasoned with..

 Chapter 344 - 344: Firelight

    Chapter 344 - 344: Firelight


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling suddenly opened her eyes. In the darkness, she stared at the roof with bright eyes for a while before frowning. She turned to look at the window Although the paper window blocked the light outside, she could still tell that it was not dawn yet. Why was she awake?


    Mu Yanglingyzily on the bed and thought for a while. When she heard the asional barking from the vige and the chattering of some little insects, she felt a little sleepy and wanted to close her eyes and continue sleeping. However, after lying down for a while, she woke up and became frustrated for no reason.


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment before putting on a thick shirt to get out of bed. She quietly opened the door a crack and, feeling the cold wind, she let out an exhale. How could she not be able to sleep on such a cold day?


    Just as Mu Yangling was about to look up at the moon in the sky and guess what time it was, she saw orange and red in the north. Mu Yangling¡¯s expression changed slightly. She hurriedly opened the door and ran out without putting on additionalyers of clothes.


    Half of the sky in the north was dyed red. Was this a fire???


    With her eyes narrowed, Mu Yangling tried to estimate what was in that direction. However, her expression became even uglier. That was the direction of Xingcheng Pass.


    Mu Yangling turned around and ran to knock on Shu Wanniang¡¯s door. When Shu Wanniang saw that her hand was cold, her heart ached. ¡°What can¡¯t you say tomorrow? What¡¯s so urgent?¡±


    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m afraid something has happened at Xingcheng Pass.¡±


    Shu Wanniang was shocked. Mu Yangling said, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the 5th Division to inquire about the news. Stay at home and restrain Bowen and the others. Close the door and don¡¯t go anywhere.¡±


    Shu Wanniang hurriedly nodded and stood up. ¡°Then hurry up and go. I definitely won¡¯t let Bowen and the rest go out.¡±


    ¡®TH call Xu Jian and Chen Sanzhu overter and let them stay at our gatehouse Just let them guard the door and release the dogs at home.¡±


    If something really happened at Xingcheng Pass, the military disaster wouldn¡¯t affect them for the time being, but they had to be wary of some hooligans nearby taking advantage of the situation.


    ¡°Remember, no matter what happens, don¡¯t go out, and you¡¯re not allowed to use the back door. The walls of our house are high, and I¡¯ve set traps along the walls. No one can sneak in in one piece. As long as they guard the door it¡¯s fine.¡±


    After giving her instructions, Mu Yangling ran out to wake Xu Jian and Chen Sanzhu up. She let them stay in the gatehouse while she led ckie to the 5th Division.


    There were a total of four observation points in the 5th Division. They had long discovered the phenomenon at Xingcheng Pass. However, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin were not in the army. Even if they discovered something amiss, there was nothing they could do.


    As soon as Mu Yangling reached the entrance of the military camp, she was let in. Mu Yangling looked at the soldiers who trusted her so much and didn¡¯t know if she was happy or worried. ¡®Even if I¡¯m on good terms with your Little General, you can¡¯t let me in without investigating.¡¯


    However, this was a good thing for Mu Yangling, so she decided not to fuss over it.


    However, the soldiers¡¯ thoughts were very simple. Everyone said that Miss Mu would be the Little General¡¯s wife in the future, and most of the soldiers in the 5th Division had been jointly trained by her and the Little General. Therefore, her status in the army was second only to Fan Zijin, and she was ranked third. The reason why Fan Zijin was ranked second was because ording to everyone¡¯s estimation, Young Master Fan had provided a lot of the 5th Division¡¯s rations. Therefore, they naturally valued their bread and butter.


    Mu Yangling went straight into the middle tent. The middle tent was originally noisy, but when Mu Yangling entered, the tent fell silent.


    Mu Yangling swept her gaze around and realized that only one of the four regimentmanders hade. She asked, ¡°Where are the other three regimentmanders?¡±


    The only one who came hurriedly said, ¡°Miss Mu, the other three were transferred to Hanzhong Prefecture half a month ago. They said that it¡¯s almost the New Year and they went on patrol in order to prevent the Jin soldiers from plundering resources. The border of Hanzhong Prefecture is too long, so most of the people in the 5th Division were transferred away.¡± ¡°How many people are left in the camp now?¡±


    The people in the middle tent were not unfamiliar with Mu Yangling because she often sneaked into their camp with her men to find loopholes in their defense. Later on, when Little General wanted to train scouts, Mu Yangling also helped out with the training for three months. Sometimes, she would even transfer soldiers from among them to form a military unit to y attack and defense with Little General. Everyone knew that she knew how to fight in wars. However, since this was a confidential matter after all, the regimentmander hesitated for a moment. Seeing him hesitate, no one spoke.


    Mu Yangling red at him. ¡°Since you¡¯ve already taken 99 steps, does thisst step matter?¡±


    The regimentmander¡¯s face instantly turned red. That¡¯s right. While they were preparing for battle, he had let her into the camp (although he didn¡¯t personally let her in, he was the highest-ranking officer here at the moment, so he deserved to be punished for this). Just now, he even identally blurted out to Mu Yangling that more than half of their men had been transferred away. Mu Yangling was well aware of the situation in the 5th Division. Even if he didn¡¯t say it, she could probably guess it after walking one round. Blushing he said, ¡°There are still 898 people, out of which 542 can¡¯t be deployed.¡± In other words, they were all old, weak, sick, and disabled. They had all retired from the battlefield or were eliminated as soon as they joined the army.


    Mu Yangling held her forehead with a headache and asked, ¡°How long has it been since the incident at Xingcheng Pass?¡±


    The regimentmander hurriedly said, ¡°It¡¯s been an hour. As soon as we discovered it, we got someone to rush over and ask about the situation.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Send out another two groups of people, one setting off 15 minutes after the other set off. Continue to scout for me. Once the people on the way return, immediately turn around and send someone to open the city gate. Immediately take over the northern city gate. Keep it down and don¡¯t disturb themoners.¡±


    ¡°How many people should we send?¡±


    Mu Yangling sneered and said, ¡°General Qi has already blocked all the defensive lines in that battle three years ago. Now that Hanzhong Prefecture is in our hands, they can only charge through Xingcheng Pass if they want toe over. Therefore, they just have to guard the northern city gate. Why are you still guarding the camp?¡±


    The regimentmander immediately understood and quickly ordered everyone to get ready.


    Mu Yangling sat in the middle tent and stared at the map in a daze.


    The regimentmander of the remaining battalion was old. He had been in charge of logistics since he was experienced. Therefore, he was the only one left after the three battalions¡¯ regimentmanders were transferred away. This was because he was in charge of the logistics of the 5th Division. Yes, there was also the workshop that Fan Zijin had set up in the military camp. Therefore, this regimentmander had nevermanded anyone to fight. At this moment, his forehead was covered in sweat.


    The other soldiers clearly knew the ability of their regimentmander, so they all looked at Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling no longer had any hope for them. It had been an hour since the mes were spotted from Xingcheng Pass, but they were still sitting in the middle tent and breaking out in cold sweat.


    She pressed the map with a paperweight and asked, ¡°Are any of you familiar with the people from the 3rd or the 4th Division?¡±


    There were military households from the 4th and 3rd Divisions nearby, so Mu Yangling asked.


    Although the 5th Division was newly built, most of the core members were transferred from the other four divisions. Although Qi Haoran had suppressed many people in the past three years, there were still a lot of people left behind. When Mu Yangling asked, six people stepped forward.. Mu Yangling asked, Have the 3rd and 4th Division transferred troops recently?¡±

 Chapter 345 - 345: Calm Down

    Chapter 345 - 345: Calm Down


    Trantor: As Studios | Editor: As Studios


    In response to Mu Yangling¡¯s question, five of the six people nodded. ¡°Some of the people we know have also been transferred away. They also said that they are going to patrol Hanzhong Prefecture.¡±


    No matter how long the border of Hanzhong Prefecture was, it was impossible for Qi Xiuyuan to transfer so many people away since Xingzhou Prefecture was the main camp of the West Camp.


    Mu Yangling thought of Qi Haoran, who had been gone for two months. She thought of how he had been thinking about reiming his homnd. She thought of how Fan Zijin had clearly informed her before winter that she would receive dividends this year, but there had been no news. She looked at the Jingzhao Prefecture on the map and sighed. She did not expect Qi Xiuyuan to be so anxious. She also did not know how confident he was.


    However, she looked at the frightened soldiers and knew that the morale of the army had to be stable. She quickly perked up and said indifferently, ¡°Just get someone to guard the north city gate. I wonder if we¡¯ll be able to hear General Qi¡¯s good news tomorrow morning.¡±


    Although the regimentmander was not good at war, he was a smart person. He understood what Mu Yangling meant and hurriedly asked, ¡°Miss Mu, could it be that the general is deploying the troops?¡±


    Unless Qi Xiuyuan was deploying the troops, it would not be considered ¡®good news¡¯ even if they sessfully blocked the enemy.


    Instead of giving him an urate answer, Mu Yangling only vaguely said, ¡°Get the soldiers to guard the city gate and wait for news from Xingcheng Pass¡¯.¡± The few people in the middle tent only thought that Mu Yangling was tacitly agreeing. Excited, they hurriedly ran out to organize people to form a line and march towards the northern city gate.


    The regimentmander humbly came over to invite Mu Yangling to guard the ce with him. He even said cleverly, ¡°Miss Mu, I¡¯ve asked a small team to guard your residence. Don¡¯t worry and follow us into the city. No one will dare to cause trouble at this time.¡±


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Song Zhi was woken up from his deep sleep. When he heard that the 5th Division was about to open the city gate and bring troops into the city, he was shocked. He hurriedly got up, put on his clothes, and rushed out. As he walked, he asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Sir, mes are soaring in the direction of Xingcheng Pass. It seems like they¡¯re fighting with the Hus.¡± The private advisor¡¯s forehead was covered in cold sweat. He had a deep impression of the war disaster three years ago. In his family, only him and a seven-year-old child had survived. At this moment his face was pale as he said, ¡°I¡¯ve asked the bailiff guarding the city. Two hours¡¯ ago, the 5th Division sent messengers to the north through a small gate, presumably to gather information. One group set off 30 minutes ago and the other group set off 15 minutes ago. Now, they¡¯re requesting to open the city gate. Do you think they¡¯re going to reinforce Xingcheng Pass?¡±


    Song Zhi¡¯s expression was also very ugly. He knew nothing about war, so he could only respond silently and rush out.


    Opening the door required a warrant from Song Zhi or an assistantmander. They didn¡¯t have a warrant, so they could only wait for Song Zhi. Song Zhi checked the other party¡¯s identity and saw Mu Yangling standing in front. He immediately asked someone to open the door. Once the city gate was opened, the private advisor rushed towards the regimentmander. Song Zhi hesitated for a moment but still nced at Mu Yangling. Seeing that she had taken half a step back, he could only ask the regimentmander, ¡°¡­How¡¯s the situation? Should we evacuate the civilians?¡±


    The regimentmander nced at Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Don¡¯t rm themoners. The defense line in the east and north of Mingshui County has been filled up. They can only enter through the north gate, so we¡¯re here to take over the north gate. Please gather all the bailiffs to help us defend the city.¡±


    At this moment, Mu Yangling looked up at Song Zhi and whispered to the regimentmander, ¡°Give him half of the bailiffs and let him manage the order in the city.¡±


    The regimentmander quickly nodded in agreement.


    Seeing that the regimentmander was always listening to Mu Yangling¡¯s orders, for some reason, Song Zhi heaved a sigh of relief. However, the private advisor watched with bated breath.


    The regimentmander quickly led his men to guard the north city gate and instructed them to move bows, trebuchets, stones, and so on up to the city wall. These might not be useful, but they had to be prepared. The regimentmander wiped the sweat off his forehead and prayed that they wouldn¡¯t have to resort to using these things, and that the garrison at Xingcheng Pass could keep the enemy outside the city.


    However, the private advisor felt a chill in his heart. When he heard that the 5th Division was here to defend the city, he was happy for a moment. Who knew that as soon as they entered the city, he would find out that there were only 300-odd people? He had justined that there were not many people when a soldier told him that those who could go to the battlefield were all here. Those who stayed behind to guard the 5th Division were all soldiers who had retreated from the battlefield or veterans who had guarded the pass for 40 to 50 years.


    Song Zhi was also afraid, but he knew that now was not the time to show his cowardice. He could only follow Mu Yangling closely. Seeing that she had arranged a defense and that someone had even carried a few bags of lime up Song Zhi was stunned. He asked, ¡°Why did you carry lime here? I know where there¡¯s sand.¡±


    He thought that they were using it to block the arrows, so Mu Yangling smiled and touched the bags of lime. ¡°This is good stuff, whether it¡¯s soaked in water poured down, or scattered like this. Although it¡¯s a little shameless, it¡¯s useful¡¯¡±


    Song Zhi calmed down a little and deliberated for a moment before asking, ¡°Isn¡¯t Hanzhong Prefecture in our hands? Why did the Hus cross Hanzhong Prefecture ande to Xingcheng Pass in the middle of the night? Could it be that Hanzhong Prefecture has fallen?¡±


    ¡°Other than the Eastern Front, no one will guard Hanzhong Prefecture.¡± Song Zhi¡¯s expression changed, and his voice became sharp. ¡°General gave up on Hanzhong Prefecture? That¡¯s impossible. We spent a lot of effort to get it back.¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him and whispered, ¡°Keep your voice down.¡± Then, she brought Song Zhi into the room on the city wall.


    The guards immediately unfolded the map. Mu Yangling pointed at the long border between Hanzhong Prefecture and Jingzhao Prefecture and asked, ¡°How can we guard such a long border? Not to mention that General Qi only has tens of thousands of troops. Even if he has hundreds of thousands of soldiers, they won¡¯t be able to guard it. They can only guard the eastern border. As long as we guard this ce, the enemy won¡¯t be able to circle behind us. This ce is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It¡¯s even harder to attack than Xingcheng Pass Therefore, they can only enter via Xingcheng Pass. Therefore, as long as we guard Xingcheng Pass, nothing will happen.¡±


    ¡°What about the citizens of Hanzhong Prefecture? They¡¯ve just experienced a war. How can we let them be engulfed in the mes of war again?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Mu Yangling looked at the Jingzhao Prefecture on the map and said with sparkling eyes, ¡°It was so difficult for the elite soldiers to break out of the encirclement. Why would they waste their troops in an unguarded Hanzhong Prefecture? Actually, there¡¯s no harm in the Hus reading Sun Tzu¡¯s Art of War.¡±


    ¡°What elite soldiers?¡± Song Zhi followed Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes and saw Jingzhao Prefecture on the map. His eyes lit up and he was so excited that he was about to scream. However, under Mu Yangling¡¯s cold re, he could only suppress his excitement. However, he still asked excitedly, ¡°Miss Mu, what do you think I can do? What can I do for the general?¡±


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth curled up slightly. She patted Song Zhi¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Sir, the most important thing for you to do now is to stabilize the hearts of the people in the city. You also have to inform the magistrates in the nearby counties to stabilize their hearts. Lest, there could be chaos even if the general wins the battle at the frontlinester on. Considering there are many hooligans and local ruffians everywhere, I¡¯m afraid that they will take the opportunity to cause trouble. In addition, the harvest this year is not good. Although there aren¡¯t many refugees who havended here, should theye together it¡¯s still a rather sizable group.¡±


    Song Zhi instantly understood. At this moment, his task was to stabilize the hearts of the people and ensure the security of the county. Song Zhi patted his chest and said, ¡°Miss Mu, don¡¯t worry. 1¡¯11 call them for a meeting now. Mingshui County will definitely not be in chaos. As for the other counties, I¡¯ll also contact them via a letter. However, should I reveal this matter to them?¡± Mu Yangling smiled nonchntly and said, ¡°What secret is there to keep when the war has already started? It¡¯s not as if the war is yet tomence.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. There¡¯s nothing to keep secret.¡± Song Zhi went down the city tower excitedly and brought the private advisor back to gather everyone for a meeting..

 Chapter 346 - 346: Peace

    Chapter 346 - 346: Peace


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Just like that, Mu Yangling sat on the city wall for the entire night. Fortunately, with her around, the military camp did not fall into chaos. Song Zhi sent all the bailiffs to the streets because Mu Yangling had told him, ¡°It¡¯s better to release the news so that people will know what to do. Otherwise, it will only make people panic.¡± Song Zhi beat the gong and drum to inform everyone that General Qi wanted to recover their homnd that had been upied by the Hus. Therefore, in order to express their support for this great cause, he hoped that everyone would donate money and items to the soldiers at the frontline.


    If Song Zhi had simply beat the gong and drum on the streets, everyone would definitely be suspicious. If the rich wanted to escape, they would still escape. However, now that Song Zhi asked for a donation, the squires who had the intention to retreat immediately stopped.


    Since they were requesting donations, it must be true. Since it was not the Hus attacking them, but they who were attacking the Hus, why should they escape?


    With the example of Qi Xiuyuan conquering Hanzhong Prefecture, the squires confidently donated money. It was not much, but it was a signal.


    When themoners saw that the squires had all donated, they knew that it must be true, considering the connections the rich had. Hence, they also contributed money and items. Those who were rich threw dozens of copper coins into the donation box, and those who were poor sent their old cotton jackets over. Song Zhi epted all donations and asked someone to note down their names. He said that it might be recorded in the county¡¯s official records in the future.


    As soon as he said this, everyone¡¯s enthusiasm soared. The people who went to the government office to donate money and items lined up all the way to Qianmen Street.


    When the county magistrate of the neighboring county saw that the squires had already begun to pack up and n to escape south, he immediately copied Song Zhi¡¯s method. Seeing that the squires were still skeptical, the county magistrate quickly thought of something and shouted, ¡°Our county is not inferior to Mingshui County, so we mustn¡¯t lose to them. Get someone to go to the vige and beat the gongs and drums to get everyone to donate generously. Later, the donor that donates the most money can go to the military camp as our county¡¯s representative.¡±


    No one was willing to go to the military camp. However, this was an honor after all since it was contributing to the recovery of their homnd. This was a huge temptation.


    The citizens of Great Zhou had already be obsessed with reiming their homnd.


    As soon as these words were spoken, the squires, who had already packed up half of their belongings, immediately changed their minds about leaving. They gathered their families to discuss how much they wanted to donate.


    Seeing this, the county magistrate of the neighboring county heaved a sigh of relief. This method quickly spread. As two counties had already stabilized the situation, the squires of the other counties stopped making a fuss about leaving. They began to think about donating money and items. The bailiffs in the government office were all sent to the streets to maintain order. The mes of war were flying in front, but at least things were not in chaos in the background.


    Themotion in the direction of Xingcheng Pass did not stop. By dawn, the messenger had already made three trips back and forth and brought back thetest news. Qi Xiuyuan was not at Xingcheng Pass at all. It should be said that all the assistantmanders were not at Xingcheng Pass. The one guarding Xingcheng Pass was Mu Shi, who was leading merely 2,000 men. In contrast, there were 6,000 elite Hu soldiers. At this moment, they could only guard the pass and wait for reinforcements from the Jingzhao Prefecture.


    However, Mu Yangling knew that the Jin soldiers in the Jingzhao Prefecture definitely had a lot of garrison troops. Considering Jingzhao Prefecture was easy to defend and difficult to attack, it would be very difficult for Qi Xiuyuan to take down Jingzhao Prefecture quickly.


    She frowned as she looked at the map. Just then, Song Zhi rushed in and said, ¡°Miss Mu, the county has already settled down. How¡¯s the front line?¡±


    Mu Yangling had already heard that Song Zhi had asked for mary donations to calm the people down. At that time, she even praised Song Zhi¡¯s wit in her heart, but now, she was no longer in the mood. This was because thetest news brought back by the messenger revealed that the West Camp had suffered a lot of losses, and the Jin soldiers¡¯ attacks were getting fiercer.


    It was obvious that the Jin soldiers wanted to force Mu Shi to send troops out to ask for help so that they could resolve the crisis in the Jingzhao Prefecture.


    Since Qi Xiuyuan had staked everything and left only 2,000 men at Xingcheng Pass and transferred all the West Camp soldiers stationed at the back, it meant that he was determined to take down Jingzhao Prefecture. Not to mention whether he was willing to return, his father would not easily send out a distress signal.


    However, if Qi Xiuyuan did not return to help, once Xingcheng Pass was breached, the enraged Jin soldiers would not let off anyone in the pass. Not only Xingzhou Prefecture, but even Mingshui County and Changju County would not be able to escape the fate of being massacred. Xingcheng Pass had to be defended.


    Mu Yangling walked two rounds in the room with a solemn expression. The regimentmander gritted his teeth and requested, ¡°Miss Mu, please allow me to bring men to provide reinforcement.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Once you leave, the county that has just settled down will definitely be in chaos. Besides, you won¡¯t be able to do much.¡±


    Most of the people who were left behind were soldiers who had just been recruited this year and had only undergone half a year of training. How could they go to the battlefield?


    If they went, they would only be cannon fodder.


    As for the 2,000 elite soldiers at Xingcheng Pass, they had been tempered on the battlefield after all, although the 5,000 Jin soldiers had also been tempered thousands of times.


    Mu Yangling turned to ask the messenger, ¡°My father, I mean, how is Battalion Commander Mu guarding the city now?¡±


    ¡°Battalion Commander Mu divided them into two teams and let them take turns to guard the city. However, the Jin soldiers¡¯ attacks were too fierce, so he simply divided them into five teams and let them take turns. From yesterday until now, there are only about 1,700 people left. Although the general left behind a lot of supplies, there are too few people¡­¡±


    At the thought of the tragic scene he saw on the city wall, the messenger wiped his tears and said, ¡°I told the battalionmander that I didn¡¯t expect there to be so many Jin soldiers. Previously, General Qi estimated that it was already not bad if they could break out of the encirclement with 3,000 soldiers¡­¡± ¡°How¡¯s the wall?¡±


    ¡°It was repairedst year. It¡¯s solid.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a dark expression, ¡°Go. Hurry up and tell Battalion Commander Mu that as long as he can hold on until seven o¡¯clock, it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Miss Mu, the Jin soldiers don¡¯t rest at night. They will take turns attacking.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression looked a little gloomy under the sunlight. ¡°No, it¡¯s already been a night. As long as we hold on till night time, they will definitely have a pep talk for their soldiers during dinner and give them time to rest. It¡¯s safe between seven o¡¯clock and nine o¡¯clock.¡±


    Mu Yangling turned to ask Song Zhi, ¡°Magistrate Song, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s even colder today than yesterday?¡±


    Song Zhi was stunned. He didn¡¯t know why Mu Yangling was suddenly talking about the weather, but he still replied, ¡°This is a cold current. It¡¯s almost the new year. There¡¯s a cold current every year before the new year.¡±


    As he spoke, he sighed slightly. The general had not chosen the right time. Fighting in such cold weather was simply a disaster.


    However, Mu Yangling said, ¡°It¡¯s a disaster for us and for them, but it might not be a disaster for Xingcheng Pass.¡±


    ¡°Regiment Commander, I¡¯m going to make a trip to Xingcheng Pass. I¡¯ll leave my family to you. Without the order of the garrison general of Xingcheng Pass, you¡¯re not allowed to leave the north city gate. If Xingcheng Pass can¡¯t be defended, escort themoners into Chef Mountain. At least there¡¯s a chance of survival there.¡±


    The regimentmander and Song Zhi¡¯s expressions changed.


    However, Mu Yangling took out a seal that she had never used before. After dipping it in mud, she imprinted it on a piece of white paper. When the regimentmander and Song Zhi saw the words on it, their eyes narrowed.


    Mu Yangling handed the white paper to the regimentmander and Song Zhi. ¡°This is an order.¡±


    The regimentmander could only take it. If it was Qi Haoran¡¯s seal, he could still reject it on the grounds of the young couple¡¯s rtionship, but that was Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s..

 Chapter 347 - 347: Conning

    Chapter 347 - 347: Conning


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling went down the city tower and Song Zhi hurriedly followed behind. Mu Yangling said in a low voice, ¡°Magistrate Song, I don¡¯t know how long it will take for General and the others to take down Jingzhao Prefecture, but I think that since he dared to leave only 2,000 people to guard Xingcheng Pass, it means that he¡¯s very confident. As long as you guard the back well, you¡¯ll be his greatest support. My father will also do his best to guard Xingcheng Pass. Since both me and my father will be at the pass, please take care of my family.¡±


    Song Zhi¡¯s eyes were slightly red. He knew that if Xingcheng Pass was breached, the Mu father and daughter would definitely not survive, so he could only nod in agreement.


    Mu Yangling exhaled and led the ten guards towards Xingzhou Prefecture. This time, she didn¡¯t bring ckie with her. Instead, she chose an adult horse. She patted ckie and said, ¡±Help me guard my family here.¡±


    ckie wailed and rubbed against Mu Yangling. Its eyes were filled with tears as it looked at Mu Yangling with watery eyes.


    Mu Yangling kissed it, turned around, got on the horse, and left with her men.


    Song Zhi and the regimentmander could only watch her leave. Xingzhou Prefecture was even more chaotic. There were already people packing up and leaving one after another, and the government office did not stop them. However, most of them chose to stay since it was not easy to relocate, and very few people were willing to leave their hometowns. Everyone was watching.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t go to Xingcheng Pass. Instead, she went straight to look for the magistrate of Xingzhou Prefecture, Wu Shancai. Of course, she didn¡¯t manage to see Wu Shancai, so she went straight to the academy to drag his eldest son, Wu Jin, out.


    Wu Jin had seen Mu Yangling more than once. Every time Mu Yangling carriedrge prey to Xingzhou Prefecture to sell, Qi Haoran would ask him to buy from her everything that couldn¡¯t be sold. Later on, when Mu Yangling came, he would take the initiative to ept her remaining goods even without Qi


    Haoran¡¯s instructions.


    Therefore, his mostmon method of showing filial piety to his parents was gifting them with some wild animals and fur.


    When Wu Jin saw Mu Yangling looking behind her, he asked curiously,


    ¡°Where¡¯s your prey?¡±


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes and said, ¡°I want to see your father. I won¡¯t ask you


    to buy anything.¡±


    Wu Jin¡¯s body stiffened and he shrunk his neck. ¡°You¡¯d better ask me to buy something.¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him. ¡°The battle outside Xingcheng Pass is in full swing. I don¡¯t have time to slowly argue with you here. Hurry up and lead the way. Otherwise, when Qi Haoranes back, I¡¯ll tell him that you bullied me and see how he deals with you.¡±


    At this terrifying threat, Wu Jin immediately turned around with a bitter expression and led the way. Along the way, he persuaded Mu Yangling in a low voice, ¡°Miss Mu, my father is very vexed at the moment. If you have anything to say to me, tell me. I¡¯ll definitely help you. Don¡¯t look for my father.¡± Mu Yangling patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After finding your father, I¡¯ll ask you for help. I won¡¯t leave you behind.¡±


    Seeing that not only did he not change her mind about meeting his father, but he had even enticed her to assign him an additional mission, Wu Jin¡¯s expression became even more bitter.


    When Wu Shancai saw Mu Yangling behind Wu Jin, his face immediately darkened. He red at his son resentfully.


    He knew this girl. Thanks to her, his family had been eating wild animals from time to time for the past three years. Aware that his son had been bullied by Qi Haoran, he had hinted to his son many times that his father was the magistrate and the most influential official in the area. There was no need for him to be afraid of Qi Haoran, who was four years younger than him. However, every time this kid saw Qi Haoran, he was still like a mouse seeing a cat. Wu Shancai was so angry that he could not even drink water.


    It was even better now. Now, even a hunter¡¯s daughter could bully his son now. What then was the point of him being the magistrate?


    Magistrate Wu red at Mu Yangling angrily. Just as he was about to kick her out, Mu Yangling took out the seal and ced it on the white paper in front of him before he could speak. Then, she handed the white paper to him. Seeing his eyes widen, she tore the paper and tossed it aside.


    ¡°Magistrate Wu, you should listen to General Qi, right? Magistrate Wu¡¯s expression was ugly as he red at Mu Yangling and asked, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°The one guarding the city is my father,¡± Mu Yangling suddenly said. Magistrate Wu¡¯s expression improved a little, and he no longer felt as resistant towards Mu Yangling. Mu Yangling was relieved, but she said solemnly, ¡°Magistrate Wu, before General Qi left the city, he said that you¡¯re the only one in Xingzhou Prefecture who can help him defend the city.¡± Magistrate Wu looked at Mu Yangling suspiciously. Although his rtionship with Qi Xiuyuan was not deep, it was definitely not friendly. Every time they met, he would either mock him or treat him coldly. How could he have said such things?


    ¡°General Qi said that he doesn¡¯t like your so-called literary aura.¡± Magistrate Wu sneered and thought to himself, ¡®As expected¡¯. Mu Yangling continued, ¡°He also knows that you despise him for being a martial artist. Although your rtionship isn¡¯t harmonious, General said that he actually admires your methods and governance. At least you¡¯ve been managing Xingzhou Prefecture in an orderly manner. This is the truth.¡±


    Magistrate Wu couldn¡¯t help but nod to himself. Qi Xiuyuan had finally spoken a statement of truth.


    ¡°Although the general doesn¡¯t like you very much, I have no choice but to ask you to help defend the city because we have amon enemy outside the city.¡± Seeing that Magistrate Wu¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t so ugly anymore, Mu Yangling sighed and said, ¡°This time, the general has forced them too hard. It hasn¡¯t even been two years since we took back Hanzhong Prefecture, and the general is now attacking Jingzhao Prefecture. That¡¯s why the enemy is risking their lives to break out and attack Xingzhou Prefecture.


    Frowning, Magistrate Wu said angrily, ¡°I knew it. Qi Xiuyuan is a martial artist. He doesn¡¯t consider the consequences before he acts. Instead of sending out troops just like that, he should have discussed it with me first!¡± Mu Yangling sneered in her heart. ¡®If he¡¯d discussed it with you, could this matter have been kept a secret?¡¯ However, she said worriedly, ¡°General only hid it from you because he knew that you would definitely stop him. General said that Magistrate Wu only cares about the Imperial Court anyway. When the timees, for the sake of the people and the Emperor in the city, you won¡¯t stand by and do nothing, so¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the Hus to be so angry. They actually surrounded the city with the intention of destroying everything indiscriminately. If it were me, I would definitely resolve the crisis in Jingzhao Prefecture first.¡±


    Wu Shancai scoffed. ¡°The Hus are barbarians. If you expect the barbarians to be rational, isn¡¯t it as ridiculous as expecting the barbarians to be polite and honorable?¡±


    ¡°Therefore, we definitely can¡¯t let them enter the pass. Otherwise, with the way the Hus usually do things, they will definitely massacre the city in anger. Xingzhou Prefecture, as well as Mingshui County and Changju County below might be massacred. Sir, for the sake of the citizens of Xingzhou Prefecture, please help the General guard Xingcheng Pass no matter what.¡± Mu Yangling stared at Wu Shancai expectantly.


    Wu Shancai opened his mouth wide and asked with a trembling voice, ¡°M-Massacre the city?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded repeatedly.


    Thinking of the Jin soldiers¡¯ usual practice, Wu Shancai couldn¡¯t help but shiver. He swallowed his saliva and said with a trembling voice, ¡°B-But I don¡¯t know how to fight either?¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to fight. You just have to help with a few things¡­¡±


    Wu Jin looked at his father, then at Mu Yangling. He opened his mouth, but when he thought of the battle cries fromst night until now, he didn¡¯t say anything.


    However, he was a little unconvinced. To think his father had called him stupid for letting Qi Haoran bully him. However, he had only submitted to Qi Haoran¡¯s martial arts prowess. Meanwhile, his father could not even tell that Mu Yangling was bullsh*tting him.


    How could the usually arrogant and calm General Qi possibly admire his father¡¯s talent?


    Moreover, what talent could his father have? Wasn¡¯t it just colluding with the local squires to bully the local people? There were a few times when General Qi had a conflict with his father because of this. Mu Yangling¡¯s words were obviously fake, but his father actually believed them..

 Chapter 348 - 348: Preparation

    Chapter 348: Preparation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    What Mu Yangling asked Wu Shancai to do was very simple. First, gather all the guards of the local squires who had martial arts foundation and hand them over to her.


    Secondly, gather all the local hooligans and hand them over to her.


    Thirdly, gather enough firewood and pile them under Xingcheng Pass. Then, boil water using no less than 50 pots.


    However, such a simple matter had to be done by Wu Shancai.


    This was because the squires and local hooligans were not to be trifled with. They still needed guards to protect their lives, so they were naturally unwilling. If Mu Yangling went, she would definitely be beaten and thrown out, so Wu Shancai had to be the one to ask.


    As for the local hooligans, it was even simpler. Mu Yangling didn¡¯t even know who they were, but the bailiffs in the government office would definitely know them. Other than themoners in the city, the ones who interacted with them the most were the bailiffs.


    Although every family had firewood in the winter, they definitely did not have much stock. Therefore, they still had to find those wealthy families to fork out the bulk of the money and sponsor the big pots.


    When Wu Shancai heard this, he clutched his chest. Before he could cry out in pain, Mu Yangling said, ¡°If you do it, this city might be able to hold on until the general¡¯s reinforcements arrive. If you don¡¯t, this city definitely won¡¯tst until dawn tomorrow.¡±


    Wu Shancai could not bring himself to say that his heart hurt. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s a little difficult to ask the squires to hand over their guards.¡± Seeing Mu Yangling looking at him quietly, he changed his words. ¡°They definitely have to leave a few behind.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Try your best to get them to hand over as many guards as possible. Sir, once theye under my hands, as long as they die on the city wall, they will be considered martyrs. The General will take care of their families.¡±


    Wu Shancai did not believe it.


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Even if the General can¡¯t take care of their families, don¡¯t you still have me? Young Master Fan definitely won¡¯t ignore this either.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s business was doing well now and he had a lot of money.


    Wu Shancai sat up straight and said with a smile, ¡°With Miss Mu¡¯s promise, the people who are summoned will definitely be much more willing.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to you, Magistrate Wu.¡± Mu Yangling looked at Wu Jin and said, ¡°I¡¯ll borrow your son.¡±


    With that, Mu Yangling dragged Wu Jin out, not even giving the two of them time to say a word.


    Wu Jin looked at Mu Yangling nervously and whispered, ¡°Miss Mu, I-I don¡¯t know martial arts. My body is very weak¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded with a smile. ¡°Therefore, Young Master, you don¡¯t have to go up the city tower. However, there are still many things that I need your help with.¡±


    Wu Jin looked at Mu Yangling warily.


    ¡°Young Master, you seem to have many ssmates in the academy, right?¡± What Mu Yangling wanted Wu Jin to do was very simple. She wanted him to understand the thoughts of those students and get them to help persuade their families. Mu Yangling said, ¡°It¡¯s best to settle everything before 5:00 pm. Otherwise, there won¡¯t be enough time.¡±


    ¡°Young Master, the General is only two years older than you and Qi Haoran is four years younger than you. But they have always taken it upon themselves to reim their homnd. I haven¡¯t studied much, but I know that everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of their country!¡±


    Wu Jin¡¯s expression gradually turned serious. He straightened his back slightly and puffed out his chest. ¡°Miss Mu, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll go find my ssmates now.¡±


    Mu Yangling thanked Wu Jin gratefully.


    The guard was very worried. ¡°Miss Mu, can Young Master Wu really help?¡±


    ¡°Wu Jin is always bullied by Qi Haoran. Still, he always appears in front of him from time to time.¡±


    The guard did not know how this had anything to do with his previous question, but Mu Yangling could only ce her hopes on Qi Haoran¡¯s intuition and hope that hisments about Wu Jin were correct.


    A patriotic, cowardly, and foppish man with ideals.


    Mu Yangling sent two other people to keep an eye on Wu Shancai. ¡°Anyone in the Wu family can escape, but not him. Once you find him escaping, don¡¯t fight him head-on. Come and report it to me.¡±


    The guard agreed.


    Mu Yangling turned around to look for the steward Fan Zijin had left in Xingzhou Prefecture and asked him to find as much lime as possible. ¡°Go out and find someone to help tie up the lime with a cloth bag. One catty per bag. Don¡¯t be afraid of spending money. Hire as many people as you can.¡±


    The steward agreed and ran out to find someone to buy lime. The workshop was filled with food or cloth, so he directly set up the workce in front of the General¡¯s Mansion.


    Everyone knew that these things were used to defend the city. Without asking for a sry, they squatted in front of the General¡¯s Mansion and started working. When the rags that were brought over were not enough, someone went home to bring over some tattered clothes and cut them. The steward even brought over all the cloth in the shop, including some satin.


    Although the workers¡¯ hearts ached, they still cut the cloth, wrapped lime using it, and tied a slipknot ording to the instructions.


    Only then did Mu Yangling have the time to stuff a bun into her mouth. The guards behind her also wolfed down the food, for they had not eaten lunch.


    Seeing that it was about time, Mu Yangling brought her people to the government office. At this moment, Magistrate Wu was ring at his son in exasperation. ¡°I told you to pack your things. Why didn¡¯t you listen?¡±


    ¡°Father, you¡¯re the magistrate and the chief official. How can you run away at thest minute?¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t. Do all officials have to stay here and die with everyone else?¡± Wu Shancai snapped angrily, ¡°That boorish Qi Xiuyuan is courting death, and he¡¯s making us pay for it. This is Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s sin. What right do you have to me me?¡±


    ¡°But Father, General Qi is fighting a bloody battle outside now.¡± Wu Jin¡¯s eyes lit up as he looked at his father with hope. ¡°Father, as long as we take back the Jingzhao Prefecture, the Great Zhou will regain its glory from 20 years ago. Father, the Jingzhao Prefecture has been lost for 20 years. Don¡¯t you want to take it back? As long as we take over the Jingzhao Prefecture, the fertilend in the pass will belong to the Great Zhou again. Most importantly, if we take over the Jingzhao Prefecture, the south of the capital will be much safer.¡± Thinking of what Qi Haoran had said to him by chance, Wu Jin¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°If we take over the Jingzhao Prefecture, we¡¯ll seize Hangu Pass, San Pass, Xiao Pass, and the military officials. With these four major natural dangers under our control, it¡¯ll be difficult for the Hu people to go south again!¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t.¡± Wu Shancai reprimanded him impolitely. ¡°20 years ago, weren¡¯t these four passes in the hands of our Great Zhou? We still lost them overnight. If not for the Emperor sending Minister Qin to negotiate, there wouldn¡¯t even be a Xingzhou Prefecture left.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the soldiers guarding the city fled.¡± Wu Jin was so excited that his eyes were wet. ¡°The 200,000-strong army actually lost Hangu Pass. Father, isn¡¯t it a good thing that the General wants to take it back?¡±


    ¡°You said that the Wu pass is a dangerous pass. Do you think he can defeat more than 100,000 people with just tens of thousands of soldiers? Go back and pack your things obediently. We¡¯ll leave the city as soon as it¡¯s dark.¡±


    ¡°Father, abandoning the city and escaping is a capital offense!¡± Wu Jin stomped his feet and shouted.


    Wu Shancai sneered. ¡°This charge is nonsense. After all, I¡¯m a fourth-grade magistrate. At most, I¡¯ll lose my official position. Those people who followed the Emperor back then in abandoning the pass are all alive and well.¡± Other than the county magistrate of Mingshui County who was unlucky and was killed by Qi Xiuyuan three years ago, the others were not only alive, but also leading very cushy lives.


    However, Wu Shancai did not think that he needed topare himself to that county magistrate. After all, that magistrate was only a seventh-grade official while he was a fourth-grade official. Knowing the Emperor rarely killed officials, Wu Shancai felt very reassured in doing so. On the other hand, Wu Jin stomped his feet in frustration..

 Chapter 349 - 349: Instigation

    Chapter 349: Instigation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Wu Jin gritted his teeth, turned around, and ran out.


    Wu Shancai roared angrily, ¡°Come back here!¡±


    Father, if you want to escape, then escape. I want to stay!¡±


    As he spoke, he ran out with a wisp of smoke. After all, escaping was a confidential matter, so Wu Shancai chased everyone out. Not only was there no one tn the courtyard, but there was also no one on the road outside. By the time Wu Shan called for someone to capture Wu Jin, thetter had already run to the street.


    Wu Shancai only had one legitimate son. Although he was weak, useless, and not good at studying, he doted on him very much. Now that he saw him run out, his heart ached so much that it twitched. He could not help but wipe his tears and say, ¡°I must have done something wrong in my past life to have given birth to such an unfilial son! It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t help. Didn¡¯t I do everything Mu Yangling asked me to do?¡±


    The butler did not know what had happened and could onlyfort him. ¡°Master, I think Young Master is very filial. There might be a misunderstanding. Why don¡¯t you call him back in two days to ask?¡± Hearing this, Wu Shancai was even angrier. No one knew if he would be dead or alive in two days. Could this matter of life and death wait?


    ¡°Hurry up and get someone to capture Young Master. Hurry! Also, call Madam over.¡±


    Wu Jin ran to the government office to look for Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling was counting the number of people. The local hooligans and guards who had been dragged here stood unwillingly.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Only sons and those with aged parents to support, step forward.¡±


    The people below were a little confused, but they still stepped forward. After Mu Yangling confirmed with the bailiff, she asked them to retreat to the left and said, ¡°You can leave now.¡±


    The people below immediately stirred. Some people simply shouted, ¡°I¡¯m also an only son. I also have an elderly mother to support¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at them coldly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not asking you to risk your lives on the battlefield.¡±


    The people standing below immediately fell silent. Mu Yangling said, ¡°There are two things I want you to do by asking you to go up the city gate tower. First, it is to build up momentum and deter the Jin soldiers below. You don¡¯t have to stand on the wall and fight with others, but there are many stray arrowsnding on the city gate tower. That¡¯s why I asked for people who know martial arts. At least you can dodge the arrows faster.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at everyone one by one and said, ¡°You guys just stand behind the city guards and hand them some things, wave the g, and shout. As for you guys.¡± Mu Yangling looked at the local hooligans on the other side and said, ¡°I heard that you often throw things at people. You¡¯ve trained your arm strength well, right?¡±


    A few ruffians blushed slightly, while most of them looked at Mu Yangling with a smile. Mu Yangling said, ¡°When the timees, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to throw the lime packets as far as you can. You don¡¯t have to stand at the edge of the city tower. You can also stand behind the soldiers guarding the city. If you¡¯re identally shot by a stray arrow, I¡¯ll take care of your families.¡± A bailiff handed a booklet to Mu Yangling. Mu Yangling opened it and started to read the names. In the end, she promised, ¡°If you seed in defending the city, all of you will be hailed heroes. Failing to do so, the people on the city tower and in the city, including me and you, will be dead. In that case, why don¡¯t we fight them with all we have before we die? Are we Han Chinese really as sick cats as the Hus like to say? Or are we just tyrants at home but meek kittens in public?¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s sharp eyes looked at them. The people below were furious from her gaze and red at her angrily. One of the guards clenched his fists and shouted, ¡°Kill them! Let them see if we Han Chinese are at their mercy!¡± ¡°Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!¡±


    None of the local ruffians were honest folks who were willing to be insulted. All of them stared at Mu Yangling with reddened eyes. Even the guards who were originally hesitating also had their fighting spirits ignited by the ruffians beside them.


    The moment Wu Jin arrived, he saw hundreds of people in the field shouting


    Kill them!¡± so loudly that their cries resounded through the clouds. So emotional that his eyes turned red, he rushed over and waved his arm as he shouted alongside the crowd, ¡°Kill them!¡±


    When Mu Yangling saw this, the corners of her eyes couldn¡¯t help but twitch After instructing someone to prepare food for them, she went down to pick Wu Jin up and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I came to see what else I can do to help. Tell me.¡±


    Mu Yangling pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Go to Xingcheng Pass and help me keep an eye on those people who are put in charge of boiling water. Make sure they boil the water. Once it¡¯s dark, I¡¯ll use it immediately.¡±


    Considering those pots were enormous, they would take at least two hours to boil.


    Upon receiving his instructions, Wu Jin immediately ran to Xingcheng Pass happily and even called his ssmates over. He put it nicely, ¡°We¡¯ll share weal and woe together!¡±


    Mu Yangling brought her men up the city tower. Only then did Mu Shi know that his daughter had arrived. He had not slept for a day and a night, and his eyes were red from staying up all night. Now that the Jin soldiers had just finished a round of attacks, the soldiers on the city tower were resting. The injured were carried down or into the building to be treated and bandaged. Mu Shi was checking on the injured one by one, asionally encouraging the soldiers to persevere. When he looked up, he saw his daughtering up with her men.


    Mu Shi was stunned for a moment before flying into a rage. How could shee to this ce at a time like this?


    However, Mu Yangling grinned and bowed to her father. She waved her hand and got someone to bring the guards and ruffians to make arrangements while she went forward to support Mu Shi.


    ¡°Father, are you injured?¡±


    How could he not be injured? However, Mu Shi did not say anything. He only moved his daughter to the side and roared in a low voice, ¡°Who asked you toe?¡±


    Father, it¡¯s toote to talk about this now. Let¡¯s discuss how to defend the city.¡± Mu Yanglingined, ¡°Why did the general only leave you with 2 000 soldiers?¡±


    Mu Shi red at his daughter, but he still exined, ¡°It¡¯s not the general¡¯s fault, because from the beginning, he estimated that only about 3,000 troops could break through here. Last night, there were indeed not many of them at the beginning, butter on, another group of people came, which increased the number to about 6,000.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that there were only 5,000 people?¡± Mu Yangling lowered her voice and asked.


    1 reported a smaller number so that everyone wouldn¡¯t feel demoralized. Initially, I wanted to say that there were only 4,000 of them, but my subordinates felt that it wasn¡¯t convincing judging from the situation, so they announced 5,000.¡± Mu Shi looked at his daughter expectantly. ¡°Daughter, do you have any ideas?¡±


    Mu Yangling did not answer this question. Instead, she asked, ¡°Father, how long do you think the fight in Jingzhao Prefecture willst?¡±


    ¡°The pass of the Jingzhao Prefecture is not weaker than Xingcheng Pass. If we can¡¯t defend it, we can only ask for help. This is our main camp. We mustn¡¯t let the Jin soldiers enter the city. Otherwise, the people south of Xingzhou Prefecture will suffer.¡±


    Mu Shi was clearly afraid that the Hus would massacre the city once they sessfully attacked Xingcheng Pass.


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Once our soldiers in the city fall below 5,000, send a signal for help.¡±


    Mu Shi looked at his daughter eagerly. Mu Yangling said in a low voice, ¡°Father, I don¡¯t have a way to retreat. We can only try our best to stall for time. If Qj Haoran is around, I can still get him to kill the enemy leader.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t the others?¡± Mu Shi frowned.


    ¡°No. The others don¡¯t have Qi Haoran¡¯s martial arts skills and can¡¯t hide themselves as well as he can. If they go, they¡¯ll just be courting death for nothing.¡±


    Mu Shi said regretfully, ¡°The other party is very cunning. He has always been outside the range of the bow and arrow. Otherwise, with your archery skills, you would definitely be able to kill him..¡±

 Chapter 350 - 350: Defending the City (1)

    Chapter 350: Defending the City (1)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    At 4 p.m, when the Jin soldiers began a new round of siege, the soldiers on the city wall used bows and catapults to block as much as possible. Mu Yangling stood on the city wall and gestured for the people behind to open the lime packets and throw them out.


    Although those hooligans often fought to extort people, they had never killed anyone. As soon as they came up, they saw arrows flying all over the ce.


    They even saw a soldier get pierced by arrows and falling at their feet right in front of them, his eyes still wide open. Because the wound of the arrow was small, although it had injured the soldier¡¯s vital points, he did not die immediately. He even struggled to stand up to reach the bow and arrow beside him, but blood kept gushing out of his chest and mouth before he fell to the ground¡­


    The military doctor behind carried the person down, but they knew that they could not save him. How could he still be alive after being shot through the heart?


    The hooligans and guards¡¯ enthusiasm was doused. Mu Yangling roared, ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and attack! Are you waiting for them to kill their way up the city wall?¡±


    One of those people came back to his senses and hurriedly bent down to grab a lime packet before throwing it out. Mu Yangling widened her eyes and red at him. ¡°Open the slipknot, open the slipknot. It¡¯s not enough to just grab a packet and throw it out!¡±


    Those people opened the slipknots with trembling hands and threw them out. The lime packets drew a beautiful parab in the air and scattered in all directions. As the lime fell into their eyes, the Jin soldiers couldn¡¯t help but cry out. Since they were already within range and couldn¡¯t see, they could only cover their heads and rush forward to open a path for theirpanions or


    retreat¡­


    Tudan snapped the arrow in his hand in anger and said hatefully, ¡°The cunning and weak Han people actually thought of such a sinister method. Last night, they only threw lime at the warriors on the scalingdder. Now, they actually threw lime down¡­¡±


    ¡°General, tell everyone to lower their heads and don¡¯t look up as they charge forward. Same for the soldiers on the scalingdder. Order them to lower their heads as much as possible¡­¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t. How are they going to shoot arrows if they lower our heads? How are they going to attack the city gate tower if they lower their heads?¡± Tudan shouted angrily, but he had no better way. Looking at the soldiers being sent back continuously, he could only order everyone to lower their heads as they charge forward. This way, there would be fewer arrows shot at the city gate tower.


    One had to know that it was not enough to wash away the lime in their eyes. Even if they used medicine, the affected soldier would not be able to go into battle in a short period of time. Furthermore, they did not have medicines on them. Who would have thought that the damned Han Chinese would be so shameless?


    Mu Yangling also pulled a bow. Every time, she would fire three arrows at the same time. She would stand in front of the guards and hooligans and shoot. When those people saw that Mu Yangling, who was just a youngdy, was so brave in killing the enemy and that the soldiers on the city wall were either injured or dead, they would not retreat unless they were seriously injured. For a moment, they felt ashamed¡­


    A guard picked up the bow and arrow that had fallen to the ground and shot out an arrow first. With the first arrow, there would be a second¡­


    The hooligans gritted their teeth and kept throwing the lime packets out. As the situation got some relief, the battalionmander following Mu Shi heaved a sigh of relief and said in a low voice, ¡°Battalion Commander Mu, your daughter¡¯s idea is good. Everyone should be able to rest tonight.¡± ¡ö¡öBut tomorrow¡¯s attack will probably be even more intense.¡± Mu Shi said, ¡°Go and order them to bury the pot and make rice now. Go to the city and find a butcher for me. Add as much meat as you can. Start preparing tomorrow morning¡¯s meat buns now.¡±


    The battalionmander also knew that since the Jin soldiers couldn¡¯t take down the city today. Having suffered such a loss in silence, they would definitely go crazy tomorrow. Therefore, he really didn¡¯t know if everyone could survive tomorrow.


    Since that was the case, there was no need to save. He turned around and asked the logistics team to take the money to buy meat, so that everyone could have a good meal tonight.


    Not only were there soldiers on the city gate tower, but there were alsomoners who came to help. The injured soldiers were carried down by themoners. There were also bows, arrows, stones, and other things that needed their help to transport up the city gate tower.


    As the base camp of the West Camp was here, there were enough supplies even though there wasn¡¯t much of anything else here. Therefore, Mu Shi waved his hand and ordered his men to prepare food for all the people who came to help. Yes, the ones who cooked were also themoners, because the soldiers in charge of cooking had also gone up the city gate tower.


    Only then did Mu Shi see that there were more than 30rge pots boiling water in the two rows below. That kind ofrge pot could boil 20 to 30 barrels of water. Mu Shi had never seen such a pot, but he had heard that somerge ns would use such pots when they gathered for dinner during the New Year. Also, some rich families would serve porridge to the less fortunate using such pots.


    At the side, manymoners carried outrge pots that they used to boil water at home and busied themselves at the side. Those pots could only hold two to three buckets of water. These pots were what they used at home to boil water for a bath.


    Mu Shi pointed at them in surprise and asked, ¡°What are they doing?¡± He didn¡¯t remember moving the kitchen here. Most importantly, there was no need to boil so much water to cook, right?


    The guard said, ¡°Miss ordered us to do this. I don¡¯t understand either. When Mu Shi heard that it was his daughter who ordered it, his frown gradually rxed. Other than being a little rash sometimes, his daughter rarely caused trouble.


    Mu Shi looked up and saw Wu Jin entangled with the servants at home. He roared, ¡°Go back and tell my father that if I¡¯m not going back. If hees looking for me again, I-I¡¯ll shout.¡±


    The servant did not understand Young Master¡¯s words, but seeing his blood-red eyes, he did not dare to forcefully drag him back. He could only panic. ¡°Young Master, please take pity on us ande back with us.¡± Mu Shi came over with a dark expression and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± When the servant saw Mu Shi, he immediately trembled and hurriedly lowered his head before standing to the side. However, Wu Jin seemed to have seen his savior and quickly hid behind Mu Shi. He said, ¡°Battalion Commander Mu, Miss Mu asked me to help. It¡¯s just that my father is worried about me, so he wants to drag me back home.¡±


    Mu Shi nodded slightly and said to the servant, ¡°Go back and tell your master that Young Master Wu is a good person. Since he has the intention, let him stay. As long as the city¡¯s defenses hold up, he will be fine.¡±


    The servant could only go back with a long face.


    Wu Jin became happy. ¡°Battalion Commander Mu, what do you think I can do?¡± How could Mu Shi know what he could do? He said, ¡°Do whatever Ah Ling wants you to do.¡±


    ¡°Miss Mu only asked me to be in charge of these people who boil water, but there¡¯s no need for that at all. I just have to arrange it. Look, now that I¡¯m free, what can I do? Just instruct me.¡±


    Mu Shi thought for a moment and said, ¡°Then help me get more people to carry the bows, swords, and spears in the storeroom up the city tower. Leave them in the building on the left. We¡¯ll use them tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only using them tomorrow? Does that mean the other party won¡¯t attack tonight?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Mu Shi said vaguely and turned to go to the kitchen.


    Since the attack on the city gate tower had already stopped, everyone sat on the ground to rest. Mu Yangling checked everyone¡¯s wounds and counted the number of people.


    She also knew that everyone would probably be able to rest tonight, but they had to be on guard against the other party¡¯s surprise attack. Moreover, she was afraid that no one would be able to rest tomorrow and had to be on the city wall at all times.


    After the food was ready, everyone took turns eating. Mu Yangling and the rest were thest batch to eat. Mu Shi scooped a big bowl for his daughter and sighed. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t havee. I wonder how your mother and the others are doing now.¡±


    ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry. Song Zhi is a man of his word. As long as his family is safe, our family will be safe.¡± Mu Yangling ate.


    Looking at Mu Yangling¡¯s bowl and then at his own, Wu Jin was slightly speechless.


    Mu Shi looked at his daughter and pondered. Mu Yangling looked up and asked, ¡°Father, why are you looking at me?¡±


    ¡°Ah Ling, if I lure the enemy leader out, how confident are you in killing him?

 Chapter 351 - 351: Defending the City (2)

    Chapter 351: Defending the City (2)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Father, no leader would be stupid enough to expose himself to the range of arrows.¡±


    ¡°The general has a four-picul? bow with a much longer range than what we¡¯re using now¡­¡±


    ¡°Father.¡± Mu Yangling interrupted him and said seriously, ¡°Even if you use yourself as bait, the other party will definitely not stand within 600 meters. Even if I pull the bow to its greatest extent, the range will only be about 400 meters. In the end, you¡¯ll die in vain.¡±


    Mu Shi¡¯s face darkened slightly. He also knew this logic, but he couldn¡¯t help but think that if they could shoot to death the other party¡¯s leader, the siege might be resolved.


    Wu Jin blinked and asked, ¡°Does that mean that the heavier the bow, the longer the range?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°But ordinary bows weigh only 2.5 piculs each. The four-picul one in General¡¯s hand is already very rare.¡±


    Wu Jin asked excitedly, ¡°Then how heavy a bow can you draw?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m much stronger than ordinary people.¡± Mu Yangling pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Eight piculs shouldn¡¯t be a problem. And if I have an eight-picul bow, my father doesn¡¯t need to do much luring. I should be able to shoot out a range of 700 meters.¡±


    Wu Jin was a little disappointed. ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re unable to draw a ten-picul bow? Even if we attempt to make one now, we won¡¯t be able to make an eight-picul bow in time.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes narrowed as she asked, ¡°You have a ten-picul bow?¡±


    ¡°Not me, but one of my ssmates. His grandfather specially asked someone to make a ten-picul bow 20 years ago and kept it at home.¡±


    Mu Yangling became slightly excited. ¡°Go and get it. I¡¯ll give it a try. Maybe I can pull it open.¡±


    There was also some hope in Mu Shi¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°That bow is in my ssmate¡¯s hometown in Changju County. It¡¯s already dark¡­¡± Wu Jin hesitated.


    ¡°You have to go even if it¡¯s dark. Go and invite him over now. I¡¯ll give you a warrant. With the warrant, you can order the guards to open the side door and enter the city. It¡¯s best if you can get the bow back before dawn. By the way, I¡¯ll assign ten more guards to you.¡±


    Mu Yangling stuffed two buns into his hands and let him set off. ¡°It¡¯s cold on the way. Bring some charcoal. You can change horses when you pass by Mingshui County.¡±


    Wu Jin could only look for his ssmates with the two buns.


    His ssmate¡¯s surname was Xu, and his name was Shoutu. In fact, he had a different name at first. When he was born, his grandfather gave him a pleasant name, Xu Jun. However, 20 years ago, when the Imperial Court fled south, in a fit of anger, his grandfather changed his name to Xu Shoutu when he was only three years old.


    As for that ten-picul bow, it was made for Li Zhengye, the guardian of the pass at that time. It was to mock him for turning around and fleeing without firing a single arrow. At that time, when he was making the bow, his family only thought that he had made it for them to admire. Who knew that after spending two years building it, he intended to send it to Li Zhengye in Lin¡¯an Prefecture?


    Since everyone was scolding Li Zhengye at the time, everyone would know the meaning behind him sending this ten-picul bow over.


    Even though the Xu family was rich, they were only considered famous in a small ce like Changju County. Even in Xingzhou Prefecture, no one gave him any face, let alone the marshal of the army at that time, Li Zhengye.


    An influential man like Li Zhengye could easily crush them with a flick of his fingers. So, the entire Xu family knelt on the ground. His son even stuffed the five-year-old Xu Shoutu into his grandfather¡¯s arms and shouted, ¡°Father, if you want to scold Li Zhengye, it¡¯s fine even if you scold him on the streets. If you send this thing over, your grandson will be gone before he has the chance to guard the Great Zhou Dynasty!¡±


    Therefore, Xu Shi could only hang the bow high in the central room so that every descendant could see it when they entered and left the house, to remind them of this humiliation to their country.


    Wu Jin and Xu Shoutu were pals, so he had told him about this matter as a joke. However, Wu Jin felt that Grandpa Xu was an interesting person and remembered this matter.


    Wu Jin ran into the academy and pulled out Xu Shoutu, who had just packed his luggage and was nning to go home the next day. They set off for Changju County that night.


    On the other hand, Mu Yangling instructed someone to carry the boiling water up the city tower and get someone to water it along the city wall. Soon, the boiling water was used up.


    Mu Yangling instructed her men to continue boiling water, but this time, there was no need to boil itpletely. It only needed to be scalding hot. She even gathered all the water wheels in the city.


    These water wheels were used by the government office to sprinkle water on the streets. There were only ten of them. Mu Yangling got someone to organize two teams of suicide squads and said, ¡°Open the small doorter. We¡¯ll go out to sprinkle water, starting from the outside to the inside. Keep themotion down. It¡¯s alreadypletely dark now. The Jin soldiers¡¯ camp is 15 miles away from here, and their scouts won¡¯t be very close to here, so they¡¯re not likely to discover it. Of course, it¡¯s still very dangerous. Once the other party attacks at night, we might not be able to make it back.¡±


    Put in charge of guarding the city, it was impossible for Mu Shi to open the door for them.


    In order to stabilize the morale of the army, Mu Yangling would go with them.


    Mu Shi¡¯s expression was a little ugly as he asked, ¡°Ah Ling, why did you sprinkle hot water?¡±


    ¡°Father, do you remember that the river was covered in thick ice during one particrly cold winter? Cousin Lang dug up a very beautiful ice pir by the river, and there was a flower inside. The flower must have fallen into the river before the water froze. In the end, because the temperature suddenly dropped, the ice on the river became very thick, freezing the flower inside.¡±


    As the river water was clear, the flower could very obviously be seen. Of course, Mu Shi remembered it. At that time, Bowen liked it very much and even asked for it. However, Liu Lang also liked it very much. The children in the vige even fought over this ice flower.


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°¡­Then that night, I filled a cup with hot water and ced it outside. I even threw a flower inside. The next day, when I woke up, it froze into an ice flower. That year, it was especially cold¡­ Yesterday was colder than the day before, and today is colder than yesterday. I¡¯m guessing the cold wave has arrived. Therefore, the temperature should be even lower this morning. If the hot water is sshed on the ground, it will freeze. If the ground within 600 meters of the city wall freezes, how long of a dy do you think it can earn us?¡±


    Mu Shi¡¯s eyes lit up.


    Mu Yangling sighed. If not for the fact that there was no other way, she wouldn¡¯t have spent so much time and effort doing this. It was too tiring.


    At night, Mu Yangling waited till almost everyone in the tents was asleep, and there was no movement from the Jin soldiers¡¯ camp. Only then did she get her men to quietly open the small door and push the carts and waterwheels.


    They could retreat as soon as the sluice of the water wheels was opened, for the water would automatically spill on the ground. A handcart could carry eight buckets of hot water. When they reached the 600-meters spot, two people would pull the cart, and one person on each side would ssh the water on the ground.


    Mu Yangling stood behind them and checked, trying her best not to miss anything.


    It was obvious that this was the first time everyone was in such an unprotected state, so they were very afraid. At first, they were anxious and trembling, but when they saw that no enemy troops wereing, they eased up and gradually moved faster.


    Because their lives were in danger, they moved very quickly. After three trips, they finished watering the ground within 600 meters of the city wall.


    Mu Yangling ordered everyone to retreat.


    The scouts of the Jin soldiers had been hiding in the mountains at the side, paying attention to the movements at Xingcheng Pass. However, the people who came out did not use lights. It was pitch-ck and they were far away, so they did not notice. Coupled with the fact that it was cold at night, everyone was a little dazed.


    Mu Yangling entered the house with a cold aura and drank a bowl of hot ginger tea before taking off her cold and wet clothes. She pulled the nket over her andy on the couch to sleep. Since tomorrow was going to be a tough battle, she had to rest well.


    At this moment, Wu Jin and Xu Shoutu were escorted back to the Xu family by ten guards who were also freezing from the cold. The 12 of them were emitting cold air and were alreadypletely dazed.


    Wu Jin and Xu Shoutu sat in the carriage holding the heater. Even with the nket draped over them, they were frozen silly. One could imagine how miserable the guards riding horses were. However, it wasn¡¯t like they had never marched on such a cold day in the past, so they looked much better than the two young masters.

 Chapter 352 - 352: Defending the City (3)

    Chapter 352 - 352: Defending the City (3)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The Xu family had long fallen asleep. When they heard the knock on the door, a servant picked up a stick asked loudly behind the door, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    So cold that he couldn¡¯t speak properly, Xu Shoutu shouted while trembling,


    ¡°I¡¯m your young master! Open the door for me quickly!


    The servant opened the door a crack and saw his young master covered in a nket. He eximed and hurriedly opened the door. ¡°Young Master, why did youe back overnight?¡±


    Everyone in the Xu family immediately moved and pulled him in. They quickly fetched him a heater, hot water, and soup. Even the guards were arranged to rest on the other side.


    Xu Shi also put on his clothes and got up. When he saw his eldest grandson rush back overnight, he asked with a frown, ¡°Has Xingzhou Prefecture fallen?¡±


    Xu Shoutu shook his head. His mouth kept trembling and he could not speak at all. Although they had been sitting in the carriage with a heater and a nket draped over them, the wind seemed to be everywhere, causing their bones to hurt.


    Xu Shi red and said, ¡°If not, why did you flee? Will it kill you to make the trip back after the sun rises? In such weather, even a bear can freeze to death. Wait a minute, how did you enter and leave the city at such an hour?


    Xu Shoutu¡¯s parents had also run over. They had long noticed Wu Jin at the side. Since Xu Shoutu couldn¡¯t speak, they looked at Wu Jin, indicating for him to exin.


    Wu Jin was in an even worse state than Xu Shoutu. In fact, he had to be carried out of the carriage by the guards. He had never suffered like this in his life, but he had a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, so he asked with a trembling voice, ¡°Old Master Xu, Shoutu said that you have a ten-picul bow?¡±


    Xu Shi nodded with a frown.


    Wu Jin¡¯s eyes lit up, and he asked expectantly, ¡°I wonder if the bow is still there?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hanging in the central room.¡± Xu Shi said impatiently, ¡°Young man, what does this have to do with you escaping backte at night?


    ¡°Grandpa, we didn¡¯t escape.¡±


    ¡°Old Sir, please save the citizens of Xingzhou Prefecture!


    Their voices sounded at the same time, but Xu Shoutu¡¯s voice was displeased


    while Wu Jin¡¯s voice was loud and sonorous.


    Xu Shi looked at the two of them like a lunatic and said seriously, ¡°I really want


    to save them, but I¡¯m too weak to even truss a chicken¡­¡±


    ¡°As long as you contribute that bow¡­¡±


    Xu Shi stared at Wu Jin and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that there¡¯s someone in


    Xingzhou Prefecture who can draw a ten-picul bow.¡±


    Since ancient times, only the famous general of the Sui Dynasty, Chang Sunsheng, could draw a ten-picul bow. General Yuan was considered powerful, but even he could only draw an eight-picul bow. Moreover, he could only pull


    it but not nock an arrow.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we have to give it a try.¡± Wu Jin looked at Xu Shi eagerly and said, ¡°Old Sir, if Miss Mu can draw a ten-picul bow, then Xingzhou Prefecture will be saved.¡±


    ¡°Miss?¡± The excited expression on Xu Shi¡¯s face disappeared. He asked disappointedly, ¡°It¡¯s a girl?¡±


    ¡°Old Sir, don¡¯t belittle her just because she¡¯s a girl. She¡¯s very strong. She can carry two wild boars without panting.


    Xu Shi doubted this, but he did not argue with them. He only turned around and asked someone to retrieve the bow from the central room.


    The butler asked carefully, ¡°Master, should we take out the arrow?¡±


    ¡°Arrow?¡±


    ¡°Master, have you forgotten? That master who gave you the bow also gave you a box of arrows back then to pair with that bow. That box of arrows has been


    left in the storeroom.¡±


    The corners of Xu Shi¡¯s mouth twitched. He waved his hand and said, Bring it over. Take it with you.¡± Considering it had been 18 years, who knew if it could still be used? Xu Shi did not have much confidence in that archer to begin with, so he was no longer anxious.


    The arrows were found. When he opened the box, he saw that the arrowhead was still shiny.


    Xu Shi got someone to rece the horse and add two nkets to the carriage. He got someone to carry Wu Jin into the carriage before climbing in himself. Stunned, the butler immediately wailed in his heart that his Old Master was being silly again. Just as this thought shed across his mind, the butler also wailed and hugged Xu Shi¡¯s leg. ¡°Old Master, you can¡¯t go. You¡¯ll freeze to death in such cold weather.¡±


    Xu Shi kicked him gently and scolded angrily, ¡°Get lost. The soldiers at the front line are still fighting. If they don¡¯t find it cold, why should I be afraid of the cold? Go and call those guards out. We¡¯ll set off now.¡±


    With the butler¡¯s wail, the entire Xu family fell into chaos.


    At this moment, the Jin soldiers¡¯ camp was also in chaos. The soldiers with injured eyes were still in pain after washing up. When they opened their eyes, they could only vaguely see a short distance ahead. There were too many injured people, causing theirbat strength to decrease greatly.


    The Jingzhao Prefecture also sent an order, ordering Tudan to force the people of Xingcheng Pass to send a distress message tomorrow no matter what. The damned Han people had actually attacked the Wu pass and were now surrounding the city of Jingzhao Prefecture, but their reinforcements had yet to arrive.


    Tudan gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Let everyone rest well. We¡¯ll go into battle tomorrow. No matter what, we have to attack the city tower. Even if we can¡¯t take down Xingzhou Prefecture, we have to force them to send out a distress signal.¡±


    Mu Yangling slept soundly. When she woke up, she washed up happily and tied up her hair. Wearing light clothes, she went out and sat cross-legged on the ground with the soldiers to eat meat buns.


    One of the veterans said happily, ¡°This is the best meat bun I¡¯ve ever eaten.¡± Apanymander beside him said with a smile, ¡°If we win this battle, I¡¯ll treat you to meat buns for a monthter.¡±


    ¡°Sir, you said it yourself.¡±


    After Mu Yangling finished eating the buns, she pped her hands and went up the city tower. Mu Shi was already standing there and talking to his subordinates. When he saw his daughtering over, Mu Shi waved his hand. ¡°Ah Ling,e and take a look. The water you sshed outst night has all frozen.¡±


    Mu Yangling walked over and reached out to touch the city wall. It was cold and slippery. Upon exerting a little force, her hand was covered in ice shards.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be easy for them to set up theirdder. When our men pull it down, thisdder will be easily overturned and we can also topple the otherdders.¡±


    Mu Shi ordered, ¡°Find someone bold and strong. When the timees, have him squat there and wait for the enemy to climb halfway before toppling thedder.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the scout came to report, ¡°Battalion Commander Mu, the Jin soldiers are already ten miles away.¡±


    ¡°Get our men to start preparing.¡± Mu Shi turned to ask his daughter, ¡°Is Wu Jin not back yet?¡±


    ¡°No, but I think it¡¯s about time.¡±


    Wu Jin was probably caught by his family as soon as he entered the city gate. That guard with him had been running for the entire day and had been freezing from the cold the entire night. As such, he was no match for the magistrate s servants who had the advantage in numbers. He only resisted for a while before being caught as well.


    Xu Shi was also dragged back to the magistrate¡¯s ce with the duo.


    Wu Shancai had already sent his first wife, grandson, and daughter-inw away yesterday. He had also given some property to his concubine¡¯s son and asked him to take his mother to escape via another path. He had no choice. Considering how cruel the Hus were, it was better for his family to split up and walk separately.


    Originally, he had nned to escape with his family, but since his eldest son refused to leave, he could only stay for another night. No matter what, he had to forcefully take him with him..

 Chapter 353 - 353: Defending the City (4)

    Chapter 353 - 353: Defending the City (4)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Tudan watched with a livid expression as their soldiers fell to the ground, including the soldiers behind them. As arrows rained down from the city gate tower, he asked with clenched fists, ¡°What¡¯s on the ground?¡±


    A soldier in front ran back with a dirty face and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s ice, General. There¡¯s ice on the ground. It¡¯s slippery.¡±


    ¡°Why is there ice on the ground? It didn¡¯t snowst night¡­¡± Obviously, this was the work of the Han people.


    ¡°General, look at their gate tower.¡±


    Tudan looked up and narrowed his eyes for a long time. Only then did he realize that the city tower was shining slightly under the sunlight.


    ¡°Their city gate tower is also frozen. I¡¯m afraid thedders don¡¯t have anding point.¡± &


    The city wall was originally made of stone. As long as thedder was ced in the right ce, it would be very easy to stabilize it. Even if the people on the city wall pushed thedder, it would only shake a few times before it would stabilize again. That was, unless the other party straightened up and risked their lives to topple thedder.


    ¡°Archers, get ready. Advance in groups and arrange yourselves in ten rows. Block our men with shields in front. Suppress the people on the city gate tower and let the people carrying thedders go up.¡± Tudan gritted his teeth and ordered.


    This was risking their lives to attack the city. However, with Jingzhao Prefecture in danger of falling, he could no longer care so much.


    On the city gate tower, Mu Shi was also giving orders. ¡°Archers, get ready. Suppress their advancement and prepare the catapults as well. As soon as they enter the range, throw rocks down with all your might¡­¡±


    Everyone knew that this was a life-and-death battle. If they won, they might be able to take down Jingzhao Prefecture. If they lost, the hundreds of thousands of citizens behind them might fall into a disaster.


    By noon, they had already blocked the Jin soldiers¡¯ attacks twice. Seeing that Wu Jin had yet to return, Mu Yangling gritted her teeth in anger. ¡°Why aren¡¯t they here yet?¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, three guards ran over with a bow and a box of arrows, followed by an old man.


    ¡°Miss, the bow and arrows are here.¡±


    Mu Yangling took the bow and didn¡¯t have time to ask them for details After pulling the bowstring and feeling the tension, her eyes lit up and she said to her father, ¡°Father, give the order.¡±


    Mu Shi nodded and got someone to signal for a truce before standing at the side of the city tower.


    Mu Yangling entered the house and held the bow tightly before slowly pulling the bowstring. When Xu Shi entered, he saw her draw the bow in a semicircle His eyes widened, surprised that there really existed someone in this world who could draw a ten-picul bow.


    The guard was also very excited and hurriedly opened the box. ¡°Miss, these are the arrows to go with the bow.¡±


    Xu Shi hurriedly said, ¡°These arrows were made 18 years ago. I wonder if they can still be used.¡±


    Mu Yangling took an arrow and tried folding it. She realized that it was iparably hard. As she pinched the arrowhead, she nodded in satisfaction -Not bad. The wood is top-notch, and the arrowhead is well polished.¡± Xu Shi heaved a sigh of relief. Mu Yangling sat on the chair and adjusted her breathing. She looked at Xu Shi with a smile. ¡°This must be Old Master Xu right?¡± ¡¯


    Xu Shi hurriedly nodded. ¡°Indeed I am. Miss, you can actually draw a ten-picul bow. That¡¯s truly amazing.¡±


    ¡öTm just stronger than most.¡± Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Master Xu, it¡¯s dangerous here. You should wait in the city.¡±


    -No, no, I¡¯ll just watch from here. Miss, just go ahead and do whatever you need to do. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    Seeing that he was stubborn, Mu Yangling did not persuade him further. Instead, she shifted her gaze outside. At this moment, Mu Shi had already spoken to the other party.


    When Mu Shi called for someone to signal the halt g, the Jin soldiers¡¯ attack had just weakened a little. Because the ice on the ground was too slippery many of the enemy soldiers were injured from the fall. Furthermore, the ¡¯ powerful arrow attack had also destroyed their formation.


    Tudan also wanted to know what he had to say, so he rode forward. The deputy general hurriedly stopped him. ¡°General, you can¡¯t get too close. Be careful of their archers.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, unless it¡¯s an enormous crossbow, no arrow can shoot so far.¡± Tudan rode forward.


    The deputy general thought about it and agreed. Considering the size of an enormous crossbow, as long as it was ced on the city gate tower, they would be able to see them.


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Tudan shouted.


    Mu Shi looked at Tudan gloomily for a while. From the corner of his eye he saw that his daughter had already stood behind the scarecrow in the left corner of the city tower. He said, ¡°I propose we temporarily stop fighting at noon today so that everyone can have a full meal. How about that?¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to be funny?!¡± Tudan roared.


    ¡°No.¡± Mu Shi also said loudly, ¡°You and I both know that either you or I will die in this battle. Perhaps we will all die in the end. We Han people have a saying that even if we have to die, we have to die with a full belly. Therefore, let¡¯s temporarily stop fighting and eat a good meal before resuming our battle How about that?¡±


    Tudan was so angry that his face turned green. ¡°You¡¯re stalling for time!¡± This was the first time he had seen someone ask for a truce in the middle of a war.


    Mu Shi was also very helpless, because after thinking for a long time, he could only think of this reason to call Tudan out.


    Therefore, facing Tudan¡¯s usation, Mu Shi said helplessly, ¡°What can we do? Why don¡¯t you retreat directly? Then I won¡¯t make such a request.¡±


    Tudan¡¯s deputy general felt that something was wrong. Just as he shouted


    ¡°Something¡¯s not right.¡± Tudan had already roared angrily, ¡°Bullsh*t!¡±


    Just then, an arrow shot out from the northwest corner of the city tower When the deputy general saw the arrow, he only had time to shout, ¡°General!¡± s, the arrow had already pierced through Tudan¡¯s be and shot into the chest of the guard behind him.


    Mu Shi ordered at the same time, ¡°Shoot!¡±


    Arrows rained down from the city gate tower. The deputy general could only hold back Tudan¡¯s corpse and shouted, ¡°Retreat! Retreat quickly!¡±


    Mu Yangling felt her hands go numb. She leaned against the wall behind her and rested for a while.


    The corners of Xu Shi¡¯s mouth trembled as he muttered, ¡°She hit the target She really did it.¡±


    Mu Shi had already ordered all the cavalrymen to prepare and chase after them. He only had time to push the straw away and grab his daughter¡¯s shoulder ¡°You guard the city. I¡¯ll chase after them.¡±


    Father, don¡¯t chase after a desperate enemy.¡±


    ¡°I know. I will take a detour to Hanzhong Prefecture and try my best to chase them to the easternmost line. We can¡¯t let them pass through Hanzhong Prefecture.¡± ¡¯


    That¡¯s right. If they left in defeat and there was no one guarding Hanzhong Prefecture, they would definitely ughter everyone in the city. Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Father, bring more gs and have each man carry a branch to confuse the enemy.¡±


    Mu Shi nodded and rushed down the city tower. He got someone to open the city gate and rushed out with his men.


    The retreating Jin soldiers panicked because of the death of theirmander When they heard the sound of horses¡¯ hooves, everyone fled in all directions.


    Someone tried to persuade the deputy general to organize their men to kill their way back, but the deputy general shouted, ¡°We¡¯ve been tricked. We¡¯ve been tricked. There are more than 2,000 people on the city wall!¡±


    The deputy general shouted, ¡°There are 2,000 people in front. Why didn¡¯t their numbers decrease after we¡¯ve been fighting for an entire day? Instead, their numbers increased yesterday afternoon. Their reinforcements have long arrived. What were the scouts doing? Why weren¡¯t we informed that the enemy sprinkled waterst night?¡±


    Then, General, what do you think we should do?¡±


    ¡°Retreat. We can¡¯t force them to send out a distress signal anymore. Since they already have reinforcements, the people attacking Jingzhao Prefecture won¡¯t return. We¡¯re just wasting time here. Let¡¯s go back and attack the Han soldiers surrounding the city from behind. Perhaps this way, we can contribute to guarding the Jingzhao Prefecture..¡±

 Chapter 354 - 354: Scaring Himself

    Chapter 354: Scaring Himself


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave from Hanzhong Prefecture.¡± The deputy general¡¯s eyes were filled with hatred. ¡°We¡¯ll kill our way over and let the Han people remember that we, the Jurchens, are not so easy to bully.¡±


    However, someone said hesitantly, ¡°Sir, there are pursuers behind us. If all of this is a scheme by the Han Chinese, will there be soldiers lying in ambush in Hanzhong Prefecture?¡±


    The deputy general¡¯s expression changed. He thought about how the Jingzhao Prefecture had suddenly been surrounded and how they had encountered a fierce attack. The reinforcements had not arrived for a long time. Even the messengers who had gone out to deliver the message had not returned. They had no choice but to break out of the siege and use the method of besieging Wei to save Zhao? to force Qi Xiuyuan to return to reinforce them¡­


    The deputy general was bewildered. Why did they break out so easily? It was obvious that Qi Xiuyuan let them out on purpose to reduce their pressure. 5,000 people were indeed not worth mentioning in front of tens of thousands of troops, but what if these 5,000 people were all elite soldiers?


    Those who could break out of the encirclement with the general were all brave Jurchen warriors. One of them could fight against three people alone, and if these 5,000 elite soldiers were all used to defend the city, they could block about 20,000 people.


    The deputy general¡¯s expression changed drastically. He muttered, ¡°We¡¯ve been tricked. This is all a scheme by the Han people. There must be more than 2,000 people on the city tower. They hid their troops. There might be someone lying in ambush in Hanzhong Prefecture. We were in a hurry to attack Xingcheng Pass previously, so we didn¡¯t notice. They must be waiting to ambush us on our way back.¡±


    ¡°Then, Sir, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°Walk along the east of Hanzhong Prefecture. I remember there¡¯s a path there. After crossing East Valley, take a detour to the Wu pass.¡±


    After the deputy general gave the order, everyone immediately gathered their troops and headed towards the eastern line of Hanzhong Prefecture. When Mu Shi saw this, he narrowed his eyes slightly. He did not know if this was a scheme of the other party, but he had to ensure that they would cross the eastern line and not turn around to harm the citizens of Hanzhong Prefecture. Therefore, Mu Shi immediately led his men to chase after them at a moderate distance. Such a speed would make the other party run for their lives without letting up, but they would not exchange blows.


    If it was any other time, the deputy general would definitely have noticed that something was wrong. However, Tudan¡¯s death had dealt him a fatal blow Coupled with the fact that he had frightened himself previously, his mind was now muddled. He only knew that he had to reach the Wu pass as soon as possible and attack Qi Xiuyuan from the back so that he could atone for their failure.


    ¡°Battalion Commander Mu, the Wu pass is right ahead.¡±


    ¡°The Wu pass is easy to defend but difficult to attack, simr to Xingcheng Pass. There¡¯s a general guarding it. We don¡¯t have many people, so there¡¯s no need to pay attention to it. Return to Hanzhong Prefecture, close the city gate, and enter a state of alert.¡±


    Mu Shi¡¯s arrival made the Magistrate Fang of Hanzhong Prefecture cry. He had been living in fear and suffering for the past two days, fearful that the Jin soldiers would return and massacre his citizens. He was even more afraid that the Great Zhou would give up on the Hanzhong Prefecture. Many advisors persuaded him to take the opportunity to escape. He was also tempted, but looking at themoners outside, he could not move. Now that Mu Shi was here, he no longer had to feel tormented.


    Mu Shi sent someone to deliver a letter to his daughter, informing her that he would stay in Hanzhong Prefecture.


    The originally empty Hanzhong Prefecture instantly came to life. gs were ced on the city gate tower, and the city gate opened for all themoners to enter. It only closed at night. Not only were the bailiffs guarding the city gate tower, but there were also young men who volunteered to help defend the city.


    Mu Shiforted Magistrate Fang and said, ¡°General has never given up on Hanzhong Prefecture. We chased the Jin soldiers away from the eastern front. All of this was within General¡¯s calctions.¡± Then, he said regretfully, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that we don¡¯t have enough troops. Otherwise, if we hadid an ambush in Hanzhong Prefecture, we would definitely be able to wipe out the Jin soldiers.¡± Magistrate Fang forced a smile. Even though he was angry, he could not re up now. He was still counting on Mu Shi to defend the city for him.


    To put it nicely, everything was within his calctions. Previously, it was uncertain if Xingzhou Prefecture could be defended. In any case, he knew that Hanzhong Prefecture had been unprotected by Qi Xiuyuan for two days. He and the citizens of Hanzhong Prefecture had also been living in fear for two days. Seeing the anger in Magistrate Fang¡¯s eyes, Mu Shi did not know how to exin. He only scratched his head and felt that he should wait for the General and Military Advisor to return before letting them deal with it.


    Mu Shi felt that if he were in Magistrate Fang¡¯s shoes, he would definitely be very angry as well. However, he was a soldier now, and there were risks in war to begin with. They did not have enough people, so they could only adopt the n that was most advantageous to the battle.


    At this moment, Mu Yangling had just arrived at Wu Shancai¡¯s house with Xu Shi.


    After Mu Shi went to chase after the Jin soldiers, she stayed on the city tower to deal with the follow-up matters. Only when she was done arranging everything did she think of Wu Jin. She quickly called the three guards over to ask. Only then did she know that Wu Jin had been detained by his father.


    The guard said angrily, ¡°Miss, if Wu Shancai wants to escape, so be it. Why did he have to capture Young Master Wu? All of us were captured and brought to the magistrate¡¯s residence. Without the long dy, we should have arrived long ago.¡±


    ¡°Has Wu Shancai escaped?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± A guard said proudly, ¡°Miss, didn¡¯t you ask two people to keep an eye on him? When they realized that Wu Shancai wanted to escape, they went to inform the city gate that anyone can leave, but not Wu Shancai. When Wu Shancai reached the city gate, he was forced to return.¡± After saying that, heughed out loud.


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows. ¡°I remember that the bailiffs guarding the south city gate are from the government office, right?¡±


    All the soldiers in the city had gone up the city wall, so the bailiffs could only guard the south gate. Weren¡¯t those people Wu Shancai¡¯s subordinates?


    ¡°We¡¯ve already said that if they dare to let Wu Shancai go, regardless of whether we win or lose this battle, the General will definitely use them as sacrifices when hees back. Even their families won¡¯t have a good ending. Wu Shancai is an official of the Imperial Court. If he escapes, he will at most be demoted. These bailiffs will definitely be the ones to bear the crime. Since these bailiffs¡¯ ancestors are all in Xingzhou Prefecture, what they¡¯re most afraid of is implicating their families. Therefore, although Wu Shancai made a big fuss, they didn¡¯t let him get out.¡±


    Then why was he willing to let you go?¡±


    ¡°It was Young Master Wu who convinced him,¡± the guard said proudly. At that time, Wu Jin looked at his father with grief and indignation and said, ¡°Father, this bow and arrows are for killing the enemy¡¯s general. If they seed, the siege of Xingzhou Prefecture can be resolved. Even if not, they would¡¯ve tried their best. However, if this bow and arrows aren¡¯t sent to Miss Mu, regardless of whether the city can be defended sessfully or not, you will be med for the fallen soldiers andmoners. Even if the Emperor can let you off, will themoners of Xingzhou Prefecture and Hanzhong Prefecture let you off? Will Brother Qi Xiuyuan let you off? Father, I know your painstaking efforts, but you have to think for your son, for your grandson, and for the ancestors of the Wu family. We don¡¯t want to bear this infamy. We don¡¯t!¡±


    Wu Shancai¡¯s face turned red from his son¡¯s words. ring at his son in embarrassment and anger, he said, ¡°Do you think I want to escape? It¡¯s all because of you. Otherwise, I would have leftst night. Unfilial son, unfilial son, how did I give birth to a son like you?¡±


    Although he was scolding his son fiercely, Wu Shancai still released Xu Shi and three guards and handed the bow and arrows to them. However, he detained the remaining seven guards and his son. He did not know why he did this, but he felt much more at ease after doing so.


    Wu Jin had been crying until his tears and snot came out. At this moment, he wiped his emotions away and knelt on the ground with his neck shrunk.


    Wu Shancai¡¯s heart twitched as he watched, furious. This son of his was usually weak and ipetent, but at critical moments, he would be bound by loyalty even if it meant hindering his father. It was always like this. Why was it that nothing good happened whenever he met Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling?


    In his grief and indignation, Wu Shancai red at his son and did not ask him to get up. Therefore, when the servant reported that Mu Yangling wanted to see him, Wu Shancai was still ring at his son who was kneeling on the ground.

 Chapter 355 - 355: Transaction

    Chapter 355: Transaction


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Wu Shancai became nervous. Only then did he remember to ask, ¡°What was themotion outside just now about?¡±


    The servant said happily, ¡°Master, we sessfully forced the Jin soldiers to retreat. Everyone is celebrating.¡±


    Wu Shancai was stunned on the spot. He was both d and annoyed. Previously, he thought that the Jin soldiers would definitely take down the city gate tower, so in despair, he only focused on ring at his son. He did not expect the West Camp to really seed in forcing the Jin soldiers back.


    What should he do now? Was Mu Yangling here to settle scores with him?


    Feeling conflicted, Wu Shancai did not know if he should hide.


    However, Wu Jin jumped up in joy and even fell because of the numbness in his legs. However, this did not affect his mood. He shouted, ¡°Hurry up and invite her in. Hurry up.¡±


    Wu Shancai red at his son and said, ¡°Invite her in to catch me?¡±


    Wu Jin was stunned. Only then did he remember that his father was a sinner who tried to run away at thest minute. His eyes turned red, and he immediately hugged his waist and cried, ¡°Father, what should we do?¡±


    Before Wu Shancai could scold him, Wu Jin immediately pulled Wu Shancai to the study. ¡°Father, I remember that there¡¯s a secret room in the study. Hide there. I¡¯ll go deal with them.¡±


    Wu Shancai was instantly relieved, but he knew that this matter could not be avoided. He had already made up his mind that he would not admit this matter even if he was beaten to death. Hence, after pushing his son away, he called the servants to invite Mu Yangling in.


    Wu Shancai thought that Mu Yangling would bring soldiers over. Unexpectedly, she only brought Xu Shi in unsteadily.


    With a grin, Magistrate Wu said, ¡°Magistrate Wu, how¡¯s your health? The guards said that you fell in the courtyard because you were anxious about the battle on the city gate tower. Are you alright?¡±


    After a pause, Wu Shancai replied with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine. My father isn¡¯t around, and General and the others haven¡¯t returned either, so I can only represent the West Camp to visit. You¡¯re so supportive of the West Camp¡¯s resistance against the enemy. When Generales back, General will definitely treat you to a feast at the Red Taste Restaurant.¡±


    Wu Shancai could not figure out what Mu Yangling¡¯s intentions for a moment, so he asked in confusion, ¡°My support for the West Camp in resisting the enemy?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Have you forgotten? Not only did you ask your son to help me go to Changju County overnight to ask for the bow, but you also generously donated 30,000 dans of grains to the soldiers of the West Camp. If this isn¡¯t support for our West Camp to resist the enemy, what is it? The supplies donated by Mingshui County, Changju County, and the other counties will also be delivered in two days. When the timees, they will be stored in the warehouse with the batch of grains you donated. Because you donated a lot, I specially came over.¡±


    Wu Jin looked at his father in surprise and shouted in delight, ¡°Father, you donated so much grains?¡± Then, his eyes turned red again. Feeling touched, he said, ¡°I misunderstood you.¡±


    Wu Shancai really wanted to cover his son¡¯s head with the teacup lid on the table.


    However, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Old Master Xu donated 2,000 dans at once because he was inspired by you. It can be seen how charismatic you are.¡±


    Xu Shi stroked his beard and nodded with a smile. ¡°This is what we should do.¡±


    Wu Shancai immediately stopped talking. It was obvious Mu Yangling was asking him to use money to buy peace.


    Previously, he had already escaped to the city gate. Now that Qi Xiuyuan had something on him, although it would not kill him, it would dim his future career prospects. Since Mu Yangling had suggested an exchange, it was not impossible for him to donate 30,000 dans of grains.


    However, grains were precious now. Considering one dan of grains was worth nearly two taels of silver, that was nearly 80,000 taels of silver. Wu Shancai¡¯s heart was bleeding.


    Wu Shancai nced at Xu Shi. It was obvious that this old man had also been bribed. This was good too. It saved him from having to bribe him again. However, what about the guards who had been detained?


    As for the bailiffs, their eyes were also bright.


    Mu Yangling quickly dispelled his concerns and said, ¡°Magistrate Wu, since the crisis has been resolved, I can take away the guards I sent to protect you, right? By the way, I heard that when the battle outside the city was intense, you even ran to the south city gate to give porridge to the people who were about to flee far away? Your Excellency is too kind-hearted, but it was really too dangerous at that time. Moreover, the south city gate was not big. However, it¡¯s fine now since the situation in the city has already stabilized. I¡¯ll get someone to allocate a plot ofnd not far from the government office for you to give out porridge. Many people in the city have suffered from the war and their homes have been destroyed. Your Excellency is indeed a magistrate to have so much empathy for your citizens¡­¡±


    Wu Shancai only prayed that Mu Yangling would shut her mouth quickly. If it was in the past, he would definitely not admit it no matter what. However, he was feeling guilty now. Although his heart was bleeding, he still had to grit his teeth and say, ¡°This is what I should do.¡±


    At this moment, Wu Jin also understood that his father was being ckmailed. Otherwise, why would he be willing to take out grains to serve porridge to the poor?


    Only then did the beaming Mu Yangling take the detained guards with her and leave.


    After being angry for a while, Wu Shancai felt relieved. Anything that could be resolved with money was not a big deal. With his mind at ease, he trembled. He first got someone to fetch his wives and grandson back. Then, he got someone to inform his concubine and her son to hurry home. Only then did he wash up and go out to look for the squires.


    Since he was going to give out porridge and donate money, he refused to be the only one. It was better to suffer alone than to suffer together, and none of those squires should escape his fate.


    Mu Yangling, who had gone out, bowed gratefully to Xu Shi. ¡°Thank you for your help, Mr. Xu.¡±


    ¡°No, no. This is what I should do. It¡¯s rare to see someone as benevolent as you, Miss Mu.¡± Xu Shi looked at Mu Yangling happily. If not for the fact that his youngest grandson was already married, he would definitely think of a way to make Mu Yangling his granddaughter-inw.


    When Mu Yangling heard that Wu Shancai had escaped to the south city gate and was forced to return, she panicked. It was not because of Wu Shancai, but because she felt pity for Wu Jin.


    Although Wu Jin was a profligate son and often teased young married women, the most outrageous thing he did was to stand by the window of the teahouse and ogle at the young women with shining eyes. After saying a few flirtatious words, the most he did was to spend money to take concubines. Fortunately, this person never forced people and would let go after being rejected. Therefore, although Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t much fond of him, she didn¡¯t particrly dislike him.


    Although Qi Haoran bullied him every time he saw him, he would sometimes bring him along to y, which was atypical of him. From this, it could be seen that Wu Jin was not a bad person. Coupled with his performance in guarding the city this time, Mu Yangling did not want him to be implicated.


    Although Wu Jin didn¡¯tmit any crimes, his father¡¯s act of fleeing at thest minute would definitely implicate him. He wouldn¡¯t die, but the situation wouldn¡¯t be any better if he was demoted and lost his assets.


    Wu Jin wasn¡¯t good at his studies and didn¡¯t have much ability. Considering he was also weak, who knew if he would die just like that?


    Of course, the most important thing was that Qi Xiuyuan and Wu Shancai had been interacting for five years and had long understood each other¡¯s temper. It was better for Wu Shancai to stay than for him to leave.


    Who knew what kind of magistrate the Imperial Court would send to Xingzhou Prefecture if Wu Shancai left at this critical moment?


    In that case, why not that person be Wu Shancai? At least they still had something on him.


    However, if Xu Shi had not suggested donating grains, Mu Yangling would not have been able to think of an excuse for Wu Shancai..

 Chapter 356 - 356: Change

    Chapter 356 - 356: Change


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After Mu Yangling returned to the city tower, she touched the hard bow again and again before reluctantly returning it to Xu Shi. ¡°Master Xu, thank you for your bow and arrows.¡±


    Xu Shi quickly waved his hand. ¡°Miss Mu, how can you return it? You should keep this. Such a precious bow should be paired with a heroine. This bow rightfully belongs to you.¡±


    As he spoke, Xu Shi wiped his tears. ¡°20 years ago, after losing the Jingzhao Prefecture,I¡¯ve always hoped that the Imperial Court would be able to recover it. Who knew that it would really happen now?¡±


    ¡°Old Master Xu, the Jingzhao Prefecture hasn¡¯t been taken back yet,¡± Mu Yangling quickly stopped him. Since they still didn¡¯t know what the situation in the Jmgzhao Prefecture was like, such a statement couldn¡¯t be spread. Otherwise, what if they ended up failing?


    Wouldn¡¯t the people drown Qi Xiuyuan with their spit?


    ¡°Soon, soon. General Qi is wise and mighty. Since we¡¯re able to defend Xmgcheng Pass, he will definitely be able to take back the Imperial Capital.¡± Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. He sure sounded more certain than her.


    However, Xu Shi refused to take back this bow. Back then, he had spent a lot of money to build it to mock others. Who would have thought that this bow would one day be used to resist the Jin people?


    Therefore, he felt that he was indeed very far-sighted. How could he, who was far-sighted, put this bow aside? He should let it y its role on the battlefield. Seeing that Mu Yangling had epted the bow and arrows, Xu Shi left in satisfaction.


    Meanwhile, in Xingzhou Prefecture, because of the withdrawal of the Jin soldiers, everyone rxed and a smile appeared on their faces. However, after Mu Yangling rxed at the beginning, she began to pay attention to the battle at the Jingzhao Prefecture.


    As the Jin soldiers retreated, news between them and the Jingzhao Prefecture began to flow smoothly. Qi xiuyuan had already taken down the Wu pass, and Xingping, Lintong, and Gaoyang in the Jingzhao Prefecture had already been taken down by him. Now, they had already arrived outside Chang¡¯an County where the prefectural capital of the Jingzhao Prefecture was located. Jiang Ze had also led another army to recover Lantian and Xianyang. Mo Xiong was still outside the San pass, but there was no news of Qi Haoran. Although Mu Yangling was worried, there was nothing she could do. He had always liked surprise attacks and strange battles. Who knew what he was up to?


    The next day, Mu Shi asked one of his battalionmanders toe back and rece Mu Yangling. That battalionmander said very politely, ¡°Miss Mu, Battalion Commander Mu wants you to go home and take a look at the old and the young. He worries they¡¯re suffered a fright.¡±


    Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief and immediately said, ¡°Thank you, Uncle. I¡¯ll go back now.¡±


    Mu Yangling was also worried about the situation at home. There was not much use for her to stay here now, so she might as well go home first.


    Mu Yangling rode back quickly. The soldiers who were still squatting on the city gate tower immediately shouted when they saw Mu Yangling¡¯s horse, ¡°Miss Mu is back. Miss Mu is back.¡±


    Song Zhi came out with a smile and asked anxiously, ¡°Miss Mu, is there any news from Jingzhao Prefecture?¡±


    ¡°The general has already arrived in the city. When I left, they had already taken back five counties.¡±


    Song Zhi was overjoyed. ¡°In that case, victory is just around the corner.¡± Seeing that Mu Yangling was still on her horse and did note down, he immediately understood that she was in a hurry to go home. He quickly made way and said, ¡°Then Miss Mu, go home and take a look first.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and turned to say to the regimentmander, ¡°You guys guard the city gate for the time being. You can arrange the details yourself.¡± There were more than ten soldiers and more than ten bailiffs guarding the Mu family¡¯s door. It was obvious that the regimentmander and Song Zhi had sent their men respectively. All the families had their doors closed and did not dare to go out. When they heard the sound of horse hooves, they secretly stood on their tiptoes and looked out. When they saw Mu Yangling return, they heaved a sigh of relief.


    Mu Yangling knocked on the door and Xu Jian carefully opened it. When he saw Mu Yangling, he was instantly overjoyed. ¡°Miss is back. Miss is back.¡± Xiuhong and Bowen ran out of the room quickly. Shu Wanniang followed closely behind them. When she saw that Mu Yangling was fine, her eyes turned red.


    Xiuhong and Bowen ran over to hug Mu Yangling and cried, ¡°Sister, why didn¡¯t you tell us that you were leaving?¡±


    Mu Yangling only stroked their heads and nodded slightly at Shu Wanniang and Great-aunt. Smiling, she said, ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    She looked up and saw Liu Lang standing at the door. Slightly stunned, she asked, ¡°Why are you here too? How dare you go out at a time like this?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I dare when the Jin soldiers had yet to attack this ce?¡± Liu Lang changed the topic and asked with a smile, ¡°How is it? I heard that you went up the city tower to defend the city? How do you feel?¡±


    Seeing Shu Wanniang and Great-aunt¡¯s faces turn pale, she red at Liu Lang Of all things, he had to ask her this?


    Mu Yangling hugged Shu Wanniang and Great-aunt¡¯s arms and said with a smile, ¡°Great-aunt, Mother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not injured at all. Father IS also fine. Because he still has to guard the city now, he¡¯ll probably only be back after a while.¡±


    Shu Wanniang wiped her tears and didn¡¯t me her. After turning around, she went to the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯ll make you some delicious food. Look at you. You¡¯ve lost weight in just a few days.¡±


    Great-aunt didn¡¯t lecture her and went into the kitchen to help.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t expect to be let off so easily. She was stunned for a moment before waving her hand to get Bowen to send the guards at the door back. ¡°Go into the house and get some copper coins. Give them more, since they¡¯ve been fearfully guarding for a few days.¡±


    Bowen agreed. Because he had exchanged a lot of copper coins when giving out the sryst time, Bowen wrapped some of them in books and went out.


    Xiuhong went into the kitchen to get more than 20 bowls. She said to Liu Lang, who was standing there in a daze, ¡°Why are you still standing there? Hurry up ¡¯ and help carry this pot of soup to the door. It¡¯s such a cold day. We have to let the guards drink a bowl of hot soup before leaving.¡±


    Mu Yangling praised Xiuhong for being thoughtful. ¡°Open the door. If there are women in the backyard, we won¡¯t invite them in. If they don¡¯t mind, they can make do at the gatehouse.¡±


    Mu Yangling helped move some stools out. Seeing that everyone was busy, Bosi and Kejia also carried a stool out with all their might.


    The soldiers and bailiffs outside were originally calm, butter on, they became a little uneasy.


    They had been guarding here for three days, so it was only right for them to receive some rewards. However, they couldn¡¯t help but feel warm inside when they were invited inside to drink soup. Moreover, they could see that the young masters and youngdies of the Mu family were also helping to carry the stools.


    They epted it, feeling grateful. Mu Yangling handed the matter to Bowen who brought a bowl of broth to thank them for taking care of the Mu family for the past three days.


    After drinking the broth and chatting for a while, he politely sent them away. Then, Bowen sent Xu Jian and Chen Sanzhu away. After closing the door, now that it was only the Mu family inside the house, he immediately rushed in to ask Mu Yangling about the war.


    Although they had fled a war previously, they had never seen a real battlefield and were very curious about it.


    However, Mu Yangling did not have much to talk about. She had not had a good sleep for two consecutive days. After drinking the soup, she felt warm all over and felt sleepy as she sat there.


    Seeing this, Shu Wanniang chased the children out and asked Mu Yangling to wash up before going to bed. She would wake her up when it was time for dinner..

 Chapter 357 - 357: Excuse

    Chapter 357 - 357: Excuse


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    No one knew how Qi Haoran infiltrated Chang¡¯an County and ran to Hangu Pass. In any case, he had ambushed the guards at Hangu Pass from behind. The Jin soldiers had lost their momentum, so they could only retreat from Xiao Pass from behind.


    Qi Xiuyuan, Jiang Ze, and Mo Xiong joined forces and officially upied the entire Jingzhao Prefecture. After 20 years, the Jingzhao Prefecture finally returned to the hands of the Great Zhou.


    20 was Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s age.


    20 years ago, his father and mother fled south together. In order to ensure their safety, his father deceived his mother and married her on the way. Even he was conceived on the way south. As such, this city had a different meaning to Qi Xiuyuan. He hated it, but he also loved it!


    ¡°General.¡± Jiang Ze strode over and bowed. ¡°Fourth Young Master is back. Qi Xiuyuan got up to look at his younger brother. Qi Haoran was sitting in the study with his upper body bare while a doctor carefully bandaged the wound on his chest.


    Qi Xiuyuan strode over and stopped in the outer room for a while. After confirming that the cold air on his body had been dispelled by the fire, he entered. Jiang Ze, who was a little dirty, decided not to follow him in after hesitating for a moment.


    He was afraid of being thrown out by the general.


    Qi Xiuyuan saw that the doctor was bandaging his brother¡¯s wound, so he stopped for a while. Seeing that he was done, he put on his brother¡¯s clothes and asked, ¡°How¡¯s his wound?¡±


    The doctor said respectfully, ¡°There was something blocking his chest, so it didn¡¯t hurt his vitals. However, the heavy blow did affect his internal organs. I¡¯ll prescribe a few herbs to nurse him back to health. He should be fine after resting for a while. The weather is cold now, so his wound won¡¯t inme.¡± Qi Haoran was lucky. Otherwise, such a huge wound could easily be inmed in the summer. Inmmation meant a high fever and death.


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded and got someone to bring the doctor out.


    Only then did Qi Xiuyuan want to look at the wound on his brother¡¯s chest. He felt guilty and angry. He felt guilty for letting his brother get injured again, and he was also angry at himself. Haoran had only been here for three years, but he had already been injured twice. Last time, he had almost entered the gates of hell. This time, if not for the iron piece protecting his heart inside his clothes, he would have gone to see his mother directly.


    Qi Xiuyuan touched the wound on his chest and frowned. ¡°How is it?¡±


    Qi Haoran said casually, ¡°Big Brother, don¡¯t worry. The wound looks deep, but it actually didn¡¯t hurt the bone. There¡¯s only a shallow scar on the chest. It s just a small cut.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at the bandage from his shoulder to his lower right abdomen without saying a word. Although he didn¡¯t see the new wound, he knew how deep it was. The other party was quite strong. If not for the iron piece blocking his chest, the wound on his lower right abdomen would have been even worse.


    Qi Xiuyuan patted his shoulder and helped him put on his clothes. ¡°You¡¯ve got to thank Ah Ling when you get back.¡±


    The smile on Qi Haoran¡¯s face widened. He nodded fiercely and said, 111 definitely thank her. She saved my life again.¡±


    Seeing that his younger brother was trying to please him, Qi Xiuyuan patted his head with a smile and said, ¡°Alright, Big Brother knows that you like her. When you grow up, I¡¯ll help you propose marriage to her family.¡± Qi Haoran became happy. Then, he said worriedly, ¡°I wonder if those people in Lin¡¯an Prefecture will agree.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes darkened, but the smile on his face did not diminish. ¡°This is not for you to worry about. Big Brother will take care of everything.¡± When Qi Haoran heard this, he cheered up again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to send you back tomorrow. Rest well.


    This time, Qi Haoran did not argue since his injuries were indeed not light this time. He knew the importance of his health, so he nodded in agreement. ¡°Big Brother, do you still want to push forward?¡±


    Smiling, Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°We won¡¯t go north. Well go east. With Hangu Pass as our backing, we should be able to help General Yuan clear some obstacles.¡± A look of pity shed across Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes. ¡°How good would it be if I wasn¡¯t injured? I wonder how muchnd General Yuan and the rest have recovered.¡± The news of Qi Xiuyuan conquering Jingzhao Prefecture should not have spread to Lin¡¯an Prefecture yet, but they would probably know soon. On the other hand, everyone in the north knew that Qi Xiuyuan was a young hero. However, just as the news of the recapture of Jingzhao Prefecture arrived, the news of General Yuan using troops to the north also spread. After Qi Xiuyuan recaptured the Jingzhao Prefecture, General Yuan also recaptured six counties in Henan Prefecture and eight counties in Kaifeng Prefecture. Now, he was even advancing north.


    Not to mention the Imperial Court, themoners in the world were in an uproar. Although they had just experienced a natural disaster this year, everyone was still gathered in the teahouse to listen to thetest news. They were even excitedly discussing how muchnd General Yuan and General Qi could recover.


    Only General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan were waiting for the Imperial Court¡¯s order to stop the war. Qi Xiuyuan was trying his best to push east, while General Yuan was trying his best to advance west. He only hoped that the east and the west could be connected before the imperial edict arrived so that they could defend better.


    Hence, Qi Xiuyuan only left 20,000 men to guard the Jingzhao Prefecture. The others were brought to the battlefield by him. It was sad to say that they were clearly taking back their homnd for the Emperor, but the Emperor was obstructing them in every way. Every time he thought of it, Qi Xiuyuan would be sad and furious. He could not say it to his younger brother, but his eyes turned red when he faced Rong Xuan.


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t know that Qi Xiuyuan was in such a hurry to fight again because he was afraid that the Emperor¡¯s imperial edict would arrive. He thought that Qi Xiuyuan simply didn¡¯t want to lose the opportunity, so he rushed back to Xingzhou Prefecture, not wanting to drag his older brother down. If he knew the real reason, he would probably make a fuss.


    Qi Haoran returned to Xingzhou Prefecture and recuperated alone in the General¡¯s Mansion. For some reason, he felt sad. It was too lonely to recuperate alone. He thought for a while and finally shamelessly wrote a letter to Fan Zijin, asking him toe back and apany him.


    Then, he wrote to Mu Yangling and asked him to settle the dividends and visit him.


    Fei Bai wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, he could not help but say, ¡°Master, Young Master Zijin has already given all his money to Young Master Xiuyuan to buy armaments. How can there be any dividends?¡± Qi Haoran red at him and said arrogantly, ¡°I don¡¯t care. I just want Ah Ling toe over and apany me. If you think this excuse isn¡¯t good, think of one for me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± As Fourth Young Master had been too obedient for the past two years, Fei Bai had almost forgotten about his dandy manner. Fei Bai thought hard before probing, ¡°How about you tell Miss Mu that you want to eat venison and ask her to send some over?¡±


    Qi Haoran lowered his head to look at his wound. ¡°Can an injured person eat venison?¡±


    Fei Bai immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll just say that you were moring to eat and I couldn¡¯t talk you out of it. If Miss Mu heard this, she would definitelye over to persuade you¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Am I such an unreasonable person?¡±


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this being unreasonable?¡¯


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t we just say that you miss her?¡± Seeing Qi Haoran re at him, Fei Bai immediately straightened his back and stared at the roof. ¡°Just kidding. HOW can one say something like that so easily? Then what excuse do you think we should use?¡±


    Qi Haoran hesitated for a long time before saying, ¡°Then, then do as you please.¡±


    Fei Bai immediately knew that he had agreed to the previous method. He immediately smiled and went out. He got someone to rush to Mingshui County to deliver the news and tried his best to get Mu Yangling toe over the next day..

 Chapter 358 - 358: Growing Up

    Chapter 358 - 358: Growing Up


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Looking at the servant who was sweating profusely, Mu Yangling blinked and nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll go to Xingzhou Prefecture tomorrow.¡±


    Shu Wanniang also said, ¡°Go and see if Haoran is seriously injured. If he craves something he shouldn¡¯t eat, ask him to endure for a while.¡±


    However, Mu Yangling decided to enter the mountain today to see if she could catch a deer.


    Shu Wanniang looked at her daughter reproachfully. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already say that Haoran can¡¯t eat venison now?¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. I definitely won¡¯t let him eat it.¡±


    Indeed, Mu Yangling did not let Qi Haoran eat. She only let him watch her eat.


    Mu Yangling only cut arge piece of venison and asked someone to start a fire in the house. She cut the venison into pieces and roasted them on the iron te. As she roasted them, she said to Qi Haoran, ¡°It¡¯s equivalent to you eating them. When you recover, I¡¯ll go into the mountains to hunt a deer for you. At that time, you can eat as much as you want.¡± With that, she picked up a piece of venison and dipped it in some sauce before stuffing it into her mouth. Mu Yangling immediately sighed in satisfaction. The venison was really delicious.


    Qi Haoran looked at Mu Yangling eating the delicious venison in a daze and felt a little regretful. He shouldn¡¯t have agreed to use this lousy excuse.


    Fan Zijin rushed in from outside. The moment he entered the courtyard, he smelled the venison. He stopped in his tracks and was suspicious. Could Haoran have lied to him?


    But why would Haoran lie to him with the excuse of being injured?


    Fan Zijin entered with doubts. The moment he entered, he was greeted with such a scene. When he saw Haoran eagerly watching Mu Yangling eat the venison, he was instantly furious and red at Mu Yangling.


    When Mu Yangling saw Fan Zijin, she immediately pped her hands and stood up. She greeted him with a beam, ¡°Brother Zijin, you¡¯re here? Come and sit down. You must be tired after a day of traveling, right?¡±


    Although Mu Yangling did not have much brains, she was not someone who did not care about others¡¯ feelings. Fan Zijin suppressed the anger in his heart and sat beside Qi Haoran with a dark expression.


    Mu Yangling gave him a piece of roasted venison.


    Ignoring her, Fan Zijin turned to ask Qi Haoran, ¡°Where are you hurt?¡±


    Qi Haoran pointed at his chest and did not say anything in disappointment. It was fine if Mu Yangling did notfort him, but she actually provoked him.


    Fan Zijin frowned. ¡°Has the doctor checked your wound? Why didn¡¯t you rest in bed? Why did youe out to roast venison?¡±


    Although these words were meant to teach Qi Haoran a lesson on the surface, they were actually aimed at Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling put down her chopsticks and looked over with a serious expression. ¡°That¡¯s right. I know it¡¯s ufortable to be sick, but even Bowen doesn¡¯t eat things he shouldn¡¯t eat. Yet you still want to eat venison.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked over with a frown and said unhappily, ¡°Aren¡¯t you eating now? Since you know that he¡¯s craving it, why are you roasting venison in front of him?¡±


    ¡°To teach him a lesson, of course¡­¡±


    ¡°How can you teach a patient a lesson like this?¡± Fan Zijin said angrily. ¡°Instead of talking sense into him andforting him, you actually fanned the mes at the side. Haoran is a patient. It was fine in the past, but you¡¯re not allowed to bully him now.¡±


    Mu Yangling stared at him and scratched her head. ¡°But when Bowen makes a fuss about eating something he shouldn¡¯t eat, my father does that. Then, Bowen won¡¯t mention it next time. We have to reason with him, right? Otherwise, what if he secretly eats itter?¡±


    In the past, Bowen had dared to do this. When they coaxed him, he agreed on the surface. However, when nobody was looking, he went to the kitchen to secretly eat it. Later, their father changed his methods and told him that he would have to take medicine for a few days after eating that thing. Then, their father ate those foods in front of him. That way, Bowen would not eat them secretly when he was sick. He would just eat more when he recovered.


    Only then did Qi Haoran know that Bowen was the cause. Hearing this, he immediately stopped the two of them from arguing. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have made a fuss about eating venison.¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Mu Yangling and Fan Zijin said in unison. Then, they red at each other. Fan Zijin said, ¡°Bowen couldn¡¯t help but eat secretly because he¡¯s a child. How old is Haoran? Is he such a person? If you exin the logic to him and coax him a little, how can he not listen to you?¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Since you¡¯re so good at taking care of patients, let¡¯s see how well you can take care of Qi Haoran.¡± After saying that, she snorted. ¡°Qi Haoran has a child¡¯s temper. Sometimes, Bowen is even more obedient than him.¡±


    This time, Qi Haoran was displeased. He shouted, ¡°When did I have a child¡¯s temper?¡±


    Thus, the three of them parted on bad terms.


    Fei Bai shrunk his neck and stood outside, not daring to enter.


    Mu Yangling returned to her room and calmed down. After thinking about it, she felt that she had not been calm just now. After all, Qi Haoran was a patient and should be coaxed. She wanted to turn around and go back to apologize, but there was a ball of fire in her heart.


    It was Mama Wang who took care of Mu Yangling. There weren¡¯t many young female servants in the General¡¯s Mansion as Qi Xiuyuan had sent those girls away because they weren¡¯t too fond of Mu Yangling. Hence, every time Mu Yangling came, it was Mama Wang who took care of her.


    Seeing the anger on Mu Yangling¡¯s face, Mama Wangforted her with a smile. ¡°Calm down. It¡¯s not a big deal. You young people are really hot-tempered. Actually, Fourth Young Master doesn¡¯t really want to eat venison. That child is just sick and lonely, that¡¯s why he thought of ways to invite you over. Look, even though Young Master Zijin is so busy, the minute he heard that Fourth Young Master was back, didn¡¯t he drop everything he was doing and rush back? Fourth Young Master is someone who is susceptible to coaxing. As long as you coax him, he¡¯ll be happy.¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned. ¡°He wants me toe over and see him?¡±


    Mama Wang nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± With a sigh, Mama Wang said, ¡°When a person falls sick, they¡¯re more emotionally vulnerable. However, Eldest Young Master isn¡¯t at home. Otherwise, Fourth Young Master wouldn¡¯t have made such a fuss.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart rxed, and then she felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. She immediately pressed her stomach and bent down slightly. Thinking that she had a stomach-ache, she immediately said, ¡°I need to go to the bathroom. Please carry on with your work.¡±


    However, not long after, Mu Yangling came back with a pale face and whispered into Mama Wang¡¯s ear. Mama Wang¡¯s eyes lit up and she said happily, ¡°So you¡¯ve grown up, Miss? No wonder you¡¯re so quick-tempered today. This is a good thing, a good thing! Please sit down. I¡¯ll get you a basin of hot water.¡± Then, she hurriedly ran out.


    She also knew that girls were thin-skinned and did not dare to impose on others. After bringing in hot water, she took some money and hurriedly ran out of the residence to buy things.


    There were no youngdies in the residence. Plus, the things the servants used were rtively rough, so Miss Mu naturally could not use those. Hence, she had to go out and buy them.


    Afterforting Qi Haoran, Fan Zijin frowned slightly when he saw this uponing out. Just as he was about to ask, Yanmo walked over quickly and whispered a few words into his ear. He could only turn around to deal with the matter at hand and forget about this.


    On the other hand, the more Qi Haoran thought about it, the more ufortable he felt. Seeing him lift the nket and get off the bed to look for her, Fei Bai hurriedly stopped him. ¡°Master, Young Master Zijin asked you to lie on the bed and not move.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been lying down for a few days. If I continue lying down, I¡¯ll turn moldy. I¡¯ll go talk to Ah Ling.¡±


    After saying that, he clutched his chest and walked out. Coincidentally, he bumped into Mama Wang, who was panting as she ran back. Qi Haoran looked at the basket Mother Wang was carrying in confusion.. ¡°Ah Ling asked you to go shopping?¡±

 Chapter 359 - 359: Husband

    Chapter 359 - 359: Husband


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mama Wang¡¯s face stiffened. She covered the basket slightly and wanted to persuade Qi Haoran to leave. ¡°Fourth Young Master, since you¡¯re still injured, go back and rest first. Miss Mu isn¡¯t free now. She¡¯ll visit you tonight.¡±


    Naturally, Qi Haoran could tell that Mama Wang was making him leave on purpose. He rolled his eyes and agreed. However, right away, he asked Fei Bai to ask around. It was obvious that Mama Wang was hiding something from him.


    Oblivious to the fact that there was a tail behind her, Mama Wang hurriedly carried her things and went to look for Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling was lying on the bed, her face only slightly pale. Other than the slight pain at the beginning, she felt much better now. She guessed it was because she had caught a cold in the freezing weather a while ago.


    Mama Wang handed it to her and asked in a low voice, ¡°Do you want me to teach you?¡±


    Blushing, Mu Yangling shook her head. She took the things and went to the cubicle.


    Fei Bai pressed his ear against the door and did not hear anything. Just as he was feeling puzzled, the door suddenly opened. Fei Bai almost fell out.


    Upon seeing Fei Bai, Mama Wang red at him, pinched his ear, and pulled him to the side. She roared in a low voice, ¡°Little brat, who asked you toe?¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey, be gentler. Be gentler.¡± Fei Bai carefully looked around before begging in a low voice, ¡°Mama Wang, just tell me. Otherwise, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know Master¡¯s temper.¡±


    Mama Wang hesitated for a moment before saying in a low voice, ¡°This is a girl¡¯s matter. Don¡¯t go around telling others. Just tell Fourth Young Master that Miss Mu has grown up and can get married.¡±


    Everyone in the residence knew that Miss Mu was going to be paired with the Fourth Young Master, which was why Mama Wang was willing to tell them this.


    Fei Bai was stunned and confused for a moment before his face flushed red. After all, he was two years older than Qi Haoran and knew about such stuff. With this understanding, he turned around and ran out.


    Mama Wang scolded jokingly, ¡°You brat.¡±


    Fei Bai stammered to Qi Haoran softly, ¡°Master, you have to give in to Miss Mu for the next few days. My older sister has a particrly bad temper this time of the month. My mother also asked me to give in to her. I reckon that Miss Mu¡¯s bad temper previously was also because of this.¡±


    Qi Haoran was still in a daze, his ears a little suspiciously red. He nodded and only gave a soft ¡°Mm¡±.


    Fei Bai did not know if he truly understood.


    When Fan Zijin finished his work and came to look for Qi Haoran for dinner, he realized that he was not in the house. Creasing his brows slightly, he found Fei Bai in the front yard and saw that Qi Haoran was actually not here either. He asked with a frown, ¡°Where¡¯s your master? Why are you still letting him run around with his injuries?¡±


    Fei Bai was stunned. ¡°Isn¡¯t Master resting in his room?¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s face darkened. ¡°How do you serve people? You don¡¯t even know if he¡¯s in the room?¡±


    Fei Bai immediately cast aside whatever he was doing and hurriedly went to look for Qi Haoran.


    Fan Zijin was angry, but he also asked Yanmo to look for him with Fei Bai. In the end, they found him in the kitchen guarding a pot of chicken soup.


    Fan Zijin asked with a strange expression, ¡°You want to eat chicken?¡±


    Qi Haoran shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m watching over this chicken soup.¡±


    ¡°What kind of chicken is this? Are you craving it that badly?¡±


    Blushing, Qi Haoran said, ¡°This is for Ah Ling.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s expression instantly changed. After a while, he said faintly, ¡°Even if you want to please her, there¡¯s no need to be so anxious about it. You¡¯re still injured.¡±


    Qi Haoran sat there in silence, and Fan Zijin also sat at the side in a daze. After a while, he asked, ¡°Eldest Cousin said that your marriage with her is already settled. Will it be finalized when you¡¯re older?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°She has already agreed.¡± At the thought that the Winter Solstice gift she had given him was already ruined, he felt a sense of pity.


    However, Fan Zijin asked, ¡°Has Eldest Cousin¡¯s marriage been settled?¡±


    Qi Haoran shook his head. ¡°Big Brother Rong found many portraits for Big Brother. Not to mention Big Brother, even I don¡¯t fancy any of them.¡±


    Fan Zijin was silent for a while before sighing. ¡°Even you are getting married?¡±


    Qi Haoran retorted with a slightly red face, ¡°I¡¯m not getting married. I just want to confirm it.¡± Seeing his gloomy expression, he whispered, ¡°When the timees, let Big Brother decide your marriage for you. Pick a girl you like. Aunt won¡¯t object. Let Big Brother talk to Uncle.¡±


    Fan Zijin did not say anything.


    He was very sad that Qi Haoran was actually about to get married. In the future, he and Mu Yangling would be family.


    He knew that Haoran liked Mu Yangling, and he hadn¡¯t stopped him. However, he had felt that that was still a distant matter. Who knew that in just a few years, they would actually start to talk about marriage?


    If Qi Xiuyuan was tolerant of Qi Haoran like a father and doted on him like an older brother, then Fan Zijin was the role of an older brother andpanion.


    From the moment Fan Zijin learned how to crawl, he had already ced Qi Haoran under her protection. He remembered his mother saying that the two of them met when Qi Haoran was just one month old. At that time, at merely three months old, he would already stuff his favorite toy into Qi Haoran¡¯s hands¡­


    Later on, after Aunt passed away and Qi Haoran was brought up by his mother, they ate, drank, and pooped together. Not only did the two wet nurses feed them on the same bed, the two little fellows would also sleep in the same bed at night¡­


    When they were young, they were bullied by Fan Zijin¡¯s older brother, who was born from a concubine, and was two years older than them. This silly boy, Qi Haoran, only knew how to shout at the top of his lungs. However, he would save his strength and wait for the adults toe before crying. Then, he would specially go somewhere his father would pass by and let that step-brother bully them again¡­


    His father could ignore his illegitimate brother bullying Fan Zijin, or rather, he could not be bothered. However, he could not allow his son to bully Qi Haoran, for he was a guest.


    When Qi Haoran¡¯s two unworthy second and third older brothers bullied him, he could return the favor tenfold. When his uncle deducted his food and clothing, he turned around and looked for the imperial censor to impeach him. To think the brother he had always protected was getting married earlier than him.


    Fan Zijin expressed his displeasure. Why should he let Mu Yangling have this younger brother he so painstakingly raised? In addition, Mu Yangling actually dared to mistreat him.


    Fan Zijin nced worriedly at Qi Haoran, who was eagerly watching the chicken soup. He felt that this wouldn¡¯t do. Now that Haoran was already so obedient to Mu Yangling, wouldn¡¯t she even be more disrespectful after he married her in the future?


    Fan Zijin was instantly filled with fighting spirit. With a straight face, he said, ¡°Haoran, it was my fault in the past. I forgot to teach you some things. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll teach you what it means to be a man.¡±


    Qi Haoran said inexplicably, ¡°I know. Isn¡¯t a man supposed to protect his country and bring honor to his ancestors?¡± After saying that, he said proudly, ¡°Although I can¡¯t beat my chest and say that I¡¯ll bring honor to my ancestors, I¡¯m still capable of protecting my country.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Fan Zijin looked at Qi Haoran pitifully and said, ¡°This is on the broader scale. Let¡¯s talk about the more trivial stuff first. First of all, you have to know that men are superior to women. As a man and the head of the family, we should have the ones holding the authority at home¡­¡±


    ¡°Big Brother is the head of the family, right?¡± Qi Haoran interrupted Fan Zijin and asked with confusion, ¡°Big Brother is in charge of our family now. Zijin, what¡¯s wrong? Could it be that someone is dissatisfied with Big Brother¡¯s words?¡±


    After saying that, he asked angrily, ¡°Who dares to challenge Big Brother¡¯s authority?¡±


    Fan Zijin was about to go crazy. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about Eldest Cousin. I¡¯m talking about you. Since you¡¯re about to get married, won¡¯t you be the head of your small family then? I¡¯m asking you topletely suppress Mu Yangling, so that she won¡¯t dare to go west if you ask her to go east. Likewise, if you ask her to go west, she won¡¯t dare to go east. If she dares to say no, you¡¯ll p her.. Do you understand?¡±

 Chapter 360 - 360: Group Fight

    Chapter 360: Group Fight


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran widened his eyes and said unhappily, ¡°People only talk couples into reconciling, not breaking up. Why do you look like you can¡¯t wait for us to quarrel?¡±


    After saying that, he said proudly, ¡°Although Ah Ling has yet to marry me, she listens to me now. If I say go west, she definitely won¡¯t go east.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at him with an expression that said, ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± In the end, neither of the two brothers could convince the other. Qi Haoran firmly believed that he was already Mu Yangling¡¯s mountain now.


    At the side, the head chef nced at the chicken soup several times. Finally, he interrupted them in a low voice and said, ¡°Fourth Young Master, the chicken soup should be ready.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately cheered up and got someone to bring it to the dining room. He announced that dinner could be served.


    Mu Yangling was already seated at the dining table when they arrived. When she saw them, she smiled and greeted them with a good attitude.


    Qi Haoran got someone to scoop a bowl of chicken soup. He looked at her with bright eyes and said, ¡°This is chicken soup that¡¯s been stewed for a long time Try it.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at him strangely and pushed the soup back. She said in a good temper, ¡°You should drink it since you haven¡¯t recovered yet.¡± ¡°Just drink it. I don¡¯t like chicken soup,¡± Qi Haoran said with a straight face. Fan Zijin, who was sitting at the side, could not help but roll his eyes. He dragged the chicken soup before himself and drank it inrge mouthfuls. Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling were both stunned. If not for the fact that his physical condition did not allow it, Qi Haoran almost wanted to jump up. ¡°Zijin, why did you snatch Ah Ling¡¯s chicken soup?¡±


    After finishing a bowl, Fan Zijin realized that he, a smart person, had actually done such a childish thing. When he heard Qi Haoran¡¯s question, he said bluntly, ¡°There¡¯s a whole pot of it. Not to mention one bowl, it¡¯s even enough to fill five bowls. Why are you guys pushing it to one another?¡±


    Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling blushed. That seemed to be the case.


    Mama Wangughed secretly and quickly scooped two bowls of chicken soup for them.


    Only then did things settle down at the dining table.


    Fan Zijin looked at Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling, who had a tacit understanding, and felt that it was unnecessary for him to stay here. So, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll return to ¡¯ Hanzhong Prefecture tomorrow. There are still many things for me to deal with there.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at Mu Yangling and said, ¡°We¡¯ll settle the dividends on the second day of the Lunar New Year. When the timees, I¡¯ll bring the ount book and money over to look for you.¡±


    Stunned, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°There¡¯s still dividends this year? Didn¡¯t they say that all the money was used to buy armaments?¡±


    A batch of goods and silver from Jiangnan has already arrived at Xingyuan Prefecture. Previously, when the Jin soldiers attacked the city, they were afraid that an ident would happen, so they stayed there. Today, they have already begun to rush to Hanzhong Prefecture. After I settle the ounts, I¡¯ll go over to look for you. I¡¯ll forgo my and Haoran¡¯s share of the silver for the time being, and give you your dividends first.¡± Although Mu Yangling¡¯s share of the business came from her contributing the rabbits andbor, it was unreasonable for her to not receive a dividend after two years.


    Mu Yangling hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°If Big Brother Qi needs money urgently, let¡¯s not give out dividends first. I have enough to get by.¡± Fan Zijin¡¯s expression softened a lot. She said in a rare, nice tone, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Eldest Cousin has already stabilized things on his side. Since you have so many people under you, it¡¯s better to give you your share first. In March, the restaurant, cloth shop, and rabbit meat shop will have new ie.¡± ¡°The General¡¯s Mansion also needs to celebrate the new year.¡± The General¡¯s Mansion was different from the Mu family. The Mu family could have a very nice New Year with just more than ten taels of silver, but the General¡¯s Mansion needed money to take care of favors.


    However, Fan Zijin said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the General¡¯s Mansion isn¡¯t short of money. You don¡¯t have to worry about this.¡±


    Eldest Cousin had gathered a lot of things from attacking Hanzhong Prefecture. Fighting wars was extremely expensive, but also the most profitable. If nothing major happened in the next two years, they would not be short of money.


    And this was only counting the antique calligraphy and paintings they had thrown into the storeroom previously.


    Upon hearing Fan Zijin¡¯s words, Mu Yangling immediately stopped asking. Qi Haoran had never worried about money. If he did not have enough, he could just look for his big brother or Zijin.


    Once Fan Zijin left, only Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling were left in the residence. Initially, Mu Yangling had nned to stay here for two days before going back. However, Mama Wang felt that since this was her first time, she should not rush back at this time. At the moment, the weather outside could freeze people to death, and the wind pierced one¡¯s body like a de. Even if her stomach caught just a tad of that chilliness, she would suffer for the rest of her life.


    Hence, she insisted that Mu Yangling stay for four days.


    However, it would be New Year¡¯s Eve in four days. Mama Wang said angrily, ¡°Is one New Year¡¯s Eve more important than your health in the next few decades?¡± Qi Haoran made the decision for her. ¡°You can go back on the 30th. I¡¯ll send you back.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea. Why would you go when there¡¯s nothing in the 5th Division?¡±


    ¡°Who said I¡¯m going to the <sub>5</sub>th Division? Big Brother is still leading troops outside, and Zijin is in Hanzhong Prefecture. I¡¯ll go to your house for the New Year and return when Zijines back.¡±


    Mu Yangling immediately did not object.


    Qi Haoran said happily, ¡°It¡¯s decided then. We¡¯ll go to the Wu residence to see Wu Jinter.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Wu Jin?¡±


    Qi Haoran said disdainfully, ¡°He¡¯s sick. He¡¯s only been sick from the cold until now. On ount of his good performance in the battle at Xingcheng Pass, let¡¯s go and visit him.¡±


    After saying that, he whispered into Mu Yangling¡¯s ear when no one was paying attention, ¡°Let¡¯s go speak to that old fox, Wu Shancai, lest he causes trouble before Big Brother returns.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded in understanding and asked, ¡°Has the Imperial Court given any orders?¡±


    At this point, Qi Haoran was also a little surprised. He shook his head and said ¡°No, I¡¯ve also been wondering why there¡¯s no movement from the Imperial Court at all.¡±


    Even if this ce was far from Lin¡¯an Prefecture, such an urgent matter should have been reported to Lin¡¯an Prefecture by pigeon after the Xingyuan Prefecture received the news. On the other hand, they still had to send an urgent report back. However, it had been so long, and they still hadn¡¯t received any orders. It couldn¡¯t be that the Imperial Court hadn¡¯t received any battle reports yet, right?


    How could the Imperial Court not have received the battle report? Actually, the day before Qi Xiuyuan took down the Jingzhao Prefecture, the Imperial Court had received a letter from a pigeon. At that time, the Emperor was still sleeping on the dragon bed. When he received the news, he almost fell off the dragon bed and held a ministerial meeting overnight.


    However, unlike the previous one-sided peacemaking, this time, half of his people were supportive. Even if Minister Qin insisted that General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan stop fighting and return to their own territory to not anger the Jin Kingdom again, the Emperor hesitated and did not give the order.


    That was because he also wanted to take the opportunity to take back his homnd. Moreover, he was an Emperor who was good at listening. Since half of his people supported the cause, he could not insist on a withdrawal. Therefore, the Emperor nned to discuss it with the ministers at the court meeting the next day.


    Unexpectedly, the court meeting the next day erupted like a marketce. The two sides that were for and against the battle started fighting in less than an hour. That¡¯s right, they got into a physical brawl. In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the ministers were hugging and rolling around on the ground like shrews in the marketce. Some ministers even took off their boots and used them as weapons. This was the first time in the Emperor¡¯s life that he had seen such a chaotic scene. He was stunned!


    The guards and eunuchs in the Hall of Supreme Harmony were also stunned. In the end, even Minister Qin was pushed to the ground and pped by someone with a smelly boot. The Emperor decisively shut his mouth, pursed his lips, and sat on his throne, looking down..

 Chapter 361 - 361: Confrontation

    Chapter 361: Confrontation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Seated on the dragon throne, the Emperor wanted tough, but he also felt that it was infuriating. To think the solemn Imperial Court had be a marketce for fighting. However, seeing those important ministers lose theirposure like this, the Emperor felt that it was worth it.


    The Emperor shook off the wild thoughts in his mind. Now was not the time to think about this. He¡¯d better stop everyone from beating each other up first.


    When the Emperor felt that the people below were almost done fighting, he asked the guards to step forward and drag them apart from each other.


    Minister Qin¡¯s eyes were bruised by someone. After he was pulled away, he pushed the guard away angrily and knelt on the ground, shouting, ¡°Your Majesty, now that we finally eased the situation with the Jin Kingdom, we can¡¯t let the peace be destroyed by Qi Xiuyuan and General Yuan. Your Majesty, quickly order them to retreat.¡±


    A white-bearded old man crawled up shakily and went forward to spit at him. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you¡¯re disloyal and dishonorable, but you actually dare to implicate His Majesty. Your Majesty, it¡¯s already dishonorable of us to throw away the empire that Emperor Shizong worked so hard to build. Now that we have a chance to take it back, how can we retreat? Your Majesty, please order the Ministry of War of the Ministry of Revenue to fully support General Yuan and General Qi. Even if we can¡¯t take back all our hometowns, we have to take back the three prefectures of Jingzhao Prefecture, Henan Prefecture, and Kaifeng


    Prefecture.¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t want to take back my homnd?¡± Minister Qin shouted angrily. ¡°But we have to be able to defend it after taking it back. If we anger the Jin Kingdom, hundreds of thousands of their cavalry will go south. Not to mention the three prefectures, I¡¯m afraid they will rush to the Yangtze River in


    one go.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, the few generals in the Imperial Court were so angry that their faces turned ashen. They stepped forward and requested to fight. ¡°Your Majesty, we request to fight and assist General Yuan and General Qi.¡±


    The white-bearded old man also mocked Minister Qin. ¡°As long as Minister Qin doesn¡¯t drag us down, General Yuan and General Qi can protect ournd if they can retrieve the lostnd. Your Majesty, just look at Hanzhong Prefecture. The border of Hanzhong Prefecture is long and has no passes. Even then, didn¡¯t Qi Xiuyuan guard it for two years?¡±


    Minister Qin sneered. ¡°Credit can¡¯t go to Qi Xiuyuan. It¡¯s because the Jin soldiers didn¡¯t do anything to get it back at all. He was lucky to encounter a battle between the Jin Kingdom and West Xia. Otherwise, let¡¯s see if he can defend Hanzhong Prefecture.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Minister Qin say that the Jin Kingdom has hundreds of thousands of cavalry? Why can¡¯t they spare tens of thousands to attack Hanzhong Prefecture?¡± The official who supported the battle mocked. ¡°Did the few battles between the Jin Kingdom and West Xia affect their military strength?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, the border of Hanzhong Prefecture is long, so it¡¯s indeed very difficult to guard. However, it¡¯s different if we take back the Jingzhao Prefecture. There are four passes in the Jingzhao Prefecture. Especially Hangu Pass, it¡¯s a natural barrier that allows one man to hold out against 10,000 men. If we take back the Jingzhao Prefecture, the south of the Jingzhao Prefecture will be 50% safer.¡± The white-bearded old man knelt on the ground shakily and said tearfully, ¡°Your Majesty, please issue a decree to make General Qi take back the Jingzhao Prefecture!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, please issue a decree to take back Jingzhao Prefecture!¡± All the people who were fighting knelt down. For a moment, only half of them were left standing in the middle.


    The Emperor heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. He was also inclined to take back the Jingzhao Prefecture because the geographical conditions of the Jingzhao Prefecture were excellent, unlike the Hanzhong Prefecture, which was dispensable.


    Just as the Emperor was about to give the order, a general knelt down and said, ¡°Your Majesty, let¡¯s not talk about whether General Qi and General Yuan should take back the Jingzhao Prefecture first. By sending troops without orders, they were defying Your Majesty¡¯s intentions. Your Majesty, please send someone to investigate if they have any ns to revolt before convicting them.¡± Qi Feng, who was kneeling below, felt his heart tighten. Seeing that the imperial Court was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop, those who had been moring to send troops did not react at all. He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and knelt two steps forward. ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m guilty!¡± The white-bearded old man, who had wanted to intercede for Qi Xiuyuan and General Yuan, shrank back after Qi Feng stood up. When he heard Qi Feng¡¯s next words, he almost fainted from anger.


    He thought that Qi Feng was here to defend his son, but who knew that he was here to confess?


    The others were also stunned, and the people who supported the battle widened their eyes. They had quietened down previously because they didn¡¯t expect someone to suggest such a crime. Rebellion was a huge taboo, so they naturally had to think carefully before defending Qi Xiuyuan and General Yuan. However, who knew that Qi Feng didn¡¯t stand up for his son but confessed? Even if he professed his son¡¯s admiration for the Emperor, love for the Great Zhou, and willingness to sacrifice himself for the Emperor, it¡¯s fine. But no, he actually confessed!


    The Emperor also looked at Qi Feng with a dark expression for a while before saying indifferently, ¡°Oh.¡± He asked, ¡°Minister Qi, what crime have youmitted?¡±


    Qi Feng cried, ¡°Your Majesty, I didn¡¯t teach my son well. Qi Xiuyuan left home when he was 13 years old and joined his uncle. Not only did he note back all these years, but he also rarely sent letters. I really didn¡¯t know that he would do such a disgraceful thing.¡±


    Fan Siwen¡¯s face was a little dark, and he hesitated for a long time. After the white-bearded old man red at him twice, he gritted his teeth and stood up to interrupt Qi Feng. ¡°Your Majesty, although Xiuyuan doesn¡¯t have much contact with his family, he still sends letters back every New Year and during the festivals. As his uncle, I often receive letters of greeting from him. From the letters, he¡¯s constantly thinking about taking back his homnd for Your Majesty and the Great Zhou. In addition, considering he¡¯s in the army, this kind of thought will only grow stronger. I can believe that he sent out the troops to take back the Jingzhao Prefecture because he¡¯s young and impetuous and sumbed to the instigation of the Jin soldiers. But I don¡¯t believe he will rebel. Your Majesty, Xiuyuan¡¯s entire family is in Lin¡¯an Prefecture and he only has a few tens of thousands of troops under him. More than 100,000 troops from Xingyuan Prefecture can arrive within a day. Although he¡¯s young, he¡¯s not a brainless person. He definitely won¡¯t do such a thing.


    After Fan Siwenid the foundation, the white-bearded old man immediately came out and said, ¡°Your Majesty, most of the soldiers in the army want to take back their homnd and wash away their humiliation. General Yuan has even made this his lifelong goal. Your Majesty, having known General Yuan for more than 20 years, don¡¯t you know that? As for Qi Xiuyuan, from his actions of taking back Hanzhong Prefecture, we know that he¡¯s also a capable general who wants to take back his homnd for Your Majesty. If Your Majesty is suspicious of them, won¡¯t it disappoint the soldiers at the front line?¡± Without waiting for Minister Qin to speak, Fan Siwen hurriedly kowtowed and changed the topic. ¡°Your Majesty, Xiuyuan and General Yuan¡¯s troops are still at the front line. Please decide whether to fight or not. Otherwise, the longer this drags on, the more dangerous it will be for our soldiers.


    The pro-war faction immediately understood that before General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s defense memorial arrived, they could not let anyone change the topic to rebellion. They immediately ran out and begged the Emperor to order Qi Xiuyuan and General Yuan to continue forward and take back their homnd.


    Hence, the topic was brought back. Minister Qin¡¯s men wanted to change the topic back to holding the two of them ountable several times, but they were always stopped.


    His Majesty¡¯s back was originally straight, but after seeing that everyone was still arguing for a long time withouting to a conclusion, he waved his hand angrily and said, ¡°The court is dismissed. We¡¯ll discuss it tomorrow.¡± Minister Qin¡¯s face instantly darkened, and the white-bearded old man was delighted.


    Court was dismissed, but Qi Xiuyuan and General Yuan would not stop. It was worth it even if they could only retrieve an inch of soil a day.


    The white-bearded old man happily went out with the help of his son and grandson.


    His son and grandson were worried. ¡°Father, don¡¯te tomorrow. It was too bizarre today.¡± Just now, he had seen his father take off his shoes and hit Minister Qin with all his might. However, other than his father and a few old schrs, no one dared to hit Minister Qin with their shoes..

 Chapter 362 - 362: Argument

    Chapter 362: Argument


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The white-bearded old man was Yan Chong, one of the three remaining elders of the Great Zhou Dynasty. 20 years ago, when His Majesty fled south, he cried loudly. However, he had no choice but to bring his son to the south with His Majesty. When the Imperial Court was in chaos, he propped up the Imperial Court with a few old ministers.


    The currently powerful Minister Qin was merely a small sixth-grade official back then. When he saw him, not only did he have to give way and bow to him, but he would also address him respectfully as Teacher.


    Back then, when Minister Qin took the examination, the white-bearded old man was unfortunately the main examiner. This made him very regretful. He said that if he had known that Minister Qin was such a scheming person back then, he would definitely not have let him pass. Although he said it in a fit of anger, it could be seen that he had a terrible rtionship with Minister Qin.


    He had retired seven or eight years ago. When he heard the news that General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan had sent troops yesterday, he happily drank two sses of wine. The next day, he took out his court uniform and came to court.


    Although he had retired, he still had the honorary title of the Crown Prince¡¯s Grand Tutor. As such, it was very easy for him to go to court.


    He only snorted twice to express his dissatisfaction with his son¡¯s actions of stopping him from going to court. He expressed disdain for his son and grandson¡¯sbat strength. ¡°Count on you? Then I might as well close my eyes and dream.¡±


    His son, Yan Du, and grandson, Yan Fu, looked a little embarrassed. However, the white-bearded old man stopped in his tracks and looked at Qi Feng, who had left the Imperial Court. A hint of mockery shed across his eyes. He turned to his son and said, ¡°Look at him. Do you still despise me for not treating you brothers well? It¡¯s your blessings that you can reincarnate as my descendant. If you¡¯re not grateful for that, I¡¯ll go down and meet the King of Hell and ask him to reincarnate you into Qi Feng¡¯s wife¡¯s womb next time.¡±


    Yan Du didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡°Father, our son is even older than Qi Feng.¡±


    Yan Fu lowered his head to hide his smile.


    The white-bearded old man red and said, ¡°In the next lifetime. If you don¡¯t believe me, just wait and see. You¡¯re so lucky to be my son, but you insist on arguing.¡±


    Yan Du felt a little awkward in front of his son, but when he thought of Qi Feng¡¯s performance just now, he felt that his father was right. Qi Xiuyuan was really unlucky to have such a father.


    At this moment, Fan Siwen was also looking at Qi Feng with a livid expression. He resisted the strange gazes of others and walked to Qi Feng¡¯s side. He said in a low voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡±


    Feeling embarrassed because of what happened in the Imperial Court just now, Qi Feng immediately followed after hearing this.


    He was also very aggrieved by the strange gazes of others. When someone suggested a rebellion just now, he broke out in cold sweat. That was the only sentence that came to his mind. Naturally, he wanted to do his best to protect the Qi family. How could he think of anything else?


    Qi Feng was a little resentful of his son. If instead of leading the troops in the army, he had taken the Imperial Examination and be a civil official, there wouldn¡¯t have been such trouble.


    Rebellion would get nine generations of his family killed.


    Fan Siwen even had the intention to kill Qi Feng now. He had no choice but to jump out because the rebellion would implicate his entire family. Even if he had to die, he had to absolve Qi Xiuyuan of this crime because he was also ¡®part of the nine generations¡¯. Once this crime was convicted, no one in the Fan family would survive.


    That was why Fan Siwen was so furious at Qi Feng. As soon as he got into his carriage, he couldn¡¯t suppress his anger and said, ¡°Are you crazy? Instead of crying for justice for Xiuyuan at this time, you actually made a confession? Do you think it¡¯s as simple as killing one single person? Once Xiuyuan¡¯s crime of rebellion has been convicted, no one in your Qi family, our Fan family, the Zhu family, and the Xia family can escape.¡±


    Qi Feng¡¯s expression was also a little ugly as he exined, ¡°Your Majesty is kind-hearted. If we take the initiative to exin¡­¡±


    ¡°Exin what?¡± Fan Siwen scolded him. ¡°All Xiuyuan is doing is reim his homnd. He¡¯s only 20 years old and has yet to marry. Do you think he¡¯s so ambitious? No matter how benevolent His Majesty is, he¡¯s still the Emperor. What is an Emperor?¡± Fan Siwen stared into his eyes and said, ¡°The Emperor is the son of the heavens. When the son of the heavens flies into a rage, corpses will float within a 100-mile radius. Qi Feng, don¡¯t do anything stupid. From tomorrow onwards, call in sick, okay?¡±


    After saying that, he mmed the door and jumped out of the carriage. Only when he got out did he realize that it was his own carriage. He was indeed muddle-headed from anger to have actually gotten out of his own carriage. He should have chased Qi Feng out.


    However, at the thought of Qi Feng¡¯s behavior, Fan Siwen gave up. He stood on the ground and panted twice before waving his hand helplessly. He asked the coachman to send Qi Feng back to the Qi residence while he walked back with his hands behind his back.


    Fan Siwen walked home with a dark expression. Only then did he realize that he still had to go to work and had actually skipped work toe back. Indeed, everything was not going well today. With this thought in mind, he was no longer in the mood to go to the government office. He directly sent a servant to the government office to apply for leave and entered the residence with a dark expression.


    When Xia Tong heard that Fan Siwen was back, she quickly ran out and stuffed a heater into his hand. She asked, ¡°How is it?¡±


    Seeing that he did not look good, she asked, ¡°Did something happen to Xiuyuan?¡±


    Fan Siwen went straight into the study and sent the servants away. Seeing that he was silent, Xia Tong stomped her feet and said, ¡°Say something.¡±


    Fan Siwen red at her. ¡°What can happen to Xiuyuan? Don¡¯t worry, with Grand Tutor Yan and General Yuan here, they won¡¯t let Xiuyuan be punished severely. Even if he gets punished, it¡¯ll only be a deduction from his annual sry and stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you look so pale?¡±


    Anger surged in Fan Siwen¡¯s chest. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal to begin with, but your cousin-inw took the initiative to help Xiuyuan confess. It¡¯s fine if he confessed to other crimes, but he actually dared to ept the crime of rebellion. I really can¡¯t fathom how he came to be a fourth-grade official.¡±


    Fan Siwen told Xia Tong about what happened in the Imperial Court today and said, ¡°Write a letter to Zijin and tell him about what happened here.¡±


    ¡°Then, should we call Zijin back? And Haoran. The two of them are still children. Let¡¯s call them back to study,¡± Xia Tong said worriedly.


    Fan Siwen red at her. ¡°Can you decide for Zijin?¡± Fan Siwen snorted. ¡°If you¡¯re capable of summoning them back, then go ahead.¡±


    Xia Tong said angrily, ¡°Didn¡¯t they run away from home because of your son?¡± ¡°me me?¡± Fan Siwen¡¯s suppressed anger red up again. He roared, ¡°The spot for hereditary privilege belongs to me. Yes, he¡¯s my son. But isn¡¯t Jialue my son too? In fact, Jialue is even two years older than him. What¡¯s wrong with me giving him the hereditary privilege spot?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that there are differences between the legitimate son and the concubine¡¯s son?¡± Xia Tong shouted back. ¡°Zijin is the legitimate son. The spot for the hereditary privilege was originally his. Why should he give it up to Jialue? How much has he given up since he was born?¡±


    ¡°He became a xiucai? at the age of 11. If he can be an official himself, why would he need this hereditary privilege? His older brother, on the other hand, is neither cut out for academics nor martial arts, that¡¯s why I gave him the hereditary privilege. Surely Jialue can¡¯t rely on Zijin for the rest of his life?¡±


    It was not that Fan Siwen was thinking badly of his own son, but Zijin had been devious since he was young. Once the old man passed away, Zijin would surely torment his brother from a different mother.

 Chapter 363 - 363:1

    Chapter 363:1


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    However, Xia Tong sneered and said, ¡°This is just your excuse. Every time you buy something, you let Jialue choose first before it¡¯s Zijin¡¯s turn. It¡¯s clearly something that Zijin likes, but you ask him to give it to Jialue. He¡¯s clearly the younger child and the legitimate son, but he has to give in to Jialue in every way. Have you thought about him? Seeing as these servants at home tter the strong and trample on the weak, my boy¡¯s been bullied by those servants since


    he was young¡­¡±


    Fan Siwen said impatiently, ¡°How can he be bullied when you¡¯re the matriarch of the family head? If anyone was bullied, it¡¯s because Jialue. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that he tricked Jialue into bullying Haoran several times when they were kids. Otherwise, how could it be so coincidental that I witnessed the scene the moment I came back?¡±


    Feeling a lump in her throat, Xia Tong shouted, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything when Jialue bullied the two of them in private? If he hadn¡¯t bullied them in private, could Zijin have entrapped him? If you would stand up for him, would he need to spend so much effort? You¡¯re his father. How old was he back then? He wasn¡¯t even five years old. Aren¡¯t you ashamed? You criticize that Qi Feng isn¡¯t worthy of being Xiuyuan¡¯s father, but I really don¡¯t think you¡¯re much better than him. From how I see it, you and Qi Feng can be best buddies. You¡¯re both bastards who dote on your concubines and neglect your wives¡¯.¡±


    After saying that, she smashed the things in the study room.


    Fan Siwen¡¯s face was ashen. He sat there with a dark expression and red at


    Xia Tong.


    However, the people outside were already used to it. They would find it strange


    if Master and Madam didn¡¯t quarrel every day.


    Although Fan Siwen had a huge argument with his wife, he still prepared to defend Qi Xiuyuan tomorrow.


    If this was Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s matter alone, he might have been perfunctory about it. However, this was a matter that involved Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s entire n, and he was, unfortunately, part of it. Therefore, for the sake of his wives and children, he could only risk his life to protect Qi Xiuyuan. At the very least, he could not let him be convicted of the crime of rebellion.


    However, thinking of the Emperor¡¯s reaction, the possibility of conviction of this crime was rather low, provided that Qi Feng wasn¡¯t a burden.


    The others were also making preparations. The pro-war faction abandoned their previous grudges and joined forces to ask the Emperor to support General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s military operations.


    On the other hand, the anti-war faction joined forces to request the Emperor to withdraw General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan, as well as activate the negotiation mechanism with the Jin Kingdom to minimize the losses. As for how to deal with General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan, they were divided into two factions. One faction thought that by sending out troops against the orders, the duo was just eager for glory and that this didn¡¯t count as a rebellion. However, the other faction firmly believed that the two of them wanted to rebel.


    Everyone had prepared their own words. In the end, when everyone arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony the next day, the Emperor actually said that he was sick, so he was taking a three-day break.


    After resting for three days, when they reached a conclusion and the order arrived in the north, everything would be settled. The anti-war faction¡¯s expressions were extremely ugly.


    However, the pro-war factionughed out loud. Although the Emperor did not explicitly consent to sending out troops, this was him tacitly agreeing to General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s actions.


    Only Yan Chong and a few important ministers left the court uneasily with a frown.


    ¡°The Emperor is clever. He¡¯s nning to settle scorester.¡± Yan Chong sighed.


    Yan Du said hesitantly, ¡°Father, should we remind General Yuan?¡±


    Yan Chong shook his head. ¡°Do you think that General Yuan doesn¡¯t have any channels to know about such a huge matter? Now, we can only hope that they can defend the counties they conquered. If they can defend it, with the people s support, the Emperor won¡¯t be too ruthless in settling scores. If they fail to do so, I¡¯m afraid the world will be in turmoil again.¡±


    Yan Du was also worried.


    At this moment, Qi Haoran still didn¡¯t know that his father was screwing over his older brother again. Then, the Emperor dug an even bigger pit at the back, waiting for him to fall in. He was sitting in Wu Jin¡¯s room and looking at the pale-faced Wu Jin in disdain. ¡°It¡¯s just a cold and you¡¯ve been so sick for so long. Isn¡¯t your physique too poor?¡±


    Wu Jin felt wronged. ¡°I¡¯ve never gone out on such a cold night since I was young.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. I know credit goes to you this time.¡± Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, ¡°Now that I¡¯m here and your father is at ease, rest and recuperate in peace. Your father won¡¯t punish you anymore.¡±


    However, his father¡¯s heart was aching after donating so many things. And whenever his heart ached, he would torture his son.


    Wu Jin stole a nce at Qi Haoran but didn¡¯t say anything.


    As the room was filled with the smell of medicine, Qi Haoran was impatient to sit there for long. Thinking that his goal of condolence had been achieved, he patted Wu Jin¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Rest well. When you recover, I¡¯ll bring you out to y. I guarantee that you¡¯ll be able to run barefoot in the snow for a month.¡±


    Wu Jin¡¯s face turned even paler, but Qi Haoran didn¡¯t notice it. Feeling that his mission offorting Wu Jin was aplished, he waved his hand and left.


    Looking at his departing back, Wu Jin heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he was conflicted. He didn¡¯t know if he should recover from his illness quickly or continue to be sick.


    Qi Haoran had just walked out when Wu Shancai weed him with a smile. ¡°Fourth Young Master, I¡¯ve troubled you toe and see my son¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran forced a smile and said, ¡°Young Master Wu has contributed greatly to the battle to defend the city. It¡¯s only right that Ie to see him.¡±


    ¡°No, no. This is what he should do.¡± The smile on Wu Shancai¡¯s face deepened. He lowered his voice and asked, ¡°Fourth Young Master, do you know when General Qi will return?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never asked about Big Brother¡¯s schedule. Magistrate Wu, why are you asking?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing. I¡¯m just concerned. Isn¡¯t it almost New Year¡¯s Eve? I think even if we¡¯re fighting a war, we have to let the soldiers have a good New Year, right?¡± Qi Haoran fell silent and ignored Wu Shancai¡¯s probing eyes. He said directly, ¡°Sir, you can just manage the government affairs. You don¡¯t have to worry about the matters in the military camp.¡±


    However, after returning to the carriage, Qi Haoran became depressed. Mu Yangling asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you so tired after only going in for a while?¡±


    ¡°Many soldiers died in this war. Some of their homes are here, and some are very far away. In the past, even if they couldn¡¯t go home, they could send some things back.¡±


    Mu Yangling was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°There are bound to be casualties in a war. This is unavoidable. In order to end the war, unless you¡¯re willing to be ves, you¡¯ve got to continue reiming your homnd and build the entire country to be strong and prosperous. Only then can you avoid war again.¡±


    Qi Haoran was at a loss. ¡°We¡¯re powerful and prosperous. We¡¯re not afraid of external forces, but Your Majesty and the Imperial Court won¡¯t agree to let us do this. This is the Guo Family¡¯s world.¡±


    Mu Yangling fell silent as well. The atmosphere in the car instantly became stuffy. Fei Bai, who was outside, sensed that the atmosphere was strange and reduced his presence even more.


    When they got out of the car, Qi Haoran said, ¡°That¡¯s too far away. Let¡¯s just focus on what we have to do now.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    ¡°For example, givingpensation to the families of the soldiers who died in battle, as well as giving some supplies to the families of all the soldiers who went to war. Even a catty of rice and noodles is good.¡±


    Mu Yangling stopped in her tracks and asked, ¡°Do you know how many soldiers you have? This is a lot of money.¡±


    Qi Haoran scratched his head and said, ¡°Borrow from Zijin first? Then pay him back with my dividendster?¡±

 Chapter 364 - 364: Battle Situation

    Chapter 364: Battle Situation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling looked at Qi Haoran and asked, ¡°Are you sure you can afford it?¡± Qi Haoran never had enough money.


    However, Qi Haoran waved his hand confidently. ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as I don¡¯t spend the dividends in the future. I¡¯ll definitely be able to pay it back.¡±


    Hence, with Qi Haoran¡¯s order, the logistics staff of the five battalions took the ount book and registry to Hanzhong Prefecture to look for Fan Zijin.


    Fan Zijin almost spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. With just one sentence from Qi Haoran, his restaurant¡¯s annual profits would be gone. However, since Qi Haoran had already made a promise, he could not let him go back on his word. So, he could only dig out his private savings to help him pay for it.


    Fan Zijin nned to teach him a good lesson when he got back.


    At this moment, Qi Haoran was happily riding the carriage back to Mingshui County with Mu Yangling for the New Year.


    Mu Yangling looked at the smiling citizens outside and said, ¡°I wonder if Big Brother Qj and the others can stop the war to celebrate the New Year today.¡± ¡°The Jin soldiers don¡¯t celebrate the New Year. Even if Big Brother wants to stop the war, he has to get the Jin soldiers to agree.¡±


    The Jin soldiers did not want to stop fighting, but they were no longer able to defend the city and could only retreat. Coupled with the cold weather, seeing that the Han soldiers did not attack today, they hid in the camp and did not move.


    At this moment, Qi Xiuyuan was not in the campsite. Instead, he was in an eatery in a town that had just been taken back.


    When General Yuan strode in with two attendants, he immediately saw the young man sitting in front of the window. Appreciation shed across his eyes as he walked over with a smile.


    Qi Xiuyuan immediately stood up when he saw him. ¡°Uncle¡­ Yuan.¡±


    General Yuanughed and patted his shoulder. ¡°Since you call me uncle, I¡¯ll acknowledge you as my nephew. Come, let¡¯s find a ce to sit down.¡± Seeing that there weren¡¯t many people in the eatery, but there were ordinary civilians standing or sitting around, he smiled at Qi Xiuyuan. ¡°Kid, you¡¯re quite smart. You¡¯ve only upied this town for a few days, but you¡¯ve already built this eatery.¡±


    Smiling, Qi Xiuyuan exined, ¡°As the prices of goods in small ces are low, it cost only 100 taels of silver to buy the shop. Since Uncle ising over, I have to prepare.¡±


    General Yuan didn¡¯t me Qi Xiuyuan. Instead, he felt that he was meticulous. He looked up and took a closer look at Qi Xiuyuan. Qi Xiuyuan was only 20 years old this year. Although he was a little tanned from the wind and sun, this made him look even more manly. Coupled with his stalwart figure and refined temperament, he stood out from the rest of the brutish soldiers. Yet, he was even more convincing.


    General Yuan patted his shoulder and called out ¡°good¡± three times in a row. ¡°The new generation really surpasses the old. Although I¡¯ve never seen you before, I¡¯ve been hearing things about you. Back then, your uncle told me that you were a promising talent, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be so promising. Two years ago, you even shocked me when you wanted to take back Hanzhong Prefecture.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said humbly, ¡°Although I tried my best, I could only take back Hanzhong Prefecture. As soon as you stepped out, you took back Henan Prefecture and Kaifeng Prefecture.¡±


    General Yuan shook his head. ¡°Considering Jingzhao Prefecture is easy to defend but difficult to attack, this one prefecture is equivalent to two prefectures. Moreover, you only have 90,000 troops while I have 200,000. How can wepare?¡±


    That was why General Yuan took the risk to meet Qi Xiuyuan. He was really a rare military talent. After fighting for so many years, he felt that it was getting harder and harder to fight the Jin soldiers. Not only was it because of the pressure from the Imperial Court, but the Jin soldiers were too familiar with him. It was also because he was getting increasingly anxious. Considering he was already over 40 years old, how many more years could he have on the battlefield?


    Although his sons were valiant and good at battle, he knew his sons well. They could only be vanguards and not generals.


    He was afraid that once he died, they would not be able to defend the north pass. However, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s appearance undoubtedly gave him hope.


    That was why he disregarded Military Advisor Shen Mu¡¯s obstruction and came to see Qi Xiuyuan after being friends for so many years. Otherwise, he didn¡¯t know when the next opportunity would be.


    Of course, this couldn¡¯t be a reason for them to meet, so they used the excuse that they would use troops against the Jin Kingdomter.


    After exchanging pleasantries, the two of them quickly cut to the chase. General Yuan wanted to pursue the victory and recover all the lostnd south of the Yellow River, driving the Jin soldiers north of the Yellow River.


    Hearing General Yuan¡¯s suggestion, Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t help but think of what his brother had said to him the night before he left.


    Although it was difficult to take back Hanzhong Prefecture, they still seeded. Although it was dangerous to take in Jingzhao Prefecture, they had also seeded. Qi Xiuyuan was indeed brimming with confidence now.


    Before this, he and RongXuan indeed had the same n as General Yuan to take back as muchnd as possible.


    However, his younger brother, who had always been impulsive and eager to take back his homnd, did not think so.


    Before Qi Haoran was sent back to Xingzhou Prefecture, he had discussed this matter with him. Qi Haoran¡¯s n was very simple. After clearing the way, he would shrink the battlefront and guard Jingzhao Prefecture, Henan Prefecture, and Kaifeng Prefecture.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s round face darkened as he said, ¡°Big Brother, it¡¯s not like General Yuan didn¡¯t take back thend north of the Yellow River back then. Even though Your Majesty¡¯s iron order was one of the reasons, another reason was that he¡¯s anxious for quick sess and failed to defend it after taking it back. Only by defending it after taking it back, will thend truly be ours. If we lose it after taking it back, wouldn¡¯t our soldiers¡¯ blood have been spilled for nothing?¡± Qi Xiuyuan had always known that his brother was very talented in war, so he seriously pondered his words.


    Qi Haoran pursued the victory and said, ¡°Big Brother, considering we only have tens of thousands of troops, it¡¯s already not bad if we can defend Jingzhao Prefecture. Although General Yuan has 200,000 troops, no one knows how many soldiers will be left after this battle. The boundary between Kaifeng Prefecture and Jingzhao Prefecture is long, and even 200,000 men might not be able to defend it. Why don¡¯t we defend Jingzhao Prefecture first like how we defend Hanzhong Prefecture? After recuperating, we can slowly expand. It¡¯s better than going north all at once, if we have no choice but to losend because we don¡¯t have enough backup, right?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan had been thinking about his brother¡¯s words for the past few days, and the pride he had been suppressing for the past few days had disappeared. Haoran only focused on the war situation, but he also had to think about the political situation and the Jin Kingdom¡¯s response.


    If they continued north and forced the Jin Kingdom to a corner, would they be furious and resist with everything they had?


    If they could not defend the cities they took down, the Imperial Court would definitely abandon him and General Yuan in order to protect their current territory south of the Yangtze River.


    General Yuan had 200,000 soldiers and horses, so the Imperial Court might have many scruples about him. However, he was only a third-grade general, and could be kicked out at any time to take the me. Therefore, Qi Xiuyuan decided to listen to his brother¡¯s opinion.


    And he was here to dispel General Yuan¡¯s idea of continuing northward.


    Qi Xiuyuan raised his head and looked at General Yuan with bright eyes. He said seriously, ¡°General Yuan, I think we shouldn¡¯t go north anymore. Instead, we should shrink the battle line and defend the cities we captured.¡±


    Stunned, General Yuan asked, ¡°What did you say?¡±

 Chapter 365 - 365: Settling the Score

    Chapter 365: Settling the Score


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Eventually, General Yuan was convinced by Qi Xiuyuan. He turned around and sighed at Shen Mu, who was beside him. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re really old.¡±


    Shen Mu smiled and said, ¡°You may admit you¡¯re old, but don¡¯t drag me down with you. Back then, I also advised you to shrink the battlefront. We¡¯ve been old friends for decades, yet you¡¯re only willing to listen to a brat. My heart and liver are all hurt.¡±


    General Yuanughed, knowing that he was joking. He gently whipped his horse¡¯s butt and said with a smile, ¡°You don¡¯t say. I¡¯m willing to listen to opinions that are younger than mine.¡±


    Shen Mu shook his head but still said, ¡°Qi Xiuyuan is indeed a rare talent.¡±


    General Yuan said proudly, ¡°How is it? We didn¡¯t make a wasted trip, right?¡± Shen Mu¡¯s smile faded slightly as he asked, ¡°He¡¯s not married yet, right?¡± General Yuan¡¯s smile froze and he nodded.


    Shen Mu said in a deep voice, ¡°Does His Majesty have a daughter of suitable age?¡±


    ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t, there are still conferred princesses.¡± General Yuan said nonchntly, ¡°If he can marry a princess or a conferred princess, it will be good for him.¡±


    However, Shen Mu didn¡¯t think so. If Qi Xiuyuan married a princess or a conferred princess, he might not gain much trust from Your Majesty, but it would increase many constraints.


    But that was Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s private matter. Although Shen Mu felt that it was a pity, he could not interfere.


    Since the two top generals had agreed to shrink the battlefront, they naturally would not take the initiative to provoke the Jin soldiers again. Hence, ever since the ceasefire on New Year¡¯s Eve, there had been no more conflict between the two sides.


    On the Great Zhou side, Qi Xiuyuan and General Yuan were assigning troops to defend, but the Jin Kingdom had been holding back.


    General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan weren¡¯t the only ones who felt that something was wrong. Even Qi Haoran, who was far away in Mingshui County, sensed that something wasn¡¯t quite right.


    He really wanted to get up and go to the front line to take a look, but he was ruthlessly suppressed by Mu Yangling. Although that wound did not hurt his internal organs, the wound was huge and long. Now that the wound had just scabbed over, it was a crucial time for healing. How could she let him leave?


    Even Fan Zijin suppressed him with a straight face and said, ¡°Eldest Cousin is not a fool. If you can sense that something is wrong, Eldest Cousin will only realize it sooner. If you¡¯re worried, just write a letter and ask. Why do you have to go personally?¡±


    Qi Haoran thought about it and agreed. He turned around and went back to his room to write a letter.


    Since New Year¡¯s Eve, Qi Haoran had been staying in the Mu family¡¯s house with Mu Yangling.


    As there were many rooms in the Mu family, it was more than enough to amodate Qi Haoran and Fei Bai. When Shu Wanniang heard that Qi Haoran was going to spend the New Year alone, her maternal instincts exploded and she immediately invited him to stay. She also took extra care of him because he was injured.


    On the other hand, Fan Zijin came over on the first day of the Lunar New Year. On the Eve, he had been busy for the entire day before he remembered that he was attending to the deceased soldiers¡¯pensation personally for the sake of Qi Haoran. Annoyed, he immediately handed the ount book and roster to the logistics personnel from the five divisions. Then, he found a few stewards from his own family, and told them that they should do as they saw fit with however much money there was. Then, he washed his hands off of the matter and returned.


    When he returned to Xingzhou Prefecture, he found out that Qi Haoran wasn¡¯t at home for the New Year and had gone to the Mu residence. Although it was embarrassing to go to someone else¡¯s house to celebrate the New Year, Fan Zijin mentally prepared himself and still moved there on the first day of the New Year.


    Shu Wanniang arranged a room for Fan Zijin beside Qi Haoran¡¯s and then asked Yanmo to share a room with Fei Bai.


    Therefore, although the Mu family was missing Mu Shi this year, it was still very lively.


    Seeing that Qi Haoran had returned to his room, Fan Zijin turned to Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Let¡¯s settle the money matters. I¡¯ll give you the dividends for the first half of the year.¡±


    Fan Zijin asked Yanmo to bring over two ledgers and handed them to Mu Yangling. ¡°Do the calctions.¡±


    However, Mu Yangling handed it to Xiuhong and Liu Lang and said, ¡°You guys count it.¡±


    Having studied for a little more than a month, Liu Lang was a little excited. Although he had previously did the ounts with Xiuhong, it was the first time a mission hadnded in his hands. Liu Lang took the ount book in high spirits and entered the study.


    Xiuhong wasn¡¯t as excited as Liu Lang. She quietly took the ount book to the study and prepared the brazier and refreshments before sitting down to do the calctions.


    Fan Zijin kept looking at them. After a while, he turned around and said, ¡°There aren¡¯t many people you can use, but they¡¯re all people around you. You don¡¯t have to inspect them before directly handing the tasks to them. You¡¯re better than me in that aspect.¡±


    At this point, Fan Zijin looked a little tired. It was different for him because the Fan family and the Qi family¡¯s family business were not here. If he wanted to hire people, he had to buy them before assessing their characters and let them learn the skills. After they mastered it, he would then make arrangements. This was too tiring and time-consuming. s, he did not have a good solution at the moment.


    Mu Yangling hesitated for a moment before suggesting, ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to choose your employees one by one before teaching them. You can just buy a group of smart people and open a school for them to learn. After they graduate, you can arrange for them to be sent to workshops and shops. If they are usable talents, they can be slowly promoted step by step. If not, they can be transferred or sold. Although it will cost more money, it will save a lot of energy and time.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s more, they all started from the bottom. After suffering, they will only cherish and work harder on the important tasks given to them. If you choose someone before teaching them like this, then immediately appoint them to the position of the steward or deputy steward, they won¡¯t cherish the position since ites too easily.¡±


    Fan Zijin was deep in thought. After a while, he sized up Mu Yangling in surprise and said, ¡°You came up with this idea?¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him. ¡°Don¡¯t think that you¡¯re the only smart one. Sometimes, you just have to think simply. Why do smart people like you have to be so suspicious? It¡¯s clearly the simplest thing, but it can be madeplicated by you. If you¡¯re really afraid that a spy will sneak in, it¡¯s very simple. Set up the rules and regtions and stipte what can be said and what can¡¯t be revealed to outsiders. When the timees, if you suspect anyone, just transfer them away.¡±


    ¡°Human energy is limited. Not only do you have to do so much business, but you also have to take care of the logistics of the army and guard against spies. Even a man made from steel will copse under such workload. Even Haoran knows that one¡¯s health is the foundation. I think you and Big Brother Qi are inferior to Haoran.¡±


    With that, Mu Yangling left Fan Zijin behind.


    However, Fan Zijin lowered his head and pondered over Mu Yangling¡¯s words.


    Xiuhong¡¯s calctions were fast. Liu Lang was a little slow at first, but when he got the hang of it, he became rather swift. Although he couldn¡¯t catch up to Xiuhong¡¯s speed, he wasn¡¯t much slower.


    Therefore, before dinner, the two of them handed the ount book to Mu Yangling and reported, ¡°There¡¯s no problem with the ount book.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and put the ount book aside to let Xiuhong and Liu Lang calcte. Actually, it was just going through the motions as she didn¡¯t believe that Fan Zijin would lie to her at this time. He needn¡¯t do such a thing. ¡°How¡¯s the profit for the past six months?¡±


    Xiuhong said happily, ¡°Cousin, I¡¯ve calcted. You¡¯ll get 6,758 taels of silver in the first half of the year.¡±


    This was even when there was only the rabbit meat shop¡¯s business in the first half of the year. Later on, not only did they add silk, but they also added cloth shops and so on. Because they used Mu Yangling and the others¡¯ dividends to invest, Mu Yangling had a 30% share in those businesses, too.


    This meant that as time went on, she would receive more and more dividends. At the thought of this, Xiuhong¡¯s eyes lit up. Her cousin was right. This was indeed a profitable business. It seemed like she had wronged Young Master Fan for the past three years. Previously, she¡¯d only seen him constantly carrying the rabbits from their home, but she hadn¡¯t seen so far ahead.


    Liu Lang was also very shocked because he didn¡¯t expect the amount to be thisrge. Their entire family¡¯s savings wasn¡¯t even a fraction of this sum. He looked at his Cousin Ah Ling with aplicated gaze, even more determined to follow her now..

 Chapter 366 - 366: Indecision

    Chapter 366 - 366: Indecision


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    As this was the first time Qi Xiuyuan had sent a pigeon to Qi Haoran, thetter was initially shocked and thought that something serious had happened. He hurriedly took out the note from the pigeon and read the first line. He couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud, affecting his wound.


    Anxious to know the news from above, Fan Zijin and Mu Yangling were both staring at him.


    After looking around, Qi Haoran pulled the two of them into the study. He handed the note to them and said in an excited yet soft voice, ¡°The old Emperor of the Jin Kingdom is dead. The third and fourth princes of the Jin Kingdom have run back to snatch the throne from the seventh prince.¡± Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°If we speed up, we¡¯ll definitely be able to defend the city we conquered. By the time the situation in the Jin Kingdom stabilizes, our troops would¡¯ve recuperated.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°If we continue to advance north while the Jin Kingdom is in chaos¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Qi Haoran said in a deep voice, ¡°It¡¯s already difficult to fight in winter. Previously, we had no choice but to do so. If we continue to advance, the soldiers below will definitely be resistant. Moreover, we can¡¯t force the Jin Kingdom too much. Previously, they slowly swallowed up ournd like boiling frogs in warm water. Now, we¡¯ll use the same method to slowly take it back. Otherwise, if we attack them too aggressively all of a sudden, they¡¯ll turn around and bite us even if there¡¯s internal strife. Perhaps we¡¯ll even help them resolve the conflict in the Jin Kingdom.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Qi Haoran in admiration. Previously, she only felt that it was inappropriate to continue heading north, but if she had to give an exnation, she could only say that it was her intuition.


    This was because this opportunity was really rare. Qi Haoran¡¯s grasp of the battle situation was indeed very urate.


    Fan Zijin was obviously convinced by Qi Haoran. Upon hearing this, he said, ¡°Then write to Eldest Cousin.¡±


    Qi Haoran chuckled softly and said, ¡°Although we can¡¯t advance north, we can take advantage of this chaos to do something. In the past few decades, the Han people under the Jin Kingdom¡¯s rule have not been doing well. What do you think will happen if they rebel?¡±


    Fan Zijin narrowed his eyes and smiled. He praised, ¡°Good idea.¡±


    ¡°And those Han tycoons and squires, they should be willing to pay some military sries and so on.¡± Qi Haoran was feeling very broke. These few days, Fan Zijin had been chasing him for money every day and even calcted the deficit caused by him paying thepensation and supplies in advance. This made Qi Haoran change his habit of being extravagant. At least now, he did not easily throw out a few taels of silver when he rewarded the servants. Instead, he chose to use words to motivate them.


    This caused Fei Bai and the others¡¯ additional ie to plummet. He was afraid that if he provoked those people to revolt, they would ask him for supplies, so he could only target those squires.


    However, Mu Yangling felt that this idea was extremely brilliant. ¡°It¡¯s very difficult to break in from the outside, but it¡¯s much easier to break out from the inside.¡±


    Smiling, Qi Haoran said, ¡°If you think it¡¯s feasible, I¡¯ll write a letter to Big Brother and ask him to send a few people with sharp tongues to the north. Hmph, since thieves are rampant in the Jin Kingdom to begin with, those people might as well rob the Jin soldiers. When the timees, we¡¯ll give them some financial support from outside. This way, the Jin soldiers definitely won¡¯t have the time to mess with us anymore.¡±


    This was like opening the door to a new world. Mu Yangling immediately thought of the various television dramas she had watched in the past and immediately said, ¡°We can also sow discord between the Jin Kingdom and West Xia and let them fight two rounds at the border from time to time. Mm, we can get those thieves¡ªno, the Revolutionary Army¡ªto pretend to be from West Xia and fight the Jin soldiers, or pretend to be Jin soldiers to fight West Xia. They can also sow discord between the tribes of the Jin Kingdom. However, this requires them to be proficient in the variousnguages of the Jin Kingdom. We can also send some strategists to the Third, Fourth, and Seventh Princes of the Jin Kingdom. If only they could keep fighting for the throne or rebel¡­¡± Mu Yangling sighed.


    Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin widened their eyes and looked at her. Qi Haoran praised, ¡°Ah Ling, you¡¯re really good at thinking.¡±


    Fan Zijin was speechless. ¡°Haoran, are you really going to do as she says?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Putting aside the fact that we don¡¯t have the talent she mentioned, just how to send those people to the princes of the Jin Kingdom is a big problem.¡±


    Qi Haoran said confidently, ¡°There will always be a way when the timees. Anyway, we have a direction now, right?¡±


    After saying that, he insisted on writing a letter to Qi Xiuyuan despite Fan Zijin¡¯s objections. He even perfected Mu Yangling¡¯s suggestions.


    Seeing that the two of them were excited, Fan Zijin did not stop them. Anyway, Eldest Cousin would make a judgment. If it was not feasible, he would naturally not adopt it.


    When Qi Xiuyuan received Qi Haoran¡¯s letter, he firstughed and shook his head. Just like Fan Zijin, he felt that his brother and Ah Ling were too mischievous. Then, when he saw thest sentence, ¡°We have to try before we know if it¡¯s feasible.¡± He fell silent and thought for a moment before calling Rong Xuan over to discuss it.


    At this moment, having just received the news that the old Emperor of the Jin Kingdom had passed away, the thought that General Yuan had suppressed rose again. If he advanced north now, he might be able to take back more of his homnd.


    Shen Mu strongly advised against it. Like Qi Haoran, he felt that the most important thing now was to guard the existing cities and not advance north.


    However, General Yuan had been in the army for 26 years. All these years, all he wanted was to reim his homnd and expel the Tartars. How could Shen Mu dissuade him?


    Shen Mu looked at his good friend, whose sideburns were slightly white, and knew that he was anxious. How many 20 years could a person have?


    He was already over 40 years old and did not have much time left on the battlefield. Shen Mu could understand his eagerness, but he could not agree with his decision. Hence, after thinking for a long time, he wrote a letter to Qi Xiuyuan and asked him to dissuade General Yuan. Since General Yuan said that he was the junior he admired the most, he would let the junior he admired the most dissuade him.


    However, at this moment, the Emperor also came to join in the fun. The Emperor, who was far away in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, had learnt of the news of the death of the Jin Kingdom¡¯s old Emperor before them. Despite the attempts of the Jin Kingdom to hide the news of their Emperor¡¯s death, the spies of the Great Zhou Dynasty were not useless. The news of General Yuan and the others was second-hand, but his was first-hand.


    Therefore, when he found out that his sworn enemy, who had been suppressing him for his entire life, was dead, Emperor Duanzong put his hands on his hips andughed three times at the sky. Then, he summoned a few important ministers into the pce, nning to recover the lostnd on arge scale. Not only would he ask General Yuan and General Qi to continue to advance north, but he also wanted to transfer the troops of Xingyuan Prefecture and Tongchuan Prefecture over.


    This time, both the supporters and opposers were wary and uneasy. Minister Qin supported the Emperor¡¯s idea, but Yan Chong jumped out to oppose it. Since General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan had already stopped fighting, they should shrink the battle line and set up the defense.


    This time, it was Minister Qin and the others¡¯ turn to mock Yan Chong for being timid and afraid of trouble. However, Yan Chong analyzed the situation very reasonably with the Emperor. ¡°Your Majesty, we can¡¯t touch the Tongchuan Prefecture¡¯s troops. The West Xia Kingdom has also been eyeing our Great Zhou covetously. If we transfer the Tongchuan Prefecture¡¯s troops over and West Xia sends troops over, wouldn¡¯t the northwest of Great Zhou be wide open to them?¡±


    ¡°General Yuan and General Qi¡¯s troops are exhausted from the fighting. It¡¯s the first month of the lunar year now, and the soldiers are homesick. I¡¯m afraid they don¡¯t have the motivation to fight. Moreover, spring plowing ising soon. Your Majesty, we can¡¯t have chaos during the spring plowing.¡±


    The Emperor looked hesitant again..

 Chapter 367 - 367: Decision

    Chapter 367 - 367: Decision


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The Emperor was still hesitating when General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s confession letter arrived. The Emperor flipped through it slightly before tossing it aside. It was obvious that this was written previously. What he wanted to know was General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s current thoughts.


    The two of them did not let him down. In less than two days, messenger pigeons from both sides arrived. General Yuan suggested sending troops, but Qi Xiuyuan suggested defending the cities.


    The two of them had different opinions. The Emperor could also see General Yuan¡¯s eagerness and Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s caution from the two notes.


    The Emperor was suddenly in a good mood. Smiling, he said, ¡°General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan sent troops together, but now it seems that they¡¯re not as harmonious as I thought.¡± The Emperor knocked on the table and ordered, ¡°Tell them to shrink the battlefront and listen to Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s instructions to defend the captured cities. They¡¯re not allowed to send troops to the Jin Kingdom again. As for their rewards and punishments, we¡¯ll talk about it when they sessfully defend the cities.¡±


    The emissary serving the Emperor was slightly surprised. He knew that the Emperor had wanted to send troops previously, but now, he suddenly made up his mind and looked very happy. ording to the Emperor¡¯s personality, shouldn¡¯t he be heartbroken?


    However, although the Emperor was gentle, he did not dare to ask the question in his heart. He only bowed and left.


    The Emperor was naturally in a good mood. Perhaps General Yuan¡¯s intention for heading north was to take back his homnd. On the other hand, it was also possible that he wanted to expand his power. However, no matter what, he did not want General Yuan to have his way.


    Two years ago, no, it should be said that three years ago, he only had 130,000 troops under him. However, when he sent troops to the Jin Kingdom and suppressed the rebellion again, it had actually increased to 210,000. After this time, who knew how many more men he would increase.


    How could the Emperor dare to let him expand his power endlessly when the military power was not in his hands?


    When Shen Mu found out that General Yuan had sent a messenger pigeon to the Emperor to request for battle, he could only stomp his feet and say, ¡°Why are you so muddle-headed? We¡¯ve already lost so many people with 200,000 troops previously. How can we continue to advance north while guarding the city? What if the Emperor listens to you and allows arge-scale invasion? Didn¡¯t you promise me to discuss it slowly?¡±


    ¡°The soldiers guarding the city can be recruited on the spot¡­¡±


    Shen Mu red at General Yuan with grief and anger. ¡°Do you want the Emperor to chop off your head? 200,000 troops is already a taboo for him, but you still want to recruit soldiers and buy horses?¡±


    General Yuan fell silent.


    ¡°Sigh¡ª¡± Shen Mu sighed and said, ¡°Forget it. The Emperor might not agree to send troops. He has always liked to go against you in the past few years. Perhaps he¡¯ll refuse when he sees that you were the one who suggested it.¡± General Yuan¡¯s face turned green. ¡°Does that make you happy?¡±


    Shen Mu straightened his neck and said, ¡°It¡¯s better than watching you die.¡± With that said, he flung his sleeves and left.


    While General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan were waiting for the Emperor¡¯s order, they had already gradually secured the border. When the imperial edict arrived, Qi Xiuyuan delegated authority to Jiang Ze and Mo Xiong and brought more than ten guards back to the Jingzhao Prefecture.


    The squires and tycoons of the Jingzhao Prefecture lined up at Hangu Pass to wee him, shocking Qi Xiuyuan slightly. Looking at the gorgeous carriage at the front, he raised his eyebrows slightly. Rong Xuan rode his horse forward and said, ¡°That¡¯s the head of the Li family in Chang¡¯an County.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan raised his eyebrows slightly. ¡°The Li family of Longxi?¡±


    Rong Xuan nodded with a smile. ¡°Although the Li family has been shattered, they still have some foundation. They¡¯re a prominent family in Chang¡¯an. Although the Jin soldiers persecuted them after entering the pass, they didn¡¯t harm their lives, so they preserved their strength quite well.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan instantly lost interest. He didn¡¯t feel the need to specially interact with those who could get along well with the Jin people.


    It had been 20 years since the Jingzhao Prefecture left the Great Zhou Dynasty¡¯s control. In these 20 years, their hands that did not hold much power to begin with had be even shorter.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan still dismounted calmly and met them before turning down the invitation to the banquet that night.


    He still had to wake up early tomorrow to travel. How could he have the time to drink with them?


    Seeing Qi Xiuyuan leave, Li Jian cupped his hands at everyone and turned to get into the carriage to go home.


    The butler said hesitantly, ¡°Master, what does this General Qi mean?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? He¡¯s looking down on us who struggled at death¡¯s door under the hooves of the Jin soldiers,¡± Li Jian said with his eyes closed.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be, right? I see that he cherishes ordinary civilians very much.¡±


    A mocking smile appeared on Li Jian¡¯s lips. ¡°Of course he pities the ordinary people. They have no ability to resist and have suffered all kinds of hardships. They have no choice but to submit to the Jin soldiers. The typical squires as well. But our Li family is the Li family of Longxi with a thousand-year heritage. Even the Shu family, who is barely considered an aristocratic family, risked their lives to escape with the Emperor. Meanwhile, we traded with the Jin Kingdom and survived unscathed. How can he think highly of us?¡±


    Li Jian¡¯s eyes were filled with sorrow and pain. ¡°Qi Xiuyuan is fine. Although he doesn¡¯t like us, he never mocks us. As for the other aristocratic families, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    The butler¡¯s expression changed. Although Emperor Shizong had suppressed the aristocratic families many times and used the non-nobles, the aristocratic families still had an advantage over the non-nobles. If the Li family was ostracized by the other aristocratic families and was enemies with the non-nobles, would the Li family of Longxi still exist in Great Zhou?


    Li Jian had clearly thought of this as well. However, returning to the Great Zhou was much better than drifting in the Jin Kingdom.


    There were many children of marriageable age in the family, so they could form marriage alliances.


    ¡°I heard that Qi Xiuyuan hasn¡¯t arranged a marriage either.¡±


    The butler immediately understood and said, ¡°I¡¯ll start asking around when I get back.¡±


    Li Jian was satisfied.


    Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t know that the other party had already thought so much in a single meeting. He only briefly met with the generals in the army and asked them to guard the pass. He would return to Xingzhou Prefecture and move the base camp to Jingzhao Prefecture.


    He only nned to leave a division to guard Xingzhou Prefecture.


    After thinking about the candidates, he smiled at Rong Xuan and said, ¡°I n to recruit soldiers again to create a 6th Division. The other five divisions will also need more manpower.¡±


    Smiling, Rong Xuan said, ¡°You have a suitable general candidate?¡±


    ¡°What do you think of Mu Shi?¡±


    Rong Xuan was slightly shocked, but this was reasonable. He nodded and said, ¡°He¡¯s been running around with Haoran for two years and has experienced many battles. In addition, based on his performance in defending the city this time, the soldiers won¡¯t have any objections if he takes over the 6th Division.¡±


    Most importantly, Mu Shi had to be the one to build the 6th Division from scratch, not snatch people from the other five divisions. However, Mu Shi¡¯s achievements were still a littlecking.


    Qi Xiuyuan obviously thought of this too. With a sigh, he said, ¡°Although he¡¯s a littlecking in contributions at the moment, he can umte more in the future. We urgently need people now, so we can make an exception.¡±


    Rong Xuan couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°If you outright say you¡¯re doing this to pave the way for Haoran, do you think I can oppose you?¡± Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s face was slightly red, he sighed and said, ¡°If you already treat Haoran¡¯s father-inw so well, wouldn¡¯t you be even more filial to your future father-inw?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan kicked him out.


    Rong Xuan, who had jumped out of the door, couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud..

 Chapter 368 - 368: Moving House

    Chapter 368: Moving House


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When Mu Shi was promoted, the entire family was overly excited. Mu Yangling took out a jar of peach blossom wine and celebrated by herself when Mu Shi was not around.


    Even the twins had a taste of it from Mu Yangling¡¯s chopsticks. Shu Wanniang pped her hand away, but in the end, the twins went up to her and asked to drink it.


    Mu Yangling said happily, ¡°Mother, when Father settles down over there, our entire family will move to Xingzhou Prefecture.¡±


    Shu Wanniang was stunned. Great-aunt and the others also looked at Mu Yangling in shock. ¡°Move to Xingzhou Prefecture? B-but our home is here.¡± Even Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin looked over, but Mu Yangling said, ¡°Home is where our family is. Mother, Father is now an assistantmander. In the future, he will guard Xingzhou Prefecture and won¡¯t be unable to return a few times a year like before. If we move to Xingzhou Prefecture, Father can go home after he¡¯s done with his military duties every day. It¡¯ll only take four hours to go home if we stay in Hanzhong Prefecture. It¡¯ll be very fast.¡± Shu Wanniang couldn¡¯t help but be tempted. ¡°Then what about our home?¡± ¡°Lock the door and get Chen Sanzhu and Xu Jian to help watch over it. I¡¯ll juste back from time to time to take a look. I¡¯ll hire someone to farm thend here. Mother, you won¡¯t be able to farm much if you stay here, anyway. Great-aunt is already old, so she should enjoy life.¡±


    Great-aunt chided, ¡°How am I old? I could even farm with you guysst year.¡± Mu Yangling only smiled and looked at Shu Wanniang eagerly. She knew that the key to moving was her mother. As long as her mother agreed, her father and great-aunt wouldn¡¯t have any objections.


    ¡°The house¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately said, ¡°The house is not a problem. Auntie Shu, leave this to me.¡±


    If the Mu family moved to Xingzhou Prefecture, it would be more convenient for them to meet even if Qi Haoran moved to Jingzhao Prefecture. If not for the fact that he was afraid that Shu Wanniang would reject him, he would have suggested that they move into the General¡¯s Mansion.


    Anyway, Big Brother was definitely going to move to the Jingzhao Prefecture, so the General¡¯s Mansion in Xingzhou Prefecture would be empty.


    We¡¯ll talk to your father when hees back,¡± Shu Wanniang said.


    A smile bloomed on Mu Yangling¡¯s face. ¡°Mother, Father definitely can¡¯t wait for you to move over. That way, he can see you every day.¡±


    Shu Wanniang blushed and pinched her daughter. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting in front of your siblings?¡±


    Qi Haoran winked at Mu Yangling happily and said in a low voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go to Xingzhou Prefecture together tomorrow. Tell your father the good news and buy a house along the way.¡±


    Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Do you know where there¡¯s a suitable house?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but Wu Jin definitely knows. When we reach Xingzhou Prefecture, I¡¯ll go with you to find him. I¡¯ll definitely get him to find you a good and cheap one.¡±


    With a smile, Mu Yangling said in a low voice, ¡°The most important thing is that it has to be spacious enough. When the timees, there should be a vegetable field in the backyard for my great-aunt to tend to.¡±


    Fan Zijm couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes when he heard this. Instead of using it to nt flowers in the backyard, she was actually using it to nt vegetables Seeing that Qi Haoran was still excitedly suggesting and urging her to raise some rabbits for the twins in the backyard, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh faintly. The two of them had taken a liking to each other, and there was nothing he could do about it.


    The next day, when they went to Xingzhou Prefecture, Mu Yangling specially brought Xiuhong along.


    Xiuhong was great at bargaining, so it was most suitable to bring her along when it came to buying a house.


    Mu Shi was so busy that his hair stood on end. Other than a few people who were already working under him, Qi Xiuyuan actually asked him to recruit all the new recruits.


    Qi Xiuyuan had a very good reason. With the Jingzhao Prefecture in front of Xingzhou Prefecture, nothing would happen. Thus, he could slowly train the soldiers. In just a year, even a new recruit could be a veteran.


    Now that there were many bandits, Qi Xiuyuan did not mind him using the bandits in the mountains as practice.


    However, it was not that easy to recruit soldiers. Even if the general gave him a sufficient budget, it was already a headache for him to divide the soldiers into good and bad before integrating them into the camp. However, he wasn¡¯t very experienced in leading the troops, so there were many things that he had to figure out himself.


    For the first time, he felt that it was much easier to fight at the frontline than to train his troops at the back.


    When his daughter arrived at this time, Mu Shi¡¯s eyes lit up. He knew that his daughter had helped General Qi train his troops in the past.


    Mu Shi hurriedly came down from the drill ground and saw Qi Haoran smiling. This time, it was Qi Haoran¡¯s first time seeing Mu Shi after receiving Mu Yangling¡¯s gift. Everyone had a tacit understanding of their marriage. His face turned slightly red, and then he went forward with a solemn expression and bowed respectfully to Mu Shi.


    Also a little reserved, Mu Shi took a few nces at Qi Haoran. In the past, he had not realized that this kid was actually quite good-looking. Mu Shi sized up Qi Haoran again with the gaze of a father-inw and felt inexplicably relieved. Satisfied, his face lit up. He asked his daughter gently, ¡°Ah Ling, why are you here?¡±


    Mu Yangling told him about their family moving here and said, ¡°Father, if you don¡¯t have any objections, I¡¯ll bring Xiuhong to check out the houses and bring our family over before spring plowing.¡±


    Joy shed across Mu Shi¡¯s eyes as he asked, ¡°Your mother agreed?¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled without saying anything.


    Mu Shi¡¯s smile almost reached the back of his ears. He nodded repeatedly and beamed. ¡°Alright, alright. Go and choose a house. It¡¯s best if you choose somewhere not far from the General¡¯s Mansion. That ce is close to our military camp, so I can go home every day.¡±


    Xiuhong looked at her uncle, who was smiling foolishly, and couldn¡¯t help but cover her eyes.


    Just as Qi Haoran was about to say that he would help give his opinion on the house selection, Mu Yangling tugged at him and whispered, ¡°My father has just taken over the setting up of the 6th Division. There must be many things that he fails to consider. Do stay and help him.¡±


    Back then, the 5th Division was single-handedly built by Qi Haoran. He was familiar with many things and had more than two years of experience leading troops. At this moment, the confused Mu Shi needed his help.


    Most importantly, this was a good opportunity to curry favor with his future father-inw.


    Qi Haoran instantly understood and immediately expressed that he wanted to stay and tour the 6th Division.


    Of course, Mu Shi knew what his daughter and Qi Haoran meant, so he naturally invited him to stay. Mu Yangling brought Xiuhong to check out the houses.


    Wu Jin was indeed a profligate son. He didn¡¯t know where there was a good house, but the brokerage definitely knew. Therefore, he personally brought Mu Yangling into a brokerage and said arrogantly to the agent, who rushed up, ¡°Go, call your shopkeeper over. Are you fit to serve me?¡±


    Who didn¡¯t know the magistrate¡¯s son?


    The agent immediately retreated respectfully and hurriedly called the shopkeeper over.


    The shopkeeper thought that their brokerage had offended Wu Jin, so he immediately jogged in and apologized as soon as he entered. Mu Yangling and Xiuhong were a little embarrassed, but Wu Jin said unhappily, ¡°I¡¯ve been here for so long. Why are you only here now? Go, show me all the houses in the vicinity of the General¡¯s Mansion.¡±


    The shopkeeper¡¯s expression froze and he asked carefully, ¡°Young Master, are you thinking of buying a house?¡±


    Wu Jin red at him. ¡°Nonsense. If not, why did Ie to your brokerage?¡± Mu Yangling kicked him under the table and looked up at the shopkeeper with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m the one who wants to buy a house. Shopkeeper, just show me the houses that are for sale in that area. We¡¯ll check them out and see if there¡¯s anything suitable..¡±

 Chapter 369 - 369: Buying a House

    Chapter 369: Buying a House


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Seeing that Wu Jin didn¡¯t show any dissatisfaction with Mu Yanglmg, the shopkeeper immediately heaved a sigh of relief and immediately weed Mu Yangling warmly. At least Mu Yanglmg was much easier to talk to than Wu Jin.


    He personally went out to gather information on houses that were on sale in


    that area.


    As soon as they left, there were only the few of them in the private room. Mu Yangling turned to Wu Jin and said, ¡°I know you¡¯re a profligate son, but you don¡¯t have to show off from time to time.¡±


    Wu Jin snorted and said, ¡°If I don¡¯t act fiercely, they¡¯ll bully me. If you don¡¯t believe me, find a broker another day and try. Let¡¯s see how they treat you.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention that clients are above all else, but they should at least be polite


    to me, right?¡±


    Wu Jin mocked, ¡°That¡¯s just on the surface. If you wear such clothes to the brokerage and say that you want to buy a house, even if you say that you want to buy a three-entrance house, they can still find some one-entrance and two-entrance houses for you. Moreover, the houses will be in lousy locations and sell at more than double the price.¡±


    ¡°How do you know so much?¡±


    ¡°I know everything.¡± Wu Jin waved his hand nonchntly and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t all


    the businessmen outside like this? I¡¯m used to it.


    The shopkeeper brought the booklet in and said with a smile, ¡°There are only three houses near the General¡¯s Mansion. One is five-entrance, one is four-entrance, and the other is three-entrance. They are all built in the style of mansions and are especially beautiful. Miss, how big of a house are you looking to buy?¡±


    Wu Jin interrupted and asked, ¡°Why are they selling the houses?¡±


    ¡°For the five-entrance house, the family is heading south and probably won¡¯t being back in the future. For the four-entrance house, the family is moving to Xingyuan Prefecture. For the three-entrance house, the family is in urgent need of money. They¡¯re all located near the General¡¯s Mansion. The security is good and it¡¯s quiet¡­¡±


    Wu Jin took the booklet and flipped through it before throwing it to Mu Yangling.


    Xiuhong came over to look at theyout of the three houses. In the end, she pointed at the four-entrance house and whispered, ¡°Cousin, this is good. The ce is big, and it¡¯s not inferior to the five-entrance house. Also, it¡¯s not far from the General¡¯s Mansion.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see it for ourselves.¡±


    In fact, she was also quite satisfied with the four-entrance house. This was because she could tell from theyout that although it was only a four-entrance house, the area was about the same as the five-entrance one. As the twins were getting more and more mischievous, it was better to find a bigger ce for them to y.


    The group of people went to check out the houses, starting from the furthest one.


    First, they looked at the three-entrance house. It was a very ordinaryyout, but it was rather exquisitely built. The furniture inside was also very new. It was said that the main family had only moved in for less than two years. Because their family was in a hurry to use money, they had no choice but to sell


    it.


    As the four-entrance house was only a street away from the General s Mansion, it would take just 15 minutes to get there.


    However, this house was at the back and not far behind was a small hill. There were fewer houses nearby, so it looked a little remote.


    Smiling, the shopkeeper said, ¡°Don¡¯t think that this ce is remote. In a few years, someone will build houses here. By then, it will definitely be lively.¡±


    Mu Yangling did notment and pushed the door open to take a look.


    A squire lived in the four-entrance house. The house had just been built and was not far from the General¡¯s Mansion. It was safe, but the battle before the New Year had frightened them, so they decided to move to Xingyuan Prefecture. Many of their rtives were there, so they had some roots there. Therefore, the house was empty and there was nothing in it. The ce where flowers and trees should have been nted in the courtyard had not been touched.


    However, this house was cheap, priced the same as the three-entrance house. This was because the three-entrance house had been renovated and also came with furniture.


    inparison, there was obviously still a lot of follow-up work to be done in this four-entrance residence.


    The five-entrance house was diagonally opposite the General¡¯s Mansion. It was magnificent and even Wu Jin couldn¡¯t help but nod when he saw it. ¡°This house is not bad. If you¡¯re buying a house, I suggest you buy this. Although it¡¯s a little expensive, you can move in once you tidy it up.¡±


    As the property prices in Xingzhou Prefecture were not expensive at all, this five-entrance house only cost 480 taels. If it was in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, it would cost at least 3,000 to 4,000 taels, and even then it was in a middle-ss area.


    Mu Yangling also felt that it wasn¡¯t expensive, but she still didn¡¯t like this five-entrance building very much. Although it was very luxurious, it didn¡¯t seem to suit their family. Not to mention her great-aunt and the few young ones, even she probably wouldn¡¯t feelfortable living here.


    Xiuhong clearly had the same thought. She said in a low voice, ¡°Cousin, I still think we should get the four-entrance house. When the timees, Grandmother and Aunt can decorate the ce as they wish. This also gives them something to do.¡±


    Mu Yangling asked the shopkeeper, ¡°Can the four-entrance house be cheaper?¡± ¡°Geez, Miss, 360 taels of silver isn¡¯t considered much. Look, even the three-entrance house you visited earlier is priced the same. Although the four-entrance house only has four entrances, look at therge area in the northwest¡ªit can be used as a drill ground. It¡¯s not much smaller than the five-entrance one.¡±


    Xiuhong said, ¡°The four-entrance house hasn¡¯t beenpleted yet. Not to mention the furnishings in the house, just the courtyard alone needs to be renovated. This will also cost a lot of money. After including the wages and cost of materials, it¡¯s not much cheaper than the five-entrance house¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling handed the bargaining task to Xiuhong.


    Perhaps it was because of Wu Jin, or perhaps it was because Xiuhong bargained too fiercely, but in the end, he lowered the price to 325 taels. Xiuhong¡¯s eyes lit up.


    Seeing that the shopkeeper had a bitter expression yet no frustration in his eyes, Mu Yangling knew that the other party was not losing out by offering them this price. However, she also knew that it would be difficult to bargain down the price any further, so she agreed to this price.


    The group turned around and went to the government office to settle the procedures.


    With Wu Jin around, how could the government office dare to make things difficult for them? They didn¡¯t even want the usual bribe and directly settled it for Mu Yangling.


    After the shopkeeper left, Wu Jin shook his head and said, ¡°Why did you buy the worst house? Not only is that four-entrance house remote, but it¡¯s not fully-renovated yet. If you want to live there, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll take you another half a year¡­¡±


    ¡ö¡öWhy does it need to be so long? Can¡¯t we just move the furniture in?¡± As she spoke, she said with a frown, ¡°But Cousin, their brick bed hasn¡¯t beenpleted yet. I¡¯ve looked at a few rooms, and saw that there¡¯s no brick bed inside. Moreover, the position of the brick bed in the third courtyard wasn¡¯t right¡­¡±


    Wu Jin was stunned for a moment before he burst intoughter. He held his stomach andughed. ¡°How is it wrong? Don¡¯t tell me you want to put a brick bed in the middle? Hahahaha¡­¡±


    Xiuhong said angrily, ¡°Whose brick bed is ced in the middle? Whose brick bed isn¡¯t ced in the northwest of the room? But their brick bed is ced in the east.¡±


    Mu Yangling red at Wu Jin and said, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s done. You don¡¯t have to apany us anymore. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal to thank youter.¡±


    Wu Jin knew that Mu Yangling didn¡¯t want him tough at Xiuhong, so he immediately said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave now. But Miss Mu, I have a favor to ask of you.¡± Wu Jin licked his lips and smiled. ¡°Can you put in a good word for me in front of Little General?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at him in surprise and said, ¡°You want to join the military?¡±


    Wu Jin shook his head like a rattle drum.


    ¡°What do you want me to say in front of him?¡±


    Wu Jin said with a bitter expression, ¡°Little General has been looking for me to ride a horse when he has nothing to do these few days. He said that he wanted to help me to strengthen my body. Not only did he want me to practice martial arts with the soldiers in the drill ground, but he also wanted to throw me into the forest. It¡¯s so cold and my illness has just recovered. In the past, my father would support me. This time though, not only did he not object, he even personally handed me over to Little General. Miss Mu, please be merciful and help me plead.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded with a smile. ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll definitely tell Qi Haoranter and ask him to be gentler when training you.¡±


    Wu Jin, who was originally all smiles, immediately pulled a long face..

 Chapter 370 - 370: New Residence

    Chapter 370: New Residence


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Northerners were used to sleeping on the heatable brick bed. Because it was warm, even if a slightly thinner nket was used, it would not be too cold to get up at night to heat up the brick bed.


    However, there were also people who felt that a brick bed was not aesthetically-appealing and wanted to sleep on a bed instead. Of course, those who were willing to spend so much effort and could afford a bed were mostly rich people.


    Therefore, the rooms built by the rich were very big. Just the inner rooms alone were about 40 square meters. Arge bed could be ced on the northwest side and a screen could be ced to separate it from the brick bed on the east side.


    In this way, the master could choose to sleep on the bed or brick bed depending on his mood.


    Under normal circumstances, they would only sleep on the brick bed during the coldest period. Most of the time, they would sleep on the bed. When they were doing needlework and ying with the children, they could do so on the brick bed because there was a window open on the inside of the brick bed, which provided excellent light.


    Mu Yangling exined the reason to Xiuhong in a low voice. Xiuhong blushed and stuck out her tongue. ¡°Fortunately, I didn¡¯t use this reason to lower the price. Otherwise, I would have beenughed at.


    ¡°If you have any questions in the future, ask my mother. She knows


    everything.¡±


    Xiuhong nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Then where are we going to buy a bed?


    ¡°There¡¯S no hurry. We have to customize it with the craftsman. Hasn¡¯t our family always slept on the brick bed? Let¡¯s sleep on the brick bed first. We¡¯ll just have the bed built before summer.¡±


    It was not like in her previous life, where she could just go to the mall to choose one if she wanted to buy a bed. Here, one had to source for the wood themselves before asking the carpenter to help process them.


    There were people selling ready-made beds, but there were very few of them,


    and the quality was only so-so.


    Mu Yangling brought her entire family to Xingzhou Prefecture. The family had smoked the house before, so they could move in directly. Seeing that the courtyard was huge, Great-aunt said in satisfaction, ¡°I¡¯ll nt vegetables in the courtyardter. Perhaps I can take some to sell in the city.¡± ¡°Great-aunt, nt the vegetables in the backyard. Use the empty space in the small courtyard to nt fruit trees. When Bosi grows up, he can climb those trees.¡±


    -Who teaches their younger brother how to climb trees?¡± Great-aunt red at Mu Yangling before looking at the backyard. She saw that there was indeed a huge area in the backyard, about four times the size of the vegetable field they had previously.


    Shu Wanniang, on the other hand, nned to make a few wooden screens and frame the things she had embroidered in the past. She would put one in each room.


    The family was busy. When Mu Shi barged in, they had yet to finish eating. Bosi and Kejia still recognized their father. When they saw him, they rushed over with loud cries. Mu Shi picked them up one by one and pricked them with his unshaven face, causing the two children to cry out excitedly.


    Shu Wanniang ran out of the house and leaned against the door, beaming at them.


    Mu Shi put down the children and went forward to hug his wife and led her in. Smiling, he said, ¡°I got someone to order food from Red Taste Restaurant. It¡¯ll be sent over in a while. Let¡¯s have a good meal tonight and consider it a housewarming celebration.¡±


    Mu Shi looked around the room and didn¡¯t see the older kids, so he asked, ¡°Where are Ah Ling and the others?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re packing things in the back. We have quite a lot of belongings, so I asked her to tidy them up and leave the misceneous items in the storeroom. Each person will keep their own belongings well. We¡¯re using the old bookshelves and desks for the study.¡± Shu Wanniang continued after a pause, -If I had known that we would move to Xingzhou Prefecture, I wouldn¡¯t have built a new house in the vige back then.¡±


    ¡°This is different. This house is only our family¡¯s property. In the future, when I transfer out, we can sell it or rent it out. However, Chenggu Garrison is our home, just like Nearhill Vige, so we still have to have a nice house there.¡± Mu Shi said in a low voice, ¡°Although we¡¯ve moved out, we have to go back often to tidy it up lest the house rots.¡±


    Hearing this, Shu Wanniang thought for a moment and knew that her husband wanted to have a root in his heart. Since Nearhill Vige was gone, it could only be Chenggu Garrison.


    Today was their family¡¯s first reunion meal this year, so everyone sat around the dining table solemnly and happily. Mu Shi first toasted Great-aunt, then his wife. Only then did he pick up his chopsticks and say, ¡°Did I scare you guys during the New Year? Today is not only a housewarming feast, but it¡¯s also to calm everyone down. Come, everyone, have a drink.¡±


    Bosi and Kejia also grabbed a cup. Shu Wanniang couldn¡¯t snatch it from them. A smile shed across Mu Shi¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°Let them drink. It¡¯s just fruit wine. It¡¯s simr to in water.¡±


    ¡°Your son and daughter are just over three years old.¡±


    However, Bosi and Kejia still finished it in one gulp. Then, they continued to make a fuss and became even more excited.


    No one knew if it was because of the wine.


    After the meal, Mu Shi called Mu Yangling and Bowen to the study. Perhaps because his wife and children were by his side and he could see them at any time in the future, he was in high spirits. The smile on his lips did not disappear the entire night.


    After entering the study, he only instructed his daughter and son to study hard. Mu Shi¡¯s eyes sparkled as he said, ¡°Bowen, I¡¯m already an assistantmander now. At thetest, I¡¯ll be appointed by the Imperial Court in March. As soon as I¡¯m appointed, I¡¯ll request to remove our family¡¯s military status and get it done before autumn. Didn¡¯t your teacher say that you¡¯re doing well in your studies and can give the examination a try? Do try next year, okay?¡¯ Bowen¡¯s eyes lit up as he said excitedly, ¡°Can I really participate?¡±


    Mu Shi smiled and nodded.


    Bowen turned to look at his sister with a silly grin.


    Mu Yangling was also very happy. She patted his head and said, ¡°Then study well with Teacher Liu. You don¡¯t have to worry about the family. Mm, start preparing. I¡¯ll send you to the nursery the day after tomorrow.¡± No longer feeling bitter anymore, Bowen suggested, ¡°I have to bring my books over.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s bring some essentials first and slowly bring the rest over. Anyway, it¡¯s not like you won¡¯t be going home. You have toe home for two days every ten days. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be worried that Bosi and Kejia won¡¯t recognize you.¡± Bowen dered proudly, ¡°Bosi and Kejia like me the most. They will definitely recognize me.¡±


    Mu Shi looked at them for a while before turning to ask his daughter, ¡°If you send Bowen to the nursery, what about Xiuhong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send Xiuhong and Cousin Lang over as well. Father, I¡¯ve built a few houses over there. They can live there. Not only do we have a cattle farm, a nursery, and dozens of hectares in Hanzhong Prefecture now, but there are also people managing these things. Spring plowing is about to begin, and the rental of oxen has to be put on the agenda. I don¡¯t n to do it myself. Other than delegating it to Xiuhong and Cousin Lang, I also n to nurture Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu. So that at the very least, they can undertake tasks without supervision.¡±


    Mu Shi nodded, very reassured about his daughter. After some thought, he let Bowen go back to sleep first before tugging at his daughter and asking, ¡°How are things between you and the Little General?¡±


    Mu Yangling was baffled. ¡°We¡¯re fine.¡±


    -Then why hasn¡¯t hee to look for you for the past two days?¡± In the past, Qi Haoran woulde over whenever he had the time. Now that he was still recuperating, he shouldn¡¯t be busy. However, other thaning to the military camp to give Mu Shi pointers for the first two days, he hadn¡¯t been seen for the past two days.


    However, Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°He might be busy with something. Father, you don¡¯t have to be so anxious. Our marriage hasn¡¯t been settled yet. It¡¯s fine even if it gets called off.¡±


    Mu Shi red at his daughter. ¡°Where are you going to find a man who¡¯s so tolerant of you? I think the Little General is great. Don¡¯t anger him all the time..¡±

 Chapter 371 - 371: Test (1)

    Chapter 371: Test (1)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yanglingy on the grass and spat out the grass in her mouth. She turned around and asked Qi Haoran, ¡°Are you sure you heard right? Will those nobledies reallye here?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded solemnly. ¡°I¡¯ll leave everything to you.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at Mu Yangling suspiciously. ¡°Can you do it?¡±


    Mu Yangling chuckled. ¡°Just you wait and see.


    As she spoke, she got up and patted the grass off her body. Then, she carried the basket full of apricots and swayed down the mountain. As it was the time of the year when summer flowers were in full bloom, there were wild flowers everywhere¡ªred, pink, and white. When the breeze blew, no one would have thought that there had been a war here a few months ago and many people had died.


    Mu Yangling came down from the mountainside and walked around for a long time, but she still did not see thedies. So, she sat on the ground and rested her chin on her hand. She felt that it was reasonable for the nobledies to dy for a while.


    With this thought in mind, Mu Yangling was no longer anxious. She began to look at her surroundings. Not far away, there were clusters of small yellow


    flowers.


    Spring had always arrivedte in Xingzhou Prefecture, and the weather warmed up slowly, too. The flowers in Jiangnan bloomed all over the mountains in February, but Xingzhou Prefecture had to wait until April for the flowers to bloom fully.


    Today was the 8th of April, a rare good day. The sun was bright and the breeze was gentle, perfect for going out for an outing and a jaunt. Therefore, the nobledies of Jingzhao Prefecture and Hanzhong Prefecture agreed to go out for a jaunt today.


    Therefore, today was also a good day for them to help Big Brother Qi find a suitable wife. That¡¯s right, it was better to talk about marriage on such an auspicious day.


    Mu Yangling stood up to pluck the small yellow flowers. Then, she picked a lot of flowers of various colors nearby and snapped off some vines and grass before starting to weave a flower basket.


    She had learned this from Xiuhong. Her skills weren¡¯t as good as Xiuhong¡¯s, but she felt that the result was quite pretty.


    Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin, who were lying on the mountain, were secretly anxious. Had she forgotten their mission?


    After Mu Yangling weaved four to five flower baskets, she finally heard the sound of horse hooves. She put down the flower basket and looked in the direction of the horse hooves. She secretly heaved a sigh of relief. They were finally here.


    Mu Yangling picked up her things and went to the stream not far away. Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin, who had been watching from the mountain with their telescopes, also heaved a sigh of relief. Qi Haoranined, ¡°Those nobledies have no sense of punctuality. They clearly said that they would arrive


    here at 9 a.m.¡±


    Fan Zijin turned over andy on the grass. He narrowed his eyes at the blue sky and white clouds as he said nonchntly, ¡°They¡¯re here to y, not to go to the battlefield. Whether they¡¯re punctual or not depends on their mood.


    Qi Haoran said angrily, ¡°A non-punctual matriarch is not a good matriarch.¡± Fan Zijin burst outughing and reached out to pat him. ¡°It¡¯s not certain if Eldest Cousin will choose from among them. You¡¯re unduly worried.¡±


    By the time the horses appeared in her line of sight, Mu Yangling was already squatting by the stream. When she heard the sound of hooves, she stood up and looked over. She wore a dazed look, as if she was frightened by the sudden sound of hooves.


    A group of teenage girls rode their horses and raised their whips, their expressions soaring as they joked wantonly. Even Mu Yangling, who had seen all kinds of television scenes, could not help but narrow her eyes slightly and admire them happily.


    Fortunately, she still remembered her mission, so she only looked up for a while before taking a step back in a panic. The stream water soaked her shoes.


    The noblewoman in the lead stopped her horse and sized up Mu Yangling. Frowning, she asked, ¡°Where did youe from?¡±


    The people behind her also reined in their horses and looked at the young girl standing by the stream. They saw the slightly pale young girl open her mouth, but she could not speak for a moment. She could only point at the mountain. ¡°Second Sister Li, don¡¯t scare people.¡± A girl in a light yellow riding suit took two steps forward and smiled. She said gently to Mu Yangling, ¡°Little girl, don¡¯t panic. We¡¯re just curious as to why you¡¯re here. We don¡¯t have any ill intentions. Seeing as your shoes are wet, you shoulde up first. Our Second Sister Li is just a little impatient. She¡¯s not picking on you.¡±


    Second Miss Li sneered, jumped off the horse, and threw the rope to the girl who had caught up from behind. She sized up Mu Yangling and was about to say something when a girl in a blue riding suit pressed her shoulder.


    The girl only nodded slightly at Mu Yangling before instructing the servant girl beside her to pull Mu Yangling up. With a smile, she said, ¡°Miss, follow my servant girl to change into a pair of shoes. Although the sun is quite bright now, the water is still a little cold.¡±


    The girl in the light yellow riding suit was the eldest daughter of the Jingzhao Prefecture¡¯s Jin family, and this girl in the blue riding suit should be Second Miss Li¡¯s sister, Third Miss Li.


    Just as Mu Yangling was pondering, one youngss after another came forward. Mu Yangling¡¯s fingers intertwined. Before that girl touched her, she seemed to have mustered up her courage and said in a low voice, ¡°I¡­ I came here to pick wild fruits¡­ I didn¡¯t know that thedies woulde. No one told


    me¡­¡±


    Seeing the nervousness in Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes, Third Miss Li¡¯s expression softened a little. Smiling, she nodded. ¡°We know. We don¡¯t me you. Hurry up and change your shoes.¡±


    Mu Yangling bent down to pick up her flower basket. Only then did everyone notice the flower basket by her feet. A nobledy eximed, her eyes sparkling as she asked, ¡°Is this a flower basket? It¡¯s lovely.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at them in confusion and asked nervously, ¡°This is made up for my younger siblings. If you fancy it, I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± After saying that, she realized that there seemed to be too many people and too few flower


    baskets.


    The noblewoman who had asked previously had already chosen her favorite when Mu Yangling finished speaking. She admired it happily and turned to Mu Yangling with a smile. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    This girl took a step forward and pulled Mu Yangling up first. She then gave her a pouch. ¡°This is for you from our Miss. Keep it well.¡±


    When Mu Yangling saw that the remaining flower baskets had been picked by the otherdies, and the rest who didn¡¯t get one couldn¡¯t help but pout unhappily.


    Seeing this, Miss Jin handed one to a girl in a purple riding suit beside her and said, ¡°Look at your mouth-I can almost hang an oil bottle upon it. Here, have this.¡±


    The girl immediately cheered up.


    Seeing this, Second Miss Li snorted coldly. She had already pulled off Third Miss Li¡¯s hand on her shoulder and turned to leave. Third Miss Li¡¯s expression was calm and not angry, but she also turned around and ignored Second Miss


    Li.


    Mu Yangling narrowed her eyes. Third Miss Li summoned her maidservant and whispered a few words.


    Hence, after Mu Yangling changed into her shoes, Third Miss Li¡¯s servant girl brought a few other servants over to ask Mu Yangling some trivial questions, such as where she lived and why she was here. Then, she asked about the flower basket. ¡°I think the flower basket you made is really gorgeous. Can you teach us?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded shyly. ¡°My skills aren¡¯t that good. My cousin is much better than me.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We just have to master half of what you taught us. When we get back, we¡¯ll weave it ourselves for fun.¡±


    Mu Yangling used the flowers they picked first to teach them how to weave flower baskets. Then, she received some pouches and snacks in return before being sent away.


    When Mu Yangling took a detour and returned to the mountain, she copsed on the grass. ¡°It¡¯s even more tiring than fighting a war.¡±


    Fan Zijin asked, ¡°What did they say to you just now?¡±


    Mu Yangling described the matter, not even leaving out details about their expressions and actions. Fan Zijin thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Second Miss Li won¡¯t do. She¡¯s too rash and reveals her temper easily. If she marries Eldest Cousin, who knows how much trouble she¡¯ll cause. It¡¯s already hard enough for Eldest Cousin to clean up your mess. It¡¯s better not to add another one.¡±


    Qi Haoran agreed with the first sentence, but he was displeased with the second sentence. However, he did not refute it. Big Brother¡¯s matter was the most urgent now.


    ¡°What about the eldest daughter of the Jin family? I think she¡¯s quite kind.


    Fan Zijin and Mu Yangling looked up at Qi Haoran at the same time and said disdainfully, ¡°The eldest daughter of the Jin family can¡¯t evenpare to


    Second Miss Li..¡±

 Chapter 372 - 372: Test (2)

    Chapter 372: Test (2)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    In Fan Zijin¡¯s opinion, the eldest daughter of the Jin family was narrow-minded. No matter how weak a facade she put up, she could not hide her tricks. Her horizons were too narrow.


    Although Second Miss Li was domineering, fortunately, she was magnanimous. Her domineeringness waspatible with her family background. However, since Eldest Cousin was so outstanding, they naturally had to choose a better candidate.


    Mu Yangling felt that the eldest daughter of the Jin family was not ideal. She hade into contact with them directly, so her intuition was more urate. Hence, she said, ¡°I think the third daughter of the Li family is not bad.¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for her, with Second Miss Li and Miss Jin¡¯s tempers, they would probably have quarreled on the spot. Although those nobledies didn¡¯t interrupt at that time, they clearly had their own positions. If no one came out to stop them, they would definitely have quarreled. Considering their statuses are simr, they would¡¯ve been fine after quarreling, but I would definitely be the one to suffer in the end.¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned. ¡°So Third Miss Li actually helped you out?¡±


    Smiling, Fan Zijin said, ¡°Her main goal was naturally not to help Ah Ling out. She just didn¡¯t want the Li family to have a conflict with the Jin family and embarrass the Li family in front of everyone. However, she did help Ah Ling along. Mm, she can differentiate between priorities and consider the overall situation. For the sake of the family¡¯s reputation, she can temporarily suppress her conflict with her cousin.¡± Fan Zijin continued with a frown, ¡°But since there aren¡¯t any praises of Third Miss Li in the city, it can be seen that she has always been very mediocre.¡±


    ¡®Maybe she prefers to keep her limitations to herself?¡± Mu Yangling thought of how calm she was and was even more certain of her judgment. She said, ¡°I think she¡¯s the silent and smooth type.¡±


    Fan Zijin did not speak. Qi Haoran thought for a long time. The situation of Third Miss Li that he had investigated shed across his mind. He pondered and said, ¡°I also think this Third Miss Li is not bad. Let¡¯s go and look for Big Brother and let him make the decision.¡±


    Mu Yangling immediately jumped up and patted the grass off her body. She carried the basket and followed him down the mountain. Fan Zijin could only follow behind them slowly.


    Qi Xiuyuan was eating in the dining room. Seeing that the three of them had returned and Mu Yangling was still wearing patched vige girl clothes, he knew that they had gone out to mess around again. He lowered his head and continued eating. When he was full, he put down his chopsticks and asked the three people standing in front of him, ¡°Tell me, what did you do today?¡± Qi Haoran quickly told her about their n to test those nobledies and described their performance vividly.


    Most of the nobledies who had gone on this trip were Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s blind dates.


    After two months of internal strife, the Fourth Prince, Wulie, finally won the throne. However, he was unable to suppress his brothers, and there were even a few tribes that took the opportunity to leave the Jin Kingdom. The Mongols under their rule also began getting restless. Therefore, they did not have the time to take revenge against the Great Zhou for the time being.


    Therefore, they could only negotiate peace for the time being. Emperor Duanzong hesitated for a long time in the pce before agreeing to the peace talks. Last month, the envoy appointed by the Jin Kingdom had set off from the Jin Kingdom. He should have arrived at Lin¡¯an Prefecture by now, so Qi Xiuyuan and General Yuan¡¯s rewards and punishments were also meted out.


    Just as everyone thought, because they had sessfully defended the cities they had conquered, their merits outweighed their mistakes. Furthermore, because they were held in very high regard among the people, the Emperor¡¯s punishment for them was left unsettled. Of course, they were not given much rewards. They were not promoted and were only rewarded with a pile of gold, silver, and jewelry.


    To Qi Xiuyuan, these material rewards made no difference to him because they would all be received by the Qi family in the capital. In the end, none of them would fall into the hands of him and Qi Haoran.


    Hence, after receiving the imperial edict, Qi Xiuyuan wrote a grateful memorial m a hearty tone, saying that he wanted to use all these rewards to help the disabled soldiers, so he entrusted the Ministry of War to help distribute the rewards.


    He would rather let outsiders benefit than let his father and his concubine benefit.


    Although Qi Xiuyuan was not promoted, his reputation was established. Everyone knew that the young and promising General Qi was of marriageable age, and matchmakers instantly broke the Qi residence¡¯s door sill.


    Most of the officials who were willing to marry their daughters to Qi Xiuyuan were of the third grade or so. There were both civil and military officials. However, because of the Qi family¡¯s foundation and family situation, those who were outstanding and doted on their daughters would definitely stay away. In addition, Madam Wu was in charge of sifting through the candidates, so it was obvious that the quality of those who passed her selection was poor.


    Therefore, when the Jingzhao Prefecture heard the news, Qi Haoran began to n to help his Big Brother choose a wife. As for the three prefectures of Xmgzhou Prefecture, Hanzhong Prefecture, and Jingzhao Prefecture, many families also sent matchmakers to the Qi residence one after another in the spirit of ¡®firste first served¡¯.


    Qi Xiuyuan felt that rather than letting others control his marriage, it was better for him to do it himself. At the very least, he should choose someone he liked.


    Therefore, during this period of time, he often went out on blind dates. Almost every other day, he would be invited out for tea, wine, and food by a girl¡¯s father. Then, he would inadvertently bump into his daughter, who was either riding a horse, ying, or returning home¡­


    Fortunately, although the etiquette of the Great Zhou Dynasty was bing stricter by the day, the parents were still open-minded. Going on blind dates before the engagement was still within eptable boundaries. As long as they found an excuse, everyone would have a tacit understanding.


    However, marriage was not just about meeting the other party and understanding their family background. To Qi Xiuyuan, the most important thing was to understand the other party¡¯s character.


    Usually, thedy of the household would step forward for such matters, but his mother had passed away early and his stepmother could not be relied on. Even Rong Xuan¡¯s wife was not here, so it was impossible for her to step forward. Qi Haoran had no choice but to call Fan Zijin and Mu Yangling over to find other ways to understand the character of those nobledies.


    This time, Qi Haoran had bribed a few of the lowly maidservants from the noble families and nned this with the hints given. The goal was to give Mu Yangling a chance toe into contact with them and inspect them. Their personalities and conduct could only be observed through their conduct.


    Qi Xiuyuan knew that the three children were doing this for his own good, so he didn¡¯t reprimand them. However, he had his own sources of information and didn¡¯t need them to stand up for him in case they caused trouble again. Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°I already have a candidate in mind. You don¡¯t have to busy yourselves.¡±


    Qi Haoran asked excitedly, ¡°Big Brother, who is it?¡±


    Smiling, Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°Just like you guys, I¡¯ve taken a fancy to the third daughter of the Li family. I¡¯ve already asked your Brother Rong to go to the Xmgyuan Prefecture to invite the emissary¡¯s wife to be the matchmaker. As soon as the Li family agrees to this marriage, I¡¯ll write a memorial and ask the Emperor to bestow the marriage.¡±


    Fan Zijin asked, ¡°Will His Majesty agree to the marriage?¡±


    However, Qi Haoran chuckled and said, ¡°Who cares if he agrees or not? The key is that Big Brother has reported it to Your Majesty. Even Father can forget about interfering in Big Brother¡¯s marriage.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded with a smile. ¡°Exactly. So don¡¯t go out and run around for the next few days. Do what you need to do. If you mess up the marriage, see how I deal with you.¡±


    Qi Haoran stuck out his tongue. Knowing that Big Brother¡¯s marriage was settled, he was instantly satisfied and happily pulled Mu Yangling out.


    Mu Yangling tugged at the hand he was holding. Seeing that she couldn¡¯t pull out her hand, she could only let him hold it and asked, ¡°Why did Big Brother Qi take a fancy to Third Miss Li?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? Ever since Big Brother came to Jingzhao Prefecture, the Li family has been the most active. Wasn¡¯t the first person to hint at Big Brother¡¯s marriage alliance the head of the Li family?¡± Qi Haoran said nonchntly, ¡°Big Brother has been to the Li residence a few times. Isn¡¯t it normal for him to see Third Miss Li whilst there? Big Brother has sharp eyes, so he can naturally tell at a nce that she has a good character.¡±


    Mu Yangling tilted her head and epted this exnation.


    But was that really the case? Only Qi Xiuyuan knew that it wasn¡¯t the true reason. What really moved him was seeing the pale-faced Third Miss Li stand in the hall that night and instructing people to fight against the Jin soldiers..

 Chapter 373 - 373: Test (3)

    Chapter 373: Test (3)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Wen Cui hurriedly walked around the corridor and entered the house. When she saw the Third Miss writing on the desk, her footsteps were light, but she quickly moved to her side and stood there, bowing.


    Li Jinghua only put down her pen when she finished writing. She looked up at Wen Cui and said, ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Miss, someone hase to propose marriage to you.¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s hand that was tidying up the ink on the table paused. Then, she said nonchntly, ¡°We¡¯ve been out of mourning for half a year. What¡¯s so strange about someoneing to propose marriage?¡±


    ¡°But the Cui family isn¡¯t here to look for our master, but to look for the head of the family. Who knows what marriage they¡¯re proposing for you?¡± Wen Cui said anxiously, ¡°Miss, the Cui family is also a noble family, and the main family previously moved south with His Majesty. Many of the descendants of the family have be officials. The one who came to our family to propose marriage is definitely not from the main branch.¡±


    Of course, Li Jinghua knew this. However, when it came to marriage, her parents had the final say. Her father and brothers were all disabled and had no right to speak in the family. If her uncle made up his mind, she could not resist at all unless she could find a marriage that satisfied him.


    However, she was just a youngdy. Where could she find such an opportunity?


    Li Jinghua sat on the chair and thought for a long time before asking, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it said that matchmakers are breaking the door sill of the General Qi¡¯s mansion? Has he decided on his marriage?¡±


    Wen Cui shook her head.


    Li Jinghua felt that it was a pity that the Qi family did not have any women here. Otherwise, she could still fight for it. No matter how bold she was, she would not dare to hint to a man that she was interested. Besides, she had no opportunities to see that man.


    Meanwhile, having received the letter, Qi Xiuyuan raised his eyebrows and smiled. ¡°Li Jian is a crafty one. He first asked me to go on a blind date with his daughter and niece, but then he wanted to marry his niece off.¡±


    Although he was smiling, the anger in his eyes was unmistakable. Rong Xuan knew that he was angry. ¡°Then should I bring the letter to the Li family to look for Li Jian now?¡±


    ¡°No, you can go after the Cui family leaves. Although it will embarrass Li Jian if you go now, it will be difficult for Third Miss Li in the Qi family in the future.¡±


    Seeing that he was starting to worry about Third Miss Li¡¯s feelings now, Rong Xuan immediately raised his eyebrows. He knew that he valued the woman very much. After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll hint to Li Jian first. When the emissary¡¯s wife arrives in two days, your marriage can be settled.¡±


    Li Jian was indeed very eager to marry his daughter to Qi Xiuyuan, the garrison general. Some time ago, not only did he pull his niece out, but he also called his daughter out to go on a blind date with Qi Xiuyuan. At that time, Rong Xuan even mocked him for being overzealous. Even if he wanted to marry a Li girl into the Qi family, he didn¡¯t have to bring out both his daughter and niece.


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded. ¡°I n to settle the marriage as soon as possible. We¡¯ll get married in September.¡±


    Rong Xuan widened his eyes. ¡°Isn¡¯t this too rushed? It¡¯s already April.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already 21 years old, and Third Miss Li isn¡¯t young anymore either. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s rushed. When she marries over, I¡¯ll get her to settle Haoran and Ah Ling¡¯s marriage before the New Year.¡±


    ¡°That urgent?¡± Rong Xuan said thoughtfully, ¡°Are you afraid that the Qi family will find out about Haoran¡¯s marriage?¡±


    Furious, Qi Xiuyuan tossed out a letter. ¡°This just arrived. Madam Wu brought her 11-year-old niece home. If I hadn¡¯t pressured the patriarch¡¯s elders, the two of them would have finalized Haoran¡¯s marriage. Knowing that they couldn¡¯t control me, they¡¯ve started to target Haoran.¡±


    Since Qi Xiuyuan was choosing his wife in Jingzhao Prefecture, he really did not intend to use his inw¡¯s influence to help boost his career. He chose Li Jinghua partly because of his admiration for her, partly because she was indeed of fine character, and partly because her father and brother were both disabled and would not restrict him in the future.


    He wasn¡¯t used to being restrained, and he naturally wouldn¡¯t think of restraining his younger brother either. Since his younger brother and Mu Yangling were in love, he was naturally d to acknowledge this marriage. Furthermore, Mu Yangling herself was a decent catch, and the Mu family was also not bad. Hence, he truly despised his father and stepmother¡¯s actions in Lin¡¯an Prefecture.


    Rong Xuan understood what Qi Xiuyuan meant and quickly finalized the n. Almost as soon as the Cui family left, he entered the Li residence.


    Li Jian was in an excellent mood. Now that his niece¡¯s marriage to the Cui family was almost settled, he only had to wait for the other party to send his trusted aide, the nanny, over to take a look before they exchanged the Gengtie O. When he turned around, he heard the servant report that Rong Xuan was here.


    Li Jian was slightly surprised. Rong Xuan had only been there once, and that was along with Qi Xiuyuan when he invited thetter previously. Why was he here now?


    Li Jian hurriedly weed him out. Rong Xuan was all smiles as he cupped his hands and said, ¡°Congrattions, Master Li.¡±


    Slightly stunned, Li Jian asked with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m a little confused by Mister Rong¡¯s words. I wonder what you are congratting me about?¡±


    Rong Xuan took out the letter and handed it to Li Jian. Smiling, he said, ¡°I¡¯m here to be the matchmaker¡¯s pawn. My general has taken a fancy to your Li family¡¯s third daughter and specially went to the trouble of inviting the emissary¡¯s wife from Xingyuan Prefecture to be the matchmaker. What do you think this is if not a joyous asion?¡±


    Li Jian¡¯s smile froze and he asked, ¡°It¡¯s my big brother¡¯s daughter, Jinghua?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed the Third Miss of the eldest branch.¡± Rong Xuan took a sip of tea and smiled. ¡°Thest time my General came, he chanced upon the Third Miss once.¡±


    Li Jian¡¯s heart was filled with bitterness, but he had no choice but to reply,


    ¡°Yes, what a coincidencest time.¡±


    How could Li Jian have known that Qi Xiuyuan would take a fancy to his big brother¡¯s daughter instead of his own daughter? Now that the other party had specifically pointed out the girl¡¯s identity, he couldn¡¯t even fool them. He could only discuss with the Cui family and see if they could rece her with a daughter from the third branch.


    The first and second branches of the Li family were the direct descendants, while the third branch was born of a concubine. With that in mind, the Cui family would probably be unwilling¡­


    Seeing that Li Jian was a little distracted, Rong Xuan did not expose him. After the letter was delivered, he bade farewell.


    Rong Xuan and Li Jiang¡¯s conversation was not a secret, so not long after, everyone in the Li family knew about this. Everyone looked at Li Jinghua with envy, gloating. And some, with sympathy.


    Li Jinghua and her servant heaved a sigh of relief. Although it was dangerous to marry Qi Xiuyuan, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s character was not bad. In addition, she needn¡¯t move far away from home. It was better than marrying into the Cui family, whose foundation was unknown. After getting married, she would have to go to Hebei or Lin¡¯an.


    Born into an aristocratic family, Li Jinghua knew the hardships and dirtiness under the surface. She did not want to marry into an aristocratic family at all.


    Qi Xiuyuan was interested, and the Li family had always wanted to marry a Li daughter to Qi Xiuyuan. With the emissary¡¯s wife speciallying to be the matchmaker, the marriage was quickly decided.


    The emissary¡¯s wife was only in charge of exchanging the Gengtie and engagement token for them. There was naturally a specialized matchmaker in charge of the remaining steps. She didn¡¯t even need to negotiate for the betrothal gifts and dowry. Once the decision was made, she happily took Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s betrothal gift back to Xingyuan Prefecture.


    The reason why she made this trip was just to establish a good rtionship with Qi Xiuyuan. Her husband had said that Qi Xiuyuan might be the next General Yuan.

 Chapter 374 - 374: Gift

    Chapter 374: Gift


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    It was only when she received the engagement token that Li Jinghua finally rxed. The two families had decided to set the marriage on the 18th of September. Li Jinghua was very satisfied, but her mother, Madam Yuan, felt that this wasn¡¯t doing her daughter justice. ¡°Five months between the engagement and the wedding is too short.¡±


    Mother, neither of us is young anymore. No harm rushing it a bit.¡±


    However, in Madam Yuan¡¯s opinion, the Qi family did not value her daughter enough. Since her husband and son were already like that, she naturally hoped that her only healthy and able-bodied daughter could obtain more happiness. Before settling the marriage with the Qi family, she¡¯d only hoped that her daughter would not be pushed out by the n to make a deal, and that she¡¯d marry a husband of decent character. After settling the marriage with the Qi family, she also hoped that the Qi family would value her daughter more. If she married in such a hurry, not only would the maternal family despise her daughter, but her husband¡¯s family would also look down on her.


    Madam Wu was not her daughter¡¯s proper mother-inw. If she took advantage of this fact, wouldn¡¯t it be an easy excuse for her to torture her?


    However, Li Jinghua felt that she was living her own life, and was very satisfied with the current situation. At least, it was much better than before.


    She held her mother¡¯s arm and smiled. ¡°Mother, help me embroider my dowry first. If General Qi didn¡¯t respect me, he wouldn¡¯t have chosen me over Second Sister.¡±


    Madam Yuan could only nod reluctantly.


    Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran had just entered the Octadic Treasures Restaurant when Qi Haoran muttered, ¡°If the Li family minds this, why didn¡¯t they mention it to Big Brother?¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t dare. Third Miss Li¡¯s parents don¡¯t have much say in the Li family, so they can¡¯t bring it up even if they want to. Trust me. If you choose some gifts and send them over in Big Brother Qi¡¯s name, it will definitely increase Third Miss Li¡¯s prestige. After she marries over, she¡¯ll do a good job of handling the household matters. By expressing our goodwill first, she¡¯ll naturally repay our goodwill. This will be good for everyone.¡±


    Qi Haoran stole a nce at Mu Yangling and asked, ¡°Did Auntie Shu teach you this?¡±


    ¡°No, I figured it out myself.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Just like how we were back then, you expressed your goodwill to me first, and then we got together.¡± At this point, Qi Haoran¡¯s mouth widened in joy.


    ¡°¡­ You were the one who asked me for a Winter Solstice gift,¡± Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but say.


    Qi Haoran nced at her and replied proudly, ¡°Yes, I was the one who asked, but how did you manage to give it to me the next day? It¡¯s not store-bought, but homemade. Haha¡­ That means that you¡¯ve long wanted to give me a Winter Solstice gift. Ah Ling, don¡¯t be shy. I won¡¯t tell anyone about this.¡± Mu Yangling held it in and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°I was going to make that coat for my father.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, it was meant for Uncle Mu,¡± Qi Haoran replied, but he thought that Mu Yangling was just embarrassed on the surface. Since he had benefited from it, he decided not to pursue such trivial matters.


    One look and Mu Yangling knew that he wasn¡¯t listening. She could only change the topic and look at the snacks in Octadic Treasures Restaurant.


    The snacks at Octadic Treasures Restaurant were very famous in Jingzhao Prefecture, and almost all the rich families had bought snacks here. Hence, Mu Yangling asked directly, ¡°What snacks does the Li family usually choose?¡± The waiter serving the two of them quickly named a few snacks and smiled. ¡°Not only does the Li family often order these snacks, but the Jin family and the other squires also like them very much.¡±


    ¡°What do girls slightly older than me like to eat?¡±


    ¡°Mostly jujube cakes and osmanthus cakes, but there are also some with special tastes. I wonder if you¡¯re looking to gift them or eat them yourself?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a gift.¡±


    Smiling, the waiter said, ¡°The jujube cake and osmanthus cake are delectable. Miss, if you think that it¡¯s not enough, you can also buy some Almond Buddha¡¯s Hand and Desirable Cake to make four portions.¡±


    Mu Yangling lowered her head and thought for a moment before nodding with a smile. ¡°Then give me a little of each. Wrap it up nicely for me.¡±


    The waiter left happily.


    Mu Yangling carried the things back and waved at a more dignified-looking old woman. She said, ¡°Bring the two of them to the Li residence and say that this is a gift from our General to their Third Miss. We had no idea of her preference, so we chose randomly. If she wants anything in particr, send someone to the General¡¯s Mansion to tell us. We¡¯ll find it for her.¡±


    The old woman nced at the Fourth Young Master behind her, took the things with a smile, and respectfully retreated.


    When the old woman sent the things to the Li residence, Li Jinghua was surprised. Madam Yuan smiled brightly and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect General to be a doting man.¡±


    Li Jian was also ted, but then he recalled how tense his niece¡¯s rtionship with his family, the second branch, was. After thinking for a moment, he called his daughter over to instruct her to get along well with Li Jinghua during this period of time.


    Already annoyed by Li Jinghua¡¯s engagement, Second Miss Li said unhappily, ¡°I¡¯m her older sister and the daughter of the head of the family. Do I have to please her? Father, we¡¯re the Li family of Longxi.¡±


    Do you think I don¡¯t know?¡± Li Jian said with a dark expression, ¡°But our Li family has been away from the Great Zhou Dynasty for 20 years and has only been secretly contacting the various aristocratic families. How strong do you think our ties are with them? Qi Xiuyuan is a stepping stone for us. No matter how unconvinced you are, you have to suppress your temper first. After your brothers enter the government and our Li family solidifies our aristocratic status in the Great Zhou Dynasty, you can throw a tantrum however you want.¡± Hearing this, Second Miss Li could only suppress her temper and avoid Li Jinghua.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s gifts seemed to be endless. He sent snacks today, a bolt of cloth tomorrow, and a set of jewelry the day after tomorrow¡­


    They were not very valuable, but one could tell the other party¡¯s sincerity from them. Initially, the Li family and servants had secretly mocked Li Jinghua because of the urgent wedding date, but now, everyone no longer did so. Who said that the Qi family did not value Li Jinghua?


    If he didn¡¯t value her, how could he send things here every other day?


    It was most likely because General Qi was getting on in age that he had set the wedding date so urgently.


    After giving all kinds of gifts for half a month, Second Miss Li finally heaved a sigh of relief. When she felt that the other party didn¡¯t have anything else to give, a bouquet of wildflowers came from the gatehouse. They said that General Qi had plucked them when he went riding in the wilderness and gifted them to Third Miss Li to admire them.


    When Third Miss Li received the bouquet of wildflowers, her expression was cold. Then, a smile bloomed on her face. Her eyes were gentle as she inserted the bouquet of wildflowers into the porcin vase in the room.


    This was the first time Wen Cui had seen her mistress smile so brightly. Previously, although she had received snacks and fabric, the youngdy had only smiled slightly before asking someone to put them away. However, this time, it was merely a bouquet of wildflowers yet it made her so happy.


    The other girls of the Li family were so jealous that their eyes turned red, including Second Miss Li. With red eyes, she asked the girl beside her indignantly, ¡°How am I inferior to Li Jinghua?¡±


    The servant beside her could onlyfort her. ¡°Miss, this is just a bouquet of wildflowers. Including the previous things, none of the gifts were valuable¡­¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± Second Miss Li murmured. ¡°It¡¯s precisely because it¡¯s not expensive that it¡¯s the most precious. Previously, he only needed to instruct someone to buy the pastry and fabric, but this time he personally picked this bouquet of wildflowers¡­¡±


    Every girl had a ¡°romantic¡± monster in their hearts. If Qi Xiuyuan kept sending snacks or jewelry, they would just smile. However, these were flowers. Furthermore, they were wildflowers that the other party had seen on the way and sent over immediately.


    This was the first time Third Miss Li had returned Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s gift, and it was a lovely and practical pouch..

 Chapter 375 - 375: Reciprocity

    Chapter 375: Reciprocity


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Xiuyuan held the pouch that was transferred to his hand and couldn¡¯t help butugh as he shook his head. He knew very well what his brother and Mu Yangling had been doing recently, and he was happy to watch them busy themselves. Just as Ah Ling had said, his wife would be the mistress of the family head in the future, so the more respect she received, the better.


    Previously, seeing as Li Jinghua did not react at all, he had even praised her for being calm. He did not expect that a bouquet of wildflowers would ¡®blow her up¡¯.


    He stared at the pouch in his hand thoughtfully. In some instances, it was not the value but the thought of the gift that counted. Sometimes, the cheaper the gift, the more precious it was.


    Qi Xiuyuan put on the pouch and said to the old woman, ¡°Go and tell Fourth Young Master and Miss Mu that they don¡¯t have to send anything over to the Li residence.¡±


    The old woman left in response, thinking that her life as an errand girl was over. She even felt a little regretful because every time she went to the Li Residence to deliver things, she would receive a lot of reward money.


    However, the next day, Qi Xiuyuan called the old woman over and pointed at a basket of apricots at the side. ¡°These are freshly plucked from the farmstead.


    Send them to Third Miss Li.¡±


    The old woman was stunned for a moment before picking up the basket with a smile. Before she left, she thought for a moment and asked, ¡°General, do you have any message to pass on to the Third Miss?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan thought for a moment and said, ¡°Tell her that the soldiers in the military camp picked this fruit. I think it¡¯s not bad after eating it, so I wanted her to taste it.¡±


    The old woman answered and left.


    The soldiers in the military camp were indeed the ones who picked the fruits. There were a few mountains in the military field, and two of them were filled with fruit trees, apple trees, pear trees, jujube trees, and apricot trees. It was time to eat apricots, so the soldiers went up the mountain to pick fruits happily during their spare time outside of training. Qi Xiuyuan felt that it was quite sweet after eating it, so he brought a basket back.


    Two dayster, when Qi Xiuyuan returned from the military camp, he saw a y figurine vendor on the street. He saw a young husband buy one for his wife, who held it in front of her chest with a beam on her face. Qi Xiuyuan thought for a moment and asked someone to buy a set and send it to the Li residence¡­


    Ever since that bouquet of wildflowers, the gifts sent to the Li residence by the General¡¯s Mansion were no longer sent in regr intervals. Sometimes, something would be sent every three to five days. Sometimes, a gift would be sent over in the morning and another in the afternoon. The gifts became more and more casual. Once, Qi Xiuyuan ate a crystal dumpling outside and felt that it was quite delicious. He immediately got someone to pack a portion and send it to the Li residence.


    As Third Miss Li reciprocated with more and more gifts, various legends about the general and the beauty began to circte on the streets and alleys of Jingzhao Prefecture and Hanzhong Prefecture. Although the storyteller in the teahouse did not name them, everyone knew who they were talking about.


    From five-year-old girls to 8o-year-old grandmothers, everyone was envious and jealous of Li Jinghua. Even the people in the Li residence felt that Qi Xiuyuan must have known and fallen in love with Li Jinghua way before this. Even Li Jian called Third Miss Li to ask if she had seen Qi Xiuyuan other than that time at home.


    Not to mention that Li Jinghua had truly never seen him before that day, even if she had, she would not tell Li Jian. Otherwise, this could potentially be used against her. So, she denied it seriously.


    Li Jinghua¡¯s eldest brother, Li Chi,ughed out loud. He looked at his younger sister seriously and said, ¡°Misfortune or fortune are always closely followed by each other. This saying is very true indeed.¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She asked, ¡°Brother, has General Qi seen me before?¡±


    ¡°Silly sister, how could you have forgotten about the Jin soldiers attacking the farm on the 28th of December? Wasn¡¯t it General Qi¡¯s army who saved us back then?¡± Li Chi¡¯s lips curled up slightly as he said, ¡°Back then, because I was ipetent and could only lie in my room anxiously, you, a female, had to lead people outside to fend the enemy off. I believe that you caught General Qi¡¯s eye that time.¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s heart thumped wildly.


    Li Chi stroked his sister¡¯s hair and said, ¡°This is your fortune. That¡¯s why I said that misfortune or fortune are always closely followed by each other. Since he adores you, he will definitely respect you. In the future, even if love is gone, the affection will still exist. Since Father and I can¡¯t give you anything to rely on, you can only rely on yourself.¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s eyes reddened. Nodding, she said, ¡°Brother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely live well.¡±


    From then on, Li Jinghua became even more concerned about Qi Xiuyuan. Before she even married over, she already had the shoes and boots sent over.


    The two of them had yet to spend their lives together, but they were already so sweet towards each other. Mu Yangling kicked Qi Haoran¡¯s foot and said,


    ¡°Learn a little.¡±


    The next day, Qi Haoran gifted Mu Yangling a precious dagger. Although it could not slice through iron like mud, it could tten a bamboo pole with one sh. This was Mu Yangling¡¯s first long saber. Previously, she¡¯d only owned short daggers.


    Mu Yangling happily epted it.


    Two dayster, Qi Haoran sent Mu Yangling another bow tailor-made for her.


    Six dayster, he sent an expensive horse¡­


    Mu Yangling circled the horse twice before personally leading it to look for Qi Haoran. ¡°Where did you get the money to buy these things?¡±


    Qi Haoran chuckled.


    Mu Yangling sighed and returned the horse to him. ¡°You went to borrow it from Zijin again, right? I¡¯m asking you to learn Big Brother Qi¡¯s attitude. Who asked you to give such an expensive gift every time?¡±


    Mu Yangling rambled on. ¡°Big Brother Qi¡¯s gifts for a month don¡¯t cost more than ten taels of silver in total. If your horse alone costs hundreds of taels of silver, that precious dagger definitely won¡¯t be cheap either. Plus, the bow was tailor-made for me. If you continue giving me gifts for a month like this, won¡¯t you go bankrupt¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran quietly watched Mu Yangling nag and his heart warmed. The wind blew the hair on her forehead until it covered her eyes. He watched as Mu Yangling gently told him to give cheap gifts. As long as it came from the heart, she would be very happy¡­ Looking at her exquisite and rosy face, Qi Haoran didn¡¯t seem to hear Mu Yangling¡¯s words, but he also seemed to be listening.


    Qi Haoran suddenly bent down and kissed Mu Yangling on the cheek. It was a soft kiss. Other than the fact that his heart almost jumped out of his chest, there was also a sweet feeling.


    Startled, Mu Yangling¡¯s face turned red. She seemed to have been kissed. This was the first time in her two lifetimes that she had been kissed by a boy. Heart in a mess, Mu Yangling secretly looked up at Qi Haoran. s, he caught her red-handed.


    Initially, Qi Haoran was still uneasy, his limbs a tad cold as he stood beside her. After all, this being a hooligan¡¯s behavior, he¡¯d wondered if Ah Ling would throw him down the hill.


    However, when he saw that she was stealing a nce at him and her pretty face was flushed red, he immediately became bold. He leaned over and nted another kiss on her cheek, before pulling away immediately. Seeing that Mu Yangling was still staring at him in a daze, he became even bolder. This time, he went to kiss her cheek again, but he did not pull away as soon as his lips touched. Instead, he bit lightly and left saliva on it¡­


    Only then did Mu Yanglinge back to her senses and identally pushed him away¡­


    Qi Haoran fell onto the grass and looked at Mu Yangling in a daze. Mu Yangling was also shocked and stared at him for a while. Seeing that he was sitting on the grass without moving, she thought that he was in pain from the fall. After all, amidst her panic, she did not hold back just now.


    She quickly went forward to hold him steady. ¡°Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself from the fall?¡±


    With a grab of her arm, Qi Haoran pulled her down with all his might.. He flipped over and pressed on top of her, then pretended to be fierce and said, -Geez, how dare you push me to the ground? I¡¯m your husband!¡±

 Chapter 376 - 376: Confusion

    Chapter 376: Confusion


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Caught off guard, Mu Yangling was pressed under him and almost threw him out. Fortunately, she knew that Qi Haoran was just ying with her, so she only widened her eyes at him.


    However, Qi Haoran¡¯s mouth turned dry from Mu Yangling¡¯s gaze. His round nose, pink lips, and fair face looked a little rosy from his fall. His figure was reflected in her widened eyes. Qi Haoran¡¯s gaze involuntarilynded on her lips and gently nted a kiss before he realized it¡­


    It was even softer than her face¡­


    Qi Haoran¡¯s limbs were a little weak, and he didn¡¯t know what to do next. Mu Yangling was originally holding her breath and waiting for him to continue, but Qi Haoran only pressed his lips against hers but didn¡¯t go further nor get up. Mu Yangling let out an exhale¡­


    His breathnded on Qi Haoran¡¯s neck. Unlike the breeze, it was warm and lingering. Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t hold on and fell directly on Mu Yangling, but this made him feel even more thirsty.


    Mu Yangling pushed him aside and sat up to re at him.


    Qi Haoran probably knew that his performance was very embarrassing, so he lowered his head in shame, but his face and neck werepletely red.


    In the end, the couple separated in silence. Only when Qi Haoran brought the horse home did he realize what a stupid thing he had done. He pped his head in frustration. Why did he let Mu Yangling go just like that? He even brought the horse back.


    Although Qi Haoran was vexed, he did not chase after her. He just rode back to Xingzhou Prefecture overnight angrily, scaring Qi Xiuyuan. ¡°Why did Haoran suddenly go to Xingzhou Prefecture? Did something happen there?¡±


    Rong Xuan thought about it carefully before shaking his head. ¡°No news.¡±


    The two of them frowned and thought for a while. Rong Xuan guessed, ¡°Perhaps he has something to discuss with Zijin. Didn¡¯t Zijin return to Xingzhou Prefecture this morning?¡±


    However, Qi Haoran did not go back to look for Fan Zijin. Instead, he barged into the Wu residence and pulled Wu Jin out.


    Wu Jin had just finished dinner and was doing his homework. He was still confused when Qi Haoran dragged him out. ¡°Little General, Young Master Fan isn¡¯t with me.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Qi Haoran held it in for a long time before asking, ¡°Have you visited a brothel?¡±


    Wu Jin¡¯s sleepy eyes immediately lit up. He sized up Qi Haoran excitedly and chuckled. ¡°Little General, are you thinking about it? That¡¯s true. Little General, you¡¯re almost 16 years old. Back then, I was only 12 years old when my primordial yang first leaked¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t bear to look at him. ¡°Ah Ling said that if one¡¯s primordial yang leaks too early, not only will his kidneys suffer, but his life will also be shortened. He might not be able to live after 40 years old.¡± Qi Haoran sized up Wu Jin and finally stared at his crotch. He asked, ¡°You¡¯re about to reach 20, right? That means you have 20 years left.¡±


    Wu Jin was speechless. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he wasn¡¯t skilled in martial arts, he would definitely fight with Qi Haoran. This concerned a man¡¯s dignity. He asked with a dark expression, ¡°Since this isn¡¯t about you bing enlightened, why are you asking about the brothel?¡±


    Qi Haoran hesitated for a moment. He wanted to ask how to kiss a girl, but he felt that it was too embarrassing to ask outright. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°I just want to take a look. Bring me there. I want to know how you guys usually y.¡±


    Wu Jin¡¯s originally dark face instantly turned red again, and his eyes lit up. It turned out that Qi Haoran was not enlightened, but wanted to be enlightened. This was a piece of cake for him.


    Wu Jin waved his hand and said, ¡°You¡¯vee to the right person. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll bring you to the best brothel in Xingzhou Prefecture.¡±


    Fei Bai paced around anxiously at the side, but he could not exert any strength.


    For some reason, the Fourth Young Master wanted to return to Xingzhou Prefecture as soon as he returned. He¡¯d thought that he was here to look for Young Master Zijin, but who knew that he was here to look for Wu Jin? It was fine to look for Wu Jin, but how could he follow Wu Jin into the brothel?


    One had to know that the Eldest Young Master was very strict about such matters. He was afraid that the Fourth Young Master would be led astray by others outside. Not only the Fourth Young Master, but even Young Master Zijin was forbidden from discussing business in brothels.


    After thinking about it, he felt that letting Eldest Young Master stop him now wasn¡¯t a good idea. Thus, he could only look for Young Master Zijin. Hence, Fei Bai leaned close to Qi Haoran¡¯s ear and said, ¡°Master, I¡¯ll go back and get more silver. I don¡¯t have much with me.¡±


    He definitely had to bring enough money to a brothel. Qi Haoran was also afraid that it would be embarrassing if he did not have enough money, so he quickly agreed to Fei Bai¡¯s idea to go back and get the money. As if he was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t have enough money, he said, ¡°Ask for more. If it¡¯s not enough, go and get it from Zijin.¡±


    Fei Bai was even happier when he heard this. Since he was going to look for Young Master Zijin to get the money, wouldn¡¯t it be perfect if he casually mentioned this when Young Master Zijin asked?


    Fei Bai ran back eagerly to ask Fan Zijin for money. Unexpectedly, Fan Zijin waved his hand without even looking up and asked Yanmo to retrieve the money for Fei Bai. As long as it didn¡¯t exceed 1,000 taels, he didn¡¯t have to report it to him.


    Yanmo was also used to Qi Haoran taking money from here when he ran out of it. To be honest, both parties could calcte exactly how much Qi Haoran had taken from this ce. No one noted how much he had returned either.


    Sometimes, when an expensive horse or dagger caught his eye, he would happily pay a few thousand taels of silver for it. If it wasn¡¯t enough, he would take it from here. Sometimes, when he earned money outside, he would put some here. For example, when he attacked Chang¡¯an Countyst time, he had received a fair share of the items. There were gold, silver, jewelry, and antique calligraphy and paintings, all of which he brought here. But then he would also take money from here and spend it. Therefore, Fan Zijin and Yanmo were very used to it. The consequence of being used to it was that Fan Zijin didn¡¯t even bother asking for the reason these days. Even Yanmo didn¡¯t ask. After giving the money to Fei Bai, he wanted to return to Fan Zijin¡¯s side to serve him.


    Fei Bai held it in for a long time, but no one asked him why the Fourth Young Master wanted to take so much money.


    After circling around twice, he braced himself and followed Yanmo in. He said to Fan Zijin, ¡°Young Master Zijin, I¡¯ll take the money to the brothel and give it to Master.¡±


    ¡°Okay, go ahead,¡± Fan Zijin replied casually as he continued to look at the document in his hand. Only then did the word ¡®brothel¡¯ register in his mind. He looked up at Fei Bai and saw that he was still standing there hesitating. With a darkened expression, he asked, ¡°Where did you say you were taking the money to?¡±


    Fei Bai heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, ¡°The brothel. Master has followed Young Master Wu to the brothel to broaden his horizons.¡±


    Fan Zijin picked up the teacup on the table and threw it at Fei Bai. The teacup brushed past Fei Bai¡¯s forehead and flew out, smashing against the door. Staring at Fei Bai with a dark expression, he asked, ¡°Then what were you doing just now? Trying to leak your master¡¯s whereabouts?¡±


    Fei Bai¡¯s face turned pale. With a plop, he knelt on the ground and said weakly, ¡°I don¡¯t dare. It¡¯s just that Eldest Young Master has never allowed Fourth Young Master to go to those ces¡­¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you tell me as soon as you came back? Instead, you¡¯re beating around the bush here,¡± Fan Zijin said darkly. ¡°Sure, now all of you like to y tricks.¡±


    Yanmo also knelt on the ground with a thud.


    Fan Zijin looked at them coldly and did not ask them to get up. He only sneered and said, ¡°Eldest Cousin is magnanimous and Haoran doesn¡¯t bother to care about these things. But don¡¯t think that you can bewless because of that. Let me tell you, although I¡¯m not their biological brother, we¡¯re closer than biological brothers. If I find out that you¡¯re ying tricks again, I¡¯ll skin you alive.¡±


    After saying that, he pushed his chair away and left..

 Chapter 377 - 377: Learning

    Chapter 377: Learning


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Fei Bai and Yanmo¡¯s faces were pale and their limbs were cold as they followed.


    Fan Zijin was not angry that Qi Haoran had gone to the brothel. They had grown up and would have toe into contact with these things sooner orter. If they were to stop him by force, perhaps it would even pique Haoran¡¯s interest in that matter.


    What he minded was that Fei Bai was actually ying mind games with the brothers. This was just a small matter. If it was that silly boy, Haoran, he might have kicked Fei Bai with a smile and called him sneaky or something. Then, this matter would be over. However, Fan Zijin could not let it rest just like that. He could y mind games with outsiders, but he would never allow his own people to y mind games with him.


    A small matter could slowly umte into a big matter. If he ignored it the first time, who knew how bold Fei Bai and the others would grow to be in the future?


    Although Fan Zijin was ring up at Fei Bai, he was also warning Yanmo and the people around him not to y tricks on their master.


    When Fan Zijin arrived at the brothel, Qi Haoran and Wu Jin had already sat down in arge room on the second floor. A few girls were surrounding them.


    Qi Haoran was not resistant towards them sitting beside him, but he did not allow them to touch him. It was not that Qi Haoran did not want them to, but the fragrance of the cosmetics on them was too strong.


    Used to being surrounded by rough men, he was no stranger to the smell of sweat and the stench of feet. And also, the faint fragrance of flowers on Mu Yangling¡¯s body. However, such a cosmetics¡¯ scent was new to him. This was truly challenging his sense of smell.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s attention was mainly on Wu Jin. He wanted to see how he kissed a girl, but Wu Jin only drank with them. At most, he would fondle those girls.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face darkened. He couldn¡¯t rush him to kiss a girl, so he could only sit there and wait.


    Although Wu Jin was teasing the girls, his attention was still on Qi Haoran. Seeing that he was unhappy, he asked, ¡°Are you dissatisfied with them? Do you want to change to a different batch?¡±


    Qi Haoran shook his head and looked at Wu Jin gloomily. ¡°You usuallye here to have fun like this?¡±


    Wu Jin¡¯s body stiffened. Someone who wouldn¡¯t even touch a girl¡¯s hand wasn¡¯t qualified to say this, right?


    Wu Jin tilted his head and thought for a moment. ¡°You want to enter the bedroom directly?¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the door was pushed open. Fan Zijin walked in from outside and scanned the room. After confirming it had not progressed to a point that would anger Eldest Cousin, he was satisfied and walked in slowly.


    Not so casual with Fan Zijin, Wu Jin hurriedly stood up and invited him in.


    Fan Zijin sat beside Qi Haoran and looked at him for a while. Then, he whispered into his ear, ¡°Since you¡¯re not ying, why are you here?¡± Qi Haoran was very depressed. ¡°I just wanted to see how they kiss, but Wu Jin just fondled those girls for a long time and didn¡¯t kiss them.¡± He felt that if he dared to do this to Mu Yangling, she would definitely smack him into the soil.


    ¡°¡­¡± Fan Zijin tilted his head and thought for a moment. Then, he took the initiative to help his brother. Turning to Wu Jin, he said, ¡°Why are you only fondling and not kissing? Don¡¯t worry about us brothers. We¡¯re actually just here to broaden our horizons.¡± After saying that, he waved at the girls sitting around them. ¡°Go, serve Young Master Wu. We¡¯ll just drink by ourselves.


    The girls could tell that the two of them were here to watch a show today, not to have fun. When they heard this, they took the opportunity to sit beside Wu Jin. The seven or eight girls immediately surrounded Wu Jin.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t.¡± Wu Jin wanted to push the girl away, but his handnded on her chest. Thinking that he was flirting with her, she sat on him and lowered her head to bite his mouth¡­


    Wu Jin¡¯s passion was ignited by the kiss. He immediately hugged her, fell to the ground, and kissed her.


    Qi Haoran stuck his head out to take a look and realized that his view was blocked by the seven or eight girls. He went forward to pull them apart and squatted at the side to look seriously¡­


    Other than the two people entangled on the ground, the remaining girls were all stunned. Even Fan Zijin looked at Qi Haoran in a daze, not noticing that the wine in the wine ss in his hand had spilled on his clothes.


    Qi Haoran squatted beside Wu Jin and looked at him for a long time. Satisfied, he patted his butt and said with a smile, ¡°So that¡¯s how you kiss. I understand now.¡±


    Wu Jin had just pushed thedy away to catch his breath when he was startled by him. Since when did Qi Haorane so close?


    After learning what he wanted to learn, Qi Haoran had no interest in staying here anymore. It was too noisy and smelly. He pulled Fan Zijin away and waved atWu Jin. ¡°Have fun.¡±


    Wu Jin watched him leave in a daze.


    Fan Zijin only came back to his senses after getting dragged home. He sized him up and finally fixed his gaze on his face. He asked, ¡°Did you kiss Mu Yangling?¡±


    Qi Haoran blushed and nodded shyly.


    There was always a pal in life with whom a guy could share everything. Fan Zijin was such a person to Qi Haoran, so although he blushed, he still told him what had happened. Then, he said in frustration, ¡°I came back in a daze. I wonder if she¡¯s angry or if she¡¯ll me me for being rash.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you went to the brothel to learn this?¡± Frowning, Fan Zijin said, ¡°Why did youe all the way back when there are brothels in Jingzhao Prefecture?¡±


    Qi Haoran said in a daze, ¡°Isn¡¯t Big Brother in Jingzhao Prefecture?¡± Actually, he didn¡¯t know why either. Anyway, he had run back in a daze.


    Fan Zijin thought for a moment and said, ¡°Alright, buy some gifts for Ah Ling tomorrow and bring her to that hill. Exin it to her clearly. Just don¡¯t be so rash this time.¡± After a pause, he said, ¡°In the future, don¡¯t go to ces like the brothel. The girls there aren¡¯t clean. Be careful not toe back with some dirty disease. If you want, I¡¯ll arrange two concubines for youter.¡± Qi Haoran shook his head instinctively and said, ¡°I¡¯m still young. You don¡¯t even have concubines yet. Anyway, I don¡¯t want that. What do you think I should give Ah Ling tomorrow to appease her anger?¡±


    Fan Zijin had originally wanted to persuade him to ept the concubine, but when he heard this, he sessfully diverted his attention. Looking at him resentfully, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t always give her horses or knives. Do you think she s you? She¡¯s a girl. Girls like beautiful clothes and beautiful jewelry. After so many years, the swords and knives you gave her can fill a chest. You spent a lot of money but never really seeded in pleasing her. Go to the jewelry shop tomorrow and pick some beautiful jewelry for her.¡±


    Fan Zijin gave him another thousand taels of silver and said, ¡°If it¡¯s not enough, put it on credit first. I¡¯ll help you payter.¡±


    Qi Haoran was speechless. ¡°What kind of jewelry is more expensive than a precious dagger?¡±


    Having never bought jewelry for women before, Fan Zijin only gave Qi Haoran that amount inr reference to his expenses. When he heard this, he tilted his head and said, ¡°Go to the jewelry shop tomorrow and pick them yourself. If there¡¯s money left over, just keep it and spend them slowly?¡±


    Qi Haoran thought about it and agreed.


    Having done some learning, Qi Haoran ran back to Jingzhao Prefecture confidently the next day. Then, he rushed into the jewelry shop and picked out a set of ruby jewelry. After spending 200 taels of silver, he happily went to look for Mu Yangling..

 Chapter 378 - 378: Self-defeating

    Chapter 378 - 378: Self-defeating


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    This was the first time Mu Yangling had received jewelry as a gift, and it was from Qi Haoran.


    No girl didn¡¯t like jewelry, especially since the ruby jewelry given by Qi Haoran was elegant and majestic. Although she was still young and couldn¡¯t wear it, she still epted it happily.


    Seeing that Mu Yangling was pleased, Qi Haoran heaved a sigh of relief and took the opportunity to invite her. ¡°Ah Ling, let me bring you out for a horse


    race.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the ount book on the table and said, ¡°There will be many peopleing to return the oxen today. I want to record the ounts here.¡±


    It was already May, and there was no longer a need for plowing oxens to work in the fields. Therefore, the plowing oxens lent out in the early spring would be returned one after another. She had to stay here to record it in the ounts.


    Their cattle farm mainly dealt with the poor farmers of Xingzhou Prefecture, Hanzhong Prefecture, and Jingzhao Prefecture. The cattle farm lent out plowing oxen to them, and the other party used grains, money, orbor to repay them. As there were many people in the three prefectures and the distance was a little far, Mu Yangling asked Xiuhong to be in charge of renting and record-keeping in Xingzhou Prefecture. Liu Lang was in charge of Hanzhong Prefecture, while Mu Yangling was in charge of Jingzhao Prefecture.


    Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu were still in charge of the cattle farm and supervising the rental of plowing oxens.


    As many oxen had been returned in the past few days, Mu Yangling felt that it was better for her to stay here.


    Having endured for the entire day yesterday, how could Qi Haoran endure it now? He pointed at the people behind her and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t they your subordinates? After watching for so many days, they should know how to do it by now. Let them do the record-keeping. Let¡¯s go galloping first.¡±


    As he spoke, he pulled Mu Yangling¡¯s hand.


    The hand in his was warm and soft, making Qi Haoran¡¯s face turn slightly red. In the past, he didn¡¯t think much about it, but now that he was holding her hand, his heart was pounding.


    Mu Yangling also sensed Qi Haoran¡¯s nervousness. Of course, it was hard not to notice the sweat on his hand.


    Mu Yangling did not refuse anymore. After giving some instructions, she left with Qi Haoran.


    Since there was a problem, they had to solve it. Otherwise, if it was dyed, a small problem would be a big problem. It wouldn¡¯t be good if it affected their rtionship.


    She had to encourage Qi Haoran¡¯s habit of looking for her whenever he had any problems.


    The two of them rode to the hill where they had been the day before yesterday, just what was it that had to be said in the wilderness?


    Mu Yangling looked at Qi Haoran worriedly, wondering how much trouble he had caused. Even his neck was red.


    Even more worried now, Mu Yangling said gently, ¡°If you have anything to say, just say it. Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll help you think of a way.¡±


    Qi Haoran was so nervous that he chose not to hear thest sentence. When he heard the first sentence, he looked up into Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes with bright eyes and said, ¡°Ah Ling, after Big Brother gets married, he will see to our engagement.¡±


    Could it be that Qi Haoran had fallen in love with someone else and wanted to separate from her, so he was so nervous that his neck waspletely red? But this kid had even kissed her three times before.


    Seeing that Mu Yangling did not answer, Qi Haoran anxiously held her hand and said, ¡°We¡¯re half a married couple now¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling looked up at him with clear eyes. Qi Haoran held it in for a long time before saying softly, ¡°So now, we can kiss and hug. Don¡¯t be angry. I won¡¯t be so rash in the future¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned for a moment before a smile bloomed on her face. She held Qi Haoran¡¯s hand and said in a low voice, ¡°Mm, I don¡¯t me you.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Really?¡±


    Seeing Mu Yangling nod, he said, ¡°Then let¡¯s try again.


    Before Mu Yangling could reject him, Qi Haoran kissed her on the cheek. After some thought, Mu Yangling realized that such things should be very normal for them since they were a couple now. Anyway, he only knew how to kiss her face and give her a peck on her lips.


    As it turned out, one should not underestimate any couple in love, especially boys madly in love. They had impressive implementation skills.


    At first, the two of them sat close to each other on the grass, and Qi Haoran only kissed her cheek. After kissing her left cheek, he kissed her right cheek. When Mu Yangling was about to stop him helplessly, he pressed his lips against hers. This was the second time they had kissed so intimately. Mu Yangling did not push him away.


    Then, as if he had received great encouragement, Qi Haoran carefully stuck out his tongue and circled her lips before entering. Then, the control waspletely in Qi Haoran¡¯s hands. By the time Mu Yangling came back to her senses, she had almost fainted fromck of oxygen.


    The two of them panted as they stared at each other with slightly swollen lips. Panting, Qi Haoran wanted to kiss her again, but Mu Yangling pushed him and said, ¡°Your mouth is swollen. Others will be able to tell.


    Qi Haoran hesitated. In the end, he suppressed his desire and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I go back and let Big Brother arrange the marriage for us first?¡±


    Mu Yangling widened her eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯m only 13 years old.¡±


    Qi Haoran was depressed. ¡°Why are you so young?¡±


    If he wanted to get married, he would have to wait at least two more years. It felt so long.


    Worried that Qi Haoran would not be able to resist the temptation and do something that would harm their rtionship after marriage, Mu Yanghng hurriedly said, ¡°Even if I¡¯m not young, you can¡¯t get married so early. You¡¯re only 16 years old. You have to wait until 18 before getting married at the earliest.¡±


    Qi Haoran said indignantly, ¡°Wu Jin had a concubine by the time he was 12.¡± Mu Yangling twisted the flesh on his waist and spun it half a circle. She said fiercely, ¡°So you wish to have mistresses!¡±


    Qi Haoran shuddered and waved his hand. ¡°No, no. I¡¯ve never thought of having mistresses. I just want you.¡±


    Mu Yangling narrowed her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re the one who said that you only want me. Not only are you not allowed to take concubines, you¡¯re not allowed to have mistresses either. You can¡¯t even go to a ce like the brothel. Your body and mind have to be mine.¡±


    Qi Haoran said with a bitter expression, ¡°Mistresses are not included, right? Fine, I won¡¯t take concubines. But which general doesn¡¯t have two or three mistresses?¡±


    Anger surged in Mu Yangling¡¯s heart as she spun the flesh in her hand again. Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t help but bare his teeth. Narrowing her eyes, Mu Yangling looked at him coldly. ¡°I just won¡¯t allow it.¡± As she spoke, she let go of his flesh and turned around to lie on the grass. With her back facing him, she said, -You¡¯d better make up your mind soon. If you can do it, our marriage will be settled. If not, tell me and our Mu family will definitely not mention it again. You can then find a magnanimousdy.¡±


    At this point, Mu Yangling felt an inexplicable ache in her heart and tears welled up in her eyes. She had always felt that her feelings for Qi Haoran were not love, but friendship. Only now did she know that the thought of breaking up with him could bring her such heartache. Had she changed unknowingly? However, Qi Haoran jumped up in anger and shouted, ¡°What? You¡¯ve already given me a token. How is it different from getting engaged? You¡¯re not allowed to go back on your word.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Yangling was only lying with her back facing him, he was so angry that he went to pull her. ¡°Tell me honestly, what do you mean by not mentioning it again?¡±


    Seeing the tears on Mu Yangling¡¯s face, Qi Haoran panicked and immediately wiped her tears with his hand. ¡°I-I haven¡¯t done anything yet.. Why are you crying?¡±

 Chapter 379 - 379= Concubines

    Chapter 379 - 379= Concubines


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    In Qi Haoran¡¯s impression, Mu Yangling had never cried before. She had always been strong, so when Mu Yangling cried, he panicked and hurriedly wiped her tears with both hands. In the end, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°I promise you, I won¡¯t have concubines or mistresses, nor will I want anyone other than you.


    Don¡¯t cry. My heart aches.¡±


    Mu Yangling got up and kicked Qi Haoran to the side. She lost her temper and snapped, ¡°Your heart aches, but doesn¡¯t mine? We¡¯re not even married yet, and you¡¯re already thinking of taking concubines and mistresses.¡±


    Qi Haoran felt that Mu Yangling was maligning him. He had never expressed this intention, but he did not dare to defend himself in front of the furious Mu


    Yangling.


    Mu Yangling kicked him and felt much better. Only then did she calm down and say, ¡°A person¡¯s heart is only so big. Am I not enough to fill it? How many women can your heart contain?¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately said, ¡°I didn¡¯t say that I was going to put them in my heart.¡±


    Mu Yangling sneered. ¡°In other words, you¡¯re just cheating on me physically, but your heart is still with me?¡± Mu Yangling tilted her head and said, ¡°Then if I only have you in my heart and sleep in the same bed as another man, you wouldn¡¯t mind too, right?¡±


    ¡°How dare you!¡± Qi Haoran jumped three feet high and said with a ferocious expression, ¡°I was just mentioning that casually. I didn¡¯t even say that I wanted to take in a mistress. Do you have to resort to this? You actually dare to anger


    me with this.¡±


    Mu Yangling red back without flinching and pressed on step by step. ¡°Can you guarantee that you¡¯re just saying that and won¡¯t do that in the future? Qi Haoran, let me tell you, if you dare to take in a mistress or visit a brothel in the future, I¡¯ll dare to raise a gigolo.¡±


    Qi Haoran was so angry that his chest heaved up and down. In the end, under Mu Yangling¡¯s unyielding re, he had no choice but to soften and mutter, ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    Only then was Mu Yangling satisfied. She grabbed Qi Haoran¡¯s hand and said, ¡®Tm doing this for our future happiness. It¡¯s not like you want to quarrel and fight with me every day, right?¡±


    Recalling the incessant quarrels between his aunt and uncle every few days, he shivered and hurriedly shook his head.


    ¡°A family can only be built by two people working together. Haoran, I hope that you cane back from work to a warm family. I also hope that my future husband can let me rely on him wholeheartedly. But, if you have another woman.¡± Mu Yangling paused, and there was a hint of vulnerability in her eyes. ¡°Perhaps I won¡¯t really find a man to anger you like I said, but I¡¯ll definitely remove you from my heart. We¡¯ll still be family on the surface, but in my heart, you¡¯ll no longer be family to me.¡±


    Looking into Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes, Qi Haoran knew that what she said was true. His heart ached. Just thinking about it made him unable to take it, let alone if it really happened. Hence, he hugged Mu Yangling and held her tightly in his arms. After a while, he said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I won¡¯t. Don¡¯t kick me out of


    your heart.¡±


    Mu Yangling quietly leaned against his chest and nodded slightly.


    The two of them leaned against each other on the hill. In the end, Qi Haoran only let go of her when his limbs went numb. Mu Yangling considerately massaged him.


    Qi Haoran felt that it wasn¡¯t a huge loss for him to agree to such a condition.


    However, Mu Yangling heaved a huge sigh of relief in her heart. To be honest, she had been skeptical about her marriage with Qi Haoran initially.


    She knew that Qi Haoran liked her and even loved her. In the future, he would definitely dote on her and respect her. However, this did not mean that she could live a good life.


    This was because she wasn¡¯t sure if she could still tolerate the other party sleeping in her bed if he went to sleep with a concubine when she was pregnant or on her period.


    She could not even guarantee that Qi Haoran would not have a concubine in the future, so she was a little pessimistic about their marriage.


    Because concubines and mistresses were legal in this world. Even if a man with some family assets did not have a concubine, he would definitely have a mistress.


    Unless she married a farmer who was so poor that he could only eat his fill and wear warm clothes. However, she was rich. ording to thews of this era, if she married, her money would belong to her inws. With money, men would want to buy maidservants and take concubines. This was almost inevitable.


    Most importantly, Mu Yangling was a proud person. She couldn¡¯t marry a low-quality man just because she didn¡¯t want her husband to take in a concubine. She might as well not marry and live a good life by herself.


    Actually, this was Mu Yangling¡¯s n from the beginning. She originally wanted to push back her marriage indefinitely and persuade her parents to let her stay at home as a nun when she was too old to get married.


    She had money and property, and there were also female-head households in this era. If Bowen¡¯s and Bosi¡¯s wife didn¡¯t want her to stay at home because they found her an eyesore in the future, she could just spend some money to register as a female-head household and live a carefree life. It was just that after her death, there might be no one to see to her funeral. However, she felt that she would be dead by then and wouldn¡¯t know about those things. There was no need to worry at all.


    Anyway, it wasn¡¯t as if Bosi and Bowen would stand by and watch her corpse be exposed in the wilderness. They would definitely find a coffin to bury her. As for whether there would be anyone to sweep her tomb in the future, she was even less worried.


    However, she identally got involved with Qi Haoran and agreed to get married to him. Although she hesitated, she was not vexed. Mu Yangling did not deny that she was not resistant towards this marriage, but she was now even more confused about the future.


    However, she had never been a girl to wallow in sadness. Hence, from the moment the two families tacitly agreed to this marriage, Mu Yangling began to guide Qi Haoran and told him that it was best not to leak his primordial yang before the age of 18. Otherwise, not only would he have a short life, but he would also have a kidney deficiency. He should not go to ces like the brothel, because thedies and customers there were too dirty, and all kinds of dirty illnesses lurked there.


    She even inadvertently told him stories of the wives fighting with concubines, creating chaos in the family. By doing this, she wanted to leave an impression in his mind that wives and concubines could not get along in peace. Concubines would harm legitimate wives, and legitimate wives would also persecute concubines. In the end, the innocent children would suffer. She had to make Qi Haoran be repulsed by the idea of taking concubines.


    However, she did not expect that before they were even married, this brat already had the thought of taking in mistresses. This must not happen.


    The two of them bid farewell warmly. It was just that Qi Haoran was a little dejected when he returned. It was only on the way back that it urred to him that if he was the only one without a mistress, wouldn¡¯t everyone think that he was henpecked?


    Even Big Brother, who loved himself the most, had two mistresses.


    At this moment, Qi Xiuyuan was also thinking about the issue of mistresses after learning that his younger brother had gone to the brothel in Xingzhou Prefecture. He had already heard about this when Qi Haoran returned to Jingzhao Prefecture. He did not know the deeper reason, and only thought that his younger brother had grown up. So, he only pondered behind the desk for a while before getting someone to buy a few delicate-looking girls with clean backgrounds.


    He said to Rong Xuan, ¡°It¡¯s time to arrange a mistress for Haoran.¡±


    After returning home, Qi Haoran¡¯s expression changed drastically. Before his big brother could continue, he shook his head like a rattle-drum. ¡°Big Brother, I don¡¯t want a mistress.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan only thought that his younger brother was embarrassed. Smiling, he said, ¡°I, too, took a mistress at your age. It was arranged by Uncle. What¡¯s there to be embarrassed about when this is perfectly normal? I¡¯ve already asked the butler to choose a few suitable girls. They¡¯ll probably be sent over tomorrow. Choose someone you like and have her stay by your side.


    Drenched in cold sweat, Qi Haoran was insistent on refusing. ¡°Big Brother, I really don¡¯t want a mistress. I don¡¯t like mistresses..¡±

 Chapter 380 - 380: Tactful

    Chapter 380: Tactful


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The smile on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s face gradually faded. He nced at his brother and asked, ¡°Is it because you have someone in mind?¡±


    Qi Haoran exhaled and rxed. ¡°Don¡¯t you know, Big Brother? I like Ah Ling.¡±


    ¡°Ah Ling is going to be your wife. Other than Ah Ling, isn¡¯t there another girl that catches your fancy?¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately shook his head. He couldn¡¯t allow this conversation to spread. Otherwise, that jealous Ah Ling would definitely explode.


    Qi Xiuyuan frowned. ¡°Then who do you want to take as a concubine?¡±


    In Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s opinion, there must be an inside story for him to go to the brothel. He said in a displeased tone, ¡°Haoran, don¡¯t be silly. A stable family is very important to the children and your future. Ah Ling is your fiancee. You can t take in a concubine and cause trouble for her before she enters the family. Even after she enters the family, you can¡¯t overly dote on your concubines. The servants fawn on the favored and trample on the neglected. If you don¡¯t want the family to be in chaos in the future, it¡¯s best to remember this. Mother and us brothers are a good example.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that Qi Xiuyuan was opposed to concubines, but he disliked men who couldn¡¯t differentiate between wives and concubines.


    However, Qi Haoran thought of the stories that Mu Yangling had asionally told him about the fights between wives and concubines in the past. Thinking of his family¡¯s situation, he sighed and said, ¡°Ah Ling is right. Wives and concubines are indeed unable to get along peacefully.¡± If he took a concubine, it was only a matter of time before his family descended into chaos.


    Qi Xiuyuan frowned slightly. How could wives and concubines not get along peacefully? As long as a man could handle the situation well, there were many instances of wives and concubinesplementing each other. However, at this moment, he was worried that his brother would be seduced by a woman outside and result in family disharmony in the future. Hence, he nodded against his will and said, ¡°So you have to be careful. If there¡¯s anything in the future, do discuss it with Ah Ling.¡±


    When Qi Haoran saw that his wise and mighty Big Brother had agreed to this point of view, he was even more convinced. If it was embarrassing, so be it. Anyway, no one would dareugh at him in his face.


    If Qi Xiuyuan knew that his momentary approval would make his younger brother world famous for being henpecked, he would definitely deny it now.


    Recalling this many yearster, Qi Xiuyuan was still filled with regret. What made him regret the most was that this kid wouldter on attribute his fear to listening to his big brother. This made Qi Xiuyuan grit his teeth several times.


    Qi Haoran was clearly the one who was afraid of his wife, but he med it on his brother.


    Of course, neither of them knew this at this moment, so Qi Xiuyuan still calmly wanted to arrange a mistress for Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran rejected him righteously and almost rolled on the ground to make his point.


    Seeing that his younger brother was really not interested in that kind of thing, Qi Xiuyuan decided it was fine to wait a few more years for him to slowly understand. Anyway, he was not even 16 years yet. Therefore, the matter of arranging for a mistress was left unsettled.


    Qi Haoran heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he smugly decided to look for Mu Yangling tomorrow to show off and ask to be praised.


    But the next day, before he even left the house, the Xingyuan Prefecture sent an emergency military report, and he was dragged to a meeting.


    Ever sincest year, the Great Zhou had been unstable, having to suppress rebellions every year. Because the people in Qi Haoran¡¯s prefecture had been busy hating the Jin soldiers, there were no rebellions, but there were a few rebel armies against the Jin.


    However, it was different within the pass. Not only did the rebellion not subside after a winter and spring, but it also became increasingly intense. The Emperor had no choice but to mobilize the soldiers at the border. This time, not only were they going to fight in a ce like Tongchuan Prefecture, but they might also have to go south or east.


    There were two assistantmanders assigned to Qi Xiuyuan, and it was a mission that required 20,000 people. Most importantly, considering Qi Xiuyuan did not have many usable talents under him to begin with, anyone he chose to send out would result in a disadvantage.


    Qi Haoran thought for a moment and volunteered. ¡°General, count me as thest general.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan red at his brother but didn¡¯t agree because all the assistantmanders hadn¡¯t arrived yet. There were still six days before the date given by the Xingyuan Prefecture, so Qi Xiuyuan would postpone the discussion.


    Qi Haoran immediately jumped up. ¡°Big Brother, let me go to war. It¡¯s a good opportunity to make a contribution.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve already made arrangements for you. Anyone can go except you.¡±


    ¡°What arrangements?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan brought his brother home and pondered for a long time before saying, ¡°I want you to be in charge of all the intelligence about the outside world.¡±


    This included the Jin Kingdom, West Xia, and Tibet.


    Qi Xiuyuan took out the map and said, ¡°Haoran, with your straightforward temperament, you are very to the taste of the people of West Xia and Tibet. You¡¯re also considered familiar with the Jin Kingdom and West Xia, so I want you to be in charge of this. Leave the suppression of the rebellion to others.¡±


    Of course, it was better to handle the external affairs than the internal affairs. Qi Haoran¡¯s attention was immediately diverted, and he asked excitedly, ¡°Then should I go to the Jin Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Qi Xiuyuan paused before continuing, ¡°Haoran, bring Ah Ling there.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face darkened and he said unhappily, ¡°Why make Ah Ling go? Big Brother, war is a man¡¯s business. How can you implicate Ah Ling?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t deny that Ah Ling is very talented in this aspect,¡± Qi Xiuyuan said. ¡°Besides, with her covering for you, many things will be much simpler and safer. In the past few years, Ah Ling has been learning the Jinnguage and West Xianguage with you. She even knows a lot more than you.¡±


    Qi Haoran braced himself and said, ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m always dyed by war.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at him and said, ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Qi Haoran hesitated and finally gritted his teeth. ¡°Big Brother, I will definitely learn the Jin and the West Xianguages well. I¡¯ll also learn the Tibetnguage. Don t let Ah Ling go with me. No one knows what will happen in the enemy¡¯s territory. She won¡¯t be able to do much as a girl.¡±


    Seeing that Big Brother was unmoved, he begged, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely study hard in the future. I¡¯ll do whatever you say.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan took a sip of tea. ¡°You¡¯ll forget everything you promised today tomorrow.¡±


    Qi Haoran gritted his teeth and swore. ¡°Big Brother, I¡¯m serious this time. Even without Ah Ling, I can still handle the intelligence well.¡±


    Only then did Qi Xiuyuan nod. ¡°Remember what you said today. If you still cause trouble everywhere when you go out, I¡¯ll send Ah Ling over. Since I don¡¯t have time to take you in hand, it¡¯s not such a bad idea to let Ah Ling restrain you.¡±


    Qi Haoran patted his chest loudly to reassure him that he would not get into trouble.


    Satisfied, Qi Xiuyuan let him go. The candidates sent out to quell the rebellion were quickly confirmed. They brought 20,000 troops to support them.


    Meanwhile, Qi Xiuyuan started a new round of recruitment.


    However, Qi Haoran disappeared without a trace from Jingzhao Prefecture after having lunch with Mu Yangling. No one knew where he went.


    Mu Yangling went to the General¡¯s Mansion a few times to take a look, but she didn¡¯t manage to find him. She didn¡¯t ask further and just sighed before turning around to get busy.


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded in satisfaction, pleased that she knew what questions not to ask. He wondered if his future wife would be as tactful..

 Chapter 381 - 381: Inspection

    Chapter 381: Inspection


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After all the plowing oxen that had been lent out were brought inside the fence, Mu Yangling surveyed the area and asked Zhang Wu, ¡°How is it? What are the stats?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still owed a total of 4,358 working days.¡±


    Mu Yangling pondered for a moment and said, ¡°If they¡¯re willing to pay us back with money, we¡¯ll ept the money. We¡¯ll also ept grains. If they¡¯re unwilling, let¡¯s note it down first. They¡¯ll be useful during the autumn harvest.¡±


    Zhang Wu had the same idea. ¡°The autumn harvest requires much fewer plowing oxen hours than the spring plowing. If we leave the owed workdays until the autumn harvest, we might not have to hire additional short-term workers.¡±


    ¡°Check if there are any oxen in heat. If there are, iste them separately and


    breed them.¡±


    Zhang Wu agreed.


    Their funds were limited now, so it was impossible for them to add new calves.


    After Mu Yangling made the arrangements, she rode away. Actually, she did not need to worry too much about the cattle farm. The Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu brothers, were doing a fine job managing it, and there was also sufficient pasture in the cattle farm. Some time ago, the brothers had even brought the cattle farm workers to cut the pasture to dry and store it. From this, it could be seen how thoughtful they were.


    Mu Yangling went to the nursery, wanting to take a look at her dozens of hectares ofnd. This year, she spent most of her time here because thesends would provide one of her biggest sources of ie in a year. The other major source would be dividends from Fan Zijin.


    However, this was different since this was the fruit of her ownbor.


    At this time, the corn could already be split open and eaten. Mu Yangling walked along the edge of the field and let the horse walk slowly, paying attention to the situation in the cornfield. At least one corn cob was hanging on each corn stalk. Mu Yangling opened up the corn in several spots and found that the grains were quite supple.


    Liu Lang and Xiuhong, who ran over from the nursery, panted as they rushed to Mu Yangling¡¯s side. ¡°Cousin, why didn¡¯t you go back to the nursery first? You made us wait in vain for so long.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back after I finish checking on the corn.¡± Mu Yangling crawled into the cornfield and randomly broke off another one when she reached the depths. Seeing the two of them follow her in, she said with a smile, ¡°From the looks of it, the harvest this year is not bad.¡±


    Speaking of this, Xiuhong was also very happy. ¡°The rain in Hanzhong Prefecture this year is not bad. Not only is the corn growing well, but the wheat is also growing well. It¡¯s just that the rice¡¯s performance is a tad worse.¡± However, Liu Lang¡¯s face was filled with worry. ¡°Hanzhong Prefecture isn¡¯t far from Xingzhou Prefecture. The weather here is considered good, but there¡¯s still a drought in Xingzhou Prefecture. Thest time I went home to take a look, the corn was still fine, and the wheat was barely eptable. However, the rice was about to die from the drought. Grandpa even said that he wouldn¡¯t nt rice next year.¡±


    -Two ces separated by just a mountain can experience vastly different weathers, let alone the difference between two prefectures.¡± Mu Yangling patted his shoulder. ¡°Alright, whether it rains or not depends on the heavens. Let¡¯s not worry on his behalf. Come check with me. I wonder if I can finish checking these dozens of hectares ofnd in six days.


    Mu Yangling did not hand thesends over to others to manage. She did it herself, so she was very familiar with thesends and knew how far apart the samples should be.


    It was nothing more than checking on the weeds, insect disease, and growth. Liu Lang and Xiuhong were used to farming, so they knew how to differentiate. They were very happy to follow Mu Yangling everywhere.


    When Mu Yangling burrowed into the depths of the cornfield again, a scream came from Xiuhong.


    Mu Yangling was shocked. Thinking that she had encountered something, she hurriedly separated the corn stalks and barged in. She asked loudly, ¡°Xiuhong, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    On the other side, Liu Lang also quickly headed towards Xiuhong.


    ¡°Cousin,e and take a look. I found a very strange corn.


    When Mu Yangling rushed to Xiuhong¡¯s side, Liu Lang was standing beside her with a dark expression. He said unhappily, ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have made yourself clear? You almost scared me to death.¡±


    Xiuhong was still excitedly gesturing for Mu Yangling to look at the corn in her hand. ¡°Cousin, look, it¡¯s ck corn.¡±


    Mu Yangling narrowed her eyes, surprised that the corn could cross-breed to form corn of other colors so early.


    Mu Yangling touched it and pinched it. Realizing that the slurry was sticky and thick, she said excitedly, ¡°This might be glutinous corn.¡±


    ¡°Glutinous corn?¡± Xiuhong and Liu Lang were puzzled.


    ¡°Just like the difference between the rice and glutinous rice we usually eat, glutinous corn is softer than corn and easier to swallow. However, the yield is lower.¡± Mu Yangling wrapped the corn bran and returned it to its original state. Her eyes lit up as she said, ¡°I wonder if we can find other colors, such as white, purple, or purple-red. It seems that we have to be more careful when harvesting corn. We have to pick out all the mutants and nt them next year. Perhaps in a few years, we can add a few more corn varieties.¡±


    Liu Lang and Xiuhong were puzzled. In their opinion, no matter how mutated corn was, wasn¡¯t it still corn?


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Is the rice we eatparable to the jade rice eaten by those in the pce? They¡¯re all rice.¡±


    Liu Lang understood now. ¡°In other words, the glutinous corn is better than the corn we¡¯re nting now?¡±


    ¡°That depends on which aspect.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°The jade rice is delicious, but why aren¡¯t we nting it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the output isn¡¯t good. We have to be meticulous and serve the crops meticulously. We can¡¯t be negligent at all,¡± replied Xiuhong. Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the reason. The glutinous corn must have this problem too.¡±


    ¡°Then why are we going through so much trouble to nurture this?¡± In Liu Lang and Xiuhong¡¯s opinion, production yield was the most important because nothing was more important than eating one s fill.


    ¡°It¡¯s up to each farmer to choose which breed to nt, but there has to be variety. What we have to do is to let everyone have more choices. Not only corn, but also wheat and rice,¡± Mu Yangling said ambitiously.


    Mu Yangling marked the corn. Seeing that it was gettingte, she brought the two of them back and decided toe back tomorrow to check on the wheat.


    The crops in Hanzhong Prefecture were indeed not doing quite well. The wheat and rice had already entered the filling stages. At this stage, the ears appeared long and the grains seemed plentiful. As long as the grain filling was solidified and the moisture levels and soil condition could keep up, there would be no pests. Then, her dozens of hectares this year could reap a somewhat bumper harvest.


    Many people were envious of Mu Yangling¡¯snd. If not for the fact that the military camp was nearby and that she was raising more than 1,000 children in her nursery, there would probably be troubles in her fields.


    When Mu Yangling arrived at the nursery, she happened to see the children having dinner in the courtyard. When the children saw Mu Yangling, they all surrounded her. ¡°Miss, you¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Miss.¡±


    ¡°Would you like to have dinner with us?¡±


    Mu Yangling had corrected them a few times and asked them to call her Sister Mu. However, perhaps because they were a little afraid or because they admired her, although they agreed on the surface, the next time Mu Yangling came, they would still call her Miss.


    Looking around, Mu Yangling did not see Teacher Liu and Bowen. She waved her hand and said, ¡°Alright, you guys go ahead and eat. I¡¯ll go find Teacher Liu. Mu Yangling nced at their rice bowls and asked with a smile, ¡°What are you eating today?¡±


    ¡°Pork stew with cabbage.¡±


    Mu Yangling frowned slightly. ¡°Why are you still eating cabbage now? Isn¡¯t there enough vegetables in the vegetable field?¡±


    They had nted enough vegetables in the nursery to be self-sufficient. Mu Yangling had allocated the remaining 16 acres ofnd to let them nt vegetables. Not only vegetables, but some melons and fruits were also nted. If not for the fact that the collective area was too big and Mu Yangling had explicitly forbidden it, some children would have wanted to pick the vegetables to sell in the city to earn some private savings.


    One of the children smiled in embarrassment and said, ¡°We still think that cabbage is more delicious. As for the other vegetables, we can just have a taste of it once in a while.¡±


    Xiuhong leaned over to Mu Yangling¡¯s ear and said, ¡°They only add cabbage when cooking meat. Other vegetables won¡¯t taste good cooked in a big pot. Mu Yangling was deep in thought. ¡°There are too many people. Are there too few pots and pans?¡±


    She had eaten big-pot-dish before. To be honest, they really didn¡¯t taste good. The big-pot-dish here did not refer to cooking food in a pot for five or six people, but for hundreds. After thinking for a moment, she said, ¡°Then build another row of houses in the back row to use as a kitchen. Each pot for ten servings will do. This should improve things a lot.¡±


    Great, she would have to spend money again.


    However, Xiuhong didn¡¯t try to talk her out of it. It was obvious that she wouldn¡¯t listen..

 Chapter 382 - 382: Achievement

    Chapter 382: Achievement


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Teacher Liu was guiding Bowen in writing his thesis. When he saw Mu Yangling nod slightly, he lowered his head and continued reading. He had already decided to participate in this year¡¯s Fall Quarter Examinations, so time was tight.


    Mu Yangling did not disturb him and bowed with Bowen before retreating. Breathing in the fresh air, Bowen couldn¡¯t help but pat his chest and say, ¡°It¡¯s so stressful studying with him now.¡±


    Mu Yangling stroked his head with a smile, but Bowen shook her hand off and pouted. ¡°Sister, I¡¯ve already grown up. You can¡¯t touch my head anymore.¡± Mu Yangling retracted her hand readily. ¡°I want to go home to take a look after I¡¯m done checking on the situation here. Do you want to go back with me?


    ¡°How many days?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be done in five days. I¡¯ll probably stay for seven to eight days when I get home. Of course, you can choose to only stay for two to three days since you still have to study. I¡¯ll get Cousin Lang to send you back then.¡±


    Bowen thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°Then Ill tell Sir to hurry up with my homework since I¡¯m going home for three days.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded with a smile. Bowen was going home to apany his mother and younger siblings, while Mu Yangling was heading back to check on the experimental plots.


    The weather in Xingzhou Prefecture still left much to be desired this year. This was unfortunate for Mu Yangling, but also fortunate. This way, the crops in the fields would definitely suffer a poor harvest. On the other hand, the fortunate thing was that they could test if those rice seeds could withstand drought.


    When Mu Yangling returned to Chenggu Garrison, Liu Ting and Liu Yuan were also in the fields. They were fertilizing an acre of rice fields to contrast with the fields that were not fertilized.


    When Liu Ting saw her, he said excitedly, ¡°Ah Ling, the drought-resistant seeds fromst year are indeed much better than the ones from before. Look at theparison between the two sides. Forst year¡¯s seeds, 80% has entered the grain filling stage. As for the supposedly good seeds bought from the gram store like everyone else, only 30% has entered the grain filling stage. The difference is too obvious.¡±


    In order to make it easier to observe, they had chosen two adjacent plots ofnd to experiment on. This way, one could tell at a nce.


    Mu Yangling pinched the grains that had just entered the filling stage, and her eyes lit up. ¡°You have to pay special attention to the pests here. Thest time I came over, I realized that the grains here seem to attract more pests.¡±


    Liu Yuan said nonchntly, ¡°Since there¡¯s good food here, the pests will naturallye.¡±


    Not sure if this was the reason, Mu Yangling felt that they had to test at another spot to confirm this hypothesis. At the very least, she had to make sure that the growth conditions on both sides were simr before she couldpare them. She did not know when she would be able to reach a conclusion, but conducting such experiments required a long time to begin with.


    ¡°Regardless of this reason, we have to record it in detail. Although the crops have entered the grain filling stage, there¡¯s still more than a month before they can be harvested. If anything goes wrong, these five acres of grains will be rendered useless.¡±


    Liu Ting had a solemn expression. Liu Yuan looked at the two of them and said, ¡°But they have entered the grain filling stage.¡¯


    Chen Sanzhu and Xu Jian also said with a smile, ¡°Miss, although there¡¯s still more than a month, we experienced farmers can estimate the harvest just by looking at the grain filling situation.¡±


    Mu Yangling was puzzled. ¡°Hasn¡¯t anyone encountered a rice st? or an insect gue?¡±


    In her previous life, when she went to the fields to y, she often heard the farmersin. Just as they were about to harvest, they had encountered a rice st or insect gue, resulting in zero harvest that year. Although she was young then, her memories became clearer as she came into contact with nting in this life.


    Chen Sanzhu said, ¡°I¡¯ve encountered an insect gue before, but only once so far. It¡¯s quite tragic-we couldn¡¯t even harvest an acre worth of seeds. But we shouldn¡¯t be so unlucky, right? Even my father only encountered it once in his life.¡±


    However, Xu Jian asked curiously, ¡°What is a rice st?¡±


    Liu Ting and Liu Yuantong were curious, too.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know either. She tried her best to recall the rice st that the farmer uncles had mentioned that year. She described, ¡°Something like the grain stalk or bottom fell sick, so the nourishment and water couldn¡¯t be transmitted to the top. Then, the grains that were about to ripen died. Haven¡¯t you seen it before?¡±


    Liu Ting and Liu Yuan shook their heads. As the oldest among them, Chen Sanzhu had never heard of it either. However, Xu Jian thought about it seriously and said, ¡°I think I heard the elders in our vige mention it before, but I don¡¯t remember clearly. But Miss, be it pests or rice sts, we usually don¡¯t encounter them. It might not even happen once in ten years.¡±


    So the insects in this world had a conscience? In her previous life, everyone could not kill them even with pesticides, but here, people were not particrly worried about the insects.


    ¡°Then estimate the yield, but you still have to record their growth status.¡± Mu Yangling paused before continuing, ¡°Search the edge of the field for any male rice nts that grows especially well but doesn¡¯t ear.¡±


    The four of them widened their eyes. ¡°There are male and female rice nts?¡± Mu Yangling hade up with this name herself. She had never learned agriculture before, so she could only deduce it from some rough impressions. ¡°The grains are usually hermaphrodite, but there are also some grains that are strictly male, so they only seem to bloom and don¡¯t bear fruit. Such grams are very resistant to drought and disasters. I want them to mate with the grains we¡¯re nting now. I don¡¯t know what the oue will be, but the premise is that we can find such grains.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s idea opened another door for everyone. Liu Ting thought for a moment and said, ¡°It¡¯s simr to grafting fruit trees.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°The principle is simr. Bothbine two varieties in order to obtain more outstanding varieties. Not only this kind of male rice, but also the wild rice that grows in the wild. In the wild, no one fertilizes and waters the nts, or removes the weeds, but they can grow tenaciously. In some aspects, they¡¯re definitely better than the grains nted in our fields. Although I don¡¯t know if the cross-bred grains will be better than the current ones, after a few more experiments, we might be able to find good rice varieties. At least, in the end, everyone will have a choice.¡±


    When the four of them heard this, they were all eager to give it a try.


    If they could cultivate a new rice seed, even if they weren¡¯t highly educated, they knew that this merit would be enough to leave a mark in history.


    These four people had thought that they would simply be mediocre all their lives. Hearing this, they couldn¡¯t help but feel emotional.


    Mu Yangling gave them directions and checked on the situation in the field before turning around to go back.


    Chen Sanzhu, Xu Jian, and Liu Yuan wanted to continue fertilizing, but Liu Ting followed Mu Yangling back. The three of them did not mind. When the four of them were together, they also took Liu Ting as their leader.


    Because Liu Ting was the eldest cousin, Liu Yuan had always listened to him at home and was used to it.


    Chen Sanzhu and Xu Jian had no choice. They were Mu Yangling¡¯s long-term workers, while Liu Ting and Liu Yuan were Mu Yangling¡¯s uncles. Moreover, Mu Yangling had also told them to follow Liu Ting¡¯s instructions, so when they saw Liu Ting follow Mu Yangling back, they thought that he had gone to report the situation.


    Liu Ting had indeed gone to report the situation, but that was only one aspect. Besides that, he wanted to borrow an agriculture book from Mu Yangling to read. ¡°Did you learn about those things from the agriculture book?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°Some are, and some aren¡¯t. Uncle, one needs to think when reading books. Only then can you open up a new path. Although we don¡¯t know if that path leads to the abyss or a bright path, we have to discover it before we can walk upon that path. Only by walking on the path can we find out the situation behind. If it¡¯s the abyss, we can always turn around and note down that path before taking another one. If it¡¯s a bright path, we can see if we can discover more paths while walking forward, so that we can have more bright paths to choose from.¡±


    Liu Ting nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Then give me two agriculture books. Your Uncle Yuan and I will read them when we¡¯re free.¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling nodded. She returned to the house to retrieve the books and also handed him the ¡°Three Character ssic¡±. ¡°I meant to send to Cousin Lun and the others to study. However, they don¡¯t seem to be too willing. Actually, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m asking them to take the Imperial Examination, but it¡¯s always beneficial to recognize more words.¡±

 Chapter 383 - 383: Watch

    Chapter 383: Watch


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Liu Ting said in embarrassment, ¡°Considering the few of themck patience in studying and don¡¯t have the talent, it¡¯s better to let them stay at home and do farm work.¡±


    Mu Yangling pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Uncle, go back and tell your cousins. If they¡¯re willing, I¡¯ll send them to the academy to study for two years so that they can learn all the words first. As for the future, if they don¡¯t want to continue studying, they can learn other skills. When the timees, I¡¯ll hire a teacher to teach them.¡±


    This meant that Mu Yangling would be the one paying the tuition fees.


    ¡ö¡öHow will that do?¡± Liu Ting said with a frown, ¡°Ah Ling, this pie is too big and there are many cousins of yours. There must be many people in the n who want a share of the pie.¡±


    The Mu family had been very helpful to the Liu n. In the past, when they were in Nearhill Vige, she¡¯d focused on helping their n, and the entire vige benefited from it. But ever since they moved out and everyone entered the military, Mu Yangling gradually did not involve the entire Liu n in everything like before. Instead, she only took care of the two families who were closest to her by blood. Sometimes, she would also help out Liu Li and his mother. However, she hadn¡¯t been paying much attention to the rest of the Liu n, including the family of the patriarch, Liu He.


    From time to time, Mu Yangling would send things to the Liu n. It could be said that she was filial to Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian. Even if the people in the n were envious, they could not say anything. After all, Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian were closest to the Mu family in terms of blood rtions.


    Mu Yangling did help out her uncles and cousins, but it was also a fact that Liu Ting and Liu Yuan woulde over every few days to help her work in the fields. Their wages also had to be earned through hard work. It wasn¡¯t that no one hade to look for the Liu brothers, hoping they could persuade Mu Yangling to also help the rest of the n prosper since they, too, were from the


    same n.


    However, Liu Ting would send them away just by saying that she had recruited enough people. He couldn¡¯t let Ah Ling spend money to hire people for nothing.


    As for Liu Lang, he had a ready-made reason-he was indeed working under Mu Yangling, but that was because he had learned how to manage ounts.


    Some people said that that ability was also taught by Mu Yangling. However, in just half a year, not only had he learned how to use the abacus, but he could by then also keep track of the ounts. Since the others in the Liu n couldn¡¯t even read, they could only give up.


    However, if Mu Yangling sent Liu Lun and the others to study and learn craftsmanship, the temptation would be too great. This was because they had not helped Mu Yangling do anything. What would she do if all of her numerous cousins came looking for her?


    Hence, although Liu Ting was tempted, he gritted his teeth and refused after hesitating for a long time.


    The first principle he had learned from his father since he was young was to repay kindness. He could not trouble others, not even his own family.


    ¡°Uncle, isn¡¯t it only right for Cousin Lang to fork out money to send his younger cousins to school?¡± Mu Yangling blinked and said, ¡°If he doesn¡¯t have enough money, he can borrow some from me.¡±


    Seeing Liu Ting¡¯s stunned expression, Mu Yangling advised with a smile, ¡°Uncle, I have my selfish reasons for sending my cousins to school. I only have two younger brothers. Considering my parents are old, I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t have more children in the future. Since my Mu family doesn¡¯t have any rtives, we can only rely on ourselves, and Bowen and Bosi can only do so much by themselves. Therefore, I hope that they can have more people to help them. Just like Cousin Lang now, even if he doesn¡¯t work by my side in the future, he can still make a name for himself when he¡¯s capable. In the future, if anything happens to Bowen and Bosi, I can ask him for help.


    ¡°They¡¯re cousins and should help each other out anyway.


    ¡°But the extent to which they can help depends on how capable they are.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°The more capable my cousins are, the easier it will be for Bowen and Bosi in the future. Just treat it as my selfishness.


    Liu Ting looked at Mu Yangling with aplicated expression and said, ¡°We¡¯re the ones who benefit from your selfishness.


    Liu Ting also knew that what Mu Yangling said was true. The two families were indeed on very good terms now. If his son and nephew became sessful, with the current development of the two families, the rtionship between the two families would probably be even better than that of the n in the future. Hence, he nodded and agreed. ¡°Then Hl go back and tell your great-uncle and the others to send all those brats to the academy. Don¡¯t worry, even if they don¡¯t want to learn, I¡¯ll force them to learn.¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling nodded. In her heart, she lit a candle for her cousins who were like wild horses. She said, ¡°Uncle, if anyone in the n asks, just say that Cousin Lang is the one forking out the money. As for where Cousin Lang got the money, tell them that he met a benefactor in Jingzhao Prefecture. Most of it was his sry, and half of it was borrowed from me.¡±


    ¡°Since you want to expand Bowen and Bosi¡¯s connections, why don¡¯t you pick a few more children from the n?¡± Liu Ting asked in confusion.


    Those were nsmen from the Liu n, not the Mu n.


    ¡°Uncle, not everyone is grateful like you. It¡¯s the quality, not quantity that counts when seeking helpers for Bosi and Bowen.¡± At the end of the day, Mu Yangling just didn¡¯t like trouble.


    Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian¡¯s families were different. The two families were grateful and tactful. Most importantly, Liu Daqian had always been afraid of troubling them and owing them too many favors, so he had always held back his sons, nephews, and grandsons from imposing on the Mu family.


    Over the years, Mu Yangling had helped the Lius a lot, and in turn the Lius had also given back a lot. As long as something happened to the Mu family, even if the Lius were busy with farming, they would abandon their work to help. And the two Liu families had never overstepped their boundaries because of her kindness before. Also, they had never used her name to do anything and always kept a low profile.


    It could be said that the reason Mu Yangling could help the two Liu families without qualms was mostly because they were suppressed by Liu Daqian and Liu Erqian. Otherwise, even if she wanted to help the Lius, she would not have put in so much effort.


    Although Liu Ting felt that it was a pity, he did not mention this topic again. After returning home with Liu Yuan, he told him Mu Yangling¡¯s words and said, ¡°Ah Ling wants us to go to the county to find a good academy. The teacher doesn¡¯t have to be highly-esteemed, but it¡¯s best if he can be more flexible. Seeing as the children are not cut out for studying, if the teacher keeps criticizing them, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll turn them off from studying even more.¡± Looking at his son and nephews enviously, Liu Yuan kicked their butts and said, ¡°How dare theyin when they have the opportunity to study? I¡¯ll beat them to death if I hear that. These boys have it way better than us.¡± Liu Ting only smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s listen to Ah Ling. She has a way when ites to teaching children.¡±


    Liu Daqian nodded. ¡°You two brothers secretly ask around about the teachers. Don¡¯t tell anyone about sending the children to the academy first.¡± After saying that, he red at the children and said, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to go out and spread this news, understand?¡±


    ¡°Got it, Grandpa.¡± Liu Lun took the lead and agreed, but he asked eagerly, ¡°Then how many years do we have to study? Grandpa, if I don¡¯t do well in our studies, you can¡¯t beat me up. I really am not cut out for studying.


    Liu Yang and Liu Ying, who were at the side, nodded repeatedly. Mu Yangling had gifted them books, and their big brother was literate, so they had previously studied for a while. At first, they still had some interest, butter on, they couldn¡¯t be forced to study even when threatened with a stick. Secretly thrilled, Madam Liu-Zhang and Madam Liu-Sun wished they could beat the three children up. To think they despised such an opportunity that others would kill to have..

 Chapter 384 - 384: Help (1)

    Chapter 384: Help (1)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Madam Liu-Zhao also red at her son, causing Liu Lun to shrink his neck and stand at the side. However, the Liu family had always been democratic, so although he shrunk his neck, he still looked at his grandfather with wide eyes.


    Liu Daqian sighed regretfully. ¡°Ah Lang is the best at studying in our family. In the past, when Ah Ling taught him how to read, he would squat in the courtyard and practice calligraphy stroke by stroke with a tree branch. If he had to work in the day, he would do so under the moonlight in the courtyard at night. In the past, our family was not capable enough to send him to school. At that time, the Mu family didn¡¯t even have enough for Bowen¡¯s tuition, let alone have an opportunity like yours. Children, you have to cherish your blessings.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, if any of them doesn¡¯t study hard in the academy, drag them back and beat them up upside down.¡± Liu Erqian red fiercely at his grandsons and grandnephews and said, ¡°Do you know how much tuition we have to pay to send you to school every year? Five taels of silver a year per person. Coupled with pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, each person will spend ten taels of silver a year. That¡¯s thirty taels of silver for three people. Even if we put you up for sale, we won¡¯t even be able to earn back half of that silver.¡±


    Liu Daqian red at his younger brother and turned to the three children standing in front of him: ¡°His words are rough but reasonable. If this money was paid by our family, so be it. Even if it¡¯s not worth spending the money on you, we can just regard it as paying a sin from a previous life since you were born in our family. However, this money is paid for you by your cousin. It¡¯s 30 taels a year. Based on my understanding of your cousin, in order not to embarrass you in the academy, I¡¯m afraid she will buy fabric and make new clothes for you. After three to four years, even 150 taels won¡¯t be enough. Do you know how much one can do with 150 taels?¡±


    Liu Daqian looked into the children¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough to build two good houses, plus buy two oxen and six pigs. In addition, we can eat meat every other day for half a year.¡±


    The children opened their mouths wide. Even the oldest, Liu Rong, widened her eyes in shock. Liu Daqian¡¯s way of calction was the most direct.


    The adults oftenined that the mud house at home was lousy and kept leaking. They were afraid that they would not be able to live there for long. Then, they were worried about building a house. They often said that even if they worked hard for ten years, they did not know if they could save enough to build a house¡­


    There were also the oxen. No one in the vige had an ox. If anyone had an ox, they would be a middle-ss farmer and live a much better life than them.


    Their family had pigs, but if they caught a little piglet, the grandmothers would suffer from insomnia. This was because they would have to spend a few bags of grains or all their money feeding them.


    If not for Mu Yangling sending meat to their family every few days, they would have only eaten meat once every six months like other families¡­


    Liu Rong and Liu Yun looked at their brothers with envy and sympathy.


    The three boys standing in the middle immediately felt immense pressure. Liu Lun really wanted to say that he didn¡¯t want to study anymore.


    Seemingly knowing what his grandson was thinking, Liu Daqian pulled him over and patted his head. ¡°Ah Lun, what do you think of your father and uncle¡¯s lives?¡±


    Liu Lun¡¯s eyes were filled with confusion as he said, ¡°Father and Uncle are doing very well. Much better than the others in the Liu n. They¡¯re always envious of Father and Uncle.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because your father and uncle have your cousin¡¯s help. If not, they can only be like the rest, or worse.¡± Seeing that the children were unconvinced, Liu Daqian assumed a posture and said, ¡°Although our family¡¯s life is better than others¡¯ now, in terms of foundation, our family might not be the weakest, but we¡¯re ranked near the bottom.¡±


    The children didn¡¯t believe it. Liu Rong whispered, ¡°Grandpa, we have new clothes to wear and we can eat meat a few times a month.¡±


    Liu Erqian asked with a smile, ¡°Rong¡¯er, where did you get the new clothes and meat?¡±


    Liu Rong paused. The youngest Liu Jin, who was sitting on the brick bed, raised his hand and said, ¡°I know, I know. It¡¯s from Cousin Yangling. Last time, she even gave me a wooden horse.¡±


    Liu Erqian hugged the three-year-old Liu Jin and said, ¡°Since even your younger brother knows that, surely you guys do too? That was given by your cousin, not our family.¡±


    Liu Daqian continued, ¡°Look, Grandpa He¡¯s family has built a new house in the vige, and Fourth Grandpa¡¯s family is also nning to build a new house. Our family saved on so many expenses and even has your cousin¡¯s help. Yet, why can¡¯t we afford to build a new house?¡±


    Liu Lun was deep in thought. ¡°Is it because our family doesn¡¯t have any foundation?¡±


    Liu Daqian nodded and sighed. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Liu Yun was unconvinced. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t our family have any foundation?¡±


    ¡°Because our ancestors are poor. Your second great-uncle and I have no capabilities, and your father and uncles are useless, too.¡±


    ¡°Father,¡± Liu Ting called out in embarrassment. Liu Daqian red at him. ¡°Am I not telling the truth?¡±


    ¡°Your great-grandparents passed away early. I was even younger than Ah Lun at that time.¡± The children widened their eyes. Although the adults had told them how difficult their lives had been in the past, they really did not know about the past. The adults also deliberately avoided speaking about this to the children.


    When the children heard that their eldest grandfather was going to talk about stories from the past, they were all excited.


    Liu Daqian did not disappoint them and said, ¡°Your second great-uncle is only a little older than Ah Yang. Below him are your second and third great-aunts. Your third great-aunt was only two years old at that time. The few of us were raised by your eldest great-aunt. At that time, your eldest great-aunt was even a year younger than Rong¡¯er. Think about it, how hard must it have been for her to raise us?¡±


    The children looked at Liu Rong¡¯s small arms and legs. At the thought that they had no parents or elders at home and could only rely on such a young older sister, they immediately shivered.


    ¡°At that time, we didn¡¯t have anything to eat. When we were hungry, we even ate mud. The Liu family only had a total of two acres of drynd, but your eldest great-aunt forcibly defended it. When your second great-uncle and I grew up, she married off the two of us and her two younger sisters. Not only did she spend all the two bags of grains that she had painstakingly saved, she even owed a huge debt in order to help us get married. Your eldest great-aunt even postponed her own marriage for us. We couldn¡¯t possibly let her shoulder these debts, right? Do you know when our family¡¯s debts were repaid?¡±


    The children shook their heads.


    Liu Daqian sighed and said, ¡°We only paid it off when your eldest brother was six years old.¡±


    The children were speechless. ¡°It took such a long time?¡±


    Liu Erqian red at him and said, ¡°What long? It¡¯s already not bad that we could pay it back. Your father and the others didn¡¯t need to spend money to get married? Did we not have to spend money when your mother gave birth to you? Also, do you think it¡¯s possible to raise the children without money? Ask your mother how many children die prematurely every year in the vige. Didn¡¯t your eldest great-uncle and I have to shamelessly borrow the money to feed you when you were young and when you fell ill? It¡¯s already not bad that we could fully repay the money..¡±

 Chapter 385 - 385: Help (2)

    Chapter 385: Help (2)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Madam Liu-Zhao and the others nodded with red faces. What he said was true. Almost every family in the vige had children who died prematurely. Only the Liu family was lucky enough to escape that fate. Firstly, Liu Daqian and the others didn¡¯t stinge when it came to feeding their pregnant daughter-inw. Secondly, whenever the children fell sick, no matter how poor they were, they were willing to hire a doctor to buy medicine for them. That was how the Liu children survived.


    The few daughters-inw also knew that the four elders were so willing because many of their own children had died prematurely, so their hearts ached. Not to mention anything else, there was a six-year-old brother between Liu Ting and Liu Zhuang, which meant Liu Zhuang was considered the third child. However, there were actually two other children who had died before Liu Zhuang. But because they had died in their infancy, they were not given a ranking in the family.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much ability, so the best I can manage is to keep you from starving. It¡¯s impossible for us to send you to read and learn skills. Forget about your father and uncle, even if they have the talent, it¡¯s toote. Your big brother is not bad, but he¡¯s already grown up and set, so it¡¯s impossible for him to study and take the exams now. But do you know how hard he works?¡±


    Liu Daqian looked at Liu Lun. ¡°Ah Lun, tell us since you live with him.¡±


    Blushing, Liu Lun said, ¡°Big Brother reads under the moonlight even in winter.¡±


    ¡°As our family doesn¡¯t have the money to order too muchmp oil, he studies outside on a freezing winter day.¡± Liu Daqian¡¯s eyes were slightly moist as he said, ¡°If you work half as hard as him, I have nothing to say even if you don¡¯t have the talent. But why are youining you can¡¯t do it before you even start working hard?¡±


    The three children lowered their heads in shame.


    ¡°If you finish your studies, you might be even more glorious than your big brother in the future. You can eat meat every other day and wear new clothes every year. You won¡¯t have to work in the fields with your back facing the sky, yet earn little money. If the heavens don¡¯t give you face, you might not even be able to pay taxes. If you don¡¯t finish your studies, you can only be like your father and uncle in the future. No, you¡¯ll be even worse off than them. Now, your Cousin Ah Ling is taking care of your father on ount of me and your second great-uncle, these two old farts. After we die and the rtionship between the two families fades, this help might be gone.¡±


    The children were a little terrified. Liu Daqian looked into their eyes and said, ¡°So, children, don¡¯t leave your fate in the hands of others. You have to hold onto some of it yourself. And now, your cousin is giving you a chance to control the other half of your fate.¡±


    The expressions on Liu Lun, Liu Yang, and Liu Ying¡¯s faces gradually became firm. They knelt down and said, ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t worry. We will definitely study hard and learn how to read. Then, we will grasp the other half of our fate.¡±


    Liu Yang and Liu Ying nodded fiercely.


    Liu Daqian smiled in satisfaction, and the Liu family¡¯s daughters-inw heaved a sigh of relief.


    Liu Ying hesitated for a moment before asking the question in his heart, ¡°Eldest Great-uncle, since we only grasp half of our fate, what about the other half?¡±


    His mother, Madam Liu-Sun, red at her son. Liu Yuan was stunned for a moment before heughed and rubbed his son¡¯s hair with his big hand. ¡°Good question.¡±


    Then, his face turned cold. ¡°Of course, the other half is in the hands of the Imperial Court and the heavens.¡±


    The children opened their mouths wide and eximed, ¡°So the heavens are also in charge of our lives.¡±


    Liu Yuan rolled his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s there to be proud of? If you don¡¯t grasp the other half of your fate, God can casually point at you and you¡¯ll lose your life. If you can control half of it, you might even be able to fight with God for your life.¡±


    The children¡¯s eyes lit up. Fighting with God for their lives? Just hearing this sounded very exciting.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that this is a chance given to you by your Cousin Ah Ling.¡± Liu Daqian took the opportunity to educate them: ¡°The descendants of our Liu family have never been ungrateful. I don¡¯t ask you to repay your cousins, but remember not to cause trouble for them. This is the most basic thing, understand?¡±


    Liu Lun jumped up and said, ¡°I know, I know. We have to repay kindness. Just like what Second Great-uncle said about Han Xin, who repaid the gratitude of a meal with a thousand taels of gold.¡±


    Liu Daqian nodded with a straight face. ¡°Han Xin repaid so much for a mere meal. Tell me, how much good food has your cousin treated you since you were young?¡±


    The children lowered their heads in embarrassment.


    Liu Ting hurriedly said, ¡°Although I¡¯m telling you to study hard, don¡¯t work too hard. Your cousin said that you have to do everything within your means, but learning how to read is the most basic. Our family isn¡¯t asking you to take the Imperial Examination. We¡¯re just asking you to learn all the words first before learning craftsmanship. If you master a craft, you¡¯ll have the capital to live. In the future, if your Cousin Bowen and Bosi encounter any trouble, you must reach out and help them. Do you understand?¡±


    Liu Ting remembered what Mu Yangling had said. She told them not to give the children too much pressure, or it would backfire.


    After the children agreed, Liu Daqian waved them out. The three daughters-inw happily followed the children out. They had never dreamed that their kids could go out to study and learn skills.


    Only the four elders and the two brothers, Liu Ting and Liu Yuan, were left in the room. Liu Daqian turned around and asked his younger brother, ¡°Ah Xuan is already 22 years old. When do you n to arrange a marriage for him?¡±


    Liu Erqian said in shame, ¡°I searched a few nearby viges. Since it¡¯s not difficult to find out about our family¡¯s situation, everyone knows that our foundation is not strong. In addition, Ah Xuan is in the army, so no one is willing to marry him.¡±


    Liu Daqian pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Let¡¯s find a suitable girl first. Her character and family background are what¡¯s most important. If she has a good character and her parents are passable, let¡¯s propose marriage. If they ask for more costly betrothal gifts, our two families will pool our money together. Everyone can see how our daughter-inws live. At least our Liu family is not a family that tortures our daughter-inw. If she¡¯s willing, she can marry over. If she¡¯s not, we¡¯ll go elsewhere. If our two families pool our money together, we¡¯ll definitely be able toe up with a decent betrothal gift.¡± Stunned, Liu Erqian asked, ¡°Big Brother, why are you in such a hurry?¡±


    Liu Daqian nced at his younger brother and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you know Ah Ling¡¯s personality? That child isn¡¯t afraid of helping us, but she¡¯s afraid that the n will find trouble with her. In any case, Ah Xuan is no longer young. Even if we puff ourselves up, we have to let outsiders think that our Liu family¡¯s foundation isn¡¯t that weak. Also, after finding the academy, leak the news that half of the money for the children to go to schooles from Ah Lang and the other half is borrowed from Eldest Sister. No need to go into specifics, just reveal enough for them to get the meaning. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll go to Xingzhou Prefecture to look for Eldest Sister.¡±


    Liu Erqian¡¯s eyes lit up. Smiling, he said, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. The nsmen can¡¯t go to Big Sister.¡±


    Liu Daqian nodded with a smile.


    Back then, when their eldest sister was newly widowed and bullied by her husband¡¯s family, the n did not stand up for her. Other than them, she had never interacted with the rest of the n in the past few years. The n would be too embarrassed to visit her. If they imed the money came from her, certainly no one would dare to find trouble with her. However, they still had to let their eldest sister know about this.


    ¡°As for Little Sister-inw¡­¡± Eldest Great-aunt Liu hesitated and said, ¡°Will she look for her? Don¡¯t end up attracting trouble to her.¡±


    Liu Erqian and his youngest sister had the worst rtionship. Hearing this, he snorted and said, ¡°How dare she! See if I¡¯ll kill her if she does.¡±


    Second Great-aunt Liu snorted. Liu Daqian red at his brother and said, ¡°We brothers aren¡¯t dead. Suppressing her won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Great-aunt agreed to Liu Daqian¡¯s suggestion without thinking. She even said, ¡°If you don¡¯t have enough money, I still have some here.¡±


    Liu Daqian shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no need for your money. Ah Ling will take care of that. Our family is doing fine now, too.¡± How could Liu Daqian really want her money when his eldest sister only had two granddaughters?


    Great-aunt didn¡¯t mention it again. After sending Liu Daqian off, she smiled happily, causing Mu Yangling and the children to look over frequently. Great-aunt went forward to hug Kejia and lovingly pulled her into her arms. ¡°Darling, your big sister has finally avenged me.¡±


    Mu Yangling was puzzled. ¡°Great-aunt, what did I do?¡±


    Great-auntughed and waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just let me be secretly gleeful.¡±


    This was the first time Mu Yangling and Xin had seen Great-aunt smile so happily. Although they were curious, they didn¡¯t probe further..

 Chapter 386 - 386: Gains

    Chapter 386 - 386: Gains


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    A monthter, Liu Lun, Liu Yang, and Liu Ying were sent to the academy to study, shocking everyone in the vige. Even with the entire n¡¯s strength, they might not be able to nurture a schr, but the Liu family sent three of them at once. Everyone suspected that the Liu family had made a fortune.


    However, Liu Ting quickly dispelled everyone¡¯s thoughts. They did not n to provide for the children to take the Imperial Examination. They only nned to let them learn some words and study for two to three years before picking up a craft.


    If they could send three kids to school for two to three years, they might as well provide one kid for ten years. Even Liu He persuaded them that if they really had the money, they might as well do their best to provide for one. Perhaps one kid might even be able to be a tongshengO.


    Smiling Liu Ting said, ¡°I want to, but they¡¯re not cut out for studying. They get a headache whenever they read, so we¡¯re just trying to make sure they¡¯re notpletely illiterate.¡±


    Liu He frowned. ¡°In that case, you might as well save the money and use it for other purposes. Why do you have to send them to school? Since they¡¯re not taking the Imperial Examination, what¡¯s the use of recognizing those words?¡± ¡°It¡¯s faster for people who can read to learn craftsmanship, so they won¡¯t be at a disadvantage.¡± Liu Ting said, ¡°It¡¯s only because Ah Lang can read that he can learn so much faster than others.¡±


    As the Liu family insisted on their own views, the n couldn¡¯t very well interfere too much. However, most of them suspected that Mu Yangling was sponsoring them. Just as they were hesitating if they should bring their children to Mu Yangling to ask for her help, the Liu family chose a wife for Liu Xuan in a high-profile manner.


    The 22 year-old Liu Xuan could already be considered an old youth. Because it had always been difficult for a soldier to get married, there were many guys in the vige in a simr situation. This time, the Liu family offered a high betrothal gift for him to marry a 16 year-old girl.


    Many bachelors in the vige were envious. Everyone felt that the Liu family must have made a fortune. After that, stories of Liu Lang meeting a benefactor on the way to Jingzhao Prefecture and receiving a lot of reward money spread like wildfire.


    Liu Lang¡¯s reward and the money borrowed from Madam Ma-Liu made up for the Liu family¡¯s shortfall. Everyone was envious, but no one said anything about bringing their children to look for Mu Yangling anymore.


    The Liu n heaved a sigh of relief, before hastening to get Liu Xuan a wife.


    There were not many rules for rural people when it came to getting married. After asking for their birth dates and proposing, they agreed to get married in a month. Liu Xuan also applied for a ten days¡¯ leave to get married and returned home a day early.


    Mu Yangling brought everyone back for the wedding banquet. Even Mu Shi came over for half a day.


    The gift from the Mu family was only 60% more generous than that from other families. However, because their entire family attended the banquet, this ¡°big gift¡± did not seem that generous.


    However, Mu Yangling secretly gave Liu Xuan 50 taels of silver and said with a smile, ¡°This is for you to buy candy for my future little cousin.¡±


    Seeing Liu Xuan¡¯s handsome face turn fiery red, Mu Yangling sighed. ¡°Uncle


    Xuan, you¡¯re so handsome. Aunt is really lucky.¡±


    As Mu Yangling said this in the bridal chamber, the other three aunts heard it. They bent over inughter and pushed Liu Xuan to the bed to sit side by side with the bride. ¡°It¡¯s no use that you find him handsome. The bride has to be satisfied with him. Ah Xuan, quickly lift the veil for us to see. Let¡¯s see who¡¯s more good-looking¡ªyou or the bride.


    Liu Xuan felt uneasy for a moment before carefully lifting the veil with a scale. TFace was red from embarrassment, the bride quickly looked up at everyone before lowering her head again. However, just a nce was enough for Liu Xuan to catch a glimpse of her eyes. She was indeed beautiful.


    Liu Xuan grinned from ear to ear.


    Bowen held Bosi and Kejia¡¯s hand and observed Uncle Xuan¡¯s expression curiously. When Mu Yangling turned around and saw him, she dragged the children out and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s all go out. Don¡¯t disturb Uncle from consummating his marriage.¡±


    Liu Xuan shouted angrily, ¡°Ah Ling, be careful or I¡¯ll spank your butt.¡±


    The childrenughed and shouted, ¡°Cousin is getting a beating


    As Mu Yangling¡¯s gift made up for the Liu family¡¯s shortfall, there was even a lot of money left over. Liu Erqian happily found Liu Daqian: ¡°Big Brother, let¡¯s use this money to build a new house. Otherwise, look at this mud house, I¡¯m really worried that it¡¯ll copse when we¡¯re sleeping one day.¡±


    Liu Daqian pondered for a moment and said, ¡°It¡¯s a little early to build it now. Let¡¯s wait until winter. By then, we¡¯d have more manpower. Also, Ah Lang and Ah Ting will be able to bring back quite some money. The two families will build the house together.¡±


    Liu Erqian agreed happily.


    Liu Zhuang and Liu Yuan also took out some money. Their families had always been harmonious. In addition, with the two elders suppressing them, no one was angry or opposed to the uneven payment.


    Ten dayster, Liu Xuan went to the military camp with his cousin, Liu Zhuang, and only returned for two days every ten days.


    Not long after Liu Xuan¡¯s wedding, they started harvesting the corn. As the farmers who owed Mu Yangling work-days also had to harvest their own grains, she was very tolerant. She staggered the time and wouldn¡¯t make them work for her for more than two consecutive days. The farmers, who were originally worried that they had to repay the workdays before they could harvest their own grains, immediately rxed.


    During this period of time, Mu Yangling had practically been living in the nursery and working in the fields every day. Xiuhong, Liu Lang, and Bowen began to walk around the edge of the field with notebooks in their hands, asking if there was any corn that was different from yellow corn. It had to be said that because they nted a lot, more than 200 mutated corn varieties were found in the 14 hectares of cornfields.


    The children in the nursery adjusted their sses slightly. Every morning, before dawn, they would follow Mu Yangling to the fields. Then, they would return to the nursery at around nine in the morning to start sses.


    Mu Yangling did not stop them from working for about four hours a day. She only instructed the kitchen to increase the amount of meat for them. The children took this as encouragement and worked even harder.


    Meanwhile, Bosi and Kejia had also gone crazy ying in the fields. As the harvest here was too much, Shu Wanniang and Great-aunt also came to help. Naturally, the twins also came over. The two little ones held hands and patrolled. asionally, they would help pick up the corn on the ground and throw it into the basket. Every day, they would go out clean ande back dirty.


    The corn that had been harvested was hung under the beam or hung on thewn to dry. With the children in the nursery watching, they were not worried that it would be stolen.


    Mu Yangling told everyone to be careful not to have their grains stolen. The reason was, ¡°As these are all your rations, you have to watch carefully. Don¡¯t let the birds and rats eat them all. Otherwise, we can only starve next year.¡±


    The children in the nursery also knew that the grains they ate were produced from thesends, so they organized ten teams to patrol and dry the crops. Mu Yangling did not have to worry at all.


    Teacher Liu stood at the side and watched as the children took the initiative to help harvest, dry, and even thresh the corn. He could not help but ponder. Mu Yangling was willing to spend so much effort to build a nursery back then because she was counting on using thisbor force, right?


    Mu Yangling pushed a cart of corn back and set it down on the ground. When she saw Teacher Liu standing at the side, she wiped her sweat and asked, ¡°Teacher Liu, what are you thinking about?¡±


    Teacher Liu did not answer. He only looked at the older children in the field and said, ¡°Miss Mu, these children have been feeling a little uneasy recently.¡± Mu Yangling followed his gaze and saw that they were the oldest children in the nursery. They were all 13 years old, and there were 26 such children in the nursery.


    ¡°Uneasy how?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re afraid of turning 14 and leaving the nursery, so you see, they work hard even before it¡¯s time to work.¡±

 Chapter 387 - 387: Restart

    Chapter 387 - 387: Restart


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When she first started the nursery, Mu Yangling had agreed with everyone that she would raise the orphans who were not yet 14 years old. The fields under their names would be nted by her, and the harvest would all belong to her as a reward for raising them.


    After turning 14 years old, the fields would be returned to them in the spring of the next year and they would then leave the nursery. Their rtionship would be dissolved.


    Teacher Liu said, ¡°At 14 years old, one is old enough to support a family. But it will be very difficult. They obviously don¡¯t want to leave.¡±


    Teacher Liu¡¯s gaze followed the children. He sighed slightly and said, ¡°Miss Mu, these children are all very obedient. What I mean is, if possible, let¡¯s keep them for a while longer. Even when springes next year, they have only learned craftsmanship for less than a year. They don¡¯t even know how to read properly yet.¡±


    ¡°The rules of the nursery were set together with Magistrate Fang and Haoran. Even if Haoran agrees, it will be very difficult to get Magistrate Fang to agree.¡± Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°But you¡¯re right. They really can¡¯t learn much in a year. Previously, when we set this rule, we were in a hurry and didn¡¯t perfect it. I¡¯ll find time to discuss it with Magistrate Fang again.¡±


    Mu Yangling nced at the children who were pushing carts filled with corn and turned to look for Bowen. ¡°Go and talk to them. If they¡¯re unwilling to leave, the nursery won¡¯t chase them away in the short term.¡±


    Bowen¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Sister, I also think it¡¯s too much of a stretch to let them out at this time. Although they can work to support themselves, they definitely won¡¯t have a good life. They¡¯ll definitely be thrilled if Sister can agree to let them stay for a while longer.¡±


    ¡°Alright, stop ttering me. If you discover any problems in the future, you have to say it. Don¡¯t be so wishy-washy like a woman.¡± Mu Yangling patted his head and told him tofort those children. There was no need to work so hard to please her.


    As Bowen had always lived in the nursery, he had a deeper rtionship with the children here. As for Mu Yangling, everything wasmunicated through Bowen. This resulted in Mu Yangling appearing unapproachable, but they viewed Young Master Bowen as their ymate. Hence, Bowen was the most suitable person to do this job.


    As expected, with Bowen¡¯s appearance, the older children who had been eager to show off were finally not so nervous. In response, they smiled uneasily. Their studies and work got back on the right track.


    Mu Yangling kept this matter in her heart. After the corn harvest waspleted, she gathered these youths and said, ¡°You know the rules of the nursery. All of you will turn 14 this year or the first half of next year. ording to the conditions previously signed, you can take back your fields and leave next spring.¡±


    The youths¡¯ faces turned pale. Mu Yangling smiledfortingly. ¡°But I heard that you don¡¯t really want to leave.¡±


    A youth boldly said, ¡°Miss, although we¡¯ve farmed before, we were only doing whatever adults told us to do. We actually don¡¯t know how to farm, and we haven¡¯t learned our craft well¡­¡± He looked at hispanions and boldly said, ¡°I¡­ we still want to stay.¡±


    The other children nodded repeatedly.


    Mu Yangling nodded and said, ¡°I understand what you mean, but for the benefit of the nursery, for my benefit, and for your benefit, I think it¡¯s better to institutionalize it. After all, there are many fields and assets involved.¡±


    The youths were even more nervous. Thinking that Mu Yangling was chasing them away, their faces turned pale.


    ¡°You¡¯re almost 14 years old.¡± Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes were filled with pity. In her previous life, 14 year-old kids were only in junior high school, but here, they¡¯re already expected to support a family. ¡°In that case, you can¡¯tpletely rely on the nursery like your other younger siblings. But you¡¯re right. There are still many things you haven¡¯t learned. Since you¡¯re here, I can¡¯t guarantee that you¡¯ll live well, but I have to take responsibility for you. Therefore, I agree to you continuing to stay, but the conditions have to be reformted. We have to discuss this with Magistrate Fang. When the timees, send three representatives to be the spokesperson. The rest of you can listen in. Note down your thoughts first. When we negotiate, you can let your representatives speak your thoughts on your behalf.¡±


    The youths looked at Mu Yangling in a daze. The same youth from earlier boldly asked, ¡°Negotiate? What about?¡±


    Seeing the confusion in their eyes, Mu Yangling knew that they didn¡¯t know anything and sighed. She didn¡¯t expect to have to teach them how to undermine herself. This feeling was really strange. ¡°For example, although the fields are still rented to me, you have to participate in the entire process of farming and learn farming techniques from the people in the fields. Every year, after the taxes are deducted from the harvest, how much of the remaining do you want to receive? Also, every year, I have to ensure that you can attend sses for a certain number of hours. How those hours are divided between cultural and crafts sses can be discussed as well.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at them resentfully and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have to teach you the rest, right?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this snatching food from Miss?


    Wasn¡¯t this being ungrateful?


    This thought shed through the youths¡¯ minds in different ways. They hurriedly shook their heads. ¡°Miss, we¡¯re already very grateful that you took us in. We¡¯re willing to work for you. No, we don¡¯t care about the grains.¡±


    Mu Yangling frowned fiercely. ¡°If you want to be independent, you have to put it into practice, and it will take a long time. Are you all going to work for nothing for so long?¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a straight face, ¡°This is your legal interest. Remember, as long as it¡¯s reasonable, you can fight for it. Otherwise, if I take your fields and instruct you to do so much work, even if you don¡¯t have any objections now, it doesn¡¯t mean that there won¡¯t be any in the future. The nursery is for you to respect, not for you to resent.


    The youths¡¯ faces turned red. They wanted to say that they wouldn¡¯t resent her, but their eyes flickered with eagerness.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°You can discuss it among yourselves. I forgot to mention that if you raise conditions for me, I¡¯ll also raise requirements for you. I definitely won¡¯t raise people above the age of 14 for nothing. I¡¯ll make rules for how much work he has to do and how much homework he has toplete every year. Let me give you a bottom line first. I can only let you stay until the age of 20 at thetest. After the age of 20, unless you¡¯re mentally or physically disabled, you¡¯ll have to leave the nursery.¡±


    20 years old was a very tolerant age. The youngsters were both excited and nervous. They were excited that they could continue to stay in the nursery, but they were nervous because they did not know what kind of request Miss Mu would ask of them.


    Magistrate Fang did not expect the nursery to state a new set of conditions. He suspected that Mu Yangling was unwilling to let go of thend and assets in her hands.


    Actually, whether the conditions were set or not did not affect the government office much because since Mu Yangling was nting civilian fields, the government would tax them as civilians. In fact, because of the high yield in Mu Yangling¡¯snd, the amount of taxes they collected from her this year was highly impressive.


    However, this did not mean that he was willing to see the people under his rule being bullied. Therefore, when he came to the nursery, his expression was a little ugly.


    This time, they chose to negotiate in a ssroom in the nursery. When Magistrate Fang arrived, the ssroom was filled with people. Other than the people at the two tables on the left, the others were all children from the nursery. There were children of all ages. There were only six tables left in the ssroom forming a triangle. Below them were all children sitting on small stools.


    Magistrate Fang stopped in his tracks, not understanding what Mu Yangling was trying to do..

 Chapter 388 - 388: Formulating

    Chapter 388: Formting


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Miss Mu, this is¡­?¡± Magistrate Fang tilted his head and looked at the children sitting upright below.


    ¡°These children were chosen by Teacher Liu. They are of all ages. Since we¡¯re resetting the rules, we naturally have to let them listen in. After all, this involves their personal interests,¡± Mu Yangling exined.


    Advisor Huang, who had suggested that Magistrate Fang give in, rolled his eyes. He couldn¡¯t decide if Mu Yangling was putting on a show or if she was trying to brush Magistrate Fang off.


    Magistrate Fang¡¯s expression was also a little ugly. He looked at Mu Yangling seriously and felt that she was still as frank and open as before. Could it be that she had changed in just half a year?


    However, he didn¡¯t say anything. He just sat in the middle and nodded. ¡°Then how do you want to change it, Miss Mu?¡±


    Mu Yangling turned to look at Bowen. She hadpletely left this matter to the three of them, and was only here to show them support.


    As the representative of the nursery, Teacher Liu sat on the other side with the other three youths.


    Bowen coughed lightly and took out the fruit ofbor that he, Xiuhong, and Cousin Lang had worked hard to produce for a few days. ¡°The Mu family¡¯s intention is that the conditions for those who have not reached the age of 14 will not change. Those who have reached the age of 14 and think that they can stand on their own feet can take back their fields and assets if they want to leave the nursery. From then on, they will no longer have any financial entanglement with the nursery.¡± Bowen paused for a moment. Seeing that no one had any objections, he continued, ¡°Those who think that they aren¡¯t yet able to stand on their own feet or want to continue staying in the nursery for other reasons can also stay as long as they meet the following conditions.¡± Bowen further perfected the n ording to Mu Yangling¡¯s intentions. In short, they would separate out the fields of those who weren¡¯t leaving after turning 14. Although they were still farmed by the Mu family, they had to work in their own fields. From the beginning of plowing to the end of harvesting, they had to follow along and learn the entire process so that they could master the farming techniques faster.


    During the autumn harvest, after deducting taxes, the grains received would be split 80-20. The Mu family would receive 80% while the owner of the field would receive 20%. The seeds needed for farming, farming tools, plowing oxen, fertilizer, and otherbor would all be provided by the Mu family. In addition, they would continue to provide courses for youths who had reached the age of 14. Every year, they had to attend a certain number of sses on time and ensure that they did not fail more than two subjects during the examination. During this period, all their expenses in the nursery would still be paid for by the Mu family. However, the age limit was 20 years old. Unless they were mentally handicapped or physically disabled, they had to leave the nursery with their belongings after turning 20, no matter the reason. Bowen closed the booklet and looked up with a straight face. ¡°This is the Mu family¡¯s request for the nursery. Any objections?¡±


    Magistrate Fang blinked. This seemed to be a little different from what he had imagined. This was not harmful to the children. He hade to patrol the nursery, and the courses there were indeed very practical. It was more beneficial than harmful for the children to stay until they were 20 years old. He turned to look at the children and saw that they were indeed very excited. He nodded slightly. It seemed that the children from the nursery were the ones who suggested it. In any case, those who turned 14 could still leave if they wanted to.


    After thinking through all the factors, Magistrate Fang smiled and said ¡°We don¡¯t have any objections. We¡¯ll have to ask the children at the nursery.¡± Bowen looked at the youths opposite him.


    Teacher Liu coughed lightly and said, ¡°We think that the 80-20 split is too low. It should be 70-30¡­¡±


    Teacher Liu was very embarrassed, but since Mu Yangling appointed him as the Nursery Manager, he had to represent the students. It was best if he could state the students¡¯ requests. Therefore, since no one raised this, he could only brace himself and go forward.


    As soon as these words were spoken, not to mention Magistrate Fang and the others, even the children below became noisy. Some of the children even had indignant expressions on their faces, but they were actually siding with the Mu family.


    Mu Yangling broke off a piece of wood and mmed it on the table to silence everyone.


    Seeing that his sister was looking at him, Bowen coughed lightly and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the reason?¡±


    Teacher Liu did not speak this time. He looked at the youth on the far right. Blushing, the youth said, ¡°I just looked at the schedule set by Young Master¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s just a rough n.¡± Bowen interrupted him and said with a straight face, ¡°The specific curriculum and schedule have to be discussed.¡±


    Since it¡¯s a rough estimate, the difference shouldn¡¯t be too big, right?¡± The youth asked.


    Bowen thought for a moment and said, ¡°This is calcted based on this year¡¯sbor days. So, it should be about the same. Then?¡±


    ¡°I realized that we¡¯re going to start farming in February. During the busy farming period from February to April, we¡¯ll be working in the fields for 72 days, and we only have 15 days to study. We only have three days to rest. Under such high-intensity work, we can only get 20% of the grains? I remember that the tenants outside have to pay 60% of their harvest to rent the fields. We don¡¯t dare to hope for 60%, but 50% should be fine, right?¡±


    Actually, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that his friends weren¡¯t at all willing to raise the number, he would have wanted to propose 40%. He felt that it was already a loss for them to leave so much for the Mu family.


    Bowen said, ¡°Firstly, we are notndlords and tenants. Secondly, 60% of the rent paid by the tenants includes taxes.¡± The corners of his mouth curled up and he said, ¡°And ours is after deducting taxes. The Imperial Court¡¯sw stiptes that you have to serve the military when you turn 14 years old. In order to ensure your learning time, the nursery will bear yourbor, including head tax and farm tax. Also, don¡¯t think that our Mu family is taking advantage of you. Your food, clothing, and educational resources in the nursery cost a lot. And to be honest, unless you are a strong man, you can only be considered half aborerpared to the short-term workers we hire. Never mind those enlisted in the army, each of the civilians has 40 acres of freehold field. Which one of you can nt so muchnd by yourselves?¡±


    Bowen looked at Xiuhong. ¡°Cousin Xiuhong, show them the calctions.¡± Xiuhong took out her abacus and calcted the area that a 14 year old could farm by themselves. She factored in the various costs and calcted their ie based on this year¡¯s yield per acre. Then, she deducted the taxes to obtain their final ie.


    Finally, she calcted how much they would get from the 80-20 split.


    With this year¡¯s yield per acre as a reference, this was not difficult to calcte at all. Xiuhong even factored in the expenses that the Mu family was paying for, including their food, clothing and amodation in the nursery.


    In the end, she concluded that the grains they would receive ording to an 80-20 split was actually not much different from the harvest they would obtain should they opt to farm their ownnd by themselves.


    The only difference was that in thetter case, they would have to farm by themselves and work tirelessly for a year. In the scenario of an 80-20 split, the Mu family would be in charge of most of it and would even provide them with food, amodation, and education.


    Xiuhong looked at them with her big eyes. Anyone with a brain would know how to do the sums. The youth opposite her was a little embarrassed.


    Liu Lang recorded these numbers and nned to hand them to the youth for verification after the meeting.


    Magistrate Fang¡¯s eyes also flickered. Indeed, the benefit of letting the Mu family farm the fields was that they could make full use of the resources and not let thend be barren. Therefore, even if they split it 80-20, these children would not lose out.


    The youth had only suggested this because he was indignant. However, he could not refute it in front of Bowen, who was well-prepared. Moreover, he was indeed convinced by the data, so he did not raise any other opinions.


    Bowen immediately grinned and turned to look at Magistrate Fang. ¡°Since there are no more problems with the nursery, Magistrate Fang, should the Mu family and the nursery talk to you next?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Magistrate Fang was still a little out of it. Confusion shed across his eyes.. ¡°Aren¡¯t I here to be a witness?¡±

 Chapter 389 - 389: Lecture

    Chapter 389: Lecture


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Bowen grinned, revealing his white teeth. ¡°Of course not. Although the Mu family is fully funding the nursery, we still need the support of the Imperial Court and Magistrate Fang.¡±


    Magistrate Fang had a bad feeling, but Bowen was right. Hence, he hesitated for a moment before nodding. ¡°The nursery is something that benefits the people¡¯s livelihood. The Imperial Court and I will naturally support it.¡± Unfortunately, there were too few people like the Mu family.


    Magistrate Fang was well aware of the benefits of continuing to operate the nursery. Not only would the number of talents in their prefecture increase, but the Imperial Court could continue to collect taxes. Furthermore, the orphans could eat their fill and wear warm clothes. He didn¡¯t think even the Imperial Court could aplish this much.


    Therefore, for the past year, he had been wanting to get Mu Yangling to ept new orphans. As long as she was willing to ept them, it meant that even if these i,ooo-odd orphans grew up and left the nursery, the nursery would continue to operate.


    However, the time was not ripe yet, so he had not dared to mention it. However, since he had to show his stand, he expressed that he would strongly support the development and construction of the nursery.


    This was exactly what Bowen wanted to hear from him. He took the opportunity to suggest that the Imperial Court exempt those who chose to stay in the nursery after turning 14 from serving in the military. Bowen felt that while they were farming, studying, and learning skills, it was very difficult for them to take the time to serve. Furthermore, considering the Mu family had already invested a lot in the nursery, it would be too expensive to pay to exempt them from military service.


    Since the Imperial Court and Magistrate Fang said that they wanted to support them, other than donating some money and items, the policy had to be biased towards them.


    Magistrate Fang¡¯s face turned solemn. He nced at Mu Yangling and saw her sitting there calmly drinking tea. He knew that she had instructed Bowen to propose this.


    Naturally, Magistrate Fang could not agree. How many people would choose to stay in the nursery to escape military service?


    From 14 to 20 years old, it was a total of six years.


    However, Bowen had searched for a lot of information for this, so it was naturally impossible for him to drop the matter just because Magistrate Fang refused. The two sides discussed it from morning to noon, so they had to do lunch at the nursery.


    Magistrate Fang turned to look at what the children in the nursery ate and nodded slightly. It was undeniable that they ate much better here than ordinary farmers. No wonder they refused to leave.


    Without those youths around them, Magistrate Fang did not have to hold back when he spoke. He turned around and asked Mu Yangling, ¡°Miss Mu, your nursery has already been set up and the scale isrge. Are you really nning to only raise this batch?¡±


    ¡°Magistrate Fang, the world is not peaceful. If Xingzhou Prefecture, Hanzhong Prefecture, and Jingzhao Prefecture can maintain the current situation, I might be able to contribute a little. But if the situation changes, not to mention these children, even I might not survive.¡±


    Thinking of the sudden change in the situation in the past few years, Magistrate Fang sighed and didn¡¯t bring up the topic again. Changing the topic, he said, ¡°It¡¯s impossible to exempt them until the age of 20. Even if I agree, the government office will cause a ruckus. I can only help you exempt them until the age of 16 at most.¡± He paused for a moment and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think it through before. Now that I took a look at your curriculum and schedule, it¡¯s indeed difficult for them to graduate by the age of 14. If they¡¯re exempted from military service until age 16,1 reckon many children will choose to stay until the age of 16. That¡¯s good too. Let them have two years of practical experience and time to change their identities.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. It was precisely because of this that she agreed to let the children stay past the age of 14.


    Magistrate Fang looked at Mu Yangling regretfully. If there were more such people, the world might actually be peaceful.


    At the thought of this, he secretly looked forward to the children in the nursery finishing their studies and leaving the nursery as soon as possible. He really wanted to see how their lives would turn out in the future.


    Since Mu Yangling and Magistrate Fang had reached a consensus during lunch, they quickly finalized a new contract during the afternoon negotiations.


    Magistrate Fang stamped his magistrate¡¯s seal to notarize the contract.


    Mu Yangling looked up at the youths from the nursery opposite her and saw that their expressions were a little cold. When they looked at Mu Yangling and the others, they appeared uneasy. Meanwhile, the youth who had taken the initiative to raise their share to 30% sat on the other side with red eyes, indistinctly ostracized by the other youths.


    She averted her gaze and divided the documents into three copies. One for the government office, one for the Mu family, and one for the nursery. Seeing that Magistrate Fang stood up to leave, she said with a smile, ¡°Magistrate Fang, since you¡¯re here, why don¡¯t you stay a little longer? Would you like to attend my lecture?¡±


    Magistrate Fang raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°Is Miss Mu also a teacher in the nursery?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°I only roughly recognize a few words and haven¡¯t even been to school. How can I be their teacher? However, although I¡¯ve never been to school, I can see through some things better than them.¡±


    Magistrate Fang sat down again with interest and smiled. ¡°Then I have to listen.¡±


    Standing on the podium, Mu Yangling looked at the children below. She pointed at the youth who had raised objections earlier and said, ¡°He performed the best at the nursery today.¡±


    The youth blushed and looked at Mu Yangling uneasily. The children below also started chattering. They felt that the young man was ungrateful.


    ¡°You guys think that this big brother is ungrateful for proposing to take 30% of the profits, right?¡± After a moment of silence, Mu Yangling looked around and said, ¡°But he¡¯s the only person who stood up for his own interests and yours. Just based on this courage, his performance today is above yours.¡±


    ¡°But Miss Mu is very good to us. We should be grateful¡­¡± A youngdy below whispered.


    Mu Yangling nodded with a smile. ¡°Of course you should be grateful for the fact that I treat you very well. However, this does not go against your rights and interests. As long as it¡¯s legal and reasonable, you should fight for it. The fact that he dared to stand up is enough to prove his courage. If he could¡¯ve done enough investigation before bringing it up and prepared arguments with supported evidence, I will admire him even more.¡±


    The youth, who was originally uneasy, looked at Mu Yangling with bright eyes.


    Mu Yangling looked at the children below and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to say it at first, but since I¡¯ve started, I¡¯ll act as your teacher for once. If I¡¯m a child in the nursery and I¡¯m dissatisfied with the distribution of benefits, I¡¯ll bring up the issue. However, before I raise it, I¡¯ll do a thorough investigation first. If the facts prove that I¡¯m indeed obtaining less than I deserve, I¡¯ll definitely raise it on the spot at the meeting.¡±


    ¡°Not only to the Mu family, but also to the government office. You have the right to make requests as long as it¡¯s legal and reasonable.¡±


    The magistrate, who was originally in high spirits, immediately felt that something was amiss. As expected, Mu Yangling continued, ¡°For example, you should take this rare opportunity to ask the government office to help you solve the internship issue. You have to know that you¡¯re not only studying to be farmers, but also carpenters, ountants, cooks, masons, and other jobs. You¡¯ll have to gain practical experience in whichever craft you choose before you can officially start work. The Mu family has limited connections and can only arrange very few internship opportunities for you, but the government office is different.¡±


    Everyone swiftly looked at Magistrate Fang.


    Magistrate Fang smirked.


    Mu Yangling said regretfully, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that this meeting has concluded, so you can only wait for the next time. I didn¡¯t remind you this time because 1 hope that you can learn to think for yourselves. Children, of course I believe that I will treat you well, you will repay me. I also believe that this world is filled with good people. However, you have to know that this is only a belief and a hope deep in our hearts. Instead of expecting good intentions from a person or a n, why don¡¯t you institutionalize it? Because a person may change. Moreover, their good intentions might not be right or suitable for you. I believe that you¡¯ll be grateful, but I¡¯m more willing to put in ce a good system for all matters involving benefits. I¡¯ll be very happy if you repay me in the future and the nursery. Even if you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll give you my blessings. I¡¯m not afraid that you¡¯ll grow resentful and harm the nursery or the Mu family. Because with the system in ce, you won¡¯t be able to do harm to it.¡± ¡°Children, do you remember what I said today?¡±


    The previously bold youth lowered his head and pondered. Then, he raised his head and said, ¡°I understand, Miss. Systems are better than human governance..¡±

 Chapter 390 - 390: Invention

    Chapter 390: Invention


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling looked at him in surprise. Her previous words were more to prevent this youth from being ostracized in the nursery. She had seen too much resentment caused by istion and disdain. She did not want the children who walked out of the nursery to resent the nursery and the kids who had once shared weal and woe with them.


    Mu Yangling did not expect this youth to give her such a surprise. Though impressed, she nodded calmly and said, ¡°You summarized it very well. That¡¯s what I meant.¡±


    Mu Yangling nced at Magistrate Fang before looking at the children below. ¡°So, children, I hope you¡¯re tolerant and wise. Everyone, work together and make the nursery better. This is not only the Mu family¡¯s nursery, but also Hanzhong Prefecture¡¯s. It¡¯s also yours.¡±


    When the children below heard this, their blood boiled. They no longer looked at the youth with disdain and hostility.


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly before dismissing everyone and sending Magistrate Fang off.


    Before getting into the carriage, Magistrate Fang said, ¡°Miss Mu, the nursery doesn¡¯tpletely match your interests. In spite of that, you encourage them to give suggestions and develop a good system. From this, I can see how magnanimous you are. Comparing myself to you, I¡¯m ashamed. Don¡¯t worry, if you encounter any trouble, you can always look for me.¡¯


    Mu Yangling was overjoyed to receive Magistrate Fang¡¯s promise. ¡°Thank you, Magistrate Fang.¡±


    As the carriage started moving, Advisor Huang asked in confusion, ¡°Sir, doesn¡¯t Miss Mu fear that the children in the nursery will have too much power and turn the tables on her?¡±


    Magistrate Fang closed his eyes slightly and said, ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. Even in another 180 years, the children in the nursery might not be able to surpass the Mu family. She already said that the suggestions have to be legal, reasonable, and certified by the Mu family and the government office before they can be incorporated in the system. If those children go overboard, they can just refuse to adopt those suggestions.¡±


    ¡°However, it¡¯s already very remarkable for her to give in to this extent. How many people in the world would teach arge group of people to go against oneself?¡± Magistrate Fang sighed. ¡°If these children turn out promising and still have a conscience, they will all be the Mu family¡¯s connections. There are more than 1,000 of them¡­¡±


    At this thought, Magistrate Fang did not know if he had done the right thing by supporting the nursery.


    However, Advisor Huang smiled and said, ¡°Sir, how promising can they be? I¡¯ve also seen their sses. They do dabble in the Four Books, but the Five ssics are rarely mentioned. Their teaching focus is on ¡®The Analects¡¯, history books, arithmetic, agriculture, and various crafts sses. It¡¯s impossible for them to take the Imperial Examination based on that. At most, they can grow up to be ountants, carpenters, and so on.¡±


    In this world, achievements were still determined by politics. Only by bing an official could one be considered to have great achievements. Feeling that he was overthinking, Magistrate Fang merely nodded slightly and let the matter go.


    At this moment, Mu Yangling was talking to Teacher Liu about the education of the children in the nursery. ¡°Let the teachers guide them and allow the students to think of a way to verify their thoughts first instead of simply shouting out any new ideas thate to mind.


    Teacher Liu was also afraid that his threshold would be broken by the students, so he nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Let the children not infringe on others¡¯ interests when they verify their thoughts. Also, they should pay attention to their own safety.¡± Considering the children¡¯s world was colorful, who knew what thoughts they would have after hearing her words?


    Mu Yangling¡¯s concerns came true.


    After ss, the children spread Mu Yangling¡¯s words. No one targeted or treated the youth with hostility anymore. Instead, they faintly admired him. Because Mu Yangling had said that they could bring it up if they had any ideas, everyone began to pay attention and indeed raised many questions. For example, since more than 1,000 of them had to go to the valley to get drinking water, they often had conflicts with the children in the nearby viges. Thus, the children asked the nursery to build a few wells nearby so that it would be convenient for them¡­


    Because of the guidance of the teachers, they didn¡¯t report to Bowen and the others the trivial stuff such as washing of clothes the moment they thought of it. Instead, they first considered whether the benefits outweighed the disadvantages and only wrote it down after studying the feasibility. Only then did they report it to Bowen and the others.


    These things extended to their learning life. A student who chose to learn printing felt that it was very troublesome to carve a copy every time he printed a book. This was because he realized that many words were used repeatedly. It so happened that a good pal had chosen woodworking. Once, when he was carving the homework assigned by a teacher, he saw that pal helping his younger siblings carve things with scrap wood. He was struck with the idea of dismantling the carvings of the words one by one. When he wanted to print a book, he would just find the typesetting printing from a pile of type matrices. Because Mu Yangling had told them to only suggest it after verifying that it was feasible, he suppressed his thoughts and secretly brought his woodworking friends to verify it.


    By the time Mu Yangling heard about this from Bowen and Xiuhong s argument, the autumn harvest had already ended. She was fretting about the gift for Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s wedding that was to take ce in three days.


    ¡°I think this is apletely impossible idea. Didn¡¯t he destroy all the type matrices he made previously when he was casting them? Even his teacher said that he was delusional,¡± Xiuhong said with a pout.


    However, Bowen¡¯s eyes lit up as he said excitedly, ¡°That¡¯s because he still can¡¯t control the casting temperature. It¡¯s also possible that wood isn¡¯t suitable for making type matrices. Let¡¯s change the material or test the casting temperature further. It might work.¡±


    ¡°But how much time and money will that take?


    ¡ö¡öNo matter how much it costs, this possibility is worth exploring.¡± Bowen¡¯s eyes were bright as he said firmly, ¡°Cousin Xiuhong, do you know the impact of a new printing technique on a country or even the world?¡±


    When Mu Yangling heard this, she curiously interrupted and asked with a smile, ¡°What printing technique are you talking about?¡±


    Bowen excitedly recounted the matter and said, ¡°Lin Ke has tried many times. The type matrices carved from wood can¡¯t withstand the casting temperature and can¡¯t be printed at all. However, he feels that this method is feasible. It¡¯s just a matter of the materials, so he came to me in private, hoping that I can provide him with a rtively heat-resistant and hard wood. Sister, what do you think of his idea?¡±


    Mu Yangling was shocked when she heard that. She asked in surprise, ¡°Is the printing technique still the engraved printing technique?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Bowen looked at his sister strangely. ¡°Other than copying manually, it¡¯s always been engraved printing.¡±


    How was this possible?


    As a transmigrator, why hadn¡¯t Emperor Shizong developed movable type printing?


    Mu Yangling widened her eyes and asked, ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s always been engraved type printing? Even after Emperor Shizong s era?


    Thinking that his sister was joking with him, Bowen said helplessly, ¡°Sister, there¡¯s only one type of printing technique. Since you¡¯ve read more history books than me, how can you not know?¡±


    This was the first time Mu Yangling had consulted him about history.


    -When has history books ever talked about printing techniques?¡± Mu Yangling muttered. She stopped eating and stood up. ¡°Come, bring me to see that Lin Ke. His name is interesting. Who gave him that name?


    ¡°He chose it himself. Initially, he wanted to call himself ¡®Lin Diaoke?¡¯, but his teacher called him by that name for two days before asking him to change it. At this point, Bowenughed out loud. ¡°It¡¯s said that every time Teacher shouted ¡®Diaoke¡¯ in the ssroom, the students below would look nkly at him, wondering what it was he was asking them to engrave. Haha¡­¡±

 Chapter 391 - 391: Gift

    Chapter 391: Gift


    Trantor: As Studios <sup>1</sup> Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yanghng couldn¡¯t help butugh when she heard that. Half of the children in the nursery didn¡¯t have names when they came, and another half had many sharing the same names. Therefore, after they began to recognize words, they started giving themselves names.


    It was the same for Lin Ke0. He used to be called Sanzhu, but there were enough Sanzhus in the nursery to surround the nursery. Because he had chosen the craft of printing, he had to often carve type matrices. That was why he hade up with this name.


    Lin Ke was sitting cross-legged on the ground, looking at the type matrices he had carved. Actually, he had tried three types of wood, but he had not seeded. Thus, he had no choice but to look for Young Master Bowen.


    Just as Lin Ke was worrying about whether Young Master Bowen would agree to help him get the materials, he heard a gentle female voice ask, ¡°You¡¯re Lin Ke?¡±


    Lin Ke looked up and saw Mu Yangling standing not far away from him. He immediately got up and nodded uneasily. ¡°Miss, I-I¡¯m Lin Ke.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the wooden type matrices on the ground. ¡°Did you carve these?¡±


    Lin Ke scratched his head in embarrassment. ¡°Yes, they were ruined as soon as they were casted.¡±


    Mu Yangling picked up a type matrix and pinched it. These wooden blocks were all carved from wood fragments left over from making furniture, so their temperature-bearing ability was indeed rtively low.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know what kind of wood was required for the movable type printing technique, but she had heard of the tin type. However, the most famous one was y type. After thinking for a moment, Mu Yangling said, ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to prepare more heat-resistant wood for you. Experiment with it with a few of your ssmates. However, don¡¯t tell anyone about this first. Just treat it as your usual homework.¡±


    Other than Bowen and her, Teacher Liu was probably the only other person in the nursery who realized the impact of movable type printing.


    Giddy with excitement, Lin Ke nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°Miss, don¡¯t worry. I will definitely work hard to verify that this printing method is useful.¡± Naturally, Mu Yangling believed him. She asked someone to buy heat-resistant wood overnight.


    Xiuhong was speechless. ¡°Will this really work?¡±


    Mu Yangling turned her head and said, ¡°Even if it doesn¡¯t work, this possibility is worth testing. Xiuhong, you should read more books. Ask Bowen, why is he willing to support Lin Ke without any guarantee of sess.¡±


    Xiuhong turned to look at Bowen.


    Bowen looked up and said, ¡°That¡¯s because the spread of culture represents technological advancement. Cousin Xiuhong, with the invention of paper back then, many things in the world could be recorded. It¡¯s also because of the invention of paper that non-nobles can afford to read. And only after the engraving and printing technique was invented did the Imperial Examinatione about. If Lin Ke¡¯s method works, not to mention anything else, the price of books will be much cheaper. With more people in the world who are educated, the power of the country will naturally increase.¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°It¡¯s not that exaggerated. However, the spread of culture will indeed be much stronger.¡±


    When Mu Yangling returned, she opened the history book about Emperor Shizong and realized that there was really no mention of the movable type printing technique. Could it be that he had forgotten?


    Mu Yanghng couldn¡¯t find the reason and could only not think about it. She had already found the gift for Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s wedding.


    She had no intention of hiding the movable type printing technique. It wasn¡¯t as if she could hide it either. Other than the bookstore, no one else would bother snatching this. Didn¡¯t they say that after Bi Sheng invented the movable type printing technique, he wasn¡¯t valued by the upper echelons? This caused the method of making the y lettering mold to be lost and only the movable type printing technique itself to be passed down.


    Although this was not the Northern Song Dynasty, Great Zhou was simr to the Song Dynasty. Perhaps the upper echelons here were the same as the upper echelons of the Northern Song Dynasty.


    Two dayster, through experiments, Lin Ke finally found two types of suitable wood. After casting them, the printed characters were still not ideal, but it was much better than previously where he could not even print them.


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly and said, ¡°Try the y. y should work much better than wood.¡±


    y?¡± Confusion shed across Lin Ke¡¯s eyes. ¡°Isn¡¯t that used to make pottery?¡±


    Yes, there are limitations to the characters made of wood. Moreover, they will break after being used a few times. y doesn¡¯t have the texture of wood. As long as it¡¯s cast well, the lifespan of y type matrices should be more than ten times longer than that made from wood.¡±


    Lin Ke was eager to try. ¡°But Miss, I don¡¯t know how to fire y.¡±


    You can sign up for a y-firing course, or you can ask your fellow pottery-making ssmates to help you.¡± Mu Yangling looked at Lin Ke in admiration and said, ¡°Considering you¡¯re only 12 this year, you still have a lot of time to study this.¡±


    Lin Ke¡¯s eyes sparkled, then he became worried again. ¡°Will anyone use this printing method?¡±


    As long as you do it well, someone will definitely use it. Your name will even be recorded in history books in the future.¡±


    Lin Ke¡¯s eyes lit up, and he said firmly, ¡°Miss, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely work hard.¡±


    ¡°I want to send this printing technique to General Qi and let him promote it. I wonder if you¡¯re willing. Of course, if this printing technique generates benefits which get passed to me, I¡¯ll pass them all to you.¡±


    Lin Ke¡¯s face flushed red as he shook his head repeatedly and said, ¡°Miss, this¡­ this belongs to you and the nursery. Anyone can learn this.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled. ¡°I know that anyone can learn it, but since you invented it, there has to be a reward.¡±


    ¡°Miss, it¡¯s fine as long as you make the decision. I-I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±


    Mu Yangling took the type matrices from the second chapter of ¡®The Analects¡¯.


    With this, Mu Yangling wrapped a red packet of too taels of silver and went to Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s wedding banquet. Mu Yangling highly valued this, so when she handed it to Steward Zhu, she specially instructed him to let Qi Xiuyuan see it. Steward Zhu was so busy that he forgot about it. Even if he didn¡¯t forget, he wouldn¡¯t harass his master with this on their wedding night. However, the next day, when Qi Xiuyuan brought Li Jinghua to meet the servants in the residence, Steward Zhu remembered.


    However, the newlywed Qi Xiuyuan only yed chess and chatted with his wife, and didn¡¯t go to the study to deal with political matters. Steward Zhu didn¡¯t know what was in the box, so he hesitated for a moment.


    Seeing that Steward Zhu was still not going, Qi Xiuyuan asked with a smile, ¡°Why are you still here? Was my red packet not fat enough?¡±


    Steward Zhu yawned and said, ¡°I really want to ask for another red packet, but


    I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re willing to give.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan threw a red packet at him and scolded jokingly, ¡°Alright, you¡¯re still fooling around in front of thedy of the house. Tell me, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Master, it¡¯s not a big deal. It¡¯s just that when Miss Mu came yesterday, apart from the gift money, she specially gave me a box. She said that it was a special wedding gift for you and even instructed me to let you see itter. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s inside. I don¡¯t know if it has dyed Miss Mu¡¯s matters.¡± Steward Zhu knew that Eldest Young Master valued this future Fourth Young Madam very much.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t help but sit up straight and ask, ¡°Where¡¯s the box?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve kept it alone. I¡¯ll bring it over for you to see now.¡±


    Take it to the study. I happen to have some work to deal with.¡± Qi Xiuyuan turned to his wife and instructed softly, ¡°Go back to your room and rest. I¡¯lle back to apany you after I¡¯m done with my work.¡±

 Chapter 392 - 392: Reject

    Chapter 392: Reject


    Trantor: As Studios | Editor: As Studios


    Li Jinghua agreed with a smile. After he left, she brought Wen Cui back to the room, then waved her away and leaned against the bed to read. Wen Cui went out for about 45 minutes beforeing in. Smiling, she said, ¡°Madam, do you know who Miss Mu is?¡±


    Li Jinghua looked up at her. Wen Cui said with a smile, ¡°She¡¯s our future fourth madam. I heard that they¡¯re waiting for you to marry into the family before confirming her marriage.¡±


    Li Jinghua was slightly stunned. Her eyebrows rxed slightly as she smiled and said, ¡°So she¡¯s Fourth Young Master¡¯s future fiancee. Then, the Mu family¡­¡±


    Old Master Mu is an assistantmander under Eldest Young Master, currently guarding Xingzhou Prefecture. Miss Mu has known Fourth Young Master from a young age, and Eldest Young Master also respects her very much. Since she oftenes to the residence to y, perhaps you will be able to see her in two days.¡±


    In less than two days, Qi Xiuyuan invited her over that afternoon because he opened the box and found the characters of the second chapter of ¡®The Analects¡¯ carved in wood. He couldn¡¯t understand it after looking at it for a long time, and Mu Yangling wouldn¡¯t send useless things to prank him, so he could only invite her over.


    Mu Yangling excitedly described Lin Ke¡¯s invention and then looked at Qi Xiuyuan eagerly. Qi Xiuyuanughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a creation by a craftsman. Ah Ling, why did you think of giving this to me? I don¡¯t have a bookstore under me.¡±


    As he said that, he tilted his head slightly and said hesitantly: ¡°Could it be that Zijin has recently dabbled in bookstores? Why does this child do all kinds of business?¡±


    ¡°Big Brother Qi, the significance of this invention doesn¡¯t just lie in the bookstore.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°This is a major matter that benefits the country and the people. I brought it to you because I want to contribute to the country through you.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan stared into Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes for a while and knew that she wanted him to submit a memorial to the Imperial Court. Not only could she obtain enough benefits for that little boy called Lin Ke, but she also wanted Qi Xiuyuan to take the credit for discovering the talent. However, this was just a printing method that was only useful to the bookstores. How could this be considered a great contribution?


    He did not want to make a fool of himself.


    He put the box aside and crossed his hands on his abdomen. Smiling, he said, ¡°Ah Ling, I know that you want to help that child, the nursery, or even me, but this really isn¡¯t much of a contribution. We can sell this method to a bookstore. However, there¡¯s no such thing as an absolutely secret technique in this world. Considering this thing can be learned very easily, the bookstore won¡¯t offer a very high price¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth fell open. So this was how important the movable type printing technique was in the eyes of the ancients. Indeed, there was a big generation gap. Her younger brother, with his foresight, was the best.


    Mu Yangling looked at Qi Xiuyuan in distress.


    Seeing that her face was scrunched up, Qi Xiuyuan joked, ¡°This is at most a business. In terms of merit, you only have a huge merit in your hands. If you really want to gather merit for me, are you willing to give that merit to me?¡± Mu Yangling looked up weakly and asked, ¡°What merit have 1 achieved?¡± Seeing her confused look, Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t help but shake his head secretly. ¡°Geez, you¡¯re like Haoran.¡± He said, ¡°Your rice fields yielded 245 catties per acre this year, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling tilted her head. ¡°Big Brother Qi, are you talking about the military fields in Chenggu Garrison?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded. ¡°Ah Ling, do you know what the yield of rice fields in your area is this year?¡±


    Seeing Mu Yangling looking at him, he said word by word, ¡°Only 82 catties. Because of the drought, the average yield in your area is only 82 catties per acre. I heard that you divided ten acres of rice into four different methods. Do you mind telling me?¡±


    Mu Yangling naturally did not mind.


    Four nting methods were used. Two used drought-resistant seeds. One was sufficiently irrigated to ensure that moisture was sufficient. The other employed the dry seeding technique-aside from watering it once during the grain filling stage, it would not be watered again.


    Two types used good seeds bought from the grain store. The above two nting methods were employed, and there were four different harvests.


    Sighing, Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°Food is the priority of the people, and the country values the people. The one in your hand is the real merit. Four years ago, I stillughed at you for being as mischievous and stubborn as Haoran, but now it seems that we¡¯re the real fools.¡±


    ¡°But Big Brother Qi, this drought-resistant seed has only been tested for a year, and it¡¯s still unstable. There are still many issues that haven¡¯t been confirmed. What if something happens after we report it?¡± Mu Yangling said with a frown, ¡°Why don¡¯t we wait another two years? By then, we should have figured out the issues with the seeds and the nting technique. Big Brother Qi, we can report it to the higher-ups then.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan was stunned for a moment beforeughing out loud. Looking at the serious Mu Yangling, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s heart warmed slightly. He shook his head andughed. ¡°You, I was just joking with you. Just do whatever you want. I¡¯m still waiting for you to develop good seeds. When the timees, the seeds for nting rice in the West Camp wille from you.¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed happily. She looked at the box of type matrices and couldn¡¯t help but feel vexed again. She asked, ¡°Big Brother Qi, are you sure you can¡¯t report this?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan shook his head and smiled. ¡°You can¡¯t let Big Brother Qi lose face in front of the ministers. This won¡¯t do. You should show it to Zijin and let him help you sell it for a good price.¡±


    Mu Yangling was reluctant to sell it like this.


    Alright, since you¡¯re here today, have dinner with us. Stay here tonight.¡± Qi Xiuyuan stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you to see your sister-inw. You didn¡¯t go to the bridal chamber yesterday and haven¡¯t seen her, right? Ah, no, you¡¯ve already seen her before she married into the family.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled embarrassedly. ¡°I forgot to prepare a gift for Sister-inw this time.¡± After saying that, she said in distress, ¡°I originally wanted to present this to you as your wedding gift, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be botched.¡± Qi Xiuyuanforted her with a smile. ¡°Haoran gave us something valuable, though. I¡¯ll just treat it as a gift from the two of you.¡±


    Mu Yangling blushed and muttered, ¡°Who¡¯s with him?¡±


    Seeing her childish attitude, Qi Xiuyuanughed heartily. ¡°If you really want to gift me something, I think the leather jacket you gave Haoranst time is pretty good.¡± Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s smile faded slightly. ¡°That jacket saved Haoran¡¯s life.


    If you really want to make up for my wedding gift, teach your sister-inw how to make one for me.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. When the timees, with the heart-protecting mirror in, it can save your life at critical moments.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded with a smile. That was right.


    Actually, as long as he handed that piece of clothing to the servants, they could also make one, too. However, he did not know how Mu Yangling had dealt with the leather back then that made the leather jacket very tough. Ordinary knives could not cut through it. Previously, he had many things to deal with, so he had forgotten about this matter.


    Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and directly asked her how to deal with the leather. Mu Yangling found a pen, ink, paper, and inkstone and leaned on the table to write it for him. The form and processing steps were written clearly. As she wrote, she said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you wearing armor? Brother Haoran can¡¯t stand to wear metal armor, so I made the leather armor for him to wear.¡± In front of Qi Xiuyuan, Mu Yangling had always been very obedient. She had to add the word ¡®Brother¡¯ when addressing Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin..

 Chapter 393 - 393: Letter

    Chapter 393: Letter


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°The armor is heavy and can¡¯t be worn at all times.¡± Qi Haoran exined, ¡°The leather armor has a certain protective effect and is light. What¡¯s more useful than armor?¡±


    Moreover, the leather armor that Mu Yangling made was very thin and soft. One only needed to wear an undergarment inside, and it was impossible to tell underneath their clothes. It was more of an element of surprise.


    When Li Jinghua came in, she was facing Mu Yangling. Mu Yangling looked up and saw Li Jinghua. She hurriedly stood up with a smile and bowed. ¡°This must be Sister-inw?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nced at Mu Yangling with a faint smile, his eyes clearly saying, ¡°Keep pretending.¡±


    Li Jinghua didn¡¯t have time to think and had already gone forward to help her up. She said with a smile, ¡°Miss Mu, there¡¯s no need to be so polite. Quickly sit down.¡±


    Li Jinghua took a pair of silver bracelets from Wen Cui and handed them to her. She smiled and said, ¡°This is a gift from me since it¡¯s our first time meeting.¡± Mu Yangling epted it graciously and smiled. ¡°Thank you, Sister-inw ¡± She said in embarrassment, ¡°I came in a hurry today and left the gift for you at home. I¡¯ll send it to youter.¡±


    ¡°Alright, does your sister-inwck anything?¡± Qi Xiuyuan interrupted her. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat first.¡±


    Mu Yangling picked up the prescription on the table and handed it to Qi Xiuyuan. ¡°Big Brother Qi, the prescription is done.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan folded it carelessly and put it in his sleeve, before leading everyone to the dining room. On the way, he turned around and asked a servant girl, ¡°Where¡¯s Young Master Zijin?¡±


    ¡°Young Master Zijin went out early in the morning and didn¡¯t say if he wasing back for dinner.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan frowned slightly, but Mu Yangling had already seen Fan Zijin walking over quickly. Qi Xiuyuan also saw him and waved. ¡°Hurry up and wash up. We¡¯ll wait for you.¡±


    Fan Zijin could only hurriedly bow to Li Jinghua and turn around to return to his room. Fortunately, he was fast enough. Li Jinghua had just held Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and finished asking about her family situation when he arrived.


    Fan Zijin sat down on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s right and asked Mu Yangling, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    At this point, Qi Xiuyuan smiled and took the initiative to say, ¡°Zijin, I was about to tell you that a child in Ah Ling¡¯s nursery hase up with a new printing method. Later, help her find a bookseller and sell that technique. Make sure Ah Ling doesn¡¯t suffer a loss.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Tell me in detailter. I¡¯ll help you find someone.¡± With Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s suggestion, Fan Zijin agreed readily.


    ¡°No.¡± Mu Yangling refused immediately. ¡°I want to keep it for myself.¡± Li Jinghua looked at Mu Yangling in surprise. Fan Zijin said unhappily, ¡°Then why did you stille to me?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuanughed out loud and said, ¡°This child thinks that this is a wonderful thing that benefits the country and the people. She wants me to submit a memorial to the Emperor.¡± He mocked her.


    Mu Yangling only pouted and did not refute.


    Fan Zijin pursed his lips and said, ¡°When you can develop other high-yielding grains like corn one day, that will be a great merit. Don¡¯t think about anything


    ¡°Do potatoes count?¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at her in disdain. ¡°Potatoes are vegetables, not grains.¡± ¡°Who said potatoes aren¡¯t grains? It can also fill your stomach when you¡¯re hungry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only seen people eat corn porridge, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone eat potato cubes. How long can potatoes keep one full? They¡¯ll be hungry again in less than two hours. What kind of grains is this?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Seeing that the dishes were all served, Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat first. You can argue after dinner.¡±


    Li Jinghua, who had been sitting quietly at the table, looked up and smiled upon hearing Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s words. She took the initiative to pick up some food for Mu Yangling, who smiled and thanked her.


    As per tradition, Li Jinghua was supposed to visit her new inws on the second day of their marriage. However, the Qi family were in Lin¡¯an Prefecture and Qi Haoran was not at home. Fan Zijin only met Qi Xiuyuan briefly in the morning before leaving. Since between the sexes there should be a prudent reserve, Mu Yangling¡¯s arrival obviously eased Li Jinghua¡¯s awkwardness. When Qi Xiuyuan was talking to Fan Zijin, Li Jinghua pulled Mu Yangling aside to talk to her.


    Wen Cui looked up at Mu Yangling again, confusion shing across her eyes She kept feeling that this Miss Mu looked familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere before.


    ¡°¡­So you don¡¯t live in Jingzhao Prefecture. In that case, it will be difficult for me to visit your house in the future,¡± Li Jinghua said regretfully.


    Beaming, Mu Yangling said, ¡°I live in Hanzhong Prefecture most of the time.


    It¡¯s not far. If Sister-inw is bored, you cane look for me.¡±


    Li Jinghua smiled shyly. After the cousins finished speaking, Fan Zijin turned around and said to Mu Yangling, ¡°Haoran wrote you a few letters. I¡¯ll get Yanmo to bring them to youter.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°Why did Haoran write to Ah Ling through you?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but sit up straight and ask, ¡°Did he get into trouble again?¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s body stiffened, but he smiled without batting an eyelid. ¡°Eldest Cousin, Haoran is already much more mature. He¡¯s just too embarrassed to pass the letter to Ah Ling through you. He¡¯s not in any trouble.¡±


    He nced at Mu Yangling, hoping that she would be smart enough to y along.


    Mu Yangling lowered her head shyly and remained silent.


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at the two of them suspiciously and couldn¡¯t see any clues. He could only say, ¡°It¡¯s best if he doesn¡¯t get into trouble. If he does, you¡¯d better not hide it for him. Otherwise, a small disaster can also be a huge disaster.¡±


    He thought of the trouble his younger brother had caused in the past. Although he was lucky enough to keep it hidden, who knew if he would be so lucky next time?


    When Yanmo sent over two letters and a bag, Mu Yangling asked in surprise, ¡°Why are there two letters?¡±


    ¡°The first letter was received three days ago. Our young master wanted to have it sent to you when he¡¯s free, but then he received another letter a few days ago. This bag was sent along with it. Our young master thought that you would have to attend Eldest Young Master¡¯s wedding banquet anyway, so he kept it for you. It¡¯s just that everyone was busy yesterday and forgot about it.¡± After saying that, he stood there without moving.


    Mu Yangling took the letter and looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Alright, go back.


    Tell your young master that I received it.¡±


    Yanmo smiled bitterly and hesitated to leave. Under Mu Yangling¡¯s oppressive gaze, he said in a low voice, ¡°Miss, my master is just worried that Young Master Haoran might have gotten into trouble outside again, so¡­¡±


    Only then did Mu Yangling not chase him away. She quickly opened the letter and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t Haoran write to your Young Master Zijin?¡±


    With a secretive expression, Yanmo said, ¡°He only wrote one letter to him. The second time, there was only your letter.¡±


    No wonder Fan Zijin was so worried after only one day.


    The first letter was very simple. It was nothing more than missing her and discussing Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s marriage. Qi Haoran said that he had given his big brother a big gift and it would be treated as a gift from the two of them, to make things simpler on her side.


    Mu Yangling scanned through it quickly before opening the second letter. Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows slightly under Yanmo¡¯s pleading gaze.


    The letter said that when he went to survey the terrain, he came to a valley. There was a patch of wild rice there that grew very well. He remembered that Mu Yangling had said that she wanted to find wild rice to crossbreed, so he brought people back to collect some seeds.


    Mu Yangling shook the bag in her hand. This was only a little more than a catty of grain, but it was better than nothing.


    Mu Yangling looked up and met Yanmo¡¯s pleading gaze. ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. He just said that he found a patch of wild rice in a valley. He knew that I needed it, so he got someone to send it back..¡±

 Chapter 394 - 394’. Gains

    Chapter 394¡¯. Gains


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Fan Zijin gritted his teeth and said hatefully, ¡°That b*stard who values a girl over his friend. How much time can it take to write another letter to me? I shouldn¡¯t have worried about him for nothing.¡±


    Yanmo looked down as he stood below, pretending not to hear him.


    After being angry for a while, Fan Zijin recalled how Qi Haoran had repeatedly instructed him to take care of Mu Yangling before he left. So, he resigned himself to helping Mu Yangling n the bookstore. ¡°Find a shopkeeper for her and have him sign the indenture contract. Let them discuss between themselves where the bookstore will be opened.¡±


    ¡°But Miss Mu doesn¡¯t seem to like indentures¡­¡±


    ¡°Then bring the indenture to me.¡± Fan Zijin liked to use ves when it came to hiring people. This way, their lives would be in his hands. It was theplete opposite of Mu Yangling¡¯s employment system. ¡°Just send the person overter. It¡¯s not as if she¡¯ll ask you.¡±


    Fan Zijin pursed her lips. ¡°At most, she¡¯ll just ask about the sry.¡± Indeed, Mu Yangling did not expect the shopkeeper to sell himself to Fan Zijin.


    She thought that he was an experienced professional he had found for her, so she only asked politely about his sry. After knowing that the other party could for his family himself, she confirmed the size of the bookstore and the location of the workshop. Then, she handed the operations and funds to Shopkeeper He, and Mu Yangling washed her hands off of the matter.


    Lin Ke experimented a few times and finally confirmed that there were two types of cheaper and more effective wood. After casting them, the effect was not bad.


    Mu Yangling directly gave him a 30% share of the bookstore. Although she still asked him to study y type matrices, she did not let him neglect his other studies. She said, ¡°Considering you¡¯re still young, I don¡¯t want you to spend all your time on this. Your path should be wider. Don¡¯t neglect the other wonderful stuff in your life.¡±


    Lin Ke only smiled shyly. Mu Yangling didn¡¯t nag further.


    This autumn, she had a great harvest. After paying taxes, Mu Yangling divided all the grains into two portions. Half of them were stored in a warehouse not far from the nursery, and the other half was transported into Chef Mountain. There was a granary built by Qi Haoran inside, and half of the grains were stored there in case of emergencies.


    Other than Qi Xiuyuan, only Rong Xuan and Fan Zijin knew about this. The people escorting the grain cart were Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s own clique.


    Other than Mu Yangling¡¯s batch of grains, there was also Fan Zijin¡¯s acquisition. He also quietly took out some and ced them in the granary. Everyone made these preparations quietly, and did not announce it to the public.


    While Mu Yangling was tabtingst year¡¯s yield per acre and farming situation, Shopkeeper He had also found a shop in Hanzhong Prefecture. He came over to report to Mu Yangling and bowed. ¡°Miss, I¡¯ve found the shop and bought it directly. The bookstore has also engraved 3,800 characters. Among them, 3,500 aremonly used characters. They¡¯ve made 20 molds of each of the mostmonly used characters. They can be imprinted now.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and said, ¡°Then do it. Print somemonly used books


    first.¡±


    ¡°Then how do we set the price?¡±


    ¡°A little lower than the average bookstore. You can set the price at your own discretion. Try to lower the price.¡±


    Shopkeeper He frowned. ¡°Miss, the price of books is usually fixed by bookstores. If we go cheap, we¡¯ll probably be the target of public criticism¡­¡±


    ¡°Then tell them that the quality of our books is inferior to other bookstores.¡± Mu Yangling looked at the shopkeeper seriously and said, ¡°The reason why I use movable type printing is not only to reduce the cost, but also to lower the price of the books as a result of that. Having the natural wood patterns, the characters imprinted using movable type printing are naturally not as exquisite and wless as engraving. It¡¯s understandable that it¡¯s cheaper.


    With a smile, Mu Yangling said, ¡°If the people from the other bookstores want to know about this printing method, you can do business with them and sell


    this technology.¡±


    ¡°What about the price?¡±


    Mu Yangling waved her hand nonchntly and said, ¡°Exercise your own discretion. You don¡¯t have to ask me.


    Her goal was to spread the movable type printing technique, not to earn money.


    Stunned by Mu Yangling¡¯s generosity, Shopkeeper He looked at her speechlessly for a while.


    ¡°By the way, 70% of the money received from the sale of this technology will be given to Lin Ke, 10% to the bookstore, and 10% to the nursery. The remaining 10% will be yours.¡±


    Shopkeeper He¡¯s pupils constricted. For a moment, he was unsure if Mu Yangling was doing this on purpose.


    However, Mu Yangling had already waved him away. She took out the seeds of the wild rice that Qi Haoran had sent back to her and wondered if the rice could be improved next year.


    Mu Yangling had spent most of her energy on grains cultivation in the past year. In the second year, not only for rice, but they also chose wheat seeds for different experiments.


    It was also this year that Mu Yangling, Liu Ting, and the others finally confirmed the superiority of dry rice seeds. Its resistance to drought was far higher than ordinary rice. Most of Mu Yangling¡¯s production that year was used as seeds.


    Mu Yangling named it Dry Rice No. 1. She only left a third of the grain seeds and sent the rest to Qi Xiuyuan. Other than the ones used by her family, she also gave some to the Liu family. Then, she gave half to Magistrate Wu and Magistrate Fang, which Qi Xiuyuan had hinted to do so.


    His situation did not allow him to get too close to the local officials, but Mu Yangling was unaffected.


    This time, Qi Xiuyuan did not report Dry Rice No. 1 to the Imperial Court. Even Magistrate Wu and Magistrate Fang did not mention it because they knew that even if they did, the Imperial Court could hardly take care of themselves.


    The oue of reporting it to the Imperial Court was most likely that they would send their men to take the rice seeds away and let them fall into the hands of the nobles, just like what happened with the corn seeds. In that case, they might as well distribute them to themoners under their rule. Moreover, sincest year, there had been many rebellions and suppression of rebellions. Not only did the two assistantmanders sent by Qi Xiuyuan not return, but he also sent another one out. But now, apart from Jiangnan, the rebel army was everywhere. Even the state capital under General Yuan¡¯s rule had seen the appearance of the rebel army, but Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s side was much more stable.


    Firstly, this ce was rtively small, and because this was the main area for corn cultivation, no one starved to death, so they were not forced to rebel. The magistrates were living in fear, afraid that a rebel army would appear under their rule at any time. Everyone also deeply realized the importance of grains. Therefore, after obtaining Mu Yangling¡¯s seeds, Magistrate Fang and Magistrate Wu tightened their pockets and did not leak any out.


    This naturally referred to outside the state capital. Ultimately, they had to distribute these seeds to their citizens.


    Magistrate Fang was fine, but Magistrate Wu would definitely take care of himself and some of the squires first. Therefore, Mu Yangling favored Magistrate Fang when she gave them the seeds.


    Magistrate Fang didn¡¯t go around bragging about it after benefiting from it. He silently epted Mu Yangling¡¯s good intentions, but whenever military matters were involved, he would make things easier for Qi Xiuyuan. This was a pleasant surprise.


    This year, Qi Xiuyuan brought people north to reim two more counties. After that, he guarded the reimed lostnd and quietly watched the chaos in the pass.


    Unknowingly, his state of mind was also slowly changing..

 Chapter 395 - 395: Dimming Star

    Chapter 395: Dimming Star


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Yuan Hui looked up at the starry sky and saw that the Emperor Star was getting dimmer. He couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Soon, soon.¡±


    When his gazended on the gradually brightening constetion not far away from the Emperor Star, the smile on his lips widened. However, before he could say anything smug, the constetion that was gradually approaching the Emperor Star day by day suddenly flickered. Then, it dimmed like amp that had more than half of itsmp oil sucked dry. It was now even dimmer than the


    Emperor Star beside it.


    Yuan Hui¡¯s expression changed drastically. He calcted with her fingers and, ignoring the fact that it waste at night, shouted loudly, ¡°Someone, someone!¡±


    Bai Li, who was in the room, jumped up and rushed over. Seeing that Yuan Hui was unharmed, his expression eased and he asked, ¡°Master, what do you


    want?¡±


    Yuan Hui¡¯s expression was flustered. ¡°Your master is in trouble. Hurry up and find Fourth Young Master and Miss Mu. Hurry!¡±


    Bai Li looked at him suspiciously. How did this person know that his master was in trouble when he had not left the house?


    Yuan Hui had already grabbed him and pointed at the increasingly dim star in the sky. ¡°Do you see that? That¡¯s your master. Originally, he was gradually approaching the Ziwei Star and gradually bing brighter than the Emperor Star. In time, it will definitely rece the Ziwei Star and be the new Emperor Star. However, it¡¯s dimming now. His life is in danger. Hurry up and save him! This is the world¡¯s¡­ Boohoo¡­¡±


    Seeing that he was getting more and more explicit, Bai Li quickly covered his mouth and his face turned pale. He remembered that his master had transferred him here from the Fourth Young Master¡¯s side and asked him to keep an eye on Yuan Hui, but he could not neglect his instructions. Bai Li already believed 70% of it in his heart. Coupled with the fact that he was worried about his master, Bai Li did not bother to distinguish the truth in his words now and directly pulled him into the house. ¡°Master, rest for a while. I¡¯ll


    go find them.¡±


    Bai Li went to look for Steward Zhu and asked him to immediately send someone to Hanzhong Prefecture to invite Miss Mu over. ¡°Is Fourth Young Master in Hanzhong Prefecture or Xingzhou Prefecture now?¡±


    Steward Zhu¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It seems like he¡¯s in neither


    residence.¡±


    Bai Li turned his head and instructed the guard at the side, ¡°Hurry up and find Young Master Zijin. Young Master Zijin will definitely be able to find Fourth


    Young Master.¡±


    Yuan Hui jogged out from behind. When Bai Li saw him, he could not help but have a headache. ¡°Master, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Have you gone to look for Miss Mu and Fourth Young Master?¡±


    Bai Li nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know where Fourth Young Master is. Why don¡¯t I bring people to Fuping to take a look first?


    During this period of time, the Hus had been a little restless and often attacked the border. There had been several cases of them crossing the border to rob themoners. Worried, Qi Xiuyuan had brought his men to personally patrol. It had only been three days since they left.


    -What¡¯s the use of you going?¡± Yuan Hui snapped angrily, ¡°It has to be Fourth


    Young Master and Miss Mu.¡±


    Yuan Hui¡¯s eyes lit up as he said, ¡°Your master¡¯s cmity can only be resolved by Fourth Young Master, and Fourth Young Master¡¯s cmity has to be resolved by Miss Mu. We have to find Fourth Young Master and Miss Mu. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to find them even if you go.


    Bai Li naturally would not leave everything up to fate based on Yuan Hui¡¯s words alone. Hence, he turned around and transferred all the secret guards and guards left in the residence to Fuping to rescue them immediately.


    When Fan Zijin rushed back, he saw that Yuan Hui and Bai Li were in disagreement. Although the guards and secret guards were ready to leave, they did not set off immediately. With a dark expression, Fan Zijin red at the two of them who were arguing before turning around. ¡°Bai Li, stay behind. The rest of you, split into two teams. One team will stay to guard the General¡¯s Mansion, and the other team will leave the city immediately with the token and go to


    Fuping.¡±


    With Fan Zijin¡¯s order, the subordinates quickly split up and set off under their respective leaders.


    ¡°Young Master Zijin, Fourth Young Master¡­¡± Bai Li asked anxiously.


    ¡öTve already sent someone to fetch him. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll be here soon.¡±


    Qi Haoran was not far away, and was in a stronghold in the Jingzhao Prefecture. As he had been in charge of the intelligence system for the past two years, his whereabouts were a little erratic. Other than Qi Xiuyuan and Fan Zijin, even Mu Yangling and Rong Xuan could not tell where he was sometimes. Upon hearing Yuan Hui¡¯s prediction, Fan Zijin didn¡¯t hesitate to order his secret guards to call him back.


    ¡°Did you send someone to fetch Miss Mu?¡±


    ¡°Yes, early in the morning. I ordered them to ride at full speed. They should arrive at dawn,¡± Bai Li bowed and said.


    Thankfully, Mu Yangling¡¯s nursery and cattle farm were in the suburbs of Hanzhong Prefecture, and they were facing the Jingzhao Prefecture, so she was not particrly far away.


    Fan Zijin turned the ring on his thumb and looked at Yuan Hui thoughtfully with a deep gaze. On the other hand, Yuan Hui sat quietly on the chair.


    Fan Zijin waved his hand to dismiss everyone, leaving only Bai Li behind. He said with a smile, ¡°Master Yuan Hui, since you can foretell that my Eldest Cousin is in trouble, can you deduce where he is right now?¡±


    Yuan Hui shook his head. ¡°Fourth Young Master will find Eldest Young Master.¡± After thinking for a moment, he added, ¡°However, I can deduce that Eldest Young Master encountered this cmity because he offended a viin by his side.¡±


    Fan Zijin and Bai Li¡¯s expressions changed, and they looked at each other solemnly. Steward Zhu walked over quickly from outside and whispered at the door, ¡°Young Master Zijin, Madam asked what happened here.


    Fan Zijin took a deep breath and forced a smile. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. Ask Cousin-inw to rest well.¡±


    Steward Zhu hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, ¡°Young Master Zijin, husband and wife are one. Even if we can¡¯t let Madam know the details, we should at least tell her. Otherwise, when Eldest Young Masteres back, I¡¯m afraid there will be a misunderstanding between the couple.¡±


    As a general, he was most afraid of couples falling out. Steward Zhu came from the main family, so he paid special attention to this aspect.


    Fan Zijin thought for a moment and could only get up and go to the backyard.


    Li Jinghua was sitting in the main hall with a solemn expression. When she saw Fan Zijin, she hurriedly stood up and greeted him. Fan Zijin returned the greeting and hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Sister-inw, something might have happened to Eldest Cousin in Fuping. We¡¯re finding help for him. Don¡¯t be too anxious.¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s expression changed. ¡°What happened?


    Fan Zijin shook his head. How would he know when he wasn¡¯t a chatan like Yuan Hui?


    Li Jinghua¡¯s gaze slid to the others, only to see that everyone had serious expressions. When she saw Yuan Hui, who was standing at the side with his eyes closed, reciting scriptures, she was slightly stunned. Why was there a monk at home?


    However, Fan Zijin had no intention of exining. He invited Yuan Hui and Li Jinghua to sit down, before sitting down at the side himself. Too anxious to sit still, Li Jinghua thought for a moment and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go prepare some medicine for Master. When Fourth Brotheres backter, I¡¯ll get him to bring it over.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded. Although his family had prepared a few portions, it was good to have more. Besides, Li Jinghua needed to do something to divert her attention.


    Li Jinghua quickly brought Wen Cui down and said, ¡°Hurry up and find the herbs we brought from home. Also, find the 500-year-old ginseng that Mother left for me.¡±


    When Li Jinghua and Wen Cui returned with a package, Qi Haoran had already strode in with a cold expression. ¡°What¡¯s happened to Big Brother?¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw him. ¡°Fourth Brother.¡±


    Fan Zijin had already stood up and grabbed him. ¡°I¡¯m afraid something has happened to Big Brother in Fuping. Bring people to look for him immediately. Ah Ling will be here soon.¡±


    Qi Haoran was stunned. ¡°Why would Ah Linge here?


    Fan Zijin nced at Yuan Hui and did not say anything. Qi Haoran had no time to ask further. As he took the package from Wen Cui¡¯s hand, he instructed Fan Zijin, ¡°Don¡¯t let Ah Ling go. That¡¯s the front line. Why would shee along when us men are fighting at the front?¡±


    Fan Zijin sneered. ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t often bring her to the front line anyway. Cut the crap. This is for your and Big Brother¡¯s sake. Let¡¯s go.¡± Yuan Hui said coldly, ¡°I suggest that you wait for Miss Mu toe before leaving together. Perhaps you can find Eldest Young Master faster. Otherwise, if you go ahead first, you might waste more time..¡±

 Chapter 396 - 396: Meeting

    Chapter 396: Meeting


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Li Jinghua looked at Yuan Hui in surprise. What surprised her even more was that although Qi Haoran was pacing around angrily, he ordered his men to rest while waiting for Mu Yangling, just as instructed by Yuan Hui.


    Even though Li Jinghua had thousands of questions, she had no choice but to suppress her temper and wait for Mu Yangling to arrive.


    Seeing that the sky was about to brighten, Li Jinghua was so anxious that the corners of her mouth were bubbling. Seeing that Mu Yangling still had not arrived, she looked at Qi Haoran anxiously.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s chest heaved up and down as Fan Zijin pressed him down on the chair¡­


    Yuan Hui looked up at the starry sky and saw that the star was getting increasingly dimmer, and drifting further and further away from the Emperor Star. He was equally anxious. Qi Haoran waved Fan Zijin¡¯s hand away and stood up with a bang. He shouted, ¡°You guys wait for her here. I¡¯ll set off first.¡±


    Yuan Hui quickly calcted with his fingers and said, ¡°Fourth Young Master, let¡¯s wait a little longer. Otherwise¡­¡±


    ¡°When? My big brother is still in Fuping. We¡¯re not even sure if something happened. We can¡¯t sit here and do nothing just because of a word from you. Besides, I¡¯ve been waiting for an hour.¡± As he spoke, he waved his hand and instructed his men to set off.


    Unable to stop him, Yuan Hui anxiously looked at Fan Zijin. However, Fan Zijin didn¡¯t stop him. Instead, he followed Qi Haoran to the main door. Seeing this, Li Jinghua hurriedly followed them out.


    The group of them walked out of the door. Qi Haoran mounted his horse, and the entire row of soldiers behind him was already ready to set off. Qi Haoran turned to Fan Zijin and said, ¡°Zijin, I¡¯ll leave the house to you. If Ah Linges, let her catch up.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded slightly at Li Jinghua. ¡°Sister-inw, you don¡¯t have to worry too much. I¡¯ll definitely bring Big Brother back safely.¡±


    Li Jinghua nodded gratefully and held her handkerchief tightly as she looked at him. Qi Haoran turned his horse around and was about to wave his hand to get his men to set off when he narrowed his eyes and looked towards the main road. Yuan Hui also looked over and only heaved a sigh of relief when Mu Yangling appeared in his line of sight on her horse.


    With a cold expression, Qi Haoran turned to Steward Zhu and said, ¡°Bring Big Brother¡¯s Ruby over.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s mount was called Snowy, but it was injured in thest battle, so Qi Haoran found a horse for him to ride as a secondary mount. Its name was Ruby, and it was also a thousand-mile horse.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s ckie was definitely not as fast as Ruby.


    Steward Zhu immediately ran to the backyard to bring the horse over. When Mu Yangling and the two guards arrived, their bodies were emitting cold air. As they were still sweating from riding the horse, the cold air turned into smoke that dissipated.


    She reined in her horse and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Seeing that the dagger he gifted her was tied to her horse, Qi Haoran was satisfied. His expression softened slightly as he said, ¡°Master Yuan Hui said that something might have happened to Fuping. Big Brother is in Fuping.¡±


    Mu Yangling frowned and looked at Yuan Hui suspiciously. ¡°Really? You can tell?¡±


    Yuan Hui looked back at Mu Yangling calmly.


    Steward Zhu had already brought the horse out. Without saying much, she threw ckie to him and jumped onto Ruby with the knife. Seeing that it was not its master, Ruby stomped a few times restlessly. Mu Yangling exerted strength with her feet to suppress it. Then, she rxed her strength and gently stroked its neck. ¡°Good baby, we¡¯re going to see your master now. You have to be quiet.¡±


    Ruby gradually calmed down.


    Only then did Mu Yangling look up and say to Qi Haoran, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The two of them rode side by side on their horses. The horses gradually sped up, and in a short while, they ran a long distance. The cavalrymen behind hurriedly followed.


    The sky was already slightly bright, and the city gate had already opened. Without having to waste time opening the city gate, the group left the city right away, riding quickly towards Fuping County.


    In the afternoon, they finally arrived at Fuping County, but the people there said that the Jin soldiers had ughtered two viges under them the day before yesterday. Qi Xiuyuan had personally led his troops to patrol yesterday and had yet to return today.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face turned ashen as he asked, ¡°How many men did General bring along?¡±


    ¡°500 soldiers. The Military Advisor also went with them.¡±


    ¡°Since the general isn¡¯t back yet, why didn¡¯t you send someone to look for him? Why didn¡¯t you report it!¡± Qi Haoran red at the battalionmander with a vicious expression.


    The battalionmander¡¯s face was pale as he said, ¡°Little General, when the general left, he said that he would patrol the border. As you know, the border here is very long. Not to mention that the general will only be gone for a day, even if he is away three days, it¡¯s considered normal. They also brought military pigeons with them. If they encounter danger, they will naturally use the military pigeons to seek help. However, we didn¡¯t receive any distress letters.¡±


    Mu Yangling patted Qi Haoran¡¯s shoulder to calm him down. Mu Yangling said, ¡°Brother Haoran, let¡¯s rest for a while before leaving.¡±


    Qi Haoran instructed with a cold expression, ¡°Prepare three days worth of food, rations and water for us immediately. Feed our horses to their fullest. Also, bring me the map of Fuping County.¡±


    The garrison battalionmander of Fuping County heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly ran to make arrangements. After obtaining the map, Qi Haoran finally understood why Yuan Hui said that he would have wasted time by leaving first. It was because the two viges were deep in the mountains and forests.


    In terms of familiarity with the forest, he was indeed inferior to Mu Yangling.


    Qi Haoran circled two circles around the two viges and said, ¡°The wealthy ce great importance on their health. Every time I go to war, Big Brother has to recite it once. Why did he go here? And why didn¡¯t Big Brother Rong stop him?¡±


    Naturally, there had to be enough benefits. Located in such a deep forest, the two viges were almost isted from the world. Not to mention Qi Xiuyuan, even if Qi Haoran knew that the two viges had been ughtered, he probably wouldn¡¯t lead troops there without knowing the exact strength of the other party¡¯s army. Wouldn¡¯t that be sending himself and the soldiers to the wolves?


    ¡°There must be something in these two viges that attracts Big Brother Qi. At least, someone made him feel that way,¡± Mu Yangling said.


    Mu Yangling suspected that there was a traitor among Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s men, and Qi Haoran naturally thought of this too.


    Qi Haoran gritted his teeth in hatred. He put away the map and said to Mu Yangling, ¡°Rest well. I still need your help to find him when we enter the forest.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    After filling their stomachs, the group took their dry food and set off for the two viges. Though quite far from Fuping County, the two viges were not far from each other.


    Because it was remote and the road was very narrow, the group slowed down considerably. When they arrived at the first vige, the sky was gradually darkening and the sun was about to set.


    Before they entered the vige, they could already smell the thick smell of blood. When they saw the tragic situation inside, everyone¡¯s faces darkened. This vige was not big, only about 20 families or loo-odd people. However, they did not even let off newborn babies.


    The scouts who followed Qi Haoran were all scouts who had been trained by the two of them. Hence, when they dismounted at the entrance of the vige, Qi Haoran instructed, ¡°Go in and search immediately. See if you can find any traces of the general.¡±


    Everyone responded and quickly entered the vige. Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran also checked the surroundings of the vige.


    The footprints were very chaotic. Some were left behind by the Jin soldiers, and some were left behind by the vigers who were fleeing. Qi Haoran walked around and stopped in front of a crushed bush in the northwest. He carefully observed the situation on the nearbywn, then straightened his body and said, ¡°Big Brother arrived at this vige first before bringing people to the next vige.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Since that vige isn¡¯t far from here, we should be able to reach it before dark.¡±


    Qi Haoran called the scouts out. They stood by the door and reported by the door. ¡°General and the rest definitely didn¡¯t stay there for long. There are traces of two searches. The first time was very messy¡ªthat should be the Jin soldiers checking for people who had slipped through the. The second time should be the General and his men looking for survivors.¡±


    ¡°The general and his men didn¡¯t stay at the vige entrance for long. The footprints leading to the next vige are rtively neat. I¡¯m guessing they didn¡¯t find any survivors.¡±


    As they spoke, they arrived at the second vige. They found the corpses of the Jin soldiers and the soldiers of the West Camp here.


    The soldiers¡¯ expressions changed drastically.. ¡°The general and his men bumped into the Jin soldiers here!¡±

 Chapter 397 - 397: Search

    Chapter 397: Search


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling went forward to check. After a while, she said, ¡°No, these vigers died a few hours before the general and the others arrived. Considering the mobility of the Jin soldiers, it¡¯s impossible for them to stay here for so long.¡±


    Qi Haoran had also finished his inspection. With an ashen face, he said, ¡°It¡¯s an ambush. Looking at the distribution of the corpses on both sides, the Jin soldiers were deliberately ambushing Big Brother. It¡¯s not a chance encounter.¡±


    Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran looked to the east. The traces showed that Qi Xiuyuan and the others had broken out from the east.


    ¡°The traces of the breakout can¡¯t be faked. Let¡¯s search east and let everyone rest for a while before setting off immediately.¡± Mu Yangling patted his shoulder andforted him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Big Brother Qi will be fine.¡±


    Qi Haoran forced a smile. Everyone left their horses in the vige and entered the mountains overnight to search.


    At first, it was fine. The traces were very clear, butter on, the traces became chaotic. Qi Xiuyuan and the others had clearly split into several directions to escape. Even Qi Haoran could not determine which direction Qi Xiuyuan went. Only Mu Yangling could determine which group Qi Xiuyuan was in judging from the footprints left on the ground. Qi Haoran stared at the messy footprints on the ground for a long time, but he still could not tell which ones belonged to his big brother.


    However, Mu Yangling had already picked up her broadsword. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s speed up and try to find him before dawn.¡±


    Mu Yangling took the lead and chased in the direction of the traces¡­


    Everyone rushed for a day and night and wandered around the forest for most of the night. Other than Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran, who could still stay awake, the others were dizzy from running amidst the trees in the forest. The trees in this ce were even denser than those in Chef Mountain, and no one could see ten steps away. If not for the fact that they had trained in the forest, they would probably have gotten lost even if they followed Mu Yangling.


    Sensing the low morale, Qi Haoran pulled Mu Yangling back and whispered, ¡°Let them rest for a while and eat some dry food to replenish their strength.¡±


    Seeing his obvious anxiousness, Mu Yangling looked at the soldiers behind her and was a little angry at them for being a letdown. ¡°We should have drilled them to death back then.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face instantly turned as ck as the bottom of a pot. ring at her, he said, ¡°You, who did you learn these nonsense from?¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned for a moment before she reacted and rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m talking about training them to death. Do you think I¡¯m like you rough men?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook off his hand. Qi Haoran had already gestured behind him for them to rest on the spot.


    Upon receiving the order, everyone sat cross-legged and took out their rations to stuff into their mouths.


    Qi Haoran stuffed a portion into Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and raised his head to look at the star that represented his older brother in the sky. However, realizing that the dense forest covered the sky and there was no light at all, he could only lower his head in frustration.


    Seeing this, Mu Yangling reached out and quietly held his hand. Qi Haoran held her hand tightly, his eyes feeling a warm moistness. Mu Yangling felt a warmth on the back of her hand as tears fell upon it. Shocked, Mu Yangling quietly blocked the gazes of the people behind her to prevent anyone from discovering Qi Haoran¡¯s strangeness.


    Qi Haoran obviously knew that his actions would affect the morale of the army, so he turned his head away slightly. When he turned back, the tears on his face had already disappeared, but his eyes were a little red. He held Mu Yangling¡¯s hand tightly and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear, ¡°Big Brother is not only an elder brother, but also a father to me. Ah Ling, you¡¯ve got to find him and save him!¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and looked at the soldiers behind her. ¡°If you trust me, rest here with them for a while. I¡¯ll go ahead to investigate first. It¡¯ll be much faster. I¡¯ll leave a mark, so you can find me by following the mark.¡±


    Mu Yangling was extremely strong, so her endurance was also stronger than ordinary people. Everyone was extremely exhausted, but she was just a little tired.


    As for Qi Haoran, he was more energetic than Mu Yangling because of his deep internal energy.


    Frowning, he said, ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Their morale is low, and themander can¡¯t leave at a time like this. If you follow me, I¡¯m afraid something will happen. When we find Big Brother Qi, we¡¯ll still have to rely on them to protect us.¡±


    Qi Haoran loosened his grip on her hand.


    Mu Yangling patted Qi Haoran¡¯s hand, took a torch, and left. No longer worried about whether the people behind her could keep up, Mu Yangling¡¯s speed was much faster. In less than half an hour, she heard some movement. Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up, and she quickly extinguished the torch, quietly sneaking towards the ce where there was a sound.


    It was the Jin soldiers. There were more than 60 of them and they were noisy around the two fires. Mu Yangling had learned the Jinnguage from Qi Haoran and a teacher. She tried her best to lower her body and not make a sound. She heard that they were also chasing after Qi Xiuyuan and his men, but they had yet to find them.


    Mu Yangling listened for a while but couldn¡¯t hear any new information, so she quietly retreated. Qi Haoran had already brought his men along with him to find the mark Mu Yangling had left behind. Seeing that Mu Yangling had returned, he was about to ask questions when she gestured for them to keep quiet and even asked them to extinguish the torches. He knew that there was movement ahead.


    Qi Haoran gestured behind him, and the torches behind him gradually extinguished, leaving only their torch lit up. Fei Bai hurriedly lowered his torch so that no one more than ten steps away could see the mes here.


    Mu Yangling walked to his side and said in a low voice, ¡°There are 68 Jin soldiers in front. They¡¯re also chasing after Big Brother Qi and his men, but can¡¯t find them. We shouldn¡¯t be far from Big Brother Qi. Should we go around them or¡­?¡±


    Qi Haoran thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Are we going up the mountain?¡±


    ¡°Yes, although there are forks in the road, all ways lead upwards. Now, we¡¯re already halfway up the mountain.¡± Although Mu Yangling was in the forest, she could figure out the situation based on her senses.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up in the darkness. Under the light of the torch, they were as bright as the morning stars in the sky. In a lowered voice, he said excitedly, ¡°Big Brother said that when we want to fight a defensive battle, we have to upy the highest ground. This way, not only can we defend very well, but we can also observe the enemy¡¯s situation very well. However, the enemy also knows this principle. Therefore, when they look for people, they always walk towards the high ground. Therefore, we should settle for the next best thing.¡± Qi Haoran took a rock and formed a terrain on the ground. He said, ¡°Find a favorable terrain halfway up the mountain to lie in ambush. Not only can we defend, but we can also observe the enemy¡¯s situation. We can also prevent the enemy from finding us.¡±


    ¡°But this is Big Brother Qi¡¯s first time entering the forest here. How will he find such terrain?¡± This was the terrain above the mountainside, which was not conducive to the enemy upying the stronghold.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I think Big Brother will definitely be able to find it.¡± Qi Haoran looked at the stones on the ground with sparkling eyes. The map and terrain of Fuping County appeared in his mind, and he quickly calcted the possible routes and trajectories Qi Xiuyuan could¡¯ve taken in his heart. In the end, he took some small branches and set up a path in the northeast where they were walking now. Then, he kept adjusting the angle. Finally, he pointed at a spot and asked, ¡°Can you find this ce?¡±


    Considering Mu Yangling was on this mountain, it was already very impressive for her to be able to tell that they had crossed the middle of the mountain. How could she find a point based on this rough map without the map scale?


    Frowning, Mu Yangling said, ¡°I¡¯ll try. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    At this moment, Rong Xuan was holding a medicinal herb to stop the bleeding on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s right chest. Seeing his dark lips, he was anxious and angry. He forced himself to recall the medical books he had read, hoping to recall the herb that could neutralize the poison.


    Qi Xiuyuan closed his eyes slightly, and his eyes darkened slightly. Feeling the strength pressing down on his chest increase, he patted him weakly with his left hand and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. I can still hold on for a while..¡±

 Chapter 398 - 398: Found

    Chapter 398: Found


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Looking at the exhausted soldiers lying in the cave, Rong Xu an smiled bitterly. He tore off his clean clothes and bandaged his wound. ¡°We have to hang on even if we can¡¯t. Our people will definitely be able to send the letter out.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s vision darkened and he became even more dazed. Knowing that this was because the poison had spread, he blinked and tried his best to sound calm and gentle. ¡°Mm, we¡¯ll wait.¡±


    Rong Xuan waved over two men and nned to go out before dawn to see if he could find the herb to relieve the poison.


    The three of them used the faint light of the fire to search for medicinal herbs and walked further and further away from the cave where they were staying. Rong Xuan was focused on searching for medicinal herbs, so when the guards behind him suddenly extinguished the torch and threw him to the ground, he did not react for a moment.


    ¡°Military Advisor, there¡¯s movement,¡± the guard said in a low voice.


    Rong Xuan shuddered and rxed his breathing as hey on the ground. He only heard some sts in the darkness, the sound of feet stepping on fallen leaves and branches, and the sound of something heavy falling to the ground.


    The expressions of the three people lying on the ground changed drastically. They were all too familiar with this sound. It was the sound of a human body falling to the ground. Only a dead person would make such a heavy sound.


    Was it an enemy or a friend?


    If it was an enemy, then the ones killed would definitely be theirrades. They knew that this was more likely, but they did not have the courage to stand up. The general was still waiting for their herbs.


    Someone sped into the distance. Rong Xuan prayed in his heart, ¡°Run, brother, run faster.¡± Just as he thought this, he heard a low curse in the darkness. Then, someone chased in the direction that the person had run in.


    In the darkness, the three of them froze when they heard the curse. It was in Mandarin, and it carried a Xingzhou Prefecture ent!


    One of the guards was so excited that he wanted to stand up, but Rong Xuan pulled him back. Rong Xuan red at him fiercely. Although he knew that the other party could not see, he could only pinch his arm hard, hoping that he would understand that now was not the time to be exposed. Even if the soft curse was in Mandarin, it did not mean that the other party was a Han Chinese. Since Haoran could speak the Jinnguage, so could the enemy speak theirnguage. Even if it was mixed with some local ents, they could possibly speak it as long as they had heard it before.


    Rong Xuan was both excited and cautious. He hoped that the other party was one of his own, but he was afraid that it was a trick by the enemy.


    However, he did not know that the guard¡¯s movements had already exposed his whereabouts.


    Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran looked over sharply. The two of them looked at each other and split up to quietly surround them.


    When Qi Haoran saw the three people lying on the ground, a sharp glint shed across his eyes. Just as he was about to sh down with the sword in his hand, Rong Xuan, who had not heard any movement for a long time, happened to look up and face Mu Yangling. Sword light shed and she saw Rong Xuan¡¯s face clearly. She immediately shouted, ¡°Wait!¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s sword had already shed down. Upon hearing the cry, the sword in his hand quickly flipped over and moved out another inch. The guard who was shed by the back of the sword grunted and fell to the ground.


    Mu Yangling lit up the torch and shone it on them. The five of them stared at each other and were overjoyed. ¡°Big Brother Rong!¡±


    Qi Haoran kept his sword and went forward to pull Rong Xuan up. ¡°Brother Rong, where¡¯s my big brother?¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Rong Xuan pushed him away and pulled his cor back. ¡°The general is in the cave. Haoran, have youe to bring the antidote pill?¡±


    The antidote pill was just an ordinary medicine. It might not be able to cure the poison in Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s body, but it definitely had a certain suppressive effect.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes darkened and he asked, ¡°Is Big Brother poisoned?¡±


    Rong Xuan had already seen the situation behind them under the light. There were corpses of Jin soldiers all over the ground. It seemed that Qi Haoran had assassinated them when he met them.


    Rong Xuan nodded and said, ¡°They smeared poison on the arrow. Fortunately, there wasn¡¯t much poison left on the arrow, so the General couldst until now.¡±


    ¡°Sister-inw handed me antidote pills just in case.¡±


    Although he already knew that there was an antidote pill, Rong Xuan still picked the herbs he needed. If the antidote pill was not of much use, this herb mighte handy. When the soldier returned from chasing after the escaped Jin soldier, everyone returned to the cave together.


    Seeing Qi Xiuyuan lying on the ground covered in blood, Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes turned red. He quickly stepped forward and opened the bag that Li Jinghua had prepared. He poured out the antidote pills and gave one to Qi Xiuyuan. Then, he crushed two and scattered them on his wound.


    ¡°How did you know we were in trouble?¡±


    Although Qi Xiuyuan and Rong Xuan kept saying that their people could go out and report their situation, neither of them had much hope. Moreover, even if their people did manage to do so, it was impossible for Qi Haoran and the others to arrive so quickly in Fuping from Jingzhao Prefecture.


    Qi Haoran whispered the conclusion that Yuan Hui hade to from observing the stars. ¡°I didn¡¯t believe it at first, but I would rather believe it than not. I could only bring Ah Ling over to look for you, but the moment I arrived at the two viges below, I knew that something had happened.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan patted his head and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re here. My heart is finally put to ease.¡± After saying that, Qi Xiuyuan became more and more sleepy and wanted to fall asleep.


    Seeing this, Mu Yangling became anxious. ¡°Brother Rong, is this antidote pill ineffective?¡±


    ¡°There is some effect, but it can¡¯t detoxify the poison at all. We have to leave the mountain quickly and find someone to neutralize the poison in General.¡± ¡°But there are at least 3,000 Hus in the forest. How can we get out?¡± A seriously injuredpanymander said dejectedly.


    Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling were shocked. ¡°How can there be so many of them? We didn¡¯t see the Jin soldiers when we came in. Moreover, the biggest group we encountered along the way consisted of only 100-odd people.¡±


    ¡°That was because we split up and lured them away. We originally had 500 people, but along the way, we kept diverting people to lure the Jin soldiers away. In the end, only 4.0 of us remained with the general. There must be someone guarding the exit. I guess it¡¯s not that they didn¡¯t notice you, but they deliberately let you in.¡±


    ¡°That means that there aren¡¯t many of them left at the exit. They can¡¯t stop us.¡± Qi Haoran said coldly, ¡°In that case, what are you afraid of? Let¡¯s charge out.¡±


    A red light shed in the eyes of the soldiers as they requested, ¡°Little General, let¡¯s lure the Jin soldiers away. You should bring the General and the Military Advisor and break out.¡±


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes and waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s just 3,000 people. Do you have to be so tired of living?¡±


    Everyone looked at Mu Yangling. Qi Haoran said, ¡°We only have 142 people, and 38 of them are injured.¡±


    ¡°But these 3,000 people are like a nest of ants in thisrge forest. We just have to go around them.¡±


    Mu Yangling took out the map from Qi Haoran¡¯s arms and pointed at an opening with a charcoal strip. ¡°We should thank Big Brother Qi. This ce he found is already thousands of miles away from that exit. If we leave from here, we can quickly reach the nearest vige. We can directly return to Jingzhao Prefecture without passing by Fuping County.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯ve never walked through this forest before. There¡¯s not even a path,¡± apanymander couldn¡¯t help but retort.


    ¡°Besides, we still don¡¯t know the direction. If we get lost in the mountains, it will be even more terrifying than facing the Hus head-on.¡± A battalionmander who didn¡¯t know Mu Yangling well red at her as if she had told a big joke.


    Qi Haoran and Rong Xuan couldn¡¯t help but smile. Even Qi Xiuyuan, who was about to faint, smiled and patted Mu Yangling¡¯s hand weakly. He said in a low voice, ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to you, Ah Ling.¡±


    ¡°As long as you can keep up with me, I¡¯ll definitely be able to bring you out,¡± Mu Yangling dered confidently as she looked at everyone..

 Chapter 399 - 399= Spy

    Chapter 399= Spy


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling had a natural intuition when it came to navigating the forest. Coupled with her familiarity with the forest, it was not difficult for her to take another path down the mountain.


    The men with Qi Xiuyuan were not familiar with her, but Qi Haoran¡¯s men had all been thrown into the mountains by her to train, so they were very convinced of her abilities.


    Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s pulse was in a mess, Qi Haoran could not be bothered to rest. He quickly distributed all the medicine in the bag and got the soldiers to bandage the injured. Then, they immediately filled their stomachs and prepared to go on their way.


    104 of them brought along 38 injured people. As Qi Haoran¡¯s 100 men had undergone jungle training, the others were scattered and ced in the teams. Two people took care of one injured person. Those who were slightly injured could walk on their own if they could. If they could not, they would carry them.


    Qi Haoran personally carried Qi Xiuyuan and walked behind Mu Yangling. The group quietly left the cave. At this moment, it was just dawn and there was a faint morning light in the forest, but it was enough for everyone to see the path under their feet without lighting torches.


    Mu Yangling walked in front to scout the way while Qi Haoran and Rong Xuan followed the marks she left behind.


    ¡°How much further is it?¡± Feeling his brother¡¯s breath on his neck getting weaker and weaker, Qi Haoran could not help but feel anxious.


    Mu Yangling nced at the sun with a straight face. She estimated the distance in her heart and said, ¡°We should reach the exit in less than an hour.¡±


    ¡°Then hurry up.¡±


    Qi Haoran took a few quick steps and followed closely behind her. Mu Yangling nodded with a straight face and chose a direction. She walked forward, but after taking more than ten steps, she suddenly pulled Qi Haoran back. Rong Xuan hurriedly waved his hand to stop her.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s movement.¡± Mu Yangling¡¯s ears twitched unnoticeably. She said with a dark expression, ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and take a look.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, there was a sudden cry from behind. The cry was very short, as if it was cut off right away, but it was enough to cause panic. Their expressions darkened and they turned around. A guard ran forward and reported with a livid expression, ¡°Little General, an injured soldier suddenly screamed. Now, someone is covering his mouth.¡±


    Qi Haoran turned to ask Mu Yangling, ¡°Could the other party hear that?¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him. ¡°What do you think? He screamed so loudly.¡±


    Qi Haoran made a prompt decision. ¡°Change directions. Split into three teams and walk separately.¡±


    What was the difference between this and using human lives to fill the road?


    However, Mu Yangling had no better idea now. Before the enemy arrived, she split everyone into two teams and went out. Then, she led her people down. When she saw thest team take away the person whose mouth was covered, she narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°Leave him behind.¡±


    ¡°Miss Mu?¡± The soldier carrying the person looked at her in surprise.


    Mu Yangling went forward and picked him up. ¡°Leave quickly. He might be a spy. It¡¯s too dangerous for you to bring him along. Remember what I taught you in the past. If you walk southeast, you¡¯ll definitely be able to walk out. If you encounter the enemy, hide and try not to fight them head-on.¡±


    Mu Yangling promised, ¡°If he¡¯s not a spy, I¡¯ll definitely try my best to bring him out.¡±


    The soldiers¡¯ eyes were red as they left gratefully.


    Mu Yangling turned around and led her men into a cave. Then, she threw the person down and grabbed his neck. ¡°Let me ask you, who are you?¡±


    That person red fiercely at Mu Yangling and did not speak. Mu Yangling chuckled, but there was no smile in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re really silly. If I were you, I would be crying bitterly and confess my sins now. Then, I would tell Little General that I was startled by a snake just now, and profess my loyalty to the general. Since Little General is soft-hearted and it¡¯s hard to interrogate you for now, he might just bring you along.¡±


    That person looked at Mu Yangling mockingly, as if she was a joke. Mu Yangling tilted her head and asked Qi Haoran, ¡°Am I wrong?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked up and said calmly, ¡°Oh, regardless of whether he¡¯s a spy or not, I¡¯ll kill him.¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him, but the soldiers behind Qi Haoran naturally guarded him and Qi Xiuyuan.


    Rong Xuan exined kindly, ¡°Miss Mu, no matter what the reason is, he can be punished by militaryw for that scream just now.¡±


    Alright, she was too inexperienced.


    Mu Yangling lowered her head and met the soldier¡¯s gaze. ¡°Then we can confirm now that he¡¯s a spy.¡±


    ¡°If he¡¯s not a spy, why would he show such an expression after screwing over everyone like that, considering he¡¯s Big Brother¡¯s soldier? You¡¯ve concealed your identity well. If I remember correctly, you¡¯re Big Brother¡¯s guard, right?¡± The soldier bowed his head.


    Qi Haoran instantly gritted his teeth in hatred. As now was not the time to interrogate him, he turned around and asked Mu Yangling, ¡°How do we walk out?¡±


    ¡°I have to check their numbers. If there aren¡¯t many, I¡¯ll look for a gap and we can escape through it.¡± If there were too many, they could only fight.


    Mu Yangling nced at Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s dark lips and became anxious. She turned around and left the cave.


    The Jin Kingdom used their military strength to express how much they valued Qi Xiuyuan. Hence, even after Mu Yangling briskly walked south for 15 minutes, there were still Jin soldiers searching for their traces.


    There must be more than 5,000 people here. Mu Yangling felt choked as she returned to the cave with a solemn expression. The Jin soldiers had yet to discover this ce for the time being, but with their thorough search, it would not be long before they were discovered.


    Qi Haoran said calmly, ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll lead the people away. If you find a gap, Ah Ling, leave with Big Brother and Brother Rong. With your ability, the three of you should be able to leave quietly, right?¡±


    ¡°But there are so many people, you¡­¡±


    A vicious expression shed across Qi Haoran¡¯s face. With a smile, he said, ¡°Have you forgotten? I¡¯ve learned jungle warfare from you. In the past, I lost to you every time. This time, I can use them to practice.¡±


    He looked at the 30 soldiers behind him and said, ¡°I can also take the chance to check if these brats have forgotten everything you taught them.¡±


    Because he realized that there was a spy among the soldiers following Qi Xiuyuan, when they split up, Qi Haoran only picked out the people he brought.


    ¡°There¡¯s not much time left,¡± Rong Xuan said. ¡°Miss Mu, listen to Haoran. The general can¡¯t wait too long.¡±


    ¡°Ah Ling, try your best to use qinggong while carrying Big Brother on your back. You¡¯ve already practiced that qinggong for three years. No matter how unskilled you are, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem tost for half an hour, right?¡± Mu Yangling blushed slightly and nodded in agreement. However, she was actually still a little nervous since she had only been practicing qinggong for fun. Other than jumping around on the trees sometimes, she only used it when hunting and chasing prey in the mountains. She had never used qinggong while carrying someone on her back.


    Mu Yangling took the unconscious Qi Xiuyuan and looked at Qi Haoran worriedly. She whispered, ¡°Then be careful.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded and grabbed the spy. He smiled sinisterly and said, ¡°It¡¯s your turn now.¡±


    The spy¡¯s face was pale, but Qi Haoran was not in the mood to look at him anymore. He waved goodbye behind him and quietly left with his men..

 Chapter 400 - 400: Charge Out

    Chapter 400: Charge Out


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran carried the spy alone and made a few gestures at the subordinates behind him. The men behind him then hid behind the forest in groups of three. Qi Haoran bit the spy¡¯s ear and said, ¡°You¡¯re not the only spy by my big brother¡¯s side who tricked him intoing here, right? Let me guess how high his rank is. Is he apanymander, battalionmander, or an assistantmander under my big brother?¡±


    The spy¡¯s body stiffened imperceptibly. The viciousness in Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes intensified as he smiled cruelly. ¡°So it¡¯s the assistantmander¡­¡±


    The spy suddenly struggled violently and whimpered in an attempt to attract the attention of hispanions. However, Qi Haoran did not stop him at all. As he carried him and ran up the mountain, he said with a smile, ¡°Who is that person? Did hee with you this time? Is he a spy from your Jin Kingdom or a partner you found?¡±


    The spy¡¯s mouth was gagged, so it was impossible for him to answer. Qi Haoran didn¡¯t need him to answer. They had already attracted the attention of the Jin soldiers who were searching for them. Standing on a rock, Qi Haoran looked down at the Jin soldiers below. He raised his voice and said, ¡°Hey, listen up. Your guy is in our hands. Doesn¡¯t your Jin Kingdom not give up on every warrior? Now, I¡¯ll use him to exchange for a path.¡±


    Hahahaha¡­¡± A stalwart Jin Kingdom general strode out and looked at Qi Haoran mockingly. ¡°As expected, the Han people like to daydream. The warriors of the Jin Kingdom are never afraid of sacrifice. Today, I must capture the Qi brothers. Shoot!¡±


    A row of archers stepped forward, aimed in Qi Haoran¡¯s direction, and shot. Qi Haoran turned around and dodged. In a few leaps, he hid in the forest As he dodged, he shouted, ¡°Quickly take my big brother away!¡±


    There was amotion behind a bush on the left and they ran up the mountain. When the Jin soldiers discovered them, they immediately shot arrows and chased after them. However, the three of them moved very quickly and always dodged when they were about to be shot.


    The soldiers of the Jin Kingdom weren¡¯t sure if Qi Xiuyuan was among them, but since they had the advantage of numbers, they still sent people to chase ¡¯ after them.


    On the other side, Qi Haoran put down the spy after leaping out. He touched his neck and asked, ¡°See, no one cares whether you die or live. If you tell me who betrayed my big brother, I¡¯ll spare your life and give you 1<sub>5</sub> minutes to escape How about that?¡±


    The spy red at Qi Haoran and remained silent.


    ¡°So you¡¯re unwilling. Then forget it.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Haoran snapped his neck and threw him aside. He said to his subordinates who had followed him over one after another, ¡°Spread out. Today, we¡¯ll have a good game with them and teach them what a jungle battle is.¡±


    Slightly excited, the 30 of them pulled out the daggers from their legs and split up in groups of three. Hence, the soldiers of the Jin Kingdom realized that their men had been silently killed when they were advancing to search.


    It was clearly a team of people searching together, but they were oblivious when the people behind had their mouths covered and their necks slit open. By the time they realized that something was wrong and went back to search, they could only find their corpses.


    The Jin Kingdom¡¯s general was so angry that his hair was smoking. He roared, ¡°Search with great fanfare. Speed up and surround them. Hurry!¡±


    This way, there was no need to think about a carpet search. Everyone rushed towards the approximate location where Qi Haoran had appeared.


    The sound of hurried footsteps quickly passed the cave where Mu Yangling and the others were hiding. Carrying Qi Xiuyuan on her back, Mu Yangling and Rong Xuan secretly used the cover of the trees to leave through the small gap that Qi Haoran had opened for them.


    When she was out of their sight, Mu Yangling used her qinggong. With a light tap of her toes, she used the trees as a stepping stone to fly through the forest. Rong Xuan followed closely behind her.


    The journey that was originally estimated to take an hour only took them 15 minutes.


    Looking at the vige chief in front of him, Rong Xuan almost cried. ¡°Miss Mu let¡¯s leave quickly!¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and used her qinggong to run towards the vige. On the t ground, Rong Xuan didn¡¯t need her to lead the way, so he was faster than her and flew past her towards the vige. By the time Mu Yangling carried Qi Xiuyuan to the vige, Rong Xuan had already borrowed a donkey cart. Mu Yangling ced Qi Xiuyuan on the nket that had beenid out on the cart and said to the vige chief, who was rubbing his hands nervously ¡°The Jin soldiers are in the forest. Tell the vigers to leave immediately to hide in the town or the county. Inform the nearby viges.¡±


    Rong Xuan had already climbed onto the donkey cart and whipped the donkey Mu Yangling only had time to wave at the vige chief. ¡°Also, thank you for the donkey cart.¡±


    When he borrowed the cart from the vige chief, Rong Xuan had revealed his identity and said the same thing. At this moment, he was focused on Qi Xiuyuan. ¡°Miss Mu, see how the general is doing.¡±


    Mu Yangling went to feel Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s pulse, but she couldn¡¯t figure out his condition even after a long time. She only knew how to deal with ordinary external injuries and not internal injuries.


    Hence, she could only exchange ces with Rong Xuan. She would drive the cart and Rong Xuan would take care of Qi Xiuyuan.


    The two of them drove the donkey cart at the fastest speed possible and finally arrived in town as soon as they could. They found a carriage dealer. As Rong Xuan didn¡¯t have time to bargain, he simply chose the best one and threw down a bag of silver before attaching it to the donkey cart and leaving.


    The carriage rushed into the city gate, and the soldiers guarding the city could not stop it in time. When the soldiers saw that someone actually had the guts to break through the city gate, they dragged over their horses and were about to chase after them when an old soldier patted his head and said, ¡°Who do you think you are stopping? Can¡¯t you see that the person sitting in the carriage is our Military Advisor?¡±


    ¡°Giddy-up¡ª¡± Mu Yangling looked at the dense crowd on the street and waved her whip as she shouted, ¡°Make way, make way, make way!¡±


    The people on the street cursed, but they still dodged, albeit at a slow speed Mu Yangling cursed, ¡°Damn it, why are there so many people on the street today?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a big gathering because it¡¯s the 15th today.¡± Rong Xuan¡¯s expression was also very ugly. He grabbed Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s pulse and could sense that it was getting weaker and weaker. Looking at the people blocking in front of them, anger shed across Rong Xuan¡¯s eyes. He said fiercely, ¡°Step over them!¡± Mu Yangling didn¡¯t have the guts, so she turned around and picked Qi Xiuyuan up. She circted her qinggong and flew up to the roof. Stepping against the roof, she flew quickly towards the General¡¯s Mansion.


    Rong Xuan was stunned. Then, he abandoned the horse and carriage and flew up to the roof, following closely behind her.


    Her qinggong was even faster than a carriage. Not only was she fast, but there was no obstacles this way. Most importantly, she did not have to take a detour She aimed in the direction of the General¡¯s Mansion and leaped her way over. Mu Yanghng seemed to have unleashed her greatest potential. She had never known that the internal energy she had cultivated for three years could support her to fly so high and so far¡­


    Rong Xuan, who was following behind Mu Yangling, was terrified that she would identally drop Qi Xiuyuan.


    When Mu Yangling leaped onto the roof of the magistrate¡¯s house in the Jingzhao Prefecture and quickly crossed the roof of his house,nding in front of the General¡¯s Mansion, Rong Xuan finally felt relieved. Hended from above and ignored the dumbfounded servants in front of him. After pushing open the door, he shouted, ¡°Hurry up and invite Master Yuan Hui over!¡± Shocked by Mu Yangling, the servants immediately rushed into the residence. Mu Yangling had already carried Qi Xiuyuan and rushed to the backyard. Fan Zijin, Yuan Hui, and Li Jinghua, who had been quietly waiting for news in the central room, heard themotion and rushed out. They bumped into Mu Yanghng, who was carrying Qi Xiuyuan. Li Jinghua¡¯s eyes widened and her mouth fell open. However, Fan Zijin quickly went up to her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Eldest Cousin?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s poisoned. Master Yuan Hui,e and take a look.¡±


    Mu Yangling hesitated for a moment before Rong Xuan said, ¡°Put him in the side hall. Men, hurry up and prepare hot water, knives, and candles..¡±

 Chapter 401 - 401: Saving

    Chapter 401: Saving


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling carried Qi Xiuyuan into the house and ced him on the bed. Yuan Hui immediately took his ce and grabbed Qi Xiuyuan to take his pulse. Right away, he got someone to retrieve the silver needles to stop the poison in his body from spreading.


    Seeing that he was calm, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but heave a sigh of relief.


    She retreated to leave more space for them.


    On the other hand, Rong Xuan stayed behind to help Yuan Hui. After Yuan Hui wrote the prescription, he even personally brought people to the storeroom to look for medicine and personally guarded the medicinal furnace. From the beginning to the end, he didn¡¯t rely on anyone.


    Seeing his situation, Fan Zijin¡¯s expression turned even uglier. He grabbed Mu Yangling and asked, ¡°Was there a spy beside Eldest Cousin?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Fan Zijin asked through gritted teeth.


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about the details when Big Brother Qi wakes up.¡± Mu Yangling paused before continuing, ¡°I¡¯m going to the military campter. Do you want to stay ore with me?¡±


    Fan Zijin frowned. ¡°Why are you going to the military camp? Also, why are you and Brother Rong the only ones escorting Eldest Cousin back? Where¡¯s


    Haoran?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s still in the forest.¡± Mu Yangling sighed. ¡°We were able to escape because he lured the enemy away and tore a gap for us. Now that he¡¯s trapped in the forest, I have to bring people to reinforce him.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s face turned slightly pale. ¡°Haoran is still in the forest?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    ¡°How many people does he have with him?¡±


    ¡°He only has 30 men with him, but we didn¡¯t lose any of the too people we brought with us. They¡¯re just scattered. He should have no problem gathering them.¡±


    Fan Zijin heaved a sigh of relief. No longer in a hurry, he sat on the chair in a daze.


    When Li Jinghua heard this, she could not help but feel anxious. However, seeing that the two of them were sitting peacefully, she hurriedly said, ¡°Zijin, let¡¯s get someone to save Fourth Brother first. I¡¯ll watch over Master.¡± Fan Zijinforted her with a smile. ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. Haoran will be fine. Considering that the forest is so big, he has the ability to save himself. We¡¯ll wait to hear about Eldest Cousin¡¯s condition before leaving. This way, when we see Haoran, we canfort him and ease his anxiety.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. Qi Haoran will be fine.¡± The two of them were full of confidence in Qi Haoran. In such a huge forest, not to mention hiding too people, even if they left behind 1,000 people, they would not be able to find them. Anyway, since Big Brother Qi had already been rescued, how could Qi Haoran not escape?


    Previously, they were restrained because Qi Xiuyuan was poisoned and injured. They didn¡¯t have time to take a detour. Otherwise, they would have been able to shake the enemy off easily.


    The two of them sat on the chairs in a daze and looked at the basins of ck blood in the room. Seeing this, Li Jinghua did not have the energy to care about anything else. Instead, she focused on the situation in the room.


    On the other hand, Wen Cui was considerate. Seeing that Mu Yangling¡¯s face was dirty and her clothes and hands were covered in blood, she got someone to go to the kitchen to prepare hot water in the kitchen. Then, she ced a te of snacks beside Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and said in a low voice, ¡°Miss Mu, eat something.¡±


    Mu Yangling came back to her senses and remembered that she seemed to have missed lunch and dinner. She nodded at Wen Cui and ate two snacks.


    In the room, Rong Xuan was sweating profusely as he watched Yuan Hui bleed Qi Xiuyuan, feeling terrified. How could anyone still be alive after bleeding so much?


    Finally, just as Rong Xuan¡¯s vision darkened, the blood dripping from Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s fingers was no longer ck.


    Yuan Hui immediately stopped the bleeding and injected him with a few more needles. He felt his pulse and heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°He¡¯s saved. Where¡¯s the medicine?¡±


    Rong Xuan quickly served the medicine and poured it down Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s throat.


    Yuan Hui shook his head secretly. ¡°Although the poison has been cured, there¡¯s still some left in his body. It will definitely damage his health in the future. However, he can¡¯t bleed anymore now. And it¡¯ll be difficult to detoxify the poison in the future¡­¡±


    Feeling that it was a pity, there was some pain in Yuan Hui¡¯s eyes. Was such a brilliant ruler fated to live a short life?


    Rong Xuan stared nkly at Qi Xiuyuan, who was sleeping on the bed with a pale face. Yuan Hui shook his head and sighed before turning around to leave. When Li Jinghua saw them, she immediately surrounded them and asked anxiously, ¡°Master, how¡¯s the general?¡±


    Mu Yangling and Fan Zijin also stood up and looked at him. Yuan Hui repeated his words. In short, he was fine for the time being, but it would affect his lifespan.


    Li Jinghua¡¯s face turned slightly pale. Forcing a smile, she said, ¡°It¡¯s already very good that he can keep his life.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we detoxify the poison after Big Brother Qi recuperates?


    ¡°By then, the poison will have already prated deep into his bone marrow and can¡¯t be expelled. Now, we can counter it with medicine, but the medicinal effect is too strong. Considering he has just bled so much, he definitely won¡¯t be able to withstand it,¡± Yuan Hui exined.


    ¡°What about medicinal cuisine?¡± Mu Yangling looked at him with bright eyes and stared at him intently. ¡°Since the poison will have already prated deep into the bone marrow, let¡¯s force it out bit by bit. The medicinal properties of the food can also be integrated into the blood in the end. Blood is everywhere. If it doesn¡¯t work in one day, then do it for one year. If not one year, then ten years. He can detoxify the poison bit by bit every year. Will that work?¡± Yuan Hui was about to say that every medicine had its side effects when he was stared at by Mu Yangling. Sizing Mu Yangling up, he smiled inexplicably. ¡°If it¡¯s Miss Mu, it might work.¡±


    The three of them frowned together. Mu Yangling looked at Yuan Hui strangely and asked, ¡°Master, what do you mean?¡±


    Yuan Hui twirled the bodhi in his hand and smiled. ¡°Qi Haoran is Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s lucky star, and you¡¯re Qi Haoran¡¯s lucky star. Since Miss Mu suggested using medicinal cuisine, we might be able to give it a try. I wonder if Miss Mu has any good candidates in mind.¡±


    Stunned, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Since Master Yuan Hui¡¯s medical skills are so brilliant, don¡¯t you have a prescription?¡±


    Yuan Hui shook his head and replied, ¡°The prescriptions I have are useless in this scenario. Moreover, if one takes too much of it, it will umte poison.¡± Mu Yangling frowned. Other than Yuan Hui, the only other physician she knew was Pang Kongqing. Thinking about how Pang Kongqing had treated her younger brother¡¯s many years of fetal illness and weak body, he might have a solution.


    Just as Mu Yangling was about to speak, Rong Xuan came out of the house with a dark expression. He nodded slightly at everyone and said, ¡°General¡¯s breath has stabilized and he¡¯s out of danger.¡±


    He looked at Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Miss Mu, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to make a trip to where Little General is and fetch him out.


    ¡°Brother Rong, do you know who the spy is?¡±


    Rong Xuan¡¯s eyes shed with hostility as he shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I have a rough idea. Miss Mu, don¡¯t worry. While you¡¯re sending troops, he won¡¯t be able toe into contact with military power.¡±


    -What about Fuping County?¡± Mu Yangling asked. The Jin soldiers had already entered Fuping County, so it was very easy for them tounch a war against Fuping County. However, Qi Xiuyuan was injured now, and what they had done in the bustling city this afternoon had probably already made the people outside guess what was going on. Thus, it would be very disadvantageous for them should the Jin soldiers attack now.


    ¡°That¡¯s why Little General has toe back as soon as possible.¡± Rong Xuan looked at Mu Yangling seriously and said solemnly, ¡°Only Little General can take the General¡¯s ce andmand all the assistantmanders.¡± Mu Yangling¡¯s expression turned solemn as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Brother Rong. I¡¯ll definitely bring him out as soon as possible. Send out the order to prepare for battle and deploy half of the 4th and <sub>5</sub>th Division¡¯s troops to Golden Water Town. We¡¯ll head straight for Golden Water Town as soon as wee out..¡±

 Chapter 402 - 402: Battle

    Chapter 402: Battle


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Fan Zijin immediately said, ¡°You go first. I¡¯ll follow the people from the 4th and 5th Division to Golden Water Town.¡±


    Mu Yangling and Rong Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. With Fan Zijin holding the fort, they were not afraid of the spies hiding behind the scenes.


    Only then did Rong Xuan realize that they didn¡¯t have enough people, and there were too few trusted people they could delegate.


    ¡°Miss Mu, who do you want to bring into the mountains?¡± Rong Xuan asked.


    ¡°Haoran¡¯s men.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°As they¡¯ve all been trained in the forest, it¡¯s much more flexible to bring them along.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll transfer them over now. Rest for a while and set off when they arrive.¡± Rong Xuan greeted Li Jinghua before turning around and striding out.


    Fan Zijin abandoned Mu Yangling and went out to mobilize guards to surround this ce. From the servant girl who boiled water to the old woman who carried the basin, they were all people he trusted. Since the spy had not been found, he could not be careless at this time. After all, the other party spent so much effort trying to kill his eldest cousin.


    Only Li Jinghua, Wen Cui, and Mu Yangling were left outside.


    Li Jinghua¡¯s emotions fluctuated. She knew that Qi Xiuyuan valued Mu Yangling, but she didn¡¯t know that he actually gave her the right to lead the army. Looking at Rong Xuan and Fan Zijin¡¯s reactions, they were already used to it and even needed to rely on her.


    Recalling that she was the one who carried Qi Xiuyuan back, Li Jinghua took a deep breath and became even more polite and enthusiastic to Mu Yangling. She turned to Wen Cui and said, ¡°Go and get the kitchen to prepare some food to be servedter.¡±


    Li Jinghua turned to Mu Yangling and smiled. ¡°Sister Mu, do you want to freshen up and eat something?¡±


    Only then did Mu Yangling sense that her body was covered in blood and mud. Realizing she was indeed very dirty, she smiled in embarrassment and nodded. ¡°Thank you, Sister-inw.¡±


    Even though Li Jinghua was very curious, she knew that this was not the time to ask. Rong Xuan had said just now that Mu Yangling still had to save Qi Haoranter, so she naturally had to rest well.


    She was a little embarrassed when she saw the Mu Yangling¡¯s dark circles, but Mu Yangling, Rong Xuan, and the others were already used to it. Once they started fighting, it was normal for them not to sleep for four to five days, let alone two days.


    After taking a shower, Mu Yangling changed her clothes and quickly filled her stomach. Then, she leaned against the couch and fell asleep with her eyes closed.


    After about four hours, Rong Xuan sent the people Mu Yangling wanted over. It was alreadyte at night, so Mu Yangling did not say much. She simply picked up the broadsword that Fan Zijin had found for her and left. Li Jinghua hurriedly chased after her with a cloak and said embarrassedly, ¡°Sister Mu, why don¡¯t you put this on? You¡¯ll need this to fend against the strong wind.¡±


    Mu Yangling took it gratefully.


    Rong Xuan found 300 people for her. They were all Qi Haoran¡¯s men.


    They all knew Mu Yangling and had been trained by her before. Mu Yangling didn¡¯t say much and rode Ruby away.


    As soon as Mu Yangling left, Rong Xuan¡¯s orders were sent out from the General¡¯s Mansion one by one. The Jingzhao Prefecture, Hanzhong Prefecture, and Xingzhou Prefecture all entered Level 1bat readiness. The city gates were tightly shut, and the various camps frequently changed their defense and soldiers. This was to prevent the spies from sabotaging them.


    The next morning, Fan Zijin also began to bring the troops he had mobilized to Golden Water Town.


    However, no one knew that Qi Haoran was lying on the grass and staring excitedly at the exasperated Jin Kingdom general in the camp below.


    A scout reported in Qi Haoran¡¯s ear, ¡°Little General, the rest have been found. The injured have been sent to a cave.¡±


    Qi Haoran said with bright eyes, ¡°Tell everyone to rest. After filling their stomachs, we¡¯ll let those brats below witness what a jungle battle is. Tell our men to note down the number of men they killed so that they can receive meritster.¡±


    The scout replied excitedly, ¡°Yes!¡±


    In the past, they had always felt that the jungle tactics that Mu Yangling had taught them were useless. Other than identifying the direction in the forest, everything else was exaggerated. Even if they had practiced it before, they¡¯d suspected that the other side was going easy on them since they were one of their own, and that was why their results appeared so outstanding.


    However, this time, they used what Mu Yangling had taught them on the Hus. Only then did they know that Mu Yangling was not exaggerating at all. They were only a little flustered at the beginning. They had to cooperate in groups of three, and sometimes, they would be discovered by the Jin soldiers and chased all over the forest. After today¡¯s actualbat and the excitement of seeing blood, they were already familiar with the methods, and only need to cooperate in pairs now. So long as they did not forget how to stay hidden as taught by Mu Yangling, the Jin soldiers would not be able to find them.


    Not only Qi Haoran, but even they could not bear to leave the forest.


    That¡¯s right. It was not that the Jin soldiers were stopping them from leaving, but that they did not want to go out anymore. After a day of battle, the Jin soldiers weren¡¯t guarding the ce as tightly. Hence, it was not difficult for them to turn around and leave now. However, it was too satisfying to kill enemies in the forest.


    As their soldiers had all been trained in jungle warfare, they could achieve the greatest results with the smallest sacrifice when facing the Jin soldiers. They simply could not bear to give up on the prey that was about tond in their hands. Therefore, even if they had the chance to leave, they chose not to do so.


    The 93 soldiers lurked around in pairs. In the wee hours of the morning, when humans were the least vignt, they stood up from their previous positions and held daggers in their hands. They covered the mouths of the patrolling and guarding Jin soldiers and slit their throats, before dragging them into the darkness. Then, they changed into the clothes of the Jin soldiers as quickly as possible. They quickly made a mark on their arms before sneaking into the camp and starting to silently reap the enemies¡¯ lives¡­


    By the time someone realized that something was wrong and cried out in rm, Qi Haoran had already led his men to kill nearly 800 of them. Knowing that they were disadvantaged in numbers and could not fight them head-on, he whistled and his men immediately rushed into the darkness and led the enemy into the dense forest.


    The Jin Kingdom¡¯s general was so angry that he cried out and was about to order his warriors to chase after them when the deputy general hurriedly stopped him. ¡°General, do you still not understand? We can¡¯t defeat them in the forest at all. If we let our warriors chase after them, they might not be able to return.¡±


    ¡°Are we just going to let it go like this? We clearly said that we were here to take the lives of the Qi brothers, but in the end, we didn¡¯t even manage to touch the corner of their clothes. How did they do it?¡±


    The deputy general said coldly, ¡°Of course we can¡¯t let it go just like that. There are so many Han viges outside. The warriors have been worried for a day and night. Tomorrow is the time to get back interest from them.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m a warrior of the Jin Kingdom. I¡¯ll get up from wherever I fell. What sort of a warrior vents his anger on a group of Han civilians?¡± The Jin Kingdom general was stubborn. ¡°I must kill Qi Haoran and avenge my previous humiliation.¡±


    The deputy general almost spat out a mouthful of blood. Hadn¡¯t Qi Haoran killed many of their warriors today?


    Was he nning to stake everyone¡¯s lives?


    At this moment, Qi Haoran had just brought everyone back to a cave and disguised the outside. Only then did he copse to the ground and say, ¡°Alright, since it¡¯s almost dawn, hurry up and rest. We still have a tough battle to fight tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°General, they¡¯re much more vignt now. Anyway, since the gap has already opened, let¡¯s go out first. Why should we fight them to the death in the forest?¡±


    Qi Haoran red at him and said, ¡°Shut up. If we really leave, the vigers outside will suffer.. If they fail to kill Big Brother and me while getting so many of their own men killed, will they let the matter rest?¡±

 Chapter 403 - 403: Encounter

    Chapter 403: Encounter


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Scared out of their wits by the elusive Qi Haoran¡¯s team, the Jin soldiers had already failed before they could face the enemy.


    At this moment, the Jin Kingdom¡¯s general knew that it was impossible to kill the Qi brothers. If they did not leave the mountain as soon as possible, they did not even know if they could survive.


    He could only grit his teeth and ask the guide to bring them out of the mountain. When they reached the grasnd, he would definitely reap the lives of the Qi brothers.


    But the worst thing was that their guide had lost his way!


    The Jin general kicked the man away and roared, ¡°How can you get lost? Aren t you a guide?¡±


    The guide swallowed the blood in his mouth and cried, ¡°But you¡¯re too deep in. I¡¯ve never walked here before. Usually, I can still rely on the sun or the stars and moon to determine the direction, but¡­ but now it¡¯s a cloudy day. Not only is there no sun, but I¡¯m afraid there won¡¯t be any moon or stars at night.¡± He felt even more bitter, okay? These Jin soldiers were led by the nose into the deep forest mountain by the Han soldiers. At first, he was afraid of rming the ferocious beasts, but clearly, the ferocious beasts were also afraid of them. Seeing the thousands of men rush in, even the wild beasts were smart enough to stay away.


    People died from time to time around them, but they couldn¡¯t even see the shadow of the Han soldiers. In his fear, how could he pay attention to the road? Naturally, he followed the battalion and fled. No, he chased after them. He didn¡¯t even know where he had gone. How could he get out if he couldn¡¯t distinguish east from west in this dense forest?


    This news undoubtedly added another straw to the despair of the Jin soldiers. Everyone looked at the Jin general in silence. They were walking with their backs facing each other and did not dare to underestimate the situation behind them. They were moving at a slow speed to begin with. If on top of that they got lost, when would they be able to walk out?


    The worst thing was that they didn¡¯t have much rations left.


    The Jin Kingdom general¡¯s eyes darkened. This was not a grasnd, but a forest. If they were on a grasnd, they would not be afraid. They could walk out with their intuition and their horses. However, this was a forest with trees all around, and they could only see the forest ten steps ahead.


    The Jin general looked at the deputy general.


    The deputy general said in a low voice, ¡°General, we left many traces along the way. Let¡¯s follow them out.¡±


    The guide smiled bitterly. ¡°General, there are traces of us everywhere since we¡¯ve been walking in circles. How do we know which way to go?¡±


    The general and deputy general¡¯s expressions changed again. They couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they had been set up by Qi Haoran from the beginning.


    At this moment, Qi Haoran was hugging his sword and sleeping soundly in a small cave.


    Now that the Jin soldiers had wised up, he decided to look for them at night.


    At this moment, Mu Yangling had just brought her men into the forest¡­


    The next morning, the despairing Jin soldiers were finally greeted by the sun. Now able to identify the direction, the guide led everyone down. There was no choice. Having chased after Qi Haoran previously, they were almost at the top of the mountain.


    Qi Haoran had been following them all this while. From time to time, he would lead his men to do something, either causing the enemy to lose manpower or causing them to deviate from their original direction.


    The Jin general and deputy general also came back to their senses. They knew that Qi Haoran didn¡¯t want or dare to let them leave. ¡°General, they¡¯re afraid that we¡¯ll take revenge after we leave the mountain. Since they¡¯re so afraid, we should give them a ruthless blow.¡±


    The Jin Kingdom¡¯s general¡¯s face was ashen. This time, he did not object to the deputy general¡¯s idea. He gave the order to not worry about anything else and advance at full speed.


    Then, they encountered Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t expect to find them so quickly. She returned to the cave where she and the others were hiding and found the message Qi Haoran had left nearby. He said that he would lead the enemy to the northeastern mountain, so she didn¡¯t waste any effort searching. She followed the traces and marks up the mountain, and she had just walked for about two hours when she heard amotion.


    At this moment, they were halfway up a mountain. If they encountered the Jin soldiers, it would be disadvantageous to them. Thus, she could only order her men to retreat and get a scout to investigate.


    Arge number of Jin soldiers were discovered ahead. They seemed to be fleeing for their lives and wereing over at full speed.


    As time was too tight, Mu Yangling did not have time to make any more arrangements. She could only get people to lie in ambush below and in the west, while only half of the people in the east were left behind to leave a gap for them. Then, they would quickly lie in ambush.


    She had no time to think about where Qi Haoran was now, but her intuition told her not to let the Jin soldiers go down the mountain hke this.


    Hence, the Jin soldiers, who were rushing down the mountain, encountered a rain of arrows.


    Qi Haoran and the others, who were chasing after them, were overjoyed to see that their reinforcements had arrived. Qi Haoran nced at the dense rain of arrows and knew that Mu Yangling had left a gap for them in the east. Pointing at the gap, he said, ¡°Go there and ambush. When they disperse and escape, kill as many of their men as possible.¡±


    More than 90 people instantly dispersed.


    As the Jin Kingdom¡¯s general chopped down the arrows that flew in front of him, he ordered his men to retreat to the east. Mu Yangling took out her broadsword and shouted, ¡°First team of archers, snipe the escapees. Second and third teams follow me.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at Mu Yangling, who had rushed to the battlefield to kill the enemy. After watching for a while, he narrowed his eyes and looked at the general and deputy general of the Jin Kingdom.


    He wondered if they knew who the spy was.


    Initially, Qi Haoran had not expected to capture the two of them. He¡¯d only hoped to exhaust their troops as much as possible so that they would not be able to cause trouble for themoners even if they went out. But now, since Mu Yangling was here, it was better to get rid of those two.


    Qi Haoran led three men to chase after the Jin general and deputy general. The people Mu Yangling brought weren¡¯tpletely well-rested, butpared to the Jin soldiers who had searched the forest for three days and lived in fright for two days, they were in a much better situation. Therefore, even if the Jin soldiers were generally stronger than the Han soldiers, the two sides were still evenly matched at the beginning.


    However, with the incredibly strong Mu Yangling in the picture, she could fight one against three with a broadsword. It was almost as if she was cutting melons. Seeing the terrified Jin soldiers, the Han soldiers¡¯ morale was boosted, in addition, under the protection of the guards, the Jin general and deputy general abandoned their battalion and fled first. With the change in morale on both sides, the Jin soldiers took a severe beating from the Han soldiers.


    As for the Jin soldiers who escaped, Qi Haoran¡¯s team reaped their lives in the dark, so less than one in 100 Jin soldiers sessfully escaped in the end. When the two teams met up, Mu Yangling asked with a frown, ¡°Where¡¯s Qi Haoran?¡±


    The people on the other side looked at each other. ¡°Little General only asked us to ambush the escapees. We don¡¯t know where he is.


    Mu Yangling frowned and nced at them. She said, ¡°Count how many of you there are and see how many people left with Little General.


    ¡°Report, there are three of them.¡±


    Frowning, Mu Yangling thought for a moment. Knowing that Qi Haoran had gone to chase after the Jin Kingdom¡¯s general, she ordered, ¡°Clean up the battlefield, bandage your wounds, and rest on the spot. Captain of Team One, bring your men to follow the traces to reinforce Little General. Captain of Team Two, select 50 people and bring the injured soldiers over.


    Mu Yangling already knew that Qi Haoran had arranged for the injured to stay in a cave, so she asked a soldier who knew the ce to bring them there.


    Mu Yangling sat cross-legged on the ground and waited for Qi Haoran. When Qi Haoran returned, his face was a little pale. Seeing that there was only one person behind him, she asked, ¡°Did you let the Jin Kingdom¡¯s general escape?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Qi Haoran sat beside Mu Yangling and said respectfully, ¡°Hemitted suicide..¡±

 Chapter 404 - 404: Transfer

    Chapter 404: Transfer


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran threw the Jin deputy general to the ground and asked Fan Zijin, who had run over, ¡°Did the Jin Kingdom make a move?¡±


    With a strange expression on his face, Fan Zijin shook his head and replied, ¡°No.¡± It would be strange if that was the case. They had wasted a day and a night on guard, but there was no movement from the Jin Kingdom.


    ¡°Good news.¡± Qi Haoran said, ¡°Tell the people of Fuping County to pay attention to the situation and maintain martialw.¡± He looked at the soldiers behind him and said, ¡°Leave these people behind.¡±


    After Qi Haoran gave the order, he got someone to detain the Jin Country s deputy general and send him back to the West Camp for interrogation.


    Fan Zijin looked at the deputy general of the Jin Kingdom who was being escorted to the back, then narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°You only captured him?¡±


    ¡°There are still five Jin soldiers left behind. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Fan Zijin revealed an unfathomable smile and said, ¡°Let¡¯s palm off a substitute for the real thing.¡±


    Qi Haoran widened his eyes and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you thinking too much?


    Reality proved that Fan Zijin was not thinking too much. When they rushed back to the General¡¯s Mansion, the soldiers who had separated at the city gate ran over to report. With a flustered expression, they said, ¡°The carriage escorting the deputy general of the Jin Kingdom overturned halfway. The person inside broke his neck and is already dead.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face instantly turned ashen. He asked angrily, ¡°Why did the carriage overturn out of nowhere?¡±


    ¡°Little General, I don¡¯t know what provoked that horse to suddenly run. We couldn¡¯t stop it at all. It even bumped into a fewmoners on the way. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that the horse was so crazy that it couldn¡¯t tell the direction and crashed into a wall, there would definitely be more people injured.¡±


    Fan Zijin patted his shoulder and waved at the soldier. ¡°Alright, leave this matter to the assistantmander of the West Camp. Send the corpse of the deputy general of the Jin Kingdom over. Also, the injured citizens have to be properly attended to.¡±


    Just as the soldier was about to retreat, he heard Young Master Fan say vaguely, ¡°Alright, didn¡¯t you interrogate him on the way? Didn¡¯t you get nothing out of him? If he¡¯s dead, so be it¡­¡¯


    Seeing that everyone in the courtyard had left, Mu Yangling said to Fan Zijin, ¡°Alright, stop acting. Everyone has left. Where¡¯s that person?¡±


    Fan Zijin chuckled and said, ¡°I sent him to the dungeon. Thanks to the previous Crown Prince of the Jin Kingdom for his special hobby, that dungeon was built luxuriously and solidly. Not to mention one Jin Kingdom general, we can easily lock up ten of them.¡±


    The General¡¯s Mansion that Qi Xiuyuan was living in now was a mansion that the Jin Kingdom officials had built for their former Crown Prince in Jingzhao Prefecture back then. It was spacious and luxurious, and the facilities wereprehensive. Everything that should and shouldn¡¯t be there could be found in the mansion.


    The anger on Qi Haoran¡¯s face had already subsided. He was very curious about the spy hidden among them now, but now was not the time to interrogate him. He had to visit Big Brother first.


    Qi Xiuyuan happened to be awake and eating bird¡¯s nest porridge. When he saw the three of them enter, he smiled.


    He sized up Qi Haoran and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that he was not injured. Nodding, he praised, ¡°Not bad. 100 against 5,000. Even General Yuan can¡¯t do this.¡±


    When Qi Haoran received the praise, he immediately smiled brightly.


    Qi Xiuyuan turned to look at Mu Yangling. Seeing that she was even more disheveled than Qi Haoran and covered in blood, he was slightly shocked. ¡°Ah Ling, are you injured?¡±


    ¡°No, this is the blood of the Jin soldiers.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good. Alright, go wash up and rest.¡± He handed the bowl to his wife and smiled. ¡°Bring Ah Ling away to freshen up. She hasn¡¯t slept for three to four nights in a row. Get the kitchen to prepare some easy to digest food for her first.¡±


    Li Jinghua knew that they had matters to discuss, and it was inconvenient for her to stay here. Hence, she smiled and stood up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. I¡¯ll take good care of Sister Mu.¡±


    She looked at Mu Yangling. Of course, Mu Yangling knew that Qi Xiuyuan had something to discuss with Qi Haoran and the rest, so she obediently went out with Li Jinghua.


    The smell of blood on Mu Yangling¡¯s body was very strong. Actually, it was not her fault. At that time, her eyes were red from killing and she was surrounded by the enemy. shing with the broadsword in her hand, blood gushed out from the target and sttered on her body. As Fuping County was not close to Jingzhao Prefecture, she did not change her clothes in order to rush for time.


    She was a little worried that she would scare Li Jinghua, but Li Jinghua walked beside her without changing her expression as she sent her all the way to the Spring Courtyard. This had always been where Mu Yangling stayed when she was here. In the past, it was not named since Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran were not people who had the time to give names to a courtyard. It was only after Li Jinghua married over that they started to name the courtyards and made a que for it.


    Mama Wang, who had been serving Mu Yangling, happened toe over with a bucket of hot water. When she saw Mu Yangling, who was covered in blood, she was shocked and let go of the bucket. Mu Yangling reached out and caught it. ¡°Mama Wang, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°My goodness, what¡¯s wrong with you? Where are you hurt?¡± Mama Wang pounced on her and wanted to touch her.


    Mu Yangling held her hand awkwardly and said, ¡°I¡¯m not injured. This is the blood of those Jin soldiers, not mine.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, you scared me to death.¡± Mama Wang patted her chest and said, No wonder Madam asked me to prepare hot water. Go in and wash up quickly. Let s throw this set of clothes away.¡±


    ¡°Mama Wang, go and bring in hot water first. Then, find a set of clothes for Miss Mu,¡± Li Jinghua instructed.


    Only then did Mama Wang see Madam and Wen Cui at the side. She hurriedly curtsied and left.


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Sister-inw, go busy yourself first. I think I¡¯ll take a while.¡±


    Li Jinghua nodded with a smile. After seeing Mu Yangling enter the bathroom and close the door, she turned around and left with Wen Cui. When they left the courtyard, Li Jinghua lost her bnce and almost fell. Wen Cui hurriedly supported her. Her hands were also trembling slightly, and the sweat in her hands was still cold. She said in a trembling voice, ¡°Miss, this Miss Mu is too bold. Seeing as she has so much blood on her body, how many people has she killed?¡±


    ¡°To be able to make it out alive after saving Eldest Young Master and Fourth Young Master, what do you think?¡±


    Wen Cui¡¯s face turned pale. Li Jinghua, who was sitting on a rock beside her, patted her hand and said, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t look strange in front of her. First Master, Fourth Young Master, and Young Master Zijin value her very much. In a while, go to the kitchen and ask them to boil some nourishing soup for her. After all, she¡¯s a girl. No matter how brave she is, she¡¯ll ruin her health by forgoing sleep like this.¡±


    Wen Cui responded, and Li Jinghua rested for a while. After confirming that her limbs weren¡¯t feeling weak anymore, she stood up with Wen Cui¡¯s help.


    She could not be med for being frightened. Although there had been executions in the aristocratic families and she had even ordered servants who had betrayed their masters to be beaten to death in the past, she had never witnessed those executions. In fact, she did not even hear it from start to end. It was unlike Mu Yangling, who appeared covered in blood. Putting aside the smell, she was indeed afraid when she saw the dried ckish-red bloodstains. Mu Yangling did not know that Li Jinghua and Wen Cui were in awe of her. At this moment, she was removing her clothes and taking a shower. After showering, she washed her hair and took another shower to wash away the stench of blood on her body. Only then did she change her clothes wearing her hair down..

 Chapter 405 - 405: Trump Card

    Chapter 405: Trump Card


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Li Jinghua was very interested in Mu Yangling, and Wen Cui was also very interested in her. Without needing her to mention it, she took the initiative to approach Mama Wang. On the way back, she met another youngss who often ran out to run errands. Then, Wen Cui ran back to gossip with her madam.


    ¡°Madam, Mama Wang said that Miss Mu is as strong as an ox. Once, she lifted the huge rockery in our residence with one hand and even spun it three times


    above her head.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. Won¡¯t the rocks above fall with her spinning the rockery like this?¡±


    Li Jinghua didn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Wen Cui said anxiously, ¡°It¡¯s precisely because Miss Mu is strong that Fourth Young Master often spars with her. I heard that she even helps Fourth Young Master train his troops. The soldiers under Fourth Young Master are very obedient towards her.¡±


    ¡°Look at how light she was when she carried Master back-it was as if she was carrying a nket. I heard that she even flew all the way back from East Street.¡± Wen Cui said dreamily, ¡°She flew back. I heard that all the servants in the magistrate¡¯s residence saw it. At that time, I thought that I was seeing things. Madam, Master was carried back just like that¡­¡±


    This was what Wen Cui could not ept the most. The wise and mighty master in her heart had actually been carried back by Miss Mu who leaped her way here, and Miss Mu had only entered the age of 14 this year¡­


    That scene was too shocking. Even now, Wen Cui could not forget it.


    Li Jinghua looked at Wen Cui and said, ¡°I asked you to go to the kitchen and ask them to prepare dinner. Did you go?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Most of the dishes are meat.¡± Wen Cui immediately said, ¡°I heard that Miss Mu is like Eldest Young Master and Fourth Young Master, who love to eat meat. She can eat a sheep in just one meal.¡±


    Li Jinghua thought of Mu Yangling¡¯s petite frame and burst outughing. ¡®¡öYou¡¯re bragging again. How can that stomach hold a sheep?¡±


    Li Jinghua thought for a moment and said, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t ask around about this matter. Go to the kitchen and take a look. Military Advisor Rong is eating here too. Make sure nothing goes wrong in the kitchen.¡±


    Over the past few days, the people in the residence had been in turmoil. Moreover, because the spy with unknown background was hiding somewhere, their residence had also been ruthlessly cleaned up. In the process, quite a few problematic people were discovered. There were two such cases in the kitchen, so everything in the residence had to start over.


    Wen Cui responded and turned to go to the kitchen again.


    Li Jinghua thought for a moment before going to Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s ce. Seeing that the door was tightly shut and Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s personal servant, Shi Jian, was guarding the door, she knew that they had not finished speaking. She hesitated and did not go over.


    However, Shi Jian saw her and greeted her with a smile. ¡°Madam, you¡¯re here? Why don¡¯t you go and sit in the corridor for a while? I¡¯ll go in and inform them of your arrival now.¡±


    Li Jinghua was about to say no when she heard Qi Xiuyuan say, ¡°Madam is here? Let her in.¡±


    Shi Jian hurriedly invited Li Jinghua in respectfully.


    Qi Haoran, Fan Zijin, and Rong Xuan were all sitting in front of Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s bed.


    When the three of them saw her enter, other than Rong Xuan, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin stood up and bowed to Li Jinghua. Qi Haoran scratched his head and smiled. ¡°Sister-inw, take care of Big Brother. Zijin and I will go back to the room to freshen up first.¡±


    Li Jinghua hurriedly said, ¡°Fourth Brother, go ahead. I¡¯ll get someone to call


    you when it¡¯s time to eat.¡±


    Rong Xuan also stood up and bowed slightly to bid farewell. As he had his own room to rest in the General¡¯s Mansion, he went back directly.


    Qi Xiuyuan patted the edge of the bed and gestured for Li Jinghua to sit down.


    He asked gently, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Having known her for a year, Qi Xiuyuan had an understanding of his wife¡¯s character. She knew that he had someone to entertain here, so she wouldn¡¯te back if there was nothing important.


    Li Jinghua bit her lower lip and said, ¡°Master, when Sister Mu carried you back, many people saw it, so there is an uproar outside. Everyone said that you were seriously injured. Do you want us to step forward and refute the rumors?¡± Qi Xiuyuan smiled and shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just let them talk.¡±


    Li Jinghua knew that Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s actions had a deeper meaning. ¡°Will it affect


    Sister Mu?¡±


    Even if the Northern Lands were more open-minded and did not restrict women so much, it would not be good for her reputation should rumors spread of her flying around with a man in her arms in public.


    Smiling, Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°Who said that it was Ah Ling who flew on the roof that day? Who said that the person in her arms was me?¡±


    Stunned, Li Jinghua looked up at her husband. Seeing that he was looking at her firmly, Li Jinghua instantly understood. ¡°Yes, Master is right. At that time, that woman was so fast that not many people could see her face clearly, let alone the man in her arms.¡±


    ¡ö¡¯SO, I¡¯ll leave the residence to you. It¡¯s fine if you listen to the rumors outside, but you can¡¯t allow such words to spread in the residence.¡± Qi Xiuyuan leaned against the pillow and said in a low voice, ¡°Jinghua, Ah Ling has been helping Haoran train his troops, but other than us and Haoran¡¯s subordinates, no one knows that she has the ability. There are even fewer people who know that she has good martial arts skills. Many people just think that she¡¯s stronger than ordinary people, that she has nted a lot ofnd, raised a lot of orphans, and opened a cattle farm. That¡¯s all.


    Li Jinghua looked at Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s serious gaze and nodded involuntarily. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s all.¡±


    She walked out of the room in a daze. When the cold wind blew, she came back to her senses and her back couldn¡¯t help but sweat. She understood that Qi Xiuyuan was using Mu Yangling as a trump card and a secret weapon. Just like this time, no one expected Mu Yangling to be the one who led the troops to save him and Qi Haoran.


    At the same time, this was also a form of protection. If no one knew that she had these abilities, there would be no harm beyond her ability.


    Then, she was touched. Li Jinghua knew that Qi Xiuyuan told her this trump card because he approved of her from the bottom of his heart. He even let her do the cover-up and even ced some power in her hands, just like how Mu Yangling was given the right to lead the army. No, she wasn¡¯t as trusted as Mu Yangling in their hearts now, but she believed that one day, she would definitely obtain this trust.


    Li Jinghua was not an innocent girl. She felt that after marrying Qi Xiuyuan, Qi Xiuyuan would have to trust her infinitely. Her father and brother had told her since she was young that trust had a price.


    Since she was married to Qi Xiuyuan, it was her duty and power to manage the residence. Qi Xiuyuan had given her all of this, which was way better than how her uncle handled things. Her uncle couldn¡¯t hand over the residence to her aunt, but he did it.


    However, her father and brother had said that the power of the matriarch of a family was never limited to the internal matters. It was very rted to the external matters, too. Whether she could obtain this power depended on her ability and Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s trust in her.


    She felt that there was nothing wrong with her ability. So how could she gam


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s trust?


    There were two ways. The first was to give birth to a child for Qi Xiuyuan. The maintenance of bloodlines had always been the simplest, but after a year, she was still not pregnant. That meant that she could only umte it over time, hoping that Qi Xiuyuan could see her heart. And now, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s willingness to be frank with her was clearly a step forward. Whether she could stand firm with his foundation depended on her ability.


    Filled with fighting spirit, Li Jinghua was as happy as a bird riding on the clouds. She was determined to pull Mu Yangling out perfectly and hide her ability.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know that Qi Xiuyuan and his wife were busy with her matters. At this moment, she was hugging the nket and lying on the brick bed, sleeping like a pig.


    When Qi Haoran sneaked in with his wet hair draped over his shoulders, he saw her sleeping with her arms and legs spread out. He despised her for a moment, but he still couldn¡¯t help but lean over to kiss her lips..

 Chapter 406 - 406: Satisfied

    Chapter 406: Satisfied


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Having juste out ofbat, even though Mu Yangling knew that it was safe in the General¡¯s Mansion, herbat awareness was still hidden in her body. Hence, the moment Qi Haoran approached, he was kicked by Mu Yangling before he could even touch her. Fortunately, Qi Haoran was quick to react and leaned back to dodge it. Otherwise, with Mu Yangling¡¯s strength, he would definitely have to lie down for three days even if his bones did not break.


    Qi Haoran sat on the ground and stared nkly at Mu Yangling, who was sitting on the brick bed.


    Mu Yangling opened her eyes in a daze and nced at Qi Haoran. After confirming that it was safe, she immediately closed her slightly opened eyes andy down on the brick bed. She lifted the nket and continued sleeping.


    Qi Haoran, who was about to shout, shut his mouth again. He got up and stood by the brick bed to look at her for a long time. In the end, he poked her face with his finger and quickly retracted it. Seeing that she did not react, he knew that she was no longer on guard.


    Qi Haorany on the brick bed and secretly kissed her face. Only then did he he down at the side in satisfaction and close his eyes to sleep.


    When Mama Wang opened the door and entered, she saw Qi Haoran lying outside the brick bed with his wet hair. She eximed and hurriedly went forward to pull him up. Seeing that Mu Yangling was sleeping soundly, she reprimanded in a low voice, ¡°Fourth Young Master, why are you lying here? Hurry up and go back to your room. What if others find out? You and Miss Mu aren¡¯t married yet.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re engaged,¡± Qi Haoran said unhappily.


    ¡°Engagement is not marriage. You have to get married before you can be considered husband and wife. Hurry up and get out. Otherwise, if Eldest Master finds out, he¡¯ll whip you.¡± Mama Wang pushed Qi Haoran out. Seeing that he had wet hair, she said, ¡°How do your servants serve you? Fei Bai is getting more and morezy. How could he let you out like this? What if you get sick when the wind blows?¡±


    Mama Wang pulled him into the side room to dry his hair. Qi Haoran exined on Fei Bai¡¯s behalf, ¡°I asked him to go down and rest since he hasn¡¯t slept for a few days following me. It¡¯s not his fault.¡±


    Just as Qi Haoran finished speaking, he slowly closed his eyes and leaned against the couch.


    Seeing this, Mama Wang¡¯s heart ached. She quickly helped him lie down, covered him with a nket, and dried his hair.


    Hence, Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling did not wake up for dinner tonight. Seeing that they were sleeping soundly, Qi Xiuyuan did not instruct the servants to wake them up and let them sleep.


    Li Jinghua hesitated if she should carry Qi Haoran back to his own courtyard. Although he and Mu Yangling were already engaged, it was not a good idea for them to sleep in the same courtyard.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t care at all. ¡°If the people in Spring Courtyard don¡¯t say anything, who will know?¡±


    Li Jinghua thought about it and agreed, but she still asked Wen Cui to move there to keep an eye in case gossip spread.


    The two of them slept for two days. Mu Yangling woke up from hunger, and Qi Haoran woke up from needing to relieve himself. The two of them woke up almost at the same time. Then, they opened the door and asked Mama Wang to bring them water.


    Seeing Qi Haoran¡¯s messy hair, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud. Then, she remembered and asked, ¡°Why are you here?


    After Li Jinghua married into the family, Qi Haoran moved to the front yard. He and Fan Zijin lived in two adjacent courtyards, one on the left and one on the right. It was very far from the Spring Courtyard where she stayed.


    Instead of answering, Qi Haoran ran to change his clothes and waved as he ran.


    ¡°Wash up first. Let¡¯s go eat togetherter.¡±


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and stopped asking.


    The two of them washed up and went to the dining room together. Li Jinghua, who had received the news that they had woken up, had already prepared the dishes and set them on the table. When she saw theming, she greeted them with a smile. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re finally awake. I even said that I¡¯d drag you out of bed if you continued to sleep any longer, lest you got a headache from oversleeping.¡±


    The table was filled with dishes, and in the middle was an entire chicken stew. The chicken soup was milky-white and thick. From left to right, there was roasted catfish, braised mutton, stir-fried melon with rabbit, fried mutton slices, and braised lion¡¯s head. There was only one vegetarian dish on the table, which was mushrooms with vegetables.


    Qi Haoran almost drooled when he saw this. Seriously speaking, it had been six days since hest had a warm meal. He grabbed the entire chicken in the middle. Qi Xiuyuan hit his hand with his chopsticks and said angrily, ¡°Behave yourself. We haven¡¯t even started eating.¡±


    Li Jinghua quickly scooped a bowl of chicken soup for the two of them and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been hungry for two days and have been living off dry rations previously. I thought that you should eat two light meals first, but your big brother said that there¡¯s no need. He wanted you to be able to eat your favorite foods, so I asked the kitchen to make these. However, you have to finish the chicken soup to warm your stomach before eating.¡±


    ¡°Sister-inw, we¡¯re not nobles. There¡¯s no need for us to eat light food.¡± Although he said that, Qi Haoran still took the chicken soup and finished it. Then, he looked at Big Brother eagerly.


    Qi Xiuyuan said calmly, ¡°Drink two more bowls.¡±


    Just as Qi Haoran was about to speak, he was kicked by Mu Yangling. Mu Yangling had already finished her bowl and turned to him. ¡°It¡¯s quite delicious. Drink more and nourish yourself.¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips, but he still obediently drank an extra bowl. The servants quickly served them rice and the two of them started eating.


    Mu Yangling looked at Qi Xiuyuan. Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s attitude towards Mu Yangling was much gentler. With a smile, he said, ¡°You guys eat. We just had lunch.¡± Only then did Mu Yangling realize that it was already past noon. Qi Xiuyuan had speciallye to apany them.


    Smiling, she buried her head in her food. The two of them were starving. Even with two bowls of chicken soup, they were still famished. Mu Yangling liked braised lion¡¯s head the most, but this dish required a lot of effort to prepare, so Shu Wanniang rarely made it. Also, the version served in restaurants was not authentic, so she might as well not eat it usually.


    Those in the General¡¯s Mansion knew her preferences, so every time she came, there would be a dish of braised lion¡¯s head. Qi Haoran also knew that this was her favorite dish, so he only ate one piece. The rest went into Mu Yangling¡¯s stomach.


    The two of them swept away everything on the table and even added three bowls of rice. In the end, between the two of them, they finished the entire chicken.


    Although the two of them ate quickly, their manners were still considered elegant and not rude. However, their appetite was enough to make Li Jinghua raise her eyebrows.


    Li Jinghua could not help but lower her head to look at Mu Yangling¡¯s stomach. She saw that it was still t. Yes, it seemed to be a little more bulging than before, but it was still not obvious¡­


    Seeing his wife¡¯s dumbfounded expression, Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. Seeing his brother and Mu Yangling look over, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Come over and talk to me after you¡¯ve eaten your fill.¡±


    Qi Haoran rinsed his mouth before going over eagerly. Mu Yangling also stood behind him. After gesturing for them to sit down, Qi Xiuyuan turned to Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Ah Ling, I¡¯ve told your father that you¡¯ll stay longer in Jingzhao Prefecture this time. I just don¡¯t know if you have anything urgent to attend to.¡±


    ¡°No, the autumn harvest is over. The rabbit farm is managed by Brother Zijin¡¯s men, and Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu can also take charge of the cattle farm. Teacher Liu handles the matters in the nursery, and with my father at home, so there isn¡¯t much for me to do. Big Brother Qi, what do you want me to do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing particrly important. It¡¯s just that your sister-inw is a little busy now, so she wants you to help take care of the household for a while. I wonder if you have the patience for that.¡±


    Stunned, Mu Yangling nodded and said, ¡°No problem, but I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± ¡°You cane to me if there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand. I¡¯ll hand you Wen Cui. Just order her around,¡± Li Jinghua said with a smile.


    Then what was the difference between her and the butler? Why did he need her for this?


    However, Qi Haoran reacted and stole a nce at Mu Yangling before giggling foolishly.


    When Qi Xiuyuan saw his brother¡¯s silly look, he had the urge to cover his eyes to prevent Mu Yangling from noticing this, lest Qi Haoran embarrass himself. He hurriedly said, ¡°In that case, Ah Ling, go with your sister-inw to familiarize yourself..¡±

 Chapter 407 - 407: Plan

    Chapter 407: n


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Xiuyuan kicked his brother and said, ¡°Keep your stupid look away.¡±


    Qi Haoranid at Big Brother¡¯s feet and looked up. ¡°Big Brother, is Ah Ling about to marry me?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan lowered his head and met his brother¡¯s sparkling eyes. He knocked his head resentfully and said, ¡°How old is Ah Ling this year? I said I would arrange a mistress for you, but you rejected me.¡±


    Although Qi Haoran had a silly smile on his face, he felt extremely bitter in his heart. How would he dare? If he got himself a mistress now, he could very well forget about marrying Ah Ling.


    Most importantly, the mistress was the mistress. What he cared about was Ah


    Ling!


    Seeing that he was smiling foolishly, Qi Xiuyuan did not make things difficult for him and exined, ¡°I n to betroth Ah Ling before hering-of-age ceremony so that she can marry into the family when shees of age. Since she¡¯s not busy now, I can let her learn from your sister-inw to take care of things in the household. This way, I¡¯ll be at ease to let her marry you.¡± Qi Xiuyuan had long nned for his younger brother and Mu Yanghng¡¯s future. Previously, Qi Haoran had either gone to war or managed the intelligence system, but no matter what, he did not dare to let him go too far away, afraid that he would cause trouble outside.


    Staying near him meant that his achievements could not be great, or that his achievements would eventually be under his name.


    Just like before, no matter how many battles Qi Haoran fought, most of the credit would be given to Qi Xiuyuan in the end. Even if the memorial he submitted stated that Qi Haoran was themander, the people in the Imperial Court would only feel that he was paving the way for his younger brother. They assumed that Qi Xiuyuan was either crediting his own achievements to his younger brother, or that Qi Haoran was snatching the credit of his subordinates.


    Qi Xiuyuan realized that not only would such a memorial not bring his brother fame and fortune, but it also left others with the impression that Qi Haoran was eager for quick sess. He could only slow down and distribute Qi Haoran¡¯s credit to the other soldiers.


    Therefore, seriously speaking, Qi Haoran had actually been a little aggrieved for the past two years, although that silly kid probably did not notice it.


    The soldiers of the West Camp more or less owed Haoran a favor. His ability to train and lead the army was not weak either. As long as he could suppress his temper, it was only a matter of time before he achieved something.


    Among so many people, only he, Zijin, and Mu Yangling could suppress him. Hence, Qi Xiuyuan nned to send out Qi Haoran as soon as he got married, so that he could umte military merits. He had already chosen the ce.


    General Yuan had been exchanging letters with him. He believed that General Yuan was very willing to take in a small general, but it was much easier for the Imperial Court.


    When it came to General Yuan, as long as one had the ability, it was even easier for a person to make contributions than under Qi Xiuyuan. After all, over here, they only shed with the Jin soldiers from time to time. On General Yuan¡¯s side, there was a small battle every half a month and a huge battle every two months. The battles never stopped. With Haoran¡¯s ability, it was much easier to umte military merits.


    Oblivious to the fact that Big Brother had nned so much for him, Qi Haoran was busy calcting how long it would be before the wedding. Now that he thought about it, he was instantly dissatisfied. There was still more than a year.


    Qi Haoran was very dissatisfied. Big Brother took five months from the engagement to the marriage, but it took him three years from the engagement to the marriage. Including the previous time, it was a solid five years. Why did it take him so long?


    Seeing that his brother was squatting by his feet in a daze, Qi Xiuyuan kicked him with the tip of his foot and said, ¡°Don¡¯t think about marriage all day long.


    Since you¡¯ve recovered, go to the West Camp to take a look and help your


    Brother Rong.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately came back to his senses and asked solemnly, Big Brother, have you found the spy?¡±


    A fierce look shed across Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes as he nodded slightly. Qi Haoran immediately jumped up. ¡°Who is it? I¡¯ll skin him alive!


    Qi Xiuyuan looked up at his brother, making his scalp tingle. Then, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when you learn to control your temper.


    Qi Haoran shouted, ¡°Big Brother, don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t arrested him yet?¡± Qi Xiuyuan chuckled. ¡°Why should I arrest him? Living people are much more useful than dead people. Alright, you don¡¯t have to worry about the spy anymore. Since the three cities are still on guard, hurry up and go to the West Camp to help your Brother Rong.¡±


    Qi Haoran could only pout and go to the West Camp to do manualbor.


    After Qi Haoran left, Qi Xiuyuan stopped smiling and lowered his eyes to stare at the teacup in his hand. How could he arrest the spy?


    Haoran must have not expected that the spy was not from the Jin Kingdom, nor was he sent by the Jin Kingdom. He was not even bribed by the Jin Kingdom. That spy was just cooperating with the Jin Kingdom to take Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s life.


    That person¡¯s master was also Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s current master. If the Emperor wanted him dead, he had no choice but to die. Qi Xiuyuan was unwilling to tear off this disguise. If he didn¡¯t tear it off, he and the Emperor would still maintain peace on the surface. If he tore it off, his situation would be even worse than General Yuan¡¯s. Perhaps a gold medal could take his life.


    General Yuan was able to survive under the suspicion of the Emperor because of his 200,000 troops and reputation among the people.


    Qi Xiuyuan had neither, so once they fell out, the only fate that awaited him was death.


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at his brother¡¯s back and remained silent. Knowing his brother had a strong personality, he wasn¡¯t sure if he could disguise himself well, so it was better to hide this matter.


    At this moment, the Emperor was also discussing Qi Xiuyuan with his trusted aide. ¡°Are you sure Qi Xiuyuan is seriously injured?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the doctor from the Jingzhao Prefecture has been left in the Qi family, and Fan Zijin has been looking for elixirs for Qi Xiuyuan.¡± The trusted aide recalled the contents of the pigeon letter and said, ¡°The three cities have been under martialw, but there¡¯s no movement from the Jin Kingdom. Your Majesty, do you think the Jin Kingdom will me us?


    The Emperor¡¯s expression was also a little ugly. ¡°More than 5,000 people from the Jin Kingdom have all died?¡±


    His trusted aide lowered his head and the Emperor clenched his fists. He was both excited and angry as he muttered, ¡°800 people against 5,000 people. Is this Qi Xiuyuan actually more powerful than General Yuan?


    His trusted aide thought for a moment and said, ¡°Your Majesty, Qi Xiuyuan is only 22 years old this year. General Yuan was only an assistantmander who had just appeared on the scene at this age, so his talent should not be inferior to General Yuan¡¯s.¡±


    The Emperor¡¯s heart felt like it was being fried. He muttered, ¡°Why wasn¡¯t such a talent born in my Guo family?¡±


    His trusted aide cursed silently. If Qi Xiuyuan was born in the royal family, wouldn¡¯t the Emperor be even more wary of him? Qi Xiuyuan seemed to be more legitimate now.


    Coming back to his senses, the Emperor frowned and said regretfully, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Qi Xiuyuan is married. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to marry a princess to him.¡±


    The Emperor was vexed at his hesitation back then. When Qi Xiuyuan became famous, he had thought of marrying his princess to him. But he had merely hinted at the suggestion in the harem, and the princesses almost cried their eyes out. He also felt sorry for his daughters. In addition, Qi Xiuyuan quickly submitted a memorial to ask him to bestow a marriage to the daughter of the Li family of Longxi, so he let go of that thought.


    Furthermore, although Qi Xiuyuan had chosen the daughter of an aristocratic family, it was not that the Emperor looked down on the Li family of Longxi, but that more than half of the Li family¡¯s main branch had been ughtered during the Invasion and rebellion of the Five Barbarians years ago. What was left now was only the weakest branch. Although it was an aristocratic family, it had no officials in the court and was despised by the various aristocratic families. How could it be of any help?


    Therefore, in the end, although he did not issue an imperial edict to grant the marriage, he did approve the memorial and wished Qi Xiuyuan a happy marriage for a hundred years. He even had a congrattory gift sent on behalf of the royal family, approving the marriage.


    However, he really did not expect Qi Xiuyuan to grow so quickly. In just a year after attacking the Jingzhao Prefecture, he had actually expanded his army to 100,000 soldiers. Moreover, even General Yuan still had hungry soldiers under him. Only he seemed to have received the help of the heavens. Although parts of the Xingzhou Prefecture had suffered a drought, his grain harvest had always been sufficient. Even the injured soldiers had been adequately arranged. This ability made the Emperor even more wary of him.


    Therefore, in a moment of agitation, he couldn¡¯t help but express his intentions to the Jin Kingdom. Then, Qi Xiuyuan was ambushed..

 Chapter 408 - 408: Damage

    Chapter 408: Damage


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Four years ago, Emperor Jingyan even wanted to support Qi Xiuyuan to fight against General Yuan. Two years ago, he was still willing to turn a blind eye to Qi Xiuyuan and let him expand his power. But now, he could no longer tolerate Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s continued growth.


    He did not expect the situation to change so quickly. Even if he was unwilling to admit it, he realized that this empire was slowly slipping out of his control.


    Rebellions rose everywhere. After suppressing them for three years, not only were they unable to suppress them, but they also became more and more intense. General Yuan was already out of his control, but Qi Xiuyuan and the other generals were also gradually slipping out of his control.


    The other generals were fine, but Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s development was too fast. The Emperor was vexed. If he had been willing to bestow a princess to him back then, nothing might have happened.


    Seeing that the Emperor was frowning, his trusted aide suggested softly, ¡°Your Majesty, Qi Xiuyuan has a younger brother who¡¯s very skilled in martial arts. I heard that he¡¯s also very loved in the military.¡±


    The Emperor snorted and said, ¡°That¡¯s all because of Qi Xiuyuan. I want to control Qi Xiuyuan, not his younger brother.¡±


    If Qi Xiuyuan really wanted to rebel, he could very well just abandon his sister-inw. Minister Qi¡¯s daughter was too precious to be treated like that.


    His trusted aide was speechless. He really wanted to say that if Qi Xiuyuan really wanted to rebel, it wouldn¡¯t be of much use even if he had married a princess to him.


    The Emperor knocked on the table and said, ¡°However, even if a princess is out of the question, there¡¯s always the daughters of other families. Doesn¡¯t Minister Qin have a daughter of marriageable age?¡±


    His trusted aide:Let Qi Xiuyuan and Minister Qin be inws?!


    His trusted aide felt that this was a lousy idea. The Emperor might not be able to see Minister Qin¡¯s ambition, but it didn¡¯t mean that he couldn¡¯t. If he linked Minister Qin and Qi Xiuyuan together, Qi Xiuyuan might be able to bring out his ambition eventually.


    His trusted aide thought for a moment and said, ¡°Your Majesty, Minister Qin¡¯s daughter is precious. I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be willing. Why don¡¯t we send someone to test them?¡±


    The Emperor was unhappy, but he still nodded in agreement.


    His trusted aide immediately said, ¡°Since his younger brother is getting married, why don¡¯t we let Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s family return to the capital? Speaking of which, the Qi family hasn¡¯t seen their eldest daughter-inw yet.¡±


    When third-grade generals and above led troops outside, their families would stay in the capital. This was a custom. Even General Yuan¡¯s mother, wife, and daughter lived in the Duke Ding¡¯s Estate in the capital.


    As the Qi family was in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, after Qi Xiuyuan got married in Jingzhao Prefecture, the Emperor did not think of bringing his family back.


    His trusted aide hinted, ¡°Your Majesty, Qi Feng has always been biased. Since Qi Xiuyuan left the capital to join the army at the age of 14, I¡¯m afraid he doesn¡¯t have much feelings for the Qi family. However, he dotes on Qi Haoran very much.¡±


    The Emperor instantly understood and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. After I speak with Minister Qin, I¡¯ll get Qi Haoran to bring Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s family back.¡±


    Minister Qin had many daughters, but he only had one legitimate daughter. When the Emperor mentioned it, he searched through his concubine daughters in his mind and really thought of three girls of a suitable age. However, he did not want to agree like this. If he agreed immediately when the Emperor mentioned it, wouldn¡¯t the Emperore to him whenever there was a marriage alliance in the future?


    Even if his daughter was a concubine¡¯s daughter, she was still valuable. Even if it was a marriage alliance, she had to choose someone with high status and value.


    Hence, Minister Qin vaguely declined.


    Faced with Minister Qin¡¯s reluctance, the Emperor did not firmly insist. He did not force him to agree immediately and nned to slowly persuade him. Hence, he waved his hand and dismissed him.


    That night, after changing shifts, a young eunuch identally fell on his way back. A note was silently stuffed under a rock by the roadside. Not long after, the note was taken out and tied to the pigeon¡¯s leg before letting it fly.


    Right now, Mu Yangling was looking at the ount book in her hand with a headache. She turned to Li Jinghua and said, ¡°Sister-inw, since you know that they¡¯re corrupt, why don¡¯t you arrest them?¡±


    ¡°You cannot expect everyone to be squeaky clean. It¡¯ll be the same if it were someone else. Their greed is still within my eptable range. Naturally, I won¡¯t do anything to them.¡± Li Jinghua was sincerely teaching Mu Yangling. She even told her such a confidential matter.


    However, Mu Yangling disagreed. ¡°I know that you cannot expect everyone to be squeaky clean. I¡¯m not saying that the servants have to strictly carry out the orders of the higher-ups, but cooking the books is uneptable behavior.¡±


    Mu Yangling did not object to the purchaser epting rewards and favors from the merchants outside. She could not ban it even if she wanted to. However, the Qi family¡¯s purchaser bought things from the merchants at a slightly lower price and came back to report a high price. After the Qi family gave the money to the merchants, the purchaser would again take somemission from those merchants.


    Perhaps Li Jinghua felt that the price he quoted was still within her eptable range, so she did not punish him. However, what Mu Yangling cared about was his actions. Even if he only earned a copper coin from it, Mu Yangling would not allow it.


    Li Jinghua looked at Mu Yangling helplessly, not sure how to exin. This was what she had been taught since she was young. Besides, what would she do after she had him arrested?


    Regardless of whether he was beaten or punished, it wouldn¡¯t stop the corruption from happening in the future. In that case, it was better to warn him every once in a while and let his actions remain under her control.


    Not only the aristocratic families, but ordinary rich families also did the same.


    Mu Yangling looked at her speechlessly. Those servants were greedy for her money, okay? She could only sigh. ¡°Sister-inw, you really don¡¯t know how precious money is since you don¡¯t have to earn it.¡±


    Blushing, Li Jinghua said softly, ¡°Before I married into the family, this was how Master dealt with things, too.¡±


    Mu Yangling perked up and said with bright eyes, ¡°Sister-inw, when I marry into the family, watch how I take charge of the household. If anyone dares to covet money from me like this, hmph!¡±


    Li Jinghua hurriedly said, ¡°Ah Ling, we¡¯re the masters and they¡¯re ves. There¡¯s really no need to be petty with them over something trivial. With a little forbearance, you will find calm and peace¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a master-servant rtionship, right? Sister-inw, don¡¯t bully me for not being lowly educated¡­¡±


    Alright, she couldn¡¯t teach her anymore. Li Jinghua could only watch Mu Yangling perform freely.


    When Li Jinghua told Qi Xiuyuan about the incident that night, Qi Xiuyuan felt a headacheing on. ¡°Haoran has always been like this. Unfortunately, she¡¯s also an unyielding one.¡±


    Li Jinghua leaned against his chest and smiled. ¡°Perhaps they fell for each other because of theirpatible temperaments? Why don¡¯t we send an old nanny to them when the timees?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan thought for a moment and shook his head. ¡°Forget it. Let them do whatever they want. If not, you can take over when the timees. We canbine the two families. It¡¯s just that it¡¯ll be a little tough on you.¡±


    Stunned, Li Jinghua asked, ¡°Will Sister Mu agree?¡±


    Smiling, Qi Xiuyuan replied, ¡°She can¡¯t wait to be free. She¡¯s focused on farming now, the matters outside are enough to keep her busy. If you¡¯re willing to be her butler, she¡¯ll definitely prepare a big gift to thank you.¡±


    Li Jinghua asked hesitantly, ¡°Ah Ling really go to the fields personally?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that normal?¡± Qi Xiuyuan asked.


    This was abnormal, alright? However, Li Jinghua did not say it out loud. Seeing Qi Xiuyuan get up to take the sealed medicine on the table, she asked with concern, ¡°When did the doctor say that the poison in your body will be removed?¡±


    ¡°This is thest dose of medicine. There won¡¯t be any effect even if I drink more.¡± Qi Xiuyuan patted her shoulderfortingly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Didn¡¯t Pang Kongqing say that as long as I eat medicinal cuisine, this poison will bepletely cured in two to three years?¡±


    Li Jinghua mumbled, ¡°That¡¯s too long¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for all medicinal cuisines.¡± Qi Xiuyuan said in satisfaction, ¡°I¡¯m already very satisfied with being able to cure the remaining poison. So be it..¡±

 Chapter 409 - 409: Response

    Chapter 409: Response


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Xiuyuan held the note in his hand with a calm expression, but Rong Xuan knew that he was angry.


    Curious, he asked, ¡°What did the letter say?¡±


    When Qi Xiuyuan handed the note to him, Rong Xuan was shocked. ¡°How will this do? What is the Emperor thinking?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan took a deep breath and said, ¡°Prepare the betrothal gifts. I¡¯ll go to the Mu family to propose marriage immediately.¡± A strange smile appeared on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s face. ¡°Isn¡¯t Minister Qin putting on a pretense? Then let¡¯s get them married while he¡¯s still pretending.¡±


    ¡°But your parents are in Lin¡¯an Prefecture. If the Emperor insists on marrying Minister Qin¡¯s daughter to your younger brother, Miss Mu can only be a concubine. Don¡¯t forget, even if they get married, she won¡¯t be able to enter the genealogical tree.¡± Rong Xuan was very fond of Mu Yangling and didn¡¯t want this to happen to her.


    ¡öWho says so?¡± Anger surged in Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s chest as his mind worked quickly. ¡°Spread the word that I¡¯m seriously injured and am about to die. To counteract the bad luck, our family is holding a wedding?. Tomorrow, bring Zijin and Haoran to the Mu family to arrange the betrothal. Set the wedding date as soon as possible. Then, go back to Lin¡¯an Prefecture at full speed and get the elders to write Ah Ling¡¯s name on the genealogical tree.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan sneered. ¡°Quietly. Wait until her name is on the genealogical tree before announcing it. Since Haoran is just a small assistantmander, the Emperor won¡¯t grant him a marriage, right? This way, even if he reveals his intention to marry the Qin and Qi families, it will take a long time for this news to reach here. If he and Minister Qin don¡¯t find it embarrassing, I don¡¯t mind Haoran having a noble concubine.¡±


    Stunned, Rong Xuan asked, ¡°Send who back?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan revealed his white teeth. ¡°Zijin. Get Zijin to go back personally and bring Haoran¡¯s letter. Tell them that I¡¯m about to die and am counting on using their wedding to counteract the bad luck. We should really be d that we released the news that I¡¯m seriously injured in order to let the Jin Kingdom and the spies rx.¡±


    Although Qi Xiuyuan could already walk, in order to keep the Jin Kingdom in the dark and make it easier to find the spy, he had always imed that he was seriously injured. Until today, he had never appeared outside the residence.


    There were few servants in the Qi residence, and they were very strictly managed. Even the Li family, as inws, only saw Qi Xiuyuan lying on the bed twice.


    Therefore, it was much simpler for him to pretend that his condition had worsened and that he needed a wedding to counteract the bad luck.


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes lit up. Originally, he said that due to being forced, but now, he felt that this idea was brilliant. His younger brother could get married as soon as possible. Because he was dangerously sick and needed the wedding to counteract the bad luck, this also forced the elders and his father to add Mu Yangling¡¯s name to the genealogical tree without her and Haoran being present.


    Because of this reason, all unreasonable actions could be reasonable.


    Qi Xiuyuan snorted and said to Rong Xuan, ¡°Open the storeroom and add 30% to the original betrothal gift. This wedding is too rushed, but we can¡¯t let


    Haoran and Ah Ling suffer.¡±


    Rong Xuan held his forehead and said with a headache, ¡°Do we really have to use this method? I¡¯m afraid the soldiers of the West Camp will be swayed. Also, don¡¯t forget that the spy nted by Your Majesty is still watching us.¡± However, Qi Xiuyuan leaned back in his chair and said in a good mood, ¡°I suddenly thought of something. If my injuries are so serious that I need a wedding to counteract the bad luck, what do you think they will do?¡± Rong Xuan¡¯s eyes flickered. Qi Xiuyuan lowered his voice and smiled. ¡°Yuan Hui said that I¡¯m the next Ziwei Star?. I didn¡¯t believe it in the past and didn¡¯t have that intention. Jinyu?, if I say that I want to be the person Yuan Hui said, what will you do?¡±


    Rong Xuan looked up and met Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes. Then, he slowly got up and knelt in front of him. He said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m willing to follow your orders.¡± With a smile, Qi Xiuyuan strode forward to help him up. He held his hand tightly and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s take the opportunity to see how many people are willing to serve me.¡±


    With his serious injuries and someone stirring up trouble, how many people were willing to stand on his side?


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at the starry sky outside with a cold aura.


    Equally emotional, Rong Xuan¡¯s mouth was dry as he clenched his fists. He didn¡¯t expect Qi Xiuyuan to openly say such things to him tonight.


    When he returned to his room, Rong Xuan tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. The next day, he woke up with dark circles. He took the key to the storeroom and retrieved many precious items under Steward Zhu¡¯s guidance to include in the betrothal gifts.


    Knowing that they were going to be betrothed today, Qi Haoran ran over with a grin and rushed into the storeroom to pull out arge box. ¡°Brother Rong, include this too. Let Ah Ling have these jewelry.¡± Inside was arge box that containedplete sets of jewelry. The moment he opened it, the pearls and gems almost blinded him. This was the spoils of war that Qi Xiuyuan had obtained during the war. He was the main general, so the best jewelry was naturally here.


    Qi Haoran remembered that Mu Yangling liked jade essories, so he rushed in and pulled out a box. Smiling, he said, ¡°These are all jade bracelets. Ah Ling will definitely like them. Include them, too. Oh right, I remember that Big Brother was given a coral tree in the past. Where is it? Include that, too¡­¡± Holding the pen in his hand, Steward Zhu was dumbfounded. After a while, he remembered to pull Qi Haoran back. With a bitter expression, he said, ¡°Fourth Young Master, Eldest Young Master prepared 86 betrothal gifts for you previously. They¡¯re very expensive. If¡­ if we add these to the list¡­


    ¡°If we bring these things over, the Mu family will definitely return them as dowry. Isn¡¯t it just making another trip? Big Brother said that the betrothal gifts will be increased to 120 items.¡±


    But what if they didn¡¯t return it? Pfft, no, the key problem was, ¡°But it can¡¯t surpass Master¡¯s by much.¡±


    Back then, when Qi Xiuyuan gave the Li family betrothal gifts, he gave them 86 items. In terms of value, they couldn¡¯tpare to the ones prepared for Qi Haoran. Not only did Qi Haoran¡¯s betrothal gifts surpass Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s in value, but now, he was increasing it to 120 items, and all precious items to boot. Wouldn¡¯t this bring about disharmony between Eldest Madam and Fourth Madam in the future?


    Rong Xuan closed the booklet and said with a smile, ¡°Alright, so be it. Your master dotes on Fourth Young Master. Who else can he give these things to? Move the coral tree out. Haoran, go and see if there¡¯s anything else you want to add. Just like you said, it¡¯s just a trip.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately cheered up and rushed in to continue digging.


    Steward Zhu said in a low voice with a bitter expression, ¡°Young Master Rong, how is this the same? If these things go out ande in again, it will be Miss Mu¡¯s dowry. It¡¯ll be considered Miss Mu¡¯s belongings.¡±


    Smiling, Rong Xuan said, ¡°Just note it down. That silly boy Haoran is too excited. When hees back to his sensester, he¡¯ll naturally ask you to remove it.¡±


    Steward Zhu was instantly relieved when he saw the Fourth Young Master shouting so loudly that he could not tell north from south. That made sense. When the Fourth Young Master came back to his senses, he would naturally ask to have the items crossed out.


    Qi Haoran originally thought that he would have to wait for more than a year before he could marry Mu Yangling. He did not expect to be able to get married now. Although he was also very annoyed that the old Emperor was interfering, Qi Haoran decided to forgive him for the time being on ount that he was helping to bring forward the wedding.


    Qi Haoran excitedly dug out nearly a third of the things in the storeroom, all spoils of war that Qi Xiuyuan had brought back. The Qi residence had a total of five such storerooms. The exasperated Steward Zhu looked at the ground full of gems and noted down their names and quantities.


    Finally, when Qi Haoran was exhausted, he finally came back to his senses and said with a flushed face, ¡°All of these can be crossed out. Just choose some suitable ones to add.¡±


    Smiling, Steward Zhu said, ¡°Fourth Young Master, don¡¯t worry. Miss Mu will marry over in glory with these betrothal gifts.

 Chapter 410 - 410: Joy

    Chapter 410: Joy


    Trantor: As Studios I Editor: As Studios


    Steward Zhu chose some things to make it 120 items before taking the list to look for Qi Xiuyuan. Rong Xuan and Fan Zijin were also there. Smiling, steward Zhu told Qi Xiuyuan about Qi Haoran¡¯s performance today, making himugh. ¡°You should¡¯ve seen it for yourself. Fourth Young Master really wanted to move everything in the storeroom and gift them to Miss Mu.¡±


    As expected, Qi Xiuyuanughed and stretched out his hand. ¡°Show me what he chose.¡±


    Steward Zhu happened to bring the invalid list with him and immediately took it out for Qi Xiuyuan to see. A smile shed across Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes as he looked at the betrothal gift list. With a beam, he said, ¡°I really thought he emptied the storeroom. But he merely chose some rare treasures.¡±


    As he spoke, he took a pen and ticked more than ten items on the invalid list. Then, he said in satisfaction, ¡°Alright, include these into the betrothal gift list.¡± Steward Zhu took a look and saw that the coral tree was among them. There were also some rather expensive jewelry. Instantly, sweat broke out on his forehead. ¡°Master, this, there must be more than 120¡­¡±


    ¡°Then make the box bigger and stuff the items in with all your might.¡± Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand. ¡°Do you still need me to teach you these things?¡± Steward Zhu was speechless. ¡®If your heart doesn¡¯t ache, why should I worry?¡¯ He turned around and rushed off to pack the betrothal gifts.


    Rong Xuan said, ¡°This won¡¯t do. How can we bring Haoran out in the afternoon when he can¡¯t suppress the smile on his face? Others will know that you¡¯re fine at a nce.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan also had a headache about this. He had already told him to restrain himself, but the joy on Qi Haoran¡¯s face did not disappear. Even if he deliberately pulled a long face, his expression would look off no matter how others looked at it.


    Fan Zijin closed the booklet and said slowly, ¡°Eldest Cousin, leave this to me. Just prepare the betrothal gifts. He will definitely be able to act well when we set off.¡±


    Fan Zijin went to look for Qi Haoran. Thetter was in the martial arts arena, too excited to go out and ride on a horse. He could onlye to the martial ¡¯ arts arena to vent his excitement. When he saw Fan Zijin, he immediately ran over eagerly and ced his hands on his hips in front of him. Laughing, he said, ¡°Hahaha, Zijin, I¡¯m getting married. Hahaha, after we¡¯re married, I¡¯m going to enter the bridal chamber. Hahaha¡­¡±


    Fan Zijm looked at him coldly. Seeing his smug look, he suddenly raised his eyebrows and smiled. Then, he clenched his fist and punched his face¡­


    Then, Fan Zijiny on the ground.


    Stunned, Qi Haoran stoppedughing and hurriedly squatted down to pull him up. ¡°Zijin, why did you punch me?¡±


    Even though Qi Haoran wasughing smugly and even though Fan Zijin had made preparations in advance, Qi Haoran¡¯s fighting instincts remained. Fan Zijin was still a good-for-nothing in martial arts. Therefore, when Fan Zijin threw a punch at Qi Haoran¡¯s face, thetter only turned his body slightly to avoid it, and Fan Zijin fell to the ground because he found himself punching into air¡­


    Fan Zijin pushed Qi Haoran away and kicked him.


    It didn¡¯t hurt. Qi Haoran decided to endure it, but he still red angrily and said grumpily, ¡°I know you¡¯re eager to get a wife, too. I¡¯ll get Big Brother to find one for youter. But you can¡¯t hit me because of this, right? It¡¯s wrong to be jealous.¡±


    Fan Zijin was so angry that heughed. ¡°I¡¯m jealous of you? Can¡¯t you be more careful? Is this the time to be happy? Have you no idea why your marriage with Mu Yangling was brought forward? Eldest Cousin is willing to feign serious illness for the two of you for you. Do you want everyone to know that he is lying to the emperor? Or are you heartless? You can smile so happily even when your Big Brother is severely sick?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face turned cold, but Fan Zijin stared at the joy in his eyes and said, ¡°You¡¯re still happy in your heart. Put it away.¡±


    Qi Haoran jumped up and said, ¡°How to? I¡¯m simply happy. If you have the ability, make me sad. I¡¯ve already put on a straight face without a smile.¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t. Is that all you¡¯ve got? Usually when you¡¯re pulling a long face, it¡¯s as if there¡¯s a knife hidden between your brows. But now? You can¡¯t wait to announce to the world how happy you are.¡±


    Qi Haoran puffed up his cheeks and red at him. Fan Zijin kicked him and said, ¡°So lie down obediently and let me beat you up.¡±


    Qi Haoran was reluctant. ¡°I¡¯m going to get married to Mu Yangling soon, and I¡¯m seeing my parents-inw in the afternoon. Do you want me to go there with a face full of bruises? Besides, what should I do during the wedding ceremony? Ah Ling will show disdain when we enter the bridal chamber.¡± Anger surged in Fan Zijin¡¯s heart. After ring at Qi Haoran for a while, he turned around and left. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you¡¯re unwilling. I¡¯ll talk to Eldest Cousin. Forget about using a wedding to drive away Eldest Cousin¡¯s illness. Let¡¯s wait for Your Majesty to order you to marry Minister Qin¡¯s daughter.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Seeing Fan Zijin turn around, Qi Haoran fell to the ground and said, ¡°Go ahead and beat me up.¡±


    Fan Zijin clenched his fists and aimed at his eyebrows. As he punched him, he scolded, ¡°Serves you right for being smug. Serves you right for not being sad. Serves you right for making me return to the capital¡­¡±


    Initially, Qi Haoran thought that Fan Zijin was joking. When he saw that he was beating him up for real, he cried out loudly, but he did not dare to retaliate or dodge.


    When the two of them appeared in the study again, Qi Haoran had bruises at the corners of his eyes and wounds on his cheek.


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at the two of them in a daze. Fan Zijin exined, ¡°Because Haoran was worried about your condition, he vented his anger on the guards and identally got injured.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan and Rong Xuan:¡±¡­ Good idea!¡±


    With such a face, Qi Haoran went to the Mu family to propose marriage. The


    120 betrothal gifts were too spectacr. From Jingzhao Prefecture to


    Hanzhong Prefecture, and then to Xingzhou Prefecture, they walked for a total of three days. Themoners watched for three days. By the time they arrived at Xingzhou Prefecture, everyone in the three prefectures knew that Qi Xiuyuan had been injured by the Jin Kingdom¡¯s Tartars and was poisoned. Now that his life was in danger, they were counting on his younger brother to marry a bride to rid of the bad luck.


    Instantly, more and more people prayed for Qi Xiuyuan. Those who were close to temples went to temples, and those close to Daoist temples went to Daoist temples. Those who were close to neither prayed to the earth god. They prepared some incense candles to pray for Qi Xiuyuan to tide over the difficulties and live a long life. Some families even set up a longevity memorial tablet for Qi Xiuyuan.


    When Qi Haoran arrived at the entrance of the Mu residence with the betrothal gifts, manymoners surrounded him. Seeing that his face was injured, they said, ¡°I heard that he fought with the viin who harmed General Qi.¡±


    ¡°Why did I hear that he fought with his personal guards?¡±


    ¡°He must have fought with the doctor, right?¡±


    Eh? Why isn¡¯t the Mu family opening the door?¡±


    ¡°Since they¡¯re holding the wedding to get rid of the bad luck, the Mus must feel sorry for their daughter.¡±


    But that¡¯s to help General Qi. Why don¡¯t we help Little General beg the Mu family to agree to this marriage?¡±


    Just as everyone was wondering if they should go forward, the Mu residence¡¯s door opened. Qi Haoran originally wanted to smile, but when he recalled that it was not the time to do so, he immediately suppressed the smile on his face In the eyes of others, it looked like the Little General was trying his best to smile, but he couldn¡¯t.


    The Mu family let the Qi family and the betrothal gifts in. Seeing Qi Haoran enter, everyone finally noticed the Qi family¡¯s betrothal gifts and couldn¡¯t help but click their tongues. ¡°This is really generous. It¡¯s even more generous than what General Qi gifted the daughter of the Li family back then.¡±


    ¡°Since they¡¯re asking the Mu family to get rid of the bad luck using the wedding, they naturally have to be more generous with the gifts..¡±

 Chapter 411 - 411: Betrothal

    Chapter 411: Betrothal


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Everyone from the Mu family was present. Even the twins were leaning against their parents¡¯ chairs and staring at them with widened eyes. When Qi Haoran and the rest entered, everyone¡¯s eyes were fixed on them.


    The matchmaker, who was walking at the side, almost fell to the ground under everyone¡¯s gazes.


    It was Rong Xuan who greeted Mu Shi first with a smile. ¡°Assistant Commander Mu, it¡¯s been a long time since west met. You look energetic.¡±


    The corners of Mu Shi¡¯s lips twitched. This greeting was terrible, but he still smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since Ist saw Military Advisor Rong.¡±


    Both parties sat down. Qi Haoran stole a nce at the people present and realized that although the Mu family was present, Mu Yangling was sitting behind the screen. He was surprised. Was there a need for this?


    Mu Shi and Shu Wanniang were not very pleased, but given the urgency of the matter, they had no choice but to agree.


    Moreover, the Qi family was very sincere. In order for his daughter to have a better life in the Qi family in the future, Mu Shi was also very easy to talk to. Almost as soon as the matchmaker proposed, he agreed. Then, both parties chose to get married nine dayster. That¡¯s right, nine dayster. In order to help Qi Xiuyuan get rid of the bad luck, Mu Yangling naturally had to marry into the family as soon as possible.


    Simrly, they would go to the government office tomorrow to apply for the marriage contract. Then, Fan Zijin would immediately return to the capital with the marriage contract.


    A few days ago, Qi Xiuyuan had already sent a pigeon back to the capital and found a few people to hint or persuade Minister Qin to not agree to the Emperor first.


    The matchmaker knew that the two families had already agreed to the marriage, and she was just a medium, so she did her best to convey the opinions of both parties. Fortunately, neither party had any objections to the betrothal gifts, dowry, or the banquet menu. Everything was quickly decided upon. Then, after receiving the reward money, the matchmaker went back first.


    Mu Shi sent the group of children away and brought the three of them to the study.


    Only then did Qi Haoran not suppress the smile on his face and solicitously pull out a chair for Mu Shi. Rong Xuan and Fan Zijin really wanted to put up a sign that said, ¡°We¡¯re not familiar with Qi Haoran.¡± He was too much of an embarrassment.


    Mu Shi probably felt that this son-inw of his was a little embarrassing, so he felt slightly awkward and said, ¡°Everyone, sit.¡±


    Sighing, Mu Shi asked, ¡°Are you really going to Lin¡¯an Prefecture after you get married?¡±


    Qi Haoran said confidently, ¡°Father-inw, since I¡¯m a general, of course I can¡¯t stay in Lin¡¯an Prefecture. Don¡¯t worry, my sister-inw will most likely be staying in the capital. I still have toe back to lead the troops, so Ah Ling will naturally follow me.¡±


    Fan Zijin and Rong Xuan looked at each other and coughed lightly. ¡°Uncle Mu, Eldest Cousin has the same n, but no one knows what His Majesty is thinking. He might also ask Ah Ling to stay.¡±


    Fan Zijin braced himself and said, ¡°Although she might have to stay in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, there won¡¯t be any problems with her safety. I¡¯ve decided to move the business back. When the timees, I¡¯ll help take care of things in the capital¡­¡±


    ¡°Young Master Fan, I¡¯m not worried about Ah Ling¡¯s safety when she stays in Lin¡¯an Prefecture. It¡¯s just that our family has never been so far apart¡­¡± Mu Shi was worried.


    In the past, even if he didn¡¯t go home for half a year, he wouldn¡¯t go far beyond three prefectures away. He knew that his family was in Xingzhou Prefecture, and he would be able to return home in two to three days if he speedily rode back. However, it was different in Lin¡¯an Prefecture. Even if one rode a fast horse, it would take half a month. If anything happened to Ah Ling in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, not to mention that it was beyond their reach, they probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to get the news. By the time they heard of the news, it would be toote.


    Mu Shi was already very reluctant to marry his daughter a year earlier than expected, and now his daughter was going so far away from home.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the imperial edict not here yet? Can¡¯t we somehow change that?¡± The Emperor was still in the preparation stage, and they had yet to receive the decree to go back.


    Rong Xuan smiled bitterly. Who could tell what the Emperor was thinking?


    Initially, since the entire Qi family was in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, it didn¡¯t matter if Madam Li was in Lin¡¯an Prefecture or not. Back then, didn¡¯t General Yuan¡¯s mother also volunteer to be a hostage in the capital for the sake of the Yuan family and let her daughter-inw follow her son to the borders? However, who knew that the Emperor would be unreasonable enough to let Madam Li return to the capital and also call Qi Haoran back?


    Rong Xuan was only worried about the fact that Madam Li did not have a child yet.


    The two of them already knew what Qi Xiuyuan wanted to do. If he could have a legitimate son before the uprising, it would be very beneficial to their matters. However, Madam Li was not pregnant yet. If she went to Lin¡¯an Prefecture, who knew when this legitimate son would be born?


    Rong Xuan nced at Qi Haoran. They could only guarantee that Qi Haoran would be transferred out of the capital openly now. As for the rest, they were not too confident yet, so it was not appropriate to be too confident.


    Mu Shi mainly looked at Rong Xuan and Fan Zijin¡¯s expressions. Seeing this, he understood and sighed. He didn¡¯t mention this topic anymore. Instead, he perked up and said to Qi Haoran, ¡°Haoran, Ah Ling¡¯s temper can be a little rash sometimes. You have to be more forgiving. If you two get into a quarrel, don¡¯t be angry with her. Tell me when youe back. I¡¯ll teach her a lesson.¡±


    Qi Haoranughed and said, ¡°Father-inw, you¡¯re overthinking. Ah Ling has a good temper. When has she ever been rash? Don¡¯t worry, I definitely won¡¯t make her angry.¡±


    Seeing that he was smiling so widely, Mu Shi was happy, too.


    Fan Zijin red at Qi Haoran resentfully. Rong Xuan waved his fan gently and did not even turn his head, pretending not to know this person.


    After the three of them stayed for dinner, Qi Haoran sneaked in to see Mu Yangling when no one was paying attention.


    There were no servants in the Mu family, so no one noticed.


    Mu Yangling was sitting in her boudoir, wiping her weapons, short daggers, broadswords, and six bows, especially the ten-picul bow. She hugged it in her arms and touched it repeatedly, clearly reluctant to let go.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Focused on her weapon, Mu Yangling was shocked. When she turned around and saw Qi Haoran, she hurriedly looked outside. Seeing that there were no other people, she hurriedly pulled him in and said, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it said that we can¡¯t meet before the wedding? Otherwise, it won¡¯t be auspicious.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t anyone tell me?¡± Qi Haoran was about to run out when Mu Yangling quickly pulled him back. ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re already here and have seen me, there¡¯s no need to continue avoiding me.¡±


    Qi Haoran lowered his head and refused to look at Mu Yangling. ¡°How is this the same? He who did not know was not guilty. Bodhisattva won¡¯t me us for that. Alright, I can¡¯t see your face with my head lowered now.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the top of his head speechlessly and asked, ¡°Why are you looking for me?¡±


    As soon as Mu Yangling asked, Qi Haoran looked up smugly. Then, he remembered to lower his head. Mu Yangling could only hear his smug voice. ¡°We¡¯re about to get married. If there¡¯s anything you want, I¡¯ll buy them for you.¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but smile when she saw hisical appearance. Her previous worries about leaving home dissipated a lot. She said gently, ¡°Didn¡¯t you put everything I want in the betrothal gifts? There¡¯s nothing I particrly want. I just can¡¯t bear to part with these things.¡±


    Mu Yangling caressed the bow as she spoke.


    Qi Haoran asked in a daze, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to bring these things over?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we can¡¯t bring them all to Lin¡¯an Prefecture, especially this ten-picul bow. I¡¯m afraid we have to leave it in Jingzhao Prefecture. Otherwise, we might not be able to bring it out if we bring it to Lin¡¯an Prefecture.¡±


    Even if Qi Haoran and the others didn¡¯t say anything, she knew that they were going to Lin¡¯an Prefecture to be hostages. If it was before, she could still be optimistic. As long as Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t rebel and had military power, they would at most go to Lin¡¯an Prefecture to y and stay for a few years.


    However, Yuan Hui¡¯s words fromst time still echoed in her mind. She really wanted to say, ¡°The wise do not speak of the superstitious¡±. However, the truth could clearly be seen. Moreover, the world was already in chaos and there were rebels everywhere.. Was Qi Xiuyuan really willing to submit to others even though he led a 100,000-strong army?

 Chapter 412 - 412: Preparation for Marriage

    Chapter 412: Preparation for Marriage


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Therefore, these hostages were in a precarious situation. This ten-picul bow could not be easily made. Back then, when Xu Shi hired a craftsman to construct the bow, he used good materials. Not to mention the bowstring, Mu Yangling could not even find a recement for this wood. Therefore, she decided to keep this bow at home.


    However, Qi Haoran was very optimistic. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Take it with you. We¡¯ll have to return to Lin¡¯an Prefecture one day. It¡¯s just that it won¡¯t be convenient to bring it out then. We can just go back and get it in the future. When we reach Lin¡¯an Prefecture, if you¡¯re bored, you can bring this bow to hunt and go horse racing.¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him. ¡°When have I ever used this bow to hunt? What else is the matter? If there¡¯s nothing else, leave. If my mother sees you, nothing will happen to you but I¡¯ll definitely be scolded.¡±


    Xiuhong came to look for Mu Yangling with a sullen expression. Seeing that Qi Haoran was around, she reached out and pushed him out. ¡°You guys can¡¯t meet before you get married. Why are you always breaking the rules? Hurry up and leave. If you don¡¯t leave, I¡¯ll tell Uncle and get him to whip you.¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted and told Mu Yangling to wait for him toe and marry her. Then, he ran away happily.


    When Xiuhong turned around to look at Mu Yangling, her eyes turned red.


    Mu Yangling held her forehead with a headache. Ever since she found out that she was getting married, Xiuhong had been crying by her side every day. ¡°Cousin, you really can¡¯t take me with you?¡±


    Mu Yangling reasoned with her. ¡°If you leave with me, what will happen to Great-aunt and the others? Our family business is here. I¡¯m still counting on you and Cousin Lang to take care of everything after I leave.¡±


    ¡°Young Master Fan has already handed his business to the steward below. Can¡¯t we hire a steward too?¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment. That was one possibility, but she still didn¡¯t know what was going on in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, so how could she bring her there?


    In the three prefectures, Qi Xiuyuan was considered the highest ranked. With his influence, they could do whatever they wanted and walk around freely. However, Lin¡¯an Prefecture was so small, but all the nobles were gathered there. Spoiled by her, Xiuhong and the other children spoke their minds freely. They were not even afraid of the local magistrate. If they went to Lin¡¯an Prefecture, she did not know if she could protect them, so it was best for them to stay here.


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°If you can choose a capable and trustworthy steward, you can leave the matter to them. But don¡¯t even think about Lin¡¯an Prefecture. Not to mention that it¡¯s a tiger¡¯s den, Great-aunt and your younger sister are still here. Don¡¯t tell me you can bear to leave them behind?¡±


    Xiuhong pouted. Mu Yangling patted her hand and said with a smile, ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll be back after going to Lin¡¯an Mansion for a while. I can¡¯t let you guys run to and fro with me. Alright, hurry up and help Great-aunt tidy up a room. Uncles and Aunts will be here tomorrow.¡±


    Since there were no servants in the Mu family, they asked their rtives for help just like all the vigers who held weddings. Liu Ting and the rest woulde over tomorrow.


    Other than making arrangements for the family business, Mu Yangling had almost nothing else to do.


    She had already started preparing her dowry when she was 12 years old. In addition to the betrothal gifts given by the Qi family, Shu Wanniang picked out some and kept them, then stuffed the rest into her dowry box. As she really could notpress them, she could only use a bigger box to fit the 128 items.


    As for Mu Yangling¡¯s wedding dress and wedding nket, all of them were meticulously made by Shu Wanniang. No one in the three prefectures could rival her embroidery skills, so they were the most exquisite.


    After trying on the wedding dress, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t bear to take it off. She looked at the embroidery threads in the basket and was extremely tempted. ¡°Mother, do you think I¡¯ll be able to be half as good as you in a few years if I start to diligently practice embroidery?¡±


    At the side, Xin pursed her lips and smiled. Shu Wanniang tapped her forehead and said, ¡°Do you think embroidery is so easy? As long as your embroidery skills aren¡¯t embarrassing, it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t even think about mastering it at a high level.¡±


    Mu Yangling felt overjoyed as she touched the vivid patterns on her clothes. She spun one round in front of the bronze mirror and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Even if I can¡¯t embroider it myself, I just need to wear it.¡±


    In the next few days, it would be the dowry day. When the Liu n¡¯s people came and saw the dowry in the courtyard, they were green with jealousy. ¡°How, how much does this cost?¡±


    Great-aunt smiled faintly and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t cost much. Most of our dowry is farnd. These are all betrothal gifts from the Qi family.¡±


    ¡°Then will you return all of it?¡±


    ¡°Since their betrothal gifts are generous, Ah Ling¡¯s dowry can¡¯t be shabby anymore. Of course, we have to return it.¡±


    Someone pulled Shu Wanniang and hinted that they should leave the betrothal gifts behind. Even if they dote on their daughter, they shouldn¡¯t include all the betrothal gifts in her dowry.


    Shu Wanniang only smiled. She even thought that the dowry was too little. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that it wasn¡¯t good to surpass Qi Haoran¡¯s sister-inw, Madam Li, she would have expanded her dowry to 142 items.


    However, she did not dare to say this because it would be too hateful.


    At this moment, the marriage contract had already beenpleted. Qi Xiuyuan took out his own marriage contract and handed both contracts to Fan Zijin. ¡°Write your sister-inw¡¯s name on it. Be careful on the way.¡±


    Fan Zijin agreed. That night, Qi Xiuyuan and Fan Zijin talked for a long time. When Fan Zijin came out, he was in high spirits and his eyes were shining. The next day, he set off ambitiously with a pair of dark circles under his eyes.


    On the fourth day after Fan Zijin left, Mu Yangling put on her wedding dress and got married from the Mu residence in Xingzhou Prefecture. The sedan chair carried her all the way out of the city. After changing into a carriage, she headed towards Jingzhao Prefecture.


    Qi Haoran was left in the General¡¯s Mansion to take care of Qi Xiuyuan, whose condition had worsened. He had no choice. He had originally wanted him to personallye and wee the bride, but Qi Haoran had yet to learn how to feign sadness. In order to prevent others from noticing anything, he could only stay in the General¡¯s Mansion and wait for the bridal escort team to enter the city before going to wee the bride.


    The bridal escort team walked for two days before entering the city gate early in the morning on the third day. Qi Haoran was already waiting at the city gate on a tall horse in his groom¡¯s outfit. After receiving the bridal escort team, everyone went to the General¡¯s Mansion.


    All the citizens of Jingzhao Prefecture came to watch themotion. Everyone looked at the wedding team in silence. Someone in the crowd shouted, ¡°Everyone, cheer up. Let General Qi bask in the joy, and perhaps he¡¯ll recover!¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, everyone tried their best to smile and p their hands to congratte the wedding team. After wishing the newlyweds eternal happiness, they added, ¡°I wish General Qi good health and a speedy recovery.¡±


    Qi Haoran, who was trying his best to suppress his smile, gradually fell silent when he heard this. Looking at the people praying for his Big Brother on the way, Qi Haoran felt a little guilty. It seemed that they had deceived many people, but what touched him the most was the sentiments of the people.


    Hence, the spy hiding in the crowd saw Qi Haoran wearing a dark expression with tears in his eyes. Seeing this, he was now 60% convinced of the rumors that Qi Xiuyuan was in aa from being poisoned..

 Chapter 413 - 413: Consummation

    Chapter 413: Consummation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After a simple ceremony, Mu Yangling was sent to the bridal chamber. Qi Xiuyuan did not appear, but Li Jinghua walked around with a smile. However, everyone saw her slightly red eyes, so they tacitly did not stay any longer.


    Qi Haoran was very lucky. When he reached the front, he was only let go after symbolically drinking two sses of wine. Then, the Qi Manor sent all the guests away early.


    Only then did Qi Xiuyuan get off the bed and say to Qi Haoran, who was sitting in the room, ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you two. Go back and apany Ah Ling.¡±


    Marriage was a major event in life. In order to put on an act this time, the liveliness of the wedding was greatly reduced. Indeed, it had been hard on the two of them.


    However, Qi Haoran felt that it was all good as long as his family was happy. Hence, he did not mind at all and ran to the bridal chamber to look for his bride.


    Mu Yangling was still sitting on the bed. When the nanny saw Qi Haoran enter, she pursed her lips and smiled. She went forward and tugged at him. ¡°Fourth Young Master, you¡¯re here. Quickly lift the bride¡¯s veil.¡±


    Qi Haoran only stared at Mu Yangling. He casually picked up the scale beam on the te and lifted Mu Yangling¡¯s veil. Mu Yangling looked up at Qi Haoran, her face rosy and her lips red. Although her face was so thickly covered with rouge that it was impossible to see her original appearance, Qi Haoran could not help but grin.


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips andugh. The duo¡¯s hearts brimmed with joy as they gazed at each other.


    This being the first time the nanny had seen a pair of newlyweds so devoid of shyness, she couldn¡¯t help butment ¡°Geez¡±. After seeing the two of them lower their heads with red faces, she smiled and brought a bowl of dumplings over from the table. She asked Qi Haoran to sit beside Mu Yangling and pick up a dumpling for her. Seeing that she had bitten half of it, she asked, ¡°Is it raw or not??¡±


    ¡°¡­Raw.¡±


    The nanny happily picked up two small wooden gourddles and filled them with wine. ¡°You have to drink it in one gulp. After drinking the nuptial wine, you¡¯ll be husband and wife from now on, and share in joy and hardship. May you live in wedded bliss!¡±


    There was a string connecting the two wooden gourds, so she had no choice but to move over a little to reach it. Their foreheads almost touched as they finished the wine. The nanny kept ncing at them. As soon as they finished drinking, she snatched the wooden gourds and threw them to the ground. The twodles spun twice on the ground and slid to the head of the bed.


    Qi Haoran craned his neck and asked anxiously, ¡°How is it? How is it?¡±


    The nanny pped her hands and said, ¡°It¡¯s a sess! One facing up and one facing down. Congrattions, Fourth Young Master! Congrattions, Fourth Madam!¡±


    The room was filled with congrattory cheers.


    Qi Haoran immediately shouted happily, ¡°Reward!¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the overjoyed Qi Haoran and felt very ashamed. Then, she couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    After the ceremony, Mu Yangling removed the jewelry and crown on her head. ¡°Eat something first. I¡¯ll go wash up.¡±


    Mu Yangling turned to look at Qi Haoran, and saw that he was about to climb onto the bed. She leaned over and sniffed him. Realizing that he reeked of alcohol, she nudged him and said, ¡°Go wash up too. You reek of alcohol.¡±


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t want to take a shower, but he remembered that it was their wedding night today, so he should be more amodating towards Mu Yangling. Hence, he nodded and agreed. When Mu Yangling went to the bathroom, he ran out and casually sshed water on himself. Then, he changed into a fresh set of clothes and ran back.


    When Mu Yangling came out with her wet hair, he had already swept the jujube, longan, and other things on the bed onto arge te.


    Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t used to being served by a servant girl, and Qi Haoran didn¡¯t like the fact that there were other people in the room, so he sent the servants out early. At this moment, there were only the two of them in the room. Qi Haoran supported his chin and watched as she sat in front of the dressing table to dry her hair. The orange light made her look extremely gentle. Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t help but swallow his saliva. Before he realized it, he went behind Mu Yangling and gently touched her cheek with his lips.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s face instantly burned. She pushed him and said in a low voice, ¡°We¡¯re still young. Why don¡¯t we wait another two years before consummating the marriage?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes turned red. ¡°I¡¯m already 17. How am I young?¡±


    Mu Yangling burst outughing and chuckled softly. ¡°I¡¯m talking about me. I¡¯m only 14.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be 15 after the new year. How is that young? Other girls be mothers at 14.¡± Qi Haoran grabbed the towel in her hand and threw it on the table. He picked her up and strode towards the bed, cing her on the big red wedding nket. Before she could react, he pressed her down.


    Qi Haoran said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you for everything else, but not this matter.¡±


    Without waiting for Mu Yangling to reply, he covered her mouth. Mu Yangling only struggled slightly. Seeing that he was holding her hand tightly, she slowly rxed her body.


    Sensing her softening, Qi Haoran was delighted. He let go of her hand with his right hand and tugged at her clothes¡­


    Mu Yangling said in a soft voice, ¡°Put down the bed curtain¡­¡±


    The red candle could not be blown out, but the bed curtain should at least be lowered.


    As long as Mu Yangling was willing, Qi Haoran was happy to do anything. Hence, he raised his head and waved his right hand, applying his internal energy towards the hook. Right away, the bed curtain slid down to cover the bed tightly.


    Only then did Mu Yangling realize that internal energy could be used like this. Indeed, it was suitable in all kinds of scenarios.


    How could Qi Haoran know that the person under him was still thinking about these things? He only buried his head in her neck and nibbled on it. Although his big brother had educated him on this and he had seen the pictures himself, he had no practical experience at all. Besides, Qi Haoran had long forgotten what he had heard and learned. He could only rely on his instincts to rub and move. His body was so hot and ufortable that he felt like he was about to die.


    He removed all clothes from Mu Yangling and kissed her from head to toe. However, he only felt more and more ufortable. Mu Yangling did not feel good either. She barely managed to maintain her rationality and move her body down. Enlightened, Qi Haoran could not wait to squeeze in and begin his journey of conquering.


    The next day, when Mu Yangling opened her eyes, she saw a pair of big ck eyes. When Qi Haoran saw that she had woken up, he grinned. ¡°You¡¯re awake? Do you want to sleep a little longer?¡±


    Mu Yangling turned to look outside. Qi Haoran hurriedly said, ¡°It¡¯s still early. Big Brother and the others definitely haven¡¯t woken up yet.¡±


    As he hugged Mu Yangling, Qi Haoran¡¯s hands began to move under the nket. Mu Yangling only felt sore all over. It was even more tiring than riding a horse for two days. After pping Qi Haoran¡¯s hand away, she tried her best to squeeze out of his arms. She whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s breathing gradually became heavier. He pressed her against his chest and said, ¡°If I don¡¯t move, you shouldn¡¯t move either.¡±


    Mu Yangling also sensed that something was wrong and nestled in his chest without moving. However, Qi Haoran¡¯s breathing was still getting heavier and heavier. She immediately felt that something was wrong, but Qi Haoran had already flipped over and pressed her down. He bit her earlobe and said in a muffled voice, ¡°It¡¯s still early. Really, the sky is dark¡­¡±


    Mu Yang pinched his waist and Qi Haoran moved even more violently¡­


    It was foreseeable that they would bete for breakfast today. Mu Yangling ignored Qi Haoran with a straight face. Qi Haoran followed Mu Yangling obsequiously and helped her find her clothes and shoes. If Mu Yangling hadn¡¯t pped his hand away, he would have helped Mu Yangling put on her clothes.


    After the two of them were dressed, Qi Haoran opened the door and called the servants in.


    In front of the outsiders, Mu Yangling gave him face and revealed a slight smile at him.

 Chapter 414 - 414: Newly Married

    Chapter 414: Newly Married


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Xiuyuan and Li Jinghua were already seated in the hall. When they saw the two of them walking over together, they smiled slightly.


    The two of them respectfully bowed and served tea to Qi Xiuyuan and Li Jinghua. After the newlyweds offered the duo some things they made themselves, they received two big red packets and a set of jewelry from Li Jinghua.


    Qi Xiuyuan smiled at Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Since our family doesn¡¯t have so many rules, you are free to do whatever you want. Haoran has half a month of vacation. As long as you don¡¯t go to the Jin Kingdom and West Xia, you can y wherever you like within the Great Zhou.¡±


    When Qi Haoran heard this, he smiled and hooked Mu Yangling¡¯s finger. Mu Yangling retracted her hand and listened intently.


    Sensing their subtle actions, Qi Xiuyuanughed. ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t have to speciallye to have breakfast with us these few days. You just have to show up at dinner. Take care of the matters in your own courtyard.¡±


    After saying that, Qi Xiuyuan went to the study with his hands behind his back. Mu Yangling nced at Qi Haoran and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you had something to tell Big Brother?¡±


    Qi Haoran was stunned. When did he say that?


    However, seeing Mu Yangling ring at him, he could only get up and bid farewell to Li Jinghua before chasing after Qi Xiuyuan.


    Happy to see this, Li Jinghua held Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and returned to her courtyard. She called all the servants over and said, ¡°I know you¡¯re used to Mama Wang serving you. She used to manage the Inner Residence in the past, so I ced her in your house as a stewardess. In the future, if you need anything done, just instruct her to do it. These two girls are assigned to you as first-grade servant girls.¡± Li Jinghua paused before continuing, ¡°I originally wanted to get you four first-grade servant girls and four second-grade servant girls, but Fourth Brother said that you don¡¯t like having so many servants around, so I cut it by half. Later, if you find that you need more help, I¡¯ll get a broker to bring a few girls over for you to take a look.¡±


    There were only two of them, but there were already ten-odd servants in their house. Wasn¡¯t this a lot already?


    Mu Yangling hurriedly said, ¡°These people are enough. Considering it¡¯s just Brother Haoran and me, how much chores can there be?¡±


    When Li Jinghua heard this, she smiled and called her two first-grade servant girls and two second-grade girls to go forward to greet Mu Yangling. She then said, ¡°Give them a name.¡±


    Mu Yangling was stumped for a moment before she asked, ¡°What were their names previously?¡±


    ¡°No matter what they used to be called, they¡¯re your girls now. Just give them a new name.¡± As she spoke, she patted Mu Yangling¡¯s hand suggestively.


    Mu Yangling knew that she was asking her to establish her might in front of everyone. After thinking for a moment, she pointed at the first girl on the left and said, ¡°Then your name is Spring. Your name is Rain, your name is Summer, and your name is Autumn. As for the rest, just use your previous names.¡± Everyone responded.


    After introducing the servants, Li Jinghua did not stay any longer. She left behind the ount books for this residence before leaving.


    Mu Yangling asked someone to move the things into the house and said, ¡°Mama Wang will take care of the matters in our residence. Come to me only if you can¡¯t make a decision. Mama Wang, tell them what they should do and what rules they should follow.¡±


    Mama Wang agreed.


    Mu Yangling went into the house to flip through the ounts before throwing them aside. Lying on the couch, she felt sleepy.


    Spring walked in quietly and spread the nket over Mu Yangling before walking out quietly.


    Mu Yangling thought that having a few servants seemed to be quite satisfying.


    In the next few days, not only did the couple got adapted to each other, but Mu Yangling also started adapting to the servants.


    As the most senior servant girls, Spring and Rain each took care of Mu Yangling¡¯s clothes and jewelry, while the other took care of Mu Yangling¡¯s meals and travels. Summer and Autumn assisted the two of them. In less than two days, Mu Yangling adapted to the feudal life with her every need attended to by the servants.


    As for Qi Haoran, he dragged Mu Yangling around every night. During the day, with Mu Yangling in his arms, he leaned against the couch and gazed at her as she read.


    On the seventh day of their marriage, he hugged Mu Yangling and rolled around in bed with her for half the night. When he saw his wife lying weakly under the nket, he fetched water to clean her up, before hugging her in satisfaction.


    Mu Yangling closed her eyes slightly and said, ¡°I won¡¯t stay in the house tomorrow.¡±


    Chuckling, Qi Haoran said, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you out to y tomorrow. Where do you want to go?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with Xingzhou Prefecture, Hanzhong Prefecture and Jingzhao Prefecture, but I¡¯ve only been to Xingyuan Prefecture twice.¡±


    Qi Haoran calcted the time in his heart and said, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you all the way south from Jingzhao Prefecture beforeing back.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you only have eight days of leave? How can it be enough?¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips and said, ¡°There¡¯s no war now, and we might have to return to Lin¡¯an Prefecture in a few months. Now that the intelligence has been handed over to the subordinates, I¡¯ll just be watching everyone train in the military camp. I might as well y with you.¡±


    Qi Haoran hugged his wife and said, ¡°Let¡¯s have a good time this time. Otherwise, who knows when we¡¯ll have such an opportunity again.¡±


    Mu Yangling was tempted. ¡°But Big Brother is still ¡®seriously ill¡¯. Is it really okay for you to go out and have fun with me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll disguise ourselves. Who will know that I¡¯m Qi Haoran? We¡¯ll just say that I¡¯m taking care of Big Brother in the residence and can¡¯t go to the military camp.¡±


    Mu Yangling chuckled softly and agreed happily. This time, when they went to Lin¡¯an Prefecture, everything was unknown. They would treat it as their newlywed honeymoon.


    The next day, the two of them packed up and left the city in a carriage with Fei Bai. It was only when dinner time came that Qi Xiuyuan found out that the two of them had gone out to y.


    A secret guard came back and reported their whereabouts, saying that the two of them were having a good time and that they had bought gifts for everyone. The anger in his heart dissipated when he heard this. Qi Xiuyuan only needed to think for a moment to understand.


    He waved his hand and said, ¡°Get someone to protect them in secret. Don¡¯t interfere with them.¡±


    Perhaps he should beg General Yuan. He did not know how to persuade the Emperor to allow his family to stay here. At the very least, he had to pull Haoran out of Lin¡¯an Prefecture and not ruin his future.


    If a general stayed in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, he would only slowly be reared as amb.


    Qi Haoran brought Mu Yangling all the way to Xingyuan Prefecture before returning leisurely. At this moment, poor Fan Zijin had just been pulled back to Lin¡¯an Prefecture by a carriage. He rushed to a Qi elder¡¯s house without stopping. After stuffing him with a handful of banknotes, he brought him to look for the patriarch of the Qi family.


    Fan Zijin cried with a dark expression. ¡°Uncle, Eldest Cousin is relying on you now. Please save his life.¡±


    The patriarch of the Qi family asked in surprise, ¡°Is Xiuyuan¡¯s condition really that serious?¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes were red as he looked back at the patriarch of the Qi family with sadness in his eyes. ¡°When I left, Eldest Cousin was already unconscious. The doctor was rendered helpless. The master said that with Haoran¡¯s wedding, his condition might be stabilized for a month. Only by going on the genealogical tree and lighting an Evesting Lamp? at the Nation Protecting Temple might he have a chance of survival. Uncle, take pity on Eldest Cousin and Haoran. Help open the ancestral hall and add my two cousins-inw¡¯s names to the genealogical tree.¡±

 Chapter 415 - 415: Convince

    Chapter 415: Convince


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The patriarch of the Qi family frowned. ¡°Then you should have gone to your uncle and asked him toe and get us to open the ancestral hall.¡±


    Fan Zijin was in low spirits, and he exuded a faint despair. ¡°Uncle¡­ Uncle brought Madam Wu¡¯s niece into the residence a few years ago. Pm afraid that he won¡¯t agree. After all, back then, he¡­ Anyway, I beg you. Although Eldest Cousin isn¡¯t in the capital, he¡¯s the highest-ranking official in the Qi family now. He¡¯s never turned down any requests from the n. Although I don t know if this method will work, it¡¯s still a possibility. I only hope that you can give Eldest Cousin a chance of survival.¡±


    Although Fan Zijin¡¯s words were vague, the two people present understood what he meant. Qi Feng was extremely biased, and everyone knew that. Previously, he wanted to marry Qi Xiuyuan to Madam Wu¡¯s niece. It was only after Qi Xiuyuan got married in the Jingzhao Prefecture with the Emperor¡¯s knowledge that they started targeting Qi Haoran.


    The Qi n members also very much despised Madam Wu. Even if the Wu n¡¯s development was not weaker than their Qi n¡¯s, they did not think that there was a need to deepen their rtionship with the Wus with another marriage alliance. One marriage with the Wu n was enough.


    Originally, the elders wanted to mediate between Qi Feng and Qi Xiuyuan so that their rtionship would not be too strained, lest outsiders see them as a joke. However, two years ago, when Qi Xiuyuan attacked the Jingzhao Prefecture and was framed for rebellion, Qi Feng¡¯s decision to give up Qi Xiuyuan without thinking clearly pushed the father-and-son rtionship to the freezing point.


    Because of this, the two elders believed Fan Zijin¡¯s words. If they really went to look for Qi Feng, Qi Feng might really do something atrocious that would prevent his daughter-inw from being listed in the family register.


    After all, Qi Xiuyuan was already unconscious and might not wake up. Qi Feng might not be willing to give up Qi Haoran¡¯s marriage in order to take the risk to save Qi Xiuyuan.


    The two elders looked at each other and saw Fan Zijin looking at them with red eyes. In the end, they sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go find Qi Feng now. Third Brother, inform the others in the n toe to the ancestral hall.


    Fan Zijin wiped his tears gratefully. ¡°Thank you, Uncles.


    The patriarch of the Qi family, Qi Shan, was only Qi Feng¡¯s elder brother. He had only reced Qi Feng two years ago to be the patriarch. This was also one of the aftereffects of Qi Feng¡¯s stupid act that nearly ruined the n back then.


    At that time, Qi Xiuyuan did not express any dissatisfaction with his father s abandonment of him. The gifts that should be given at festivals were still delivered on time. However, after the New Year, the heads of various families in the Qi n requested to have the patriarch changed. They felt that Qi Feng was having a hard enough time working as an official of the Imperial Court, so it was better to let his brothers help share the burden.


    When the meeting was held, everyone voted and only two families braced themselves to stand on Qi Feng¡¯s side. Everyone else wanted to have the patriarch changed, so Qi Shan reced Qi Feng.


    It was an open secret that Qi Shan was able to sit in this position because Qi Xiuyuan was standing behind him. This was why Qi Xiuyuan dared to go around his father and get married in Jingzhao Prefecture. This was also why he had the confidence to make the decision on his younger brother¡¯s marriage.


    Qi Feng could indeed control their marriage, but Qi Feng still had the entire Qi family above him. Unless he could give up on the entire Qi n, he would be controlled by others.


    Although he knew that Qi Shan would help him, he still had to put on a show. Fan Zijin sat in the main hall outside the ancestral hall in a sorry state. This was the ce where the Qi nsmen discussed important matters.


    When the people who came over saw Fan Zijin¡¯s miserable appearance, they were all shocked. Having ridden a horse for 20 days in a row, his hair was greasy and messy, and his face was pale. His lips were cracked, and his eyes were filled with despair. His entire body exuded the sorrow, pain, and despair of one whose biological father was on the verge of death. However, when he looked at them, there was a hint of hope in his eyes. Not to mention the Qi nsmen, even Yanmo, who knew the inside story well, almost thought that Young Master Xiuyuan was really seriously injured, was about to die, and was counting on his brother¡¯s marriage to flush out the bad luck.


    Hence, the patriarchs who came over whispered to each other and shook their heads slightly. They were too embarrassed to ask Fan Zijin about the exact situation, so they could only ask Yanmo.


    Having been following Fan Zijin since he was young, Yanmo was highly eloquent. He sadly described the process of Qi Xiuyuan being injured and poisoned. Then, he emphasized Qi Haoran¡¯s decision to bring good luck to his brother with his wedding and hinted that if anything happened to Qi Xiuyuan, the West Camp could only rely on Qi Haoran.


    Some of the patriarchs who had been hesitating whether it was worth offending Qi Feng to save a dying person instantly made up their minds. Even if Qi Xiuyuan died, the most powerful person in the Qi family would still be one of the Qi brothers, so why should they hesitate to help?


    Should this work and Qi Xiuyuan recover, he would continue to be the most influential person in the Qi n. Naturally, he would remember their kindness. If he died, the West Camp would belong to Qi Haoran, and the most powerful person would still be on their side. With Qi Haoran¡¯s personality, he would certainly remember their kindness if they helped Qi Xiuyuan. However, if they hit him when he was down now, with Qi Haoran¡¯s vengeful personality, they would probably not be able to rest in peace in the future.


    Therefore, before Qi Feng and Qi Shan arrived, everyone had already made up their minds.


    Fan Zijin, who had been secretly observing, could not help but heave a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had used the excuse that their names had to go on the genealogical tree immediately because of the urgency of the matter, and didn¡¯t have to pick an auspicious time. Otherwise, should there be a dy, these old fellows would probably hesitate again.


    Just as he thought of this, Qi Shan came in with a sullen-looking Qi Feng.


    The moment Qi Feng entered, he looked at Fan Zijin solemnly.


    Tears immediately flowed out of Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes. He pounced forward and hugged Qi Feng¡¯s thigh, wailing, ¡°Uncle, please save Eldest Cousin. He¡¯s only 23 years old this year. He doesn¡¯t even have a child yet¡­¡±


    When the others in the n heard this, they couldn¡¯t help but feel sad. That¡¯s right. Qi Xiuyuan was still so young and didn¡¯t yet have a child. Some people¡¯s hearts softened, and their eyes even turned red. They went forward and said, ¡°Second Brother, Zijin suffered a huge blow and flew all the way back. It¡¯s inevitable that he lost hisposure when he saw you. But he¡¯s right. Xiuyuan is so young and doesn¡¯t yet have a child. While there¡¯s still a chance of survival, let¡¯s put the Haoran couple¡¯s names on the genealogical tree and hope that it will flush away his bad luck.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Qi Feng flicked his sleeves and said, ¡°I¡¯ve only heard of holding a wedding to flush away the bad luck. I¡¯ve never heard of adding names to the genealogical tree to flush away the bad luck. Since you want to celebrate, you can just let Haoran marry a girl in Jingzhao Prefecture.¡±


    ¡°But Uncle, the Qi family¡¯s ancestral hall is here. Of course, we have toe back to add their names to the genealogical tree.¡± Fan Zijin looked confused. ¡°Don¡¯t they have to do the whole package to flush out the bad luck? The master we hired said that it¡¯s only consideredplete after their names are added to the genealogical tree. Or else if simply the wedding is held, Eldest Cousin won t wake up.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Which family didn¡¯t add the couple¡¯s names to the genealogical tree if the aim was to bring good luck to an ill person?


    Fan Zijin wiped his tears as he said, ¡°Now that we have the marriage contract and Cousin Haoran is already married, all that¡¯s left is to add their names to the genealogical tree. Uncle, let¡¯s open the ancestral hall quickly. The earlier we write it, the higher will Eldest Cousin¡¯s chances of survival be.¡±


    Qi Feng¡¯s face turned ashen and he did not speak. Two days ago, the Emperor invited him to the imperial study and hinted that the Qi family could be inws with Minister Qin. He was stunned for a long time before he realized that the Emperor was hinting at Qi Haoran¡¯s marriage.


    To be able to be inws with Minister Qin, even if she was only a concubine¡¯s daughter, he was willing. In the past two days, he had gone to look for Minister Qin as soon as he got out of the government office. However, it was unknown if Minister Qin was really busy or unwilling to marry his daughter to Qi Haoran, but he kept avoiding him under the excuse of being busy.


    However, who would have thought that Qi Haoran, that unfilial son, would actually get married in Jingzhao Prefecture like Qi Xiuyuan? He waspletely disregarding him as a father..

 Chapter 416 - 416: Purpose

    Chapter 416: Purpose


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The more Qi Feng thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. His face turned sinister. Seeing this, Fan Zijin¡¯s heart turned cold. He fell to the ground and used angrily and sadly, ¡°Uncle, Eldest Cousin is your biological son!¡± Everyone also saw Qi Feng¡¯s expression. Just like Fan Zijin, they also thought that Qi Feng was unwilling. They all shook their heads in their hearts, feeling that Qi Feng was indeed ruthless. Qi Xiuyuan was, after all, his biological son. Even a vicious tiger would not eat its cubs.


    Frowning, Qi Shan said, ¡°Second Brother, no matter what conflicts exist between you two, Xiuyuan has at least always been respectful and filial to you, his father. You don¡¯t have to worry about Haoran marrying a bad wife. I heard that Xiuyuan had nned to marry Haoran to this girl to begin with. Since the girl¡¯s family is willing to agree to this marriage at this time in order to help Xiuyuan recover, it can be seen that there¡¯s nothing wrong with their morals.¡± Qi Feng was so angry that his nose was crooked. Looking at Fan Zijin suspiciously, he said, ¡°Is Xiuyuan really seriously injured and needs to get nd of the bad luck?¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded repeatedly and hurriedly said, ¡°The Imperial Court also knows about this. When Eldest Cousin patrolled the border, he discovered the Jin soldiers who had infiltrated. At that time, the situation was urgent. In order to save the people from the two viges, he could only go deep into the forest. Who knew that he would be ambushed by the Jin soldiers? Later on, it was Haoran who rushed in with his men to save him. However, Eldest Cousin was already seriously injured with a poisoned arrow. Because of the dy, the doctors were all helpless. They could only seek help from a master who was proficient in medicine and divination to help. However, that master could only barely protect Eldest Cousin¡¯s heart meridians. He said that it was best to flush away the bad luck with a wedding. Only then might there be a chance of survival. Otherwise, the poison would enter his heart¡¯s meridians sooner orter. Should that happen, even Bodhisattva would not be able to do anything¡­¡± ¡°Nonsense. These are clearly demonic words to confuse people¡¯s hearts. To think that you¡¯re a schr. If flushing away bad luck with weddings really works, what need is there for doctors?¡± Qi Feng shouted righteously.


    A hint of mockery shed across Fan Zijin¡¯s lowered eyes. When he looked up, his eyes were filled with shock. He asked in confusion, ¡°But back then didn¡¯t you make Madam Wu your legitimate wife in hopes of flushing away the bad luck for Old Madam? You even said that it was very effective. Right after you made Madam Wu your legitimate wife, Old Madam could immediately walk.¡±


    All sorts of colors could be seen on Qi Feng¡¯s face instantly.


    Someone in the crowd couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing. Qi Feng¡¯s face turned even more colorful.


    Beaming, Qi Cheng added, ¡°I remember that back then, not only did Second Brother hold a banquet to promote Second Sister-inw, but he also recorded her name on the genealogical tree. Even though the Wu family didn¡¯t get the Zhu family¡¯s approval or the marriage contract from the government office. Ah, I remember that Second Aunt¡¯s condition started to improve after Second Brother recorded Madam Wu¡¯s name on the genealogical tree.¡±


    ¡°Then it seems that this genealogical tree is the most important part. Perhaps Xiuyuan will be fine after we write the names on the tree.¡±


    Puzzled, Qi Shan asked Qi Feng, ¡°Since Haoran is already married and has gotten the marriage contract, why are you unwilling to put their names on the genealogical tree?¡±


    If Qi Haoran was not yet married, it was still possible that Qi Feng wanted to use his marriage to form a marriage alliance. But now, even the marriage contract had been finalized. Did he really not want Qi Xiuyuan to have this chance of survival?


    Thinking of this, Qi Shan¡¯s gaze was a little unfriendly. Even if there were all kinds of conflicts within the Qi n, it was not to the extent of wishing one of their own dead. Moreover, Qi Xiuyuan was Qi Feng¡¯s biological son.


    Feeling a chill in his heart, he looked at Qi Feng with an increasingly unfriendly gaze.


    Qi Feng couldn¡¯t say anything. He was indeed the one who set the precedent for using a wedding to flush out the bad luck within the Qi n. He felt an extremely bitter sensation in his mouth. As everyone became increasingly aggressive, Qi Feng had no choice but to say, ¡°What do you know? I already have ns for Haoran¡¯s marriage. I¡¯m going to let him marry Minister Qin¡¯s fourth daughter!¡±


    Everyone was stunned. Fourth Great Uncle Qi Yong pushed everyone away and asked as he trembled, ¡°Who do you want Haoran to marry?¡±


    When Qi Feng saw everyone¡¯s shocked expressions, he looked up and said, ¡°Minister Qin¡¯s fourth daughter. Although she¡¯s a concubine¡¯s daughter, she¡¯s virtuous and gentle¡­ Geez¡­¡±


    ¡ö¡öI¡¯ll beat you to death, you bastard.¡± Qi Yong picked up his walking stick and smacked him in the face. ¡°You sold your son for glory and are now even disregarding the life and death of your biological son. How did the Qi family raise a bastard like you?¡±


    As he spoke, he swiftly picked up his walking stick and hit him. The stick smacked Qi Feng loudly, causing thetter to dodge and call for help. However, everyone simply stood still and looked at him withplicated gazes.


    To be able to provoke the most honest and cowardly Fourth Brother into personally beating someone up, Qi Feng could be considered a talent. Qi Yong only stopped when he was tired. Tears streamed down his face as he pointed at Qi Feng in grief and indignation. ¡°Why do you have such thoughts? You¡¯re trampling my Qi family¡¯s reputation into the mud!¡±


    Qi Shan also red at Qi Feng unkindly. ¡°Second Brother, I don¡¯t care what you think. In short, my Qi n will never allow the Qin family¡¯s daughter to enter the n. I¡¯ve made the decision. I¡¯ll open the ancestral hall now and put Haoran and his wife¡¯s names on the genealogical tree. If you, the father, don¡¯t want to write it, I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    Qi Feng pointed at them and said angrily, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m the one who suggested this marriage? This is His Majesty¡¯s idea.¡±


    Qi Cheng sneered and said, ¡°We¡¯re not officials, so how would we know if it was His Majesty¡¯s intention? Besides, so what if it was? He hasn¡¯t issued a decree to grant the marriage, so isn¡¯t it up to us to decide who Haoran marries?¡± Although Qi Cheng loved money and was usually a little unreliable, he knew that they couldn¡¯t be inws with the Qin family. Although Minister Qin was powerful, his reputation outside was not much better than the smelly ditch. It did not matter to Minister Qin since he was influential, but considering the Qi family had no power or influence, wouldn¡¯t they have to bear all the anger of the people should they be associated with him?


    He sized up Qi Feng and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you were so happy upon hearing His Majesty¡¯s words that you couldn¡¯t find an excuse to brush it off? No, there isn¡¯t even a need to find a random reason. There¡¯s a ready-made one here. Haoran is already married in Jingzhao Prefecture. If the Qin family is willing to marry their daughter over as a concubine, our Qi family won¡¯t mind.¡±


    At this point, Qi Cheng was filled with malice.


    Qi Shan red at Qi Cheng before looking at Fourth Uncle Qi Yong. He bowed and said, ¡°Fourth Uncle, you¡¯re the oldest elder in the n. How do you think we should deal with this matter?¡±


    Qi Yong gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Open the ancestral hall. I¡¯ll personally write their names on the genealogical tree.¡±


    Qi Shan was delighted. He didn¡¯t expect Qi Yong, who had always been honest and happy to stay invisible, to be willing to step forward. It seemed that Qi Feng had really angered him this time.


    Qi Shan immediately got someone to prepare the things.


    Qi Feng hurriedly stopped him. Qi Shan pushed his hand away angrily. ¡°Haoran is already married. No matter what, the Qin family¡¯s marriage is not going to happen. What¡¯s the point of stopping him now? Are you really going to disregard the rtionship between father and son?¡±


    Qi Cheng rolled his eyes and said suspiciously, ¡°Second Brother, don¡¯t tell me you think it doesn¡¯t count if the Mu girl¡¯s name hasn¡¯t yet gone on the genealogical tree, and that you¡¯ll demote her to a concubine in order to let Haoran marry the Qin daughter?¡±


    This guess was very shameless. Initially, Qi Cheng thought that he was judging a gentleman by his own narrow-mindedness. However, when they saw Qi Feng¡¯s expression stiffen, everyone understood that this fellow really had such thoughts.


    The nsmen who originally didn¡¯t want their rtionship to be too strained immediately agreed to open the ancestral hall. What a joke. If Qi Feng really became inws with Minister Qin, the entire Qi n would be implicated. Which of them didn¡¯t have unmarried children?


    They did not want their children to be unable to marry in the future. Hence, they nudged Qi Shan and Qi Yong along as they entered the ancestral hall with Fan Zijin..

 Chapter 417 - 417: Finalized

    Chapter 417: Finalized


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Even if Qi Feng was Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran¡¯s father, he could not stop everyone at this moment. Qi Shan opened the ancestral hall and found the genealogical tree after praying. Fan Zijin immediately took out the wrapped marriage contract.


    Qi Yong took the initiative to take it and wrote Mu Yangling¡¯s name beside Qi Haoran¡¯s. When Fan Zijin saw this, he heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly took out the other marriage contract in his arms. ¡°Fourth Great-Uncle, this is Eldest Cousin¡¯s marriage contract. Please write Eldest Cousin-inw¡¯s name too.¡± Qi Yong nced at him and then at Qi Shan. Thetter nodded slightly. Since they were already married and furthermore, the girl was from the Li family of Longxi, the Qi family couldn¡¯t very well go back on their word.


    Qi Yong wrote down Li Jinghua¡¯s name.


    Fan Zijin finally felt relieved.


    He immediately expressed that he wanted to treat everyone to a meal at the best restaurant in Lin¡¯an Prefecture. Qi Shan looked at him and waved his hand. ¡°Since you came here immediately, I¡¯m guessing you haven¡¯t gone home yet, right? You should go back first. We¡¯ll talk about it in two days.¡± Fan Zijin immediately indicated that he had booked a private room, and everyone just had to go. Even if he couldn¡¯t be there personally, he would treat everyone to good food and drinks. Two dayster, he woulde over again to invite everyone to a gathering and tell everyone about the situation in Jingzhao Prefecture in detail.


    The Qi n praised Fan Zijin¡¯s sensibility. After sending Fan Zijin away, the Qi n could settle their own business behind closed doors. Disying the dignity of a patriarch, Qi Shan said, ¡°Second Brother, since Xiuyuan and Haoran¡¯s marriage has been decided, it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t cause trouble. Although they¡¯re your sons, this concerns the Qi n¡¯s reputation. As long as I¡¯m still around, the Qi n will never be inws with the Qin family. If you¡¯re stubborn, then separate from the Qi n. Our Qi n can¡¯t afford to lose face.¡±


    Everyone nodded in agreement.


    Qi Feng looked at Qi Shan gloomily and sneered. ¡°If you still have this much backbone after His Majesty speaks, I¡¯ll admire you.¡±


    After saying that, Qi Feng left angrily. Everything he had nned previously was ruined at this moment.


    He had already been a fourth-grade official for nearly ten years. His son was already a second-grade official while he was still a fourth-grade official. If he could be inws with Minister Qin, it would not be a problem for him to move up a little. However, now, it was all ruined by those two unfilial sons and Fan Zijin.


    Now, Qi Feng¡¯s headache was how to exin things to the Emperor and Minister Qin.


    Soon, Qi Feng didn¡¯t have to worry about this because Fan Zijin had settled it for him. As soon as he left the Qi residence, Fan Zijin hurriedly ran home. The first thing he did was not to see his mother, let alone his father. Instead, he called his mother¡¯s maid over and instructed, ¡°Spread the news that Eldest Young Master Zijin is seriously injured and in aa. Tell everyone that Fourth Young Master is getting married to flush away the bad luck. When I wake up tomorrow, I want to see that all officials and nobles above the fifth-grade know about this.¡±


    After Fan Zijin finished making the arrangements, his mother showed up. When Madam Xia saw her son, she was stunned for a moment before tears flowed out. She went forward and hugged him. ¡°Zijin, why are you so thin? How much pain have you suffered?¡±


    Fan Zijin pushed his mother away impatiently and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t suffer much. I¡¯m just tired from the journey. Mother, arrange for the people I brought back. I¡¯ll go and rest first.¡±


    Sensing her son¡¯s estrangement, Madam Xia¡¯s heart ached. She hurriedly said, ¡°Yes, you should rest. Go wash up first. I¡¯ll get the kitchen to prepare some food for you.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded, but he fell asleep while showering. The servant could only get help to carry him out, wipe him clean, help him put on clothes, before stuffing him under the nket. Madam Xia¡¯s heart ached even more when she saw how tired her son was. She looked at his haggard appearance and cried for a while before turning around to look for Yanmo for questioning.


    Yanmo naturally couldn¡¯t tell Madam Xia the truth. He only said that Qi Xiuyuan was seriously ill and that Qi Haoran was taking care of him in Jingzhao Prefecture while Young Master Zijin was back to help with the genealogical tree.


    Shocked to hear that Qi Xiuyuan was in such a critical condition, Madam Xia hurriedly asked, ¡°How¡¯s Young Master Xiuyuan now?¡±


    Yanmo lowered his eyes and said, ¡°He¡¯s still unconscious.


    Stunned, Madam Xia sat there in a daze.


    Fan Siwen was stopped by his son the moment he returned. Fan Zixiao shrunk his neck and said, ¡°Father, Second Brother is back.¡±


    Fan Siwen frowned and looked at him resentfully. ¡°JialueO, although you¡¯re the son of a concubine, you¡¯re still the eldest brother. Look at you now. If your younger brotheres back, so be it. Do you think he¡¯ll eat you up? Raise your head and stand up straight.¡±


    Fan Zixiao immediately raised his head and puffed out his chest. Only then was Fan Siwen satisfied. He waved his hand and said, ¡°Alright, go ahead. I¡¯ll go see that unfilial son.¡±


    Unfortunately, his unfilial son had fallen asleep. Fan Siwen only found out when he reached Madam Xia¡¯s courtyard. He wanted to turn around and leave, but he was too embarrassed to do so, so he could only sit down and eat with his wife.


    However, he did not face Madam Xia with a good attitude. In his opinion, it was already unfilial of his son not toe and greet him immediately upon his return. Instead, he was lying on the bed and sleeping soundly.


    Seeing that her husband only asked about her son and did not ask anything else, Madam Xia¡¯s heart turned cold. She looked at her husband¡¯s face dazedly, but her mind kept reying her son¡¯s estrangement and rejection.


    What was the point ofpeting with each other for so many years?


    Fan Siwen frowned as he looked at his wife. Seeing that she was staring at him, he snapped angrily, ¡°If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    Madam Xia suddenly smiled and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. If Master is full, go to the West Wing. I¡¯m tired today and don¡¯t have time to serve you.


    Fan Siwen¡¯s brows creased. This was the first time in his life that he had heard Madam Xia push him to the West Wing. However, he didn¡¯t think too much about it. Since Madam Xia had spoken, there was no need for him to stay here for long. He got up and headed to the West Wing.


    Madam Xia watched him leave in a daze.


    The next day, Fan Siwen flew into a rage and came to look for Madam Xia. ¡±Let me ask you, who asked you to spread those rumors? Now, it¡¯s all over the city. Even His Majesty has asked about it.¡±


    Madam Xia looked up at him and asked, ¡°What gossip did I spread?¡±


    ¡°You still don¡¯t want to admit it? Didn¡¯t you ask your maid to spread the news that Xiuyuan was critically ill and wanted Haoran to marry in order to flush away the bad luck? By the way, when was Xiuyuan critically ill? Why didn¡¯t I know about this?¡±


    Fan Zijin happened to walk in from outside and said, ¡°I got someone to spread this news.¡± He sized up his father and nodded. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in five years, but you¡¯re still as strong as ever.¡±


    He sat on the chair casually and poured himself a cup of tea. ¡°Don¡¯t me Mother. She doesn¡¯t know at all. She must have been busy serving you and worrying about me yesterday.¡±


    Having not seen him for five years, Fan Siwen suddenly saw that Fan Zijin had grown up. For a moment, his thoughts were in turmoil. When he came back to his senses and registered his words, he snapped angrily, ¡°What did you learn outside? You actually learned how to gossip!¡±

 Chapter 418 - 418: Preparation

    Chapter 418: Preparation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Fan Zijin was not angry at all. He had been angry enough with him in the previous 12 years and had given up on his father in the subsequent five years. Hence, he did not mind at all and merely chuckled. ¡°Father, don¡¯t I have no choice? Uncle wants to marry Haoran to Minister Qin¡¯s fourth daughter. Wouldn¡¯t that be pushing Haoran into a fire pit? I had no choice but to get someone to publicize this in advance. Now that everyone knows that Haoran has already married, even if Minister Qin is powerful, he can¡¯t very well force Haoran to divorce and marry his daughter instead, right?¡±


    Shocked, Fan Siwen asked, ¡°Qi Feng wants to be inws with Minister Qin? Why didn¡¯t I know?¡± Then he looked at his son in surprise. ¡°How did you know about this?¡±


    ¡°Qi Feng said it himself yesterday.¡± Fan Zijin turned to look at his mother. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Madam Xia immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to send food over now. You¡¯ve been rushing your way for 20 days. Eat something warm, soft, and easy to digest to nourish your stomach first.¡± Seeing that her husband seemed to have something to ask her son, she sighed and took the initiative to leave to give the space to the father and son.


    Fan Siwen turned to look at his grown-up son and felt a little ufortable. However, Fan Zijin said with a smile, ¡°Oh right, Father, will the Spring Quarter Examinations be held next year?¡±


    The Spring Quarter Examinations was supposed to be heldst year, but because of internal strife everywhere, the Emperor had dyed the exam. As for how long it would be dyed, no one knew.


    ¡°The Ministry of Rites is already making preparations. The document should be issued in a few days.¡± Fan Siwen frowned slightly. ¡°Not only will the Spring Quarter Examinations be held next year, but Your Majesty will probably also hold the Fall Quarter Examinations in order to pray to the heavens. Since you¡¯re back, stay in the capital obediently. You¡¯re not young anymore. One can be a xiucaiO at the age of 11, but you¡¯re not even a juren? yet. I don¡¯t want others to say that my son is Shang Zhongyong?.¡±


    Fan Zijin lowered his head and sneered, but he agreed on the surface.


    Seeing his attitude, Fan Siwen couldn¡¯t vent his anger. He wanted to teach him a lesson, but he was afraid that it would make him run away from home again.


    Seeing that he had nothing else to say, Fan Zijin gave a sloppy bow and went down to eat. His men were already waiting in the front yard.


    After eating, Fan Zijin went over to see them. The first thing he did was to say, ¡°Buy a house in Lin¡¯an Prefecture. In the future, we¡¯ll do our dealings there instead.¡±


    Although this was his home, it was not under his control. Used to the safe environment of the General¡¯s Mansion, he really could not stand the fact that someone could barge into his study and pry into his privacy at any time. Therefore, he decided to find another house outside.


    The second thing was, ¡°Pay attention to the shops in Lin¡¯an Prefecture and see if there are any for sale. If there are suitable ones, buy them.¡±


    This time, he brought back a few stewards that he had nurtured. Of course, Fan Zijin didn¡¯t n to let these people stay idle. He would be looking to let them manage shops and workshops.


    He decided to expand his business in Jiangnan, but he did not know that the news that he had asked someone to release yesterday had angered Minister Qin and the Emperor.


    The Emperor had received a letter from the Jingzhao Prefecture a few days ago that Qi Xiuyuan was seriously injured and urgently held a wedding to flush away the bad luck. He had originally believed 80% of it, and when he saw that Fan Zijin was so anxious to add their names to the genealogical tree, he believed it even more.


    The Emperor asked, ¡°Has the news spread outside?¡±


    The eunuch who came back after hearing the gossip said, ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s all over the streets. I heard that Minister Qin was so angry that he smashed the things in his study when he returned home.¡±


    As the eunuch served the Emperor personally, he naturally knew about the Emperor¡¯s intentions. That was why he specially mentioned Minister Qin.


    As expected, the Emperor was happy, but on the surface, he shook his head and said, ¡°Minister Qin is too anxious. The Qi family only did that because of the urgency of the matter. They didn¡¯t say that they would turn down this marriage. What¡¯s there to be angry about?¡±


    Stunned, the eunuch asked hesitantly, ¡°But isn¡¯t Assistant Commander Qi married?¡±


    The Emperor shook his head and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t Assistant Minister Lu Zhen of the Ministry of Revenue marry two wives of equal standing? I think it¡¯s not a bad title.¡±


    Even though the corners of the eunuch¡¯s mouth twitched, he still lowered his head and said, ¡°Your Majesty is wise.¡±


    However, Minister Qin did not at all think that the Emperor was wise, but he was not too angry about this matter. He was not very satisfied with this marriage to begin with. Now that the Qi family did this before he started discussing the marriage with them, it was exactly what he wanted. However, in order to shut His Majesty¡¯s mouth and upy a favorable position, he still picked two things that were not too expensive and smashed them after returning home. Then, life went on as usual for him.


    Unexpectedly, the Qi family did not anger him, but the Emperor did. To think the Emperor wanted his daughter to be Qi Haoran¡¯s equal wife when he already had a wife!


    So be it. He didn¡¯t mind at all, but could he change the candidate? Qi Haoran was only a fourth-grade junior general, but he could actually make his daughter his equal wife?


    At the very least, it should be someone at the level of his big brother, Qi Xiuyuan, right?


    However, he had never been openly against the Emperor, so he could only hint that Qi Haoran¡¯s status was not high enough, in hopes that the Emperor could choose someone else from the Qi family.


    It was unknown if the Emperor was pretending not to understand, or if he really didn¡¯t understand, but he didn¡¯t say anything.


    Minister Qin could only leave with a stiff expression. This time, the two of them did not tell Qi Feng. In their opinion, Qi Feng was ipetent. Anyway, since Qi Haoran and the others were about to enter the capital, they could talk about it when they entered the pce to pay their respects.


    Yesterday, the Emperor finally received amendation request for the West Camp¡¯s meritorious service. Despite being severely outnumbered, they had defeated the enemy and killed more than 3,000 Jin soldiers in Fuping County. This was a rare battle achievement, so he naturally had to seek credit. And the person who deserved the most credit was Qi Haoran.


    However, the Emperor skipped his name and rewarded his subordinates. Then, hemended Qi Xiuyuan for deserving the most credit. Coupled with the military merits he had umted previously, he officially promoted him from a Grade 2B general to a Grade 2A general, second only to General Yuan.


    The Emperor secretly wondered if Qi Haoran would fall out with Qi Xiuyuan if he knew that Qi Xiuyuan had snatched his military merits. Yes, perhaps not the first time, but what if it happened too many times?


    He also didn¡¯t know if Qi Xiuyuan could survive this time. The Emperor thought that if he couldn¡¯t, he would prop up a new general. This time, he had to promote someone who would obey him entirely. If Qi Xiuyuan did survive, the trap he set up now would be useful.


    The decree to summon Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s family and Qi Haoran back to the capital along with the reward memorandums were sent, and the date for their return was strictly set. They had to arrive before New Year¡¯s Eve.


    It was already the eighth of October, and it was exactly a month and a half before New Year¡¯s Eve. The memorial was sent to Jingzhao Prefecture at full speed, and it would only take 15 days to arrive.


    When Mu Yangling and the others received the imperial edict, they heaved a huge sigh of relief, as if the stone that had been hanging over their hearts had finally been lifted.


    Qi Xiuyuan put away the memorial and said to the two of them, ¡°Time is tight. Pack up and set off in five days. Ah Ling, go home when you¡¯re free. You can stay there for two days.¡±


    They had already instructed the servants to slowly pack their luggage. Now that they had packed everything they needed to bring, there was nothing to do for the remaining five days other than bidding farewell to everyone.


    Mu Yangling brought Qi Haoran home for two days and hugged the twins in her arms for a long time. When the two children knew that their older sister was going on a long trip and would probably note back for a long time, they hugged her arm and wailed loudly.


    Xin stood beside her cousin and wiped her tears. Bowen and Xiuhong¡¯s eyes were red. Mu Yangling could only promise that she would write to them often. ¡°Bosi, Kejia, you have to learn to read quickly so that you can write to me. Otherwise, you won¡¯t understand anything I write.¡±


    With tears on their faces, Bosi and Kejia nodded pitifully and hugged Mu Yangling¡¯s arm tightly. ¡°Sister must not forget Bosi (Kejia).¡±


    ¡°Of course not! You¡¯re my treasures. How could I forget you?¡±


    When they came out, Mu Yangling was covered in sweat on a cold day. Qi Haoran reached out to hold her hand tightly and the two of them left side by side.

 Chapter 419 - 419: On the Road

    Chapter 419: On the Road


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°What? Pregnant?¡± Mu Yangling looked at Li Jinghua, who lowered her head shyly.


    Qi Xiuyuan was excited, happy, and worried, all at the same time. He nodded and said, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s two months pregnant. You guys should set off tomorrow and take your time on the road. It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re dyed. I¡¯ll send a memorial to exin to the Emperor.¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s pregnancy came at the right time, but also not at the right time.


    If her pregnancy hade earlier, they would have enough time for the fetus to stabilize. However, if it cameter, Qi Xiuyuan would be left wondering when he would have a legitimate son. Of course, this child might also be a daughter. But at least there was a 50% chance, right?


    Qi Xiuyuan really wanted to keep his wife and send her to the capital after the New Year and the fetus was stable. However, after discussing with Rong Xuan, the two of them felt that Emperor Jingyan was not a patient person and it was not worth angering him over this matter. Besides, it was foreseeable that Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling would have to live under his nose for a long time. Hence, they could only set off two days in advance and take their time on the way. Even if they arrivedte, it did not matter. At least it wouldn¡¯t be because they set offte.


    Hence, the next day, they left Jingzhao Prefecture amidst everyone¡¯s reluctant farewells.


    Because Li Jinghua couldn¡¯t take the bumps on the road now, Qi Xiuyuan asked someone to put a thick nket on her carriage. As long as the road conditions weren¡¯t too bad, she wouldn¡¯t feel too ufortable sitting on it.


    For the sake of Li Jinghua¡¯s safety, Mu Yangling rode in the same carriage with her. Sometimes, when she was bored, she would climb onto ckie and ride side by side with Qi Haoran for a while to admire the scenery. When she was tired, she would then crawl into the carriage.


    Being considerate of Li Jinghua, they traveled at a slow speed. Sometimes, when she wasn¡¯t in a good condition, everyone would rest for a day. Hence, this journey was not very pleasant for Li Jinghua. But for the newlywed Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran, it was simply a longer honeymoon for them. Only difference was that this time, they were bringing a lot of people along.


    However, there were benefits to having more people around¡ªtheir food and clothing needs were attended to. Other than caring for Li Jinghua, there was almost nothing else to worry about.


    On the other hand, Li Jinghua and the people apanying them also fully witnessed the dazzling affection between the young couple.


    On the first and second day, the sadness of parting could not be concealed in the convoy. Everyone traveled in a depressed manner. On the third day, Qi Haoran broke off a few blooming and half-blooming plum blossoms from somewhere and sent them over.


    Not only was Mu Yangling pleasantly surprised, but even Li Jinghua couldn¡¯t help but smile when she saw the blooming plum blossoms. Although the flowers were brought into the carriage, Qi Haoran¡¯s sparkling eyes stared straight at Mu Yangling. Anyone would know who he was giving them to.


    Two dayster, Qi Haoran sent over a little squirrel that he had caught on the way¡­


    If Qi Haoran merely gifted Mu Yangling things, Li Jinghua would be happy and envious, but not jealous. However, that wasn¡¯t the case. Almost every once in a while, he woulde over to ask if Mu Yangling was thirsty, tired, and bored. When they were about to reach the capital, Li Jinghua felt that she could no longer stand to watch the two of them show off their love in front of her, so she said, ¡°Ah Ling, it¡¯s better if you ride in the same carriage as Haoran. Otherwise, I¡¯m really afraid that he won¡¯t be able to help bute in to sit in our carriage one day.¡±


    Blushing, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll scold him. He won¡¯t dare to disturb us again.¡±


    After saying that, she crawled out without waiting for Li Jinghua to speak. She whistled and summoned ckie. With a leap, she jumped onto the horse.


    Of course, she couldn¡¯t scold Qi Haoran since this was something worth encouraging. Hence, when she rode her horse to him, he pulled her over and they rode the same horse. When no one was paying attention, she secretly kissed him to encourage him. Then, she said, ¡°From now on, don¡¯t y anymore. Since we¡¯re about to reach the capital, we have to be careful.¡± Brimming with bliss, Qi Haoran nodded and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. From this morning onwards, I¡¯ll personally supervise the inspection of the convoy and horses. Stay in the carriage and follow Sister-inw closely.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded, and the two of them discussed some things in a low voice. Only then did Qi Haoran send her back to the carriage. Under Li Jinghua¡¯s half-smile, Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran waved goodbye.


    Just as the two had discussed, Qi Haoran stopped sending things into the carriage, and Mu Yangling stopped leaving the carriage to chill. Even when they stopped for lunch to rx, Mu Yangling did not leave Li Jinghua¡¯s side.


    Li Jinghua vaguely sensed something. When she got out of the carriage to take a walk, she did not walk as far away as before. Instead, she merely walked a few steps away and kept within a distance where the guards could see.


    At this moment, it had already been 29 days since they embarked on their journey. From the looks of it, they were probably going to celebrate New Year¡¯s Eve on the road.


    At this moment, ten miles outside Lin¡¯an Prefecture, the Qi family¡¯s servants could only return dejectedly to report that they had yet to arrive.


    Qi Feng didn¡¯t expect that they weren¡¯t here yet. Frowning, he said, ¡°It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve tomorrow. Weren¡¯t they going to arrive before New Year¡¯s Eve?¡±


    No one answered, so Qi Feng could only wave his hand to dismiss them. He thought that something might have happened on the way.


    However, the Emperor was very calm. He had long received Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s confession memorial stating that his wife was pregnant, so even if they set off early, it was normal for them to dy in order to protect the baby. Because Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s attitude was good, and they had indeed packed their things immediately after receiving the decree and even set off two days earlier than expected, the Emperor magnanimously forgave them for the dy.


    Considering Qi Xiuyuan was not young anymore, and this was his first child, it was inevitable for him to pay more attention to the mother and baby.


    Therefore, the Emperor only asked one person to guard the Ten Mile Pavilion. At the pce banquet on New Year¡¯s Eve, he merely briefly mentioned this as he sighed with emotion. Only then did everyone know that Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s family had set off long ago.


    Oh, so Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s wife, Madam Li, had yet to arrive because she was pregnant.


    Everyone nodded in understanding.


    Qi Feng, who was not qualified to attend the pce banquet, only found out about this the next day. He gritted his teeth so hard that they almost broke. ¡°Unfilial son, since your schedule is dyed, why didn¡¯t you report it to your family?¡±


    The night before, in the Jingzhao Prefecture Manor, Qi Xiuyuan, who was drinking alone with Rong Xuan and Yuan Hui, asked, ¡°Jinyu, have I told the Qi family that Haoran and the others will be arrivingte?¡±


    Rong Xuan was stunned. He held his wine ss and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t seem to have the habit of helping you organize your family¡¯s letters, right?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan held his forehead with a headache. This job used to belong to Zijin. After all, it was a family matter. It was not good for him to hand such things over to Rong Xuan, and it was not good for Rong Xuan to get too involved. Furthermore, he was impatient to reply to Qi Feng¡¯s letters. Other than some rtively important letters, he threw the rest in the corner.


    But other than allowing him to get further and further away from the Qi family and their rtionship to be more and more strained, there were no other benefits. Hence, Zijin had already taken over all of his and Haoran¡¯s family letters three years ago, including his own.


    It seemed that after Zijin had left, he really had not sent a letter to anyone in the Qi family.


    Rong Xuan understood when he saw his expression. He asked, ¡°Do you want to send another letter? Should Lord Qi ask, we can just say that the letter was lost at the ry station and was only foundter.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nced at him and said, ¡°Write it now and send it tomorrow. Even if you ride a horse at full speed, it will take half a month to arrive. All that effort just to shut him up? It¡¯s not worth it.¡± After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°If Zijin is well-informed in Lin¡¯an Prefecture, he¡¯ll probably guess that I forgot to write it. When the timees, he can just make up for the letter..¡±

 Chapter 420 - 420: Entering the City

    Chapter 420: Entering the City


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Fan Zijin, who had just bought an eatery and nned to transform it into a restaurant, was indeed well-informed. The person he had sent to keep an eye on the Qi family reported that the Qi family¡¯s servants had been waiting at the Ten Mile Pavilion outside the north of the city for two days. Hearing that, he knew that the Qi family had definitely not received the news that Haoran and the others were arrivingte.


    Hence, when he returned at night, he locked himself in the study and wrote a letter imitating Qi Haoran¡¯s handwriting and tone. The next day, he got someone to find an acquaintance at the ry station to make it appear that the letter was sent from Jingzhao Prefecture before sending it to the Qi Manor.


    Qi Feng widened his eyes and asked angrily, ¡°A letter actually took a month to arrive?¡±


    The signature on the letter indicated that Qi Haoran had written this the night before they set off. It was already the 31st day today.


    The ry station¡¯s people were very puzzled, but they still exined good-naturedly, ¡°Assistant Commander Qi sent a surface mail. As it¡¯s snowing in the north now, it¡¯s difficult to walk on the road. It¡¯s inevitable that the letter will be dyed for some time. Other than the memorandums to the Imperial Court, the rest are all postponed. This is actually considered fast. The letters from ordinary people might not even arrive in two months.¡±


    Qi Feng tightened his grip on the envelope. In the end, he still asked someone to send the messenger away. Fine, now he didn¡¯t even have a reason to be angry anymore. But he was still furious. What should he do?


    While he was fuming, a servant ran in happily and said, ¡°Master, Fourth Young Master has sent someone over to inform us that they should reach the capital tomorrow.¡±


    Qi Feng narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°Call him in.


    The closer they got to the capital, the tenser Qi Haoran¡¯s expression became. Although he had never mentioned the Qi family in front of her, Mu Yangling could guess that he did not have a good rtionship with Father Qi from his conversation with Fan Zijin and their brothers¡¯ attitude towards the Qi family.


    Hence, she was still a little nervous about interacting with the Qi family. On the other hand, Li Jinghua was much more calm. Before she left, Qi Xiuyuan specially mentioned, ¡°With the Qi family, you just have to put up a show on the surface. There¡¯s no need to be afraid.¡±


    With this reassurance, Li Jinghua was very calm.


    When the convoy arrived at the Ten Mile Pavilion outside the city, the Qi family¡¯s servants followed behind Fan Zijin and weed them. Sitting on his horse, Qi Haoran lowered his head to look at the two gray-robed ves and narrowed his eyes.


    To think there were only two people from the Qi residence who came. They did not even send a nanny. Qi Haoran snorted and without even looking at them, he got off the horse and approached Fan Zijin.


    Fan Zijin told Qi Haoran about the situation in Lin¡¯an Prefecture and said, ¡°Uncle is a little angry. Madam Wu will probably try to take Sister-inw and Ah Ling down a notch. Do restrain yourself. At the very least, don¡¯t let the imperial censors who are watching you catch you red-handed.¡±


    Qi Haoran agreed. Fan Zijin nced at the carriage again and said, ¡°Remind Ah Ling to suppress her temper.¡±


    Qi Haoran defended her. ¡°Ah Ling has a good temper.¡±


    Fan Zijin stared at him with his eyes wide open. Blushing, Qi Haoran agreed as he felt ufortable under that gaze.


    Fan Zijin snorted and asked, ¡°Do you want me to go back with you?¡± With an outsider like him around, Uncle couldn¡¯t go overboard, right? However, Qi Haoran shook his head. ¡°You can¡¯t always be by my side. He has to re up once sooner orter.¡±


    Fan Zijin did not insist on following. After sending them to the Qi Manor¡¯s door, he went back. Qi Haoran shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll bring Ah Ling to greet Aunt tomorrow. Remember to tell Aunt.¡±


    Fan Zijin waved his hand as an answer.


    The Qi Manor¡¯s door opened and the carriage entered. The servants and men all retreated. Only then did Li Jinghua and Mu Yanglinge out of the carriage. Seeing that there was no soft pnquin to pick them up, Qi Haoran resisted the urge to kick them. He narrowed his eyes and asked Nanny Qian, ¡°Where¡¯s the soft pnquin?¡±


    Embarrassment shed across Nanny Qian¡¯s face. She looked at the two young madams pleadingly and replied in a low voice, ¡°The soft pnquin is broken. I¡¯ll have to trouble Eldest Madam and Fourth Madam to walk to the inner courtyard¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran kicked Nanny Qian away and roared, ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of the matters in this household? If you can¡¯t even handle such a small matter, what¡¯s the use of having you around? Men, drag her down and flog her to death.¡±


    Two burly old women rushed out from behind Qi Haoran and grabbed Nanny Qian, wanting to drag her away. Previously, Nanny Qian only felt that her internal organs were squeezed together, and her vision couldn¡¯t help but darken. Only when she was grabbed did she snap out of her daze slightly and hurriedly beg for mercy. ¡°Fourth Young Master, I know my mistake, but this was all arranged by Madam. That soft pnquin is really broken.¡± ¡°I sent someone back yesterday to inform you guys that I¡¯ll be back today. Yet you can¡¯t evene up with a soft pnquin today. Is it because I¡¯ve been away from the capital for too long that you think I¡¯m easy to bully?¡±


    How was he easy to bully? He was even more unreasonable than before. Nanny Qian felt like dying. She¡¯d thought that Fourth Young Master should be more sensible since he had been away from home for five years and was already married. Unexpectedly, his temper had gotten worse. In the past, he would at most kick her before leaving angrily. Now, he actually ordered the servants to have her beaten to death.


    Fourth Young Master never boasted, so Nanny Qian grabbed the rockery at the side with all her might and cried, ¡°Fourth Young Master, I won¡¯t dare to do it again. I¡¯ll get someone to bring a soft pnquin over now.


    Qi Haoran sneered. ¡°Is the soft pnquin avable now?


    ¡°Yes, yes. The craftsmen should have repaired it by now.¡± Nanny Qian kowtowed and said, ¡°It¡¯s all because I wasn¡¯t meticulous enough. I was afraid of being dyed in picking up the two young madams. That¡¯s why I said that the soft pnquin wasn¡¯t repaired without checking.


    Qi Haoran called two old women to go with her to get the soft pnquin.


    Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling stood at the side without saying a word and waited for the soft pnquin to pick them up. They both knew that Qi Haoran was actually throwing a tantrum because of them. Otherwise, if they were bullied like this the moment they entered the Qi residence, these snobbish servants would trample on them in the future.


    It was not that Li Jinghua did not have a better way to win people¡¯s heartster. However, she was pregnant now. Besides, they had just entered the capital and had many things to do. It was naturally good to save some effort.


    Although Qi Haoran¡¯s method was rough, it was very useful.


    After getting kicked, and with two people holding her back, Nanny Qian did not dare to y any tricks. She obediently got someone to carry two soft pnquins over. The maidservants who came to wee them all cowered at the side in fear. Clearly, they were also frightened by Qi Haoran.


    The two sisters-inw got into the soft pnquins and were carried into the second door. When Madam Xu and Little Madam Wu, who were originally sitting in the main room, heard the report and knew that there was amotion in front, they nervously looked at Madam Wu, whose expression was a little ugly. Madam Xu asked hesitatingly, ¡°Mother, why don¡¯t Third Sister-inw and I go to wee Eldest Sister-inw and Fourth Sister-inw?¡±


    Madam Wu snorted, but she still nodded slightly in agreement.


    Madam Xu brought Little Madam Wu to the entrance of the courtyard to wait. Madam Xu originally wanted to go to the second gate, but when she saw Nanny Wu stop at the entrance of the courtyard, she knew that it was Madam Wu¡¯s idea and could only stop helplessly.


    She could understand Madam Wu¡¯s intention of taking them down a notch, but they could¡¯ve gone about it in a less tant manner.


    Why did she have to make a fuss about such a thing and give people a reason to gossip?


    She had never seen this Fourth Brother before, but after marrying into the family, she had heard many servants mention that he was hot-tempered. In that case, there was really no need to anger him over such an insignificant matter. Unfortunately, her mother-inw would not listen to her.


    Just as she was letting her imagination run wild, two soft pnquins arrived. Madam Xu looked up and subconsciously smiled..

 Chapter 421 - 421: Confrontation

    Chapter 421: Confrontation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Ql Haoran had never seen Madam Xu and Little Madam Wu before, but that didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t know about these two sisters-inw. He bowed to them with a straight face. Madam Xu hurriedly smiled and said, ¡°Fourth Brother, you¡¯re too polite. Father-inw, Second Brother, and Third Brother are waiting for you in the front hall. Do you want to go in and greet Mother-inw first, or¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°I¡¯lle over with Second Brother and Third Brother to meet Madamter. I¡¯ll have to trouble Second Sister-inw and Third Sister-inw to take care of Eldest Sister-inw and Ah Ling.¡±


    As he spoke, he turned to leave. However, when he saw the soft pnquin carried by the servants, he said with a smile, ¡°I see that the soft pnquin hasn¡¯t been repaired yet. There¡¯s no need to repair it. Just have it reced. Someone, carry the soft pnquin away and smash it.¡±


    Madam Xu¡¯s eyebrows twitched. This Fourth Brother was even more tyrannical than she had imagined. She turned to look at Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling, only to see that the two of them had their eyes lowered and were silent. Seeing that the old women Qi Haoran had brought had already stepped forward to take the soft pnquin, she hurriedly said with a smile, ¡°Wait, Fourth Brother. This soft pnquin was broken before, but the craftsmen repaired it overnight I think it won¡¯t be a problem to use it for another year or two. The expenses at home are huge, so we have to save as much as possible.¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned, as if he was going to kick the pnquin and destroy it on the spot. Li Jinghua smiled gently and said, ¡°Second Sister-inw is right, but this soft pnquin is different from others. If it suddenly breaks and causes someone to fall, the servants will havemitted a huge sin. The gains won¡¯t make up for the losses. No matter how much the residence spends, we can¡¯t save this bit of money. Let¡¯s get someone to smash these two soft pnquins and check the others at the same time. If there¡¯s also danger, we can smash them together. It¡¯s almost the New Year, so it¡¯s meaningful to rece broken stuff.¡±


    When Qi Haoran heard this, he retracted the internal energy that surged into his legs and waved his hand. ¡°Eldest Sister-inw is right. Hurry up and carry the pnquins away to smash them.¡±


    A stiff smile appeared on Madam Xu¡¯s face. Alright, they were indeed taken down a notch. s, it was Madam Xu and Little Madam Wu who were taken down a notch, not Qi Haoran and the others.


    Madam Xu and Little Madam Wu led Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling in to see Madam Wu.


    Madam Wu was sitting on the main seat. As soon as the two of them entered, two youngsses ced two cushions in front of them.


    Li Jinghua raised her eyebrows slightly, while Mu Yangling frowned. In her life, she had only knelt before her ancestors during the New Year and Qingming Festival. She had never even knelt before her parents.


    Since they already retaliated earlier despite having just arrived, it wasn¡¯t a good idea to be too unyielding now. So, she tugged at Mu Yangling and knelt down respectfully to kowtow to Madam Wu. With a smile, she said, ¡°Greetings Madam.¡±


    Mu Yangling could only say, ¡°Greetings, Madam.¡±


    Madam Wu took a sip of tea as she sat, pretending not to see the two of them. Mu Yangling looked up at her and could only greet her again. ¡°Greetings Madam.¡±??????????? <sup>5</sup> ¡¯


    Madam Wu¡¯s eyes were still lowered. Standing by the side, Wen Cui was secretly anxious. Eldest Madam was pregnant and had rushed her way here. Her fetus condition was not optimal to begin with. Even if there was a futon on the ground, it was still freezing in winter¡­


    Li Jinghua indeed felt that a heavy sensation at her waist, so she hurriedly held her waist. However, Mu Yangling¡¯s observation skills were outstanding, so how could she not notice?


    Seeing this, she felt angry and helped Li Jinghua up. Smiling, she said, ¡°Sister-inw, it seems that we came at the wrong time. Since Madam happens to be asleep, let¡¯s sit and wait. You¡¯re pregnant and previously knelt down and kowtowed. I¡¯m sure Madam¡¯s heart aches for you, her daughter-inw, and the child in your stomach. She definitely won¡¯t me you.¡±


    Madam Wu, who was still holding the tea:¡±¡­¡±


    Little Madam Wu widened her eyes and stared at Mu Yangling, who was lying through her teeth. Her mother-inw was clearly sitting there drinking tea How could she have fallen asleep?


    However, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t care so much. She directly pulled Li Jinghua to sit at the top left seat. Now, Madam Wu couldn¡¯t pretend anymore. She could only put down the teacup and raise her eyelids to size up Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling. Then, she fixed her gaze on the young Mu Yangling and said sternly ¡±The north is indeed a deste ce. People there don¡¯t even practice the most basic etiquette.¡±


    Realization dawned on Li Jinghua. ¡°Madam is awake?¡± Since Mu Yangling had already offended her, there was no need for her to cower.


    Madam Wu¡¯s chest heaved up and down twice, but she suppressed her anger and smiled insincerely. ¡°It¡¯s so noisy outside, it¡¯s hard not to wake up. You must be Xiuyuan¡¯s wife, Madam Li. You and Madam Mu both entered the Jingzhao Prefecture and skipped offering the inws¡¯ tea. Although Xiuyuan isn¡¯t at home, we should still practice the necessary etiquette. Since Master happens to be free tomorrow, you two should get up early to serve tea.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Jinghua stood up and said, ¡°Since these are the rules, Fourth Sister-inw and I will naturally abide by them. However, I¡¯ll have to trouble Madam to bring us to the small ancestral hall. I feel a little apologetic.¡± With a smile, Little Madam Wu said, ¡°Sister-inw has never served tea to her inws before, so she doesn¡¯t know. This tea can just be served in the hall. There¡¯s no need to open up the small ancestral hall.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Little Madam Wu curiously and said in confusion, ¡°After we serve tea to Master and Madam, we naturally have to go to the small ancestral hall to pay our respects to Mother-inw. Of course there is a need to open up the small ancestral hall. Mother-inw is also the mother of Second Brother and Third Brother. Didn¡¯t Second Sister-inw and Third Sister-inw pay their respects to Mother-inw when they got married?¡± The three women in the room immediately had all kinds of expressions. Madam Wu was furious, and Madam Xu looked awkward. However she couldn¡¯t help but feel that Madam Li and Madam Mu were too aggressive. Although the two sides didn¡¯t have a good rtionship, there was really no need to make things so tense when they were living in the same house. The corners of Li Jinghua¡¯s lips could not help but curl up. She felt that although Mu Yangling was not good at handling internal affairs and had a straightforward temper, there were also benefits to being straightforward There were some things that had toe from her mouth to be effective. The two of them sessfully angered Madam Wu before leaving. Mu Yangling sent Li Jinghua to her Zhaode Hall first. This used to be Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s residence. It was a little small, but it was more than enough to amodate Li Jinghua and her servants.


    Wen Cui brought the servant girls into the house to pack up. The house had clearly just been tidied up not long ago, and the dampness had yet to dissipate. Extremely dissatisfied, Wen Cuiined, ¡°Mistress, it¡¯s so damp. Not only is it harmful to your health if you sleep here, but it¡¯s also not good for the baby¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, get someone to start a fire and heat up the room immediately. It should be fine by tonight.¡±


    Wen Cui immediately fired off instructions to Wen Mian, Wen Si, and the other servant girls. She ordered the servants to rece the bed curtain and nket with the ones they had brought themselves.


    Mu Yangling walked around the courtyard and personally made arrangements for the old women she had brought.


    This time, they did not bring a lot of young maidservants, but the older ones The old maidservants each had their own abilities-from guarding the door to taking care of things in the kitchen. But they all had one thing inmon- they all had some amateur skills. It was impossible for them to deal with experts outside, but it was more than enough to deal with the people in the inner residence.


    This was Mu Yangling¡¯s request. Compared to the weapons out in the open on the battlefield, what Mu Yangling truly feared the hidden arrows in the inner residence because this was not her area of expertise. People tended to fear the unknown. Besides, she had promised Qi Xiuyuan that she would do her best to protect Li Jinghua and the child in her stomach.


    She felt that since she was not familiar with the inner residence matters, and it would take a long time for her to master them, she did not mind setting up Li Jinghua¡¯s residence ording to what she was good at. The first thing was safety.


    Therefore, Mu Yangling politely sent away the servants that Madam Wu had arranged for them, recing them with the people she had brought with her. There was no outsider in the entire Zhaohua Courtyard.


    Li Jinghua did not care and let Mu Yangling make the arrangements. She had asionally heard that the <sub>5</sub>th Division¡¯s camp was the most tightly guarded because of her fourth sister-inw..

 Chapter 422 - 422: Meeting

    Chapter 422 - 422: Meeting


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The Zhaohua Courtyard where Mu Yangling and the others lived was not far from Zhaode Hall. There was only a very small garden between them, putting the two residences about 200 meters apart. Also, there was a small door connecting the two courtyards to the garden. ording to Mu Yangling¡¯s understanding, this door was usually closed at night. These two side-doors were guarded by an old woman, and the key was in her hand.


    As this was not Zhaohua Courtyard or Zhaode Hall, if she wanted to have the person reced with her own, she had to tell Qi Haoran and let him handle it.


    Mu Yangling calcted the number of people in her heart and decided to choose an old woman from her residence to take care of this door. Although she could climb over the wall without going through the door in an emergency, she felt that it was more normal to go through the door.


    This way, there would be even fewer people for her to assign to Zhaohua Courtyard. It was inevitable that she would need a few servants arranged by the


    Qi Manor.<div>


    Mu Yangling directly handed the matter to Mama Wang and said, ¡°You can arrange for the people sent over from the Qi residence. The key positions should be held by our people.¡±


    Mama Wang said, ¡°Fourth Madam, since there¡¯s no small kitchen in the residence, why don¡¯t we deploy the people in the small kitchen first?¡±


    When they came, they brought along the people who worked in the kitchen. They nned to set up a small kitchen for Li Jinghua, but there was no such precedent in the Qi Manor. They all ate together in the big kitchen, so those people could not be deployed.


    However, Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your Fourth Young


    Master will arrange it.¡±


    Considering this was Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s first legitimate child, Qi Haoran naturally had to be very careful. He definitely had to separately handle something as important as food, so they would certainly set up a small kitchen in Zhaode


    Hall.


    That night, the Qi family reunited. Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua finally met the master of the Qi Manor, Qi Feng, as well as his two sons, Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai, and their children.


    Qi Shaosheng had a three-year-old son, Qi Ming, while Qi Shaotai had a one-year-old daughter, Qi Jin. Both of them were legitimate children. As they were still young, their wet nurse followed them around. Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua simply prepared some small gifts for them and that was it. The children were too young and had been taught to be obedient and quiet. They were indeed not much fun to y with since they were sitting obediently in the wet nurse¡¯s arms.


    Madam Wu was still fuming about the fact that Mu Yangling had sent all the servants from Zhaode Hall back. Seeing that the two of them wore sullen expressions, Qi Feng had even taught Qi Haoran a lesson in the afternoon. However, Qi Haoran had straightened his neck and shouted, ¡°This is for the sake of the baby in Sister-inw¡¯s stomach.¡±


    Qi Feng was furious. ¡°Is there anyone in the family who would harm her?¡± Qj Haoran sneered. ¡°Father, if you dare to vouch for these words, I¡¯ll let you make the arrangements. However, if anything really happens to the child in Sister-inw¡¯s stomach, don¡¯t me me for disregarding our father-and-son rtionship. When the timees, no matter if he¡¯s the Emperor, I¡¯ll dare to ughter him!¡± As he spoke, his eyes met Qi Feng¡¯s ruthlessly.


    Qi Feng was even angrier. It was not only because of Qi Haoran¡¯s attitude, but also because he did not dare to make this guarantee. Qi Feng felt waves of pain in his ribs. He felt that his youngest son¡¯s return could shorten his lifespan by ten years.


    He clutched his chest and said, ¡°Up to you. If anything happens, don¡¯t look for


    me.¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted. ¡°Of course not. What¡¯s the use of looking for you?¡± Qi Feng¡¯s face contorted for a moment. Thinking that he was still waiting for His Majesty to summon him, he took a deep breath and softened his voice. ¡°Do you know how to reply when you see His Majesty?¡±


    Qi Haoran said inexplicably, ¡°Of course I¡¯ll speak the truth. Could it be that Father actually wants to deceive His Majesty?¡±


    Hence, Qi Feng was angered again.


    At this moment, when he saw Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua, he naturally did not have a good expression. However, he was a father-inw, so it was not appropriate for him to teach his daughter-inws a lesson.


    Madam Xu and Little Madam Wu naturally wouldn¡¯t speak up unnecessarily when their inws were in a bad mood. Hence, the Qi family¡¯s reunion meal was very depressing.


    At night, Mu Yangling rolled into Qi Haoran¡¯s arms and said, ¡°Remember to set up a small kitchen for Sister-inw¡¯s residence tomorrow. We¡¯ll buy the ingredients ourselves.¡±


    Qi Haoran hugged Mu Yangling and rubbed her body. ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll give the order tomorrow morning. It¡¯ll be done in the afternoon.¡±


    Mu Yangling pped his hand away and said, ¡°Also, we have to rece the people at the two side doors with our people, and the key has to be in our hands.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded as his hand slid into Mu Yangling¡¯s clothes naughtily. Mu Yangling pulled his hand out and turned over, then said sleepily, ¡°Hurry up and sleep. I still have to wake up tomorrow morning to serve tea.¡±


    Qi Haoran felt a little regretful, but he also knew that his wife was extremely tired, so he hugged her and closed his eyes to sleep.


    Due to the humidity in the room, there was still a faint smell of decay after an entire afternoon. Mu Yangling muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t like sleeping on the bed. I still prefer the brick bed.¡±


    Qi Haoran patted her shoulder and said, ¡°Let them dry the nket tomorrow and smoke the room. If you don¡¯t like to sleep on the bed, we¡¯ll sleep on the couch until the weather is warmer.¡¯


    ¡°HOW can you fit in it considering it¡¯s so small?¡± Mu Yangling mumbled as she fell asleep. When she woke up the next day, Qi Haoran had already returned from practicing martial arts.


    Mu Yangling did not expect herself to sleep so deeply that she did not even know that Qi Haoran had woken up.


    When Qi Haoran came in and saw that she was in a daze, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°I think my vignce has deteriorated. I didn¡¯t at all sense that you had woken up.¡±


    ¡°That was because you were sleeping beside me.¡± Qi Haoran said proudly, ¡°I gave you a sense of security.¡±


    Mu Yangling instantly stopped feeling sad. She got up and said, ¡°Get out. I want to change.¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted. ¡°You never admit to such things even though it¡¯s the truth. However, he still left the room to let Mu Yangling change.


    Mu Yangling changed her undergarments before calling Spring and Rain in. It was better to leave the matching of clothes to them.


    When Mu Yangling went out, Qi Haoran was already sitting at the table eating pastries. He handed Mu Yangling a bowl of porridge and said, ¡°They made this with a small stove. Fill your stomachs first. I wonder if she¡¯ll torture you this morning.¡±


    There was no one else in the room, so Mu Yangling frowned and asked, ¡°Were we too aggressive yesterday? Will outsiders say that we¡¯re unfilial?¡± Qi Haoran sneered. ¡°Do you regret it now? Why didn¡¯t you think of it when you talked back yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who red up first? I was influenced by you.¡± Qi Haoran raised his head smugly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her. Calling her ¡®Madam¡¯ is ttering her.¡± Qi Haoran sneered. ¡°Her ¡®Madam¡¯ title isn¡¯t even supported by a marriage contract. Even if the genealogical tree records that she has been promoted, without a marriage contract, she¡¯s not recognized by thew as the legitimate wife. Therefore, you and Sister-inw don¡¯t have to be restrained. If you don¡¯t want to salute them in the morning and at night, don¡¯t go after tomorrow. I¡¯ll talk to Father.¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°No, I still have to be polite on the surface. Even if I don¡¯t go, Sister-inw will definitely go. I might as well stay by


    Sister-inw¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t talk so much. Just eat more. Leave the inner residence to Sister-inw. Don¡¯t re up when you¡¯re wronged. Come back and tell me. I¡¯ll avenge you,¡± Qi Haoran said as he stroked Mu Yangling¡¯s hair.


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and smiled. After finishing the porridge, she went to Zhaode Hall with Qi Haoran, before going to serve tea with Li Jinghua..

 Chapter 423 - 423: Misunderstanding

    Chapter 423 - 423: Misunderstanding


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    No matter how unwilling Madam Wu was, she could not stop Qi Haoran and the others from going to the small ancestral hall to kneel before and pay their respects to Zhu Wan. She could only use the excuse that she was not feeling well to avoid going with them.


    Even though she had already been made the legitimate wife, she still had to pay her respects as a concubine before Zhu Wan¡¯s memorial tablet.


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t want her to be an eyesore either, so he only brought his sister-inw and Mu Yangling along. He quietly chatted with his mother for a while before bringing them out.


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°Since His Majesty hasn¡¯t summoned me yet, I¡¯ll apany you to meet the elders in the family today and go to the Fan Manor to visit


    Aunt in the afternoon.¡±<div>


    Before they returned, Qi Xiuyuan had specially instructed them to visit the elders of the n when they returned. It was important to leave a good impression on them to make things easier for them in the family in the future.


    The gifts for the elders of the n had been prepared long ago.


    Yesterday, Qi Feng interrogated Qi Haoran for a long time but could not find out much about Qi Xiuyuan. It was unknown if he was impatient or if he felt that Qi Haoran really did not know. Anyway, he pretty much left Qi Haoran alone and did not restrict him from going out.


    As for Madam Wu, it was even more impossible for her to interfere. In the past, when Qi Haoran was young, he didn¡¯t listen to her and contradicted her without qualms all the time. Yesterday, the facts proved that his temper had also gotten worse as he got older. Therefore, Madam Wu used the same strategy as before, which was to ignore him usually and to trample on him when the opportunity arose.


    As for Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling, she really wanted to put on airs as a mother-inw. However, looking at the situation yesterday, she knew that they were not easy to bully either. Besides, Qi Haoran was still following them all day long. When Qi Haoran returned to his previous state of being away from home for three to four days at a time, she would find an opportunity to deal with them.


    Therefore, Madam Wu also let them do whatever they wanted. If Madam Wu didn¡¯t care, it was even more impossible for Madam Xu and Little Madam Wu


    to provoke Qi Haoran.


    Therefore, the Qi Manor was strangely divided into two sides. One side was Zhaode Hall and Zhaohua Courtyard. Other than a few servants from the Qi Manor in Zhaohua Courtyard, all the servants in these two residences were people they had brought from the Jingzhao Prefecture. The other side was the main residence where Qi Feng and Madam Wu lived, as well as the residences of their two sons and daughters-inw. The two sides almost didn¡¯t interfere with each other. If someone who didn¡¯t know better came in to take a look, they would think that it was two different families sharing a house.


    Zhu Wan and Xia Tong were cousins, but they were no different from biological sisters. The Zhu family was originally a martial arts family. From Zhu Wan¡¯s great-grandfather¡¯s generation to her father¡¯s generation, they had umted significant military merits, solidly establishing themselves among the martial arts officials.


    The Xia family, on the other hand, struggled their way to the top from the bottom ranks of the army. However, the Xia family had been in the military a generation earlier than the Zhu family. In Zhu Wan¡¯s great-grandfather¡¯s generation, the men in the two families had gone through life-and-death situations together. Later on, Zhu Wan¡¯s grandfather was even a subordinate of the Xia family. Having saved each other¡¯s lives on countless asions, it was impossible to say who owed whom.


    The two families had an excellent rtionship, so in her grandfather¡¯s generation, they had made a verbal agreement to be inws. Raised together since young, the children of the two families had always been close. Therefore, as soon as Grandpa Zhu became an adult, he married Madam Xia as expected. However, when Madam Xia was about to get married, there was a storm because Little Sister Zhu and Little Brother Xia were opposed to that.


    The two of them also had feelings for each other. If their sibling got married, they would not have a chance.


    The family fell into chaos. In the end, it was an elder in the Zhu family who waved his hand and said, ¡°Since the two families have always been very close, there¡¯s no need to worry about the aftereffects. Since the children are fond of each other, just let both couples get married.¡±


    In the end, Grandpa Zhu married the daughter of the Xia family, and the son of the Xia family married the daughter of the Zhu family. The rtionship between the two families deepened.


    Of course, because Little Brother Xia and Little Sister Zhu were still young, by the time they got married, Madam Xia had already given birth to two sons for the Zhu family in three years.


    After Little Brother Xia and Little Sister Zhu got married, Little Sister Zhu became pregnant less than half a yearter. However, they were unlucky and happened to encounter the intrusion of the Jin soldiers. Little Brother Xia had no choice but to go to the battlefield. Unexpectedly, he encountered an ambush and died on the battlefield.


    No one dared to tell the pregnant Little Sister Zhu and had been hiding it from her despite the difficulties. However, there was no such thing as a secret kept forever under wraps. Little Sister Zhu still found out and gave birth on the spot. When the child was born, she was on the verge of death. She only had time to take a look at Xia Tong before she died.


    The two elders of the Xia family suffered a huge blow, but they had no choice but to focus on taking care of little Xia Tong. However, the Xia family¡¯s grandfather was also a general and had to go to war. His wife was not in good health, so Xia Tong could only be ced in the care of the Zhu family.


    In the end, when the Xia family got an adoptive heir, Xia Tong was able to take away most of the Xia family¡¯s assets when she got married because of the support of the two cousins of the Zhu family. All these years, even though Fan Siwen had doted on his concubine, he didn¡¯t dare to go overboard with Xia Tong outside because of the Zhu family.


    This was also why Fan Zijin resented his mother.


    In his opinion, his two uncles had high statuses. As long as his mother said a word, they could force his father to lower his head and respect his legitimate wife and son. However, his mother was concerned about not embarrassing his father, making him push his luck.


    Fan Zijin did not forget that when his father had wanted to promote Madam Liu to a noble concubine back then, he had a huge argument with her mother. His mother had only returned to his uncle¡¯s house once, and his two fourth-grade official uncles had already cornered his father in the alley and had him beaten up. They had even suppressed him in his career. In the end, he had no choice but to go to the Zhu family and beg his mother to return home. To be honest, that was the mostfortable year in Fan Zijin¡¯s memory.


    That was because no ve dared to show him attitude behind others¡¯ backs or say that he would be chased out one day because he was not favored by his father¡­


    Also, no ve dared to steal his and Haoran¡¯s food, nor did any ve dare to openly anger his mother to tears.


    Of course, no one dared to do this now. However, that was because her mother had gone through a bloodbath for ten years before she took control of the power in the residence. However, Fan Zijin was still angry. His mother could clearly do better, but she had let him and herself suffer so much because she was worried about humiliating his father.


    Fan Zijin didn¡¯t know if his heart ached for himself or her mother. Anyway, when Qi Haoran and the rest came, he specially introduced Mu Yangling to his mother and said, ¡°Mother, you¡¯ll definitely like Haoran¡¯s wife. Her temper is simr to yours, but it¡¯s also different in a way.¡±


    Madam Xia did not understand her son¡¯s deeper meaning. She only smiled at the delicate and cute Mu Yangling below and nodded with a smile. ¡°Haoran¡¯s wife is quite beautiful. Haoran is blessed.


    ¡°Then Mother, if you have nothing to do, look for her more often to talk to her in the residence. Perhaps you can learn her strengths after spending more time with her.¡± If Mu Yangling met a man like his father, with Mu Yangling s personality, she would probably not simply whip the floor twice like his mother. Instead, she would directly kick the man and spare no effort to destroy what he cared about, right?


    Fan Zijin sneered.


    Madam Xia was suspicious and looked at her son worriedly. Zijin had always liked to snatch Haoran¡¯s things. Could it be that this child wanted to snatch her too?


    Madam Xia perked up and took a few closer looks at Mu Yangling. She realized that she was really beautiful. At a rough nce, she didn¡¯t think so, but her face was simple and elegant. There was even some baby fat on her oval face. One couldn¡¯t help but be attracted to herrge and lively eyes. When she didn¡¯t smile, one would merely feel that she had delicate looks. However, if she pursed her lips and smiled, it would make one¡¯s heart palpitate. Moreover, the more one looked at her, the more attractive she became.


    Madam Xia became even more worried. She couldn¡¯t help but steal a few nces at her son, nning to start paying attention to his marriage tomorrow. It would be best if it could be settled by the beginning of spring next year¡­


    Not knowing that his mother had misunderstood, Fan Zijin was still hoping his mother could be more enlightened by spending more time with Mu Yangling..

 Chapter 424 - 424: New Start

    Chapter 424 - 424: New Start


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling opened her eyes and got up from the bed. With a yawn, she asked, ¡°Is Fourth Master back?¡±


    Three days after Qi Haoran entered the capital and met everyone he should meet, His Majesty summoned Qi Haoran.


    ¡°He¡¯s back, but Master called him to the front.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to Sister-inw¡¯s ce to take a look.¡±


    Mu Yangling was in high spirits after her afternoon nap. She stretched a bit before bringing Spring to Zhaode Hall.<div>


    Even though Li Jinghua was already three months pregnant, it was impossible to tell that she was pregnant under her thick clothes. She had just woken up from her afternoon nap and was lying on the couch in a daze. When she saw Mu Yangling enter, she waved her hand and called her over. ¡°I was about to tell you that our expenses are separate from the residence¡¯s. We can ask Fourth Brother to go to the ountant for the money, but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll cause anothermotion, so I think we might as well pay from our dowry.¡±


    Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling had quite a lot of dowry. They only needed to be responsible for their own food and drinks, excluding that of the servants. The rest were still charged to the public ounts. For example, the monthly sry of the servants would definitely have to be paid by the Qi Manor. They could still afford this bit of expenses.


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°How can I ask for Sister-inw¡¯s dowry? Brother Haoran has already given me the money.¡±


    Mu Yangling turned around and asked Spring to go back and retrieve the small box from the bedside table. Qi Haoran had given it to herst night, and she had forgotten about it in her dazed state after waking.


    ¡°What Brother Haoran means is that we¡¯ll pay with our own money for the small kitchen in Sister-inw¡¯s residence and the people we brought from Jingzhao Prefecture. Don¡¯t worry, with Brother Zijin is in the capital, we won¡¯t have to use our dowry no matter what.¡±


    Li Jinghua looked at Mu Yangling speechlessly and said in a low voice, ¡°But you can¡¯t always rely on Zijin. Tell me honestly, how much money did you take from him?¡±


    Mu Yangling blinked and said, ¡°If we don¡¯t take it from him, do we have to ask Big Brother to send it over, and then have Brother Zijin send it to Big Brother from here? After going one big round, the money will stille from Zijin.¡±


    Li Jinghua immediately fell silent. Seeing how self-righteous Mu Yangling was, she could not help but pity Fan Zijin. He was clearly being treated like a bank.


    Li Jinghua didn¡¯t know that Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t the general anymore, but the supreme position.


    This definitely required a lot of money, and the source of their money¡ªother than his various businesses with others¡ªcame from Fan Zijin.


    Before knowing that Qi Xiuyuan wanted to rebel, Fan Zijin was already letting Qi Haoran spend his money freely. Now that he knew, he freely allowed the Qi brothers to spend his money.


    After hearing Li Jinghua¡¯s words, Mu Yangling felt that this indeed didn¡¯t seem nice. She said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Before we came, Big Brother gave Haoran a lot of silver. It should be enough for us to use for a while.¡±


    Mu Yangling tilted her head and said, ¡°But we can¡¯t just sit around and spend our savings. The Qi family hasn¡¯t split up their assets yet. With the parents around, the children can¡¯t have private assets. It¡¯s not good for us to use this money to buy assets either. When the timees, we won¡¯t be able to exin ourselves. Why don¡¯t we use our dowry silver to buy assets? It¡¯ll be more convenient for us to do things in the future.¡±


    Li Jinghua had the same idea and said excitedly, ¡°Farmsteads make for the safest investment, but the shops earn money the fastest. However, the shops and fields in Lin¡¯an Prefecture are all expensive. I wonder if we can buy good ones.¡±


    Recalling she had always wanted to find a ce with warm climate to try out her seeds, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but sit up straight and say, ¡°Instead of buying a shop, I n to buy a farmstead outside Lin¡¯an City. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s further away, but ideally there should be arge area of farnd. When the timees, I¡¯ll get someone to tidy up the farmstead. When we¡¯re bored, we can still stay in the farmstead for a period of time.¡±


    Li Jinghua nodded with a smile. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll get someone to ask around and see if there are any suitable farmsteads and shops.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t very well ask Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin for help for everything. Since her pregnancy was already stable, Li Jinghua nned to slowly integrate into the capital.


    It was almost the new year, and there was plenty ofnd and shops up for sale. The shops were fine, but it was very difficult to buy farmsteads. Thend in Jiangnan was expensive, and as the capital, Lin¡¯an Prefecture was even more expensive.


    In Xingzhou Prefecture, an acre of high-gradend cost five taels of silver. Here, an acre of high-gradend costs between 12 to 15 taels of silver, based on the distance from Lin¡¯an City and the condition of the soil and water.


    Their people had been out and about for two days. The farmsteads they enquired about were either very far away or had an especially high price. Moreover, they were of a very small area. It was impossible to build a farmstead over arge area. How were they going to build a farmstead like this?


    Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin also helped to ask around, but they could not find a suitable one for the time being. On the other hand, Li Jinghua took a fancy to two shops at once. The price and location were both suitable. She wanted to let Mu Yangling have one of them, but Mu Yangling did not know how to do business. She would not know what to do with it even if she took it, so she rejected it. She felt that it was more practical for her to focus on farming.


    However, they quickly lost the mood to worry about this because the emperor had announced that the Qi family could attend the New Year¡¯s banquet on the 29th.


    Every year, the pce would hold a New Year¡¯s banquet on the 29th. Ministers above the third-grade and their families could enter the pce to attend the banquet. Other than these courtiers, the various nobles conferred by the Imperial Court had to attend. Some aristocratic families would also be invited. This was the first time the Qi family could attend such a pce banquet.


    This was because Qi Feng had always been a fourth-grade official. Every year, he would advance by a level. Qi Xiuyuan, on the other hand, was a second-grade official and had met the requirements a few years ago. However, he had always been away from the capital and he was previously unmarried. No matter how shameless Qi Feng was, he was too embarrassed to use his son¡¯s position to attend the pce banquet.


    This year though, Li Jinghua had returned. Qi Haoran, Mu Yangling and herself were all inclined to have her be excused on grounds of her pregnancy. Qi Haoran had also entered the pce early on to request that she be excused. Unexpectedly, not only did the Emperor not approve it, he even called the rest of the Qi family over.


    The rest of the Qi family naturally referred to Qi Feng and Madam Wu. Madam Wu was very eager to bring her two daughters-inw and sons along, but they had no official positions, so Qi Feng would not allow it.


    However, this was enough to make them excited. Very early on, Madam Wu tailored new clothes and bought new jewelry.


    Li Jinghua was also helping Spring prepare suitable clothes and jewelry for Mu Yangling. She also pointed out some things to take note of in terms of etiquette.


    Although she looked calm on the surface, she was actually a little anxious in her heart. Even though she had been taught etiquette since young, this was her first time entering the pce after all, so it was inevitable that she would be nervous. However, in front of the more ignorant Mu Yangling, she could only force herself to put up a calm front. At the very least, she could not be weak in terms of aura.


    Instead, Mu Yangling smiled andforted her. ¡°When the timees, we just have to eat. The Empress won¡¯t make things difficult for us, right?¡±


    Li Jinghua forced a smile and said, ¡°Her Majesty naturally won¡¯t make things difficult for us. Ah Ling, you have to follow me at all times after entering the pce. We can¡¯t get separated..¡±

 Chapter 425 - 425: Perceptual Error

    Chapter 425 - 425: Perceptual Error


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling nodded vigorously. She was probably the most rxed among everyone. To her, it was just a pce banquet. When a group of women got together, they would at most gossip. Wouldn¡¯t it be fine as long as she ate quietly?


    However, when they set off in the afternoon, Qi Haoran¡¯s words shattered her dream. Mu Yangling asked loudly, ¡°What did you say? The Emperor is going to ask us questions? Why would the Emperor ask us a question?


    Qi Haoran patiently exined, ¡°The Emperor might not necessarily ask you questions, but it¡¯s always good to be prepared. After all, he specially called us back. He has already seen me and might ask you a few questions. So be careful and don¡¯t say anything you shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I thought we had to pay our respects to the Emperor. Isn¡¯t he busy during the New Year? He definitely won¡¯t have time to specially summon us, right?¡±


    This time, it was Qi Haoran¡¯s turn to be surprised. He said nkly, ¡°Who said that the Emperor would specially summon you?<div>


    Mu Yangling nced at him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that just now?¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Qi Haoran stopped in his tracks and said seriously, ¡°I only said that His Majesty might ask you questions, but I didn¡¯t say that he would specially summon you?¡±


    ¡°How can he ask questions if he doesn¡¯t summon us?


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to the pce banquet? If anythinges to the Emperor¡¯s mind, he might just ask a few questions. It¡¯ll be in front of so many people, that¡¯s why I asked you to be more cautious.¡±


    ¡ö¡ö ¡± Mu Yangling hesitated before saying, ¡°Perhaps I misunderstood at the beginning. Aren¡¯t the pce banquets separated? Shouldn¡¯t the Empress be the one hosting our side? Will the Emperor alsoe to the women¡¯s side?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at Mu Yangling for a long time before grabbing her hand and turning to walk back. ¡°Forget it. rd better tell them that you¡¯re sick and can¡¯t attend. Sister-inw and I will just go by ourselves.¡±


    Mu Yangling stood still and pulled him back. ¡°Exin clearly. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°The pce banquet of the Great Zhou Dynasty has never been separated. Do you think it¡¯s the previous dynasty? Isn¡¯t thismon knowledge? Even everyone in the residence of a seventh-grade county magistrate knows about this. As the wife of a fourth-grade assistantmander, shouldn¡¯t you be well aware?¡± Qi Haoran used.


    Mu Yangling was stunned. Then, she jumped up and said, ¡°How would I know when no one told me about it? Besides, aren¡¯t you guys particr about men and women staying an appropriate distance from each other? Why are men and women attending a pce banquet together?


    In the end, Qi Haoran still dragged Mu Yangling into the carriage. He really wanted to leave Mu Yangling behind, but she refused no matter what. It was rare to have a chance to witness a historical pce banquet, so why should she give up such an opportunity?


    Qi Haoran could only equip her with a lot of general knowledge at thest minute in the carriage.


    Actually, the pce banquets of the past dynasties were not very strict. Other than those banquets that were specially held for the court, the harem, officials, and their family members would join in the celebration during major festivals.


    Not to mention the current dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and the Western Jin Dynasty were much more open than the Great Zhou Dynasty with regards to their annual pce banquets. If a schr identally met a princess in the imperial garden, it would not be a big deal for him to tease her. Of course, that was during the Former Tang Dynasty and the middle period of the Tang Dynasty. In the Later Tang Dynasty, it was much stricter such that men and women were separated at the pce banquet. Even if it was jointly held in the same garden, there would be a screen between the two genders.


    During the Great Zhou Dynasty, things had been restrained for the past few decades. It was said that during Emperor Shizong¡¯s time, everyone entered the garden in the morning. Food would be served separately as the guests arrive in session, so everyone just ate when they were hungry. Men and women enjoyed various little games at the same venue. Sometimes, Emperor Shizong would even change into casual clothes and have fun with the ministers. It was lively until nighttime. Once everyone sat down, they would watch the song and dance performances before returning home to observe the tradition of staying up all night to see the new year in. At that time, the pce banquet was still held on Chinese New Year¡¯s Eve.


    When Emperor Gaozong ascended the throne, he changed the date to one day before Chinese New Year¡¯s Eve. From then on, this date was fixed. There were also more performances added which varied in scale.


    When it came to Emperor Jingyan¡¯s time, although he loved to y, he had always observed the rules during the New Year¡¯s banquet. He would never do anything that the imperial censors could use against him.


    Qi Haoran whispered all sorts of rules in Mu Yangling¡¯s ear. He only rxed after she repeatedly promised to follow him and her sister-inw closely.


    Qi Haoran hugged his wife and sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if bringing you into the pce is right or wrong.¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s right.¡± Mu Yangling immediately said, ¡°I can protect Sister-inw at all times. A man like you can¡¯t very well follow Sister-inw at all times, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just Sister-inw taking the carriage by herself now?¡±


    -That¡¯s because you dragged me over. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would have been in the same carriage as Sister-inw.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Qi Haoran said slowly, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have dragged you here to teach you those rules¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling immediately massaged his shoulders ingratiatingly. Qi Haoran immediately spread his legs like a rich young master and said, ¡°Don¡¯t just massage the shoulders. Massage the legs, too.


    The two of them yed around all the way to the entrance of the pce. After the guards checked their tokens, they got off the carriage. At this moment, there were already many people waiting outside the pce. Some of them had white hair and were holding crutches as they were helped in by their juniors. Mu Yangling sighed when she saw this. Goodness. To think these men had to rush over to attend the pce banquet at such an old age.


    Following her gaze, Qi Haoran said, ¡°That¡¯s a noble family. Some of them are matriarchs, while others are the wives of the family heads. The wives of the ministers of the six departments, who aren¡¯t young anymore, will alsoe.¡± ¡°What about the mothers of the six ministers?¡± Mu Yangling asked curiously. ¡°Those who are healthy will naturallye, and those who are not will take leave. However, they will usually choose to attend. After all, this is an honor. Although there were many people who were entering the pce, they were all cultured people. The young would give in to the old, and the junior officials would give in to the high officials. There would not be many people left outside.


    Although the Qi family was entering the pce with Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s title as a Grade 2A official, Qi Feng tactfully gave in and entered the pce with the other Grade 3A officials.


    Mu Yangling walked beside Li Jinghua and followed Madam Wu and the others to Eternal Joy Pce, where the pce banquet was held.


    Although Mu Yangling did not look around, she would asionally turn her head to look at the scenery on the road. She was much more rxed than the others on the road. Madam Wu, who was at the side, was already so nervous that her forehead was sweating. She walked behind Qi Feng without looking sideways and had no time to care about Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling. Naturally, she did not notice Mu Yangling¡¯s rxed state.


    At first, Li Jinghua was also a little nervous, but with arge group of people walking together, she was no longer nervous. Only then did she have the time to look at Mu Yangling beside her. Seeing that her eyes were shining as she admired the architectural scenery in the pce, she secretly pinched her hand.


    Mu Yangling turned around and smiled. She said in a low voice, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not looking around in an embarrassing manner.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re not being an embarrassment, but you should act a little nervous. It¡¯s not wrong to follow the crowd.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought about it and agreed. She immediately followed everyone¡¯s example and lowered her head slightly to focus on a spot three inches in front of her feet. Sometimes, she would reach out to support Li Jinghua and massage her waist. Li Jinghua was shocked and felt a gentle and warm airflow spread around her waist. The stagnant soreness from before instantly disappeared.


    Li Jinghua was relieved. Then, her face turned slightly red and she whispered, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Qi Haoran walked in front and looked back at them with concern from time to time. Seeing this, he couldn¡¯t help but frown. He stopped in his tracks and walked over.. ¡°Why don¡¯t I ask the young eunuch for a carriage?¡±

 Chapter 426 - 426: Taking a Seat

    Chapter 426: Taking a Seat


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    How could Li Jinghua agree? Those who were older than her and weaker than her weren¡¯t even asking for a carriage. How could she dare to request such a thing when she had only been in the capital for a few days and still did not know her way around here? Hence, she smiled and rejected him.


    Qi Haoran looked at her stomach worriedly. This was his big brother¡¯s first son.


    Mu Yangling smiled and held Li Jinghua¡¯s hand. ¡°Sister-inw, let me help you.¡±


    Li Jinghua didn¡¯t know how Mu Yangling did it, but her body suddenly felt light, as if all her weight had been transferred to thetter. Her swollen calf felt a little better.


    Seeing that Li Jinghua¡¯s expression suddenly rxed, Qi Haoran nced at Mu Yangling¡¯s arm. Although he was worried, he did not say anything. He nodded and strode forward.


    The Eternal Joy Pce had long been set up. Probably so that everyone could admire the moon, the pce banquet was held in the open space with screens covering all four sides to block out the wind. Coupled with the braziers ced beside each seat, it was not cold at all.


    Held in an extremely spacious venue, the seats were ced opposite each other in the east and west, and there was a passage about ten meters wide in the middle. When the time came, the singing and dancing would be performed in the passage. To the north were the dragon and phoenix seats, which were where the Emperor and the Empress were seated. Closely behind the dragon and phoenix seats, to the west were the seats of the princes, and opposite them were the seats of the concubines.


    Not all the princes and concubines could attend the pce banquet. Other than the adult princes, only some favored little princes could attend under the lead of their mother. Their seats were arranged beside their mother.


    Behind the princes and concubines, officials were seated ording to their ranks. Civil officials were seated in the east, and generals in the west.


    Although Qi Feng was a civil servant, he was attending only because of Qi Xiuyuan. Hence, his family was arranged to sit in the third seat on the west side, followed closely by General Yuan¡¯s family. The first seat was taken by Li Zhengye¡¯s family.


    Qi Feng was secretly delighted, but Qi Haoran¡¯s heart sank slightly. Even if Big Brother had advanced to the second rank and was indeed the person in charge of the most territories in Great Zhou other than General Yuan, in terms of qualifications and age, he could at most be ranked sixth. If the Emperor directly raised Big Brother¡¯s position to third ce, would that be ttering Big Brother or drawing hatred for him?


    Qi Haoran thought for a long time but could not figure it out. So, he tossed it to the back of his mind and stopped thinking about it.


    Qi Haoran led everyone to their seats.


    Qi Feng hesitated for a moment and realized that they were all boorish people. He was the imperial censor and usually did not interact with these generals. After thinking for a moment, he said to Qi Haoran, ¡°Bring them along. I¡¯ll go talk to a few colleagues.¡±


    After saying that, he slowly headed east. Qi Haoran really wanted to remind his father to sit obediently and not embarrass himself over there.


    Other people¡¯s sons had the honor of attending the pce banquet because of their father. There were some sons who were more capable than their father, but the father usually only chose to attend if he himself were qualified to attend in the first ce. If the father wasn¡¯t qualified himself, he would choose not toe and simply spend New Year at home. The only one who took advantage of his son to attend was Qi Feng. Shouldn¡¯t he keep a low profile at this time?


    However, at the thought of his father¡¯s temper, Qi Haoran swallowed his words and brought Mu Yangling and the rest to the seats, and let them sit at the back.


    There were some seats that had two rows and some that had three rows. The men usually sat in the first row, and behind them were the seats of their families. Because some families brought more people, three rows were arranged for them.


    Madam Wu quickly took the first seat in the second row because Qi Feng would definitely sit in the front seat. This way, she would be facing Qi Feng¡¯s back.


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and let Li Jinghua sit inside while she sat behind her. This way, she could better protect Li Jinghua.


    Li Jinghua chuckled softly. ¡°Why are you so careful?¡±


    However, she did not reject Mu Yangling¡¯s good intentions. Previously, Mu Yangling did not allow her to get close to Madam Wu, but now, she was not hindered. Even if Madam Wu was an idiot, she couldn¡¯t possibly cause trouble in the pce. Therefore, she just had to be wary of the people outside the Qi family.


    Mu Yangling knelt on the mat and fiddled with the fruits on the low table. Sheined in a low voice, ¡°Why is it a sitting banquet? Won¡¯t my legs go numb after a night?¡±


    Li Jinghua was also worried, but she still said, ¡°These are the rules.¡±


    After Madam Wu sat down for a while, her nervousness dissipated. She saw that everyone present was gathered in groups of twos and threes to talk, and that there were some wives of officials that she was briefly acquainted with. After thinking for a moment, she said, ¡°Sit and rest.¡± With that, she didn¡¯t say anything else and rushed over to the people she knew.


    The three of them did not mind her leaving at all. With Madam Wu gone, they would be much more at ease.


    Li Jinghua looked up at the people in the garden. Before she came, Qi Xiuyuan had given her a notebook containing information about the officials in the capital. It was just the most basic information, such as who was of the same n, what rank they were in, which family their wife belonged to, how many legitimate sons and daughters they had, and some simplements.


    These were the most ordinary things that everyone knew, but these ordinary things that everyone knew were very precious to her. This was because whether she could integrate into the capital and live here depended on the information in this book at the start.


    Seeing that his sister-inw¡¯s mind was elsewhere, Qi Haoran used his body to block others¡¯ gazes and pulled Mu Yangling¡¯s arm. He rubbed it gently and asked in a low voice, ¡°Is it numb?¡±


    Mu Yangling blushed and looked around. Seeing that no one was looking over, she nodded slightly. ¡°My arm is a little sore.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately started massaging her arm.


    The two of them were very close to each other, so they did not see a woman looking at them gently from the side.


    ¡°Bijun, what are you looking at?¡± A white-haired matriarch followed her gaze in confusion, only to find a pile of generals there.


    Madam Shen smiled and held her arm. She said affectionately, ¡°Mother, look at the Qi family. Those two children are really loving.¡±


    Matriarch Yuan followed her gaze and looked over. Seeing that Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling were leaning their heads against each other and the young man was even massaging the girl¡¯s arm, a smile appeared on her face. Smiling, she said, ¡°Considering they¡¯re newlyweds, it¡¯s perfectly normal for them to be more intimate. Let¡¯s go over, too.¡±


    She swept her gaze across the venue and quickly found Qi Feng and Madam Wu. She raised her eyebrows slightly and said, ¡°Considering those two children just entered the capital, I¡¯m afraid they don¡¯t know many people. Since it¡¯s not convenient for Qi Haoran to bring them to meet the women, you should bring them to meet the matriarchs of the various families.¡±


    Not only was Matriarch Yuan of high status, but she was also of high seniority. She would not have known people like Qi Feng and Madam Wu, but who asked them to have a good son?


    A few years ago, she had heard her son praise Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s ability. Based on the principle of military officials taking care of each other and helping her son establish ties with the Qis, she had specially gone to get to know Madam Wu and taken the time to meet Qi Feng. However, these two people were really not to her liking. After the meeting, she had simply thrown them to the back of her mind.


    At this moment, she saw that Qi Feng was blindly mixing with the civil servants while Madam Wu had left her two daughters-inw alone and didn¡¯t even have the intention to introduce them to others and broaden their connections. Seeing this, her despise for the two of them further deepened..

 Chapter 427 - 427: Palace Banquet (1)

    Chapter 427: Pce Banquet (1)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Seeing Madam Xia and Fan Zijin heading straight for the Qi family¡¯s seat, Madam Shen said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll goter.<sup>1</sup>¡®


    Matriarch Yuan also saw the two of them. She knew that the Qi brothers had a good rtionship with Madam Xia, and the family members of the generals Madam Xia knew were not inferior to them. It was just that they hadn¡¯t been in contact much over the years.


    Madam Xia was indeed going over to bring Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling to meet people. This was a rare opportunity to build connections, and it was difficult for the two of them to acquaint others without anyone introducing them. Since both the Xia family and the Zhu family had military backgrounds, she knew the families of many military officials.


    When Mu Yangling saw theming, she nudged Qi Haoran and the two of them stood up to wee them. Madam Xia nudged her son and smiled brightly. ¡°Alright, the two of you go y. I¡¯ll bring Jinghua and Ah Ling to meet a few friends.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble Aunt to take care of them.¡± Qi Haoran turned around and said to Mu Yangling, ¡°Listen to Aunt and Sister-inw.¡±


    Mu Yangling obediently agreed in a low voice.


    Fan Zijin couldn¡¯t help but take a few more nces at her submissive manner. This made Madam Xia nervous. She took a step forward and blocked his gaze, then waved her hand and smiled. ¡°Hurry up and go. I think the Chen family¡¯s kid has already looked over a few times.¡±


    Chen Qian was one of their good brothers in the past. After returning, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin hadn¡¯t met up with him. Since it had been five years, they were indeed a little distant. The two of them looked over and indeed saw that kid ring at them. The brothers looked at each other and exchanged a smile before walking over.


    Madam Xia heaved a sigh of relief and turned around to look at the gentle Mu Yangling. She sighed slightly. At this moment, no matter how much she liked Mu Yangling, she didn¡¯t want to spend her time here interacting with her.


    Recently, she had found so many youngdies for her son, but he didn¡¯t fancy any of them.


    Madam Xia dragged the two of them to meet a friend. Of course, the main point was to help Li Jinghua build a bridge with the other party. She also wanted to help Mu Yangling becausepared to Qi Xiuyuan, she was closer to Qi Haoran and regarded him as a second son.


    Qi Xiuyuan was her nephew, so naturally she also doted on him. However, Qi Haoran had grown up under her care, making their rtionship more extraordinary. However, after introducing two people, when it came to introducing the third person, she started focusing her attention on Li Jinghua.


    This was because Mu Yangling¡¯s temper was really too gentle. Although she appeared magnanimous on the surface, unless someone asked her a question, she would definitely not take the initiative to talk to them. She only stood at the side with a smile.


    Mu Yangling felt very helpless about this misunderstanding because she really couldn¡¯t get a word in. Moreover, the other party was unfamiliar to her, so it was naturally best to smile and listen.


    Madam Xia felt that Li Jinghua¡¯s social skills were much better. She could tter people without batting an eyelid. Moreover, as soon as she introduced someone, Li Jinghua seemed to know the situation of the other party¡¯s husband¡¯s family and her maternal family. She always knew the right thing to say, and the questions she asked was always something the other party was interested in. Even Madam Xia, who had socialized for more than 20 years, sighed. Back then, when she first married into the Fan family, if she had half of Li Jinghua¡¯s social skills, she might not have ended up like that.


    As expected of a daughter of an aristocratic family. Although she was still young, her methods could not be underestimated. From the looks of it, even if Mu Yangling was overly introverted, the two of them should be able to stabilize their footing in the capital.


    Relieved, Madam Xia introduced these officials¡¯ wives to Li Jinghua more attentively and passionately.


    The few of them did not know that the Qi family had once again be a tacit joke. When everyone¡¯s eyes met, mockery andughter shed across their eyes.


    As a mother-inw, Madam Wu didn¡¯t bring along her own daughter-inws, but she let Madam Fan Xia take them around to meet people. It had always been rumored in the capital that Qi Feng treated the two sons of his first wife very badly. Although everyone secretly said that with a stepmother, there would be a stepfather, they had always felt that no matter what, they were still his biological children. Even if he didn¡¯t treat them so well, he wouldn¡¯t be too biased. Two years ago, Qi Feng¡¯s act of pushing his son out to take the me in the Imperial Court already brought him a lot of contempt. This time, seeing that the couple had abandoned their son and daughters-inw and gone to the east side to stir up trouble, how could they not beughed at?


    Everyone shook their heads slightly.


    Although everyone¡¯s gazes were subtle, Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling were sensitive. Just as everyone was regarding them as a joke and mocking them softly, the two of them raised their heads at the same time and looked around. The strange atmosphere did not disappear. Mu Yangling frowned slightly. Before she could figure out what was going on, Li Jinghua tugged at her sleeve. She came back to her senses and subconsciously smiled.


    Smiling, Madam Shen said, ¡°Is this Assistant Commander Qi¡¯s wife? She¡¯s really young. How old is she this year?


    ¡öOh no, I forgot to pay attention just now. Who is this person?¡¯


    Mu Yangling lowered her head shyly and said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll be 15 after the new year.¡±


    Madam Shen sighed. ¡°She¡¯s still very young. She left her hometown at such a young age. Do you miss home?


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t expect this madam to be so friendly. She thought for a moment and replied, ¡°Yes, but my husband said that this is also our home.¡± Madam Shen smiled as she looked at Mu Yangling¡¯s fair face. Beaming, she said, ¡°Assistant Commander Qi is right. Lin¡¯an Prefecture will also be your home in the future. If you¡¯re bored in the future,e to my house to y. I have a daughter who¡¯s about the same age as you. My daughters-inw are not old either. They can y with you.¡±


    Madam Shen turned to Madam Xia and said, ¡°I like this child. She has clear eyes and is so likable.¡±


    This was also the reason why Madam Xia had such a good impression of Mu Yangling when they first met. When she heard this, she smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s good that Madam likes her. In the future, let her go often to relieve your boredom. You have to take good care of her.¡±


    Madam Shen agreed immediately. ¡°No problem, as long as you don¡¯t use me of kidnapping your nephew¡¯s wife.¡±


    Madam Shen held Mu Yangling¡¯s hand happily and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll bring you to meet a few matriarchs.¡±


    Happy to hear that, Madam Xia gave Li Jinghua a look. The matriarchs weren¡¯t people anyone could approach. For her, she knew all the matriarchs in the capital, but other than Matriarch Yuan, no one else knew her.


    Li Jinghua nced at Mu Yangling. This child must have been distracted just now.


    No matter how slow Mu Yangling was, she knew that the other party¡¯s status was not low. Just as she was thinking about what to sayter, she heard Li Jinghua ask gently, ¡°Madam Yuan, can we pay a visit to Matriarch Yuan? Before I returned to the capital, our master even asked me to kowtow to the Matriarch. However, we have just settled down and haven¡¯t had the time to visit.¡±


    Matriarch Yuan? General Yuan¡¯s mother?


    Mu Yangling instantly understood that this was General Yuan¡¯s wife, Madam Shen.


    Smiling, Madam Shen said, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you there now.¡±


    Matriarch Yuan was sitting with a few old feudal lords and chatting. When she saw the juniorsing over, she stopped talking. After Mu Yangling and the rest bowed and greeted them, she asked with a smile, ¡°Are the two of you the wives of the Qi brothers?¡±


    Li Jinghua responded with a smile. Smiling, Matriarch Yuan looked at her and asked, ¡°You¡¯re the daughter-inw of the eldest son of the Qi family, right?


    That child is blessed.¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s face turned slightly red. A matriarch beside her said, ¡°Isn¡¯t she also blessed? She¡¯s already the wife of a Grade 2 official at such a young age.


    Matriarch Yuan red at her. ¡°The older you get, the more thoughtless you be. Why are you jealous of a child?¡± Then, sheforted Li Jinghua. ¡°You are a good child. They are generals and risk their lives on the battlefields. We women can¡¯t go to the battlefield, but we can help them take care of their household. Don¡¯t me your man for not having time to apany you.¡± Li Jinghua¡¯s face turned even redder. She said in a low but firm voice, ¡°That won¡¯t happen. I know that it¡¯s even harder for them on the battlefield..¡±

 Chapter 428 - 428: Palace Banquet (2)

    Chapter 428: Pce Banquet (2)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Upon hearing this, not only Matriarch Yuan, but the other matriarchs could not e p ut nod slightly. They had a favorable impression of Li Jinghua.


    Madam Xia couldn¡¯t help but feel happy when she saw the matriarchs¡¯ expressions soften.


    MU Yangling stood at the side and smiled the entire time, only answering a few questions from time to time. Some timeter, she followed Li Jinghua back to their seats. Madam Xia had long been pulled away.


    seeing that she and Li Jinghua were alone, Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief -How tiring. It¡¯s even more tiring than me plowing the fields for three days.¡± Qi Haoran bade farewell to Fan Zijin and returned. He whispered to Mu Yangling, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you out for a horse race on the third day of the Lunar New Year.¡±


    MU Yangling nced at Li Jinghua. Thetter waved her hand and smiled. Don¡¯t look at me. Go if you want. I¡¯m not a child. Moreover, Zhaode Hall is like an imprable fortress now. I really don¡¯t know what you¡¯re worried about all day.¡±


    The couple smiled in embarrassment. The reason why Qi Haoran was nervous was because Li Jinghua was carrying Big Brother¡¯s first son in more than 20 years. Those at his big brother¡¯s age already had children of school-going age Moreover, considering his sister-inw was expected to stay in the capital for the next few years, this child was naturally very important.


    The reason why Mu Yangling was nervous was because she had watched too many period dramas in her previous life. Ever since she moved into the Qi Manor, she had lost her sense of security.


    Mu Yangling seemed to know that she was too nervous. Those who didn¡¯t know better would think that she was the one who was pregnant.


    She propped her chin on her hand and thought for a while before saying in a low voice, ¡°I really want to move out.¡±


    Li Jinghua onlyughed and shook her head. To her, the Qi Manor was nothing T e Li family¡¯s environment was more than a hundred times moreplicated than the Qi family. She had survived until now when her father and brother were disabled and her mother was weak. It was not just luck that enabled her to marry Qi Xiuyuan.


    However, since they were worried and concerned about her, there was no need to push them away. She rather enjoyed the feeling of being cherished and doted upon.


    However, Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes darkened. He lowered his brows and seemed to be thinking about something.


    By the time Qi Feng and Madam Wu returned smugly, the banquet was about to begin.


    Qi Haoran looked up at the two of them with mockery in his eyes. The two of them probably didn¡¯t know that they had beughing stocks, right?


    At the thought of this, Qi Haoran was filled with anger. If Chen Qian hadn¡¯t told him, he wouldn¡¯t have known that the Qi family had be a joke. Although everyone was condemning the two of them, it would be strange if he was happy to hear the Qi family be discussed in such a manner, and mentioned again and again like a joke.


    Hence, when Qi Feng came over, Qi Haoran¡¯s face was cold and he had no intention of getting up.


    Li Jinghua gave him a look, but he pretended not to see it. Seeing that Qi Feng was almost in front of him, Li Jinghua couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious. She nced at Mu Yangling. No matter what Qi Feng had done to them, he was their father and Qi Haoran was his son. He couldn¡¯t tantly reveal his dissatisfaction with him. Otherwise, no matter how justified they were, they wouldn¡¯t be seen to be in the right.


    Mu Yangling reached out and pinched Qi Haoran¡¯s waist, then poked his back fiercely with her finger. Only then did Qi Haoran reluctantly stand up Li Jinghua heaved a sigh of relief. After Qi Feng and Madam Wu sat down, they sat down.??????????????????? <sup>y</sup>


    Not long after the few of them sat down, the sound of whips could be heard. Qi eng quickly led them away from the table and knelt down in the passageway.


    A ter waiting for a long time, a eunuch shouted that the Emperor and Empress had arrived. Mu Yangling followed everyone and shouted ¡°Long live the Emperor¡± three times. Then, she heard a gentle male voice. ¡°Rise. There¡¯s no need to be too restrained. Everyone, take your seats.¡±


    Only then did everyone get up and sit down. Mu Yangling sat behind Qi Haoran and looked up. The Emperor and Empress were both sitting on top in bright yellow dragon and phoenix robes. Below them were the princes and concubines. All the pce lights in the garden had been lit, so under the orange hght, Mu Yangling could see the Emperor and Empress¡¯s appearances clearly with her super vision. She was sure that she would easily recognize them at a nce on the streets.


    The Empress was very dignified and bright, but the Emperor, well, how should put it. He was also a handsome uncle, but he was much older than the


    Empress. Didn¡¯t they say that the Emperor and the Empress were married at a young age? Why did the age difference look a little big?


    It was either the Empress took very good care of herself or the Emperor had too much to worry about and was aging too quickly. Mu Yangling felt that it might be both.


    Mu Yangling stared at the Emperor and the Empress, letting her imagination run wild. Li Jinghua turned her head and, seeing that she was so bold, was so Tightened that she hurriedly tugged at her sleeve. She only dared to look up when she stood up just now. This child was too bold, to actually dare to look straight up. What if she was discovered?


    Mu Yangling calmly retracted her gaze and turned her head to look diagonally upwards. Sitting there was Minister Qin, the number one treacherous official of Great Zhou. She looked at him curiously and realized that he looked very ordinary. If she saw him on the streets, she would only assume he was a rich man if he wasn¡¯t wearing this court uniform. However, Big Brother Qi and Big Brother Rong were very wary of this person, even more so than the Emperor. Before he was put in an important position by Emperor Jingyan, he had neither immense wealth nor a powerful family. Just with the Emperor¡¯s favor, he could control the Emperor and the government for ten years in this chaotic world and powers at y. Based on this alone, one could tell that he must be very scheming. It was better to avoid such a person and not provoke him.


    Mu Yangling was determined to do that, but the final facts told her that determination meant nothing.


    As Mu Yangling sized up these big shots who could shake the world with a stomp of their feet, the Emperor gave a passionate New Year¡¯s blessing At the same time, he subtly praised his achievements in the 27 years since he ascended the throne and his glorious vision for the future. Then, he raised his ss and toasted everyone.


    Mu Yangling drank a ss of wine. Seeing that Li Jinghua wanted to drink too she was about to stop her when she realized that she had covered her face with her sleeve. The ss of wine had entered her sleeve.


    Mu Yangling was stunned. When she lowered her sleeve, she secretly felt her way up and touched something soft.


    Li Jinghua red at Mu Yangling with a smile and whispered into her ear ¡°This is a sponge. Didn¡¯t I have one sent to you? Didn¡¯t you bring it?¡±


    Mu Yangling was embarrassed. Because Li Jinghua had sent too many things she did not look at them carefully and handed them all to Spring. Spring probably did not understand the use of these things.


    LI Jinghua only asked a question and did not continue. Instead, her attention turned to the song and dance performance in front of her.


    Actually, the pce banquet and the Spring Festival G were simr. There were songs and dances, sideshows, and sword dances. After watching these there were also some performances by officials or princesses. For example, ¡¯ there was a princess who performed a song on the spot previously. Now Qi Haoran¡¯s good friend, Chen Qian, was doing a painting on stage. Using the Emperor¡¯s poem as a theme, he would finish a painting within the time limit of five minutes.


    Mu Yangling asked Qi Haoran in a low voice, ¡°How are the candidates chosen to perform everv war?¡±

 Chapter 429 - 429* Palace Banquet (3)

    Chapter 429* Pce Banquet (3)


    Trantor: As Studios ¡® Editor: As Studios


    Without turning his head, Qi Haoran said in a low voice, ¡°There¡¯s no need to choose. You can sign up freely. Whoever feels that they won¡¯t lose face can participate. However, there aren¡¯t many people who are willing to perform on the spot every year.¡±


    There were not many families who could attend the pce banquet to begin with, and there were only a few young and good-looking legitimate descendants in those families. There were not many youths who had praise-worthy abilities, and there were even fewer who had the ability, the courage, and the approval of the elders in the family.


    Why did it have to be a young and good-looking legitimate descendant?


    If they weren¡¯t young, how could they have the cheek to stand up and perform? Even if that person wasn¡¯t gorgeous, they had to at least be decent-looking. At the very least, they couldn¡¯t make people dislike them immediately. If the first impression was bad, people wouldn¡¯t be very interested in watching that person perform.


    As for it having to be a legitimate descendant, other than the royal family, only the legitimate descendants attended the pce banquet.


    As for the princes and princesses, they were even more casual. As long as they were mentioned, they could go on stage.


    However, the princes would only go on stage when they needed to entertain the Emperor. On the other hand, there was a tacit rule on the princesses¡¯ side. A princess would usually only perform at the pce banquet when she reached a marriageable age. This would serve as a stage for them to casually show off their talents. There was no need to be outstanding; it was just a signal to the ministers to tell them which princess was ready to recruit a prince consort. If there was a young and handsome man in the family who had yet to be engaged, they could fight for the prince consort position.


    ¡°Chen Qian is participating in the Spring Quarter Examinations next year. He¡¯s just trying to boost his score,¡± Qi Haoran said in a low voice.


    Stunned, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t the Spring Quarter Examinations anonymous? How does this help to boost his score?¡±


    ¡°After the Spring Quarter Examinations is the Pce Examination. If he can obtain the Emperor¡¯s praise at this time, as long as he¡¯s in the top two of the Spring Quarter Examinations, his ranking in the Pce Examinations won¡¯t be too low.¡±


    Mu Yangling sighed. ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s different when you have connections in the government. This can be considered a disguised backdoor, right?¡± Qi Haoran said nonchntly, ¡°Hasn¡¯t it always been like this since ancient times? It¡¯s also very risky for him to do this. If he angers His Majesty or identally offends someone here, he will face difficulties in his future career.¡±


    In short, there were opportunities and risks, although the opportunities were much greater than the risks.


    Qi Feng, who was at the side, couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He red at his son and snapped at him softly, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting during the pce banquet?¡± After saying that, he even nced at Mu Yangling vaguely, his eyes filled with disdain and displeasure. In his opinion, chattering at the pce banquet meant that one had no manners. A country bumpkin was still a country bumpkin. Even if she attended the pce banquet, she was still a country bumpkin.


    Mu Yangling blinked and looked at the other families beside her. She realized that the other families were also chatting andughing happily. There were even some people who left their tables to have fun with those they were chummy with.


    Mu Yangling retracted her gaze. Since it wasn¡¯t her problem, it was her father-inw, Qi Feng¡¯s problem.


    Upholding the principle of not bickering with old people, Mu Yangling decided to ignore him.


    Mu Yangling could tolerate it, but Qi Haoran could not. He clenched his fists tightly, and the veins on his forehead bulged. What was the meaning of his father¡¯s gaze just now?


    Looking down on Ah Ling?


    What right did he have to look down on Ah Ling?


    Sensing that Qi Haoran was in a strange mood, Mu Yangling used her sleeve to cover her finger and poked his back. Qi Haoran¡¯s anger burst with a pop.


    Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, Mu Yangling reached out to hold Qi Haoran¡¯s hand, which was hanging by his side. Qi Haoran immediately grabbed it tightly and refused to let go.


    Mu Yangling tickled him. Qi Haoran looked straight ahead as if he was watching Chen Qian¡¯s performance seriously.


    Although the couple sat one in front of the other, there was a short table between them. Mu Yangling ced her left hand on the table and used her right hand to hold his hand. Because their sleeves were wide, no one noticed them. However, if anyone looked carefully, they would be able to tell that Mu Yangling only wanted him to divert his attention and not y with him.


    Mu Yangling struggled twice but could not break free. She could not help but poke his back with the fingers of her left hand. Madam Wu was staring ahead and did not see it. Li Jinghua pretended not to see it.


    The couple was in a battle of wits and courage. One wanted to pull her hand out, while the other held it tightly. They werepletely unaware that their actions had fallen into the eyes of the youngest son of the Hua family, Hua Yuan, who was sitting adjacent to the Qi family.


    Perhaps because Hua Yuan¡¯s gaze was too focused, Qi Haoran sensed it and he turned to look at him. Hua Yuan grinned at him, and Qi Haoran responded with a smile and a nod. Mu Yangling followed his gaze and met Hua Yuan¡¯s eyes. There was no shyness, let alone fear. Hua Yuan raised his eyebrows. This was different from what he had observed this afternoon.


    However, he didn¡¯t have time to think too much. The Emperor had already called out Qi Haoran¡¯s name. It turned out that Chen Qian had already finished his performance and left after receiving the Emperor¡¯s praise.


    Qi Haoran immediately let go of Mu Yangling¡¯s hand, stood up, and walked out


    to kneel on the passageway. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    The Emperor looked at him with a satisfied smile and said, ¡°I heard that you¡¯re skilled in martial arts. Before you went to Xingzhou Prefecture, you could already defeat all the young masters of the various families in the capital. After you went to Xingzhou Prefecture, you became even more valiant and highly-skilled.¡±


    Even if Qi Haoran thought that the Emperor was telling the truth, he should still be humble at this moment. Hence, he said, ¡°Your Majesty, I haven¡¯t defeated all the young masters of the various families. I¡¯ve never fought with General Yuan¡¯s four sons.¡±


    Not only the ministers, but even the Emperor was embarrassed. He was just exaggerating, alright? Do you really want to defeat all opponents in the capital and be invincible at the age of 12?


    Fan Zijin also lowered his head andughed secretly. However, he heard the Emperor say, ¡°Since you¡¯re so confident, why don¡¯t you perform a sword dance for us to see?¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned in distress. He studied sword arts, which was different from the elegant sword dance. Hence, he gave a warning and said, ¡°Your Majesty, my sword dance is not good. I can only use swordy to kill enemies. If Your Majesty still wants to see it though, I¡¯ll perform the dance for you.¡± What he meant was that if he danced poorly, the Emperor couldn¡¯t me him.


    The Emperor said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m tired of watching the same few sword dances every year. It¡¯s nice to see something different like watching a martial artist perform sword dance.¡±


    The Emperor gestured to the emissary, and a guard brought over a soft sword.


    Qi Haoran usually used a hard sword. But since it was just a sword dance and not going on the battlefield to kill enemies, he was not picky. He took the sword and thought for a while before performing a swordy that he thought looked nicer.


    However, no matter how nice it looked, it was still much inferior to the flowing sword dance. However, his figure was majestic, and he leaped like a bird When he wielded his sword, it was as if he was on the battlefield, exuding a powerful aura. The more Qi Haoran danced, the smoother his moves became. The spectators only felt that the killing intent that assaulted their faces terrified them, and then their blood boiled.


    The civil officials in the east all looked impressed, while the generals in the west looked at Qi Haoran with bright eyes, nning topete with him.


    Even the Empress, who was sitting far away, felt the sword aura. The Emperor was slightly surprised. He had only mentioned it casually and did not expect Qi Haoran to really be able to dance.


    After Qi Haoran finished dancing, he put away his sword and stood up. He clenched his fists and said, ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯ve embarrassed myself.¡±


    However, the Emperorughed out loud and pped his hands. ¡°Well danced. How is it ugly? I think your swordy is even better than the previous sword dances.¡±


    The corners of Qi Haoran¡¯s lips curled up slightly, and he was also a little smug. However, Fan Zijin looked at the Emperor warily. Why did he call upon Haoran to perform a sword dance for no reason?


    As expected, the Emperor said happily, ¡°Such a talented man should be matched with a beauty.. Minister Qi, how about I matchmake you with a beauty?¡±

 Chapter 430 - 430: Co-Wives (1)

    Chapter 430: Co-Wives (1)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The smile on Qi Haoran¡¯s lips froze and his heart skipped a beat. Without thinking, he knelt down and said, ¡°Your Majesty, I appreciate your kindness. It s just that I already have a wife.¡±


    The Emperor waved his hand nonchntly and said with a smile, ¡°Even if you have a wife, you can have another one.¡± The Emperor pointed at Minister Qin and said, ¡°Minister Qin has a daughter who is gentle and virtuous. She can be your co-wife.¡±


    All the officials, including the Empress, concubines, princes, and princesses, were stunned, except for Minister Qin.


    Minister Qin looked calm on the surface, but he was very displeased in his heart. However, he had no choice. Sometimes, he could not convince the Emperor otherwise when thetter was intent on doing something.


    Another person who was not stunned was Qi Haoran, who was kneeling below. Almost as soon as the Emperor finished speaking, Qi Haoran kowtowed and said, ¡°I thank Your Majesty for your kind intentions. It¡¯s just that when I married my wife, I swore that she would be the only one in my life¡­¡± The Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and said with an indistinguishable expression, ¡°Oh? Did Minister Qi really make such a promise, or are you dissatisfied with the marriage partner I¡¯m proposing?¡±


    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t believe Qi Haoran¡¯s words. Which capable man wouldn¡¯t take in a concubine? The Mu girl would be his only woman?


    Did Qi Haoran think he was a fool?


    For a moment, there was silence. Everyone looked at the Emperor above and Qi Haoran below in a daze.


    Mu Yanghng sat in her seat, anger surging in her heart. She looked up at the Emperor with a cold glint in her eyes. This was clearly the first time they had met. Why was this person so ugly?


    Mu Yanghng threw the ¡°handsome uncle¡± evaluation to the back of her mind.


    Li Jinghua straightened her body nervously. There simply wasn¡¯t a good way to answer the Emperor¡¯s words. However, with Fourth Brother¡¯s personality, he would probably stubbornly refuse to acknowledge this marriage.


    As this thought shed through her mind, someone stood up beside her. Li Jinghua was shocked. There was only Mu Yanghng beside her. She stiffened her neck and turned to look, only to see Mu Yanghng standing up with a dark expression.


    Li Jinghua wanted to reach out and pull her back, but she avoided her easily and turned to walk out.


    Suppressing the anger in her heart, Mu Yanghng tried her best to smile, but she realized that this seemed very difficult. She could only walk out with a dark expression.


    Mu Yanghng stood beside Qi Haoran and slowly knelt down. She looked up and said, ¡°Your Majesty, I have a question for you.¡±


    The Emperor looked at Mu Yanghng quietly for a while and asked, ¡°Are you Qi Haoran¡¯s wife?¡±


    Mu Yanghng nodded, smiled, and replied loudly, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m from the Mu family.¡± ¡°Madam Mu, what do you think of my matchmaking? Are you willing to get along with Fourth Miss Qin and treat her as your sister?¡±


    Laughing from anger, Mu Yanghng asked, ¡°Your Majesty, I already have a younger sister in my family. She¡¯s exactly five years old this year.¡± The Emperor was a little angry. He clearly didn¡¯t mean that, but Madam Mu actually misinterpreted it. Just as he was about to re up, he heard Mu Yanghng turn her head in confusion. ¡°Your Majesty, I haven¡¯t studied much and have always grown up in the countryside, so there are many things that I don¡¯t understand. They say that ¡®If you don¡¯t understand something, ask. Otherwise you¡¯ll make a fool of yourself.¡¯ Now, there is something that I don¡¯t understand so I want to ask you.¡±


    The Emperor sneered in his heart. He could almost guess what she wanted to ask. It was nothing more than why he wanted to grant Qi Haoran an co-wife. How could a country bumpkin understand the deep prestige of a ruler?


    The Emperor nodded proudly. ¡°Ask away.¡±


    Mu Yanghng smiled. It was indeed as Big Brother Qi had said. The Emperor was really suspicious and self-righteous. Mm, he was stupid in her opinion. How did he secure his position as Emperor when his intelligence could not even match up to hers?


    Mu Yanghng asked, ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯ve only heard of wives since I was young, but I¡¯ve never heard of the term co-wife. Therefore, I want to ask you what a ¡¯ co-wife is.¡±


    The Emperor was stunned, and then his face burned. His eyes darted to the Empress beside him. The Empress was smiling, but she had long lowered her eyes and pretended not to see the Emperor¡¯s look.


    How stupid. The Emperor should have directly issued an imperial edict and confirmed the matter, not giving them a chance to refute. Otherwise, he should have just perfunctorily skipped this topic and not given Madam Mu a chance to ask questions.


    No, a topic like ¡®co-wife¡¯ shouldn¡¯t be raised in such a ce at all. Couldn¡¯t he just call the Qi and Qin families into the pce in private and instruct them?


    Wasn¡¯t it embarrassing enough to bring it up in front of the ministers at the pce banquet?


    The Emperor did not answer. The scene fell silent for a moment, but Mu Yangling looked at him with bright eyes. The Emperor was a little uneasy for a moment. What should he say?


    The Emperor took a deep breath and was about to say that co-wives meant that both were legitimate wives when a voice said, ¡°Co-wife, as the name implies, is a wife with equal status and rights.¡±


    Assistant Minister Lu Zhen of the Ministry of Revenue nced at Mu Yangling, who was kneeling, and said with a mocking smile, ¡°Fourth Madam Qi doesn¡¯t even know such a simple term. It can be seen that you¡¯re indeed not educated enough.¡±


    Qi Haoran took the time to nce at Lu Zhen with sympathy and gloating in his eyes. Mu Yangling was usually very normal, but if anyone dared to look down on her intelligence, she would definitely toy with them. She usually didn¡¯t speak much in front of outsiders, but when it came to arguing, she wouldn¡¯t lose to anyone.


    Indeed, out of the corner of his eye, Qi Haoran saw Mu Yangling smile gently and happily. <sub>Mu</sub> Yangling looked at Lu Zhen and sized him up, then asked with a smile, ¡°Is this the one and only Minister Lu who holds an official title and has co-wives in the 160 years since the Great Zhou Dynasty was established?¡±


    Lu Zhen blushed slightly. He could hear the mockery in Mu Yangling¡¯s tone, but there was nothing wrong with her words, so he could only say, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Ah, for Minister Lu to be able to pass the Imperial Examination and advance all the way to be the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, you must be very knowledgeable. I wonder if Minister Lu can help me resolve my doubts. How are the terms ¡®co-wife¡¯ and ¡®wife¡¯ interpreted in the ¡®Great Zhou Code¡¯?¡± Mu Yangling stared at him and asked with a smile, ¡°Minister Lu, why are you sweating?¡±


    Lu Zhen¡¯s face turned slightly pale. He nced at the Emperor and shouted ¡°This is a pce banquet, not a ce for you to have your doubts answered.¡¯If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, you can ask a teacher or your husbandter.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled, the anger in her heart finally dissipating a little. Initially she couldn¡¯t decide if she should offend the Emperor. After all, if she offended¡¯ him badly this time, their lives would more or less be inconvenient in the future. Fortunately, Lu Zhen ran out.


    Mu Yangling expressed that she adored him very much at this moment. This fellow had reallye out at the right time.


    ¡°Minister Lu, I believe I¡¯m not the only one who has this question. Many people are also curious about this. Most of the teachers outside have specializations If you ask them about scriptures and histories, they might be able to tell you a thing or two. However, if you ask about the term ¡®co-wife¡¯, no one in the Great Zhou Dynasty can be as knowledgeable as you, right?¡±


    As soon as Mu Yangling finished speaking, a white-bearded old man sitting in front of Minister Qin stroked his beard and smiled. ¡°Madam Mu is right. Minister Lu, I¡¯m naturally quite knowledgeable, but I¡¯m also curious to know how the term ¡®co-wife¡¯ is interpreted in the ¡®Great Zhou Code¡¯?¡±


    No one said anything and looked at Lu Zhen with interest. Compared to the simr performances every year, everyone was more interested in this juicy gossip. In any case, they could just watch on the sidelines without being implicated..

 Chapter 431 - 431: Co-Wives (2)

    Chapter 431: Co-Wives (2)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Drenched in cold sweat, Lu Zhen knelt down and called out to the Emperor. Seeing that the Emperor didn¡¯t say anything, he could only grit his teeth and say, ¡°in the Old Book of Tang, Biography of Wang Maozhong, it says: ¡®His wife was already granted the title of State Lady, and his concubine Li was also bestowed the same title; every time they entered the inner court to pay homage, the twodies received gifts together.¡¯ In the Annals of An Lushan, it also says: ¡®(In the sixth year of Tianbao), the imperial censor¡¯s wife was promoted, and his two concubines Tang and Duan were both ennobled as State


    Ladies¡­¡¯


    ¡°Lord Lu, I was asking you how the Great Zhou Code defines and exins the concept of co-wives, not who had co-wives in history,¡± Mu Yangling interrupted him, with a mocking smile: ¡°I wonder how Lord Lu passed the imperial examination, answering so irrelevantly; it was a great fortune to be selected.¡±


    Everyoneughed. Seeing Lu Zhen¡¯s face turn red, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°It seems that although Minister Lu has co-wives, you don¡¯t quite understand how a co-wife is defined in the ¡®Great Zhou Code¡¯. What about the definition of a wife, then? Minister Lu, you should at least know this, right?


    Hatred shed across Lu Zhen¡¯s eyes, but he couldn¡¯t say anything because saying it would be a crime.


    Knowing it wouldn¡¯t do her much good to continue arguing with Lu Zhen, Mu Yangling no longer pressed him. Instead, she turned to look at the seat at the top and said respectfully, ¡°Minister Chen, you¡¯re knowledgeable. I wonder if you can enlighten everyone?¡±


    Chen Fang, the Minister of Rites, used to be the Minister of Justice. He was transferred to the Ministry of Rites because of his old age. Smiling, he said, ¡°There is no such thing as having multiple wives of equal status in the Great Zhou Code. A wife is one who is equal to her husband, and this principle applies to everyone from the Emperor to themoners.¡±


    ¡ö¡¯Then can Minister Chen tell me where the term co-wife came from?¡±


    Chen Fang shook his head and said, ¡°A co-wife is just a term that merchants use to coax their mistresses. From the Qin, Han, to the Great Zhou Dynasty, thew stipted that no one is allowed to marry another woman if they have a wife. It¡¯s illegal to do so.¡±


    It seemed that the Great Zhou Dynasty was really open-minded in terms of free speech. In front of the Emperor, Chen Fang was not afraid of refuting the Emperor with facts and theories, vaguely reminding him that some things were unreasonable.


    Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief. She felt that there was nothing bad about living in the Great Zhou Dynasty. At the very least, it was much better than the Ming and Qing Dynasties in her previous life.


    Mu Yangling knelt before the Emperor again and said, ¡°Your Majesty, ording to Minister Chen¡¯s exnation, it¡¯s illegal for Minister Lu to have co-wives. Then why can the criminal still be an official in the court and not be punished?¡±


    Mu Yangling clearly wanted to divert the trouble and let this matter pass. Everyone looked at Lu Zhen sympathetically. When the Emperor mentioned ¡öco-wife¡¯, he shouldn¡¯t have spoken up. If he hadn¡¯t, they wondered what answer Madam Mu would have given.


    Before the Emperor could say anything, the Empress had already mmed the table in rage and said angrily, ¡°Wives and concubines must not be mixed up. This is an ancient teaching. Although this was not taboo among the officials of the Tang Dynasty, in my Great Zhou, no one has ever disregarded thew like this. Your Majesty, I request to have Assistant Minister Lu punished in ordance with thew.¡±


    The Emperor lowered his head and stared at Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling for a while before saying slowly, ¡°Madam Mu, move towards the east.¡±


    Everyone looked at Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling in shock. Why did the topic suddenly change?


    The Empress was also stunned. She turned to look at the two people kneeling below.


    Mu Yangling blushed slightly and moved to the east. The Emperor stared at their sleeves for a long time before finally confirming his thoughts. The two of them had been holding hands below.


    The Emperor, who was originally furious, felt a little better. He asked, ¡°Minister Qi, let me ask you. Did you really make such a promise to Madam Mu? Raise your head and answer me.¡±


    The ministers did not know what was wrong with the Emperor this time. Shouldn¡¯t he be ying along since the Empress had just given him an out? Why did he revert back to the first question?


    Qi Haoran raised his head and replied seriously, ¡°Your Majesty, I did make a promise.¡± His face was slightly red, but he still exined seriously, ¡°I grew up with Madam Mu. In fact, she saved my life.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How did she save you?¡± the Emperor asked curiously.


    Qi Haoran naturally wouldn¡¯t reveal his injuries and what happened on the battlefield. He only said, ¡°Back then, I was young and insensible. My cousin and I ran to Xingzhou Prefecture to look for Big Brother on our own, but we were chased into the forest. At that time, not only did we not have anything to eat, but we also lost our way in the forest. If we hadn¡¯t met her, the two of us would probably have died in the forest and none of our family would know. And in the past five to six years, we could be considered good friends even if we didn¡¯t apany each other day and night. When I was in trouble, she would help me. When she was in trouble, I would also help her. My marriage with her was agreed upon long ago. I originally said that I would only marry her when she turned 16, but Big Brother was seriously ill and we needed the wedding to flush out his bad luck. I only mentioned it once, and she agreed, so¡­¡± Qi Haoran¡¯s face turned even redder. His voice lowered slightly, but he still said clearly, ¡°I swore that I would only be with her for the rest of my life. I don¡¯t even want a concubine or a mistress, let alone co-wives. If I vite this promise, I¡¯ll have to divorce her.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes widened, and the Emperor was slightly surprised. Heughed and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t lose out on this promise at all. You can always marry another after you divorce, but it will be difficult for her to marry again. What kind of oath is this?¡±


    Blushing, Qi Haoran said, ¡°Your Majesty, you haven¡¯t heard everything yet. Should we divorce, our children will go to her, and she can change her surname. All my assets will also belong to her. In the future, regardless of whether I remarry or remain single, I¡¯ll give her two-thirds of my sry and assets. Even if I¡¯m down and out, I¡¯ll guarantee a certain amount of alimony and child support every year. In short, there are many rules.¡¯


    The Emperor was stunned. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve signed a contract?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded matter-of-factly. ¡°Of course. If there¡¯s no contract, what if we forget about it in the future?¡±


    The Emperor said thoughtfully, ¡°This price is indeed a little high and the terms are quite realistic, but assets can be faked. However, it¡¯s not good for the bloodline to leave the family¡­¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Qi Haoran interrupted him unhappily and said, ¡°Most importantly, those things will only apply if I divorce Madam Mu, okay? How can I possibly divorce her?¡±


    The Emperor looked at Qi Haoran¡¯s round eyes and now believed that he rejected him not because the Emperor was the matchmaker, nor because the girl was Minister Qin¡¯s daughter, but because of such an oath. Or rather, it was because he was newlywed!


    The Emperor said affirmatively, ¡°I forgot that you two are newlyweds now. In two to three years, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t think like this anymore.¡±


    Qi Haoran said affirmatively, ¡°I¡¯ll still be the same in 20 to 30 years.¡±


    The Emperor looked at the confident Qi Haoran and only smiled. He had said such words of love before, but they had all disappeared now. Even now, he would say such words of love. It was just that such words were now spoken to a different person.


    The people below only smiled. Just like the Emperor, they also felt that Qi Haoran was young and affectionate, Madam Mu was his benefactor and they were newlyweds. That was why he was so confident, but things would change in the future.


    Everyone had gone through this stage.


    The women were a little envious of Mu Yangling. They knew that Qi Haoran¡¯s deep feelings were temporary, and it might not be long before someone entered Qi Haoran¡¯s residence in half a year, a year, or two years. In spite of that, they were envious of the fact that at this very moment, Qi Haoran was willing to stand up and reject this marriage for her.. At least they would retain such beautiful memories in the future, right?

 Chapter 432 - 432: Co-Wives (3)

    Chapter 432 - 432: Co-Wives (3)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    However, the Emperor shifted his gaze to Mu Yangling and asked, ¡°Madam Mu, if I insist on letting Qi Haoran marry a co-wife, what will you do?¡±


    As Mu Yangling looked up at the Emperor, the sense of danger in her bones told her that it was best to tell the truth. Otherwise, this Emperor might really willfully assign him a co-wife.


    So what if it was against thew? This was a society governed by humans. Moreover, there were several famous examples in the Tang Dynasty in the past.


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°If Your Majesty really bestows a co-wife to him, then of course I can only acknowledge her. However, how we live our lives in the future is our own business.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Then how do you n to live your lives?¡±<div>


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. We¡¯ll split the house into two and let the co-wife live alone on one side. Qi Haoran won¡¯t meet her, let alone sleep with her and have children. If she behaves herself, we¡¯ll live in peace.¡±


    The Emperor frowned. ¡°This is so unfair to that woman. Won¡¯t you feel guilty?¡± Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not me and Qi Haoran who caused her to be in such a tragic state. We¡¯ve already objected to this.¡±


    In other words, the culprit was the Emperor.


    The Emperor looked at her speechlessly. Was she really not afraid that he would kill her by saying this in front of him, or was she deliberately mocking him?


    ¡°What if Qi Haoran develops feelings for her?¡± The Emperor asked maliciously.


    Unexpectedly, Mu Yangling¡¯s expression became even happier. ¡°That¡¯s even easier. I¡¯ll go to the government office to lodge aint against Qi Haoran first, then divorce him and take away all his assets.¡± Seeing the Emperor¡¯s shock, Mu Yangling exined with a smile, ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s not easy to find a four-legged toad in this world, but there are two-legged men everywhere. Considering I¡¯m rich and beautiful, I have my pick of men. Since he¡¯s heartless, why should I feel sad over his betrayal? In the end, it¡¯s still my own heart that will be hurt.¡±


    Before the Emperor could say anything about her shocking words, Qi Haoran had already red at Mu Yangling angrily and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. When did I say that I would sleep with another woman? Don¡¯t wrong me. I won¡¯t marry a co-wife.¡± As he spoke, he said angrily, ¡°If I had known, I wouldn¡¯t have signed that darned contract back then.¡±


    Mu Yanglingforted him gently. ¡°Of course I know you won¡¯t. I¡¯m just replying in response to His Majesty¡¯s hypothetical question. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have made this hypothesis.¡±


    Then, everyone saw that Qi Haoran, who was originally furious, was appeased and obediently knelt beside her again.


    Everyone came to a realization. So he was henpecked!


    Fan Zijin almost wanted to cover his face and leave. He knew that it was a terrible idea to marry Minister Qin¡¯s daughter as a co-wife, but there was no need to make the ¡®henpecked act¡¯ so realistic, right?


    If he had to resort to this, he might as well marry Minister Qin¡¯s daughter.


    Satisfied, the Emperor concluded, ¡°So you¡¯re rejecting the marriage not because having a co-wife is illegal and hical, but because Madam Mu is easily jealous, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the Emperor in a daze. So the final responsibility was on her?


    However, Qi Haoran immediately said, ¡°No, Your Majesty. Madam Mu is actually very virtuous. Even if she allows me to marry a co-wife, I won¡¯t. I won¡¯t take a concubine either. Really, it¡¯s not her fault.¡±


    The Emperor looked at him disdainfully, then turned to Mu Yangling and asked, ¡°Madam Mu, I¡¯m asking you a question.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought about it seriously and said, ¡°Your Majesty, if you must put it that way, I guess it¡¯s true. But I think the most fundamental reason is that I love my husband.¡±


    Everyone was stunned. They felt that this woman was too bold to actually confess her feelings in front of so many people. Even the Emperor was embarrassed for her.


    However, Qi Haoran grinned and looked at Mu Yangling gleefully.


    Mu Yangling continued, ¡°Because I love him, I can¡¯t tolerate this. If I marry a stranger, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t even bat an eyelid if the Emperor casually bestows him with a co-wife, as long as I¡¯m still the first wife.¡±


    The Emperor murmured, ¡°You¡¯re fine with it if you¡¯re married to someone else?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s fine as long as I don¡¯t love him. Without love, I won¡¯t be sad or angry no matter how many girls he¡¯s with. As long as my status is guaranteed, I can turn a blind eye and get along harmoniously with everyone. But if that person is Qi Haoran, I¡¯d rather divorce him and not see him for the rest of my life, than live under the same roof and watch him be intimate with other women.¡±


    Qi Haoran hurriedly said in a low voice, ¡°Other than you, I won¡¯t look at other women, nor will I flirt with other women.¡±


    The Emperor, who was about to speak, smashed his wine cup angrily and said angrily, ¡°Shut up. I¡¯m talking to Madam Mu.¡±


    The princes, concubines, and ministers under the pce banquet were already stupefied. Even the Empress, who had been wanting to stop them from continuing, had given up at this moment. It didn¡¯t matter. So what if this was embarrassing? Anyway, they were the royal family. At most, they would discuss this in private. Would they dare to make fun of them in their faces?


    After smashing the wine cup, the Emperor asked, ¡°Then what if I keep pressuring Qi Haoran and the co-wife to sleep together? If Qi Haoran was forced to do this against his will, are you going to forgive him?¡±


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and asked, ¡°Your Majesty, would you interfere in such a senseless matter?¡±


    The Emperor choked and insisted, ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question. Answer me.¡±


    Mu Yangling gave up and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll follow him to the bridal chamber. The three of us will spend the night counting the stars together. If you make them do this again, we¡¯ll just keep counting the stars together.¡±


    Someone in the venue burst outughing, and then lowughter sounded intermittently at the banquet.


    Probably feeling embarrassed, the Emperor waved his hand and said, ¡°Alright, the two of you can leave. Since Madam Mu is easily jealous, let¡¯s forget about the co-wives thing.¡±


    Mu Yangling stopped Qi Haoran, who was about to rebut. Although this ended with her being the scapegoat, they had finally survived this crisis. There was no better time to retreat to their seats than now.


    The two of them returned to their seats and sat down. Qi Haoran squeezed Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and realized that her palm was sweaty. He was stunned for a moment before his heart ached. He had thought that she was very bold, but in the end, she was also a paper tiger.


    The pce banquet continued, but no one was in the mood to watch the song and dance performance anymore. The Emperor lowered his head, seemingly thinking about something.


    The others were gossiping about Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling¡¯s words. Those who were less thoughtful only felt that their rtionship was hard toe by. Those who were upright only felt that Qi Haoran was too henpecked. Some had all kinds of thoughts. However, they all analyzed the duo¡¯s words and hidden meanings at the same time.


    Minister Qin, who nobody had been paying any attention to, put down the wine cup in his hand. A cold glint shed across his eyes as the cup cracked. Though it was true that he didn¡¯t want to marry his daughter to Qi Haoran, that did not mean that he would allow Qi Haoran to reject her.


    Meanwhile, Lu Zhen had been kneeling in the corner and had not yet been given permission to get up. His heart was in turmoil.. Since the Emperor had pushed the responsibility to Mu Yangling, he shoulde out of this unscathed, right?

 Chapter 433 - 433: Separation

    Chapter 433 - 433: Separation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After leaving the pce, Mu Yangling sent Li Jinghua to the carriage. When she turned around, she saw Qi Feng ring at her with a livid expression. Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows and looked straight at him.


    ¡°You, you¡­¡± Qi Feng was furious when he heard Qi Haoran say faintly from behind, ¡°Uncle, your carriage is over here.¡±


    Qi Feng¡¯s anger was instantly exposed. Looking around, he realized that everyone seemed to be looking in his direction. He could only swing his sleeves and get into the carriage, nning to discuss it with them when they returned. Madam Xia tugged at Qi Haoran worriedly and hesitated for a while before saying, ¡°Why don¡¯t you and your wife stay at my ce for two days?¡± Qi Haoran refused. ¡°Aunt, I won¡¯t disturb you since it¡¯s the New Year. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Frowning, Fan Siwen said, ¡°Up to you, but you have to manage Madam Mu too. You have to teach her well what she can and can¡¯t say. After all, this is the capital, not Xingzhou Prefecture.¡±


    Fan Zijin sneered. ¡°I don¡¯t think Sister-inw said anything she shouldn¡¯t have.¡±<div>


    When Fan Siwen saw his son¡¯s mocking gaze, he was instantly furious. He red at him and flicked his sleeves before leaving. Madam Xia hesitated for a moment before pulling her son away. ¡°Why do you always make your father angry? It s the New Year. Hurry up and apologize.¡±


    Fan Zijin waved his hand nonchntly and said, ¡°Mother, you can leave first I want to talk to Haoran.¡±


    Seeing that her husband¡¯s carriage was about to leave, Madam Xia could only instruct her son to catch up.


    Fan Zijin looked at his mother¡¯s back and turned his head. ¡°If only my mother had half of Ah Ling¡¯s boldness.¡±


    Qi Haoran grinned and said proudly, ¡°How many people in this world canpare to Ah Ling?¡±


    Fan Zijin pursed his lips. ¡°However, it¡¯s indeed time for you to restrain Ah Ling. This time, he only let her off because he¡¯s in a good mood. If she still talks to the ruler like this next time, I¡¯m afraid things could end in a huge disaster.¡± Qi Haoran¡¯s expression darkened slightly. ¡°She was helping me fend off the disaster.¡±


    Fan Zijin did not want to see him so emotional again. When he turned around, he whispered in his ear, ¡°When we go horse racing on the third day of the Lunar New Year, remember to ask her to hide her strength. Her ability is our trump card.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s background was not difficult to investigate. She came from a hunter family and had gone hunting in the mountains with her father since she was young. In addition, she was stronger than ordinary people and knew how to ride a horse. Also, her archery skills were also not bad.


    However, she was much stronger than ordinary people. Other than Qi Haoran and the others, even Shu Wanniang and Xiuhong didn¡¯t know the details even though thetter was often by her side. Furthermore, good archery skills could mean a lot of things. Managing to shoot a rabbit or a tiger were both considered ¡®good archery skills¡¯.


    She had to grasp this degree well.


    Qi Haoran returned to Mu Yangling¡¯s side. Seeing her tense expression, he thought that she was worried about his father¡¯s words just now, so he held her hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. With me around, he won¡¯t dare to do anything to you.¡±


    It was only when they were holding hands that Qi Haoran realized that her hand was cold. Frowning slightly, he pulled her into his embrace. He felt her body and realized that her entire back was drenched in sweat. For a moment, he was angry and heartbroken. He scolded, ¡°I thought you were so bold. But ¡¯ you¡¯re actually so frightened. Let¡¯s see if you still dare to show off in the future.¡±


    As he spoke, he took out all the handkerchiefs on her body to wipe the sweat off her back. Mu Yangling leaned weakly in his arms and only then did she feel fear. She whispered into his ear, ¡°It¡¯s said that apanying a king is like apanying a tiger. I¡¯ve finally experienced it today.¡±


    Qi Haoran hugged her with heartache and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be like this in the future. It¡¯s impossible for him to issue an imperial edict, and I can still reject his verbal request. At most, I¡¯ll just be fired.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t he kill you?¡± Mu Yangling asked curiously.


    Qi Haoran shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Emperor Jingyan rarely kills ministers. Back then, Shu Guang was merely exiled for his crime which was punishable by death, and the Emperor even pardoned him two years ago. All I did was argue back. He won¡¯t do anything to me. It¡¯s just that Big Brother might be in a difficult position.¡±


    So, they were making trouble for his big brother?


    Mu Yangling smiled in his arms. Qi Haoran tapped her nose and said, ¡°Big Brother would rather have this than let me marry Minister Qin¡¯s daughter. It¡¯s not a good thing to be rted to Minister Qin.¡±


    ¡°By the way, will we offend Minister Qin by rejecting the marriage on the spot today?¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips nonchntly and said, ¡°Unless I ept the marriage, we¡¯ll offend him no matter how we go about it. No, even if I ept it, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll still offend him. We can¡¯t fathom his treacherous thoughts, so we just have to do our job well.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that it¡¯s better to offend a gentleman than a viin?¡±


    Qi Haoran said domineeringly, ¡°Be it a gentleman or a viin, I¡¯m not afraid.¡±


    Mu Yangling patted his chest with a smile and praised, ¡°Good job.¡±


    The gloominess of the pce banquet was swept away by the two of them, but their good mood onlysted until they got off the carriage. Qi Feng, who had arrived home early, was actually waiting for them in the courtyard.


    The moment they got out of the carriage, they met Qi Feng¡¯s gloomy gaze. Qi Haoran helped Mu Yangling down nonchntly and bid farewell to Qi Feng patiently.


    Qi Feng said coldly, ¡°Follow me to the study.¡±


    Qi Haoran was impatient. Ah Ling¡¯s back was drenched with sweat. She had to quickly shower and change on such a cold day. Otherwise, no matter how robust her health was, she would probably fall sick. How could he have the time to deal with Qi Feng?


    Hence, Qi Haoran said impolitely, ¡°Father, if there¡¯s nothing urgent, I¡¯ll bring Ah Ling back first. Her health isn¡¯t good to begin with, and her condition¡¯s been made worse by the wind today. Let¡¯s talk tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Unfilial son!¡± Qi Feng couldn¡¯t help but stomp his feet and point at his nose as he scolded, ¡°Why are you still protecting such a jealous woman? Hurry up and divorce her. She actually offended the Emperor, Minister Qin, and Official Lu in one night. I¡¯ve long said that one should marry a virtuous wife. You and your Big Brother seem to be afraid that I¡¯ll harm you. All of you chose to marry someone from that ce where even birds don¡¯t sh*t?. Divorce her, divorce her!¡±


    Li Jinghua, who had been standing at the side obediently listening to the lecture, could not help but turn serious. Where even birds don¡¯t sh*t?


    When had the Guanzhong region ever been described like this?


    Mindful not to humiliate her father-inw, Li Jinghua did not retort. But Mu Yangling, who was leaning against Qi Haoran, had no problem speaking her mind. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of such a description. It turns out that the ancient capital, Chang¡¯an, which has always been a ce where warlords always fight over, is actually a ce where even birds don¡¯t sh*t.¡±


    Qi Haoran said irritably, ¡°Father, although I don¡¯t study much, I know that the Guanzhong area was once a prosperous ce. Perhaps you have no idea because you¡¯ve been an official for too long. Go back and read some history books. I¡¯ll go back with Ah Ling first.¡±


    Qi Haoran turned around and instructed Wen Cui and the rest. ¡°Help your eldest madam back and serve her well.¡±


    Wen Cui nced at the sullen-faced Qi Feng and responded. Then, she went forward to support Li Jinghua and left.


    Qi Haoran ignored the furious Qi Feng and carried Mu Yangling back to his courtyard, leaving Qi Feng roaring like a trapped beast. ¡°Unfilial son, unfilial son, I want, I want¡­¡±


    After stuttering for a long time, he failed toe up with what to do with Qi Haoran.


    In the past, he could have arrested his son and beaten him up, cut off his allowance, or locked him up.


    But now, Qi Haoran waspletely out of his control. Not to mention anything else, with the 15 guards living in the outer courtyard, could he defeat Qi Haoran and capture him?


    Cut off his allowance?


    Five years ago, Qi Haoran no longer needed his money. Qi Feng was a little dejected. It was only now that he truly felt that his two sons hadpletely broken free from his control.

 Chapter 434 - 434: Sick

    Chapter 434: Sick


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran carried Mu Yangling all the way back to their residence. As he walked, he instructed the servants to get hot water from the kitchen.


    As it was winter, hot water was stored in the kitchen at all times. Hence, not long after Qi Haoran carried her back, hot water was brought over. Qi Haoran said, ¡°Hurry up and take a bath and change.


    Although Qi Haoran was fast enough, Mu Yangling still fell sick the next day and sneezed the entire day. Qi Haoran could only get someone to invite the doctor over.


    When Qi Feng sent someone to call Qi Haoran over, Qi Haoran was apanying the doctor, so he said impatiently, ¡°Just say that I have something on. If Old Master needs anything, just instruct the servants to do it.


    The servant girl who came to invite Qi Haoran did not dare to say anything else. She went back in fear and trepidation to reply. Hearing his son¡¯s reply, Qi Feng furiously jumped around in the study and scolded Qi Haoran.


    When Fei Bai sent the doctor out, it was unknown if it was by chance or on purpose, but he led the doctor to the path closest to the study. The doctor could hear Qi Feng scolding people all the way out.


    Hence, less than half a day after the doctor left, many people who were watching the Qi Manor received thetest news.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s wife, Madam Mu, was so frightened that she fell sick. It seemed that although she was very bold at the pce banquet, she was actually not very bold and was still very respectful. She most likely only had the guts to resist because she was afraid that Qi Haoran would marry another woman.


    The news of Qi Feng scolding Qi Haoran and forcing him to divorce his wife had also spread, further confirming the rumor that he was biased. Qi Haoran had finally avoided taking in another wife, so why was he stirring up trouble now?


    Was Minister Qin¡¯s daughter that easy to marry?


    At this moment, the Emperor issued a decree to reprimand Lu Zhen, seize his official position, and let the Lin¡¯an Prefecture government office judge his act of marrying when he already had a wife.


    Everyone knew that the storm of Qi Haoran and his wife rejecting the marriage hade to an end. The one who ended up suffering was Lu Zhen. Indeed, he shouldn¡¯t have spoken up at the pce banquet. Just because of that one sentence he made, Mu Yangling sessfully redirected the disaster to him.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t care about anything else now and focused on recuperating.


    She rarely fell sick, but who knew that the illness woulde so aggressively this time? The first day, she only sneezed, but at night, she started to feel dizzy. The next day, not only did she have a low fever, but she also coughed. As if facing a formidable enemy, Qi Haoran thought that someone had drugged her. He was so frightened that he didn¡¯t dare to call for a doctor anymore. He only asked Fan Zijin to find a prescription to treat the illness, and checked the herbs over and over again. Only then did he feel relieved.


    Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t aware because she was groggy and ill, but Qi Haoran had lost a lot of weight after three days. His deep love was also seen by everyone. Although the servants of the Qi Manor did not say anything, they vaguely respected and feared Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling had no idea. After taking the medicine and covering herself with the nket for the entire night, she sweated twice and finally felt better. She opened her eyes and saw that Qi Haoran was sleeping beside her. Touching his cheek with her fingers, she realized that he had lost a lot of weight. Her heart ached.


    The moment Qi Haoran opened his eyes, he met Mu Yangling¡¯s gentle eyes. Qi Haoran subconsciously smiled and widened his eyes, then got up and touched her forehead. ¡°Your fever has subsided. Are you feeling much better?


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°I feel lighter now, but I¡¯m still coughing a little. I should be fine after taking medicine for two more days.¡±


    Mu Yangling touched his face and said, ¡°You¡¯ve lost so much weight. People always gain weight during the new year¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran smiled nonchntly and pulled up the nket to cover her. ¡°Do you want to sleep a little longer? It¡¯s still early.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked outside and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯d better get up. I¡¯m hungry.¡± Qi Haoran immediately instructed someone to serve the millet porridge. ¡°Eat something light first. When you recover, I¡¯ll bring you out to eat something delicious.¡±


    Seeing that Qi Haoran was coaxing Mu Yangling like a child, Spring and the other servants looked at each other and smiled before quietly leaving.


    After eating and drinking her fill, Mu Yangling was energetic again. Although she still coughed from time to time, one could tell from her face that she was almost fully recovered.


    Nowpletely relieved, Qi Haoran realized that he was also very hungry, so hungry he felt as if his chest was pressed against his back. Hence, during breakfast, Qi Haoran almost swept away all the food on the table. Qi Feng tried enduring it but couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Your wife was nowhere to be seen on New Year¡¯s Eve and the first day of the New Year. Yesterday, on the second day of New Year, rtives came to visit and didn¡¯t see her as well. You should bring her to meet your uncles and aunts today.¡±


    Qi Haoran stuffed thest mouthful of steamed bun into his mouth and said nonchntly, ¡°Uncles and Aunts are in Fuzhou. When did they return to the capital?¡±


    Frowning, Qi Shaosheng said, ¡°Second Brother, Father is talking about my mother¡¯s brother. Now that my uncle is your uncle, you should have visited him yesterday. However, you couldn¡¯t leave yesterday because you had to take care of Sister-inw. Since Sister-inw has recovered today, why don¡¯t you go to the Wu family?¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips and said, ¡°Who said Wu Miao is my uncle? My uncle¡¯s surname is Zhu. Alright, I¡¯m full. I¡¯m going to visit my Aunt today. I¡¯ll get the storeroom to prepare a New Year¡¯s gift for her.¡±


    He nced at Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai and said, ¡°Oh, my Aunt definitely wouldn¡¯t like to see Second Brother and Third Brother, so you¡¯d better not go.¡± Qi Shaotai threw down his chopsticks and shouted, ¡°Who cares? Fine, I won¡¯t go then.¡±


    Madam Wu also threw down her chopsticks angrily and cried, ¡°Master, what does Haoran mean? I¡¯ve already been promoted to the legitimate wief. Since Xiuyuan¡¯s not at home, it¡¯s fine if he doesn¡¯t visit the Wu family. Even if he didn¡¯t include gifts for the Wu family in the gifts he sent back, I can pretend not to see it. But Haoran is clearly in the capital, yet he has never once visited the Wu family. Am I considered his legitimate stepmother or not?¡±


    Smiling, Li Jinghua said, ¡°Madam, you¡¯ve misunderstood Fourth Brother. Didn¡¯t Second Uncle and Third Uncle visit the Wu family? Since we have so many rtives, it¡¯s normal for us to split up and visit them separately. Besides, Fourth Brother doesn¡¯t have the final say on whether you were promoted or not. It¡¯s up to the n. Since your name is recorded in the genealogical tree, who dares to say that you weren¡¯t promoted? Even if the government officees to check, we can righteously insist.¡±


    Madam Wu stopped crying. It would be bad if the government office came to check, okay?


    Qi Feng suppressed his anger and nced at Madam Wu. ¡°Don¡¯t cry.


    He looked up at Qi Haoran and the other two and waved his hand. ¡°If you want to leave, leave.¡±


    Qi Haoran raised his eyebrows in surprise. He thought that they were going to quarrel again, but he did not expect them to let them go so easily. However, he never liked to think too much about things, so he pulled Mu Yanghng and left with Li Jinghua.


    Mu Yangling said hesitatingly, ¡°Should I go too?¡±


    After all, considering she was sick, it didn¡¯t seem appropriate for her to pay others New Year visit now, right?


    Qi Haoran said nonchntly, ¡°It¡¯s much morefortable at Aunt¡¯s ce. When we go there, we¡¯ll just go horse racing with Zijin. I¡¯ll introduce my former friends to you.¡±


    ¡°Sister-inw, you can stay at Aunt¡¯s ce when the timees. There are many people there. We¡¯lle back to pick you up in the afternoon,¡± Qi Haoran said.


    Li Jinghua said with a smile, ¡°Go ahead and y. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t know how toe back.¡±


    For the past few days while Qi Haoran had been taking care of Mu Yanghng, Li Jinghua had not been idle. She had already spoken to several families in the n, and this trip to the Fan family was also an opportunity to socialize..

 Chapter 435 - 435: Appearance

    Chapter 435: Appearance


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Chen Qian curiously sized up Mu Yangling, who was wearing a riding outfit He elbowed Qi Haoran and asked in a low voice, ¡°Is she really very strong?¡±


    She looked so petite and her face was even a little pale. Was she really as strong as Fan Zijin said? Could she lift a huge rock?


    Qi Haoran nodded proudly. ¡°Of course, but she¡¯s sick now and can¡¯t get on a horse or tire herself out. I¡¯ll bring her out to hunt with you guys next time.¡± Chen Qian asked curiously, ¡°Then why did you bring her out?¡± Shouldn¡¯t she be lying at home when she¡¯s sick?


    ¡°It¡¯s too boring at home, so I brought her out to rx. Once she¡¯s in a good mood, she¡¯ll recover faster. Tell your wife not to bully her.¡±


    Chen Qian looked at Qi Haoran as if he was looking at a monster. After a while he turned to Fan Zijin and said, ¡°I now believe that what he said at the pce ¡¯ banquet was the truth.¡±


    He had originally thought that those words of love were just an excuse for him to reject the marriage, but now it seemed that this kid was truly serious about it.


    Instead ofmenting on this, Fan Zijin jumped onto the horse and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯re here to hunt, not to chat.¡±


    Chen Qian pouted. ¡°When did you be so keen on hunting?¡± But he still led his horse over.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to sour your teeth, just stay behind. However, if you want to drink tea instead of hunt, I¡¯ll definitely wee you.¡±


    ¡°Impossible. I came here today to hunt. Why waste the fine weather drinking tea on such a rare sunny day?¡± Chen Qian turned his head and was about to call Qi Haoran when he saw him wrap Mu Yangling in a cloak and give her a few instructions before running over to hold his horse.


    Chen Qian¡¯s teeth were indeed sore for a moment. If he were to do such a thing he would be suave. If Fan Zijin were to do it, he could barely be considered a gentle schr. But seeing Qi Haoran, who always spoke in a loud voice do something like this, Chen Qian wanted to poke his own eyes.


    Smiling, Madam Chen-Shu said, ¡°Fourth Young Master is really good to you.¡± Mu Yangling lowered her head and beamed. ¡°Young Master Chen treats you very well too.¡±


    Madam Chen-Shu only smiled. Her husband was indeed good to her, but it was still far inferior to how Qi Haoran treated Mu Yangling.


    There were quite a number of people who came to hunt this time. Most of them had brought their delicate wives with them, and they were all wearing riding clothes. Some of them who were more familiar with Chen Shu called her along to ride with them.


    Those people looked at Mu Yangling strangely and only smiled. They did not greet her.


    The moment Qi Haoran arrived, everyone heard that she was sick. Since Qi Haoran even asked everyone to take care of her, they naturally wouldn¡¯t ask her to ride a horse. Who would be med if she got sick from the wind?


    Madam Chen-Shu was a little hesitant. She wanted to go too, but Qi Haoran had specially instructed her to help take care of his wife. Even her husband had instructed her.


    However, Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Sister Shu, go y. I want to take a walk around this area since this is the first time I¡¯vee to Lin¡¯an Prefecture It¡¯s usually snowing heavily there now, and it¡¯s rare to see trees that are so green in winter.¡±


    Madam Chen-Shu stood up and said with a smile, ¡°Then you can y nearby first. I¡¯ll bring you to the Nation Protecting Temple next time. The plum blossoms there bloom especially well. Every year after the 15th of New Year, many people go to the Nation Protecting Temple to pray for blessings. Hence, the Nation Protecting Temple limits the number of visitors. Now, you have to¡¯ make an appointment to enter. Coincidentally, I¡¯ve arranged with a few sisters to go together.¡±


    Mu Yangling expressed her gratitude with a beam.


    Madam Chen-Shu left with everyone to ride.


    Mu Yangling sat in the base camp and swung her legs as she waited for everyone to return. She looked around curiously.


    In her previous life, she had been to the old site of Lin¡¯an City. There was only a city wall and some broken things there,pletely different from the current prosperous Lin¡¯an City.


    Mu Yangling looked at the prosperous city at the foot of the mountain and wondered how long such stability and prosperity couldst. Qi Haoran said that Longxing Prefecture, which was not far from Lin¡¯an City, was still in rebellion. Refugees gathered in the city, and people died from hunger and cold every day. Now, those refugees had yet to join the rebels, but if the Imperial Court did not provide relief, this would happen sooner orter. Furthermore, considering this ce was so close to Longxing Prefecture, could they really be safe and sound?


    Mu Yangling sighed slightly. However, even if the Imperial Court wanted to provide disaster relief, they would probably be powerless, right?


    The Ministry of Revenue had no money.


    Therefore, the people could rely on the country, but they mainly had to rely on themselves. If every family had surplus grains, even if there were major natural and man-made disasters in the future, they would not be destitute and would at least be able to fill their stomachs.


    Mu Yangling scratched the ground with her feet, feeling a little down.


    In just four hours, Qi Haoran excitedly carried over a deer with someone. ¡°Ah Ling, look, we caught this.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled and sat on the shaft of the carriage, swinging her legs. ¡°It¡¯s so fat. Let¡¯s roast meat.¡±


    ¡°Even if we roast meat, you won¡¯t be able to eat it. Don¡¯t be greedy. I¡¯ll bring you to eat vegetarian food tonight.¡±


    Chen Qian¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What kind of joke is this? You¡¯re going to eat vegetarian food when we have such good venison here?¡±


    However, Mu Yangling was a little touched. Qi Haoran was a carnivore like her Perhaps in order not to make her feel cravings, he had been eating vegetarian food for the past two days.


    Mu Yangling looked at Qi Haoran with a smile and said, ¡°I can¡¯t eat the venison, but I can help you roast it. Set up a small pot at the side to make some porridge¡¯ It¡¯s also very fragrant.¡±


    Spring immediately said, ¡°Fourth Young Master, we brought some mushrooms and cabbages over. We can cut them into pieces and make vegetable porridge. Fourth Madam likes it very much.¡±


    Qi Haoran had not reunited with his friends for a long time and indeed wanted to eat venison, so he immediately agreed.


    Mu Yangling put on her cloak and brought people to prepare the seasonings. Qi Haoran said proudly, ¡°Ah Ling¡¯s roasted venison is especially delicious. You¡¯ll know after eating it.¡±


    Mu Yangling set up three piles of firewood, and started roasting the entire deer on arge rack. Another pile was used to make porridge, and the third pile was used to make meat soup.


    Mu Yangling smeared the concocted ingredients on the venison and slowly turned it over the fire. The servant, who originally wanted to help turn it over, was slightly surprised when she saw that she could turn the entire deer over ¡¯ with one hand. Then, she retreated.


    The fragrance quickly spread. Chen Qian and the others, who weren¡¯t hungry at first, couldn¡¯t help but crave it. They kept looking over.


    At this moment, the women who had gone out to race also returned. Everyone detected the fragrance and ran over excitedly. ¡°Gosh, I didn¡¯t expect Sister Mu to have such skills.¡±


    ¡°How fragrant. Not to mention others, even I¡¯m craving it¡­¡±


    Amidst themotion, everyone¡¯s rtionship became much closer. Mu Yangling waved her hand and asked someone to bring the honey over. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you like, but it tastes awesome coated with a thinyer of honey before roasting it.¡±


    Everyone took out their daggers and cut off a slice of meat. Qi Haoran was the fastest. From time to time, he helped Fan Zijin cut a few pieces of meat. He was the fastest among them, annoying Chen Qian and the others. They pressed him down and punched him a few times.


    Mu Yangling sat there and watched everyoneugh. The women who came along were slightly surprised. One had to know that this was not the rumor they had heard. It was said that Mu Yangling was very valiant and dared to express her jealousy at the pce banquet.


    However, the person smiling now was clearly an introverted little girl. After interacting with her for the entire day, they found that her personality was not aggressive at all. Instead, she was a little soft, looking obedient as she listened to everyone talk with a smile.


    Unfortunately, they were not qualified to attend the pce banquet at that time, and could only listen to their mother or mother-inw gossip about what happened. It seemed a little unreal..

 Chapter 436 - 436: Inquiry

    Chapter 436: Inquiry


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Fourth Young Master, you¡¯re finally back. Someone from the pce wants to see you.¡± Qi Haoran and the others had just alighted from the carriage when they were stopped by the steward.


    Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling looked at each other and said, ¡°You and Sister-inw go back first. I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and watched him leave worriedly. Li Jinghua patted her hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s go back and wait for news.¡±


    Mu Yangling helped Li Jinghua back to Zhaode Hall. Qi Haoran returned very quickly and said, ¡°The pce has sent a message. The three of us will go to the pce tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Mu Yangling was puzzled.


    ¡°Big Brother requested a conferment for Sister-inw. Maybe the pce is just inviting Sister-inw, and the two of us are just apanying her.¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s eyes lit up and she asked excitedly, ¡°Your Big Brother is going to request for me a title?¡±


    Qi Haoran grinned. ¡°Yes, the madam of a Grade 2 official. Once you get conferred with the title, no one in our family will be able to bully you in the future.¡±


    Li Jinghua pursed her lips and smiled. Her eyes were sparkling as she said, ¡°Fourth Brother seems to be saying that I¡¯m going to bully others after receiving the title.¡±


    ¡°Sister-inw, you can bully whoever if you want.¡± Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t bully Ah Ling.¡±


    Li Jinghua could not help butugh. She looked at Mu Yangling teasingly and saw that Mu Yangling was also grinning. There was no shyness on her face. Li Jinghua could only shake her head and smile.


    When Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling returned hand in hand, he said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I request a conferment for you too? I¡¯m a fourth-grade official, which makes you a reverentdy.¡± The more Qi Haoran spoke, the happier he became. ¡°Madam Wu is also just a reverentdy. Once you¡¯re conferred the title, she¡¯ll just be an elder in name.¡±


    The more Qi Haoran spoke, the more he felt that the title was a good thing. Hence, after returning, heid on the table and began to write a memorial. He decided to bring it along when they went to see the Emperor tomorrow.


    Mu Yangling propped her chin on her hand and watched him write, filled with admiration. ¡°I¡¯ve read as many books as you. But why can¡¯t I write in such a tone?¡±


    Qi Haoran said proudly, ¡°You only read every book once. How can youpare to me? I still have to write strategies and do my homework.¡±


    After he finished writing the memorial, they chatted happily for a while before going to bed. Qi Haoran hugged Mu Yangling and rubbed her body as he said regretfully, ¡°You have to recover quickly.¡±


    Mu Yangling pinched him. ¡°Don¡¯t think about such nonsense. Do you think the Emperor will pick on me tomorrow? What if I can¡¯t control my temper?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already thought of it for you. Just pretend to be gentle and smile with your head lowered. Just let Sister-inw answer the questions for you.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought about it and agreed. She fell asleep without worry, but things were often out of one¡¯s control. Who knew that the main character of this summons was not Li Jinghua, but Mu Yangling?


    Or rather, it was Qi Xiuyuan, who was far away in the Jingzhao Prefecture.


    Through the news sent back by the secret guards and a thorough analysis of the pce banquet, the Emperor thought that Mu Yangling was just silly and bold.


    Otherwise, why would she say those words at the pce banquet, then fall sick from fear after leaving the pce?


    There was no doubt that when the doctor took Mu Yangling¡¯s pulse, he said that she had caught a cold and suffered a fright. Everyone subconsciously ignored the ¡®catching a cold¡¯ part because it was too ordinary a reason. Be it the Emperor or the ministers, they all attributed Mu Yangling¡¯s illness to fear.


    Hence, the outsiders who heard the rumor all misunderstood.


    Some people were usually timid, but when they needed to stand up for something they felt strongly for, they could disy powerfulbative prowess. However, once they got what they wanted to preserve, they would immediately return to their original state.


    The Emperor was still unsure of Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua¡¯s personalities, but he was certain he knew what Qi Haoran was like. Although he looked carefree, the Emperor could not get anything out of him even after spending a long time. Hence, he could only target the women.


    General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan were both in the north. The two of them had a close rtionship and controlled more than 300,000 troops. These 300,000 soldiers were all elite soldiers who had witnessed bloodshed, making them more than twice as strong as the soldiers raised in the south.


    It could be said that their 300,000 soldiers was equivalent to the south¡¯s 600,000 soldiers. How could the Emperor be at ease? He could not even sleep well with that knowledge.


    After the three of them entered the pce, they separated. Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua went to the Empress, while Qi Haoran was brought to see the Emperor.


    The Empress was very gentle. As soon as the duo knelt down, she asked them to get up. Then, the three of them sat together and chatted. The Empress indirectly asked Li Jinghua about the Jingzhao Prefecture. Li Jinghua answered wlessly. When it came to military affairs, she only shook her head in confusion, saying the women usually did not interfere in what happened outside. The Empress could not ask even if she wanted to.


    The Empress felt a little helpless. It seemed that Li Jinghua was indeed taught by an aristocratic family. Although she was young and did not know much, she was not much inferior to the daughters of an aristocratic family who grew up in the capital.


    The Empress turned her gaze to Mu Yangling. Her heart skipped a beat, and she asked with a smile, ¡°I remember Assistant Commander Qi saying that you saved him in the forest. Why did you go to such a ce?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked up at Li Jinghua, and thetter replied with a smile, ¡°Your Highness, Fourth Sister-inw¡¯s family used to be hunters, so she often followed her father into the mountains to hunt.¡±


    The Empress¡¯s smile faded slightly as she asked again, ¡°How long have you known Assistant Commander Qi?¡±


    Li Jinghua observed the Empress¡¯s expression and understood what she meant. She could not help but sigh slightly and look at Mu Yangling. Her eyes darted around almost imperceptibly, and Mu Yangling knew that she was asking her to deal with it.


    These questions didn¡¯t seem to involve anything confidential, so Mu Yangling answered with a smile.


    Towards the end, as the questions deepened, Mu Yangling smiled brightly and told the Empress that there were now six divisions in the West Camp with more than 100,000 people. The ie from grains was barely enough to feed them. Mu Yangling said in distress, ¡°Originally, the grain harvests in Jingzhao Prefecture and Hanzhong Prefecture were not bad, but Xingzhou Prefecture had been drought-stricken. Those military households couldn¡¯t even support themselves, let alone hand over the military rations. Big Brother Qi couldn¡¯t leave them alone and could only transfer the military rations from Hanzhong Prefecture and Jingzhao Prefecture. This made Brother Haoran¡¯s heart ache for a few days.¡±


    Finally, some useful information! The Empress ignored Li Jinghua, who was gradually bing nervous, and asked with a smile, ¡°If there¡¯s not enough grains, can¡¯t we just buy them with money? Isn¡¯t Tongchuan Prefecture below Xingzhou Prefecture? That¡¯s always been and of abundance, and the production of grains is quite high.¡±


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and said, ¡°Now, Tongchuan Prefecture can¡¯t evenpare to Jingzhao Prefecture.¡±


    Stunned, the Empress asked, ¡°How can that be?¡±


    ¡°Why not? A few years ago, the rebellion in Tongchuan Prefecture had just ended. Although the rainst year was fine, so many refugees were not settled down and no one farmed. No matter how fertile thend was, what was the use of having rainwater when no one was farming it?¡±


    The Empress really did not know about this. Wasn¡¯t this the government affairs of the previous dynasty? How did Mu Yangling know?


    ¡°Did Assistant Commander Qi tell you these too?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for him to say it. Everyone knows.¡± Mu Yangling said matter-of-factly, ¡°The refugees always migrate here and there. There are also refugees from Tongchuan Prefecture in Xingzhou Prefecture. We heard this from them.¡±


    ¡°Is it that simple?¡± The Empress murmured.


    Mu Yangling asked curiously, ¡°Howplicated can it be?¡±


    The Empress smiled and said, ¡°Even if Tongchuan Prefecture won¡¯t do, as long as you have money, there will always be grain merchants willing to sell grains to you. This way, you won¡¯t have to live so tight.¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head and said, ¡°They don¡¯t have money, but they do have a lot of jewelry..¡±

 Chapter 437 - 437: Fake Intelligence

    Chapter 437: Fake Intelligence


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling told the Empress that the West Camp was very poor. ¡°Brother Haoran¡¯s sry and monthly allowance aren¡¯t enough at all. Sometimes, he borrows from Brother Zijin, and sometimes, he has to borrow from me. However, he has a lot of jewelry and antiques that he obtained from the war. But it¡¯s very difficult to exchange those things for money. It¡¯s either that no one wants to buy it, or the buyer would ruthlessly lower the price. Therefore, he¡¯s extremely poor. When we got married, the betrothal gifts he gave me were mostly those things obtained by him and Big Brother Qi. There was almost nothing modern. The only slightly better items were some good fabrics from Brother Zijin¡¯s shop. There was no silver or gold jewelry either. They were all gems, jade, and some wood.¡±


    The Empress¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Jingzhao Prefecture is the ancient capital of the previous dynasty and a prosperous ce. Considering they have seized countless antiques, that¡¯s worth plenty of money.¡±


    Mu Yangling said in amusement, ¡°Your Highness, why are you saying the same thing as my sister-inw? Indeed, those things can¡¯t be bought even if you have money. But the key is that no one is willing to use money to buy them now. Those things can¡¯t be eaten, so they can only be passed down to future generations. However, seeing as there are wars every few days, who knows if those things can be kept?¡±


    How could those things be measured by money?


    The Empress looked at Mu Yangling with disdain.


    A pce maid behind her served the Empress a cup of tea. The Empress came back to her senses and said with a smile, ¡°Ah Ling, you must be coaxing me. Even if those things can¡¯t be exchanged for silver, he shouldn¡¯t be so poor as to borrow money from you, right?¡±


    Mu Yanglingined, ¡°Why not? Qi Haoran¡¯s sry and monthly allowance aren¡¯t much. Putting everything else aside, he has a fondness for precious daggers and expensive horses. Since a fine horse costs nearly 1,000 taels of silver, he has to splurge an entire month¡¯s sry and monthly allowance on one. Once, he spent more than 400 taels of silver on a short dagger for me. He didn¡¯t have enough money, so he could only snatch Wu Jin¡¯s money. Because of this, Magistrate Wu went to Big Brother Qi toin. Big Brother Qi hung him up and beat him up for two days.¡±


    Of course, that was not the case. The truth was that when arge number of refugees surged into Xingzhou Prefecture back then, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s recruitment of troops resulted in an emergency shortage of military rations. Everyone ran out of food, but as long as they made it through another seven to eight days, they would be able to harvest the crops. Just as Qi Xiuyuan was wondering if he needed to borrow money from loan sharks to buy grains, Qi Haoran directly brought people to ¡°borrow¡± grains from the grain warehouse of Xingzhou Prefecture. When he returned, he happened to bump into Wu Jin. Afraid that he would shout and cause a storm in the city, he arrested Wu Jin and found more than 400 taels of silver after searching him.


    When Magistrate Wu came to look for his son, Qi Xiuyuan promised to make up for what he took from the grain warehouse after the autumn harvest, but the grains that had been snatched back by Qi Haoran naturally went into the storeroom of the West Camp.


    Magistrate Wu naturally did not agree to let it go, and Qi Xiuyuan was forced into a corner. If word got out, it might escte into a serious matter. The lightest punishment for his younger brother¡¯s crime of robbing the grain warehouse would be exile. If this blew up, it would even involve the entire Qi n.


    Fortunately, Magistrate Wu also knew that he would not be in a good position if this matter blew up, so he could only suppress his anger and negotiate with


    Qi Xiuyuan.


    In order to shut him up, Qi Xiuyuan could only hang Qi Haoran up and beat him up. In order to make the act look real, he even hung him up for two days. Of course, this was only how it appeared to Magistrate Wu and the others. The truth was that Qi Haoran had only put on clothes covered in whip marks and smeared with rabbit blood when Magistrate Wu came.


    The reason was that Qi Haoran had snatched Wu Jin¡¯s money.


    Later on, Qi Haoran did use that sum of money to buy a short dagger, but he didn¡¯t give it to Mu Yangling and used it himself. Then, he saved some money to buy a dagger for Mu Yangling.


    ¡°If they¡¯re so poor, aren¡¯t the soldiers in the military camp even poorer?¡± Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Your Highness, how can the soldiers in the military camppare to them? No matter how poor they are, they still wear silk clothes and eat mountain delicacies. There¡¯s enough meat. If they want to eat rice, they can eat rice. If they want to eat steamed buns, they can eat steamed buns. Meanwhile, the soldiers in the military camp are wearing the military uniforms issued from above. Their personal clothes are repeatedly patched and continued to be worn so long as it¡¯s not tattered. They¡¯ll be satisfied if they can have one meat dish every ten days and two pieces of meat in each meat dish.¡±


    The Empress widened her eyes. ¡°Uh, if life is so tough, where did all the military sries given by the Imperial Court go?¡±


    Li Jinghua, who was originally worried, had long rxed. She lowered her head and sat at the side. Who said that Mu Yangling was not smart? At least her performance today was better than hers.


    Sounding her out?


    How could they tell if Mu Yangling was telling the truth? If she didn¡¯t happen to know the truth about this, she would probably believe it without a doubt. If Mu Yangling could tell 70% of the truth about every matter, maybe that¡¯s fine. However, she was very shrewd. The 70% that she spoke truthfully about consisted of just unimportant stuff, while the most crucial 30% was reced with fake information. The royal family would be able to find out the general situation with a simple investigation, but they would not know which parts were true. With the previous exnation as a foundation, even the most suspicious person would somewhat believe it.


    Li Jinghua was relieved. However, she would secretly re at her from time to time so that the Empress would misunderstand that she did not want Mu Yangling to reveal these things.


    When the Empress saw this, she turned slightly and waved at Mu Yangling.


    ¡°You know so much. Come,e to my side and tell me.


    Mu Yangling went forward without any restraint. The Empress asked her to sit down with her back facing Li Jinghua. This way, Mu Yangling would not be able to see what Li Jinghua was signaling. ¡°The Imperial Court gives out a lot of military sry every year. Didn¡¯t they receive it?


    The expression of the Emperor behind the screen darkened, but Mu Yangling was overjoyed. She shook her head in confusion and said, ¡°There¡¯s no military sry. My father used to be a sectionmander and never received a military sry. He only received a military sry after bing apanymander, but still it¡¯s very little. It¡¯s only five taels of silver a year.¡±


    The Empress frowned. ¡°Did the higher-ups pocket it?¡±


    Mu Yangling tilted her head and thought for a moment, then waved her hand nonchntly and said, ¡°Who knows? Anyway, Qi Haoran doesn¡¯t have a share, but his sry hasn¡¯t been deducted at all. Big Brother Qi¡¯s sry hasn¡¯t been deducted either, so there are still benefits to having a high official position. Others won¡¯t dare to deduct their sry.¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s no money, what about the armaments?


    ¡°I know that.¡± Mu Yangling said excitedly, ¡°The West Camp will purchase some and the various divisions will settle the rest themselves.¡± As the topic became more and more confidential, the Empress smiled and said, ¡°General Qi must be biased towards Assistant Commander Qi. I heard that he dotes on this younger brother very much.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. The West Camp¡¯s good military equipment has been sent to the 1st and 2nd Division because they have to be the vanguard in every war. Brother Haoran¡¯s 5th Division is only in charge of taking in the old, weak, sick, and disabled. Less than one-fifth of them have military equipment.¡± The Empress narrowed her eyes. ¡°How did you know this? Did Assistant Commander Qi tell you this too?¡±


    ¡°No, I know it myself,¡± Mu Yangling replied matter-of-factly.


    -How can you know them yourself when no one told you these things?¡± The Empress stared intently at Mu Yangling.


    However, Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°Because I helped him manage the ounts. Brother Zijin was originally in charge of the logistics in Brother Haoran¡¯s 5th Division, but he had to study and do business, so he no longer had the time for that. The logistics department was extremely corrupt and greedy. He was impatient to check the ounts, so he handed me the ounts and asked me to help him out with it. I often went to the camp to look for him, so I naturally knew¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah Ling.¡± Li Jinghua suddenly looked at the Empress with a pale face and said apologetically, ¡°Your Highness, I suddenly feel a little unwell. Perhaps the child in my stomach is making a fuss. Ah Ling,e and help me up.


    Mu Yangling hurriedly went forward to support her. The pce maid who brought tea to the Empress nodded anxiously. Smiling, the Empress said, ¡°Since you¡¯re not feeling well, let Ah Ling bring you to the side hall to rest for a while. The imperial physician will be here soon..¡±

 Chapter 438 - 438: Edict

    Chapter 438: Edict


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After Mu Yangling helped Li Jinghua to the side hall, a person walked out from behind the screen. It was the Emperor in bright yellow clothes.


    The Empress walked down from the soft couch. ¡°Your Majesty, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to investigate and find out if she¡¯s telling the truth. ¡°Looking at Madam Li¡¯s anxious expression, she most likely wasn¡¯t lying.¡± The Empress thought for a moment and said, ¡°Your Majesty, Madam Mu¡¯s eyes are pure. She doesn¡¯t seem like a scheming person.¡±


    The Emperor nodded slightly. ¡°Send out the orders to the Li family tomorrow and give the sisters-inw some rewards. Just leave them alone until I confirm it.¡±


    The Empress agreed with a smile.


    The Emperor left from the other side and went to the imperial study to see Qi


    Haoran.


    Li Jinghua tightened her grip on Mu Yangling. Mu Yangling feigned an anxious look, but her fingers imperceptibly knocked on her wrist twice. Li Jinghua was relieved.


    After the imperial physician checked Li Jinghua¡¯s condition and said that there was nothing wrong, the pce maid came over to send the two of them away. Because Li Jinghua had affected her fetal qi previously, a carriage was sent over to carry her to the pce entrance.


    Mu Yangling happily helped Li Jinghua up and happily followed her out of the pce. The pce maids who followed her felt that she was truly a carefree person.


    Qi Haoran was already waiting at the entrance of the pce. Seeing that Li Jinghua was actually sitting in a carriage, he looked at her stomach worriedly.


    Mu Yangling jumped up and said, ¡°Sister-inw is fine. It¡¯s just that my nephew is disobedient and is making a fuss in her stomach.


    Qi Haoran was relieved. After distributing the reward money, he brought them back.


    Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua sat in the carriage while Qi Haoran rode beside them. Halfway through the journey, Li Jinghua let out a long sigh and tapped Mu Yangling¡¯s forehead. ¡°I finally know why your Big Brother Qi keeps saying that you¡¯re bold and asked me to keep a close eye on you when we get to the capital. You¡¯re incredibly bold to say all those things in front of her.¡±


    Mu Yangling also heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Fortunately, Sister-inw, you stopped me. Otherwise, I would have exposed myself if I continued. Even if I didn¡¯t expose myself, they would definitely suspect me if I revealed so many secrets at once.¡±


    ¡°Will they find out that you¡¯re lying?¡± Li Jinghua asked worriedly.


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡± Mu Yangling said confidently, ¡°If they do investigate, they¡¯ll only trust me more.¡±


    Only when they returned to the residence and Qi Haoran knew that Li Jinghua had been pretending, did he feel relieved. Then, heined, ¡°At least you could have a long chat with the Empress. I, on the other hand, sat on the cold bench for God knew how long. When I saw Your Majesty, he only said a few words to me before dismissing me. But I did manage to hand over the memorial.¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°The Emperor wasn¡¯t in the imperial study?¡± The pce maids who had gone up to serve tea kept giving her a strange feeling that she couldn¡¯t shake off.


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    However, Mu Yangling asked happily, ¡°What did the Emperor say when you handed over the memorial?¡±


    Qi Haoran grinned. ¡°He only praised me briefly before epting it. I think he¡¯ll most likely agree.¡±


    If the Emperor heard this, he would definitely cry. He had actually scolded Qi Haoran jokingly, but Qi Haoran treated it as apliment.


    Li Jinghua didn¡¯t have time to think about the strange feeling in her heart. She hurriedly asked, ¡°What memorial did you submit?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s a memorial to request a conferment for Ah Ling. Li Jinghua looked at the two of them speechlessly. How anxious. She had been married to Qi Xiuyuan for two years before Qi Xiuyuan asked to give her the title. Meanwhile, Mu Yangling had just married Qi Haoran for a few days.


    When Qi Xiuyuan was a third-grade official, he had asked for histe biological mother to be conferred an honorary title. Although she was already dead, it was still a glorious matter.


    Therefore, when he and Li Jinghua got married, he wanted to wait until after the new year before applying for the title for his wife. After all, he could not let the Ministry of Rites be busy all the time. It would be annoying.


    However, since Li Jinghua had been called back, it was naturally more convenient for her to do things since she had an official title. Hence, while Li Jinghua and the others were still on the way, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s memorial was already on the Emperor¡¯s desk.


    Usually, this kind of request would take about half a year no matter at the very least, so they simply threw it to the back of their minds. Who knew that the imperial edict woulde the next day?


    The entire family went out to receive the decree. On this day, Li Jinghua became honored as the madam of a Grade 2 official of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Mu Yangling¡¯s request to be conferred a title was also approved and she became a Grade 4 reverentdy.


    Following the imperial edict were some rewards from the Empress. Though not worth much, it was an honor to receive these rewards. Madam Wu and the others were green with jealousy.


    Previously Madam Wu had also been conferred a title. Back then, when Qi Feng requested it, he had waited for a full three years before it was approved. It was only when the Wu family spent money to bribe people from the Ministry of Rites that it was settled. Because she did not have a marriage contract and there was no record in the government office, even if she was conferred a title, she did not dare to celebrate wantonly. The two families could only get together and secretly glee about it.


    But Madam Li and Madam Mu were too high-profile.


    Even Madam Wu was so jealous, let alone Madam Xu and Little Madam Wu. Qi Shaosheng was only a year younger than Qi Xiuyuan. In the past, he had looked down on Qi Xiuyuan for being a martial artist, but now that Qi Xiuyuan was already a second-grade feudal official, he was only a juren?. With his eyes lowered, Qi Shaosheng thought of this year¡¯s Spring Quarter Examinations and was determined to make it no matter what.


    Qi Shaotai¡¯s face was even paler. He red at Qi Haoran fiercely. He did not have much talent in studying. At the age of 20, he was only a xiucai?, and had not even passed the Fall Quarter Examinations two years ago¡­


    Qi Haoran did not care about them. After receiving the imperial edict, he stuffed money into the emissary¡¯s hand and sent him away.


    The imperial edict, official attire and other items would have to wait until after the seventh day of the lunar new year before someone woulde to measure and make them. Qi Haoran didn¡¯t expect the matter to be settled so quickly. To celebrate, he volunteered and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take you all out to stroll around Lin¡¯an Prefecture, and celebrate on the way.¡±


    Before Mu Yangling could agree happily, Li Jinghua shook her head and said, ¡°The Shu family of the Court of Judicial Review sent me an invitation to attend their residence¡¯s plum appreciation banquet. Ah Ling, do you want toe with me?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head subconsciously. ¡°I don¡¯t like this kind of banquet.¡± With that, she looked at her stomach.


    Li Jinghua quickly waved her hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Wen Cui and Wen Mian will be by my side. Since you¡¯re not going, you can go and y by yourselves.¡±


    Mu Yangling was silent for a moment before asking, ¡°Is the Shu family the Shu family that escaped from Jingzhao Prefecture back then?¡±


    Smiling, Li Jinghua replied, ¡°So you know. It¡¯s this Shu family. However, the Court of judicial Review¡¯s Shu Yong belongs to the legitimate branch. 16 years ago, the ones who escaped were from the side branch. But they¡¯re also doing well now. Because we¡¯re both from Jingzhao Prefecture, they sent me an invitation.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°Then go, Sister-inw. Juste back and tell me about the banquet. I¡¯m impatient to participate in this kind of thing.


    Li Jinghua agreed with a smile.


    Qi Haoran pulled his wife back into the house and asked, ¡°Could this Shu family be Mother-inw¡¯s maternal family?¡±


    ¡°Most likely.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at Mu Yangling carefully and asked, ¡°Do you want me to help you ask around?¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Mu Yangling waved her hand nonchntly and said, ¡°It¡¯s best if they don¡¯t recognize me either. I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with them.¡±

 Chapter 439 - 439: Taking Advantage

    Chapter 439: Taking Advantage


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Before Mu Yangling came, her father had told her to stay further away from the Shu family. Back then, the Shu family was probably the one who had stopped the Mu family from going south, forcing them to be a military household.


    Mu Yangling could most likely understand their thoughts. Her mother, Shu Wanniang, was already considered ¡°dead¡± to the Shu family. For the sake of the so-called dignity of the aristocratic family, they naturally did not want Shu Wanniang to have the chance to appear in front of others again.


    It was fine in the north. Anyway, it was far away and remote, and no one would go to the border. They could tolerate Shu Wanniang continuing to live there, but it was different in the south.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know if they had been sending people to keep an eye on them or if they knew about them by chance. But no matter which it was, at this moment, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with the Shu family. However, she had to gather the necessary information. Otherwise, what if she identally did something stupid?


    Li Jinghua was the most familiar with such banquets. Since she did not have to take care of Mu Yangling, she was more at ease. At this time, her pregnancy had already stabilized, and Mu Yangling and Qj Haoran were much less worried about her. Hence, the next day, everyone was divided into two groups. Li Jinghua went to that banquet while Mu Yangling went shopping with Qi


    Haoran.


    She was wearing an agarwood-colored brocade jacket with golden sleeves, as well as a simple white pleated skirt. Seeing that the weather was cold outside, she also put on a white rabbit fur scarf. Seeing that she looked good dressed like this, Spring trimmed her eyebrows slightly and lightly touched them up with some brow powder. She pped her hands and said, ¡°Fourth Madam, you¡¯re really pretty. With that tinge of rosiness on your fair face, you don¡¯t need any rouge at all.¡±


    Rain came over to take a look and smiled. ¡°Very pretty indeed.¡±


    Qi Haoran was also stunned when he saw Mu Yangling¡¯s attire. Then, heined, ¡°It¡¯s just a trip to the streets. Is there a need to dress up for so long? Alright, grab your cloak and let¡¯s go. Zijin must have waited for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you were going shopping with me today? Why did you call


    Zi Jin along?¡±


    ¡°He just opened a new restaurant and you have a share in it. Of course, you have to go take a look.¡± Qj Haoran held her hand nonchntly and walked out. When Steward Zhao saw the two of them, his face scrunched up. He bent over and said, ¡°Fourth Master, the carriages in the residence are all in use. Eldest Madam used one, Madam, Second Madam, and Third Madam used two more.


    Old Master also used one. What do you think¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran waved his hand nonchntly and said, ¡°Forget it, you may go. We don¡¯t need a carriage anymore.¡±


    Qi Haoran asked Fei Bai to bring his horse over. He got on the horse and carried Mu Yangling to sit in front of him. Mu Yanglingined in a low voice, ¡°If I had known earlier, I would have changed into lighter clothes and not worn a dress.¡±


    That way, she wouldn¡¯t have to sit sideways. It was very difficult to maintain this posture for a long time.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be there in a while. When we reach the street, we¡¯ll stroll all the way.¡± Lin¡¯an Prefecture was much more prosperous than Jingzhao Prefecture. After the new year, when the market opened, many people would go on the streets to y. They could not remain on a horse once they got on the mam street. Pedestrians also upied the horsene.


    instead of chasing the pedestrians away, Qi Haoran jumped off the horse and helped Mu Yangling down. He then left the horse to Fei Bai and held Mu Yangling¡¯s hand as they strolled slowly.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t think that there was anything wrong with holding hands, and Qi Haoran didn¡¯t notice it either. However, everyone looked over curiously from time to time. The sharp Mu Yangling turned around and saw everyone looking at the two of them holding hands. Understanding what was going on, she patted his hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go check out the string bags in front.¡± Qi Haoran followed closely behind. However,pared to these little trinkets, the two of them were more interested in food. Hence, they bought snacks and ate all the way to Fan Zijin¡¯s new restaurant. By the time they reached, both of them were full.


    Mu Yangling said regretfully, ¡°What¡¯s the main dish of the restaurant?¡±


    ¡°Huaiyang cuisine.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart ached even more. ¡°Huaiyang cuisine? Is there ¡®lion¡¯s head¡¯?


    If I had known earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have eaten so much just now.¡±


    Qi Haoran chuckled and waved his hand. ¡°We¡¯ll go back after dinner tonight.


    Mu Yangling was instantly satisfied.


    When the shopkeeper saw the two of them, he immediately weed them. He was transferred over from Hanzhong Prefecture by Fan Zijin and knew that there were three owners of this restaurant. Now that he saw these two, he hurriedly weed them respectfully.


    Looking around, Mu Yangling saw that there were many customers in the restaurant, and that two-thirds of the seats in the restaurant were upied. The two of them followed the shopkeeper to the office in the backyard.


    When Fan Zijin saw the two of them, he put down the ount book and held his forehead with a headache.


    Qi Haoran picked up the ount books on his table and stuffed them into Mu Yangling¡¯s hands. ¡°Let Ah Ling take care of these things.¡±


    Fan Zijin raised his eyebrows.


    Qj Haoran said, ¡°You should be participating in the Fall Quarter Examinations this year, right? Don¡¯t worry about these things. Just focus on studying in the academy.¡±


    Fan Zijin knocked on the table and said, ¡°The shopkeepers are familiar with the business of the restaurant and the dry goods shop, and just need to make some minor adjustments. It¡¯s good to let Ah Ling manage the ounts. If you have any questions, look for me.¡±


    Fan Zijin gestured for Yanmo to find the contract and said, ¡°Same old rules. The money for these shops in Jiangnan also came from us, so we¡¯ll split the profits like before. The contract is here. The two of you can sign it.¡± Qi Haoran grabbed the pen and was about to sign when Mu Yangling patted his hand and pushed the contract back. Fan Zijin looked at her in surprise.


    Mu Yangling said seriously, ¡°We can¡¯t ept this. You¡¯ve always been the one handling these businesses. Although they¡¯re set up using our profits, to be honest, we were also taking advantage of you with regards to the money we received from the north.¡±


    Speaking of this, Mu Yangling felt very embarrassed.


    In the beginning, she was indeed at a disadvantage when she worked with Fan Zijin. The profits were very small, but she had to contribute a lot. However, as Fan Zijin gradually expanded his business, the profits from rabbit farming only consisted of a small portion of the overall profits. However, Fan Zijin used those profits to expand his business to various industries. Other than restaurants, cloth shops, tea leaves, he even dabbled in the salt business in the north. The annual dividends had long exceeded the profits of her original investment n.


    It wasn¡¯t so bad for her since she had indeed put in a lot of effort after all. Qi Haoran, on the other hand, waspletely freeloading.


    No matter how thick-skinned Mu Yangling was, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to take advantage of Fan Zijin. Moreover, they were taking advantage of Fan Zijin all the way from the north to Jiangnan.


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°The business profits in Jiangnan are too great. Considering you¡¯ve invested so much effort, how can we still take advantage of you? So I think you should enjoy this benefit alone.¡± However, Fan Zijin did not appreciate it and said unhappily, ¡°This is the contract signed back then. We agreed that as long as we use the profits from our initial business to expand our business, we would all have a share in these businesses. Do you think I, Fan Zijin, am a despicable person who goes back on my word?¡±


    Qi Haoran was also very unappreciative. ¡°That¡¯s right, Ah Ling. Our businesses have always been tied together. How can we split up now?¡±


    Mu Yangling was furious at Qi Haoran for not having any self-awareness. ¡°But you can¡¯t keep taking advantage of Zijin.¡±


    Fan Zijin said angrily, ¡°I¡¯m willing to let Haoran take advantage of me. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    Qi Haoran also nodded fiercely. ¡°Ah Ling, Zijin doesn¡¯t care about this. I¡¯ve taken advantage of him since I was young. Anyway, he earns a lot of money. If you feel bad, we can return it when we earn money in the future.


    Fan Zijin waved his hand and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need you to pay me back. I¡¯m happy to use my money on you.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the two of them speechlessly. It turned out that she was the viin in the end. After some thought, she decided to just ept it. She could only return it when she had the chance in the future..

 Chapter 440 - 440: Apology

    Chapter 440: Apology


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran pulled Mu Yangling aside and said, ¡°Although we¡¯re married, we can¡¯t be distant from Zijin.¡±


    Mu Yangling said speechlessly, ¡°Don¡¯t you feel uneasy taking advantage of him?¡±


    Qi Haoran asked nkly, ¡°Why should I feel uneasy?¡±


    Mu Yangling stared at him for a while and realized that he was really confused. She asked curiously, ¡°If Zijin marries in the future, what if his wife has something to say about it?¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re underestimating Zijin too much. He¡¯s not someone who can be controlled by a woman.¡±


    ¡°But you still can¡¯t let him be estranged from his wife because of this. Since Zijin treats you so well, you have to be considerate of him too.¡±


    Qi Haoran said nonchntly, ¡°If he suggests it, we won¡¯t take advantage of him anymore. As long as he doesn¡¯t mention it, well continue to take advantage of him.¡±????????????? <sup>b</sup>


    Mu Yangling instantly doubted her judgment. Could it be that she had actually chosen a scumbag?


    She sized Qi Haoran up and didn¡¯t realize that he had such potential. Wasn¡¯t he screwing over his pal too much?


    Seeing that she was silent, Qi Haoran thought that she was insisting, so he said seriously, ¡°Ah Ling, you won¡¯t go wrong listening to me. If you take the initiative to not take advantage of him, it will sadden him.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°I¡¯m saddening him by doing this?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you making us feel distant? It¡¯s just some advantages. I¡¯ve taken advantage of him even more. Besides,¡± Qi Haoran said in an almost inaudible voice, in the future, all this money will be invested in the West Camp. Well still be the ones taking advantage.¡±


    Rather than quietly taking advantage of Zijin like that, it would be better to take advantage of him openly. At least in the end, everyone would know that they owed Zijin, and it would be easier for Zijin to im credit when they were awarded for their contributions in the future.


    Mu Yangling opened her mouth wide, then closed it again. In the end, she nodded and said, ¡°Alright, I was short-sighted and narrow-minded.¡±


    Qi Haoran raised his head proudly and said smugly, ¡°Even without what happened after that, I can take advantage of him whenever I want.¡± When the two of them came out, Fan Zijin still looked sulky. Seeing this, Mu Yangling apologized. She deeply reflected on her dirty thoughts and apologized for tainting his and Qi Haoran¡¯s pure brotherhood. She swore that she would never stop Qi Haoran from taking advantage of him in the future.


    Only then did Fan Zijin¡¯s expression look better. Fan Zijin reluctantly forgave Mu Yangling, but behind her back, he still said angrily, ¡°Am I that petty?¡± Qi Haoran bent down and shook his head repeatedly. ¡°No, Cousin is the most generous.¡±


    ¡°She simply wanted to sow discord. She couldn¡¯t stand to see that we brothers are close.¡±


    Qi Haoran hurriedly shook his head and said, ¡°Ah Ling isn¡¯t such a person. She just feels embarrassed because she keeps taking advantage of you.¡± Fan Zijin pursed his lips in disdain. ¡°Haven¡¯t you taken advantage of me enough? When have I ever minded?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I scolded her just now. She definitely won¡¯t dare to mention this matter again in the future,¡± Qi Haoran said indignantly.


    Fan Zijm looked at him suspiciously. ¡°You scolded her? Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. Since she¡¯s already sincerely admitted her mistake, Cousin, please forgive her.¡±


    Only then did Fan Zijin notice how Qi Haoran addressed him. He pursed his lips in disdain and sat on the chair with a cup of tea. ¡°Keep bragging. Can you bear to scold her? How about this? If you can scold her in front of me, I¡¯ll agree to forgive her.¡±


    Qi Haoran was stunned. Then, he jumped up and said, ¡°How could you do this?¡± Fan Zijin pursed his lips and said calmly, ¡°I knew you were coaxing me. I won¡¯t forgive her if you don¡¯t scold her.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll go back and scold her again. If I scold her outside, won¡¯t she lose face?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t mind her crying,¡± Fan Zijin said.


    ¡®But I mind.¡¯


    Seeing that Qi Haoran¡¯s face had turned red from holding it in, the frustration in Fan Zijin¡¯s heart after being provoked by his stepbrother for so many days finally dissipated. Indeed, as long as he wasn¡¯t happy, he could bully Qi Haoran. Fan Zijin waved his hand generously and said, ¡°Alright, go do what you have to do. Get Ah Ling toe over every three days for an inspection and check the ounts every ten days. After the i<sub>5</sub>th, I¡¯ll go to the academy and start to study in seclusion.¡±


    Fan Zijin sneered and said, ¡°Does he really think he can ride on my head just because I haven¡¯t been in Lin¡¯an Prefecture for a few years?¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately asked, ¡°Did Fan Zixiao bully you again? I¡¯ll help you teach him a lesson.¡±


    Fan Zijin waved his hand and said, ¡°Can he bully me? But it¡¯s really annoying to have him constantly jump around me. I can take the opportunity to move out to study at the academy.¡±


    If it was in the past, even if Fan Zijin was disgusted, he would still insist on staying in the Fan Manor. If he wasn¡¯t at ease, he didn¡¯t want the others to livefortably either. However, on the trip back, his eldest cousin¡¯s ambitions would constantly appear in his mind. Why did he have to be calcte with those people when his world was so vast?


    Why should he waste time on those people?


    Therefore, Fan Zijin decided to move out this time so that he could live morefortably and focus more energy and time on his own matters.


    Fan Zijin asked in a low voice, ¡°Didn¡¯t Eldest Cousin give you a mission? You can¡¯t just focus on ying.¡±


    Qi Haoran promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already started on it. If I don¡¯t go around and y, I really won¡¯t be able to go about tackling it.¡±


    That was true. Qi Haoran had just returned and there were still many people watching him. It was a little difficult for him to do anything now, so he could only y around.


    The two of them discussed some things before parting ways.


    Mu Yangling had already flipped through half of the ount book. When she saw the two of theme out, she closed the booklet and was a little embarrassed when facing Fan Zijin. Fan Zijin waved his hand indifferently and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the business in Jiangnan to you next year.¡±


    ¡°A year? Isn¡¯t it enough until the end of the Fall Quarter Examinations?¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at her in disdain. ¡°After the Fall Quarter Examinations is the Spring Quarter Examinations. Do you think I have time to manage these things? If you¡¯re going to manage these things, you naturally have to manage them until the end of the Spring Quarter Examinations next year.¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are you so confident that you¡¯ll definitely pass the Spring Quarter Examinations next year?¡±


    Fan Zijin couldn¡¯t even be bothered to reply.


    Mu Yangling was about to be defeated by their arrogance. The two cousins were surprisingly simr in this aspect.


    Fan Zijin said, ¡°Considering two years¡¯ Spring Quarter Examinations will be held together, Lin¡¯an Prefecture will probably be very lively this year and next Didn¡¯t you want to buynd? You can look for it now. You might be able to find a good deal. If you want to buy more, you can look again after the Spring Quarter Examinations. There might be a surprise.¡±


    ¡°Why before and after the Spring Quarter Examinations?¡±


    Fan Zijin revealed a mouthful of white teeth and said, ¡°That¡¯s because before and after the Spring Quarter Examinations, many students need money to buy connections. There are always students from Lin¡¯an who don¡¯t have enough money and need to sell theirnd to raise money.¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned. Then, she nodded thoughtfully and asked, ¡°Will anyone sell test questions?¡±


    Fan Zijin rolled his eyes and looked at Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran hurriedly exined, ¡°Ah Ling, this is cheating. Once it appears, corpses will be everywhere. Don¡¯t talk nonsense. Those students just pay and use their connections to find out who the main examiner is. Then, they will spend a lot of money to buy his previous essays and theories to read..¡¯<sup>1</sup>

 Chapter 441 - 441: Checking Out Land

    Chapter 441: Checking Out Land


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Within two days after Mu Yangling took over Fan Zijin¡¯s business, she started to get people to inquire about the farmsteads outside Lin¡¯an City. Regardless of whether they were big or small, good or bad, they were all brought over for her to see.


    This was because she suddenly realized that their expenses were very high. Qi Haoran went out every day, and would either drink and ride horses with his former friends or run around the streets. She also took the opportunity to help Li Jinghua inspect the shops.


    The banknotes in the box were depleting quickly. At this rate, all the money would be gone in less than half a year.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know what Qi Haoran was doing, but she guessed that it had something to do with Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s matter, so she didn¡¯t ask.


    Though she didn¡¯t ask, she had to earn money.


    Fan Zijin¡¯s businesses looked good now, but to earn money, it would take at least two months to breakeven on the costs before they could officially turn a profit.


    However, she could not rely on Fan Zijin for money anymore, so Mu Yangling decided that it was best to buy some farnd before spring plowing.


    In business, she could only manage the ount books and did not have any good ideas. However, she had many ideas about farming. Moreover, it was very sustainable. Since she wanted to earn money, she naturally had to choose what she was best at.


    Mu Yangling changed her clothes early in the morning and went out. When Madam Xu saw her, she smiled and asked, ¡°Sister-inw, are you going to Fortune Restaurant again?¡±


    Mu Yangling stopped in her tracks and nodded with a smile. ¡°Second Sister-inw, are you going out too?¡±


    Madam Xu forced a smile and said reluctantly, ¡°I¡¯ve made an appointment with the madams to go to the jewelry store to look at jewelry.¡±


    ¡°In that case, have a good shopping trip, Second Sister-inw. I¡¯ll leave first.¡±


    Madam Xu opened her mouth, wanting to suggest they leave together. However, when she saw Mu Yangling¡¯s cold expression, she was not thick-skinned enough to suggest it.


    Seeing Mu Yangling leave, Madam Xu felt as if a rock had been stuck in her heart. She turned to the servant girl and said, ¡°Go and tell Madam that Fourth Madam has left and I couldn¡¯t stop her.¡±


    Although she was also jealous of Madam Li and Madam Mu, Qi Haoran was very domineering. She felt that since the two sides were already living separately, there was really no need to provoke them anymore. Anyway, her father-inw was on their side.


    Moreover, Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran were both in the military, unlike Second Master and Third Master who were taking the Imperial Examination. Even if they weren¡¯t a happy family because of their conflict, they could just coexist peacefully. She saw no need to provoke them all the time.


    However, she had no choice but to listen to her mother-inw¡¯s orders. Madam Xu could guess that her mother-inw had taken a fancy to their money.


    The Qi family could only be considered a middle-ss family, and her father-inw had been an imperial censor for almost ten years. Although he was not pure and wless as an official, he was still considered honest and did not ept a single cent that he should not have taken. Therefore, the Qi family was really not rich. If it was in the past and everyone lived like this, they would not have had anyints.


    But things had changed now that Madam Li and Madam Mu were here.


    Firstly, Madam Li was a daughter of an aristocratic family. Even if her maternal family had fallen into difficult times, she still had plenty of good stuff. Just the different jewelry she wore every day was enough evidence of that. In addition, some of the fine fabrics she owned could not even be bought with money. Even though she had only been in the capital for a short time, she had already surpassed them and entered the upper-ss society.


    It had to be known that they had always only interacted with middle-ss families of the same rank. They had never been invited to banquets like that hosted by the Shu family and the Yuan family. Even the Yan family, who had always been famous for their noble status, had also sent an invitation to Madam Li.


    One had to know that Grand Tutor Yan was one of the three Dukes. He was one of the rare few who could point at the Emperor¡¯s nose and scold him. In the past, the Qi family could not even get anywhere near the Yan family¡¯s door.


    It would be fine if just Madam Li was like this. But as it turned out, Madam Mu, who Madam Xu had thought was a country bumpkin, wasn¡¯t much inferior. Although she did not wear much jewelry, the few pieces she did wear were extremely exquisite. Now, she was even helping Fan Zijin manage his business.


    But even though Madam Xu was jealous, she was unwilling to provoke them.


    Judging from Qi Haoran¡¯s attitude towards his father-inw, the two brothers probably did not care too much about this father of theirs. If she angered them, her father-inw would be fine since he was after all their father, but her husband did not have close brotherly ties with them. Considering one was a second-grade feudal official, and the other was a High Schr, it was obvious who would win.


    Hence, Madam Xu always subconsciously humbled herself when facing Madam Li and Madam Mu.


    Mu Yangling left the Qi Manor and went straight to the restaurant. After changing a carriage in the restaurant, she left the city through the back door. This time, she was going to check out a farmstead outside the city.


    The agent who introduced them was riding a donkey at the side. After Mu Yangling got off the carriage, he hurriedly ran up and said, ¡°Madam, look at this area. It¡¯s a total of 20 acres, all high-gradend.¡±


    Spring said unhappily, ¡°This is too small. Didn¡¯t they say that there¡¯s a farmstead? How can we build a farmstead on just 20 acres ofnd?¡±


    The agent smiled apologetically and said, ¡°Miss, you might not know this, but this farmstead is built halfway up the hill. Look over there.¡±


    Spring widened her eyes and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that a mound of soil? It¡¯s actually a hill!¡±


    Spring could not be med for being surprised. There were many hills in the south, and this one was a small hill. There was only a straw hut built halfway up, and thend surrounding it was the 20 acres ofnd he had mentioned.


    The agent said embarrassedly, ¡°Miss, although this hill is small, the harvest is actually pretty good. The previous owner nted fruit trees there and has been reaping good harvests every year.¡±


    ¡°But where we came from, we buynd by the few hundred acres. This is only 20 acres. Isn¡¯t that too small an area? We want to build a big farmstead,¡± Spring said unhappily.


    The agent carefully took a look at Mu Yangling¡¯s expression and said, ¡°Miss, this is Lin¡¯an City. It¡¯s different from the North. Not to mention Lin¡¯an City, even the fields in Jiangnan are expensive, so it¡¯s very rare for them to be sold inrge areas. That is, unless a rich family encounters a cmity and wants to sell their family assets. But even if we encounter it, we won¡¯t have the ability to acquire it. It¡¯s already not bad to be able to chance upon this opportunity where they¡¯re selling all 20 acres at once.¡±


    The agent exined, ¡°You have to know that only retail investors are selling theirnd now. It¡¯s just one acre, two acres at once. It¡¯s very difficult to gather the plots ofnd together.¡±


    Mu Yangling walked along the ridge for a while before squatting down to pick up the soil in the field and crushing it. It was soft, gray, and ck. Thisnd was indeed of good quality.


    Mu Yangling pped her hands and stood up. She asked, ¡°How much are they asking?¡±


    ¡°14 taels of silver per acre,¡± the agent immediately replied.


    Speechless, Spring and Rain looked at each other. This was too expensive. In Hanzhong Prefecture, they could buy an acre of high-gradend with just four taels of silver.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart was also bleeding. This was really too expensive, especially when there was aparison.


    However, she also knew thatnd in Lin¡¯an was expensive. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°It¡¯s too expensive. Think of a way to bargain down their asking price. Last time, someone told me that some retail investors are only asking for 12 taels per acre.¡±


    ¡°Madam, but these 20 acres are connected. Look, that small river forms a semicircle around this piece ofnd¡­¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°To me, whether the seller sells one acre ofnd or 20 acres ofnd, they¡¯re retail investors to me. Perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯ve lived in the north for too long. Unless it¡¯s more than 100 acres ofnd, it¡¯s still a retail investor to me.¡±


    The agent choked. There was so muchnd in the north?


    Spring immediately said, ¡°Don¡¯t doubt her words. My madam¡¯s family¡¯s dozens of hectares ofnd are all connected. When you look over, all thatnd belongs to her family. Now that we suddenly see such a small piece ofnd, even if we know that it¡¯s because thend in Lin¡¯an is rare and expensive, we can¡¯t change our mindset for the time being.¡±


    Rain continued, ¡°Moreover, that doesn¡¯t justify costing two more taels of silver per acre..¡±

 Chapter 442 - 442: Choosing a Plot of Land

    Chapter 442: Choosing a Plot of Land


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The agent thought for a moment and said, ¡°If Madam can buy this hill, the seller should be willing to lower the price. I don¡¯t dare to guarantee he¡¯ll say yes to 12 taels per acre, but 13 taels shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked up at the small hill. It was really very small, quite different from the continuous mountains where she had hunted in the past. This was just a small hill, and its surface area was only about 15 to 16 acres.


    Looking around, Mu Yangling realized that there were about seven or eight such small hills nearby. They were not far from each other, but they were not that close either. If they could be connected, she might be able to liven up the scene. However, Mu Yangling still asked, ¡°How much is this hill?¡±


    ¡°The seller is only asking for 50 taels of silver. He¡¯ll sell this hill together with the grasnd at the foot of the hill.¡±


    This time, there was no need for Spring to widen her eyes. Mu Yangling chuckled and said, ¡°50 taels of silver? I also have a hill like this. If he wants to buy it, I can sell it to him.¡±


    Spring looked at him from head to toe and went forward to hold Mu Yangling¡¯s hand. ¡°Fourth Madam, let¡¯s go back and go to another brokerage.¡±


    The agent immediately felt a little awkward. He probably knew that his asking price was a little high, so he hurriedly said, ¡°This was suggested by the seller. The price is indeed a little high. If Madam is interested in buying it, I can discuss with them and lower the price.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t even bother this time. She turned around and got into the carriage, then said, ¡°My time is limited and I can¡¯te out all the time. The next time you introduce me, it¡¯s best to set a reasonable price. You can tell the seller that I¡¯ll buy thisnd for 12 taels of silver per acre. I¡¯ll only pay 40 taels of silver at most for the hill, including the straw hut and fruit trees on the hill. If he¡¯s willing, you cane to me again. If not, forget it.¡±


    Mu Yangling lowered the curtain and ordered her servants to leave.


    The agent tried to persuade them for a long time but to no avail. He felt a little regretful. He shouldn¡¯t have introduced this deal to them just because they were from the north.


    This piece ofnd had been on sale in their brokerage for half a year, but it had not been sold because the price was too high.


    Spring was furious. ¡°Fourth Madam, they¡¯re bullying us because we¡¯re not familiar with Lin¡¯an City. How dare they ask for 50 taels of silver for such a tiny hill? It¡¯s even more expensive than high-gradend.¡±


    Rain nced at her and said, ¡°That¡¯s in the north¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the north? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with the north. At least we have a lot ofnd there. We can buy three acres ofnd in the north for every acre here.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Alright, considering there are fewer people in Jiangnan, it¡¯s reasonable for it to be more expensive. We have to ept the prices here now. When we go back, check out two other brokers. Since there¡¯s so littlend here, clearly, it¡¯s not enough to buy just one farmstead.¡±


    Moreover, this was different from the nortnds in terms of secrecy.


    Mu Yangling had a headache. Since she wanted to experiment with new seeds, she had to keep experimenting. Therefore, it was clearly impossible to buy scatterednd. If her experimental plot attracted worms or even more stubborn weeds, wouldn¡¯t the owners of thend beside hers suffer as well? Furthermore, it was easy for there to be disputes.


    Another thing was that because the experiments were unstable, she needed to control the area of the experiment at all times. She could not possibly send someone to ask the owner of an adjacent field to help irrigate the fields when her experiment plots needed watering, right?


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°We have to buy arge farmstead. It¡¯s best if it¡¯s the kind with more than too acres ofnd connected together. That way, it¡¯ll be more secretive. Otherwise, others will easily know everything we do.¡±


    It had to be known that when she was doing experiments in Xingzhou Prefecture, as long as she didn¡¯t say anything, no one would know what she was tinkering with. This was because hernd was really too vast. Even the Hu family, whosend was closest to her family¡¯snd, could only see a ck shadow when they looked over. No one knew what they were doing.


    Spring was worried. There were plenty of such ces in the north, but what could they do in Lin¡¯an City?


    The group of people were worried. The next day, the agent came to the restaurant again and said respectfully, ¡°The seller has already agreed to reduce the price. We¡¯ll deal ording to the price Madam offered. However, they want the money immediately, so¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a total of 280 taels. I¡¯ll pay immediately after the procedures arepleted.¡±


    Mu Yangling gestured to Rain, who immediately opened a small box and counted out enough silver to hand over to the agent.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°This piece ofnd is still too small. I want something bigger.¡±


    She thought for a moment and said, ¡°I don¡¯t ask that thend is extremely fertile. It¡¯s fine even if it¡¯s mixed with medium-grade and low-gradend. The most important thing is that it¡¯s big enough. When the farmstead is built, we can go there to avoid the summer heat.¡±


    It would be better if the farmstead included all three types ofnd, so that the experiments would be moreprehensive.


    The agent thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Madam, what if thosends include hills?¡± He quickly exined, ¡°Not the kind of mountains with beautiful scenery, but something simr to the ones we saw yesterday¡ªsmall hills.¡±


    ¡°How big is thend?¡±


    It s quite big, but it covers arge area of riverside depressions. The seller requested for the buyer to buy it together, so¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but sit up straight and ask, ¡°A depression by the river? How big is it?¡±


    ¡°There are three small hills connected. In total, it¡¯s about 500 acres.¡±


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t anyone want such a huge piece of connectednd?¡±


    The agent smiled in embarrassment and said, ¡°This piece ofnd belongs to a steward from Minister Qin¡¯s family. The price is a little high, and the condition of thend is a little bad, so there haven¡¯t been any takers so far.¡±


    ¡°Minister Qin¡¯s steward? Wasn¡¯t it said that ves can¡¯t have private assets?¡± Mu Yangling turned her head and asked Spring curiously.


    Spring said, ¡°Fourth Madam, the silver reward you gave us is ours. Naturally, you can take it back.¡±


    Spring said in a dilemma, but very few masters did this.


    Rain nced at her and exined in a low voice, ¡°However, there are usually very few ves who can buy property outside. Logically speaking, they shouldn¡¯t be able toplete the transaction with just one document.¡±


    However, this world never did everything in perfect ordance with thew. If everything was really done ording to thew, there wouldn¡¯t be so many troublesome matters in this world.


    Mu Yangling nodded and asked the agent, ¡°How much is his asking price?¡± ¡°Including the hills and the depressions by the river, it¡¯s a total of 508 acres. He asked for 2,000 taels,¡± the agent said carefully.


    This time, it was their turn to be surprised. ¡°Considering it¡¯s such arge area, it doesn¡¯t sound very expensive.¡±


    The agent smiled bitterly. ¡°You¡¯ll understand once you go and take a look.¡±


    Did this mean that the situation of thend was terrible?


    ¡°Other than this one, are there any otherrge plots ofnd?¡±


    ¡°Madam, since you¡¯re straightforward, I won¡¯t hide it from you. Actually, one never has to fret about being unable to sell theirnd in Lin¡¯an City because many wealthy families have always been collectingnd. Scattered plots ofnd are fine since those families don¡¯t care about 10 to 20 acres. However, once it exceeds 50 acres, suchnd won¡¯t even have the chance to be published. The brokers will directly take it to those families and let them choose. Therefore, therge plots ofnd outside are all leftovers that those families didn¡¯t want. The condition is pretty bad, and the price can¡¯t be lowered.


    Because of this, everyone would rather buy scatterednd than spend money to buy those leftoverrge plots. The gains don¡¯t make up for the losses.¡±


    The agent thought for a moment and continued, ¡°For example, this Steward Liu¡¯snd, the hills and depressions take up more than half of the total area. That¡¯s not all-the remainingnd is also sandwiched between the mountains. After careful calction, only about too acres of thend can be cultivated. The rest are all wastnd. On top of the high asking price, we haven¡¯t been able to sell it..¡±

 Chapter 443 - 443: Retreat

    Chapter 443: Retreat


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Outside the West City of Lin¡¯an City, there was a river called Clear River. Clear River circled around Treasure Mountain and faced Darning Mountain. Thend that the agent mentioned was beside Clear River. The depressions by the river and three small hills upied about 300 acres. The remaining 200 acres consisted about 50 acres between the hills. Mu Yangling had gone to take a look. The 150 acres that came from the depressions were not bad,prising high, medium, and low-gradends.


    The depression by the river was about 120 acres. In her previous life, suchnd could be developed into andscape or park, but now, this kind ofnd could not be farmed.


    Digging a gully to drain the water out would probably allow them to obtain more fertile fields. However, that would destroy the wend¡¯s environment. Moreover, it would take a lot of manpower and resources. Mu Yangling did not think that there was a need to do that.


    Mu Yangling rode her horse around the vicinity. When she returned, she smiled at the agent and said, ¡°Tell Steward Liu that I¡¯m buying hisnd, but I still hope that you can lower the price, considering these riverside depressions can¡¯t be farmed.¡±


    ¡°Erm¡­¡± The agent was in a difficult position.


    Mu Yangling said slowly, ¡®TH give you half of however much you manage to


    bargain down.¡±


    The agent immediately said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Madam. I¡¯ll definitely do my best.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly and brought her servants back.


    Spring and Rain both knew how to ride horses, so the two of them took a step back from Mu Yangling and could not help but ask curiously, ¡°Fourth Madam, why did you buy this? The farmablend is only about 200 acres.


    Mu Yangling pointed in the direction of Darning Mountain and said with a smile, ¡°Look at the scenery there. Even though we can¡¯t afford thend there, it¡¯s not bad to live here and admire the scenery from here.¡±


    Spring and Rain looked at each other in disbelief. Fourth Madam was not someone who only liked to have fun.


    When Mu Yangling returned, she sent the two of them away and ran to Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s study to search for a map. She took out a piece of white paper and drew seriously.


    When Qi Haoran returned from outside reeking of alcohol, Mu Yangling was still in the study. He gulped down a pot of hangover soup beforeing to look for her.


    Mu Yangling pushed him away in disdain. ¡°Hurry up and take a shower and change your clothes. You stink.¡±


    Qi Haoran sat on Mu Yangling¡¯s seat in a sh. He burped and muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t think I stink.¡±


    He picked up the thing that Mu Yangling had drawn and shook his head. ¡°This is the fragrance of wine¡­¡± Qi Haoran paused and narrowed his eyes. After looking at the paper in his hand seriously, he looked at Mu Yangling in surprise. ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t mind that he was smelly anymore. She went to his side and whispered, ¡°How about it? Let¡¯s buy this farmstead and stay there for a period of time from time to time?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes sparkled as he nodded and said, ¡°Get someone to build it. After it¡¯s built, you can stay there with Sister-inw from time to time.¡±


    On the map, not only was there the piece ofnd that Mu Yangling had taken a fancy to today, but there was also a road map to get to the main road from there. Qi Haoran understood at a nce that that was the backup n that Mu Yangling nned to leave for them. From there, there were four official roads around Darning Mountain to get to the main road. No matter which direction they took, they would be able to return to Xingzhou Prefecture in the end.


    If something really happened one day, this would be one of their backup ns. It would be even better than the backup n that Big Brother had arranged for them previously.


    This was also the reason why Mu Yangling was willing to buy that piece ofnd. Regardless of whether it was profitable or not, she had to buy it.


    Qi Haoran picked up his pen and drew a circle at the bottom of the westernmost hill. ¡°Let¡¯s build the farmstead here.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°That¡¯s my intention, too. When the timees, well build houses on the east side for the farmers to live in. Fortunately, after we leave the city, well go east to west, so no one will see when wee out of the farmstead.¡±


    ¡°Build a bigger farmstead. When the timees, I¡¯ll send a few guards over,¡± Qi Haoran said in a low voice.


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Alright, but they have to know how to farm. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be too obvious if they stay in the farmstead.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded, then folded and burned the paper. ¡°Just keep it in your mind.¡±


    In the end, the agent helped them lower the price to 1,800 taels. Mu Yangling kept her promise and handed him 1,900 taels. Instead of handling it personally, she asked a restaurant steward to follow the agent toplete all the procedures.


    After the deal concluded, when Steward Liu realized that the person who bought thend was actually from the Qi family, he broke out in cold sweat. Although the Qin family and the Qi family were not enemies, they were definitely not on good terms. Wasn¡¯t he courting death by doing business with the Qi family at this time?


    Just as Steward Liu was about to take back thend, the restaurant steward said with a smile, ¡°The deal is done. It won¡¯t be right for Steward Liu to go back on your word.¡±


    Steward Liu¡¯s expression was ugly, but he watched him leave helplessly. If it were anyone else, he could still suppress them with his power, but he really couldn¡¯t suppress Qi Haoran.


    After Mu Yangling received the documents, she started to get people to buy servants and hire long-term workers. As for the steward of the farmstead, he was chosen from the people they brought. After all, this was a backup n, so she was naturally worried about handing the farmstead over to someone unfamiliar.


    Spring Quarter Examinations was in a month¡¯s time. Many people rushed into Lin¡¯an City, and even the ve market was much livelier. The chosen farmstead steward, Zhu Liang, bought 58 ves in one go. Most of them were single, and only four of them had families.


    Zhu Liang did not bring the ves back to the Qi Manor. Instead, he ordered them to build a shed at the foot of the mountain and start building the houses. These were Mu Yangling¡¯s dowry in name, so the Qi Manor had no right to touch them.


    Zhu Liang was Steward Zhu¡¯s eldest son. Needless to say, he was loyal to Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran. Unless he could disregard his parents, wife, and children in the north, he would not betray them. Therefore, Mu Yangling trusted him with this matter.


    Zhu Liang didn¡¯t understand why Fourth Young Master wanted him to manage the farmstead owned by Fourth Madam. Previously, he had been in charge of some intelligence stuff under Fourth Young Master, so it was impossible for him not to feel regretful.


    However, he bore in mind what his father had said. All he had to do was listen to his master, so no matter how resentful he was, he would not show it. He would do whatever Mu Yangling instructed him to do.


    ¡°Fourth Madam, I¡¯m afraid the long-term workers and those servants are not enough. Should we hire some tenants to rent out thend?¡± Zhu Liang asked. Having never recruited tenants before, Mu Yangling frowned slightly. She took out the map of the farmstead they were building and pointed to arger area in the east. ¡°We¡¯ll only rent this piece out, and use the long-term workers for the remainingnd. We can build more houses. In the future, the long-term workers will live here, separate from our people.¡±


    Mu Yangling pointed at the middle of the three hills and said, ¡°Other than the houses built, the remaining fields will be farmed by the servants. Don¡¯t let the tenantse to the farmstead easily.¡± Mu Yangling smiled. ¡°But don¡¯t make it too obvious. Alright, since the spring sowing is about to start, just assign half of the people to build houses. We have to start preparing to farm.¡±


    Zhu Liang became excited when he heard this. The tenant farmers were not allowed toe to the farmstead? Sounded like this farmstead was going to be of great use.. As expected, why else would Fourth Young Master bury his talents in the fields?

 Chapter 444 - 444: Doubt

    Chapter 444: Doubt


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    In order to build the farmstead, she spent money like water. Even though she knew that this was for the backup n, her heart couldn¡¯t help but ache.


    The Emperor, who had originally thought that they were just buying assets, couldn¡¯t help but think after receiving the list of their expenses. ¡°They¡¯re spending more than 2,600 taels on just a small farmstead?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they built many houses in the farmstead to house the servants and long-term workers. In addition to the development of the three hills, a total of nearly 500 taels of silver was gone. Including the farmstead that¡¯s under construction, they spent roughly that amount.¡±


    ¡°How much do they make in a year?¡±


    The secret guard thought for a moment and replied, ¡°Based on the yield per acre and grain pricesst year, 180 acres ofnd can only earn 800 taels of silver. This doesn¡¯t include the cost of farming.¡±


    The Emperor knocked on the table. ¡°So this is a loss-making business?¡±


    The secret guard lowered his head. ¡°Unless the Qi family has other uses for it, this business is not worth it.¡±


    The Emperor sneered. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask Qi Haoran what they think? These few days, Qi Xiuyuan has been writing to me every few days, wanting me to return Qi Haoran to the north.¡±


    The secret guard remained silent.


    ¡°How¡¯s the Yuan family?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no movement from the Yuan family at all. Although they¡¯re closer to Madam Li, they¡¯re not particrly close. They¡¯re both from military families, so there¡¯s nothing abnormal.¡±


    ¡°Then continue to keep an eye on them.¡± The Emperor waved his hand and dismissed the secret guard. Then, he summoned the emissary and asked him to summon Qi Haoran for an audience.


    Surprised that the Emperor would ask him about the farmstead, Qi Haoran tried his best to suppress it so that he wouldn¡¯t reveal any abnormalities.


    The Emperor asked with a smile, ¡°Everyone says that you¡¯ll lose money on that piece ofnd. Why did you buy it? Even if you want to apologize to Minister Qin, there¡¯s no need to do it in such a roundabout manner, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran, who was still thinking of a n, was stunned. He asked, ¡°Your Majesty, why should I apologize to Minister Qin?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you anger Minister Qin when you rejected the marriagest time? Geez, even if you wanted to apologize, you didn¡¯t have to buy his ve¡¯snd. Couldn¡¯t you just send some gifts over?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at the gossipy Emperor and said, ¡°You can¡¯t wrong me. I¡¯m a very unyielding person. Your Majesty, marriage requires mutual consent. I¡¯ve never shown any intention of marrying his daughter, much less abandoning her after having an affair. What¡¯s there to apologize for? I really bought that piece ofnd because I liked it.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s so good about that piece ofnd that you had to spend so much money to buy it?¡±


    Qi Haoran blurted out, ¡°Your Majesty, that¡¯s a treasurend.¡±


    The Emperor looked at him with bright eyes. ¡°But I heard that the hills and riverside depression alone take up 300 acres ofnd. How can it be a treasurend?¡±


    Qi Haoran could only brace himself and say, ¡°Although the riverside depressions can¡¯t be farmed, we can rear fish there. Also, we can nt fruit trees on the hills. In the end, those benefits might not be less than what we can reap from farming.¡±


    The Emperor looked at him suspiciously. Did he think he was a fool?


    Qi Haoran could only blush and say, ¡°Your Majesty, if you don¡¯t believe me, just wait. When winteres, you can see that the benefits of these hills and riverside depressions will definitely exceed that from farming.¡±


    Seeing that he couldn¡¯t get anything out of him, the Emperor could only nod and say, ¡°I¡¯m just asking. However, it¡¯s also possible that you have capable people under you who can generate ie.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately retorted, ¡°I don¡¯t have any capable people under me. I only listen to Madam Mu in such farming matters. She¡¯s very good at farming.¡±


    Seeing that the Emperor was smiling and not saying anything, Qi Haoran knew that he did not believe him. He could only emphasize it again and again. In the end, the Emperor was already sure that there was something fishy about their farmstead. Since Qi Haoran refused to reveal anything, he could only get someone to keep an eye on it. Hence, he waved his hand and asked Qi Haoran to leave.


    Qi Haoran left the pce dejectedly. His backup route had been exposed before it was evenpleted. What was going on?


    Qi Haoran was furious. Why was the Emperor watching him so intently?


    Wasn¡¯t it just a farmstead? There were so many ministers who bought property every year. There were even many who embezzled and bribed. Why didn¡¯t the Emperor keep an eye on those people instead?


    Qi Haoran returned home dejectedly and said to Mu Yangling, ¡°The Emperor has discovered that there¡¯s something wrong with our farmstead.¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned. ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Although they nned to use this farmstead as a backup n, they really hadn¡¯t done anything at this moment. They were only investing normally to construct the farmstead.


    Qi Haorany on the couch and said, ¡°How is that doing nothing? We¡¯ve spent so much money. The Emperor felt that it was strange, so he called me in to ask.¡±


    Mu Yangling said anxiously, ¡°Then did you admit it? Master, why were you so silly?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid?¡± Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, ¡°If I had admitted it, will I still be alive?¡±


    Qi Haoran said weakly, ¡°I lied to him that that piece ofnd is a treasurend. In the future, the profits from the hills and riverside depressions will be even greater than the profits from the arable fields. I don¡¯t believe this myself, let alone him. However, at least he didn¡¯t manage to find out why we bought this piece ofnd. Still, I think we should forget about using this as our backup route. In the future, I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll keep an eye on this farmstead.¡±


    However, Mu Yangling sat beside him and pondered. Then, she suddenly patted his back. ¡°Who said that the benefits of the riverside depressions and hills can¡¯t exceed the profits from farming?¡± Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°We can try to develop a three-dimensional agriculture industry!¡±


    Qi Haoran almost jumped up from being patted on the back. Hearing this, he was stunned and asked, ¡°What is three-dimensional agriculture?¡±


    Mu Yangling pulled out a piece of paper, dipped her brush in ink, and drew a few circles on it. She said, ¡°We can nt fruit trees on the hills. Of course, the profits from fruit trees might take two to three years, but the spacing between fruit trees is big. In the first two years, we can nt some soybeans, peanuts, and so on between them.¡±


    ¡°As for the riverside depression, we can ce a in our section of the river and raise fish there. The riverside depression upies more than 120 acres. Even if we can¡¯t develop thatnd for farming purposes, we can use it to raise ducks. Duck eggs and duck meat are also profitable. Don¡¯t we have more than 50 servants and many long-term workers? Let them do this during off-peak farming season.¡±


    Qi Haoran asked hesitatingly, ¡°Can ducks be raised in the riverside depression?¡±


    ¡°Of course. With such a big meadow, there¡¯s no need to even cover the nest. We can just raise free-range ducks. When the timees, we can just go straight to look for duck eggs. Ducks are raised in the water.¡±


    ¡°What about chickens? Can you raise chickens?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked down on Qi Haoran. ¡°Don¡¯t you know chickens are raised onnd? When have you ever seen chickens raised in the water?¡±


    ¡°Then can we raise chickens on the hills?¡± Qi Haoran asked casually.


    Mu Yangling was stunned for a moment. Then, she smiled and praised, ¡°You¡¯re really smart. Not bad. We can even raise chickens on the hills. This way, we can collect chicken eggs and use the chicken feces as fertilizer. However, since raising chickens requires a lot of grains, we can¡¯t raise too many. Perhaps we can nt some vegetables between the fruit trees. Considering this ce is so close to Lin¡¯an City, it¡¯ll be easy to sell the vegetables¡­¡±


    The more Mu Yangling thought about it, the more ideas came to mind. In the end, she ignored Qi Haoran and leaned on the table to write down her thoughts. She only finished it when it was time for dinner. After blowing dry the ink on the paper, she smiled and said, ¡°If we can turn thisnd into a treasurend, will the Emperor still keep an eye on us?¡±


    Qi Haoran thought for a moment and said, ¡°Unless the benefits of this treasurend are so considerable that the Emperor thinks that we¡¯re after this piece ofnd itself, he will still suspect us.¡±


    Mu Yangling said ambitiously, ¡°Just you wait. One day, I¡¯ll make everyone believe that thisnd is a treasurend.¡±


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t hold much hope, but he didn¡¯t stop her. He just started to look for another backup route..

 Chapter 445 - 445: Cause Trouble

    Chapter 445: Cause Trouble


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When it was time for the spring sowing, Mu Yangling directly moved to the farmstead. Li Jinghua couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Can¡¯t you just let the servants do it?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head and said, ¡°The other matters are fine, but I have to nt the experimental fields myself. Since I didn¡¯t bring many seeds here, I can¡¯t let anyone waste them.¡±


    The more people there were, the faster things would be done. At this moment, the farmstead had already been built. Everyone began to weed and nt the arablend.


    Mu Yangling carved out eight acres ofnd for conducting experiments and nted wheat and rice separately. When the people in the farmstead saw that the owner even personally went to the fields, their mouths were agape. However, Zhu Liang was used to it.


    Fourth Madam had dozens of hectares ofnd in Hanzhong Prefecture. He also knew that she would work in the fields with everyone during every spring sowing and autumn harvest.


    Moreover, because his father was the chief steward, he also knew that the West Camp had always been self-sufficient in terms of rations and even had some leftovers. That was all thanks to Mu Yangling¡¯s improved seeds. If she could cultivate even higher-yielding grain seeds, it would not be a problem for the General to recruit more troops.


    Mu Yangling brought her men to nt the eight acres ofnd before bringing them to inspect the depressions by the river.


    This depression was wide and long, and the aquatic weed was very abundant. The closer it was to Clear River, the longer the weeds grew. On the other hand, near thend, there was a wet meadow, and the water only reached the instep.


    Not to mention its length, just the width of the depression was about 200 meters. The more Mu Yangling looked at it, the more satisfied she was. She turned her head and asked, ¡°How was suchnd sold back then?¡±


    Zhu Liang thought that she despised it, so he said, ¡°I¡¯ve asked around. This fertilend of more than 1,000 acres was originally owned by an official. When thisnd was sold back then, the government office gave these low-lyingnds away as aplement. Later on, the official¡¯s assets were confiscated, so thisnd was taken back and sold again. I don¡¯t know how this most inferior 500 acres ofnd ended up in the hands of Minister Qin¡¯s Steward Liu.¡±


    Zhu Liang paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Though it¡¯s said to be 500 acres, the effective area is, in fact, only 180 acres. The hills and riverside depressions were justplements.¡± Therefore, when that guy bought it back then, he did not have to pay for the hills and riverside depressions. It meant that Fourth Madam had been cheated.


    Now that she knew the reason, Mu Yangling was satisfied. ¡°Then we have to keep thisnd deed well.¡±


    Zhu Liang was speechless. ¡®Do you think that thisnd is so precious that someone wille and snatch it away?¡¯


    ¡°Has the fishing I asked you to order arrived?¡± Mu Yangling turned her head and asked.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s all piled up on the farmstead.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Find ten young men who know how to swim and surround this depression with fishings. I originally wanted to use the river to raise fish, but from the looks of it, the depression is enough. Start buying fish eggs and rear them in batches. After monitoring the situation, we¡¯ll decide when to rear the second batch.¡±


    Zhu Liang agreed. ¡°What about duck eggs?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry for duck eggs. We¡¯ll buy the duck eggs after we nt the fields.¡± The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth curled up slightly. ¡°When the timees, the rice should be stable. We can then chase the ducks into the fields to eat grass and insects. Let¡¯s see if we can increase the harvest that way.¡±


    Zhu Liang stuttered, ¡°Won¡¯t this crush the seedlings?¡±


    ¡°Just control the number of ducks. Since our field is so big, how can that happen when we chase just hundreds of ducks into the fields every time?¡± Mu Yangling said confidently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, duck feces can even be used as fertilizer in the field.¡±


    Zhu Liang said helplessly, ¡°Then should we ask the servants to sweep the duck feces out of the depression and put them in the field?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for the fish. Why should we bother to sweep it?¡±


    Zhu Liang decided that he would definitely not eat fish for the next six months. Even if he did, he would not eat the fish produced in the farmstead.


    After making the arrangements, Mu Yangling got someone to look after the experimental fields before returning to the Qi Manor. After listening to the report, the Emperor was silent for a long time before asking, ¡°Could that piece ofnd really be a treasurend? Madam Mu actually personally farmed it.¡±


    After a moment of silence, the secret guard said, ¡°Your Majesty, I heard that the people in the farmstead refer to the farnd nted by Madam Mu as the experimental fields. Moreover, ording to the news from the north, she seems to also have a plot ofnd in Xingzhou Prefecture for experiments.¡± ¡°What experiment?¡± The Emperor couldn¡¯t help but sit up straight and ask.


    The secret guard shook his head. ¡°The vigers in Chenggu Garrison don¡¯t know much either. Thend there is too vast. If they deliberately hide it, it will be very difficult to find out. However, their experimental plot should still be underway. Your Majesty, give me some more time and they should be able to find out more details.¡±


    The Emperor frowned, a little dissatisfied with this answer. He decided to wait and see. If it was really as Qi Haoran said, that they were indeed interested in thend itself, perhaps he could use him.


    Although the rebellion had slowed down because of the showing of mercy, because the Ministry of Revenue could not fork out the money for disaster relief, chaos continued everywhere. Now, there were plenty of civil servants but generals were difficult to find. Didn¡¯t they say that Qi Haoran¡¯s martial arts skills were not bad?


    Since the Emperor was worried about him going north, he might be able to transfer him to the southwest and arrange for him to supervise the army there. As long as he suppressed Qi Haoran and did not let him stand out, he would not be able to cause any trouble.


    Just as the Emperor was thinking of inspecting Qi Haoran, at this moment, Qi Haoran was fighting with someone in a teahouse. He arrogantly beat up a few young masters so badly that they had to be sent to the medicine hall.


    Chen Qian pushed away the servant in front of him, jumped onto the table, and shouted, ¡°If you have the ability, smash it. Let¡¯s see who dares to attack again!¡±


    Standing in front of the table with a dark expression, Qi Haoran raised his fist and red at them.


    Min Zhou covered his face and shouted, ¡°Chen Qian, you¡¯re shameless. Why are you involving Qi Haoran? If you have the ability, fight us one-on-one.¡±


    Chen Qian rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a fool? There are only three of us and arge group of you. Even if it¡¯s a one-on-one battle, you can take turns to take us on. Now, it¡¯s one of us against eight of you. Just bring it on. We¡¯ll only send Qi Haoran.¡±


    ¡°Shameless! Chen Qian, you¡¯re too shameless.¡± Min Zhou and his gang started shouting. Qi Haoran was already invincible in the capital at the age of 12. Among those of the same age, even Yuan Wng couldn¡¯t defeat him, let alone feeble schrs like them who didn¡¯t have the strength to fight.


    They could only target Qi Haoran. ¡°Qi Haoran, are you really going to interfere in our matters? Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re already an official of the Imperial Court.¡±


    Upon hearing Min Zhou¡¯s words, everyone finally reacted. That¡¯s right, Qi Haoran was no longer a profligate son like them. He was already working in the Imperial Court. Everyone perked up. Not only was this against the rules, but it was also against thew. Hence, everyone started harping on this. ¡°Qi Haoran, we¡¯re going to lodge aint against you. Just wait to be impeached by the imperial censor.¡±


    ¡°His father is from the imperial censor¡¯s office¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. His father doesn¡¯t dote on him¡­¡±


    Everyone was eager to give Qi Haoran an unforgettable pain. Dumbfounded, Chen Qian and hispanions looked at Qi Haoran apologetically and sadly. Could it be that they couldn¡¯t escape the fate of being beaten up today?


    However, Qi Haoran raised his fist arrogantly and said, ¡°If you dare to tell the imperial censor, I¡¯ll beat you up every day. I¡¯ll beat you up every time once for everyint you file against me.¡±


    He was way too arrogant!


    Min Zhou jumped up and was about to argue when he was held back by the person beside him. Everyone turned around and saw the chief imperial censor with his two subordinates ring at them with a green face.


    Everyone shrunk their necks and stood at the side. The imperial censor looked at Qi Haoran and snorted. ¡°Assistant Commander Qi, shouldn¡¯t you be at work right now? What are you doing here?¡±


    Qi Haoran widened his eyes and replied, ¡°My purpose for returning to the capital is to debrief. Since His Majesty hasn¡¯t arranged any errands for me yet, I don¡¯t have any office hours to observe at the moment..¡±

 Chapter 446 - 446: Requesting

    Chapter 446 - 446: Requesting


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Because of the fight, Qi Haoran was impeached by the imperial censor. The Emperor asked him to write a confession memorial and had him confined at home for half a month.


    Qi Haoran returned home tiredly. Mu Yanglingughed and packed up the ount books before going home with him to face the wall and ponder about his misdeeds.


    The Emperor also realized that he could not let Qi Haoran wander around outside like this. After all, thetter was a fourth-grade assistantmander. Hence, after some thought, he temporarily arranged for him to be sent to the Ministry of War.


    When he was done with his confinement, he could go to work in the Ministry of War. As for the other young masters who had participated in the fight with Qi Haoran, the Emperor could not be bothered. However, their fathers had been impeached by the imperial censors for their failure to take their sons in hand. Not only were those young masters beaten by their furious fathers, they were also locked up at home for half a month.


    Therefore, Qi Haoran was still considered lucky. Because his father couldn¡¯t control him, he wasn¡¯t beaten up.<div>


    The two sides were not foreign to fighting. Although they had drunk together before, they mostly fought whenever they got together. In the Spring Quarter Examinations, Chen Qian was ranked on the rankings while Min Zhou failed to make the list. When the two sides met in the teahouse, they mocked each other and this escted into a fight.


    If not for the fact that Qi Haoran was an official, this matter would most likely have passed as usual. After the fight, he would just gather some money topensate the Shang family.


    However, Qi Haoran was different from them. He was a high-ranking official and unfortunately, they encountered the imperial censor. Hence, everyone med Qi Haoran for the fighting incident.


    Min Zhou said to himself, ¡°That bastard Qi Haoran. If he hadn¡¯t been impeached by the imperial censor, how would my father have been implicated? If my father hadn¡¯t been implicated, he wouldn¡¯t have beaten me up in anger. When I get out, I¡¯ll definitely teach him a lesson.¡±


    The others also gritted their teeth and swore that they would not let Qi Haoran off after they could leave the house.


    On the other hand, Chen Qian was beaten up the most. Even though he knew that he still had to participate in the Pce Examinations, Chen Fang did not show any mercy.


    Inconsble, Chen Qian pounded the bed and said, ¡°Haoran, that fool. He actually publicly threatened them not to report this to the imperial censor. Wasn¡¯t he looking for impeachment? Even if he wanted to threaten them, he should have found a small alley to drag them in after they left¡­¡±


    In Chen Qian¡¯s opinion, if it wasn¡¯t for Qi Haoran¡¯s threat of ¡°If you dare to tell the imperial censor, I¡¯ll beat you up every day¡±, the imperial censor might not have bothered with such a trivial matter. Considering there were so many sons of officials who fought every day in Lin¡¯an City, could the imperial censor control them all?


    Qi Haoran waspletely unaware of everyone¡¯s resentment. He was originally depressed about being grounded, but when he saw that Mu Yangling was willing toe back and apany him, he instantly felt better.


    When Spring entered the house, she saw Qi Haoran sitting cross-legged on the couch and reading a book with a straight face. This surprised her. One had to know that Fourth Young Master had been pestering Fourth Madam a lot these past two days. Why was he so obedient today?


    Mu Yangling looked up and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Spring came back to her senses and said, ¡°Fourth Madam, Steward Zhao requests to see Fourth Young Master outside.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately put away the book and threw it aside. He jumped off the bed and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look at what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Steward Zhao was here to ask Qi Haoran for money. He said carefully, ¡°The expenses in the residence are a little high, so¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran waved his hand nonchntly and said, ¡°I¡¯ll send my and Big Brother¡¯s post overter. You guys can go straight to the government office to collect your sry.¡±


    ¡°Erm¡­¡± Steward Zhao was dumbfounded. ¡°Your sry isn¡¯t much.¡±


    Qi Haoran red at them angrily. ¡°Other than our sries, what other money do Big Brother and I have? We¡¯re selfless and honest officials, and have already handed over all our sries to the family treasury. What more money do you want?¡±


    ¡°Fourth Master, calm down. That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted coldly and said, ¡°Since we¡¯ve handed over our sry to the family treasury, the residence has to be responsible for our expenses. You have to give me every cent of Eldest Madam¡¯s and the fourth branch¡¯s allowance, as well as the servants¡¯ sries. As for the small kitchen at Eldest Madam¡¯s ce, because no other master in the manor has that, we¡¯ll take care of that expense by ourselves.¡±


    Qi Haoran added maliciously, ¡°Eldest Madam will supplement it using her own dowry.¡±


    Steward Zhao was instantly speechless.


    It was impossible for Qi Xiuyuan and his brother not to have any private assets. Qi Xiuyuan was a second-grade feudal official, but the key was that he was far away in the north. Even if he was in Lin¡¯an City instead of the north, it would still be a piece of cake for him to make it look as if he didn¡¯t have any private assets.


    He just had to put the assets under the name of his aides.


    Not to mention anything else, everyone in the residence knew that Fourth Young Master had a share in the businesses under Young Master Zijin¡¯s name. Otherwise, why would Fourth Madam help Young Master Zijin manage those businesses?


    Even if Fourth Madam was willing, Young Master Zijin had to consider it carefully.


    However, the restaurant, the dry goods shop and other businesses were all under Young Master Zijin¡¯s name. If Fourth Young Master insisted that Mu Yangling was simply helping Young Master Zijin, they did not have any evidence to say that this was Fourth Young Master¡¯s private property.


    Steward Zhao could only go back and reply to Master and Madam.


    Qi Haoran snorted. He and Big Brother had long stopped counting on their family, and most of the assets in the family would be given to Second Brother and Third Brother in the future. Of course they were going to set aside private assets instead of bringing everything back to the Qi family?


    Wouldn¡¯t that be like throwing a meat bun at a dogO?


    Qi Feng wasn¡¯t angry at all when he heard that. He said, ¡°In that case, just take the invitation and collect their sry. His monthly allowance will be in line with Second Young Master and Third Young Master¡¯s. Madam Li and Madam Mu¡¯s will also be in line with Madam Xu¡¯s.¡±


    Steward Zhao heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly agreed.


    However, Madam Wu was a little unwilling and said, ¡°They clearly have so much money. What¡¯s wrong with providing support to our family since we¡¯re having difficulties? You¡¯re their father, but they¡¯d rather put the money under the Fan family¡¯s kid¡¯s name than give it to you¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± How could Qi Feng not know what Madam Wu was thinking? He waved his hand and said, ¡°Without evidence, we won¡¯t be able to gain anything if this continues. In any case, since these family assets will be left to Second and Third Son in the future, we won¡¯t interfere in their matters outside.¡± ¡°Master?¡± Madam Wu looked at him in surprise.


    Qi Feng¡¯s expression was solemn as he said in a low voice, ¡°Haoran rejected the marriage and angered Minister Qin. I thought that our family would definitely be suppressed, but who knew that Minister Qin¡¯s consecutive actions were ineffective? Haoran only knows how to eat, drink, and have fun. He doesn¡¯t have much of a rtionship with the Yan and Yuan families. The only one who can ask them for help is Xiuyuan. He can remotely control the matters in the capital even while in the north. Let¡¯s not provoke him.¡±


    Qi Feng didn¡¯t have much of a father-and-son rtionship with Qi Xiuyuan. After all, his son had hated him since he was young and had left home for ten years. Whatever little family ties there had been between them had worn off. He believed that Qi Xiuyuan had simr sentiments and even hated him. Although he didn¡¯t want to admit it, he knew that Madam Zhu¡¯s death was more or less rted to him.


    Since he knew that there was not much affection between the father and son, he naturally had to avoid Qi Xiuyuan since thetter was in power.


    Initially, he thought that Qi Xiuyuan was just a general. He did not expect the Emperor to be so wary of him and the other old ministers to value him so much.


    For a moment, Qi Feng had mixed feelings. His heart was bitter and sour.

 Chapter 447 - 447: Vegetables

    Chapter 447 - 447: Vegetables


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    If his other two sons were capable, given Qi Feng¡¯s personality, he naturally wouldn¡¯t bow down to them. However, Qi Shaosheng failed the Spring Quarter Examinations again this year. Although he still had another chance next year, judging from his increasingly impatient state, the chances of him getting in next year were very low.


    As for his third son, Qi Shaotai, there was no need to think about it. Although he was much more diligent than his fourth son, he wasn¡¯t any more talented in studying. Unfortunately, he was also weak and couldn¡¯t go the martial arts route. Under such circumstances, Qi Feng naturally hoped the four brothers would get along harmoniously. At the very least, he could not let his eldest and fourth sons deal with his second and third sons.


    Back then, he could endure humiliation and marry Zhu Wan to obtain the protection of the Zhu family when he was only 20 years old. At this moment, he could naturally continue to tolerate his two sons¡¯ arrogance to protect his other two sons.


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t know what his father was thinking. Otherwise, he would definitely cause a ruckus. Because of Qi Feng¡¯s suppression and Qi Shaosheng¡¯s failure in the exam, the east residence was very quiet for a period of time. No one came to harass the west residence.


    It was unknown when it started, but because the two sides minded their own business, the servants assigned the two residences the name of the East and West Manor.<div>


    Because the Zhaode Hall and the Zhaohua Courtyard were on the west side of the main courtyard, the residences of the first and fourth branches were collectively called the West Manor, while the main courtyard and the ce where Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai lived were categorized as the East Manor.


    The masters and madams also knew that the servants referred to the two sides as West Manor and East Manor, and they all tacitly acknowledged that.


    Mu Yangling saw that after the sry was handed over, Qi Feng and Madam Wu almost stopped interfering with their lives. Even Little Madam Wu, who would say a few sour words from time to time, disappeared. Satisfied, Mu Yangling turned to Qi Haoran and said, ¡°If I had known earlier, I would have told you to hand over your sry long ago.¡±


    However, Qi Haoran knew that his father was shocked by Big Brother¡¯s methods. He sneered in his heart, but on the surface, he praised Mu Yangling for being open-minded.


    Mu Yangling said happily, ¡°There¡¯s a message from the farmstead. Our first batch of vegetables has ripened. After you¡¯re done with your confinement, I¡¯m going to bring Sister-inw to the farmstead to stay for a few days.¡±


    Stunned, Qi Haoran asked, ¡°You¡¯re not apanying me anymore?¡±


    ¡°Of course I will.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Anyway, since you don¡¯t have a job to do,e and y with us. We can go fishing in the river. Zhu Liang said that there are a lot of fish in the Clear River. Those fish they sent to the residence, they went down and caught them themselves. I think it¡¯s quite delicious.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we raising fish, too? Why are we still catching fish in the river?¡±


    ¡°How can that be the same? The ones we raised ourselves are only the size of two fingers now. Moreover, the ones we raised are not as delicious as the wild ones.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at Mu Yangling speechlessly. He didn¡¯t think that there was any difference between domesticated animals and wild animals. Hearing this, he said, ¡°I think you¡¯re just greedy for small gains.¡±


    Mu Yangling said smugly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being greedy for small gains? Small gains are gains, after all. Are you going to the farmstead with us or not? Since it¡¯s not far from Darning Mountain, we might even be able to roam around the mountain. Didn¡¯t you say that there are many temples on the mountain?¡±


    Tempted, Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll go after I¡¯m done with the confinement.¡±


    However, after three days of confinement, Qi Haoran was called into the pce. Then, he officially entered the Ministry of War to work. Mu Yangling could only abandon him and bring Li Jinghua to the farmstead alone.


    In the farmstead, a brick bed had been built ording to the customs of the north. Li Jinghua sat on the brick bed and looked at the beautiful rivers and mountains outside the window. Beaming, she said, ¡°The scenery here is really lovely. When I get up and look out of the window, I¡¯m greeted by the gorgeous view of Darning Mountain, surrounded by clouds. If I can live on the mountain and peer down at the scenery, I¡¯m sure the view will be even more stunning.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t feel that way when you go up and down the mountain.¡±


    Li Jinghua was stunned. Then, she thought of the height andughed. Shaking her head, she said, ¡°You¡¯re right. If we really have to climb and descend such a high mountain, no matter how beautiful the scenery is, we won¡¯t be able to appreciate the beauty.¡±


    Already five months pregnant, Li Jinghua was a little sleepy at noon. So, Mu Yangling let her rest while she brought Spring and Rain up the mountain to look at the vegetable fields.


    At this moment, the fruit trees had all been nted, and they were still small trees that only reached the height of one¡¯s calves and knees. Mu Yangling asked Zhu Liang to find a few fruit farmers to have them increase the nt spacing. This way, there would be a greater distance between the fruit trees, ensuring that they would be able to bask in more sunshine and absorb enough nutrition.


    All three hills were nted with fruit trees. On the hilltop above the farmstead, the workers were asked to nt soybeans and peanuts between the trees. The adjacent hilltop, on the other hand, waspletely nted with vegetables. Upon the furthest one, they raised chickens and nted some vegetables to be used as feed for the chickens and ducks.


    Right now, Mu Yangling was heading to the hill where the vegetables were nted. It was still spring, so there were fewer vegetables. Earlier on, Mu Yangling had asked Zhu Liang to arrange for some people to nt some spring vegetables.


    Vegetables had always matured faster. Zhu Liang originally wanted Mu Yangling to take a look at the white lettuce and green onions they had grown. At the moment, only these two could be harvested. However, when Mu Yangling brought her people up to walk around, she said, ¡°Harvest the cabbage and young radish and take some to the restaurants and eateries to ask around. There¡¯s no need to stick to Lin¡¯an City. Considering therge quantity of our vegetables, it surely exceeds the demand in Lin¡¯an City.¡±


    Zhu Liang opened his mouth slightly and hurriedly said, ¡°Fourth Madam, although we nted a lot of vegetables, Lin¡¯an City is so big. How can there not be sufficient demand?¡±


    Not to mention anything else, just the consumption of the eateries and restaurants alone was already very high, not to mention that there were so manyrge families. Lin¡¯an City looked small, but there were more than 600,000 people living there.


    ¡°We can¡¯t earn all the money. Don¡¯t forget that the vegetables in Lin¡¯an City have always been supplied by the surroundingmoners. Our vegetables are harvested a little earlier than the seasonal ones, and they¡¯re tender and small. Therefore, we¡¯ll lose money if we sell them at normal prices. Therefore, raise the price a little. Later,e to an agreement on a suitable price with the restaurant¡¯s steward.¡±


    Zhu Liang was silent. Should they increase the price, their sales would definitely decrease greatly. After all, other than the rich families, who would spend extra money on vegetables?


    The slightly less rich and middle-ss families would rather use the extra money to buy meat, alright?


    After confirming the general direction, Mu Yangling handed the matter to Zhu Liang. Seeing as it had been a little cold recently, she wondered how the rice and wheat in the experimental fields were doing.


    Mu Yangling went to look at her experimental plot. After hesitating for a while, Zhu Liang picked a small basket of vegetables and went to the city to look for Steward Qian who worked in a restaurant. Steward Qian handed the vegetables to the kitchen and hung a sign outside that wrote ¡®Special Dish of the Day¡¯. After carefully observing the customer¡¯s satisfaction, he discussed with Zhu Liang and finally decided on a price, which was double the usual.


    Zhu Liang was speechless. ¡°At so much higher a price, will anyone want to buy these vegetables?¡±


    Steward Qian said confidently, ¡°Brother Zhu, don¡¯t worry. You just have to look for buyers with these. You¡¯ll definitely be able to sell them. Remember, you have to insist on this price and not relent since our vegetables are fresh and tender. Besides, there are only cabbages and young radish on the market now. Most of the cabbages were saved in the cer fromst year¡¯s harvest, and the young radish are all dried. I suggest that, as soon as the vegetables can be harvested, you immediately harvest them and nt new ones. As long as you can always be one step ahead of others, I guarantee that you¡¯ll break even in half a month or so.¡±


    Zhu Liang had to admit that Steward Qian was indeed good at doing business. In this aspect, he was far inferior. No wonder Fourth Madam had asked him to go over to discuss this with Steward Qian.


    Zhu Liang thought for a moment and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it too wasteful to harvest those just-ripe vegetables just like that?¡±


    Smiling, Steward Qian said, ¡°No. Even if you sell them, it¡¯ll only fetch 20 to 30 copper coins a catty. You¡¯ll also have to spend time to sell them. Just the manpower alone will cost a lot. It¡¯s better to sell them fresh. Let¡¯s not talk about anything else. As long as you sell all these in half a month, it wouldn¡¯t be wasteful, right?¡±


    Zhu Liang felt a little anxious. As lettuce and cabbage upied a third of the hill, there was quite arge quantity. It was too difficult to sell them all in half a month..

 Chapter 448 - 448: Accident

    Chapter 448: ident


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Starting from the first season¡¯s vegetables, the vegetables from Mu Yangling¡¯s farmstead would appear in the market about 20 days ahead of others¡¯ every season.


    From supplying restaurants and eateries to rich families, Zhu Liang gradually expanded the business. Because their prices were high and they supplied early-season vegetables, it did not affect the vegetable farmers andmoners near Lin¡¯an City much. Therefore, it did not cause much conflict.


    Without anyone noticing, Mu Yangling earned her first bucket of gold aftering to Lin¡¯an Prefecture. The amount was quite considerable.


    When Zhu Liang handed the ount book to Mu Yangling, he was also very emotional. He really did not expect vegetables to be so profitable.


    At night, the ount book in Mu Yangling¡¯s room appeared on the Emperor¡¯s desk. The Emperor flipped through it and asked, ¡°How¡¯s the profit?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s only been two seasons, but she has already earned 655 taels of silver just from vegetables.¡±


    The Emperor couldn¡¯t help but sit up straight and ask in surprise, ¡°So much?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard that they¡¯re even going to scale up further. Next year, they might have to grow vegetables on two more hills and expand their business to the two nearby cities. They¡¯re also asking about the prices of the nearby mountains and fields.¡±


    The Emperor knocked on the table and pondered. ¡°So back then they really bought thesends to earn money?¡±


    The secret guard looked at the Emperor silently.


    ¡°How are their fish and ducks?¡± Since the hills that he¡¯d presumed would lose money were actually profitable now, what about the riverside depression?


    ¡°I¡¯ve asked someone to listen to their discussion. The fish is doing very well. At the current price, it¡¯s bound to be profitable. But we won¡¯t know just how profitable it is until they cast the. As for the ducks, they¡¯ve already begun toy eggs.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s also turned profitable.¡± Revealing a smile, the Emperor said, ¡°In that case, there¡¯s no need to keep such a close watch. Just leave one person there to keep an eye on them, and transfer the others back.¡±


    The secret guard heaved a sigh of relief. To be honest, it was really boring to keep an eye on that farmstead. It was filled with all kinds of farming matters and had no value at all. Moreover, the farmstead almost had no defense power. It was too unchallenging.


    The Emperor threw the ledger back and said, ¡°Return it.¡±


    The secret guard picked up the ledger and left.


    At night, Mu Yangling passed by the desk when she was about to fall asleep. When she saw the ledger on the table, she couldn¡¯t help but stop in her tracks. She tilted her head and looked at the ount book for a while, then went forward and flipped through it. With a smile on her lips, she tossed the ount book back on the table before climbing into bed.


    Qi Haoran was already snoring on the bed with his arms and legs spread out. Mu Yangling crawled over him andy down in afortable position to sleep.


    Qi Haoran smacked his lips, turned around, and pulled her into his arms, continuing to snore. Mu Yangling, on the other hand, was lost in her thoughts. Who would touch her ount book?


    Although security at her residence was not as tight as her sister-inw¡¯s, it was not so easy to get past Spring and Rain to touch her things.


    Spring and Rain knew her habits and never touched the things on her table. As for Qi Haoran, ncing at him, Mu Yangling decided it was pretty much impossible that he would touch her ount book. Perhaps in their next life.


    Mu Yangling secretly investigated for half a month but couldn¡¯t find anything, so she temporarily cast it aside. The wheat in the farmstead had already begun to be harvested, and the rice was about to ripen. Mu Yangling wanted to personally take a look at the harvest of the experimental field.


    The carriage had just turned the corner when a few carriages rushed over. Mu Yangling heard Wen Cui crying. ¡°Eldest Madam, Eldest Madam, hang in there¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling lifted the curtain and a carriage happened to stop beside her.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    The person in the carriage opposite stopped crying. Then, Wen Cui quickly lifted the curtain and shouted, ¡°Fourth Madam, Fourth Madam, Eldest Madam fell. Please save Eldest Madam!¡±


    Ignoring everything else, Mu Yangling jumped out of the carriage and lifted the curtain of the adjacent carriage. Li Jinghua was lying in Wen Mian¡¯s arms with a pale face. Her dress was covered in red.


    Mu Yangling turned pale with fright and shouted, ¡°Call the guards over! Get them to call the doctor and Fourth Master back immediately! Hurry!¡±


    Mu Yangling got into the carriage and carried Li Jinghua down. As she ran in, she said, ¡°Go find the midwife and order the kitchen to boil water immediately.¡±


    Someone in the carriage behind shouted anxiously, ¡°Hurry up and move the carriage in front. Our madam¡¯s carriage is going in.¡±


    Wen Cui, who was following closely behind Mu Yangling, turned around and red at the person who spoke. She spat before chasing after Mu Yangling.


    The servant girl who spoke was shocked and dissatisfied, but she did not dare to say anything at this moment.


    The people in the carriage discussed for a moment before getting off the carriage and walking into the Qi Manor. At this moment, they did not care that they were still outside the Qi Manor. Li Jinghua¡¯s situation was more important.


    Mu Yangling carried her all the way back to Zhaode Hall as sheforted her in a low voice. She carried her into the delivery room and carefully took off her pants. Seeing that although there was a lot of blood in her pants, it was no longer flowing, she felt slightly relieved.


    She turned her head and asked Wen Cui with a sharp gaze, ¡°Where¡¯s the midwife? Why isn¡¯t she here yet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look now.¡± Just as she reached the door, she bumped into Spring, who was pulling the midwives in.


    As the midwives had already moved into the Qi Manor five days ago, it was not difficult to find them.


    The two midwives walked over quickly, and Mu Yangling quickly gave up her seat to them. ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°Eldest Madam is about to give birth. Quickly get someone to prepare boiling water and scissors.¡± Midwife A paused and said, ¡°I wonder if the baby was affected by the fall earlier. It¡¯s best to get a doctor to take a look.¡±


    Judging from the blood volume, it was not particrly dangerous. They had encountered situations more precarious than this, but still they were afraid that something would happen to her baby. Once such a situation happened, if they did not know the details, they might not even be able to save the adult in the end. Therefore, they had to find a doctor to confirm if the baby in her stomach was still alive.


    Mu Yangling was also afraid that the baby had been hurt during the fall. Hearing this, she nodded and agreed. She patted Li Jinghua gently and said in a low voice, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. The midwives are already here and they said that you¡¯re fine. The doctor will be here soon.¡±


    Mu Yangling paused before continuing with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to invite the imperial doctor with Big Brother¡¯s invitation, okay?¡±


    Li Jinghua looked at Mu Yangling¡¯s smiling face and felt slightly relieved. She held her hand tightly and said, ¡°Alright, Ah Ling, good sister, I¡¯ll leave everything to you.¡±


    With a smile, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here. You just have to listen to the midwife and the doctor and give birth in peace. Leave everything outside to me.¡±


    Li Jinghua was in so much pain that cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and her face turned even paler. Mu Yangling asked the midwife toe over and check on her. After a while, the midwife concluded that the baby was still alive, but it was best to give birth as soon as possible because Li Jinghua started bleeding again.


    Even though Mu Yangling¡¯s heart was burning with anxiousness, she tried her best to remain as calm as possible. She walked out and pulled Wen Cui over. ¡°Does your Eldest Madam still have ginseng?¡±


    Wen Cui almost cried out loud. She shook her head and said, ¡°Last time, when First Master was in danger, our Eldest Madam took it out and used it. Later, she left it in the residence to nurse First Master¡¯s health. The best ginseng we currently have in the storeroom is only a few decades old.¡±


    ¡°What are you crying for? Your Eldest Madam isn¡¯t dead yet.¡± Mu Yangling snapped angrily, ¡°Call a guard over and say that I have orders for him..¡±

 Chapter 449 - 449= Entrust

    Chapter 449= Entrust


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling asked Spring to go back and find the box in her bedside table. Then, she handed half of the banknotes in the box to the guard and said, ¡°Go to the restaurant and find Steward Qian. Tell him to find as aged a ginseng as


    possible.¡±


    The guard took the money and left. Mu Yangling looked at Wen Mian and said, ¡°Go to Fan Manor personally and invite Aunt over. Ask her if she has any good


    ginseng.¡±


    Wen Mian agreed.


    Standing on the steps, Mu Yangling directed the servants. The originally chaotic courtyard slowly became orderly, and everyone went about doing their


    own jobs.


    Mu Yangling asked Rain to ask Madam Wu if there was any aged ginseng in the storeroom. With themotion here, it was impossible for Madam Wu and the others not to know. Instead of guarding against them, it was better for her to


    involve them in advance.


    After making the necessary arrangements, Mu Yangling finally looked at the people who had followed her. Mu Yangling realized that she did not know any of these madams¡¯ servants.


    Just as Mu Yangling was about to ask, a guard rushed in with a doctor. Mu Yangling instantly abandoned them and hurriedly went forward. ¡°The doctor is here? Pleasee in.¡±


    The doctor heaved a sigh of relief. Although he was angry, he did not say much. He grabbed his first aid kit and followed Mu Yangling into the house.


    The madams anddies¡¯ expressions instantly turned a little ugly. Although Spring didn¡¯t know their identities, she knew that Eldest Madam definitely had her reasons for doing this. Otherwise, Wen Cui wouldn¡¯t have treated them like this. She stood up and said with a fake smile, ¡°Madams anddies, please sit in the side hall first. Our Eldest Madam and Fourth Madam can¡¯t spare time to entertain everyone now. Please be understanding.


    A13 or 14-year-old girl muttered unhappily, ¡°Isn¡¯t there a madam in your family?¡±


    Spring pretended not to hear them. Not knowing what these people¡¯s identities were, how would she dare to let theme into contact with her mistress?


    Otherwise, who knew if they might try to sell them while Eldest Madam and Fourth Madam were busy?


    Spring directly invited them to the side room, then asked Mama Wang to bring people to watch over them and guard the courtyard door. The few of them also knew that they were being guarded, but being unfamiliar with Li Jinghua, they could only swallow their anger.


    In the room, the doctor checked Li Jinghua¡¯s pulse and said to Mu Yangling, ¡°Let¡¯s expedite the child delivery. This way, there¡¯ll still be a chance of


    survival.¡±


    With an ugly expression, Mu Yangling forced a smile and said, ¡°Please prescribe the prescription, Doctor.¡±


    Wen Cui immediately brought him to the side to prescribe a prescription.


    Covered in sweat, Li Jinghua looked up with a pale face and asked, ¡°What did the doctor say?¡±


    ¡°The doctor said to expedite the delivery. Sister-inw, rest for a while and conserve your strength. When the medicine is brewed, we can start.¡± Mu Yangling held her hand tightly and smiled. ¡°Perhaps when Fourth Masteres back, he¡¯ll be able to see his little nephew.¡±


    Li Jinghua forced a smile with difficulty, but tears fell. ¡°Ah Ling, don¡¯t lie to me. Am I doomed? The severe pain in my stomach has never stopped. I regret it so much. If I had known earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have gone out today. How would I have known that such a cmity would happen? I was just walking out when they bumped into me. My child¡­ This is the General¡¯s first child. If I lose the baby, I don¡¯t know if I can still get pregnant again. The General will definitely hate me to death¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± Mu Yangling held her hand tightly and whispered into her ear, ¡°Big Brother will only feel sorry for you. Why would he hate you? He loves you. Sister-inw, do you still remember the spring of the 24th year of Emperor Jingyan¡¯s reign? At that time, when you went for a stroll in the suburbs, you met a silly farm girl. That person was me. I specially went to see you. Big Brother has taken a liking to you, and Qi Haoran didn¡¯t know if you¡¯re a good person, so he asked me to get close to you to get to know your character. Look, Big Brother adores you so much. How can he bear to me you?¡±


    Stunned, Li Jinghua looked at her expectantly. ¡°Really? Your Big Brother won¡¯t me me?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded fiercely. ¡°No, Big Brother definitely won¡¯t me you.¡± Li Jinghua¡¯s gaze gradually became firm. She stroked her stomach gently and said gently, ¡°Ah Ling, I will definitely give birth to the child. If, if I die, I beg you to help me take care of him, okay?¡±


    Mu Yangling was sweating profusely, but she had no choice but to agree. She promised, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. The child will definitely be fine. You¡¯ll be fine, too.¡± Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the child as my own son in the future.¡± Naturally, that was under the premise that something happened to Li Jinghua.


    Now that she let go of thest bit of worry in her heart, Li Jinghua was in good spirits and her stomach did not hurt so much.


    However, they all knew that this was just a psychological thing.


    The two midwives looked at each other and pulled Mu Yangling out. They asked in a low voice, ¡°Fourth Madam, should we have to choose, do we save the mother or the baby?¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a dark expression, ¡°The mother!


    The two midwives were surprised. They thought that Mu Yangling would ask them to save the baby. After all, they had heard the conversation between the two sisters-inw just now.


    However, it was better to save the adult. After all, the probability of saving the adult was higher than the baby. The two of them agreed and entered to prepare.


    Mu Yangling personally fetched hot water to help her wash up. As she wiped the dirt off her face, she smiled and spoke to her. Li Jinghua gradually rxed and asionally responded with a smile. The two midwives praised Mu


    Yangling¡¯s actions.


    ¡°Ah Ling?¡± Qi Haoran¡¯s anxious voice sounded from outside the door. Li Jinghua looked up slightly. Mu Yangling quickly pressed her down and smiled. ¡°I called him back. I¡¯ll go out and take a look. Sister-inw, rest first.¡± Qi Haoran returned with the imperial doctor. When he saw Mu Yanglinging out, he grabbed her and asked, ¡°Is Sister-inw alright?


    ¡°She¡¯s alright.¡± Mu Yangling looked at the imperial physician and bowed respectfully. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±


    The imperial physician nodded slightly and entered with the first aid kit. When he came out, he came to the same conclusion as the previous doctor. ¡°It¡¯s best to give birth now. Otherwise, the fetus won¡¯t be able to survive. Fortunately, Madam¡¯s due date isn¡¯t far away. The child should be fine.¡±


    Qi Haoran heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly invited him to the side. Mu Yangling took the prescription from the doctor and showed it to him. The imperial doctor nodded slightly and said, ¡°This prescription is excellent. I¡¯ll prescribe two more for prenatal protection. Take them half an hour after taking the medicine to expedite the delivery.¡±


    Qi Haoran arranged for the imperial physician and doctor to be together. The medicine was also brewed in the small kitchen. Wen Si brought it into the room and Mu Yangling personally fed Li Jinghua. Since there was still 15 minutes before the medicine took effect, Mu Yangling quickly came out and said to Qi Haoran, ¡°I¡¯ll go in and apany Sister-inw. Take care of the matters outside.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded with a dark expression. In a short period of time, he had already called the old servants and coachman who had apanied Li Jinghua in the carriage to ask them about the incident. He knew that his sister-inw had suffered an undeserved cmity.


    For a moment, he was furious. Yet, he could not help but wonder if things could really be that coincidental.. Considering Sister-inw had many servants with her, how could the conflict between the Zhang, Shu, and Zhou females have implicated her?

 Chapter 450 - 450: Provoking

    Chapter 450: Provoking


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Veins popped out on Li Jinghua¡¯s hand that was gripping the nket. Another wave of pain passed. She shookher head vigorously and said, ¡°No, no, I¡¯m not giving birth anymore. Ah Ling, Ah Ling, quickly get the midwife to think of a way to get the baby out. Don¡¯t care about me. I feel like I¡¯m dying from the


    pain!¡±


    Ignoring her, Mu Yangling turned to ask the midwife, ¡°How is it?¡±


    The midwife was sweating profusely. ¡°The position of the baby is wrong. As the child is in a horizontal position now, we have to shift the baby before she can


    deliver the child.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes were filled with ruthlessness as she asked coldly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys pat your chests and ensure that there was no problem with the fetal position a few months ago?¡±


    Mu Yangling knew that in ancient times, giving birth was like stepping into the gates of hell. If the fetus was in an improper position, they would most likely be entering the gates of hell. Hence, when Li Jinghua was only six months pregnant, Mu Yangling started to hire a midwife and a doctor to take her pulse regrly to ensure that there was no problem with the fetus¡¯ position.


    Although they could not guarantee that there were no mistakes, it would give them greater assurance. However, who knew that despite the low probability of misdiagnosis, this would happen?


    The midwife immediately exined, ¡°Fourth Madam, we weren¡¯t wrong in our assessment of the fetal position. This dislocation was caused by the fall.¡± The midwife said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s most likely because the baby was hurt from the collision. The baby flipped over inside and was lying horizontal in an instant. I don¡¯t know where she was injured¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression changed slightly. The human body was very mysterious. The fetus in her womb might be unaffected from the fall, but it was also possible that the fetus was hurt. It would be fine if it only hurt the baby¡¯s limbs, but she was afraid that it would hurt its brain or internal organs.


    MU Yangling was furious, but she couldn¡¯t verify. She could only ask, ¡°How are you going to flip the baby over?¡±


    The two midwives looked at each other and said in a low voice, ¡°We have a sister who is skilled at this. Fourth Madam, please invite her over.¡± Although the midwife was speaking with her back facing Li Jinghua, she still tried her best to lower her voice as she told Mu Yangling the method.


    It was very simple. The midwife would reach into the uterus and adjust the fetus¡¯s position before Li Jinghua gave birth. This was also the only chance. If it still didn¡¯t work, she could only try her best to protect the adult. She would poison the fetus to death and then take out the stillborn.


    However, looking at how tormented Li Jinghua appeared, it was a question if she could get pregnant again in the future.


    Mu Yangling had obviously thought of this too. At only 19, Li Jinghua was too young and her body had yet to fully mature. This cmity would definitely affect her physical condition.


    Mu Yangling made a prompt decision. ¡°Calm Eldest Madam down and brew some medicine to stabilize the fetus and nourish her qi. I¡¯ll go find the midwife you mentioned now.¡±


    Mu Yangling lifted the curtain and went out to look for Qi Haoran. When Qi Haoran, Fan Zijin, and Madam Xia saw hering out, they stood up and asked, ¡°How is it?¡±


    Mu Yangling briefly exined the situation. Qi Haoran said, ¡°I¡¯ll get someone


    to find her.¡±


    At the side the women of the Shu family were secretly anxious and asked, ¡°Lord Qi, it¡¯s already dark. Let¡¯s go back and see if there¡¯s any ginseng at home that¡¯s old enough to be sent over. What do you thmk?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face sank. Before he could speak, Mu Yangling looked over angrily, making the women from the Shu, Zhang, and Zhou families turn pale. Mu Yangling sneered and said, ¡°You¡¯re not to go anywhere. You¡¯d better pray that my sister-inw and nephew are fine. Otherwise, we won¡¯t let this matter


    rest.¡±


    The expressions of the few of them changed slightly. Two youngdies looked at Mu Yangling angrily, but they were pulled back by their sister-inw and did not dare to contradict her. At this moment, they were at a moral disadvantage. If they continued to say nasty things and create a conflict with the Qi family, it would be even more disadvantageous for them. Hence, no matter how anxious they were to go back, they could only pretend to be worried about the person in the delivery room and try their best to help.


    However, the Fan family had just sent over a 500-year-old ginseng. The Qi family had also gone out to buy an aged ginseng. Clearly, they no longer needed their help because they would then have to produce a ginseng that was more than 500 years old.


    The Zhang and Zhou families did not have it, but the Shu family did have an 800-year-old one. However, that was just a precaution for the elders. Not to mention Madam Li, even if one of the Shu daughters-inw were to encounter such a thing, the ginseng wouldn¡¯t be used on them.


    Madam Xia said, ¡°Ah Ling, I¡¯ll go in with you.¡±


    ¡ö¡¯Aunt, go to the side room to change your clothes and wash your hands before going in.¡±


    Madam Xia only thought that this was an order from the doctor, so she didn¡¯t find it troublesome. She went to the side room with a dark expression be ore going in with Mu Yangling. Seeing Li Jinghua lying on the bed with lifeless eyes, Madam Xia¡¯s eyes turned red. She went forward and held her hand. ¡°Good child, you have to hold on.¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s eyes did not move at all. Mu Yangling was secretly anxious when she saw this. If Li Jinghua herself gave up, it would be useless no matter how hard they tried.


    Li Jinghua had been in pain since the morning until now. She had long be numb to the pain, but this was not the most terrifying thing. The most terrifying thing was that she hadpletely lost her strength and fighting spirit.


    The midwife brought the medicine in and said in a low voice, ¡°The medicine is ready. Drink it.¡±


    Seeing that Li Jinghua wasn¡¯t reacting, Mu Yangling picked her up and poured the medicine down her throat. Then, she turned around and said to Wen Cui,


    ¡°Is the midwife here?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s here. She¡¯s changing her clothes and smoking her hands next door.¡± Wen Cui looked at Li Jinghua anxiously and said in a low voice, ¡°Fourth Madam, do encourage Eldest Madam so that she will pull herself together.


    Mu Yangling looked at the listless Li Jinghua and held her hand tightly. ¡°Sister-inw, I know this is very difficult, but you have to persevere. Think about Big Brother, think about your parents and brother.


    Tears flowed out of Li Jinghua¡¯s eyes as she muttered, ¡°I know, I know, but it¡¯s too difficult. The child hasn¡¯t even moved. I¡¯ve already been inbor for a day. I don¡¯t have any strength left. I really don¡¯t have any strength.¡±


    Madam Xia said angrily, ¡°You¡¯ve only been inbor for a day. Others manage to give birth even after being inbor for three days. Is it so difficult for you to persevere?¡±


    However, Mu Yangling knew the difference. Those who spent three days inbor might spend one or two days preparing for thebor pain in the beginning, and weren¡¯t truly in pain for long. However, Li Jinghua had suffered a knock to her stomach. Her uterus did not open up first, nor did her amniotic fluid break first. Instead, it was her uterus blood that flowed out first. The pain she suffered was several times worse than others.


    Other pregnant women got to rest for a while between the bouts of pain, but she was in pain all the time. It was fine if she was numb from the pain, but she was severely depleted of strength. If the fetal position was normal, it would be alright if she gave birth as soon as the uterus opened, because the doctor could Stop the bleeding quickly. But the thing is, the fetal position was not right¡­


    Looking at Li Jinghua, who appeared as though her heart had turned to ashes, Mu Yangling felt a mixture of heartache and anger. She felt that if she were a mother, she would never give up even if she had to use herst bit of strength, unless the doctor said that the baby in her stomach was gone.


    ¡ö¡¯Sister-inw, if you want to die, just die. Bring my nephew along. Even if Big Brother will be sad, he¡¯ll just stay a widower for a year. After a year, he¡¯ll naturally marry another wife. See if he can still remember you. Oh, you still have parents and brothers. I just heard that your father and brothers are sick What kind of life do you think they can live in the Li family after losing their married daughter?¡±


    ¡°Sister-inw, they will feel sorry for you, but they will quickly forget about you because they have to face the hardships of life. Who will still be in the mood to think about you? You have lived 19 years in vain. No one will continue your bloodline and no one will remember you.. If you die, everything will dissipate!¡±

 Chapter 451 - 451: Survived the Crisis

    Chapter 451: Survived the Crisis


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: Attas Studios


    Li Jinghua¡¯s chest heaved up and down. Her breathing was heavy as she said, ¡°The child¡­ protect the child¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling looked straight at her. ¡°Sister-inw, if you¡¯re not even willing to give birth now, how can you protect the child?¡±


    Can I give birth if I want to?¡± Li Jinghua was very suspicious.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mu Yangling looked at her firmly and said, ¡°As long as you¡¯re willing to work hard, you will definitely be able to give birth!¡±


    The hired midwife walked over with a smile and said calmly, ¡°Madam, I¡¯ve checked your pulse and situation. As long as you¡¯re willing to believe me, I¡¯ll definitely help you and the child.¡±


    Perhaps she was provoked by Mu Yangling, or perhaps the midwife¡¯s smile made Li Jinghua feel at ease. In short, Li Jinghua¡¯s fighting spirit was reignited and she was willing to try again.


    Mu Yangling asked Wen Cui to cut the ginseng into pieces and let Li Jinghua hold a piece in her mouth. Only then did she retreat to the bed and hold her hand tightly, hoping to give her some encouragement.


    As the midwife encouraged her with words, she adjusted her fetal position. The pain made Li Jinghua¡¯s face tum pale instantly. She immediately gripped Mu Yanghng¡¯s hand tightly, her nails digging into her flesh. Ignoring the pain, Mu Yangling encouraged Li Jinghua softly.


    After a while, they heard the midwife say in a brisk voice, ¡°Madam, the fetal position is now correct. Have a bowl of brown sugar eggs to replenish your strength. We¡¯ll start delivering in a while. Don¡¯t worry, you and your baby will definitely be safe and sound.¡±


    Mu Yangling heard it, but Li Jinghua was in so much pain that she almost lost consciousness and could not hear what the midwife was saying at all. Mu Yangling patted her hand gently and quickly took the brown sugar egg from Madam Xia¡¯s hand and slowly fed it to her.


    Li Jinghua only took two bites before she couldn¡¯t eat anymore. Mu Yangling said, ¡°One more bite, onest bite.¡±


    Li Jinghua could only endure her disgust and take another bite. Mu Yangling cut a piece of ginseng for her to suck on and looked at the midwife. The midwife smiled and said, ¡°Madam, you just have to listen to us and push hard from now on¡­¡±


    Outside the room, Qi Haoran said coldly, ¡°No, since Old Master and Madam want to see her, let them. Before Eldest Madam¡¯s condition stabilizes, no one is allowed to leave this courtyard.¡±


    Nanny Wu was sweating profusely. ¡°But Senior Madam Zhang and Senior Madam Shu came personally¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at her coldly. Nanny Wu was speechless. Qi Haoran looked away and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s fine if my sister-inw and nephew are fine. If anything happens to the two of them, no one can escape.¡±


    Nanny Wu shivered and could only turn around and leave. When the women of the three families heard this, their faces turned pale. Third Madam Zhang could not help but defend herself. ¡°Assistant Commander Qi, even though this matter is our fault, your Qi family has to share some of that responsibility. Madam Li is pregnant, but she¡¯s still running around outside¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at her murderously and asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°So you bumped into her because you couldn¡¯t stand her?¡±


    Of course not.¡± Third Madam Zhang¡¯s expression changed drastically. ¡°Don¡¯t nder others.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Fourth Madam Shu pulled her back and looked up at Qi Haoran. ¡°Assistant Commander Qi, I know you¡¯re worried, but it¡¯s not a solution to detain us like this. Our three families aren¡¯t nameless people. Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t shirk our responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, let the government office decide. Rain, get Fei Bai to go to the government office immediately and invite someone over,¡± Qi Haoran said angrily. He was already burning with anxiety and anger. Since they were going to provoke him, he wouldn¡¯t stand on ceremony with them.


    The expressions of the three women changed drastically. Fourth Madam Shu said angrily, Assistant Commander Qi, don¡¯t be unreasonable. We¡¯re talking to you nicely.¡±


    It was already dark and they had been detained since morning. Other than breakfast, they had not eaten a single grain of rice the entire day. Coupled with Madam Li¡¯s shouts in the delivery room, they were already filled with anger.


    ¡°Yo, what the Shu family means is that even though you bumped into someone, it¡¯s our Qi family that¡¯s at fault.¡± Fan Zijin said bluntly, ¡°Since you¡¯re so afraid that our Qi family will extort you, isn¡¯t it better to report it to the officials? Let the officials decide. Speaking of which, you still have an advantage. There¡¯s a second-grade Minister of Revenue in the Zhang family, and there are many descendants of the Shu family who are officials in the court. Eldest Cousin is the only one in our Qi family who¡¯s considered useful. However, he¡¯s far away in the north. It¡¯s only right for his wife and children to be bullied.¡±


    Fan Zijin was not Qi Haoran. Once he spoke, he did not give the other party a chance to refute at all. With a sneer, he said, ¡°Therefore, I¡¯m afraid reporting to the officials won¡¯t be of much use. We have to seek His Majesty¡¯s judgment. Haoran, tomorrow, you¡¯ll petition His Majesty to rule on this and see if there¡¯s still justice in the world.¡±


    The three women¡¯s faces turned green. Seeing that Fan Zijin was so angry that he could not speak, they turned around and dragged the three youngdies into the courtyard. However, they were blocked by a group of guards at the door. Third Madam Zhang pointed at them angrily and shouted, ¡°Move aside. Do you dare to offend us?¡±


    Qi Haoran said coldly, ¡°Just stand there. If you have the ability, just charge out like this.¡± There was a cold glint in Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t mind making the men of your three families cuckolded!¡±


    The three women did not expect Qi Haoran to be so shameless. They pointed at him and were so furious that they could not speak. Just as they were about to re up, two low cries of a baby suddenly came from the house. If not for the fact that they were so angry that they could not speak for a moment, they would not have heard it.


    Qi Haoran was stunned for a moment before rushing towards the delivery room. He paced around anxiously at the door and asked loudly, ¡°Ah Ling, Ah Ling, has she given birth?¡±


    Wen Cui rushed out with tears all over her face. As she cried, she said, ¡°Fourth Master, Eldest Madam gave birth to a young master.¡±


    Qi Haoran grinned. Seeing her crying like this, he asked worriedly, ¡°What about Sister-inw?¡±


    ¡°Both mother and son are safe!¡±


    Qi Haoran was baffled. ¡°Then why are you crying?¡±


    Wen Cui wiped her tears and said, ¡°These are tears of joy.¡±


    The women of the Zhang, Shu, and Zhou families also heaved a sigh of relief. It was good that the mother and son were safe, for it was much more beneficial to them. At the thought of this, they stared at Qi Haoran righteously.


    Seeing this, Fan Zijin sneered and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your Fourth Madam?¡± After asking, he blocked the line of sight of the three women behind him and gave Wen Cui a look.


    Those women had already walked near the entrance of the courtyard, so they were some distance from the door. Coupled with the fact that it was dark, they did not notice at all.


    Seeing the look in Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes, Wen Cui nced at the women from the three families. She was also filled with anger. She had heard most of their argument in the room just now. She already hated them for being rash and causing Eldest Madam to suffer greatly. Now that she saw them shamelessly shirking responsibility, she hated them even more. Hence, she immediately understood what Fan Zijin meant and replied, ¡°Fourth Madam is taking care of Eldest Madam and Young Master. I was afraid that you guys would be worried, so I came out to inform you.¡±


    ¡°Quickly go in and see what they need. Well prepare outside,¡± Fan Zijin immediately said.


    Wen Cui agreed and turned around to enter.


    The three midwives were stopping Li Jinghua¡¯s bleeding. The baby¡¯s body was a little bruised, probably because he had been holding it in for too long. Mu Yangling was carrying him gently. Madam Xia helped wash him clean before wrapping him in soft swaddling clothes.


    Madam Xia was both ted and heartbroken. ¡°This child is crying so softly like a kitten. Will he be fine?¡±


    After a pause, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we let the doctor and imperial physician take a look?¡±

 Chapter 452 - 452: Chasing Them Away

    Chapter 452 - 452: Chasing Them Away<div>


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Wen Cui walked to Mu Yangling¡¯s side and whispered a few words to tell her about the situation outside. Mu Yangling was furious. Not only did those women not reflect on their actions, but they also dared to shirk responsibility? Suppressing the anger in her heart, Mu Yangling said in a low voice, ¡°Invite the imperial physician and doctor in.¡±


    Wen Cui agreed. When she reached the door, her expression turned to panic. The women of the three families had just heaved a sigh of relief when they saw Wen Cui hurriedly invite the imperial physician and doctor in. They looked at each other and their expressions turned solemn again.<div>


    They could not help but feel a little frustrated. One had to bear the risk of death in giving birth anyway. Who knew if Madam Li¡¯s health was not good to begin with?


    They felt that they were unlucky to have encountered this matter. If it went well, they would say that Madam Li was blessed. But should it turn out badly, the me could all be pushed to them. The Qi family was refusing to let them go now, so they did not even have a chance to discuss it with their families.


    The few of them regretted following her to the Qj Manor in the first ce. Even if they hade, they should have left one of them behind to inform their families of the situation. That way, their families would not be caught off guard when the Qi family went looking for them.


    Wen Cui invited the imperial physician and doctor in. The two of them first took a look at the baby in the outer room before entering the inner room to


    check on the pregnant woman.


    The room had already been cleaned up, but the smell of blood was still very strong. Madam Xia asked someone to put down the bed curtain and take out Li Jinghua¡¯s hand so that the imperial doctor and doctor could take her pulse. The two of them took turns to check it before going out to discuss.


    The imperial doctor said, ¡°Because Eldest Mrs. Qi¡¯s health is quite severely impacted, it will probably be difficult for her to conceive in the future. She has to recuperate well.¡±


    The doctor also said, ¡°It will certainly affect her. We can only see how her recovery goes in the future. As for the baby¡­¡± The doctor deliberated for a moment and said, ¡°We can¡¯t tell yet. We¡¯lle back to check on him in a few


    months.¡±


    Mu Yangling was shocked. ¡°Is there a problem with the baby?¡±


    The imperial physician was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°From the looks of it, he¡¯s just a little weak. But when we checked just now, we found that the back of his head is a little bruised¡­¡±<div>


    They suspected that the baby had been impacted by the knock previously. They also knew that Madam Li had to go through difficultbor because of a fall. Now that the child¡¯s entire body was a little bruised, they could not be sure if the bruise on the back of his head was due to the knock.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart sank. This was a hint that there might be something wrong with the child¡¯s intelligence. Forcing a smile, she said, ¡°Thankyou, doctors. You can go down and eat something first. I¡¯ll have to trouble the two of you to watch over her here tonight.¡±


    It was already past curfew time, so they had no choice but to stay.


    The two of them were invited out.


    Mu Yangling handed the baby to Madam Xia to carry and tipped the three midwives. She asked someone to invite them to the side room to rest in case their help was needed here. She only went out after making arrangements.


    Outside, the three women were asking Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin to let them leave.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face was filled with impatience. If not for the Zhang and Shu families¡¯ status and power, he would have flipped out long ago. Although Fan Zijin was arguing with them, there were some things that could not be said in detail because between the sexes there should be a prudent reserve. Seeing Mu Yanglinge out, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    Qi Haoran hurried forward and asked, ¡°How are my sister-inw and nephew?¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s face sank. She did not answer and only stared at the three families. Then, she sneered and said, ¡°You want to leave? I¡¯ll fulfill your wish.


    Men, send them out.¡±


    Shocked, Fan Zijin hurriedly asked, ¡°Why are you letting them go? We haven¡¯t settled Eldest Cousin-inw and Nephew¡¯s matter yet.¡±<div>


    ¡°What¡¯s there to settle? There¡¯s no way they can pay for that. Chase them out!¡± Mu Yangling snapped angrily. ¡°Just report this matter to the government office tomorrow morning. Why are you guys still wasting your breath with them?¡±


    No one expected Mu Yangling¡¯s temper to be so bad. They were all shocked. Mu Yangling had already red at the old servant below and said, ¡°What? Are you deaf? Or am I unable tomand you now? Throw them out!¡±


    Fourth Madam Shu¡¯s face sank, but she had no choice but to ask patiently, ¡°Fourth Mrs. Qi, how are Eldest Mrs. Qi and Young Master?¡±


    ¡°How are they? You still have the cheek to ask.¡± Mu Yangling said angrily, ¡°Do you know that because of you, my sister-inw might not have any more children in the future? Because of you, my nephew¡­¡± Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes were red and she choked on her words. She said hatefully, ¡°The back of his head is bruised. You¡¯d better pray that he turns out healthy and smart. Otherwise, I won¡¯t let you off.¡±


    Their expressions changed and their hearts sank. A fool!


    in that case, it would have been better if she suffered a miscarriage. If the child died, they would at mostpensate once. However, if the child turned out to be a fool, wouldn¡¯t their three families have to bear it for the rest of their lives? Before they could figure it out, Mu Yangling had already gotten someone to throw them out, including their old servants and servant girls.


    In the main courtyard in front, Senior Madam Zhang, Senior Madam Shu, and Old Madam Zhou were discussing with Madam Wu, hoping they could release their daughters-inw and niece first. Then, they heard amotion outside. The three of them looked at each other and quickly came out to take a look. Mama Wang was driving the three women out with a dark expression. Stunned, Senior Madam Zhang asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    When Third Madam Zhang saw her mother-inw, her eyes turned red and she shouted, ¡°Mother, the Qi family wants to chase us out.¡±


    Mama Wang said in a neither servile nor overbearing manner, ¡°Senior Madam Zhang, please don¡¯t make things difficult for us since we¡¯re just following Master¡¯s orders. Your carriage and coachman are outside. Please leave quickly. Fourth Madam said that the Qi family doesn¡¯t wee you.¡±


    Senior Madam Zhang¡¯s expression changed. She turned around and questioned Madam Wu, ¡°Madam Qi, is this how the Qi family treats guests?


    Although Madam Wu was also angry, she had no choice but to defend her. ¡°Maybe something happened to Madam Li and the child. Senior Madam Zhang, you might not know this, but Madam Mu is very close to Madam Li. Why don¡¯t you go back first? We¡¯ll talk tomorrow.¡±


    Senior Madam Zhang¡¯s expression changed. She looked at her daughter-inw and niece. Seeing that they had indeed lowered their heads and remained silent, she knew that something had really happened to Madam Li and her


    baby.


    Her arrogance was instantly suppressed. This was the worst situation.


    It was not umon for the Qi family to chase people away in anger. Senior Madam Zhang could only suppress the anger in her heart and leave with her men.


    Therge group of people were chased out of the Qi family in the middle of the night. Although their original intention was indeed to leave the Qi Manor and go home, it was still very embarrassing for them to be chased out like a swarm of bees. The side door mmed in front of them.


    It had to be known that no women would ascend and alight from the carriage at the entrance. They would usually lower the threshold before driving the carriage into a dedicated courtyard or ce to alight. Previously, Madam Li had only been carried in by Mu Yangling at the door because it was an emergency situation. Otherwise, it would have taken a lot of time to lower the threshold and drive the carriage in.


    But now, they did have plenty of time to get on the carriage in the courtyard beforeing out. However, Qi Haoran had gotten the servants to throw their carriage and coachmen out of the door in advance. They were also escorted out of the door by Mu Yangling¡¯s men. All the gifts they brought were thrown out, making them lose face.


    Although it waste at night and no one had seen this, it still made the women¡¯s faces turn green and red..

 Chapter 453 - 453: Rumors

    Chapter 453 - 453: Rumors<div>


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The three families looked at each other and silently got into the carriage to leave. The group of people was especially conspicuous on the quiet street, attracting the patrolling imperial guards to go forward to enquire. Fortunately, the Zhang family had anticipated this situation beforeing, so they had asked the family head Zhang Cheng to bring along an invitation.


    The imperial guards assigned six people to send them back to the three residences separately.<div>


    Women were not the only ones who gossiped; men weren¡¯t any less gossipy than women at all. It was super obvious these people had been chased out by the Qi family in the middle of the night. Among them, the Zhang family was the family of the Minister of Revenue, Zhang Cheng. The Shu family¡¯s status was not low either. Although the Zhou family was only a merchant family, they were considered famous. The six young men felt as if their hearts were being scratched by ws. Hence, during the escort process, they obtained some news using their own methods.


    After sending them off, they returned to the team. The night was long, so they naturally gossiped to pass the time.


    Hence, the news spread among the imperial guards. Early the next morning, more than half of the imperial guards knew that the Zhang, Shu, and Zhou families had a conflict in an embroidery workshop. However, it identally affected Eldest Madam Qi, who was passing by, causing her to give birth prematurely and suffer a difficult delivery. They did not know how the situation was now.


    After changing shifts in the morning, a small portion of the imperial guards who returned home mentioned it to their wives as a novelty. Then, they gloated. ¡°That kid, Qi Haoran, is very mischievous. Even though he¡¯s young, he doesn¡¯t give anyone face at all. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s going to act the same way with the Zhang family. There¡¯s going to be a show in the capital again.¡±


    Then, he turned around and fell asleep. However, his wife was excited. This was fresh news that she could share with her besties.


    Hence, while the Zhang family and the Shu family were still thinking about how to persuade the Qi family to suppress the news and settle it privately, all kinds of gossip had already spread.


    The Qi family had no idea about this.


    Qi Haoran was hugging his head in frustration. He looked at his nephew in a daze and wondered how he was going to exin things to his big brother.


    Moreover, how was this child going to live in the future if he turned out to be a fool?


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes turned redder and redder, almost to the point of madness. Fan Zijin¡¯s face also sank as he asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°Can¡¯t it be cured?¡± Mu Yangling said angrily, ¡°How do you guys know that the child must have injured his head? Isn¡¯t it still undiagnosed?¡±


    Mu Yangling said in a low voice, ¡°This matter can¡¯t be spread. Let¡¯s just keep it within our family. As for the Zhang, Shu, and Zhou families, they can¡¯t wait to hide this matter under the nket. The imperial doctor said that the diagnosis should be confirmed in about three months. At that time, he will assess based on the child¡¯s reaction.¡±<div>


    No one had any objections to this matter. Although it would be more beneficial to them if word got out and the public opinion alone could crush the three families, it would not be beneficial to Li Jinghua and the child at all. In the future, they might live under the strange gazes of others. There might be sympathy, but there might also be gloating and disgust.


    They weren¡¯t people who relied on other people¡¯s sympathy to live. There was no need to push the mother and son to the front for that little benefit.


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°Even if there¡¯s no public opinion, I can still peel off ayer of their skin.¡± As he spoke, he turned around and left.


    Fan Zijin nodded slightly at Mu Yangling and hurriedly chased after him.


    Mu Yangling turned around and looked at the tired people in the room who were about to doze off. She waved her hand and said, ¡°All of you go down and rest. Everyone, take turns to take care of her.


    Wen Cui and Spring looked at each other and left with the servants.


    Mu Yangling got someone to wake Madam Xia, who was already sleeping on the couch, and arranged for her to sleep in the side room.


    Only then did Mu Yangling sit beside the soft couch. Staring at the baby sleeping peacefully on the couch, she whispered, ¡°Baby, you have to be smart.¡± Qi Haoran didn¡¯t let Mu Yangling interfere in the matters outside anymore. He didn¡¯t even let Qi Feng and Madam Wu ask about it. Together with Fan Zijin, he directly took over the right to converse with the three families.


    Mu Yangling saw that he was not at a disadvantage. Although rumors were flying everywhere outside, there was no mention of Li Jinghua and the baby¡¯s situation. They were all talking about how domineering the Zhang and Shu families were, and how Madam Li had suffered an undeserved cmity. Clearly, the public still did not know the current state of Li Jinghua and the baby¡¯s health.


    Seeing that Qi Haoran could control the rumors, Mu Yangling ignored them and focused on taking care of Li Jinghua and the child.


    After giving birth, Li Jinghua fell asleep and only finally woke up the next afternoon. After taking a look at the child, she fell asleep again.<div>


    Mu Yangling knew that she had exhausted too much energy and had to sleep more to recover from it.


    When it was mealtime, she got a servant to wake her up and feed her food and medicine. The imperial physician and doctor also said that her condition was improving. Only then was Mu Yangling relieved.


    If he wanted to nurse her back to health, he could only write a prescription for her after her postpartum hemorrhage stopped. Mu Yangling did not tell her about the actual situation of her and the child, since agitation and worry weren¡¯t going to aid her recovery.


    As for the child, there didn¡¯t seem to be any abnormalities at the moment. He had already begun to drink milk. When Mu Yangling grabbed his tiny hand and stuffed it into his mouth, he would nibble on his fingers and pull back his hand before swinging them twice.


    Mu Yangling was overjoyed when she saw this. She felt that the baby did not look like a fool at all. Instead, he was very bright.


    It was a pity that his eyes were not fully open yet. Otherwise, it would be best to observe his eyes.


    Mu Yangling was lying on the side and talking to the baby softly when Mama Wang came in and said, ¡°Fourth Madam, the madam from the East Manor sent someone over to ask about how we should deal with the xisan? ceremony tomorrow.¡±


    Mu Yangling waved her hand and said, ¡°Considering the child¡¯s body is weak, the xisan ceremony can¡¯t be held.¡±


    Taken aback, Mama Wang said, ¡°Erm¡­ this isn¡¯t a good idea.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? The child is weak to begin with. Who knows if he¡¯ll catch a cold if we carry him out? Just do as I say and don¡¯t do the xisan ceremony.¡±


    The xisan ceremony was not only a meet-and-greet between the baby and everyone. The most important significance was to wash away the baby¡¯s filth and obtain happiness.


    Arge group of people would watch as the child took a bath, while throwing silver, gold, and even various small items like jade pendants and bracelets into the bathtub. Who knew how many people had touched those things and how much bacteria was left on them? If it was a healthy child, she would just turn a blind eye. At most, she would give the child abat bath when they returned home.


    However, since the baby¡¯s body was weak now, she didn¡¯t want to take this risk. Therefore, she directly called for the xisan ceremony to be canceled.


    Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin originally wanted to hold a grand xisan ceremony for the child to show how much they valued him. However, after hearing Mu Yangling¡¯s exnation, Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, ¡°In that case, we won¡¯t hold the xisan ceremony. Do you think we should cancel the one-month-old celebration as well?


    Fan Zijin immediately said, ¡°Since the xisan ceremony has already been canceled, we mustn¡¯t cancel the one-month-old celebration. Those who don¡¯t know might think that you don¡¯t like this nephew of yours.¡±


    Mu Yangling pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Let¡¯s hold the one-month-old celebration. However, when the timees, we won¡¯t bring the child out to wander. The people whoe to see the child in the backyard have to be selected. Don¡¯t bring everyone to the back lest they make too much noise. It¡¯s not good to scare the child.¡±


    Only then did Fan Zijin stop objecting.


    ¡°By the way, how¡¯s the seeking justice thing going?¡± Mu Yangling asked curiously.

 Chapter 454 - 454: Development

    Chapter 454 - 454: Development<div>


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Speaking of which, Li Jinghua was really unlucky. That day, she was merely feeling frustrated and wanted to go out for a walk since she didn¡¯t feel better after walking around the house.


    After she arrived in the capital, no one restricted her. She only had to take care of things in the Zhaode Hall where she lived, so she had a lot of time. Every few days, she would either go to visit people or go out with a couple of friends. Therefore, it was very normal for her to go out when she was feeling frustrated that day.<div>


    When the carriage passed by the embroidery workshop, she suddenly remembered that she had asked the shopkeeper to keep an eye out for soft fabricst time. She wondered if it had arrived, for she wanted to prepare a few more swaddling clothes for the baby.


    Hence, she alighted from the carriage and brought her people into the embroidery workshop.


    Thedy from the embroidery workshop invited them to a private room. After choosing two pieces of soft fabric, Li Jinghua held Wen Cui¡¯s hand as they walked out. Unexpectedly, in just a short while, there was already amotion outside.


    The women of the Zhang and Shu families were quarreling with the women of the Zhou families.


    Because of the Zhang family¡¯s status, although she wasn¡¯t familiar with them, she had met them before. As for the Shu family, they had interacted three or four times because they were from the same hometown in Jingzhao Prefecture. However, because they didn¡¯t exactly hit it off, they didn¡¯t interact much after that. When they saw each other outside, they were acquaintances who would merely nod at each other.


    However, in this situation where the three families had conflicts, Li Jinghua could not just leave. Hence, she wanted to send Wen Mian to ask if they needed any help.


    Her original intention was to remind them that it was better to restrain themselves now that they were outside. If there were any conflicts, they could resolve them in private to avoid beingughed at.


    Unexpectedly, before Wen Mian could reach them, ady from the Zhou Family suddenly pushed thedy from the Shu Family. Thedy from the Shu Family fell to the ground, then jumped up in anger to fight with thedy from the Zhou Family.


    Seeing this, Wen Mian could not go forward anymore. Li Jinghua was also dumbfounded.


    She came from an aristocratic family, so she knew how people would verbally mock each other. There were even many who fawned upon the strong and trampled on the weak. However, she had never even seen women in that circle get into a physical brawl themselves before, let alone experienced it. At most, everyone would let their servant girls fight on their behalf.


    When the youngdy from the Zhang family saw that her close cousin had been beaten up, she naturally could not let the matter rest. Hence, she rushed forward and tangled with the youngdy from the Zhou family.<div>


    When the young mistresses of the Zhang, Shu, and Zhou families saw this, they quickly went up to hold their sister-inw back. Unexpectedly, the three girls were extremely strong, refusing to let go of each other as if they had umted a lot of hatred. The group of people fought and soon affected Li Jinghua.


    Li Jinghua and Wen Cui turned pale with fright. Li Jinghua protected her stomach while Wen Cui stood in front of her to protect her, wanting to retreat to the private room. Unexpectedly, Miss Zhang ruthlessly pushed Miss Zhou away and sent her flying. In an instant, she knocked Wen Cui away and fell on Li Jinghua¡­


    It hadn¡¯t even been 10 minutes since she left the private room and fell.


    Li Jinghua¡¯s ident also frightened the women of the other three families. When Wen Cui instructed the old servants to carry Li Jinghua into the carriage and run back, those women followed behind in panic.


    It was only when they entered the Qi Manor that they came back to their senses, and realized they should have informed their family. Since the other party was not an ordinary woman, they couldn¡¯t simply settle it privately with somepensation.


    Qi Xiuyuan had been very popr for the past two years, while Madam Li was also a daughter of an aristocratic family. She had only been in the capital for half a year and had already entered the upper echelons. People like her clearly didn¡¯t care for theirpensation.


    It was fine if this was not the Qi family. Even if they lost this child, they could still have another child in the future. Even if Madam Li died, as long as the three families were to fork out a hugepensation, this matter could be suppressed.


    However, she was the daughter-inw of the Qi family and the daughter of the Li family.


    At Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s age, this was his first child. Moreover, it was estimated that in the next three to four years, the couple would not be able to reunite and have another baby. Without a legitimate son, it meant that the real bloodline could not be passed down.


    And the Li family was far away in Jingzhao Prefecture. Even if they could offer them benefits, he wouldn¡¯t be able to receive it.


    Moreover, the final oue was the worst. Madam Li survived, but she might have lost her fertility. The child also survived, but he might be a fool.<div>


    This meant that as long as the two of them were alive, the three families would forever owe the Qi couple.


    The Zhang and Shu families were not stupid. Naturally, they did not want such a situation to happen. Hence, they humbled themselves and controlled the rumors to prevent the true situation of Madam Li and the child from being leaked. Fortunately, the Qi family seemed to have the same intention.


    The three families instantly understood that the Qi family did not want Madam Li and the child to suffer, so they would not let their situation be publicized to force them topromise.


    The three families were both happy and worried.


    On one hand, they were happy because the worst-case scenario would not happen and this matter would not cause a storm in the city.


    On the other hand, they were worried that it would be even more difficult to negotiate since the Qi family valued Madam Li and that child so much.


    As expected, the next morning, the imperial censor¡¯s memorial for their impeachment filled the Emperor¡¯s desk. They reluctantly went to look for Qi Feng, but Qi Feng refused to meet them. Even when they managed to ost him at the imperial censor¡¯s desk, Qi Feng kept a straight face and did not speak. Even after they talked themselves hoarse and dangled the incentive of a promotion, he did not relent.


    So, they sent the women to look for Madam Wu, but Madam Wu refused to see them. After making a fuss for two days, they finally understood that these two really couldn¡¯t make the decision for Qi Xiuyuan. They still had to look for Qi Haoran with regards to this matter.


    Qi Haoran did not have the good attitude of Qi Feng and Madam Wu. After mocking them, he directly said that he would leave this matter to the officials.


    The Zhang family and the Shu family were furious. If they could let this matter be handled by the officials, would they have to humble themselves in front of the Qis?


    However, seeing that Qi Haoran yielded to neither hard nor soft approaches, they could only get the madams to think of a way to start with the women.


    At this moment, when Mu Yangling asked about the negotiation situation, Qi Haoran waved his hand nonchntly and said, ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? Just leave them be for a few more days. I¡¯ve already sent a pigeon to Big Brother about this. I still have to ask him for his opinion.¡±


    At this point, Qi Haoran said dejectedly, ¡°No wonder Big Brother always says that I¡¯m rash. If I had arranged for someone to follow Sister-inw at all times, this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±


    Fan Zijin patted his shoulder andforted him. ¡°I didn¡¯t see thising either, right? Alright, it¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    Mu Yangling was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Haoran, we can¡¯t let this matter go, but it¡¯s never toote for a gentleman to take revenge. We¡¯re alone and weak now, while the Zhang and Shu families are quite powerful. Don¡¯t force them into a corner first.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we know our limits.¡± Qi Haoran had already discussed it with Fan Zijin. Ultimately, this was just an ident. Although he was angry, he really couldn¡¯t do anything.


    If he really forced the Zhang and Shu families into a corner, the two families could divorce their daughters-inw and send their daughters to the temple. After which, they could turn around and deal with them in anger. It wouldn¡¯t be worth it.


    Families like the Zhang family and the Shu family were really capable of doing such a thing. As for the Zhou family, they were just rich businessmen. No matter how much the Qi family suppressed them, no one would stand up for them..

 Chapter 455 - 455: Showing Up at Her Doorstep (1)

    Chapter 455 - 455: Showing Up at Her Doorstep (1)<div>


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Li Jinghua called Mu Yangling over and gently ced the child aside. Smiling, she said, ¡°Come and sit.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Yangling had lost some weight, Li Jinghua said apologetically, ¡°I caused trouble for you guys and made you and Fourth Brother run around for me.¡±<div>


    ¡°Sister-inw, what are you saying? It¡¯s our duty to take care of you.¡± Mu Yangling still felt a little guilty. After all, before she came, she had patted her chest and promised Qi Xiuyuan that she would definitely protect Li Jinghua and the child.


    In the end, such a huge ident happened.


    Li Jinghua smiled and said seriously, ¡°I heard that Fourth Brother caused the Zhang, Shu, and Zhou families quite a lot of headache.¡±


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and said, ¡°Actually, if they hadn¡¯t caused such a ruckus that night, we wouldn¡¯t have pursued them so relentlessly. It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t understand the principle of being lenient wherever possible.¡±


    ¡°You call that being lenient?¡± Li Jinghua said nonchntly. ¡°Don¡¯t push them too hard. We¡¯ll be here for the foreseeable future. Since Zhang Cheng is the Minister of Revenue and our general is leading troops outside, there will be many entanglements between the two. It won¡¯t be good if he ys dirty tricks behind our backs.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and said, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. Haoran knows his limits.¡±


    Li Jinghua did not believe her. ¡°You should call Fourth Brother back. I¡¯ll talk to him personally.¡±


    Li Jinghua touched the baby¡¯s tender face and said, ¡°If the child is fine, I¡¯ll bring him to the Nation Protecting Temple to offer incense a hundred dayster. If anything happens, I¡¯m his mother and know what to do better than you.¡±


    Mu Yangling pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement.


    However, before she could call Qi Haoran back, the doorkeeper handed her a card with greetings?. The old servant who came to pass the message bowed and said, ¡°Because the visitors im to be your aunts, we didn¡¯t dare to stop them. They¡¯re outside now.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression darkened as she opened the card. On it were the seals of the Zhang and Shu families.<div>


    Mu Yanglingughed out of anger. Had the Zhang and Shu families only just find out about her identity, or had they always known?


    No matter what, to be able to find out that she was Shu Wanniang¡¯s daughter so quickly meant that they had not lost track of Shu Wanniang all these years. Was it them who had enlisted the Mu family into the military back then?


    Mu Yangling gripped the card tightly and her expression darkened. Why?


    No matter what, her mother was the daughter of the Shu family and, furthermore, a legitimate daughter. What grudge did the Shu family have against her to force the Qi family to their deaths?


    Under those circumstances, wouldn¡¯t enlisting their family into the military be sending them to their deaths?


    If not for her rtionship with Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran, Mu Shi would have been a new recruit who was suppressed by everyone when he entered the military camp. With his strength, he would only be arranged to be the vanguard. It would be good enough if one-tenth of the military merits he obtainednded on him.


    Bowen was so young and weak. If anything happened to Mu Shi, it was impossible for him to be removed from his military status. Once he turned 14, he would have to go to the battlefield. At the thought of this oue, Mu Yangling had a wretched impression of the Shu family.


    Now that they had shown up at her doorstep, the reason was obvious.


    She had been here for half a year, but there had been no movement from the Shu family at all. Now that something had happened, they came looking for her.


    Mu Yangling sat down in the reception pavilion and drank a cup of tea to suppress the anger in her heart. After thinking for a moment, she said to the old servant, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard my mother say that she has brothers and sisters. However, since they came looking for me, I also want to hear their excuses. Go and let them in.¡±


    The old servant bowed and agreed. When she went out again, her aura changed. Since Fourth Madam imed not to have any maternal uncles and aunts, and even used the words ¡°let them in¡± instead of ¡°invite¡±, there was no need to be so polite.<div>


    The old servant didn¡¯t know the second madam of the Zhang family and the fourth madam of the Shu family. If she knew them, she wouldn¡¯t be so rude.


    Shu Shuniang and Madam Shu-Fang didn¡¯t expect that a mere servant of a Grade 4 official would dare to give them attitude. Seeing that Mu Yangling didn¡¯te out to wee them personally, their hearts couldn¡¯t help but sink when they thought of the fact that Mu Yangling had never visited the Shu family aftering to the capital.


    The two of them went to the Qi Manor¡¯s reception pavilion together. On the way, Madam Shu-Fang asked her sister-inw? hesitantly, ¡°Sister-inw, could it be that she doesn¡¯t know about Second Aunt?¡±


    After a moment of silence, Shu Shuniang said with uncertainty, ¡°I don¡¯t know either. Since Wanniang has always been able to keep secrets, it¡¯s possible that she didn¡¯t tell her daughter.¡±


    ¡°Will she believe us, then?¡±


    This time, Shu Shuniang said firmly, ¡°Yes, I look very simr to her mother. If not, I still have a portrait of her mother when she was young. It won¡¯t be difficult for her to recognize me.¡±


    Madam Shu-Fang heaved a sigh of relief.


    When the two of them arrived at the reception pavilion, Mu Yangling was already sitting there drinking her second cup of tea. When she saw them, she didn¡¯t stand up. She only looked up at the two of them and said sarcastically, ¡°The doorkeeper said that my Aunt? and Aunt? are here to visit. I was still curious who it was. So it¡¯s Fourth Madam of the Shu family and Second Madam of the Zhang family. I wonder when our three families got involved.¡±


    The two of them did not expect Mu Yangling to be so straightforward. They were used to not showing it on their faces despite being at odds in secret. Hence, seeing that Mu Yangling did not follow the rules, it really shocked them quite a bit.


    Shu Shuniang was the first to react. She wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and forced a smile. ¡°It¡¯s normal that Yangling doesn¡¯t know us. Speaking of which, we haven¡¯t seen your mother for 16 years.¡±


    Shu Shuniang and Madam Shu-Fang sat at the side and sighed. ¡°Your name should be from a verse in ¡®Jiuge? Xiangjun?¡¯. Your mother has high hopes for you. Back then, she blushed and told me that she would name her son this in the future. I didn¡¯t expect her to also use this name after giving birth to a daughter. I heard that you have two younger brothers and a younger sister?¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but sigh at what an excellent conversationalist Shu Shuniang was. If her father hadn¡¯t repeatedly instructed her to be careful of the Shu family and told her about her mother¡¯s past with the Shu family, she might have really fallen for Shu Shuniang¡¯s nonsense about the deep sisterhood she shared with her mother.


    Mu Yangling thought that if her younger sister had been missing for 16 years and she found out about her sister¡¯s daughter¡¯s whereabouts one day, she would probablye looking for her excitedly like Shu Shuniang. With this mentality, even if she didn¡¯t feel deep affection towards Shu Shuniang, she would at least have a trace of kinship.


    Mu Yangling looked at Shu Shuniang and suddenly wanted to know how she would react to her questioning.


    Hence, Mu Yangling looked at Shu Shuniang suspiciously and said hesitantly, ¡°That was indeed why my mother gave me this name. But you im to be my Aunt, yet why haven¡¯t I heard my mother mention it before?¡±


    Shu Shuniang said sadly, ¡°16 years ago, when our entire family fled south, your mother was separated from us, so there has been no news of her ever since. I didn¡¯t expect her to have such a grown daughter after these 16 years.¡±


    ¡°Got separated?¡± Mu Yangling muttered the words on the tip of her tongue. There was mockery in her eyes as she asked, ¡°Can the Shu family, a noble family, lose the daughter of the first wife? The concubine¡¯s daughter seems to be living rather well, right?¡±

 Chapter 456 - 456: Confrontation

    Chapter 456: Confrontation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Shu Shuniang froze and looked at Mu Yangling suspiciously. Did she know the truth?


    However, seeing that Mu Yangling was only looking at them in confusion, it appeared as if she wasn¡¯t questioning them, but just asking a simple question. Shu Shuniang could only force a smile and exin, ¡°It was too chaotic at that time, and the servants couldn¡¯t take care of her in time, so we got separated. It was a chaotic time, and after your mother got separated, we had no choice but to give up after searching for a few days.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t continue pursuing the matter. If she continued to question


    them,???? not only would the Shu family be embarrassed, but her mother would also be embarrassed. Hence, Mu Yangling asked instead, ¡°How did you recognize me?¡±


    Shu Shuniang immediately replied, ¡°Our Zisu identally met you a few months ago. When she came back, she muttered to me that she saw someone who resembles me greatly. When I heard that you were from Xingzhou Prefecture, I was interested since that was where we got separated from your mother back then. I discussed it with your uncle? and was afraid that I would make a mistake and make your grandfather and maternal grandmother happy for nothing, so I secretly sent someone to Xingzhou Prefecture to find out. That person only returned yesterday. Only then did we know that you are really Wanniang¡¯s daughter.¡±


    Shu Shuniang said excitedly, ¡°Good child, you have no idea how much your grandmother has missed you all these years. Can youe back with me to see her? She¡¯ll be overjoyed to see you.¡±


    Looking at Shu Shuniang¡¯s gentle eyes, Mu Yangling instantly lost the desire to inquire further. She thought of her mother. Every year, on her birthday, her mother would happily hug the gift they gave her and sigh at her luck.


    Several times, Mu Yangling heard Shu Wanniang say, ¡°I used to resent them for abandoning me, but now I¡¯m constantly grateful that they abandoned me back


    then.???? ¡±


    Mu Yangling abruptly got over it, so she felt a little disgusted with the pretentious Shu Shu Shuniang all of a sudden. She interrupted her and said, ¡°Just tell me why you¡¯re looking for me.¡±


    Shu Shuniang and Madam Shu-Fang, who were wiping their tears, were stunned. They looked at Mu Yangling in shock, not knowing why she was suddenly angry.


    Mu Yangling stopped fishing for their words and sneered. ¡°Second Madam Zhang, it¡¯s not that easy to find out about me. Xingzhou Prefecture is my brother-inw¡¯s territory. If you want to find out about me, let¡¯s not talk about whether you can find out or not. Do you think I won¡¯t hear anything about it?¡±


    ¡°So far, I haven¡¯t received any news that someone came to Xingzhou Prefecture to ask about me. I think the Shu family must have known about our family¡¯s existence long ago, right? At least, they must have known about it five years ago.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Speaking of which, it¡¯s all thanks to the Shu family that our Mu family is where we are today.¡± Mu Yangling stared intently at Shu Shuniang¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Aunt?¡±


    Shu Shuniang¡¯s expression changed slightly. Only then did she realize that Mu Yangling knew everything.


    Madam Shu-Fang looked at the two of them in confusion, not understanding what they were talking about.


    Mu Yangling knocked on the table and ignored Shu Shuniang¡¯s ugly expression. ¡°The second daughter of the Shu family is already dead, and our Mu family has always lived in Xingzhou Prefecture. We¡¯re just an ordinary hunter family. I don¡¯t want this situation to change.¡± Mu Yangling revealed her white teeth and asked with a grin, ¡°Or has the Shu family decided to tell the truth and acknowledge my mother? In that case, wouldn¡¯t those who died because of this back then have died in vain?¡±


    Madam Shu-Fang¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She lowered her eyes and sat down as if she hadn¡¯t heard Mu Yangling¡¯s question.


    Shu Shuniang took a deep breath, knowing that it was impossible to fool Mu Yangling anymore. She was embarrassed and angry at the same time. Mu Yangling clearly knew everything, but she had led her to say those words as if she was watching a joke.


    She looked up at Mu Yangling and said seriously, ¡°Yangling, I know you have a grudge against the Shu family, but what happened back then was tooplicated. The Shu family is a noble family, and there are some rules that can¡¯t be messed with. After what happened to your mother¡­¡±


    In a fit of anger, Mu Yangling picked up the teacup on the table and threw it at Shu Shuniang. The teacup brushed past her forehead and flew past, hitting the wall and cracking. Shu Shuniang was shocked that Mu Yangling would be so bold.


    However, Mu Yangling red at her with bloodshot eyes and demanded to know, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my mother? Your aristocratic family is dirty, but you pinned the me on my mother alone. If you have the ability, execute the culprit! Shu Shuniang, let me tell you, don¡¯t let me hear such words a second time. My mother has a good temper. But I, Mu Yangling, am not a soft-hearted person. If you don¡¯t believe me, your Shu family can try me.¡±


    Shu Shuniang red at Mu Yangling with a livid expression and asked, ¡°Do you have to make it known to the world? What good will that do you? Will the Qi family not mind? Will General Qi not mind?¡±


    Mu Yangling mocked, ¡°Do you think everyone is like your Shu family? I¡¯m really not afraid that Qi Haoran will find out, because he and his older brother already knew a few years ago. If they despised our Mu family, they wouldn¡¯t have let us get married. On the other hand, can the aristocratic family, who has always valued face as much as their lives, be as open-minded as me?¡±


    Too furious to speak, Shu Shuniang could only re at Mu Yangling. Madam Shu-Fang had already vaguely guessed something, so she hurriedly tried to ease the atmosphere. ¡°Yangling, your Aunt doesn¡¯t mean to me your mother. They¡¯re biological sisters of the same father and mother who¡¯ve been separated for more than ten years. How can they not miss each other? Back then, your mother also suffered. Your maternal grandparents still remember¡­¡±


    ¡°I know they remember it, so they had our family enlisted as a military household when we were at our wits¡¯ end?¡± Mu Yangling interrupted Madam Shu-Fang. She tilted her head and smiled at the stunned Madam Shu-Fang. ¡°Fourth Madam Shu doesn¡¯t seem to know.¡±


    Madam Shu-Fang smiled awkwardly. At this moment, she didn¡¯t know what to say. Although the military status wasn¡¯t considered a low status, it was definitely not a good identity. This was because the military status was considered slightly more lowly than that of a craftsman, and the craftsman status was lower than ordinary civilians.


    If the Shu family had really forced the Mu family to enlist when they had no way out, this would truly be a gigantic feud.


    Shu Shuniang also knew that they wouldn¡¯t be able to aplish what they came here for today, so she could only stand up. Before she left, she turned around and said, ¡°Whether you believe it or not, my sisterly ties with your mother have remained all this while. This time, your cousins did do something wrong, but they didn¡¯t do it on purpose. If you still have a trace of sentiment for them, speak up for them.¡±


    As she spoke, she pulled Madam Shu-Fang and was about to leave. Seeing that they were about to leave, Mu Yangling suddenly asked, ¡°If I acknowledge you today, will you officially acknowledge my mother and record her name in the genealogical tree again? Will you hold a banquet to inform your rtives and friends?¡±


    Shu Shuniang¡¯s body stiffened, making her intention clear. Mu Yangling let out an ¡°Ah¡± and chuckled. ¡°So you only n to interact with us in private. Perhaps you¡¯ll invite me to the Shu residence when you¡¯re in the mood and let your mother and I put on an act of deep affection. Or perhaps in the future you¡¯ll make me an adopted daughter so that I can call her Grandmother openly?¡±


    Mu Yangling sighed. ¡°As expected of the wisdom of an aristocratic family. Commoners like us can¡¯t catch up.¡±


    Shu Shuniang left the Qi family in a sorry state. Mu Yangling turned around and smiled at Spring. ¡°I predict that she won¡¯t appear in front of me again for a year. How peaceful.¡±


    Spring looked at Mu Yangling with heartache. ¡°Fourth Madam, don¡¯t be sad.¡±


    Mu Yangling put away the smile on her face and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sad at all. I just feel sorry for my mother.¡±


    Mu Yangling was really not sad at all. Modern people didn¡¯t feel strong feelings to begin with. Although she had reincarnated, she only had feelings for her family.


    There was very little she could contain in her heart, but Shu Wanniang was different. Although she resented the Shu family, she had always had fantasies about them. After all, they were her parents and rtives. How could she not have any feelings for them? She wondered if her mother would be sad if she knew about this situation.


    Mu Yangling was d that their home was in Xingzhou Prefecture, thousands of miles away from Lin¡¯an Prefecture.

 Chapter 457 - 457: Scheme

    Chapter 457: Scheme


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When Shu Shuniang and Madam Shu-Fang returned to the Shu residence, Madam Shu-Fang was about to ask her what had happened back then when Shu Shuniang left her behind to look for her younger brother, Shu Mingxiang. Madam Shu Fang¡¯s expression was a little ugly. She was the daughter-inw of the Shu family, but she did not expect her to be treated worse than their married daughter.


    Madam Shu-Fang knew that it definitely involved the Shu family¡¯s scandal. ording to Mu Yangling¡¯s words just now, the Shu family had probably let down their second daughter who had been stranded outside.


    Madam Shu-Fang looked at the closed study door, sneered, and turned to leave. No matter what they did, they couldn¡¯t drag her daughter down with


    them.


    Shu Shuniang said anxiously, ¡°Since she knows everything, it¡¯s impossible to make use of her to make the Qi family stop. Little Brother, what do you think we should do?¡±


    Shu Mingxiang sighed and said, ¡°Back then, when Father asked someone to enlist the Mu family as a military household, I didn¡¯t agree¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of saying all this now? The key is to resolve the matter at hand.¡± Shu Shu Shuniang said anxiously, ¡°In the past two days, more and more memorials have been impeaching my father-inw. The Emperor hasn¡¯t expressed his stance yet. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s waiting for Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s memorial. If we wait any longer, I¡¯m afraid my father-inw¡¯s position will be lost.¡±


    Zhang Cheng worked for Minister Qin, and Minister Qin was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue. However, back then, there were frequent disasters, and the Ministry of Revenue was in trouble. He had no choice but to take the me and resign. Then, he pushed Zhang Cheng up and took up the position of prime minister.


    In an instant, Zhang Cheng became the target of public criticism. This was originally a small matter, but there were many people who wanted to see Zhang Cheng suffer and target Minister Qin, so their attacks were so fierce.


    If Zhang Cheng was implicated in this matter, he would have to give up his position as Minister of Revenue. Minister Qin could push one person to the top, but it was not so easy to help promote another person.


    Therefore, Shu Shuniang couldn¡¯t help but be anxious.


    The Shu family was also anxious.


    Zhang Cheng was their inw. With Zhang Cheng in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, it would be much more convenient for their family. Shu Mingxiang thought for a moment and said, ¡°Let¡¯s tell Father and Mother about this. If Mother can step in, it might work.¡±


    Since Shu Shuniang was only Mu Yangling¡¯s Aunt, she could disrespect her. But if her grandmother personally came forward, she couldn¡¯t be so insolent, right?


    If word got out, she would bebeled unfilial.


    However, Shu Shuniang said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s useless. She has a heart of stone. When I came out, she reminded me that unless our family puts Wanniang¡¯s name back into the genealogical tree and gives her justice, otherwise.¡± Shu Shuniang gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Otherwise, our Wanniang would have died 16 years ago. How is she my mother¡¯s granddaughter? The rumors outside can¡¯t hurt her at all.¡±


    Shu Mingxiang¡¯s expression changed drastically. ¡°She doesn¡¯t even acknowledge her maternal grandmother?¡±


    Mu Yangling retained the memories of her previous life, so she had a strong concept of family, but her concept of ¡®n¡¯ was faint. Certain actions that could not be understood in this world were very normal in her eyes.


    ¡®Your Shu family gave up on my mother first and even tried to kill her again and again. As my mother¡¯s daughter, not to mention that they didn¡¯t have much feelings for each other to begin with, whatever sentiments there were between them had vanished by now. ¡®Therefore, she never nned to acknowledge her maternal grandparents.


    In this era, Shu Wanniang was the daughter of the Shu family, and her life and death depended on her parents. Not to mention that they didn¡¯t really kill her, even if they did kill Shu Wanniang, the daughter left behind by Shu Wanniang would have no choice but to acknowledge them because she had the Shu family¡¯s blood flowing in her.


    The simplest logic was that without the Shu family, there would be no Mu Yangling. Half of the blood on Mu Yangling¡¯s body came from the Shu family.


    Therefore, Mu Yangling¡¯s actions were undoubtedly unfilial, but the Shu family couldn¡¯t say anything now. It was impossible for them to reveal the truth back


    then.???? Since outsiders didn¡¯t know, Mu Yangling¡¯s actions appeared reasonable.


    It was only now that the Shu family understood where they stood. They had thought that this would be used against the Mu family and Mu Yangling, but who knew that it would be something to control the Shu family instead?


    Indeed, this was apetition of who was more shameless.


    To Mu Yangling, ¡®face¡¯ was very important, but it also depended on what kind of ¡®face¡¯ it was.


    Shu Mingxiang was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Let Mother try. Perhaps it will work?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of angering Mother? Mu Yangling¡¯s words are like knives. She¡¯ll stab wherever it hurts. If you want to go, go. I¡¯m not going.¡± Recalling how Mu Yangling had humiliated her just now, Shu Shuniang felt suffocated.


    Shu Shuniang rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Since the culprit is Qingniang, what do you think about letting her go to the Qi family to confess?¡±


    Shu Mingxiang was silent, but the more Shu Shuniang spoke, the more she felt that it was feasible. ¡°Qingniang was the one who pushed Wanniang down back then. Since Wanniang told her daughter everything, Mu Yangling must know about this too. Besides, Qingniang¡¯s daughter was the one who started this¡­¡±


    Shu Shuniang and Shu Mingxiang looked at each other. They both wanted to push all the me to Shu Qingniang.


    Shu Mingxiang chuckled and said, ¡°Qingniang still has a son. As long as there are enough benefits, the Zhou family will definitely be willing. However, it¡¯s not convenient for us to step in. I¡¯ll tell Motherter and ask her to bring Qingniang to the Qi family.¡±


    A smile appeared on Shu Shuniang¡¯s face. She stood up and said, ¡°Then, Little Brother, I¡¯ll go back first. Let me know when there¡¯s news.¡±


    Shu Mingxiang nodded and sent Shu Shuniang off.


    At this moment, Mu Yangling, who had thought that she would not see the Shu family for a long time, was carrying the baby, whose eyes were gazing around the room in high spirits. She let him lean closer to look at the decorations in the room and saw that his eyes were constantly ncing at colorful things. When she spoke exaggeratedly, he would also turn his head to look at her.


    Mu Yangling said to Li Jinghua, ¡°Sister-inw, look at Little Treasure. He must be very smart. His eyes are moving very quickly.¡±


    Li Jinghua took the baby from her arms and tapped his little face, feeling slightly relieved. ¡°Let¡¯s invite the imperial physician over for a checkup. It would be great if we can invite an imperial physician who specializes in pediatrics.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°I¡¯ll get Haoran to submit a memorial. The Emperor will definitely agree.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± Li Jinghua red at her sister-inw.


    Mu Yangling said proudly, ¡°Of course I know. Didn¡¯t the Emperor let the imperial physician stay in our house because he wanted to know about your situation in time? If we ask for an imperial physician specializing in pediatrics, the Emperor will definitely agree. He can find out the exact situation while disying the kindness of an Emperor. It¡¯s killing two birds with one stone.¡±


    As the child¡¯s condition was unknown, no one was in the mood to give him a nice nickname. In addition, Mu Yangling had been calling him darling, so Li Jinghua decided to name him Little Treasure.


    In the past two days, the child¡¯s eyes hadpletely opened, and his eyeballs could already move around freely to look at things. Mu Yangling had once heard someone say that children with intellectual problems usually had dull and listless eyes. Their eyeballs either did not move, or they did not move often. Seeing Little Treasure¡¯s grape-like ck eyeballs move along with Mu Yangling¡¯s movements and gaze around excitedly, Mu Yangling felt that there was nothing wrong with this child.


    Li Jinghua¡¯s confidence also increased a little. Now, she only had to wait for the diagnosis to be confirmed in three months¡¯ time..

 Chapter 458 - 458: Separation

    Chapter 458 - 458: Separation<div>


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The moment Qi Haoran returned, he heard that Shu Shuniang and Madam Shu-Fang had shown up at the Qi Manor earlier. He asked Mu Yangling, ¡°Do you n to acknowledge the Shu family?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at him as if he was an idiot. ¡°Do I look stupid to you? Why would I offer to let them torture me?¡±<div>


    Seeing that Mu Yangling only hated the Shu family and had no feelings for them, Qi Haoran instantly rxed.


    He thought for a moment and said, ¡°Bring Sister-inw to the farmstead to stay for a period of time. Bring the imperial physicians and physicians along. Considering there have been many things going on in the residence recently, I¡¯m afraid you guys won¡¯t be able to rest well here.


    Mu Yangling knew that this matter was probablying to a conclusion soon.


    She thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.


    The imperial physician had already received the Emperor¡¯s instructions, so he could only return to the pce after the results were out. Hence, he naturally had to follow Madam Li and the child wherever they went.


    Physician Sun, who was left behind, had long been hired by Qj Haoran as a family doctor. He was paid a high monthly sry, so he naturally did whatever the master instructed him to do.


    Therefore, early the next morning, while the Shu family was still thinking of ways to persuade the Zhou family to abandon Shu Qingniang and her daughter, Zhou Tinn, Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua had already brought Little Treasure to the farmstead.


    Qi Feng and Madam Wu couldn¡¯t help but heave a sigh of relief. During this period of time, the Zhang and Shu families had given them a lot of pressure and temptation. There were a few times when they almost sumbed.


    However, as long as they remembered that this matter was not up to them to decide, it was useless no matter how tempted they were. It was good that they were gone now. They could suffer less.


    Qi Haoran did not send them there, but he arranged for more than half of the guards to apany them.


    Zhu Liang was waiting outside the farmstead. When he saw the carriage, he immediately went forward to pay his respects and personally walked to the side. Clearly, he was also worried about his young master¡¯s safety.<div>


    Carrying the tightly wrapped Little Treasure, Mu Yangling let go of the small nket the moment she entered the house. She touched his back and heaved a sigh of relief when she realized that it was still dry. She spread the baby out on the brick bed and saw him looking around curiously. She couldn¡¯t help but tease him with a few colorful threads.


    Wen Cui and Wen Mian helped Madam Li change her clothes,id out the brick bed, and helped her lie down. Li Jinghua exhaledfortably and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s indeed morefortable staying in the farmstead. It¡¯s a pity that I¡¯m still in confinement. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to go walk around in the riverside depression.¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°When the child is 40 days old, I¡¯ll get someone to build a shed on the mountain. At that time, we¡¯ll move the recliner up and sit there to enjoy the wind. How about that?¡±


    Sitting on the mountain and enjoying the July breeze was the best.


    Just as Madam Li was about to agree, Mama Wang immediately said, ¡°That won¡¯t do. Eldest Madam and Young Master can¡¯t be exposed to the wind. Fourth Madam, don¡¯t egg Eldest Madam on to do bad things.¡±


    Mu Yangling stuck out her tongue and remained silent.


    At this moment, all the grains in the farmstead had been harvested and were drying. The servants and long-term workers sat under the trees in the farmstead in twos and threes and chatted. Zhu Liang beat the gong and drum to get everyone to gather.


    ¡°Everyone has been resting for a few days. From tomorrow onwards, no one is allowed to ck off. The women and children will go up the mountain to pick up chicken eggs. The men will split into two teams. One team will even pick up duck eggs, and the other team will follow me to cast the.¡±


    The picking up of chicken eggs, duck eggs, and vegetables were all done daily, so everyone was already familiar with these chores. When they heard that they were going to cast the, the eyes of the people below lit up. ¡°Steward Zhu, is the fish ready for harvest?¡±


    ¡°I got someone to catch a few yesterday and weigh them. They can be harvested. But you guys have to be careful when you cast the tomorrow. Throw the small ones back into the water. I¡¯ve already discussed it with the restaurants and eateries. You¡¯re not allowed to y dumb with me. If the small fish are thrown into the bucket too, I¡¯ll deduct whatever loss our boss makes


    from your sry.¡±<div>


    Since it implicated their own benefits, everyone agreed loudly. Only then did Zhu Liang say, ¡°Fourth Madam said that Eldest Madam and Young Master¡¯s health has improved. This is a joyous asion, so when we cast the tomorrow, each family will be given a fish. So you¡¯d better be meticulous. If anyone finds it troublesome and doesn¡¯t choose well, I¡¯ll choose all the small ones and distribute them to youter.¡±


    When everyone heard this, they instantly retracted theirziness and guaranteed that every fish in the would be a big fish tomorrow.


    Only then did Zhu Liang leave in satisfaction.


    Early the next morning, Mu Yangling left Li Jinghua and Little Treasure behind and ran to the meadow to watch everyone looking for duck eggs and fish.


    After raising the ducks for more than five months, one-fifth of them had already startedying eggs. Due to therge quantity of ducks, there were also a lot of duck eggs. Mu Yangling grabbed one and twirled it in her hand. She asked Zhu Liang, ¡°How¡¯s the sales of these duck eggs?


    ¡°Basically all sold. We¡¯re only supplying them to restaurants and eateries. If we can get in touch with the big families in the city, all the more we won¡¯t have to worry about sales.¡±


    In ancient times, there were almost no people who specialized in breeding animals. Most of the chicken eggs and duck eggs came from small individual farmers. Almost every farmer raised chickens and ducks, and very few people could bear to eat them. Most of them were sold, but mostly in small quantities. It was obviously impossible to supply the entire city¡¯s consumption based on individual farmers¡¯ efforts alone.


    However, if these things weren¡¯t necessities and could easily be substituted with something else. Therefore, there wouldn¡¯t be a situation where the price soared. Therge number of the farmstead¡¯s chicken eggs and duck eggs flooding the market didn¡¯t cause the price to fluctuate.


    Zhu Liang and Steward Qian unanimously felt that the supply could be higher. Not to mention anything else, a medium-ss family would consume about five eggs per day if they had ess to a supply.


    There were so many people in Lin¡¯an City. Although they raised a lot of chickens and ducks, demand would still exceed supply.


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can open a shop in the city that specializes in selling chickens and ducks. When the timees, if other families want to buy such things, they cane to our shop and look for them. Our business can expand faster, too.¡±


    After pondering for a moment, Zhu Liang¡¯s eyes lit up and he nodded in agreement.


    Mu Yangling pointed out the general direction, then left the matter to Zhu Liang She stepped onto a small bamboo raft and staggered to a rtively deep depression in the water in front. When she saw the fish jumping in the water, she couldn¡¯t help but smile. In another month, the Emperor would probably believe that they had really bought this farmstead for profits, right? just as Mu Yangling was happily calcting her farmstead¡¯s harvest, Old Madam Shu was clutching her chest as an old nanny helped her into the carriage. Behind her was Shu Qingniang, who had a strange expression. After watching them leave in a daze, Madam Wu turned around and asked her eldest daughter-inw in confusion, ¡°Did I say something wrong? Why is Old Madam Shu like this?¡±


    Little Madam Wu pursed her lips and said, ¡°Mother, if she can¡¯t see Fourth Sister-inw, her family¡¯s matters can¡¯t be resolved. Naturally, she looks like she¡¯s about to die. However, you¡¯re Eldest Sister-inw¡¯s mother-inw after all. Logically speaking, you can make the decision on this matter. Why do they insist on seeing Fourth Sister-inw?¡±


    Madam Wu red at her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense. This is Old Master¡¯s idea. You¡¯d better behave yourself for the time being.


    Although Madam Wu kept targeting Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran in private, the good thing about her was that she listened to Qi Feng. As long as Qi Feng gave a clear order, no matter how unwilling she was, she would carry it out as told. However, Madam Xu said thoughtfully, ¡°Mother, have you forgotten that Old Madam Shu said that she and Fourth Sister-inw¡¯s mother are distant rtives¡¯ I remember that Fourth Sister-inw¡¯s mother is indeed from the Shu family, and the Shu family moved over from Jingzhao Prefecture. Perhaps they¡¯re really rted..¡±

 Chapter 459 - 459: Compensation

    Chapter 459 - 459: Compensation<div>


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Madam Wu said disinterestedly, ¡°What has that got to do with us? Old Master has already told us to stay away from them. Now, we¡¯re living separately within the same residence. Not to mention that this isn¡¯t Madam Mu¡¯s weakness, but even if it is, as long as Qi Haoran shields her, whatever we do is redundant. Besides, why would I deal with her for no reason?¡±


    Madam Wu was interested in how to trample Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran under her feet. However, with Qi Feng brainwashing her day and night, she already knew that she could not touch Qi Xiuyuan. If she dared do something to Qi Haoran, it would undoubtedly anger Qi Xiuyuan.<div>


    She wasn¡¯t afraid, but she had to think for her two sons. She didn¡¯t heed Qi Feng¡¯s words about maintaining peace and prosperity in the family, but she remembered one sentence deeply. ¡°Shaosheng hasn¡¯t passed the imperial examination yet. I¡¯ve asked his Teacher. I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be easy next year. Xiuyuan has already been promoted to Grade 2A. As long as he doesn¡¯t rebel, he can firmly suppress Shaosheng. Although he¡¯s not an official, he¡¯s a feudal official. There must be many people in the court who are willing to give him face. If you anger him, you can make it difficult for Shaosheng to advance.¡±


    Qi Feng had a deep understanding of this. All along, he¡¯d felt that he had not been able to advance in his career because he was not experienced enough. However, thest time he went to look for the imperial censor because he was angry at Qi Haoran for fighting on the streets, he identally heard a few words and found out that his eldest son, Qi Xiuyuan, was behind that.


    Qi Feng never expected that he could not advance further in his career because of his son. At that time, he was so angry that he almost exploded.


    However, for him to be able to endure for so many years, it went to show that his tolerance was extraordinary. Although he was furious, he still took a step back after weighing the pros and cons. Gradually, he let go of Qi Haoran and started leaving him be.


    Regardless of whether it was good or bad, he ignored everything that happened in the West Manor.


    After struggling for half a year, Madam Wu finally resigned to her fate. At this moment, she only hoped that Qi Haoran would not find trouble with her sons and that Madam Li and Madam Mu would not find trouble with them. In any case, their sries had been handed over to the family treasury. After paying the expenses of the West Manor, there was still a lot left.


    Madam Xu did not expect Madam Wu to let things go so easily. For a moment, she was stunned. Then, she could only shake her head and return to the backyard.


    Since Madam Wu, who was most against Madam Li and Madam Mu, had already given up, there was no need for her to say anything else. On the other hand, Little Madam Wu stood there for a while before stomping her feet and following. She was jealous of Madam Li and Madam Mu¡¯s things, but if Madam Wu wasn¡¯t backing her up, she would totally be destroyed in minutes.


    When Old Madam Shu returned to the Shu family, she was so angry that she had to gulp down water and fan herself to cool down. After a while, when she finally caught her breath, she turned to ask Shu Shuniang, ¡°Are you sure that Madam Mu is really Wanniang¡¯s child?¡±


    Shu Shuniang smiled bitterly. ¡°Mother, would I lie to you about this?¡±


    Old Madam Shu closed her eyes and sighed. ¡°No, she doesn¡¯t resemble Wanniang at all. Although I¡¯ve never seen her before, from what you said, I feel that Wanniang can¡¯t possibly raise such a daughter.¡±<div>


    If her younger brother hadn¡¯t patted his chest and guaranteed it, she wouldn¡¯t have believed it either. Her younger sister was the most honest and timid. Who would have thought that she would raise a daughter who was as sharp as a knife? Besides, other than sharing simr looks, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t take after her in any other way.


    Since she didn¡¯t take after Wanniang, it meant she took after the Mu guy.


    But wasn¡¯t the Mu family a hunter family? Why were their temper and looks so¡­ weird?


    ¡°Mother, if Madam Mu avoids us, what should we do?¡±


    ¡®What do I do?¡¯


    How would Old Madam Shu know what to do?


    Look for her in the farmstead? That would be humbling herself too much.


    Unfortunately, Madam Mu was not her granddaughter in name. Otherwise, she could have called her over with a single order.


    Seeing Shu Qing enter with a dark expression, Old Madam Shu hurriedly stood up and asked, ¡°Master, why are you back?¡±


    Shu Qing asked in a low voice, ¡°You didn¡¯t see Madam Mu?¡±


    Old Madam Shu nodded. Shu Qing said unhappily, ¡°There¡¯s no need to see her. Qi Haoran has alreadye looking for us. The four of us have already negotiated the terms.¡±<div>


    Shu Qing said coldly, ¡°That little brat is so insolent at such a young age. Let¡¯s see if he has the capacity to swallow it.¡±


    Surprised, Old Madam Shu asked, ¡°The Qi family is weak alone. Do they really dare to offend our three families at once?¡±


    Shu Qing sneered. Today¡¯s negotiations had infuriated him greatly. However, he had no choice but to submit because the Qi family had something on him. However, he had already decided not to let the Qi family have an easy time from now on.


    Shu Qing did not expect that Qi Haoran would go straight to the pce right after parting ways with the three families at the restaurant. He said to the Emperor very amiably, ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s really as you expected. They all agreed.¡±


    Smiling, the Emperor said smugly, ¡°They¡¯re afraid of losing their current status, so they¡¯ll naturallypromise. How do you n to deal with those things?¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips nonchntly and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t those all resources of the Imperial Court? What can I do with them? Naturally, I¡¯ll give them to you.¡±


    The Emperor smiled, but he looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel heartache?¡±


    Qi Haoran said inexplicably, ¡°Why should I feel heartache? I¡¯m a general and only like to lead troops to war. I don¡¯t fancy the positions in the Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of Works. Besides, I¡¯m just one man and can¡¯t split myself up. Didn¡¯t you ask me to raise these conditions? I thought you wanted to use them.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes darted around and he said, ¡°However, my cousin will be participating in the Spring Quarter Examinations next year. He might need a position. Your Majesty, please reserve a position in the Ministry of Revenue for him. Unfortunately, there¡¯s no position avable in the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs. Otherwise, it would be better to arrange for him to enter that ministry.¡±


    The Emperor carefully observed Qi Haoran and realized that he was really not tempted. Relieved, he was now in the mood to joke with him. He picked up the memorial and hit him. With a smile, he said, ¡°You¡¯re talking about Fan Zijin, right? Do you really believe that he can ace the examinations?¡±


    Qi Haoran said matter-of-factly, ¡°My cousin is very smart. He became a xiucai at the age of 11. If he fails to make it, how many people in this world can do it? Your Majesty, you must reserve a good position for him. This time, he has been running with me for a few days.¡±


    The Emperor smashed another memorial book on him and lectured him, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s so easy to reserve a position? The highest ranking schr who just aced the examination only manages to enter the Hanlin Academy. Even if he enters the six departments, he will at most be a Grade 8 official. Those positions you made the Shu and Zhang families hand over were Grade 6 and above. Wouldn¡¯t giving the position to him be equivalent to telling the world that he got in through the back door?¡±


    Seeing that he had suppressed Qi Haoran, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make arrangements for those official positions. You may leave.¡±


    Qi Haoran hesitated and did not leave. The Emperor¡¯s expression darkened slightly as he asked, ¡°Why? Are you still not leaving?¡±


    Qi Haoran shouted, ¡°Your Majesty, I don¡¯t need the Zhang and Shu families¡¯pensation, but you have to leave some of the Zhou family¡¯s things for me, right? Let¡¯s not talk about anything else. I was just about to craft some jewelry from the two boxes of gems they brought to mest time.¡±


    The Emperor looked at Qi Haoran, who had thrown away the watermelon and picked up sesame seeds. He believed thements of the profligate sons in the city. Qi Haoran was a fool who relied on his strong martial arts skills. He waved his hand and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want anything from the Zhou family. Take them all.¡±


    The Emperor saw that it didn¡¯t even ur to the overjoyed Qi Haoran to decline, and he simply retreated happily..

 Chapter 460 - 460: Who Deceived Who?

    Chapter 460: Who Deceived Who?


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The Emperor picked up the note on the table and, after looking at it, his eyes darkened slightly. He did not expect that an ordinary ident would let him discover such a secret.


    Most of the government affairs were actually controlled by Qin Fang. The Emperor had always thought that Grand Tutor Yan and the others were just exaggerating because they could not stand seeing him favor Qin Fang. All these years, Qin Fang¡¯s orders had been issued under his nose. It was also his decision to choose which officials to promote. He¡¯d felt that other than military power, everything was still in his control.


    Although the old ministers were a little long-winded and themoners had some objections about Qin Fang, he¡¯d felt that it was not a big deal.


    However, after Madam Li¡¯s idental fall this time, no one understood the whole story better than him.


    He had been getting people to secretly monitor the Qi family, including Qi Haoran, Madam Mu, Madam Li, and even Fan Zijin.


    That was how he knew the moment something happened to Madam Li. Hence, when Qi Haoran made a fuss outside the pce and wanted to see him to seek an imperial doctor, he quickly met him. After that, he saw how things developed. He saw that Qi Haoran was so angry that he insisted on sending the women involved to prison. In the end, Fan Zijin persuaded him with all his might before he agreed to take a step back.


    At that time, he had only wanted to see how the Zhang family and the Shu family would deal with the matter out of curiosity. As for the Zhou family, he did not take it to heart. Although the Zhou family was rich, they were just businessmen who relied on the Shu family¡¯s power.


    However, it was also because of his curiosity that he now knew his Minister of Revenue was Qin Fang¡¯s man. Not only that, the Minister of Works, the Assistant Minister of Official Personnel Affairs, and key positions in the six ministries were all held by Minister Qin¡¯s men.


    What shocked the Emperor the most was the subsequent developments. The memorials to impeach Zhang Cheng were sent to him one after another. The Emperor only remained silent for half a day before secretly instructing his two most trusted subjects to carry out the operation. Then, there were even more memorials to impeach Zhang Cheng.


    He made a gesture of wanting to rece the Minister of Revenue. As expected, Zhang Cheng panicked and tried to suppress the matter using an emissary. It was only at this moment that the Emperor realized that there were actually many ministers who had submitted to Minister Qin.


    This meant that he could not control his own safety range.


    General Yuan, who was thousands of miles away, had already made him unable to sit still. If the people around him were someone else¡¯s men, wouldn¡¯t that make him even more uneasy?


    Emperor Jingyan was never an open-minded and smart person. On the contrary, he was a suspicious person.


    This time, he was already suspicious just by catching a glimpse. Coupled with Grand Tutor Yan and the others¡¯ actions against Minister Qin over the years, the Emperor then remembered that the people he ced in an important position seemed to all have been rmended by Minister Qin or someone close to him.


    The Emperor felt a chill, but he knew that he could not be rash. Otherwise, half of the officials in the Imperial Court would probably be affected. Since this could cause a huge earthquake, he could only take things slowly.


    In order to take back the military power in General Yuan¡¯s hands, he had nned for ten years. He certainly had the patience to calmly deal with Minister Qin.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s confrontation with the Zhang and Shu families this time was an opportunity. Hence, he called Qi Haoran into the pce and asked him how he nned to deal with this matter with interest. Just as he had thought, Qi Haoran did not have any concrete thoughts, and simply wanted those three families to pay the price.


    Worried that Qi Haoran wouldn¡¯t understand the hint, the Emperor could only suggest that he ask the Zhang and Shu families for benefits. Only then could they feel the pinch and desire to take revenge.


    This was the first time the Emperor had put in so much effort to scheme for someone, but the results were obvious. The Zhang and Shu families had indeed made concessions, and not only had he obtained those benefits, but he had also seen their fangs through this.


    The Emperor had already made up his mind. After some time, he would find a few excuses to slowly knock off their ws so that he could rece them with his own men. This time, he definitely would not promote anyone rmended by Minister Qin.


    Anyway, with this year¡¯s Fall Quarter Examinations and next year¡¯s Spring Quarter Examinations being held, there would be an abundance of talent. The Emperor finally felt a little better at thisforting thought.


    What reassured him even more was that Qi Haoran was not interested in this. Instead, he was very tempted by the Zhou family¡¯s money. The Emperor secretly mocked him in his heart. Then, he got someone to keep an eye on Qi Haoran, eager to know Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s reaction when he found out about this. Qi Haoran, who had just left the pce, slowly heaved a sigh of relief. God knew that his heart skipped a beat when the Emperor called him in to ask about this.


    Indeed, spying wasn¡¯t something that anyone could do. Moreover, he was a good person. Fortunately, the crisis had temporarily passed.


    When Qi Haoran returned to the Qi Manor, thepensation gift sent by the Zhou family had already been carried to his residence. Other than two shops and two manors, there were two cases of jewelry and a box of banknotes.


    Qi Haoran put away the banknotes, opened the case, grabbed a handful, and threw it into a box. He threw it to Yanmo and said, ¡°Take it to the East Manor and say that this ispensation from the Zhou family.¡±


    This time, his father and Madam Wu did not hold him back. Otherwise, things would be even moreplicated. Qi Haoran knew that in order to maintain this situation, both sides had to work hard together.


    Originally, it had always been Sister-inw who handled this sort of thing, but right now she was recuperating. He could forget about counting on Ah Ling. Even if she was given ten more years, she wouldn¡¯t have thought of this, so this time, he would handle this personally.


    Only then did Qi Haoran close the box with his foot and let Yanmo put it away. Then, he went to look for Fan Zijin with his hands behind his back.


    Fan Zijin was reading. When he saw him enter, he asked with a straight face, ¡°Are you done?¡±


    Qi Haoran said ingratiatingly, ¡°It¡¯s all done. I¡¯ve already epted the gifts.¡± Fan Zijin snorted and picked up his book to memorize, ignoring him.


    Qi Haoran lowered his head to look at his desk. There was a piece of paper on it that wrote what Fan Zijin wanted to say to him. He had already written a letter to Qi Xiuyuan through another channel. The other party would be able to reply ording to their wishes very quickly.


    Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin were very uneasy. This time, when they were called into the pce by the Emperor, Qi Haoran finally understood that they were being monitored so closely. Originally, they still dared to whisper some taboo secrets behind closed doors, but now, they did not dare to say it out loud.


    Qi Haoran sighed. He could only hope that the Emperor would face off against Qin Feng as soon as possible so that he could transfer the people around them away. Otherwise, living under such surveince would drive even good people crazy.


    Ignoring the fact that Fan Zijin was studying, he continued to pester him like he usually did before leaving happily. After he left, Fan Zijin picked up the note he had left on the table and looked at it. It roughly described his and the Emperor¡¯s conversation. Fan Zijin felt that there was no problem, so he threw all the paper into the basin. The ink spread out in the water, and in the end, all the words disappeared.


    It was indeed the cheapest ink, totally living up to its price.


    Qi Haoran, who felt that he had aplished a huge matter, was not in the mood to stay in the city. So, he rode his horse and brought his men to the farmstead.


    After receiving the report, the Emperor pursed his lips and said, ¡°He just can¡¯t stay away from his wife, huh?¡±


    Eunuch Bai said with a smile, ¡°Your Majesty, General Qi and Madam Mu are childhood sweethearts and are a loving couple. It¡¯s a good thing for the country and you.¡±


    The Emperor thought about it and agreed. The deeper Qi Haoran¡¯s feelings were for his wife, the more value Madam Mu would have for staying in the capital as a hostage..

 Chapter 461 - 461: Making a Baby

    Chapter 461: Making a Baby


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After the Emperor¡¯s secret guard intercepted Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s messenger pigeon, the Emperor opened the letter and took a look. After a moment of silence, he handed it to the secret guard and asked him to ce the letter back to where it properly belonged.


    He was very satisfied with the contents of Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s letter.


    Qi Xiuyuan scolded his brother for being so stupid. First, he told him that he shouldn¡¯t have asked the Zhang and Shu families for those things. Instead, he should have waited and see how Madam Li and the child were doing, before deciding.


    If Madam Li and the child turned out fine, then the two families would owe them a favor. If anything happened, those things weren¡¯t sufficient topensate Madam Li and the child. He could just talk to them in the future.


    It was also written in the letter that the stupidest thing Qi Haoran had done was to give those things to the Emperor. Qi Xiuyuan lectured Qi Haoran that some things were secrets between the officials and could not be announced. By implicating the Emperor so openly, Qi Haoran would not only offend the Zhang family and the Shu family, but also most of the officialdom.


    Even though Qi Xiuyuan was a feudal official, it would be very difficult for him to protect him amidst the anger of all the officials. Therefore, he asked Qi Haoran to tuck his tail between his legs in the future. If possible, he should not expose this matter. Once it was exposed, he should think of a way to leave the capital and return to Jingzhao Prefecture.


    At least he could protect him there. At the end of the letter, probably because he was still furious, Qi Xiuyuan scolded Qi Haoran again and told him to heed Fan Zijin¡¯s opinion next time.


    The Emperor was very satisfied with Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s reaction. This was a little different from what he had expected, but it was within his eptable range. However, he was very interested in something he said.


    So there were secrets between his subjects that they didn¡¯t want him to know?


    Qi Haoran was only 17 or 18 years old, and had not received any orthodox education or training before directly entering the bureaucracy. Under Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s protection, he only needed to fight and make military contributions to be promoted. In fact, he might not even have to go to the battlefield and military contributions would automaticallynd upon him. Therefore, it was normal for him not to know the rules of the bureaucracy.


    The Emperor smiled happily. It seemed that Qi Haoran had been raised by Qi Xiuyuan to be innocent. Hiswlessness was not a bad thing for the Emperor.


    The Emperor suddenly wanted to know Qi Haoran¡¯s reaction after receiving the letter, so he asked the secret guards in the farmstead to pay attention.


    How could Qi Haoran know that the Emperor was so crazed? Even if he knew that someone might be secretly monitoring him, he couldn¡¯t pretend to pay attention all the time. Hence, the moment he received Big Brother¡¯s letter, he shouted indignantly, ¡°How can you me me for this? No one told me!¡±


    Mu Yangling sat on the chair nonchntly and said, ¡°Wasn¡¯t this letter sent openly? Big Brother might not have written those words for your benefit.¡±


    Qi Haoran thought about it and agreed. However, when he saw Mu Yangling¡¯s nonchnt expression, he said unhappily, ¡°You¡¯ve been revolving around Little Treasure these few days that you¡¯ve almost forgotten about your husband.¡±


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes and coaxed him insincerely, ¡°You¡¯re already so old, yet you¡¯re still jealous of a child. Alright, I¡¯ll go out with you tomorrow.¡±


    Qi Haoran gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to go out with me. Why don¡¯t we have a child too?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Mu Yangling rejected tly. Seeing Qi Haoran¡¯s face darken, she exined in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m still young.¡±


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me? Are you unwilling to give birth to my child?¡±


    Qi Haoran only felt a dull pain in his heart. Then, acid gushed out of the wound that had been cut open by the blunt knife. Mu Yangling was actually unwilling to give birth to his child!


    In a man¡¯s eyes, this was no different from not liking him.


    Seeing that Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes were red, Mu Yangling asked in surprise, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± She didn¡¯t say anything overboard, but why was this person almost in tears?


    Qi Haoran tried his best to suppress the tears in his eyes and questioned, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to give birth to my child, whose child do you want to bear?¡± Mu Yangling shouted, ¡°When did I say that I don¡¯t want to bear a child for you? Don¡¯t malign me. I¡¯m saying that I¡¯m still young and don¡¯t want to give birth yet.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. There are many 13-year-old mothers and you¡¯re already 15 this year.¡±


    Mu Yangling shouted, ¡°What 15? I¡¯ll only be 15 in September. I¡¯m 14 years and ten months old now!¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips in disdain. ¡°You¡¯re already 16 years old in terms of nominal age!¡±


    Mu Yangling shouted angrily, ¡°You have to make me sound older than I am, don¡¯t you? Do you know that it¡¯s very dangerous to give birth at such a young age? Not only will I be in danger, but the child will also be in danger. What¡¯s wrong with giving birth after I turn 16? Isn¡¯t it just another year?¡±


    Qi Haoran was stunned. Thinking of Madam Li and Little Treasure, he asked, ¡°Were you frightened by Sister-inw when you saw her give birth?¡±


    The more Qi Haoran spoke, the more he felt that this was the case. He didn¡¯t me Mu Yangling anymore and hurriedly went forward to hug her. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. You¡¯re different from Sister-inw. Nothing will happen. Trust me. Your delivery will definitely go smoothly.¡±


    Mu Yangling said irritably, ¡°It¡¯s not because of Sister-inw and Little Treasure. They only became like that because of an ident. I¡¯ve already made up my mind to have a child after the age of 16.¡±


    Mu Yangling nced at Qi Haoran and said, ¡°I originally wanted to marry you after I reached adulthood. Didn¡¯t I marry you so early because of the circumstances?¡±


    Qi Haoran was stunned for a moment before saying unhappily, ¡°Who taught you this? I¡¯ll bring you to the nearby vige tomorrow. Ask around and see how many children have been born safely by 13 or 14 year old mothers.¡±


    ¡°But because of the mother¡¯s young age, many children died prematurely due to their weak bodies,¡± Mu Yangling muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s because their family is poor and can¡¯t afford to hire a doctor or pay for medicine. Does our familyck this? Besides, my son will definitely be stronger than me.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Qi Haoran suspiciously. ¡°Why do you suddenly want me to give birth so badly?¡±


    Qi Haoran was silent for a moment before hugging her and saying in a low voice, ¡°I want a child. Moreover, Big Brother¡¯s secret letter said that he would find an opportunity to transfer me back to Jingzhao Prefecture after a while. Ah Ling, if you had a child to apany you, you wouldn¡¯t be so lonely.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t expect this to be the reason. She knew that Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t always stay in the capital. Not to mention that Qi Xiuyuan wouldn¡¯t let him ruin his future for his own safety, even the Emperor wouldn¡¯t let Qi Haoran stay idle for so long.


    General Yuan had so many sons. Didn¡¯t the Emperor send them to the army as well?


    Qi Xiuyuan was just a brother. After observing them, he naturally would not hold Qi Haoran back. After all, the Great Zhoucked generals the most.


    However, Mu Yangling always felt that parting was only something that would happen in the distant future, but she did not expect it to arrive so quickly.


    Realizing his wife was silent, Qi Haoran lowered his head to look at her. Seeing that Mu Yangling was in a daze and did not seem to have reacted, Qi Haoran was in a good mood and tightened his embrace.


    Ah Ling couldn¡¯t bear to part with him!


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t stop Qi Haoran from leaving. At the thought that they might not be able to see each other for four to five years after he left, she was tempted by the suggestion of having a child. She poked Qi Haoran¡¯s chest and said, ¡°Then shall we try for a baby?¡±


    Overjoyed, Qi Haoran carried her and went to the brick bed to make babies..

 Chapter 462 - 462: Plan

    Chapter 462 - 462: n<div>


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Because the secret guards sent by the Emperor restrained themselves due to the Qi family guards in the farmstead, they were a little far away. However, they still heard Qi Haoran¡¯s first roar.


    After that, his voice lowered. They thought that they could only hear this sentence, but who knew that the couple would quarrelter? Although it was a little immoral to eavesdrop on the couple¡¯s quarrel, in order to beef up their secret letter to the Emperor, the secret guards still pricked up their ears.<div>


    Hence, the Emperor quickly found out that Qi Haoran and his wife had quarreled over having a child.


    The Emperor pursed his lips and said disdainfully, ¡°What¡¯s there to argue about? Could it be that Madam Mu can drink contraceptives? Madam Mu is strange, too. Who doesn¡¯t look forward to giving birth to her husband¡¯s child as soon as possible to gain a foothold in the family? She¡¯s different from others. No wonder Qi Haoran is angry.¡±


    ¡®Aren¡¯t you even stranger?¡¯


    ¡®You¡¯re even stricter with a fourth-grade general than you are with Minister Qin, getting your secret guards to monitor Qi Haoran 24 hours a day. Those who don¡¯t know better would think that you have other thoughts.¡¯


    The secret guardined in his heart.


    The Emperor threw the secret letter down and waved his hand. ¡°Alright, just get someone to watch from afar. Don¡¯t let the Qi family discover it. If they identally discover it, deal with it as usual.¡± The Emperor tilted his head and said, ¡°Lead it to Minister Qin.¡±


    The secret guard agreed.


    When the Emperor saw that he was the only one left in the pce, he spread his arms and leaned back on the dragon throne. He sighed, feeling that Qi Haoran was still the best. Following him would always result in the discovery of unexpected information, unlike keeping an eye on Minister Qin and not getting anything useful. It wasn¡¯t that he hadn¡¯t suspected it in the past, but seeing that Minister Qin was always anxious about what the Emperor was anxious about, he¡¯d thought that the other party was really devoted to him. Thus, up till then, he hadn¡¯t minded Minister Qin partaking in some corruption and bribery.


    After all, the other party only loved money, unlike General Yuan, who controlled an army of hundreds of thousands and was constantly threatening his status.


    However, from the looks of it, it was not Minister Qin who was clean, but his performance was too clean.


    This was what the Emperor was most afraid of. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he was keeping an eye on the Zhang and Shu families this time, he probably wouldn¡¯t have known that half of his Imperial Court was in Minister Qin¡¯s hands.<div>


    Inparison, Qi Haoran, who always made small mistakes and had yet to properly understand the dangers of the bureaucracy, was much more lovable. The Emperor already had a n in his heart, nning to use this rookie to expose the rules and hidden paths in the bureaucracy that he did not know.


    Since that was the case, he could not let Qi Haoran stay idle anymore.


    In a short period of time, the Emperor had already thought of many things. Lin¡¯an City was already like this under his nose. ording to the secret guard who monitored Zhang Cheng, many people gave him gifts every year during the debriefing period, and most of the things would enter Minister Qin¡¯s residence through Zhang Cheng.


    In the past, he had sent people to monitor Minister Qin¡¯s residence and only saw a small number of officials who came to the capital with gifts. He did not take it to heart because he did not care about that little bit of stuff.


    However, from the list that Zhang Cheng had obtained, what Minister Qin received was equivalent to almost half of the national treasury.


    The Emperor controlled the entire world. If his world had 10,000 taels of silver, he would not even bat an eyelid if Minister Qin took 10 taels of silver from within.


    However, not only did Minister Qin take away 5,000 taels in one go, but he surely also obtained more from other ces that the Emperor could not see. That 10,000 taels merely passed Emperor¡¯s hands briefly before it entered this country¡¯s treasury, leaving less than 1% of it behind. However, the money solidly entered Minister Qin¡¯s pockets without ever leaving. After umting for a long time, one could imagine just how fabulously wealthy he was. Just thinking about this made the Emperor very unhappy.


    Coupled with the fact that Minister Qin controlled half of the officials in the Imperial Court, it made him wonder just who was the true Emperor.


    The remaining half of the officials were always at odds with him, the Emperor. Such a feeling intensified when hepared their circumstances.


    Most of the money was contributed from local sources. Compared to the situation in Lin¡¯an City, the Emperor had already realized that this country was no longerpletely under his control. Other than military power, the Imperial Court and local political power were also gradually slipping from his hands.


    Although General Yuan, Qi Xiuyuan, and the others were disobedient, it was just with regards to external affairs. When it came to internal affairs, they still carried out his orders very thoroughly. Inparison, Minister Qin, who had always beenpliant on the surface but secretly disobeyed, was much more terrifying.<div>


    The Emperor desperately wanted to know the local situation. So he wondered if he sent the stupid Qi Haoran, who had a backer and the favor of the Emperor, to the local area, what information would he obtain?


    With this thought in mind, the Emperor could not wait to send Qi Haoran somewhere to take up a post.


    Apart from Jiangnan, which was a ce that specialized in producing fish and rice, another strategic location was the Jinghu area. It was also arge food production base and had good economic development. The Emperor wanted to know if Minister Qin¡¯s influence had reached the Jinghu area, which he had always felt was like an arm.


    The Emperor was already prepared, and was just secretly waiting for an opportunity to send Qi Haoran out. A vacancy in that area was not something readily avable. Even if he was the Emperor, he could not dictate that.


    Anyway, since Qi Haoran wanted to try for a child now, he would give the couple more time.


    The Emperor felt that he was really a good Emperor to have even considered such a thing for his subordinate.


    How could Qi Haoran know what the Emperor was thinking? He still felt that he would definitely be sent back to the West Camp. Even if he was not sent to Big Brother¡¯s West Camp, he would most likely go to his two uncles or General Yuan. Beforeing, Big Brother had already discussed with him about choosing these three ces.


    In order to get Mu Yangling pregnant before he left, Qi Haoran worked hard to make babies every night. If not for the fact that there were many people in the farmstead, Qi Haoran would not have wanted to get up during the day.


    At this moment, Qi Haoran truly desired to spend time alone with Mu Yangling. His sister-inw and nephew were really too inconsiderate.


    After fooling around with him for half a month, Mu Yangling suddenly came back to her senses and stopped him. ¡°That¡¯s not right. We have to calcte the day to sleep together. I can¡¯t get pregnant if we keep fooling around like this.¡± Mu Yangling knew that there was a safe period and an ovtion period. She didn¡¯t know how to calcte the ovtion period, but she roughly knew how to calcte the safe period. Then, minus the safe period and the few days before and after her period, wouldn¡¯t the remaining be her ovtion period?


    Pleased with her own wit, Mu Yangling took the pen and was about to calcte the date when Qi Haoran tugged at her pen and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to go through so much trouble. I can just work hard every day, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling kicked him and said, ¡°What do you know? Calcting the date is the most scientific. I heard that it¡¯s best to rest two days before we sleep together.¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips in disdain. ¡°That only applies to other people. Do I need to rest?¡±


    Looking at the arrogant Qi Haoran, Mu Yangling was speechless. However, she had already decided that she would not let Qi Haoran have his way tonight.


    When Qi Haoran went out, he was a little angry. He felt that the old servants in the residence must have led Mu Yangling astray. Otherwise, how would she know about such things?


    When they returned for dinner that night, Qi Haoran took out a jar of sweet fruit wine, making Mu Yangling drool. Qi Haoran said smugly, ¡°This was given to me by a tenant farmer when I went to the farmstead to race on a horse today. He said that it was brewed by him. Do you want to drink it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Smiling, Madam Li said, ¡°I want to drink it too, but the doctor instructed me not to touch alcohol, so you guys can enjoy it yourselves..¡±

 Chapter 463 - 463: Gamble

    Chapter 463 - 463: Gamble<div>


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    As the fruit wine was soft and sweet, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but drink too much. No matter how low the alcohol content was, it was still alcohol. Besides, Mu Yangling had never drunk much alcohol in this life. Although she wasn¡¯t drunk, she let Qi Haoran carry her back to her room in a daze.


    Qi Haoran chuckled and kissed Mu Yangling¡¯s face. He said smugly, ¡°Who asked you not to let me get into bed.¡±<div>


    Mu Yangling stared at Qi Haoran in a daze for a while before suddenly turning around and rolling into the nket. Then, she pulled the thin nket over herself and fell asleep obediently.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s jaw dropped. Was it over just like that?


    He pressed down on Mu Yangling indignantly and kissed her carelessly. ¡°Don¡¯t sleep yet. I still have something to tell you.¡±


    Mu Yangling kicked him off in a daze and muttered, ¡°It¡¯s dark. I¡¯m going to sleep.¡±


    Unwillingly, Qi Haoran climbed up again and reached out to unbutton her clothes. Originally, he just wanted to fool around with her, but as he got more and more into it, he extinguished the lights,pletely pressing down on Mu


    Yangling¡­


    When Mu Yangling woke up the next day, she had a headache when she saw Qi Haoran pestering her nakedly. Thinking of the fruit winest night, she felt that she had fallen into his trap. She wasn¡¯t too eager to have a child at this time to begin with. Thinking about it, she decided to let nature take its course and not torture herself.


    Seeing that Mu Yangling hadpletely relented, Qi Haoran became happy. He thought that she had finally thought it through and wanted to have a child with him.


    The two of them lived happily together in their own world, while Madam Li was also very busy recuperating and taking care of the baby. Thus, their lives slid forward happily for two months. By then, Little Treasure was already three months old.


    On the morning of the third month, Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran went to Madam Li¡¯s ce together and waited for the imperial physician to examine


    Little Treasure.<div>


    The imperial physician and doctor had been staying in the farmstead for the past three months. Through observation, they had already confirmed that the child was fine a month ago. However, they adhered to the principle of ¡®better safe than sorry¡¯. Today, after three months, they still seriously checked for a long time. In the end, the two old men gathered together and talked for a long time. In the end, they concluded that there was nothing wrong with Little Treasure¡¯s intelligence. Although his body was a little weak, that was because he had been born prematurely and had been stifled in his mother¡¯s womb for a long time. As long as they paid attention to nursing his health, it would not be a problem for him to catch up to other healthy children in the future.


    It was easy to nurse the child¡¯s health. Because the child was young, the damage to his body was not particrly serious. Furthermore, he was nursed through the milk of the wet nurse, so most of the medicinal poison had already been removed.


    However, Li Jinghua was different. The impact on her health was more serious. After discussing with the imperial physician for a long time, she could only receive a vagueforting answer. That is, if she took care of herself, she might be able to recover and get pregnant again in the future.


    Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling were a little sad. Mu Yangling was sad that Li Jinghua¡¯s health had been affected at such a young age. Qi Haoran was sad that his big brother might only have one legitimate son in his life.


    On the other hand, Li Jinghua was the most resilient and open-minded because she had already prepared for the worst after giving birth. Now, she only hoped to raise Little Treasure. She also hoped that Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s second child would be a few years younger than Little Treasure, so that Little Treasure¡¯s position as the eldest son would be more stable.


    The imperial physician left behind a few prescriptions for recuperation before bidding farewell and returning to the pce to report.


    The doctor continued to stay in the farmstead.


    Now that Little Treasure was dered to be fine, the confinement was naturally lifted. Mu Yangling began to bring Little Treasure to the farmstead from time to time to y.


    At first, Li Jinghua wanted to stop her, but after seeing that Little Treasure had be more lively after two days of going there, and his face had be more rosy, she stopped stopping her.


    With a smile, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry about the child being naughty. The more naughty the child is, the smarter he will be. You should take children out often and let them see more things. This way, their brains will develop faster.¡±


    Li Jinghua smiled and said, ¡°You even know that? When ites to raising children, you do sound like you know a lot.¡±<div>


    ¡°I raised my younger siblings every step of the way.¡± Mu Yangling said proudly, ¡°My Bowen¡¯s body has been weaker than Little Treasure¡¯s since he was young. Yet, I brought him all over the vige just after he turned too days old. In the end, you see, although his body can¡¯tpare to others, no one canpare to his intelligence.¡±


    Li Jinghua also knew that Mu Yangling had a ten-year-old tongshengO younger brother. It seemed that he had even participated in the academy examination this year, but she didn¡¯t know if he had passed. If he had, he would now be a ten-year-old xiucai and could indeed be considered a genius.


    Li Jinghua asked, ¡°When did he participate in the academy examination?¡± ¡ö¡öHe participated once this year and didn¡¯t get in. His teacher asked him to study for two more years before trying again. Anyway, he¡¯s still young and has so many things to do. There¡¯s no hurry.¡±


    Li Jinghua nodded slightly and looked at Little Treasure, who was shaking his head. Smiling, she said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you to give our Little Treasure more guidance in the future.¡±


    Mu Yangling kissed Little Treasure and said with a beam, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry about that. In the future, our Little Treasure will definitely be the most heroic person in the world.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Yangling really doted on Little Treasure and that Little Treasure also liked Mu Yangling, Li Jinghua couldn¡¯t help but be happy. ¡°We¡¯ve been out for quite a long time. Let¡¯s go back. Seeing as Little Treasure is almost a hundred days old, we have to hold a hundred-day celebration for him.¡± Since they didn¡¯t even hold a one-month-old xisan ceremony for Little Treasure, there were all kinds of spections in the capital. Because the Qi family had a disagreement with the Zhang, Shu, and Zhou families because of this matter, the news spread very widely. There were even casinos setting up bets. Some bet that Madam Li was critically ill, and some bet that the child was critically ill, both oues of which odds were very low. The oue with the highest odds was Madam Li and the child being fine.


    At first, Qi Haoran was so angry that smoke came out of his nose. Later on, he suppressed his anger when Mu Yangling casually said, ¡°The health of Sister-inw and the child doesn¡¯t depend on the bets of those people outside. Why are you so anxious? If it maddens you, just pretend that you didn¡¯t hear


    it.¡±


    He suppressed his anger, but this matter could not be settled like this. At that time, the child¡¯s condition was still unclear, but judging from his performance, he was very likely healthy. In a fit of anger, Qi Haoran bet all the cash he could get and even ran to Fan Zijin to sweep away all his allowance. Because of this, Mu Yangling even teased Qi Haoran for being too serious. Still, she also handed Fei Bai some money to get him to bet on it.


    In order to please his masters and earn some extra money, Fei Bai came back and said with a smile, ¡°Fourth Master, Fourth Madam, I¡¯ve also ced a bet of 20 taels, hoping to rub off on your luck.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled and did not say anything. However, Qi Haoran curled his lips in disdain and said, ¡°You¡¯re so poor to actually only bet 20 taels of silver. Don¡¯t tell others that you¡¯re my servant when you go out.¡± As he spoke, he took out 10 taels of silver from Mu Yangling¡¯s drawer and tipped him to bet more.


    Mu Yangling did not know whether tough or cry, but Fei Bai was so happy that he kowtowed three times to the two of them. Considering the sry of a servant was three taels a month, this was his sry for three months and ten days.


    Originally, when the imperial doctor returned to the capital a few days ago, they thought that the casino would close. After all, they could find out the exact situation from the imperial doctor. However, who knew that this imperial doctor would be so tight-lipped and not say a word? Not only did it make the betting odds higher, but it also made many young women start to contact Madam Wu to find out how long it would be before Qi Xiuyuan remarried.


    Even Qi Feng and Madam Wu sent someone to ask about Madam Li and the child.


    Mu Yangling said that Madam Li and the child were fine for the time being. She was telling the truth because Madam Li and the child were indeed still a little weak.


    Qi Feng and Madam Wu regurgitated Mu Yangling¡¯s exact words, but no one


    believed them.

 Chapter 464 - 464: Gathering

    Chapter 464: Gathering


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Everyone thought that the Qi family was trying to cover it up, including the Zhang, Shu, and Zhou families. The women of the three families had seen how precarious the situation in the delivery room was back then.


    If Madam Li and her son were really safe now, why did the imperial physician who returned to the pce keep his mouth shut?


    The only exnation was that they were seriously ill and untreatable. Moreover, now that the imperial physician had returned to the pce, why was the doctor hired by the Qi family still in the farmstead? It was most likely because the Qi family was unwilling to give up hope.


    Everyone thought so, including the Zhang, Shu, and Zhou families. Hence, the three families suddenly didn¡¯t feel so pained by the benefits that they had given up. At least they could avoid bing enemies with Qi Xiuyuan, right?


    Except for the Emperor.


    Emperor Jingyan was sitting in the throne room and watching the joke of the whole Lin¡¯an City. At this moment, he felt that everyone was drunk and he was the only one sober.


    When the imperial physician returned to the pce, he was the first to summon him. Then, he asked him to guard this news first. His original intention was to see the reaction of the Zhang family and the Shu family. Unexpectedly, he found out about the existence of the casino. Seeing that so many people had bet that Madam Li and the child were seriously ill, and that many court officials were involved, the Emperor even more so did not allow the imperial physician to reveal the actual situation.


    ¡°How many people bet that Madam Li and the child are safe and sound?¡± the Emperor asked.


    The secret guard was already used to the Emperor¡¯s unreliability. Hearing this, he paused for a moment before replying, ¡°I¡¯ve taken a look. There are about too or so people. Other than Qi Haoran and Madam Mu, the rest just bet two to three taels, probably hoping to get lucky.¡±


    The Emperor¡¯s lips twitched as he asked, ¡°How much did Madam Mu bet?¡± ¡®She ced a bet of 14,000 taels previously and increased it by 2,000 taels yesterday. If this drags on, I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll continue to bet a higher amount.¡± The Emperor asked curiously, ¡°That¡¯s almost as high as Qi Haoran¡¯s bet. Why did the couple bet separately?¡±


    Your Majesty, Madam Mu bet with her own dowry.¡±


    The Emperor pondered for a moment. ¡°Is the Mu family that rich?¡± The secret guard exined, ¡°Your Majesty, the people from Xingzhou Prefecture have already replied. The Mu family isn¡¯t considered rich, but when Madam Mu got married previously, the Mu family gave her almost all their cash as her dowry. Coupled with the ie from the farmstead for the past half a year, this amount is just right. The 2,000 taels invested yesterday was obtained from selling the produce from the farmstead the day before yesterday.¡±


    The Emperor could not help but sit up straight and ask, ¡°What did she sell to earn so much?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, since the Fall Quarter Examinations is about to start, there will definitely be a lot of banquets soon. So in just these two days, there has been many orders of a lot of vegetables, fish, chickens, ducks, and eggs. These 2,000 taels are from these earnings. Although I don¡¯t understand the economics of it, I can tell that Madam Mu¡¯s farmstead is very profitable. From the beginning of spring until now, the farmstead has already earned more than 6,000 taels I¡¯m afraid the earnings will soar even more during the new year.¡± The secret guard continued after a pause, ¡°This doesn¡¯t include the production of grains because Madam Mu hasn¡¯t sold grains this year. I¡¯ve found out that she ns to open a shop to specially sell the farmstead¡¯s produce. At that time, the grains won¡¯t have to be sold cheaply to the grain store and will be sold directly.¡±


    Not only the Emperor, but the secret guards also did not expect that the presumed to be loss -making farmstead was actually so profitable in the hands of Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling.


    The Emperor was overjoyed, feeling that Qi Haoran didn¡¯t lie to him back then When they bought this farmstead back then, they really saw that it was a treasurend. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°Speed things up at Jinghu. We have to settle it before the new year. I want to send Qi Haoran out during spring.¡±


    The secret guard agreed and was about to bow and leave when the Emperor stopped him. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Go to my private vault and take out 20,000 taels of silver to ce a bet. Use some random name.¡±


    The corners of the secret guard¡¯s mouth twitched as he helplessly agreed and left.


    The Emperor felt a little regretful. The odds given by the casino were 10.2 to 1. After deducting the casino¡¯smission, he received 200,000 taels on his bet of 20,000 taels. Although 200,000 taels was not much, still, it was better than nothing.


    If not for the fact that he was afraid that the casino would just flee with the money, the Emperor really wanted to invest 200,000 taels of silver at once. Just thinking about winning that much money felt awesome.


    Qi Haoran chose a good day to return to the capital. During this period of time, there had been people keeping an eye on the Qi family¡¯s farmstead. However, ¡¯ because the Qi family was strictly guarding it, no one could obtain much news. Still, the moment the Qi family¡¯s carriage came out, the people in Lin¡¯an City knew.???????????????????????????? ¡¯


    Following behind the carriage, many people craned their necks to peek into the carriage. However, the carriage was very tightly closed and did not even leak a crack Everyone could not help butin. Why were the women of the Qi family so shy? Why weren¡¯t they lifting the curtain to look outside when the scenery outside was so gorgeous?


    Qi Haoran first red at the people behind him in anger, but because there were several famous yboys in the capital and they were only following the carriage with their necks craned, their actions weren¡¯t offensive, so it was not appropriate for him to deal with them.


    Seeing that Qi Haoran was angry, the yboys behind looked up happily and met his eyes. Did he think that they didn¡¯t know? Before they came, they had already formted a strategy and tried their best not to make any moves that could be used against them. Otherwise, with Qi Haoran¡¯s bad temper, wouldn¡¯t he cripple them on the streets?


    Although they did not know the exact situation of Madam Li and her son, it was still a joy to see Qi Haoran angry. Not in the mood to leave, they either rode their horses or followed behind the carriage. They even greeted Qi Haoran from time to time.


    Qi Haoran was angry for a moment, but at the thought that he would receive the winnings from his bet soon, his mood lifted again. He raised his chin and looked at them disdainfully before walking ahead in high spirits.


    Interpreting Qi Haoran¡¯s reaction as him trying to force a smile, the yboys felt sympathy for him.


    Themoners along the street saw a group of carriages followed by a vast crowd. No matter what era it was, when there was no danger, everyone liked to join in the fun. Therefore, without knowing the truth, everyone followed behind and ¡°sent¡± Qi Haoran and the others back to the Qi Manor.


    They blocked the entire street in a grandiose manner. Those who did not know would think that the Qi family was incredibly popr.


    Qi Haoran got the coachmen to drive the carriage into the house. Then, he clenched his fists and said to everyone, ¡°Thank you for sending us home. It¡¯s just that I have something to do now and can¡¯t entertain everyone. I¡¯ll treat you another day.¡±


    A yboy came out of his carriage and said casually, ¡°Qi Haoran, don¡¯t put up a happy pretense. We can all understand. You couldn¡¯t have anticipated the ident. When I see Big Brother Qiter, I¡¯ll definitely speak up for you. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure he doesn¡¯t skin you alive.¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted and red at him. ¡°If you don¡¯t leave now, I¡¯ll make sure you can¡¯t keep the skin on your body.¡±


    The yboy pursed his lips but did not tease him anymore. He only chuckled and waved his hand to get his coachman to turn the carriage around and return to his residence.


    After discussing it for a while, the yboys felt that it was very difficult to get the truth from Qi Haoran. After all, he was in grief now and knew that they had ill intentions. He would definitely not be willing tomunicate with them. So they agreed to leave.


    The crowd behind did not know the truth. Before they realized why they were following the convoy, they saw the crowd disperse. They asked around for a long time, but everyone gave their own version of the story. They suddenly felt that it was meaningless, thus dispersed.


    Mu Yangling felt that the citizens of Lin¡¯an City had too much time on their hands..

 Chapter 465 - 465: Crazed

    Chapter 465: Crazed


    Trantor: As Studios | Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran was furious. ¡°Let¡¯s give Little Treasure a grand 100-day celebration. If we don¡¯t make their eyes pop out, I¡¯ll write my surname upside down.¡±


    Mu Yanglingforted him. ¡°Master, think about the money well receive from the casino the day after the 100-day celebration and don¡¯t be angry.¡±


    Feeling that it made sense, Qi Haoran turned around and went to look for Qi Feng to express his intention to organize a 100-day banquet for Little Treasure. Qi Feng and Madam Wu had already seen Madam Li and her son when they entered the house.


    Although they still looked a little weak, they most certainly were not seriously ill, so he nodded in agreement.


    Madam Wu felt that many people would definitelye this time. Thinking of the gift money, she patted her chest and offered to host the banquet.


    Although the East Manor and West Manor did not say it explicitly, they were actually living their own lives, so Mu Yangling was a little reluctant. However, Li Jinghua tugged at her sleeve and agreed with a smile.


    When she returned to their residence, she said, ¡°What Madam Wu wants is the gift money, but we don¡¯t care for that. We should give in whenever we can. Although the banquet is handed to her, it can only be held with my approval. Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t lose face.¡±


    Seeing that Li Jinghua was full of fighting spirit, Mu Yangling was happy to let them discuss it. She carried Little Treasure and went to y with Qi Haoran. However, Qi Haoran had already changed his clothes and ran out to look for Fan Zijin.


    Fan Zijin was participating in the Fall Quarter Examinations in September. For this, Qi Haoran specially returned to the city to stay for more than ten days. He forced himself to apany him to study and sent him to the examination hall. Then, he waited for him outside the examination hall for nine days with a pot of tea.


    When Fan Zijin came out of the examination hall, he was in a daze. If not for Qi Haoran¡¯s sharp eyes and strong body, he would have been pushed down even if he did not faint.


    The other candidates were even worse than Fan Zijin. Some were carried out, and some supported each other as they walked out. If they hadn¡¯t cared about how they presented themselves to others, many of them would have crawled out.


    The examiners were all very satisfied. This was because only one candidate had died in the vige examination in Lin¡¯an this year, marking a historical low. They felt that it would be even better if there were no deaths in the Spring Quarter Examinations next year.


    The unlucky examinee had died suddenly. In fact, other than those who were unlucky enough to encounter an infectious disease or fire, most of the examinees who died in the examination hall all died suddenly ormitted suicide under pressure.


    Deaths from infectious diseases and fires on such arge scale were extremely rare. At least, it had never happened since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty. However, even so, every time at the Fall Quarter Examinations and Spring Quarter Examinations, there would always be deaths in the examination hall. Although it was a small number of cases, it never failed to invoke pity and heartache.


    However, this incident gave Qi Haoran a revtion. The Imperial Examination did not only require excellence in studies, but also demanded a good physique. He decided to go back and tell his brother-inw to focus on training his body every day. It would be best if he could practice a form of martial art. He mustn¡¯t be like Fan Zijm, who practiced martial arts only every now and then. Look, Fan Zijin almost couldn¡¯t take it anymore, right?


    As Qi Haoran let his imagination run wild, he carried Fan Zijin back to Fan Manor. Fan Siwen had specially applied for leave to stay at home. When he saw them return, he looked up and asked, ¡°How did you fare?¡±


    Fan Zijin did not answer at all.


    Madam Xia was only concerned about her son¡¯s health. When she heard this, she punched her husband and said, ¡°Can¡¯t you see that the child hasn¡¯t recovered yet? Since the exams are already over, why can¡¯t you ask him two dayster?¡±


    Fan Siwen was so angry that his beard trembled. However, seeing that Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes were slightly closed with a pale face and drooping head, he stopped asking.


    As Qi Haoran fed Fan Zijin some soup, he said confidently to his uncle, ¡°Uncle, don t worry. With Zijin¡¯s talent, he will definitely pass the Imperial Examination. If he doesn¡¯t pass, there must be something wrong with the Imperial Examination.¡±


    Fan Siwen snorted and said, ¡°You can just say this at home. If you say such things outside, be careful not to drown in the schrs¡¯ saliva. The imperial censor will also sue you for nder.¡±


    Qi Haoran only stuck out his tongue. Fan Siwen looked at his son and said, ¡°I hope he s as talented as you say and can be chosen as a juren?.¡±


    Fan Zijm was forced to drink a few mouthfuls of soup by Qi Haoran. As the hot chicken soup warmed his stomach, he regained some of his energy. When he heard his father¡¯s lukewarm words, he looked up at him and asked calmly, ¡°If I don¡¯t pass, will you give me the spot for hereditary privilege?¡±


    Fan Siwen¡¯s face turned red with anger.


    However, Fan Zijin leaned against Qi Haoran and got up. He looked up and pretended to be sad. ¡°I have no choice. Some people have a father to rely on. If I don¡¯t work hard, won¡¯t I be resigned to being a merchant my entire life?¡±


    After Fan Zijm sessfully angered Fan Siwen into leaving, Madam Xia red at him resentfully. ¡°Can¡¯t you have a good word with your father?¡± With that, she chased after him.


    Fan Zijin pursed his lips and leaned on Qi Haoran¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Help me back to my room to rest.¡±


    Qi Haoran carried him back on ount of his weak body. ¡°Why do you keep provoking Uncle?¡±


    Fan Zijin couldn¡¯t possibly say that infuriating his father made him happy for no reason, right? Hence, he fell silent.


    Feeling that they were in the same boat, Qi Haoran felt sorry for him. He thought that like him, Fan Zijin also yearned for his father¡¯s love and was walking his old path. He immediately sighed and stayed to take care of him withoutints.


    Fan Zijin didn¡¯t even need to open his eyes to know what Qi Haoran was thinking. Qi Haoran had really underestimated him.


    While Qi Haoran was still working hard but clumsily to please Qi Feng, hoping to obtain some fatherly love, Fan Zijin had long seen through his parents.


    The father thought that he was being fair by biasing towards the concubine¡¯s son because he was less capable. The mother thought that she loved her husband and son deeply, but in fact, she only cared about her husband.


    Qi Haoran only exploded after Qi Feng consented to Madam Wu¡¯s proposal to marry a Wu girl to Qi Xiuyuan. Completely disappointed in Qi Feng, he endured the pain and severed the father-son rtionship. Meanwhile, Fan Zijin was onlypletely disappointed in his mother after his father decided to leave the hereditary privilege to his step-brother. His mother would only make a fuss and otherwise did not do anything about it. From then on, he decided he would no longer y the role of a filial son to a loving father as she wished.


    It could be said that when the cousins ran away from home back then, Qi Haoran was heartbroken and despaired by his father, while Fan Zijin was disappointed and resistant to his mother. As for Fan Zijin¡¯s father, his bias towards his step-brothers since they were young had long worn away the father-son rtionship.


    Only Qi Haoran could be more courageous the more he suffered. He deceived himself that Qi Feng only treated him like that because he was a letdown.


    It could be said that Fan Zijin was much more rational and cold-blooded than Qi Haoran. Ever since he arrived in the north, he had been able to control his anger towards this family. When he returned, he realized that he could easily provoke Fan Siwen and cause him to re up.


    Fan Zijin was very satisfied with this oue. In fact, he even enjoyed this process. Therefore, after he woke up from his sleep after two days and ate a huge meal topletely recover, he rejected Qi Haoran¡¯s invitation to go to the farmstead to y. He would continue to stay in the Fan Manor to admire his step-brother¡¯s panic and his father¡¯s fury.


    Now that the Fall Quarter Examinations results were about to be released, the first thing Qi Haoran did when he returned was naturally to visit his crazed cousin, Fan Zijin.

 Chapter 466 - 466: Banquet

    Chapter 466: Banquet


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Fan Zijin had just sessfully provoked his step-brother, Fan Zixiao, until his face turned pale. He was holding a cup of tea and drinking it when he saw Qi Haoran. With a wave of his hand, he said, ¡°I was about to tell you this. Chen Qianined to me that he couldn¡¯t get any real news from you, and said that you¡¯re not a good pal. Coincidentally, the rankings are going to be released in two days. When the timees, we¡¯ll go to Fortune Restaurant to celebrate. You can take the chance to exin things to them.¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips and said, ¡°What? I already told them that Sister-inw and nephew are fine, but they refused to believe me.¡±


    Fan Zijin smiled nonchntly. ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t believe you, he bet on sister-inw and nephew being healthy just like you did. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± A cold glint shed across his eyes. He was not just angry at the casino¡¯s actions. However, he was focused on the Imperial Examination now and decided not to be calctive with them for the time being. It wouldn¡¯t be toote for him to take revengeter on.


    Not knowing what Fan Zijin was thinking, Qi Haoran told him about the 100-day banquet. Fan Zijin agreed to attend. After thinking for a while, he rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Since Madam Wu wants to host the 100-day banquet, let her take over. However, the banquet has to be booked at Fortune Restaurant, and it has to be a first-ss banquet.¡±


    Qi Haoran gaped and asked, ¡°How much would this cost?¡±


    Fan Zijin red at him and said, ¡°You¡¯re not the one forking out the money. Moreover, we¡¯ll be the ones earning the money anyway. Why are you feeling heartache? How can we not make Madam Wu pay the price since she will be receiving so many gifts?¡±


    The two of them immediately finalized this deal. In a great mood, Fan Zijin asked Yanmo to send the order to Steward Qian. He also asked him to provide good service and to take advantage of this great opportunity to promote the banquet at Fortune Restaurant.


    Steward Qian agreed with great ambition.


    When Qi Haoran returned home, he couldn¡¯t be bothered to look for Madam Wu. He called Steward Zhao over and instructed him to book a first-ss banquet at Fortune Restaurant. He told him to send the money to Fortune Restaurantter.


    Madam Wu, who had originally decided to invite a chef into the Qi Manor to hold the banquet herself, almost fainted when she saw the list handed in by Steward Zhao. Little Madam Wu said sourly, ¡°This expense is too much. A 100-day banquet is actually more expensive than our two marriages added together.¡±


    Madam Wu gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Go and return the list. I¡¯ll speak to Master when hees back.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, Yu Xing came in and reported, ¡°Madam, Mama Wang from Zhaohua Courtyard is here.¡±


    Madam Wu suppressed her temper and said expressionlessly, ¡°Let her in.¡±


    Mama Wang came in with a smile and bowed to Madam Wu. Smiling, she said, ¡°Madam, this is the guest list drawn up by Eldest Madam and Fourth Madam. You¡¯ll have to include these guests when the timees.¡±


    Madam Xu¡¯s heart skipped a beat and she gave Yu Xing a look. Yu Xing quickly took it and handed it to Madam Wu, who unfolded it with a dark expression. After reading a page, her expression softened slightly.


    When Mama Wang saw this, she smiled and said, ¡°Madam, our Eldest Madam said that her body is still a little weak, and Fourth Madam has to help take care of the children, so we can only leave the banquet to Madam, Second Madam, and Third Madam. Please forgive us if we have to trouble you.¡±


    Madam Wu looked down at the list in her hand and said, ¡°Some of these people might note even if we invite them.¡±


    ¡°Eldest Madam said that you can just go ahead and send out the invitation. Whether theye or not is up to them.¡± Although Mama Wang said that, she was very confident, as if she was sure that they would definitely show up.


    Madam Wu recalled that Qi Xiuyuan was already a Grade 2B official, so the people he invited were of simr status.


    Thinking about it, Madam Wu nodded in agreement.


    After Mama Wang left, Madam Wu no longer pursued the matter of the banquet. Instead, she took a key and asked Nanny Wu and Steward Zhao to open the storeroom and retrieve the silver to pay for the banquet.


    Little Madam Wu was unconvinced. She did not know what was written on the list, but she knew that the first-ss banquet in Fortune Restaurant was not cheap. It was equivalent to almost five years of the Wu residence¡¯s expenses. ¡°Mother, why did you agree?¡±


    Madam Wu waited for Nanny Wu and Steward Zhao to leave before ncing at her daughter-inw and saying, ¡°What do you know? Other than Minister Qin and a few first-grade officials, this guest list includes officials from first-grade to third-grade. If theye, they will definitely bring a lot of gifts. Most importantly, in the past, our Wu family could only invite third-grade officials. When did we ever have the chance to invite first and second-grade officials? This is an opportunity, understand? Call Second and Third Son backter and tidy them up. Then, we¡¯ll familiarize them with the names of the lords and young masters in the capital. When the timees, the two brothers will follow Old Master out to greet them.¡±


    Madam Xu¡¯s eyes were as bright as stars. When she heard this, she agreed happily. Only Little Madam Wu was still pouting and feeling sorry for the money.


    Seeing this, Madam Wu sighed. Back then, she insisted on marrying Qi Feng, and Qi Feng insisted on taking her in as a noble concubine. As for the Wu family, they had just fled to Lin¡¯an and were living a hard life. They were all counting on the Qi family to help them.


    This inevitably angered the Zhu family. Although Zhu Wan said that she didn¡¯t mind and epted her generously on the surface, in private, the Zhu family had often targeted the Wu family. In the few years that Zhu Wan was alive, no one in the Wu family had been able to stand out in the officialdom. After Zhu Wan died, she took care of Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran in a lowly manner, only to realize that Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s malice towards her hadn¡¯t decreased. Xia Tong also took over the task of raising Qi Haoran. The Zhu family spared no effort in suppressing the Wu family. Although she felt vehement hatred towards them, she had no choice but to suppress her temper and seek peace.


    Fortunately, the heavens took pity on them. Not long after Zhu Wan¡¯s death, the Zhu family was transferred out of the capital.


    Because they were now far away from the capital, although the Wu family was still suppressed, with Qi Feng¡¯s help, they found some hope and slowly stood out. She no longer had to suppress her sons¡¯ grievances and curry favor with Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran.


    However, after a few years of hardship in the Wu family, Little Madam Wu¡¯s stingy personality had already developed. After she married into the family, she wanted to turn over a new leaf, but it was useless.


    Madam Wu didn¡¯t mind that she loved money. After all, who didn¡¯t love money?


    However, she had to know her priorities. For example, wasn¡¯t Madam Xu also jealous of Madam Li and Madam Mu¡¯s things? However, at this moment, she knew that the connections brought by this 100-day banquet far exceeded the money spent. Moreover, the people on the guest list wouldn¡¯t make them lose money at all. They would definitely receive a lot of gifts in the end.


    Didn¡¯t Qi Haoran reserve a first-ss banquet at Fortune Restaurant because he didn¡¯t want them to receive the gift money for nothing?


    So be it. In any case, it was fine as long as they made a profit in the end.


    However, there were some things that she could tell Little Madam Wu, who was both her daughter-inw and niece, but not Madam Xu. Hence, Madam Wu found an excuse to send Madam Xu away before holding Little Madam Wu¡¯s arm and teaching her in a low voice.


    When Little Madam Wu came out of the main room, there was no longer any indignation on her face. In fact, there was even a hint of joy in the corners of her eyes.


    Madam Xu¡¯s servant girl had been staring at her the entire time. Seeing this, she returned to report to her mistress. Madam Xu pursed her lips in disdain and said, ¡°She actually needs her mother-inw to teach her something so simple and understandable. I wonder how the Wu family raised her.¡±


    Madam Xu put away a set of children¡¯s gold jewelry and waved her hand. ¡°Send it to Zhaode Hall personally. Tell them that this is a greeting gift to my nephew from me, his second aunt.¡±


    Yu Ju asked, ¡°Second Madam, aren¡¯t you going over to take a look? Speaking of which, you haven¡¯t seen Second Young Master since he was born.¡±


    Madam Xu leaned back against the pillow nonchntly and said, ¡°We¡¯ll go over after the 100-day banquet. Do you think the West Manor wants us to go and visit? Back then, when she had a difficult delivery and had a xisan ceremony, we were all blocked outside. Even the grandmother wasn¡¯t allowed to enter the house to see her grandson. They¡¯re guarding against us..¡±

 Chapter 467 - 467: Release of the Rankings

    Chapter 467: Release of the Rankings


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Yu Ju pursed her lips in disdain. ¡°Eldest Madam and Fourth Madam are too careful, as if they¡¯re afraid that someone will harm Second Young Master.¡±


    Madam Xu did not say anything. The conflict between the East Manor and the West Manor had been going on for a long time. The biggest conflict was when her father-inw had pushed Qi Xiuyuan out, nearly causing the crime of rebellion to fall upon him. And wasn¡¯t it also Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s fault that her father-inw had been removed from his position as the n¡¯s patriarch?


    Now, the East and West Manor seemed to be in harmony. Her father-inw appeared amiable and did not interfere in the West Manor¡¯s matters.


    Meanwhile, Fourth Brother woulde over from time to time to greet her father-inw. However, everyone knew that this was just peace on the surface. If not for the fact that there were people watching outside, the two sides would have long fallen out.


    In the future, there was bound to be disputes over the inheritance of the family assets.


    Her father-inw and mother-inw nned to let Second Master and Third Master inherit all the Qi family¡¯s assets. Qi Haoran might not mind, but it was not certain if Qi Xiuyuan would let it go. Besides, even if Qi Xiuyuan did not care for this bit of assets, the eldest son of the first wife would still typically inherit the ancestralnd.


    Moreover, were her father-inw and mother-inw really willing to part with the money and assets under Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran?


    Even she was tempted to make a move, let alone those two.


    Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran were no fools. The assets would definitely not be under their name. When the time came, there would definitely be a huge battle when they split up the family assets. The current peace was just an illusion, and the child was what they relied on.


    If one didn¡¯t have a son, it was hard to say who would inherit the family assets in the future.


    It was no wonder that Madam Li and Madam Mu were wary of them. This was Madam Xu¡¯s deduction after her request to visit the child was repeatedly turned down.


    However, she did not know that Mu Yangling had actually rejected them from seeing the child purely because she wanted to prevent the spread of germs and give the child a good environment to recuperate.


    After all, the child was really too weak at that time. In order not to induce other causes of illness, everyone who coulde into contact with the child had to change their clothes and wash their hands, faces, and necks. The doors and windows were ventted, and there was even a that filtered dust outside. It could be said that Mu Yangling valued the child¡¯s safety and hygiene to an abnormal extent at that time.


    It was impossible for her to ask Madam Wu, Madam Xu, and the others to do this. Moreover, they even put on makeup. Considering the fact that their rtionship wasn¡¯t especially good, Mu Yangling felt no pressure at all when she rejected them. Who knew that this would result in such a misunderstanding?


    After hearing her analysis, Yu Ju immediately did not dare to say anything else. When she sent the things to the Zhaode Hall, she did not even dare to look around.


    Li Jinghua thanked Madam Xu for the gift. After epting it, she asked Wen Cui to bring Yu Ju away.


    Mu Yangling opened it and took a look. It was a setplete with a gold longevity lock, gold bracelet, and gold anklet. Mu Yangling liked them very much. Seeing this, Li Jinghua said helplessly, ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, I would have thought that you were a child.¡±


    Mu Yangling stuck out her tongue and let Wen Mian put the things away. She said, ¡°It¡¯s said that it¡¯s better for children to wear silver, and they look good too.¡±


    The one-month-old gift that Mu Yangling had given Little Treasure was a set of silver jewelry. Li Jinghua had only let him wear a pair of silver bracelets. At this moment, he was lying on the couch with his arms spread out. His eyes darted around before he suddenly turned over to his mother. Trying his best to look up, he saw his mother and was a little confused. Then, he pursed his lips aggrievedly and looked at Mu Yangling.


    Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling immediately stopped what they were doing and focused on watching him.


    Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Little Treasure stared at the patterns on the nket for a long time. In the end, he exerted strength and turned back with a ¡®pa¡¯ sound, facing the roof. Only then did he nimbly turn to look at his mother and aunt.


    Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua quickly shifted their gaze elsewhere as they pretended to speak. Seeing that they were not looking at him, Little Treasure blinked his ck eyes. Then, he looked around and carefully tried to turn over. However, he realized that it was very easy to flip over to his mother¡¯s side, but he could not flip over to his aunt¡¯s side.


    Furrowing his little brows tightly, he reached out his tiny hand and patted the bed angrily. He cried out twice before looking up at his mother and aunt.


    Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua, who had already turned around to continue observing him, did not react in time and were caught by his gaze. Only then did Little Treasure realize that he had been being watched. His eyes reddened in grievance, and he burst into tears. As he cried, he kicked his legs.


    Li Jinghua quickly picked up the child and gently patted his butt. With a smile, she said, ¡°What a silly boy. What are you going to do if I wasn¡¯t watching you?¡±


    Mu Yangling was overjoyed as she carried the child around the house and coaxed him. Looking at the rosy and cute baby, Mu Yangling thought that having a child seemed to be a very blissful thing.


    On the 13th of October, the results of the Fall Quarter Examinations were released. Students crowded in front of the entrance of the tribute courtyard to look at the results. Fan Zijin naturally did not have to squeeze in by himself. He sent Yanmo instead. Seeing that it was so crowded, Qi Haoran hurriedly called Fei Bai to help. Their cronies also asked with their necks craned, ¡°Zijin, how confident are you?¡±


    Although he already knew the other party¡¯s answer, he could not help but ask. As expected, Fan Zijin replied disdainfully, ¡°If I can¡¯t even obtain a rank in the Fall Quarter Examinations, how can I have the face to prepare for next year¡¯s Spring Quarter Examinations?¡±


    When the passing students heard this, they couldn¡¯t stand Fan Zijin¡¯s arrogance, especially when they were the children of officials.


    There was no such thing as being number one in literature. Fan Zijin didn¡¯t think that there was anything wrong with what he said. After waiting for a while, Yanmo and Fei Bai were still nowhere to be seen. He stood there impatiently and asked Chen Qian to leave his manservant behind to inform Yanmo and Fei Bai of their whereabouts before bringing everyone back to the Fortune Restaurant.


    The Fortune Restaurant was bustling with activity since the rankings were released today. In the afternoon, those who were ranked would definitely enter the restaurant to celebrate, and those who failed would also drink to vent. Hence, he had started preparing the day before yesterday. He had to take this opportunity to make the reputation of the Fortune Restaurant even more resounding. Therefore, when Fan Zijin came, he only showed his face at the front and asked about things before leaving.


    The group found a private room and sat down. They looked at the pedestrians outside the window. Other than Fan Zijin, no one was in the mood to eat, especially Qi Haoran. He stretched his neck and wished he could rush out personally to take Fei Bai and Yanmo¡¯s ce to look at the rankings.


    Chen Qian nced at Fan Zijin, who was drinking tea leisurely, and then at Qi Haoran. He said in amusement, ¡°Those who don¡¯t know better would think that Haoran is the one who took the exam.¡±


    Fan Zijin swirled his teacup and turned to look into his eyes. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m nervous too.¡±


    Not only Chen Qian, but the others were also stunned. Only Qi Haoran didn¡¯t freeze. He turned around and patted his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you will definitely be able to make the list.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded. ¡°I know I¡¯ll definitely make the list, but I don¡¯t know what my ranking will be, so I can¡¯t help but feel a little nervous. However, seeing that you guys are more nervous than me, I don¡¯t think I have to be nervous anymore.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, everyone red at Fan Zijin with envy, jealousy, and hatred. It was better not to say these words. It only made him sound arrogant.


    Qi Haoran suddenly pointed down and shouted, ¡°Fei Bai and Yanmo are back!¡± He leaned out and asked loudly, ¡°Did he make the list?¡±

 Chapter 468 - 468: Achieved a Ranking

    Chapter 468: Achieved a Ranking


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°He made it! He made it!¡± Yanmo and Fei Bai shouted as they rushed up, grinning widely and saying, ¡°Congrattions Young Master Zijin for ranking fourth in the second ss of the imperial examination!¡±


    Qi Haoran jumped up andughed loudly. ¡°I knew you would definitely make


    it!¡±


    All the cronies in the private room congratted Fan Zijin. The corners of Fan Zijin¡¯s mouth curled up slightly, and he heaved a sigh of relief. At least this ranking was not too bad.


    Everyone in the restaurant knew that today was the day the rankings would be released, so they were very tolerant of the noisy Yanmo and Fei Bai. When they heard that someone had achieved a ranking, they even stuck their heads in to see who that person was. If they knew them, they would evene over to congratte them. After all, bing a jurenO meant that that person had a chance to be an official.


    When Steward Qian heard the news, he excitedly turned around and kowtowed to Fan Zijin. He was really ecstatic. His master was now a juren, which meant that his future would only contain more possibilities.


    The few of them drank happily. During this period, Chen Qian denounced Qi Haoran unhappily. ¡°Haoran is so mean. You refused to tell me the truth even when I asked you. Now that your sister-inw and nephew are back, you should be able to tell us if they¡¯re safe and sound, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran drank a ss of wine and said in a daze, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you long ago that my sister-inw and nephew are fine? You were the one who didn¡¯t believe me, yet you med me for not telling the truth.


    Chen Qian and the other rich kids perked up and asked, ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. The 100-day banquet is in two days. When youe over,


    I¡¯ll bring my nephew out to greet you.¡±


    The few cronies patted their chests and rejoiced. ¡°Fortunately, we gave you face and bet that the mother and child are both healthy. Otherwise, we would have been screwed this time.¡±


    Another crony also nodded and said, ¡°It was a close shave indeed. But in three days, we should be able to get a few thousand taels.¡±


    When Qi Haoran heard this, he knew that they did not bet much, at most only about too taels. He pursed his lips in disdain. ¡°Why don¡¯t you bet more? What¡¯s just a hundred taels good for?¡±


    -Do you think we have a family business like you? With a doting older brother, you don¡¯t have to worry about your pocket money. Besides, Zijin has your back outside. It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t want to squander hundreds or thousands of taels of silver, but we have to have that money in the first ce. We can¡¯t very well go back and take our wife¡¯s dowry, right?¡± The hundred taels of silver were invested into the casino to support Qi Haoran. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have yed this game.


    Although Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin had not returned for five years, they had been exchanging letters all this while. In addition, one tended to have the fondest memories of their youth. Since the two of them had returned and treated them as usual, they naturally treated them as before.


    Although theyined to each other, they were still very happy that they could win 1,000 taels with 100 taels. Including Fan Zijin¡¯s high ranking in the examination and the news of Madam Li and her son¡¯s safety, it could be considered a triple blessing. Everyoneughed and toasted rowdily.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that the casino stopped letting people bet on the day Haoran returned. Otherwise, I would now ce a bet of 10,000 to 20,000 taels even if I had to borrow the money.¡± One of the friends drooled. ¡°When the timees,


    I¡¯ll win 200,000 taels¡­¡±


    Although they were the second generation of officials and usually did notck money, they typically did not spend a lot of money because their family was very strict with them.


    Chen Qian, who had the best family background, was also a little reserved in his spending before he became a jinshiO. The only two weirdos in their group were Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin.


    The Qi family had always been stingy towards Qi Haoran. Feeling sorry for him, Qi Xiuyuan would send him some money from thousands of miles away from time to time, while Madam Xia would also often give him pocket money.


    Hence, on the surface, Qi Haoran seemed to be living the most difficult life, but in reality, he had the most money and splurged most freely. At the very least, didn¡¯t he still have Fan Zijin?


    While Qi Haoran relied on the pity of his loved ones, Fan Zijin was perfectly capable of earning his own money.


    Although Fan Siwen was very strict with his legitimate son and was a little biased towards his illegitimate son, the expenses he gave Fan Zijin were actually simr to that of other young masters. However, the quick-minded Fan Zijin could always coax money out of his mother. Once or twice, when he would fail to coax her, he would take something from Fan Siwen to sell when he quarreled with him.


    The next day, rumors of Fan Siwen mistreating his legitimate son would immediately appear. A second or third imperial censor would definitelye forward to impeach him. Even if Fan Siwen hated him so much that he wanted to skin him alive, he didn¡¯t dare to do anything.


    After all, there were so many pairs of eyes watching him.


    Chen Qian and the rest were not as ruthless as Fan Zijin and did not have the guts to go against their father like this. At that time, everyone was only in their early teens.


    Of course, very few people could be as biased as Fan Siwen and Qi Feng towards their illegitimate son. Back then, when everyone talked about the two of them, they always brought them together. The two old men were especially simr, and the strange thing was that their sons were like a pair of conjoined twins.


    Qi Haoran chuckled, making Fan Zijin nce at him. Seeing that he still knew how to hide his joy and not shout so loudly that the entire world knew that he had bet money, he knew that he was not dead drunk.


    However, Chen Qian was a little worried. After everyone left, he tugged at the slightly drunk Qi Haoran and said, ¡°I heard that you also invited the Zhang and Shu families to your 100-day banquet. Previously, you extorted a lot of things from them because of this. I¡¯m afraid the two families aren¡¯t too pleased.¡± Qj Haoran immediately said unhappily, ¡°What do you mean by extortion? It¡¯s a fact that they harmed my sister-inw and nephew. They did walk through the gates of hell and came back. Isn¡¯t that bad enough? Must something happen to my sister-inw and nephew before they¡¯re satisfied?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Chen Qian immediately exined. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that it¡¯s a little awkward for your families to meet each other now. Why do you have to invite them?¡±


    Qi Haoran said unhappily, ¡°If they feel guilty and don¡¯t dare toe, then so be it. I deliberately sent them an invitation because I want them to see that although they did something wrong and harmed my sister-inw and nephew, they were lucky enough to escape that cmity.¡±


    Qi Haoran red at Chen Qian in dissatisfaction. ¡°Chen Qian, don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll give the Shu family face just because your wife¡¯s surname is Shu. Let me tell you, absolutely no way.¡±


    Chen Qian was speechless and couldn¡¯t understand what he was saying at all. He could only continue, ¡°My wife¡¯s maiden family isn¡¯t that Shu family that you seekedpensation from. My wife is from the first branch¡­


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips and shouted, ¡°What do you mean by seekingpensation? It sounds like you¡¯re on the Shu family¡¯s side. If you¡¯re on my side, you should refer to them as the Shu family that harmed my sister-inw and nephew¡­¡±


    Fan Zijin also came out in a daze. He pushed Chen Qian and said, ¡°Alright, can¡¯t you see that he¡¯s drunk? Why are you exining things to a drunkard? He¡¯ll forget everything after he wakes up. You¡¯re just wasting your breath.


    Chen Qian agreed when he heard that. Looking at Qi Haoran, who was obviously drunk and delirious, he gently pped himself. He was really stupid. Why did he say so much to a drunkard?


    Chen Qian said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll send the two of you back now.¡±


    Since this ce was rtively close to the Fan Manor, he got Yanmo and Fei Bai to help Qi Haoran into the car. Just as he was about to order the coachman to go to the Fan Manor, Fan Zijin lifted the curtain and stuck his head out. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Qi Manor. I¡¯m in a good mood today, so I won¡¯t be going back.¡¯ Chen Qian paused and sighed, then said to the coachman, ¡°Go to the Qi Manor.

 Chapter 469 - 469: Hundred-day Banquet (1)

    Chapter 469: Hundred-day Banquet (1)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When Fan Siwen found out that his son achieved a ranking in the examination, he excitedly paced around the house twice before instructing the kitchen to prepare a good meal. At night, his family would celebrate.


    However, seeing that it waste at night and Fan Zijin still had not returned, Fan Siwen sat in the reception pavilion with a dark expression. Madam Xia looked at him worriedly and told him the news she had just received. ¡°Zijin and Haoran are drunk and fooling around. They¡¯ll be back tomorrow.¡±


    Fan Siwen wasn¡¯t an idiot. He sneered and said, ¡°He won¡¯t be back tomorrow.¡±


    Which student didn¡¯t want to share their joy with their family first thing after doing well in the examination?


    Only Fan Zijin would sleep at someone else¡¯s house on such an important night. Fan Siwen¡¯s breath was stuck in his chest and he couldn¡¯t get it out.


    At this moment, he even felt a little resentful. It wasn¡¯t like Zijin didn¡¯t have any brothers, but he was only close to Qi Haoran. Meanwhile, he either mocked, suppressed, or ignored his step-brothers at home.


    Which family didn¡¯t have one or two illegitimate children? The rtionship between the legitimate son and the illegitimate son might not be as good as that of a legitimate brother, but they wouldn¡¯t live like enemies and strangers like their family.


    Seeing that Fan Siwen was being stubborn, Madam Xia did not persuade him anymore. She sat silently at the side, nning how to persuade her son to give in to her husband when he returned.


    Fan Zijin had yet to return, and Madam Xia was the one who sent someone to find out the good news.


    Madam Xia sighed slightly and asked, ¡°Is Second Master not back yet?¡±


    The person who was asked lowered his head. Madam Xia waved her hand. Forget it. In any case, the Qi family¡¯s 100-day banquet was held tomorrow. She would be able to see him then.


    This was the grandest banquet ever held by the Qi family. Everyone who was invited showed up. Since the Zhang family and the Shu family were going to be there, they couldn¡¯t help but be curious about the dispute between the three families, so they came to watch a show.


    As for the Zhou family, they were either included under the Shu family or entirely forgotten about.


    First Senior Madam Zhang came with her daughter-inw, Third Madam Zhang, and Second Senior Madam Zhang also brought along her daughter, Zhang Zisu. Although they had resolved their grudges in private, they still had to apologize to the Qi family in public. Therefore, these two people were here to apologize.


    What surprised the Zhang family was that the old madam of the Shu family¡¯s fourth branch had also shown up. She had brought her daughter-inw, grandson, and granddaughter. Even her son hade. This surprised Senior Madam Zhang slightly. Seeing so many people from the Shu family show up, it would appear that they highly valued the Qi family. If it weren¡¯t for the sake of putting on an act, Senior Madam Zhang wouldn¡¯t havee to the Qi family¡¯s banquet. After all, their rtionship had deteriorated to that extent previously. Second Senior Madam Zhang knew the reason. Her mother probably wanted to see Wanniang¡¯s daughter.


    Shu Qingniang also came. She sat with the women of the Zhou family, but her eyes were fixed on the main seat, curious to see what Shu Wanniang¡¯s daughter looked like.


    Everyone looked at the three families vaguely and realized that the atmosphere at the Shu family¡¯s side was a little strange. Not only the Shu family, but the married daughters of the Shu family were also a little strange. Everyone followed their eyes and looked in the direction of the main seat.


    Hence, when Li Jinghua carried Little Treasure out apanied by Mu Yangling, she was shocked by everyone¡¯s enthusiastic gazes. Then, she quickly came back to her senses and walked forward with a smile. Everyone also snapped out of their daze and looked up at the child. Then, they started showering the child withpliments.


    Li Jinghua epted all of those praises with a smile. From time to time, she would humbly say a few words. In the past six months, she had also made one or two rtively good friends. They surrounded her, like stars surrounding the moon. From time to time, they would help her deal with the guests.


    Li Jinghua nodded at them gratefully. When Mu Yangling was facing her, she talked non-stop. Yet, when facing strangers, she would not speak unless absolutely necessary. However, if someone provoked her, she would not give in at all. Hence, Li Jinghua did not dare to involve Mu Yangling, afraid that she would misinterpret others¡¯ words. She let her follow behind and help her carry the child, because Little Treasure was too heavy. She only carried him for a while before her arms felt sore. Just a month ago, she could have easily carried him around the farmstead.


    Old Madam Shu had been staring at Mu Yangling since she came out. Without her daughter-inw¡¯s introduction, she knew that the young but elegant person was Madam Mu. She sized her up critically for a long time before saying, ¡°Other than her eyes, there¡¯s nothing else that looks like her.¡±


    Madam Shu-Fang lowered her head. She had never seen that second aunt, so she didn¡¯t know how to answer.


    The moment Mu Yangling came out, she knew that someone was staring at her. Because that gaze was too presumptuous and tant, it was difficult for her to pretend not to know.


    In any case, there were women in this room, so she temporarily endured it and followed Li Jinghua to bring the child to greet the few matriarchs.


    However, not only did they not retract their gazes, but they also became more aggressive. Mu Yangling turned her head unhappily and met the most intense gaze among them.


    Old Madam Shu met Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes calmly, but she only saw displeasure and warning in her eyes. There were no other emotions, no probing, curiosity, or shock.


    rm bells rang in Old Madam Shu¡¯s heart. Was this really Wanniang¡¯s daughter?


    It sure didn¡¯t look like it!


    ncing at Old Madam Shu, then at Madam Shu-Fang, who was beside her, she understood who that olddy was. She nced at Old Madam Shu mockingly, then turned to meet another pair of eyes. When she saw Zhou Tinn there, she knew that it was Shu Qingniang, who had pushed her mother out of the carriage.


    This time, Mu Yangling revealed a smile at Shu Qingniang, a smile as dazzling as a blooming summer flower. It instantly stunned the people who noticed Mu Yangling, but it frightened Shu Qingniang.


    With the grudge between her and Shu Wanniang, Mu Yangling wouldn¡¯t give her such a bright smile. Hence, she was frightened, certain that there must be a conspiracy.


    However, Mu Yangling quickly looked away and only nced at Shu Shuniang, who was looking at her.


    Li Jinghua also saw Mu Yangling¡¯s smile and was stunned for a moment. This was the first time she had seen Mu Yangling smile like this. It was neither a heartless smile nor a soft smile. That smile just now had also stunned her. Li Jinghua¡¯s intuition told her that there was something wrong, but since she was surrounded by everyone, she could not ask her.


    Halfway through, she took the opportunity to grab Mu Yangling and ask, ¡°Ah Ling, what happened?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at her in confusion. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Speechless for a moment, Li Jinghua asked, ¡°Then why were you smiling just now? Forget it, I won¡¯t ask you. But follow me closelyter. Just because you don¡¯t cause trouble doesn¡¯t mean that people won¡¯te and provoke you. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be bullied because you¡¯re clumsy with your words.¡±


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and smiled. This time, Li Jinghua kept staring at her. When she saw her smile, she touched her face and sighed. ¡°Ah Ling, I only thought you were pretty in the past, but now, I think you¡¯re gorgeous. You¡¯ve indeed grown up. When you finish growing up in the future, I wonder how stunning you will be.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°My father said that I bear a 70-80% resemnce to my grandfather..¡±

 Chapter 470 - 470: Hundred-day Banquet (2)

    Chapter 470: Hundred-day Banquet (2)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Li Jinghua looked at the beautiful Mu Yangling, who was gradually developing into a gorgeous woman, in disbelief.


    Mu Yangling lowered her voice and said with a smile, ¡°My grandfather looks like my great-grandmother. Unfortunately, my father has never seen my great-grandmother either. However, my grandfather told him that my great-grandmother was a stunning beauty.¡±


    Only then did Li Jinghua believe her.


    What Mu Yangling didn¡¯t say was that her great-grandmother was once from the art workshop, and her great-grandfather was a true grasnd warrior.


    However, none of that mattered anymore.


    After changing Little Treasure¡¯s diaper, the nanny carried him over. Mu Yangling took the baby and carried him in her arms before following Li Jinghua out.


    This time, she inevitably walked to the Zhang family¡¯s seat. Senior Madam Zhang looked at the child with a smile and ced a white jade ring that emitted an ancient halo into the child¡¯s swaddling clothes. She smiled and said, ¡°This child¡¯s eyes are darting around. One look and you can tell that he¡¯s smart.


    Madam Qi, you¡¯re in luck.¡±


    in daily life, everyone called Madam Li ¡®Eldest Mrs. Qi¡¯. But because she was of high status, at such a formal banquet, people who didn¡¯t know her that well would address her as Madam in order to show respect.


    ¡°You¡¯re praising him too much. He¡¯s still young now. How can you tell he¡¯s smart? He¡¯s much more mischievous than other children,¡± Li Jinghua said humbly with a faint smile.


    ¡°Mischievous children are smart.¡± Senior Madam Zhang took the opportunity to call Third Madam Zhang and Zhang Zisu over and asked them to apologize to Madam Li and the child. Senior Madam Zhang said apologetically, ¡°These kids are too naughty. The girls were just messing around, and unexpectedly implicated you and the child to suffer so much. It took so long to find a chance to apologize to you. I hope you don¡¯t mind.


    Ever since Li Jinghua walked to the Zhang family¡¯s table, everyone had been looking over. Naturally, Li Jinghua would not embarrass them. She even Stopped Mu Yangling, who was about to retort. With a smile, she nodded. ¡°This matter has already passed. Madam, don¡¯t be too harsh on them.¡±


    This matter was considered over.


    Third Madam Zhang and Zhang Zisu heaved a sigh of relief.


    Zhang Zisu looked up at Mu Yangling, who was holding the child, and her eyes darkened. She knew Mu Yangling. Her mother had told her that this was her cousin.


    At the thought that the marriage that was about to be agreed upon had been blown up because of this matter, Zhang Zisu looked at her with tears in her eyes and resentment. If she had been willing to speak up for the Shu family back then, this matter would not have blown up so much.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t notice Zhang Zisu at all because she was snatching the jade ring from Little Treasure¡¯s hand and handing it to the wet nurse beside her to keep. Considering this thing was precious and ancient, who knew what bacteria were on it?


    It was better to wait until he was a little older before letting him wear it.


    The next table was actually the Shu family¡¯s. One had to wonder how Madam Wu arranged the seats. Although there were many people from the Shu family who became officials, they weren¡¯t qualified to be seated there.


    Li Jinghua toasted them with tea instead of wine with a smile. The second and third branches of the Shu family nced at the fourth branch and congratted Madam Li with a smile. Then, they praised the child.


    For the Shu family, only the second, third and fourth branches came. The first branch sent a gift on behalf of the entire n and did not personally appear. In the eyes of the first branch, the previous incident was a conflict between the second and fourth Shu branches and the Qi family. It was naturally better for them to avoid such matters since it concerned one¡¯s child.


    Fourth Madam Shu from the second branch was the first to apologize obediently. She had long felt that there was something wrong with the fourth branch¡¯s attitude, but she could not find anything. This time, she had been implicated by the fourth branch. Seeing that the old madam of the fourth branch was calm, she apologized before sitting at the side. She and her mother-inw pretended not to see their strange behavior. No matter what, she would stay as far away from the fourth branch as possible in the future.


    It was all that fourth branch¡¯s cousin¡¯s fault. If not for her, how could this disaster have happened?


    Li Jinghua was originally waiting for the reaction of the fourth branch of the Shu family. Seeing that Old Madam Shu only lowered her head and drank tea, she smiled and turned around to bring Mu Yangling to the next table. She had already given them the opportunity. If they didn¡¯t seize it, they couldn¡¯t me her.


    Unexpectedly, as soon as she turned around, Old Madam Shu spoke. ¡°Madam Qi, is this Fourth Madam Qi behind you?¡±


    Li Jinghua stopped in her tracks. Although she was puzzled, she still turned around with a smile and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. This is my fourth sister-inw.


    Come, greet Old Madam Shu.¡±


    The nanny wanted to go forward and carry the baby, but Mu Yangling had already carried the baby in her arms and greeted her with a smile, ¡°Hello, Old


    Madam Shu.¡±


    Old Madam Shu nodded slightly and said, ¡°Fourth Madam Qi, it¡¯s been a year since you married into the Qi family, right? It¡¯s time to have a child. You won¡¯t be lonely with a child by your side. After all, your maiden family is very far away from here¡­¡±


    Everyone was stunned. What was wrong with Old Madam Shu? Why was she taking advantage of her seniority? This was something only an elder would say, right? How could an unrted olddy like her interfere in the Qi family¡¯s affairs?


    Mu Yangling smiled calmly and said, ¡°Old Madam Shu is right. My maiden family is a little far away. Speaking of my maiden family, I suddenly thought of something. My mother¡¯s surname is also Shu. She has the same surname as Lord Shu and the others. Perhaps we¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe we were a family 500 years ago.¡± Shu Shuniang rushed over to interrupt her and turned to ask her mother, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t you think so?¡± Old Madam Shu did not expect Mu Yangling to be so fearless and unyielding, to dare to threaten her in front of so many people. However, looking at her daughter-inw and granddaughter sitting beside her and then at her daughter who was looking at her pleadingly, she could only suppress the anger in her heart and smile. ¡°Yes, Shuniang is right. Perhaps we were family 500


    years ago.¡±


    The smile on Mu Yangling¡¯s face deepened. She nodded and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect our families to be so fated.¡±


    Seeing that her mother-inw had also been subdued by Mu Yangling, Madam Shu-Fang quickly pulled her daughter up and asked her to apologize to Madam Li and the child. At this point, all the women involved had already apologized to Madam Li in person.


    With a slightly gloomy expression, Old Madam Shu watched Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua leave. After they left the banquet, when Shu Mingxiang came over to pick them up, he asked with a smile, ¡°Mother, have you seen that child?¡± Seeing his mother¡¯s expression instantly darken, he knew that things had not gone well. He hurriedly smiled and helped her out. A proper smile appeared on Old Madam Shu¡¯s face again. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t embarrass themselves in front of outsiders.


    Ignoring her sister-inw¡¯s expressions, Third Madam Zhang climbed into the Shu family¡¯s carriage and said to Old Madam Shu, ¡°Mother, this was originally Madam Mu¡¯s weakness, but now it has be ours. I think she doesn¡¯t have any intention of acknowledging us. Moreover, it won¡¯t be good for her to let this be known. Let¡¯s pretend not to know each other in the future and live our own lives.¡±


    Old Madam Shu clenched her fists and said, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have been so soft-hearted back then and given birth to such an unfilial thing.


    With reddened eyes, Shu Shuniang wiped her tears and finally spoke up. ¡°Mother, I think this might not be Sister¡¯s intention. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know her personality since she was young. With her soft and gentle nature, she¡¯s the sort who will dete before someone even pokes her. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s that Assistant Commander Mu. He saved Wanniang back then and saw all of this. He¡¯s stubborn and Madam Mu might be like her father.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that Mu fellow told Madam Mu about this?¡±


    Shu Shuniang nodded slightly. Old Madam Shu¡¯s expression improved slightly, but she still snorted coldly. ¡°He¡¯s indeed uneducated. What sort of a daughter can a country bumpkin raise? I¡¯m her maternal grandmother after all, but she actually dares to speak to me like that in public.¡±


    Shu Shuniang also felt that Mu Yangling was ill-mannered, but the key now was that even if Mu Yangling dared to acknowledge the Shu family as her family, would the Shu family dare to?


    Wanniang had died on the way to the south 16 years ago. If they acknowledged her, the reputation of the Shu family¡¯s fourth branch would be ruined. For the sake of the entire n¡¯s reputation, the Shu n would probably remove the fourth branch from their n..

 Chapter 471 - 471: Doubt

    Chapter 471: Doubt


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Li Jinghua knew that there must be something going on between Mu Yangling and the Shu family, but seeing that she had no intention of confiding in her, she didn¡¯t ask further. Who wouldn¡¯t have some secrets?


    After Little Treasure¡¯s 100-day banquet, whines could be heard throughout the casinos in Lin¡¯an City. Although they did not dare to say anything under Qi Haoran¡¯s tyranny, many of them wailed.


    However, there were also people who were ecstatic. Those people had originally invested a few taels of silver with the mentality that they would definitely lose, but in the end, they earned ten times the money.


    The next day, Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling also sent someone to collect the silver. The duo¡¯s winnings ounted for the majority of the money paid out by the casino, adding up to nearly 300,000 taels of silver. The casino really wanted to go back on their word.


    This time, Fei Bai brought along the Qi family¡¯s guards and took out Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s post. That¡¯s right, it wasn¡¯t Qi Haoran¡¯s, but Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s. This made those who wanted to invite them in to talk to lose all confidence instantly.


    Who asked the casino to take bets on the life of his wife and child without permission?


    It was already not bad that he did not settle scores with them.


    The casino could only bear the pain and pay Fei Bai the money. The other payment, second only to the Qi family, was to a guard in the pce.


    The casino, which was of a significant scale, really wanted to talk to the guard, but he did not appear at all. That guard simply asked someone to look for the boss and take the money away.


    Even if there were plenty of people who lost money previously, 500,000 taels of silver was still a lot. It was five years worth of turnover for their casino.


    Qi Haoran gleefully handed the money to Mu Yangling and waved his hand.


    ¡°Tell me what you want. I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡±


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes and said, ¡°You said it yourself.¡± Mu Yangling sat cross-legged on the bed and put away her share of the money in a box. ¡°I want to buy a farmstead and a lot ofnd.¡±


    ¡°What? Why are you thinking about buyingnd all day?¡± Qi Haoran pursed his lips. ¡°Alright, ask Fei Bai to keep an eye outter. I¡¯ll buy you two big farmsteads.¡±


    A big smile appeared on Mu Yangling¡¯s face. ¡°Consider it my dowry.¡±


    Qi Haoran threw the box aside and pounced on her on the bed. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re splitting up our family assets. Isn¡¯t all this money recorded in your dowry anyway?¡± As he spoke, he homily tugged at Mu Yangling¡¯s clothes.


    ¡°Ouch.¡± Mu Yangling pushed Qi Haoran away and held her stomach. ¡°No, my stomach hurts.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at her suspiciously. ¡°You¡¯re not lying to me, are you?¡±


    Mu Yangling held her stomach and said, ¡°When have I ever lied to you about this?¡±


    ¡°You lied to mest time saying that your period came and it¡¯s inconvenient to sleep with me¡­¡± Seeing that Mu Yangling did not seem to be faking it, he hurriedly jumped off the bed and ran out to get Mama Wang to find a doctor.


    Qi Haoran moved too quickly. She wanted to stop him, but it was toote. Mu Yangling looked a little embarrassed. Actually, she was no longer in pain¡­


    Just now, it was most likely because she had identally twisted her waist while avoiding Qi Haoran. This had happened before. These two days, Qi Haoran had been messing with her quite a bit. She just wanted to use this opportunity to rest for the night.


    Now that the doctor was here, Qi Haoran would definitely think that she had lied to him on purpose. He would definitely be angry.


    Mu Yangling pulled the nket up to cover her head and moaned in pain. Coincidentally, Qi Haoran, who had just notified a doctor, rushed in. When he saw and heard this, he turned pale with fright. He pounced forward and carefully tugged at the nket. ¡°Ah Ling, does your stomach hurt badly? Quickly let me take a look!¡±


    Mu Yangling hid under the nket and pondered. She did not know if she would die faster or escape death if she confessed now. Just as Mu Yangling was about to brace herself ande clean, she heard Qi Haoran roar, ¡°Spring, quickly call Mama Wang over. Why isn¡¯t the doctor here yet?¡±


    There was even a hint of sadness in his voice. Mu Yangling, who was about to lift the nket, was stunned. Then, she gripped the nket even tighter and bit her lip tightly. She decided that even if the doctor said that she was not sick, she would insist that she was indeed having stomach pain.


    Unable to pull away the nket, Qi Haoran felt even more flustered when he saw that Mu Yangling was trembling slightly under the nket. He was so anxious that he paced around the room, but she didn¡¯t say anything when he asked her. He didn¡¯t dare to forcefully pull the nket away, afraid that if Mu Yangling used too much strength in response, it would worsen her internal injuries.


    Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t help but p his thigh in frustration, feeling regretful. Because Mu Yangling was strong, sometimes she could easily break free from his embrace. Hence, Qi Haoran habitually applied some internal energy when Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t too willing. This way, he could suppress her. Qi Haoran felt that this was most likely the result of him not controlling his strength well today. Moreover, his knee was beside her stomach at that time. Could it have hurt her stomach?


    By the time the doctor rushed over, Qi Haoran was already sweating profusely from anxiety. Before he couldin, he pulled him to the bed and asked Mu Yangling to extend her hand to let the doctor take her pulse. Actually, he had already decided to move the doctor who lived in the outer courtyard to the adjacent room so that he could find him faster.


    Mu Yanglingy under the nket and closed her eyes. In the end, she stuck out her hand fearlessly. Physician Sun hurriedly took her pulse and frowned slightly after a while. Qi Haoran¡¯s heart trembled as he asked, ¡°Did she hurt her internal organs?¡±


    Physician Sun paused for a moment and carefully checked his pulse. After a while, he replied, ¡°Fourth Master, her internal organs aren¡¯t injured.¡±


    Qi Haoran heaved a sigh of relief and scolded, ¡°Why did you frown then? Then what illness is Fourth Madam suffering from?¡±


    Physician Sun said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran widened his eyes. Could it be that the doctor he invited back was not a famous doctor from Lin¡¯an City, but a quack?


    Mu Yangling was also stunned. She didn¡¯t think that the doctor had guessed what she was thinking, so when she heard Physician Sun¡¯s diagnosis, she lifted the nket and looked at the doctor in confusion. ¡°Am I really sick?¡± No way. It was just a cramp. What kind of illness could this be?


    Qi Haoran looked at his wife, whose face was red from being under the nket, and felt sad for a moment. Physician Sun¡¯s tone clearly suggested that Mu Yangling had contracted some hidden illness that had yet to be discovered up till that point¡­


    Oblivious to the couple¡¯s thoughts, Physician Sun stroked his beard and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not confirmed yet since the time is too short. We still have to wait for another seven to eight days before the diagnosis is confirmed. Fourth Madam, rest more these days and make sure to eat nutritious foods.


    Physician Sun nced at Qi Haoran, who was standing at the side with his head lowered. With a light cough, he vaguely reminded him, ¡°Fourth Young Master, how about you move to the study to rest for the next few days?¡±


    Qi Haoran red at him and said, ¡°I want to apany Fourth Madam. It¡¯s not your ce to interfere in this matter. Since you can¡¯t even give a confirmed diagnosis, what¡¯s the use of having you around?¡±


    If it were in the past, Qi Haoran wouldn¡¯t have said such harsh words to Physician Sun. After all, they were only in an employment rtionship and weren¡¯t master and servant like Fei Bai and the others. However, his heartstrings werepletely upied by the thought that Mu Yangling was sick To make things worse, Physician Sun couldn¡¯t give a confirmed diagnosis. Physician Sun finally realized that Qi Haoran seemed to have misunderstood something. He quickly exined, ¡°Fourth Young Master, the time period is too short, so I can¡¯t confirm if Fourth Madam is pregnant now. However, judging from her pulse, there¡¯s a 70 to 80% probability that she¡¯s pregnant. As long as you give me seven to eight days, I¡¯ll definitely be able to confirm it.¡± Stunned, Qi Haoran asked in a daze, ¡°What did you say?¡±

 Chapter 472 - 472: Tension

    Chapter 472: Tension


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling regretted it so much that she wished she could turn back time. If only she had been unwilling at that time and kicked him off the bed instead ofining about her stomachache.


    After Physician Sun took her pulse, Qi Haoran invited two more doctors over. One of them came to the same conclusion as Physician Sun. Of course, it was Qi Haoran who took the initiative to ask the doctor about it. This was because the doctor felt that such a pulse was only mildly detectable at this point, and he wasn¡¯t very familiar with this family. If it turned out that she wasn¡¯t pregnant seven or eight dayster, this family might fly into a rage out of humiliation, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape beingbeled as a quack doctor.


    Hence, after taking her pulse, he said with a smile, ¡°Fourth Young Master, don¡¯t worry. Fourth Madam¡¯s body is fine. She¡¯s probably tired. I¡¯lle back to take a look after she rests for a few days.¡±


    Qi Haoran was annoyed when he heard this, wondering if this was a quack doctor Physician Sun, who was standing at the side, was acquainted with this old doctor and knew that he had solid medical skills. Most importantly, if not for the fact that Physician Sun was familiar with Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran, he wouldn¡¯t have mentioned the possibility of her being pregnant despite being uncertain yet. Hence, before Qi Haoran could speak, he asked, ¡°How about you rest for a few days before I take your pulse again?¡±


    The old doctor nced at Physician Sun curiously. He only thought that the Qi family was worried about Mu Yangling, so they hired two more doctors. He hadn¡¯t heard that Physician Sun hade to the Qi family to be an in-house doctor instead of attending to patients at his pharmacy. The two of them weren¡¯t very familiar with each other and didn¡¯t keep in touch often.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard that. He looked at the old doctor with bright eyes. ¡°Oh right, how many days of rest does she need?


    The old doctor felt awkward. Actually, Mu Yangling was in good health and didn¡¯t need to rest at all. He had merely said that for the sake of the baby that might be in her stomach. After thinking for a while, he said, ¡°Seven to eight days There¡¯s no need to take medicine. She just has to lie in bed, rest more and maintain a good mood. I¡¯lle back to take a look at Fourth Madam when the


    timees.¡±


    Seeing that Qi Haoran valued her so much, he thought for a moment andforted him. ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. She only has to rest more.¡±


    It was a very empty butforting sentence. It would have been even better if the doctor hadn¡¯t said it. Mu Yanglingy on the pillow and looked at the faint figure outside the bed curtain.


    Only then did Qi Haoran confirm that this old doctor must have read a pregnancy from her pulse, too. However, because it was too early into the pregnancy, so he couldn¡¯t confirm it yet. He grinned foolishly for a while before telling him Physician Sun¡¯s diagnosis. Then, he asked worriedly , ¡°Previously, my wifeined that her stomach hurts. I don¡¯t know if she hit her stomach and affected the fetus. Doctor, please take a closer look.¡±


    The old doctor was embarrassed and was about to exin that the pregnancy had not been diagnosed yet. Strictly speaking, it was not certain if there was a fetus. Most importantly, he did not see any difort in Mu Yangling, so he thought for a moment and said, ¡°The four fundamental methods for diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine are to make observations, listen to breathing, ask about symptoms and take the pulse. Can I take a look at Fourth Madam¡¯s


    face?¡±


    Qi Haoran had no issues with that at all. Previously, he had put down the bed curtain because he was afraid that Mu Yangling would be exposed to the wind with the door open.


    When the old doctor met Mu Yangling¡¯s round eyes, Mu Yangling subconsciously blinked. The old doctor smiled. She was still a child. Seeing that her face was rosy, he was even more certain that there was nothing wrong with her. He asked gently, ¡°Fourth Madam, did you feel a stomach ache just


    now?¡±


    Mu Yangling was a little embarrassed, but it was not good to lie to the doctor now. Hence, she said, ¡°It just hurt a little. It was like a cramp that passed in an instant.¡±


    Mu Yangling nced at Qi Haoran in embarrassment, but she only saw worry on his face. She felt even more apologetic, but this guiltpletely turned into resentment in three days.


    After the doctor carefully diagnosed her, he confirmed that Mu Yangling was in excellent health and there were no problems with her.


    Qi Haoran was still worried, so he invited the doctor to the side room and brought another doctor in. It was unknown if this doctor was still young or if his medical skills were not good to begin with, but half a dayter, he stroked his beard and said that Mu Yangling was unwell due to worry. He told her to take two sets of medicine and rest more.


    Qi Haoran thought that he was merely hesitant to confirm her pregnancy yet like the previous doctor, so he hinted to the doctor nicely. In the end, the doctor did not catch the hint and only said that Mu Yangling was overly worried.


    Behind the bed curtain, Mu Yangling pursed her lips in disdain. During this period of time, she had been having fun in the farmstead and had no worries. This person¡¯s medical ethics were clearly not good.


    Just as Mu Yangling came to a conclusion, Qi Haoran also reacted. He jumped up and almost cursed, but he was afraid of scaring Mu Yangling, so he could only suppress his temper and invite this doctor out first. Then, he directly paid the consultation fee and chased him away.


    Since the two doctors could not detect any difort in Mu Yangling, Qi Haoran was a little relieved, but he was still on guard. While Mu Yangling was still feeling guilty for lying to him about her stomachache, Qi Haoran had already called all the servants in the residence over. Also, he specially instructed Mama Wang to take good care of Mu Yangling and not let her get out of bed unless necessary.


    This time, Qi Haoran spent arge sum of money and requested the old doctor stay on in the residence, until the diagnosis could be confirmed.


    When Mu Yangling heard this, the courtyard was filled with congrattions to Qi Haoran. Those who didn¡¯t know better would think that he had already gotten a son today.


    Spring burst intoughter in the room and said, ¡°Fourth Madam, Fourth Master treats you so well.¡±


    Mu Yangling only felt embarrassed and ordered sternly, ¡°The diagnosis hasn¡¯t been confirmed yet. Go and tell everyone not to spread the news. If anyone disobeys me and Fourth Master, be prepared to be dismissed. I can¡¯t afford to use such a person.¡±


    Spring shuddered and lowered her head in agreement.


    When Qi Haoran entered, Mu Yangling pulled him along and asked him to convey the message to the servants again. Qi Haoran said unwillingly, ¡°This is a good thing. We should let everyone bask in our joy.¡±


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes and said, ¡°If the diagnosis is confirmed, I don¡¯t mind you announcing it all over the world, but it¡¯s still uncertain yet. What if I¡¯m not pregnant? I¡¯ll be the one making a fool of myself. Everyone will mock me for being crazy about wanting to get pregnant. How am I to face everyone then?¡±


    Qi Haoran said anxiously, ¡°Who dares tough at you? I think you are indeed pregnant. The doctor already said so.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a headache, ¡°The doctor said that the diagnosis isn¡¯t confirmed yet¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips. ¡°That¡¯s because they¡¯re timid.¡± Qi Haoran gently touched Mu Yangling¡¯s stomach and smiled. ¡°My son is inside. I can tell.¡± Qi Haoran stared at her stomach gently for a while before waving his hand. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s settled. Let everyone bask in your joy. You must be hungry now. I¡¯ll get someone to cook some meat porridge for you. No matter what, you can¡¯t starve my son.¡±


    Alright, the diagnosis had not even been confirmed yet, but he had already decided on the child¡¯s gender.


    Mu Yangling knew that it was unreasonable to reason with him, so she threatened, ¡°If you dare to tell anyone else, I¡¯ll go on a hunger strike.¡± Qi Haoran nodded good-naturedly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell outsiders.¡± ¡°The servants are not allowed to say anything, too.


    Qi Haoran continued to nod good-naturedly. ¡°I¡¯ll give the order in a while. Be good, don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯ll go to the kitchen to check on your porridge.¡± After that, Mu Yangling was strictly forbidden from getting out of bed and had been lying on the bed to rest. If not for her insistence, she would probably have to wash up and eat on the bed. Qi Haoran wished he could follow her to the toilet.


    In fact, he did follow her there and kept guard outside the curtain, frustrating Mu Yangling to no end..

 Chapter 473 - 473’. Court

    Chapter 473¡¯. Court


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling regretted it so much. Just because she said that her stomach hurt, she was now confined to the bed by Qi Haoran and made to rest for three days. If she hadn¡¯t red up and said that she would explode from anger if she didn¡¯t go out for a walk, Qi Haoran wouldn¡¯t have let her go out.


    Qi Haoran protected Mu Yangling in the courtyard like a hen protecting a chick. The servants were already used to it and walked past calmly. When they bowed and greeted her, their voices were so gentle that they could barely be heard.


    This was because when Mu Yangling went out this morning, a youngss happily bowed and greeted her loudly. At that time, d to be finally out, Mu Yangling was gazing at the blue sky and white clouds with a hint of mncholy, so she was shocked by the loud greeting.


    Qi Haoran, who was shielding her, immediately realized it and red at the girl. He wanted to punish her, but under the re of his wife, he could only reprimand her and send her away. However, the servants had learned their lesson and tried their best to keep their voices low when greeting Mu Yanghng.


    Regarding this, Mu Yangling no longer had the strength toin. At this moment, she was standing in front of a stone bench and watching as Qi Haoran instructed someone to ce two cushions on it. Only then did she sit down with Qi Haoran¡¯s careful help.


    Mu Yangling looked at Qi Haoran worriedly. ¡°When are you going to court?¡± Qi Haoran replied absent-mindedly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve applied for leave. I can apany you at home for a long time. You just have to take care of yourself. I¡¯ll take care of everything outside¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re by my side 24 hours a day. When have you ever taken care of things?¡± Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but get angry. ¡°Let¡¯s take a step back and say that even if I¡¯m really pregnant, do you really n to stay by my side for nine months like this? My health is even better than Sister-inw¡¯s, and I didn¡¯t see Big Brother being so anxious about her back then.¡±


    ¡°Regardless of whether you take a step back or take a step forward, you¡¯re definitely pregnant.¡± Seeing Mu Yangling frown, Qi Haoran pursed his lips.


    ¡ö¡öEven if I can¡¯t apany you for nine months, I have to be by your side for the first three months at least, right? After three months, when the fetus is


    stable, I¡¯ll go to court.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the careful Qi Haoran and her heart suddenly softened. She didn¡¯t know if it was because she was really pregnant or because Qi Haoran pampered her, but her temper was getting increasingly worse. She almost red up at Qi Haoran three times a day.


    If this had happened to another man, the couple might have fallen out long ago. Suddenly feeling a little guilty, Mu Yangling¡¯s heart softened and she started to speak to Qi Haoran nicely.


    Spring and Rain were dumbfounded. Wasn¡¯t their mistress too temperamental? However, Qi Haoran felt very happy. Physician Sun had long said that pregnant women had unpredictable tempers. Sometimes, they would do strange actions because they were pregnant. In his opinion, Mu Yangling¡¯s bad temper was a sign of pregnancy. Since her temper became better all of a sudden, she was definitely pregnant.


    In his opinion, being pregnant was already hard enough on Mu Yangling. It was all because the baby in her stomach was naughty that she was so temperamental. Qi Haoran felt that if he wanted to settle the score, he would only beat the child up after he was born.


    Hence, not only was Qi Haoran not angry, but he was actually delighted. Of course, he did not dare to show it on his face, afraid that Mu Yanghng would re up again.


    Mu Yangling asked gently, ¡°But you can¡¯t always take leave. There are still five days before the diagnosis. Why don¡¯t you go back to court first? Anyway, I¡¯ll stay in the residence and not go anywhere.¡±


    Qi Haoran shook his head.


    Mu Yangling continued to persuade him gently, ¡°What are you worried about? Isn¡¯t Mama Wang around? She¡¯ll take good care of me. Even if she doesn¡¯t, there¡¯s still Sister-inw.¡±


    Qi Haoran continued to shake his head.


    Mu Yangling made a face and ordered, ¡°I don¡¯t care. You have to go to court tomorrow. If I still see you loitering in the courtyard when I wake up tomorrow, I won¡¯t eat.¡±


    Frowning, Qi Haoran said, ¡°But I¡¯ve already applied for seven days of leave from His Majesty. If I go back now, won¡¯t I have wasted my vacation days?¡±


    ¡°I only look at the results, not the process.¡±


    Qi Haoran could only sit at the side and think in distress. After a while, he said reluctantly, ¡°Then you have to promise me that you¡¯ll rest well at home, eat well, and not go out¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed to all of those conditions.


    At this moment, she finally heaved a sigh of relief. It felt good to lie on the bed and rest, and it felt awesome to be taken care of. However, if there was someone beside you who constantly forbade you from getting out of bed, worried that you¡¯d catch a cold when you opened a window to check out the scenery outside, you wouldn¡¯t feel all that happy.


    After three days like this, Mu Yangling felt that she had already reached her limit.


    The next day, Qi Haoran put on his court attire and dazedly left the residence. Upon leaving, he realized that he was the only one bringing Fei Bai along. He asked Steward Zhao, ¡°Isn¡¯t Father going to court?¡±


    Although the father and son rarely spoke, they left the residence at about the same time every morning. Qi Haoran rode a horse and Qi Feng sat in a carriage. As his son, he had to go forward to pay his respects. No wonder he felt that he had missed out on something today. It turned out that he had not paid his respects to his father.


    Steward Zhao was slightly awkward. ¡°Fourth Young Master, Master received the decree to follow the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs south four days ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Qi Haoran looked at the sky and said in realization, ¡°It¡¯s already winter.¡± Every year, when the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs assessed officials, in addition to the grades given by the officials to their subordinates, they would also be inspected from time to time. The inspection was mainly led by imperial censors, while the officials of the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs assisted them. They inspected the officials and gave them an evaluation. The results given by the imperial censors ounted for one-third of the officials¡¯ resumes. It seemed that the Emperor had named Qi Feng this year.


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips imperceptibly. It had been five years since his father had received such an errand. He wondered what the Emperor¡¯s intentions were for sending him.


    Qi Haoran rode his horse unsteadily towards the pce while letting his imagination run wild. However, he soon lost the energy to think about this because he felt that everyone was very strange.


    Before entering the pce, most of the officials he met on the main road greeted him and then looked at him seriously. Even those who did not greet him would secretly nce at him. There were even officials sitting in the carriage in front who lifted the curtain and leaned out to look back at him. At first, Qi Haoran could still deal with it calmly, but after this happened a couple of times, he could not maintain the smile on his face. He simply pulled a long face and rode forward without looking sideways. Fei Bai followed behind him, breaking out in cold sweat.


    When they reached the entrance of the pce, Qi Haoran threw the horse to Fei Bai and said in a low voice, ¡°Go and find out what happened in the past three days when I wasn¡¯t out.¡±


    Fei Bai agreed with a straight face.


    As soon as Qi Haoran stepped into the hall, the discussions of the ministers stopped. Then, a breathter, everyone became lively again. They still gathered in groups of twos and threes to talk. Some ministers stood alone at the side. However, Qi Haoran still realized that many people were staring at him. Some of them were even chatting andughing with the people around them while looking at him. With a stern face, Qi Haoran scanned the crowd and saw his uncle standing at a spot behind him. Just as he was about to walk over to find out what was going on, the sound of a whip rang out.


    Helpless, Qi Haoran could only go to his seat and stand still.


    After the Emperor sat down and began to ask about court matters, Qi Haoran raised his head slightly to observe the people in the hall. Not knowing what had happened, he could only specte from everyone¡¯s reactions. He wondered if there was a problem at the border.


    What Qi Xiuyuan was going to do was like a knife hanging above Qi Haoran s head, making him constantly afraid. But at the same time, it lit up a fire in him. As long as it wasn¡¯t that this matter was exposed, he felt that nothing else was a problem. Seeing that although everyone had different expressions, yet there wasn¡¯t a solemnness or wariness about it, Qi Haoran felt slightly relieved.


    He had just rxed when he heard the Emperor¡¯s slightly curious voice.. ¡°Minister Qi, why are you at court?¡±

 Chapter 474 - 474: Joke

    Chapter 474: Joke


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Everyone turned to look at Qi Haoran instantly. Qi Haoran swallowed his saliva imperceptibly and replied after some deliberation, ¡°Since the new year is approaching, I can¡¯t be toozy, so I canceled my leave and came back.¡±


    The Emperor said very gently, ¡°I understand that something happened to your family. Actually, there¡¯s no need to be in such a hurry toe back.¡±


    Qi Haoran widened his eyes and swallowed his saliva. Still, he asked carefully, ¡°Your Majesty, what¡¯s the matter with my family?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you waiting for your wife¡¯s diagnosis at home?¡± The Emperor said gloomily, ¡°After all, this is your first child. It¡¯s fine to take it seriously.¡±


    Unable to hide his surprise, Qi Haoran widened his eyes and asked, ¡°How did Your Majesty find out?¡±


    Frowning, the Emperor replied in a displeased tone, ¡°Didn¡¯t you write it in the memorial when you applied for leave?¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately shrunk his neck and asked, ¡°I wrote it in the memorial? That¡¯s impossible, right?¡± Mu Yangling had repeatedly asked him to promise not to tell anyone.


    Seeing him like this, the Emperor thought of the joke sent back by the secret guards and knew that Qi Haoran must not have used his brains when he wrote the memorial. Hence, he ignored him and waved for him to return to his seat. Then, he continued to ask about the court matters.


    Although the Emperor stopped his questioning with Qi Haoran, the ministers still witnessed the joke.


    Because the Emperor urgently needed people to keep an eye on Minister Qin and his cronies, he transferred more than half of the people who were keeping an eye on the Qi family back. There was insufficient manpower, so he naturally did not get the news about Qi Haoran¡¯s inner residence immediately.


    However, Qi Haoran first invited two doctors into the residence in a row, then suddenly asked for leave from the Ministry of War. The secret guards naturally felt that something was wrong, so the young doctor who was chased out was contacted by the secret guards.


    The young doctor was furious because of Qi Haoran¡¯s attitude, so he naturally told the secret guards everything he knew. Hence, the Emperor quickly found out that Qi Haoran was certain that Mu Yangling was pregnant before the doctor confirmed it.


    Regarding this, he only treated it as a joke and was not in the mood to share it with the ministers. He would not do such a thing as shooting himself in the foot.


    However, Qi Haoran, whose leave application was rejected by the Ministry of War in the afternoon, personally applied for leave from the Emperor subsequently. Because the Emperor valued Qi Haoran after he returned to the capital, his memorial had always appeared in front of the Emperor¡¯s desk at the first moment.


    Seeing that the memorial was a little incoherent, the Emperor was overjoyed. He simply approved his request before sending it out as an open reply.


    When the subordinates checked and recorded the contents of the memorial, they all watched this joke. The next day, the joke of Madam Mu anxiously inviting a doctor to ask if she was pregnant after simply missing her period for a few days spread among the officials.


    On the other hand, the officialsughed at Qi Haoran for being henpecked. Not to mention that his wife was not confirmed to be pregnant, even if she was really pregnant, he did not specially take leave to apany her at home. This was the first case of a Great Zhou Dynasty official being so brazenly afraid of his wife. It was even written in a memorial for the Emperor. That was why everyone saw Qi Haoran as a joke.


    Qi Haoran stood in the middle of the team with his head drooping, clearly in an awful mood. He did not expect the news to spread so widely. If Ah Ling knew, she would be so furious that she would affect her fetal qi.


    After the morning court assembly, Qi Haoran walked out, ignoring everyone. Everyone smiled when they saw him and bade him farewell before leaving. However, a few young and mischievous officials ran over to congratte him. ¡°Little Lord Qi, congrattions in advance. When the doctor confirms the diagnosis, don¡¯t forget to treat us to a drink.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face became even more stern. An eunuch rushed over and stopped him with a smile. ¡°Little Lord Qi, His Majesty wants to see you in the study.¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips and followed him to see the Emperor.


    The Emperor was practicing calligraphy when he saw Qi Haoran with his head drooped. He asked in amusement, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why did I hear that you¡¯ve been happy as ark these past two days?¡±


    Qi Haoran bowed to the Emperor and stood up. ¡°Your Majesty, why did you openly send out a reply for my leave of absence? Previously, my wife forbade me from telling anyone about this. Now¡­¡±


    Now that the Emperor had a better understanding of Qi Haoran¡¯s fear of his wife, he did not suspect anything and only scolded jokingly, ¡°Who did you see sending a secret memorial in the application for leave? Dream on.¡±


    The Emperor thought for a moment and said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve applied for leave, stay at home. While there¡¯s still time, spend time with your family.¡±


    Stunned, Qi Haoran asked carefully, ¡°Your Majesty, do I not have much time left?¡±


    The Emperor was so angry that he threw him a memorial, but it was not urate enough, so the memorial simply flew over his head. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? I have an errand for you. After this new year, you will leave the capital in spring. Therefore, you should stay at home for the next few days and avoid the limelight.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s lowered eyes lit up, and a huge smile appeared on his face. He knelt down to thank the Emperor at the thought that he could return to Jingzhao Prefecture in spring. But when he thought of Mu Yangling¡¯s pregnancy, he became worried again.


    The Emperor watched as his back disappeared. Only then did he look down at the memorial. After flipping through a few memorials, he didn¡¯t have the patience to continue reading. So, he asked the emissary to carry the memorials to the old ministers and let them review them with red pens.


    Used to this, the emissary went forward to clear the table. The Emperor thought for a moment and said, ¡°Keep the urgent ones.¡±


    The emissary¡¯s hand paused for a moment before he bowed and agreed. He carried the memorials down, leaving just ten-odd memorials on the table.


    As soon as Qi Haoran left the pce, he went to look for Fan Zijin angrily. On the way, he had already figured it out. Others hadn¡¯t informed him because they wanted to see him make a fool of himself. But then again, they did not have a deep rtionship and were not obligated to inform him. However, there was no reason for Zijin not to tell him either. As a result, he had suffered a scare for nothing. This matter could not end like this.


    When Qi Haoran ran to look for Fan Zijin, thetter was locked up at home studying hard, preparing for the examination next year. When he saw Qi Haoran, he was at a loss for a moment and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you about to be a father? Why are you still here?¡±


    When Qi Haoran knew that he was going to be a father, he immediately called Fei Bai to inform Fan Zijin (in his mind, Fan Zijin was not an outsider). At that time, Fan Zijin was still wondering if he should find a time to treat Qi Haoran to a meal to celebrate, but Fei Bai hinted that there was a doctor in the residence and Qi Haoran wanted to take care of Mu Yangling.


    At first, Fan Zijin thought that Mu Yangling¡¯s pregnancy was unstable and wanted to go to the Qi Manor to take a look. However, Fei Bai repeatedly said that Mu Yangling was in good health, and Qi Haoran was just worried¡­


    At the thought that Qi Haoran had always doted on Mu Yangling, Fan Zijin just epted the exnation and was happy to have some time to himself. Coupled with the fact that he had recently read a few hard-to-understand test papers, he felt anxious and did not have the energy to ask.


    At this moment, when he saw Qi Haoran running over angrily, he thought that something serious had happened. Qi Haoran angrily denounced and despised Fan Zijin for standing by to watch a joke instead of reminding him beforehand.


    Exasperated, Fan Zijin looked at him and said faintly, ¡°So it¡¯s not confirmed yet¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran said confidently, ¡°Although it hasn¡¯t been diagnosed yet, I know for sure that Ah Ling is pregnant. In nine months, I will have a son. Hahaha¡­¡±


    After staring at him speechlessly for a moment, Fan Zijin said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know about this. You don¡¯t have to denounce me. I haven¡¯t even left my room for the past few days.¡±


    Qi Haoran retracted his smile and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t Uncle tell you? This is a big deal to me, but he didn¡¯t even remind me..¡±

 Chapter 475 - 475: Protection

    Chapter 475: Protection


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Fan Zijin pursed his lips nonchntly and said, ¡±1 fell out with him. It¡¯s not a big deal for you, so there¡¯s no need for him to specially remind me. On the other hand, you¡¯ve been an official for so long, but you¡¯re still not thinking before you speak and act. You didn¡¯t even notice what was written on your memorial. Can you do things in this manner when you work for Eldest Cousin?¡¯


    Qi Haoran leaned against Fan Zijin curiously. ¡°You and Uncle quarrel every other day, but you¡¯d never actually fallen out for real. What happened this time?¡±


    Fan Zijin threw down the book in his hand andy down on the couch. Smiling, he and said, ¡°In the past, I fought with him, but this time, I fought with Fan Zixiao directly. He flew into a rage out of humiliation and naturally fell out


    with me.¡±


    ¡°Did Fan Zixiao offend you?¡± A vicious look shed across Qi Haoran¡¯s face. ¡°We already don¡¯t lower ourselves to his level, and he still dares to find trouble with you?¡±


    Seeing that Qi Haoran pushed the me to Fan Zixiao without thinking, Fan Zijin sighed. ¡°This is what a good brother should be like. Other than you, no one in the residence believes me. Even Mother suspects me.¡¯


    Fan Zijin snorted coldly and said, ¡°Speaking of which, my brother hasn¡¯t improved much in the past few years. He only has some backstage methods.¡±


    ¡°What did he do?¡± Qi Haoran frowned.


    ¡°It¡¯S nothing much. A few years ago, he stabbed someone in my courtyard. This time, when I mentioned hereditary privilege after bing a schr, he couldn¡¯t help but panic, so he got a youngss to seduce me to the West Wing. I beat him at his own game and hooked him up with a new concubine that Father had taken in. When Father barged in and saw it, he pushed all the me to me and used me of framing him.¡± Fan Zijin nced at him from the corner of his eyes and smiled. ¡°Actually, he¡¯s not wrong. I was indeed the one who framed him, but whether I acknowledge it or not depends on my mood.¡±


    Qi Haoran was so angry that his nose was crooked. ¡°Why did you go along with his n? Wasn¡¯t this a great opportunity to let Uncle see his true colors?¡± Fan Zijin pursed his lips. ¡°It¡¯s not the time yet. I still have some use for this matter. Don¡¯t worry about it. Speaking of which, I¡¯ve really got to thank you. If I hadn¡¯t followed you to look for Eldest Cousin back then, I might only be slightly better than Fan Zixiao now. Every day, I¡¯ll think about how to fight with them. How tiring would that be? My life would have been wasted.¡± Although Fan Zijin said that, Qi Haoran didn¡¯t think that he wasn¡¯t hurt at all. After all, those were his biological parents. How sad would he be at their totalck of trust in him? Anyway, di Haoran would definitely be very sad at the thought that his Big Brother didn¡¯t believe him anymore.


    Hence, after leaving Fan Zijin¡¯s study, Qi Haoran did not leave. Instead, he went to the front to look for Fan Siwen.


    As it was noon, Fan Siwen had juste back from the government office for lunch. When he saw Qi Haoran, a rare smile appeared on his serious face. He waved and said, ¡°Haoran, you¡¯re here. Come and have lunch with me.¡± Qi Haoran sat at the table and looked around. ¡°Uncle, where¡¯s Cousin Zixiao?¡± Fan Siwen looked up at him and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s rare for you to call JialueO ¡öCousin¡¯. I remember that when you were young, you refused to call Zijin your older cousin, even often getting into a fight with him over who¡¯s older. When you saw Jialue, you even called him by his full name.


    ¡°I have grown up now.¡± Qi Haoran thought for a moment and said, ¡°Uncle, Cousin Zixiao already had a nominal name when he turned 14. Everyone knows that you value him, but Cousin Zijin is the legitimate son. He¡¯s already 18 years old. It¡¯s not that no teacher has hinted at giving him a nominal name, but he pretended not to hear it. Uncle, when do you want to give him a nominal name?¡±


    Fan Siwen¡¯s body stiffened and he said, ¡°Since you guys aren¡¯t even 20 yet, there¡¯s no hurry. Zijin will be participating in the General Examination next year. If he passes, there will still be the Pce Examinations and the Hanlin Bachelor Examinations. You¡¯re about to be a father now. When you guys turn 20, your father and I will discuss it. The two families will hold aing-of-age ceremony together. I still remember that when you were young, you often shouted that you wanted to celebrate your birthday together. Coincidentally, you two were bom less than two months apart, so youring-of-age ceremonies can be held together¡­¡±


    However, Qi Haoran did not want the topic to be diverted. Upon hearing this, he said, ¡°Uncle, I know you think that Cousin Zijin is impressive and has the advantage of being the legitimate son, so he should give in to Cousin Zixiao. You think you¡¯re being fair to the two of them by doing this. However, you have to know that to the legitimate son, it¡¯s unfair for you to be fair. Besides, you¡¯ve never been fair.¡±


    Qi Haoran waved his hand to stop Fan Siwen from speaking. With a dark expression, he said, ¡°I know your intentions. It¡¯s nothing more than that Cousin Zijin has the ability to be an official himself, so you want to give the hereditary privilege spot to Cousin Zixiao.¡± The corners of Qi Haoran¡¯s mouth twitched as he said, ¡°It¡¯s not that Cousin Zijin has to get that spot for the hereditary privilege. Since you¡¯ve already made up your mind, let¡¯s implement it as soon as possible. The sooner the spot is reported, everyone can calm down. Since he will be participating in the Spring Quarter Examinations next spring, it¡¯s best not to disturb him with these trivial matters.¡±


    Fan Siwen¡¯s face darkened. He looked at Qi Haoran and asked, ¡°Are you nning to interfere in my family¡¯s matters?¡±


    ¡°Uncle, you¡¯ve been nning for Cousin Zixiao, but don¡¯t forget that he¡¯s not your only son. Cousin Zijin is also your bloodline. Next year will be the most important year in his life. He could easily pass the previous vige examination because he had been working on it for five years and used another year to revise. Now, there¡¯s only four months left until next year¡¯s Spring Quarter Examinations.¡± Qi Haoran looked into his eyes steadily and said word by word, ¡°Since you don¡¯t feel any heartache for him at all, I don¡¯t mind intervening. Since he protected me for 18 years, I can very well protect him for four months.¡±


    Fan Siwen¡¯s face darkened, but he didn¡¯t say anything.


    Qi Haoran put down his bowl and chopsticks, stood up, and left. When he reached the door, he stopped and asked curiously, ¡°Uncle, Cousin Zixiao isn¡¯t your only son born from a concubine. Since you want to be fair, what about the other concubines¡¯ sons?¡±


    Qi Haoran turned around and left, leaving behind an even paler Fan Siwen. He walked around the streets and finally rode his horse to the Chen residence of the Minister of Rites. Then, he sat in the gatehouse and waited for Chen Qian.


    Stunned at the sight of Qi Haoran, Chen Qian looked up at the sun and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. The sun sets from the west. What brings a busy person like you here today?¡±


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and pulled him to Fortune Restaurant. The moment they entered the private room, he went straight to the point. ¡°Are we brothers? Chen Qian replied in bewilderment, ¡°I won¡¯t do anything evil.


    ¡°It¡¯s a private matter. Nothing evil.¡±


    Chen Qian said carefully, ¡°If it¡¯s within my capabilities¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran smiled widely and patted his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. It¡¯s within your ability.¡±


    Qi Haoran whispered a few words in his ear. Chen Qian nodded slightly and said, ¡°It¡¯s not difficult to get my grandfather to write a rmendation letter for Zijin, but it¡¯s not so easy to be Chen Guangdi¡¯s disciple.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want Zi Jin to acknowledge him as his teacher. I just want him to study by Old Chen¡¯s side for four months.¡±


    Chen Qian nced at him and said, ¡°Since the Spring Quarter Examinations is held four months from now, this is as good as acknowledging him as a teacher. My granduncle isn¡¯t that easy to talk to.


    ¡°Therefore, I have to ask you for another favor.¡± Qi Haoran smiled obsequiously.


    After a while, a loud shout came from the private room. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡±


    An hourter, Qi Haoran sent the cold-faced Chen Qian out with a smile. Steward Qian brought over a huge food box obsequiously and said, ¡°Young Master Chen, Young Master Zijin instructed this early in the morning. He said that you didn¡¯t eat much and prepared it for you. You just have to heat it up when you go back.¡±


    Chen Qian¡¯s manservant went to look at his master. Chen Qian¡¯s expression turned even colder. He red fiercely at Qi Haoran and gritted his teeth. ¡°Take


    it.¡±


    Now, he would ept whatever Qi Haoran gave him. With a snort, he climbed into the carriage. Then, he lifted the curtain with a whoosh and said, ¡°Everyone says that Zijin treats you so well and always protects you. But today, it seems that you¡¯re also very protective of him. Haoran, remember what you said today. Don¡¯t forget about it the moment you turn around.¡±

 Chapter 476 - 476: Exchange

    Chapter 476: Exchange


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Chen Guangdi was Chen Fang¡¯s n brother and also came from the Chen n. Although he did not be an official, his knowledge and reputation were not inferior to Chen Fang¡¯s. This was because he had once been the head of the Pine Mountain Academy in Jiangnan. Although he was idle at home now, he was currently guiding a few disciples in their studies.


    In the current Imperial Academy, the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites and several attendants in the Imperial Court had all been under his tutge. In recent years, most of the vige examinations in Jiangnan had been set by his students. Although the main examiner for this year¡¯s examination had yet to be decided, that person was definitely somewhat rted to him.


    By studying with Chen Guangdi, students could at least grasp a general direction when it came to revision. This was a huge opportunity for the candidates.


    However, it was not that easy to be a disciple of Chen Guangdi. Previously, Fan Zijin had asked a teacher of the academy to help rmend him, but he did not even manage to see Chen Guangdi. Fan Zijin had seen him twice whilst with Chen Qian, but he could not catch Chen Guangdi¡¯s eye, so he had not been able to get what he wanted.


    Chen Qian felt that his granduncle was benign and openhearted, but Qi Haoran didn¡¯t think so. He didn¡¯t know any great principles and only recognized one thing. If Chen Guangdi was really benign and openhearted and didn¡¯t care about fame and fortune, then the disciples he epted wouldn¡¯t coincidentally alle from official families and aristocratic families.


    Moreover, his disciples¡¯ family backgrounds were not lowly. In his opinion, Fan Zijin was not inferior to his disciples at all. In spite of Fan Zijin¡¯s knowledge, methods, and character, coupled with his rtionship with Chen Qian, he still could not make Chen Guangdi agree to take him in. Qi Haoran reckoned there could only be one reason for that¡ªthe Fan family did not have enough qualifications and power.


    Qi Haoran looked for Chen Qian because he wanted to take a shortcut. He didn¡¯t ask that Chen Guangdi ept Fan Zijin as his disciple. He only wished that Chen Guangdi could let Fan Zijin study peacefully alongside him for four months. He could still afford this price.


    After returning home, Chen Qian went to the study to look for his grandfather.


    Seeing that it was already dark outside and he had only returned, Chen Fang asked gently, ¡°Did you go out with your colleagues today?¡±


    Chen Qian shook his head and said, ¡°Grandfather, I have a request for you.¡±


    When Chen Qian came out again, he was holding a letter in his hand. After thinking for a while, he walked towards his father¡¯s study and stopped at the entrance of the courtyard. He asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Father?¡±


    The old servant guarding the door bowed and said, ¡°Master has already returned to the backyard. You may look for him in the backyard.¡±


    Chen Qian nodded nonchntly and frowned. ¡°I¡¯m here to look for a book that I need to use tonight. I thought Father might be here.¡±


    The old servant smiled and said, ¡°Young Master, if you want to find books, just go straight in. I¡¯ll tell Masterter.¡±


    Chen Qian smiled. ¡°There¡¯s no need to trouble you. I¡¯ll just tell Father when I go to pay my respects to Motherter. Help me open the door.¡±


    Young Master Chen Qian was the youngest and most promising person in the family. Not only the eldest master, but even the old master doted on him very much. Although he was a little mischievous previously, he had improved a lot ever since he became a jinshiO. Hence, he went forward and opened the study door without any doubts.


    Chen Qian went in and asked the servant to guard outside while he lit up the lights in the study. Chen Qian walked to the innermost corner with familiarity, where there was a huge bookcase with a painting above.


    Chen Qian gently moved the chair underneath the painting and stepped on it. After fumbling around the cab, he opened a mechanism. Then, he quickly took out a long box and opened it to take a look. There was a painting inside. Ignoring it, Chen Qian touched the bottom of the box directly and took out a folded book wrapped in silk. He carefully opened it and saw that it was indeed the ¡°Emperor Shizong¡¯s Admonishment Memorial¡± that his father had kept. Chen Qian smiled until his eyes narrowed. He wrapped the folded book in a cloth and stuffed it into his arms. Then, he ced the box back and covered it properly before carefully moving the chair back to its original position.


    Chen Qian casually took a random book and went out. Not at all suspecting anything, the old servant smiled and locked the study room again, watching the capable young master leave.


    The next day, after his grandfather and father went out for court, Chen Qian also wanted to leave the residence. Madam Chen-Shu was very puzzled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go to court. Why are you in such a hurry?¡±


    Right now, Chen Qian was only a lowly official in the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs who didn¡¯t have to go to court. It wasn¡¯t time for him to start work at the government office yet.


    Chen Qian just randomly made up something before rushing to the agreed meeting ce with Qi Haoran. As he handed the thing in his hand to Qi Haoran, he asked, ¡°Haoran, I¡¯m risking offending my father for you. You must keep your word.¡±


    Qi Haoran opened the silk bag and took a look. He said nonchntly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When have I ever gone back on my word?¡±


    Although he said that, Chen Qian was still trembling in fear. He confirmed yet again, ¡°Are you sure that what your Big Brother has is the real one?¡±


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, ¡°What do you think? It¡¯s stamped with the Imperial jade seal. Chang¡¯an was originally the capital of my Great Zhou. Back then, when we fled south, we were in a hurry and didn¡¯t bring many things out of the pce. ¡®Emperor Shizong¡¯s Admonishment Memorial¡¯ was probably left behind like that. When the nobles of the Jin Kingdom who barged into Chang¡¯an divided the things among themselves, they didn¡¯t recognize that this was a treasure and casually tossed it in the storeroom. Fortunately, it was kept inside a box. Otherwise, it would have been damaged long ago. Back then, when my Big Brother rushed into Chang¡¯an, more than half of the Jin Kingdom¡¯s capital¡¯s governor¡¯s storeroom was emptied. I originally thought that the things left behind were all garbage. Who knew that I could find this item in a pile of trash? You guys were lucky.¡±


    Qi Haoran waved the silk bag in his hand and said, ¡°Then a fake can be exchanged for an authentic one.¡±


    Chen Qian spat at him. ¡°If you don¡¯t know, don¡¯t spout nonsense. What fake? This was drawn by the famous Confucian schr Kong Yi of Emperor Shizong¡¯s dynasty. It¡¯s said that it¡¯s exactly the same as Emperor Shizong¡¯s handwriting. When Emperor Shizong saw it, he was overjoyed and took his personal seal to stamp upon it. If it wasn¡¯t for the jade seal on the real painting, no one would be able to tell that this is a fake.¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself¡ªit¡¯s a fake.¡±


    ¡°But this is also something that can¡¯t be bought with money. Back then, in order to snatch this thing, my father fought with that old man from the Cui family¡¯s third branch. Not only did he empty his private stash, but he also embezzled my mother¡¯s dowry¡­ In short, I took a huge risk to take it out. You have to get the real thing for me. Otherwise, my father will really kill me.¡±


    Qi Haoran patted his shoulder and promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I sent a pigeon to my Big Brotherst night. He¡¯ll receive the letter in a few days. You only need to stall them for half a month before you receive the real thing.¡±


    Chen Qian felt a little uneasy. Although he knew that he shouldn¡¯t ask, he still couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°Why did you think of using this to bribe my granduncle? Logically speaking, if you can take out the real thing, not to mention letting Zijin study with my granduncle, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for my granduncle to take him in as a disciple.¡± This was the real reason for his uneasiness. Although Qi Haoran looked silly, he didn¡¯t think that he would make such a mistake when it came to Fan Zijin.


    Qi Haoran nced at him. ¡°Do you want to hear the truth?¡±


    Chen Qian nodded.


    Qi Haoran sighed and said, ¡°I just don¡¯t want Zijin to be too involved with the Chen family. Your granduncle looks aloof, but I think he¡¯s even more ambitious than your grandfather. If Zijin acknowledges your granduncle as his teacher, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll trip him up. Anyway, our goal is only to pass the general examination. Why must he acknowledge a teacher?¡±


    If they were to do anything treasonous in the future, a teacher would be equivalent to one¡¯s father. In the future, when the matter was exposed, with Chen Guangdi¡¯s status and personality, he would probably step forward to suppress Zijin with his identity. That would only put Zijin in the center of the storm. Qi Haoran was not an idiot, so he naturally would not do such a thing.

 Chapter 477 - 477: Heartache

    Chapter 477: Heartache


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Besides, it will take at least half a month for the authentic item to reach here. Moving it around will easily take another 20 days. How much knowledge can one learn in 20 days?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked so heartbroken as if he was so studious.


    ¡°Besides, naturally, good things are left for good brothers, right?¡± Qi Haoran patted his shoulder and said.


    Chen Qian looked at Qi Haoran and said seriously, ¡°Haoran, if you can really bring the real painting over, I¡¯ll agree to another request of yours as long as it¡¯s within my abilities.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure!¡±


    Carrying the letter of rmendation, Qi Haoran rushed to Chen Guangdi s vi in the suburbs with a silk bag. Without handing over his own post, Qi Haoran handed Chen Fang¡¯s letter to the servants.


    He was quickly invited in. Chen Guangdi was ying the zither in a pavilion halfway up the mountain. Qi Haoran looked up at the sky. At this moment, the sun had just risen and the October weather was already a little wet and cold. When the wind blew on his body, it even felt bone-chilling. How much willpower did one have to get up early in the morning to go up the mountain to y the zither?


    However, Qi Haoran still stepped forward respectfully and stood at the side.


    After the song ended, Chen Guangdi looked up at Qi Haoran and asked with a frown, ¡°Which family are you from?¡±


    ¡°Teacher, I¡¯m Chen Qian¡¯s ssmate.¡± Seeing Chen Guangdi frown even more,


    he hurriedly said, ¡°But this time, I¡¯m here for my cousin¡­¡±


    An hourter, Chen Guangdi put down the folded book in his hand and rubbed it reluctantly. ¡°This is Qian¡¯er¡¯s father¡¯s treasure. How did you get it?¡±


    Qi Haoran chuckled and pointed at the letter. ¡°The same method as that letter.¡±


    It was all given by Chen Qian.


    Did he beg for it?


    When did his cousin be so generous?


    Moreover, it seemed that his cousin could not make the decision for his nephew in this matter, right?


    Chen Guangdi thought for a moment and said, ¡°The vi is very big. Since a few of my students are also participating in the Spring Quarter Examinations next year, ask him to move in and study with them tomorrow.¡±


    Qi Haoran heaved a sigh of relief and bowed.


    After Qi Haoran left, a middle-aged man with an ashen face walked out from behind arge rock at the side. He bowed and said, ¡°Master, this thing is Master Sheng¡¯s treasure and he doesn¡¯t even let you take a peek at it. How did that kid get his hands on this thing?¡±


    Chen Guangdi picked up the item and smiled. ¡°No matter how he got it, it¡¯s in my hands now. Don¡¯t spread this news. I¡¯ll admire it in detail when I get back tonight.¡±


    Qi Haoran, who had gone down the mountain, ran back to ask Fan Zijin for credit and to help pack his luggage.


    Fan Zijin said in surprise, ¡°Why would Elder Chen agree to guide me?


    Qi Haoran proudly told him about the deal between him and Chen Qian. Fan Zijin¡¯s expression changed and he kicked him angrily. He roared, ¡°You actually let go of such a precious thing just like that. If you didn¡¯t want the item, you could¡¯ve just given it to me!¡±


    He was so angry that he jumped around the room. Then, he circled around Qi Haoran non-stop. In the end, he couldn¡¯t help but kick him again. ¡°Do you know that it¡¯s a priceless treasure? Do you know?¡±


    Qi Haoran dodged and red at him. ¡°No matter how priceless a treasure is, it¡¯s just a collectible. It can¡¯t be eaten or drunk. I really don¡¯t understand why schrs like you find it so precious. Anyway, I¡¯ve already given it away. Just tell me if you want to go to the vi.¡±


    Fan Zijin gritted his teeth. In the end, his heart ached so much that he fell onto the couch. He kept pounding his feet and chest as he cried. ¡°Why am I so stupid? I should have checked Big Brother¡¯s treasury back then. Such a treasure was wasted by you just like that¡­¡±


    Although Fan Zijin felt it was a great pity, he still asked Yanmo to pack up his things and move to the vi tomorrow. He even looked a little aggressive.


    After being scolded, Qi Haoran shrunk his neck and sat at the side. Fan Zijin worked on a set of questions as if he was venting. When he looked up and realized that Qi Haoran was still here, he pursed his lips and asked, ¡°What are you still doing here? Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to take care of Ah Ling?


    -Do you think I want to be here?¡± Qi Haoran was a little discouraged. ¡°I lied to her and said that I was attending court. Previously, I promised her not to tell anyone about her pregnancy before it was confirmed. But now that the matter¡¯s blown up, how can I dare to go back?¡±


    Fan Zijin narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°In other words, she doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s going on outside yet?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve already ordered for the servants to be strictly prohibited from talking about the news outside. Moreover, if she doesn¡¯t leave the residence, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to hide it from her for a few days. But she can¡¯t very well stay at home indefinitely. I wonder if she¡¯ll settle scorester.¡±


    Fan Zijin threw down his pen and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll go back to the Qi Manor with you to take a look. Speaking of which, I haven¡¯t visited Little Treasure for a few days. Also, I¡¯m craving gourd chicken.


    The gourd chicken was a famous dish in the Jingzhao Prefecture. The chefs they brought from the Jingzhao Prefecture knew how to prepare it, so Qi Haoran did not suspect anything and brought Fan Zijin back to the Qi Manor.


    The moment Fan Zijin saw Mu Yangling, he told her about Qi Haoran¡¯s mistake and how he wanted to keep the matter from her.


    Qi Haoran roared and hugged Fan Zijin, wanting to drag him out. However, Fan Zijin grabbed the door tightly and raised his head firmly. ¡°Sister-inw, you have to teach him a good lesson regarding this, lest he acts before discussing things with others in the future¡­¡±


    At this point, Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. ¡°Giving away a priceless treasure like it was useless paper¡­


    Mu Yangling looked at the two of them in shock. In the end, she slowly closed her mouth and turned to face Spring. ¡°Didn¡¯t the kitchen stir-fry chestnuts? Go get them. We¡¯ll sit and watch the show.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, Qi Haoran immediately let go, threw Fan Zijin aside, and ran over eagerly. He said carefully, ¡°Ah Ling, this is all my fault. At that time, I was so happy that I forgot what I had written on the memorial. If you¡¯re angry, you can hit or kick me, but you can¡¯t hold it in lest you suffocate the child.¡±


    Mu Yangling opened her eyes and nced at him. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m not angry. If I were so easily angered, I would have been angered to death by you long ago.¡± She turned to look at Fan Zijin. ¡°What did you do to offend Cousin Zijin though?¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted and tidied his clothes. He sat at the table and poured himself a cup of tea. ¡°He exchanged Emperor Shizong¡¯s ¡®Emperor Shizong¡¯s Admonishment Memorial¡¯ with Chen Qian so that I can go to Chen Guangdi¡¯s vi to study and revise.¡±


    ¡°Chen Guangdi? The former head of Pine Mountain Academy?


    Fan Zijin nodded with a dark expression. Smiling, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing? I heard that Chen Guangdi is quite knowledgeable. Studying with him for four months is better than studying alone for a year.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯S so good about that? That¡¯s the ¡®Emperor Shizong¡¯s Admonishment Memorial¡¯ we¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes were filled with confusion as she said, ¡°Doesn¡¯t that thing only have collectible value? Anyway, the contents of that item are written in books. Even if we get the real piece, one can only leave it at home to grow dust. It can¡¯t be eaten or drunk. How can it be more practical than studying with Old Chen?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, that s right..

 Chapter 478 - 478: Coming to the Capital

    Chapter 478: Coming to the Capital


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Fan Zijin moved to Chen Guangdi¡¯s vi with an expression that suggested they were extremelypatible in temperament and behavior. Fan Siwen had originally wanted to mediate the rtionship between the father and son because of Qi Haoran¡¯s words. Seeing this, he gave Fan Zijin some money and asked him to bring it along.


    Fan Zijin was stunned for a moment before he epted it without hesitation.


    After moving to the vi to study and do papers with Chen Guangdi¡¯s students, he was almost isted from the outside world. However, every two days, he would sit down and listen to Chen Guangdi discuss the state affairs. He would always receive thetest news from the court. This made him feel like he knew everything that was going on in the world despite staying at home.


    After Fan Zijin went to the vi, Qi Haoran stayed at home to apany Mu Yangling. Since the matter had already been exposed, he no longer had to wake up early in the morning and pretend to go to court.


    Four dayster, Physician Sun confirmed that Mu Yangling was indeed pregnant. Qi Haoran immediately tipped the entire residence happily. He wished he could grow a tail on his tail and wag it so that everyone in the world would know.


    When the news spread out of the Qi Manor, the strange thing was that many people actually sent Mu Yangling invitations. They either invited her out to y or invited her to their family¡¯s banquet.


    Qi Haoran rejected them all and said, ¡°It¡¯s not even three months yet. They¡¯re too tactless. Besides, are you very familiar with them?¡± Qi Haoran picked out all the invitations that could be rejected directly.


    Mu Yangling leaned against the couch and fell asleep. She had only started showing signs of pregnancy in the past two days. There were 24 hours a day, and 20 hours were spent sleeping and wanting to sleep.


    When Qi Haoran saw that his wife was sleepy again, he really wanted to carry her to the bed. However, Rain ran in quickly. ¡°Fourth Madam, Fourth Madam, good news!¡±


    Mu Yangling instantly woke up. Qi Haoran red at Rain, who shrank her neck and stood obediently at the side.


    Mu Yangling leaned against Qi Haoran and asked, ¡°What good news?¡±


    Rain immediately smiled. ¡°Young Master and the rest are here.¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned for a while before she realized who the young master she was talking about was. She widened her eyes and said, ¡°Bowen is here? Who did hee with?¡±


    Rain bowed happily and said, ¡°Young Master Bowen, Teacher Liu, Miss Xiuhong, Young Master Lang came together. They¡¯re outside the residence now.¡±


    Qi Haoran also widened his eyes. ¡°Why didn¡¯t they inform us before they came so that we could pick them up?¡±


    Qi Haoran draped a cloak over Mu Yangling and the two of them rushed to the Qi Manor¡¯s entrance.


    Bowen and the others were sitting in the carriage, looking at the Qi Manor¡¯s que worriedly. ¡°Do you think Sister will be bullied?¡±


    Xiuhong frowned and said, ¡°Who dares to bully my cousin?¡±


    Liu Lang patted her hand. ¡°There are many high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital. Control your temper and don¡¯t cause trouble for Ah Ling.¡± Xiuhong nodded.


    When Teacher Zhao saw this, he smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Miss Mu is a smart and wise person who has both ability and backbone. She won¡¯t be bullied easily.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the Qi Manor¡¯s door slowly opened. Seeing Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling stand side by side on the steps, Bowen cheered softly and lifted the curtain to jump down.


    Mu Yangling grabbed Bowen, who was rushing over, and stroked his head. Smiling, she said, ¡°Not bad. You¡¯ve grown a lot taller.¡±


    Liu Lang and Xiuhong also went forward to greet them. Qi Haoran went to greet Teacher Liu. ¡°Teacher Liu, it¡¯s been a long journey. Let¡¯s enter the residence first.¡±


    Due to the special rtionship between the East and West Manor, Qi Haoran got someone to ask Madam Wu when she was free to meet Mu Yangling¡¯s family, before bringing them back to Zhaohua Courtyard.


    ¡°Why are you guys here in the capital?¡±


    Mu Yangling asked Bowen as she held Bowen and Xiuhong¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Sister, Teacher is participating in next year¡¯s Spring Quarter Examinations. Firstly, I wanted toe out and see the world, and secondly, I wanted to see you, so we came along.¡±


    Mu Yangling stroked his head and said, ¡°You¡¯re still young. It¡¯s not a bad thing for you toe out and see the world, but you have to guard your heart and not be blinded by the outside world. Remember, studying is your first priority now.¡±


    ¡°Sister, don¡¯t worry. Although I¡¯m outside, I¡¯ve never left my textbooks behind. If you don¡¯t believe me, ask Teacher. I¡¯ve always been studying.¡±


    Xiuhong nodded. ¡°Bowen is very hardworking.¡±


    Mu Yangling frowned slightly. ¡°You read in the carriage? Didn¡¯t I tell you not to do that? It¡¯ll damage your eyes.¡±


    ¡°No, I study in the morning and evening. If I get bored in the carriage, Teacher will ask me to memorize books and evene up with some questions for me to answer. Teacher also said that although I¡¯ve been out for a month, my improvement is no less than at home.¡±


    This was the second time Bowen had praised himself. Mu Yangling stroked his head in amusement and praised, ¡°Bowen is even more impressive than I imagined.¡±


    Mu Bowen puffed out his chest proudly. After all, he was just an 11-year-old child.


    After asking Bowen, Mu Yangling looked at Xiuhong. Seeing that her hairstyle wasbed in the style of a woman, she nced at Liu Lang and pulled the two of them to her main room to talk. She left the reception pavilion for Qi Haoran to entertain Liu Lang and Teacher Liu.


    ¡°Xiuhong, you¡¯re married?¡±


    Xiuhong blushed and nodded. She said shyly, ¡°I married Cousin Liu Lang.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Mu Yanglingined slightly. They clearlymunicated via letter every month.


    ¡°We set off as soon as we got married. Bowen said that he wanted to give you a surprise, so we didn¡¯t allow our family to tell you. How is it, Cousin? Are you surprised?¡±


    Mu Yangling tapped their foreheads. ¡°You guys are too bold. You dared to travel by yourselves when you only brought along so few people. Now, the world is not peaceful and bandits are everywhere. This was the reason why I didn¡¯t want you to follow me south back then. The way back was too far and too dangerous. In the end, you came over on your own.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Teacher Liu bring us along?¡± Xiuhong hugged Mu Yangling¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Uncle even arranged eight guards for us. It¡¯s not a small number. Nothing happened to us along the way.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s naturally best if nothing happens. However, if something happens on the way, it will be a big deal. You shouldn¡¯t hope to get lucky.¡± Mu Yangling lectured them with a straight face.


    She didn¡¯t mind them going out to broaden their horizons, but it also depended on where it was. It was fine if it was Xingzhou Prefecture, Hanzhong Prefecture, and Jingzhao Prefecture, for it could be said that the bandits had no room to survive under Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s control. However, after leaving Xingzhou Prefecture and heading south, there wasn¡¯t a single area that was especially safe. Eight guards might seem like a lot to ordinary people, but it was nothing in front of hundreds or thousands of bandits.


    Previously, in front of Teacher Liu, she did not want to give him the impression that she was too restrained towards the children, so she could only bring them to one side and lecture them alone.


    ¡°If something happens to you, what will happen to Great-aunt, Father, Mother and our younger siblings?¡±


    Bowen and Xiuhong lowered their heads.


    Spring entered and said with a smile, ¡°Fourth Madam, Madam Wu sent someone to pass a message. She said that you haven¡¯t seen your maiden family for a long time and asked you to spend more time with them. She hasn¡¯t been feeling well these few days, so she won¡¯t be meeting with them. It won¡¯t be toote to meet up when you¡¯re free in the future.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and waved her hand nonchntly. ¡°Got it. Go down and tidy up rooms for Teacher Liu and the rest. They¡¯ll stay here tonight..¡±

 Chapter 479 - 479: Incident

    Chapter 479: Incident


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t let them stay in the Qi Manor for too long. How could living herepare to living outside? Hence, the next day, she got someone to clean up the small residence on Qixia Street and let them move there on the third day.


    As soon as Fan Zijin returned, he¡¯d bought arge courtyard on Qixia Street to conduct business as well as facilitate the transmission of secret news After Mu Yangling took over his business in Jiangnan, she bought a small courtyard next door for convenience.


    After all, the peopleing in and out of the room next door were all unfamiliar men, so it was not convenient for Mu Yangling to handle matters there.


    It was convenient for Teacher Liu and the rest to move to the small courtyard They could just move the things in her study next door and add some household items.


    After making these arrangements, Teacher Liu would study in peace. From time to time, he would go to some teahouses where schrs gathered. Fan Zijin would give him some test papers and reference answers during his half-monthly break.


    These things were hard toe by, so Teacher Liu was extremely grateful.


    Qi Haoran felt that Fan Zijin treated Teacher Liu too well, so he asked Fan Zijin if he was up to no good again. Smiling, Fan Zijin said, ¡°Teacher Liu is quite talented and has a good character. Besides, he worked with Ah Ling previously. What do you think about mepletely turning him into Big Brother¡¯s man?¡± Qi Haoran thought for a moment and said, ¡°Let¡¯s be cautious.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll grasp the rhythm. By the way, has the authentic item arrived?¡± Fan Zijin looked at Qi Haoran with bright eyes.


    ¡°Not yet, but it¡¯ll arrive in the next two days.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes darted around and he lowered his voice. ¡°If I rece it with a fake one¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there a counterfeit that can deceive the Chen family?¡± Qi Haoran asked curiously.


    Fan Zijin choked and said faintly, ¡°Then say that what Big Brother got is fake. You don¡¯t know anything about antiques, so it¡¯s reasonable for you to receive a fake¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran jumped up and roared, ¡°No, am I the kind of person who goes back


    on my word and does these sort of sneaky things?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not, but I am, alright?¡± Fan Zijin shouted back. ¡°As long as you can leave behind the authentic piece, I¡¯ll take the me.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face flushed red. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a darned memorial? Is there a need to steal it like this? Other than that thing, tell me what else you want. I¡¯ll get it for you.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked up at him in disdain and said, ¡°You can¡¯t even see the value of good things. Do you know how to tell the authentic from the fake? If I say that I want the ¡®Sage Laozi¡¯s Painting¡¯, can you find it for me?¡±


    ¡°The Sage Laozi¡¯s Painting?¡± Qi Haoran tilted his head. ¡°The one drawn by Zhong Yao?¡±


    Fan Zijin sat cross-legged on the brick bed and took a sip of tea. He snorted and said, ¡°Yup. It¡¯s been lost since Emperor Gaozong¡¯s era. Can you find it for me? If you can find it, I won¡¯t stop you from giving the Chen family ten real copies of the ¡®Emperor Shizong¡¯s Admonishment Memorial¡¯.¡±


    However, Qi Haoran was already holding his head in distress. ¡°This thing sounds so familiar. I seem to have seen it before.¡±


    Stunned, Fan Zijin hurriedly threw down the teacup in his hand and looked at Qi Haoran eagerly. ¡°I¡¯m in charge of your spoils of war. Did you see them at Big Brother¡¯s ce? Think about it, think about it carefully.¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned and thought about it carefully, but he could not recall anything for a long time. Fan Zijin was so angry that he could not help but kick him, thinking that Qi Haoran was just lying to him to make him stop pestering him about the ¡°Emperor Shizong¡¯s Admonishment Memorial¡±.


    In the end, Fan Zijin left angrily.


    Qi Haoran returned home with a frown. He felt that he had indeed seen this before, but he did not have a deep impression of it.


    Seeing that he was frowning, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    I m thinking about the Sage Laozi¡¯s Painting.¡±


    Mu Yangling blinked and asked, ¡°Why are you thinking about it?¡±


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve seen it somewhere before, but why can¡¯t I remember?¡±


    Mu Yangling coughed lightly and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that one of the betrothal gifts you gave me? Then, I moved it into the storeroom as a dowry? Why are you asking this?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s mouth fell open. He finally remembered that when he was choosing a betrothal gift for Mu Yangling, he had almost emptied Big Brother¡¯s storeroom. In the end, although he had put the things back, Big Brother had included many items on the gift listter on. The Sage Laozi¡¯s Painting was among them.


    Qi Haoran swallowed his saliva and asked, ¡°Is that the real thing?¡±


    ¡°It should be real.¡± Mu Yangling was not very sure either. ¡°They were all snatched from the Jin Kingdom¡¯s nobles. They wouldn¡¯t collect fake ones right?¡±


    Qi Haoran touched his chin and felt that the possibility of it being authentic was higher. He smiled at Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling waved her hand and pushed the face in front of her away. ¡°If you have something to say, say it. Don¡¯t try to get close to me.¡±


    Qi Haoran touched his nose and said, ¡°Ah Ling, let¡¯s give that thing to Zijin. He¡¯s going crazy thinking about that ¡®Emperor Shizong¡¯s Admonishment Memorial¡¯ now. I wonder if it will affect his exam mood.¡±


    Mu Yangling said nonchntly, ¡°Sure, but the item is in Jingzhao Prefecture.¡± She wasn¡¯t obsessed with antiques. In her opinion, as long as these things didn¡¯t go overseas, they would probably be better in anyone¡¯s hands than hers because they loved it. Although she liked it, it wasn¡¯t to the point of love. Only by converting antiques into money would she know their value.


    Qi Haoran obviously thought so too. He immediately wrote a letter to Fan Zijin happily and told him the good news. However, he also said in advance that this item was snatched back from the Jin people and he had yet to verify its authenticity.


    Then, he asked Fei Bai to send the letter to the vi.


    At this moment, a loud shout came from Eldest Master Chen¡¯s study. Chen Cheng ran out barefooted with disheveled hair. Grabbing the old servant¡¯s cor, he red at him with widened eyes and an angry voice came from his throat. ¡°Tell me, who has entered my study?¡±


    The moment Chen Qian entered, two servants grabbed his arms and sent him all the way to Chen Fang¡¯s study. He knew that things were bad!


    When Chen Sheng saw his son, he rushed forward as if he had seen an enemy.


    He raised his hand and was about to hit him when he heard his son shout miserably, ¡°Father, I¡¯m your son!¡±


    Tears streamed down Chen Qian¡¯s face. Chen Sheng¡¯s raised hand didn¡¯t lower.


    In the end, he could only turn him around and kick his butt. He scolded, ¡°Are you my son? You¡¯re an enemy who¡¯s here to collect debts from me! Why¡¯did I give birth to such a prodigal son like you? Tell me, who bewitched you to steal my things? I¡¯m going to kill him, kill him!¡±


    Chen Qiany on the ground obediently with his butt sticking out. Now, his father was only kicking his butt. Anyway, his father couldn¡¯t bear to use too much strength. So be it.


    After hitting him for a long time, Chen Sheng saw that his son was only howling and showed no signs of admitting his mistake. He was so angry that he paced around the house. In the end, he grabbed a feather duster and gestured at his back twice. In the end, he still couldn¡¯t bear to do it. He could only raise his hand and hit him. Chen Qian screamed.


    In the end, Chen Qian didn¡¯t feel much pain. On the other hand, Chen Sheng¡¯s hand was swollen from the beating. He sat on the ground and saw that his son refused to tell him where the item was now. For a moment, he felt sad. He turned around and crawled over to hug his father¡¯s leg. He cried, ¡°Father, you have to stand up for your son. Look at your grandson. He¡¯s digging out my heart.¡±


    Chen Fang looked at his son in disdain. He couldn¡¯t bear to beat his son up but he was willing to make things difficult for his father.


    Frightened by his father¡¯s loud cries, Chen Qian hurriedly crawled up on his knees and said, ¡°Father, 1 didn¡¯t lose it. I took it to exchange for something¡­¡± ¡°Prodigal son, can you exchange that thing? Tell me, which bastard fooled you?¡±

 Chapter 480 - 480: Explanation

    Chapter 480: Exnation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Chen Fang shifted his gaze up slightly and looked at his grandson. He said indifferently, ¡°Speak. Do you really want to wait for your father to use domestic discipline on you?¡±


    Chen Qian got up and sat on the ground, crying. ¡°Father, I¡¯m really doing this for your own good.¡± Seeing that his father was so angry that his nose was about to turn crooked, he hurriedly said, ¡°Father, Qi Haoran said that he has the real piece. He has always kept his word. Just wait for another two days and he will definitely send the real piece to our family.¡±


    Chen Sheng looked at his son resentfully. He looked quite smart, but why was he a fool?


    Who would exchange an authentic Emperor Shizong piece for a copy?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t believe it at first, but I agreed to a request of his and agreed to another request from him.¡± Seeing that Chen Sheng¡¯s expression softened, he immediately said, ¡°Father, next month is your 40th birthday. I just wanted to give you a surprise, so I secretly stole that thing from you.¡±


    When Chen Sheng heard this, the anger that he had just suppressed red up again. ¡°You call this a surprise? It¡¯s a shock. You almost scared me to death. Exin everything clearly from the beginning to the end.¡±


    When he heard that the item was in his uncle¡¯s hands, Chen Sheng said to his father unhappily, ¡°Father, why didn¡¯t Uncle say anything when he got this treasure? If he had told me earlier, why would I be so angry?¡±


    Chen Fang nced at him and said, ¡°He probably guessed that the child stole it.


    Naturally, he will hide it for as long as he can.¡±


    Chen Sheng snorted in displeasure and turned to ask his son, ¡°Are you sure that Qi Haoran has the authentic piece on him? What if he lied to you? Once the item is in your granduncle¡¯s hands, we can forget about getting it back.¡±


    Chen Qian swore. ¡°I would believe that Fan Zijin lied to me, but I don¡¯t believe


    Qi Haoran would lie to me. He never lies.¡±


    Chen Sheng was still worried, but Chen Fang said, ¡°It¡¯s most likely true that Qi Haoran has the real thing. I heard that he has a close rtionship with that child from the Fan family. Since he initiated the exchange for his cousin¡¯s studies, he naturally won¡¯t lie about such things.


    Chen Sheng was slightly relieved. Chen Fang continued, ¡°Besides, the Qi brothers took back Hanzhong Prefecture and Jingzhao Prefecture. Don¡¯t forget that Chang¡¯an used to be the capital. Back then, we fled south in a hurry and lost many of our ancestors¡¯ treasures. Since they took back Jingzhao Prefecture, they can always snatch some more back.¡±


    At this point, Chen Fang looked a little sad. ¡°Those martial artists only love gold and silver and don¡¯t appreciate paintings and calligraphy. I wonder if they will ruin those good things. Those old items will only unleash their value in the hands of the aristocratic families.¡±


    Chen Fang and Chen Cheng looked at Chen Qian with bright eyes. ¡°Since you have a good personal rtionship with Qi Haoran, you can find out what good things he has there. We¡¯re willing to exchange with them.¡±


    Chen Qian wiped his tears and shook his head. ¡°Grandfather, Father, don¡¯t even think about it. Why did we rush to coax Qi Haoran out the moment he returned? It¡¯s all because of the things in his hands. However, he gave Fan Zijin all the things he snatched back and ced them all in the Imperial Capital. Not to mention us, even his father can forget about touching them. I¡¯m afraid he doesn¡¯t even know how many precious items he has. With Fan Zijin taking charge of those items, it¡¯spletely impossible for us to obtain any of those precious items without paying a dear price for it. He¡¯s even more shrewd than an unscrupulous businessman.¡±


    ¡°If you want something good, give me silver. I¡¯ll exchange it for you. Although Fan Zijin is stingy, they need a lot of money to do business now. They¡¯re very willing to exchange things for money.¡± Chen Qian looked at them eagerly.


    The father and son fell silent. Although the Chen family was wealthy, they did not have much money. Otherwise, Chen Sheng would not have emptied his wallet and embezzled his wife¡¯s dowry just to buy a memorial.


    Chen Fang touched his nose. He couldn¡¯t do anything to deceive people, so he could only shake his head and sigh regretfully.


    Seeing that there were only the three of them in the room, Chen Qian asked in a low voice, ¡°Grandfather, was what Qi Haoran said about Granduncle right or wrong? I thought that even if this thing was sent to Granduncle, Granduncle would still return it even if he was tempted. After all, a gentleman treats others sincerely and doesn¡¯t take what others like.


    Chen Sheng sneered and got up from the ground. He kicked his son¡¯s butt with the tip of his foot and said, ¡°I said you¡¯re smart, but you¡¯re not evenparable to a martial artist. You should go through more life experiences and learn how to judge people. Your granduncle¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up. How can you criticize your elders and educate your descendants like this?¡± Chen Fang chided him and turned to Chen Qian. ¡°After going to the battlefield many times, Qi Haoran is filled with hostility. Don¡¯t underestimate him just because he¡¯s a martial artist. The people on the battlefield have especially sharp intuition. Even though he¡¯s inferior to you in terms of interpersonal rtionships, I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s not inferior to you in terms of distinguishing people¡¯s hearts. This isn¡¯t something you can learn from reading books.¡±


    So, the granduncle he had always admired was a hypocrite like Qi Haoran had said?


    How could Chen Qian, who had revered his granduncle for 18 years, ept this?


    As if he did not see his grandson¡¯s pale face, Chen Fang continued, ¡°Although your granduncle is a little¡­ utilitarian, this is a practical world. You can¡¯t me him.¡± At this point, Chen Fang felt that he was forcing himself and could not help but sigh.


    Chen Qian lowered his head sadly. Chen Sheng suddenly shouted, ¡°You still have the heart to think about your granduncle. Go to the Qi Manor and guard it immediately. Once the item arrives, bring it back immediately. Let me tell you, if you can¡¯t bring back the real thing, don¡¯te back!¡±


    The sad atmosphere in the room suddenly dissipated. Chen Qian sniffed and felt that his disappointment just now was just an illusion. There was nothing more important than dealing with his father now.


    Chen Qian crawled out of the Chen family and was transported to the Qi Manor. He stayed there and refused to leave. In order to show his father his determination, Chen Qian even applied for leave from the government office and stayed in the Qi Manor.


    Qi Haoran said with a headache, ¡°I won¡¯t go back on my word.¡± Knowing that Qi Haoran didn¡¯t want to waste time with him when he could be apanying his wife, Chen Qian rolled his eyes and spat out two words.


    ¡°Wife ve!¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted. ¡°If you make me angry, I¡¯ll send a pigeon to let them rest for two more days on the way. It¡¯s very tiring for them to travel all the way south, you know.¡±


    Chen Qian immediately stopped talking.


    This time, Qi Haoran sent a letter directly to Qi Xiuyuan, so Qi Xiuyuan received it very quickly.


    He threw the letter to Steward Zhu and asked him to find the item in the storeroom and get the two guards to send the item to Lin¡¯an City.


    Only then did Rong Xuan know that Qi Haoran had a precious item. He coveted it for a while, but when he thought of the things he had received, he stopped coveting it. Such an item was indeed very valuable in prosperous times, and even now it was hard toe by. However, very few people were willing to spend money to buy them. This was because this was a chaotic world, and these things were only antiques with collector¡¯s value and appreciation value. Smiling, Rong Xuan said, ¡°In a prosperous era, with these things, the two of you can at least dominate a region and benefit your descendants.


    Qi Xiuyuan said nonchntly, ¡°If we were in prosperous times, we wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to get these things.¡±


    That was true. If it was a prosperous era and there was no war, these things would only stay in the storerooms of the aristocratic families and nobles..

 Chapter 481 - 481: The Goods Are Here

    Chapter 481: The Goods Are Here


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Two days had passed. Chen Qian had almost turned into a ¡°husband-watching stone¡± at the entrance of the Qi Manor, but there was still no sign of anyone from the north. He looked at Qi Haoran with reddened eyes.


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°Since it¡¯s snowing in the north now, isn¡¯t it normal to be dyed on the road?¡±


    Chen Qian¡¯s eyes turned even redder. Just as he was about to cry, Qi Haoran suddenly pointed behind him and said, ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±


    Chen Qian turned around and saw that the street behind him was empty. There was no one there. Chen Qian rushed up and grabbed Qi Haoran¡¯s neck, shouting, ¡°You lied to me again!¡±


    Qi Haoran grabbed his hand and shouted, ¡°I heard the sound of hooves. I¡¯m really not lying to you. That¡¯s the sound of a horse raised in my horse farm!¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t. There are so many horses in a horse farm and you can still distinguish the sound of their hooves?¡± Chen Qian grabbed Qi Haoran¡¯s neck and swayed back and forth.


    When Chen Qian¡¯s manservant saw the two masters fighting, he was anxious. Seeing Fei Bai standingzily at the side, he said anxiously, ¡°Aiyo, quicklye up and help break up the fight.¡±


    Fei Bai said nonchntly, ¡°Your young master is just having fun with our Fourth Master. It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not your young master who is being strangled. Why so anxious?¡±


    He casually nced at the street and jumped up. ¡°Master, the guards in the residence are here.¡±


    Chen Qian turned around and saw that the two of them had arrived very quickly. Chen Qian¡¯s eyes lit up as he looked at them. ¡°Where¡¯s that item?¡±


    The two guards ignored him and greeted Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran waved his hand and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the thing I want?¡±


    A guard took out a box from his pocket and handed it to Qi Haoran, which he opened. Inside was a package wrapped in oil paper. When he opened it, there was ayer of silk cloth inside. Before Qi Haoran could open it, Chen Qian snatched it over and eagerly opened it. Inside was a bright yellow memorial. As time passed, the bright yellow color had be a little dimmer, but it now looked even more low-key and luxurious. This was the mark left behind by time.


    Chen Qian opened it and flipped to the back. On it was the stamp of the jade seal. Chen Qian was overjoyed. ¡°That¡¯s right, this is it!¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips and waved his hand. ¡°Here, I¡¯ve given you the thing. You can¡¯t pester me anymore.¡± He really wanted to turn around and leave. Thinking of Fan Zijin¡¯s instructions, he grabbed Chen Qian back.


    Chen Qian looked at him warily. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve promised Zijin that when the item arrives, I¡¯ll let him admire it. He¡¯s on a break in a few days and if he wants to see it, you¡¯re not allowed to hide it.¡±


    Chen Qian weighed the probability of persuading his father and finally nodded. ¡°No problem.¡± He looked at his guards and said, ¡°You have to get your guards to protect me and bring me back.¡±


    ¡°Who would rob you?¡± Qi Haoran muttered, but he still mobilized six guards from the residence to escort him back to the Chen residence.


    Chen Qian sat in the carriage and asked the six guards to protect him from all sides. He hugged the silk bag tightly in his arms, feeling very nervous. He only felt better when he returned home.


    Chen Qian ran to his father¡¯s study happily and shouted, ¡°Go, invite Grandfather and Father back!¡±


    Chen Fang and Chen Cheng had been a little absent-minded during the past two days. Coupled with Chen Qian¡¯s sudden leave of absence, everyone thought that something big had happened to the Chen family. Now that they saw the Chen family¡¯s servants reporting and the two of them were leaving early, they craned their necks to secretly inquire, but they couldn¡¯t find out anything.


    The two of them rushed back to the Chen residence and took out the item to appraise it. In the end, they concluded that it was indeed an authentic piece.


    The Chen family looked at the words on the memorial that were restrained but still looked very noble. ¡°This is what Emperor Shizong advised his descendants. He hoped that the descendants of the royal family could protect the country and fight for the interests of the people. However, who would have thought that in less than a hundred years, the Great Zhou would lose half of its territory¡­¡±


    The ¡°Emperor Shizong¡¯s Admonishment Memorial¡± was written by Emperor Shizong after his health was poor and he became increasingly dizzy. However, who knew that this item would flow from the pce to themon people? One day, it was actually exchanged into the Chen family in such a way.


    Chen Sheng didn¡¯t think too much about it. He just put the things away in a cherished manner and said, ¡°Father, on my birthday, I want to invite one or two good friends to let them admire it.¡±


    Chen Fang nced at him and said, ¡°Keep this thing yourself. Don¡¯t take it out so easily.¡±


    Chen Sheng choked. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°This is personally written by Emperor Shizong, different from your previous copy. It¡¯s meant for the descendants of the royal family. If word gets out, can you still keep it? Even if the Emperor doesn¡¯t ask for it, do you dare to keep it?¡±


    Chen Sheng choked. This was as ufortable as him being the number one in the world but he was the only person who knew about it.


    Chen Sheng could only look at the treasure regretfully. It seemed that this thing could only be hidden.


    However, the few of them did not know that the Emperor already knew that the item was in their hands, but he had no intention of taking it back.


    Looking at his ancestor¡¯s admonition and thinking of the prosperous and powerful Great Zhou a hundred years ago, Emperor Jingyan would feel ashamed when he looked at the Great Zhou under his rule.


    Recently, the Imperial Court had been rather chaotic. Before the new year, the Emperor had fired a few officials, and three or four local officials had been implicated. Therefore, everyone was even more careful in handling matters, afraid that they would offend the Emperor, who was bing more and more moody.


    This was not only reflected in government affairs, but also in the preparations for the pce banquet.


    When it was the new year again, the pce began to prepare for the banquet. The Ministry of Internal Affairs had originally nned to do the same asst year, but the Emperor was displeased. Fromst year onwards, in order to hold the Imperial Examination for two consecutive years, he had already scrimped and saved a lot. It was not easy for him to have a chance to spend money openly, but the Ministry of Internal Affairs actually wanted to be perfunctory about it?


    Therefore, the Emperor directly ordered that this year¡¯s pce banquet would be held in the Changming Pce.


    The Changming Pce was on Changming Mountain in the suburbs. Because there was a hot spring on it, it was like spring all year round, so the Emperor had gotten someone to build a pce on it. After 12 years, more than half of it had been built. It was more than enough to hold a pce banquet.


    However, this way, the expenses would be much higher. Where would the Ministry of Internal Affairs get so much money?


    The Emperor thought that he had been more thrifty in the past two years, but his expenses were still ten times that of Emperor Shizong¡¯s. From this, it could be seen why everyone missed Emperor Shizong so much. It was because he was really a thrifty and good Emperor.


    Alright, back to the main topic. The Ministry of Internal Affairs did not have any money, so they could ask the Ministry of Revenue to pay for it first. The Ministry of Revenue was also suffering. After the new year, it would be spring. Spring plowing and spring nting would cost money, right? All kinds of water conservancy projects also demanded money, but the pce banquet had to be held. They had no choice but to scrimp in other areas. In the end, the most affected area was the money for armaments.


    Since the country had to fight wars every year and replenish their military supplies every year, they could just prepare less next year. It wasn¡¯t as if they could skip holding the pce banquet, right?


    However, the Ministry of War was unwilling, so they quarreled with the Ministry of Revenue. Then, someone said, ¡°Why are there wars every year? Did the Ministry of War not do anything, or did they deliberately dy the war?¡±


    There were also imperial censors who suggested that the Emperor cancel the pce banquet, but such voices were criticized the moment they came out.


    Seeing that his ministers were arguing, the Emperor took the opportunity to not go to court. He was happy to sleep in. Anyway, the order had been issued, and the people below did not dare to disobey..

 Chapter 482 - 482: Reject

    Chapter 482: Reject


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran returned home in a huff. At night, he hugged Mu Yangling andined in a low voice, ¡°I finally know why the Great Zhou is so chaotic every year. The Emperor pushes state affairs to Minister Qin and the six ministries, but the six ministries mostly have to listen to Minister Qin. With everyone shirking the responsibilities of government affairs around, there will always be a dy.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a flood in Jiangnan, clearly happening right in front of us. Yet, when the memorials were submitted to the Imperial Court, the Emperor got someone to prioritize the memorials and only left behind 10 to 20 of them that he was interested in. The rest were all thrown to Minister Qin and the six departments. However, the six departments didn¡¯t dare to take matters into their own hand and they had to wait for Minister Qin¡¯s approval regarding the important matters. After obtaining permission, could they be issued for execution. The entire procedure would take at least half a month¡­¡±


    ¡°If the Emperor can dodge the matter, he¡¯d do it. No wonder Big Brother wants to rece him¡­¡± Qi Haoran whispered thest sentence into Mu Yangling¡¯s ear so softly that he could barely hear himself.


    Mu Yangling exhaled and asked in a low voice, ¡°If the Emperor is sozy, why is he paying so much attention to us?¡±


    Qi Haoran sneered and said, ¡°It¡¯s not just us. He¡¯s monitoring all the generals who lead more than 80,000 troops outside. Back then, Emperor Shizong distributed the entire country¡¯s military strength at the borders and important passes, focusing on guarding against external enemies. However, after Emperor Gaozong took over, he ced his main military strength at various ces in the country to prevent themoners from an uprising.¡±


    This was what Qi Haoran looked down on the Emperor of Great Zhou the most, especially Gaozong, who had established such a precedent.


    He didn¡¯t understand how the unyielding Emperor Shizong had given birth to a bunch of cowardly sons.


    Gaozong thought that in all the dynasties, the countries that had been overthrown weren¡¯t destroyed by foreign races but by the rioters within the country. Therefore, he felt that the people he needed to guard against were the citizens of Great Zhou. As for external enemies, he did not have to worry at all.


    This viewpoint coincided with the founding Emperor of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin, in Mu Yangling¡¯s previous life. Then, the first minority government to unify the world began with the destruction of the Song Dynasty. This was a huge joke for the Song Dynasty, but it was a tragedy for the people who were first suppressed by the Song Dynasty and then ruled by Yuan as second-ss citizens.


    Mu Yangling patted his backfortingly and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Anyway, hasn¡¯t the West Camp already started mining? We should be self-sufficient in military supplies.¡±


    Qi Haoran said gloomily, ¡°I¡¯m not angry because the Ministry of Revenue withholds military equipment from us¡­¡± He just felt very disappointed.


    Mu Yangling could understand his feelings. The country and ruler they were working for were not what they thought. Disappointment was inevitable, but they had already decided to rebel, right? In that case, why should we be angry? Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t quite understand. She thought hard about whether she should have a heart-to-heart talk with Qi Haoran tomorrow. Who knew that Qi Haoran would wake up in high spirits the next day and be fine?


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and ignored him. Since it was almost the new year, she had to start preparing the new year¡¯s goods.


    Xiuhong followed Liu Lang through the streets and alleys, wanting to stay behind to do business. The reason was, ¡°Cousin, we¡¯ve handed over the matters at home to the steward. Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu can also take charge and don¡¯t need us much. Let us stay in Lin¡¯an Prefecture. This way, we can take care of each other.¡±


    Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t very willing. They had no choice but to stay here as hostages for the Emperor. However, if Xiuhong and the others also stayed here, wouldn¡¯t it increase the number of hostages and burden her?


    Xiuhong still wanted to wheedle and pester her, but Mu Yangling¡¯s face turned cold. ¡°If I say no, then no. No matter how many opportunities there are here, they can¡¯tpare to staying alive.¡±


    Xiuhong didn¡¯t know about their rebellion and didn¡¯t understand why staying here would put her life in danger. Hence, she coaxed Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling snorted coldly and said, ¡°Do you think doing business in Lin¡¯an City is so easy? There are the most powerful nobles in the world and the richest businessmen in the world. Any one of them here can suppress you until you can¡¯t raise your heads. Moreover, we¡¯re hostages here. No matter what happens at the border, we¡¯re just tools to restrain Big Brother Qi and Haoran. Are you guys staying here because you think I don¡¯t have enough troubles?¡±


    Xiuhong¡¯s face flushed red. Liu Lang hurriedly held her hand, and Mu Yangling continued to say straightforwardly, ¡°But it¡¯s different in the north. That¡¯s the general¡¯s territory. Why do you think our Mu family¡¯s business and farm can operate so smoothly? It¡¯s because of the Qi family. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t be able to open the cattle farm alone.¡±


    Liu Lang and Xiuhong lowered their heads.


    ¡°If you think that the family¡¯s business can be handed over to the steward, you can take the money to do other businesses that solely belong to you. As long as you don¡¯t deceive others or break thew, you can do whatever you want.¡± Xiuhong¡¯s eyes reddened as she mumbled, ¡°I just can¡¯t bear to part with you.¡± Mu Yangling sighed and said, ¡°You¡¯re already married and have your own family. Isn¡¯t that normal? Bowen is younger than you and he can be independent. Why can¡¯t you evenpare to him?¡±


    After his sister left, Mu Bowen was also sad and dazed for a period of time. Then, he quickly adjusted himself. Not only did he not fall behind in his studies, but he also managed the nursery well. He was much better than Xiuhong.


    After arriving at Lin¡¯an Prefecture, he only stayed by Mu Yangling¡¯s side for two days. Then, he brought the two guards to y in the streets and alleys. They yed all over Lin¡¯an City and then went out of the city to y. In just a month, they yed all over Lin¡¯an Prefecture, including many ces that Mu Yangling had never heard of.


    Mu Yangling looked at Liu Lang and said, ¡°Xiuhong is too sentimental after all. You should make decisions about your family. Don¡¯t be too amodating to her.¡±


    Liu Lang turned to look at his wife and said dotingly, ¡°Cousin, I know you definitely won¡¯t agree. She was just saying.¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him. ¡°So you¡¯re using me as a raft.¡±


    Liu Lang stuck out his tongue and ran out.


    Mu Yangling lectured Xiuhong: ¡°Don¡¯t always bully Cousin Lang. You can even bring up such an atrocious matter like staying in Lin¡¯an Prefecture. Cousin Lang is the eldest son and eldest grandson of the n, he needs to support the entire Liu n. By keeping him here, do you want the Liu n to say harsh things that will break his heart?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so much¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you have to give more thought to things in the future.¡± Mu Yangling frowned and sighed. ¡°I had no choice but to get married early because the general wanted to get married. Why did you get married so early?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not too early,¡± Xiuhong said in a low voice. ¡°Grandma said that this age is just right.¡±


    Mu Yangling sighed. She knew that they were used to early marriage.


    ¡°After the Spring Quarter Examinations, you can go back. I¡¯ll get the guards to escort you and follow our caravan. You can take care of each other on the way.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Teacher Liuing with us?¡±


    ¡°If he can pass, I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll stay and ask for an official position. If he can¡¯t pass, it depends on the specific situation. We¡¯ll talk about it when the timees. Regardless of whether he leaves or not, you have to leave after the Spring Quarter Examinations.¡±


    Deted, Xiuhongid on the table, knowing that she couldn¡¯t change her cousin¡¯s mind..

 Chapter 483 - 483: Appointment

    Chapter 483: Appointment


    Trantor: As Studios I Editor: As Studios


    On the seventh day of the first month, the government office opened its seal. After the first day of court, the Emperor appointed Qi Haoran as the assistantmander of Hengzhou¡¯s garrison. He had to eliminate the rebels in Jinghu as soon as possible.


    Not only the courtiers, but Qi Haoran¡¯s mouth was also wide open. Didn¡¯t they say that they would return to the north after the New Year? Why did it change to Jinghu?


    After that, the Emperor brought Qi Haoran to the back pce and ced high hopes on him. ¡°All the officials in the south of Jinghu were under Minister Qin¡¯s tutge. I have the intention but I¡¯m powerless, so I need Minister Qi to deal with them.¡±


    Qi Haoran knew that his mission this time was equivalent to being half a secret guard, but how could the Emperor be assured enough to let him do such a thing?


    Unable to figure it out, Qi Haoran could only thank him. ¡°I ept the decree.¡± There were a total of three assistants that the Emperor had given Qi Haoran. They served to both assist and monitor.


    Fortunately, Qi Haoran had three days to prepare as he only had to set off three dayster. As soon as he left the pce, Qi Haoran ran to the Chen family¡¯s vi to look for Fan Zijin.


    The secret guard reported, ¡°Your Majesty, Qi Haoran is too fearless. He actually openly asked Fan Zijin for ideas.¡±


    The Emperor smiled and said, ¡°I like his personality. He might know that I asked someone to monitor him, but he¡¯s open and aboveboard. It¡¯s much better than Minister Qin being secretive.¡±


    At this moment, Qi Haoran, whom the Emperor thought was honest, was holding Fan Zijin¡¯s hand as he spoke. His hands did not stop moving as he wrote down the questions that could not be uttered out loud.


    This was the way they learned tomunicate after being monitored for a long time.


    Fan Zijin lowered his head and pondered for a while before saying, ¡°I¡¯m afraid the Emperor wants to use you to eradicate dissidents.¡±


    Hearing Fan Zijin¡¯s blunt words, Qi Haoran suppressed the urge to turn around and look at him. He only blinked at him hard. Smiling, Fan Zijin wrote on the paper, ¡°Even if you can¡¯t achieve 70% truth, you have to speak 50% truth. That way, the Emperor won¡¯t be suspicious. Haoran, you¡¯re a person with ws and selfish desires. However, you¡¯re more loyal to the Emperor and have a sense of justice. As long as you grasp this level well, even if you go against the Emperor, he won¡¯t kill you even if he¡¯s angry. He won¡¯t suspect our matters either.¡±


    Qi Haoran fell deep in thought.


    Fan Zijin continued, ¡°The south road of Jinghu has always been Minister Qin¡¯s sphere of influence. The generals are fine, but the local officials are all Minister Qin¡¯s disciples. You have to be careful when you¡¯re there. Don¡¯t let them catch you red-handed. Also, you have to think twice before doing anything. Even if you have the Emperor¡¯s support, you have to be careful. Don¡¯t rush forward rashly. Minister Qin¡¯s power is quite significant. If he says a word in the Imperial Court, at least half of the Imperial Court will do as he wants. When that timees, even if the Emperores forward, I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be able to protect your life¡­¡±


    Seeing that Fan Zijin did not forget to nder Minister Qin, Qi Haoran smiled silently.


    ¡°Although the military and government are separated, your mission is to suppress the bandits. If you want to suppress the bandits, you will need to contact the local officials. You just have to find an opportunity toplete the Emperor¡¯s instructions. Don¡¯t create trouble just toplete the mission, understand?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded impatiently. He looked at the second and third methods that Fan Zijin had written down on the paper and waved his hand before running away. ¡°Remember toe down the mountain to send me off in three days.¡± Fan Zijin pursed his lips and soaked the paper on the table into the copper basin. The ink spread in the water. At this moment, the secret guard lying at the back of the house and using the receiver to eavesdrop at the corner of the wail carefully put away his things. Looking around, he saw that there was no one around, so he slowly slipped out of the vi and went to the pce to report.


    Indeed, after listening to the secret guard¡¯s report, the Emperor was even more wary of Minister Qin. Even an unofficial juren knew that Minister Qin wielded such great power, but he had been kept in the dark all this while.


    At this moment, Emperor Jingyan chose to forget his previous full confidence in Minister Qin when Grand Tutor Yan and the others had admonished him. He pushed all the responsibility to the courtiers.


    After getting Fan Zijin¡¯s ideas, Qi Haoran ran back to look for Mu Yangling. Already visibly pregnant, Mu Yangling was taking a walk in the small garden. When she saw Qi Haoran return, she smiled widely.


    Her smile, which was gorgeous like a spring flower, made Qi Haoran¡¯s nose sting. He went forward and touched Mu Yangling¡¯s stomach. ¡°Ah Ling, I¡¯m leaving the capital.¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned. Heart filled with sorrow, she forced a smile on her face. ¡°Are you going back already? That¡¯s good too. You can help Big Brother.¡± Qi Haoran shook his head and said with tears in his eyes, ¡°Not back to Jingzhao Prefecture, but to Hengzhou.¡±


    ¡°Hengzhou?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°The Emperor appointed me as the assistantmander of Hengzhou¡¯s garrison and tasked me to eliminate the traitors in Jinghu.¡± The Jinghu area has always been thergest food production base in the country. How many rebels can there be? Where¡¯s the original assistantmander?¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips. ¡°The previous assistantmander was executed for hiding the news of the rebellion. Now, there are the most rebels in the Jinghu area in the Great Zhou. The officials forced the people to rebel, and the local officials colluded with the army to hide the news. Otherwise, once the rebellion data was reported, everyone would know that there was something fishy.¡±


    Jinghu had excellent soil and water, and it was mostly ins. The poption density was lower than Jiangnan, so the agricultural economy had always flourished. Being far from the border, there were no wars. Logically speaking the people here should be living well. As long as there was a way out, very few people were willing to rebel or be bandits.


    Therefore, with so many people rebelling in Jinghu, everyone knew that there was definitely something fishy going on. This was why the local officials colluded with the military camp and hid the number of rebels. In private, they secretly sent troops to quell the rebellion. The Emperor was furious to see this matter exposed right before the new year. On the one hand, he dismissed many military officials in the military camp, and on the other hand, he sent the imperial censor to investigate the details.


    Qi Haoran said disdainfully, ¡°Those imperial censors went to Jinghu for the New Year. When they came back, they only said, ¡®Themoners are unruly and disobedient.¡¯ We¡¯re not fools, so we naturally won¡¯t believe them.¡±


    Qi Haoran whispered into Mu Yangling¡¯s ear, ¡°The Emperor is also strange. In the past, he firmly believed in Minister Qin. Even if someone risked their lives to tell him that Minister Qin wanted to rebel, he wouldn¡¯t believe it. Now that he suspects Minister Qin, he can suspect Minister Qin in every matter without anyone saying a word. This time, I¡¯m probably going to Jinghu to be hisckey and help him clean up the people Minister Qin left behind.¡±


    Mu Yangling immediately grabbed his hand and said, ¡°Will many people die?¡±


    Qi Haoran patted her hand and said, ¡°Those people are not innocent.¡±


    ¡°I know. Most of them deserve to die, but there are always innocent people among them. Be careful when you do things. Don¡¯t implicate passersby. Just treat it as a blessing for our child.¡±


    Qi Haoran touched Mu Yangling¡¯s stomach and nodded slightly. However, Mu Yangling hugged him again and said, ¡°But the most important thing is to ¡¯ protect yourself. No one is more important than you. Just treat it as me being selfish.¡±


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. Was he that noble in Ah Ling¡¯s eyes?


    Of course, he had to protect himself first. Unlike General Yuan, he did not have the courage to sacrifice his life to protect others. This was officialdom, not a battlefield..

 Chapter 484 - 484: Worry

    Chapter 484: Worry


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling got someone to move the things into the carriage, all gifts that she had brought for her family. Bowen and Xiuhong were reluctant to part with her. Mu Yangling patted their shoulders and said, ¡°Alright, get into the carriage quickly. If you don¡¯t set off soon, you won¡¯t be able to make it to your amodation tonight. The trade caravan is still waiting.¡±


    Zhu Liang got someone to carry the three bags of rice seeds over and ced them at the innermost side of the carriage under Mu Yangling¡¯s instructions. Zhu Liang said, ¡°Fourth Madam, I¡¯ve already wrapped them in ayer of oilcloth. As long as the bags aren¡¯t damaged on the way, they will be fine.¡±


    Mu Yangling asked Bowen to pay more attention to these three packets. ¡°When you reach Xingzhou Prefecture, hand them over to Uncle and the others. Let them cleave out a piece ofnd for another experiment. I¡¯ve already written the exact method in the letter.¡±


    ¡°Sister, Uncle¡¯s experimentst year didn¡¯t seem to go too well. That piece ofnd even failed to produce any harvest.¡± Bowen looked at Mu Yangling worriedly.


    However, Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°There are naturally sesses and failures when ites to experiments. There¡¯s nothing bad about this. Sometimes, the experience of failure is more precious than sess. When you go back, pay more attention to their experimental fields. Give them all the money they need for the experimental fields.¡±


    Bowen nodded thoughtfully.


    As Teacher Liu did not have many things, he only had a letter and a small package for Bowen to bring back. ¡°When you go back, ask your father to choose a new teacher for you. Don¡¯t ck off on your studies.¡±


    Teacher Liu had failed to pass the Spring Quarter Examinations. Initially, he wanted to wait for another three years before retaking it, but the news he received from his ssmates was not optimistic.


    Last time, the Imperial Court pushed the Spring Quarter Examinations tost year because of various disasters. Did that mean they would do the same next time? They might even cancel the Imperial Examination.


    After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, Teacher Liu finally decided to stay in Lin¡¯an Prefecture and see if he could obtain an official position. A juren 0 already had the right to be an official.


    Of course, it was impossible for him to obtain it on his own. After all, such opportunities were limited, so he could only rely on the Qi family. This was his only way out.


    After sessfully passing the Spring Quarter Examinations and bing one of the many jinshis, Fan Zijin went to the small courtyard to look for Teacher Liu after observing for a few days. The two of them locked themselves in the study room and discussed for a long time. When they came out, they looked very satisfied.


    Fan Zijin asked Yanmo to send some things to Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Fourth Madam, our Young Master said that he has already settled Teacher Liu¡¯s matter. You don¡¯t have to worry about it anymore.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and dismissed Yanmo.


    Spring smiled and said, ¡°Fourth Madam, you can rest assured now. I suppose Young Master Zijin has already found a job for Teacher Liu.¡±


    ¡°How can it be so easy to find a job? Let¡¯s write to Bowen and the others only after the matter is settled so that they won¡¯t be happy for nothing. By the way, where are they now?¡±


    Spring calcted the itinerary in her heart and replied with a smile, ¡°They should reach Xingyuan Prefecture in two days.¡±


    Spring had just finished speaking when she saw Fourth Madam in a daze. She immediately sighed slightly. Ever since Fourth Master left, Fourth Madam had often been in a daze like this. Previously, with Young Master Bowen and the others around, she could still divert her attention, but in the past ten days, her condition had worsened day by day. Sometimes, she would sit by the window alone for most of the day.


    Secretly anxious, Spring looked at Rain, who said with a smile, ¡°Fourth Madam, let¡¯s go see Second Young Master. Wen Cui said that Second Young Master could walk two steps yesterday.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up and she revealed a sincere smile. ¡°So soon? Let¡¯s go and take a look.¡±


    Li Jinghua was cing her son on the couch. She held his small hand and let him walk forward slowly. Facing the door, when he saw his aunt enter, he stretched out his hand and wanted her to carry him. Li Jinghua gently patted his butt. ¡°Your mother dotes on you so much. Why do you only pester your aunt?¡±


    Mu Yangling picked him up with a beam and kissed him. ¡°Because you¡¯re close to Little Aunt, right?¡±


    Little Treasure also went to bite Mu Yangling wetly. After a while, her face was covered in saliva, making herugh loudly.


    Smiling, Li Jinghua shook her head. ¡°Geez, quickly put him down. You¡¯re already pregnant. What if he kicks you?¡±


    Mu Yangling ced Little Treasure on the couch. He lowered his head to look at the toy between his legs, then looked up at Mu Yangling¡¯s stomach. In the end, he reached out his tiny hand to touch her stomach in fear before retracting it immediately. Finding it funny, Mu Yangling let him be and let him explore carefully.


    ¡°Sister-inw, did Big Brother give Little Treasure a name?¡±


    Li Jinghua shook her head. ¡°He said to wait until the child is three years old before giving him a proper name. Well call him by his nickname for now. That way, the child is easier to raise.¡± Li Jinghua stroked his head and said, ¡°I also think it¡¯s better to give him a name when he¡¯s a little older.¡±


    Recalling the situation that Spring had mentioned in the past two days, she waved her hand to get the servants in the room to leave. In an instant, only the sisters-inw and Little Treasure were left in the room. ¡°Ah Ling, you¡¯ve been a little absent-minded these few days. Are you worried about Fourth Brother?¡±


    Mu Yangling lowered her head and did not speak.


    ¡°He¡¯s been to the battlefields so many times. The rebels in Jinghu are mostly a rebel group that was formed at thest minute, far inferior to the Hus. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Mu Yangling leaned against the pillow behind her and said, ¡°I¡¯m not worried about the war. As long as he has sufficient men under him, he¡¯ll definitely be able to survive. However, Jinghu¡¯s situation isplicated. All kinds of forces are conflicted. I¡¯m just afraid¡­¡±


    Jinghu had been peaceful for the past two days, but it seemed abnormal precisely because it was peaceful.


    Qi Haoran had already been gone for more than three months. How could there not be any news from there? With his personality, she was worried that he would cause a ruckus, thus she had instructed him to take it easy before leaving.


    Fan Zijin had specially run down the mountain to give him a crash course on the ways of officialdom.


    She wondered if their instructions had achieved the counter-effect, or if something had happened in Hengzhou. But in any case, after he arrived there, there was nomotion at all. This was really not his style.


    If not for the fact that Mu Yangling received a letter from him every few days, she would have thought that he had gone missing.


    She was worried about Qi Haoran, yet she couldn¡¯t ask him directly, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you cause trouble over there?¡±


    She didn¡¯t know if their letters were being monitored by the Emperor. If they were, the Emperor might think that she wanted to see the world in chaos.


    Li Jinghua didn¡¯t know much about Qi Haoran. She asked in confusion, ¡°Isn¡¯t it good that Fourth Brother didn¡¯t cause trouble?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our ideal for him not to get into trouble, but if he really doesn¡¯t get into trouble anymore, that¡¯s a disaster in itself.¡±


    Seeing that Ah Ling didn¡¯t trust him at all, Li Jinghua instantly felt some sympathy for Fourth Brother. She said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s okay to confide in me, but don¡¯t say such things in front of Fourth Brother. He¡¯ll be sad.¡±


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips, knowing he wouldn¡¯t be sad. Instead, he would only jump up and refute.


    Obviously, there were many people who had the same thoughts as Mu Yangling. Not only Fan Zijin, but even Qi Xiuyuan, who was watching from afar in Jingzhao Prefecture, could not help but worry and ask people to pay more attention to the situation in Jinghu.


    Many people in the Imperial Court were also secretly watching. Everyone knew that the Jinghu area was under Minister Qin¡¯s sphere of influence. In the past few months, the Emperor had suddenly reprimanded Minister Qin and reced the assistantmander of Hengzhou. Not only was Minister Qin worried, but even Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s side was worried.


    However, Qi Haoran only went there to eliminate the bandits obediently for three months and did not do anything unnecessary. As of now, the Pce Examinations had just ended, he had been there for four months, and the spring plowing had ended. Just as everyone was relieved, an urgent document flew into the pce from Jinghu.

 Chapter 485 - 485: Big Trouble

    Chapter 485: Big Trouble


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Having sessfully passed the Pce Examinations, Fan Zijin was now preparing for the lucky schr examination. At this moment, he could no longer care about the examination. He rushed straight to the Qi Manor to look for Mu Yangling and shouted in despair, ¡°Haoran is in big trouble!¡±


    Mu Yangling put down the apple in her hand and asked, ¡°What did he do?¡±


    Li Jinghua rushed over and interrupted Fan Zijin. ¡°Zijin, speak slowly. What¡¯s the hurry?¡±


    As she spoke, she went forward to support Mu Yangling and patted her shoulder tofort her. ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. They just like to make a fuss.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s expression changed slightly. He looked at Mu Yangling¡¯s stomach with aplicated expression and took a deep breath. After taking a step back, he said, ¡°The rebels in Jinghu attacked the government office on arge scale. Haoran led his troops to fight them and is in a deadlock now. The policy of the court is to eliminate the bandits, but now, he¡¯s leaning towards settling the bandits plus offering them amnesty and enlistment. Many people in the court are impeaching him.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Really? That¡¯s not considered causing trouble. Why are you so anxious?¡±


    Fan Zijin forced a smile and said, ¡°Seeing as Haoran has a short temper, I¡¯m just worried that the tone of his memorial is too forceful.¡±


    Mu Yangling took a deep breath and said with a straight face, ¡°I¡¯m in good health. As long as he doesn¡¯t die on the battlefield, I can take it. Tell me. Otherwise, I¡¯ll still find out when I go out. Won¡¯t I be even angrier then?¡± Secretly anxious, Li Jinghua smiled and said, ¡°You guys should have more confidence in Fourth Brother. I think he¡¯s only going to eliminate the bandits. What trouble can he cause? Ah Ling, you¡¯re already eight months pregnant. The most important thing is to stabilize the fetus.¡±


    Mu Yangling only looked at Fan Zijin. Fan Zijin stood rooted to the ground, drenched in cold sweat. He deeply regretted being too impulsive anding here. However, seeing how persistent Mu Yangling was, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°The rebels attacked the government office and various counties. The magistrates of Hengzhou, Yongzhou and five counties under jurisdiction were captured and beheaded by the rebels. None of their families survived. Now, there are 130,000 rebels in Jinghu. Haoran petitioned for the amnesty and enlistment of the bandits and redistributingnd to them. He even asked for relief grain. The Imperial Court is in an uproar, with many people impeaching Haoran and saying that the deaths of the magistrates were instructed by Haoran.¡±


    Seeing Mu Yangling¡¯s calm expression, Fan Zijin continued, ¡°The key is that they even took out evidence. It seems that the Hengzhou army is really guiding the rebels. If this matter is confirmed, Haoran definitely won¡¯t be able to keep his life. That¡¯s seven families, old and young. Three of the ns are rather influential, too. After today, I¡¯m afraid there will be even more memorials for impeachment.¡±


    Taken aback by the fact that the matter was so serious, Li Jinghua sat down on the chair and said, ¡°No, Fourth Brother couldn¡¯t have done this, right?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Fan Zijin and Mu Yangling said in unison. Seeing that Fan Zijin believed Qi Haoran, Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Haoran isn¡¯t like those people. Even if those seven people deserve it, the old and young in their family aren¡¯t all bad people. With Haoran¡¯s personality, he won¡¯t do such a thing.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded repeatedly. ¡°Besides, with the Emperor¡¯s men monitoring Haoran, it¡¯s impossible for him to do such an immoral thing.¡± At this point, Fan Zijin¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s right. With His Majesty¡¯s men around Haoran, Haoran can clear his name.¡±


    He rxed and revealed a calm smile. ¡°It seems that the assistants assigned by the Emperor aren¡¯tpletely useless.¡±


    However, Mu Yangling was not so optimistic. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t he write to us? Wasn¡¯t it said that his plea has arrived?¡±


    Fan Zijin held his breath. Li Jinghua¡¯s limbs went weak and she asked with a pale face, ¡°You¡¯re saying that His Majesty instructed this?¡±


    Then, Qi Haoran could only take the me.


    Mu Yangling lowered her eyes and shook her head. ¡°There are many possibilities. Perhaps Minister Qin is using those lives to silence him. By doing this, he killed three birds with one stone and weakened the Emperor and the Qi family¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°It might also be the doing of Minister Qin¡¯s political enemies. Not only can this make Minister Qin lose manpower, but this will also make him and the Emperor suspect each other. This was also a chance for them to get rid of Haoran.¡± Fan Zijin quickly followed Mu Yangling¡¯s thoughts. He sat on a chair at the side and pondered. Finally, he said, ¡°The most important thing now is to know how much Haoran knows about this matter. Then, get someone to collect the crimes of these seven people and try to calm the public opinion as much as possible.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s face sank. ¡°No matter what, Haoran can¡¯t admit to this crime. Otherwise, if he can lead the rebels once, he can also lead them a second time. Should someone bring this up one day, he won¡¯t be able to live. The entire Qi family will be implicated, too.¡±


    At this moment, Fan Zijin couldn¡¯t help but be suspicious. ¡°The Emperor really didn¡¯t send Haoran to Jinghu to get rid of Eldest Cousin?¡± Otherwise, why would he let someone make such a mistake under Qi Haoran¡¯s nose?


    Mu Yangling stood up and bowed. ¡°Zijin, I¡¯ll leave the matters outside to you.¡± Fan Zijin waved his hand nonchntly and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to specially tell me to do that. We¡¯re brothers. You should take care of yourself first. Don¡¯t let Haoran be distracted outside.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded in agreement. At this moment, she was already eight months pregnant. In another month or so, she would give birth. Her first priority was indeed to take good care of herself.


    The next day, Li Jinghua handed Little Treasure over to Mu Yangling and began to represent the Qi family in diplomacy. She had to find out more information and the attitudes of the officials so that more people would view the Qi family and Qi Haoran more kindly.


    Mu Yangling also went out with Li Jinghua a few times with her big belly. Everyone pitied her when they saw her with a big belly, so this resulted in a reduction in the number of memorials impeaching Qi Haoran.


    However, this was insignificant in the snow-like impeachment. As they waited for Qi Haoran to send another defense memorial, the atmosphere in the Imperial Court reached a boiling point. There was even an unyielding imperial censor who kowtowed until he bled in the Imperial Court to beg the Emperor to punish Qi Haoran. The next day, this imperial censor wrapped a white cloth around his head and went to the streets, feeling very proud.


    Fan Zijin nearly wanted to hire some men to throw a gunny-sack over his head and give him a good beating.


    Mu Yangling was almost expressionless now. Throughout the day, she only gave orders with a dark expression and did not speak much.


    ¡°Still no letter from Fourth Master?¡±


    Spring shook her head. ¡°Young Master Zijin sent a message saying that the court hasn¡¯t received Fourth Master¡¯s defense yet.¡±


    Mu Yangling sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that he¡¯ll be tied down now. By the time he finds the time, he¡¯ll have been convicted of the crime.¡±


    ¡°What should we do then, Fourth Madam?¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled bitterly. If they knew more, they could refute the rumors or find someone to plead for Qi Haoran. Most importantly, news of this matter was almost sealed off now. They could not get any more information at all, and the people Fan Zijin sent to Jinghu had yet to send a message back.


    Mu Yangling only hoped that those seven people were guilty of heinous crimes. It would be best if they were officials who forced the people to rebel. That way, it would exin why the rebels attacked the official residence. As for evidence such as Qi Haoran¡¯s instigation, they would definitely be able to find evidence to refute it..

 Chapter 486 - 486: Mantis

    Chapter 486: Mantis


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran looked at the kneeling Adjutant Yuan coldly and did not say a word.


    Deputy General Zhong led his men and surrounded Adjutant Yuan, waiting for Qi Haoran¡¯s order. In the depression, 3,000 soldiers held torches as they looked over silently. The situation was about to erupt.


    Officer Lin, who was standing behind Qi Haoran, hesitated for a moment. In the end, he couldn¡¯t help but lean close to Qi Haoran¡¯s ear and persuade him, ¡°Assistant Commander Qi, Adjutant Yuan was just acting under orders. Please be lenient with him.¡±


    Deputy General Zhong, who was standing not far away from Qi Haoran, raised his eyebrows when he heard this, a little surprised. Were the rebels who attacked the official residence really led by the Imperial Court?


    However, Qi Haoran was furious when he heard that. He red at him with wide eyes and roared in a low voice, ¡°Be lenient with him? There are 130,000 rebels in Jinghu. Do you dare to kill all of them? We only have 3,000 people. Are you nning to let us be crushed into meat paste, or do you want to gather the troops in the southwest and central region here? Idiot!!!¡±


    Adjutant Lin¡¯s face flushed red, but he could not say anything to refute. They were also following orders, but he did not know if Qi Haoran knew that he was scolding the Emperor.


    Qi Haoran lowered his head to look at Adjutant Yuan. A stern expression shed across his face as he said, ¡°I won¡¯t pursue this matter for the time being, but if you continue to disobey orders and act on your own, I¡¯ll use you as sacrifices.¡±


    Adjutant Yuan and Adjutant Lin looked at each other and lowered their heads in agreement.


    Qi Haoran snorted and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Adjutant Ye who came with you?¡±


    The Emperor had sent the three adjutants to monitor him. Qi Haoran also knew that they had their own missions. As the three of them were not generals, he had never thought of deploying them. Who knew that such a big thing would happen just because he let them be?


    ¡°Adjutant Ye has returned to the capital to report.¡±


    A cold glint shed across Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes upon hearing that Adjutant Ye actually didn¡¯t inform him when he returned to the capital. It seemed like he had been too magnanimous to them previously, so much so that they had forgotten that he was now their direct superior.


    Deputy General Zhong¡¯s eyes shed slightly and he looked at Qi Haoran with a hint of sympathy. Qi Haoran pretended not to see it and waved his hand to get Deputy General Zhong to inform everyone to bury the pot and cook. They would rest here for the night before setting off for Yongzhou tomorrow.


    Qi Haoran returned to the tent and sat at the table for a while. In the end, he picked up a pen and wrote a letter to Mu Yangling. He wrote down everything he knew and asked her to quickly discuss a solution with Fan Zijin. This was because after thinking hard for a few days, he still could not find a good way to clear his name.


    If someone else had done this, he would definitely pull them down without thinking. Who asked him to dare to scheme against him?


    However, the Emperor was behind this matter. If it was really exposed, all the officials in the world would be in a state of panic.


    A king could kill corrupt officials with reason and evidence. It was also somewhat eptable for an unreasonable emperor to kill someone without any reason in a fit of anger. However, it was uneptable for a ruler to lead the rebels to kill people with such a devious scheme. Wouldn¡¯t the officials in the world be in a constant state of panic should they find out that their Emperor had such an unprincipled and dark heart?


    Therefore, either those rebels would take the me, or Qi Haoran would.


    Qi Haoran wasn¡¯t a fool, so he naturally wouldn¡¯t take the initiative to take responsibility for this crime. Hence, he could only try his best to push the me to the rebels.


    However, these idiotic adjutants had identally left traces behind. How to exin things now and how to eliminate this evidence had be his greatest headache.


    As Qi Haoran wrote, he despised himself in his heart. He wanted to rebel, but in the end, before he rebelled, he had to stand firmly with the Emperor and work hard to help the Emperor shirk the me.


    At the moment, Emperor Jingyan was having a jolly good time in the harem, fooling around with a few concubines in the pool. The eunuch came over with his head lowered to report that there was an urgent document. The Emperor was hugging one of his concubines and fondling her with interest. Hearing this, he said nonchntly, ¡°ce it in the imperial study first. I will go there soon.¡±


    Familiar with the Emperor¡¯s personality, the eunuch knew that if he continued speaking now, the Emperor would definitely be angered, so he retreated respectfully.


    With the concubine in his embrace, the Emperor nted a big kiss on her. Heughed and said, ¡°You¡¯re indeed delectable, Gorgeous.¡±


    After the Emperor¡¯s ¡°soon¡±, the sky was already dark. After dinner, he slowly strolled towards the imperial study. When he saw that Adjutant Ye was still kneeling in the imperial study, he frowned slightly and waved his hand. ¡°Get up.¡±


    Adjutant Ye reported the situation in Jinghu and finally asked, ¡°Your Majesty, those rebels are filled with righteous indignation and are heading down Yongzhou. The county officials and magistrates at the back will probably be affected too. Assistant Commander Qi is nning to bring people to protect those government offices and county cities.¡±


    ¡°Qi Haoran only has 3,000 men. Can he resist 130,000 rebels?¡±


    ¡°There are garrisons in all government offices and county cities¡­¡±


    The Emperor snorted and said, ¡°If they are at all capable, the rebellion in Jinghu wouldn¡¯t havested for three years without stopping. Instead, the situation only worsened. Now, the number of rebels has reached 130,000.¡±


    The Emperor said angrily, ¡°Let them make a fuss. When those bandits clean up the corrupt officials in Jinghu, will my army surround them too?¡±


    ¡°Then,¡± Adjutant Ye asked hesitantly, ¡°what about Assistant Commander Qi?¡±


    The Emperor smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Without concrete evidence, no one can do anything to him. This kind of thing has ended without consequences many times. When the timees, everyone will be busy quelling the rebellion. Who will pay attention to this? If the court officials are unconvinced, I can just lower Qi Haoran¡¯s official position slightly. I willpensate himter. You don¡¯t have to say anything when you go back this time. Just secretly pay attention to his actions.¡±


    Adjutant Ye lowered his head and agreed.


    After Adjutant Ye left, Eunuch Bai made tea for the Emperor and asked in confusion, ¡°Your Majesty, there have been more and more memorials impeaching Assistant Commander Qi recently. Can this matter really be suppressed?¡±


    The Emperor snorted and said, ¡°Most of those memorials were instigated by Minister Qin. As long as I tell Minister Qin, would he dare to disobey my orders? Let Qi Haoran attract everyone¡¯s attention for now. We¡¯ll talk about it when the army from the southwest and central regions arrives at Jinghu.¡± However, Eunuch Bai was a little worried. He was afraid that things would go beyond the Emperor¡¯s expectations. Speaking of which, it was easy for the Emperor to make mistakes when he made decisions alone.


    Not knowing what Eunuch Bai was worried about, the Emperor was looking at the list of newly-redited officials and had roughly decided on the new list of officials in his heart. This time, there would be a huge change in the officialdom in Jinghu. He had to rece all of them with his own people.


    At this moment, Minister Qin was also making arrangements. ¡°Get someone to take the ount book back and destroy it. Find some poor Hanlin Bachelors? who have just joined this year and secretly interacted with them. Try your best to help them. Don¡¯t mention my name. Just let them think that you appreciate them and win them over.¡±


    ¡°Minister Qin, didn¡¯t we like to choose those with influential family backgrounds previously? Why this time¡­?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because it was easier for children with family backgrounds to stand out in the past. But now that the Emperor suspects me, he wants to rece me with his own people. Naturally, those poor children with no foundation are more useful.¡± Minister Qin sneered. ¡°Let him think that those people are his people.¡± ¡®I don¡¯t mind lying to him for another ten years¡¯, Minister Qin thought to himself.

 Chapter 487 - 487: Chaos

    Chapter 487: Chaos


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Fan Siwen sat in the reception pavilion with a cold expression. Seeing that Fan Zijin continued walking straight ahead without even looking sideways, he shouted, ¡°Unfilial son, you still know how toe back?!¡±


    Fan Zijin turned to look at him tiredly and frowned slightly. ¡°Why are you looking for me?¡±


    Fan Siwen looked at him in disappointment. ¡°You¡¯ve been studying hard for more than ten years and finally passed the Pce Examinations, but you gave up on taking the Hanlin Bachelor examination. Aren¡¯t you aware of the rule that all Hanlin Bachelors have a bright future ahead of them?¡±


    Fan Zijin sneered. ¡°Father, when did you be so naive? Those are just lousy rules summarized by schrs. Putting everything else aside, there¡¯s a living example here today. Was Minister Qin a Hanlin Bachelor? That didn¡¯t stop him from bing the prime minister, did it?¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°Besides, when did I say that I was going to be an official?¡± Fan Zijin originally wanted to go home and rest. Having been running around for Qi Haoran for the past two days, he was about to copse from exhaustion. But now that he saw Fan Siwen, he no longer felt sleepy. If he had to rest here, he would not be able to sleep well.


    At the thought of this, Fan Zijin turned around and left, leaving Fan Siwen staring at his back in anger and disappointment. He didn¡¯t understand why his brilliant son liked to hang around that kid from the Qi family.


    If Fan Siwen could still love Qi Haoran like a nephew in the past, there was only rage towards him now.


    Only jinshis could take the Hanlin Bachelor Examination. And only the candidates who passed the Hanlin Bachelor Examination could enter the Hanlin Academy with the top three schrs of the Pce Examinations. Entering Hanlin was equivalent to bing an official of Grade 3 and above, and there was hope for them to be ministers in the future.


    Fan Siwen was good at studying back then, but he did not manage to be a Hanlin Bachelor. However, Fan Zijin¡¯s ranking was not bad. With his ability, he could probably make it. However, he postponed preparing for the examination for Qi Haoran, and in the end he even decided not to take the examination altogether.


    Who was he lying to when he said that he didn¡¯t want to take the exam? Then why did he sign up at that time?


    After running out, Fan Zijin finally went to the courtyard on Qixia Street and casually found a room to sleep in. When he woke up, the sun had already passed the middle of the sky. As Yanmo helped him put on his clothes, he said, ¡°Second Master, Fourth Madam is here. She¡¯s sitting in the courtyard next door.¡±


    ¡°Did Fourth Master send a letter?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he expedited the delivery. Fourth Madam came over as soon as she got it.¡±


    Fan Zijin turned around and left. Yanmo hurriedly followed behind. ¡°Master, let¡¯s eat something before going over.¡±


    Fan Zijin waved his hand and got someone to open the side door and go straight to the small courtyard next door. Mu Yangling was lying on the table writing her n. When she saw Fan Zijin enter, she showed Qi Haoran¡¯s letter to him. Then, she waved her hand and asked Spring to go to the kitchen to get some food for him before continuing writing her n.


    Spring walked around the kitchen and finally brought a bowl of meat porridge for Fan Zijin. Fan Zijin ate the porridge with one hand and read the letter with a cold expression. When he finished the porridge and finished reading the letter, he wiped his mouth and said, ¡°We can¡¯t let Haoran take the me. He¡¯s right. If he takes the me, he will never be able to get rid of this sinister and vicious reputation. At that time, not to mention him, even Eldest Cousin will have to bear the consequences.¡±


    With such a sinister and vicious younger brother, Qi Xiuyuan still wanted to fight for the throne? No one would have faith in his character. After all, he was the one who raised Qi Haoran.


    Mu Yangling showed him her proposal and said, ¡°So the first thing is to collect evidence of the seven people¡¯s crimes and calm down the public opinion first. Only when a second voice, or even more objections, appear, can everyone calm down and think about what truly happened. This will buy more time for Haoran.¡±


    ¡°The second thing is to find someone to spread the news. Regardless of whether it¡¯s someone who wants to silence them, kill them for revenge, or if it¡¯s really bandits who couldn¡¯t stand the oppression and killed those people in anger, let¡¯s muddy the waters first.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded and rubbed his hands. ¡°Perhaps we can also guide everyone to think of the real culprit on a small scale¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Haoran doesn¡¯t want to drag the Emperor down with him. Moreover, I¡¯m also worried that once the Emperor is implicated, he will throw Haoran under the bus entirely to save his own skin. With a word from him, Haoran might be convicted.¡±


    Fan Zijin shivered and quicklyposed himself. ¡°You¡¯re right. This matter can¡¯t implicate His Majesty.¡±


    He thought for a moment and said, ¡°Aside from this, we have to hurry up things on Haoran¡¯s side. At the very least, we have to obtain evidence of those officials being corrupt. Only then will it be more convincing. Looks like I¡¯ll have to visit a few officials from the imperial censor¡¯s office¡­¡±


    Fan Zijin touched his chin as he spoke.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Father-inw the imperial censor? He¡­¡±


    Fan Zijin waved his hand and said, ¡°Forget about it. I¡¯ve already begged him four times. Uncle simply refuses. In fact, he¡¯s skipped morning court assembly for three days, probably for fear of being implicated.¡±


    Mu Yangling was discouraged. She didn¡¯t expect her father-inw to be so afraid of trouble. No matter what, Qi Haoran was still his son. His son was being bullied outside, and he didn¡¯t even have the guts to say a word.


    As Fan Zijin did not have Qi Feng¡¯s help in the court, and he himself did not have the qualifications to go to court, he could only look for his old connections. Even his father had been approached by him.


    This made Fan Siwen extremely depressed. They had just quarreled this morning, alright? He had already sworn to ignore this unfilial son, but this kid could still turn around and ask him for help without changing his expression.


    Fan Siwen didn¡¯t know if he should scold him for being shameless or praise him for not caring about trifles.


    Anyway, in the morning court the next day, Qi Haoran¡¯s second plea arrived. He exined again that he had not instructed anyone to lead the bandits to attack the official residence. As for the evidence gathered by the officials, he was also puzzled. Therefore, he asked the Emperor to send someone down to investigate and ask the officials who had evidence to rify the source of the evidence to prove his innocence.


    At the end of the memorial, he asked the ministers this: He had no grudges with those seven people. He didn¡¯t even know them before he went to Hengzhou. After he came to Hengzhou, he was focused on exterminating bandits. Other than interacting with the magistrate of Hengzhou, he had never even met anyone else. Why in the world would he order the bandits to kill them?


    Moreover, this was the extermination of someone¡¯s entire family. Qi Haoran felt that he was open and honest. He did not dare to say that he was a gentleman, but he was definitely not a sinister and vicious person. How much hatred must one have towards someone to kill his entire family?


    Furthermore, there was evidence that could lead to him. Qi Haoran felt that someone was framing him, so he wanted the Emperor to clear his name.


    Qi Haoran was filled with righteous indignation and his words were agitated. He even swore on the memorial that if he did such a thing, he would be struck by lightning and his entire family would die a horrible death.


    This oath was too vicious. Hence, the officials who were originally moring to punish Qi Haoran calmed down a little. Thinking along Qi Haoran¡¯s line of thought, Qi Haoran indeed had no motive to kill. This was because just as he had said, he had not interacted much with these seven people previously, let alone had any grudges. After arriving in Hengzhou, he only met the magistrate twice because of the extermination of the bandits. Then, he devoted himself to leading the garrison to surround and kill the bandits.


    All of these could be verified.


    One night, the bandits suddenly attacked the official residence. In the next two days, they spread to Yongzhou and killed the families of the seven officials. However, it was not the same group of bandits who did this, but four groups of people. No one knew why they suddenly wanted to kill the families of the seven officials and even gathered those killings in those few days.


    However, there was evidence that before the ident, there were people from the garrison in Hengzhou who secretly sneaked into the city to meet someone. An official received a report that the contact was a bandit who had participated in the murder of a county official under the jurisdiction of the magistrate of Hengzhou. That was why everyone targeted Qi Haoran.


    Qi Haoran was the leader of the garrison in Hengzhou, alright? Who else to impeach but him?

 Chapter 488 - 488: Losing Control

    Chapter 488: Losing Control


    Trantor: As Studios , Editor: As Studios


    The ministers quarreled again regarding Qi Haoran¡¯s memorial. Although there were still people who unwaveringly impeached him, the situation had improved a little now that someone had raised doubts.


    In less than two days, Qi Haoran found some ledgers, booklets,nd deeds, and shop contracts from the murder scene. He sent everything to the Emperor and copied two copies for the Ministry of Justice and the imperial censor¡¯s desk. He asked them, ¡°What crime should this be?¡±


    Then, he asked the imperial censor, ¡°How did you supervise them?¡±


    It would have been fine if it was just one person, but Qi Haoran had sent evidence of all seven of them being corrupted. Apart from epting arge amount of bribes, those seven people had also chased away farmers, seizednd, and even robbed civilians of their money and wiped out their entire families. None of the seven families was innocent. Even the least severe of the seven had killed 12 lives. This fully demonstrated to the entire court that making the wrong appointments, regardless of how junior, was all it took to devastate the grassroots.


    Qi Haoran wasn¡¯t afraid of blowing up the matter. After obtaining the evidence, he both openly and secretly sent it to the Ministry of Justice and the imperial ¡¯ censor¡¯s office. No matter what he found, he would do this. This way, the officials who had been bribed by the seven families immediately felt uneasy. Qi Haoran even questioned in the memorial, ¡°Why didn¡¯t the imperial censor and the Ministry of Justice do anything to such corrupt magistrates? These things were all found in the residences and secret spots in the homes of those seven magistrates. Their study has been searched thoroughly. There was even a fire in the Hengzhou magistrate¡¯s study after the incident. Is there any suspicion of silencing the magistrates? Your Majesty, please order a thorough investigation.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, the court instantly fell silent. Which official in the Great Zhou Dynasty dared to say that he was innocent?


    Even someone as noble as Grand Tutor Yan and as upright as General Yuan did not dare to pat his chest and say that he waspletely incorruptible. Furthermore, beyond that level, there were more than a handful of people who hadmitted crimes worthy of being punished, exiled, or even beheaded. Therefore, as soon as these words were spoken, everyone began to consider the Emperor¡¯s intentions.


    Was Qi Haoran¡¯s memorial an unreasonable pestering, or was he acting under the Emperor¡¯s instructions? One had to know that Qi Haoran had gone to Jinghu on the Emperor¡¯s orders.


    Coupled with Fan Zijin causing trouble and adding fuel to the fire, everyone was really intimidated for a moment. At least, it was quiet for a few days.


    In the past few days, Fan Zijin had gotten someone to spread rumors about the evil deeds done by the seven families, as well as thank the Great Zhou Dynasty for embracing free speech. Now, even if Fan Zijin hired a troupe to put up a performance criticizing the Emperor at the pce entrance, the Emperor could not do anything to him.


    The matter spread like wildfire. When Fan Zijin had people spread the news, he even emphasized these few suspicious cases. The public¡¯s imagination was ¡¯ rich. Other than ¡°Qi Haoran instructed this incident and is an aplice in silencing those seven families; the bandits simply did justice on behalf of the heavens¡±, there were also a few more guesses such as ¡°The malicious ghosts were seeking revenge; this is a case of robbing the rich to help the poor.¡± In the end, it was spection about Qi Haoran instigating the incident that was the first to be eliminated because it was unexciting andcked supportive evidence. Although themoners¡¯ words could not sway the Imperial Court, it made Qi Haoran¡¯s situation a little better. In addition, as the investigation went deeper, Qi Haoran became increasingly less suspicious.


    However, the Emperor gradually became anxious. If he continued to send people to investigate, they would eventually look into Qi Haoran¡¯s three adjutants. By that time, the identity of the instigator would be apparent. Hence, he suppressed the matter and diverted everyone¡¯s attention in another direction. ¡°The situation in Jinghu is critical now. Dealing with those 130,000 rebel troops is the most important thing. As for the extermination of the seven officials, we¡¯ll leave it for the time being. We¡¯ll continue with the investigation after the matter at Jinghu is over.¡±


    No one objected because the urgent matter at hand was indeed the 130,000 bandits. Because of the massacre of the officials this time, everyone felt that they could not go easy on the rebels, so they suggested that the Emperor send an army to suppress them.


    However, there were also people who felt that the seven officials deserved it. Those bandits were once civilians whomitted the murders due to fury at the injustice and thus should be leniently dealt with. From the perspective of the treasury, public sentiment, and expenses involved, they felt that the bandits should be offered amnesty and enlistment, and dispersed as soon as possible.


    The two factions started arguing again. This time, the Emperor did not interfere because he could not make up his mind whether to suppress the bandits or recruit them. Therefore, he could only hold his chin and wait for everyone to persuade him with convincing reasons.


    Meanwhile, the officials in the capital were willing to let go of the case of the seven officials¡¯ annihtion, but the local officials elsewhere did not agree. They all submitted petitions to severely deal with the bandits and immediately investigate the mastermind.


    Because it was too terrifying.


    Those who lived in Lin¡¯an City might not have any worries, but they lived elsewhere. Which ce didn¡¯t have bandits now?


    Which official had not oppressed themon people before?


    Whose hands were 100% clean?


    Even if there was such a person, they would certainly have offended many people in the bureaucracy. That was why everyone was afraid. Who was the one who instigated this? Since someone could guide the bandits to destroy the seven families, could they also be destroyed like this?


    Or would this inspire copycat crimes?


    In order to prevent such incidents from happening again, they could only investigate to the end and find the mastermind behind the scenes and punish him severely. Only then could they intimidate those restless people. Only then could those officials outside the city calm down and not be so afraid.


    Qi Haoran had already fought with the rebels in Jinghu a few times. There were wins and losses, but the difference in numbers was too great. Furthermore, he had yet topletely control the garrison in Hengzhou, so he did not dare to work freely. He could only rush the Emperor and ministers to make up their minds three times a day. They could not be trapped there indefinitely.


    130,000 people was not a lot, but it was not a small number either. The two factions argued for a long time, and in the end, the pro-peace faction had the upper hand. They wanted to recruit those bandits, but how to recruit them and how to deal with them after that was still up for discussion.


    Qi Haoran also learned of the Imperial Court¡¯s intentions in Jinghu, so the battle with the rebels slowed down.


    The soldiers had already been mobilized, but they would not arrive so quickly. Therefore, the Emperor ordered Qi Haoran to hurry up and construct the fortifications. He had to hold on until the reinforcements arrived. When the memorials of the local officials flew into the pce like snowkes, the Emperor was almost angered to death.


    To his aghast, the matter that he had suppressed with great difficulty was brought up again. The worst thing was that once these memorials were brought up, the people in the Imperial Court who had no choice but to give up previously became active again. The Emperor suspected that Minister Qin was involved.


    These people were moring to deal with Qi Haoran and those rebel bandits who were in chaos. Themotion was even greater than the first time.


    Just as the Emperor was about to suppress this matter again, the news somehow spread to Jinghu.


    The 130,000 rebels all knew that the Emperor wanted to avenge the seven corrupt officials and had mobilized an army to destroy them.


    Hence, while Qi Haoran was stillboriously constructing the fortifications and waiting for the Imperial Court to send someone to negotiate peace, a group of bandits attacked them..

 Chapter 489 - 489: Childbirth

    Chapter 489: Childbirth


    Trantor: As Studios I Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran was so angry that he scolded, ¡°Liu Dahei deceived me!¡±


    At that time, he had conveyed the Imperial Court¡¯s intention to make peace. Both sides had temporarily reached a truce, but now, they were actuallyunching a surprise attack on them.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s Liu Dahei¡¯s men?¡±


    The scout nodded. ¡°Other than the 8,000 people led by Liu Dahei, Lin Man, who is 20 miles away from here, has also brought his men here.¡±


    ¡°General, we only have 3,000 people. Even if we upy an advantageous terrain, if the other party joins forces, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to resist them,¡± Deputy General Zhong said anxiously.


    Although Qi Haoran was furious, he did not think that they would besiege them for no reason. This was because Liu Dahei and Lin Man were ordinary people. Even though they were bandits now, they still respected the Imperial Court and the soldiers. Therefore, something must have happened to force them to do this.


    Qi Haoran got someone to investigate. As long as they knew the reason, they could still negotiate when they arrived. At the very least, they could buy some time.


    After arranging this, Qi Haoran calmed down and went to arrange the defense. 1,500 people stood in front to resist Liu Dahei¡¯s group, who was attacking. 500 people stood at the back to prevent anyone from taking a detour to the left andunching a sneak attack. The remaining 1,000 people quickly built the fortifications.


    Thankfully, Qi Haoran had chosen an excellent location that was easy to defend and difficult to attack when he was stationed here previously. On the back was arge area of steep rocks. Not to mention bandits, even flying birds would find it difficult to stand on it. Therefore, they just had to guard against the front and left. On the right was a dense forest with very steep terrain. Qi Haoran only sent 50 people to keep an eye on that ce. If someone really attacked from there, Qi Haoran would definitelyugh three times to celebrate. This was because it was a piece of cake to shoot down the attacker from that direction. If someone poked him with a stick, he would probably fall down right away.


    Although Qi Haoran only had 3,000 men, he was certain that he could defend this high ground for half a month even if the Jin soldiers came, let alone a group of peasant soldiers who had never fought a war and only knew how to charge forward or retreat.


    Although he was confident that he could hold his ground, he had to send out news so that reinforcements woulde and save him quickly. Therefore, before the enemy surrounded him, Qi Haoran and Deputy General Zhong ¡¯ immediately sent out five teams of scouts and asked them to return from various ces to get reinforcements.


    However, this was not the north. Here, Qi Haoran didn¡¯t have an older brother who was themander-in-chief to back him up. Hence, not everyone hoped that Qi Haoran would be able to escape danger and return. Also, not everyone was anxious about their situation.


    On the tenth day after receiving the distress letter, the Imperial Court was still arguing non-stop. They were not sure if they should start a war or continue negotiating. And if they did decide to negotiate, what conditions should they raise?


    If not for the fact that Fan Zijin did not have the right to go to court, he would definitely shout in court. The southwest and northwest troops had already arrived at Jinghu, so why did they stop?


    Just because of some bullsh*t benefits, just because Qi Haoran only had 3,000 troops, they could give up him at will?


    However, he had nowhere to vent his anger. When facing Mu Yangling, he still had to act like nothing had happened, almost suffocating him to death.


    Previously, Mu Yangling would help hime up with ideas from time to time, but now that Mu Yangling was about to give birth, even if Li Jinghua did not remind him, he did not dare to tell Mu Yangling about this.


    At this moment, Fan Zijin finally realized how important it was to have the right to stand in the Imperial Court.


    ¡°Second Master, bad news, Second Master¡­¡± Yanmo shouted as he rushed in.


    Fan Zijin opened his eyes and nced at him. ¡°Tell me, what else can be worse?¡±


    Yanmo said anxiously, ¡°Fourth Madam is about to give birth.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s expression changed slightly. ¡°Isn¡¯t there still more than half a month?¡±


    Wiping away his cold sweat, Yanmo said, ¡°Yes, but an old servant offended Fourth Madam and revealed that Fourth Master is being surrounded. Fourth Madam got anxious, and she¡­ Second Master, quickly go and take a look.¡± Fan Zijin¡¯s face darkened as he ran to the Qi Manor. Outside the Zhaode Hall, Madam Wu, Madam Xu, and Little Madam Wu were standing outside and arguing with Mama Wang.


    Fan Zijin came over with a cold expression and reluctantly bowed to Madam Wu and the others. He asked, ¡°Why are Madam and the two cousins-inw here?¡±


    The corners of Madam Wu¡¯s mouth twitched as she said, ¡°Isn¡¯t Haoran¡¯s wife about to give birth? We were anxious so we came over to take a look, but this ve is actually bold enough to stop us outside.¡±


    Fan Zijin forced a smile and said, ¡°The smell of blood is heavy inside. It¡¯s not good for Madam and the two cousins-inw to stay here. Why don¡¯t you go back to the main courtyard and wait? Once there¡¯s news here, I¡¯ll send someone to inform you.¡±


    Frowning, Madam Wu was a little hesitant when she heard a loud cry in the courtyard. Madam Wu was stunned for a moment before heaving a sigh of relief. She smiled and said, ¡°Looks like the child has been born. I wonder if it¡¯s a boy or a girl.¡±


    Fan Zijin was also slightly stunned. Seeing that Madam Wu¡¯s expression did not seem to be fake, he nced at Madam Xu and Little Madam Wu. Madam Xu clearly heaved a sigh of relief. Little Madam Wu only pursed her lips in disdain. Fan Zijin lowered his eyes and already knew what was going on.


    As his mind raced, Spring had alreadye out to inform them, ¡°Congrattions, Madam, Second Madam, Third Madam. Fourth Madam has given birth to a young master. The mother and son are safe!¡±


    Looking up, Spring saw Fan Zijin. She turned to Madam Wu and smiled.


    ¡°Madam, do you want to go in and take a look at the child?¡±


    Madam Wu was unwilling to go forward at this moment. Otherwise, who would be responsible if anything happened to the child?


    Previously, she had rushed into the courtyard to prove their innocence, that the old servant who had offended Mu Yangling was not one of them. Since Mu Yangling was fine, she naturally would not approach her anymore. Hence, she waved her hand and said a few empty words, ¡°Rest well and recuperate well.¡± Then, she left with her two daughters-inw.


    Spring heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly bowed to invite Fan Zijin in.


    Fan Zijin asked, ¡°How did your Fourth Madam give birth so quickly?¡±


    At that time, Li Jinghua had given birth to Little Treasure for almost a day and night.


    Mu Yangling did not expect to give birth so quickly either. It took less than an hour to give birth after her stomach started hurting. She drank a bowl of chicken soup and turned to look at the child lying at the side. It was wrinkled, red, and ugly, but Mu Yangling¡¯s heart had never been so gentle.


    She gently touched his face with her fingertips and smiled.


    Li Jinghua went forward and pressed the thin nket on her. She said in a low voice, ¡°This kid¡¯s cries are loud and clear. One look and you can tell that he¡¯s in good health. Are you relieved now? Hurry up and sleep. Rest well.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you with the matters in the residence. You must ask that old servant clearly. If you can¡¯t find out anything from her, let Zijin handle the matter.¡±


    Li Jinghua smiled and nodded. Only then did Mu Yangling fall asleep in peace. Although this pregnancy was very easy in the eyes of others, she had also been in extreme pain and had consumed a lot of energy. Only then did she feel relieved and fall asleep.


    Expression darkening as she went out, Li Jinghua looked at the person kneeling in the courtyard gloomily..

 Chapter 490 - 490: Reason

    Chapter 490: Reason


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Li Jinghua stood on the steps and looked down at them without saying a word. It was a hot day, but the person kneeling felt a chill run down her spine.


    Fan Zijin rushed in from outside and nced at the person kneeling on the ground. He asked, ¡°Are Sister-inw and the child alright?¡±


    ¡°Ah Ling is in good health. Although she gave birth early, she¡¯s fine. The child is fine too.¡±


    Fan Zijin heaved a huge sigh of relief. Although Spring had already said it outside, only upon hearing it from Li Jinghua was his heart put to easepletely.


    He turned to look at the person kneeling on the ground and asked, ¡°Is this the person who harmed Sister-inw?¡±


    The group of people on the ground lowered their bodies even more. Some of them were even trembling.


    Li Jinghua said slowly, ¡°We don¡¯t know how many people are involved for the time being, but since we can pry open one person¡¯s mouth, we can naturally pry open the mouth of the second person. Wen Cui, lock them up separately so that the rest of them can¡¯t collude. All of you here serve Fourth Master and Fourth Madam. Putting aside Fourth Madam¡¯s temper, you should know what kind of temper your Fourth Master has. You should also know how much he dotes on your Fourth Madam and Third Young Master. You should think twice about what to do.¡±


    An old servant immediately went limp and copsed to the ground. Anyone could tell that there was definitely something wrong with her. The person kneeling beside her immediately moved a few steps to the side, as if this could draw a clear line between the two of them.


    Wen Cui got someone to drag the old servant away and lock her up in a room before locking up the rest of the people. This time, other than her, Rain, and Mama Wang, even Summer and Autumn were ordered to be arrested. Regardless of whether they were from the Jingzhao Prefecture or the original Qi Manor, they were all treated equally.


    Seeing that Summer and the other youngsses were so frightened that their faces turned pale, Wen Cui whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Fourth Madam is soft-hearted. As long as you don¡¯t do anything wrong, you will be released after they investigate thoroughly.¡±


    Summer nodded and thanked her with reddened eyes.


    Seeing that the courtyard was empty, Li Jinghua went to the reception pavilion with Fan Zijin.


    Fan Zijin asked, ¡°What about the old servant who offended Sister-inw? Did she confess?¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s expression was ugly. ¡°Shemitted suicide the moment Ah Ling was carried into the delivery room. It was also my people who didn¡¯t keep an eye on her and allowed her to find a chance.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s face darkened and he could not help but sit up straight. ¡°How did she die?¡±


    ¡°She hit her head on the rockery.¡± Li Jinghua¡¯s expression darkened when she thought of what she had seen today. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°As usual, Ah Ling will walk around the small garden a few times after breakfast every day. That old servant is in charge of cleaning the small garden¡­¡±


    Before Mu Yangling got pregnant, she would pull the bowstring 100 times a day. Sometimes, she would also practice martial arts to train her body. After she got pregnant, she did not dare to do these things anymore, but she still insisted on going out for a walk every day.


    As her due date was only half a month away, Mu Yangling also felt that her body was bing more and more cumbersome. She had reduced her exercise in the past few days, but she still appeared in the small garden on time. The old servant who was sweeping the area pulled a youngss behind the rockery and spoke. Her voice was not loud, but others could hear her clearly. ¡°Fourth Young Master is surrounded by hundreds of thousands of bandits in Jinghu. Now, his life is on the line. I wonder if Fourth Madam¡¯s baby is a boy. If so, won¡¯t there be no one to carry on the family name for Fourth Young Master?¡±


    Mu Yangling was not a fool. This was a ssic pce drama scene. She kept telling herself in her heart that their intention was to agitate her and that they wanted something to happen to her and the child. However, her heart could not help but ache. She could not help but worry about Qi Haoran, whom she had not heard from for half a month¡­


    Even though Mu Yangling quickly controlled her emotions and told herself not to think too much, her stomach still hurt. The minute she felt her lower body be slightly wet, Mu Yangling knew that something had happened to her.


    She made a prompt decision. As she called the youngss behind her to run next door to call Li Jinghua, she asked Rain to pull the old servant and servant girl out.


    Rain knew that girl. She was a fool, the daughter of a kitchen maid in the main kitchen. However, she had some strength and helped carry water in the courtyard. Clearly, that old servant couldn¡¯t find anyone for the time being and decided to make use of this girl.


    Mu Yangling knew that this old servant was either determined to die or was certain that she could not do anything to her.


    The old servant was slightly taken aback when she saw Mu Yangling standing there steadily while Spring guardedly stood in front of her. Just as she was about to do something, she heard Mu Yangling ask, ¡°You said that Fourth Master is surrounded by bandits in Jinghu. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Fourth Madam!¡± Spring said anxiously. ¡°This old servant is spouting nonsense. Don¡¯t listen to her nonsense. Fourth Master is fine.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t look at Spring, but at the old servant. The old servant heaved a sigh of relief, and an imperceptible smile appeared on her lips. When she looked up, she saidpassionately, ¡°It¡¯s true. Fourth Madam, everyone in the residence knows and only hides it from you. If you don¡¯t believe me, just ask any servant in this garden. Not only do we know, but even themoners outside have heard about it.¡±


    As soon as the old servant finished speaking, Li Jinghua hurriedly brought someone over. Mu Yangling turned around and said, ¡°Sister-inw, I¡¯ll leave this person to you. Watch her closely. Don¡¯t let her die, and don¡¯t let her escape!¡±


    The old servant¡¯s expression changed drastically. Only then did she realize that Mu Yangling had been stalling for time. She turned around and was about to knock into the rockery when Rain reacted and hugged her waist. The two of them fell together, preventing her frommitting suicide. Li Jinghua immediately got someone to tie her up. Only then did Mu Yangling hold onto Spring and say, ¡°Sister-inw, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m about to give birth.¡±


    Only then did Li Jinghua see the bloodstains on the lower half of her dress. Her expression changed drastically. Afraid that Mu Yangling would have a difficultbor like her, she did not dare to move her casually. She could only get someone to carry the spring stool carefully to Zhaode Hall. Then, she got someone to call everyone from Zhaohua Courtyard to kneel as punishment, afraid that there would be someone among them who posed a threat to Mu Yangling and the child in her womb.


    In this Qi Manor, the safest ce was none other than the Zhaode Hall. This was because the people from the Zhaode Hall were brought here by them from the Jingzhao Prefecture. They were also servants who had been with the family for many years and had the highest loyalty. That was why Li Jinghua designated Mu Yangling to give birth here.


    Li Jinghua originally wanted to lock up the old servant for the time being and interrogate her after Mu Yangling gave birth safely. Unexpectedly, when the person who went to escort her saw the old servant sitting on the ground dejectedly, she let down her guard. Coupled with the fact that the old servant¡¯s hands were tied up, she did not pay much attention and directly dragged her along to lock her up. However, after taking just ten-odd steps out, the old servant elbowed away the person beside her and banged her head against a rockery, dying immediately.


    Afraid that Mu Yangling would be worried, Li Jinghua did not tell her about this. However, she had to tell Fan Zijin about this.


    ¡°With such a clumsy method, I¡¯m afraid that the old servant was intent on dying from the beginning.¡± Li Jinghua med herself. ¡°It¡¯s also my fault for not reminding them not to give her a chance to kill herself.¡±


    Fan Zijin lowered his eyes and considered all suspicious persons in his heart. However, he was even more puzzled now.


    The first person he suspected was Madam Wu and her daughters-inw, but the three of them didn¡¯t seem to be faking their reactions at the entrance of the courtyard. Then, who else would use such methods on Mu Yangling?


    ¡°Sister-inw, there are too many suspicious points about Sister-inw¡¯s matter. It¡¯s not convenient for me to interfere in your internal affairs, so I¡¯ll leave this to you to investigate. If you need my help with anything outside, get someone to inform me. I¡¯ll get someone to investigate.¡± Fan Zijin originally wanted to take over and investigate personally, but he was busy now. Moreover, it was indeed not appropriate for him to interfere in the Qi family¡¯s internal affairs.


    Li Jinghua naturally agreed..

 Chapter 491 - 491: Soft-hearted

    Chapter 491: Soft-hearted


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When Mu Yangling woke up again, it was already dark outside. She blinked to adapt to the darkness. Turning around, she saw the child by the pillow under the moonlight.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart softened. She reached out and touched his forehead. The child was sleeping quite soundly. Probably because he had been disturbed, his nose twitched twice. His tiny brows creased, then he opened his mouth slightly and moved his body twice. After which, he tilted his head and continued sleeping.


    Spring, who was on duty outside, heard themotion and came in with amp. ¡°Fourth Madam, you¡¯re awake?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Go get some food.¡±


    Spring asked a youngss to guard Mu Yangling while she put on some clothes and went to the small kitchen to get the chef to cook for Mu Yangling.


    Cooked with chicken broth, a handful of vegetables, and two eggs, Spring carefully carried the noodles to Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling carefully moved her son to the bed. After eating, she felt a little better. Instead of asking about the case this morning, she asked, ¡°Did Third Young Master drink milk today?¡±


    ¡°No, the midwife only fed him two mouthfuls of water before Third Young Master fell asleep. He hasn¡¯t woken up yet. The nanny said that he can be breastfed when he wakes up.¡±


    Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Let the nanny wait first and not to feed him. Go and get the kitchen to make me something to help mectate. I want to feed the child myself.¡±


    Spring widened her eyes and said softly, ¡°Fourth Madam, how can you breastfeed him personally? Only poor families who can¡¯t afford to hire a nanny will breastfeed their baby personally¡­¡±


    ¡°Do as I say.¡± Mu Yangling interrupted her forcefully and said, ¡°I must be able toctate tomorrow morning.¡±


    Feeling her chest swell, she felt that it was not a problem for her to breastfeed. Previously, she was not resistant to hiring a nanny. She felt that it was fine as long as she was the person who breastfed the child for the first time. Moreover, she could spend more time doing other things without having to breastfeed the child. But now that she saw the child, she suddenly changed her mind. She wanted to feed him personally because this was her child!


    Spring knew that she couldn¡¯t dissuade her, so she could only agree. After sleeping for a long time, Mu Yangling was no longer sleepy. She looked at the child and leaned against the pillow. ¡°Is what she said about Fourth Master true?¡±


    Spring lowered her head and only nodded after a while. She hurriedly exined, ¡°Fourth Madam, don¡¯t worry. Young Master Zijin said that those bandits can¡¯t do anything to Fourth Master. Besides, there aren¡¯t as many bandits surrounding Fourth Master as that old servant said. She was just


    scaring you.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at her and asked, ¡°How long has it been?¡± Spring¡¯s mouth moved, but she still said, ¡°It¡¯s been 16 days¡­ Mu Yangling sighed. ¡°Does the Emperor not intend to save him?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Spring hurriedly said, ¡°I heard that the Emperor is leaning towards amnesty, but the court¡¯s opinion has never been unanimous, so there¡¯s still no conclusion until now. Fourth Madam, don¡¯t worry. Young Master Zijin has been swaying public opinion outside. It won¡¯t be long before the Imperial Court sends troops to help Fourth Master out. Besides, isn¡¯t Eldest Master around? Even if the Emperor doesn¡¯t care about Fourth Master, he still has to consider Eldest Master¡¯s feelings.¡±


    These words were obviously taught to Spring, but it failed to convince Mu Yangling. How could he be fine after being surrounded for 16 days?


    Even if Qi Haoran could hold on, what about food and water?


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes were slightly wet. She turned to look at the child on the side of the bed and touched his little face. She said in a low voice, ¡°Your father will definitely be safe, right?¡±


    Her son was still sleeping sweetly.


    Feeling a lump in her throat, Spring turned her head to wipe her tears.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Rain? Why are you the only one in the room?¡±


    ¡°Rain injured her waist and is currently resting in the room. As for the other servant girls in the residence,¡± Spring paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°They¡¯ve all been detained by Eldest Madam. She said that she wants to investigate properly.¡±


    When Rain hugged the old servant and fell, she hurt her waist. Summer and Autumn were also locked up. If the three of them did not appear tomorrow, Fourth Madam would grow suspicious and ask. With that in mind, she might as well let Fourth Madam know now.


    ¡°Did that old servant confess?¡±


    Spring shuddered. Thinking of Eldest Madam¡¯s instructions, she deliberated and said, ¡°Fourth Madam, don¡¯t be angry. That old servant killed herself when the servants weren¡¯t paying attention¡­


    However, there was no additional expression on Mu Yangling¡¯s face. She only nodded slightly and waved Spring off. ¡°Let me know if you find out anything.¡±


    Spring heaved a sigh of relief and left.


    The next day, Mu Yangling woke up and ate something that the kitchen maid had stewed to aidctation. When the child woke up and started to cry, the nanny quickly helped Mu Yangling rub her breasts with a hot towel. Mu Yangling only felt pain, pain from both the swelling pain and the rubbing. However, the nanny took the hot towel away and said, ¡°Fourth Madam, alright, quickly let Third Young Master try and see if he can drink it.¡± Mu Yangling quickly picked up the child and carefully stuffed it into his mouth. The child, who was originally crying miserably like a kitten, immediately sucked it eagerly. Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up and she shouted, ¡°He¡¯s drinking it! My son is so smart. He knows how to drink milk right away.


    Nanny, who couldn¡¯t bear to look, nced away. ¡®It¡¯s instinctive, all right? Which child doesn¡¯t know how to drink milk?¡¯


    However, the mother could not suffer an agitation at this time. The nanny and Spring yed along and praised the young master.


    When this little thing was full, Mu Yangling¡¯s previous worry suddenly dissipated. With a smile, she asked, ¡°I heard that when the mother is in a great mood, the breast milk will be good, and the child will be healthier, right?¡± Having never heard such a thing before, the nanny was stunned. Seeing that she was in a daze, Spring secretly pinched her. The nanny immediately replied, ¡°Yes, there is such a saying.¡±


    ¡°Fourth Madam, you have to be happy every day. This way, our Third Young Master will be as strong as Fourth Master in the future,¡± Spring said with a smile.


    Mu Yangling smiled and nodded. After some thought, she said, ¡°My giving birth is a joyous asion. I have to tell Fourth Master about this. Go get a brush and ink. I want to write a letter to him.¡±


    Spring wanted to say that even if she sent it out, he might not be able to receive it. However, when she saw Mu Yangling¡¯s calm expression, she did not say anything. She simply went out and brought the things in for her.


    Mu Yangling picked up the pen and thought for a moment before starting to write. In the end, she carefully grabbed her son¡¯s tiny hand and imprinted some ink on it.


    After the ink was dry, she handed it to Spring. ¡°Take the letter to Young Master Zijin. Ask him to find an old servant who knows some martial arts to deliver it. If it can¡¯t be delivered to Fourth Master, read it to him at the foot of the mountain in front of everyone.¡±


    Spring¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°Fourth Madam, how¡­ how dangerous is this?¡± Mu Yangling carefully wiped her son¡¯s hands with a hot towel. As she wiped, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If it¡¯s not feasible, Young Master Zijin won¡¯t do it. Spring felt that Mu Yangling¡¯s actions were too crazy. To be running straight to the bandit nest to send a letter to the Fourth Master on the mountain, it was obvious that one would never return.


    Unexpectedly, after Young Master Zijin received the letter, he fell silent for a while before agreeing..

 Chapter 492 - 492: Conspiracy

    Chapter 492: Conspiracy


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    With disheveled hair, Qi Haoran licked his peeling lips and asked, ¡°How many days can our food and waterst?¡±


    Deputy General Zhong¡¯s face was filled with bitterness as he said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯ll only be enough for tomorrow¡­¡± Moreover, they could only eat until they were 30% full.


    Qi Haoran was indeed a rare general, to actually withstand more than 36,000 enemies for 18 days with just 3,000 men. He did not know if General Yuan could achieve such a feat, but the general he had followed for eight years who had been an assistantmander for ten years clearly could not do it.


    Moreover, Qi Haoran wasn¡¯t even 20 yet.


    In the end, their defeat might not be because they were no match for the enemy. Instead, they might die because they didn¡¯t have any rations or reinforcements. Deputy General Zhong had been filled with anticipation at the beginning, but now, he was disheartened. Although he could ept the uing oue, he still couldn¡¯t calm down.


    If Deputy General Zhong was already in such a state, there was no need to mention the soldiers below. A few of the younger ones hugged their knees and cried softly. They asked theirpanions beside them, ¡°Is the Imperial Court giving up on us?¡±


    The veterans who had been in the army for a long time had ashen expressions. If it was in the past, they would definitely curse out loud. However, they could not do so now. If it affected the morale of the army, theirst chance of survival would be gone.


    As Qi Haoran walked over, his expression darkened. If he gave up on these people, it would not be difficult for him to escape with his martial arts skills. However, if he gave up on them, would he still be a general?


    Thinking of the pregnant Mu Yangling, Qi Haoran¡¯s heart ached for a moment.


    He clenched his fists tightly and turned around to look at Deputy General Zhong with bloodshot eyes for a while. His gaze made Deputy General Zhong¡¯s hair stand on end. Only then did Qi Haoran say in a low voice, ¡°Get someone to keep an eye on Adjutant Lin and the others. Bring over a regimentmander of the camp that we can trust.¡±


    A dark glint shed across Deputy General Zhong¡¯s eyes. He hesitated for a moment before retreating.


    When Qi Haoran returned to the tent, Fei Bai said anxiously, ¡°Master, what are you doing? We don¡¯t know Deputy General Zhong that well yet. I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t trust him.¡±


    ¡°What do you think I¡¯m going to do? Instigate him to rebel?¡± Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯m not a fool. The priority now is to survive. I won¡¯t mention such a thing.¡±


    Fei Bai heaved a sigh of relief and asked curiously, ¡°Then why did you ask him to keep an eye on the three adjutants?¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted coldly and said, ¡°Of course it¡¯s to do something shameful. We fell into this situation because of the selfishness of the three of them. So many of our brothers died. Won¡¯t it be normal for them to die on the battlefield?¡±


    Fei Bai nodded. ¡°Master, leave this to me.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Qi Haoran shook two drops of water from the water bottle into his mouth and licked his lips. ¡°Let Deputy General Zhong and the others do this. After they kill the Emperor¡¯s emissaries, we¡¯ll be in the same boat. We won¡¯t be afraid of them betraying us after this.¡±


    ¡°Are they willing to let us have such a huge hold over them?¡± Fei Bai asked worriedly.


    Qi Haoran sighed. ¡°That¡¯s why the soldiers of our West Camp are so useful.


    Most of them are loyal. Even if they¡¯re not, they can be intimidated.¡± He continued, ¡°Regardless of how unwilling Deputy General Zhong and the rest are, as long as they want to survive, they have no choice but to do it.¡± Deputy General Zhong did not dy. After making up his mind, he quickly found a few trustworthy regimentmanders and asked them to control the three adjutants. Then, the few of them entered Qi Haoran¡¯s tent nervously. Deputy General Zhong thought that Qi Haoran wanted to use the rebellion g to rebel. This was too easy in the current situation. Previously, they had spoken to Liu Dahei and Lin Man. As Qi Haoran was more inclined to recruit and not exterminate the bandits, the rtionship between the two sides wasn¡¯t so terrible.


    At this moment, the soldiers in the camp were filled with resentment towards the imperial Court. As long as Qi Haoran ordered it, everyone except for a few officials would probably agree to it for the sake of their own survival.


    Should Qi Haoran revolt, the siege below would naturally end without a fight. Even if they weren¡¯t on friendly terms with Lin Man and Liu Dahei, they could at least sit down and talk. During this period of time, Qi Haoran¡¯s military talent had been so vividly disyed that even they hade to admire Qi Haoran, let alone those bumpkins who did not even know how to arrange troops.


    But were they genuinely willing to rebel alongside Qi Haoran?


    Deputy General Zhong didn¡¯t know what the others were thinking. In any case, he was quite reluctant since his entire family was in his hometown. If he rebelled here, his entire family definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. However, he wasn¡¯t willing to surrender, either. If one could survive, who would be willing to die?


    The other regimentmanders also had the same thoughts. Everyone walked into Qi Haoran¡¯s tent hesitantly.


    Qi Haoran was sitting on the ground with his hands spread out. He had no choice. He really wanted to maintain an upright posture, but he had not eaten his fill for four days. In addition, he had only slept for two hours a day. It was already not bad that he could still stay awake. Naturally, he had to conserve his energy for the war. When he saw them enter, he waved his hand weakly and said, ¡°Sit anywhere.¡±


    The few of them sat down uneasily. Qi Haoran said, ¡°I won¡¯t beat around the bush. You¡¯ve seen the current situation. It¡¯s impossible to break out.


    The few of them felt a chill in their hearts when they heard Qi Haoran say, ¡°So we can only bluff them and negotiate with them.¡±


    Deputy General Zhong asked carefully, ¡°How do we negotiate?¡± Qi Haoran opened his eyes and nced at him. ¡°How else can we negotiate? Naturally, we collude with them to exchange information and trade fairly. Anyway, I don¡¯t care, we¡¯ll say whatever it takes to get us out. Aren¡¯t they just afraid that we¡¯ll eliminate the bandits and the previously discussed amnesty will be left unsettled? Tell them that if they let us go, we¡¯ll help them deal with the Imperial Court. What¡¯s the use of wasting their troops on a few thousand of us when there¡¯s a 200,000-strong army outside?¡±


    Deputy General Zhong and the others widened their eyes and looked at Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran continued, ¡°Even if the two sides have no choice but to fight in the end, we can promise both sides that we will leave them a chance of survival when we encounter them in the future. For example, we won¡¯t kill them during the battle and will leave them a gap when we surround them. In short, we¡¯ll let them retreat first.¡±


    Deputy General Zhong and the rest felt their hearts drop from their throats to their stomachs. At the same time, they praised Qi Haoran¡¯s shameless wit. He was indeed suited to be a general, and was not someone mere mortals like them couldpare to.


    A regimentmander raised his hand weakly and said, ¡°General, what if they don¡¯t believe us?¡±


    ¡öThat¡¯s right. What if they don¡¯t believe us?¡¯


    Everyone looked at Qi Haoran in unison. After all, they would be like fish in the sea after they went down the mountain. If they denied it in the future, what could they do?


    Qi Haoran looked at them in disdain and said, ¡°That¡¯s why we have to sign a contract.¡± Qi Haoran took the official seal from Fei Bai¡¯s hand and threw it on the ground. ¡°This thing is very useful.¡±


    ¡°With this weakness of mine in their hands, would I dare to disobey?


    The few of them heaved a sigh of relief and smiled, super d that they might be able to get out alive and not have to rebel.


    ¡°However, now that they have something on me, what do I have over you guys?¡±


    The few of them stiffened as they heard Qi Haoran say, ¡°We can¡¯t let the three adjutants know about our discussion with the bandits, so I¡¯ll leave those three to you. Deal with them properly and don¡¯t miss a single one.¡±


    The few of them swallowed their saliva. The crime of killing the Emperor¡¯s secret envoys was indeed as serious as Qi Haoran colluding with the bandits. Looking at each other and thinking of the current situation, they gritted their teeth and knelt down to ept the order.


    Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, ¡°Alright, go now. Tonight, I¡¯ll go down and chat with them. If I seed, we¡¯ll all make it out alive. If I fail, I¡¯ll be the first to die..¡±

 Chapter 493 - 493: Interrogation

    Chapter 493: Interrogation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Lin Man read the letter from start to end three times. In the end, he couldn¡¯t help but reread it carefully again. It was very ordinary Chinese. Even if he wasn¡¯t highly educated, he could still recognize the words and understand the letterpletely. Could it be that the secret code was in the child¡¯s handprint at the back?


    Lin Man aimed the letter at the sun and the mes, but he still didn¡¯t see anything unusual. If not for fear of identally destroying the letter, he really wanted to try using water and fire. In the end, he threw the letter to Liu Dahei angrily and said, ¡°What exactly is the meaning of this? To think those corrupt officials sent an old servant to deliver the letter at this time. What is it if not a conspiracy?¡±


    Liu Dahei couldn¡¯t read, so he threw it aside after a nce. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we bring that old servant over and ask her in detail? Could it be that we can¡¯t even pry open the mouth of an old servant?¡± Lin Man thought about it and agreed. He got someone to bring her up. The old servant who delivered the letter trembled and knelt down in front of the two of them with a plop. She didn¡¯t even have the strength to kowtow. Her entire body copsed to the ground. ¡°My, my king, please spare me. I¡¯m also a poor person.¡±


    Lin Man spat and said, ¡°You¡¯re a poor person? Then what do you call people like us who barely keep alive on chaff and wild herbs? Tell me, did those corrupt officials send you to deliver news to Qi Haoran? How many people do they n to send to save him and when?¡±


    Tears and snot streamed down the old servant¡¯s face as she said, ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m really a poor person. I¡¯m from Xingzhou Prefecture. Every year, the Jin soldiers plunder resources there. My inws and husband are all dead, and my children are scattered and lost. Even though I survived, I had no choice but to sell myself as a ve. Although I¡¯m fed and clothed at my master¡¯s house, I have plenty of chores to do. In addition, I¡¯m stupid, so all theborious tasks fell upon me.¡±


    Lin Man said irritably, ¡°Did I ask you this? I¡¯m asking why those useless officials of the Imperial Court sent you here.¡±


    Liu Dahei narrowed his eyes and carefully observed the old servant. Although he was illiterate, he was much more meticulous than Lin Man. Compared to what he heard, he was more willing to believe what he saw and analyzed with his mind.


    The old servant wiped her tears and snot as she said, ¡°I was sent by Fourth Madam. It has nothing to do with the officials. Fourth Madam has a tough life. She s only married for two years and she¡¯s already about to be a widow.¡± Just as Lin Man was about to get frustrated, he was suppressed by Liu Dahei, who softened his voice and asked, ¡°The Fourth Madam you¡¯re talking about is Qi Haoran¡¯s wife?¡±


    The old servant nodded repeatedly. ¡°Indeed it¡¯s Fourth Master¡¯s wife. She only married into the family two years ago and is only 16 years old this year. She¡¯s very young. Kings, take pity on her and let Fourth Master off.¡±


    Lin Man sneered. ¡°He¡¯s pitiful? He¡¯s an official, and I¡¯m a bandit. Who¡¯s the pitiful one? That kid got married when he was in his teens. I¡¯m almost 30 years old, but I¡¯m still single. Darned it, who¡¯s the pitiful one?¡±


    The old servant looked at him in a daze, unable to find any words to refute him.


    However, Liu Dahei asked, ¡°You said that you were sent by your Fourth Madam. Why did she send you here at this time? Isn¡¯t this putting your life in danger?¡± The old servant came back to her senses and quickly defended Fourth Madam. ¡°Fourth Madam has no choice. Fourth Master¡¯s memorial arrived 17 days ago, while you¡¯ve surrounded him for 18 days. But the court hasn¡¯t confirmed whether to save him or not.¡±


    Lin Man and Liu Dahei sneered. In their hearts, they despised the Imperial Court. At the same time, they felt relieved.


    Our old master doesn¡¯t care about Fourth Master, and Eldest Master is far away in the north. No one in the court can speak up for Fourth Master. Our Fourth Madam was so anxious that she couldn¡¯t eat or drink, but she was harmed by an evil person and gave birth prematurely. Although both mother and son were safe in the end, our Fourth Madam has suffered a fright. She said that if something happened to Fourth Master, she and her son might not be able to survive in the capital. So, she wrote a letter and asked me to bring it over. She said that even if Fourth Master was going to die, she had to let him know that she had given birth to a son for him and let him leave in peace. If she and her son don¡¯t survive, the family of three could apany each other on the way to theherworld now that he knows.¡±


    The old servant wiped her tears and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t want toe at first, knowing that I could die. However, Fourth Madam said that rebels are justmoners who are forced into aer. She was on the same side as me. Fourth Madam even promised me that if I could deliver the letter, regardless of whether I could return alive or not, she would write a letter to Eldest Master and ask him to help me find my lost children. She even promised to raise them. This is a huge favor. I now have nothing to worry about, so I came.¡±


    ¡°My two kings, I beg you to be kind and let our Fourth Master go.¡±


    Lin Man said irritably, ¡°Let him go and let him kill us?¡±


    Smiling, Liu Dahei said, ¡°How about this? Go and tell your Fourth Master that those corrupt officials caused your Fourth Madam to give birth prematurely. Ask him to join us. How about that?¡±


    Qi Haoran was clearly a talented man, to have held up for 18 days with 30,000 enemies surrounding his 3,000 men. If such a talent could be used by him, there would be no worries of failure.


    Stunned, the old servant quickly waved her hand. ¡°That won¡¯t do. Many lives would be lost. If Fourth Master joins you, Fourth Madam and Third Young Master will really die.¡±


    ¡°As long as we don¡¯t say anything, who will know? When the timees, can¡¯t we just get someone to secretly go to the capital and sneak out your Fourth Madam and Third Young Master?¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± The old servant shouted, ¡°There¡¯s an army of 200,000 guarding outside. There might be people hiding nearby to gather information. Once Fourth Master surrenders, the capital will immediately know. That¡¯s a huge crime that involves confiscation of assets and extermination of the entire n. I don¡¯t dare to persuade him.¡±


    Lin Man and Liu Dahei shuddered and could not help but sit up straight. ¡°What did you say? Where is the 200,000-strong army?¡±


    The old servant looked at them in a daze. ¡°You have no idea? Young Master Zijin told my Fourth Madam that the Emperor mobilized 200,000 troops from somewhere to order to intimidate or something. They¡¯re outside Jinghu now.¡± In disbelief, Lin Man stared at her viciously and said, ¡°Are you ying us for fools? Why didn¡¯t theye to save them when there are 200,000 troops outside?¡±


    The old servant cried out in grievance, ¡°I really don¡¯t know. Young Master Zijin said that they were thinking about the big picture. How would I know about the big picture?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Liu Dahei waved his hand and said, ¡°You can leave first. If you dare to do anything else, I¡¯ll kill you regardless of whether you¡¯re poor or not.¡± The old servant shivered and obediently allowed someone to take her away.


    Lin Man red at him. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you really believe her?¡±


    Liu Dahei lowered his eyes and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that other than our two groups, there are seven or eight other groups on the south side of Jinghu. They have a total of 100,000 people. Do you think that the 200,000-strong army will enter alone and let the 100,000-strong rebel army surround them, just to save 3,000 people?¡±


    Lin Man¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°You¡¯re saying that we really are being surrounded by an army of 200,000, and Qj Haoran and his 3,000 men are abandoned?¡±


    Liu Dahei didn¡¯t say anything, but his attitude was clear.


    Lin Man cursed angrily and asked, ¡°Our two groups are fighting with Qi Haoran here and don¡¯t know about the news outside. But what about the others? Don¡¯t they know that they¡¯re surrounded by the Imperial Court¡¯s soldiers?¡±


    Liu Dahei opened his eyes and nced at him.. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s possible?¡±

 Chapter 494 - 494: Heartthrob

    Chapter 494: Heartthrob


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    So, the two of them had been schemed against and given up?


    Although they were all bandits, they had been fighting amongst themselves for territory, people, and grains in the past few years. However, once they encountered soldiers, they would at leastmunicate with each other. Now, they were surrounded but no one had informed them. They even let their troops be expended on Qi Haoran¡¯s 3,000 soldiers.


    Lin Man was only angry, but Liu Dahei had deeper considerations. For example, was the news that the Imperial Court was surrounding them true or false? Or was it possible that they had been schemed against when they came to surround Qi Haoran?


    Could it be that, like Qi Haoran, they had been abandoned by theirpanions?


    Or did one of them collude with the Imperial Court to slowly exhaust them before wiping them out in one fell swoop?


    The more Liu Dahei thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Now, only Lin Man was in the same boat as him. Hence, he did not hide these thoughts and freely shared them with Lin Man. ¡°Qi Haoran is a general who defeated the Jin soldiers. He¡¯s like a divine weapon against us bumpkins. Big Brother Lin, we surrounded him for 18 days. Not only does heck food and water, but he doesn¡¯t even have many weapons left. But tell me, how long will it take you to take him down?¡±


    Lin Man hesitated. ¡°If he still has food up there, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult for him


    tost another ten days.¡±


    ¡°If even you can deduce it, how can those elites who have tens of thousands of troops not know?¡±


    Lin Man¡¯s face was filled with anger. ¡°We¡¯ve be guns in someone else¡¯s hands.¡±


    Liu Dahei sighed. ¡°Who asked us to be inferior to others?¡±


    ¡ö¡öThen our brothers¡¯ lives can¡¯t be wasted like this.¡± Lin Man shouted, ¡°We can¡¯t


    let this matter go just like that.¡±


    Liu Dahei lowered his eyes. Lin Man said, ¡°Sigh, are we still surrounding Qi


    Haoran?¡±


    Liu Dahei thought for a moment and said, ¡°Let that old servant read the letter to Qi Haoran at the foot of the mountain. We¡¯ll observe his reaction.¡±


    Lin Man thought that it made sense. Coincidentally, it was time for a truce. So, he directly asked someone to escort the old servant to the foot of the mountain and let her read the letter to Qi Haoran from below.


    The old servant was illiterate, but she had memorized the letter before she came. As Mu Yangling¡¯s letter was written in vernacr, it was easy to memorize. Therefore, the old servant could shout the contents at the top of her lungs without stopping.


    Qi Haoran was having hisst dinner on the mountain when he heard a rough voice at the foot of the mountain. ¡°Haoran, our child and I miss you!


    Qi Haoran spat out a mouthful of dry food. Deputy General Zhong and a few regimentmanders looked at Qi Haoran with strange expressions. The soldiers wore a nk look. It took them a while to realize that ¡°Haoran¡± was their general¡¯s name.


    As Fei Bai patted Qi Haoran¡¯s back, he scolded angrily, ¡°Master, they¡¯re ndering you.¡±


    Qi Haoran waved his hand. Fei Bai thought that he was saying that he didn¡¯t want to argue with them, but when he thought of how handsome his master was and how a group of bandits actually framed him like this, he was furious. He stood up and shouted back, ¡°Is our master¡¯s name something you can call? HOW dare you use such despicable methods to nder our general! Our Fourth Madam is as beautiful as a fairy. How dare any Tom, Dick, or Harry whoes from nowhere call him that!¡±


    At the foot of the mountain, Lin Man and Liu Dahei were stunned. Before they could yell back, the old servant shouted excitedly, ¡°Master Fei Bai, this is your servant. I was sent by Fourth Madam to deliver a message to Fourth Master-¡± Before the people on the mountain could question her, the old servant shouted, ¡°Fourth Master, Fourth Madam gave birth to a big fat baby boy for you. He weighs seven catties and six liang


    The old servant shouted too loudly, so her voice was a little hoarse. She panted slightly and the people at the foot of the mountain heard a smug voiceing from the mountain. ¡°Hahaha, I have a son! Ah Ling gave birth to a son for me!


    Hahaha¡­¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, the old servant finished panting and shouted, ¡°Fourth Madam asked me to tell you this so that you can leave in peace!¡±


    Theughter on the mountain seemed to be cut off by someone. The people at the foot of the mountain immediately burst intoughter. Even Lin Man, who already knew this,ughed out loud.


    Deputy General Zhong and the others were happy and sad for Qi Haoran, all at the same time. When the old servant shouted, they couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing. Then, they tried their best to suppress theirughter, which resulted in their shoulders trembling violently.


    With a frown, Qi Haoran shouted, ¡°What are youughing at? Don¡¯tugh!¡± Qi Haoran shouted down the mountain, ¡°What nonsense message are you passing? Am I someone who dies so easily? Go back and tell your Fourth Madam to wait for me at home obediently. Watch how I deal with her when I get back!¡±


    Seeing that Qi Haoran was angry, the old servant immediately took out Mu Yangling¡¯s letter and shouted, ¡°Fourth Master, Fourth Madam even wrote you a letter, but the kings at the foot of the mountain don¡¯t allow me to go up the mountain. I¡¯ll read it to you at the foot of the mountain.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s letter was very simple. The key was that she knew that these letters would most likely be checked, so she simply wrote some words that a wife would say to a husband. The letter started off with ¡°I miss you¡±. She expressed her emotions in a straightforward and passionate manner, but there was no beauty to it. Those who were lucky enough to read this letter, both openly and secretly, shook their heads and sighed. ¡°As expected of an uneducated woman.¡±


    Then, she told him about the date and time of birth of their son. Not only was their son strong, but he was also obedient. The instant he was born, he cried twice to show that he hade to this world. Then, he fell asleep all the way until dawn. When he woke up the next day, he immediately let it be known that he wanted to be fed. He was very smart, drinking milk as if he was in a war. He would sweat profusely after drinking his fill. One look at him and you¡¯d know that he was as strong as his father¡­


    At the foot of the mountain, everyone fell silent at the same time. Only the old servant¡¯s rough roar could be heard.


    It was clearly the most simple and ordinary letter, but for some reason, everyone felt a little sad.


    The old servant finally shouted, ¡°I know you aspire to be a great general. In the past, I didn¡¯t stop you from fighting against the Tartars. But now that you have a wife and a child, you can¡¯t just charge forward blindly. If there¡¯s the slightest chance of survival, you have to survive. Whether you escape or hide, try your best to survive. Our son and I will wait for you at home!


    After the old servant finished shouting, she cleared her throat. The entire mountain was silent. There truly was no beauty to her voice, and when she read the letter, she did not put any emotion into it and only shouted loudly. However, at this moment, everyone was already exhausted after 18 days of fighting. Not just those on the mountain, but even the bandits at the foot of the mountain were extremely exhausted. At this moment, when they heard that the high and mighty general on the mountain actually had a wife and a child at home like them and his family was looking forward to his return, they thought of their past.


    For a moment, they felt both hatred and pity for him. Clearly, they were all humans, but why was it that it was their families that had to be destroyed? At the same time, they felt sorry for his might-be-widowed wife and young son who probably felt sad. But at that moment, they remembered that he was also under orders and was a great hero who fought against the Jin Dynasty. For a moment, they did not know what to choose.


    Actually, there were only two things that really tugged at everyone¡¯s heartstrings. Qi Haoran had a wife and son, and that son had just been born. A young child could always make one¡¯s heart soften.


    The second point was that Qi Haoran was previously a general who fought against the Jin Dynasty. Only then did the bandits at the foot of the mountain know that the assistantmander on the mountain was called Qi Haoran. He was the younger brother of the Great General of the West Camp, Qi Xiuyuan, and had just been transferred back from the north.


    Now, Qi Xiuyuan was a hero second only to General Yuan. Everyone in the Great Zhou knew him, from the five-year-old children to the 70-year-old elderly folks.


    This was, once again, all thanks to the free speech allowed in the Great Zhou Dynasty and information that disseminated more efficiently than in the past..

 Chapter 495 - 495: Escape

    Chapter 495: Escape


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Deputy General Zhong said, ¡°General, this letter came at the right time.¡±


    If he didn¡¯t know for certain that they hadn¡¯t been able to contact the outside world since half a month ago, Deputy General Zhong would have thought that this was arranged by Qi Haoran to increase the sess of their operation at night.


    Qi Haoran understood what Deputy General Zhong meant. The arrival of this letter was undoubtedly the best reason for him to do so. For the sake of his wife and child and to survive, it was not unbelievable for him to make a deal with the bandits.


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°Call a smart kid to send the letter down and ask our men to rest while there¡¯s still time. When I go down the mountain, the entire camp has to be on guard. If I don¡¯t return, it¡¯s up to you guys to surrender or escape. Anyway, they¡¯re not Tartars. There¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of if you have to beg for mercy in order to survive.¡±


    Deputy General Zhong lowered his head and left.


    In the evening, not long after the sky turned dark, another letter appeared in Lin Man¡¯s hand. He scratched his head and, unable to make up his mind, threw it to Liu Dahei and asked, ¡°Is Qi Haoran serious? Isn¡¯t he afraid that we¡¯ll report him?¡±


    Liu Dahei handed the letter to his assistant, who whispered the contents in his ear. After pondering for a moment, Liu Dahei said, ¡°It won¡¯t do us any good to turn him in. It¡¯s mutually beneficial for us to reciprocate. However, we still have to discuss this carefully. We can¡¯t agree to everything he says. Besides, he has to leave something behind. Otherwise, what if he turns against uster?¡±


    When Lin Man heard that, he agreed. ¡°Then let¡¯s ask him toe down the mountain and have a chat.¡± He turned to his deputy and said, ¡°Find a nimble kid to hang up the oilmp on a random tree in the southeast. Bring some people to pick up Qi Haoran. Thest time we saw that kid, we thought that he was a silkpants who was still wet behind the ears. Who knew that he was so capable? These ten-odd days have been damn exhausting.¡±


    Not long after, an oilmp was hung on a tree in the southeast. When the people on the mountain saw it, Qi Haoran heaved a sigh of relief. Since the other party had relented, they had a chance.


    He turned around and nodded slightly at Deputy General Zhong. Then, he led three men down the mountain.


    Fei Bai followed closely beside Qi Haoran, gripping the hilt of the saber at his waist tightly.


    Qi Haoran nced at him and said in a low voice, ¡°Rx. I¡¯m there to negotiate, not to fight. Why are you holding that thing so tightly?¡±


    Only then did Fei Bai loosen his grip slightly.


    When Qi Haoran saw Lin Man and Liu Dahei, the first thing he wanted to do was to read his beloved wife¡¯s letter.


    Prepared for this, Liu Dahei handed the letter with the child¡¯s handprint to him.


    Qi Haoran did not expect such a surprise in the letter. He looked at the small ws on it in a daze, his eyes slightly moist. Then, he hurriedly put the letter away and looked up at the tent. He widened his eyes and said, ¡°Then, then let¡¯s start the peace talks.¡±


    His voice was hoarse and different from his slightly deeper voice from before. It was a little mellow.


    Was he crying?


    Lin Man and Liu Dahei looked curiously at Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes, only to see him staring at them with widened eyes. However, they still saw the moisture within them. Lin Man clicked his tongue in his heart, surprised. On the other hand, Liu Dahei was suspicious. Why was a general who had killed Jin soldiers and been to the battlefield so sentimental?


    No matter how suspicious Liu Dahei was, the negotiation started.


    Lin Man and Liu Dahei were very satisfied with the deal that Qi Haoran proposed. However, there were too many bandits on the south road of Jinghu. When the time came, Qi Haoran might not be tasked to encircle their two groups. Hence, the contract stated that once Qi Haoran did not lead troops or if it wasn¡¯t Qi Haoran¡¯s men that was surrounding them, he would be obliged to provide them with thetest information on the activities of the soldiers. It was limited to military operations against Liu Dahei and Lin Man, and he needed to tip them off five times.


    Qi Haoran thought for a long time and finally agreed.


    After both parties reached a consensus and signed the contract, Qi Haoran¡¯s official seal came in handy. After stamping the contract and discussing the specific actions that would follow, Qi Haoran filled his stomach with snacks from Lin Man before heading back up the mountain.


    When Qi Haoran returned to the mountain to inform Deputy General Zhong and the others that they would be taking action the next day, everyone felt relieved and went to rest. The higher-ups knew that they had gained a chance at survival, so although they were on guard tonight, they felt much more at ease. However, the soldiers below did not know this. They were merely 30% full from their dinner and did not know how much rations they had left. As time passed, they became more and more desperate and terrified. There were even people weeping softly at night.


    The next morning, seeing that the camp did not distribute food, the soldiers gradually became terrified. Qi Haoran gathered everyone and said, ¡°We¡¯ve depleted all rations in the camp.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, the soldiers¡¯ faces turned pale.


    ¡°But we also now have a new chance of survival. It should be ourst chance of survival.¡± Qi Haoran stared at them as he said, ¡°ording to the scouts, the bandits below are also exhausted. They decided to gather for the final attack today. When the timees, there will be a brief opening on the gentle slope to the west. If we can rush over, we can survive. If not, we have to stay here forever. Brothers, do you have the guts to rush out with me?¡±


    Everyone looked at Qi Haoran in silence. Qi Haoran said, ¡°This time, I¡¯ll be at the front. I¡¯ll pave the way for you guys regardless of whether we live or die. Let me ask you again, do you have the guts to rush out with me?¡±


    This time, everyone remained silent, but their gazes gradually became firm. Everyone opened their mouths and made a ¡°yes¡± gesture.


    ording to the rules of the army, such confidential matters could not be uttered out loud at such a critical moment. Therefore, even if everyone wanted to answer him, they could only express it with their eyes.


    Qi Haoran looked back at them and punched his left chest with his right fist. ¡°For survival!¡±


    The soldiers silently beat their left chests with their right hands and lowered their heads.


    Qi Haoran immediately got someone to sneak to the west side of the gentle slope. That was what he had discussed with Liu Dahei and Lin Manst night. Once the agreed upon time came, the bandits would retreat. Qi Haoran would then rush out with his men, but it was impossible for Qi Haoran topletely trust Liu Dahei and the others. Hence, he asked Deputy General Zhong to bring his men to cover the rear. This way, it would not be so easy for Liu Dahei and the others to go back on their word and scheme against them. When the time came, they would have time to retreat.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s n was excellent. Almost as soon as the other party¡¯s men disappeared from their sight, he secretly rushed out with his soldiers¡­


    Lin Man looked at them and asked, ¡°Are we really going to let them go like this?¡±


    ¡°Do you have the ability to keep them?¡±


    Lin Man remained silent.


    ¡°Then why bother to keep them? I¡¯m very satisfied with the conditions agreed uponst night.¡±


    Lin Man pursed his lips. ¡°Then why are you here so early in the morning? I thought you were going back on your word.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to watch the show and see if he really trusts us so much.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the conclusion?¡± Lin Man asked curiously.


    ¡°The conclusion is that Qi Haoran is indeed not stupid.¡± As Liu Dahei spoke, he turned around and left. ¡°Tell the people below to put on a more realistic show. As long as no one dies or bes disabled, it¡¯s normal to make them bleed a little.¡±


    Qi Haoran and the rest rushed out of the encirclement in one breath. In the end, they copsed to the ground panting in disbelief.


    The soldiers sat on the ground in a daze. They managed to rush out just like that? This was too simple!


    However, Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t rest since he had to seize the time to arrange for defenses. He called Deputy General Zhong over and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the nearest supply point? We have to get something to eat.¡±


    Deputy General Zhong immediately said, ¡°There¡¯s arge vige 25 miles south. We should be able to replenish our supplies there.¡±


    Qi Haoran turned around and red at him.. ¡°If I find out that you have such thoughts again, I¡¯ll chop you up!¡±

 Chapter 496 - 496: Moldy Rice

    Chapter 496: Moldy Rice


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Deputy General Zhong¡¯s face turned slightly pale. He said in a low voice, ¡°General, the soldiers have been hungry for a long time. Also, there might be pursuers behind¡­¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± Qi Haoran interrupted him. ¡°If you enter the vige, what¡¯s the difference between you and the bandits? We might as well have just surrendered on the mountain? Where¡¯s the nearest supply point?¡± Qi Haoran red at him and asked again.


    Typically, garrisons had supply points at the localities. These ces were only known to the trusted aides of the upper echelons. Qi Haoran had just taken over the army not long ago and had started fighting as soon as he arrived. The previous supply points were provided by the Imperial Court, and there was not much there. In fact, it was uncertain if there was anything inside or if the food inside could be eaten. Hence, Qi Haoran had not asked up till that point.


    But now, the government office in Jinghu seemed to be empty. There were bandits everywhere. If they wanted to replenish supplies, they could only find these small supply points. No matter how small a mosquito was, it was still meat. At this moment, they only needed a meal to have the strength to escape and meet up with the Imperial Court¡¯s army.


    Deputy General Zhong lowered his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s a small supply point 58 miles east, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s still there. After all, bandits are wreaking havoc now¡­¡±


    ¡°Rest for another 15 minutes before heading east. We must arrive before dark,¡± Qi Haoran ordered.


    Now that the soldiers had a chance to live, although they were hungry and tired, they still walked towards the supply point confidently.


    In the past, the supply points for the army were replenished and managed by the Imperial Court and local officials. Nine out of ten supply points were empty. Later on, when there were military fields and military households, the supply points were naturally handled by the garrisons themselves. Qi Haoran thought that no matter how bad the situation was, it would not be worse than being in the hands of the local officials. The truth was, although there was grains in the storeroom of the supply point, all the grains were moldy and ck.


    Qi Haoran rubbed the rice in his hands and turned around to look at Deputy General Zhong and the others.


    Deputy General Zhong and the regimentmander lowered their heads, not daring to meet Qi Haoran¡¯s gaze.


    Qi Haoran took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. ¡°Get someone to bury the pot and make rice.¡±


    Deputy General Zhong heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly asked someone toe in and move the grains out. He didn¡¯t mind the moldy and ck rice in the storeroom at all. Why would they mind this when they were about to starve to death?


    Fei Bai¡¯s expression was also very ugly. ¡°Master, they¡¯re too much. The entire storeroom is filled with moldy food. If we eat too much of this, our stomachs will hurt. How can the soldiers fight?¡±


    ¡°Now is not the time to fuss about this.¡± Qi Haoran said meaningfully, ¡°As long as we can survive, there will be plenty of opportunities to settle scores.¡±


    ¡°But Fourth Master, you¡¯ve been hungry for a few days. How can your stomach take it if you eat these things now?¡±


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯ve even drunk horse urine in the past. What¡¯s a few liang of moldy rice? There are many people in the army who are hungrier than me. If you say that again, I¡¯ll whip you.¡±


    Although Qi Haoran did not dare to say that he could go through thick and thin with the soldiers, he would definitely not receive preferential treatment at this time to dishearten the soldiers.


    The grains in the supply point were all saved from their rations, but now, they had suddenly be moldy rice. Even if he was newly transferred and these grams had nothing to do with him, Qi Haoran could notpletely shirk the responsibility because he was their general and their currentmander. Therefore, he naturally had to be responsible for everything now. As for who he would find to be responsible for this in the end, it was a problem for them higher-ups.


    The rice that was carried out emitted an unpleasant moldy smell. The soldiers washed the rice several times before fetching water from the nearby river to cook.


    While the Field Kitchen Unit gathered some wild vegetables nearby, they also sent some of the stronger individuals into the mountains to try their luck at hunting some game.


    Qi Haoran was still repeatedly rubbing the moldy ck rice grains in his hands with a dark expression.


    Deputy General Zhong thought for a moment before going up to him. ¡°Fourth Master, the situation at this supply point isn¡¯t good, but there¡¯s another supply point 25 miles north of here. The situation there should be better.¡±


    Qi Haoran opened his fingers slightly. The rice in his hand only moved for a moment before it stopped moving. If it was good rice, it would have long flowed out through his fingers.


    He threw away the rice in his hand, pped his hands, and asked curiously, ¡°Deputy General Zhong, where did you find this kind of grain? If we weren¡¯t about to starve to death, our brothers wouldn¡¯t eat this kind of thing even for a hundred taels of silver. They wouldn¡¯t even move their chopsticks.¡±


    ¡°The grams have already turned ck and moldy. Logically speaking, such things should have been thrown away long ago. The military reform only took ce three to four years ago. How did our grains be something like this?¡± Qi Haoran looked at him.


    Deputy General Zhong¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He opened his mouth and wanted toe up with a reason to cover it up. However, when he met Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes, which seemed to know everything, he could not bring himself to say it. Those who were familiar with Qi Haoran knew that his gaze was just an expression of anger and frustration. Hence, his eyes subconsciously widened slightly, making them look extremely clear, as if no one could hide anything from him.


    However, he was only angry because of Deputy General Zhong and the others¡¯ actions. Also, he was vexed that he didn¡¯t know why this rice had turned moldy. Deputy General Zhong thought to himself that since Qi Haoran was already their general, it was impossible to hide the situation at the supply points from him in the future. Since that was the case, he might as well take the opportunity to prepare him mentally. The impact might be lesser when he found out about the situation himself.


    Deputy General Zhong said with a mixture of truth and falsehood, ¡°General, these moldy rice are not military rations handed over by the military households at all. They were bought by our original assistantmander and wealthy businessmen.¡±


    Deputy General Zhong sighed and said, ¡°General, since you lead troops to war, you should know that fourth-grade assistantmanders aren¡¯t given much farmablend?. Previously, the military sry and rations were all paid by the Imperial Court. Although they were often withheld, as long as the number of people who reported it increased significantly, there would still be some spare rations. A few high-ranking officials in the army rely on this to support their families. The reform of the military system seems to be very beneficial to us. But since there are only so many of us, we can¡¯t farm all thend that we¡¯ve been given. In addition, there have been many natural and man-made disasters in the past few years. The military households have only handed over barely enough military rations. How can they have the ability to buy grains for the supply points? However, the Imperial Court sends people down to check the storeroom. Helpless, the assistantmander could only ask everyone to take out some money to gather enough military funds. Using that money, he found a rich businessman and bought the moldy grains from him. These moldy grams were originally used to deal with the inspection. Who would have thought that this would save everyone¡¯s lives today?¡±


    Qi Haoran was very suspicious of Deputy General Zhong¡¯s words. He had heard of the practice of abusing public resources, but he had never seen it before. Because all those guilty of this practice in the West Camp had been punished by his brother under the militaryw, Qi Haoran was able to grow up in a healthy environment. At the very least, his character had not been polluted since a young age, and his intelligence had not deteriorated because of this. However, although he suspected Deputy General Zhong¡¯s words, it was not appropriate ¡¯ for him to question him now. He continued to worry about whether he would see moldy ck rice again when he went to the next supply point tomorrow. However, Fei Bai sneaked over and whispered, ¡°Master, he¡¯s lying to you. It¡¯s simply because they colluded with each other to sell the soldiers¡¯ military sry and grains. They also bought moldy rice to deal with the inspection. Just now, a veteran told me that before you came, they had already eaten old rice for more than a year. Although the rice isn¡¯t as ck and moldy as these, it¡¯s still dry. Everyone has farmed before. One touch and they knew that the rice had been kept for at least four to five years¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s expression was cold as he nodded and said, ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t expose this matter first. The most important thing is to break out of the encirclement. We must be united at a moment like this. Also, think of a way to reply to Fourth Madam. She must be extremely worried.¡±

 Chapter 497 - 497: March

    Chapter 497: March


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran only replied to Mu Yangling, ¡°I¡¯m safe.¡±


    Mu Yangling read this sentence three to four times before confirming she hadn¡¯t read it wrongly. Lying on the pillow, she could not help but sob.


    Her son was so frightened that he opened his round eyes. He turned to look at his mother for a moment before crying loudly.


    Spring and Rain were anxious. ¡°Fourth Madam, stop crying. You¡¯re still in confinement. Besides, it¡¯s a good thing that Fourth Master is safe and sound.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Look, Young Master¡¯s face is red from crying with you.¡± Rain patted the child tenderly.


    Mu Yangling went forward and picked up her son. She hugged him as she cried hard. ¡°Son, your father is still alive. Why doesn¡¯t he remember to give you a name? I told him to give you a name, but he still forgot. It¡¯s fine if he forgot to give you a name, but how can he not say more about such a big matter as your birth? How can he only bring back this one sentence? When hees back in the future, you¡¯re definitely not allowed to call him ¡®Father¡¯. You have to get him to apologize to you¡­¡±


    Spring and Rain looked at each other and thought that Mu Yangling must be overjoyed. They shook their heads and left the house.


    Spring went to the kitchen to check on Mu Yangling¡¯s lunch, while Rain went to fetch water to wash Mu Yangling¡¯s face. Just then, Wen Cui hurriedly ran over. ¡°How¡¯s Fourth Madam?¡±


    Stunned, Spring smiled and said, ¡°Sister Wen Cui is here. Our Fourth Madam is fine. Why do you ask?¡±


    Wen Cui sized up the two of them and said, ¡°Who are you lying to? Just now, an old servant went to report that Fourth Madam hugged Third Young Master and cried. Our Eldest Madam nearly fell to the ground in shock. However, since our Second Young Master¡¯s health isn¡¯t good, Eldest Madam can¡¯t leave his side at this time, so she asked me toe and take a look.¡±


    Spring and Rain shuddered and asked, ¡°Is Second Young Master not feeling well?¡± Then, they hurriedly exined, ¡°Our Fourth Madam received Fourth Master¡¯s letter and was happy, so she hugged Third Young Master and cried tears of joy. Wasn¡¯t Second Young Master fine before? He even wanted to y with our Third Young Master.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that so?¡± Wen Cui forced a smile and said, ¡°But it¡¯s summer now, and the weather in Jiangnan is a little abnormal. Perhaps because he was exposed to the wind in the small garden yesterday, he has a runny nose and keeps crying. It¡¯s only because Second Young Master cries softly that you didn¡¯t hear him.¡± ¡°Since Fourth Madam is fine, I¡¯ll go over and reply with relief. Take good care of Fourth Madam for the next two days. Don¡¯t go to our residence if there¡¯s nothing else, lest you catch the illness from him. The adults are fine, but there¡¯s still a little ancestor in your residence.¡±


    Spring and Rain immediately agreed. When Rain returned with water, she told Mu Yangling about Little Treasure¡¯s illness. ¡°What did Physician Sun say?¡± ¡°Physician Sun said that the evil wind entered his body. Although it¡¯s not a big deal, the child¡¯s body is weak, especially since Second Young Master was born prematurely, so we have to be extra careful.¡±


    ¡°In that case, tell Eldest Madam that she doesn¡¯t have to worry about me. Tell her to focus on taking care of Second Young Master.¡±


    After Rain agreed, Mu Yangling asked Spring to get the guards to inform Fan Zijin that Qi Haoran¡¯s letter informing them of his safety had arrived¡­


    Fan Zijin only got someone to reply, ¡°Got it.¡± He did note over at all because he had also received Qi Haoran¡¯s letter. In fact, his letter was even much longer than Mu Yangling¡¯s letter. This surprised him, so he was naturally unwilling to travel so far just to read a sentence.


    Yanmo really wanted to remind his master that although Young Master Haoran had written him a long letter, half of it was regarding serious matters. The other half was Young Master Haoran constantly unting that he was now a father and asking Fan Zijin to take care of his family. He really didn¡¯t understand what was there to be proud of.


    Fan Zijin was only proud for a moment before he focused on serious matters. Qi Haoran had already ¡°escaped¡± the siege of Liu Dahei and Lin Man. As long as he hid his tracks and escaped Jinghu, he would be able to meet up with the Imperial Court¡¯s army and bepletely safe.


    Therefore, Fan Zijin wanted to facilitate the expedition of the Imperial Court¡¯s army. Whether it was to intimidate the bandits so as to better recruit them or to really eliminate the bandits, the 200,000-strong army surrounding the Jinghu area had to advance as soon as possible. Only then could their line of sight be diverted and the rebel forces be restrained. Qi Haoran would also be safer.


    Fan Zijin understood this logic, and so did the others. The secret report that entered the capital earlier than Qi Haoran¡¯s letter was that Qi Haoran had sessfully broken out of the encirclement with his men, but they did not know the details. However, they only had less than half of their men left¡­


    No one would believe that Qi Haoran could escape the encirclement alive and even bring more than 1,400 men out with him.


    Due to everyone¡¯s doubts about this secret report, the Emperor had no choice but to call Fan Zijin, who had received Qi Haoran¡¯s handwritten letter, to the Imperial Court.


    He knew that Mu Yangling had also received a note, but the content was too boring. Moreover, the other party was a woman, so he could only send for Fan Zijin.


    Fan Zijin was still a little confused when he entered the pce. The eunuch who announced the decree did not reveal a single word to him.


    Although he was a jinshi now, he was actually not in the Imperial Court¡¯s official system. As he did not participate in the Hanlin Bachelor Examination, when his peers had already taken root in the Hanlin Academy or the six departments or localities, he was still doing business. This was the second time he stood here since hest came for the Pce Examinations.


    The Emperor gently asked about the letter Qi Haoran had written to him and told him about the courtiers¡¯ suspicions, hoping that he could give everyone an answer on behalf of Qi Haoran.


    Fan Zijin raised his head proudly and said, ¡°Your Majesty, Assistant Commander Qi sessfully escaped because of his ability and his luck. I, your student, have no idea why the officials are suspicious.¡±


    Having passed the Pce Examinations, Fan Zijin was considered a Student of the Son of Heaven. Therefore, he referred to himself as the Emperor¡¯s student.


    ¡°The people at the foot of the mountain are just a motley crew formed by farmers who have lost theirnd. Although there are more than 30,000 of them, they belong to two different factions. After surrounding Haoran for 18 days, every day, they didn¡¯t even manage to touch the corner of Haoran¡¯s clothes. From this, it can be seen how useless the rebels are.¡±


    ¡°As for Haoran, he was familiar with military books since he was young. Later on, he was personally taught by his eldest brother. It might be impossible for him to take down 30,000 enemies with 3,000 soldiers, but it¡¯s not impossible for him to defend his position. Your Majesty, look, hasn¡¯t he seeded?¡±


    The Emperor lowered his head to look at Fan Zijin and asked, ¡°Did Minister Qi not mention the exact process in the letter?¡±


    Fan Zijin said nonchntly, ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but he did mention a few things. He said that Liu Dahei had a conflict with Lin Man and the battle had slowed down recently. That¡¯s why he grabbed the opportunity and ran away with his men. Your Majesty, I don¡¯t know where Haoran is now, but he hasn¡¯t eaten or drunk anything. Please send an army to rescue him as soon as possible and capture all the bandits in Jinghu.¡±


    The Emperor¡¯s lips twitched as he looked at the silent officials below. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°Minister Fan is right. Order the army to set off immediately and march forward. We must capture all 130,000 rebels in Jinghu..¡±

 Chapter 498: Murder

    Chapter 498: Murder


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Of course, the Emperor did not really want them to kill or capture all 130,000 rebels. He did have this wish, but it was 200,000 troops against 130,000 rebels. Not to mention how much military supplies and rations they needed, they could not afford to waste the time.


    The Emperor just wanted to give those rebels a warning so that they would obediently ept the amnesty and recruitment. After all, if they really fought, their losses would be huge. If they forced those people to fight to the death with them, there would probably be an ongoing war in the next three to four years. While those people could focus on fighting to the death with them, the Imperial Court still had many concerns.


    The officials also knew that this was the art of talking, so none of them were stupid enough toe out and correct the Emperor. Therefore, for some reason, this decision spread to the Jinghu area. In the eyes of the rebels, this was a signal that the Emperor could not take it anymore and decided to send an army to fight them to the death.


    At first, the bandits were panicking. Then, they began to contact each other and discuss forming an alliance to resist the Imperial Court¡¯s army. Even Liu Dahei and Lin Man rushed to participate anxiously.


    As for the two people who had recently fought with the Imperial Court¡¯s army, they were warmly met by the other bandit leaders who took turns to ask them about the Imperial Court¡¯s strength.


    That was because Liu Dahei and Lin Man¡¯s defeat was really too ugly. The assistantmander, who only had 3,000 men and was surrounded by 30,000 rebels, actually managed to break out of the encirclement. Although people didn¡¯t say anything unpleasant to the two bandit leaders, they mocked them openly and secretly. Therefore, the two of them were very aggrieved. They really wanted to speak what was on their minds to each other in order to seekfort. However, everyone felt that the duo didn¡¯t have a good rtionship. Every time the duo gathered together, there would be people following them around, with a very nice-sounding excuse: to prevent the duo from getting into a conflict.


    In reality though, they were just there to watch the show.


    The duo¡¯s expressions increasingly darkened. In the end, they gathered together to discuss a n. ¡°Let¡¯s pay attention to Qi Haoran¡¯s movements. When the timees, we¡¯ll directly bring people to his side and directly face-off against Qi Haoran. We have something on him, so he definitely won¡¯t dare to do anything to us. When the timees, we¡¯ll negotiate with him and get him to let us go.¡±


    Lin Man agreed to Liu Dahei¡¯s n and went back to watch the chaotic battle in peace. The rebels were fighting to nominate a leader.


    At this moment, Qi Haoran, whom Liu Dahei and Lin Man had high hopes for, was running on the dirt road with more than 1,400 remaining soldiers. Only when the sun was about to rise did Qi Haoran give the order to rest on the spot. The soldiers immediately rolled onto the grass on both sides of the road or ran straight into the forest to lie down. They were really exhausted.


    Qi Haoran sat cross-legged on the ground and took out a piece of dry food to stuff into his mouth. Then, he took out the map and pointed at a spot. ¡°We can reach Tongren from here. Tongren is not under the upation of the rebels. I wonder if Tongren¡¯s garrison will participate in the operation to surround and kill the rebels.¡±


    As Deputy General Zhong drank water, he said, ¡°I think they will definitely participate. It¡¯s already not bad if they can leave 1,000 people to guard the city.¡± He looked at the hard biscuit in his hand sadly. ¡°I wonder if Tongren has any military rations for us.¡±


    Along the way, they had found many supply points, but most of them had moldy grains. Having already left Hengzhou a few days ago, the supply points they foundter on were all from other garrisons. In other words, it was not only the garrisons in Hengzhou who did this.


    Deputy General Zhong was so angry that he scolded ¡°What corrupt officials!¡± for a few days. Qi Haoran looked at him disdainfully. ¡°Is it interesting to scold yourself?¡±


    Deputy General Zhong¡¯s face turned red, but he didn¡¯t dare toin anymore.


    Qi Haoran was unwilling to disturb themoners, so they all passed through the viges without entering. They all knew that Qi Haoran¡¯s military discipline was strict, so no one dared to forcefully rob themoners. Deputy General Zhong thought that the soldiers might not be able to hold on for two days before protesting against Qi Haoran. At that time, he could take the opportunity to force Qi Haoran to agree to let them be self-sufficient. Unexpectedly, despite Qi Haoran¡¯s strict requirements, not only did the soldiers not make a fuss, but they also became more and more convinced of him.


    Deputy General Zhong watched as Qi Haoran gradually took control of the entire army from him, but he did not dare to do anything. Although he had something on Qi Haoran, Qi Haoran also held his lifeline. This time, Qi Haoran had already gained several trusted aides after sessfully breaking out of the encirclement. His prestige in the army had also increased. In addition, his official status was higher than his to begin with, so Deputy General Zhong¡¯s control over the army gradually weakened.


    At the thought of having to eat a few more meals of moldy dry rations, Deputy General Zhong took a fierce bite of the dry rations and swallowed them forcefully.


    After the hottest period passed, Qi Haoran stood up and led everyone to continue advancing. A scout ran over and reported, ¡°General, there¡¯s a vige ahead. Should we stop and rest tonight?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked up at the sky and ordered, ¡°Don¡¯t stop. We¡¯ll go as far as we can before it gets dark.¡±


    The army¡¯s discipline looked very good now, and the soldiers were willing to follow him to eat moldy dry food and not disturb themoners. However, if they stayed in the vige and saw others eating rice, vegetables, and saw even women and children, could the tired army really continue to maintain such strict discipline?


    Qi Haoran would not take such a gamble.


    Deputy General Zhong and the soldiers below only thought that Qi Haoran did not want to disturb themoners. They continued to follow Qi Haoran expressionlessly. However, when they were about to pass by the vige, Qi Haoran stopped.


    Deputy General Zhong asked in confusion, ¡°General, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned as he looked at the vige. He twitched his nose and finally frowned as he summoned a scout. ¡°Go into the vige and take a look. Be careful.¡±


    The scout did not understand what was going on, but he still turned around and ran into the vige.


    This vige was very close to the main road, only about 300 meters away. Between the trees, one could clearly see the ovepping houses in the vige. It could be seen that the conditions were not bad.


    Qi Haoran led his men along the main road, but there was no noise from the vige at all. If the vigers hid because they were afraid of the military disaster, what about the dogs they raised?


    The 1,400-odd of them did not deliberately move quietly, so this smallmotion would definitely rm the dogs raised by the vigers. Previously, they had heard the barking of dogs when they passed by some viges.


    Qi Haoran had a nagging feeling that something was amiss. It was only when he walked below the draught and vaguely smelled a trace of blood that he felt that this vige was too quiet. It was so eerily quiet that it felt strange.


    Qi Haoran looked in the direction of the vige with a dark expression. The scout he had just sent ran back with a slightly pale face and said in a trembling voice, ¡°General, something happened in the vige. Corpses are lying everywhere. I¡¯m not sure if the murderer is still hiding in the vige, so I didn¡¯t dare to make a fuss.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face sank. ¡°How long have the corpses been there?¡±


    The scout paused for a moment and said, ¡°I¡¯ve touched two of them. Both of them are cold and their blood has already coagted. Looking at the livor mortis on their faces, it should have been quite some time.¡±


    It was very unlikely that the murderer was still in the vige. Though, it was unknown if there were any survivors in the vige..

 Chapter 499: Massacring the Village

    Chapter 499: Massacring the Vige


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran waved his hand and got the soldiers to enter the vige in a defensive formation. The vige was not big, with only 60-odd families. However, none of them survived.


    From a two-year-old baby to a 70-year-old man, the murderer did not even let off a pregnant woman.


    The crime likely happened at night because most of the people died in their houses or beds. Very few dead people were found on the road in the vige.


    The time of death was about two days ago. If it was daytime, the people in the vige would not have been mostly at home. Some must have gone to the fields or gone out. However, they had investigated the nearby fields and found no corpses or traces of murder.


    If not every viger had been killed, there was no reason for no one to clean up the ce even after two days. Therefore, the most likely possibility was that no one in the vige, old or young, had survived. Since the vige was wiped out sopletely, the massacre could only have happened at night. To be precise, it should have beente at night.


    The other party might have been worried about being discovered, so he did not set the ce on fire to clean up the scene. Instead, he carried the corpses not far from the vige entrance and threw them into the house. He did not move the other corpses.


    The soldiers silently gathered all the corpses at the entrance of the vige. One by one, they were ced together. It was obvious that those that belonged to one family were ced together. The corpses of those whose family were unknown were ced aside. It was not until night fell that everyone finished searching the entire vige. They had even searched the cers. Indeed, there were no survivors.


    As a soldier carried a child of about three or four years old out of the cer, he couldn¡¯t help but cry. This child had died from a stab in the abdomen. The soldier found several baskets of vegetables on his left. His family must have hidden him in the cer, but who knew that the murderer would still discover where he was hiding¡­


    The child¡¯s grandparents, parents, and three uncles were all lying at the door and in the hall, but the door to the cer was clean without a trace of blood. It was obvious that his family did not run to the backyard to prevent the murderer from noticing the cer in the backyard, but the child protected by the entire family still did not survive.


    Everyone lit their torches and stood silently on the field at the entrance of the vige.


    Even Deputy General Zhong, who was used to bullyingmoners, could not help but tear up. He cursed, ¡°These bastards are simply inhumane. No wonder the Imperial Court sent an army to suppress them.¡±


    When everyone heard this, their eyes were filled with hatred. ¡°Deputy General Zhong, let¡¯s go back and kill the bandits to avenge themoners.¡±


    Qi Haoran squatted on the ground to examine the corpses. When he heard this, he red at him fiercely and turned to Deputy General Zhong. ¡°Who said that this was done by the bandits?¡±


    ¡°Who else could it be? Could it be the Imperial Court¡¯s army?¡± Dissatisfied with Qi Haoran¡¯s questioning tone, Deputy General Zhong shouted indignantly.


    ¡°There are more than 200 people in the vige. With such arge-scale massacre, it must be done by a lot of people. In our dynasty, such crazy murder cases are quite rare. It¡¯s impossible for a few or dozens of people tomit such a huge crime. Other than the Imperial Court¡¯s army, the only possible culprits are the bandits. If such a sick crime wasn¡¯tmitted by the bandits, could it be that it was really done by our colleagues?¡± A regimentmander shouted.


    The soldiers were also filled with righteous indignation when they heard this. A few of them even shouted, ¡°General, bring us back to fight the bandits. We will definitely be able to catch all these rebels in one fell swoop and return peace to the people.¡±


    Qi Haoran sneered. ¡°If you want to return peace to the people, you have to fight not only bandits, but also foreign enemies.¡±


    Qi Haoran tore open the clothing on the chest of a corpse on the ground, revealing the hideous knife wound. ¡°Do you really think that this person was killed by bandits? Don¡¯t forget that the viges we passed by previously are all fine. Those viges are much closer to the bandits¡¯ nest.¡±


    ¡°General, what do you mean?¡± Deputy General Zhong looked down at the wound and thought of what Qi Haoran had just said. His expression changed and he said, ¡°This, this was done by the Hus?¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, everyone¡¯s expressions changed. They looked warily at the knife wound on the chest of the corpse on the ground, as if it was a ferocious beast.


    Qi Haoran sighed and said, ¡°It¡¯s indeed hateful for bandits to rob houses, but it¡¯s undeniable that they were all citizens of Great Zhou in the past. Even if most of them became bandits, they still have many rtives and friends who remain at the foot of the mountain as ordinary civilians. Would such people massacre an entire vige and not let the old and young off?¡±


    Seeing that everyone had their heads lowered in deep thought, Qi Haoran said, ¡°Since some of you were soldiers in Hengzhou a few years ago, you should be familiar with the local bandits. Have you seen themmit such ruthless acts?¡±


    ¡°Although those bandits have robbed merchants, officials, and even the government office, they rarely rob themoners, let alone kill them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Even the Qi Mountain Stronghold, which themoners hate the most, will at most go down the mountain to snatch the food and poultry raised by themoners. Every time they plunder, they won¡¯t snatch all the grains. Could it be that the more they plunder, the more ruthless these bandits be? To think they ughtered the vige.¡±


    ¡°So, this really wasn¡¯t done by bandits, but by the Hus?¡± A soldier said with a pale face, ¡°But, but aren¡¯t we on the south road of Jinghu? Why are there Hus here? The pass is not near from here. Jinghu is in the central region of the Great Zhou, right?¡±


    The soldier looked at Qi Haoran with uncertainty, wanting to obtain his agreement because he had told them all this. In the past, they did not even know how many government offices there were on the south road of Jinghu. However, aftering under Assistant Commander Qi¡¯s charge, he had taught them how to read maps, even asking that they be familiar with the maps of the entire Great Zhou. Only then did these young fellows, who had just joined the army, realize that the south road of Jinghu they were on was in the central region of the Great Zhou and was very prosperous.


    Could it be that Qi Haoran had taught them wrong? Could it be that the south road of Jinghu was actually not as far away from the border as they thought? Could the Hus ughter their vige as soon as they entered?


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face sank. Of course, he knew how far this ce was from the border. It was because of this that his expression became even uglier.


    Deputy General Zhong¡¯s hands and feet trembled as he grabbed the arm of a regimentmander. It was only by leaning against him with half of his body¡¯s strength that he didn¡¯t fall to the ground.


    What happened next was not something ordinary soldiers could listen to. Qi Haoran once again told everyone clearly that the south road of Jinghu was in the central region of the Great Zhou and was not close to the border. As for why the Hus coulde to Jinghu to ughter the vige and why they did so, they would have to investigate it further. However, the Great Zhou was huge and had abundant resources. There were countless main roads and byways. Perhaps those Hus traveled via the byways. Therefore, Qi Haoran asked everyone to take the night to think about whether there were any byways in their hometowns that outsiders did not know that could lead to the main traffic routes.


    After assigning tasks to everyone and diverting everyone¡¯s attention, Qi Haoran led a group of upper-middle-ss leaders into a house.


    Fei Bai got someone to guard outside and went to the kitchen to bring a pot of water back to refill everyone¡¯s water. Qi Haoran said,¡±¡­ We have to inform the Imperial Court and the various armies as soon as possible. Tell everyone to be careful of the Hus. We have to send more people to the border.¡±


    Deputy General Zhong gulped down a mouthful of water and asked, ¡°General, are you sure that this was done by the Hus? Perhaps it¡¯s a revenge killing or something.. You have to know that this ce is so far from the border, and the Imperial Court has 200,000 troops on the south road of Jinghu¡­¡±

 Chapter 500: Doubt

    Chapter 500: Doubt


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s extremely dangerous.¡± Anger shed across Qi Haoran¡¯s face. ¡°West Xia¡¯s army is equipped with a kind of broadsword. I¡¯ve fought with their soldiers before and know the characteristics of a wound caused by that kind of de. There are more than 200 people in the vige. If there were only a few people, it could be considered a coincidence. However, there are more than 200 people, including children, who all have that kind of knife wound. The way they were shed is also characteristic of West Xia¡¯s army. Tell me, could this be a revenge killing or an ident?¡±


    Deputy General Zhong¡¯s hands trembled and he couldn¡¯t help but cover his face. He didn¡¯t want to admit this fact. If this was true, it meant that the enemy had already entered their door and rushed into the second courtyard. The family head and family members who lived in the third courtyard didn¡¯t know anything and lived as usual. No, perhaps the enemy hadn¡¯t just rushed into the second courtyard. They might even have disguised themselves and sneaked into their backyard.


    At the thought of this, Deputy General Zhong shivered.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s heart trembled as well, but he had never been a person who avoided difficulties. On the contrary, the more difficult the situation was, the stronger and calmer he became.


    No matter how many thoughts and schemes he had previously, when facing an invasion from foreign enemies, matters such as suppressing bandits, controlling the army, or even rebelling had to be temporarily cast to one side. If he left them be, what was the difference between him and the Tartars and the Great Zhou royal family that he despised? At this moment, nothing was more important than resisting external humiliation.


    Looking up at everyone, Qi Haoran saw the fear in their eyes. He knew that they were afraid of fighting the Hus and still harbored hopes that this matter wasn¡¯t linked to the West Xia¡¯s army. Hence, he said, ¡°The cost of building West Xia¡¯s saber is not low. If they are not from West Xia, what is worth them doing this in this vige? Moreover, why would they pretend to be from West Xia? Isn¡¯t it best to frame the bandits now, considering there are so many bandits on the south road of Jinghu? Even if the government office is suspicious, surely they can¡¯t investigate the bandits one by one? Since the incident happened so suddenly, the other party clearly did not have time to consider further and could not even stop them. What they have shown now is the most real. They didn¡¯t dare to burn the corpses and destroy the evidence because they were afraid of attracting the people from the nearby viges. Also, they couldn¡¯t guarantee that they could finish cleaning all the traces. Furthermore, they were in a hurry and only wanted to leave the scene as soon as possible¡­¡± Qi Haoran met everyone¡¯s eyes and said word by word, ¡°This was done by the people of West Xia.¡±


    ¡°In order to suppress the bandits, His Majesty has already dispatched various armies to provide support. The troops sent from the south and north of Jinghu might not only be from the garrison on the main road in the southwest and northwest, but also from the garrison guarding the border. I don¡¯t know if the West Xia troops have bypassed the line of sight of the garrison or directly advanced. In any case, a West Xia army has arrived here. Perhaps the people in this vige had discovered them, or maybe the existence of this vige got in their way, so the vigers were ughtered. As of now, it¡¯s been five days since we received thetest news from the Imperial Court¡­¡±


    At this point, Qi Haoran could not continue. He sighed and said, ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. Previously, in order to avoid the pursuit of the bandits, I led everyone to hide everywhere. When I wanted to seek information, I could only look for themoners. Since the information they know is, after all, limited, I don¡¯t know what the situation at the border is like now¡­¡±


    ¡ö¡¯General, you can¡¯t be med for this. We only have so few people, and most of the south road of Jinghu is upied by bandits. If it weren¡¯t for you, we would have been torn apart by those bandits long ago,¡± a regimentmander hurriedly said. Another person followed suit and said, ¡°General, just tell us your idea. We¡¯ll obey your orders. Anyway, we knew before we joined the army that it would be difficult to return alive. Now that we have survived that ordeal, our lives belong to you. If we can fight with the Hus before we die, we won¡¯t havee to this world in vain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, aren¡¯t they just Hus? Let¡¯s fight them.¡± A regimentmander mmed the table and shouted.


    Three of the five regimentmanders expressed their stance while the remaining two looked at Deputy General Zhong hesitantly. They opened their mouths but lowered their heads and didn¡¯t say anything.


    Qi Haoran looked at Deputy General Zhong. Deputy General Zhong took a deep breath and felt bitter. However, he said resolutely, ¡°As long as there¡¯s concrete evidence that West Xia is behind this, I¡¯ll follow your orders and fight West Xia to the death!¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve investigated the traces in the vige. There should be no less than 500 of them. It¡¯s impossible for so many people to walk all the way from the border to here without leaving any traces. Therefore, as long as we search carefully, we¡¯ll definitely be able to find traces.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve also investigated the entrances and exits. I can see some very slight traces, but I can¡¯t see anything further away. It¡¯s either all kinds of traces ovepping or they¡¯ve already disappeared. If this ce is already like this, let alone a ce that those people passed by long ago.¡±


    Qi Haoran took out a map and said, ¡°Based on the situation in this vige, they should have taken a mix of the main roads and the byways. If they encounter ces with more people, they take the byways to avoid other people. Once they reach a remote ce, they take the main roads. This vige is only two days away from Tongren. Tongren is very small, and some ces have dangerous terrain. There are only two byways out of this vige. Send someone to walk along these two byways and see if they can find any traces.


    Qi Haoran looked at Deputy General Zhong and said, ¡°If we find out that this matter is really a vendetta, or that it¡¯s targeted at the people in this vige because of other interests or conflicts, although I will feel sad for the people in the vige, I will still be happy because our Great Zhou has avoided a cmity.¡± Deputy General Zhong heaved a sigh of relief, d that Qi Haoran was not stubborn.


    The next morning, Qi Haoran sent two teams to investigate along the two paths that he had pointed out. In order to prevent anyone from deliberately creating or hiding evidence, Qi Haoran mixed the people who were loyal to him with those who were biased towards Deputy General Zhong and asked them to monitor each other.


    After they left, Qi Haoran got someone to dig more than 60 huge pits not far from the vige, nning to bury all the corpses. At this moment, because the weather was hot, the corpses decayed very quickly. Although they had only died for two days, the air was already filled with the stench of rotting corpses. Qi Haoran originally wanted to burn it all down, but when he saw the families arranged in rows, Qi Haoran felt that allowing the families to be buried together might be the only constion after their deaths.


    Hence, Qi Haoran gave the order to dig more than 60 huge pits, one for each family.


    The people who had been ced aside previously were confirmed after they found the genealogy and household registration of each family. When they buried everyone, Deputy General Zhong, who had stayed behind to guard the vige, also brought people to sweep the entire vige. Everything that could be eaten and used was gathered in therge square.


    Seeing the ugly expression on Qi Haoran¡¯s face, Deputy General Zhong immediately exined, ¡°Since these things will rot if we keep them, we might as well let the soldiers have them. Besides, aren¡¯t we going to avenge these victims by finding the murderer? We can consider this as apensation.¡± Qi Haoran snorted and said, ¡°Did I say no? But what if it rains after you gather the things here? Are you thinking that we haven¡¯t eaten enough moldy rice these few days, so you n to make another batch?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Deputy General Zhong immediately got someone to move the grains to arger room. The other supplies were also ced in different rooms.


    Qi Haoran stood at the window and looked outside for a while. Then, he turned around and sat on the chair, looking down at the small token in his hand.


    Fei Bai asked in confusion, ¡°Master, why didn¡¯t you take this out? If you did, who would suspect that this wasn¡¯t done by West Xia? We wouldn¡¯t need to spend so much effort to find evidence and traces then..¡±

 Chapter 501: Separation

    Chapter 501: Separation


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    It was the token of the West Xia¡¯s army. Fei Bai had found it in the hands of a viger when he was moving the corpses with his men. At that time, the token was held tightly in the grip of the deceased. He had spent a lot of effort to pull it out and secretly handed it to Qi Haoran.


    Fei Bai didn¡¯t understand. Qi Haoran had clearly told everyone that this was done by the West Xia soldiers, but he didn¡¯t show everyone the token. Instead, he asked everyone to spend time looking for traces and evidence left behind by the murderers.


    Qi Haoran lowered his eyes and said, ¡°They need time, and so do I.¡±


    Instead of exining much, Qi Haoran just turned around and returned to his room. He wrote a secret letter and handed it to Fei Bai. ¡°Go to the nearest county with the scouts to ask for information. Take the opportunity to send this letter out.¡±


    Fei Bai did not ask further. He put the secret letter away and turned to leave.


    The Imperial Court had already started fighting with the rebels, and there were wins and losses. Overall, the Imperial Court had taken back more cities than they had lost, so it could barely be considered a victory. When they heard the news brought back by the scouts, the soldiers perked up and looked at Qi Haoran.


    Qi Haoran lowered his eyes and said, ¡°When the other two teams return, we will continue to look for the Imperial Court¡¯s army.¡±


    Deputy General Zhong was stunned. ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to look for the murderer?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I want to increase our chances.¡± Qi Haoran said, ¡°If we can meet up with the Imperial Court¡¯s army, we won¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡± Considering this is the critical moment to suppress the bandits, will the marshal leading the troops listen to our one-sided words?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have to gather evidence and report it to the Imperial Court. It¡¯s not like we¡¯repeting with them for military merits. With the enemy in front of us, we should unite and ask around for the Imperial Court¡¯s army camp closest to us,¡± Qi Haoran instructed Deputy General Zhong.


    Deputy General Zhong shrugged his shoulders and gave the order. They had originally nned to go to Tongren to rest and await orders from the Imperial Court. However, they urgently needed to meet up with the army, so they naturally could not go to Tongren now. The nearest army base was in Ye County, and it would take two and a half days to travel there at the quickest.


    Just as Deputy General Zhong was about to instruct his men to prepare the rations for the journey, the two reconnaissance teams sent out returned. One team looked alright and reported, ¡°General, other than themoners being harassed by bandits, everything is normal on our road. The locals can testify that the bandits are all locals.¡±


    The other team looked a little pale. ¡°General, we searched carefully along the way and found traces ofrge-scale trampling on many mountain passes. After asking the nearby vigers and townspeople, we discovered that some vigers and townspeople have disappeared for no reason recently. They remain missing and their corpses are yet to be found, but because bandits are wreaking havoc now, the government office isn¡¯t paying much attention to this matter.¡±


    ¡°However, we¡¯ve investigated in private. Those people appeared in simr locations at about the same time. We followed those locations and found hidden traces. We roughly estimate that the enemy has about 2,000 men on their side. And at the ce where they left, we found a few buried corpses. The strange thing is that the wounds on the corpses seem to be from the same weapon as the vigers¡¯ fatal injuries, but the saber techniques arepletely different. The other party seems to be hiding something.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? Of course, it¡¯s to cover up their identity. General, it was easy for those people to kill the lone travelers, so they still had time to change their saber techniques. However, when they arrived at the vige, it was obvious that the incident happened too suddenly. The other party decided to ughter the vige at thest minute, so they didn¡¯t have time to cover up. Instead, they instinctively used their best saber techniques to kill.¡±


    ¡°General, give the order. I wonder how many more tragedies will happen when these West Xia people barge into our Great Zhou. They¡¯re even worse than bandits.¡±


    However, Qi Haoran frowned and asked, ¡°You said that there are about 2,000 of them? But we only found traces of about 500 people near the vige. Where did the other 1,500 go?¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent. Qi Haoran spun around on the spot a few times and said, ¡°We can¡¯t just ignore this matter. If we send people out to investigate after we find the battalion in two and a half days, we¡¯ll lose a lot of traces. It¡¯d be as difficult as ascending to the heavens to find 2,000 people in Great Zhou.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you think we should do, General?¡±


    ¡°Split into four teams. One team will continue to look for the Imperial Court¡¯s army. The other three teams will think of a way to find the West Xia soldiers by following their traces along the way.¡± Qi Haoran said, ¡°Try not to sh with them and not be discovered by them. Our main mission is to find and monitor them.¡±


    ¡°Then who will lead the team back to find the Imperial Court¡¯s army?¡± Deputy General Zhong was most concerned about this.


    Qi Haoran replied with a grin, ¡°Get the regimentmander of the 1st Division to bring the troops back. I want you to bring a team of soldiers to investigate. I¡¯ll lead another team. The regimentmander of the 3rd and 5th Divisions will lead the third team.¡±


    Deputy General Zhong opened his mouth. He wanted to say that he would lead the team back, but when he met Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes, he dared not say it out loud. He did not trust Qi Haoran, and this distrust was mutual. Hence, the best solution was to let someone else go back.


    At night, Qi Haoran gathered Deputy General Zhong and the five regimentmanders together and said, ¡°Now that we each have something on each other, we¡¯ll both suffer losses if anything goes wrong. Everyone, you have to consider more when doing things so that you won¡¯t do anything that you¡¯ll regret. I¡¯ll say this first. We can fight however we want normally, but now that the country is in trouble, if I find out who framed theirrades and became the helper of the Hus, I¡¯ll fulfill his wish and let him be a hero for West Xia or the Jin Kingdom.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at them sharply, making everyone lower their heads slightly. This threat was too heavy, and no one dared to ignore it. This was because Qi Haoran was their superior and had something on them. It was simply too easy to frame them for colluding with the enemy and betraying their country.


    At that time, not only them, but even their families would have to die. At this moment, not only the regimentmander who had been ordered to go back and look for the Imperial Court¡¯s army, but even Deputy General Zhong did not dare to have any thoughts about this matter. After interacting with him for a few months, they could tell that Qi Haoran was a little stubborn. Once he set his mind on something, even the heavens would not be able to stop him.


    They did not have the guts to gamble with the lives of their entire family.


    Qi Haoran took out all the food in this vige and divided them into four portions, threerge and one small. He handed the smallest portion to the regimentmander of the 1st Division and said, ¡°Since you guys are going back, this much is enough. Leave the rest to the other brothers.¡±


    It s all up to you, General.¡± The regimentmander of the 1st Division had no objections at all. After all, his mission was the simplest and safest.


    Satisfied, Qi Haoran distributed the three portions of rations and circled out the scope of everyone¡¯s investigation. ¡°No matter what method you use to find out about the West Xia soldiers, you only have to remember three things. First, you are not allowed to harm civilians. Second, you are not allowed to betray the country. Third, you are not allowed to disregard the lives of yourrades!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Everyone stood up and obeyed.


    Qi Haoran was personally in charge of the West Xia soldiers who ughtered the vige, while the other two teams returned to the ce where there were traces of 2,000 people previously.


    After everyone left, Qi Haoran turned around and said to the regimentmander of the 2nd Division who was following him, ¡°Get everyone to take off their military uniforms and change into the clothes of themoners. Let¡¯s go to Huaiyuan County..¡±

 Chapter 502: Meeting Again

    Chapter 502: Meeting Again


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    On the way here, Huaiyuan County had long been upied by bandits. Therefore, they had even made a big detour to avoid the bandits in Huaiyuan County. So why were they heading there now?


    One had to know that they only had a little more than 200 men with them.


    Although the regimentmander of the 2nd Division had doubts in his heart, he turned around and quickly gave the orders. Qi Haoran nodded slightly. The reason why he had chosen this guy to follow him was because he was the most obedient and the least talkative among the five regimentmanders. He knew what to ask and what not to ask.


    In the army, one only needed to carry out the orders of the higher-ups.


    However, Fei Bai did not have such self-awareness. He followed beside Qi Haoran sneakily and asked, ¡°Master, why are we going to go to Huaiyuan County? What if we¡¯re caught?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just a small group of bandits. Who will catch us?¡± Qi Haoran said nonchntly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. With me around, you guys won¡¯t die.¡±


    Fei Bai widened his eyes and asked in a low voice, ¡°Master, when did we be bandits?¡±


    ¡°When we change our clothes,¡± Qi Haoran said as he found a set of patched clothes from the cab in amoner¡¯s house. He took off his clothes and changed into them. Then, he patted his stomach and said, ¡°How is it? Do I look like a bandit who robs houses?¡±


    Fei Bai shook his head. ¡°You look like you were robbed by bandits.¡±


    Qi Haoran kicked him and said, ¡°Go and bring the pot ashes over. I¡¯ll do a good job disguising myself. Oh right, you have to change your clothes too. From today onwards, you won¡¯t be my servant anymore, but myckey. You have to call me ¡®Chief¡¯ in the future, understand?¡±


    Fei Bai turned around and brought the pot ashes over, wanting to talk him out of it. ¡°Master, even if you want to investigate where those people went, there¡¯s no need to pretend to be bandits. If those old schrs in the Imperial Court find out, won¡¯t they impeach you?¡±


    ¡°If they want to impeach me, go ahead. I don¡¯t care. Do you think I¡¯m willing to pretend to be a bandit? I have no choice. Since those people went through so much trouble to bypass Yungui to enter Jinghu, they definitely didn¡¯t go there just to take a walk or ughter a vige. After Jinghu is Lin¡¯an¡­¡± Qi Haoran stopped talking. After a while, he continued, ¡°Other than Huaiyuan County, the other areas are still under the control of the Imperial Court. Because of the bandits¡¯ rampage, patrols have been strengthened everywhere. It¡¯s very difficult for so many strangers to pass through the areas controlled by the Imperial Court, but it¡¯s different in ces other than here.¡±


    ¡°Although the bandits have upied the city, they don¡¯t haveplete control over it. Furthermore, they are disorganized to begin with and belong to different factions. It¡¯s very easy for them to sneak over with a few hundred people.¡±


    ¡°But since they¡¯ve been gone for two days, they should have passed Huaiyuan County by now. Then why are we still going to Huaiyuan County to pretend to be bandits?¡±


    ¡°Who said that I¡¯m going to be a bandit in Huaiyuan County? Huaiyuan County is just a springboard. Nowadays, other than the Imperial Court¡¯s army, there are most bandits in Jinghu. In some aspects, the information sources of bandits are faster and moreprehensive than the Imperial Court¡¯s army. I think if I can have a ce among the bandits, perhaps I can get the bandits to help find these people or even kill them?¡±


    Fei Bai opened his mouth wide and stuttered as he tried to stop him. ¡°F-Fourth Master, isn¡¯t this too massive a scheme? Why don¡¯t we follow the traces obediently? At most, everyone won¡¯t sleep anymore. If we work harder, we¡¯ll be able to find those people. As an official, you¡¯re bringing a group of soldiers disguised as bandits and entering the bandit¡¯s nest. If you¡¯re discovered, things will be bad. You haven¡¯t even seen Young Master yet.¡±


    Qi Haoran had always been a person who was good at listening to his subordinates¡¯ opinions. Hence, after thinking about it carefully, he finally felt that his idea was more beneficial than harmful. Hence, he said firmly, ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind. Hurry up and change your clothes. Also, call everyone over.¡± Qi Haoran wanted to do a general mobilization before the battle. The soldiers, who had changed into the clothes of themoners, stood in front of therge square. With all kinds of messy clothes and a slightly dispirited expression, there was an obvious, defeated look about them. If it were in the past, Qi Haoran would definitely be so angry that he would kick them. But now, Qi Haoran was very satisfied. He felt that the soldiers did not have to pretend. If they were dragged out like this, they would look just like a group of bandits who had been scattered by the Imperial Court¡¯s army.


    Qi Haoran told them about his idea and gave everyone instructions on what to say in the future. ¡°I know that this mission is hard on everyone.. After all, it¡¯s a little unbelievable for a soldier to pretend to be a bandit, butpared to bandits, the West Xia soldiers are undoubtedly more detestable¡­¡±

 Chapter 503: Dealing With

    Chapter 503: Dealing With


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Liu Dahei looked a little awkward. He hadn¡¯t expected Qi Haoran to take his words seriously. Who knew that this kid would really be thick-skinned enough to mention it? He nced at him to warn him not to go overboard since they were still respectively officials and bandits now. Moreover, they were on his territory.


    Qi Haoran pretended not to understand and went forward to put his arm around Liu Dahei¡¯s shoulder as they walked into the city. He said in a friendly manner, ¡°Chief Liu, I encountered a cmity this time. You¡¯ve got to help me. These brothers under me have only been focused on escaping recently and haven¡¯t even had a sip of hot water¡­¡±


    When Liu Dahei heard this, he panicked. Qi Haoran was a trump card for him and Lin Man. He was anxious to know Qi Haoran¡¯s current strength, so he was not in the mood to probe and dy any longer. With a wave of his hand, he brought him back to his residence.


    The bandit guarding the door had been shrinking his neck and watching from the side. When he saw that they had left, he hurriedly called for someone to inform Chief Yang.


    Liu Dahei let his subordinates make arrangements for Qi Haoran¡¯s men while he brought Qi Haoran into his study. When he saw Fei Bai and a regimentmander following behind him, he stopped in his tracks. Qi Haoran waved his hand nonchntly and asked Fei Bai and the regimentmander to make arrangements and restrain their men. He followed Liu Dahei into the study alone.


    Liu Dahei couldn¡¯t help but praise the other party¡¯s courage in his heart. He also left his men outside.


    Liu Dahei closed the door. When he turned around, he saw Qi Haoran flipping through the books on his shelf in disdain. ¡°What¡¯s the use of reading these books?¡±


    Qi Haoran flipped through the books and realized that they were very new, so new that there were no signs of them being flipped. He pursed his lips and said, ¡°So it¡¯s just for show.¡±


    Liu Dahei¡¯s face darkened slightly, a little displeased. He looked at Qi Haoran gloomily and did not speak. He was illiterate. This was his weakness and also the greatest source of his inferiorityplex. Even that rough fellow, Lin Man, could read. He was clearly so smart, but he hadn¡¯t had the chance to learn to read. It was because of this reason that neers would always choose to follow Lin Man over him because of this reason. Even if Lin Man could notpare to him in all aspects, those people would be bewitched by his appearance and resume.


    Qi Haoran did not know the darkness in Liu Dahei¡¯s heart. Neither was he aware that Liu Dahei had already killed him seven or eight times over in his heart. He only threw the book back on the bookshelf in disdain and said, ¡°These books are no good. I suggest that if you want to learn to read, you should just read the ¡®Three Character ssic¡¯, ¡®The Analects¡¯, and ¡®I Ching¡¯. Of course, if you want to learn how to train soldiers and fight in wars, you¡¯ll have to read a lot of books.¡±


    Liu Dahei suppressed the tyranny in his heart and said casually, ¡°Don¡¯t you descendants of aristocratic families all have to read the four books and five scriptures? Why do you only rmend that I read these two books? Or is it that in your eyes, us bumpkins are unworthy of reading the four books and five scriptures?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we need to take the Imperial Examination. Since we have no interest in them, why should we read those books? If one wishes to be literate, just the Three-Character ssic is enough. If one wishes to know how to conduct themselves in life, ¡®The Analects¡¯ will serve that purpose. And when ites to leading troops to war, the ¡®I Ching¡¯ is a must-read. For example, I have to know the contents of these three books so well as to be able to memorize them backwards. However, my Big Brother never asked me to memorize the other books, only requiring that I read them once.¡± Qi Haoran said confidently, ¡°I don¡¯t dare to say anything else, but in terms of leading troops to war, other than General Yuan and my Big Brother, I believe that no one canpare to me.¡±


    Liu Dahei looked up at Qi Haoran, who was oblivious to the fact that he had offended him. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°I thought you were looking down on me for being illiterate¡­¡± So it turned out, he was genuinely giving him advice.


    Slightly stunned, Qi Haoran tilted his head and sized him up. He pursed his lips and said, ¡°You¡¯re so burly, but why are you still so sensitive? There are many people in this world who can¡¯t read. Do I have to look down on all of them? Besides, you¡¯re not old. If you want to learn to read, just start now. Is your room full of books really just for show?¡±


    Liu Dahei said bitterly, ¡°I¡¯m already 32 this year. It¡¯s toote for me to start learning to read now.¡±


    Qi Haoran said disdainfully, ¡°You¡¯re only 32 years old and you speak as though you¡¯re already in your twilight years. Even in his sixties, Cao Cao said that ¡®An old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop a thousand miles; an old hero still cherishes high aspirations¡¯. If you start studying now, no matter how poor your aptitude is, you should be able to finish learning all the words in five years. After you finish reading ¡®The Analects¡¯ and recognize all the words, you can go on to read other books and learn from them.¡±


    Liu Dahei was taken aback. Although he did not understand what Qi Haoran meant by ¡°An old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop a thousand miles¡±, he had heard of Cao Cao and also understood the rest of the sentence. He lowered his head and pondered. In the end, he stood up and bowed to him. ¡°Thank you for the reminder, General Qi..¡±

 Chapter 504: Persuasion

    Chapter 504: Persuasion


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran touched his nose and said, ¡°The Imperial Court hasn¡¯t made any new moves. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Liu Dahei looked at Lin Man. Lin Man pursed his lips in dissatisfaction and said, ¡°The Imperial Court still hasn¡¯t made any new moves? The 200,¡¯000-strong army has surrounded us and wants to kill us all. Who was the one who swore that he would inform us? It¡¯s been half a month. If you hadn¡¯t appeared on your own ord, we probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to catch your shadow.¡±


    Smiling, Qi Haoran said, ¡°Even if I don¡¯t appear, you still have something on me. It¡¯s akin to you holding my lifeline. As long as I¡¯m alive, I won¡¯t dare to deny it.¡±


    Only then did their countenances improve.


    Only then did Liu Dahei ask the question he was most concerned about. ¡°Why is General Qj in such a sorry state? The Imperial Court¡¯s army is only three to four days away from here. Since you could avoid the bandits along the way, why did you take the initiative toe to Huaiyuan County?¡±


    What Liu Dahei was most afraid of was that Qi Haoran would lose power in the Imperial Court. If that happened, they would really lose a trump card.


    Qi Haoran deliberated for a moment before telling them about the massacre. ¡°I came here this time to investigate those people, but Huaiyuan County is within your sphere of influence, so please help out.¡±


    Lin Man also hated the barbarian Tartars. Hearing this, he immediately wanted to agree, but Liu Dahei kicked him under the table. Lin Man closed his mouth and lowered his head without saying anything.


    Qi Haoran pretended not to notice and just looked at the two of them expectantly.


    Liu Dahei asked, ¡°We¡¯re bandits, and you¡¯re soldiers. Now that the West Xia soldiers are making trouble for you, it should be a good thing for us, right? Why should we help you?¡±


    Lin Man frowned. His intuition told him that Liu Dahei was wrong, but he didn¡¯t know exactly what was wrong. Hence, he frowned and looked at Qi Haoran. He saw that Qi Haoran was also frowning.


    Qi Haoran said unhappily, ¡°No matter how much the soldiers fight with the bandits, this is our Great Zhou¡¯s business. It¡¯s wrong for West Xia to get involved. Our Great Zhou has already lost more than half of our empire. Are we going to let West Xia swallow the remaining half?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you officials are ipetent.¡± Liu Dahei said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, we¡¯re bandits. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s atrocious to tell us to protect the country?


    Qi Haoran choked and looked at Lin Man. ¡°Does Chief Lin think so too?¡± Lin Man opened his mouth and muttered in spite of Liu Dahei¡¯s pressurizing gaze, ¡°Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the country¡­ Liu Dahei gritted his teeth. ¡°But what we¡¯re doing now is causing the fall of our country. Do you have nothing better to do than protect the Great Zhou now? Can you distinguish between priorities?¡±


    Qi Haoran said solemnly, ¡°Chief Liu, I think you¡¯re the one who should be clear about priorities. There¡¯s a huge difference between Great Zhou dying in your hands and West Xia¡¯s hands. If the Great Zhou dies in your hands, it¡¯s just establishing a new country in our Han territory. Although the people have fallen into war, there will be a day when peace will be restored. Life goes on. However, if our country perishes in the hands of West Xia or the Jin Kingdom, be it the subjects of the Great Zhou or you, you¡¯ll all be the citizens of the destroyed country. The citizens of the entire Great Zhou will be reduced to second-ss citizens. If the Great Zhou falls and bes controlled by the Tartars, will your lives really be better? Is this really what you want to see?¡± Liu Dahei snorted coldly and said, ¡°Just because your Great Zhou will die at the hands of West Xia doesn¡¯t mean that we will too.¡±


    A mocking smile appeared on Qi Haoran¡¯s face. ¡°Great Zhou has a total of more than 800,000 troops and only one monarch. If even we sumb to West Xia, do you think you bandits can resist the West Xia army? If your alliance is really so fair and convincing, the two of you wouldn¡¯t havee here to defend the city, right?¡±


    Liu Dahei stopped talking.


    Qi Haoran continued, ¡°Furthermore, the Imperial Court has no intention of exterminating you.¡±


    This time, even Lin Man did not believe it. ¡°There¡¯s a 200,000-strong army outside¡­¡±


    ¡°But how many of them are really fighting with you?¡± Qi Haoran interrupted the other party and sighed. ¡°Believe me, His Majesty doesn¡¯t really want to exterminate you. He just wants to take you down a notch so that he negotiates amnesty with you. If he really makes up his mind to exterminate you, I¡¯ll definitely admire him to the core.¡±


    Liu Dahei and Lin Man stared at him unkindly. Qi Haoran said regretfully, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that His Majesty doesn¡¯t have the courage¡­¡± The national treasury wasn¡¯t capable of such a feat, either. Of course, this crucial sentence was left unspoken in Qi Haoran¡¯s heart.


    Qi Haoran hadn¡¯t eaten up till now and his mouth was parched from all the talking. In any case, he was trying his utmost to persuade Liu Dahei to set aside his political views. For the sake of the nation, they would cooperate temporarily. After West Xia¡¯s conspiracy was dismantled, they would resume the fighting and peacemaking among themselves. At that time, he would definitely do his best to help them.


    Not only Liu Dahei, but even the naive Lin Man was skeptical of Qi Haoran¡¯s promise.


    Qi Haoran immediately mentioned his Big Brother, Qi Xiuyuan. He said, ¡°My big brother is the second most powerful general in the Great Zhou Dynasty. The Emperor will never give up on me, of all people¡­¡±


    Liu Dahei reminded him coldly, ¡°You¡¯ve already been abandoned once when you were surrounded.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s because I was surrounded and my big brother hadn¡¯t received the news yet. It was toote for them to do anything. Now that I¡¯m free, those generals don¡¯t dare to offend me, and the Emperor won¡¯t be so stupid to go against my big brother and take such a big gamble.¡±


    ¡°Who said that you¡¯re free now?¡± Liu Dahei asked.


    Qi Haoran:¡±¡­¡±


    Lin Man came back to his senses and looked at Qi Haoran for a moment. Then, he pointed at him andughed out loud. ¡°You actually walked into the trap voluntarily. Hahaha¡­¡±


    Speechless, Qi Haoran turned around and asked Liu Dahei, ¡°You want to imprison me?¡±


    Liu Dahei shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m just wondering if you still have any value as a partner.¡±


    Qi Haoran wanted too much, yet what he could offer them at the moment was promises backed by nothing. Who knew if he could fulfill his promise eventually?


    Now, he and Lin Man were not the only bandit leaders in Huaiyuan County. There was also Chief Yang. That person was not easy to deal with. He and Lin Man had already taken two-thirds of his benefits when they were transferred here. If they did anything else, they would probably force the other party into a corner.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s identity was a bomb to him and a cup of poisonous wine to them. It could take effect at any time. If the alliance really found out that he, Lin Man, and Qi Haoran were working together in private, the two of them would definitely be torn apart. At that time, they would definitely not be able to get rid of the title of a traitor.


    Hence, Liu Dahei was unwilling to take this risk. Or rather, the benefits Qi Haoran offered were not lucrative enough for him to take this risk. Now, he actually hoped that Qi Haoran would leave.


    However, Lin Man agreed with what Qi Haoran said and privately advised Liu Dahei, ¡°I think he¡¯s right. Us fighting with the Imperial Court is an internal matter within Great Zhou. Who knows what tricks West Xia has up their sleeves by interfering? I think we should help him. Isn¡¯t it just finding traces of the enemy group in the vicinity? We won¡¯t suffer any losses by helping him.¡¯ -What do you know? Qi Haoran is waiting for us to board the pirate ship. I¡¯m afraid well be tied to it and won¡¯t be able to get off,¡± Liu Dahei said worriedly..

 Chapter 505: Oriole (1)

    Chapter 505: Oriole (1)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    In the end, Liu Dahei did not help Qi Haoran, but he did not stop Lin Man from doing so either. In his words, he wanted to let things develop freely and whether they would find those people would depend on his ability.


    After worrying for a while, Lin Man stopped worrying about it and went to have fun by himself. It was better to leave such worrying matters to others.


    Qi Haoran was arranged to enter Liu Dahei¡¯s camp and lead his group alone. They could enter and exit Huaiyuan County freely. The regimentmander was extremely surprised. ¡°General, why did those bandit leaders agree?


    Qi Haoran red at him and said, ¡°Call them Chief Liu and Chief Lin while you¡¯re here. Don¡¯t forget where you¡¯re standing now.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The regimentmander lowered his head slightly, but he still asked curiously, ¡°General, what conditions did you agree to for them to let us walk freely in Huaiyuan County?¡±


    ¡°They are very righteous. After learning that we are looking for the Tartars of West Xia, they agreed,¡± Qi Haoran said casually.


    The regimentmander didn¡¯t believe it, but Qi Haoran had already drawn several circles on the map and gave orders for the search mission. Qi Haoran decided that if they couldn¡¯t find those people in Huaiyuan County, he would ask Liu Dahei to casually arrange an identity for them to search in other county cities¡­


    Qi Haoran was searching the world for the West Xia soldiers who had infiltrated. At this moment, the West Xia soldiers had just finished fighting with an army of the Imperial Court. After cleaning up the battlefield, they dragged out more than ten bandit corpses from behind a cluster of trees and scattered them on the ground. After setting up the scene, they quickly retreated¡­


    In a ce where Qi Haoran could not see, the battle between the Imperial Court¡¯s army and the bandits was gradually intensifying. Even the Emperor and the Imperial Court were unaware of this. Meanwhile, the peace negotiation team that the Imperial Court had arranged was prepared to set off once they received news from the front line.


    At the same time, there were also constant conflicts at the border between the Jin Kingdom and the Great Zhou. The situation was getting more and more tense. Having interacted with the Jin Kingdom for more than 20 years, General Yuan was vignt. He was the first to discover the danger and called Shen Mu over for a discussion.


    Shen Mu pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we be on guard first and report to the Imperial Court only after we obtain a certain amount of evidence?¡±


    General Yuan took a deep breath, knowing what Shen Mu meant. Right now, the Imperial Court¡¯s attention was mainly focused on the south road of Jinghu. So, they probably wouldn¡¯t pay too much attention to this. Furthermore, the Emperor had always been fearful of the Jin Kingdom. From past experience, not only would they not receive support if they reported it, but they would also be warned not to sh with the Jin Kingdom¡¯s army.


    General Yuan walked around a few times and said, ¡°We can dy the reporting of this to the Imperial Court, but we have to inform Qi Xiuyuan and the other generals to prepare early.¡±


    Shen Mu nodded and personally wrote a letter to Qi Xiuyuan.


    Qi Xiuyuan also realized that the Jin army had been making a lot of moves recently. However, because they were all small-scale conflicts, he¡¯d thought that it was just an ordinary plundering of resources. Hence, he¡¯d only asked people to pay attention to and protect the lives and assets of the people at the border. He did not make any additional moves. However, after receiving Shen Mu¡¯s letter, Qi Xiuyuan immediately increased his guard and adjusted his defenses.


    ¡°Why are they starting a war now when the battle for imperial power in the Jin Kingdom has just ended?¡± Rong Xuan was very puzzled.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s to divert the attention of their people,¡± Qi Xiuyuan said in a low voice.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean they have to gamble with the entire country at stake. If they lose, we might take back the Central ins.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s expression was solemn. He didn¡¯t believe that the Jin Kingdom¡¯s ruler was a fool. ¡°Did they think that they could take advantage of the situation because of what happened at Jinghu South Road?¡±


    Rong Xuan said, ¡°But Jinghu¡¯s south road only has 200,000 troops, and our northern troops haven¡¯t decreased in strength at all. Moreover, the Emperor has no desire to fight those bandits to the death, only wanting to beat them up before offering them amnesty and enlistment. Those bandits aren¡¯t fools. They won¡¯t fight to the death with the Imperial Court¡¯s army, right?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s heart skipped a beat as a thought suddenly shed across his mind. ¡°You said that the south road of Jinghu only contains 200,000 troops, and not a single soldier has been transferred from our north?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Rong Xuan looked at him strangely. ¡°Didn¡¯t the Emperor draw troops from the southwest and northwest?


    Rong Xuan paused and watched as Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes gradually widened. He said in surprise, ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s expression was solemn as he sat on the chair with a deep gaze. ¡°Although it¡¯s just a guess, we must inform General Yuan and the generals guarding the northwest and let them strengthen their defenses.¡±


    ¡°Then the Emperor¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to report it to him first. We don¡¯t have any evidence, so it¡¯s useless even if we report it. Get someone to pay attention to the news on the south road of Jinghu. Haoran might find something there. Once there¡¯s a letter, send it over immediately.¡±


    Rong Xuan nodded in agreement.


    Just as everyone was working hard towards their goal, the team sent by Qi Haoran finally found the Imperial Court¡¯s army and told the generals leading the troops about the massacre and Qi Haoran¡¯s spection, hoping that they could send a team out to reinforce Qi Haoran and the others and try their best to find the West Xia soldiers who had infiltrated the Great Zhou.


    However, this matter did not attract the attention of the Imperial Court¡¯s general, who only agreed to meet with the regimentmander of the camp as a formality. In his opinion, West Xia army infiltrating Jinghu wasplete nonsense. One had to know that there was still Guizhou and Yunnan in the southwest. It was impossible to pass through these two ces while avoiding the Imperial Court¡¯s eyes and ears.


    He felt that this was entirely Qi Haoran¡¯s way of gaining the Emperor¡¯s favor, so he only left Qi Haoran¡¯s men to his subordinates to arrange. He was entirely unconcerned about Qi Haoran¡¯s whereabouts.


    Qi Haoran had overestimated the generals of the Imperial Court¡¯s army, as well as the foresight of the Imperial Court¡¯s ministers and the Emperor. The memorial he sent to the Emperor finally reached the Emperor after much hardship. It emphasized the fact that the West Xia army had infiltrated the south road of Jinghu and clearly stated that the West Xia army was ambitious. However, even the Emperor was dismissive of it after reading it, and the ministers in the Imperial Court also did not take it to heart. Everyone agreed that Qi Haoran was thinking too much. Recently, there had been continuous good news on the south road of Jinghu. The Emperor really wasn¡¯t in the mood to read such memorials.


    Therefore, it was already the evening of the second day when the memorial was copied and sent to Minister Qin and Grand Tutor Yan.


    Minister Qin read the memorial twice and sighed. ¡°Great Zhou is in danger.¡± Minister Qin¡¯s aide asked, ¡°Then, Prime Minister, should we persuade the Emperor to pay more attention to the southwest and northwest?¡± Minister Qin shook his head. ¡°The Emperor is very suspicious of me now. This matter can wait for a while. Although West Xia is ambitious, the 800,000 troops of Great Zhou are not for show.¡±


    Grand Tutor Yan also held the memorial and said worriedly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid Qi Haoran¡¯s report is true.¡±


    Yan Du asked, ¡°Father, should we give a reminder?¡±


    Grand Tutor Yan nodded. ¡°Find one or two more colleagues. Only with more people will you be able to attract the attention of the Emperor.¡± However, Grand Tutor Yan did not harbor much hope. At this moment, the Emperor was smug and probably could not heed other voices.


    Yan Du was a noble person who never formed alliances. At this moment, his father asked him to invite a few officials to submit the memorial together with him. He was troubled for a moment before he considered all the officials he was on good terms with. In the end, he visited them one by one. However, there were only five people who were willing to submit the memorial with him. Yan Du felt that this number was pitifully small, so he thought of Qi Feng and


    Fan Siwen..

 Chapter 506: Oriole (2)

    Chapter 506: Oriole (2)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Yan Du thought for a moment before going to look for Fan Siwen first. He hoped that Fan Siwen could submit a memorial alongside him tomorrow morning as a form of support for his nephew.


    Fan Siwen had the intention to ease his rtionship with his son, and after weighing the pros and cons, he felt that it wasn¡¯t a big deal, so he agreed.


    As for Qi Feng, after he thought about it for a while, he agreed to write a memorial for his son.


    Yan Du ran for a long time. In the end, including Fan Siwen and Qi Feng¡¯s endorsement, there were only seven or eight people who were willing to believe in Qi Haoran. This number was really not worth mentioning considering there were hundreds of ministers. Yan Du¡¯s memorial only resulted in a small ripple, like a really really small one. Soon, it was overshadowed by the good news from Jinghu¡¯s south road.


    On the other hand, when Yan Du stepped out to ask the Emperor to pay attention to Qi Haoran¡¯s question, Minister Qin stood up and agreed. Not only Yan Du, but the other ministers also looked at Minister Qin in surprise and doubt, their eyes constantly darting back and forth between him and Yan Du.


    Looking at the dark-eyed Emperor and the equally bewildered Yan Du, Minister Qin curled his lips in disdain in his heart. He only stood up because he couldn¡¯t stand the fact that there were too many idiotic ministers. In addition, it was in his interest that the country be wary of West Xia.


    In the end, idiots were idiots. Just one sentence was enough to scare them to this extent.


    Because there were too few ministers who agreed, and the Emperor was wary of Minister Qin, this matter was inexplicably put on hold. However, when Fan Zijin found out about this through Fan Siwen, only then did he realize that he had not received a letter from Qi Haoran for a long time.


    It was the same for Mu Yangling. Those ministers did not believe Qi Haoran, but she and Fan Zijin did.


    At this moment, Fan Zijin was nning to go all out in the Jiangnan business circle. Since Qi Haoran was not in any danger, he washed his hands off of the matter after briefly asking about it. He told Mu Yangling toe to him only when Qi Haoran caused trouble again or when his life was in danger.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s lips twitched. How unreliable was Qi Haoran in Fan Zijin¡¯s heart?


    Fan Zijin was not interested in war affairs, but Mu Yangling got someone to find a detailed map of Jinghu and study it every day to see if she could guess Qi Haoran¡¯s whereabouts from the map.


    The West Xia soldiers had infiltrated the Jinghu area from Yungui, so Zhu Liang sent Mu Yangling a map of Yungui.


    Seeing that these were all military maps, Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows slightly. She nced at Zhu Liang, who had his head lowered, and knew that he had most likely made use of Qi Haoran¡¯s influence in Lin¡¯an Prefecture. Otherwise, he would definitely not be able to obtain such military maps.


    Mu Yangling did not ask further and waved him off. This made Zhu Liang heave a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that Fourth Madam would ask him where he had gotten this from. Although he could refuse to tell her or push the me to Fourth Master, this would definitely make Fourth Madam unhappy or cause a rift between Fourth Master and Fourth Madam. Considering Fourth Master doted on his wife so much, Zhu Liang would definitely be the one suffering in the end.


    However, if he told the truth and vited a taboo, Fourth Master would probably be suspicious of himter and his future would be over.


    Thank God Fourth Madam didn¡¯t ask a single thing about it.


    Mu Yanglingid the map on the couch in the room. When she had time, she would take a look. Now that Little Treasure could already walk and run, his most favorite thing to do was toe and y with his younger brother. Every day, when he opened his eyes, he would open his arms and ask for his younger brother. He wished he could stay in Zhaohua Courtyard. When he ran in, he saw Fourth Aunt standing in front of the couch and looking at those pictures. Meanwhile, his younger brother was sleeping in a corner of the couch and trying his best to eat his little feet.


    Ignoring his fourth aunt, Little Treasure ran over and tried his best to stand on tiptoes to see his younger brother. Seeing that he was trying his best to stuff his feet into his mouth, he patted his hand in a bid to make him let go.


    Little Treasure¡¯s wet nurse, Nanny Wang, quickly pulled his hand away and said in a low voice, ¡°Second Young Master, you can¡¯t hit Third Young Master¡¯s hand. You have to talk to him nicely.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Mu Yangling looked up and smiled at Little Treasure. ¡°Little Treasure, are you here to y with your little brother again?¡±


    Little Treasure grinned when he heard that. He held his brother¡¯s hand, shouting, ¡°Bear, bear!¡±


    Three ck lines slid down Mu Yangling¡¯s forehead. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°Little Treasure, this is your younger brother, not a bear. He hasn¡¯t been given a nickname yet. When your Fourth Unclees back, you can ask him what your younger brother should be called.¡±


    Unhappy, Little Treasure tugged at his younger brother and shouted, ¡°Ah, ah, ah!¡± Then, he shouted, ¡°Bear, bear¡­¡±


    Li Jinghua, who had just entered the door, burst outughing and said, ¡°Let¡¯s see if you¡¯ll still spout nonsense in the future. You clearly know that a child has excellent memory, but you still keep lecturing the child in front of him, calling him a brat?. Do you know your mistake now?¡±

 Chapter 507: Oriole (3)

    Chapter 507: Oriole (3)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling was a little flustered. Although Qi Haoran had not returned for nearly a month, the entire south road of Jinghu was at war. He also had to avoid the pursuit of bandits and investigate the West Xia soldiers who had infiltrated the Great Zhou. In order not to expose his whereabouts, it was not umon for him to not contact them.


    Qi Haoran was not good at other things, but he was good at war. She had never doubted his ability in this aspect, so she had never worried about him.


    As Lin¡¯an was the capital, it should be said that there was no safer ce than here. However, looking at this small dot on the map and thinking of the memorial submitted by Qi Haoran, could it be that the West Xia soldiers were really just infiltrating the Great Zhou to collect information or stir up the soldiers and bandits to let them fight and exhaust the country¡¯s strength?


    Mu Yangling knew that her imagination was running wild, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little flustered. She felt that Lin¡¯an had be unsafe.


    However, she knew that no one would believe her intuition. If only Qi Haoran was here. Even if he felt that it was ridiculous, he would definitely believe her.


    Mu Yangling took a deep breath and put away the map. She spread out her brush and ink in frustration. If a war were to break out in Lin¡¯an, how was she going to protect her family, especially the two children¡­


    After writing for the entire morning, Mu Yangling finished writing down the messy notes and things to prepare on the paper, then destroyed the manuscript.


    The nannies also carried the two children over. One of the nannies carried Third Young Master to Mu Yangling. ¡°Fourth Madam, Third Young Master is a little hungry.¡±


    Mu Yangling carried her son into the inner room to feed him milk. Looking at her anxious son, Mu Yangling gently tickled his face and chuckled. ¡°Good child, you¡¯ll definitely be safe and sound. Mother will protect you.¡±


    Little Treasure was also drinking milk. The two children were a little sleepy after eating and drinking their fill. So, Mu Yangling ced the brothers on the small bed and let the servant girls watch over them lest they identally crush the other kid when they flipped over. She also instructed Spring to get someone to find Zhu Liang.


    Mu Yangling leaned against the couch and took a nap. When Zhu Liang arrived, it was already past noon. Mu Yangling said, ¡°I have some things that I need you to prepare. Put aside the unimportant things on hand first. Also, the two young masters need a few more people by their side. Find a few trustworthy old female servants and servant girls with some martial arts foundation and ce them by the two kids¡¯ side. The security of the farmstead needs to be checked every three days¡­¡±


    Zhu Liang was shocked. What had happened to cause such a hugemotion?


    Mu Yangling did not exin the reason. Firstly, she was the master and only needed to give the order. Secondly, she was afraid that it would arouse more suspicion if she said it, so she simply exined nothing.


    Moreover, her sense of danger came mostly from her intuition. This could not be used as evidence.


    That small dot was only a small canyon. Through there, one could directly enter the Great Zhou from West Xia. Furthermore, the area within a hundred miles radius was sparsely popted, making it very easy for someone to hide. However, that was only a canyon. Most importantly, the terrain on both sides was a little dangerous. That ce had always existed, but there had never been a case of infiltration from there. However, when Mu Yangling saw that small dot, her heart skipped a beat. It was as if all the strength in her body had been sucked out in an instant. Her body felt a little floaty, and her mouth was dry. It took her a while to recover.


    Mu Yangling had never had such an experience, but her subconscious told her that it was dangerous, very dangerous!


    Fortuitously, Mu Yangling thought of Qi Haoran¡¯s memorial. She knew that this kind of thing was very mysterious. If she hadn¡¯t experienced it personally, she probably wouldn¡¯t have believed it herself, either.


    Mu Yangling had always trusted her intuition, so she made these arrangements. Initially, she was a little worried that Zhu Liang would doubt her if she made so many adjustions without giving any exnation. Who knew that he would only be surprised for a moment before agreeing respectfully? He even nervously asked if she had any other instructions for him.


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing else for the time being. Go and make these arrangements first. Don¡¯t tell Eldest Madam about this yet. I¡¯ll tell herter.¡± Mu Yangling pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Arrange two old female servants who know martial arts beside Eldest Madam for convenience¡¯s sake.¡±


    Zhu Liang agreed.


    Zhu Liang only thought that Mu Yangling had received some confidential information. As for not telling Eldest Madam, he agreed without any pressure.


    Beforeing here, the general had instructed him to mainly listen to Fourth Master and Fourth Madam¡¯s orders. He knew that the general trusted Fourth Madam very much, even more so than he trusted Eldest Madam. Aftering here, he mainly obeyed Fourth Madam¡¯s orders, so he did not think that there was anything wrong..

 Chapter 508: Oriole (4)

    Chapter 508: Oriole (4)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling held Little Bear in her hands and weighed him. Smiling, she said, ¡°Good kid, you¡¯ve gained weight again, right?¡±


    Little Bear blew a bubble at his mother and reached out to grab her hair. In response, Mu Yangling tilted her head slightly and teased him with a smile. ¡°You can¡¯t catch me huh.¡±


    Little Treasure stood on the ground as he watched his aunt and younger brother chatting andughing. He hugged Mu Yangling¡¯s leg and climbed up with all his might, wanting to see his brother.


    Mu Yangling sat on the couch and lifted Little Treasure up for him to see. Seeing his fair and fragrant younger brother, the satisfied Little Treasure grabbed his small hand and spoke to him.


    At first, he could still say the words ¡°little brother¡± or ¡°bear¡±. Later on, he started ying with the toy in his hand. Little Treasure couldn¡¯t speak clearly anymore and began to talk to Little Bear in the kids¡¯nguage. As he spoke, he swung the toy in his hand to tease him.


    Little Bear clearly liked this brother very much, too. He stared at him with his eyes wide open, reaching out to grab the thing in his hand from time to time.


    Mu Yangling sat at the side and watched them with a smile. Just as she was about to get someone to surround the two children and let them y by themselves, she suddenly heard some sounds. Mu Yangling raised her head and looked outside.


    Spring looked out and saw the servant girl sitting under the corridor doing needlework. She asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Fourth Madam?¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, Spring¡¯s expression changed slightly. She had already heard themotion and it was getting louder and louder. It was obvious that it was targeting them.


    Spring was bewildered. Who would dare to make such a loud noise in the backyard?


    Mu Yangling waved her hand and said, ¡°Go out and take a look.¡± She turned around and called the two children¡¯s nannies and waiting maids over. ¡°Keep an eye on the young masters and don¡¯t leave them.¡±


    After also asking the old servants and servant girls who were in charge of protecting the two children toe over and guard the children, Mu Yangling stood up and went to the door. Soon, themotion reached the entrance of the courtyard.


    The entire Zhaohua Courtyard was rmed. The servant girls and old servants ran out to block Mu Yangling with timid expressions. Since they were bound together with the Zhaohua Courtyard, no matter who barged in this time, they had no choice but to try their best to protect their master.


    Mu Yangling did not stop the servants from blocking her way. She simply looked outside curiously, wanting to know who hade to her.


    Themander of the guards, who had pushed open the courtyard door, looked up and met Mu Yangling¡¯s gaze.


    The guardmander looked at Mu Yangling with a dark expression for a while before lowering his eyes and going forward despite the servants¡¯ obstruction. Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows. Was this someone from the pce?


    The guardmander clenched his fists and bowed. ¡°Greetings, Reverent Lady Qi. I¡¯m the Guard Commander of the Left from the pce. I¡¯m here on orders.¡± ¡°Sir, I wonder what order you are under that makes youe here?¡±


    The guardmander pretended not to detect Mu Yangling¡¯s sarcasm and said, ¡°I was ordered to invite Mrs. Qi and Reverent Lady Qi into the pce to apany the Empress. The Empress hasn¡¯t been feeling well recently and really wishes to talk to the madams. However, thinking that the madam and the reverentdy need to take care of their two young sons, she specially allowed you to bring the two young masters into the pce and specially ordered me to escort the four of you.¡±


    Spring, who was behind Mu Yangling, gasped. Were they going to be escorted into the pce to be held as hostages?


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart tightened, but her expression did not change as she said, ¡°Since you¡¯re here on orders, we¡¯ll naturally do as you say. However, my sister-inw went out this morning. Please allow me to arrange for someone to bring her back. Moreover, there are many things to pack since the children are entering the pce too. Sir, you don¡¯t mind waiting a little longer, right?¡±


    The guardmander looked at the guard holding the hilt of his sword and staring at him covetously. He really wanted to bring them back to the pce as soon as possible so that he couldplete the mission, but he knew that he could not be too forceful. Moreover, Madam Qi-Li was indeed not in the residence. He nodded slightly and cupped his fists. ¡°I can be lenient, but the pce is pressing us. Reverent Lady Qi, please act quickly.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded with a smile. She turned around and casually summoned a youngss. ¡°Go find a coachman and quickly call Eldest Madam back. Tell her that there¡¯s an urgent matter at home.¡±


    Then, she waved her hand and called Mama Wang over. She instructed, ¡°Quickly get someone to pack up the two young masters¡¯ things. Don¡¯t leave behind the things they usually use. I¡¯m afraid Mama Wang will have to stay in the pce for a while.¡±


    Mama Wang agreed.


    Only then did Mu Yangling turn around and instruct the guards at home, ¡°Please bring the sirs to take a seat in the front yard. We¡¯ll send someone to inform you after we¡¯re done packing up.¡±


    However, the guardmander smiled and said, ¡°We wouldn¡¯t dare to trouble Reverent Lady Qi. We¡¯ll just sit in the gatehouse in the courtyard. If you need any help, feel free to order us around.¡±


    He did not dare to let Mu Yangling and the others leave his sight. Although he knew that the possibility of them escaping was very small, he had to be careful.


    Mu Yangling did not force him. She asked the guards to bring the pce guards to sit in the gatehouse and drink tea. She then turned around and entered the house to make arrangements. ¡°Go and inform Wen Si to pack Eldest Madam¡¯s clothes and some necessities immediately. Rain, I¡¯ll leave it to you to pack my things.¡±


    Mu Yangling paused for a moment and said, ¡°Go and ask the guardmander. Eldest Madam and I are bringing two servant girls along, but we also need nannies and servants to attend to the two young masters. Ask them how many people can we bring along with us at the most.¡±


    Spring hurriedly went out and came inter. ¡°Fourth Madam, I¡¯ve asked. You and Eldest Madam can only bring one each, but the two young masters can bring more people. It¡¯s fine as long as each of you bring no more than six.¡±


    Mu Yangling immediately said, ¡°Then bring along six each.¡± She arranged for the two old servants and two servant girls who knew martial arts to go with them. The remaining two spots were for the nanny and a servant girl. This way, the children¡¯sfort and safety could be guaranteed.


    Mu Yangling left Mama Wang and Rain behind and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the residence to you. After Eldest Madam and I leave, close the door tightly and don¡¯t go out easily. Don¡¯t get into a conflict with Madam Wu and the others either. Try your best to endure it. If you can¡¯t, find an opportunity to make an example out of them and intimidate them. In short, our residence must not be in chaos while we¡¯re not around.¡±


    Mama Wang and Rain agreed. Mama Wang lowered her voice and asked, ¡°Fourth Madam, should we think of a way to inform the farmstead?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ll make arrangements over there.¡± The youngss who had gone to inform Li Jinghua just now didn¡¯t just go out to inform Li Jinghua. Such a situation was considered an emergency situation. Once it happened, the youngss chosen by her would find a special coachman to send her to ces.


    The coachman was the one who spread the news. Now, Zhu Liang¡¯s men had probably already received the news from the coachman. She only hoped that he could stabilize the situation and not panic. As long as the farmstead was safe, she and Li Jinghua would have the capital to escape with the children.


    ¡°Get someone to pack two sets of lighter clothes and bring them along,¡± he said to Spring in a low voice. ¡°Pack these for Eldest Madam, too. Hurry up and go.¡±


    Spring agreed with a slightly pale face.


    After Mu Yangling and the others left, she took out her mostmonly used dagger and tied it to her leg. Then, she lowered her skirt and made sure it was well-hidden before getting up to leave..

 Chapter 509: Oriole (5)

    Chapter 509: Oriole (5)


    Trantor: Attas Studios | Editor: As Studios


    Li Jinghua was escorted back with a pale face. Seeing that her things had been packed, she lowered her voice and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head slightly. ¡°I can¡¯t find any information.¡± The pce guards who came had clearly been instructed not to reveal any information to them.


    The guardmander stepped forward and said, ¡°Mrs. Qi, Reverent Lady Qi, it¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s set off.¡±


    Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua looked at each other and nodded slightly. They turned around, hugged their young son, and walked out.


    The Qi family had long made sure to stay away. Not only were Madam Wu and the others nowhere to be seen, but even the other servants also stayed far away. Li Jinghua¡¯s heart turned cold. After all, they were a family. How could they not even see each other when such a serious matter had happened?


    Li Jinghua looked at Mu Yangling and saw that she was calm. She did not know if she should praise her for being magnanimous or for being cold.


    Mu Yangling had never treated Madam Wu and the others as family. It was human nature to seek benefits and avoid harm, so she did not think that Madam Wu and the others had done anything wrong. Ultimately, she had not integrated into the way of thinking of the ancient families.


    The group of people boarded the carriage and were escorted to the pce by a team of pce guards. This time, their carriage entered the pce directly and they did not need to enter on foot.


    The carriage only stopped at the second door, where there were two soft pnquins parked. Clearly, they were waiting for them.


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows slightly. She did not expect to be treated so well in the pce this time. She nodded slightly at Li Jinghua and the two of them climbed into the pnquin with a child in their arms each. The servant girls and old servants they brought followed closely on both sides of the pnquin. The guards escorting them did not leave. Instead, they escorted them to the Pce of Earthly Tranquility while the eunuchs carried the pnquins.


    Eunuch Wei, the Eunuch-in-Charge of the Pce of Earthly Tranquility, was guarding the door. When he saw the soft pnquin descend, he hurriedly went forward with a smile. In a slightly sharp voice, he said, ¡°Mrs. Qi and Reverent Lady Qi are here. Matriarch Yuan and Mrs. Yuan happen to be in the hall too. I¡¯ll escort the two of you in.¡±


    Li Jinghua smiled and nodded. ¡°Thank you, Eunuch Wei.¡±


    Li Jinghua handed Little Treasure to the nanny behind her to carry and walked in front. Mu Yangling carried her child herself and lowered her head slightly as she followed behind silently.


    The Pce of Earthly Tranquility was very lively. Not only were Matriarch Yuan and Mrs. Yuan present, but Mrs. Yuan¡¯s two daughters-inw and two grandsons had also been brought into the pce. Mrs. Yuan had a good rtionship with Li Jinghua. When she saw them enter, she nodded slightly with a smile.


    Not daring to respond, Li Jinghua took two steps forward and bowed. When she heard the Empress call her to get up, she stood up and looked at the Yuan family. She smiled and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Matriarch Yuan and Madam Yuan to enter the pce too. What a coincidence.¡±


    Madam Yuan looked at the pale and sickly Empress and smiled. ¡°I heard that the Empress is not feeling well, and the Matriarch is worried, so she brought us juniors into the pce to take a look.¡±


    The Empress forced a smile and said sadly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to trouble you to enter the pce to attend to my illness due to my poor health.¡±


    ¡°This is what I should do,¡± Li Jinghua and Madam Yuan hurriedly replied. A female official came in from outside and bowed. ¡°Your Highness, the Evening Hall has been tidied up. Mrs. Qi and Reverent Lady Qi can move in now.¡± The Empress waved her hand and said, ¡°In that case, bring Mrs. Qi and Reverent Lady Qi along.¡± She turned around and sighed at Li Jinghua. ¡°I¡¯m a little tired, so I won¡¯t keep you guys any longer today. In my opinion, my condition can only be treated by an imperial physician. There¡¯s no need to summon you into the pce to attend to my illness.¡±


    Li Jinghua quickly expressed that it was their fortune to be able to enter the pce to attend to her. After exchanging a few pleasantries with the Empress, she respectfully bade farewell to Matriarch Yuan and Madam Yuan before leaving.


    Seeing that Li Jinghua and the others had gone away, Madam Yuan also stood up and bade farewell. This time, the Empress did not ask anyone to stay and asked the female official to bring the Yuan family to the pce where they were staying for now.


    From beginning to end, Matriarch Yuan did not say a word, and the Empress did not me her.


    When there was only one female official left in the hall, the Empress heaved a sigh of relief and copsed on the back of the chair.


    Hong Mei hurriedly supported the Empress and fed her water. After taking a sip of hot water, the Empress felt that she had calmed down. Only then did she wave her hand slightly and say, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Help me get back to rest.¡±


    Hong Mei said with slight dissatisfaction, ¡°Matriarch Yuan sure knows her ce. She¡¯s just a minister¡¯s wife, but she keeps giving Your Highness attitude.¡± The Empress said expressionlessly, ¡°She¡¯s not giving me attitude. She¡¯s giving the Emperor attitude. Ignore them and let them make a fuss. Considering I don¡¯t have a son, what does this have to do with me?¡±


    Hong Mei couldn¡¯t help but lower her head. ¡°Your Highness, you still have the eldest princess.¡±


    ¡°What do I have to worry about when she already has kids of her own?¡± The Empress had met with many people today and was really exhausted, so after returning to the inner room, shey on the bed and did not move.


    The Evening Hall was not far from the Pce of Earthly Tranquility. It should be considered an annex pce. Although it was an annex pce, it was actually not small. There were five main rooms in the middle, not counting the rooms on the left and right sides. This should be where the concubines lived. However, the Emperor did not have many concubines, so they stayed in the Pce of Earthly Tranquility. Therefore, no one had ever lived here.


    The people they brought quickly chose rooms and entered. The female official brought more than ten pce maids and eunuchs over who would be serving Mu Yangling and the others while they were in the pce. Meanwhile, the servants Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua brought with them only attended to the more personal matters.


    Li Jinghua asked the female official about the Yuan family. ¡°Does Matriarch Yuan have to stay in the pce to attend to Her Majesty¡¯s illness?¡±


    The female official replied with a smile, ¡°Yes, the Yuan family lives in the Elegance Hall, which is not far from Evening Hall. If Mrs. Qi is bored, you can visit them. If you want to go to the imperial garden to take a look, you just have to tell the pce maids or emissaries. They will arrange it.¡±


    It didn¡¯t sound like they were here to attend to the sick Empress. Instead, it sounded like they were here to tour the pce. Not only Li Jinghua, but even Mu Yangling felt astonished.


    The female official didn¡¯t seem to notice. She even considerately mentioned a few fun ces and told them to just let them know if theycked anything. As for the Empress, when she wanted them to attend to her, she would send someone to call them over.


    After they left, Li Jinghua heaved a sigh of relief and said to Mu Yangling, ¡°I¡¯m afraid something serious has happened. The Emperor called the Yuan family and the Qi family, who have military power, into the pce. I wonder if something happened at the pass or the border.¡±


    Mu Yangling lowered her eyes. She had a vague guess in her heart, but she was not too sure. She said, ¡°Since the female official said that we can go out and walk around, why don¡¯t you go to the Yuan family¡¯s ce? Matriarch Yuan is old and has a strong reputation. It¡¯s only right for us to go over and pay our respects.¡±


    Li Jinghua nodded slightly. ¡°But we can¡¯t be too hasty. We should pack our things first. I¡¯ll go visit herter.¡±


    Li Jinghua looked at her son, who was running around the house curiously, and then at Little Bear, who only knew how to blow bubbles for fun. She opened her mouth but couldn¡¯t say anything.


    Mu Yangling had been looking at her. Seeing this, she instantly understood She went forward and held her hand. ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. As long as I¡¯m around, no one can touch Little Treasure. As long as Little Bear is around, Little Treasure will definitely be around.¡±


    With slightly wet eyes, Li Jinghua grabbed Mu Yangling¡¯s hand tightly and sobbed. ¡°My good sister, I won¡¯t say borate things. In the future, I¡¯ll repay you with my life.¡±


    Mu Yangling said optimistically, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t make things sound so serious. Perhaps everything is fine. Don¡¯t scare yourself..¡±

 Chapter 510: Oriole (6)

    Chapter 510: Oriole (6)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling ced the two children on the couch and let them y together. Careful to avoid the eyes and ears outside, Spring whispered, ¡°Fourth Madam, should we think of a way to send news outside?¡±


    Mu Yangling nced at her indifferently and said, ¡°Don¡¯t act on your own. We just need to stay in the pce in peace.¡±


    At a time like this, it was better to be quiet than to move. Wouldn¡¯t they be courting death by rashly sending out news without knowing anything?


    In the afternoon, Li Jinghua went by herself to the pce where the Yuan family lived to visit Matriarch Yuan. Only then did she know that they were not the only ones who had been brought into the pce to attend to the sick Empress. There were also the families of the three other generals. All of those generals controlled more than 100,000 troops each.


    Among them, General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan were given special attention because they were far away from Jiangnan. The duo¡¯s families were arranged to stay in the annex pce of Running Pce, while the other three families were also arranged to stay in the harem. All of the families were brought here under the excuse of attending to the sick Empress.


    However, not only were there women entering the pce, but there were also young children and olddies. Clearly, these two types of people were the main hostages.


    A man could remarry if he lost his wife, but men had always valued bloodlines Unless they were really cold-blooded and ambitious, very few people would give up on their children. Moreover, their mother was among them.


    If they could even give up their mother, wife, and children, the Emperor would have to praise them for being ruthless. However, considering very few people would be willing to follow such a person, the other party would have lost from the beginning.


    Of course, the Emperor¡¯s act of using his subjects¡¯ families as hostages would also be criticized. However, as the Emperor, he had the right to be willful. As a subject, would those people have such a right?


    The Emperor felt much more at ease after detaining the hostages in the pce. He gave the order to take good care of the generals¡¯ families who entered the pce to attend to the Emperor¡¯s illness. As long as it was doable, they would agree to any requests they had. As long as they did not spread the news or leave the pce, all else was fine.


    General Yuan was filial and Matriarch Yuan was in the pce. As long as she was well, General Yuan would definitely not dare to do anything. As for QJ Xiuyuan, although he no longer had a mother, he only had a son at such an age. He must value this son very much.


    The Emperor felt that it was a pity that Qi Feng and Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t get along. Otherwise, he would definitely have more confidence by detaining Qi Feng.


    Meanwhile, Qi Feng, who was outside the pce, was both indignant and d. On the one hand, he was indignant that he was so unimportant to his son that he did not even have the right to be a hostage. On the other hand, he was d that he did not have to be a hostage¡­


    The outside world was in chaos because of the sudden war, and because of the Emperor¡¯s actions, waves surged secretly. Though the pce waspletely isted from the outside world, they still found out some things after two days.


    For example, the battle between the Imperial Court¡¯s army and the bandits became more and more intense. Both sides suffered heavy losses. Just as the Emperor sent out the recruitment officials and had yet to reach the south road of Jinghu, a group of bandits shot and killed themander-in-chief. Without a leader, the army was in chaos.


    The bandits seized the opportunity to attack the cities and territories At the same time, the southwest and northwest borders were in a state of emergency with the West Xia army pressing closer at the borders. When the Emperor received the speedily-delivered news, the other party had already captured five county cities. Just as the Emperor was feeling worried, there was an urgent report from the north. The Jin army was pressing down on the borders, and were about to invade the borders on arge scale. General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan had already discussed to resist the Jin soldiers together.


    This made the Emperor, who had originally nned to transfer Qi Xiuyuan back, give up on the idea. Smoke rose everywhere, and the mes of war seemed to burn through the entire Great Zhou overnight. The Emperor was so worried that his eyebrows turned white.


    The morecent he was before, the more regretful he felt now.


    He originally thought that by killing Minister Qin¡¯s subordinates and shifting the me to the bandits, he could use this opportunity to remove Minister Qin¡¯s influence. He could also take the opportunity to send an army to suppress those bandits who could not be eliminated andpletely control the south road of Jinghu. However, he did not expect that after the mantis stalks the cicada, he would be a mantis that was about to be hunted by the oriole. Now, he could no longer see through whether West Xia and the Jin Kingdom were involved in what he had done back then. He only knew that he was trapped both internally and externally and could not be negligent at all. Otherwise, he would fall into a bottomless abyss.


    Half of the Emperor¡¯S hair turned white overnight. Looking at the country that was surrounded by mes of war, he regretted his impulsiveness for the first time.


    However, no matter how regretful he was, he had to persevere. In short, the Great Zhou could not perish in his hands. Otherwise, he would really be a sinner for all eternity.


    At this moment, the Emperor was most afraid that his generals would rebel so he had no choice but to invite the families of these generals into the pce. ¡¯ The Emperor had no intention of hiding the news from the family of those generals. He sent people to spread the outside news to their families one after another, wanting to win their support. He hoped that they could write to the generals leading troops outside and let them lead the troops in peace to serve the country.


    The Emperor originally wanted to release some news to them every day and thenin about his difficulties before asking them to write a letter. However, the situation was not optimistic, with news of them losing territoriesing in every day. Not only the borders, but the rebellion within the country had already spread from the south of Jinghu. If he did not stop it, the entire Jiangnan would be involved in the rebellion. The Emperor had no choice but to reveal all the news to the generals¡¯ family members within two days, hoping that they would encourage their sons or husbands to protect the country for him, for the sake of their country.


    The Emperor felt that the reason why the cities were lost so quickly was not only because they had failed to seize the opportunity to win the battle, but also because the generals were unwilling to do their best. Otherwise, why would the 800,000-strong army be so vulnerable?


    Now, his gold medals and imperial edicts were no longer of much use. He could only ce his hopes on the family¡¯s letters and hope that the generals could serve the country on ount of their families.


    The Emperor conveyed this message through the Empress, and everyone looked in the Yuan family¡¯s direction.


    Of the five generals, General Yuan led more than 260,000 troops. Qi Xiuyuan led 150,000 troops, while the other three generals only had 100,000 each Coupled with the Yuan family¡¯s reputation, almost everyone acted ording to the Yuan family¡¯s wishes.


    The Empress also looked at the Yuan family and smiled. ¡°How long has it been since Matriarch Yuan wrote a letter to General Yuan? It¡¯s good to take this opportunity to ask after him.¡±


    Matriarch Yuan lowered her eyes and said indifferently, ¡°Thank you for your concern, Empress. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m illiterate and have never written a letter to him. If His Majesty wants to send a message to my son, he can just help me pass along two sentences.¡±


    The Empress said to Madam Yuan with a faint smile, ¡°The Emperor passed down an imperial edict. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not convenient for him to pass along Matriarch Yuan¡¯s message. However, when Madam Yuan writes to General, you can help Matriarch Yuan pass along her greetings. The Imperial Court will send the letter over quickly. General Yuan should be able to receive it soon.¡±


    The Empress was worried that Matriarch Yuan would reject her again and embarrass her, so she said with a smile, ¡°Alright, go back and write a letter first. I¡¯ll send someone to get itter.¡±


    Everyone nced at Matriarch Yuan before lowering their eyes and retreating. Everyone stood outside the pce and looked at the indifferent Matriarch Yuan and Madam Yuan. They wanted to go forward and inquire, but under the watchful eyes of the pce maids and the emissary, they did not dare to do so. Li Jinghua only nced at the Yuan family before pulling Mu Yangling away..

 Chapter 511: Writing a Letter

    Chapter 511: Writing a Letter


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Looking at the pen and ink on the table, Li Jinghua sighed and asked, ¡°Should we write this letter or not?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mu Yangling answered firmly, ¡°And we should write it now.¡±


    Li Jinghua frowned slightly. Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°Sister-inw, Big Brother is the Emperor¡¯s subject. It¡¯s his duty to guard the Great Zhou, and it¡¯s not like the Emperor is asking him to do anything unjust. Why shouldn¡¯t we write it?¡±


    ¡°But being detained in the pce and forced to write these letters, I can¡¯t help but feel a little angry.¡±


    ¡°Just treat it asing to the pce to y for free for a period of time.¡± Mu Yangling spread out the paper and said, ¡°Sister-inw, write more interesting things about Little Treasure. This way, even if Big Brother doesn¡¯t get to see Little Treasure, he can still find out how he¡¯s doing by reading the letter.¡±


    Li Jinghua took a pen and began to write the letter. She asked softly, ¡°Will Matriarch Yuan write the letter?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if she will, but Madam Yuan will definitely write it.¡± Mu Yangling frowned slightly. In fact, she disapproved of Matriarch Yuan¡¯s confrontation with the Emperor and Empress. That would not only make the Emperor even more suspicious of the Yuan family, but also put them in a more dangerous situation, including General Yuan, who was far away at the border.


    No matter how much Mu Yangling disliked the Emperor, she would never cross his bottom line openly at a time like this, because that would be courting death. She had a husband, a son, parents, and siblings. To be showing such signs of disobedience or rebellion in the current era of imperial power, was it that Matriarch Yuan had lived for long enough?


    Furthermore, the Yuan family¡¯s prestige and status were too lofty, and General Yuan controlled an army of 260,000. If he listened to orders, the Emperor might not be so wary of him. The key was that General Yuan often did not obey the orders of the Imperial Court. Alright, Mu Yangling admitted that the Emperor¡¯s orders did often screw over the people of Great Zhou and his own army. As such, it seemed reasonable for a general to not listen to orders, but from the perspective of the Emperor, this definitely posed a threat to him.


    From this, it could be seen that the most direct and effective way to reduce the threat that Qi Xiuyuan posed to the Emperor and protect Qi Xiuyuan, them, and their children was to use their actions to tell the Emperor that the Qi family was not a threat. And also, that the hundreds of thousands of soldiers under Qi Xiuyuan listened to him.


    Although heroes were admirable, it was more beneficial to ¡®pretend to be a pig toter prey on a tiger¡¯.


    Li Jinghua¡¯s letter to Qi Xiuyuan discussed Little Treasure¡¯s daily life as usual. Then, she ended the letter by asking him to serve the Imperial Court at the border and to take care of his health.


    She showed the letter to Mu Yangling. After scanning it and checking that there were no problems, Mu Yangling sealed it.


    Li Jinghua quickly stopped her and said, ¡°Do you want to write a few lines too?¡± The more Li Jinghua thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. She felt that there was no information on the letter at all. She wondered if Qi Xiuyuan would be held back because he received less information than others after reading her letter.


    However, it seemed a little inappropriate for the sister-inw to write a letter to her brother-inw. Li Jinghua immediately regretted it after suggesting that.


    Mu Yangling propped her chin on her hand and thought for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s fine too¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling grabbed a pen and wrote a letter to Qi Xiuyuan, but in the letter, she only talked about Qi Haoran. There had been no news of Qi Haoran for a month. She was anxious and hoped that he could send someone to Jinghu¡¯s south road to look for him or talk to the Emperor and ask him to send a team to find Qi Haoran¡­


    Considering the south road of Jinghu was in chaos now, perhaps Qi Haoran had encountered danger. In the letter, she sounded naive and ignorant.


    However, she acted like she knew a lot and said, ¡°The Imperial Court has 800,000 troops, while General Yuan has 260,000. There are also 400,000 troops in Guanzhong. This doesn¡¯t include the 100,000 imperial guards guarding Lin¡¯an City. If you send a battalion to save Fourth Master, it shouldn¡¯t affect the battle too much¡­¡± She also said that Little Bear was still young and had yet to reach 100 days old. The baby had never even seen his father before. She tried to invoke pity and appeal to emotion.


    Li Jinghua was dumbfounded as she watched from the side. She did not know why Mu Yangling¡¯s style had suddenly be so¡­ naive and unreasonable.


    However, the more Mu Yangling wrote, the more easily her words flowed. In the end, she almost forced Qi Xiuyuan to swear that he would send someone to save Qi Haoran.


    After the letter was dried, she ced it together with Li Jinghua¡¯s and sealed it in an envelope. Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up as she said softly, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. Not only Big Brother and Fourth Master, but even we will be safe and sound.¡±


    For some reason, Li Jinghua felt uneasy.


    In the afternoon, a female official came to collect the letter. Li Jinghua nced at Mu Yangling and handed the letter to her. Surprised to see things go so smoothly, the female officialforted her with a bright smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mrs. Qi. This letter will arrive in seven days. You should be able to receive a reply in half a month.¡±


    Li Jinghua thanked her with a smile.


    The Qi family handed over the letter most readily. The Yuan family¡¯s letter was only written when the sun was about to set. When the other three families saw that the Yuan family had written it, they also wrote it.


    The Emperor read through all the letters and finally tapped his finger on the Yuan family¡¯s letter. He said with an emotionless expression, ¡°Send them out.¡± The Yuan family¡¯s letter was too simple. They only reported that they were safe and then simply mentioned that they wanted General Yuan to guard the border in peace. Although the content met the Emperor¡¯s requirements, anyone could tell that the Yuan family was in a bad mood. These few sentences were like their protest against the Emperor.


    The Emperor¡¯s expression was a little ugly. After reading the letters from the other three families, he picked up the one from the Qi family. The reason why he left the Qi family¡¯s letter for thest was because this letter was the thickest. As soon as he held it, he felt a thick stack.


    There were clearly two letters inside. The Emperor first read the thinner one which consisted of only three pieces of paper written by Madam Qi-Li. Most of them were about interesting things about their child. Only at the end did she tell Qi Xiuyuan to guard the border in peace and be careful.


    The Emperor felt a little better. This was more like a family letter. Writing about their child could arouse Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s fatherly love and tie him down. The Emperor was very satisfied with Madam Li¡¯s understanding of the situation.


    When he opened another letter that had six pieces of paper, the Emperor¡¯s lips twitched. If he didn¡¯t know that Madam Mu was Qi Haoran¡¯s wife, he would have thought that he had mixed things up just by looking at the thickness of the letter.


    After opening the letter, the Emperor no longer had any doubts that this person was indeed Qi Haoran¡¯s wife. This was because she had extensively written about how dangerous and arduous Qi Haoran¡¯s situation was on the south road of Jinghu. It was as if she had seen it with her own eyes. She only had one goal, and that was to get Qi Xiuyuan to quickly send someone to save him.


    Seeing this, the Empress smiled. ¡°Madam Mu is very innocent. After entering the pce, she rarely goes out and rarely speaks when she does go out. I didn¡¯t expect her to be a little domineering in private.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid she¡¯s restrained by Madam Qi-Li.¡± The Emperor calmly folded the letter again.


    The Empress thought about it and agreed. The two sisters-inw seemed to get along quite well. When they were outside, Madam Mu always acted ording to Madam Li¡¯s wishes.


    ¡°Then should we keep this half of the letter? We don¡¯t want to make General Qi feel uneasy.¡±


    The Emperor shook his head. ¡°Why should we keep it? Although Madam Mu is a little unreasonable, Qi Xiuyuan dotes on his younger brother very much. Perhaps he will really beg me to send some men to the south of Jinghu to look for him. When hees to ask me for a favor, I can make him restrain General Yuan in the north.¡±


    ¡°He only has 150,000 men, which is far inferior to the Yuan family¡¯s army. Can he hold them back?¡± The Empress asked worriedly.


    Smiling, the Emperor said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If the Yuan family¡¯s army really wants to rebel, even if Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s army can¡¯t stop them, it won¡¯t be a problem to dy them for a while. Just send the letter to them..¡±

 Chapter 512: Realization

    Chapter 512: Realization


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Poor Emperor. He didn¡¯t know that it wasn¡¯t General Yuan who was plotting a rebellion, but Qi Xiuyuan.


    Although General Yuan was arrogant and often disobeyed the Emperor¡¯s orders, he only wanted to recover their country¡¯s territory and serve the Imperial Court and leave his name in history. He had no intention of rebelling at all.?????????????????????????????????? <sup>5</sup>


    However, the young and energetic Qi Xiuyuan had his own ambitions. He appeared weak and was willing to listen to the Emperor¡¯s orders, but he had been preparing to rebel for a few years.


    When the letter was sent to the generals, everyone was first angry, then helpless.


    They could understand why a general with military power outside was made to leave his family in the capital, because even they would probably do the same for a peace of mind. However, it was too much to summon their families to stay in the pce, for this demonstrated great distrust in them.


    While they were giving their all at the front line for their country and the ruler, in the end, they ended up with such an oue?


    But now that their mother, wife, and children were in the hands of the Emperor, there was nothing they could do even if they were angry.


    General Yuan was also furious, especially since his mother was already in her sixties. At this age, one couldn¡¯t suffer shock, anger, and bumps. What was the Emperor trying to do?


    However, no matter how angry he was, with the Jin soldiers pressing down on him, he had no choice but to put all his attention on the battle. However, after suppressing the sorrow in his heart to the extreme, it was inevitable that he would feel resentful. This was the first time General Yuan expressed his dissatisfaction with the Emperor¡¯s actions.


    After Qi Xiuyuan received the letter, he read Li Jinghua¡¯s letter back and forth twice. Then, he smiled and caressed the letter describing Little Treasure, a hint of gentleness in his eyes.


    When Rong Xuan saw this, heforted him. ¡°It¡¯s good for the child to stay in the pce. Didn¡¯t Haoran say that the West Xia army had long infiltrated the Great Zhou? If those people infiltrated Lin¡¯an City, they would be the greatest threat to the families of the generals. Although they are now hostages in the pce, their safety is more guaranteed.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded. ¡°I know. Have you read Ah Ling¡¯s letter?¡±


    Rong Xuan smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes, Fourth Madam is very alert. She¡¯s telling us that this isn¡¯t the time.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan suppressed the restlessness in his heart and nodded. Previously, he and Rong Xuan were tempted because this was really a rare opportunity. It was only when the news of his family entering the pce as hostages came from the capital that Qi Xiuyuan calmed down.


    Although he was angry with the Emperor, he no longer had the intention to take action.


    Although Qi Xiuyuan wanted to rebel, it wasn¡¯t a must for him to obtain that supreme power right now. Hence, when his wife and family were in danger, he could still give it up for now.


    If Yuan Hui hadn¡¯t vowed that he would be the next Emperor and a wise ruler, Qi Xiuyuan probably wouldn¡¯t have had such thoughts. Even if he was dissatisfied with the Great Zhou, he would probably follow General Yuan¡¯s old path in the end. He would hold military power, be conferred the title of marquis, and his wife and son would be conferred a title. All he wanted was to leave his name in history.


    It was also because his hidden ambition had been drawn out by others, so his ambitions were not very strong. When he needed to make a choice, although it was difficult and painful, he would still choose his family.


    Fortunately, Mu Yangling¡¯s letter arrived very quickly. Her letter was straightforward, childish and unreasonable, but Qi Xiuyuan and Rong Xuan, who were familiar with her personality and way of thinking, quickly understood. Mu Yangling wanted them to wait and see, waiting to reap the benefits.


    Only then did Qi Xiuyuan feel better.


    Rong Xuan saw how he had been tormented until he finally made his choice. Seeing that he had chosen his family, Rong Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. Yet, he was also a little disappointed.


    He was disappointed because Qi Xiuyuan was not domineering enough. He heaved a sigh of relief because he cared about his family and was still the original Qi Xiuyuan he knew. The humane Qi Xiuyuan might not be able to go far, but it was enough for him to follow him without worry.


    Qi Xiuyuan put Li Jinghua¡¯s letter aside and read Mu Yangling¡¯s letter again. He sighed and said, ¡°I wonder if there will be such a good opportunity in the future¡­¡±


    Rong Xuan said hesitatingly, ¡°If we let our death warriors sneak them out of the pce¡­¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s too difficult to leave the pce in one piece. Just as Ah Ling said, we should focus on resisting the Jin soldiers and listen to the Emperor¡¯s orders. Let him lower his guard first before contemting this in the future.¡±


    At this point, Qi Xiuyuan smiled and said, ¡°That brat Haoran always says that Ah Ling¡¯s sixth sense is very urate. As a bystander, she sees things clearly. Perhaps there will really be a better opportunityter.¡±


    Rong Xuan nodded. ¡°If we start a rebellion now, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll be the target of public criticism. General Yuan¡¯s 260,000-strong army is right next door. Moreover, the Jin Kingdom is also attacking us. If we start a rebellion now, themoners won¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    With this thought in mind, it didn¡¯t feel that terrible to give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Qi Xiuyuan perked up and smiled. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s focus on resisting the Jin soldiers. Since we¡¯re guarding the Jingzhao Prefecture, we can¡¯t lose our city andnd like we did more than 20 years ago, right? That would be embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Then Fourth Master¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not too worried about that kid. There are forests everywhere in the south of Jinghu. As long as he enters the forest, there will be very few opponents who are his match. He¡¯s excellent at escaping, too. However, I still have to do what I have to do. Since Ah Ling specially wrote a letter to ask for help, I¡¯ll ask the Emperor to send a team of people to reinforce him. This way, the Emperor will be at ease.¡±


    Rong Xuan nodded with a smile. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go draft the memorial now.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded. After Rong Xuan left, he picked up Li Jinghua¡¯s letter and read the interesting news about his son. Perhaps he should consider telling Li Jinghua about this. After all, she was his wife. With her support, even if she couldn¡¯t give him much help, she could at least make him feel more at ease. At least then she would know what she could and couldn¡¯t do¡­


    Qi Xiuyuan wondered if he should let Mu Yangling tell Li Jinghua and let her do her thinking.


    Fortunately, now that they had a son, Li Jinghua probably wouldn¡¯t object.


    Qi Xiuyuan picked up the pen and thought for a while before putting it down. Because these letters would definitely be checked by the Emperor, he did not dare to be too explicit in his words. He only told Li Jinghua to be at ease and take good care of the child, take good care of his sister-inw and nephew for Haoran. He also told her to discuss things with Mu Yangling and get along with her¡­


    When mentioning Mu Yangling, Qi Xiuyuan asked her to tell Mu Yangling that he had already sent the Emperor to send someone to look for Qi Haoran. He told her not to worry too much and to take care of the child in peace. If she had nothing to do, she could read more books and not go out to cause trouble. Qi Xiuyuan used a few specific words. This was what they had agreed on back then. If he wrote this, it meant that he wanted to let Li Jinghua know about this. As the closest person to Li Jinghua, Mu Yangling was the best messenger.


    Qi Xiuyuan hinted to Mu Yangling that there was no hurry, that she could tell Li Jinghua about it after they left the pce. Also, she could also slowly reveal It to Li Jinghua. In short, it was fine as long as she didn¡¯t expose anything to others.


    The letter was handed to the Emperor¡¯s messenger to take away, along with Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s memorial. This was not bad. At least the letters came and went much faster. Not everyone could make use of such speedy delivery.


    At this moment, Qi Haoran, whom Qi Xiuyuan and Mu Yangling were missing, was sitting on a burly man in a sorry state. Seeing his fierce gaze, Qi Haoran simply raised his butt and sat down hard again, hitting the other party¡¯s stomach. The man spat out a mouthful of blood. Qi Haoran patted his face and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have time to waste on you. I¡¯ll ask you again.. Are you going to confess or not?¡±

 Chapter 513: Captive

    Chapter 513: Captive


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran chased after them for almost a month and finally caught them. However, even so, he only caught one team of West Xia soldiers, the team that ughtered the vige. The other two teams had never been seen. Even the people Qi Haoran sent out had disappeared without a trace. It was unknown if they had been discovered, surrounded by bandits, or had escaped on their own. Order copsed and the entire Great Zhou was in chaos. If not for Qi Haoran suppressing them, all the soldiers under him would probably have run away. Pinning the West Xia general underneath him, Qi Haoran punched him and knocked out two of his teeth. He asked fiercely, ¡°Tell me, where are the other two teams nning to go and what are they going to do?¡± The West Xia general red at Qi Haoran viciously and did not speak. Qi Haoran sneered and tapped his body before pressing his chin down. Only then did he stand up and kick the person below him. He said to hispanions, ¡°I originally wanted to rx, but it seems like it¡¯s impossible now. Bring them back and interrogate them one by one. Let them have a taste of the torture tools in the prison.¡±


    General, that¡¯s Chief Liu¡¯s territory. Isn¡¯t it inappropriate to take them back?¡± Would these people still be under their control if they were taken back? However, Qi Haoran said confidently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Chief Liu and Chief Lin are righteous and won¡¯t stop us.¡±


    Due to the chaos on the south road of Jinghu, Liu Dahei and Lin Man were naturally not satisfied with staying in Huaiyuan County. Therefore, they took advantage of the chaos and the copse of the bandit alliance to run out with their men, upying three county cities in one go.


    Qi Haoran, who was following them, originally wanted to stop them, but after hearing that West Xia and the Jin Kingdom hadunched arge-scale invasion and that the general had been assassinated, he let it go. However, he did not allow Liu Dahei and Lin Man to kill too much.


    Most of the people guarding the county were bailiffs. Putting aside the bailiffs in the county that had been captured in the past, the county magistrate and some other officials would definitely have been purged. However, perhaps taking into ount Qi Haoran¡¯s feelings, Liu Dahei and Lin Man no longer took the initiative to kill the officials.


    It was still fine if they encountered some upright officials. Liu Dahei and Lin Man would let them continue with their original duties. If they were unwilling, they would casually pack up two bags and throw them out of the city. As for corrupt officials or those who had killed innocent lives, even if Liu Dahei and Lin Man did not order them to be killed, the subordinates could not take it. Such corrupt officials would easily die when the bandits charged into or raided the houses. Fortunately, most of the families of those officials survived.


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t care about this. Seeing this, Liu Dahei and Lin Man didn¡¯t stop their men from doing this.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s identity was well-hidden. Other than Liu Dahei, Lin Man, and a few people around them, no one knew that he was an official of the Imperial Court. He almost didn¡¯t participate in the matters between Liu Dahei and Lin Man. Instead, he brought his men out almost every day. Liu Dahei and Lin Man knew that he was looking for the West Xia soldiers.


    Originally, they thought that he would be able to leave very soon. Who knew that they would miraculously meet again along the way? Hence, the two of them could only continue to tolerate an Imperial Court official chasing after them.


    Now, Qi Haoran had gone out for two days and returned with more than ten West Xia captives. Naturally, Liu Dahei had to ask. When he found out that it was the West Xia soldiers they had been chasing, he asked with interest, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that there were about 500 of them? Why are there only these ten or so?¡±


    ¡°When we bumped into them, there were only about too of them. Moreover, they were a tired army, so I set up an ambush and killed them. It was enough to leave behind a dozen captives for interrogation. Any more and it would be difficult to escort them back.¡±


    Liu Dahei shivered. He thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you advise us not to kill the captives?¡±


    Qi Haoran asked curiously, ¡°How is this the same? Those are from our Great Zhou Dynasty and these are West Xia soldiers. Besides, I didn¡¯t kill any captives. It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t capture so many.¡±


    At that time, they were fighting a war. Wasn¡¯t it normal for people to die in a war? If not for the sake of obtaining more information and easily prying open some mouths, he wouldn¡¯t even want to capture these ten or so people and would just kill them.


    Unfortunately, the leader seemed to be a little stubborn. In order to have more sources, he could only leave behind more captives.


    Qi Haoran used the interrogation method deployed by the prison. Liu Dahei went to take a look with great interest, wanting to see Qi Haoran¡¯s interrogation methods.


    However, when Liu Dahei followed him to the prison, he saw Qi Haoran turn around and instruct the prison bailiff who was in charge of punishment to interrogate those people. ¡°Just don¡¯t let them die.¡± Qi Haoran left a regimentmander behind to assist in the interrogation before turning to leave.


    Liu Dahei turned to look at those people and hurriedly followed him out. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you questioning them yourself?¡±


    I m not good at this. What can I find out from them? I¡¯ve already used the methods I know before. It¡¯s useless. If I use any more strength, those people will die. I¡¯ll leave it to the prison bailiff to do it. Considering they have various methods and are ruthless, they should be able to find out something.¡± Liu Dahei lowered his eyes, then looked up and said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re quite honest. You knew that you wouldn¡¯t do it, so you didn¡¯t do it. And you¡¯re not afraid to let others know if there¡¯s something you don¡¯t know how to do¡­¡± Qi Haoran said inexplicably, ¡°I¡¯m a general. As long as I know how to lead troops to war, it¡¯s fine. These things can be handed over to the subordinates. I just want results. Since there are specializations in every field, how can I possibly know everything?¡±


    Liu Dahei repeated the phrase ¡®there are specializations in every field¡¯ twice and sighed. ¡°Those who have studied are indeed different. I¡¯ve learned something.¡± Qi Haoran was very displeased that Liu Dahei could attribute everything to studying. How obsessed was he with studying?


    Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go back and wash up first.¡± After running around for two days, he was not only dirty and tired, but he was also famished. He really didn¡¯t have the time to chat with Liu Dahei.


    However, Liu Dahei stopped him with a smile and said, ¡°Brother Qi, since these people have entered my prison, let my subordinates assist your guy. Don¡¯t worry, they definitely won¡¯t stop you from interrogating him. Do whatever you have to do. My subordinates will just help hand over a whip or something.¡± Qi Haoran knew that he also wanted to obtain the news. Qi Haoran had meant to ask for their help to deal with West Xia together anyway, so he nodded and agreed without thinking.


    Liu Dahei smiled slightly, then turned around and called his trusted aides to go to the prison to assist in the interrogation. He emphasized to his men the need to memorize their questions and answers.


    Lin Man was waiting for him at Liu Dahei¡¯s house. When he saw him return, he opened his eyes and nced at him. He asked, ¡°Brother, are we really going to let Qi Haoran follow us forever?¡±


    Previously, Liu Dahei and Lin Man were in two teams. After teaming up to deal with Qi Haoran previously, they realized that their personalities were quitepatible. In addition, it was too chaotic outside now. They were too weak when separated, but when their groups werebined, one was unwilling to be subordinate to the other. Hence, they were now in an alliance. Although there were conflicts among their men, they generally got along peacefully. However, it was very strange for Qi Haoran to get involved in their alliance. This was because they were all bandits and Qi Haoran was an official. Previously, the situation was disadvantageous to them. With Qi Haoran staying here, it would serve as their escape route, so Lin Man was naturally happy to treat him as a VIP.. However, now that the situation was leaning in their favor and the Great Zhou regime was in danger, wouldn¡¯t it be too stupid for them to let Qi Haoran continue following them?

 Chapter 514: Returning to the Capital

    Chapter 514: Returning to the Capital


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Liu Dahei chuckled and pulled Lin Man into the house. He lowered his voice and said, ¡°Brother Lin, let me ask you. Do you think the Great Zhou can still hold on this time?¡±


    Lin Man lowered his head in deep thought. After a while, he said, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. The Great Zhou has an army of 800,000.¡±


    Liu Dahei pursed his lips. ¡°So what if it¡¯s 800,000? There are strong enemies outside and rebellions inside. They will still die. Furthermore, those generals might have their own selfish motives. Let¡¯s not talk about others. Just look at Qi Haoran. Even though he¡¯s an official, isn¡¯t he mixing with bandits like us in harmony anyway? Although his aim is to capture West Xia¡¯s soldiers, if he¡¯s patriotic and has loyalty to the Emperor, he should kill us or rat us out to the Imperial Court and get soldiers to surround us. But look, after half a month, it¡¯s never crossed his mind to send news to the Imperial Court¡¯s army.¡±


    Lin Man whispered, ¡°Are you saying that Qi Haoran wants to rebel?


    Liu Dahei sighed and said, ¡°The world is in chaos. Whoever bes the Emperor depends on their own abilities. The past me would have wanted to be a king, too. However, after fighting with Qi Haoranst time, I realized that I¡¯m stillcking in many ways. In this chaotic world, I don¡¯t even know if I can keep my life, let alone be a king. In that case, I might as well find a wise ruler. Perhaps I can be a founding minister or something.


    Lin Man looked at him in a daze. ¡°Will Great Zhou really perish?¡± The destruction of a country felt like a fantasy.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s about time.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ve taken a fancy to Qi Haoran?¡± Lin Man said in a dilemma. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem like a wise master. Although he¡¯s good at fighting in a war, he¡¯s like a child in other aspects.¡±


    Liu Dahei lowered his voice and said, ¡°Qi Haoran doesn¡¯t look like one, but what do you think of his Big Brother?¡±


    Lin Man stared at him with wide eyes.


    ¡°With already more than 100,000 troops under him, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s growth is not inferior to General Yuan¡¯s. If there really is a rebellion, he will definitely have a ce in the Great Zhou.¡±


    Lin Man couldn¡¯t help but swallow his saliva. ¡°Qi Xiuyuan wants to rebel? Did you hear it from Qi Haoran?¡±


    Liu Dahei nced at him as if he was an idiot and said, ¡°Why would Qi Haoran tell me this? Isn¡¯t this just a guess? Let¡¯s build a good rtionship with Qi Haoran first. If Qi Xiuyuan rebels in the future, we¡¯ll follow him. If he doesn¡¯t rebel, we¡¯ll just wait for a wise master to appear in the future and follow him.¡±


    Lin Man looked at him speechlessly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you spreading your a little too widely? How many boats do you have to step on? Will the wise master be able to tolerate it when he finds out in the future?


    ¡°Only the two of us know about this. Who else do you want to tell?¡±


    Lin Man thought about it and agreed.


    After three days of perseverance, the prison finally managed to pry open the mouths of a few people. They also found out about West Xia¡¯s n.


    The reason why they came was to think of a way to cause chaos in the Great Zhou and expand the war between the Great Zhou Imperial Court and the bandits. It would be best if they fought to the death internally so that West Xia could fight for more favorable conditions.


    They had disguised themselves as the Imperial Court¡¯s army to encircle and annihte many bandits. They had always fought a single battle and provoked the bandits¡¯ anger before leaving. Not long ago, they were also the ones who killed a bandit leader. It was all luck. At that time, they were hiding in a cave when an army passed by at the foot of the mountain. They poked their heads out and realized that it was the main force of the Imperial Court¡¯s army.


    Of course, they would not let go of such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, because of this, they suffered heavy losses from being hunted down. There were originally 500 of them, but after the incident, there were only too left in an instant. Moreover, those remaining were exhausted soldiers, so they were caught by Qi Haoran.


    As for the other two teams, one team was tasked to enter Jiangnan from the south of Jinghu and set fire to the Jiangnan area. The other team was the strongest. They disguised themselves and sneaked into Lin¡¯an City to kill the families of the main generals in Lin¡¯an City.


    As long as these families died, those generals would definitely turn against the Great Zhou. At that time, the Great Zhou would be even more chaotic, and their West Xia would definitely be able to upy half of the Great Zhou. Why was it only half and not all? That was because they had agreed with the Jin Kingdom to attack separately this time. The territories taken down by West Xia and Jin Kingdom would belong to them respectively.


    Since the Jin Kingdom¡¯s military strength was not weaker than theirs, it was estimated to be half.


    Although it was only half, seeing as this was the prosperous Great Zhou, half of it was plenty sufficient for the West Xia Kingdom.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s expression changed when he received the confession. He wondered how his wife and children were doing in the capital.


    After obtaining the confession and knowing the whereabouts of the West Xia soldiers, Qi Haoran was no longer in the mood to stay with Liu Dahei. He thought for a moment and advised them, ¡°Since this path is the only route from West Xia to Lin¡¯an, you should go north. That way, it¡¯ll be less dangerous.¡± After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°It¡¯s not a solution for you to always be bandits. If you don¡¯t mind, why don¡¯t you follow me? I¡¯ll recruit you and plead with the Emperorter. Now that Great Zhou is in chaos, the Emperor will definitely agree.¡±


    Lin Man looked at Liu Dahei, but Liu Dahei shook his head and said tentatively, ¡°If I were to follow you alone, I might agree. However, if you¡¯re suggesting I follow the Emperor of Great Zhou, forget about it. He¡¯s too cowardly.¡± Qi Haoran lowered his head and pondered for a moment before nodding, indicating that he understood. He did not make any promises, so Liu Dahei did not continue this topic.


    Qi Haoran brought out the West Xia general and executed the others in private. He brought this captive and rushed to Lin¡¯an City. Along the way, they managed to avoid the bandits, but they couldn¡¯t avoid witnessing the tragic scenes among themoners. The closer to Lin¡¯an City they went, the more they could see the hardship of themoners who were fleeing along the way. Qi Haoran, who thought that he had a strong heart, could not help but tear up. By the time they returned to Lin¡¯an City, they were all in a terrible state. When the soldiers guarding the city saw the group of ragged people, if not for the official seal in Qi Haoran¡¯s hand and his sharp gaze, the guards would definitely dismiss them as beggars and chase them out. No, even beggars weren¡¯t as sorry-looking as these people.


    ¡°Has something major happened in the city?¡± This was Qi Haoran¡¯s first question after verifying his identity.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the chaos in Great Zhou a major enough deal?¡± The guard asked nkly. ¡°I¡¯m asking if the families of the generals in Lin¡¯an City, such as General Yuan, General Qi, and the other generals, safe?¡±


    The guard sized up Qi Haoran and recalled that he had just introduced himself as Qi Haoran. His eyes immediately carried some sympathy. Seeing this, Qi Haoran¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help but tremble, and his face turned pale. He stared at the soldier with a murderous aura.


    The guard shivered and quickly reassured him. ¡°General, don¡¯t worry. Although the generals¡¯ families will suffer some inconvenience upon entering the pce, His Majesty only summoned them there to protect them. You have to understand¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that the Emperor brought the families of the generals into the pce?¡±


    The guard nodded. ¡°Yes, they were summoned to the pce as soon as the battle started.¡±


    Qi Haoran heaved a huge sigh of relief, his eyes slightly moist. Fei Bai went forward to support his arm and whispered, ¡°Fourth Master, Fourth Madam and Third Young Master will definitely be safe and sound. You don¡¯t have to worry. Let¡¯s enter the city and go home first. After washing up, we¡¯ll enter the pce to seek an audience¡­¡±


    Fei Bai grabbed Qi Haoran¡¯s arm tightly and supported his entire body. Qi Haoran stood there weakly for a while before realizing that his hand was trembling slightly. Thinking about how he was actually frightened by a soldier¡¯s gaze, Qi Haoran red at him fiercely and leaned against Fei Bai as he entered the city.


    Behind them, more than 60 ragged soldiers carried a bup bag as they followed Qi Haoran into the city.


    Qi Haoran originally wanted to return to the Qi Manor to have a meal and take a shower, but before he could walk far, the Emperor¡¯s envoy blocked his way and brought Qi Haoran and the others into the pce..

 Chapter 515: Son

    Chapter 515: Son


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran was brought directly to the Emperor.


    A few ministers were discussing government affairs with the Emperor. When they saw Qi Haoran being led in, their mouths fell open.


    One of the officials was the first to react and shouted, ¡°Assistant Commander Qi, you¡¯ve disgraced yourself in front of the pce. How dare you?¡±


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and knelt down to greet the Emperor before replying, Your Majesty, I didn¡¯t want to embarrass myself in front of the pce It was ¡¯ the emissary who brought me here who said that you wanted to see me immediately. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t have time to wash up and change my clothes.¡± The Emperor was also shocked by Qi Haoran¡¯s image. He looked at Qi Haoran¡¯s thin face sympathetically and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s indeed my order. Minister Qi can¡¯t be med. I¡¯m just eager to hear news about the south road of Jinghu.¡± After saying that, he looked at Qi Haoran sympathetically and said, ¡°Minister Qi, you¡¯ve suffered during this period of time.¡±


    This is what I should do,¡± Qi Haoran said righteously.


    Everyone couldn¡¯t help but look up to him. Qi Haoran¡¯s current appearance was too miserable. His clothes were in tatters, and they were so dirty that they had lost their original color. Some of the cloth strips were covered in blood clots and there were some wounds on his exposed skin that had yet to be treated. ¡¯ Saying that he looked miserable was quite an understatement.


    Most importantly, Qi Haoran¡¯s aura was much sharper than before. It was obvious that he had struggled his way out of the sea of blood.


    After all, one¡¯s appearance could be faked, but the aura couldn¡¯t be faked Moreover, Qi Haoran had lost a lot of weightpared to before he left the capital.


    Just as the Emperor and the ministers pitied Qi Haoran, Qi Haoran¡¯s stomach growled. Looking slightly embarrassed, Qi Haoran exined, ¡°Your Majesty the pastries on the table in front of you are too fragrant¡­¡±


    Otherwise, his stomach wouldn¡¯t have growled no matter how hungry he was. This time, it was the Emperor¡¯s turn to be slightly embarrassed. He gestured or the emissary to bring down the pastries on the table for Qi Haoran and said Minister Qi, eat something first. I¡¯ll ask again after you¡¯re done eating.¡± It s alright. Your Majesty, ask away. I can answer while eating.¡± Although it was a little inelegant, the Emperor urgently needed to know more details about the south road of Jinghu, so he didn¡¯t care.


    Since the information they¡¯d received was all sent back by the frontline generals through letters or messengers, the information was limited Considering Qi Haoran was a general who had just returned from the south road of Jinghu, he should have more information.


    There was indeed a lot of news from Qi Haoran. After all, he had lived with bandits.While hiding the news about Liu Dahei and Lin Man from the Emperor Qi Haoran told the Emperor everything else he knew, including the West Xia captives and the confessions they had obtained.


    After talking for a long time, Qi Haoran finished telling him everything he could reveal. Seeing that the Emperor had lowered his head to discuss matters with a few ministers, Qi Haoran shifted his butt and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Your Majesty, I heard that my sister-inw and Madam Mu are both in the pce. Can I meet them? Also, I haven¡¯t seen my son since he was born.¡± The Emperor¡¯s expression darkened slightly, then he quickly smiled and said Of course, this is human nature. However, the Empress¡¯s health hasn¡¯t improved, so I¡¯m afraid the officials¡¯ families will have to stay in the pce for a while.¡±


    Qi Haoran knew that the Emperor was worried that he would bring Mu Yangling and the others out of the pce. He hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯m asking Your Majesty to let Madam Mu and the others stay in the pce for a longer time. Since there¡¯s still no news of the two teams of West Xia soldiers, I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ve infiltrated Lin¡¯an City. It¡¯s naturally safer for the families of the generals to stay in the pce.¡± Qi Haoran licked his lips and said, ¡°Although I¡¯m only a fourth-grade general, all thanks to my big brother, Madam Mu and my child can stay in the pce, too. They can keep my sister-inw and nephewpany.¡±


    The Emperor was stunned. Only then did he remember the confession of the West Xia soldiers that Qi Haoran had mentioned previously. His mood instantly brightening up, he nodded with a smile. ¡°Alright, alright. Then let them stay for a few more days. Since the generals are leading troops to war and charging into battle, all I can do is to protect the safety of their families.¡±


    The ministers below lowered their eyes and silently felt that it was ironic, but t ey had to admit that the Emperor was lucky. Who knew that West Xia would send people to kill the families of the generals? His luck could simply be described as a blind cat encountering a dead rat.


    However, it was undeniable that everyone was relieved. After all with this matter, the conflict between the Emperor and the generals would be much weaker. This was the Great Zhou more united internally.


    This matter improved the Emperor¡¯s impression of Qi Haoran. With a wave of his hand, he agreed to let Qi Haoran meet his wife and child in the harem as long as he left before the pce door was locked.


    After receiving this grace, Qi Haoran willingly kowtowed three times to the Emperor and excitedly followed the emissary to the Evening Hall.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s attire attracted many people¡¯s attention along the way, but he ignored them as he followed the emissary to Evening Hall.


    Mu Yangling was carrying Little Bear and letting him look at the flowers in the courtyard. He could straighten his neck now. As Mu Yangling carried him, he turned his head around and looked around. After a while, he turned to the entrance of the courtyard. Leaning on his mother¡¯s shoulder, he met the eyes of the man at the door.


    Little Bear looked at that person curiously with his round eyes, and saw that the other party was also staring at him with his eyes wide open It was probably Little Bear¡¯s first time seeing someone¡¯s eyes open so wide. Therefore e raised his tiny hand to his mouth andughed happily. He even let out two ¡¯ Ah¡± sounds. Seeing that the other party¡¯s eyes were even wider, he was even happier.


    Mu Yangling hugged him and tapped his nose. ¡°Why are you so happy all day? You¡¯re like a fool.¡±???????????????????????? <sup>y</sup>


    ¡°Who said that my child looks like a fool? He¡¯s clearly so smart.¡± An unhappy voice sounded from behind.


    MU Yangling¡¯s body stiffened. After being stunned for a while, she turned around to look at Qi Haoran in disbelief.


    Qi Haoran stared intently at the child in Mu Yangling¡¯s arms. Noticing that his wife did not speak for a long time, he reluctantly diverted some of his attention to her. Seeing that she was staring at him in disbelief with her eyes wide open he waved his hand in front of her eyes. ¡°Are you stupid? You¡¯re clearly the one ¡¯ who¡¯s like a fool, yet you still say that my son looks like one.¡±


    Mu Yangling sized up Qi Haoran with reddened eyes. Seeing that the baby fat on his face was gone, she reached out to touch his arm and chest Her eyes turned even redder. ¡°Why have you lost so much weight?¡±


    Qi Haoran was a little flustered. ¡°Why are you crying? I haven¡¯t lost any weight at all. I¡¯ve just be stronger and more toned.¡± Qi Haoran reached out to hug his wife and child and patted her back. He coaxed her in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t cry We¡¯re in the pce.¡±


    Mu Yangling blinked back the tears in her eyes and moved their son closer to him. ¡°Look, this is your son.¡±


    Qi Haoran and his son looked at each other silently for a while. Qi Haoran reached out to touch his little face, but Little Bear pped Qi Haoran¡¯s face in disdain. With his entire face scrunched up and his nose wrinkled in disdain he turned around and hid in his mother¡¯s arms.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s expression changed..

 Chapter 516: Family Happiness

    Chapter 516: Family Happiness


    Trantor: As Studios <sup>1</sup> Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran held his breath and spread his legs wide open. He red at his son, who was ying on the couch and ignoring him. Then, he turned his head indignantly and asked, ¡°Is this really my son?¡±


    Mu Yangling personally wrung a towel and wiped his face. ¡°Alright, he was just despising you for being dirty and smelly. Why are you arguing with him when you¡¯re an adult?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s chest heaved as he shouted, ¡°He¡¯s my son. I was in a hurry and rushed back every night just to take a look at him. How dare he despise me? I¡¯m his father, no matter how dirty and smelly I am. How dare this brat despise me!¡±


    Qi Haoran gritted his teeth and said, ¡°When he grows older, I¡¯ll definitely beat him up until he looks for his teeth all over the ground. How dare he despise me!¡±


    Seeing that Qi Haoran hadpletely fallen into the resentment of his son despising him, Mu Yangling was both angry and amused. She pressed his head down to wipe his face and said, ¡°Your son despises you, but I don¡¯t despise you. Hurry up and wash your face. I¡¯ll get the kitchen to cook porridge for you.¡± Qi Haoran said in disdain, ¡°I¡¯ve been hungry for so long and you¡¯re only feeding me porridge? At least give me some meat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because you¡¯ve been hungry for too long that you need to eat porridge. Nourish your stomach first before eating meat in two days.¡± Mu Yangling pulled him aside and helped him wash his hands. Seeing that his clothes were really too dirty, she found a set of undergarments from under the box. ¡°I made this for you. Change into it first.¡±


    Qi Haoran picked up the clothes and rummaged through them in surprise. ¡°I can tell that it really was you who made this.¡± As he spoke, he touched the stitches and said, ¡°Other than you, no one else makes clothes with such thick stitches.¡±


    Just be content. My skills are much better than before. Without looking closely, who will notice that my stitches are thicker than others?¡± Qi Haoran pursed his lips and felt that his wife was only lying to him. Seeing this, Mu Yangling pulled the clothes back and said, ¡°Forget it if you don¡¯t want to wear them. I¡¯m not giving it to you anymore.¡± Qi Haoran hurriedly snatched the clothes over and red at him. ¡°Who else can you give it to if not me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it to my father.¡±


    Qi Haoran thought about his father-inw¡¯s burly figure and pursed his lips. ¡°You¡¯re lying without thinking. Father-inw won¡¯t be able to wear these clothes. Moreover, with Mother-inw making clothes for Father-inw, how can your needleworkpare? Only I don¡¯t mind. If it were someone else, they¡¯d never wear the clothes you make.¡±


    As he spoke, he shook his head and went to the bathroom to take a shower. After changing into a set of white undergarments, he came out with his hair disheveled. While Mu Yangling took a towel and wiped his hair dry for him, Qi Haoran leaned against the couch and narrowed his eyes slightly. He felt a little dizzy and suddenly felt that his middle finger was a little warm. His blurry consciousness instantly returned and he subconsciously wanted to exert Strength. Mu Yangling quickly patted his shoulder, rendering him unable to exert any strength. Only then did he see that his son was lying beside his hand and nibbling at his finger.


    Qi Haoran broke out in a cold sweat. If Mu Yangling hadn¡¯t weakened his strength earlier, wouldn¡¯t his son have been thrown out by him?


    Looking at his soft and adorable son, Qi Haoran felt a lingering fear. He carried his son and ced him on his stomach, hugging him tightly. Then, he patted his butt angrily. ¡°You almost scared me to death when you bit me.¡± Mu Yangling was also startled, and her hands were still a little weak. Fortunately, she had been paying attention to her son, and because she was helping Qi Haoran wipe his hair dry, she was able to stop it in time. Otherwise, if Qi Haoran subconsciously raised his hand, the child would definitely fly out.¡¯ She leaned over and hugged Qi Haoran from behind as tears streamed down her face. Feeling guilty, Qi Haoran hugged his son and reached out to pat Mu Yangling¡¯s back. ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright. It¡¯s all my fault. Later, you can beat me up to vent your anger¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head slightly. ¡°You just fought for your life outside. This is just a reflex. It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    Qi Haoran kissed Mu Yangling¡¯s forehead and said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely be more careful in the future. Once I get home, I¡¯ll let down my guard and definitely won¡¯t let such a thing happen again.¡±


    Little Bear had no idea that it had just walked through a life-and-death juncture. To express his dissatisfaction with his father¡¯s tight hug, he kept crying out loud.


    The warm atmosphere instantly disappeared. Qi Haoran, who was about to be affectionate with his wife, was instantly furious. He carried his son in front of him and asked, ¡°Previously, you found your father smelly. Now that I¡¯m clean, what else do you despise?¡±


    Little Bear looked at his father in a daze for two seconds before crying out loud Stunned, Qi Haoran immediately stuffed him into Mu Yangling¡¯s arms in a flurry. He stammered, ¡°I-I was just casually scolding him. I didn¡¯t want to scare him. Why is he crying?¡±


    Mu Yangling quickly carried her son and red at him. ¡°Weren¡¯t you very fierce just now?¡±


    Qi Haoran said timidly, ¡°Isn¡¯t that because he¡¯s very obedient and doesn¡¯t know how to cry? He¡¯s just like me when I was young.¡±


    Mu Yangling had no time to talk to him. She carried the child into the inner room to breastfeed him. Because he was rather hungry, as soon as the source of food reached Little Bear¡¯s mouth, he immediately stopped crying and started sucking as if he was fighting a war.


    Qi Haoran followed behind and entered the inner room. Seeing this, he stared at his wife¡¯s chest in shock. Mu Yangling looked up and saw that he had also entered. Blushing slightly, she quickly turned around slightly. ¡°Why did youe in? Hurry up and go out to dry your hair.¡±


    Qi Haoran swallowed his saliva and sat beside Mu Yangling. He looked forward and said in a low voice, ¡°Let me see our son. I¡¯ve never seen him drink milk.¡± Mu Yangling¡¯s face turned even redder, but when she saw Qi Haoran staring nkly at their son, she felt that she was overthinking. While Mu Yangling was hesitating, Qi Haoran said in a low voice, ¡°I can only stay in the pce for an afternoon. This time, the Emperor gave me this grace because I just returned. I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll see you two again.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart instantly softened. Since there wasn¡¯t any part of her that he hadn¡¯t seen before, she gritted her teeth and let Qi Haoran watch his son drink milk.


    Although she had mentally prepared herself, Mu Yangling was still a little shy. Once Little Bear was full, she immediately ced the child in Qi Haoran¡¯s arms and turned around to fix her clothes.


    Qi Haoran smacked his lips regretfully behind her and looked down at his son. Seeing that his eyes were slightly narrowed and he was clenching his fists and yawning while looking at him with misty eyes, Qi Haoran¡¯s heart softened. He tapped his little nose and said, ¡°Rascal, you already despise your father at such a young age. What will happen in the future? When you grow up a little more, I¡¯ll spank you.¡±


    Little Bear only thought that his father was talking to him. He opened his mouth and let out two ¡®Ah¡¯ sounds before yawning again. His eyes were slightly moist, and he gradually closed them. His nose emitted shallow breathing, and his abdomen heaved slightly before he fell asleep.


    With the soft and fragrant bundle in his arms, Qi Haoran felt that all his previous exhaustion had dissipated.


    Unable to resist, he nted a kiss on his son¡¯s forehead and refused to let go. After tidying up her clothes, Mu Yangling asked him to put the child aside and go out to eat porridge first. Qi Haoran shook his head and said, ¡°I want to carry the child. Go and bring the porridge in to feed me..¡±

 Chapter 517: Sneaky

    Chapter 517: Sneaky


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Looking at the affectionate Qi Haoran who refused to leave his son for a moment, Mu Yangling felt inexplicably jealous. She pouted and turned around to get food.


    The pce maids serving her stood far away, while Spring and the servants serving her son stayed outside to listen to orders. When they saw Mu Yanglinge out, they hurriedly went forward. ¡°Fourth Madam.¡±


    ¡°Bring me the porridge.¡±


    Spring knew that Qi Haoran did not like the servants to be around when he was with Mu Yangling. Hearing this, she turned around and handed the earthenware pot to Mu Yangling.


    Although those pce maids were curious as to why Spring and the others did not enter the room to serve them, those who could survive in the deep pce knew what to ask and what not to ask. Therefore, they hid their curiosity tightly.


    Seated on the side of the bed, Mu Yangling watched as Qi Haoran coaxed his son while constantly stuffing porridge into his mouth.


    Mu Yangling looked at her sleeping son and then at Qi Haoran, who was humming softly and muttering non-stop. She couldn¡¯t help but whisper, ¡°Stop coaxing him. He¡¯s already asleep. Don¡¯t wake him up again. Should he wake up, will you be responsible for coaxing him back to sleep?¡±


    Qi Haoran pouted and muttered a few words. Only then did he ce his son in his arms and stop moving. He focused on eating the porridge.


    However, he was picky despite the fact that someone was feeding him. After a while, he said, ¡°Why is there only so little meat in this porridge? There¡¯s more meat over there, scoop that up¡­¡±


    At first, Mu Yangling did as he said and scooped some for him to eat. Towards the end, shepletely ignored him and simply casually scooped some into his mouth. She said, ¡°You have to finish all of it anyway¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran muttered, ¡°How can a pot of porridge be enough¡­¡±


    His appetite was huge. Now that he¡¯d returned to hisfortable life, he felt that he could swallow a pig without any problem.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re hungry, but how can you eat so much meat all of a sudden when you¡¯ve been starved for so long previously? Your stomach will be damaged should you eat that way.¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted andy down slightly with his son in his arms. ¡°I want to sleep for a while. Wake me up when it¡¯s time. I¡¯ll go with you to see Sister-inw and Little Treasure¡­¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Haoran fell asleep.


    Mu Yangling knew that he was tired, so she quietly brought the things out before returning to the room. She saw that Qi Haoran had already turned his body slightly to face their son as he slept, and Little Bear was lying beside his father with his limbs spread out. His little mouth was slightly open as he slept soundly.


    Mu Yangling stood at the side for a while and realized that the father and son¡¯s breathing had synchronized. She pursed her lips and smiled slightly. Leaning against the side of the bed, she quietly watched them. Unknowingly, she fell asleep leaning against the bedpost.


    Qi Haoran had long developed a biological clock in the wild. Although he was tired, he still opened his eyes in high spirits after sleeping for only two hours. He first saw his son lying not far away, then his wife leaning against the bed.


    Qi Haoran hurriedly and carefully moved his son to the innermost area before getting up to carry his wife and lie her down.


    The moment he moved, Mu Yangling woke up. As she had fallen asleep leaning against the side of the bed, her neck felt a little ufortable now. Qi Haoran muttered, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you sleep on the bed when there¡¯s so much space? You¡¯re really silly.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to sleep. I just wanted to look at you.¡±


    Amused, Qi Haoran said smugly, ¡°I¡¯m right here. Feel free to look.¡±


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s lips twitched slightly. Shey down beside him and closed her eyes slightly, ignoring him. Qi Haoran looked at Mu Yangling for a long time. He probably felt that his son was more attractive, so he turned around to stare at his son. After a while, when he saw that no one was paying attention in the room, he secretly reached out and pulled his son¡¯s legs apart to look at his ******


    Mu Yangling happened to open her eyes and was dumbfounded.


    After confirming that it was indeed a son, Qi Haoran¡¯s smile deepened and he put down his legs in satisfaction. Just as Mu Yangling was about to ask him if he favored boys over girls, she saw him carefully arrange their son¡¯s legs into a heart shape before gently cing his spread-open arms back beside his mouth¡­


    Mu Yangling closed her mouth and closed her eyes. Alright, this fellow was ying with their son.


    Probably because he felt ufortable sleeping in such a position, Little Bear pouted slightly and frowned slightly. When Qi Haoran saw this, he quickly arranged his legs and arms, as if he had done something evil and was discovered. He sped his hands in front of his chest and closed his eyes tightly, pretending to sleep.


    Mu Yangling tried enduring it initially, but in the end, she couldn¡¯t help but kick him. She said in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to bully our son like this in the future. Be careful that he won¡¯t settle scores with you when he grows up.¡±


    Qi Haoran felt a little sheepish, but he still muttered, ¡°I¡¯m his father. How dare he!¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted. ¡°Why are you still acting like a child when you¡¯re already an adult?¡± Mu Yangling said as she stretched out her leg and kept hitting his leg.


    Qi Haoran grabbed her foot and turned slightly to face Mu Yangling. ¡°I just wanted to fiddle with him to confirm if he¡¯s my son.¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned. Then, she exerted strength in her legs and pped him. She snapped angrily, ¡°What do you mean? If I didn¡¯t give birth to your son, whose son did I give birth to?¡±


    Yet to realize that he had said the wrong thing, Qi Haoran only sighed and said, ¡°But I just feel that it¡¯s very magical. When I left, your stomach was only so small. When I came back, my son was already so big¡­¡±


    At this point, Qi Haoran felt a little guilty. He hugged Mu Yangling and said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t around when you gave birth. I didn¡¯t participate in the child¡¯s growth either¡­¡±


    Feeling a little better, Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°You had


    no choice. It just so happened that there¡¯s a war when I gave birth.¡±


    Qi Haoran held Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and did not say anything. Mu Yanglingy quietly in his arms. Just as she was about to enjoy this moment of peace, a certain someone¡¯s hand became naughty.


    Mu Yangling closed her eyes slightly and pretended not to see it. Seeing that he was getting more and more overboard, she couldn¡¯t help but grab his hand that had already slipped into her clothes. ¡°Stop fooling around. This is the harem in the pce. Do you want to die?¡±


    The Emperor allowed Qi Haoran to visit them, but he would definitely not allow Qi Haoran to do such a thing in the harem, even if they were husband and wife.


    Qi Haoran bit her ear and said, ¡°The pce maids are all outside. Just keep your voice down. There¡¯s water in the bathroom¡­¡±


    Unwilling to take the risk, Mu Yangling pushed him away slightly, her breathing a little rapid. ¡°Don¡¯t mess around. Be careful that the Emperor won¡¯t let you visit us next time.¡±


    Qi Haoran paused and squeezed Mu Yangling slightly. With reddened eyes, he hugged her tightly and said in a low voice, ¡°I just feel terrible.¡±


    Mu Yangling gasped, but seeing Qi Haoran like this, she couldn¡¯t bear to reprimand him. After hesitating for a moment, she reached for his lower body. This time, it was Qi Haoran¡¯s turn to gasp.


    Qi Haoran hugged Mu Yangling excitedly and whispered passionately into her ear, ¡°Ah Ling, Ah Ling¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s face was red. As her hand was a little clumsy, Qi Haoranid his hand over hers and guided her¡­


    By the time Mu Yangling¡¯s hands were sore, Qi Haoran finally let it all out. Hey on the bed for a while before going to the bathroom to wash up, feeling refreshed. Mu Yangling¡¯s face was red as she secretly opened the window to let out the smell in the room..

 Chapter 518: Love

    Chapter 518: Love


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Li Jinghua knew that the couple would definitely have a lot to talk about, so she hid in her room and did note out until Spring came to invite her. Then, she brought Little Treasure over.


    Qj Haoran changed into that tattered set of clothes again. Otherwise, it would be too inappropriate for him to see his sister-inw in his undergarments. Although that set of clothes wasn¡¯t much better, it was after all, outer clothes.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s clothes were too dirty. Recalling his son¡¯s reaction, he did not dare to go forward and ask to carry Little Treasure. He only stood at the side and teased the kid for a while before looking up to say a few simple words to Li


    Jinghua.


    Li Jinghua mainly wanted to know about how Qi Xiuyuan was doing. They lived in the pce, and the news they received was what the Emperor or others wanted them to know. However, they didn¡¯t know the real situation.


    As Qi Haoran was called into the pce as soon as he returned, he did not know any news about his big brother. However, the fact that he did not receive any news meant that Qi Xiuyuan should be fine. Hence, he told Li Jinghua confidently that his big brother was doing well.


    Li Jinghua felt relieved and deliberated for a moment. Seeing that there was only their family in the room, she couldn¡¯t help but ask in a low voice, ¡°Fourth Brother, I wonder when we can leave the pce and go home. It¡¯s not convenient to stay in the pce all the time.¡±


    Qi Haoran said with a serious expression, ¡°I was just about to tell you that it s safer for the two of you to stay in the pce during this period of time¡­¡± He told her about West Xia¡¯s assassination n.


    Qi Haoran said in a low voice, ¡°Although the Emperor summoned you to the pce with the intention of taking you hostage, I still have to thank him. That team of West Xia soldiers who undertook the assassination mission were elites. When I rushed back, I was trembling in fear, afraid that I had returned toote. Although there are many inconveniences in the pce, as long as Big Brother and I are still loyal to the Great Zhou, the Emperor will do his best to protect you.¡±


    Li Jinghua did not expect it to be so dangerous outside the pce and was stunned for a moment.


    Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t stay in the pce for too long, and this time was an exception. Seeing that the emissary had alreadye and gone several times, he stood up and said, ¡°Sister-inw, as it¡¯s gettingte today, I¡¯ll leave the pce first. If you need anything, just get the pce servants to send a message to me and I¡¯ll get it for you.¡±


    Li Jinghua nodded slightly and looked at Mu Yangling. ¡°Ah Ling, send Fourth Brother out. I¡¯ll help you look after the child.¡±


    Mu Yangling sent Qi Haoran all the way to the second entrance. When Qi Haoran saw the emissary and pce maids following from afar, he gently hugged Mu Yangling and whispered into her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If anything happens, I¡¯ll definitely get you guys out before then.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly and smiled formally. ¡°I¡¯m very assured.


    Qi Haoran smiled. Yes, Ah Ling had always trusted him wholeheartedly.


    ¡°Take care of Sister-inw and Little Treasure.


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    Only then did Qi Haoran turn around and leave.


    Mu Yangling stood at the door until his back hadpletely disappeared. Only then did she turn around and walk back slowly.


    While the couple was still feeling sad about parting again, the pce witnessed how lovey-dovey the two of them were, once again. Many women were envious and jealous of Mu Yangling. ¡°She¡¯s darned lucky.¡±


    Not only did these women include pce maids, but they also included the concubines and generals¡¯ families detained in the harem. Even the Empress felt jealous.


    The next day, she specially got someone to call Mu Yangling over to talk to her. Mu Yangling was still sitting quietly like before, only answering when asked a question. The Empress had clearly already expressed her goodwill, but Mu Yangling still did not know how to curry favor with her, clearly far inferior to her smooth-talking sister-inw. How could such a woman receive so much love from her husband?


    Could it be because they were newlyweds?


    However, they had been married for more than two years and were long past the honeymoon stage. Back then, when the Empress had just married the Emperor, they were loving for a while too. Still, it was nowhere near the level of affection disyed by these two.


    Qi Haoran could reject the Emperor¡¯s marriage arrangement for him and behave affectionately with her in public¡­


    It seemed that the issuey with the man. Perhaps it was because of the man¡¯s roots.


    The other women were also observing Mu Yangling. In the end, they came to the conclusion that other than being rtively beautiful, Mu Yangling did not have any other good points. And what the world did notck the most were beautiful women. It seemed that the issue indeedid with the man, and not that the women were not outstanding enough.


    This made everyone look at the men of the Qi family. Only then did they realize that there seemed to be a gic factor. Didn¡¯t Qi Feng also adore his first love, a cousin, and insist on taking her as a concubine at the risk of offending the Yue family? Didn¡¯t he promote that concubine to a legitimate wife less than half a year after his first wife died?


    This should be considered deep love, right?


    Qi Xiuyuan also seemed to value his wife very much, and no one had ever heard that he had a beloved concubine or a bastard son in Jmgzhao Prefecture. It could be seen that the men of the Qi family were indeed more affectionate. Hence, everyone became envious of Mu Yangling s luck.


    When the well-informed Li Jinghua returned from outside, sheughed so hard that she bent over. She told Mu Yangling about this matter as if it was a joke and teased her, ¡°I was wondering why the Empress called you over two days ago. The women of the other three families kept ncing at you and asking me about you from time to time. Even the other concubines in the harem woulde to the Empress to see us. It turns out that the root cause is


    you.¡±


    Mu Yangling said unhappily, ¡°They¡¯re too nosy. Moreover, Haoran¡¯s rtionship with me isn¡¯t rted to the Qi family at all, alright? I¡¯m devoted to him, so he naturally has to repay me with his devotion. What does it have to do with Father-inw? It¡¯s too ridiculous to link me and Haoran¡¯s marital matters to Father-inw¡¯s doting on his concubine over his wife.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m devoted to him, so he naturally has to repay me with his devotion.¡± Li Jinghua lowered her head and muttered the sentence twice. Finally, she looked up and smiled faintly. ¡°Only you would say that. There are many heartless men in the world, and this world is so unfair to women. There are very few people who can be like Fourth Brother. Ah Ling, you¡¯re lucky to meet him.¡±


    Mu Yangling opened her mouth and could only mutter, ¡°My father is also such a person.¡±


    Li Jinghua smiled. ¡°So you and your mother are very lucky.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t dare to say that Qi Xiuyuan was capable of that, too. Although Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t have a concubine, he did have mistresses. Li Jinghua had also arranged a mistress for him beforeing to Lin¡¯an City. Knowing what Mu Yangling was thinking, Li Jinghua patted her hand and smiled. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m much luckier than most women. Although I can¡¯tpare to you, I¡¯m already very satisfied.


    Because Qi Xiuyuan valued her and had yet to take in a concubine and give birth to a concubine¡¯s son, this was enough for her.


    The women were generally envious of Mu Yangling, while the men generally looked down on Qi Haoran. They felt that this person was too sentimental. The Emperor thought so too. Qi Haoran¡¯s words and actions in the harem would naturally be reported to him. Hence, when Qi Haoran left, the Emperor officiallybeled him as too sentimental.


    However, as a subject, there was nothing bad about being sentimental. The Emperor hoped that Qi Haoran¡¯s big brother would share this same characteristic. This way, he would be even more at ease..

 Chapter 519: Heartbreaking

    Chapter 519: Heartbreaking


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Although the Imperial Court tried very hard to restore order, the situation continued to gradually deteriorate. Not long after Qi Haoran returned, Jingzhou Prefecture on the east and Jiading Prefecture on the west were gradually lost, and the south of Jinghu waspletely upied by the rebels. The rebels had formed an alliance and were gathering in Lin¡¯an City. Their vanguard had already arrived at Longxing Prefecture.


    It was only a 12-day march from Longxing Prefecture to Lin¡¯an City. If it was a cavalryman, it would only take three days. If it was a single person and two horses galloping at high speed, it would only take two days¡­


    Emperor Jingyan panicked like never before, but there was no deployable talent in the Imperial Court.


    Since all the useful generals had been sent out, Emperor Jingyan had no choice but to consider deploying Qi Haoran.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan already controlled 150,000 troops and was far away at the border. It would be too dangerous to hand over a portion of the imperial guards to Qi Haoran.


    Now that Qi Haoran was back, he had no intention of letting him leave the capital.


    Grand Tutor Yan dragged his sickly body into the pce and begged, ¡°Your Majesty, now is not the time to hesitate. The family of Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran is in the pce, and Qi Haoran values his wife and children. As long as we can keep an eye on them, we can control Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran.¡±


    Grand Tutor Yan shouted anxiously, ¡°Your Majesty, Great Zhou is in danger. We can¡¯t hesitate anymore!¡±


    The Emperor took a deep breath and ordered, ¡°Order Qi Haoran to be the general in charge of suppressing bandits. Let him take 20,000 imperial guards and 30,000 local garrison troops and head to Longxing Prefecture immediately.¡±


    Grand Tutor Yan heaved a sigh of relief, but Emperor Jingyan looked exhausted. ¡°Grand Tutor, even if we defend Longxing Prefecture, with the Jin Kingdom in the north and West Xia in the west, our Great Zhou will not be able to protect all of our territory. Teacher, what do you think we should do?¡±


    Emperor Jingyan covered his face and cried. Eunuch Bai¡¯s eyes dimmed. He waved his hand and chased all the emissaries out. Then he left quietly and closed the door, guarding outside.


    Grand Tutor Yan looked at the Emperor with his turbid eyes for a long time. In the end, he sighed slightly. He was already 68 years old this year and could feel that his lifespan wasing to an end. He sat on the steps shakily and stared nkly at the pir not far away.


    Emperor Jingyan walked to Grand Tutor Yan and said, ¡°Teacher, please show me another way.¡±


    Grand Tutor Yan smiled bitterly. At this moment, he could not help but resent Emperor Jingyan. He asked directly, ¡°Will you do as I say?¡±


    Emperor Jingyan¡¯s eyes darkened. After a while, he nodded slightly. ¡°As long as Teacher says so, I will do it.¡±


    A sharp light shot out of Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s turbid eyes. He turned to look at the Emperor beside him, his chest heaving with anger, but he could not vent his anger no matter what. Looking at the Emperor, whose eyes were slightly red, all his anger turned into helplessness.


    This was his student and the Emperor whom he had single-handedly helped ascend the throne. Having been the Emperor for more than 20 years, he was no longer the respectful and sincere young prince from back then. The Emperor was notcking in ambition and suspicion, but his intelligence did not increase at all. Instead, he looked extremely stupid because of his unmatched ambition and suspicion. But wasn¡¯t he the one who caused all of this?


    If he had chosen the high-spirited Sixth Prince back then, would the situation have been better?


    Grand Tutor Yan shook his head slightly. Nothing was certain. It was not that easy to manage a country. The Sixth Prince was ambitious and smart, but he was too showy and had too many opinions about the aristocratic families and nobles. As such, he might not necessarily do better than Emperor Jingyan when he ascended the throne. Thinking of this, Grand Tutor Yan felt slightly better.


    Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s thoughts fluctuated and he was silent for a long time. If not for the fact that the other party¡¯s eyes were still open, the Emperor would have thought that he had fallen asleep. Just as Emperor Jingyan could not help but urge him again, Grand Tutor Yan said with difficulty, ¡°Let¡¯s make peace.¡±


    Emperor Jingyan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He asked expectantly, ¡°Teacher, are you talking about making peace with the rebels?¡±


    A mocking smile appeared on Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s lips as he asked, ¡°The Emperor wants to negotiate peace with the rebels?¡±


    Emperor Jingyan was silent, knowing that he had offended Grand Tutor Yan. Grand Tutor Yan reached out and grabbed the railing on his right. Then, he stood up shakily and said with a sobbing voice, ¡°Make peace with the Jin Kingdom and West Xia.¡±


    As soon as he said that, tears fell from Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s eyes and dripped onto the smooth floor of the pce. Emperor Jingyan¡¯s heart ached. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.


    Grand Tutor Yan obviously didn¡¯t want to hear what the Emperor had to say anymore. He walked out step by step, tears falling like pearls from a broken string. He opened the door with both hands and Eunuch Bai, who was standing outside, turned around when he heard the sound. Seeing Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s red eyes and tears streaming down his face, he was stunned. Then, he carefully stepped forward and asked, ¡°Grand Tutor Yan, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Grand Tutor Yan stared at Eunuch Bai for a moment before turning his head and pushing him to the side, walking out step by step.


    Startled, Eunuch Bai rushed forward to hold his arm and cried out, ¡°Oh my, Grand Tutor Yan, what¡¯s wrong? I¡¯ll send for a pnquin to carry you¡­¡±


    Grand Tutor Yan waved him away and said hoarsely, ¡°No need.¡±


    He was so strong that Eunuch Bai took three steps back.


    Eunuch Bai was very surprised, for he did not expect the old and seriously ill Grand Tutor Yan to be so strong. While he was in a daze, Grand Tutor Yan had already taken a few steps forward.


    Knowing that Grand Tutor Yan was stubborn, Eunuch Bai didn¡¯t dare to ask him to take the pnquin again. Instead, he called two emissaries and two guards to follow behind him. Should Grand Tutor Yan fall, they would immediately catch him.


    Grand Tutor Yan seemed to bepletely unaware of the people and things behind him as he walked out step by step. Eunuch Bai, who was watching from behind, felt that Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s back was a lot more hunched than before.


    As soon as that thought came to mind, Eunuch Baiughed at himself. Grand Tutor Yan was already so old, so it was normal for him to have a hunched back.


    Eunuch Bai turned around and went back to the pce, but as soon as he stepped through the threshold, a cup flew at his head. Eunuch Bai didn¡¯t dare to dodge, so he lowered his head slightly and let the cup fly over his head. The Emperor shouted in a dignified voice, ¡°Get out!¡±


    Frightened, Eunuch Bai stepped back and closed the door again.


    On this day, Grand Tutor Yan walked from the Chongzheng Hall to the entrance of the pce alone. The officials who came and went to report matters were slightly surprised when they saw this. Then, they stood respectfully at the side and bowed. Grand Tutor Yan walked past them step by step as if he did not see them.


    Although everyone was surprised, they only thought that Grand Tutor Yan was worried about the current situation. After a long time, the officials who had seen this scene recalled it and understood how painful it was for Grand Tutor Yan at that time.


    Grand Tutor Yan staggered to the entrance of the pce. Seeing that he was on the verge of copse, the guards hurriedly went forward to support him, but Grand Tutor Yan pushed them away with one hand. He almost walked out of the pce door as if he was torturing himself. The chief steward of the Yan family caught his shaky body and could not help but grumble in a low voice, ¡°Old Master, why did the Emperor let you walk out by yourself?¡±


    Ever since Grand Tutor Yan got older, every time he entered the pce, as the Emperor¡¯s teacher, he would ride a carriage or a soft pnquin.


    Grand Tutor Yan did not answer. Instead, he held the steward¡¯s hand and turned around to look at the pce, his eyes filled with sorrow..

 Chapter 520: Passing

    Chapter 520: Passing


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Yan Du knelt in front of Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s bed and kowtowed. He cried ¡°Father, you¡¯re making the Yan family bear the infamy for eternity.¡± Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s chest heaved up and down rapidly before calming down. After finally calming down, he turned to look at Yan Du and said stubbornly, ¡°Go get the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.¡±


    Yan Du bit his lip and knelt on the ground. Grand Tutor Yan pointed at him angrily and shouted, ¡°Even you don¡¯t listen to me?¡±


    ¡°Father, if you want the entire Yan family to be buried with you, even if I have grievances in my heart, I definitely won¡¯t dare to refute you. I¡¯ll be the first to drink the poisoned wine. But¡­ but you mustn¡¯t submit this memorial. Even if you chop me, I can¡¯t let you write this memorial. Else, I wouldn¡¯t dare to go down and meet my ancestors or Emperor Shizong!¡± Yan Dumented. His head hit the ground with a bang, and blood slid down his forehead and face.


    Grand Tutor Yan spat out a mouthful of blood and pointed at his son, unable to say anything. After a while, he clutched his chest and panted. ¡°Do you think that I am willing to bear such infamy? Do you think that I want to push the Yan Family into a bottomless abyss? I was the one who helped Emperor Jingyan ascend the throne¡­¡±


    ¡®But this kingdom belongs to the Guos, not the Yans.¡± Yan Du roared, ¡°If he had listened to Father earlier, the Great Zhou wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this. It¡¯s only now that he wants to take your advice and asks you to take responsibility. What had he been doing in the past 20 years?¡±


    Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s gaze was obscure. Yan Du returned his father¡¯s gaze fearlessly and knelt on the ground firmly without flinching.


    Grand Tutor Yan sighed. ¡°If the peace talks seed, the Great Zhou Dynasty can continue¡­¡±


    Yan Duughed mockingly. ¡°It¡¯d just be struggling on itsst breath.¡±


    ¡°As long as there¡¯s life, there¡¯s a possibility of rising again.¡± Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s voice was almost inaudible. ¡°The Emperor is old, and the princes are also old. You must keep your eyes open and not follow my old path¡­¡±


    Yan Dids tears flowed down immediately. ¡°Father, if we lose half of the remaining half of the empire, how much of the Great Zhou will be left? If we can¡¯t protect the Great Zhou, the Yan family will really have to bear the infamy of betraying the country for generations. I don¡¯t dare to take the gamble Moreover, among the princes, who do you think can turn the tide? Might as well, might as well¡­¡± Might as well let the people rebel. Perhaps they could protect the Han family¡¯s empire and not let it fall into the hands of the Hus.


    Yan Du swallowed hisst sentence, but his meaning was obvious.


    Grand Tutor Yan opened his eyes and stared at the tent without saying anything. That night, the father and son could not convince each other.


    Lady Yan was pacing around anxiously outside. When she saw her son, Yan Fu, sitting on the steps in a daze and not moving, she said angrily, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you guys? Tell me, don¡¯t make me anxious. Your father and grandfather are talking inside. Why are you sitting there without moving?¡±


    Yan Fu lowered his eyes andughed self-deprecatingly. When Mrs. Yan saw this, she pped him angrily. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the three of you?¡±


    Yan Fuughed out loud as tears welled up in his eyes. He looked at his mother steadily and said, ¡°Mother, in a few days, the Yan family will no longer be the role model of the schrs.¡±


    ¡±What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Lady Yan was shocked and shouted, ¡°Our Yan family exercises very strict discipline and never does anything illegal If you dare to spout nonsense again, I¡¯ll askyour father to punish you.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Yan Fu stood up and walked out. ¡°You should also persuade Father to stop kneeling and kowtowing. He¡¯d just be wasting his efforts. No one can persuade Grandfather once he has made up his mind.¡±


    Yan Fu staggered out,ughing heartily as he said, ¡°My Yan family is a great family of literary and cultural tradition¡­¡±


    Bad news came back to Lin¡¯an City one after another. Other than the northern side, where General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan defended the defensive line with some winning and some losing, bad news came from other ces. Territories were being lost every day, making the officials¡¯ expressions be more and more serious. They no longer smiled. Even the families of the officials fell silent as they waited for news from the front line in fear.


    Qi Haoran had already led his troops out of the city to Longxing Prefecture. Yan Du applied for leave to attend to his father¡¯s illness at home. Yan Fu simply skipped work without applying for leave, which surprised his superiors and colleagues.


    That was because Yan Fu was a promising and hardworking young man who rarely took leave, let alone skip work like this. However, when they thought about how the Emperor had been sending imperial physicians to the Yan family for the past few days, everyone just assumed that Grand Tutor Yan was really not doing well.??????????????????????????????? <sup>y</sup>


    As the saying went ¡®It never rains but it pours¡¯. Losing a statesman of the three dynasties at such a critical moment was, likewise, a huge blow to the Great Zhou.


    At this moment, at the Yan residence.


    Grand Tutor Yany weakly on the bed. Looking seriously at his eldest son and eldest grandson kneeling below, he said after a while, ¡°Take this as myst wish.¡±


    Yan Du slumped to the ground and asked with red eyes, ¡°Father, aren¡¯t you going to think about the Yan family?¡±


    ¡°Since ancient times, it¡¯s been difficult to be both loyal and filial. Just treat me as an unfihal person. Bring me the brush and ink.¡±


    Yan Fu looked up and said, ¡°Grandpa, you are only being loyal to Emperor Jingyan, not to Great Zhou or this country.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s face flushed red. He said angrily, ¡°Bring me the brush and ink.¡±


    Yan Du kowtowed to him deeply. In the end, filial piety overcame the family responsibilities in his heart. He got up, took the brush, ink, and paper, and set up a short table on the bed.


    Yan Fu knelt from the beginning to the end and looked at his grandfather and father with red eyes.


    Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s hand trembled slightly, but he still picked up the pen and ced it on the paper. He wanted to write two memorials and a letter.


    One letter advocated peace talks with the Jin Kingdom of West Xia, stating the pros and cons. The other letter wrote down the terms of the peace talks one by one. Although he agreed to the peace talks, he did not want to leave the conditions to Emperor Jingyan. He was afraid that the Great Zhou would really copse after this.


    What troubled Grand Tutor Yan the most was the letter to General Yuan.


    He knew and understood General Yuan¡¯s aspirations. This was because General Yuan was half a student of his. Recovering lostnd was also his dream Even in his dreams, he wanted to take back his homnd. He had always thought that one day, General Yuan would realize this dream for him. Therefore, he had protected him in the Imperial Court and tried his best to support him.


    But now, he had to convince General Yuan to agree to the peace talks. Grand Tutor Yan felt that this was much harder to pen than the first two memorials.


    Just like how Grand Tutor Yan understood General Yuan¡¯s aspirations, he also understood General Yuan¡¯s stubbornness. In some aspects, he was as stubborn as an ox. Even if he was whipped until his skin and flesh werecerated, he would never look back.


    As Grand Tutor Yan had been thinking about these things for the past three days, he wrote very quickly and finished writing in less than two hours.


    With thest stroke, he copsed on the bed as if all the strength in his body had been drained. Yan Du was shocked. ¡°Father!¡±


    Yan Du climbed onto the bed in a panic to support his father. Yan Fu also rolled up and hugged Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s arm. Even if Yan Du and Yan Fu were angry with him, this person was still their father/grandfather who had raised them since they were young. How could they only have resentment towards him?


    Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s breathing quickened. He grabbed Yan Du¡¯s hand tightly and said, ¡°Father has let you down, but, but I have no choice. Y-you help me hand it over. If you don¡¯t want to be an official anymore, you can resign and go back. It¡¯s also good to be a squire or something¡­¡±


    Grand Tutor Yan loosened his grip on Yan Du¡¯s hand and slowly closed his eyes his chest no longer heaving¡­


    ¡°Father!¡±


    ¡°Grandfather!¡± Yan Fu hugged his grandfather¡¯s body and shouted, ¡°Where¡¯s the imperial doctor? Quickly call for the imperial doctor!¡±


    Yan Du hugged his father and sobbed like a child, crying out in grief and indignation. The imperial physicians who came in touched Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s pulse and shook their heads regretfully.

 Chapter 521: Sacrifice

    Chapter 521: Sacrifice


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The moment Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s memorial was handed over, it caused a huge uproar. At a moment like this, peace negotiations with the Jin Kingdom and West Xia were no different from selling the country for survival. Half of the officials of the Imperial Court objected vehemently, while 25% were silent and 25% approved of it.


    The Yan family was dragged into the vortex. Almost all the officials cursed Grand Tutor Yan throughout the day¡¯s court meeting. Unfortunately, no one from the Yan family attended the court meeting today, and this was also the reason why everyone was even angrier.


    Grand Tutor Yan had not been in court for a long time. However, since Yan Du was a second-grade official, his absence obviously suggested that he was trying to shirk responsibility. Therefore, as soon as the court meeting ended, some officials angrily went to the Yan residence to smash the door.


    The Great Zhou Dynasty was a strange country. The people in power were afraid of themoners rebelling, but they were not afraid of their words. Therefore, themoners could even smash rotten eggs at the entrance of the pce without being charged, as long as they did not use metal tools to demonstrate at the entrance of the pce.


    Officials could mor that the Emperor was a fatuous ruler, or they could get into a fight right in front of the Emperor. As such, it was naturally nothing new for them to go to a minister¡¯s house and smash the door in anger.


    Back then, Minister Qin had single-handedly facilitated the peace talks between the Great Zhou and the Jin Kingdom. After the Great Zhou gave awaynd and money to appease the Jin Kingdom, many officials had thrown rotten eggs into Minister Qin¡¯s residence. Though furious, Minister Qin could only secretly cause trouble for them. On the surface though, he could not do anything to them.


    Therefore, the angry officials rushed to the entrance of the Yan Residence.


    The Yan residence¡¯s door was tightly shut. An imperial censor was the first to smash the door and howl angrily. As the Yan family was a family of schrs, Grand Tutor Yan and Yan Du had always supported the idea of General Yuan and the other generals recovering their territory. They were also leaders who were like a breath of fresh air. This made Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s ¡°betrayal¡± all the more uneptable, which was why they were very worked up. Some officials even fell to the ground in the street and cried, ¡°Teacher, you¡¯re ruining my Great Zhou!¡±


    As the imperial censor smashed the door, he cried, ¡°Teacher, give us an exnation. Why did you betray the country to seek peace? Half of our Great Zhou was stolen by the Jin Kingdom. Now that the southwest has fallen into West Xia¡¯s hands, are you going to ignore thosemoners? Come out and give us an exnation!¡±


    Themoners did not know what had happened, but it did not stop them from watching themotion. This being the first time they had seen so many officials crying on the streets, themoners stood at the side curiously.


    Just then, a carriage stopped by an alley. A capable man stopped beside the carriage and said respectfully, ¡°Your Excellency, the imperial physician sent by the Emperor hasn¡¯te out yet. No one from the Yan family hase out since yesterday, either. It¡¯s extremely strange.¡±


    Minister Qin lifted the curtain slightly and looked at the officials who were crying on the ground. His expression was cold as he snorted and said, ¡°Idiots.¡± He looked up at the Yan residence and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid the Emperor instructed Teacher to write this memorial. But since this is also what I want, it saved me a lot of effort.¡±


    Minister Qin was about to put down the curtain and order them to leave when the door of the Yan residence slowly opened. He looked up and was greeted by a white scene. His face was stunned, and then his expression changed drastically. He lost hisposure and leaned out. ¡°Teacher¡­<sup>1</sup>


    Everyone in the Yan family was standing inside the door in mourning clothes. The officials outside the door were still covered in tears as they were startled by the people inside.


    Yan Du¡¯s eyes were red as he watched his angry or sad colleagues who were kneeling, sitting, or standing, slowly kneel down. Yan Fu and the descendants of the Yan family behind him also knelt down and kowtowed to the people outside the door.


    In a choked voice, Yan Du said, ¡°My father¡­ my father passed awayst night.¡± There was silence inside and outside the door. Yan Du¡¯s throat was dry as tears flowed. He said, ¡°Father said that negotiating with the Jin Kingdom¡¯s West Xia is an unfaithful, unfilial, heartless, and unrighteous act. He has let down the ancestors of Emperor Shizong and themon people. He has even pushed the Yan family into an unjust ce. However, there are mes of war everywhere in Great Zhou now. Only by seeking stability at the borders can we stabilize the kingdom. Only then will our Great Zhou not perish. I hope that everyone will show mercy and be lenient.¡±


    With that, he kowtowed again.


    An official kneeling on the ground muttered, ¡°Can our Great Zhou really be saved after the peace talks?¡±


    His voice was not loud, but everyone heard it amid the silence. Doubtful, everyone looked at the Yan family in a daze. They were at a loss about the future.


    The demonstration at the Yan residence ended just like that. However, not only did the officials who left not feel relieved after venting their anger, but their hearts felt even heavier now, as if a rock was stuck in their hearts.


    The Yan family also hung up a white banner and officially held Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s funeral.


    Not many people came to attend the funeral. Only a few rtives and Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s students came. Minister Qin also came personally. He kowtowed three times respectfully in front of Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s tablet and left without saying much to Yan Du and the others.


    Even after Yan Du¡¯s exnation, most people were still not understanding of the memorials submitted by Grand Tutor Yan, but the Emperor was already preparing to act ording to the contents of Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s memorials. Half of the officials objected, but Minister Qin stood up to support it and even mobilized all the forces he could to bring this matter to fruition.


    At this moment, the Emperor could not care less about Minister Qin because West Xia was advancing at an increasingly fast speed. Although the rebels were blocked outside Longxing Prefecture by Qi Haoran, there were also smaller groups of bandits rebelling in other parts of Jiangnan. The Emperor did not have time to waste.


    After the Emperor finally seeded in fighting for a n to make peace, Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s funeral procession was to be held.


    Mu Yangling sighed and suggested to the Empress that she wanted to leave the pce to pay respects to Grand Tutor Yan. This shocked the Empress, but as she could not make the decision herself, she consulted the Emperor.


    After a moment of silence, the Emperor nodded in agreement.


    Li Jinghua didn¡¯t go because she had to stay behind to look after the children. Her feelings for Grand Tutor Yan weren¡¯t asplicated as Mu Yangling¡¯s. In her opinion, this was just a change in world affairs. She had only seen Grand Tutor Yan from afar and didn¡¯t have a deep impression of him. She couldn¡¯t quite understand how Mu Yangling felt when she cried for him.


    Mu Yangling did not agree with Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s views and actions, but she admired him. She admired him for being able to withstand this infamy and for being able to bear this responsibility. In this aspect, he was much more responsible than Emperor Jingyan.


    This alone was worthy of Mu Yangling¡¯s admiration.


    Furthermore, considering the characteristics of this era, Grand Tutor Yan was even more worthy of her admiration.


    As a person who came from the future, in her opinion, anyone could be the Emperor. As long as they were capable and virtuous, she could ept having a different Emperor every day.


    However, this was uneptable to the people of this era. In Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s eyes, he was a citizen of the Great Zhou, and only the Guo family was an orthodox ruler. Therefore, he had to protect his country. However, in Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes, it was the people that made up a country. The country was divided ording to territory and ethnicity, not ording to the dynasty. Therefore, in her opinion, it was wrong to cede arge piece of territory to protect the Great Zhou and reduce so manymoners to second-ss citizens.


    It was just a mistake in perception of the times. She could not use the knowledge she had gained 600 years from now to correct his thoughts.


    Mu Yangling put on in clothes and paid respects to Grand Tutor Yan at his funeral.


    The Yan family was slightly surprised because most of the people who came today were close to the Yan family or students who still recognized Grand Tutor Yan as their teacher. Even Minister Qin did not attend the funeral to avoid bing associated with them, instead only offering sacrifices by the roadside.


    Meanwhile, the Qi family and the Yan family did not seem to have close ties. Yesterday, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s urgent document had already arrived in front of the Emperor¡¯s table, stating his objection to the peace talks with West Xia of the Jin Kingdom. Qi Haoran¡¯s memorial had also arrived two days ago. He also objected to the peace talks. Logically speaking, the Qi family should not be on good terms with Grand Tutor Yan.


    Mu Yangling respectfully offered incense to Grand Tutor Yan. Seeing that the Yan family was looking at her suspiciously, Mu Yangling said in a low voice, ¡°My brother-inw and husband don¡¯t agree with Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s opinion, but they admire his character. They will object to the memorials he submitted, but they won¡¯t stop him from submitting it. That¡¯s his right.¡± This made those officials who were moring for the Yan family to take back the memorials seem very ridiculous.


    Shocked, Yan Fu widened his eyes in surprise and looked at Mu Yangling.

 Chapter 522: Loyalty

    Chapter 522: Loyalty


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    It was undeniable that Yan Du and Yan Fu felt warmth in their hearts. This made them develop a good impression of Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran.


    Although the officials¡¯ andmoners¡¯ attacks on the Yan family had decreased greatly because of their father¡¯s death, they pretty much ignored the Yan family these days.


    Most of the friends and rtives he had been on good terms with in the past had cut ties with him. Seeing that they did not attend his father¡¯s funeral, it was impossible for him not to be disappointed.


    Naturally, this made the Qi family¡¯s attendance much more precious, especially since they rarely associated with them previously.


    The Yan family members sincerely bowed slightly to thank Mu Yangling. Yan Fu said, ¡°Reverent Lady Qi, please thank General Qi and Assistant Commander Qi on our behalf.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly. After walking out of the Yan Residence, she turned around and looked at the entire Yan Residence. She wondered how long the Great Zhou couldst without such a pir.


    Would the unstoppable West Xia agree to the peace talks?


    Mu Yangling, who had just left the Yan Residence, could not stay outside for long. Almost as soon as she left the house, she was invited into the carriage by the apanying pce maids to return to the pce.


    However, Fan Zijin had already received the news. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Get someone to set up a roadside sacrifice on the way to the funeral and put the Fan family¡¯s name on it.¡±


    Stunned, Yanmo said, ¡°Old Master will probably be angry if he finds out.¡± Fan Zijin sneered. ¡°Then change it to my name. Go, be quick. Make sure it¡¯s done before the coffin is carried to be buried.¡±


    Yanmo agreed.


    The streets were a little quiet. There were only six families that had set up roadside offerings throughout the entire street, including Minister Qin¡¯s white banner sacrificial shed, which was set up far away. Yanmo sighed and chose a spot to instruct someone to set up the shed and arrange the offerings. Grand Tutor Yan had been a legend all his life. As the Yan family was a schrly family, he¡¯d started studying at a young age. Also, he was very talented. At the age of 21, he became a jinshi and an official in the court. In just 15 years, he got promoted to a second-grade official. His promotion speed was the fastest before the emergence of General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan.


    Moreover, he was a civil servant, and civil servants were promoted at a famously slow speed.


    He had stayed in the position of Grade zA minister for eight years. Later, he was dismissed because of his strong support for the war against the Jin Kingdom. Subsequently, after he regained his position, he persuaded thete Emperor to be tough on the Jin Kingdom and helped Li Zhengye break through the Jin Kingdom¡¯srge-scale attack.


    During the previous Emperor¡¯s reign, the threerge-scale attacks of the Jin Kingdom were blocked by Grand Tutor Yan and Li Zhengye. Such a great achievement made him a prime minister before the age of 50. After that, he retreated to the Imperial Academy to teach.


    It was not until the Jin Kingdom invaded again and the princes fought for the throne in a chaotic battle, coupled with the defeat at the front line that made thete Emperor die of illness, that he came out to take power again.


    At that time, the Great Zhou Dynasty was in chaos. The princes who went to war with the army either died or fled. The remaining princes in Chang¡¯an were also in chaos. Thus, Grand Tutor Yan took another path and helped the grandson of the Emperor Duzong, King Qin, to the throne. That person was the current Emperor Jingyan.


    Emperor Jingyan ignored Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s persuasion and insisted on moving the capital to Lin¡¯an City. Because of this, he even gave up half of the northernnd. This was also the reason why themoners and some officials reprimanded Grand Tutor Yan. Many people wondered if the Great Zhou would have been better off if Grand Tutor Yan had chosen one of thete Emperor¡¯s sons. At least, they would not be in the awkward state of losing half their territory, causing so manymoners to be second-rate citizens and be bullied by the Hu people.


    However, Grand Tutor Yan had always been pro-war, and had shielded General Yuan and other pro-war generals. Also, he was strongly against extravagance and corruption. Therefore, he had a good reputation among the people and was regarded as a breath of fresh air. In addition, he had been in charge since he arrived in Lin¡¯an City. After that, he had been the chief examiner of the Spring Quarter Examinations many times. Because of this, he was almost the teacher of all the officials who had be jinshis in the past 20 years.


    Beforeing to Lin¡¯an City, Grand Tutor Yan had already had many students. For example, Minister Qin, Fan Siwen, and the others had all attended his sses. In fact, he was even the main examiner when Minister Qin, Fan Siwen, and Qi Feng passed the Imperial Examinations.


    Such a respected elder who had countless students had passed away, but his funeral was cold and cheerless. There being only a few families that set up roadside offerings for him, it was quite a sad scene.


    It was also because there were very few people who did so, that everyone looked over when Fan Zijin set up the roadside offerings. Other than Minister Qin, those who came to set up the roadside offerings were all students who still respected Grand Tutor Yan as their teacher. When they saw a jinshi who was unrted to Grand Tutor Yan do this, they felt angry and ufortable. Even a young child knew how to respect the Grand Tutor, but those who had been personally taught by the Grand Tutor misunderstood him.


    It could be said that most of the people who set up roadside offerings for Grand Tutor Yan were his die-hard fans. When Fan Zijin finished dealing with the matters at hand and rushed over, he received some friendly nods.


    Fan Zijin was a little confused as he replied politely. Seeing that the shed had just been set up and the white banner had yet to be hung up, he hurriedly hung the white banner up himself. Those who had been paying attention here now had an even better impression of him.


    The Yan family¡¯s funeral team came from afar in a very low-key manner. Although the people were angry, fortunately, no one caused trouble. Fan Zijin followed the Yan family¡¯s team to Yongfu Temple outside the city. The Yan family wanted to send Grand Tutor Yan back to his ancestral home for burial, so the coffin could only be temporarily stored in Yongfu Temple.


    Minister Qin rushed into his study the moment he returned from Yongfu Temple. No matter what, he had to be the one to facilitate this peace treaty. His aide was puzzled by this. ¡°Sir, even the Yan family can¡¯t withstand the rumors. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not good for you to get involved too deeply.¡± Minister Qin said indifferently, ¡°I have my own ns for this matter. You just have to draft up the contents of the peace talks with me.¡± Minister Qin snorted coldly in his heart. The Yan family had suffered such a huge bacsh because of the huge contrast between their previous image and current actions, but Minister Qin had been pro-peace from the beginning and had long beenbeled as a traitor. If he did it again, it would only make people who already hate him hate him a little more. There would not be much bacsh.


    ¡°Your Excellency, the court has already reached a conclusion regarding the peace talks. We just have to wait for the Emperor to send someone over. If you take the initiative to take on this task, won¡¯t you shoulder all the infamy?¡± The advisor could not help but persuade him. After all, since they were working under Minister Qin, they would live well if Minister Qin lived well.


    Minister Qin frowned unhappily. ¡°Just go if I tell you to. Why are you talking so much nonsense?¡±


    The aide choked and could only ept his fate and retreat.


    Minister Qin looked at the pen holder on the desk in a daze. If he could, he would not take the initiative to take on this job. However, in order to protect his life and the Qin family, he had no choice but to do this.


    Grand Tutor Yan advocated peace for the sake of the Great Zhou Dynasty. He also did it for the sake of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but his fundamental goal was to protect the Qin family.


    With the Great Zhou around, the Qin family could survive. Otherwise, it would be better to fall into the hands of the Hus than the rebel army.


    If Great Zhou were to perish in the hands of the rebel army, the Qin family would probably be the second family to be wiped out after the royal family. At the end of the day, previously he was still too young and rash in the past and was not thorough in his considerations. For the sake of his career, he had destroyed his reputation with his own hands. Otherwise, he would not be so worried now.


    However, who would have thought that the Emperor would make such a foolish move andpletely ignite the bandits of the entire Great Zhou, causing them to turn from bandits to rebel army and even form an alliance?


    Otherwise, with his support, it would not be a problem for the Great Zhou tost for another 30 to 40 years. At that time, the Qin family would have umted enough capital and could resign and return to their hometown in glory. Under the chaos of the court, who would still remember the silent Qin family in a few years or more?


    Unfortunately, since everything was ruined now, he could only try his best to deal with West Xia, hoping that the Great Zhou could turn the tide. If it really didn¡¯t work, he could also help West Xia or the Jin Kingdom divide the Great Zhou. As long as he could capture all the rebel army in the country in one fell swoop, the Qin family would still have a way to survive.

 Chapter 523 - 523= Splitting Up

    Chapter 523= Splitting Up


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    After the Great Zhou officially proposed peace talks to the Jin Kingdom and West Xia, the Jin Kingdom only hesitated for a moment before agreeing. They retreated their army and stationed it three miles away, then their army red at the Great Zhou army while waiting for the ambassador to arrive.


    They had been attacking for more than a month, but they had not been able to upy a city or a town. Instead, they had lost many warriors. It could be said that they were extremely aggrieved.


    Compared to West Xia¡¯s unstoppable momentum, the Jin Kingdom was also a little flustered. Looking at General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s strict defense, it was very difficult for them to gain an advantage. Hence, they might as well ride on West Xia¡¯s momentum and make a peace treaty in order to obtain more benefits like money, satin, and tea leaves.


    The Jin Kingdom was willing to stop the war, but West Xia was unwilling. Having already upied a lot of territory and invested a lot in this war, how could they stop the war just like that?


    They had the intention to destroy the Great Zhou Dynasty, but they did not reject the peace talks immediately. Instead, they said that they could not make the decision and had to wait for their ruler¡¯s instructions, which was just a dy tactic. However, they continued to attack and take down cities when they saw fit.


    The ministers of Great Zhou and Emperor Jingyan gritted their teeth in anger, but they could not stop it. The Great Zhou Dynasty was capable of fighting verbally, but how could they possibly make the West Xia go back when they were so intent on attacking the cities? Sure, Great Zhou could be thick-skinned and shout for West Xia toe back, but would thetter listen?


    However, since there were not enough troops in the country, the Great Zhou could neither intimidate West Xia nor stop them. In addition, Emperor jingyan<sup>1</sup> s main troops had been focused on fighting the rebels in the country. For a moment, it was as easy for West Xia to enter the Great Zhou territories as though they were uninhabited. In fact, some of West Xia¡¯s armies even managed to take down two cities a day.


    Although Emperor Jingyan was more fearful of the rebels, he could not allow West Xia to attack the cities so freely. Otherwise, even if he sessfully suppressed the rebellion but the Great Zhou was taken over by West Xia, how could he still be the Emperor?


    In the end, Emperor Jingyan ordered for General Yuan¡¯s ioo,ooo-strong army and Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s 50,000-strong army to be transferred back. They would be divided into two routes to block West Xia. The west route would be governed by the generals of Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s faction. They would enter Tongchuan Prefecture to block West Xia¡¯s eastward descent. Meanwhile, General Yuan would lead the 100,000-strong army down the east road and pass through Huainan West Road to enter Jinghu North Road to block West Xia¡¯s army.


    Emperor Jingyan had wanted to send a general from the Imperial Court to lead the army, but he gave up after thinking about it. Now was not the time to weaken General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s power. It was better to let the two of them lead their troops on their own. Besides, there truly was no capable general in the Imperial Court for the Emperor to deploy. Otherwise, he would not have used Qi Haoran back then.


    After receiving the imperial decree, Qi Xiuyuan thought for a long time before calling Rong Xuan over for a discussion. After a while, he decided to send Mu Shi and Jiang Ze to lead the troops. Mu Shi would lead 20,000 troops, and Jiang Ze would lead 30,000 troops.


    Only the five of them knew that Qi Xiuyuan wanted to rebel. Mu Shi and Jiang Ze had no idea.


    Jiang Ze had been by Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s side for a long time, so he naturally trusted him. However, when it came to rebellion, things might not be the same. Hence, after thinking for a long time, Qi Xiuyuan decided to hide this matter first and split the army into two. Jiang Ze only needed to focus on blocking the West Xia army.


    As for Mu Shi, the Qi and Mu families were inws. Qi Xiuyuan took it that Mu Shi had already boarded the pirate ship and decided to tell him the matter. He wanted him to take in refugees and recruit troops when he repelled the West Xia army. No matter what, he had to ensure their source of troops.


    Qi Xiuyuan called Mu Shi over and chatted in the study for half a day. When he left the Qi Manor, his face was expressionless as he rode home.


    Jiang Ze only thought that Qi Xiuyuan was exining to Mu Shi why he led fewer troops than him and did not think too much about it. In private, he was even a little smug. He had been with General Qi for so many years. Even if Mu Shi was General Qi¡¯s inw, he could notpare to him.


    This made him even more convinced of Qi Xiuyuan.


    When Mu Shi returned home, he was so angry that he picked up his pen and wrote a letter to scold his daughter. How could she hide such a huge matter from him?


    He wasn¡¯t very angry or anxious. Although he wasn¡¯t very literate, he had traveled extensively in his early years and had seen a lot. In his opinion, since the Great Zhou was already on the verge of copse, so what if they rebelled? Anyway, his wife and family were in the north, and this was Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s base camp. Even if Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t be the Emperor in the future, their Mu family wouldn¡¯t die. At most, they could go home and hunt again.


    However, his daughter was different. Since Ah Ling was married to Qi Haoran, they would definitely share the same fate. He could escape with his family, but he could not take Ah Ling away. Moreover, before they even started to rebel, she had already been detained in the pce.


    How could Mu Shi not be angry and nervous?


    Seeing hime back angrily, Shu Wanniang went to the kitchen to prepare some snacks for him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Mu Shi put down his pen and acted nonchnt as he put away the letter. The general sent me to lead the troops to resist the West Xia army. When the timees, only the few of you will be left at home. I¡¯m a little worried, so I¡¯m thinking of calling Cousin and Cousin-inw to stay over for a while so that they can take care of you.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Shu Wanniang smiled and said, ¡°Bowen is already old enough to start a family. How can we always impose on Cousin and Cousin-in-w?¡±


    Shu Wanniang ced the te in front of him and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a mess outside now. I wonder if Ah Ling is doing well in the capital.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, considering that¡¯s where the Emperor stays, that¡¯s the safest ce in the world.¡±


    Hearing this, Shu Wanniang heaved a sigh of relief and smiled again. ¡°You¡¯re right. Since the ce where the Emperor is staying is tightly guarded, Ah Ling should be safe. Otherwise, I would really be worried about her taking care of our grandson alone. Unfortunately, the trade caravan in the north and south has been cut off recently. Even Young Master Fan¡¯s workshop can¡¯t deliver goods. Otherwise, I could ask them to bring some baby clothes to our grandson.¡± The more Shu Wanniang spoke, the more mncholic she became. How could her daughter already have a child when she was clearly still so young? It seemed like only yesterday when Ah Ling was still pestering her father to go hunting in the forest with her. But in the blink of an eye, their family moved to Hanzhong Prefecture, Ah Ling had gotten married and had a child, and Bowen had grown into a young man.


    Seeing that Shu Wanniang was in a daze, Mu Shi knew that she was letting her imagination run wild again. He quickly took a book and pressed the letter down before hugging her tofort her.


    General Yuan also split his troops into two groups. One was led by a general, while the other was led by his eldest son, Yuan Zhao. They headed south together.


    As the armies from the east and west went south, the progress of the West Xia army slowed down a little, but the attacks became more and more violent. The battle immediately became a stalemate. The Jin Kingdom, which had already settled down, became restless again. However, because General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan were suppressing them, the other party did not manage to have their way.


    Seeing this, the Emperor heaved a sigh of relief. Only then did he consider letting the generals¡¯ families out of the pce.


    This was because they had lived in the pce for long enough. If they stayed any longer, not only would the officials have objections, but themoners outside who had nothing better to do and kept a keen eye on the royal family would also spit at him.


    Fortunately, Qi Xiuyuan and General Yuan¡¯s military strength had been reduced. Coupled with the Jin Kingdom¡¯s army holding them back, the Emperor felt that it was not impossible to let them leave the pce. After all, they were still in Lin¡¯an City.


    Therefore, although Mu Yangling and the others could leave the pce, their range of activity was restricted. As long as they did not leave the city, they could go anywhere.


    The reason was also very simple-this was to protect their safety. Even though the first group of West Xia soldiers who wanted to assassinate them had already been captured, they were not sure if any of them had escaped. In addition, they had yet to confirm if West Xia had sent out any other assassination teams. Therefore, in order to protect their safety, they could not leave the city. There was also a circle of imperial guards outside their residences to protect them.

 Chapter 524: Returning Home

    Chapter 524: Returning Home


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    When Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua returned to the Qi Manor, they heaved a huge sigh of relief. Although they were provided with good food and drinks in the pce and their safety was pretty much guaranteed, it was so tiring to talk to the Empress and the concubines in the harem. They had lost a lot of weight after more than a month.


    Seeing that Mu Yangling was also relieved, Li Jinghua said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll ask the kitchen to make some delicious food. We sisters-inw will have a nice gathering tonight.¡±


    Mama Wang walked in quickly and said with a smile, ¡°Eldest Madam, Fourth Madam, the East Manor just sent a message. They said that Madam has asked someone to prepare dinner. They want to have a family reunion dinner tonight.¡±


    Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua looked at each other. Knowing that Qi Feng was most likely going to ask about the situation in their pce, they agreed helplessly.


    Just as Mu Yangling was about to bid farewell and leave, Little Treasure stumbled out and hugged her calf. He raised her head and said pitifully, ¡°Aunt, Bear Bear.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s face darkened and she said with a straight face, ¡°Your brother is asleep and can¡¯t y with you.¡±


    When these two children got together, nothing good happened. Every time they would y so much that they forgot to eat, drink, and poop. In the end, they either couldn¡¯t help but poop on the spot or cried from hunger. She didn¡¯t know what was so fun about it at all. One couldn¡¯t even speak a few words, and the other couldn¡¯t even sit steadily yet. However, the duo could talk to each other for a long time without getting bored.


    Li Jinghua obviously thought of their ¡®great achievements¡¯ and hurriedly pulled Little Treasure back to persuade him. ¡°Your little brother is asleep and you have to take an afternoon nap too. Let¡¯s go y with him after you wake up, okay?¡± Little Treasure said with moist eyes, ¡°Sleep with Bear Bear.¡±


    He grabbed Mu Yangling¡¯s calf tightly. No matter how hard Li Jinghua tried, she couldn¡¯t move him away. She didn¡¯t dare to use too much strength, afraid that she would hurt the child. In the end, she could only say helplessly, ¡°Ah Ling, you should carry him over. Let the two brothers sleep together. Tell the wet nurse to be tougher with them. When it¡¯s time to feed them and relieve them, make sure to carry them away to do so. We can¡¯t spoil them anymore.¡± Mu Yangling could only agree and carry Little Treasure to Zhaohua Courtyard. Her son was indeed sleeping. With his arms and legs spread out, he upied half of the bed. His stomach was covered with a thin nket, and he was sleeping soundly.


    When Little Treasure entered, he stopped talking when he saw him. After Fourth Aunt ced him on the bed, hey down gently beside him and obediently closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.


    Mu Yangling found it funny and covered him with a small nket. She patted him gently and whispered, ¡°Good baby, be good and quickly go to sleep.¡± Little Treasure originally wanted to pretend to be asleep and get up after Fourth Aunt left, but under Fourth Aunt¡¯s gentle voice, he could not help but gradually fall asleep.


    Seeing that he was sound asleep, Mu Yangling got up and left, leaving the nanny to guard the room.


    Spring was packing up the things to bring out of the pce. During that period of time, the Emperor and Empress had rewarded them with a lot of things to appease them. They were all fine items with high ornamental or collector¡¯s value. Although they were not as practical as real money, Mu Yangling clearly preferred this kind of stuff.


    She got Spring to register the items and ced them in their small storeroom. Rain muttered softly, ¡°I wonder if the East Manor wille over to ask for them.¡±


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows slightly, and Rain said in a low voice, ¡°Fourth Madam, you have no idea. After you and Eldest Madam entered the pce, the nanny from the East Manor often came here to borrow things. Fortunately, as soon as you entered the pce, Mama Wang locked away all the valuable things in the storeroom and said that you took the key away. That was how she managed to brush them off¡­¡±


    ¡°The Qi Manor doesn¡¯tck money either,¡± Mu Yangling muttered. ¡°Why is Madam Wu such a money-grubber?¡±


    Rain pursed her lips into a smile and said in a low voice, ¡°More urately speaking, it¡¯s Eldest Master and Fourth Master who don¡¯tck money. Fourth Madam, you¡¯re not in charge of the family affairs, so you naturally don¡¯t know that the rest of the Qi family isn¡¯t that wealthy. Being only a fourth-grade imperial censor, Old Master doesn¡¯t have a high sry and didn¡¯t receive muchnd. Unlike the six ministries, he doesn¡¯t receive much tributes either. Considering he also has to support the family, there¡¯s usually not much left. Seriously speaking, the plots ofnd owned by him aren¡¯t even as much as Fourth Madam¡¯s in the suburbs of the capital.¡±


    Mu Yangling was dumbfounded. ¡°How did you know about this?¡±


    She was the master. How could Rain know something that she didn¡¯t even know?


    Rain lowered her head in embarrassment and said timidly, ¡°After you and Eldest Madam went to the pce, the servant girls in our courtyards were assigned to various ces to help. I was assigned to the main kitchen. There are many peopleing and going there, and there are many senior servants in the residence. In addition, we often get to interact with many people when purchasing stuff. We hear things, that¡¯s how I came to know.¡±


    ¡®This is a talent for gathering information,¡¯ Mu Yangling thought as she looked at Rain and sighed.


    Mu Yangling decided to tell Mama Wang to focus on nurturing Rainter for she would definitely be of use in the future.


    Mu Yangling nodded and said, ¡°Got it. Keep these things well. Since they don¡¯t know what exactly we¡¯re returning with, if they reallye over to ask for it, we can just give them one or two items.¡±


    As long as they didn¡¯t cross her bottom line, she didn¡¯t mind giving them some constion gifts.


    However, Qi Feng did not ask about this. At the dining table, he only asked about their situation in the pce, what the Empress said when they left the pce, and indirectly asked about Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran.


    Qi Feng was also very helpless. He didn¡¯t want to ask about his daughters-inw and sons, but the key was that the letters that his eldest and fourth son wrote to him just contained simple greetings and didn¡¯t say anything of value. Their father-son rtionship had long deteriorated to this extent. Even if he could put aside his pride and ask, they might not answer. Therefore, Qi Feng simply didn¡¯t bother to do so.


    However, he did not get much information from Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling. He knew everything that the two of them knew. In fact, he knew more than them. Furthermore, he saw that the two of them appeared to be at a loss. Li Jinghua also said, ¡°Eldest Master rarely told me about the outside world. In his letters, he merely instructed me to raise Little Treasure well and be filial to my inws. Aside from that, he only asked me to live in the capital in peace and listen to the Imperial Court¡¯s arrangements.¡±


    Qi Feng looked at Mu Yangling, who hurriedly said, ¡°Father, you know that I¡¯m not very literate and don¡¯t know much. The letters Fourth Master wrote to me mostly mentioned the scenery and customs he encountered along the way. He rarely discussed military matters. Why don¡¯t I bring the letters over for you to see?¡±


    Qi Feng¡¯s face darkened. There was no way he would read his daughter-inw¡¯s letter. He felt a little resentful towards his fourth son for failing to meet his expectations and for being too much of a romantic. To think that he was still in the mood to write about the scenic customs along the way at a time like this. Considering he sent a letter back every three days, Qi Feng had thought that serious matters were being mentioned in the letter. Clearly, his son had nothing better to do and was wasting resources.


    Qi Feng was furious. The meal was extremely dull. As for his two grandsons, Qi Feng only looked up and praised them for being very smart. Aside from that, he didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Li Jinghua frowned slightly, a little dissatisfied. She turned to look at Qi Shaosheng¡¯s eldest son, Qi Ming. When she saw him snuggling up to Madam Wu and running to Qi Feng¡¯s side to look up and wheedle, she was even more displeased.


    Mu Yangling sensed that something was wrong with Li Jinghua¡¯s mood. Although she was still smiling appropriately, she still felt that something was wrong, so she was not in the mood to stay. Seeing that Little Bear was yawning, she stood up and took the opportunity to leave.


    When they walked out of the main courtyard and were the only ones on the road, Mu Yangling asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Sister-inw?¡± ¡°Father doesn¡¯t differentiate between the legitimate wife and the concubine. He values Second Brother¡¯s child too much and totally neglects Little Treasure. If this was in an ordinary family, it would set the foundation for chaos in the family..¡±

 Chapter 525: Taking Charge of the Household

    Chapter 525: Taking Charge of the Household


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling blinked and said in confusion, ¡°Father-inw has never paid much attention to Big Brother and Haoran, but you weren¡¯t angry about that previously.¡±


    ¡°But Little Treasure is his grandchild. If Father is too biased, even if the n knows that it¡¯s Father¡¯s problem, they will also neglect Little Treasure and make many guesses.¡±


    Worried, Li Jinghua lowered her voice and said, ¡°Although Second Brother and Third Brother were born when Madam Wu was still a concubine, because Madam Wu waster promoted, they have always regarded themselves as the legitimate sons outside. It¡¯s not appropriate for the eldest grandson in the residence to note from the eldest branch to begin with. If Father¡¯s attitude is so obviously biased, there will definitely be a huge battle between our first and fourth branches, and the second and third branches in the future. Eldest Master and the others are far away at the border, and there are only us women and children in the residence¡­


    Hailing from an aristocratic family, Li Jinghua was the most sensitive to such matters. The eldest son and eldest grandson of the first wife had always had the most important significance in a family. Even if the n didn¡¯t help much, the nsmen would still subconsciously surround the eldest son of the first wife. Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s identity as the eldest son of the first wife was clear, which was why he could remotely control the Qi family whilst at the border.


    It was partly because of his abilities that he managed to bribe the elders to ostracize Qi Feng, but arge part of it was because he was the eldest legitimate son of the Qi family.


    However, the identity of her son, Little Treasure, seemed to be shrouded in a thick fog. Was Qi Ming the eldest grandson of a concubine or the eldest grandson of the legitimate wife?


    After all, Little Treasure was only ranked second in the family. If her father-inw doted on Qi Ming and insisted that Qi Shaosheng was also the legitimate son, it meant that Little Treasure would lose the support of the entire Qi n.


    Being the eldest legitimate son would mean that one owned the entire n. This was not just a saying. It was a concept that was set in the depths of people¡¯s hearts.


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t understand this because in her era, the concept of a n had already fallen apart. Everyone lived as a small family unit, and their actions were restricted by thews of the country and their consciences were restricted by morals. Unlike in this era, ns could privately execute their nsmen. In some aspects, the family rules were even above thew.


    Hence, Li Jinghua was worried. She wondered if she should snatch the right to take charge of the Qi family¡¯s affairs for her son, in order to protect his status.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s train of thought finally connected with Li Jinghua¡¯s. She hurriedly said, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. Big Brother is the most promising in the family. Even if he doesn¡¯t rely on the n, Little Treasure won¡¯t be worse than others. I think it¡¯s better for us to stay in our residence and not cause trouble.¡±


    If Qi Xiuyuan had no intention of rebelling, Li Jinghua could go ahead and snatch power in the Qi residence. However, Qi Xiuyuan might rebel in two years. Wouldn¡¯t she be wasting her energy if she didn¡¯t stay in the residenceter?


    ¡°Eldest Master is promising, but you can¡¯t belittle the n. As the ancient saying goes, don¡¯t bully the young for being poor, let alone a n. There is indeed no one promising in the n now, but there are so many children and young people in the n. These are all connections.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the worried Li Jinghua and felt that parents indeed worried the most. She was already worried about connections when Little Treasure was only so young.


    Looking at her son, she felt that she had let him down. It seemed that she had not considered these things and had left her son to fight for his own future.


    She only wanted her son to have a happy childhood, and to learn and study as he should. Aside from that, she only paid attention to his personality and character. As for what he wanted to do in the future, she felt that it was up to him to decide after he became an adult.


    Mu Yangling held her chin in a daze. Ah, why did she suddenly feel like she was old?


    She wondered if Qi Haoran had any ns for his son¡¯s future.


    Mu Yangling wrote a letter to Qi Haoran to express her apology for neglecting their son. Compared to her sister-inw, as a mother she seemed to have considered too little.


    When Qi Haoran received the letter, he was also vexed. He really hadn¡¯t considered his son¡¯s future, either. He felt that since he was already so outstanding, his son shouldn¡¯t be too bad either. Did he still need to think on his behalf?


    However, he didn¡¯t write this in the letter. Knowing Ah Ling was already ming herself, if he penned such thoughts in the letter, he would surely not escape her wrath. Hence, after thinking for a long time, Qi Haoran told Mu Yangling that they just had to let their son thrive at this stage. As for the future, even if they draft up a n for him now, it would only be in vain if their son didn¡¯t like it in the future. It was better to wait for him to grow up before asking him what he wanted to do. Then, they could help.


    Everything would be based on the child¡¯s wishes.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t expect Qi Haoran to be so open-minded, even more so than her. She looked at her son, who was struggling to get up from the couch at the side, and pulled him into her arms. She said with a smile, ¡°Son, you¡¯re really lucky to be able to do whatever you want in the future. Your father said that he¡¯ll follow your wishes.¡±


    In a few years, Mu Yangling would learn that Qi Haoran had just been coaxing her. Follow the child¡¯s wishes? That was a joke. Before the child was born, Qi Haoran had already shouted arrogantly in his heart, ¡°I¡¯m going to have a son. In the future, my son and I will both be generals¡­¡±


    With his eyes widened, Bear Bear looked at his mother. He waved his little hand to grab her hair and stuffed it into his mouth. Shocked, Mu Yangling quickly pulled out her hair from his hand. She gently patted his little hand and said, ¡°Child, why are you stuffing everything into your mouth?¡±


    Seeing that he could not grab her hair, Bear Bear simply plunged into her arms and arched left and right, grabbing her clothes tightly.


    Mu Yangling was a little helpless. ¡°You sure eat a lot, huh. You¡¯ve already drunk milk, vegetable soup, and egg custard to replenish your energy. Why are you still thinking about food now? You¡¯re just like your father.¡±


    Despite saying that, she still carried the child to the inner room to breastfeed him.


    After she came out, Spring said excitedly, ¡°Fourth Madam, Eldest Madam has taken over the residence. In the future, she will be in charge of the residence with Second and Third Madam.¡± Then, she lowered her voice and said, ¡°I heard that Madam Wu was so angry that she didn¡¯t even eat lunch.¡±


    Stunned, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Whose idea was this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Madam Wu herself.¡± Spring said proudly, ¡°A few madams in the n mentioned it when they came to the house to y. They said that since Eldest Madam is the eldest daughter-inw, she should be in charge of the matters in the residence. Previously, it¡¯s understandable that Madam Wu handed the matters in the residence to Second and Third Madam because Eldest Madam was pregnant. But now that Second Young Master is already more than a year old and Eldest Madam has time on her hands, it¡¯s time for her to handle the residence¡¯s matters and share Madam¡¯s worries. Although Madam was angry, she didn¡¯t dare to speak loudly in front of the few madams, so she agreed. She asked Second and Third Madam to assist Eldest Madam in handling the residence¡¯s matters, saying she wanted them to help share the burden.¡±


    Mu Yangling was secretly speechless. It had only been a few days, and she had just received Qi Haoran¡¯s reply letter, but Li Jinghua was already in charge of things in the residence. This level of efficiency was indeed not something ordinary people were capable of.


    Mu Yangling was not good at these inner residence matters. In order to express her support, she waved her hand and said, ¡°In that case, go and tell Eldest Madam that I¡¯ll help take care of Little Treasure in the future. She can focus on handling the matters in the residence.¡±


    Spring agreed with a smile and turned to pass the message to Eldest Madam.


    The servants of Zhaode Hall and Zhaohua Courtyard were very excited that Eldest Madam was now in charge. This meant that their status in the residence would rise and they would encounter fewer difficulties in the future..

 Chapter 526:1

    Chapter 526:1


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Li Jinghua led Little Treasure over, followed by a string of servant girls and old servants. She handed Little Treasure to Mu Yangling. ¡°I thought about it and decided to leave Little Treasure with you for the time being. I¡¯ll let him return to my ce after I¡¯ve sorted out the matters in the residence.¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned. ¡°You¡¯re letting Little Treasure stay with me?¡±


    What she understood as taking care of Little Treasure was that Li Jinghua would carry him over when she had things to attend to. Anyway, there were so many servants around, and there were only two children. It was very simple.


    However, looking at the luggage that the old servant was carrying, Li Jinghua clearly wanted Little Treasure to stay here.


    Li Jinghua asked Little Treasure to y with Little Bear. When she heard this, she nodded and said with a smile, ¡°Yes, indeed.¡± She paused before continuing, ¡°Although my residence is airtight now, if I want to take charge of the residence¡¯s matters, there will definitely be many peopleing and going at my ce. There might be gaps in the future. Since I can only focus on so many things at once, I can¡¯t watch over the child at all times. Thus, I think it¡¯s safer to leave him with you.¡±


    Now that she abruptly snatched the rights to take charge of the residence¡¯s matters, Madam Wu, Madam Xu, and the others would definitely be unconvinced. There were two ways to exclude her. One was to make her fall sick. If she wasn¡¯t in good health, she naturally could not take charge of things in the residence. The other was to let something happen to Little Treasure. If something happened to her child, she certainly would not be in the mood to care about these things. This power could naturally be taken back then.


    Having lived amid the fights and struggles within an aristocratic family since she was born, Li Jinghua had long learned to look ten steps ahead before taking each step.


    She could be responsible for her own safety. Even if she failed, she could admit defeat and wouldn¡¯t me anyone.


    But she didn¡¯t dare to gamble with Little Treasure at stake.


    This child was more important than her lifeblood. She might only have this one child in her life, so she could not afford to be negligent. In addition, his body was weaker than ordinary children, so Li Jinghua did not dare to take the risk.


    Initially, she wanted to let Wen Cui watch Little Treasure. With Wen Cui keeping an eye on her, she would be at ease. However, Li Jinghua changed her mind after only two days.


    Wen Cui was devoted to her, but she could not be equally devoted to Little Treasure. When she stayed by Little Treasure¡¯s side, her gaze was still on Li Jinghua. This made Li Jinghua very dissatisfied and even more worried. She had no choice but to leave Little Treasure with Mu Yangling.


    After all, other than Wen Cui, Li Jinghua trusted Mu Yangling the most.


    Moreover, Mu Yangling doted on the child very much and rarely left her child¡¯s side every day, even when she ate and slept. Even when she practiced drawing the bow for two hours a day, she remained in the inner room where the child was not far away.


    Moreover, Li Jinghua had to admit that although Mu Yangling¡¯s methods were rough and she rarely managed the servants, her servants were still considered obedient.


    This was perhaps because she had a capable assistant, Mama Wang, and Spring and Rain to help her in the house. But although there were some Qi Manor¡¯s servants mixed in the courtyard, they were still orderly and well-disciplined.


    In short, after analyzing the pros and cons, Li Jinghua was all the more certain she wanted to keep Little Treasure at Mu Yangling¡¯s ce. Anyway, she lived next door and coulde to visit her son every day after she was done with work. Other than the fact that her son did not sleep in the adjacent room at night, there was no difference.


    Mu Yangling, on the other hand, nodded as she watched the two children who were already sitting and chattering excitedly in their kids¡¯nguage. In any case, taking care of two children wasn¡¯t much different from taking care of one¡­


    When Little Treasure found out that he was going to stay at Fourth Aunt¡¯s ce, he climbed down the bed excitedly and circled the room excitedly. Then, he climbed onto the bed and hugged his younger brother. ¡°Bear Bear. Sleep with Bear Bear.¡±


    Mu Yangling touched his head and said, ¡°Sure, you can sleep with Bear Bear tonight, as long as you don¡¯t press him down.¡±


    Little Treasure smiled widely.


    The two children yed excitedly for a long time. As Little Bear was still young after all, he immediately fell asleep after eating and drinking to his heart¡¯s content. After ying with the toys in boredom, Little Treasure also felt sleepy. Hey beside Little Bear and fell asleep.


    Mu Yangling covered the two children with a small nket and had them brought out. Then, she took her big bow and stood steadily with her legs apart. Looking sharply at a jade ring hanging at the corner of the house, she pulled the bow to its fullest. Then, she let go and pulled it to its fullest again¡­


    Before Mu Yangling came, Qi Xiuyuan had asked her to conceal her strength. Her abilities were a trump card to save her life. Hence, after arriving in the capital, she did not dare to practice archery in the courtyard. Instead, she practiced in the house or in Qi Haoran¡¯s martial arts hall behind.


    Ever since she had a son, Mu Yangling started practicing archery in the house.


    It was not that she did not want to go to the martial arts hall. It was naturally more open andfortable to draw the bow there, but she would miss her child. Every time she practiced for less than 15 minutes, she would want toe back to see what her son was doing, whether he was crying, and if the servants were doing their best¡­


    In the end, she had no choice but to practice in the house. In any case, children that young slept for pretty much half the day. It was enough for her to practice for two hours while they were sleeping. As long as she ensured that her lower body was still stable and her arm strength did not weaken and her uracy did not drop, it was fine.


    Other than Mama Wang, Spring, Rain, and Li Jinghua, no one else in the residence knew that she was practicing archery in the house. Perhaps Wen Cui could guess. After all, she knew that Mu Yangling had gone to save Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran back then¡­


    After practicing for two hours, Mu Yangling asked Spring to fetch water to take a shower. She changed into her home clothes before going to check on the children. The two of them were still sleeping soundly and showed no signs of waking up.


    The nanny hurriedly said with a smile, ¡°The young masters are probably too excited from ying, so they want to sleep more.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly. ¡°I know. Go down and eat first. Come back and watch themter.¡±


    It was already time for lunch. When Mu Yangling saw Little Treasure¡¯s wet nurse, Nanny Wang, get up and leave, she quickly stopped her. ¡°Do you get your food from the big kitchen or the small kitchen?¡±


    Nanny Wang immediately bowed and said, ¡°Fourth Madam, my food is all prepared by the small kitchen. I take the food back to Zhaode Hall to consume.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly. After some thought, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to move the small kitchen to my residenceter. You and the two young masters can eat in the courtyard. There¡¯s no need to make another trip.¡±


    Nanny Wang agreed.


    Mu Yangling immediately called Mama Wang over and said, ¡°Since there are peopleing and going in Sister-inw¡¯s residence now, it¡¯s not safe to leave the small kitchen there. Get someone to move the small kitchen overter. Other than the chef, rece all the servants in the kitchen with people in our residence. Choose those whose entire families stay in the Imperial Capital.¡±


    ¡°Then Eldest Madam¡¯s food¡­¡±


    ¡°Just send it over when it¡¯s prepared. Moreover, if Little Treasure stays here, I figure Sister-inw will take her daily three meals here. Mama Wang, Sister-inw is mainly worried that someone will harm the young masters while power is switching hands in the residence, so you must keep a tight watch on the entrances. No matter how lively Zhaode Hall is, Mama Wang, don¡¯t let too many people in and out of here.¡±


    Under Mu Yangling¡¯s sharp gaze, Mama Wang¡¯s body trembled and she hurriedly agreed respectfully..

 Chapter 527: Strive

    Chapter 527: Strive


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The following days were filled with bliss for Little Treasure and Little Bear. The two little ones stayed together 24 hours a day and even drank milk together.


    In the morning, Little Treasure woke up first and obediently let the servant wash his face and put on his clothes. After he obediently ate a small bowl of porridge, he was carried to his mother to interact with her. When his mother went out to handle matters after breakfast, he ran back to his room to sleep.


    There was no concern of children oversleeping, unlike undersleeping.


    When he woke up again, his soft and fragrant younger brother Bear Bear would open his eyes and grab his two little fingers.


    The two little ones would drink milk together and then they would y happily together.


    Little Treasure liked to y with his toys in the house or tease his brother, but Little Bear liked to y outside. Almost as soon as he finished eating, he tugged at Fourth Aunt and shouted, ¡°Ah, ah, ah,¡± his entire body waving towards the door.


    Then, Mu Yangling would bring the two of them around the small garden and sit in the pavilion for a while. At this moment, the weather was already slightly cold. Mu Yangling would wrap the two children tightly and hug Little Bear in her arms, letting him turn his head around to look at the scenery in the garden.


    Little Treasure would walk on his short legs to pick up some withered branches and pluck grass and flowers, before presenting them to his younger brother as though they were treasures.


    Mu Yangling never stopped them. She just had to be careful not to let their backs sweat or catch a cold.


    In the end, not only did Little Treasure make himself dirty, but Little Bear was also covered in dirt and grass. Nanny Wang was terrified when she saw this, but when she saw that Mu Yangling kept smiling and did not stop them, she felt slightly relieved.


    ¡°Kids that can run and jump are considered healthy and smart.


    Nanny Wang strongly agreed with this sentence. The more naughty children in the countryside were, the more likely they would survive. Li Jinghua only came over to take a look and did not care.


    That was why Little Treasure felt that his days had be wonderful. Fourth Aunt had always doted on him. This was unlike when he was by his mother¡¯s side. When he wanted to eat sugar porridge, she wouldn¡¯t let him, and would only let the wet nurse breastfeed him instead.


    After they finished drinking milk at noon, Mu Yangling got someone to carry them for a while while they digested the food before letting them take an afternoon nap. Generally speaking, the two children would sleep for three hours. When they woke up, they would continue to y. At night, when the lights turned off, they would sleep soundly like the adults.


    They had been together for the entire day, but the next morning, they were still so excited as if they were meeting for the first time. Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t imagine why the two young ones were so close. Could it be because they were the only two of the same age at home?


    Children indeed got along better with their own kind.


    Mu Yangling was originally considering whether to let the two children y with the other two children in the Qi residence. She couldn¡¯t let the younger ones lose the chance to make friends because of the feud between the adults. However, when Mu Yangling specially brought the two younger ones to the other two kids, other than looking at each other curiously and ying, they yed by themselves. They were divided into three factions. Little Treasure and Little Bear¡¯s faction, and the remaining two formed their own factions.


    Mu Yangling immediately dismissed this idea. She brought her two little ones back and let them il around in the courtyard.


    The weather was getting colder, and after the first snowfall, Mu Yangling reduced their outdoor activity time to an hour. Little Treasure didn¡¯t mind it much, for he wasn¡¯t very interested in going out to y to begin with. But Little Bear made a fuss for a long time. He already knew how to crawl and sit.


    As long as he was awake, he didn¡¯t stop moving for a moment, fully demonstrating his characteristics as Qi Haoran¡¯s son.


    Therefore, in order to fight for more outdoor activity time, this kid would do anything. When he realized that wheedling and throwing a tantrum was useless, he wailed. Mu Yangling¡¯s heart ached as she hardened her heart and rejected him. If she agreed once he cried, she worried that this child would cry to get his way in the future.


    Hence, even though Mu Yangling¡¯s heart had already softened and she had long surrendered inwardly, she still insisted on squatting in front of her son and looking at him squarely. She tried her best to maintain a serious expression. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. We can talk slowly. Even if you cry, I won¡¯t agree to it. You have to convince me with reasons.¡±


    Little Bear stopped crying slightly. Thinking that his mother had agreed, he stretched out his arm for her to carry him. Mu Yangling quickly picked him up and coaxed him. ¡°Since you¡¯re still young now and it¡¯s cold outside, you can¡¯t stay outside for so long. An hour a day is not a small amount of time¡­¡± Little Bear was still young and didn¡¯t understand her reasoning at all. He only thought that his mother had agreed to carry him out to y, so he pointed outside with all his might and gestured for her to carry him out.


    Instead of moving, Mu Yangling picked up a small toy at the side and teased him with it. She coaxed him gently, ¡°We¡¯ll go out when the weather warms up, or when you grow up, you can go out and y for a longer time¡­


    Little Bear froze in surprise. Although he still couldn¡¯t understand her reasoning, he now knew that his mother wouldn¡¯t bring him out. He let out a cry, closed his eyes, and howled again.


    Mu Yangling had a headache.


    Watching from the side, Mama Wang was both angry and amused. ¡°Fourth Madam, Third Young Master is still young. How can he understand? Try carrying him around the house and walking a few rounds. He¡¯ll forget about it in a while.¡±


    Little Treasure saw that Fourth Aunt had made his younger brother cry again and again. He didn¡¯t understand Fourth Aunt¡¯s words, but this didn¡¯t stop him from understanding that Fourth Aunt had bullied his younger brother. So, he rushed forward and pped Mu Yangling¡¯s arm. Then, he held his younger brother¡¯s small hand and coaxed, ¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry. Bear Bear, be good.¡± As he coaxed him, he reached out to hit Mu Yangling, indicating that he was helping Little Bear teach Fourth Aunt a lesson.


    When Li Jinghua saw him at the door, she was stunned for a moment. As Little Treasure coaxed his brother, he saw that he kept crying, then he also cried out loud. As he cried, he shouted at Mu Yangling, ¡°Bad person, Aunt, bad person!¡± Mu Yangling was even more flustered. She was kept extremely busy having to coax one after the other.


    When Little Bear heard his brother¡¯s cries, he slowly stopped. He looked at his brother in a daze with two streams of tears flowing down his face. He even twitched from time to time. Clearly, it was the aftereffects of crying so hard.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart ached as she hugged him. Seeing his brother cry, Little Bear suddenly pointed at his nose and giggled. He immediately pounced over and kissed Little Treasure¡¯s tear-stained face.


    Li Jinghua couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing, but Mu Yangling looked at her son and felt conflicted, feeling that this kid was too silly.


    The two sisters-inw personally washed the two children before cing them together. Li Jinghua said with a smile, ¡°If the child wants to go out, just carry him and stroll around the various houses. How can he understand your reasoning?¡±


    Mu Yangling muttered, ¡°Little Treasure has been talking to him and there were a few times when I saw him nod seriously. I thought the child would understand.¡±


    Li Jinghuaughed when she heard that. ¡°Why are you acting like a child too?¡± In the end, Little Bear failed to obtain more time outside. He was only allowed to go out for a walk for an hour every day and had to stay in the house the remaining time.


    Mu Yangling wrote a letter to Qi Haoran recounting the funny incident. In the letter, Qi Haoran despised his son. If he wanted to go out and y, he could just privately order a maidservant to carry him out instead of asking Mu Yangling. If he pretended to cry, the servant girl would certainly not dare to disobey him.


    If this didn¡¯t work, he would find another one. There would definitely be someone timid enough who would bring him out to y. Wouldn¡¯t asking his mother block his path of retreat? h h h.


    When Mu Yangling received the letter, she was furious and wrote a letter to scold him, thinking that he was corrupting their son. Fortunately, Qi Haoran wasn¡¯t the one taking care of the child..

 Chapter 528: Change

    Chapter 528: Change<div>


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Winter had arrived. It had only been a year, but the outside world had undergone a tremendous change. The entire Great Zhou was in a battle. Other than Lin¡¯an City, which was still rtively stable, wars were happening everywhere else. As the weather gradually turned cold, the war temporarily stalled. The West Xia army and the rebels did not take another step forward.


    However, the situation did not improve. None of the ministers in the Imperial Court looked happy. Emperor Jingyan, who was used to cking off and enjoying himself, did not look rxed either. Because of the cold weather, many people who were rendered homeless because of the war were now suffering even more. The entire Great Zhou exuded a deathly aura and heavy oppression.<div>


    Even if the Emperor was not smart enough, he would not leave the pce. He could sense the oppression judging by the ministers¡¯ faces.


    In the end, if they weren¡¯t able to dissolve that sense of oppression, they could only perish when that oppression finally erupted.


    The outside world was changing, and so was the Qi Manor. Lt Jinghua had sessfully suppressed Madam Wu and her daughters-inw singlehandedly and now controlled the entire Qi Manor. Now, Madam Xu and Little Madam Wu¡¯s assistance in taking charge of the residence¡¯s matters was nothing but a dead letter. All the servants in the mansion were solidly under Lt Jinghua¡¯s control.


    On the other hand, the Zhaohua Courtyard seemed to be a separate existence from Qi Manor. Ever since Little Treasure moved into the Zhaohua Courtyard, the security of the Zhaohua Courtyard had been very strict. The servants rarely interacted with the rest of the manor. Mu Yangling followed the two children around the clock, and even if she left their sides, she would not be gone for more than half an hour. On the other hand, when Li Jinghua came over to eat and drink, she would only bring Wen Cui and Wen Mian with her. So, Madam Wu and the others could not use underhand methods. After Li Jinghuapletely took over, it became all the more impossible for them toy a finger on the two children.


    After having control over the dangers in the Qi Manor, Li Jinghua started to think about letting her son move back.


    Little Treasure, who had been best buddies with Little Bear for three months, was unwilling to go back. He hugged a pir in Zhao Hua Courtyard and refused to let go. He wailed in Bear¡¯s direction and cried about not bearing to part with his brother.


    Bear Bear did not know why his brother was crying at all, but seeing that he was crying so miserably, he followed suit. Being in robust health and with a strong physique, even though he was almost a year younger than Little Treasure, his cries still drowned out Little Treasure¡¯s and soared into the sky.


    Li Jinghua did not expect the two children to have such a big reaction and was in a dilemma.


    Mu Yangling tried to reason with them. ¡°Little Treasure, you¡¯ll just be staying in the courtyard next door and can stille to y with your brother every day. You just won¡¯t be together when you sleep at night. Why are you crying?


    Little Treasure sobbed and said, ¡°I want to sleep with Little Brother.¡± As he spoke, he sobbed and looked at her with red and swollen eyes.


    Mu Yangling felt that this challenge was a little big. Unable to make up her mind, she looked at Li Jinghua.<div>


    Li Jinghua sighed and squatted in front of Little Treasure. She said pitifully, ¡°Little Treasure, you wish to apany Little Brother but not your mother? Little Brother has Aunt to apany him, but Mother lives there alone without anyone to apany her.¡±


    Confusion shed across Little Treasure¡¯s eyes. Although he was smart, he was still young and could not understand sentences that were too long.


    Mu Yangling hugged Little Bear and said, ¡°While Little Bear apanies your aunt, Little Treasure, you¡¯ll apany your mother.¡±


    This time, Little Treasure looked at his mother, then at Little Bear. In the end, he grabbed his mother and one of his brother¡¯s hands. ¡°Mine.¡± Mu Yangling looked at him pitifully. ¡°What about Aunt?


    Little Treasure waved his hand generously. ¡°Mine!


    Alright, now the four of them was going to stay in the same room? s, that was impossible. Hence, after half persuasion and half coercion, Little Treasure still agreed to move back to Zhaode Hall, but he requested toe over and sleep with his younger brother every other day.


    Mu Yangling was totally okay with that. Li Jinghua only carried her son over because she wanted to be by his side and take care of him. She didn¡¯t want him to cry, so she agreed.


    Although they had promised to let him sleepover every other day, this kid would always cry at night. In the end, Li Jinghua had no choice but to send him over. In the end, he would sleep with Little Bear at Zhaohua Courtyard for two to three nights before returning to Zhaode Hall to sleep for a night.


    Seeing that the two brothers were close, Li Jinghua let them be. Anyway, in her son¡¯s heart, her identity as his biological mother would never change.


    Moreover, it was very beneficial for her son to have a good rtionship with Little Bear.


    She might only have this one child in her life, and Qi Xiuyuan would definitely have other sons born from concubines in the future. However, since they were not born from the same mother after all, there was bound to be conflicts of interest. Little Treasure had few brothers to support him to begin with. If he was close to Little Bear in the future, this pair of cousins could help each other and protect each other. There was nothing bad about that.<div>


    It was also because of this that Li Jinghua allowed Little Treasure and Little Bear to be so close.


    As the two children grew up day by day, there was a transformation in them almost every day. Mu Yangling bought a lot of fabric for them and got the two idle servant girls in the courtyard to make clothes for them. Not only did she have all their clothes made up till the age of ten, but she also had them make many other essories, both practical and ornamental.


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯te back for the new year either and only asked someone to send a letter back. There weren¡¯t even any new year goods. Although Qi Xiuyuan was far away, he had at least sent over two carts of new year goods, including the things the Mu family and Li family had asked him to bring. ording to the steward of the convoy, this month and a half had been a tough journey for them. Not only were there bandits and rioters everywhere, but there was also heavy snow on the road. Even though they ultimately arrived safe and sound, it was inevitable that their arrival was dyed.


    Only then did Mu Yangling know that the situation outside had actually worsened to this extent.


    She had not gone out for almost half a year. Aftering out of the pce, Mu Yangling consciously did not go out because of the imperial guards guarding outside. Because the world outside was in chaos, the banquets held by the upper echelons had decreased by more than half. Li Jinghua did not want to cause trouble at this time, so she stayed in the residence like Mu Yangling.


    As for the things that Mu Yangling wanted to buy, she would directly make a list and ask her servants to buy them. Fan Zijin would send a message every half a month, mostly asking if there was anything she needed his help with. After receiving a negative answer, he would go do his own thing.


    On the other hand, Zhu Liang came every three days to report what had happened in the farmstead. Secondly, he sent them some vegetables, fruits, and eggs from the farmstead so that they could try them. However, that was just on the surface. In actual fact, he was secretly sending all kinds of news and preparing their escape routes.


    However, the information was abstract. For example, the Tongchuan Prefecture was in chaos. There was an uprising rebel army of probably XX people. The Imperial Court¡¯s army was not strong enough to counter them. However, this steward led the way from the north to the south and was practically walking in hell on earth. As a result, he felt a lot more emotional. Thus, it was even more impactful when Mu Yangling heard about the specific situation from him.


    Mu Yangling was a little depressed. As expected, the people suffered even more in tough times like this.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the Imperial Court want to negotiate for peace? Why hasn¡¯t there been any movement?¡± Li Jinghua felt awful. Women did not like to hear such tragic things.


    Mu Yangling knew more about this than Li Jinghua. Hearing this, she said, ¡°Minister Qin left the capital a long time ago, but there has been no news of himing back. I heard that the envoy from the Jin Kingdom has already sent back news that the Jin Kingdom has agreed to negotiate peace, but there has been no news from West Xia..¡±<div>

 Chapter 529: Progress

    Chapter 529: Progress<div>


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The Emperor had already transferred 200,000 troops from General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan to resist the West Xia army. Although it was effective, due to the constant rebellions in various ces, the cities that were recovered usually were not defended for more than three days. As soon as the troops advanced, the rebel army attacked the counties with very few guards.


    West Xia had been dragging it out, unwilling to negotiate, but notpletely rejecting it either.<div>


    If this continued, Great Zhou would fall into a dead end. The Jin Kingdom hadpletely restrained Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s troops. Even if the Great Zhou was destroyed, could he ditch the border ande back to fight for the throne?


    That would be equivalent to letting the Jin soldiers in. His crime would definitely not be inferior to Li Zhengye¡¯s when he abandoned the pass back then.


    Mu Yanglingy on the bed and tossed and turned for the entire night. The next day, she flipped through books for the entire day, but she still had no good leads. She thought with a headache that it would be great if the Jin Kingdom was willing to retreat and not attack Great Zhou. s, this would only exist in her dreams.


    She scribbled randomly on the paper about the rtionship between the Great Zhou, West Xia, and the Jin Kingdom. When she came back to her senses and saw that the paper was filled with ink dots, she crossed out the three kingdoms on it in disdain. Mu Yangling¡¯s hand paused and her eyes lit up. If the Great Zhou and the Jin Kingdom¡¯s West Xia did not have a good rtionship, could it be that the Jin Kingdom and West Xia were on good terms?


    They had just fought a few years ago, and the defensive map of the entire Jin Kingdom was in their hands. However, the upper echelons of the Jin Kingdom thought that West Xia had taken their map away. No, it was West Xia who had taken it away in the first ce. It was just that Qi Haoran had identally ¡°taken¡± it from West Xia.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s fingertips trembled as sheposed herself and wrote a letter to Qi Xiuyuan.


    She felt that it was no longer beneficial for them to continue the stalemate. She suggested that Qi Xiuyuan could use a honey trap on the Jin Kingdom and West Xia to sow discord. In short, he should use whatever strategy that would work. Although Mu Yangling had never fought in a war, her skills of discussing military strategies on paper were not inferior to anyone¡¯s. After all, she had been in the military academy for four years, and had submitted many theses and papers analyzing historical wars every year.


    Mu Yangling was very creative. She didn¡¯t know what cards Qi Xiuyuan had to y, so she told him all the ideas she could think of, regardless of how feasible they were. After all, Qi Xiuyuan was a man who could form his own judgment and make his own choice. Then, she handed the secret letter to Zhu Liang the next day.


    After handing over the letter, Mu Yangling felt relieved. At night, when she wrote to Qi Haoran about their son, she mentioned the war slightly. Sheined, ¡°If the war continues like this, I wonder if you cane back when our son starts schooling. It¡¯s a pity that you don¡¯t have enough troops. Otherwise, you can go from the back to attack West Xia, which has an empty army¡­¡±


    After receiving the letter, Qi Haoran dazedly touched the imprint of the little foot on the letter. He had only seen his son twice. The first time was when he returned to the capital, and the second time was when he left the capital. Considering children grew up quickly, he wondered what this kid looked like now.


    Qi Haoran sighed and was about to put the letter away when he focused on thest sentence. The troops of the Great Zhou were indeed very restrained and could not spare the time tounch a sneak attack, but that did not mean that they could not do it. Wasn¡¯t there still the Jin Kingdom in the north that bordered West Xia on arge scale?<div>


    Qi Haoran picked up his pen and wrote a secret letter to his big brother. There were only five words: ¡°Surround Wei and save Zhao.¡± He had no choice. He really wanted to write more, but this time, he wanted to send the letter openly since it was much faster than sending a secret letter. Naturally, there were many things that he could not explicitly write.


    The letter was quickly brought north by the military pigeon. Qi Haoran calcted the time it would take for them to receive the letter and waited patiently.


    As soon as Qi Xiuyuan received Mu Yangling¡¯s secret letter, he received Qi Haoran¡¯s openly-sent letter. As he opened the letter, he said with a smile, ¡°They seem to have telepathy.¡±


    After opening the letter, he saw Mu Yangling¡¯s densely-packed words on two pieces of paper. Qi Xiuyuan decisively set it down and first read the note from Qi Haoran. On it were only the words ¡°Surround Wei and save Zhao¡±.


    Qi Xiuyuan frowned slightly. ¡°Surround Wei and save Zhao? Is there a country in this world that is willing to surround West Xia and save Great Zhou?¡±


    Rong Xuan also frowned slightly and pondered over Qi Haoran¡¯s words. As it was an openly-sent letter, they had to consider the possibility that Qi Haoran was writing these words for show.


    Qi Xiuyuan picked up Mu Yangling¡¯s secret letter and read it. After reading it, a glint shed across his eyes. When he picked up Qi Haoran¡¯s note again, he happily said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan passed Mu Yangling¡¯s letter to Rong Xuan and said, ¡°Jinyu, what do you think of us sowing discord between the Jin Kingdom and West Xia? Just as Ah Ling said, be it a honey trap or sowing discord, let the Jin Kingdom step forth and ¡®surround Wei and save Zhao¡¯. Otherwise, our troops will be tied up at the border and we won¡¯t be able to do anything.¡±


    As Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s operations in the Jin Kingdom and West Xia were not enough for him to achieve such a feat, he could only look for General Yuan. After looking for General Yuan, he wanted to inform the Emperor of the battle n, but he was not sure if there were spies around the Emperor at this moment. After thinking about it, he still sent a secret message, but he did not exin in detail. He only mentioned a rough idea, hoping that the Emperor would support him.


    As Qi Xiuyuan had only been on the scene for a few years, there were very few people in the Jin Kingdom and West Xia who could be of use. The key was that those people¡¯s statuses were not too high. Meanwhile, since General Yuan had been on the scene for more than 20 years, the spies he controlled must be a considerable number. Still, they could notpare to the resources in the hands of the Great Zhou Dynasty.


    This was the difference between an individual and a country.<div>


    Fortunately, Emperor Jingyan was not hopelessly stupid. Without knowing that Qi Xiuyuan was inclined to rebel, he immediately agreed after reading his proposal.


    Just using some spies and resources in his hands could instigate a war between the Jin Kingdom and West Xia. With Great Zhou about to be destroyed, Emperor Jingyan naturally would not give up this opportunity to catch his breath.


    However, he was also careful and did not directly hand these people over to Qi Xiuyuan. He only sent a guy to Qi Xiuyuan, who would carry out Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s instructions should he need something done.


    In order to prevent the people below from fighting for power and dying things, the Emperor specially gave them a talking-to. Now that the country was about to perish, he hoped that they would temporarily give up on those petty thoughts and focus on the country.


    However, the Emperor overestimated people¡¯s hearts and underestimated their intelligence. When Qi Xiuyuan deployed these people, it was equivalent to holding a one-meter-long stick to pick up something while blindfolded.


    Fortunately, Qi Xiuyuan did not hold high hopes for Emperor Jingyan from the beginning. After instructing the other party a few times and finding that he was only being perfunctory, Qi Xiuyuan decisively turned around and looked for General Yuan. He only handed some unimportant tasks to the Emperor¡¯smander.


    Themander sent by the Emperor originally wanted to force Qi Xiuyuan to lower his head, but he did not expect such an oue. Though furious, he could not find anything toin about.


    Qi Xiuyuan went to look for General Yuan. Both of them wanted to end the situation at the border of the Jin Kingdom. In addition, they were both generals and could be considered to be on the same side in certain matters. Moreover, General Yuan was a selfless person. Qi Xiuyuan quickly made the upper echelons of the Jin Kingdom notice how empty West Xia was at the moment.


    At the same time, a prince of West Xia obtained a secret that the Jin Kingdom and the Great Zhou had reached a secret agreement. The Jin Kingdom would send troops to help the Great Zhou defeat West Xia, while the Great Zhou would give up the area north of the Yangtze River to the Jin Kingdom in return.


    It was said that this was a private agreement between the Emperor of Great Zhou and the Jin Kingdom and was not made public.


    This news was sent back by the person nted by a West Xia prince in the upper echelons of the Jin Kingdom. There was definitely no mistake. Thinking of the cowardice of the Great Zhou Emperor and his past actions of giving away money, the credibility of this matter increased.<div>


    The prince of West Xia was furious. He felt that the Jin Kingdom had broken the contract and that it was unforgivable, so he entered the West Xia pce overnight.


    At this moment, the upper echelons of the Jin Kingdom had only set their sights on the back of West Xia and sent people to secretly investigate the problem of their army¡¯s defense. They had yet to confirm that they wanted to take advantage of the situation..

 Chapter 530: Scheme

    Chapter 530: Scheme<div>


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The Emperor of West Xia had some doubts at first, but after sending people to investigate, he realized that there were many Jin spies at the borders and the capital city of the two countries. It was difficult for him not to believe it now.


    He could only send a secret order to send some troops back to defend. However, just a few days after the letter was sent, the Jin Kingdomunched an attack and a small-scale war broke out between the two countries.<div>


    The prince of West Xia suggested, ¡°Your Majesty, the Jin Kingdom has only been investigating for a short period of time, so they must not have confirmed our military strength. This time, they must be testing our military strength. If we retreat now, I¡¯m afraid they will think that our military strength is insufficient. When the timees, we won¡¯t be able to protect our territory if they attack before our army returns.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you think we should do?¡±


    ¡°Gather our troops and let them know that even if West Xia sends troops to Great Zhou, we won¡¯t be bullied by the Jin Kingdom.¡±


    Due to the previous battle for the position of the crown prince and the rebellion in the country, the Jin Kingdom¡¯s national strength had decreased greatly. On the other hand, because West Xia had emerged stronger after reforming their country, although they could not crush the Jin Kingdom and Great Zhou, their overall military strength and national strength were stronger than the two countries.


    However, since they had to partner up with the Jin Kingdom just to deal with the weak Great Zhou, how could they deal with thebat strength of two countries at once?


    Both the Emperor of West Xia and the Prince of West Xia understood this, so they could only hope to intimidate the Jin Kingdom first while waiting for their army to return to defend. Although the attack on Great Zhou would weaken, it was more important to protect their homnd.


    The Jin Kingdom army that had ambushed them previously had disappeared without a trace. No one knew where they had gone to hide. However, the Emperor of West Xia¡¯s target was not them. Since he wanted to teach the Jin Kingdom an unforgettable lesson, they naturally would not choose an army outside. He directly targeted a city not far from the Jin Kingdom at the border of the two countries.


    He asked the Prince of West Xia to personally lead the troops and mobilize the troops at the border to focus on attacking that city so that the Jin Kingdom would know that their current military strength at the border was not weak. Of course, he did not forget to let the troops that were mobilized nt more gs to create the illusion that their military strength had not decreased.


    The upper echelons of the Jin Kingdom, who were still considering whether to attack West Xia, also learned from the spies nted in West Xia that West Xia was going to attack the Jin Kingdom and was ambitious enough to join forces with Tibet to take down the Jin Kingdom and Great Zhou.


    The upper echelons of the Jin Kingdom chuckled and did not believe it. West Xia was not crazy. How could they go against the Great Zhou and the Jin Kingdom at the same time?


    But soon, there was news from the border that a Prince of West Xia had led people to attack their city. Furthermore, the spies reported that West Xia¡¯s troops in other ces were increasing day by day. Just by looking at the smoke from their cooking every day and the gs ced in the military camp, one could tell that they were increasing their troops every day.<div>


    Shocked, the upper echelons of the Jin Kingdom asked hesitantly, ¡°I remember that there seems to be a Tibet princess in West Xia¡¯s harem.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord. The most favored imperial concubine of the Emperor of West Xia is the third princess of Tibet.¡±


    The expressions of the upper echelons of the Jin Kingdom changed. They hurriedly contacted the Emperor of the Jin Kingdom, Wulie, overnight. Wulie was having a headache over his restless brothers. When he heard this, he sneered. ¡°West Xia is too arrogant. Do they think they can take over the Jin Kingdom just by forming an alliance with Tibet? Tell Pidusi to retreat from the border of the Great Zhou and teach West Xia a lesson. The territory of the Jin Kingdom has not expanded for a long time.¡±


    In any case, considering the borders of Great Zhou were strictly guarded by the Yuan and Qi fellows, they would not be able to get a share of it. The Jin soldiers were just wasting time there. In that case, they might as well attack West Xia and let his brothers, who were always moring, have something to do.


    The West Xia general merely wanted to nt more gs to intimidate the Jin Kingdom, but he didn¡¯t expect it to backfire.


    Having conquered a city of the Jin Kingdom, the Prince of West Xia was now satisfied. Now, the Jin Kingdom should hesitate and retreat, right?


    The Jin Kingdom was indeed quiet for two days, but unexpectedly on the third day, a war between the Jin Kingdom and West Xia suddenly erupted. All the viges and stockades at the border of West Xia were attacked by the Jin Kingdom. Due to theck of troops, the Jin Kingdom quickly took down some towns and entered West Xia.


    This waspletely different from what their intelligence sources had said. There were not many West Xia soldiers in the town at all. The Jin generals who attacked the city were both delighted and shocked. So it wasn¡¯t only the Han people who could fake military achievements. The Jin Kingdom, a country which had been established for 200 years and prided itself on its martial arts, also liked to do such things. Therefore, the military achievements and intelligence reported by the Jin generals were not much different.


    The upper echelons of the Jin Kingdom and Emperor Wulie only thought that their warriors had endured too much at the border of the Great Zhou. That was why they were so brave.


    The brave soldiers of the Jin Kingdom attacked cities and conquerednds in the West Xia Kingdom. The Emperor of West Xia handed down three gold medals in a row and urgently recalled the armies that had prated deep into the Great Zhou. Although the Great Zhou was wealthy and wonderful, the Xia people were more used to life on the grasnd and loved their hometown more. Therefore, they could not give up their hometown.


    It seemed that the information was right. The Jin Kingdom was a treacherous viin. They had clearly agreed to attack the Great Zhou together, but in the end, the Jin Kingdom coborated with Great Zhou to bully West Xia.<div>


    The Emperor of West Xia even suspected that this was a trap from the beginning. Otherwise, why would the Jin Kingdom be unable to advance at the border?


    In the past, the Jin Kingdom had easily conquered Great Zhou¡¯s territory as if they were ying with a cat.


    Wulie had originally only nned to let the warriors expand the border out a little because he still had to be wary of the Great Zhou¡¯s troops.


    However, he did not expect West Xia to be so easy to fight. In addition, about one month into their battle with West Xia, the Great Zhou army also started mobilizing their troops. They were actually transferred back to Jiangnan to suppress the uprising rebel army.


    Wulie was conflicted for a moment. In the end, he decided to give up on Great Zhou and beat West Xia up first.


    The Great Zhou Dynasty had long lost its fighting spirit. Other than General Yuan and General Qi who were more difficult to deal with, the others were easy to deal with. However, West Xia was different. It was now a ferocious tiger that was awakening. Now that they dared to attack the Jin Kingdom, should the ¡®tiger¡¯pletely wake up, the Jin Kingdom would probably have another powerful enemy. The Jin Kingdom did not want to see such a situation.


    The Great Zhou Dynasty consisted of Han people who were timid and would behave after being frightened. However, West Xia was a country of nomads like the Jm Kingdom. They were valiant and ambitious. Such an enemy had to be suppressed before they strengthened, to prevent them from bing a powerful enemy.


    Qi Xiuyuan and General Yuan, who had been secretly paying attention to this heaved a sigh of relief as the Jin Kingdom¡¯s battlefront moved towards West ¡¯ Xia. The two of them had spent a lot of effort to design all of this, but they did not expect it to really seed.


    The white-haired General Yuan looked at Qi Xiuyuan in relief and said, ¡°The new generation really surpasses the old. Not bad, not bad.¡±


    ¡°General, you¡¯re too kind. Without your connections, Xiuyuan wouldn¡¯t have been able to do such a thing even if he wanted to.¡±


    ¡°But even with such connections, I couldn¡¯t have foreseen such an effect. It can be seen that your talent is the most significant factor.¡± General Yuan looked at the map and his smile faded slightly. With a sigh, he said, ¡°Now that the crisis of the Jin Kingdom has been resolved, it¡¯s time to clean up West Xia¡¯s remaining troops and those rebels in Great Zhou..¡±<div>

 Chapter 531: Rebel Official

    Chapter 531: Rebel Official<div>


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    But how could that be easy?


    Although the West Xia army had retreated a little, they still left behind many soldiers to defend the cities that they had already captured. Coupled with the rebels everywhere, it could be said that the entire Great Zhou was engulfed in the mes of war.<div>


    General Yuan was worried about the country and the people, but the Emperor was ted. He did not expect Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s n to really work. This way, they would have manpower to deploy.


    Almost immediately, the Emperor ordered General Yuan to transfer half of his men to Qi Xiuyuan and let him personally lead the troops to quell the rebellion. General Yuan frowned, feeling that this was too risky since this would mean there were too few soldiers left at the border.


    Qi Xiuyuan also frowned. His foundation was in Xingzhou Prefecture, Hanzhong Prefecture, and Jingzhao Prefecture. If he left with his troops, General Yuan¡¯s men would be put in charge of guarding the three prefectures. Wouldn¡¯t that ce his rear under General Yuan¡¯s nose?


    Therefore, when General Yuan submitted the memorial to voice his objections, Qi Xiuyuan also submitted a memorial. At this time, Emperor Jingyan didn¡¯t want to fall out with the two of them, so he was very tolerant of them. After receiving the memorials and discussing it with the officials, hepromised. He would halve the number of men transferred from General Yuan¡¯s side. Qi Xiuyuan could also leave half of his men behind to guard the Jingzhao Prefecture and bring the rest back to suppress the rebellion.


    General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan agreed and began to deploy their troops.


    At this moment, Qi Haoran had already taken over more than ten counties in the south, a pretty respectable speed. The Emperor was very satisfied with Qi Haoran because he was not as perfunctory as the other generals and instead worked very hard to recover the cities.


    Just as the Emperor was about to praise him and promote him as a way to appease Qi Xiuyuan, he turned around and faced the West Xia army that was left behind. Qi Haoran led his army to attack the cities that were upied by West Xia and crazily refused to let go of the West Xia army. In just two days, they took back three county cities. When the Emperor received the news, Qi¡¯ Haoran was sending troops to besiege another county.


    Emperor Jingyan was so furious that he fell backward. West Xia had to retreat some of their troops because of the war in their country. Their remaining troops only defended the cities they had conquered and did not attack again. After a discussion with the ministers, they decided to first quell the rebellion before thinking of a way to take back the cities that had been upied by West Xia. If it didn¡¯t work, they would negotiate again.


    Since the West Xia army was no longer attacking, why did Qi Haoran provoke them? Wasn¡¯t this bringing trouble to the Great Zhou?


    Emperor Jingyan was so angry that he gritted his teeth and asked the messenger, ¡°Why did Qi Haoran disobey the decree? I asked him to eliminate the bandits, not to attack West Xia. Can¡¯t he tell the difference between the bandits and the Hu people?¡±


    The messenger was only in charge ofmunicating and was almost always on the road, so he really didn¡¯t know why Assistant Commander Qi disobeyed the decree. He could only lower his head and pretend to be a quail.<div>


    However, the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue stumbled in Hey on the ground and cried, ¡°Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the West Xia army ughtered Jiayuan County. Not a single person in the county and the countryside below was spared. 100,000 people were killed just like that. Even the old, weak, women, and children were not spared. Your Majesty¡ª¡± Emperor Jingyan¡¯s face turned pale. He sat on the throne and asked with a dry voice, ¡°Has the news spread?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, but we can¡¯t hide it. Jiayuan County is the outermost county upied by West Xia¡­¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, this exins why Assistant Commander Qi is fighting with the West Xia army now.¡±


    ¡°General Qi did not do anything wrong in this matter. Your Majesty, if we don¡¯t react to this matter, I¡¯m afraid themoners will be bitterly disappointed It won¡¯t be beneficial to quell the rebellion at all. Please forgive Assistant Commander Qi, Your Majesty.¡±


    The Emperor asked dryly, ¡°Then what if West Xia attacks again?¡± As soon as the pce fell silent, Yan Du stood up and asked, ¡°Your Majesty, if we give in to West Xia, does that mean they will stop massacring the city? Does that mean that our people will forgive the Imperial Court?¡±


    Emperor Jingyan remained silent. This was obviously impossible. If they did not retaliate, the West Xia army¡¯s attacks would only intensify, and the Han people under their rule would probably be ughtered at will. The citizens of Great Zhou would only be more disappointed in the Imperial Court and more people would join the rebel army. This was simply an endless cycle.


    But if they sent troops, West Xia, who had already stopped the war, would be dragged in. Great Zhou would still be attacked from both sides. Emperor Jingyan smiled bitterly. It seemed like it was a dead end no matter what.


    These damned West Xia barbarians. Why did they massacre the city when the situation was clearly improving?


    Minister Qin has always been the one dealing with West Xia. Why haven¡¯t we heard anything from him? Don¡¯t tell me Minister Qin didn¡¯t notice such a huge matter like the massacre of an entire city?¡±


    At the mention of Minister Qin, everyone became angry at the same time. Minister Qin was really too good at hiding. Ever since he went to West Xia to negotiate, there was still some news of progress at the beginning. However, more than half a year had passed and he was still in West Xia. Though he continued to send back news, it was all nonsense. More and more people in the court were dissatisfied with him.


    The Emperor also frowned slightly. Simrly, he was dissatisfied with Minister Qin. He originally wanted Minister Qin to negotiate with West Xia ande up with a peace agreement, but he did not expect that there was no progress on his side at all. In the end, he had to rely on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s scheme to make West Xia take a step back.<div>


    The Emperor lowered his eyes and decisively ordered Minister Qin to be admonished.


    By admonishing Minister Qin after this massacre incident happened, the Emperor was undoubtedly pushing the responsibility to him. The ministers who were perceptive felt a chill in their hearts, while those who did not consider this aspect were purely angry.


    After Yan Du left with the ministers, he stood on the steps and looked at the ministers who came and went in a hurry. Then, he turned to look at their office and sighed.


    When he returned, he said to Yan Fu, ¡°I want to resign.¡±


    Yan Fu was silent for a moment before replying, ¡°I¡¯m afraid the Emperor won¡¯t allow it.¡±


    Yan Du nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I n to fall sick Your grandfather was his teacher and single-handedly helped him to the throne. In the end, your grandfather ended up in such a state. You should have heard about what happened in the Chongzheng Hall today. Minister Qin assisted him for nearly 20 years, yet the Emperor didn¡¯t even hesitate to throw him under the bus.¡±


    So his father was disheartened by the Emperor?


    Yan Fu did not talk him out of it since it was still uncertain if the Great Zhou could survive. In any case, he had long given up on this country.


    As soon as the news of West Xia¡¯s massacre spread, Emperor Jingyan and the courtiers were surprised by the strong reaction of themoners. Using this matter, the rebels everywhere imed to be kings and spread this message everywhere. The Great Zhou is heartless and the heavens want to destroy it!¡¯ As for the poormoners who had suffered from the war, most of them brought their families to find a regime nearby and joined the rebel army. In any case, they would die if they became a member of the Great Zhou. If they did not be a member of the Great Zhou, they might be able to live for two more days.


    The rebellion reached a new high.


    After Emperor Jingyan issued the imperial edict to admonish Minister Qin the remainingmoners thought of this person. Therefore, a vigorous campaign to purge the traitor appeared. Themoners who were moring to execute Minister Qin, the traitor, almostpletely blocked the road leading to the pce.<div>


    Lin¡¯an City, which had always been quiet and stable, was also a little chaotic. At a moment like this, the benefits of having the imperial guards guard outside the residence were apparent. At least when she heard themotion outside, Mu Yanghng was not afraid that some daft people would barge into the Qi Manor..

 Chapter 532: Something Happened

    Chapter 532: Something Happened


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    The side door was the most eye-catching door Mu Yangling had reserved. Even before Li Jinghua took charge of the household, the old servants guarding it were her people.


    That was one of the worst positions. At that time, Qi Haoran was still in the residence, and Madam Wu and the others did not want to make their rtionship too tense, so they didn¡¯t harp on the matter.


    Therefore, Fan Zijin was let in as soon as he knocked on the door. However, there were many doors and old servants guarding the doors along the way. It was obviously impossible for Fan Zijin to enter the inner courtyard quietly.


    Mu Yangling had already formted various emergency response ns, so the old servants did not panic at all. After letting him in, she quickly lit antern and hung it on a tree not far away.


    In less than five minutes, Spring personally came out to pick him up.


    The old servant heaved a sigh of relief and led the sullen-faced Fan Zijin out.


    Yanmo followed closely behind.


    When Spring arrived at Zhaohua Courtyard, Mu Yangling was already sitting in the small study and waiting.


    After serving the two of them a cup of tea, Spring retreated respectfully and stood in front of the door with Yanmo, staring at each other.


    Inside the room, after confirming that it was safe to speak, Fan Zijin said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid Lin¡¯an City is going to be in chaos. Pack up and leave the capital overnight.¡±


    Mu Yangling asked in surprise, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The secret agent reported that a mysterious army is about to reach Lin¡¯an City.¡± Fan Zijin¡¯s expression turned even uglier. ¡°We lost many people, but we still don¡¯t know who it is. I sent someone to inform the local garrison, but the person disguised as amoner didn¡¯te out after going in¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you suspect that someone in the bureaucracy is rebelling?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s an aristocratic family, a minister, the generals leading troops outside, or a prince.¡± Fan Zijin lowered his voice and said, ¡°But since that person ising to Lin¡¯an City, Lin¡¯an City is no longer safe. The safety of Little Treasure and Little Bear is of utmost importance. You should leave


    quickly.¡±


    Mu Yangling frowned. ¡°How do we exin it to the Imperial Court? Big Brother¡­¡±


    Fan Zijin also lowered his voice and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After you leave, I¡¯ll inform the other families. You won¡¯t be the only ones who will disappear. Even if the Emperor bes suspicious, well have a reason to brush him off.


    Besides, it¡¯s almost time¡­¡±


    ¡°If we inform the Imperial Court¡­¡±


    Fan Zijin frowned and waved his hand to interrupt her. ¡°Then let our people be wiped out by the Imperial Court in one fell swoop? Don¡¯t think that the Great Zhou is weak and the Emperor is muddle-headed. The secret guards and spies under the royal family are countless times stronger than us. As long as we reveal any clues, I¡¯m afraid that the people we left in the capital will be uprooted. They might even follow the clues to us. I won¡¯t take this risk.


    A strange smile appeared on Fan Zijin¡¯s face. ¡°Besides, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Big Brother. How can rebelling sound better than quelling the rebellion?¡±


    Mu Yangling instantly understood. Fan Zijin¡¯s actions were not only for self-protection, but also because he hoped that this mysterious army would destroy the Emperor of Great Zhou. Once the Emperor was gone, it would be even more logical for Qi Xiuyuan to step forward and fight for the throne.


    Mu Yangling immediately stood up and said in a low voice, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go pack my things now.¡± After a pause, she said, ¡°You should be careful, too. Find a reason to leave the city and hide.¡±


    Fan Zijin did not think much of it, but he still agreed.


    He was a man with a family and a career. How could he leave his family behind and escape alone?


    Mu Yangling was about to walk out when she suddenly stopped and said,


    ¡°Should we take your mother and wife with us?¡±


    Fan Zijin said irritably, ¡°It¡¯s already very eye-catching for the four of you to leave. Wouldn¡¯t it be obvious that Eldest Cousin wants to do something if you bring them along as well? Stop nagging and leave quickly. I have my own arrangements for my family.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought about it and agreed. She turned around and asked Spring to quietly bring the bag they had prepared beforehand, then personally went to look for Li Jinghua.


    After Mu Yangling left, Fan Zijin turned the teacup in his hand in silence. He could ignore his father and his step-brothers, but his mother and wife could not stay in the city anymore. However, it was a little difficult to find a reason to let them leave. Fan Zijin wondered if he should let his parents quarrel and let his mother bring his wife to stay with his uncle for a while.


    Fan Zijin had gotten married before the new year, and there were even twists and turns in his marriage, making him look a little gloomy. It also made Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling feel even more guilty towards him.


    Madam Xia had already arranged for his marriage when he returned. After all, since the two-months-younger Qi Haoran was already married, Fan Zijin couldn¡¯t be too far behind.


    However, Fan Zijin was only a xiucai and his father was only a third-grade official. If he had been staying in the capital, he might have been able to marry the daughter of a fourth-grade official. However, he had been at the border for five to six years.


    Because they didn¡¯t know his personality, the families who doted on their daughter didn¡¯t agree to Madam Xia¡¯s proposal.


    Fan Zijin also took his marriage very seriously. When he saw this situation, he decisively said that he would only discuss marriage after he passed the Imperial Examination. After all, a fine man like him couldn¡¯t just marry some random woman, right?


    Madam Xia also felt aggrieved. But because she felt that her son was incredibly outstanding, she only secretly watched the youngdies of the various families while waiting for her son to do well in the Imperial Examinations.


    As expected, after Fan Zijin became the top second schr in the Fall Quarter Examinations, there were more families who were willing to marry their daughter into the Fan family. Madam Xia had also taken a fancy to two families and wanted topare them, but Fan Zijin requested to wait until after the Spring Quarter Examinations.


    Jurens were much more eligible than jinshis.


    Besides, Fan Zijin had yet to turn 20.


    Therefore, when Fan Zijin also entered the top two in the Spring Quarter Examinations, the threshold of the Fan family was almost broken. Because of this, Madam Xia¡¯s standards became higher. In the end, she chose the eldest daughter of the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs to be Fan Zijin¡¯s wife.


    Women typically married up and men married down. In this case, this girl could be considered to have married down. After all, her maternal family wasparable to the Fan family. In terms of foundation, they were even superior to the Fan family. The reason why their family agreed to this marriage was because of Fan Zijin¡¯s talent.


    Therefore, when Fan Zijin missed the Hanlin Bachelor exam and said that he wasn¡¯t nning to be an official, the girl¡¯s family was furious.


    If Fan Zijin would not be an official, what was the point of marrying their daughter to him?


    The engagement was canceled just like that. In the end, the exhausted Madam Xia had to arrange another marriage for Fan Zijin, and the girl was the current Little Madam Xia.


    Although their surnames were the same, she waspletely unrted to Madam Xia. Her father was a fourth-grade magistrate and was the same age as Fan Siwen. Straightforward and generous, he had originally wanted the two families to be inws. After Fan Zijin announced he wasn¡¯t going to be an official and resulted in his engagement being annulled, the magistrate married his daughter to him.


    Moreover, he was willing to rush the wedding date for Fan Zijin, marrying his daughter over after just five months of engagement. One could imagine how rushed it was.


    The reason why Magistrate Xia agreed to this marriage was because he truly doted on Little Madam Xia. Little Madam Xia was his second daughter from the first wife and had been shy since she was young. She was even a little timid. Worried that she would be bullied by others should she be an official¡¯s wife, he decided to marry her to Fan Zijin.


    Regardless of his ws, Fan Zijin was a capable man. If he was willing to treat his daughter sincerely, his daughter would be considered to have married well.


    Fan Zijin sessfully got married, but Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling could not get over the fact that he did not be a Hanlin Bachelor because he was implicated by Qi Haoran. Not only did Qi Haoran me himself, but Mu Yangling also wrote a letter to scold Qi Haoran. On the other hand, when Fan Zijin found out, he reprimanded Mu Yangling instead for distracting Qi Haoran when he was still in a life and death situation.


    If something happened to him, would her conscience be at ease?


    After he scolded Mu Yangling, Mu Yangling did not retort, which was rare for her. She obediently lowered her head as she received the scolding..

 Chapter 533: Go

    Chapter 533: Go


    Trantor: As Studios ¡® Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling went straight into Li Jinghua¡¯s inner room and woke her up without alerting anyone.


    After opening her eyes, Li Jinghua was shocked to see Mu Yangling. Mu Yangling gently covered her mouth and said in a low voice, ¡°Sister-inw, let¡¯ get up and leave.¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s expression changed slightly, but she did not ask further. She got up and put on her clothes. Outside, Wen Cui woke up and hurriedly asked in a low voice, ¡°Is Eldest Madam going to get up?¡±


    Li Jinghua froze and looked at Mu Yangling. Mu Yangling nodded slightly, and Li Jinghua said, ¡°Come in.¡±


    Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua did not bring many people with them. Other than the old servants and servant girls who knew some martial arts, Mu Yangling only brought Spring, Li Jinghua only brought Wen Cui, and the two children¡¯s wet nurses, while the others stayed behind.


    When Mu Yangling was preparing to run away, she had also prepared Li Jmghua and Little Treasure¡¯s portion, so they could leave after changing into light clothes.


    An old servant who knew martial arts took the initiative to carry the sleeping Little Treasure. Mu Yangling also handed Little Bear to an old servant who protected him. The two children were wrapped in nkets. Dressed in a cloak the old servants carefully shielded the children in their arms from the wind. ¡¯ The group quietly left through the side door.


    After they left, Mama Wang extinguished the incense in every corner and turned around to return to the courtyard with Rain and Wen Mian.


    When the few of them walked out of the side door, Fan Zijin nodded slightly at them and left with Yanmo.


    After their figurespletely disappeared, Mu Yangling led them in another direction.


    Other than the two wet nurses whose faces were pale, everyone¡¯s faces were still rtively calm. Because they were all women, the sound of footsteps was not heavy. Mu Yangling led her servants and turned a few corners in the alley. After walking for about 45 minutes, they finally knocked on the side door of a small courtyard.


    The person inside quietly opened the small door and let them in. There were already more than ten young men standing in the courtyard. Clearly, they had just gotten out of bed.


    Mu Yangling only nodded slightly at them before bringing her servants into the house. She actually had no intention of discussing anything.


    Only then did Li Jinghuapletely understand that Mu Yangling had long prepared for this.


    After entering the house, Mu Yangling pointed at the huge brick bed in the house and said, ¡°Lie down and rest for a while. We¡¯ll leave as soon as the city gate opens.¡±


    There were only two hours left before the city gate opened. Those old servants and servant girls who knew martial arts had undergone training and naturally sat upright calmly. They could even lean back in their chairs and close their eyes to rest. However, the two wet nurses were a little flustered.


    Mu Yangling looked at them and nodded slightly. She said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your families are very safe.¡±


    The two wet nurses heaved a sigh of relief and rxed slightly.


    Mu Yangling turned to Li Jinghua and said, ¡°Sister-inw, I¡¯ll exin to youter. We¡¯ll be hurrying on with our journey soon. You should take the opportunity to rest.¡±


    Li Jinghua nced at everyone in the room and nodded slightly, then slept beside the two children on the couch at the side.


    However, she could not fall asleep at all. In a daze, she was woken up by a push. When she opened her eyes and saw that Mu Yangling was already washing up she quickly got up to wash up.


    When they went out, the people in the courtyard were already prepared Mu Yangling arranged for Li Jinghua, the two children, and her to take a carriage while the others sat in separate carriages.


    After leaving the house, Li Jinghua lifted the curtain and took a look. Only then did she see seven to eight carts in the alley. They were all pulled by mules and the top was covered with oil paper, looking as if they were transporting goods.


    At this moment, the sky was still dark. Even with thenterns, one still could not see what was tied to the cart. When Mu Yangling saw this, she exined, ¡°It¡¯s filled with tea leaves on top. Ours is a trade caravan that sells tea leaves ¡¯ from the south to the north¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling exined the story they had fabricated in detail. As she said this, the carriage started moving.


    At this moment, the city gate was not open, but the curfew was over, so they could walk in the city.


    When they arrived at the city gate, Li Jinghua lifted the curtain slightly and took a look. She realized that there were many trade caravans leaving the city as soon as possible, and their group was right in the middle. Only then did her anxious mood ease a little.


    Mu Yangling knew that she was anxious, but at this moment, she did not know how tofort her because she was also anxious herself. Only by leaving the range of Lin¡¯an City would they be safe.


    When the time came, the city gate slowly opened. The soldiers guarding the gate did not strictly check the trade caravans that were leaving the city.


    As Lin¡¯an City was the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, countless merchants came and went every day. In order to rush for time, there were a lot of trade caravans that left the city early every day. Due to the war, the number of trade caravans had decreased recently.


    Most of the more familiar trade caravan leaders were allowed to pass after a mere symbolic inspection of the documents. As for the unfamiliar ones, the guards only randomly selected some to check their goods. On the other hand, the inspection of the trade caravans entering the city was very strict. After all considering it was a sensitive period, they were afraid of assassins and spies ¡¯ sneaking in.


    Therefore, there were two gates. One was to leave the city, and the other was to enter the city. Leaving the city was very fast. For every one trade caravan entering the city, there were four to five caravans leaving in that same period of time. Hence, it was soon Mu Yangling and the rest¡¯s turn.


    Not only Li Jinghua, but even Mu Yangling tensed up.


    Although the gatekeeper was not well-acquainted with their leader, he was familiar-looking to him. Knowing that they were selling tea leaves, he only flipped through the documents symbolically. Then, he pointed at two carriages that were obviously carrying people and asked, ¡°Why are there two more carriages? I remember that you only used to have one carriage.¡±


    That carriage used to carry the steward, but now there were two more.


    The steward immediately nodded and bowed. ¡°The people sitting inside are our two madams and two young masters. Amidst the chaos of the war, our master doesn¡¯t want to do business anymore, so he wants to bring the two madams and two young masters back.¡±


    The gatekeeper stepped forward and lifted the curtain. Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling carried their children and lowered their heads obediently. The gatekeeper¡¯s eyes swept across their clothes and hair essories before he lowered the curtain and nodded slightly. He waved his hand and said, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    He pursed his lips in jealousy and disdain. Mistresses? Damn it, these itinerant merchants really knew how to enjoy life.


    It was not until the entire convoy left the city gate that Mu Yangling and Li Jmghua heaved a sigh of relief. Mu Yangling suppressed her voice and said, Let s go quickly. We¡¯ll follow the schedule we set previously.¡±


    The steward outside the carriage responded and got the coachmen to speed up. About an hour after they left the city, the sky finally lit up. It was only when the sun gradually rose in the sky that the remaining servants in the Qi Manor realized that something was wrong.


    The West Manor was too quiet today.


    However, because the two sides lived separately, although the servants had doubts in their hearts, they did not think too much about it. It was not until the sun rose and a steward in charge of reporting the residence¡¯s matters that he had not seen Li Jinghua nor her servant girls for a long time, that they felt that something was wrong.


    In the end, everyone could only ask a youngss to go to the West Manor to ask if Li Jinghua still wanted to listen to the report today.


    The youngss knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered, let alone open it. Only then did she panic and hurriedly run back to report..

 Chapter 534: Fear

    Chapter 534: Fear


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    There were two doors between the East Manor and the West Manor. Near the East Manor were Madam Wu¡¯s people guarding the door, whereas on the West Manor¡¯s side, it was Mu Yangling¡¯s people. Every day, when the servants in the manor woke up, they had to open the door and only lock it at night. Today, the sun had risen for a long time, but not only did the West Manor not open their door, but there was also no response after knocking for so long. Clearly, something had gone majorly wrong.


    It was unknown what the youngss thought of, but she was so frightened that her soul almost left her body. She rushed into the main courtyard and shouted, ¡°Something is wrong! Something is seriously wrong!¡±


    Madam Wu had been unhappy ever since Li Jinghua seized her power. When she heard themotion outside, she snapped angrily, ¡°What¡¯s going on outside? What¡¯s Eldest Madam doing when she¡¯s supposed to be managing the household?¡±


    Nanny Wu quickly walked in and said with a mixture of excitement and worry, ¡°The youngss said that something happened in the West Manor. No matter how loudly she called out, nobody opened the door.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Madam Wu¡¯s eyes darted around as she stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look.¡±


    She had always wanted to find something on Li Jinghua, but up till that point she had failed. Instead, Li Jinghua dug up a lot of old scores. So, she was rather delighted to hear that something had happened in the West Manor.


    The group arrived at the entrance of the West Manor in a grandiose manner. Madam Wu asked someone to get the people inside to open the door, but when she realized that there was really no reaction, she turned around and asked, ¡®Hasn¡¯t anyone from the West Manore out today?¡±


    Although the Zhaode Hall had a small kitchen, it was only in charge of the food of the four masters. The servants¡¯ food was still made in the main kitchen, so their daily routine was the same as the other courtyards in the residence.


    ¡°Madam, no one from Zhaode Hall and Zhaohua Courtyard came to collect food today, including the small garden. No one from the west side gate came to collect food either.¡±


    Frowning slightly, Madam Wu waved her hand. ¡°Get someone to kick the door open.¡±


    After the door was kicked open, everyone rushed in. Only then did they realize that the old servant guarding the door was still lying on the bed and sleeping soundly. It was clearly impossible for her to sleep so soundly with themotion going on outside. Shocked, Madam Wu hurriedly brought her people to the Zhaode Hall.


    In the Zhaode Hall, the servants were also sleeping soundly, but Li Jinghua and her waiting maid were gone. When she ran to the Zhaohua Courtyard to take a look, Mu Yangling and the two children had also disappeared with her waiting maid and the wet nurse. Thinking of the imperial guards guarding outside, Madam Wu¡¯s legs trembled and her previous smugness disappeared. She turned around and red at them fiercely. ¡°You didn¡¯t see anything today. If you want to live, shut your mouths tightly.¡±


    Madam Wu hurriedly got someone to call Qi Feng back.


    Now that the entire court was busy, Qi Feng was extremely busy as well. Thus, his expression was very ugly when he was called back. However, he knew Madam Wu well. If not for something serious, she would not have gotten someone to ask for him.


    Madam Wu waved the servants away and held Qi Feng¡¯s hand, crying, ¡°Master, something major has happened. Madam Li and Madam Mu ran away with their children.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Qi Feng reprimanded softly.


    ¡°It¡¯s true. If you don¡¯t believe me, go and take a look. The servant girls and old servants of Zhaode Hall are all unconscious. Only they and the two children are missing.¡±


    Qi Feng¡¯s expression changed as he brought Madam Wu to the two courtyards. The West Manor remained quiet like before. Madam Wu knew that some things could not be made public, so although she was extremely terrified, she did not want to wake those people up. Otherwise, themotion in the manor definitely couldn¡¯t be kept under wraps.


    After walking one round, Qi Feng lowered his head to think for a moment.


    ¡°They were abducted.¡±


    Madam Wu¡¯s expression changed. She opened her mouth but did not say anything.


    Qi Feng was terrified, not knowing if his two daughters-inw had left by themselves or if they had been abducted. It was fine if they had been kidnapped, but if they had escaped by themselves¡­


    What were Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran trying to do?


    Rebel?


    How could they leave him behind? The entire Qi family was here. Wasn¡¯t this pushing them into a fire pit?


    Qi Feng was angry and anxious now. He didn¡¯t know if Qi Xiuyuan had such thoughts, but he thought about how the mes of war were rising everywhere. Not only did the rebel army reign supreme everywhere, but some generals also led their soldiers to rebel.


    Those people were most likely below the third-grade and their families weren¡¯t staying in Lin¡¯an City. Meanwhile, Qi Xiuyuan already had nearly 180,000 troops. Did he have such thoughts?


    Qi Feng felt tormented. At this moment, he regretted neglecting his two sons back then, resulting in him being totally clueless about their thoughts. But no matter how much he regretted it, in order to save his and his family¡¯s lives, he could only categorize this matter as kidnapping. Otherwise, the entire Qi family would have no way out.


    After sending Madam Wu back to the main courtyard, Qi Feng hurriedly ran out to find the imperial guards guarding the door and told them that Madam Li, Madam Mu, and the children were missing.


    The captain of the imperial guards¡¯ expression changed drastically. He rushed in with his men and hurriedly got someone to restrain everyone in the Qi Manor while he rushed into the pce to report.


    By the time the Emperor sent people out of the city to chase after them, Mu Yangling and the others had already changed teams and left in a different direction. In the original convoy, there were two women with two children whose physiques were simr to Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua¡¯s. Even if the people investigating became suspicious of their trade caravan and came chasing after them, it would most likely dismiss their suspicions when they saw the imposters.


    The convoy headed north. Other than replenishing the necessary supplies, they did not stop at all. Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua did not know that Lin¡¯an City had fallen into chaos because of their disappearance.


    Before the Qi family reported their disappearance, the captain of the imperial guards who guarded three other generals had already reported that their families had more or less been abducted. However, most of those abducted were the direct descendants of the generals, and most of the women were left behind.


    Compared to the other three families, there weren¡¯t many people from the Qi family who had disappeared, but they were the most important ones. Everyone knew that Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran didn¡¯t get along with their father. To control them, the Emperor could only control their wives and children¡­


    The Emperor asked in a low voice, ¡°How¡¯s General Yuan¡¯s family?¡±


    ¡°No one from the Yuan family has gone missing.¡±


    The Emperor nodded slightly. The reason why no one from the Yuan family went missing was because he had ced the most imperial guards in the Yuan residence, surrounding the Yuan familypletely. The guards assigned to the other four families, including the Qi family, were only focused on guarding the mam door. After all, their foundation was much shallower. Who knew that something would happen to even these four families?


    The Emperor narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Do you think they escaped on their own or were abducted?¡±


    The imperial guards below lowered their heads.


    The Emperor sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t know¡­¡± The Emperor didn¡¯t have a clue either.


    It was impossible to find out who was the culprit amid the current chaos.


    Send someone to investigate and try to rescue the hostages back. The safety of the hostages is of utmost importance.¡± The Emperor waved his hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t make this matter public for the time being. Keep it under wraps for as ¡¯ long as you can. Order the guards at the Yuan Residence to be on high alert.¡± The few of them bowed and left.


    The Emperor called the secret guards over and said, ¡°Go and investigate why they all disappeared at this time.¡±


    At the same time, Minister Qin became anxious and said in a low voice, ¡°If things are brought forward, the Emperor might have sensed something.¡± The person sitting opposite Minister Qin said irritably, ¡°Who exactly attacked the families of the generals at this time?¡±


    Minister Qin shook his head. ¡°The situation is too chaotic now. I¡¯m afraid it will take a lot of time to investigate. Our business is more important..¡±

 Chapter 535: Rebellion

    Chapter 535: Rebellion


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°¡­ We¡¯ve already found traces, but there were people interfering when we were searching for them. I¡¯ll definitely be able to find them with just a little more time.¡± The leader of the secret guards lowered his head and knelt in the hall.


    The Emperor asked in an aged voice, ¡°Did they escape on their own, or were they captured?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, I have yet to find out. If they escaped on their own, the timing is too uniform. Moreover, I discovered that there were several forces among them during the investigation. However, if they were kidnapped, the methods are not at all simr. It doesn¡¯t seem like the same group of people did it.¡±


    The Emperor bent over and looked up at him. It had only been a year, but he seemed to have aged ten years, as though all his energy had been sucked out. He was silent for a while before asking, ¡°How many days do you need?¡±


    ¡°Three days.¡±


    The Emperor nodded slightly and waved his hand. ¡°Go and find them as soon as possible. We won¡¯t be able to hide it for long.¡±


    At the same time, Zhu Liang asked Fan Zijin softly, ¡°Young Master Zijin, should we spread the news of the disappearance of the generals¡¯ families?¡±


    Fan Zijin shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ve already exposed too many traces. It¡¯s better to be quiet than to make a move now.¡±


    The capital was now filled with the Emperor¡¯s spies. If they made a move, the chances of them being exposed would be very high.


    ¡°Retreat our people,¡± he said, looking up at the stars. ¡°Whether they can escape or not will depend on their own abilities.¡±


    Fan Zijin was the one who helped them escape.


    As soon as Mu Yangling left the city gate, he immediately got someone to send some vague news to the families of the three generals. As expected, the generals sent their families away to ensure there was someone to carry on the family line.


    No general led troops outside without having any backup ns. Coupled with the fact that the Emperor had detained their families in the pcest year, they had all prepared a way out like the Qi family.


    Hence, they each used their own methods to escape. Because of this, the traces of their methods werepletely different, giving the secret guards a headache. However, when they went to investigate, there were a few forces obstructing them. This made them even less sure if those people escaped on their own or were abducted.


    In Lin¡¯an City, some forces were busy without stopping, but Fan Zijin withdrew all of them and stayed at home leisurely. He decided to find an opportunity to let his parents quarrel tonight and then take the opportunity to send his mother and wife away.


    Although he was not the most important person in his mother¡¯s heart, she was still the person who treated him the best in this family. Since her staying here would definitely restrict his hands and feet, it was better to send her away.


    However, ns could never keep up with changes. Madam Xia had just sadly agreed to bring Little Madam Xia to the Zhu family to stay for a period of time the next day when shouts came from within Lin¡¯an City that night.


    Fan Zijin jumped up from the bed and asked nervously, ¡°Yanmo, what¡¯s going on outside?¡±


    Yanmo rushed in with a pale face and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but there are shoutsing from the inner city and the imperial city.¡±


    ¡°So fast?¡± Fan Zijin muttered softly. He did not expect the other party to move so quickly.


    He hurriedly got up to put on his clothes and ran to the main room. Little Madam Xia had just woken up and looked a little flustered. When she saw her husbanding over, she ran over as if she had found her pir of support. ¡°Husband.¡±


    Fan Zijin waved his hand. ¡°Pack up simply immediately. I¡¯ll bring you to see Mother.¡±


    Little Madam Xia didn¡¯t dare to ask further and quickly got the servant girl to pick up the two bundles. The other servant girls and old servants in the room all looked at Fan Zijin and his wife eagerly.


    Fan Zijin waved his hand and said, ¡°Call everyone in the courtyard to go to the main courtyard.¡± Since they could not leave, it was safer to gather together.


    The servant girls and old servants heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly ran out to inform everyone.


    The main courtyard became orderly after a while. Fan Siwen was sitting at the head of the table and looking at the people in the courtyard with a dark expression. Madam Xia stood at the door and kept ordering people to put away the important things. She also ordered the servants in the residence to take care of everything and prevent chaos.


    It had to be said that although Madam Xia had a fiery temper, she was indeed much better at managing the household.


    Fan Siwen nodded in relief. He did not know that Madam Xia did not know this from the beginning and had slowly learned it.


    When Fan Zijin brought people over, Madam Xia quickly went up to him and held his hand with heartache. ¡°You didn¡¯t suffer a fright, right? Hurry up and go into the house. Your father is inside.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded slightly and turned to Little Madam Xia. ¡°Stay by Mother¡¯s side and share some of her burden.¡±


    Little Madam Xia couldn¡¯t ask for more and followed Madam Xia obediently.


    Although Madam Xia was not very satisfied with this daughter-inw, she would naturally teach her since she only had this one son. Thus, she kept Little Madam Xia.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on outside?¡± Fan Siwen asked.


    ¡°If Father doesn¡¯t know, how would a jinshi like me know?¡±


    Fan Siwen snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing outside. You control Xiuyuan¡¯s power, so how can you not know anything? Now that the country and our family are in danger, you still n to oppose me?¡±


    Fan Zijin sneered in his heart, but he said, ¡°Father, you¡¯re right, but I really don¡¯t know what happened. Eldest Cousin asked me to manage some of his men, but it was only to ensure the safety of his wife, son, sister-inw and nephew. I don¡¯t know much about these state affairs. If even an official like you hasn¡¯t heard anything about it, it¡¯s even more impossible for me to know.¡±


    Fan Siwen sighed and somewhat believed him.


    Fan Zijin continued, ¡°However, although I don¡¯t know what exactly happened, I can guess from the sounds of it. It¡¯s most likely a rebellion, and that person¡¯s status shouldn¡¯t be low. Otherwise, how could he directly start fighting in the inner city and the Imperial City?¡±


    Fan Siwen thought of the princes and sighed. ¡°Restrain the servants. We¡¯ll stay in the residence and wait for news.¡±


    Other than this, there was nothing else they could do.


    The battle cries outside shook the sky. At this moment, Emperor Jingyan wasughing loudly as he walked in circles in the hall. ¡°Rebellion? Rebellion now? Idiot! What an idiot! Why did I give birth to such an idiot? If he wants to be the Emperor, he could just tell me in advance and I¡¯ll give up the throne to him with both hands.¡±


    He paced around the hall angrily, then stopped and asked, ¡°Where are they?¡±


    The secret guard knelt on the ground and said, ¡°They¡¯re already outside Chongzheng Hall.¡±


    The prayer beads in the Empress¡¯s hand fell to the ground, and the Emperor¡¯s expression darkened. He waved his hand and said, ¡°You can leave.¡±


    The Empress looked at the Emperor. Seeing his strange expression, she hurriedly rushed forward to hold him back and said, ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t mess around. The Second Prince won¡¯t want an Emperor Emeritus to exist. You should leave. Bring the little princes and leave quickly.¡±


    The Emperor was furious. ¡°What good is there in being an Emperor when the Great Zhou is about to fall? If he wants to be the Emperor, I¡¯ll give up the position to him¡­¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡± The Empress interrupted him and looked into his eyes seriously. ¡°Do consider the Guo family¡¯s bloodline. Otherwise, once the Second Prince rushes in, none of the other princes will be able to survive. You also said that the Great Zhou Dynasty probably won¡¯t be able to hold on¡­¡±


    The Empress cried bitterly. It wasn¡¯t that she wasn¡¯t afraid, nor did she have much feelings for those princes and princesses, but she was the Empress and she knew her responsibility. Even if the Great Zhou was going to perish, she had to leave a descendant for the Guo family.


    The Empress raised her head and looked at this man, the disappointment in her heart turning into despair. This man had never had any sense of responsibility in his life, but this time, he had to ensure a bloodline of the Guo family remained no matter what. Otherwise, would she have the face to meet the Guo family¡¯s ancestors after she died?


    The Emperor pursed his lips. In the end, he still allowed the secret guards to take him away under the instruction of the Empress..

 Chapter 536: Oriole

    Chapter 536: Oriole


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    In the open, Li Jinghua was Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s representative in the capital. However, she actually knew that Fan Zijin and Zhu Liang were in charge of many of Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s confidential matters. From the way Fan Zijin often looked for Mu Yangling to discuss things, Mu Yangling was obviously involved. Because the scene of Mu Yangling rescuing Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran back then had left a deep impression on Li Jinghua, she was very calm about this matter and did not take it to heart.


    Seeing that she had often invited Zhu Liang into the residence for the past two days, she only assumed it was regarding something confidential, so she did not ask further. However, in less than two days, Zhu Liang sent her two old servants. Even Little Treasure now had additionally two older servants and two 20-year-old servant girls.


    The four older servants were in their thirties. They all wore a matronly hairstyle and were dressed in dusty clothes. Standing in the corner, they could almost be ignored. However, the two girls were a little older, especially beside Little Treasure. Moreover, they clearly didn¡¯t even know how to serve others. Li Jinghua couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    She turned to Wen Cui and said, ¡°Make arrangements for the four nannies and the two youngdies first. I¡¯ll talk to Fourth Madam.¡±


    Wen Cui agreed and invited the six of them down.


    When she arrived at Mu Yangling¡¯s ce, Li Jinghua realized that there were now two old servants and two very senior servant girls.


    After sending them away, Li Jinghua asked, ¡°What happened? Why are you assigning us so many old servants?¡±


    Looking a little tired, Mu Yangling said, ¡°This is just a precaution. These people all know some martial arts, and Steward Zhu spent a lot of effort to find them. Sister-inw, just use them first. With them by the children¡¯s side, I¡¯ll feel more at ease.¡±


    Li Jinghua lowered her eyes. Previously she was surrounded by her own people. If she suddenly two unknown people entered her residence¡­


    Mu Yangling did not know about Li Jinghua¡¯s concerns and only sighed. ¡°There¡¯s still no news of Fourth Master. I wonder how he¡¯s doing.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Li Jinghua said with a smile, ¡°The two of you are too clingy. Previously, during the war, he would write to you every other day. This time, you¡¯re already so anxious after not hearing from him for less than 20 days. Your big brother might not even write me a letter in two months.¡±


    After saying that, Li Jinghua wished she could bite her tongue. These words were too ambiguous, making it sound as if she wasining that her husband was not close to her enough.


    But Mu Yangling, who had always been sensitive, did not notice it. She even stared at the teacup in her hand in a daze. Li Jinghua was slightly stunned. Somehow, this made her let go of the fact that Mu Yangling had arranged for those people to be by her and the child¡¯s side. Perhaps something had really happened. Otherwise, why would Ah Ling be so despondent?


    Li Jinghua opened her mouth and wanted to ask what had happened, but she had always been smart. She opened her mouth and closed it in the end. When she bade farewell, she only said that she would make arrangements for the people Mu Yangling sent over.


    Mu Yangling nodded and said, ¡°Sister-inw, you must bring those two old servants with you when you go out. Don¡¯t let them leave Little Treasure¡¯s side either.¡±


    Li Jinghua agreed, but Wen Cui was a little indignant. When no one was around, sheined to Li Jinghua in a low voice, ¡°Fourth Madam has interfered too much. It¡¯s already a taboo to nt other people in others¡¯ residences. How can she nt people around you and Young Master so openly?¡±


    Even the biological mother of one¡¯s husband had to ask if the person involved agreed before arranging for someone to enter said person¡¯s residence. Mu Yangling was only Li Jinghua¡¯s sister-inw, and furthermore, the wife of her husband¡¯s younger brother. Her status was lower than hers.


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Li Jinghua scolded her in a low voice and said, ¡°How could she think so much? Don¡¯t let me hear such words again.¡±


    Wen Cui lowered her head a little aggrievedly. ¡°Madam, although Fourth Madam is a little simple-minded about the internal affairs, this is indeed a taboo. To have two strangers following you around at all times¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think those two old servants are Fourth Madam¡¯s people?¡± Li Jinghua asked calmly. Wen Cui paused and widened her eyes. With a sigh, Li Jinghua said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she doesn¡¯t have such thoughts now. The benefits of keeping those people by our side outweigh the disadvantages.¡±


    ¡°But if Fourth Madam has designs on you in the future¡­¡±


    ¡°At that time, if I still can¡¯t subdue and control her, it would be because my skills are inferior,¡± Li Jinghua said calmly. ¡°In Lin¡¯an City, only the two of us sisters-inw can rely on each other and protect the children. If we still have a conflict, we¡¯ll be courting death. So don¡¯t let me hear these words again.¡±


    Wen Cui lowered her head and agreed.


    Li Jinghua sighed. It was impossible to say that she had no grievances. She could understand why Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t trust her in the past. After all, she couldn¡¯t trust her husbandpletely either. Besides, she didn¡¯t have a child at that time.


    However, now that she had given birth, it meant that she had the opportunity topletely integrate into the Qi family. Qi Xiuyuan had indeed given her many rights because of this and told her many secrets that she didn¡¯t know before. However,pared to what Mu Yangling knew, she knew too little.


    Before Mu Yangling gave birth to her son, she had already gained the trust of Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran. He would tell her many things and even discuss them with her. Because she knew that she and Qi Haoran were childhood sweethearts and that her father was her husband¡¯s subordinate, and that she might have been involved in the confidential matters of the brothers since she was young, she was not jealous and did notin.


    However, it had been a year since she gave birth to her eldest son. Yet in Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s heart, she was still inferior to this sister-inw. It was impossible to say that there was no resentment in her heart, but she would always remind herself that it was still early. As time passed, his trust in her would naturally increase.


    Fortunately, Mu Yangling, this sister-inw, was smart when it came to external matters, but she was not scheming enough when it came to the internal matters. This allowed them to get along well.


    Li Jinghua thought for a while and heaved a sigh of relief. After finally thinking it through, she personally met the four old servants and two servant girls who had been sent over. After taking them down a notch, she gave them some rewards and then kept them by her and her son¡¯s side. As for subduing them, this was not something that could be done overnight. Naturally, she had to take it slow..

 Chapter 537 - 537= Consolation

    Chapter 537= Constion


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Second Prince¡­¡± Mu Yangling thought about it seriously and realized that she only had a vague impression of this person. She didn¡¯t expect he was someone capable of forcing the Emperor to give up the throne.


    ¡°Get someone to continue to keep an eye out. If there¡¯s any news from General and Fourth Master, send it back quickly.¡±


    Bai Li agreed and asked, ¡°Fourth Madam, should we tell General and Fourth Master our address so that they won¡¯t worry?¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little longer. We¡¯ll contact them when this matter blows over as it¡¯s still too dangerous now. By the way, how many officials¡¯ families have gone missing?¡±


    Bai Li said in shame, ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because the Imperial Court is deliberately keeping the news under wraps, or if this ce is too backward, we can¡¯t get any news about this.¡±


    ¡ö¡öjust get someone to keep an eye out. Don¡¯t worry too much. Seeing as it¡¯s already veryte today, get Chen Ming to find the vige chief and Junior Officer tomorrow. Since we have to stay here for a long time, we¡¯ve got to try our best to build a good rtionship with them.


    Bai Li agreed.


    The vige chief and Junior Officer were already prepared. Almost as soon as


    Chen Ming invited them, they came.


    This was a remote and poor small mountain vige. The richest family in the vige had three brick houses and 60 acres ofnd, all left behind by their ancestors. In the end, this Zhu family bought more than too acres of wastnd not far from the vige a year ago and got people to convert the foresnd into farnd. They even bought a mountain in the vige and built a huge courtyard on it. Even the courtyard was made of bricks, looking extremely


    imposing.


    However, the vige chief and Junior Officer were not very happy, for they fear that the Zhu family would bully the vigers. Putting everything else aside, was the Zhu family really willing to only farm those 100 acres of wastnd?


    When they gained a foothold in the vige, they would probably want to buynd from the vigers.


    Although Junior Officer and the vige chief were not knowledgeable, they had heard and seen some of the methods thendlords usually used. Some duped owners into owing money and then collected high interest, forcing them to sell theirnd. Some even bribed the officials and turned the fields into wastnd before turning them into theirnd¡­


    Shuddering at the thought of the various methods, the two of them really wanted to see what kind of temperament the Zhu family had. If the Zhus were truly wicked people, they would inform the vigers to stay away from them. It was impossible for Li Jinghua toe out to meet the two of them, and she felt that she could just let Chen Ming meet them. After all, the vige chief and junior officer were outsiders. However, Mu Yangling had grown up in the countryside and did not have any taboos. In addition, she wanted to build a good rtionship, so she personally came out to meet them.


    When the vige chief and junior officer saw a womane out, they frowned slightly. Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°This must be the vige chief and junior officer. I¡¯m the Fourth Madam of the Zhu family. Our Eldest Master and Fourth Master are still in the north and have to make arrangements beforeing back.¡±


    As they had to avoid the Imperial Court¡¯s eyes and ears, they changed the surname from Qi to Zhu. After all, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s mother¡¯s surname was Zhu.


    When the junior officer heard this, his expression softened slightly. He hurriedly asked with a smile, ¡°I wonder what business Eldest Master Zhu and Fourth Master Zhu are doing? Why did they think of settling down in a small ce like ours?¡±


    -Our Eldest Master and Fourth Master are doing some small business in the north. Initially, we could only barely make ends meet. Now that there¡¯s a war in the north, we can¡¯t stay in the north any longer, so they sent us and the children here first. Speaking of which, this is fate. One of our cousins¡¯ maiden families is nearby. We were supposed to go to their vige and have already bought the fields. However, the Daoist priest that Fourth Master invited passed by this ce and said that the mountains here have excellent fengshui and are conducive towards one¡¯s health. Our children are a little weak, so Eldest Master and Fourth Master decided to build our home here at thest minute.¡±


    The junior officer perked up and asked, ¡°So the Zhu family has farnd in the north?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded with a smile. ¡°One to two hundred acres. It¡¯s not much. We¡¯ve handed it all over to the estate manager to manage.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you still buying wastnd in our vige?


    ¡°Since we¡¯re building a house here, it won¡¯t make sense if we don¡¯t buy some wastnd. Moreover, it¡¯s convenient to nt something nearby in the future.¡± The junior officer and the vige chief looked at each other and were silent. Mu Yangling knew what they were thinking, but whatever she said or did now was unnecessary. Hence, she said with a smile, ¡°Now that our family is here alone, please take care of us, Vige Chief and Junior Officer. If there are any difficulties in the vige in the future, you can tell our family. We¡¯ll help if we can.¡±


    The junior officer and vige chief would be more than delighted if the Zhu family didn¡¯t have designs on the rest of the vige. How could they dare toe knocking on their door? Therefore, they only bowed and politely declined.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t insist. After exchanging some pleasantries, she asked Chen Ming to attend to them.


    The junior officer and vige chief quickly asked Chen Ming who that cousin-inw of the Zhu family was. Although they might not be from the same vige, it was fine if they were from the same area. In the future, if the Zhu family really bullied the vigers, they could intercede with the cousin-inw.


    The cousin-inw that Mu Yangling mentioned was Teacher Liu¡¯s wife¡¯s sister-inw. Considering the Zhu family and Teacher Liu weren t closely-rted, the link between the Zhus and that cousin-inw was even weaker.


    The junior officer and vige chief¡¯s hearts turned cold when they heard from Chen Ming that the two parties were remote rtives. They could only hope that the Zhu family was a kind family and would not bully the poor.


    However, Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling didn¡¯t go out. They left the purchasing of vegetables, meat, and other things to Chen Ming, and the other servants were also arranged by Li Jinghua in an orderly manner. Although their quality of life had decreased a lot, fortunately, they were out of danger.


    On the other hand, Mu Yangling arranged the guards into three shifts and set up defenses inside and outside the courtyard. Since the entire courtyard was airtight, as long as there was any abnormal movement, they would be able to discover it before anyone entered the vige.


    Li Jinghua had seen the defensive map that Mu Yangling had drawn on the paper. Although she couldn¡¯t understand it, she knew that the courtyard had be much safer after Mu Yangling set up those defenses. At least, the outer courtyard was within their sight. No one could pass through the guards and enter the inner courtyard.


    Li Jinghua praised, ¡°Are you just talented, or have you learned it before?¡± Not daring to say that she had learned it in her previous life, Mu Yangling only said, ¡°Half of it is due to talent. I also learned some things from Haoran.¡± Li Jinghua nodded. No wonder she could get along so well with Qi Haoran. ¡°Mother, Aunt.¡± Little Treasure ran over and hugged Li Jinghua¡¯s hand. ¡°Go y, go y-¡±


    Mu Yangling reached out to touch his pale face and asked, ¡°Have you eaten the porridge?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Little Treasure smacked his lips and said, ¡°Delicious. It¡¯s better than milk.¡±


    ¡°His face is still a little pale. Sister-inw, get the doctor to prescribe a few sets of medicinal cuisine for Nanny Wangter. On top of eating nourishing porridge, he has to drink milk.¡±


    Li Jinghua nodded and stroked her son¡¯s head. She turned to look at Little Bear, who was twisting his body on the couch wanting to bite his own leg, and said, ¡°Little Treasure¡¯s body is still too weak. Though Little Bear is clearly younger than him, he only needed to rest for a night before recovering. Yet Little Treasure is still pale.¡±


    They were both born prematurely, but Little Bear was very healthy, while her son had a weak body because of his weak basis. Thinking that she might only have this one son in her life, she could not help but feel a little sad.


    Mu Yangling hurriedly said, ¡°The child is still young. As time goes by, he¡¯ll recover if he eats well. Didn¡¯t the doctor say that Little Treasure¡¯s health has improved a lot?¡±


    Li Jinghua nodded slightly. She patted her son¡¯s head and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Little Treasure. Mother will bring you out to y.¡±


    Little Treasure looked eagerly at his brother on the couch. Li Jinghua said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t leave your younger brother behind.¡± She asked the wet nurse to carry Little Bear out to y in the courtyard.


    When Little Bear saw that he could go out, he immediately jumped happily in the nanny¡¯s arms and leaned his entire body out, as if he had been locked up for eight to ten years and was now being released. That anxious look made Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling burst outughing..

 Chapter 538: Accident

    Chapter 538: ident


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Although this ce was remote and quiet, it was not very far from Lin¡¯an City. It only took three days to travel between the two ces, so news from Lin¡¯an City quickly arrived.


    Hence, Mu Yangling and the others learned that on the second day after they left, that the Second Prince had joined forces with Minister Qin to force the Emperor to abdicate. However, in less than two days, Bai Li brought back fresh news from the county.


    Emperor Jingyan was not dead. He had gathered the 60,000 loyal imperial guards and now stayed 30 miles away from Lin¡¯an City. Also, he had already ordered the generals to protect him. Therefore, Bai Li, who was not far away from them, also received the news.


    ¡°Fourth Madam, although this ce is remote, if a war breaks out in Lin¡¯an City, I¡¯m afraid the refugees will flow here. Should we find another safe ce?¡± Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°How can there be a safe ce in this world? It¡¯s even more dangerous to run back and forth. Let¡¯s stay here and get someone to guard the courtyard.¡±


    Mu Yangling lowered her head and thought for a moment. ¡°Since the Emperor isn¡¯t dead, we have to be even more careful. Don¡¯t contact Eldest Master and Fourth Master for the time being.¡±


    This small mountain vige was indeed remote and quiet. In addition, it was self-sufficient to begin with, so even if there was a war outside, it did not affect them much. Although they still did not have enough to eat or wear, they were much better off than the refugees outside who had lost their homes because of the war.


    Originally, the vige chief and junior officer were worried that the Imperial Court would forcefully conscript soldiers. After all, there were wars every year, and such things were unavoidable. However, with the chaos outside and the change in political power, everyone was capturing able-bodied men nearby. And because this small mountain vige was remote and there was no political power in the vicinity, the chaotic Imperial Court had not disturbed this ce up till now.


    Apart from rejoicing, the vige chief and junior officer restrained the vigers even more, preventing them from leaving the vige casually to avoid provoking outsiders.


    The nearby small viges did the same. As a result, the seven or eight nearby viges were isted from the world. Of course, the Zhu family was an exception.


    The vige chief and junior officer knew that people from the Zhu family went out of the vige to the city every day, but they only bought some things. After observing for a while, the vige chief¡¯s heart was put to ease.


    The entire vige seemed to be separated from the Zhu family. Although there was a clear line between them, things were peaceful.


    Life in the vige was leisurely, but outside, it was as chaotic as boiling oil. The situation was different every day.


    Emperor Jingyan ordered all the generals to lead troops to protect him, but there were only four generals who were willing toply. One was General Yuan, one was General Qi, and the other two were General Guo, who led 100,000 soldiers, and thest one was an assistantmander who led 30,000 soldiers.


    Qi Xiuyuan had personally led his troops from the east of Tongchuan Prefecture, while General Yuan had also personally led his troops south. General Guo was one of the five generals whose families had been detained by the Emperor and had always been filial. Although his eldest grandson had already escaped to his side, he was still unwilling to let his old mother be in danger in Lin¡¯an City. Hence, when the Emperor gave the order, he immediately abandoned those rebels and rushed over.


    General Guo only thought about his mother wholeheartedly, but General Yuan could not do it. This time, he only brought 50,000 people south, leaving more people at the border. They still had to remain on guard against the Jin Kingdom. Even under the orders of three golden medals from the Emperor, who asked him to bring all his troops, General Yuan pretended not to see it.


    Meanwhile, Qi Xiuyuan rushed over to take advantage of the situation.


    Although the other generals who did not heed the edict did note, they did not immediately rebel. However, their attitudes were extremely ambiguous. They all stopped fighting and just kept a keen eye on Lin¡¯an City.


    If Emperor Jingyan won in the end, they would have to consider whether they should rebel or not. If Emperor Jingyan lost, there was a very good reason for them to rebel¡ªthe Second Prince was a murderer who killed his father and brothers. How could they allow someone like that to be the Emperor?


    When Emperor Jingyan received the news from the various armies, his body became even more hunched. He asked, ¡°Qi Haoran is not back yet?¡±


    Although Qi Haoran was only a fourth-grade assistantmander now, he led nearly 120,000 troops and was much more powerful than General Guo and the others.


    This time, the ministers did not crusade against Qi Haoran. Instead, they exhaustedly spoke up for him. ¡°Your Majesty, General Qi is busy with West Xia and can¡¯t escape at all. But he has already sent a message back that he will send half of his troops back as soon as possible.¡±


    A minister who had escaped with the Emperor paused and said, ¡°Your Majesty, we have to leave a chance for the people of Great Zhou.¡±


    If Qi Haoran retreated, West Xia would definitely ughter themoners to vent their anger. Although the ministers were corrupt and often exploited the people, they really could not still prioritize self-interest at this moment.


    The Emperor was silent for a moment. In the end, he did not insist on making Qi Haoran return. ¡°Any news from the Yuan family?¡±


    The ministers lowered their heads. ¡°The families of the generals have all been brought back to the pce by the Second Prince to be guarded closely. The Yuan family is no exception.¡±


    The Emperor¡¯s expression was obscure, but everyone could sense that he was not in a good mood.


    Back then, he had used these generals¡¯ families to control them. Now, the second prince was just following his old path.


    When the Emperor left the pce through the secret passage, the first thing he did was to immediately get someone to secretly send the Yuan family out of Lin¡¯an City. If they really couldn¡¯t be sent out, he ordered for them to be immediately executed. He definitely couldn¡¯t let them fall into the hands of the rebels.


    However, the imperial guards protecting the Yuan family couldn¡¯t even leave the intersection. The Second Prince and Minister Qin clearly knew the importance of the Yuan family to General Yuan, so they sent many people to stop them. Unlike the Emperor, they ordered that the Yuan family must be kept alive.


    It was of greatest benefit to them if the members of the Yuan family lived. In any case, they definitely wouldn¡¯t kill them. Otherwise, what if the Emperor framed the deaths of the Yuan family members on them?


    The imperial guards escorting the Yuan family could not charge out, so they could only return to the Yuan residence. They originally wanted to carry out the Emperor¡¯s orders, but the Yuan family was not to be trifled with. The guards and servants fought the imperial guards, and with the Yuan family as their backing, they actually managed to hold on. Furthermore, there were rebels attacking from the outside. The imperial guards were attacked from the front and back, causing their operation to fail. As for the Yuan family, exhausted from all that fighting, they were eventually captured by the Second Prince¡¯s men and sent to the pce alongside other generals¡¯ families.


    Including Qi Feng¡¯s family.


    That¡¯s right. After Mu Yangling and the others left, Qi Feng¡¯s family became hostages.


    The Emperor did not know what choice General Yuan would make, but he had no choice but to decree them to rescue him. This was because he only had 50,000 imperial guards, which was totally iparable to the rebels.


    Emperor Jingyan had given up and left everything to his subordinates. But he valued the two young princes who were brought out of the pce very much and put almost all his protection on them.


    Based on his understanding of General Yuan, after his death, General Yuan would definitely choose one of the princes to ascend the throne. Perhaps that prince would be a puppet, but this world would still belong to the Guo family. In the future, when the prince grew up, there would be hope of regaining his power.


    Emperor Jingyan had a good n, but the heavens evidently did not love him enough. He thought that this was a rebellion between the Second Prince and Minister Qin, but in fact, this was another form of invasion by West Xia.


    Just as he was waiting in the tent for Qi Xiuyuan and the others to arrive, an army gradually appeared 20 miles away from them. It was an army of only 20,000 people, but they were powerful cavalrymen.


    Themander of the imperial guards came in with a pale face and reported, ¡°Your Majesty, those are West Xia¡¯s cavalry. The Second Prince sent an envoy and Minister Qin to wee them.¡±


    The Emperor fell onto the chair and said with a bitterugh, ¡°Yes, Minister Qin just came back from West Xia¡­¡±

 Chapter 539: End (1)

    Chapter 539: End (1)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Emperor Jingyan and his ministers were surrounded outside Lin¡¯an City. The Emperor found the two princes and said, ¡°I will get someone to send you out. Whoever survives will inherit the throne.¡±


    However, the two children were terrified and not happy. The seven-year-old Eighth Prince could not help but ask, ¡°Father, can the world be peaceful again?¡±


    Emperor Jingyan did not answer. He ordered his men to take the two princes away and divided the armed forces protecting him into two groups. Then, he asked them to rush out when the imperial guards sessfully broke out of the encirclement and tried to escort the princes out.


    ¡°Go find General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan¡­¡± Only then did the Emperor realize that there was no one he trustedpletely. If only Grand Tutor Yan was still alive¡­


    Emperor Jingyan wanted to break out of the encirclement, but the Second Prince did not want to kill the Emperor in front of so many people. Therefore, he sent an envoy over, saying he was willing to acknowledge Emperor Jingyan as the Emperor Emeritus.


    Emperor Jingyan had been muddle-headed all his life. He had always been indecisive, but this time, he was very determined. Instead of agreeing to be the Emperor Emeritus, he sent his men to break out at night.


    The 50,000 imperial guards charged out under themand of theirmander just to give the two princes a chance of survival. Emperor Jingyan and the ministers who followed him sat in the tent and listened to the battle cries outside for the whole night.


    Just as dawn was about to break, themander of the secret guards came in covered in blood to report, ¡°Your Majesty, the eighth and tenth princes have been sent away.¡± Whether they could escape from the pursuit depended on their ability.


    ¡°Your Majesty, let themander of the imperial guards escort you away. I¡¯ll hold the fort here.¡±


    Emperor Jingyan shook his head slightly and sighed. ¡°I will not be able to leave. Thank you for yourpany these few days. My second son, that b*stard, probably won¡¯t make things difficult for you. When the timees, you guys should control your temper and let him be.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m old. If one of the two princes takes the throne in the future, he¡¯ll still have to rely on the help of the ministers and guards, so you have to take care of your health.¡±


    In the evening, when the setting sun was as red as blood, the Second Prince¡¯s rebel army and West Xia cavalrymen joined forces to take down the Emperor¡¯s 50,000 imperial guards and rushed into the middle tent.


    Emperor Jingyan, who was wearing a dragon robe, sat in the middle of the tent. He looked up at the West Xia general, then turned to the Second Prince and asked, ¡°If you want the throne, just say it. I can just give it up to you. Why do you want to rebel in such a precarious time? The Great Zhou is about to fall. I don¡¯t want to be an overthrown monarch.¡±


    The Second Prince said expressionlessly, ¡°Although Father says so, you might not think so in your heart. More than 20 years ago, when the Jingzhao incident happened, everyone said that the Great Zhou Dynasty was about to perish, but didn¡¯t it not perish in the end? This time, the situation has already improved, and West Xia has formed an alliance with my Great Zhou Dynasty. My Great Zhou Dynasty will definitely prosper for a hundred years. How can it perish?¡±


    Emperor Jingyan said angrily, ¡°West Xia ughtered my people. Do you think that themoners will agree to the peace talk? Qi Haoran is still leading troops to fight with West Xia.¡±


    A mocking smile appeared on the Second Prince¡¯s face. ¡°If you really think so, why would you spare Minister Qin¡¯s life? Don¡¯t you also want to make peace with West Xia? However, the conditions I offered West Xia are more generous.¡±


    Speechless, Emperor Jingyan choked. That was indeed his n, and it was just that he had not had the time to do so.


    The ministers kneeling below Emperor Jingyan looked at him in disbelief. So this was the reason why the Emperor left Minister Qin in the pce and did not kill him.


    Among them, a few upright officials felt their hearts turn to ashes.


    Emperor Jingyan looked at Minister Qin and asked, ¡°Why are you doing this when I have already promised you?¡±


    Minister Qin did not say anything.


    ¡°For more than 20 years, I¡¯ve treated you well. Even if the people asked me to execute you previously, I protected you¡­¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Minister Qin interrupted him. ¡°Since things have already gotten to this stage, there¡¯s no point in saying anything more. If you have any other wishes, just say them.¡±


    Emperor Jingyan choked and lowered his head to look at the ministers kneeling below. ¡°Don¡¯t pursue them.¡±


    Minister Qin revealed a smile and said, ¡°Of course. The few of you are the pirs of the country. As long as they understand the times, the new Emperor won¡¯t make things difficult for them. Instead, he will have to rely on them.¡±


    The Second Prince nodded at the side.


    Emperor Jingyan closed his eyes slightly, and the guards outside came in to take away the unrted people. An emissary came in to bathe and change Emperor Jingyan¡¯s clothes.


    Even if he were to die, he could die in a dignified manner because he was the Emperor.


    The Second Prince felt a little uneasy as he sat in another tent. Minister Qin immediately stood up and said, ¡°Your Majesty, let me send thete Emperor off.¡±


    The Second Prince rolled his eyes. He couldn¡¯t ask for more. After all, that was his father. If he really killed him, he would have to bear a lot of psychological pressure.


    Minister Qin brought a pot of poisonous wine to see the Emperor. Thetter had already washed up and was eating hisst meal.


    Seeing this, the emissaries retreated one after another. There wereyers of soldiers guarding outside. As the Second Prince was waiting for thest moment, he actually didn¡¯t realize that those people were all from West Xia, and his guards had long been arranged elsewhere.


    The Emperor looked at Minister Qin.


    Minister Qin sat opposite him and looked at the Emperor, who was clearly about the same age as him, but now appeared more than 20 years older than him. He sighed and said, ¡°Your Majesty, you and I have gotten along for 20 years. Unfortunately, you shouldn¡¯t have been suspicious of me for the past two years.¡±


    Emperor Jingyan was stunned for a moment and then got furious. ¡°So everything was nned by you. Yes, the situation started to get out of control after I killed your minions. But they were utterly useless in their positions and I am not wrong to kill them. How dare you use the entire Great Zhou to fight against me?¡±


    Minister Qin sneered and shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s why I said that you shouldn¡¯t have been suspicious of me. Without me, you really can¡¯t do anything. Grand Tutor Yan and I have spoiled you all these years.¡±


    At this point, his face darkened and he said, ¡°It¡¯s not wrong for them to be executed for their crimes. If you had used fair and square methods to execute them, at most, I would have just fought with you. It definitely wouldn¡¯t have resulted in so much trouble. Do you think that those rebels were instigated by me? Little do you know that the person they want to kill the most is me, not you, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Without the Great Zhou, not only will the royal Guo family die, but my Qin family will also be exterminated. Unfortunately, you failed to see this. Otherwise, all these things wouldn¡¯t have happened. If you hadn¡¯t done that, you¡¯d still be the Emperor and I¡¯d still be the Prime Minister.¡±


    Emperor Jingyan was not smart, but more than 20 years ago he possessed two strengths. One was that he heeded the opinions of his subjects, and the other that he was diligent in government affairs. Grand Tutor Yan had chosen him to be the Emperor for these two reasons.


    Other than the fact that he did not listen to his officials when he abandoned the Jingzhao Prefecture and fled south, Emperor Jingyan had performed well in the five years since he arrived in Lin¡¯an City. His behavior wasmendable and he was diligent in governance. That was why the Great Zhou gradually stabilized.


    s, the Emperor gradually becamezy. As the number of concubines in the harem increased and life in Jiangnan gradually became prosperous, the Emperor also indulged in extravagance more and more. Naturally, he became increasingly stupid. However, at this time, Minister Qin gradually walked onto the political stage and could help the Emperor deal with government affairs..

 Chapter 540: End (2)

    Chapter 540: End (2)


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    By the time the Emperor waspletely immersed in pleasure and suspicion, Minister Qin had already taken over most of his responsibilities. Even though he still had to listen to the Emperor¡¯s orders on the surface, the eloquent Minister Qin had always had a way to achieve his goals.


    Minister Qin used this to achieve many of his goals. While umting wealth and power easily, he also maintained the operation of this empire.


    Minister Qin had always been second only to the Emperor. Even if Emperor Jingyan was suspicious of him, he had never thought of rebelling or helping others take over the throne, because he knew that he was the safest as long as Emperor Jingyan was alive.


    But he did not expect that in just three years, because of Emperor Jingyan¡¯s suspicion and a small scheme, things would end up like this.


    Although all the officials andmoners wanted to kill him, he was confident that as long as Emperor Jingyan stayed alive, he could coax him to spare his life. That was also the truth.


    However, bystanders could see things clearly. While everyone was still hoping that the Imperial Court would resolve the chaos, he could already foresee the copse of Great Zhou. For him to be able to climb to this position, his urate judgment had been the most crucial factor.


    Considering there were too many people rebelling, the Great Zhou Dynasty simply could not suppress them. When the time came to establish a new regime, the royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty would definitely be the first to be eliminated. Next would be his Qin family.


    Minister Qin had not gone to such great lengths just for the sake of umting riches alone. There was only one way to get out of this situation.


    It urred to him that he should let the Jin Kingdom or West Xia annex the Great Zhou. Since he was in West Xia at that time, the timing was right, he had geographical advantage, and he was with the right people.


    But today, he took the initiative to send Emperor Jingyan off not only out of respect to the Emperor, but also to show his loyalty to West Xia.


    After he executed Emperor Jingyan, the Second Prince would definitely push him out to take the me. As such, he would have no one to rely on but West Xia. With this in hand, West Xia be able better able to control Great Zhou.


    As for how long the Second Prince could be a puppet, that was not something he should consider.


    Looking at the poisoned wine on the table, the Emperor was momentarily sad and angry. Still immersed in Minister Qin¡¯s reproachful words, he said angrily, ¡°If you weren¡¯t too greedy and focused on power and profit, why would I havee up with such a n?¡±


    Minister Qin said with amusement, ¡°Isn¡¯t that all because of Your Majesty¡¯s indulgence? The aristocratic families were suppressed by the previous Emperors until they couldn¡¯t raise their heads. However, after Your Majesty took the throne, the aristocratic families gradually rose again. You allowed the aristocratic families to upynd and take in hidden households. What¡¯s wrong with us officials imitating them?¡±


    At this point, Minister Qin found it a little funny that he would actually say such evasive words to the Emperor. He raised the wine pot and poured a ss of wine. Then, he handed it to the Emperor and said with a smile, ¡°Your Majesty, there¡¯s no point in saying anything more. It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s hurry up. The Empress might still be waiting for you on the way.¡±


    The Emperor¡¯s eyes widened and his hands trembled slightly. Even though he had expected death, he was still afraid when it came to it.


    He looked at Minister Qin, who was holding the wine ss steadily, and suddenly questioned, ¡°Why did youe personally to deliver the poisoned wine? Aren¡¯t you afraid that Second Brother will execute you to appease the people?¡±


    The Emperor suddenly thought of the West Xiamander he saw today and his expression changed. ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Minister Qin interrupted him. ¡°The guards outside are all West Xia soldiers. Do you want me to send you off, or do you want someone outside toe do it?¡±


    Emperor Jingyan was silent for a while. In the end, he reached out his left hand and held the wine ss. With his eyes closed, he finished it in one gulp.


    Minister Qin was also nervous and was staring at him intently, so he did not realize that the Emperor was using his left hand. Seeing him throw the wine ss to the ground, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    The poisoned wine prepared for the Emperor was naturally top-notch. In less than 15 minutes, the Emperor closed his eyes quietly. There were no bloodstains flowing out of the corners of his mouth. He looked as if he had fallen asleep, and there was even some redness on his face.


    Minister Qin checked his breathing and sighed before turning around to leave.


    The West Xia guards came in to check and confirmed that the person was dead. Only then did they retreat and let the guards of the Great Zhou Imperial Pce take over.


    The Second Prince¡¯s trusted eunuch came in on his knees and carefully carried thete Emperor to the bed with a few of the eunuchs, before tidying up his clothes.


    Although Emperor Jingyan was already dressed, his clothes were still a little wrinkled after all that happened, and his crown was not properly positioned on his head.


    Emperor Jingyan was already dead, but they should still treat him with the necessary respect.


    As soon as he checked, he found that there was blood on Emperor Jingyan¡¯s right finger. The eunuch frowned slightly and wiped off the blood with a handkerchief. Just as he was about to put his hand into his sleeve, he noticed that something was wrong. His heart skipped a beat and he quickly lowered his head to hide his expression. Then, he turned to one of the eunuchs and said, ¡°Go and report to His Majesty that thete Emperor is fully dressed. His Majesty cane over now.¡±


    The young eunuch thought that the Second Prince was going toe over in the first ce, so he retreated on his knees and ran to report to the Second Prince.


    The Second Prince was not stupid. When he heard the young eunuch¡¯s words, he knew that his personal eunuch was hinting for him to go over.


    Originally, he did not dare to look at the deceased Emperor¡¯s face, but now, he had no choice but to go. Therefore, he stood up and expressed that he wanted to go to thete Emperor to fulfill his filial piety.


    The West Xiamander and Minister Qin had no objections and watched him leave.


    Minister Qin¡¯s gaze darkened as he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that the Second Prince would be even more ruthless and vicious than I imagined.¡±


    He had thought that the Second Prince would never take a look at the dead Emperor.


    The Second Prince hurried to the tent. He knew that there were spies everywhere. Minister Qin had been on the scene for many years and was even more influential than him in the pce. Therefore, he knelt down in front of Emperor Jingyan¡¯s bed as soon as he came in and burst into tears.


    When the eunuchs in the room saw that the Second Prince was crying, they didn¡¯t dare to stay any longer. The Second Prince¡¯s personal eunuch waved his hand and everyone left.


    Seeing that there were only two people left in the room, the eunuch hurriedly revealed the Emperor¡¯s sleeve for the Second Prince to take a look.


    When the Second Prince saw the words on it, his face immediately turned ashen and pale. His expression changed as he looked at his father lying on the bed. Then, he waved his hand to dismiss the eunuch before going forward to hug his corpse and cry.


    Now that Emperor Jingyan was dead, the Second Prince brought his body back to the pce and officially issued an edict announcing that he was going to ascend the throne in three days.


    It was not that he was anxious, but he had to hurry. Emperor Jingyan had just died, and many generals and officials in the prefecture mored to eradicate the traitors, but in fact, they were rebelling.


    He knew that he didn¡¯t ascend the throne in a rightful manner, but in the past dynasties, there were many such examples. If one had the ability to stabilize their position, they remained in the throne and there were subsequently both praise and criticism of them in the history books.


    In any case, he would not know what happened after his death, so he did not care about his reputation.


    However, just before he ascended the throne, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s army finally arrived in Lin¡¯an City and surrounded the west and south gates.


    Before the Second Prince could persuade Qi Xiuyuan to surrender, General Yuan¡¯s army arrived outside the city gate in the evening and surrounded the north and east gates.


    The Second Prince was silent for a moment. Then, he asked, ¡°I¡¯ve long ordered the various ces to defend the city.. Why were General Yuan and General Qi able to arrive here without any obstruction? Why didn¡¯t anyone report it?¡±

 Chapter 541: End (3)

    Chapter 541: End (3)


    Trantor: As Studios | Editor: As Studios


    The ministers did not speak, but the Second Prince saw that they were somewhat resistant. He narrowed his eyes slightly.


    Obviously, the officials who let Qi Xiuyuan and General Yuan pass did not acknowledge him as the Emperor.


    At this moment, outside the city, Qi Xiuyuan was reading a secret letter. After burning the letter, he said with a smile to Rong Xuan, ¡°My wife and the children are very safe.¡±


    Beaming, RongXuan said, ¡°Congrattions, General.¡± He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°But Lord Qi is still in Lin¡¯an City.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan lowered his eyes and said, ¡°General Yuan¡¯s family is inside. We just need to follow General Yuan.¡±


    Rong Xuan nodded. As it was not the time yet, this was indeed the best solution.


    ¡°Is there any news of the Eighth and Tenth Princes?¡±


    Rong Xuan shook his head. ¡°Our men haven¡¯t found them. They¡¯ve already lost track of them. Should we send more people?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan thought for a moment and shook his head. ¡°Forget it. They¡¯re just two children. Let¡¯s deal with the matters in Lin¡¯an City first.¡±


    Unlike Qi Xiuyuan, General Yuan had sent most of his men out to find the two princes.


    He would never allow the Second Prince, who had killed his father and brothers, to be the Emperor. With that in mind, he could only find the two princes and help them ascend the throne.


    After General Yuan sent his men out, he finally had the time to send a message to Qi Xiuyuan and ask him toe over to discuss something important.


    Qi Xiuyuan openly brought only a group of people to General Yuan¡¯s camp. This satisfied General Yuan and earned his admiration.


    General Yuan assumed that Qi Xiuyuan wanted to assist the little prince in ascending the throne as much as he did, so he only exchanged a few pleasantries before cutting to the chase. He nned to surround the city and onlyunch an attack after all the loyalist forces arrived. Aside from capturing the rebels and West Xia cavalrymen in the city, they had to find the two little princes as soon as possible. After all, the country could not be without a ruler for a day.


    After a moment of silence, Qi Xiuyuan agreed. However, he suggested joining forces with General Yuan to enter the city and save the families of the generals.


    Qi Xiuyuan was worried. ¡°General, this is embarrassing, but my eldest son is only two years old this year, and I haven¡¯t seen him since he was born¡­¡±


    General Yuan¡¯s eyes reddened when he thought of his aged mother, wife and grandson who were trapped in Lin¡¯an City. He patted Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s shoulder sympathetically and said, ¡°Alright, but I don¡¯t have many people here¡­¡±


    General Yuan found it difficult to speak. His power was greater than Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s, and he had been in power longer than him. He had more manpower and was more skilled than him, but most of his men had been sent out to find the two princes. Thus, there were very few people who could be spared. Therefore, to save them, he would probably need more manpower from Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s side.


    Qi Xiuyuan clearly did not expect such a situation. He sighed in his heart that General Yuan was indeed devoted to the Great Zhou. He could only try his best to mobilize manpower and secretly infiltrate Lin¡¯an City.


    Fortunately, Fan Zijin was still inside, and the operatives they had previously nurtured were also hidden within the city. After sending people into the city, they waited for the arrival of other loyalist forces while anticipating news from within the city walls.


    The Second Prince acted very quickly. The next day, he invited Madam Shen and Qi Feng to the city tower and let General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan enter the city alone to have an audience with them.


    Neither of them was willing to acknowledge the Second Prince as the Emperor, so the term ¡®have an audience¡¯ probably didn¡¯t apply.


    Not to mention that they wouldn¡¯t be able toe out after entering alone, so General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan just looked at the people on the city gate tower with red eyes and didn¡¯ t say a word.


    The Second Prince¡¯s envoy had been threatening them using Madam Shen and Qi Feng for a long time. When he saw that the two of them werepletely indifferent, he was furious. However, not daring to really push the two of them down or behead them, he could only turn around and get someone to report to the Second Prince.


    On the other hand, Shen Mu and Rong Xuan had finally drafted a denunciation with their advisors, listing the Second Prince¡¯s sins and indicating that they were following the Way of Heaven by crusading against the Second Prince.


    The Second Prince¡¯s response was simple and rough. He wanted General Yuan and General Qi to ask their men to retreat 20 miles away first. Otherwise, he would kill one of their family members each until they retreated.


    General Yuan¡¯s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. His heart was filled with pain and hatred, but there was nothing he could do. The next day, when he saw his young grandson on the city wall, he could only wave hishandand ask his men to retreat and station themselves 20 miles away. Even so, he still brought troops to surround the city every day.


    This time, the Second Prince did not threaten them again. After two days, when General Guo and the rest of the loyalist forces arrived, the Second Prince¡¯s envoy quietly left the city and entered the generals¡¯ tents.


    Including General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan.


    Qi Xiuyuan watched the envoy¡¯s back disappear before he slowly exhaled. Then, he turned around and walked towards the small dirt slope at the side. Standing on it, he asked, ¡°Jinyu, what do you think General Yuan will choose?¡±


    Rong Xuan lowered his head and thought for a moment. ¡°That position is too tempting. Although General Yuan is loyal to the country, he often goes against the previous Emperor¡¯s decree. I can¡¯t grasp his thoughts. Besides, even if General Yuan doesn¡¯t have such thoughts, his subordinates might have them too.¡±


    ¡°General Yuan cherishes his reputation very much.¡± Qi Xiuyuan said meaningfully, ¡°If we can save the Yuan family and stage an uprising before he did, do you think General Yuan will still raise the g to fight with us?¡± Frowning, Rong Xuan contemted his words. General Yuan indeed cherished his reputation very much, in fact even more so than his own life. If they did him this favor, it might just work.


    ¡°But we don¡¯t have full confidence. I wonder if Young Master Zijin¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Qi Xiuyuan refused. ¡°We can¡¯t involve Zijin in this matter. We don¡¯t have enough manpower.¡± He thought for a moment and said, ¡°Order Bai Li toe over immediately. Since the envoy has just arrived, we can dy for about three days. We must save the hostages within three days.¡±


    ¡°Then what about Madam and Young Master¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s Ah Ling. Bai Li is good at hiding and killing, while Ah Ling is good at defense. With her around, Bai Li is dispensable.¡±


    Rong Xuan immediately agreed and sent a messenger pigeon for Bai Li to rush over immediately.


    At this moment, General Yuan, who had also sent off the envoy, seemed to have aged five years. Yuan Zhao walked in quickly and shouted, ¡°Father.¡±


    General Yuan said tiredly, ¡°The two princes are dead. They died at the hands of the West Xia people. The other princes in Lin¡¯an City are all¡­ In the entire Great Zhou, the only prince left alive is the Second Prince.¡±


    Yuan Zhao was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Father, the Guo family still has other ns. Thete Emperor was not the son of Emperor Gong back then. He¡¯s just his nephew.¡±


    General Yuan pulled himself together slightly.


    Yuan Zhao lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, ¡°Father, the most important thing now is to save Grandmother and Mother. Otherwise, we won¡¯t be able to attack with the Second Prince holding the hostages.¡±


    General Yuan nodded slightly. ¡°Call everyone back and think of a way to sneak into the city. We must save them.¡±


    Yuan Zhao was a little anxious. ¡°It will probably take two to three days for our men to rush back. Considering the fatigue of the army, I¡¯m afraid mistakes will be made. Father, why don¡¯t we ask General Qi for help? Aren¡¯t his men already in the city? Grandmother is old, I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t be able to wait long.¡±


    General Yuan sighed and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go see General Qi tomorrow.¡±


    The upper echelons of the various armies already knew that other than the Second Prince, all the princes had died. They also knew that even the Eighth and Tenth Princes, who had originally escaped, had been found and killed by the West Xia people. As a result, everyone¡¯s hearts wavered and they became restless.

 Chapter 542: Entrust

    Chapter 542: Entrust


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling and the others lived not far from Lin¡¯an City. Back then, the two carriages only took three days traveling at medium speed, and the messenger pigeon arrived in Mu Yangling¡¯s hands that night.


    The next day, Bai Li rushed back at full speed and arrived in less than a day and a half.


    After listening to Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s instructions, Bai Li only had one request. He wanted Zhu Liang to assist him.


    Qi Xiuyuan raised his eyebrows slightly, and Bai Li exined, ¡°Fourth Madam prepared many escape routes back then, and Zhu Liang participated the entire time. He¡¯s the most familiar with Lin¡¯an City. There are many people in the Yuan family, I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t bring everyone out. However, if we make use of Fourth Madam¡¯s previous arrangements, we¡¯d have a higher chance of sess.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan emphasized, ¡°Not only the Yuan family, but also the Qi family.¡±


    It was impossible for Qi Xiuyuan to let the Qi family stay in Lin¡¯an City and be a threat to him, so he naturally had to bring them out, even if they weren¡¯t very important to him.


    Bai Li understood. After resting for a night, he sneaked into Lin¡¯an City the next morning.


    Back then, Mu Yangling had thought of many ways to leave the Qi Manor and Lin¡¯an City. For this, she had gotten someone to squat at the intersections of Lin¡¯an City and record the patrol and defense situation of the entire city. Although it had taken a long time, they had ultimately managed to draw the map.


    On it, the patrol routes of the imperial guards, when they arrived, when the guards changed shifts, were recorded clearly. The streets of Lin¡¯an City were naturally also recorded.


    After looking at the few ns that Mu Yangling hade up with, Bai Li directly chose one of them and improved upon it. This way, it would take them a shorter time.


    They were still locked up in the pce, but because there were adult men among them, they were not ced under house arrest in the harem this time. Instead, they were in a courtyard in the corner of the pce, where five families of officials were huddled together.


    Fortunately, a courtyard in the pce was equivalent to a house with five entrances outside, so there was still some space between the families.


    The Second Prince had done so to make it easier for his men to watch over him. However, to Bai Li and the others, it made it more convenient for them to sneak the people out.


    There were many people in the Yuan family and even more in the Qi family there. In a few more days, neither Qi Xiuyuan nor General Yuan would be able to sneak out all of them. However, the Emperor had just ascended the throne. Not only was the Imperial Court unstable, but the harem was also unstable.


    And the pce had always been the world of the women in the harem.


    Before Bai Li came, he was still worried about how to get them out of the pce because this was the most difficult part. After leaving the pce, Lin¡¯an City was very big. Even if they could not leave the city for a while, they could still hide for a period of time. However, if they could not leave the pce, everything would be in vain.


    Mu Yangling had given him a hint. The deceased princes¡¯ mothers were still in the harem.


    The Second Prince had killed all his brothers, but he did not touch their mothers. In the harem, other than the Empress and the two noble concubines who had burned themselves to death in the Pce of Earthly Tranquility, the other concubines were all alive and well.


    This was also amon urrence. Even when forcing the Emperor to abdicate, it was rare for men to kill the women in the harem because men looked down on women from the bottom of their hearts.


    However, in their field of expertise, women¡¯s energy and hatred would make them iparably powerful. Even without the opportunity given by Bai Li and the others, one day, they would be able to use their own methods to make the Second Prince suffer.


    The Second Prince had just moved into the pce, and his mother had passed away a few years ago. The Second Prince¡¯s wife had just taken over the affairs of the harem, and she wasn¡¯t even familiar with the people living there. Furthermore, under the pressure of state affairs and the siege of the city by the army, the Second Prince obviously didn¡¯t have the energy to focus on the harem.


    Therefore, the imperial concubines who had been living there for many years easily sent Bai Li and the others to the courtyard where the generals¡¯ families were imprisoned.


    Bai Li did not fight head-on with the guards guarding the courtyard. Instead, he directly asked the pce maids who came to help them first to bring a fragrant sachet and wave it in front of each guard. Then, when they rxed, he quietly sneaked up and knocked them out.


    The people behind dragged the guards who had fainted into the courtyard, before changing into their uniforms and guarded the ce.


    Only then did Bai Li enter the courtyard.


    Qi Feng did not expect Qi Xiuyuan to save him in such a way. His eyes widened, but he was very worked up. He almost wanted to call Madam Wu and the others over without thinking.


    Bai Li hurriedly stopped the agitated him. Qi Feng red at him and said, ¡°Why? Is he nning to leave his mother and brothers behind?¡±


    Bai Li sneered in his heart, but he said respectfully, ¡°Master, you¡¯ve misunderstood. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s not appropriate to make a ruckus now. It¡¯s better to inform Madam, Second Master, and Third Masterter.¡± Bai Li paused for a moment and said, ¡°Moreover, this operation is a coboration with the Yuan family, so¡­¡±


    Qi Feng instantly understood that Bai Li still had to listen to the Yuan family¡¯smands. That¡¯s right, how many years had Xiuyuan been in power? He definitely did not have such connections and still had to rely on the Yuan family¡¯s help.


    Qi Feng didn¡¯t dare to have any more objections.


    Satisfied, Bai Li turned around and went to the Yuan family.


    Matriarch Yuan and the rest were much calmer, but they did not quite trust them. Thus, Bai Li took out General Yuan¡¯s handwritten letter and showed it to her. He said in a low voice, ¡°General Yuan¡¯s men are waiting outside the pce to receive you. Matriarch only needs to take a look outside the pce to understand.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t they enter the pce?¡± Little Madam Shen asked.


    Bai Li was silent. What should he say? Should he say that he was unwilling to show the Yuan family¡¯s spies the Qi family¡¯s contacts in the pce and their connection with the concubines?


    He was in this line of work. If he really brought the Yuan family¡¯s spies in, General Yuan would be able to guess the cards in Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s hands when he went out. Bai Li would not do such a stupid thing, so everyone who entered the pce this time was the Qi family¡¯s men.


    Much more perceptive, Matriarch Yuan said with a smile, ¡°Thank your General on our behalf. We will listen to your arrangements.¡±


    Bai Li heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Then Old Madam, pack up. When the sky turns dark, I¡¯lle and pick you up.¡±


    Matriarch Yuan nodded slightly.


    But things didn¡¯t go so smoothly.


    The abnormalities in the Yuan family and the Qi family could be hidden from outsiders, but not from the other three families of officials who lived with them.


    It was the time when everyone was jittery and tense. There were no pce maids in the courtyard, only their personal servants. However, no matter how big the courtyard was, there were still five families living in it. Everyone was watching with keen eyes. Although they did not see Bai Li and the others, they could sense that there was something wrong just by looking at the actions of the Yuan and Qi families.


    The other three families gathered together to discuss for a moment. When the sky darkened in the evening, the three families each brought two children to where the Yuan family stayed.


    Matriarch Yuan nced at the six children and closed her eyes slightly. Sighing, she said, ¡°I can¡¯t make the decision on this matter, but I can help you pull strings.¡±


    The three women, who thought that General Yuan had sent someone to save them, did not expect that it was Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s men who hade to save them. They were stunned.


    Bai Li was anxious. It would be much more risky to sneak out six more children. Moreover, the youngest of these six children was only six years old, and the oldest was only ten years old. He had to assign a lot of people to protect them.


    However, if he refused to take them, they might not even be able to leave this courtyard. There was nock of people in this world who would add insult to injury. If those three families were going to suffer, they would probably not let them have an easy time either. Bai Li did not dare to take the risk. After thinking for a while, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°I can take the initiative to take with me the few young masters, but the danger is too great. I can¡¯t guarantee that they¡¯ll definitely survive.¡±

 Chapter 543: Discovered

    Chapter 543: Discovered


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Every night and early in the morning, it was time for the pce to clean up the trash. Bai Li and the others hid the people in the dung cart to transport them out. After finding a ce to change out of their guards¡¯ clothes, Bai Li and his men pulled the cart out through the side door.


    During this period of time, the pce had been changing guards diligently. The greatest benefit of that was that they were not familiar with theborersing and leaving.


    A guard felt that these people were too skinny, so he took a few more nces. Eunuch Su, who was in charge of sending them out of the pce, came from behind and muttered unhappily, ¡°You¡¯re too slow. I chose you because I saw that you were strong. Now, you¡¯ re not evenparable to the old and weak. What¡¯s the use of having you?¡±


    Bai Li could only bend down and beg for mercy in a low voice. The guard looked away and asked, ¡°Are these all newbies? Why did they rece so many at once?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to, but there are so many from the previous batch that are now dead or injured. The remaining people who have worked for more than 20 years aren¡¯t able to work anymore. This was why we chose some stronger ones from among their sons and nephews to rece them. However, who knew that they would only eat but not work? They even spill feces when they pour it out. What kind of ce is this? How can such dirty things be exposed? I think you don t have toe tomorrow. Otherwise, you¡¯ll implicate me and cause me to lose my job.¡±


    After saying that, heined in a low voice that the masters and stewards in the pce had been too strict recently, making their lives even more difficult.


    just as Eunuch Su wasining grumpily, the guards finished checking the token and casually knocked on the dung cart toplete the inspection.


    The guard who was staring at Bai Li also looked away. He waved his hand and said, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    Eunuch Su waited for all the dung carts to leave the pce before muttering in dissatisfaction. Only then did he turn around. He still had to go back and deliver the news to the consort.


    Bai Li lowered his eyes and bent down slightly to pull the carts out of the pce. It was not until he turned a corner that the guards behind him realized that the clothes on his back werepletely wet. However, at this moment, he did not dare to stop or rx. He lowered his head slightly and said, ¡°Let¡¯s move quickly and go to the meeting ce.¡±


    The others were also very nervous. Upon hearing this, they pulled the dung carts out of the Imperial City. The remaining people waited for them at the intersection in front. As they had calcted the time, they managed to avoid the patrolling imperial guards when they arrived.


    The three of them kept watch while the others pulled the dung carts closer to a small courtyard. Bai Li opened the lid and pulled out the people inside, then whispered, ¡°Be quiet. Don¡¯t let the neighbors hear you.¡± Matriarch Yuan trembled as she was helped out. She felt dizzy and only managed to avoid falling with Madam Shen helping her out.


    Matriarch Yuan smiled bitterly. ¡°I always thought that my health was good. Madam Shen lowered her voice and said, ¡°It¡¯s not Mother¡¯s fault. We¡¯ll be bored if we stay inside. Let¡¯s rest for a while.¡¯


    Although the dung carts had been washed, the stench inside was still unbearable. However, no one dared toin at this moment. Even the youngest four -year-old child was lying quietly in his mother¡¯s arms, not daring to make a sound.


    Bai Li went in to meet the person who came to receive them. Everyone simply nodded simply to acknowledge the other party and waited for the next group of imperial guards to go over.


    Even with the help of the three families and the servant girls left behind in the pce to cover things up, they did not know how long they could keep the matter under wraps. Therefore, it was better for them to leave the city as soon as possible.


    Those people only rested for a moment before being led away through another door This time, they walked straight into a small alley. There were no imperial guards patrolling here, but it was dark. The adults either held the hands of the children or carried their young children under the protection of the guards for about 45 minutes. The water in front rippled, and the moonlight shone sideways on the water, reflecting blurry shadows.


    The family members were a little puzzled. Why had theye to the river? Bai Li hoped that the exposure of the matter could be dyed, but at this moment, the pce was in chaos. The people in the pce had already discovered that some people had gone missing in the courtyard.


    Because the new Emperor wanted to show his friendliness to the officials¡¯ families, during dinner, he casually ordered a few good imperial dishes for Matriarch Yuan and the other officials¡¯ families.


    Even if the new Emperor did not receive recognition from outsiders, he was still the Emperor. Therefore, when he rewarded someone, the person who received the reward had toe out to thank him no matter what. However, the eunuch who came to deliver the dishes did not even see Matriarch Yuan and di Feng. Instead, the servant girl stopped him from seeing them.


    The eunuch saw that something was wrong. Just as he was puzzled, he was knocked unconscious by the guards behind him.


    When the eunuch who had gone to deliver the food did not return for a long time, the chief eunuch sensed that something was wrong and brought a team of guards over to check. However, they were likewise attacked by the guards guarding the courtyard.


    The chief eunuch was furious. It was only at the reminder from a guard that he realized that something was wrong with those guards. They were not the guards from before.


    However, there were so many guards in the pce, and the guards were constantly changing, especially during these few days. How could he recognize who was who?


    When they finally rushed into the courtyard, more than half of the guards who had resisted were dead, and those who were not dead also had their throats s it on the spot.


    After an examination, they realized that it was actually a tall eunuch in disguise. The guard from before had been knocked unconscious, stripped, and thrown into a small room.


    The eunuch in charge was about to explode from anger. Before he could get angry, a guard came to report that the Yuan family and the Qi family were all gone. Two children each from the other three families were also missing. The eunuch in charge was so frightened that he broke out in cold sweat and could not stand straight.


    As expected, as soon as he reported it, the new Emperor flew into a rage and immediately got someone to investigate. He also detained the remaining officials¡¯ families in the courtyard. He originally wanted to kill one to serve as a warning for the others, in hopes that they would tell him the whereabouts of the people who had escaped. Unexpectedly, the Empress, who was beside the new Emperor, said, ¡°Your Majesty, if we kill them, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll really be enemies with the generals. Wouldn¡¯t we lose more than we gain.¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t kill one to serve as a warning for the others, they will still think that I¡¯m easy to bully.¡±


    However, the Empress said with a smile, ¡°If you want to kill someone, you should do it in front of those generals. That way, you can at least intimidate them a little. By killing them now, you¡¯ll only incur hatred. There are children from those three families among those who escaped. They¡¯ve put in so much effort to send them out, so they definitely won¡¯t confess.¡±


    However, the new Emperor said, ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of scarcity but of inequality. There are many children in each family, but they only managed to send two away each¡­¡±


    The Empress¡¯s expression froze.


    At night, the courtyard where the hostages were imprisoned was filled with blood. The Emperor asked the chief eunuch to investigate.


    The chief eunuch received the hint and directly pulled out a seven-year-old child and asked, ¡°Let me ask you again. How did you people send them out.


    Who was involved?¡±


    Seeing that no one said anything, the chief eunuch sneered and raised his hand. The child screamed as his arm was cut off at the shoulder. The child¡¯s mother cried out and tried to rush forward to snatch the child, but she was restrained. The chief eunuch looked at her disdainfully and asked, ¡°Madam, it¡¯s better to say it. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to save this child. You have to know that your sons haven¡¯t been sent out.¡±


    As he spoke, the knife slid down a few inches andnded on the child¡¯s neck. As the seven-year-old child was still young and could not withstand the pain of losing his arm, he fainted from the pain. The child¡¯s mother cried out loud.

 Chapter 544: Father and Son

    Chapter 544: Father and Son


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Qi Xiuyuan only sat on the chair and closed his eyes for a moment. Just then, he heard a sound outside, and he immediately opened his eyes.


    ¡°General, Bai Li is back.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan immediately went out. Everyone was drenched and many of them had wounds on their bodies. When Bai Li saw Qi Xiuyuan, he immediately knelt on the ground and said guiltily, ¡°General, I¡¯m useless.


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s heart turned cold. He quickly nced over and realized that Matriarch Yuan was still alive. Only then did he realize that something was wrong. His father was not there.


    Qi Xiuyuan held back his thoughts and waved his hand. ¡°Get the general s family members to change first. Invite the military doctor over to take a look at the matriarch and the children.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan hurriedly greeted Matriarch Yuan. However, Matriarch Yuan looked at him guiltily and said, ¡°Good child, go and visit your father first.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan rushed to the tent at the side. The military doctor had already checked Qi Feng. Seeing him enter and shake his head slightly, Qi Xiuyuan stopped in his tracks and slowly walked to Qi Feng¡¯s bed.


    Qi Feng<sup>1</sup> s breathing was weak. If not for the fact that his chest was still heaving, it was almost impossible to tell that he was a living person. There was a broken arrow in his chest, but it had not been pulled out. Clearly, his vital points had been injured. Once it was taken out, he would probably not survive.


    Madam Wu was sitting on the ground and weeping softly. When she saw Qi Xiuyuan enter, she paused for a moment before pouncing to Qi Feng¡¯s side and holding his hand, crying sadly.


    Under the cold nce from Qi Xiuyuan, all her cries were stuck in her throat and she couldn¡¯t make another sound.


    Qi Feng opened his eyes and looked at his son, who was standing in front of the bed with aplicated expression. He was silent for a moment.


    To be honest, he had not seen his son for 12 years. Ever since he left, he would only send him a letter on New Year¡¯s Day.


    He turned to look at Madam Wu and his sons and grandsons on the other side. Then, he turned around and waved at Qi Xiuyuan. ¡°In the blink of an eye, you¡¯re already all grown up.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t miss the embarrassment in Qi Feng¡¯s eyes, but he didn¡¯t expose him on his deathbed. Instead, he thought for a moment before kneeling in front of his bed.


    Qi Feng heaved a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that his son would not give him face at this moment. He said dryly, ¡°Now that you¡¯ve be sessful, you can be considered the number one person in the Qi family¡­¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan remained silent, but Qi Feng seemed to have gotten into the momentum. He sighed and said, ¡°If your mother in heaven finds out, she will definitely be gratified. Back then, when you were born, your mother flipped through all the poetry books before finally naming you ¡®Xiuyuan¡¯. She hoped that you would be unyielding and have a lofty mind. Later, she even gave you, the personal name ¡®Chengde¡¯, hoping that you would have a noble character.¡± Qi Xiuyuan lowered his head slightly. ¡°Mother has always had high hopes for Fourth Brother and me.¡±


    ¡°I only hope that you brothers can uphold your mother¡¯s dying wish and support each other.¡± Qi Feng continued shyly under Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s gaze, ¡°Father owes you a lot. Even if I want topensate you, there¡¯s nothing I can do now. Your second and third brothers respect you very much. Although you¡¯re not from the same mother, you¡¯re still biological brothers. After I pass away, you have to take care of them.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan turned to look at Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai, who were kneeling at the side. He was very unfamiliar with them. If they met face-to-face on the streets, they probably wouldn¡¯t even recognize each other. However, these two were his younger brothers and they had been bullying each other since young. Until now, Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t have any feelings for them.


    However, he would not disobey Qi Feng at this time, so he nodded and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. I¡¯ll take care of my two younger brothers.¡±


    Qi Feng heaved a sigh of relief. He really didn¡¯ t expect himself to die so early, so early that he had no choice but to entrust his two sons to his eldest son, who he had never been on good terms with.


    As soon as this topic ended, the father and son actually fell silent. There was nothing else to say.


    It was rare for Qi Feng to feel sad. No matter how much he disliked Qi Xiuyuan, he was still his son. He really didn¡¯t expect the father and son to be so indifferent towards each other.


    Sensing that his life was slipping away, he wanted to say a few more words, so he said incoherently, ¡°Madam Li and Madam Mu went missing with their children. I don¡¯t know who abducted them. Don¡¯t worry too much. If you can¡¯t find them, marry another wife as soon as possible and give birth to a legitimate son¡­¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan was slightly stunned. Only then did he remember that he wasn¡¯t supposed to know about their disappearance. Hence, he asked with a dark expression, ¡°My wife and the child are missing?


    Qi Feng¡¯s voice weakened, as if hecked confidence. However, he still tried his best to exin. ¡°I didn¡¯t want your wife to feel restricted, so I didn¡¯t let your mother interfere in their matters. There were imperial guards watching outside, but who knew that they would still disappear without a trace?¡±


    Qi Feng looked up at Qi Xiuyuan. In the end, he still suspected that it was Qi Xiuyuan who had had them taken away.


    Frowning slightly, Qi Xiuyuan said with an ugly expression, ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get someone to find her.¡±


    Qi Feng turned to look at Madam Wu and gave her a look. In response, she quickly stood up and brought her sons, daughters-inw, and grandchildren out. Now, only the father and son were left in the tent. Qi Feng asked in a trembling voice, ¡°Chengde, tell Father the truth. Were you the one behind their disappearance?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan looked up at Qi Feng for a while before replying, ¡°No.¡±


    Just as Qi Feng heaved a sigh of relief, he heard him say, ¡°It was Madam Mu who brought Madam Li away.¡±


    Qi Feng widened his eyes and looked at him. Since there were no outsiders present, Qi Xiuyuan felt more at ease than before. He said honestly, ¡°How much does Father know about us brothers?¡±


    Chest heaving up and down, Qi Feng pointed at him and asked, ¡°You, you want to rebel¡­¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t expect this to be the first thing toe to Qi Feng¡¯s mind, but he still nodded and said, ¡°Father is right. This is indeed my n.¡±


    Anger and grief shed across Qi Feng¡¯s eyes. ¡°If you have intentions to rebel, where would that leave me? I was still in Lin¡¯an City¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I promised to take care of Second Brother and Third Brother. Qi Xiuyuan interrupted him and said, ¡°Father, I¡¯m very sorry about this, but I¡¯d still make the same choice again if time reversed.¡±


    He chose his wife and children and abandoned his father.


    Qi Feng¡¯s eyes were filled with sorrow. ¡°Do you treat me as your father?


    In this world, there were many who abandoned their wives and children, and few who abandoned their parents.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan asked fiercely, ¡°Father, do you treat Fourth Brother and me as your sons?¡±


    Thoughts churned in Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s chest, but he still couldn¡¯t help but question him. He calmed the anger in his chest, surprised that he still wouldn¡¯t be able to control his emotions. He¡¯d thought that after more than ten years and several life and death situations, he had long be indifferent. It turned out that he still cared so much.


    Seeing that his father opened his mouth but did not speak, he felt a mixture of fury and gratification. He lowered his voice and said, ¡°Father only thinks that Fourth Brother and I are a disgrace and never deigned to spare a nce at us. Yet now, you¡¯re asking me if I treat you as my father.¡±


    ¡°The father sets the example for the son,¡± Qi Feng muttered. ¡°You owe your life to me¡­¡±


    ¡°But you gave birth to me and didn¡¯t raise me. Is that what a father should do? If the father isn¡¯t loving, how can you me the son for being unfilial? I admit that I¡¯ve done you wrong, so I¡¯ll fulfill your dying wish and take care of Second Brother and Third Brother. What about you, Father? Don¡¯t you feel guilty towards Mother? This marriage was a scheme nned by you. You managed to save yourself and your family with this, but you thought of Fourth Brother and me as a humiliation and made my mother suffer grievances until she died. Do you feel guilty?¡±


    Zhu Wan¡¯s voice and smile involuntarily appeared in front of Qi Feng s eyes. For a moment, his hands and feet were cold, and he was actually speechless.

 Chapter 545: Uprising

    Chapter 545: Uprising


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Madam Wu let out a heaven-shaking cry while Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai¡¯s tears fell. Inparison, Qi Xiuyuan, who was standing at the side with a dark expression, appeared much colder, but no one dared to reason with him.


    Rong Xuan went forward and patted his shoulder. He said in a low voice, ¡°Chengde, I¡¯m sorry for your loss. The military camp still has to rely on you.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t speak for a long time. When everyone couldn¡¯t help but pay attention to this side, he said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Write a letter to inform Haoran that Father has passed away. We have to let him know.¡±


    Seeing this, everyone thought that Qi Xiuyuan just had difficulty expressing his emotions. After all, the general had always been a reserved person.


    Rong Xuan noticed the change in everyone¡¯s expressions from the corner of his eye and felt slightly relieved.


    After that, Rong Xuan found an excuse to pull Qi Xiuyuan away and said, ¡°Many soldiers in the army are watching. I know you¡¯re reserved, but you still have to put on a show.¡± He lowered his voice and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, this is our reason to raise trouble.¡±


    Rong Xuan had been trembling with fear ever since he started rebelling with Qi Xiuyuan. It was not because of the rebellion itself, but because he was too easily affected by his feelings.


    With Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s ability and capital, and with Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin around, the possibility of them conquering the country was very high, but it was unknown if they could hold on.


    Just because of Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s personality.


    Initially, it was best to leave the rescue to Fan Zijin. However, he was unwilling to put Fan Zijin in a difficult position, hence he had chosen not to do so.


    At this moment, they were about to stage an uprising. Since Qi Haoran also had an army of 120,000 troops under him, it should be the right choice to call him back. However, because Qi Haoran was fighting West Xia, and because Qi Xiuyuan did not want him to bear the infamy in the future or feel guilty, he let Qi Haoran continue fighting West Xia at the front line.


    Of course, this might also be because of his benevolence towards the people.


    However, were the sessful Emperors of the past dynasties so indecisive and sentimental?


    Hence, Rong Xuan was frightened. He was afraid that Qi Xiuyuan would not be able to act the part of a filial son, so he kept reminding him from the side.


    Qi Xiuyuan sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m really sad that he passed away, but I just can¡¯t squeeze out tears.¡±


    However, he did not merely feel sadness. He also felt a sense of relief and felt that this was how it should be. After so many years, he had long forgotten how to get along with his father.


    The sadness on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s face onlysted for a moment before he quickly restrained his emotions and asked, ¡°How¡¯s General Yuan¡¯s family?¡±


    ¡°There are injuries, but they¡¯re not serious. A few of the younger kids suffered a fright. Fortunately, since the weather isn¡¯t very cold now, it shouldn¡¯t be a big problem.¡±


    ¡°Send them to General Yuan.¡±


    Rong Xuan was stunned. ¡°Send them over just like that?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°If we send themover just like that, General Yuan will be even more grateful to us. Send General Guo¡¯s two grandsons to him too. Draft the document tonight and we¡¯ll stage an uprising tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Should we call Haoran back? We have too few troops.¡±


    They had left some of their men in the north. As they had only brought half of their men when they came over from Tongchuan Prefecture, they didn¡¯t have many troops. If the loyalist forces who were originally surrounding the city turned around to encircle them, they would not be able tost.


    Qi Xiuyuan was silent for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°Haoran is already struggling to hold on against the 200,ooo-strong West Xia army alone. If we really transfer them back, thosemoners will really die.¡±


    ¡°Try your best to stall for time and get Jiang Ze and Mu Shi to bring their troops back. It¡¯s only a five-day journey from Tongchuan to here. Don¡¯t forget that there aren¡¯t many loyalist forces besides the Yuan family¡¯s army and General Guo¡¯s men. Even if we include the Second Prince and the West Xia cavalrymen hiding in the city, we have nothing to fear.¡±


    Rong Xuan knew that it would be very difficult for him to change his mind, so he only considered for a moment before going down.


    Qi Xiuyuan only went to see Matriarch Yuan and greeted her briefly. Then, he went straight to the point and said that he would send them to General Yuan.


    Matriarch Yuan and Madam Shen did not expect to leave so easily and were stunned for a moment. However, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s mind was focused on tomorrow¡¯s matter, so he looked a little indifferent. Matriarch Yuan and Madam Shen simply interpreted that as him feeling sad about his deceased father. They sighed and felt even more guilty.


    Ever since Qi Feng was shot by a stray arrow, Matriarch Yuan had been feeling very guilty and uneasy. This was because she could not help but think that if not for the Yuan family¡¯srge group of people dragging him down, Qi Feng might have been fine with a few more people protecting him.


    In addition, Madam Wu¡¯s resentful gaze on the way made her even more uneasy. Initially, she was worried that Qi Xiuyuan would make things difficult for the Yuan family and propose some difficult conditions to General Yuan. However, now that Qi Xiuyuan was straightforwardly sending them to the Yuan family¡¯s army, she felt even more guilty about her petty thoughts.


    The military camp was holding a funeral, so Qi Xiuyuan did not want Matriarch Yuan and the others to stay here. After all, his military camp was not without danger. If anything happened to the Yuan family here, all his previous efforts would be in vain. The gains would not make up for the losses.


    When the Yuan family members were quickly sent to the Yuan army¡¯s camp, General Yuan knelt in front of Matriarch Yuan and cried like a child.


    Having not seen her son for several years, Matriarch Yuan was also in tears.


    General Yuan was very grateful to Qi Xiuyuan. When he heard that Qi Feng had passed away, he felt guilty and hurriedly called his son, Yuan Zhao, to attend the funeral to pay respects.


    At this moment, the shocked General Guo was looking at his grandsons who had curled up into a ball. He went forward to hug them, his eyes slightly red. After a long time, he finally let go of his two grandsons and looked up at the Qi army who had brought the two children over. ¡°I was momentarily agitated when I saw the two children. Please forgive me.¡±


    ¡°This is human nature. General Guo, don¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡±


    General Guo was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Please go back and tell your General Qi to just tell me if I can be of help in the future. I won¡¯t hesitate to step forward.¡±


    His two sons had escaped with their two grandsons and their guards to look for him, but they were chased by Emperor Jingyan¡¯s men on the way. One of his grandsons was taken back, and the other grandson died on the spot. Although his two sons managed to escape to his side, they were seriously injured.


    Furthermore, he knew that his mother was still in Emperor Jingyan¡¯s hands, so he could only send troops to protect him. It was obviously impossible for him to have another son considering his age, and the possibility of the hostages surviving was too small. Now that he had two grandsons by his side, he could only hope to save his mother and the rest of his family.


    Although General Guo had high hopes, he knew that it was unlikely. That was why he was so grateful to Qi Xiuyuan and dared to make such a bold promise. After all, Qi Xiuyuan had ensured the continuity of the Guo family¡¯s bloodline.


    The next day, General Guo knew what he could do to help.


    Qi Xiuyuan rebelled!


    In the eyes of men in this era, the most important things in the world were one¡¯s ruler and father. To be ranked alongside filial piety, one could see the importance of loyalty.


    Hence, most people in the world felt that it was only right for Qi Xiuyuan to rebel in the name of avenging his deceased father.


    If Emperor Jingyan was still sitting on the throne, many people might have jumped out and said that Qi Xiuyuan was disloyal. But now, Emperor Jingyan was dead, and the Second Prince was sitting on the throne. He was the antagonist, so everyone was more tolerant of Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s actions and started to denounce the Second Prince.


    But not everyone could ept it. Many people in General Yuan¡¯s army could not ept it.

 Chapter 546: Assistance

    Chapter 546: Assistance


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    General Yuan was the person who had made the greatest contribution to Great Zhou. Also, he was the official most trusted by themoners.


    Now, the country was in chaos. Emperor Jingyan, as well as the orthodox heir appointed by him, were dead, and only the Second Prince was left. Even though General Yuan had said that he wanted to choose someone from the Guo Family¡¯s branch family, there were still people who hoped that General Yuan could be independent. They were willing to follow General Yuan to help him conquer the world.


    However, as General Yuan¡¯s subordinates for many years, they knew that General Yuan was a loyal person, so they could only take things slowly. However, Qi Xiuyuan actually rebelled at this time and had such a legitimate reason!


    Even if General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan were on good terms, the General Yuan of the past would definitely not tolerate Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s rebellion. However, Qi Xiuyuan had just saved General Yuan¡¯s family, and Qi Feng had died in the process. Considering General Yuan¡¯s character, perhaps he couldn¡¯t bring himself to act against Qi Xiuyuan. They could only grit their teeth in hatred.


    However, since they had such thoughts, they would not give up so easily. Therefore, they could only hint to General Yuan that they were willing to follow him.


    Seeing that even his subordinates had such thoughts, General Yuan sighed and knew that the Great Zhou Dynasty was doomed.


    If there was only Qi Xiuyuan, he might be able to turn the tide and barely protect the Great Zhou. However, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s younger brother, Qi Haoran, also controlled arge number of troops. Even if he was only an assistantmander now, hemanded a solid number of soldiers. Moreover, even his subordinates had thoughts of rebelling, let alone others.


    General Yuan was at a loss for a moment, not knowing what to do.


    Rebel?


    Wouldn¡¯t that confirm the Imperial Court¡¯s previous suspicions of him? Then Emperor Jingyan¡¯s previous vignce would be reasonable, and General Yuan would be a despicable person with evil intentions.


    General Yuan¡¯s eyes darkened and he gave up on this thought entirely.


    There were four people in the world who knew General Yuan the best¡ªhis Military Advisor Shen Mu, his mother Matriarch Yuan, Madam Shen, and Qi Xiuyuan.


    Although Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t know as much about General Yuan as the three of them, he could still figure out General Yuan¡¯s bottom line. Since General Yuan was a man who valued his reputation and honor very much, Qi Xiuyuan wasn¡¯t too worried about General Yuan when he staged his uprising. Instead, he was on guard against the other loyalist forces.


    Because General Guo was indebted to Qi Xiuyuan, although he did not explicitly say that he would follow him, he would not attack Qi Xiuyuan. By doing so, he had expressed his attitude. There was no movement from the Yuan family¡¯s army at all, as if they did not know that the people living near the city gate were rebels.


    However, a decree came from the Imperial City to chase after Qi Xiuyuan and send a decree to Qi Haoran¡¯s army, asking his adjutants to capture Qi Haoran and bring the army back to the Imperial City to protect the Emperor.


    When the Second Prince¡¯s edictnded in Qi Haoran¡¯s hands, he pursed his lips and threw it into the fire to burn it. Those so-called adjutants were long dead.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t Qi Haoran who killed them. They simply died in battle when they were fighting with West Xia.


    Amid such a fierce fight with West Xia and the constant bloodshed, the army had been disrupted and reorganized. With Emperor Jingyan dead, who would listen to the orders of the Imperial Court?


    Qi Haoran touched his unshaven face and sighed sadly. ¡°I wonder if my son will still recognize me. How detestable are those West Xia soldiers who refuse to retreat.¡±


    ¡°Fourth Master, Fourth Master.¡± Fei Bai ran over and panted. ¡°Fourth Master, the people we sent back have sent back news that they were stopped by a group of bandits on the way. There are more than 30,000 of them.¡±


    A murderous look shed across Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes. ¡°Just 30,000 people and they¡¯re already rushing back to report. Are they that ipetent? Don¡¯t we have 60,000 men? Just crush them.¡±


    ¡°But Fourth Master, didn¡¯t you ask them to go back and reinforce Eldest Master? Although 30,000 isn¡¯t arge number, they can still hold them back.¡± ¡°Damn it.¡± Qi Haoran walked around twice and suddenly turned around to ask, ¡°Where are Liu Dahei and the others?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Qi Haoran stroked his chin and said, ¡°Since Big Brother has already rebelled, let¡¯s start recruiting troops. Liu Dahei is a smart person. If he¡¯s used well, he can be a good general.¡± Then, he added, ¡°Send a message to them and don¡¯t waste your breath with them. First, do your best to keep as many of those people as possible. After we beat them up until they¡¯re afraid, ask them to make way. Otherwise, I¡¯ll fight them to the death. Considering Big Brother is still in Lin¡¯an City and there are so many loyalist forces there, his men definitely won¡¯t be able to hold on for long.¡±


    Fei Bai agreed and ran to send a messenger pigeon.


    After receiving the letter, the assistantmander immediately mobilized his men and began to charge at the encirclement as if they did not care about their lives.


    When the rebel army surrounding them suffered heavy casualties, the Qi family army read out Qi Haoran¡¯s letter loudly. They stood on the battlefield and shouted at the rebel army who had temporarily stopped fighting, ¡°Our Assistant Commander Qi said that if anyone dares to stop us from saving General Qi, our Assistant Commander Qi will fight them to the death. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can try.¡±


    The people on the other side were speechless for a moment.


    The people on this side continued to shout, ¡°Our 60,000 people just retreated from the battlefield of West Xia. How dare 30,000 of you, who are so skinny that you can¡¯t even hold your sabers, surround us? Your leader wants to use you to fill the corpse pit, right?¡±


    ¡°Fill up what corpse pit? I think their leader thinks that they¡¯re wasting grains, so he¡¯s using them to let us train our saber techniques. If they¡¯re really brave, turn around and walk west. The prisoners of West Xia are there. If they have the ability, go up there and kill them. What¡¯s the point of following us to kill us?¡±


    The people on the other side became anxious. If they really continued shouting, the people here would probably revolt. These were all fools. If the bandits could bewitch them, so could others. The leader hurriedly shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t think that you¡¯re justified just because you¡¯re loud. Why would you retreat from the battlefield if you¡¯re that capable? Since Qi Xiuyuan has rebelled, you¡¯re just rebels now.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, we¡¯re Assistant Commander Qi¡¯s men. His father was killed by that traitor, the Second Prince. His big brother is being surrounded, so it¡¯s only right for the younger brother to save his elder brother and avenge his father. Don¡¯t make it sound like you¡¯re so virtuous and loyal. Aren¡¯t you also rebels? Besides, although we¡¯re going to save General Qi, our Assistant Commander Qi is still fighting against the West Xia army at the front. The reason why you can cause trouble here is because our Qi family army is fighting against West Xia in front. Otherwise, you¡¯d long have been beheaded by West Xia long ago.¡±


    ¡°If you have the ability, go and kill those West Xia dogs¡­¡±


    ¡°Our Assistant Commander Qi only has 60,000 people now and dares to go against West Xia¡¯s 200,000-strong army. What right do you have to talk nonsense here¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re even stopping us from saving Assistant Commander Qi¡¯s big brother¡­¡±


    The curses instantly drowned out the rebel army opposite them. Many people had hesitant expressions on their faces. They didn¡¯t know if what those people said was right, but one thing was certain. Qi Haoran had been standing in front of them, blocking the West Xia army from themoners.


    Many people quietly retreated as they held their weapons.

 Chapter 547: Attacking the City

    Chapter 547: Attacking the City


    Trantor: As Studios I Editor: As Studios


    The Qi family army charged towards Lin¡¯an City like a hot knife through butter. Other than asionally encountering the Imperial Court¡¯s army on the way the other rebel armies did not stop them. They only took five days to reach the outskirts of Lin¡¯an City. At this moment, Qi Xiuyuan had already started fighting with the Imperial Court¡¯s army.


    Jiang Ze and Mu Shi¡¯s army had already entered the battlefield, but they only managed to maintain their position and not suffer losses. When Qi Haoran¡¯s 60,000-strong army arrived, they immediately rxed.


    Qi Xiuyuan was both happy and worried. ¡°Since you guys are here, can Haoran with only 60,000 men withstand West Xia¡¯s 200,000-strong army?¡± ¡°Assistant Commander Qi told General not to worry and said that he had a brilliant n.¡±


    Jiang Ze was a little dissatisfied with this and muttered to Rong Xuan, ¡°This is a time when we need all the help we can get. How can Little General note back?¡±


    Rong Xuan had already heard the report of the situation on the way back. Upon hearing this, he said, ¡°It¡¯s also beneficial for Little General to resist West Xia at the front line. Not to mention anything else, we already have reason on our side. Now, the Imperial Court is colluding with West Xia and letting West Xia bully themoners. Also, the other rebel army and generals are also doing their own things. At this moment, only the Qi family army is still resisting West Xia at the front line. Whose side do you think themoners will stand on?¡± Jiang Ze was stunned. ¡°In that case, was this all nned by Little General?¡± Thinking of Qi Haoran¡¯s character, Rong Xuan shook his head and said, ¡°Little General likely did this from the bottom of your heart, but it¡¯s precisely because these actions came from the bottom of his heart that makes it even more precious.¡±


    At this moment, General Yuan was also saying to his subordinates with aplicated expression, ¡°Compared to what Qi Haoran is doing, we¡¯re inferior.¡±


    ¡°General¡­¡±


    General Yuan raised his hand to interrupt the other party and said, ¡°Although Qi Xiuyuan is a rebel, the Second Prince did not take the throne via legitimate means. Now that the Guo family doesn¡¯t have any particrly capable juniors, our brothers aren¡¯t willing to help another Guo family member to be the¡¯ Emperor. In that case, let¡¯s return to the north and wait for things to settle down before swearing allegiance.¡±


    The assistantmanders below were all silent. It was obvious that they had objections.


    General Yuan sighed and waved them away.


    ¡°Father, I¡¯m afraid the uncles want to fight for their future.¡± Yuan Zhao said worriedly, ¡°Will they take the Yuan family army away?¡±


    General Yuan shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not that easy to take away the Yuan family¡¯s army. However, it¡¯s understandable that they want to fight for their future. Since 1<sup>1</sup> ve been suppressed by the Emperor for many years, my subordinates have never been able to stand out. It¡¯s normal for them to have such thoughts in troubled times.¡±


    Yuan Zhao lowered his head and remained silent.


    Because General Yuan had already expressed his stance firmly, his subordinates watched for a while and realized that General Yuan really had no intention of going further. Most of them had the intention to leave.


    However, at this moment, there was chaos with many vying for the supreme position, and they truly had yet to choose anyone new to swear their allegiance to. Therefore, they could only stay in the Yuan family¡¯s army and observe for the time being.


    Meanwhile, with the reinforcement from the 60,000-strong army, Qi Xiuyuan was now a little calmer. Only then did he find the time to meet General Yuan. Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t beat around the bush and asked General Yuan if he had any intention of fighting for the throne.


    After getting a negative answer, he asked him if he would swear his allegiance to him.


    General Yuan didn¡¯t say anything, and Qi Xiuyuan guessed the answer. The third question was whether he could return to the northern border to guard it while waiting for the world to settle down.


    General Yuan nodded without hesitation.


    He had been fighting with the Jin Kingdom for half his life and had originally nned to go back.


    With his ability and capital, no matter who became the Emperor after the world had settled down, the new Emperor wouldn¡¯t go against him.


    Only then did Qi Xiuyuan stand up and bow to express his gratitude. The next day, when General Yuan announced the time to return, his assistantmanders became even more unsettled. At this moment, news started spreading that Qi Haoran had defeated the West Xia army and forced them to retreat to the west of Yuanshui. Not only the Qi family army, but the Imperial Court army in the Imperial City was also stirred up.


    The assistantmanders seemed to have made up their minds and came to look for General Yuan one after another, expressing that they wanted to stay and follow Qi Xiuyuan.


    Having already expected this, General Yuan agreed with a sigh. After that, he sighed to Shen Mu and said, ¡°In terms of war, Qi Haoran¡¯s talent far exceeds his older brother¡¯s and even mine.¡±


    When he was at Qi Haoran¡¯s age, he¡¯d relied more on small battles to umte military merits. Even if there were battles where he won with numbers, there was never such a huge disparity in numbers as what Qi Haoran was facing-60,000 against 200,000. He could not fathom how he did it.


    Qi Xiuyuan was very excited. ¡°Haoran¡¯s good news came at the right time. Not only did many of General Yuan¡¯s assistantmanders over, but even General Guo has made up his mind to swear his allegiance to me.¡±


    ^¡¯Congrattions, General.¡± Rong Xuan bowed slightly and said with a smile, ¡°This way, we have many more people to deploy.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°There¡¯s more than one surprise.¡± He took out a piece of paper and passed it to Rong Xuan. ¡°Zijin found a way to have this sent to us Look.¡±


    Rong Xuan took it and looked at it. After a long time, he sighed and said, ¡°I feel like we ve be old. To think we can¡¯tpare to two children.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuanughed out loud and patted his shoulder. ¡°Jinyu, you¡¯re not old. Without you, the rations of my army would be a huge problem.¡±


    Rong Xuan bowed slightly and asked, ¡°When do you n to take action General?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t General Yuan leaving tomorrow? Then let¡¯s make a move tonight so that General Yuan knows our strength and can make a decision faster,¡± Qi Xiuyuan said. ¡°Let the soldiers rest now. When the sun sets, bury the pot and cook rice. After eating, have them set off at our orders.¡±


    Because General Yuan and the others were going to set up camp and stockade the next day, they also rested early. Unexpectedly, as soon as they closed their eyes, they heard deafening battle cries outside. General Yuan jumped up and put on a simple piece of clothing before rushing out. Yuan Zhao was rushing in When he saw his father, he said excitedly, ¡°Father, General Qi has rushed into Lin¡¯an City.¡±


    General Yuan¡¯s body stiffened and he asked, ¡°How could that be? The walls of Lin¡¯an City are tall and thick¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an insider.¡± Yuan Zhao¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I was standing on the upper slope just now. Although I didn¡¯t see it clearly, I saw that the city gate was opened from the inside. I¡¯m guessing they have an insider. Father, General Qi was the first to enter the city, so he¡­¡±


    General Yuan raised his hand to stop him and said, ¡°No matter what Qi Xiuyuan does, our Yuan family will definitely not get involved in the rebellion. Restrain the soldiers and set up the stockade at dawn the next day.¡±


    Yuan Zhao was slightly disappointed, but he still listened to his father¡¯s orders and left.


    The battalionmander of the imperial guards, who had been instigated by Fan Zijin, was trying his best to rush towards Qi Xiuyuan. Since he had already submitted to Qi Xiuyuan, he naturally had to leave an impression on him. At this moment, Fan Zijin was sitting in the middle of the reception pavilion listening to the news. When Fan Siwen heard themotion and came out to take a look, he saw this scene. His heart skipped a beat and he asked, ¡°Unfilial son, what did you do?¡±


    Fan Zijin looked up at his father and said, ¡°What do you think I can do?¡± Just as Fan Siwen heaved a sigh of relief, he heard Fan Zijin say, ¡°Father, Eldest Cousin has rebelled. We¡¯ll be exterminated by association of nine of a n. The new Emperor is in a terrible fix now and is too busy to settle scores with us. However, as long as someone mentions it to him, the only fate that awaits our family is imprisonment.¡±


    Fan Siwen stiffened and asked, ¡°So?¡±


    Fan Zijin revealed his white teeth and said with a grin, ¡°That¡¯s why I helped


    Eldest Cousin. Listen, did they charge in?¡±


    Fan Siwen¡¯s body went limp and he almost fell to the ground.

 Chapter 548: Increase Tax

    Chapter 548: Increase Tax


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Guard One ran in excitedly and said excitedly, ¡°Fourth Madam, the general and the others have attacked Lin¡¯an City.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡±


    Guard One nodded excitedly. ¡°Bai Li sent news that it was Young Master Zijin who instigated a group of imperial guards to open the city gate.


    ¡°What about the Second Prince?¡±


    Guard One said regretfully, ¡°Second Prince and Prime Minister Qin escaped from another city gate. Because of the West Xia cavalrymen¡¯s protection, they couldn¡¯t chase them to the end. However, if we sessfully upy Lin¡¯an City, General can ascend the throne, right?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t ascending the throne make him a target now? In my opinion, it s more important to quell the war first.¡±


    At this moment, Rong Xuan was also telling Qi Xiuyuan to quell the war before ascending the throne. Otherwise, if they upied Lin¡¯an City and ascended the throne, they would be the target of public criticism.


    Qi Xiuyuan agreed. ¡°Seeing as the West Xia army hasn¡¯t yet retreated, it seems that the progress of the Jin Kingdom isn¡¯t very smooth. I don¡¯t want to call Haoran back anymore. Let him continue fighting at the border. Since the Second Prince is still in the hands of the West Xia people, I¡¯ll only feel at ease when he¡¯s killed.¡±


    Rong Xuan agreed and asked, ¡°Should we bring Madam, Ah Ling, and the others back to Lin¡¯an City?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan thought for a moment and shookhis head. ¡°It¡¯s safer to let them continue staying there.¡±


    Li Jinghua, who had been excitedly waiting to return to the capital, was a little discouraged when she received the news. Mu Yanglingforted her and said, ¡°Big Brother is being considerate of our safety. When things stabilize, Big Brother will definitelye and pick you up.¡±


    Li Jinghua said gloomily, ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it will take for the world to return to stability.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know when the world will settle down. I only know that if Eldest Madam and Fourth Madam continue to leave things be, our ce will definitely be unpeaceful.¡±


    The two looked up at Chen Ming¡¯s wife, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Chen Ming¡¯s wife sighed, ¡°Why else would the world be in chaos? In the past, no matter how greedy the officials were, they would always leave us a way out. Now, it¡¯s not the case anymore. The county magistrate has gone crazy and raised the rent tax by 30%. Now is the time for autumn grain. Even if the vigers in our surrounding viges hand over all the grains, it won¡¯t be enough. Now, people everywhere are selling everything they have. Several in our small vige have even been selling daughters these few days. Those who don¡¯t have daughters at home even resort to selling their sons. Because our family head still goes to town every day to buy meat and fine grain from time to time, many people have their eyes on us.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°The situation already worsened to this extent?


    Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this what you and the eldestdy have been worrying about, the situation in the capital? Our family head didn¡¯t expect the situation to turn out so badly either. Our ancestors have lived here for hundreds of years without such incidents. The most severe tax collection was once for the apportioned military pay, but even that wasn¡¯t as heavy as the current taxes¡­¡±


    Chen Ming¡¯s wife continued, ¡°We¡¯re still better off here. I¡¯ve heard that the farmers in another town are suffering even more. Not only do they have to pay the imperial taxes, but thend-tenants also had their rents raised by thendlords. The amount of grain isn¡¯t small; even selling their children might not cover it, so many have abandoned their homes to be refugees.


    Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua looked at each other. Li Jinghua said hesitatingly, ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask Chen Ming to keep a low profile and not go to town for a while? Ah Ling, didn¡¯t you ask someone to raise chickens and ducks in the courtyard in front? They¡¯ve gotten bigger, right?¡±


    ¡°Sister-inw, that bit of chicken and duck isn¡¯t even enough to fill the gaps between our teeth. If it¡¯s just us, we can just eat more vegetables. But considering Little Treasure and Little Bear are still growing, we have to make sure they¡¯re well-fed and well-clothed. Also, since Little Treasure is still recuperating, we have to buy fresh ingredients.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s think of a way to provide relief. Otherwise, if this ce falls into chaos, I¡¯m afraid our family will be the first to suffer.¡±


    Their family was the richest among the nearby viges.


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and shook her head. ¡°No, let¡¯s not talk about the fact that we can¡¯t take out so much grain. Even if we can, if we donate to the nearby viges, the citizens of the other towns might rush over upon findingout.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do? Move?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Little Treasure and shook her head slightly. Little Treasure¡¯s health was not good. Thest time they traveled here from Lin¡¯an City, he had already fallen sick. If they moved again, she was afraid that he would fall sick again and result in a deterioration of his health. Moreover, this was already the safest ce she could find. Where else could possibly be safer?


    Mu Yangling patted her hand and said, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. The situation isn¡¯t the worst yet. We¡¯ll observe the situation before deciding whether to move.¡±


    Li Jinghua did not really want to move, so she could only remain patient and continue waiting.


    Mu Yangling turned around and looked for the guards. She asked them to investigate the county magistrate and get the evidence of his crimes. Guard One said, ¡°This might be useful two years ago. Now that the world is in chaos, who would care about this? Fourth Madam, this evidence is useless.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you suggest we do?¡±


    ¡°We might as well kill the county magistrate on the spot as punishment for his crimes,¡± Guard One muttered.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up. She knocked on the table and said, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    Guard One stammered, ¡°I-I was just saying.¡±


    Mu Yangling nced at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to do it.¡± Mu Yangling turned around and wrote a letter to Bai Li. Assassinations and whatnot should be done by Bai Li. He would definitely not leave any traces. In less than two days, before the vigers¡¯ tax grains could be sent to the county, a few announcements were posted at the city gate announcing this year¡¯s rent tax was waived. The announcements were even stamped with the county magistrate¡¯s seal.


    The entire county was in an uproar. Their first feeling was disbelief. After confirming that the seal was authentic, they spread the news excitedly. By the time the bailiffs heard the news and rushed over, the entire county had found out.


    Even the remote mountain vige where Mu Yangling and the others lived heard the news in the afternoon. Naturally, the news was brought back by Chen Ming, who often went to town.


    Not to mention the vigers, even the junior Officer and vige chief didn¡¯t believe it. They specially came to therge residence to ask Chen Ming. Chen Ming pointed to the sky and swore, ¡°It¡¯s true, it¡¯s true. There s an announcement at the county entrance. Many rich families in the vige say so.¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be the case. Why did the county magistrate suddenly exempt us from taxes?¡± The junior officer and vige chief were puzzled.


    Chen Ming replied nonchntly, ¡°Who cares? In any case, our vige no longer needs to sell our children or starve to death.¡±


    The junior officer and vige chief were still a little nervous. ¡°If this is fake news, I¡¯m afraid everyone will be happy for nothing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. It¡¯s stamped with the magistrate¡¯s seal. How can he go back on his word?¡± Chen Ming also started hesitating.


    However, no matter what the truth was, the preparations for the autumn tax slowed down. Those who had wanted to sell their children also stopped and began to wait and see.


    Two dayster, Chen Ming brought back another piece of news, ¡°The county magistrate is dead. Someone slit his neck at his home. It¡¯s said that the murderer wrote the announcement.¡±


    The vige chief was stunned and hurriedly asked, ¡°Does the announcement still count?¡±


    Chen Ming shookhis head, ¡°We don¡¯t know for sure yet. Since there¡¯s no guarantee, let¡¯s not send it first. Otherwise, the grains will be wasted.¡± ¡°Then, your boss didn¡¯t send it either?¡± The vigers looked at Chen Ming inquisitively.


    Chen Ming shookhis head, ¡°No.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, everyone¡¯s hearts instantly calmed down. They decided to wait and see.

 Chapter 549: Borrowing Grains

    Chapter 549: Borrowing Grains


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    This inferior county started bustling with activity. Even the vigers who lived in semi-seclusion came to find Chen Ming for information from the town or county.


    Chen Ming didn¡¯t dare to gossip at his employer¡¯s home, so he led the way and chatted with them under the banyan tree at the foot of the mountain. However, Chen Ming¡¯s wife wasn¡¯t so restrained in front of Mu Yangling. After asking her husband for details, she came over to say to Mu Yangling, ¡°Fourth Madam, you have no idea, but previously we were scared we¡¯d die. If we hand in such high rent taxes, the vigers will starve to death. Just two days after the county magistrate died, the county deputy came out to post another announcement. He said that the previous announcement with the county magistrate¡¯s seal was written by thieves and doesn¡¯t count. The rent tax will still be collected ording to the county magistrate¡¯s previous instructions. There¡¯s also a time limit. If it¡¯s not collected in three days, they¡¯ll send bailiffs to collect it. Geez, this county deputy is even from our county. Why is he so cold and unfeeling¡­¡± ¡°What happened after that?¡± Li Jinghua asked curiously.


    Mu Yangling quickly stood up. ¡°You¡¯re here, Sister-inw.¡±


    Li Jinghua said with a smile, ¡°I saw that you guys were having a chat, so I came over to listen.¡± With that, she looked at Chen Ming¡¯s wife.


    Chen Ming¡¯s wife tensed up and said respectfully, ¡°In the end, something happened to the county deputy that night. After which, someone posted an announcement outside saying that there was no need to pay rent tax anymore Now that the Imperial Court is in chaos, there¡¯s no way for them to send out a new county magistrate. Therefore, after a discussion, a few old masters in the county rmended a respected old master to temporarily assume the responsibilities of a county magistrate. Didn¡¯t they just officially announce yesterday that the announcement exempting taxes was written by thieves and asked us not to believe it? However, the county¡¯s rent tax is indeed rather heavy this year. They said we won¡¯t have to pay the rent tax for the time being and will inform us after they discuss it. Now, we¡¯re all waiting and don¡¯t knowyet if the rent tax can be reduced in the end.¡±


    Li Jinghua turned to look at Mu Yangling and asked with a smile, ¡°What are your thoughts on this, Ah Ling?¡±


    ¡°It should be possible.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°That thief brazenly posted an announcement waiving the taxes, which shows that he killed the county magistrate and county deputy because of the heavy taxes they imposed. If anyone stands up now, I¡¯m afraid that person won¡¯t let them off either. Therefore, even if the rent tax can¡¯t be waived, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to reduce it.¡±


    Otherwise, who knew if the murderer would attack the person whose hands weren¡¯t clean?


    At this moment, the more respected figures in the county were indeed discussing rent taxes. There were two boxes in front of them, each containing the things the murderer had ced at the two crime scenes respectively. Inside were various pieces of evidence of the crimesmitted by the county magistrate and the county deputy. It also let them know the reason why the murderer had attacked them.


    Now, everyone was already finding out from the various escort agencies just who was behind this, but there was no news at all.


    This instilled more fear in people¡¯s hearts. It was also because of this that everyone was a little uncertain about the rent tax.


    The Imperial Court was already in chaos, and no one knew how long it would take for peace to return. Since they were a poor and remote vige, no one woulde to upy it. Therefore, they could only manage the ce themselves.


    However, the county also had a lot of expenses. Not to mention anything else, the sries of the officials, the repair of the bridges, and the relief when they encountered natural and man-made disasters could onlye from the rent taxes going forward. This was because there were very few businessmen in their small county. That bit of tax was almost nonexistent, so they could only ce their hopes on rent taxes. Therefore, this was impossible to avoid.


    If it couldn¡¯t be avoided, then it could only be lowered. The key was by how much?


    Everyone started arguing.


    After their initial worry, the vigers saw that the county did not give them an answer for a long time, so they secretly started eating some of the grains that they had set aside for taxes. Surely they could not starve to death before then right?


    Unexpectedly, their discussion took ce throughout autumn and even went into the beginning of winter. The topic had changed a lot, and the county¡¯s masters had yet toe up with a n.


    The vigers weren¡¯ t in a hurry either. Only when they asionally saw Chen Minging back from town did they ask, ¡°Did the town make an announcement? When do we pay the taxes?¡±


    In the past, Chen Ming would shake his head and everyone would happily tease him for a while. Who knew that he would nod solemnly this time, ¡°An announcement has been made. Someone shoulde down in the next two days to inform us. The taxes have to be paid before the Winter Solstice ends, but the rent tax has been reduced to half of the original amount.¡±


    The viger who asked the question was stunned. He wanted to p himself. Who asked him to talk too much?


    Chen Ming sighed and dragged the donkey cart back to tell his employer the bad news.


    In order to hide the matter, Mu Yangling had indeed bought more than a hundred acres of fertilend from the neighboring viges. These were all taxable, but the forest conversionnd in this vige could be exempted from taxes for three years.


    She asked Chen Ming to inform the steward of the farmstead to prepare the money and grains for tax. If they could settle the taxes with money, they should use money. Only failing that should they pay in grains.


    There was nothing more precious than grains now.


    Now that the rent tax had been reduced by half, the vigers no longer had to sell their children, so they still had some grains left. Mixed with chaff, their grains couldst them until spring. However, there were still five months between spring and summer harvest. What should they do in the interim? Therefore, after paying the taxes, even though the vige chief and junior officer were still wary of the Zhu family, they still came to look for them and shamelessly suggested borrowing grains, hoping they could charge a lower interest.


    The two of them were a little worried, afraid that they would step onto a path of no return. However, in order not to starve to death, they had to do this.


    Mu Yangling, who originally thought of forgoing the interest, shut her mouth at thest minute. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°It¡¯s not difficult for the vigers in this vige to borrow grains. But it¡¯s not easy for me to determine the interest. Chen Ming said that the vigers don¡¯t have enough to eat every year and have to eat grains mixed with chaff for ten months a year. If you borrow grains this year, you might not be able to repay them next year.¡± The vige chief obviously knew this as well. His face flushed red as he said, ¡°If the vigers work harder next year, they¡¯ll definitely be able to repay you. At most, we¡¯ll just sell everything when the timees¡­¡±


    ¡°That would make me look like the bad guy.¡±


    The junior officer pondered for a moment before asking, ¡°Fourth Madam, you mean¡­¡±


    As you know, I have a hundred acres of previously uncultivatednd in the vige which is exempted from taxes for another two years. As it was just reimed a year ago, thend is quite infertile. Up till now, it has always been nted by hired short- term workers. If you want to borrow grains, you can repay the interest by farming mynd. I¡¯ll get Chen Ming to let you know how muchnd you have to farm for borrowing a certain quantity of grains. During these two years, you have to nt whatever crops I ask you to nt. As long as you don¡¯t cheat, the interest on borrowing grains will be waived after two years. As for the rent, I¡¯ll only take 50%. What do you think?¡±


    The junior officer and vige chief looked at each other and asked hesitantly, ¡°Then how much time will they spend working on the fields? You have to give me a definite answer.¡±


    They were afraid that Mu Yangling would ask them to nt someborious crops. Then, two yearster, she would im that they had not done a good job and double the interest or something.


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s not something that takes a lot of effort. It¡¯s less time-consuming than wheat. If you aren¡¯t used to eating it, just sell it to meter. I¡¯ll give you a reasonable price for it.¡±


    The junior officer thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Then, can you write a contract or something?¡± Blushing, he said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust Fourth Madam, but it¡¯s good to have this written on paper.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t mention it, I will establish evidence. In the future, any official matters will have to be written in ck and white.¡± When Mu Yangling said that, the junior officer and vige chief felt embarrassed. At the same time though, they wondered if the Zhu family was really so easygoing.

 Chapter 550: Secret

    Chapter 550: Secret


    Trantor: As Studios | Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling directly lent out the produce in the fields. Because there were few people in the vige, the crops from the wastnd sufficed.


    The vigers who needed to borrow grains came one after another. After signing the contract, they carried a few bags of grains home. Since the vigers rarely got to see anyone from the residence aside from Chen Ming, Mu Yangling and the others had always been unreachable in the hearts of the vigers. Only Fourth Madam would asionally take the two children for a walk at the foot of the mountain. Even then, they rarely went to the heart of the vige. Because the vigers only watched her from a distance, they felt a sense of reverence.


    The interest incurred to borrow these grains was only to nt a few acres ofnd. The vigers felt that it was very worth it and even subtly felt that they were taking advantage of thendlord¡¯s family. Therefore, although the Zhu family was still unreachable in their hearts, they now felt much closer.


    As the weather became colder, people who carried things to the vige to exchange for grains would asionally pass by this small mountain vige.


    Of course, the vigers would not exchange these life-saving grains for other things, but they would point those visitors towards the Zhu family.


    Hence, Mu Yangling received a number of chickens and ducks one after another. Later on, even cows and sheep began to be sent here.


    Although Mu Yangling wouldn¡¯t do an exchange with everyone who approached, she did so most of the time. Seeing this, the vigers took out their eggs and other items to exchange for grains with Mu Yangling. This greatly reduced the time incurred in going to the market because other than the more expensive ingredients, they could gain something useful from the exchange. Has the price of grains in grain stores in town increased?¡± Mu Yangling asked. ¡°It increased a little, but strangely, not by much.¡± Guard One said, ¡°I thought it would increase a lot.¡±


    ¡°Looks like they don¡¯t want this small ce to fall into chaos.¡± Mu Yangling pondered and turned around to ask Chen Ming to exchange things in a small dpidated house at the entrance of the vige.


    Transport grains there every day. If you encounter anything you can exchange for, exchange it with them. You don¡¯t have to bring those people here all the time.¡±


    ¡°We can only exchange things using five bags of grains a day at most. Go.¡±


    Guard One heaved a sigh of relief. Although there were not many vigers who came to exchange for grains every day, they came in twos and threes, putting great pressure on those in charge of security.


    As Mu Yangling and the others had not specially done any publicity, although there was word of mouth from the vigers, not many people came. Most of them were from the nearby viges. As the snow had blocked the road, they selfishly did not want more visitors toe to exchange for grains. Therefore, the news only circted among the nearby viges. After all, since the Zhu family had already begun to limit the amount of grain they would exchange every day, it could be seen that they did not have much grains on hand.


    As time passed, the number of people exchanging for grains gradually decreased. Eventually, there were seven to eight people a day. They knew that the Zhu family didn¡¯t restrict themselves to only certain items. As long as they hked something, they would exchange for it. Sometimes, a handful of ck fungus found in the mountains could be exchanged for a handful of grains. Hence, they did not exchange for much grains every time. In the beginning, they would exchange the chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep from home for an entire bag of grains. Later on, they would go up the mountain to find some novel things to send over and more or less umte some grains.


    For example, because of the cold weather, the only vegetables that could be eaten were the cabbages stored in the cer. However, some people somehow managed to nt radish seedlings and would pluck some every day to exchange for some grains. Other than the Zhu family, no one would really exchange grains for radish seedlings to eat.


    As the subsequent exchanges were more fragmented, the five bags of grains were reduced to two bags a day. When there were fewer people, Mu Yangling would bring the two children to the foot of the mountain to stroll around and take a breather.


    This year, the vigers were much more enthusiastic towards them than before. Many families sent gifts to their houses. Although they were all ordinary things and Mu Yangling and the others might not even know how to eat or use them, it was still a token of their appreciation.


    After some thought, Mu Yangling asked Chen Ming to prepare two to three catties of grams for each family and send them over with cabbages, potatoes, and so on as a return gift. As for the junior officer and vige chief, they also ¡¯ received two pieces of meat in addition to that.


    During the New Year this year, because times were hard, few families were able to afford meat. In the past, the vige had even ughtered one or two pigs to share the meat.


    At Mu Yanghng¡¯s ce, they did ughter two pigs, but they had 23 guards, not counting the servants. Therefore, two pigs were not considered a lot. Still, the vigers were envious.


    The vige chief and junior officer, who had obtained two pieces of meat, had a much better impression of Mu Yangling.


    During the new year, the children would visit various families to pay their New Year greetings. When they ran to the Zhu family, a group of children bowed at the door. Mu Yangling asked Chen Ming¡¯s wife to take out a basket of sweets and distribute them to them. Chen Ming¡¯s wife said with a smile, ¡°Since Fourth Madam dotes on the children, so why don¡¯t you let theme in and y? Second Young Master and Fourth Young Master can have morepanions this way.¡±


    Mu Yangling, who was originally all smiles, stopped smiling and looked at Chen Ming¡¯s wife. Chen Ming¡¯s wife¡¯s heart skipped a beat and she immediately stood up with her head lowered. She exined, ¡°I saw that there were only the two young masters at home, so I figured they might be lonely, so¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about this.¡± Mu Yangling interrupted her. ¡°Take the things out and share them with the children.¡±


    Chen Ming¡¯s wife lowered her head in agreement and took the candy out.


    She was extremely vexed. If she had known earlier, she would not have mentioned this. The employer¡¯s family had repeatedly warned her not to spread the residence¡¯s matters, including how big the courtyard was, how many rooms, and how many servants there were. Over the past six months, she had also understood that their background was definitely not simple. Not to mention anything else, those guards were not ordinary.


    There was also the Eldest Madam in charge of the household. She was so dignified that she did not seem like a mortal, much more so than even the wives of officials. She certainly didn¡¯t appear like the wife of a businessman.


    This Fourth Madam was approachable and even liked to nt vegetables personally. However, on a few asions she had seen Fourth Madam speaking to the guards with a straight face several times. She only nced in her direction, and her casual nce made her feel cold.


    She wondered if Fourth Madam would be angry at her for suggesting such an idea. Would she chase her outter?


    Chen Ming¡¯s wife absent-mindedly distributed the candy to the children who came to visit for the New Year. After sending them off, she hurriedly went to look for her husband and said worriedly, ¡°Husband, will Fourth Madam be angry and chase me out?¡±


    Chen Ming was also a little angry as he scolded in a low voice, ¡°Why are you so brainless? Look at how long we¡¯ ve been here. How many times has our employer warned us not to gossip outside? How dare you mention bringing those young teens in? Every time the vige chief and junior officere, they can only sit in the reception pavilion in the front courtyard. They probably didn¡¯t even see what the courtyard looks like. You, you, you¡¯ve gottencent because of Fourth Madam¡¯s approachableness¡­¡±


    Chen Ming¡¯s wife said in a panic, ¡°Then, then I¡¯ll beg Fourth Madam again. I¡¯ll kowtow and beg her not to be angry.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± He red at her. ¡°Fourth Madam hates such things the most. How dare you do it? Haven¡¯t you already admitted your mistake? Don¡¯t mention this again. Just be careful with your words and actions in the future.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, you didn¡¯t tell the women in the vige about our master¡¯s family, did you?¡± Chen Ming eyed his wife suspiciously.


    No, no.¡± Chen Ming¡¯s wife quickly waved her hand and said, ¡°They did ask how many people are in the residence and what they eat every day, but I didn¡¯t answer and changed the topic.¡±


    Chen Ming breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully she wasn<sup>1</sup>1 too stupid.

 Chapter 551: Secret

    Chapter 551: Secret


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling directly lent out the produce in the fields. Because there were few people in the vige, the crops from the wastnd sufficed.


    The vigers who needed to borrow grains came one after another. After signing the contract, they carried a few bags of grains home. Since the vigers rarely got to see anyone from the residence aside from Chen Ming, Mu Yangling and the others had always been unreachable in the hearts of the vigers.


    Only Fourth Madam would asionally take the two children for a walk at the foot of the mountain. Even then, they rarely went to the heart of the vige. Because the vigers only watched her from a distance, they felt a sense of reverence.


    The interest incurred to borrow these grains was only to nt a few acres ofnd. The vigers felt that it was very worth it and even subtly felt that they were taking advantage of thendlord¡¯s family. Therefore, although the Zhu family was still unreachable in their hearts, they now felt much closer.


    As the weather became colder, people who carried things to the vige to exchange for grains would asionally pass by this small mountain vige.


    Of course, the vigers would not exchange these life-saving grains for other things, but they would point those visitors towards the Zhu family.


    Hence, Mu Yangling received a number of chickens and ducks one after another. Later on, even cows and sheep began to be sent here.


    Although Mu Yangling wouldn¡¯t do an exchange with everyone who approached, she did so most of the time. Seeing this, the vigers took out their eggs and other items to exchange for grains with Mu Yangling. This greatly reduced the time incurred in going to the market because other than the more expensive ingredients, they could gain something useful from the exchange. ¡°Has the price of grains in grain stores in town increased?¡± Mu Yangling asked. ¡°It increased a little, but strangely, not by much.¡± Guard One said, ¡°I thought it would increase a lot.¡±


    ¡°Looks like they don¡¯t want this small ce to fall into chaos.¡± Mu Yangling pondered and turned around to ask Chen Ming to exchange things in a small dpidated house at the entrance of the vige.


    ¡°Transport grains there every day. If you encounter anything you can exchange for, exchange it with them. You don¡¯t have to bring those people here all the time.¡±


    ¡°We can only exchange things using five bags of grains a day at most. Go.¡±


    Guard One heaved a sigh of relief. Although there were not many vigers who came to exchange for grains every day, they came in twos and threes, putting great pressure on those in charge of security.


    As Mu Yangling and the others had not specially done any publicity, although there was word of mouth from the vigers, not many people came. Most of them were from the nearby viges. As the snow had blocked the road, they selfishly did not want more visitors toe to exchange for grains. Therefore, the news only circted among the nearby viges. After all, since the Zhu family had already begun to limit the amount of grain they would exchange every day, it could be seen that they did not have much grains on hand.


    As time passed, the number of people exchanging for grains gradually decreased. Eventually, there were seven to eight people a day. They knew that the Zhu family didn¡¯t restrict themselves to only certain items. As long as they liked something, they would exchange for it. Sometimes, a handful of ck fungus found in the mountains could be exchanged for a handful of grains. Hence, they did not exchange for much grains every time. In the beginning, they would exchange the chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep from home for an entire bag of grains. Later on, they would go up the mountain to find some novel things to send over and more or less umte some grains.


    For example, because of the cold weather, the only vegetables that could be eaten were the cabbages stored in the cer. However, some people somehow managed to nt radish seedlings and would pluck some every day to exchange for some grains. Other than the Zhu family, no one would really exchange grains for radish seedlings to eat.


    As the subsequent exchanges were more fragmented, the five bags of grains were reduced to two bags a day. When there were fewer people, Mu Yangling would bring the two children to the foot of the mountain to stroll around and take a breather.


    This year, the vigers were much more enthusiastic towards them than before. Many families sent gifts to their houses. Although they were all ordinary things and Mu Yangling and the others might not even know how to eat or use them, it was still a token of their appreciation.


    After some thought, Mu Yangling asked Chen Ming to prepare two to three catties of grains for each family and send them over with cabbages, potatoes, and so on as a return gift. As for the junior officer and vige chief, they also received two pieces of meat in addition to that.


    During the New Year this year, because times were hard, few families were able to afford meat. In the past, the vige had even ughtered one or two pigs to share the meat.


    At Mu Yangling¡¯s ce, they did ughter two pigs, but they had 23 guards, not counting the servants. Therefore, two pigs were not considered a lot. Still, the vigers were envious.


    The vige chief and junior officer, who had obtained two pieces of meat, had a much better impression of Mu Yangling.


    During the new year, the children would visit various families to pay their New Year greetings. When they ran to the Zhu family, a group of children bowed at the door. Mu Yangling asked Chen Ming¡¯s wife to take out a basket of sweets and distribute them to them. Chen Ming¡¯s wife said with a smile, ¡°Since Fourth Madam dotes on the children, so why don¡¯t you let theme in and y? Second Young Master and Fourth Young Master can have morepanions this way.¡±


    Mu Yangling, who was originally all smiles, stopped smiling and looked at Chen Ming¡¯s wife. Chen Ming¡¯s wife¡¯s heart skipped a beat and she immediately stood up with her head lowered. She exined, ¡°I saw that there were only the two young masters at home, so I figured they might be lonely, so¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about this.¡± Mu Yangling interrupted her. ¡°Take the things out and share them with the children.¡±


    Chen Ming¡¯s wife lowered her head in agreement and took the candy out.


    She was extremely vexed. If she had known earlier, she would not have mentioned this. The employer¡¯s family had repeatedly warned her not to spread the residence¡¯s matters, including how big the courtyard was, how many rooms, and how many servants there were. Over the past six months, she had also understood that their background was definitely not simple. Not to mention anything else, those guards were not ordinary.


    There was also the Eldest Madam in charge of the household. She was so dignified that she did not seem like a mortal, much more so than even the wives of officials. She certainly didn¡¯t appear like the wife of a businessman.


    This Fourth Madam was approachable and even liked to nt vegetables personally. However, on a few asions she had seen Fourth Madam speaking to the guards with a straight face several times. She only nced in her direction, and her casual nce made her feel cold.


    She wondered if Fourth Madam would be angry at her for suggesting such an idea. Would she chase her outter?


    Chen Ming¡¯s wife absent-mindedly distributed the candy to the children who came to visit for the New Year. After sending them off, she hurriedly went to look for her husband and said worriedly, ¡°Husband, will Fourth Madam be angry and chase me out?¡±


    Chen Ming was also a little angry as he scolded in a low voice, ¡°Why are you so brainless? Look at how long we¡¯ ve been here. How many times has our employer warned us not to gossip outside? How dare you mention bringing those young teens in? Every time the vige chief and junior officere, they can only sit in the reception pavilion in the front courtyard. They probably didn¡¯t even see what the courtyard looks like. You, you, you¡¯ve gottencent because of Fourth Madam¡¯s approachableness¡­¡±


    Chen Ming¡¯s wife said in a panic, ¡°Then, then I¡¯ll beg Fourth Madam again. I¡¯ll kowtow and beg her not to be angry.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± He red at her. ¡°Fourth Madam hates such things the most. How dare you do it? Haven¡¯t you already admitted your mistake? Don¡¯t mention this again. Just be careful with your words and actions in the future.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, you didn¡¯t tell the women in the vige about our master¡¯s family, did you?¡± Chen Ming eyed his wife suspiciously.


    ¡°No, no.¡± Chen Ming¡¯s wife quickly waved her hand and said, ¡°They did ask how many people are in the residence and what they eat every day, but I didn¡¯t answer and changed the topic.¡±


    Chen Ming breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully she wasn¡¯t too stupid.

 Chapter 552: Thoughts

    Chapter 552: Thoughts


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Although Mu Yangling did not mention this matter again and did not punish Chen Ming¡¯s wife, she called Spring over and said, ¡°Take Chen Ming¡¯s wife down a notch and make sure she takes the rules to heart.¡±


    ¡°Fourth Madam, why don¡¯t we detain her at home?¡±


    ¡°No, although we don¡¯t interact much with the vigers, we can¡¯t cut off our contact with them entirely.¡± A distant rtive was inferior to a close neighbor. Even if Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t counting on the vigers to help them in the future, she wouldn¡¯t want them to add insult to injury should anything happen. And Chen Ming and Chen Ming¡¯s wife were the link between them and those vigers.


    Spring understood and went down to take Chen Ming¡¯s wife down a notch.


    After the seventh day of the New Year, the excitement in the vige subsided a little. Guard One came back excitedly and reported, ¡°Fourth Madam, good news. West Xia retreated.¡±


    ¡°How did it happen so quickly?¡±


    Guard One smiled. ¡°It¡¯s Fourth Master. He got someone to bypass the West Xia army and attack West Xia from Tongchuan. Together with the Jin Kingdom army, they attacked the West Xia army from both sides. West Xia was in danger, so they transferred the army left in the Great Zhou back to provide support. Fourth Master immediately took back the prefecture capital that West Xia had previously upied.¡±


    ¡°Where did he get so many people?¡± Mu Yangling asked anxiously.


    Guard One¡¯s smile widened as he replied, ¡°That makes Fourth Master all the more brilliant. He recruited a few soldiers from the bandits and quickly gathered enough troops.¡±


    ¡°Because of Fourth Master¡¯s great victory at the front line, Eldest Master¡¯s side has also rxed a lot. The Second Prince, who had been using the West Xia army to fight against Eldest Master, lost many state capitals in an instant. It¡¯s said that those West Xia cavalrymen have all rushed back to West Xia to provide support and abandoned the Second Prince.¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean we can go back soon?¡±


    Guard One hurriedly said, ¡°Now that Eldest Master has almost eliminated the rebels who followed the Second Prince, there are only bandits running rampant. However, those people are nothing to be afraid of.¡±


    Guard One was actually justforting her. Now that the rebel army upied a third of the Great Zhou, how could they not be afraid of them?


    However, Mu Yangling was still very happy and ran to share this news with Li Jinghua.


    Li Jinghua heaved a sigh of relief and sincerely chanted a Buddhist prayer. ¡°No wonder everyone says that Fourth Brother is brilliant at war. I rarely hear him lose battles here. It¡¯s mostly good news.¡±


    Mu Yangling said humbly and proudly, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t praise him. He¡¯s just a little shrewd when ites to war. He doesn¡¯t have any other skills.¡±


    However, Li Jinghua said, ¡°This is a chaotic world. Being able to fight in wars is already a great ability. Don¡¯t be greedy.¡±


    After saying that, she said worriedly, ¡°Considering wars cost a lot of money, I don¡¯t know if Eldest Master has enough money. Ah Ling, I want to tidy up my dowry and get someone to convert the items into silver and send it to Eldest Master. Although it¡¯s not much, it¡¯s something.¡±


    Mu Yangling opened her mouth slightly and said, ¡°How can we use your dowry?¡±


    Li Jinghua said calmly, ¡°Eldest Master and I are husband and wife. Why not?¡±


    Seeing her frown, Mu Yangling instantly understood that Li Jinghua was feeling uneasy. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°Then Sister-inw, go and do it. Write a letter and I¡¯ll get Guard One to send it back. Someone will handle the matter.¡±


    Smiling, Li Jinghua nodded. She held Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Thank you. If not for your help, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything even if I had the heart.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled and changed the topic. ¡°Aren¡¯t Little Treasure and Little Bear with you? Where are they?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re reading inside. At their age, they can¡¯t read yet, but they enjoy flipping through books.¡± Happy at the mention of the kids, Li Jinghua entered the inner room with Mu Yangling to see the two children.


    The two children were sitting together with their heads leaning against each other, holding a picture book. There was a window behind them, but because it was still the first month of the lunar calendar and the weather was very cold, the window was closed. Wen Cui was probably worried that there wasn¡¯t sufficient lighting, so there were even candles lit at the side. The room was brightly lit.


    The picture book the two children were looking at was ¡®A Hundred Beasts¡¯ illustrated by Qi Haoran. There were drawings of tigers, lions, rabbits, chickens, and ducks,plete with titles and descriptions. Qi Haoran had gotten someone to send the book over before the new year.


    This was one of the reasons Li Jinghua was envious of Mu Yangling.


    They were both only sons. Although Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s tone was gentle when he wrote about his son and often got someone to bring him some things, those things were all bought, unlike Qi Haoran. Most of the things Qi Haoran gave his son were made by himself.


    Examples range from small items like grasshoppers woven from weeds torge items like a cart. As for this picture book, Qi Haoran had spent half a year preparing it.


    The picture book was not thick and would only take two to three days toplete if one had the time to dedicate to it. In addition, they were borate- style drawings. Someone who was good at drawing would definitely be able to finish it in two days if they weren¡¯t too picky about the details. However, one must consider that Qi Haoran was currently fighting at the front line.


    ording to the person who sent the things over, Qi Haoran only slept for four hours a day. Sometimes, when the battle was tense, it wasmon for him to only sleep for an hour a day. However, he would set aside 15 minutes a day to do the illustrations in this picture book. It could be seen how much effort he put in.


    When she saw this album, Li Jinghua thought of the little things that Qi Xiuyuan had given her when they got engaged back then. At that time, she was very happy and felt that no one would be more blissful than her because of that.


    But now that she looked at Mu Yangling, Li Jinghua felt that the Qi brothers were just good at coaxing women. Qi Xiuyuan had bought those things for her personally, but Qi Haoran had made the gifts himself.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know that Li Jinghua was envious of her. Seeing that the two children were flipping through the picture book, she went forward to pick up Little Bear. Then, she casually flipped to a page and pointed at the animal on it. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Little Bear mumbled a few words and excitedly picked up the picture book. He pointed at the things on it as he conversed with Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling listened for a long time but could not understand a word. However, Little Treasure had already answered it first. ¡°I know, it¡¯s a tiger.¡± After saying that, he even let out a roar. ¡°A tiger!¡±


    Little Bear also let out a roar and continued to gurgle excitedly in thenguage of the children.


    Mu Yangling was a little worried. ¡°Why can¡¯t he speak at this age? I remember that when Little Treasure was his age, he could already speak simple words.¡± Li Jinghua said with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? Little Bear isn¡¯t even a year old yet. Little Treasure started speaking early, but Little Bear started walking early. Have you ever seen a child learn to walk as early as him?¡±


    Mu Yangling became smug again. ¡°That¡¯s true. Everyone has their own strengths. Perhaps he¡¯s just like his father, outstanding in martial arts.¡±


    Mu Yangling nudged him and asked, ¡°Do you miss Daddy? Do you know who gave you this picture book?¡±


    Ignoring his mother, Little Bear struggled to crawl onto the couch. He started to stand up shakily and even pulled Little Treasure. Then, he pointed at the applique decoration on the window and cried out, ¡°Ah, ah, ah.¡±


    Little Treasure immediately stood up and ran over to pat the window. Little Bear also stumbled over and pped the decoration, making the two wet nurses extremely worried that they would hurt their little hands.


    Mu Yangling sat with Li Jinghua and apanied the children for most of the day. She only got up to carry Little Bear back when it was time for an afternoon nap.


    Little Treasure wanted to sleep with Little Bear, so Li Jinghua waved her hand with a headache. ¡°Alright, alright, quickly take him away. Your little brother is much more important than Mother.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled and asked the wet nurse to carry Little Treasure and leave with her.


    Back in the room, Little Bear arched his head and asked for milk. Mu Yangling fed him before putting him on the bed to sleep with Little Treasure.


    Seeing that there was no one else in the room, Spring asked curiously, ¡°Fourth Madam, Eldest Madam has been a little strange recently. She even let Second Young Master and Fourth Young Master y together. Also, she seems to pay more attention to your matters than before.¡±

 Chapter 553: Sweet Potato

    Chapter 553: Sweet Potato


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    It wasn¡¯t that Li Jinghua didn¡¯t let Little Treasure and Little Bear y together in the past and didn ¡®t care about Mu Yangling, but now, she was a little enthusiastic. Mu Yangling suddenly realized that even Spring had noticed it. That confirmed her own feelings about the matter.


    Li Jinghua was very fond of Little Bear. Moreover, there was nothing wrong with Little Treasure and Little Bear having a good rtionship, so she often let the two children y together. However, she did not let them do whatever they wanted. For example, previously she rarely let Little Treasure nap or sleep in Little Bear¡¯s room. But these days, as long as Little Treasure asked, she would let him go over to sleep with Little Bear.


    Her rtionship with Mu Yangling was also pretty good in the past, but she acted as more of an elder sister-inw. Unlike now, Li Jinghua was still good to Mu Yangling, but she was more enthusiastic than before.


    Mu Yangling thought of the current situation and understood. Instead of exining it to Spring, she only said, ¡°Since I¡¯m still young, there¡¯s nothing wrong with Sister-inw showing more concern for me.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan had already upied half of thend. In addition, Qi Haoran had taken back two-thirds of the states from the West Xia army.


    If Qi Xiuyuan ascended the throne, Little Treasure might be the future Crown Prince, and Qi Xiuyuan would definitely have more sons. Qi Haoran¡¯s love for Little Treasure would be a strong support for Little Treasure.


    And Mu Yangling and her child was one factor that could influence Qi Haoran. Mu Yangling was not sad. She just felt that the world was changing. Regardless of what motive Li Jinghua had for treating her better, she would not tell the servants lest Spring and the others looked down on Li Jinghua.


    Mu Yangling adjusted her mentality and epted Li Jinghua¡¯s goodwill towards her. She did not reject her intention to bring Little Treasure and Little Bear closer together.


    Li Jinghua¡¯s smile deepened when she saw this. She said to Wen Cui, ¡°Everyone says that Ah Ling isn¡¯t tactful, but I think her magnanimity is enough to subdue everything.¡±


    Wen Cui did not understand, and Li Jinghua did not exin further. She only sighed in her heart. If she were Mu Yangling, even if she did not be arrogant, she would still be slightly annoyed. However, seeing how Mu Yangling was treating her now, she felt that Mu Yangling was even more tolerant.


    Thinking of this, although Li Jinghua continued to be enthusiastic towards Mu Yangling, it was now more genuine. This, however, made Mu Yangling feel a little puzzled.


    However, she was not in the mood to investigate further because the snow had begun to melt. Once the snow melted, they would have to start nting crops. Everyone was about to start preparing seeds when the vige chief came looking for them and asked Mu Yangling what she nned to nt in the wastnd.


    After all, they had agreed that Mu Yangling had the final say in the nting.


    Mu Yangling asked Chen Ming to take out a bag of sweet potatoes and open it for the junior officer and vige chief to see.


    The two of them were surprised. ¡°Isn¡¯t this sweet potato?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°I want you guys to nt this.¡±


    The vige chief said in a dilemma, ¡°Fourth Madam, this thing is eaten as a vegetable. If you nt this on more than a hundred acres of wastnd, we can¡¯t finish all of it either. This is easy to nt but not easy to preserve. When winteres, the vines will all die. Even if we don¡¯t dig it out, the stem will rot.¡± Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°I know. You guys just have to nt it and sell it to me ater. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t have many vines and stems of sweet potatoes here so each family has to fork out some. If not, I¡¯ll have to ask the vige chief to help me look for them. I ¡®ll fork out money to buy them, but as for the actual buying¡­¡±


    The vige chief and junior officer hurriedly said, ¡°Fourth Madam, don¡¯t worry. Leave the matter to us.¡±


    Only then did Mu Yangling nod slightly and say regretfully, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not bad to nt corn in that wastnd. Although thend is a little thin corn is resistant to drought and cold. It¡¯s better than sweet potatoes. After nting it for two to three years, thend will be much more fertile.¡± junior Officer smiled bitterly. ¡°Fourth Madam, you¡¯re only saying that because you lived in the north. It¡¯s too difficult for us in the south to get corn seeds Only those rich families can get hold of them and nt some.¡±


    Anger shed across Mu Yangling¡¯s face. ¡°Corn has been nted for several years. Considering the excellent climate in the south, one can nt two batches a year. Logically speaking, since corn can¡¯tpare to wheat, rice, and millet it¡¯s fine even if it flows out. Why are those aristocratic families holding it in ¡¯ their hands and not letting them flow out?¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t be med for being angry. She didn¡¯t know about it while she was in the north in the past, but she only learned about it when she arrived in the south. Back then, after that batch of seeds was distributed to the Imperial ntation, the families of the aristocratic families and officials, very few of the corn seeds nted subsequently could flow into the hands of themoners.


    Not to mention the Imperial ntation, the aristocratic families and officials would hand over the limited seeds they had obtained to the farms to nt and strictly prohibit them from leaking the seeds. Once they were discovered to be hiding corn seeds or stealing them, their entire family would be beaten to death. It could be said to be extremely strict.


    If they had done that the first year to preserve more seeds, what about the second year, the third year, until now?


    There was corn sold in the grain store, but it was all crushed. The price was cheaper than flour and rice, yet it was more expensive than coarse grain.


    As they were all crushed, most ordinary people did not have any connections so they had not been able to nt corn all these years.


    Even ordinaryndlords did not have corn seeds to nt.


    What puzzled Mu Yangling was that although the grain stores in the north such as Xingzhou Prefecture, Hanzhong Prefecture, and Lin¡¯an Prefecture sold whole seeds, the quantity was little. However, for some reason, merchants traveling between the south and the north did not dare to sell corn seeds. Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know if Qi Xiuyuan was involved. After all, if the south could farm corn, there might be fewer people rebelling.


    Although there were also people who starved in the north, the situation was much better than in the south which had an excellent climate. There were even fewer rebellions.


    After Mu Yangling arrived in Lin¡¯an City, she had also nted corn in her own farmstead. At first, it was for experimentation. Later on, she also did that to spread the seeds. However, when she ordered Zhu Liang to sell the corn she nted, Zhu Liang only ground the corn before selling it, or transported the seeds back to the north to sell to the West Camp. Even the farms closest to their farmstead did not have any corn to nt.


    This was also the reason why Mu Yangling suspected Qi Xiuyuan. After that Mu Yangling no longer cared about this matter. At this moment, she was only ¡¯ angry for a moment before picking up the sweet potato and saying, ¡°This thing isn t just eaten as a vegetable, but it can also be used as grains.¡±


    ¡°We know that.¡± The vige chief was not surprised at all. ¡°Sweet potatoes can indeed fill one¡¯s stomach when cooked, but if you eat too much, your stomach will swell. Not only will it cause one to emit sour gas, and it will result in heartburn. We don¡¯t dare to eat too much of it.¡±


    Junior Officer smacked his lips. ¡°Why else would people say that corn is good? Not only can that thing fill our stomachs, the production yield is also very high. I heard that they even make corn flour now. I bought it and asked my wife to bake pancakes with it. They turned out quite delicious. Although it¡¯s a little thick, it¡¯s not inferior to coarse flour at all. It¡¯s a pity that we can¡¯t get our hands on the seeds.¡±


    The junior officer and vige chief looked at Mu Yangling with some desire and asked carefully, ¡°Isn¡¯t Fourth Madam from the north? I heard that they don¡¯t restrict the sale of seeds there.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°I can buy seeds, but it¡¯s too chaotic outside now. Even if I buy them, I won¡¯t be able to transport them over. If you want to nt them you have to wait until next year. This year, we can only nt this first.¡± It wasn¡¯t that they couldn¡¯t transport it over, but that it would cause too much of amotion. Mu Yangling didn¡¯t dare to make a bigmotion now because she was afraid that others would discover their whereabouts.


    ¡°You can also nt wheat¡­¡± The vige chief tried his best to persuade her.


    It was true that one couldn¡¯t eat too much sweet potatoes. Otherwise, they would be happy to nt more. If Mu Yangling refused to ept them after the sweet potatoes were harvested, they could only be left to rot at home. It would be a waste of effort.

 Chapter 554: Great Aspiration

    Chapter 554: Great Aspiration


    Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling insisted on nting sweet potatoes because Chen Ming had bought a lot of noodles during the new year. Only then did Mu Yangling think of sweet potato noodles.


    Sweet potatoes were indeed not easy to preserve, but if they were made into sweet potato powder, they could be kept for a long time after drying.


    Even if they could not eat this for every single meal, alternating it with coarse grains would greatly relieve the shortage of grains.


    Only then did Mu Yangling remember that in the past, she had always been focused on how to grow grains and increase the production of grains, but she had forgotten to develop the ways to eat various foods. For example, corn could not only be crushed to make porridge, but it could also be crushed into corn flour to make corn buns and pancakes.


    Although she did not know if they needed to add other flour or something, considering there were so many people in this world, surely someone could figure it out?


    It was as if a door to a new world had opened in front of Mu Yangling. Unfortunately, she was not a standard foodie. Otherwise, she might know more ways to eat.


    As Mu Yangling insisted on nting sweet potatoes, the vige chief and junior officer could only buy them. Since there was still some time before the seeds were nted, they could nurture them at home first.


    As sweet potatoes came from Fuzhou, it was said to be a product from overseas. Although it had only been 20 years, it had already spread to Jiangnan.


    Most people nt them in the vegetable garden. Humans could eat the tender shoots on the vines, and the rest could be used to feed the pigs and chickens. As they grew quickly, they had always been loved by families who raised poultry.


    As for sweet potatoes, everyone liked to eat them too, both raw and cooked ones. For a period of time, people even ate this thing as grains because it was much tastier than chaff and easier to grow. Furthermore, there was no need to convert foresnd. They took the vines and directly dug the soil behind the house to nt them. In just a few days, they would start to grow. In addition, the sweet potatoes harvested did not need to be taxed.


    Therefore, for two years, everyone liked to nt this thing and eat it every day. Although it made people fart, no one minded.


    However, not long after, everyone felt a ball of fire in their stomachs. It was as ufortable as if something was burning their hearts. Not understanding that this was caused by too much gastric acid, they¡¯d only felt that they might be seriously ill and about to die.


    It was at this moment that everyone realized that it was not good to eat too much sweet potatoes.


    For the next year, no one was willing to touch sweet potatoes, afraid that they were poisonous. Someone even found a doctor to repeatedly confirm that this thing was not poisonous before starting to nt it again, but they did not dare to eat more.


    Therefore, everyone was very surprised to hear that the vige chief wanted to buy so many sweet potatoes and vines to nt.


    With so many sweet potatoes nted, would the vines be wasted?


    However, when they thought about how they were farming the wastnd to pay interest, they became indifferent. In fact, nting sweet potatoes meant that there was less work to do there, and there was no need for them to farm meticulously. After nting them, they just had to plow thend once and pluck the grass. Also, it required less fertilizer.


    Li Jinghua did not know anything about farming, so she could not understand Mu Yangling¡¯s excitement. ¡°For a family like ours, we just have to leave farming to the servants. Why do we have to do it ourselves?¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Sister-inw, my dream is to eliminate hunger in the famine years. This can¡¯t be achieved just by blindly converting foresnd and farming. The most important thing is to increase production. Otherwise, in the future, when the poption increases and we reim more wastnd, themoners might not be able to fill their stomachs. It¡¯s just that many people think like Sister-inw andpletely hand over farming to the servants and tenant farmers. They have no desire to improve further, so the development of agriculture is so slow.¡±


    Li Jinghua was stunned for a moment. Then, she shook her head and said, ¡°For thousands of years, even saints can¡¯t achieve that. How can we do it?¡±


    ¡°Regardless of whether I can do it or not, I¡¯ve put in the effort and won¡¯t regret it in the future. Moreover, I¡¯m still young. I still have 50 to 60 years ahead. Even if I take a small step forward every 10 years, after 50 to 60 years I¡¯d have taken a big step forward.¡±


    Li Jinghua couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud. She tapped Mu Yangling¡¯s forehead and said with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to have such ambitions. You actually want to live to be 70 or 80 years old.¡± Mu Yangling was 17 years old this year. Wouldn¡¯t she be almost 80 years old in 50 to 60 years¡¯ time?


    ¡°Sister-inw, you¡¯re focusing on the wrong thing.¡± Mu Yangling red at her. ¡°My ambition is in agriculture. What¡¯s so difficult about living till 70 or 80 years old?¡±


    Although the average lifespan in this world was very short, Mu Yangling was wealthy. In some aspects, they paid more attention to health than in the modern world. Although the level of medical treatment was very low, she did not think that it would be difficult for her to live to 80 years old. On the contrary, she did not know if she could achieve her goal in agriculture in her lifetime.


    However, Li Jinghuapletely treated Mu Yangling¡¯s aspirations in agriculture as a child¡¯s dream. This was because over the past few hundred years, although the yield per acre of grains had also slowly improved, and the farming techniques were also slowly improving, it waspletely impossible to achieve zero hunger in the famine years.


    How could a famine year be called a famine year without famine?


    Even in a prosperous era, no one could ensure that the people would not starve. Although Li Jinghua was a youngdy from a wealthy family and did not know much about farming, she had seen the ounts of her family¡¯s farm. She knew how much the yield per acre was. With that kind of production, unless the Imperial Court did not collect taxes and could ensure that every family had enough fields, there would still be many starving people even in a prosperous era.


    However, Li Jinghua did not expect that Mu Yangling would walk further and further down this path in the future. In addition, she would let the future generations continue along her path. In less than a hundred years, she would achieve her dream of zero hunger in the famine years.


    At night, Mu Yangling lowered her head and wrote her agricultural n on the table. The more she wrote, the more excited she became. There had never been a time when Mu Yangling yearned more for Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s rebellion to seed.


    Should Qi Xiuyuan be the Emperor, she would be considered a member of the royal family. It would be much more convenient for her to do anything.


    After writing the agricultural n, Mu Yangling took out the map and started to fill in the map with the information obtained by Guard One. Then, she circled a few ces. She wondered when Qj Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran would be able to take down these ces and clean up the Jiangnan area. They should be able to return to Lin¡¯an City then.


    At this moment, Qj Haoran kicked Fei Bai away with bloodshot eyes and roared, ¡°Prepare a horse for me!¡±


    Fei Bai spat out a mouthful of blood and scrambled forward to hug Qi Haoran¡¯s leg. He begged, ¡°Master, Master, you can¡¯t leave. The hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the entire army are all watching you. If you leave, there will be no leader. Eldest Master, Eldest Master is still counting on you to attack the enemy from both sides with him.¡±


    Qi Haoran lowered his head and looked at him coldly, his gaze like a knife. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Let go. I told you to let go.¡±


    ¡°Master, get Zhan Yu to bring people to save Fourth Madam and the others¡­¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, Qi Haoran kicked Fei Bai out again. This time, a cracking sound came from Fei Bai¡¯s chest as his ribs broke.


    Enduring the pain, he got up and looked over. He saw Zhan Yu standing behind Qi Haoran and knocking him out with a palm.


    Fei Bai heaved a sigh of relief. He knew that Zhan Yu seeded only because the Fourth Master had let his guard down in his grief and anger. Not daring to rx, he hurriedly said, ¡°Quickly help the Little General back to the tent and get someone to guard him strictly. Zhan Yu, immediately bring people to speedily rush over to save Fourth Madam. Hurry!¡±

 Chapter 555: Divulged

    Chapter 555: Divulged


    Editor: As Studios


    Fei Bai clutched his chest as he sat in front of Fourth Master¡¯s bed, feeling extremely regretful. If he had been more careful, he would not have missed Fourth Madam and the others¡¯ whereabouts.


    Now, he only hoped that Zhan Yu could catch up to Mo Yong. Fei Bai¡¯s face was pale. Who would have guessed that Eldest Master¡¯s personal guard, a n brother of the most trusted General Mo Xiong, was actually a traitor?


    Fei Bai looked at Qi Haoran¡¯s face in a daze. After a while, he suddenly came back to his senses. Ignoring his injuries, he crawled over and pulled out a piece of paper to write a secret letter to Bai Li. Only until he let the pigeon fly off did he heave a sigh of relief.


    Bai Li and Zhan Yu only hoped that they could be faster. Not only were Fourth Madam and Third Young Master in that house, but there were also Eldest Madam and Second Young Master.


    Fei Bai knew that he probably wouldn¡¯t survive this time, but he would only be at ease if he could minimize his sins.


    When Qi Haoran woke up, he realized that his hands and feet were tied. Fei Bai was kneeling in front of his bed. Seeing that he had woken up, his tears fell. ¡°Master, you mustn¡¯t struggle anymore. You¡¯ve already been unconscious for a night. Zhan Yu is chasing after them, don¡¯t worry¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry?¡± Qi Haoran gritted his teeth and said, ¡°You only realized after Mo Yong left for two days. How can I be at ease? Fei Bai, if anything happens to Ah Ling and Little Bear, I¡¯ll crush you!¡±


    Fei Bai could only kowtow.


    Qi Haoran suppressed the warmth in his eyes. He knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up even if he wanted to now. Enduring the grief in his heart, he said, ¡°Where¡¯s the messenger pigeon for Fourth Madam?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. The messenger pigeon will reach Fourth Madam¡¯s hands tonight. It might even get there faster than Mo Yong¡­¡±


    Fei Bai sounded a littlecking in confidence. After all, they were only five days away from Mu Yangling¡¯s ce. However, Mo Yong and the others were riding alone and did not rest on the way. If they traveled day and night, they should be able to arrive in two and a half days. Even if they were a little dyed, they would be almost there now.


    He could only me himself for discovering it toote, causing a dy. Otherwise, they would have been able to avoid this cmity by informing Fourth Madam and the others with a messenger pigeon.


    Qi Haoran obviously knew this too, so he justy there quietly. After a while, he said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Untie the rope.¡±


    Fei Bai looked at Qi Haoran suspiciously. ¡°Master, don¡¯t tell me you still want to go¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up. I told you to untie the rope. How dare those people have designs on my family. They must be tired of living!¡±


    Fei Bai hurriedly pounced forward and untied Qi Haoran.


    Qi Haoran sat up and raised his leg to aim at Fei Bai¡¯s chest. But ultimately, he didn¡¯t kick him. He only said hatefully, ¡°You¡¯d better pray that your Fourth Madam is fine.¡±


    Qi Haoran got up and felt dizzy. Feeling his vision darken for a moment, he shook his head and pushed Fei Bai away before walking out.


    Fei Bai clutched his chest and followed closely behind. Seeing that he had gone to the meeting tent, he heaved a sigh of relief. When Qi Haoran lifted the curtain, he turned around and red at him angrily. ¡°Get lost and treat your injuries. Don¡¯t be an eyesore here.¡±


    Fei Bai quickly turned around and went to look for the military doctor.


    As the sky gradually darkened, Qi Haoran paced around the tent uneasily. In the end, unable to calm down his anxiety, he ran outside and looked up at the moon in the sky without saying a word.


    At this moment, he only hoped that Mu Yangling¡¯s defense would be effective and they could stall for time until Bai Li or Zhan Yu went to save her. Or perhaps, hopefully she had a backup n.


    However, at the same time, he was also terrified. He was a general to begin with and knew that no matter how good the defense was, it required manpower to implement it. Mu Yangling only had 23 guards, which was too few people!


    At this moment, Mu Yangling, who Qi Haoran was worried sick about, had juste out of the bathroom. She patted her face and yawned. Then, she peeked at her son, who was sleeping on the side of the bed, before climbing onto the bed and pulling the nket over to sleep.


    However, she had just fallen asleep and closed her eyes for a while when Spring¡¯s voice sounded from outside. ¡°Fourth Madam, there¡¯s movement outside.¡±


    Mu Yangling quickly got up and asked as she put on her clothes, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°The vige chief just said that a viger found many hoof prints on the path five miles away.¡±


    Mu Yangling quickly went out to see the vige chief. This time, the person beside the vige chief was Guard One and not Chen Ming.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Guard One¡¯s expression turned ugly as he said respectfully, ¡°Fourth Madam, a viger discovered many hoof prints made by horses by the path five miles away. From the looks of it, they should being towards us.¡±


    The small mountain vige was very remote. They were the only vige within a ten-mile radius, and behind them was a mountain. Beyond the mountain was another county. Only the vigers knew about those trails. Not to mention the hoofprints of a horse, they usually would not even see the hoofprints of an ox.


    That was why the vigers who discovered it were surprised. When they returned, they bragged about it to everyone as if it was something new, and the vige chief happened to hear it.


    At that time, the vige chief only felt that it was better to be careful in such chaotic times, so he came up to the Zhu family to discuss if he should organize the young men in the vige to patrol in case bandits shoulde and rob them.


    However, who knew that the Zhu family would keep him here as if they were facing a great enemy? A strange thought appeared in the vige chief¡¯s mind. Perhaps those hoof prints were targeting the Zhu family?


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression also changed slightly. She asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t the guards guarding the mountaintop send any news back?¡±


    Guard One shook his head.


    The two of them looked at the dark sky outside and understood. The other party was probably waiting for the sky to turn dark, right?


    Not daring to dy, Mu Yangling turned to the vige chief and said, ¡°Vige Chief, don¡¯t worry. These people are here for me. Go down the mountain now and quietly get the vigers to close their doors. Remember, don¡¯t go out, let alone escape. As long as you stay at home, they definitely won¡¯t make things difficult for you.¡±


    The vige chief was bewildered.


    Mu Yangling said in a low voice, ¡°If you go out or escape, they will definitely think that you have a deep rtionship with us. Should they see that, they will capture you and threaten us. You know that I still have children with me. I won¡¯ t be threatened by their capture.¡±


    The vige chief understood immediately and immediately went home. He did not even have time to say goodbye.


    At this moment, the vige chief was d that Mu Yangling had always treated them very indifferently. The two sides rarely interacted, and Chen Ming was the one who interacted with them on the rare asions.


    As soon as the vige chief left, Mu Yangling immediately said to Guard One, ¡°Tell everyone to be on guard and guard the courtyard. Don¡¯t move the guards on the mountaintop for now. Tell them to observe carefully and report immediately if they find anything amiss.¡±


    Only then did Mu Yangling turn around and return to the house. She stood in front of the bed and looked at the child for a while before carefully putting on his clothes. Then, she wrapped him in a small nket and handed him to a maidservant. After kissing his forehead, she said to the maidservant, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Li Jinghua was already awake. When she saw Mu Yangling enter, she hurriedly stood up and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that someone has discovered we¡¯re hiding here. I¡¯ll have to trouble Sister-inw to hide first.¡±


    Li Jinghua was at a loss. ¡°Hide where?¡±


    Mu Yangling brought them to the backyard. This house was built halfway up the mountain, so there was no need to build a wall in the backyard because there was a tall mountain rock around them with only sporadic trees on it.


    Mu Yangling brought them to a stop in front of a huge rock. Then, she took a deep breath, hugged the huge rock, and carefully moved to the side.


    Other than the guards who escorted them over, everyone¡¯s eyes widened.

 Chapter 556: Attacking the Courtyard

    Chapter 556: Attacking the Courtyard


    Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling moved the huge rock away from the passageway that could amodate one person. Turning around, she said, ¡°Go in. As long as no one moves the rock away, don¡¯te out. There¡¯s enough food and water inside tost you for half a year outside.¡±


    Li Jinghua was dumbfounded. ¡°When was this ce dug up?¡±


    Mu Yangling revealed her white teeth. ¡°We¡¯re lucky. We just finished digging it before the new year.¡± However, she didn¡¯t expect it to be used in less than a month. Back then, she had only made this as a backup n, not really expecting it to be used.


    All the servants in the residence entered. Spring said hesitatingly, Fourth Madam,e in too. Third Young Master might look for you when he wakes upter.¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°If this courtyard can¡¯t be defended, someone will definitely lure them away.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s faces turned pale.


    Mu Yangling said to Li Jinghua, ¡°Take good care of Little Bear.¡± With that, she pushed him in and turned to look at Li Jinghua.


    Li Jinghua opened her mouth and said bitterly, ¡°Ah Ling, don¡¯t worry. As long as Little Treasure is alive, Little Bear will definitely be alive.


    Mu Yangling nodded and pushed everyone in. Then, she moved the huge rock back and sealed the entrance of the cave.


    This rock blended in perfectly with the mountain rocks. If not for a guard who coincidentally discovered it, they would not have known that this rock stood independently. As this rock was huge, other than Mu Yangling, even if the 23 guards in the courtyard worked together, they might not be able to move it. Mu Yangling moved the rock back to its original position and cleaned up the traces. She then got someone to light incense everywhere in the courtyard and house topletely cover up the smell of humans.


    ¡°Light all thenterns and hide.¡±


    In the dark night, the brightly lit Zhu residence was extremely conspicuous. At this moment though, the prosperous and warm residence made the people watching from afar shrink back.


    ¡°Sir, they must have found out. What should we do?


    Mo Yong¡¯s gaze darkened. ¡°Even if they already know, we have to take action.


    Their residence isn¡¯t big, so there definitely aren¡¯t many people. Since they already know, we¡¯ll head over openly.¡±


    ¡°There are many vigers in the vige. Why don¡¯t we use them to threaten the people in the courtyard to appear?¡±


    Mo Yong looked at him as if he was an idiot. ¡°Do you think the people in the courtyard will appear for those vigers? They¡¯re not General Yuan. They¡¯re just some women with children by their side. The priority of those women and guards is definitely the children.¡±


    Mo Yong only brought 63 people. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to bring more, but he only had these people in the entire army.


    Because Mo Yong and the others were no longer hiding their tracks, Guard One quickly discovered them. Almost at the same time, a messenger pigeonnded in the courtyard with a p of its wings.


    Guard One quickly took down the letter and handed it to Mu Yangling.


    Only then did Mu Yangling know why their hiding ce had been exposed. She had thought that it was because of them. Who knew that it was Qi Haoran¡¯s side that had leaked the secret?


    ¡°Fourth Madam, they¡¯reing up.¡±


    Mu Yangling put away the letter and said, ¡°Get the archers to prepare and split up to kill them. Focus on defense. Fourth Master has already sent people to save us. They should be here in two days.¡±


    Guard One agreed.


    Mu Yangling turned around and went back to get her bow and arrows. With a wave of her hand, all thenterns were extinguished. The courtyard, which had been brightly lit just a moment ago, instantly fell into darkness.


    Mo Yong, who was walking over, stopped in his tracks. He understood that the light just now was to intimidate them or lure them out.


    Taking a deep breath, he continued to lead his men towards the courtyard. Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes took some time to adjust to the darkness before she saw a blurry shadow in the hazy moonlight.


    If she was already like this, others should be the same, right?


    A fire was burning in the southeast corner of the courtyard, and many torches had been thrown on the ground. They were all taken out of the kitchen at thest minute by the guards. Fortunately, they had been preparing these things, so they did notck them.


    Mu Yangling went forward to light a torch and looked at Guard One. With a gesture from Guard One, the torch in Mu Yangling¡¯s hand was thrown out, falling not far in front of Mo Yong and the others. Their expressions changed drastically and they instantly moved away. However, the moment they moved away, a few arrows tore through the air and hit the spot where they had been standing.


    After that, torches shot out from the courtyard one after another, falling in the direction they were heading in every time. Moreover, those torches quickly fell together to illuminate the half-lit ground outside the courtyard wall.


    Mo Yong gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Charge forward and enter the courtyard.¡± However, the people in the courtyard would be invisible in the darkness. Mo Yong and his men would not be able to see the enemy, but they would expose themselves under the illumination of the mes. It would be very disadvantageous for them.


    Therefore, as soon as their people rushed forward, there were casualties. However, those people did not die for nothing. When they rushed forward, they would extinguish the torches or kick them away, clearing a path for the others behind.


    Moreover, although the arrows were fast, those men were not slow. The arrows only managed to strike less than one out of five.


    After Mu Yangling threw out the torches, she quickly carried the four quivers into the gatehouse. Then, she climbed thedder to the second floor and opened the window¡­


    The people on the left who were about to rush up the wall were suddenly shot down by arrows. One after another, five people died just like that. Mo Yong, who was standing outside the shooting range andmanding, looked up and saw a section of a house sticking out with three opened windows.


    He said in surprise, ¡°This is a watchtower, right? What¡¯s going on? How could we not have noticed it before?¡±


    That house was only a little higher than the courtyard wall. Who would pay attention to this?


    Mu Yangling was most proud of her archery skills. Qi Haoran had worked hard for many years but could notpare to her. Coupled with the fact that they had caught the other party off guard, they quickly reduced the enemy¡¯s number to double theirs. However, Mo Yong¡¯s men also managed to rush into the courtyard.


    The guards, who originally were unscathed, began to suffer casualties. Mu Yangling let Guard One take over themanding position and stood steadily on the gatehouse. Every arrow she shot out urately struck the enemy.


    Although Mo Yong didn¡¯t know who was shooting arrows from the gatehouse, he knew that that person posed the greatest danger to them. However, their arrows couldn¡¯t prate the window at all. The window had also been specially set up.


    The people he brought this time were good at assassination, but they were not good at archery and long-range attacks.


    They had to close the distance because their forte was closebat. Mo Yong gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Throw a torch at that gatehouse.¡± This was practically forcing that person down with their life.


    The few of them picked up torches at the same time and threw them at the gatehouse. Mo Yong thought that the other party could only shoot down one person through the mes, but Mu Yangling shot three arrows at the same time and took three lives instantly.


    With an ugly expression, Mo Yong drew his sword and leaped into the courtyard nimbly. Knowing that he was the leader, Mu Yangling quickly nocked an arrow. However, after ncing at the other party, she decisively gave up on him and shot another person.


    This person moved too swiftly and the distance was too short. She could not hit him at all.


    When Guard One saw Mo Yong, he drew his saber and went up to him. The two of them quickly fought.


    Now that smoke started billowing from the gatehouse, Mu Yangling had no choice but to go down. When she reached the bottom, her advantage as an archer could not be utilized at all. She could only draw a broadsword and join the battle.


    Mo Yong roared angrily. He had paid such a huge price, but he had failed to even enter the inner courtyard. Almost all his anger was directed at Guard One and the archer who had just left the room.

 Chapter 557: Evenly Matched

    Chapter 557: Evenly Matched


    Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling brandished her saber to block Mo Yong¡¯s attack. She felt a weight on her wrist and a stern look shed across her eyes. This man was so skilled at martial arts, yet he had been hiding by Qi Haoran¡¯s side day and night.


    At the thought that Qi Haoran had had such a malignant tumor by his side, Mu Yangling did not show any mercy. She used thebat moves from her previous life, moves that were simple yet fatal. She also aimed at the other party¡¯s acupoints¡¯ weaknesses. Even if she couldn¡¯t move as swiftly as Mo Yong, with the help of Guard One, the other party was still at a slight disadvantage.


    When the sword and saber collided, Mo Yong felt intense pain in his hand, causing him to almost drop the saber in his hand. After seven to eight moves, Mo Yong flipped over and jumped to the side. Only then did he see the archer¡¯s appearance clearly. His expression changed slightly and he cried out, ¡°Fourth Madam?¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes turned cold. She flipped the de and aimed at his chest without a word. Not only Mo Yong, but even Guard One did not expect Mu Yangling to be so decisive and hurriedly followed closely.


    Fourth Madam¡¯s strength and moves were fine, but her qinggong was too weak and her agility was not enough. If she really wanted to deal with Mo Yong alone, she would definitely be injured. Someone had to help her restrain Mo Yong.


    Every move Mu Yangling made was aimed at Mo Yong¡¯s vital points. She wanted to end the battle quickly, but after fighting for an hour, although they managed to injure Mo Yong, they could not kill him. After all, Mu Yangling was a woman and was only 17 years old. Furthermore, she had exhausted too much strength. If this continued, even if Mu Yangling and her men did not die, they would be injured.


    Fortunately, Mo Yong¡¯s situation was not any better. Because Mu Yangling was strong, his purlicueO had long been cracked. Guard One was nimble and sneak attacked from the side when Mu Yangling was exchanging moves with him, causing him to suffer many injuries. Although it was not fatal, he had lost a lot of blood. If his wounds were not bandaged and treated, he would die from excessive blood loss even if he was not tortured to death by Mu Yangling.


    He looked around and saw that the people he had brought were on par with the guards from the courtyard. They were both injured, so he quickly whistled and gave the order to retreat.


    Guard One was also worried that too many of their men would die. Seeing that Mo Yong had retreated with his men, he did not chase after them and immediately arranged for someone to put up defenses. Only then did he turn around and look at Mu Yangling.


    Sitting on the steps to rest, Mu Yangling looked up at the sky and said, ¡°It¡¯ll be dawn in two hours.¡±


    ¡°Fourth Madam, why don¡¯t we send someone out to get reinforcements?¡±


    ¡°Reinforcements from who?¡±


    ¡°There are bailiffs in the county. Even if they don¡¯t have much ability, they can at least intimidate the enemy by surrounding our courtyard.¡±


    Mu Yangling asked with half-closed eyes, ¡°Then do you think they¡¯lle?¡±


    Guard One choked. That¡¯s right. The world was in chaos now. Although the county did not dere that it was now independent of Great Zhou and did not say which faction it had joined, it had long been autonomous. When faced with such a dangerous matter, upright and selfless bailiffs would naturallye. However, how many such people were there?


    ¡°Even if theye, they¡¯ll only be courting death. As long as we manage to hold on for another day, Fourth Master¡¯s men will arrive.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Guard One was a little unconfident as their losses were too serious. Just now, he had counted that other than him and Fourth Madam, everyone was injured. Seven of their brothers had died, and now there were only 16 left. Out of those 16, three of them were seriously injured. Even if they survived, they could not hold their sabers.


    ¡°Hurry up and bandage those wounded people. Those who are seriously injured, carry them to the backyard. If we can survive, Fourth Master will definitely not mistreat them. If they die, I¡¯ll take care of their families.¡± After giving those instructions, Mu Yangling got up and went to the kitchen.


    There was some food in the kitchen. She simply baked some pancakes and brought out the meat dishes from the kitchen. Everyone casually took some before returning to their seats. Even as they ate, they were on guard.


    Outside, Mo Yong and the others were also eating dry rations. ¡°When will the reinforcements arrive?¡±


    ¡°Sir, they¡¯ll probably arrive tonight.¡± That person nced at his brothers who had suffered heavy casualties and said, ¡°Sir, why don¡¯t we wait for the reinforcements to arrive before taking action? We have suffered too many casualties on our side.¡±


    Mo Yong was also a little hesitant. In the end, he gritted his teeth and shook his head. ¡°No, we dyed Assistant Commander Mu from leaving the camp under excuses, and Little General will quickly realize this. Fei Bai is smart. Once he bes suspicious, Little General will definitely send reinforcements here. We don¡¯t know when their people will arrive, so we have to capture them as soon as possible and meet up with our reinforcements. Otherwise¡­¡±


    Otherwise, all their efforts would have been in vain, and their people would have died in vain.


    ¡°Rest for two hours. We¡¯ll rush in after two hours. Since the defense line has already been breached, it¡¯ll be difficult for them to defend the courtyard again.¡± Guard One was also fretting over this. ¡°Fourth Madam, our defense line has already been breached. If they rush in again, why don¡¯t we retreat to the second entrance? We have to conserve our strength. Not only are we outnumbered, Mo Yong is good at martial arts and can restrain the two of us in one go.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She straightened her body and asked, ¡°What did you just say? How many more people do they have than us? How many more?¡±


    Surprised that Mu Yangling reacted so strongly, Guard One hurriedlyforted her. ¡°Fourth Madam, don¡¯t worry. They only have three to four more people than us. Although Mo Yong is powerful, not all his subordinates are like him. Considering we have the geographical advantage, the difference is not big¡­¡±


    However, Mu Yangling said, ¡°In the beginning, there were only about 60 of them, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Look, even with more than 60 of them, we could reduce their numbers to 30-plus when they attacked the courtyard. It can be seen how powerful we are¡­¡±


    A guard at the side muttered, ¡°That¡¯s because it was dark and they were not familiar with the terrain. Our courtyard is easy to defend and difficult to attack. In addition, we were boosted by Madam¡¯s excellent archery skills. But considering it¡¯s almost dawn now and they¡¯re almost done exploring this ce, the courtyard can¡¯t be defended anymore¡­¡±


    Guard One gently kicked the person over and scolded, ¡°You¡¯re boosting other people¡¯s morale and reducing one¡¯s own courage.¡±


    The guard lowered his head in silence.


    However, Mu Yangling left with a dark expression. Guard One hurriedly followed her. ¡°Fourth Madam, you really don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    Mu Yangling avoided everyone and said, ¡°I¡¯m not worried about Mo Yong and the others. Now that we¡¯re evenly matched and have the geographical advantage, it¡¯s not impossible for us to defend for a day and night. Even if there¡¯s some difficulty, it¡¯s not impossible. But what if they have reinforcements?¡±


    Guard One was stunned.


    Mu Yangling continued in a low voice, ¡°Only about 60 people came. With pursuers behind us, can they escort the four of us out? There are still two children inside.¡±


    Guard One shuddered and felt a chill in his heart. ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m certain they have reinforcements. I just don¡¯t know where they are, when they will arrive, or how many people they have¡­¡±


    Guard One was silent for a long time before saying with difficulty, ¡°Fourth Madam, we can lure them away¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling was also silent for a long time. That would be ast resort because by luring the enemy away, they only had a 10% chance of survival. But the people hiding in the cave would at least have an 80% chance of not being discovered.


    ¡°If we have no choice, we¡¯U adopt the second n. Ask our men to prepare the disguise.¡±

 Chapter 558: Escape

    Chapter 558: Escape


    Editor: As Studios


    After all, Mo Yong and his men were two days ahead of Qi Haoran¡¯s men, so their reinforcements arrived faster than Zhan Yu and Bai Li. By the time Mu Yangling and the others had discovered the people rushing over, they had already arrived at the entrance of the vige.


    As he was not sure if those people were friends or foes, Guard One asked someone to turn on the signal re. However, when he did not see a response from the other party for a long time, his heart sank. He knew that the other party was an enemy.


    Guard One went back to look for Mu Yangling with a dark expression.


    As she had just withstood Mo Yong¡¯s attack, Mu Yangling had yet to recover her strength and her limbs were a little limp. After hearing Guard One¡¯s report, Mu Yangling immediately stood up and instructed, ¡°Get someone to bring some dry food and retreat up the mountain in disguise.¡± Mu Yangling paused before continuing, ¡°Let¡¯s go into the forest and make this a jungle warfare.¡±


    Guard One said bitterly, ¡°But Fourth Madam, including me, there are only nine of us left¡­¡±


    Moreover, all of them were injured. They were up against many people.


    Mu Yangling took a deep breath and said, ¡°Lure them as far away as possible. No matter how slowly the reinforcements take toe, they should be here by tomorrow morning. We just need to stay hidden until tomorrow morning.¡± Guard One responded and went to take out the disguise that he had ced in the room that was made of cloth and cotton. It imitated Li Jinghua, Little Treasure, and Little Bear¡¯s figures. As long as the enemy did not see them up close, they would not discover the disguise. In addition, the sky was already starting to darken. After entering the forest, it would be even harder to discover their identities.


    Mu Yangling tied Li Jinghua¡¯s mannequin to her back while the other two guards each carried the mannequin of a child. Everyone opened the east door of the courtyard and quietly left to go up the mountain.


    Meanwhile, Mo Yong, who had also lost many of his men, was focused on the reinforcements that had just arrived, so he did not notice that the people in the courtyard had quietly left.


    After they attacked the courtyard, they realized that something was wrong. The entire courtyard was silent and there was no light at all. Thinking that they were ying tricks again, Mo Yong asked someone to carefully enter the inner courtyard. Someone identally touched some mechanism and something was heard ripping through the air. The few of them subconsciously dodged and realized that it was an arrow. Mo Yong¡¯s heart tightened and he shouted, ¡°Be careful of the bows and arrows. Fourth Madam¡¯s archery skills are incredible.¡± The people who followed Mo Yong for the past two nights became even more careful with lingering fear.


    Bai Qing, who hade to provide support, did not think much of it. Dissatisfied with Mo Yong¡¯s cautiousness, he ordered his subordinates to rush straight into the inner courtyard. The sound of something tearing through the air kept ringing out, but most people managed to avoid it. Only two people were identally injured, and Bai Qing¡¯s men had long rushed into the inner courtyard.


    Bai Qing sneered and said, ¡°Lord Mo, is this the reason why you failed to take down this ce for a long time? There are only 20 guards, but you¡¯re actually so afraid that you¡¯re praising a woman.¡±


    Mo Yong¡¯s expression was ugly as he said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ve been hiding in the West Camp for many years and have long heard of Fourth Madam¡¯s reputation. This time, I¡¯ve even seen how powerful her archery is. Lord Bai, it¡¯s better to be careful.¡±


    Bai Qing snorted coldly in disdain. The person searching the inner courtyard quickly reported, ¡°Sir, there¡¯s no one in the courtyard.¡±


    Bai Qing narrowed his eyes and looked at Mo Yong. However, Mo Yong raised his head to look up the mountain and shouted, ¡°Not good. They must¡¯ve gone up the mountain. Fourth Madam is best at forest battles. We can¡¯t let them enter the forest.¡±


    Bai Qing said faintly, ¡°Lord Mo, she¡¯s not your Fourth Madam. Don¡¯t forget who your master is. A forest battle? Hmph, didn¡¯t you say that they only have nine guards left? With a group of burdens, I want to see how they fight me in the forest.¡±


    Mo Yong¡¯s expression was ugly. ¡°There¡¯s still the Fourth¡­ Mu Yangling. Don¡¯t underestimate her. Qi Haoran learned the forest battle tactics from her. When I was in the West Camp, I asionally heard from my older brother that the reason why Qi Haoran¡¯s army is so tightly guarded and no one can sneak into his camp was because of Mu Yangling¡­¡±


    Not at all believing his words, Bai Qing only looked at Mo Yong coldly and assumed that he was joking.


    Mo Yong¡¯s breath was stuck in his chest. However, Bai Qing held a higher rank than him. This disdainful attitude was in stark contrast to the respect he received in the Qi family¡¯s army. However, mistakes had already been made. Since Minister Qin had something on him, if he continued to stay in the Qi family¡¯s army, it wouldn¡¯t be long before he was discovered and killed.


    After taking a deep breath, he decided that it was fine to underestimate the enemy. He just had to protect his and his brothers¡¯ lives. When Bai Qing saw how powerful Mu Yangling was, even if he lost, he would have something to say when he returned to see Minister Qin and the Second Prince.


    Soon, someone discovered the east gate and found faint traces there. Bai Qing snorted and waved for his men to give chase.


    As soon as the group of people started giving chase, some rocks and logs rolled down the mountain. Many people were injured because they were caught off guard.


    Furious, Bai Qing shouted at Mo Yong, ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that there were only nine of them? Why are there so many of them?¡±


    With so many rocks and rolling logs rolling down at the same time, there must be at least 40 to 50 people on the mountain. He did not believe that there were only nine of them.


    Mo Yong¡¯s face sank. He looked at the vige hidden in the darkness at the foot of the mountain. For the first time, he clearly knew that he had made a mistake.


    Mu Yangling, who had run far away, suddenly stopped in her tracks. She turned around and frowned. ¡°Who¡¯s helping us from behind?¡±


    Expression darkening slightly, Guard One lowered his head and said, ¡°Fourth Madam, it¡¯s the vigers at the foot of the mountain.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at him in shock. Then, she kicked him to the ground and roared in a low voice, ¡°Who allowed you to drag them in?¡±


    She had told the vigers to close their doors in advance and not go out or escape, so that she could eliminate Mo Yong and the others¡¯ suspicions and save the vigers¡¯ lives.


    Guard One turned around and knelt on the ground. ¡°Fourth Madam, it was their vige chief who took the initiative to help. He said that he wanted to repay you for your help during the winter. He knew that you specially exchanged your grains for worthless stuff out of the goodness of your heart. That was why the vige managed to avoid the fate of starving to death and exile, so¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling took a deep breath and asked in a low voice, ¡°Where are their wives, children, and parents?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve all gone into the mountains to hide.¡±


    Mu Yangling took two steps in frustration and said, ¡°Send two people to clean up their traces. It¡¯ll be easier to bring people along.¡± Then, she said, ¡°The rest of you, split into two teams. Four people will follow me, and three people will bring Eldest Madam and the two children to the neighboring county. Remember, your mission is to escape. Take the three people on your backs and run away as far as possible.¡±


    Mu Yangling took down the puppet representing Li Jinghua and handed it to a guard. ¡°Treat this like a real person.¡± Only then could they not be suspicious.


    Everyone agreed in a low voice and quickly divided into three teams. One team quickly and carefully went to find the vigers who were hiding and helped them clean up the traces.


    The other team carried the three puppets and left ording to the designated route.


    Mu Yangling drew her saber and turned to look behind her. ¡°Grab your bows and arrows. We¡¯ll lure them over..¡±

 Chapter 559: Reinforcements

    Chapter 559: Reinforcements


    Editor: As Studios


    There were only 48 people who had followed the vige chief up the mountain. They had taken the byway up the mountain when the sky had just darkened. Although they kept encouraging themselves in their hearts, their hands could not help but tremble when they moved the wood and rocks.


    However, no matter how afraid they were, no one retreated down the mountain at thest minute.


    When those people rushed up the mountain, they were extremely flustered. Yet they still tried their best to roll down the things in front of them, hoping to give the Zhu family more hope.


    It wasn¡¯t that they were very noble people. They only felt that the Zhu family treated them well. The vige chief was right. If not for the fact that the Zhu family was willing to take out grains to exchange for things with them, most of the vigers would have had to go into exile. In this chaotic world, not going into exile meant starving to death, while going into exile would only increase their chances of survival by 20%.


    However, because of the Zhu family, their parents, wives, and children had all survived this winter. They were doing this to repay the Zhu family.


    The vige chiefy on the ground, crying as he picked up rocks and threw them down. He regretted it now, but he also felt a little relieved. He did not know if he could survive this time, so he just followed his instincts and kept throwing things down.


    When Mu Yangling and the others ran back, they saw that they had already thrown down everything they could find.


    Mu Yangling waved at the four of them, who each took a corner. Mu Yangling went forward and patted the vige chief¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Tell them to retreat and run into the forest in all directions. It¡¯s best if you run in pairs. Hurry!¡±


    The vige chief looked at Mu Yangling in a daze. After Mu Yangling patted his head and snapped him out of his daze, the vige chief hurriedly scrambled to his feet and organized everyone to leave.please visit ¡± sitestorys(.)c0m ¡± maybe y0u will enj0y the captivating sh0rt st0ries.


    Mu Yangling took out her bow and arrows and blocked the enemy with the four guards.


    When the enemies were about to rush in front of them, Mu Yangling and her men gathered and retreated to the north.


    Bai Qing narrowed his eyes as he watched Mu Yangling disappear.¡± Is that Mu Yangling?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Mo Yong said indifferently, ¡°Lord Bai, you¡¯ve seen her archery skills now, right? In just a few breaths, the number of people she killed were the total of those killed by the other four.¡±


    ¡°Run in to chase after them.¡± Suppressing the anger in his heart, Bai Qjng said, ¡°I want to see how many of us she can stop alone.¡±


    ¡°Sir, wait.¡± Mo Yong stopped him and said, ¡°Sir, since only the five of them came out, the rest must have escaped with Madam Li and the two children. Our top priority is to capture the three of them. As for Mu Yangling, once we catch her child, she will naturally surrender.¡±


    Although Bai Qing was angry, he did not lose his mind. After thinking for a moment, he agreed to Mo Yong¡¯s suggestion and entered the forest with others to search for traces and pursue them.


    The vigers fled in all directions. Even though Mu Yangling stalled for time for them, because they were inexperienced and unfamiliar with the forest, they quickly collided with the enemy. The helplessmoners were killed in a few moves.


    Mu Yangling<sup>1</sup> s eyes turned red when she discovered a few corpses. However, she had too few men with her and they couldn¡¯t protect them. Moreover, they quickly realized that the people were chasing towards the east.


    They could only ambush them from the side and lure them away, but Bai Qing and Mo Yong were even more determined to chase to the east.


    Although this was their n, the enemy was too close behind and it would not be long before they caught up. Should they catch up, they would not be able to keep the puppets a secret¡­


    Mu Yangling and the guard ruthlessly stopped them. In the end, Bai Qing had no choice but to stop and say to Mo Yong, ¡°Let¡¯s split up. You chase after those people while I¡¯ll stay behind to block them.¡±


    Mo Yong agreed and rushed back with his men.


    At this moment, Bai Li, who had been traveling day and night, finally brought his men to the entrance of the vige. When he barged into the house, he saw that it was a mess inside. Without any time to think, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Hurry up and go up the mountain to save them.¡±


    Just as he rushed out, a guard ran back and reported, ¡°Sir, General Zhan Yu has also arrived at the vige entrance.¡±


    Bai Li stopped in his tracks and stood at the entrance, waiting for Zhan Yu.


    Seeing the travel-worn Zhan Yu rush up with his men, Bai Li said, ¡°I saw traces of them retreating up the mountain. Fourth Madam is good at fighting in the forest, but she has too few men with her and they might not be able to hold on for long. Quickly bring your men up to support them.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zhan Yu answered and turned around to leave. However, when he saw Bai Li standing there motionlessly, he immediately stopped in his tracks and turned around to ask, ¡°Lord, aren¡¯t you going with us?¡±


    ¡°I have something to confirm. You go first.¡±


    Zhan Yu knew that Bai Li was a sacrificial soldier and was very trusted by Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran. Therefore, although he was suspicious, he still obeyed the order and ran up the mountain.


    Bai Li immediately turned around and returned to the backyard. He asked someone to bring a shovel to dig up the soil under the rock, and also asked someone to bring some wood. A few of them used all their strength to lift the rock while the others hurriedly ran up to push the rock out. After a long time, when everyone was exhausted, they managed to make a small hole that was barely wide enough for an adult to pass through.


    Bai Li said, ¡°Move it a little more.¡±


    When the hole was big enough for two people to enter and exit at the same time, Bai Li bent down and entered.


    As the cave was dark, Bai Li lit a torch and walked down. After walking for a few steps, he turned right a few steps and saw a huge cave. Instead of walking further in, Bai Li asked respectfully, ¡°Is Eldest Madam inside? I¡¯m Bai Li.¡±


    After saying that, he picked up a stone on the ground and knocked it a few times at a certain frequency. A momentter, he heard a hoarse voice say, ¡°Lord Bai Li? Please follow me.¡±


    Bai Li walked forward and finally saw the person.


    Holding a knife in her hand, the maidservant nodded slightly at Bai Li before turning around and walking in.


    The cave was huge. There was only an oilmp in the corner, so other than that corner, there was no light anywhere else.


    Li Jinghua sat on the stone bed with Little Bear in her arms. When she saw Bai Li, her eyes revealed hope. Bai Li bent down and reported, ¡°Eldest Madam, the bandits outside have been lured up the mountain by Fourth Madam. Can I bring you and the young masters out first?¡±


    ¡°What about Fourth Madam?¡±


    ¡°Zhan Yu has already gone to save her. Eldest Madam, Fourth Madam instructed us to ensure the safety of you and the two young masters first.¡±


    Eyes slightly red, Li Jinghua stood up with the help of the maidservant. She hugged Little Bear tightly in her arms and was escorted out by the crowd. A nanny who was carrying Little Treasure followed closely behind.


    Little Treasure and Little Bear were both asleep. Bai Li escorted them out of the vige and went straight to Lin¡¯an after getting into the carriage.


    However, they had only walked out for less than ten minutes when they encountered the army that hade to reinforce them.


    It turned out that Qi Xiuyuan had sent 3,000 soldiers over to look for them. Bai Li immediately changed his n and brought 3,000 soldiers to escort Li Jinghua and the others back to the small vige. He stationed them in the courtyard and then sent 500 soldiers up the mountain to search for Mu Yangling while he stayed behind.


    Li Jinghua said uneasily, ¡°Bai Li, why don<sup>1</sup>1 you look for her yourself?¡±


    Bai Li lowered his eyes and bowed. ¡°Eldest Madam, protecting you and the two young masters is my most important responsibility.¡±


    Seeing that Li Jinghua¡¯s expression was not good, Bai Li hurriedly said, ¡°Zhan Yu brought a lot of people with him. In addition to the 500 soldiers that I just sent out, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult for them to save Fourth Madam.¡±

 Chapter 560: Sorrow

    Chapter 560: Sorrow


    Editor: As Studios


    It was indeed not difficult because the difference in numbers was too great.


    When Zhan Yu found Mu Yangling and the rest, Mu Yangling was leading Bai Qing¡¯s men around in circles. As the trees were dense, it was not difficult for her to hide.


    Thanks to her ten years of practice, although she wasn¡¯t too skilled, she could still use her qinggong to dodge quickly.


    By the time Zhan Yu and his men found their way here, Bai Qing was about to be driven crazy by Mu Yangling. This was because as they walked, the people walking at the back kept getting their necks slit.


    In response, he had his men walk forward with their backs against each other, but then they started getting attacked by arrows. And when they attacked back with arrows, the other party had already run away.


    Now, Bai Qing finally understood what Mo Yong meant when he said that Mu Yangling was good at forest warfare. Though her movements appeared to be erratic, she somehow managed to guide them forward.


    After walking a few rounds around the forest, they couldn¡¯t even differentiate east, west, north, and south.


    Bai Qing and his men couldn¡¯t figure out their orientation, but Zhan Yu managed to follow the traces and found them. As soon as they met, Bai Qing¡¯s expression changed drastically. Having wasted too much time, Bai Qing and his men had lost their opportunity to take down the opponent.


    Mu Yangling walked out from behind a tree not far away and ordered with a dark expression, ¡°Dead or alive, I want them taken down!¡±


    The soldiers who followed Zhan Yu were all from the first five divisions. Upon hearing this, they drew their swords and rushed forward. This was the first time Zhan Yu had seen Fourth Madam. Seeing that her body was covered in red blood, his heart trembled and he hurriedly asked, ¡°Fourth Madam, are you injured?¡±


    Mu Yangling nced at him and said, ¡°Mo Yong brought his men to the east to chase after the other three. Send out a team to save them.¡±


    Guard One also ran over from afar, having just led another group of people out to circle around. When he heard themotion, he hurriedly ran back.


    ¡°Fourth Madam.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked up at Bai Qing and said to Guard One, ¡°Capture him alive if you can. If not, send him to meet his fellow men.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression was very ugly. Not only for the guards protecting her, but also for the vigers who had died.


    Those guards hade with the mentality that they were going to die, and Qi Haoran had already arranged a way out for their families. Their deaths were part of the n, and if they managed to survive, it was a blessing.


    However, the vigers¡¯ deaths werepletely idental. Before the night before yesterday, they had happily gone out to check on the thawing of the fields. They were nning to nt crops in spring and go home to eat with their parents, wives, and children. Even before today, they only thought that as long as they hid at home and waited for the Zhu family to leave, the vige would return to peace and life would go on like before.


    However, in order to repay her kindness for lending them grains, they had lost their lives.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes were slightly red as she gripped the knife in her hand tightly. They had no idea that she had lent them grains in the beginning because she was afraid that they would threaten their safety should they be driven to extreme hunger.


    She was not as kind and selfless as they thought.


    Moreover, she was charging them interest on the grains she lent them. Those vigers clearly did not owe her anything, yet they were repaying with their lives.


    Mu Yangling stood in the forest with her saber in hand, waiting for Zhan Yu and the others to capture Bai Qing, Mo Yong, and the others one by one. There were only six guards who had returned alive, including Guard One. Four of them were seriously injured and on the verge of death.


    Mu Yangling waved her hand and said, ¡°Take them down for treatment and escort the captives back. The remaining soldiers will search and rescue the people in the forest and carry the corpses out¡­¡±


    Though Guard One was also seriously injured, he did not retreat. Instead, he followed beside Mu Yangling and watched as corpses were carried over.


    Zhan Yu carefully nced at Mu Yangling. Because she was wearing dark clothes, he was a little unsure if the blood on her body belonged to someone else or was hers. Hence, after hesitating for a moment, he went forward and said, ¡°Fourth Madam, you can go down the mountain first. I can supervise things on the mountain.¡±


    Mu Yangling ignored him and continued to stand there. Only when thest viger was carried out did Mu Yangling turn around and leave the mountain.


    The vigers who were hiding in the cave also came out. Many women hugged the corpses on the ground and wailed. Some children knelt on the ground and tugged at their father who was lying on the ground, crying and asking him to get up.


    Even Zhan Yu, who was used to seeing life and death scenarios, couldn¡¯t help but tear up.


    Mu Yangling quietly looked at the dead vigers on the ground for a while before turning around and asking, ¡°Where¡¯s Eldest Madam and the two young masters?¡±


    Zhan Yu hurriedly replied, ¡°Lord Bai Li is guarding them in the courtyard.¡±


    ¡°Bring them down.¡±


    Zhan Yu opened his mouth. Seeing Mu Yangling¡¯s indifferent expression, he asked someone to inform them.


    Mu Yangling walked towards the vige chief.


    The vige chief, who was originally only 35 years old, seemed to have aged 20 years in an instant. With gray hair, he sat on the ground and looked at the three rows of corpses on the ground dazedly.


    He had brought 48 people up the mountain, but only seven of them had survived, including him. He held his head in frustration as tears fell. He could only let out cries like a trapped beast. All 42 young men had died in less than four hours!


    Mu Yangling stood quietly in front of him and looked at the vigers who were crying.


    The soldiers lit torches, illuminating the area making it as bright as daytime. It also allowed her to clearly see the sadness and confusion on everyone¡¯s faces.


    ¡°Ah Ling?¡± Li Jinghua had just descended the mountain when she saw Mu Yangling¡¯s dazed expression. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she hurriedly reached out to hold her hand.


    Mu Yangling came back to her senses and turned to look at the two children in the nanny¡¯s arms.


    Touching their heads, she took the two children and ced them on the ground. Gently, she taught them to kneel on the ground before kneeling to the side herself.


    Li Jinghua¡¯s expression changed drastically. As she turned to look at the vigers who were crying, her heart sank and she, too, knelt beside Little Treasure.


    Mu Yangling stroked the two children¡¯s heads and said, ¡°Children, remember, they won more time for us by sacrificing their own lives.¡±


    Mu Yangling only said this one sentence before asking Zhan Yu to arrange for the remaining vigers to be bandaged by the military doctor.


    Some favors could not be repaid with words and could only be repaid with actions.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know if Mo Yong, Bai Qing, and his men would be deceived by the mannequins without the help of these vigers, but she definitely knew that with the time they dyed, the three guards could escape further with the mannequins. It also made Mo Yong and Bai Qing believe that Li Jinghua and the two children had already escaped. That was why they didn¡¯t notice the courtyard, thus giving them enough time until reinforcements arrived.


    It was destined to be a sleepless night.


    Mu Yangling handed Little Bear to the wet nurse before going back with a dark expression. Little Bear had been in a panic because his mother was nowhere to be seen previously. Seeing that his mother wasn¡¯t hugging him, he opened his short arms and cried at her.


    Mu Yangling touched his face and held his tiny hand. ¡°Little Bear, be good. I¡¯m covered in blood and stink.¡±


    As she spoke, she even ced her sleeve in front of his nose to let him smell it. As expected, Little Bear revealed a disdainful expression, but he still opened his arms to hug his mother. As he turned his head to the side, he wrinkled his little nose.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t move, so Little Bear turned around aggrievedly and called out faintly, ¡°Mother¡­¡±¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s tears fell instantly.

 Chapter 561: Debt

    Chapter 561: Debt


    Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling hugged Little Bear and cried hard. When Little Bear saw his mother crying, he closed his eyes and cried. After crying for a while, seeing that his mother did not stop, he stopped and looked at her in a daze. Then, he finally detected the stench that was wafting beside him.


    He pushed away his mother¡¯s head with all his might in disdain. There were still tears on his face, making him look a little pitiful.


    Seeing this, Little Treasure quickly struggled down from the wet nurse¡¯s arms


    to help his younger brother push his aunt.


    Turning the guilt and sadness in her heart into tears, Mu Yangling burst out crying. She looked up at the two children in a daze.


    Li Jinghua quickly got the two wet nurses to carry the children down and let them take a hot shower and change into clean clothes. Then, she held Mu Yangling¡¯s hand. ¡°Alright, I know you¡¯re sad, but this matter isn¡¯t your fault. You don¡¯t have to me yourself. We¡¯U just take care of them more in the future.¡±


    Mu Yangling lowered her eyes and sat there in a daze for a while before nodding. ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. I have a n.¡±


    Li Jinghua sighed and caressed Mu Yangling¡¯s shoulder. Mu Yangling frowned slightly.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Li Jinghua hurriedly asked.


    Mu Yangling shook her head slightly and said, ¡°Sister-inw, I¡¯ll go wash up first. You should go back and rest too.¡±


    Li Jinghua suddenly screamed and pulled Mu Yangling over to check her back carefully. Only then did she realize that there was a knife wound on her shoulder. After carefully tearing open the fabric, she realized that the wound was still bleeding.


    Li Jinghua¡¯s face turned slightly pale and she said, ¡°I¡¯ll call a doctor for you. With that, she rushed out.


    Mu Yangling opened her mouth, but she could only turn around and instruct Spring, ¡°Go get a maidservant to get hot water.¡±


    She had to wash the wound first before applying medicine to it.


    In the end, Spring and a maidservant who had some medical knowledge applied medicine on Mu Yangling. Li Jinghua stood at the side and watched. When she saw that there was more than one wound on Mu Yangling, her eyes turned red.


    Seeing Mu Yangling fall asleep on the pillow, even the doctor sitting outside could not help but admire her pain tolerance. It was impressive that she could fall asleep under such circumstances.


    Mu Yangling slept until noon the next day before waking up. Guard One came in and reported, ¡°The dead guards have already been cremated and buried. Lord Zhan bought the coffins for the vigers who died at the foot of the mountain and ced their corpses in the coffins. Fourth Madam, do you want to go down the mountain to take a look?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head slightly. ¡°There¡¯s no need. Considering the country is still in chaos, it won¡¯t do them any good for us to interact with them too much. Invite the vige chief and a few elders in the vige who have the authority to speak. I¡¯ll discuss it with them directly.¡±


    Bai Li came in and asked Mu Yangling to make a decision. ¡°Fourth Madam, Eldest Master sent a pigeon over to ask if you want to return to Jingzhao Prefecture or go to Lin¡¯an City?¡±


    Although Qi Xiuyuan had upied Lin¡¯an City, he did not stay there for long. After leaving behind a portion of the soldiers stationed there, he led the soldiers to conquer and recover the country. Hence, he could not guarantee that Lin¡¯an Prefecture was 100% safe.


    However, Jingzhao Prefecture and the other three northern prefectures were the safest ces since those were Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s territories from the beginning. That was why he asked her this.


    Mu Yangling sighed. ¡°Although Jingzhao Prefecture is good, it¡¯s too far away. Anything can happen during the month-long journey. Let¡¯s go to Lin¡¯an


    Prefecture.¡±


    Mu Yangling wanted to stay here, but this ce was too secluded. If the other party surrounded this ce ruthlessly, they would be trapped.


    ¡°So, when doweleave?¡±


    Mu Yangling was silent for a moment before replying, ¡°The day after tomorrow.¡±


    Today and tomorrow were enough for them to arrange everything.


    The vige chief came in with a white cloth tied to his waist while a few elders of the vige followed behind him with sorrowful expressions. When they saw Mu Yangling, they did not dare to sit and only stood far away.


    When Mu Yangling gestured for them to sit down, the vige chief and the elders looked at each other before sitting down in fear.


    At first, they were muddle-headed and thought that some bandits wanted to rob the Zhu family. However, the 3,000 soldiers who rushed to rescue themst night clearly let them know that the Zhu family¡¯s identity was not simple. Perhaps their surname was not Zhu at all, and they were not merchants from the North.


    However, the few of them knew better than to ask.


    Although Mu Yangling had brought the two children to kneel to them yesterday, the murderous aura on those soldiers still made them wary, so they were a little cautious around Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling did not exin her background and only said, ¡°The vigers suffered injuries or died for me, so I will be responsible for them.


    Mu Yangling handed a booklet to Spring and handed it to the vige chief. She said, ¡°For the 42 people who died in battle, each family will bepensated with 20 taels of silver. This amount is a one-off thing. In addition, for those families with old parents aged above 50, a wife, or children below age 16, they will also each receive five taels of silver a year per person. Those who got injured during the battle will bepensated 15 taels of silver. I will pay for their medical expenses. As for those who are seriously injured and disabled, going forward, each of them will receive 10 taels of silver a year. The medical expenses will be calcted separately.


    ¡°As for the other families in the vige, they indeed suffered a shock this time. I still have some coarse grains harvested from the wastndst year. I¡¯ll get someone to send it to each family ording to a certain ratioter. Vige Chief, if you have any other requests, you can tell me.


    The vige chief stared nkly at the booklet in his hand. Seeing that he was in a daze, an elder hurriedly tugged at him and looked up at Mu Yangling with a fawning smile. ¡°Fourth Madam, thispensation is very generous. We have no objections.¡±


    The vige chief also came back to his senses and said, ¡°Fourth Madam is benevolent, but I can¡¯t make the decision alone. I still have to go back and ask the vigers for their opinions.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and continued, ¡°I¡¯ll waive the repayment for all the grains they borrowed previously, but I hope they can continue to farm mynd as agreed upon.¡±


    The vige chief looked up at Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Although those pensions and alimony seem to be a lot, it¡¯s actually just enough to feed them. I don¡¯t want anyone to develop azy personality because of this. Besides, if you want to live a better life, you still have to farm. You¡¯ll nt sweet potatoes this year first. I¡¯ll send someone to buy the sweet potatoes after they¡¯re harvested and give you a fair price for them. Next year, I¡¯ll try my best to get some corn seeds from the north. When the timees, if the vigers want to, other than nting wheat and rice, they can also try to nt corn. As long as they¡¯re willing to work hard, they¡¯ll live well. If you guys encounter any difficulties in the future, I¡¯ll definitely help you if I can.¡±


    The vige chief¡¯s eyes turned red as he choked and asked, ¡°Fourth Madam, can we really nt corn?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly. ¡°There are two types of corn seeds now. Let¡¯s see which one you want to nt.¡±


    The vige chief got up and knelt down in front of Mu Yangling. The elders also knelt down one after another. Mu Yangling quickly went forward to help them up, her eyes slightly red. ¡°Actually, I should be the one thanking you.¡± ¡°Fourth Madam, you don¡¯t know how important these things are to us. They can allow our entire vige to survive in this chaotic world. Even for those families which don¡¯t have a man at home, they can still survive with these things.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s only one life¡­¡±


    To Mu Yangling, humans only had one life. Perhaps because she had died and reincarnated with her memories, Mu Yangling now had an even greater reverence for life.


    Each human only lived one life. Even if one could reincarnate, it would be another life.


    Therefore, she felt guilty. All of a sudden, she was indebted to 42 lives and 42 families.


    This was the first time someone had died because of her. Whether it was in her previous life or this life, her worldview, outlook on life, and values did not allow her to ept such kindness as a matter of course.

 Chapter 562: Returning to Lin’an

    Chapter 562: Returning to Lin¡¯an


    Editor: As Studios


    When Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows and left, many vigers were sending her off at the entrance of the vige. At first, they hated Mu Yangling and felt that if not for them, their families might not have died.


    However, after the vige chief announced thosepensation measures, they were grateful to Mu Yangling again. They felt that no matter what, she had not abandoned them. Instead, she had given them enough to allow their family to survive in this chaotic world. In addition, their family had voluntarily protected the Zhu family in the first ce, so thest bit of resentment dissipated.


    Mu Yangling left Chen Ming and his wife behind to distribute the annual pension and supervise the matters in the fields. In order to prevent corruption and bribery from happening, not only did Mu Yangling give Chen Ming a warning before she left, but she also announced a supervision measure.


    ¡°The distribution of pensions has been recorded. In the future, if anyone doesn¡¯t receive the money on time, the vige chief cane and tell me. The vigers who have suffered grievances can also entrust the town¡¯s shop to deliver a message to me.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°As the shopkeeper of the shop and Chen Ming don¡¯t have any conflicts of interest, everyone can rest assured.¡± Mu Yangling had set up that shop at thest minute to make it convenient for the vigers here to deliver a message to her. Hence, the shopkeeper was chosen from the residence. She would not let any one person serve in that position for too long, so they would not offend her for a little benefit.


    After doing this, Mu Yangling led Li Jinghua and the others away in a carriage. Little Bear had probably suffered a fright. Ever since he woke up, he had been clutching his mother¡¯s clothes tightly and insisted on leaning into her arms. Spring knew that Fourth Madam was injured, so she kept coaxing him. ¡°Third Young Master, can I carry you? I¡¯ll carry you to look at the grass outside¡­¡± Little Bear looked at Spring for a while and hesitated for a moment before decisively burying his head in his mother¡¯s arms. With a smile, Mu Yangling patted his back and said to Spring, ¡°Alright, there¡¯s only so much strength he can exert and it won¡¯t affect my wound.¡±


    To Mu Yangling who was carrying her son, he weighed as much as an egg would feel in an ordinary person¡¯s hand. Naturally, it did not affect the wound on her back.


    Seeing that no one had taken him away from his mother, Little Bear raised his head and looked outside curiously. Spring lifted a corner slightly to let him see the scenery outside.


    After a while, the lively Little Bear couldn¡¯t sit still anymore and kept moving towards the window. Seeing that he looked so pitiful, Mu Yangling picked him up and ced him by the window, her hands still holding his shoulders. Still feeling uneasy for a moment, Little Bear looked up at his mother from time to time. Seeing that she was always smiling at him, his heart was put to ease. He then boldly pulled open the curtains and pointed at the flowers and nts outside. Other than himself, no one could understand him.


    However, Spring still nodded in support. From time to time, she would respond with things like, ¡°It¡¯s really beautiful.¡± and ¡°Green green grass.¡±


    Little Bear wasn¡¯t the only one who had suffered a fright. Little Treasure was also a little rattled. He dinged to Li Jinghua at all times, and he didn¡¯t even bother to look for his beloved younger brother.


    Even if he fell asleep, he would definitely wake up crying every once in a while. Only when he saw his mother did he continue sleeping in peace.


    This made Li Jinghua feel both heartache and gratification.


    Because her son always wanted to y and sleep with Little Bear, she¡¯d thought that she, as his mother, was not as important to him as Little Bear.


    Wen Cui said in a low voice, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t worry. Second Young Master still cares about you the most. Third Young Master is Second Young Master¡¯s younger brother. Children tend to prefer ying with children.¡±


    Li Jinghua nodded slightly. She hugged Little Treasure and patted him gently.


    The doctor said that he needs to take medicine for a few days?¡±


    ¡°Second Young Master¡¯s health isn¡¯t too good, so he was quite affected this time. He 11 probably have to take medicine for five to six days.¡± Wen Cui hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°But Spring came to look for me just now and said that Fourth Madam suggested not to let him take medicine for such a long time. She said he just needs to drink four doses of medicine to calm the fear. If his condition is serious, just drink two more doses. Just coax him more often and bring him around the convoy. She thinks it¡¯s better for him to fix his health with diet since every medicine has its side effects¡­¡±


    Li Jinghua kissed her sleeping son and sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s do as Fourth Madam says. Those doctors only blindly prescribe more medicine to be on the safe side. The child merely suffered a fright. As long as we make him feel at ease, he will recover.¡±


    After saying that, looking at her son¡¯s pale face, Li Jinghua felt sad. ¡°You¡¯re clearly about to recover, but you always encounter trouble at thest step. Why is my Little Treasure so gued with disasters?¡±


    Wen Cui hurriedly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Eldest Madam. When we return to Lin¡¯an City, we can focus on helping Second Young Master recuperate. The medicinal cuisine recipes Fourth Madam found are pretty good.¡±


    Li Jinghua sighed and said, ¡°I hope so.¡± She hoped that they could really settle down this time.


    When Mu Yangling and the others returned to Lin¡¯an City, it caused amotion. The officials and officials¡¯ family members who stayed behind all knew that if nothing unexpected happened, Qi Xiuyuan would be the next Emperor.


    That meant Li Jinghua might be the next Empress, so everyone could not help but be restless.


    Before entering Lin¡¯an City, Bai Li came over and asked them where they wanted to stay after entering the city.


    This time, Bai Li mainly asked Li Jinghua. When it came to the safety of the war, Bai Li would naturally ignore Li Jinghua and ask Mu Yangling. However, he naturally had to ask Li Jinghua this question since she would have an even higher status in the future.


    Li Jinghua knew he was asking if she wanted to move to the pce.


    Li Jinghua lowered her eyes and thought for a while before turning to ask Mu Yangling, ¡°Ah Ling, where do you think is safer?¡±


    After experiencing so many dangers, Li Jinghua was now temporarily prioritizing safety over glory and other such things.


    Most of the people left in the pce are from the previous dynasty. There¡¯s still a lot of uncertainty.¡±


    Li Jinghua understood and said to Bai Li, ¡°Back to the Qi Residence.¡±


    After Qi Xiuyuan attacked Lin¡¯an City, Madam Wu and the others were sent back to the Qi Residence. However, they had no freedom to enter or leave and there were guards guarding outside. Those guards imed that they were protecting them, but it was also a form of supervision and imprisonment because they were afraid that they would get carried away and do something that would harm the Qj family¡¯s reputation.


    Mu Yangling and the others were sent directly to the Qi Residence. This time, Madam Wu personally brought Madam Xu and Little Madam Wu to the second gate to wait. She had always been sensible and knew that she and her two sons were now in Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s hands.


    Madam Wu humbled herself, but Li Jinghua was not smug. She still respectfully allowed the other party to return to the main house first before bringing Mu Yangling back to her courtyard.


    Mu Yangling did not speak the entire time. Madam Wu and the others were also used to ignoring Mu Yangling. From the moment Mu Yangling married into the family until now, the number of words she had said in front of Madam Wu and the others could be counted on two hands.


    Hence, everyone¡¯s gazes were on Li Jinghua, who was of high status.


    Everyone felt that Mu Yangling was just an introverted and ignorant vige girl. The only bold thing that she did was to reject thete Emperor¡¯s marriage arrangement for Qi Haoran on the spot. After that incident, Mu Yangling¡¯s performance was average. More urately speaking, she did not have anything to show for.


    Hence, everyone habitually ignored her. Li Jinghua could only smile bitterly at this.

 Chapter 563: Attitude Towards Life

    Chapter 563: Attitude Towards Life


    Editor: As Studios


    After returning to her courtyard, Li Jinghua said in a low voice, ¡°I know you¡¯re impatient to deal with them, but many people are watching now. Since she¡¯s our elder after all, you need to put on a show ande out often to chat.¡±


    Mu Yangling hugged Little Bear in her arms and saidzily, ¡°Why torture each otherwhen we clearly dislike each other? Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. No one in Lin¡¯an City knows my personality and they all treat me as a block of wood. Since that¡¯s the case, I might as well continue to be a block of wood like before. Anyway I have you to hold up the front, right?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the general previously tell you to hide your weakness to make it more convenient to do things? You don¡¯t have to pretend anymore, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Sister-inw, you¡¯ve misunderstood Big Brother. He only asked me to hide my skills in martial arts, but he doesn¡¯t care about how I act within the residence. I¡¯m simply not into those things. For example, when ites to beautiful jewelry and clothes, and trending fashion, I can just call over the boutiquedies to ask in order to find out. Then, I just have to pick out what I like. I can¡¯t fathom why women would spend an entire day picking out clothes and jewelry to wear.¡±


    ¡°If I have the time, I might as well go to the farmstead to take a look at my experimental plot or check on the manor or shops. Aside from that, I still have to teach the children. When I have time, I can bring them out to y and see the scenery outside.¡±


    She really could not understand how some women could spend their entire days obsessing over their attire while leaving their children to the servants and wet nurses. How could they only speak a few sentences to and spare a few nces at their children only at mealtimes and before bed?


    To Mu Yangling, hanging out with and chatting with a couple of good friends was just something to spice up one¡¯s life. One¡¯s family and career should be the focus of their life.


    Her child and husband were her family, and at the moment her career was divided into two parts. In the short term, her career was to protect Li Jinghua and Little Treasure so that Qi Xiuyuan and Qj Haoran could conquer the world in peace. Her long-term career was to nurture high-yielding seeds and develop more advanced farming techniques and tools.


    When Li Jinghua heard Mu Yangling¡¯s attitude towards life, she was stunned for a long time before asking, ¡°ording to what you said, I actually seem to have lived in vain for the past 20 years.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Everyone has different goals and are good at different things. I don¡¯t like to gossip with them because I don¡¯t like to be restrained by those rules. 1 prefer to walk around in the fields. Sister-inw, you will be the most respected woman in the world in the future. You¡¯re establishing your own career now.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and felt that those women were also opening up connections for her husband, son, and n. Hence, she nodded and said, ¡°I was a little narrow-minded previously. Talking about clothes and jewelry is just one means for them to do their work.¡±


    Then, she said proudly, ¡°I don¡¯t have to do this though. When Haoranes back, I¡¯ll tell him that he can establish his connections himself in the future. I still prefer to farm.¡±


    Li Jinghua just lowered her head and smiled.


    If Qi Xiuyuan could really ascend the throne, then Qi Haoran would undoubtedly be the most respected person besides Qi Xiuyuan. Of course, he didn¡¯t have to manage his connections anymore. Qi Haoran had always doted on Mu Yangling, so she naturally didn¡¯t have to make herself do things she didn¡¯t like.


    After Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua expressed their attitude, they stayed in Zhao Hua Courtyard and took care of the two children with peace of mind. From time to time, they would bring them to the small garden to y.


    The second day after Li Jinghua returned, Madam Wu handed her the Qi family¡¯s ount book and the key to the treasury. She said that she was the eldest daughter-inw and should be the family head.


    The entire Qi Residence seemed to get along in harmony, as if the previous conflicts had never happened. Li Jinghua was also very respectful to Madam Wu. Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but click her tongue when she saw this. She felt that this kind of life was definitely not something she could contend with.


    Of course, she could lie without changing her expression. In her previous life, in order toplete missions, this was necessary. However, if the most daily interactions in her life were turned into missions, what kind of life would she lead?


    It was precisely because she had always drawn a very clear line between work and life that she disdained to put on an act in life outside of work. At the very least, she was unwilling to live with a mask on.


    The interior of the Qi Residence was harmonious, but waves surged outside.


    Now, Qi Haoran had already conquered the southwest and northwest regions, and Qi Xiuyuan had already forced the Second Prince, Minister Qin, and their men to Chengdu Prefecture. He had also conquered all the territories upied by the rebels in Jiangnan, but he had yet to reim the north of Lin¡¯an City and Jiangling Prefecture.


    The north of Xingzhou Prefecture to Jingzhao Prefecture was a prosperous ce, and it had always been under Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s control, so that was fine. But two-thirds of the north of Lin¡¯an City was in General Yuan¡¯s hands. Considering this person¡¯s personality, as long as Qi Xiuyuan unified the country and rewarded General Yuan, he would definitely bow down to him.


    There was no need to worry about the remaining one-third since it was just the size of a prefectural capital. Qi Xiuyuan could easily subdue it after sending an army over. The area around Jiangling Prefecture was filled with bandits now. With the Qi brothers¡¯ previous attack, it was only a matter of time before they reimed it.


    Therefore, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s ascension to the throne was almost certain. The only thing left was to see if he could make it back from Chengdu Prefecture alive.


    Previously, Madam Li and the others had been kidnapped, and Madam Wu and the others were imprisoned in the Qi Residence. The people inside couldn¡¯te out, and the people outside couldn¡¯t enter. Moreover, because Madam Wu didn¡¯t have a good rtionship with Qi Xiuyuan, no one dared to curry favor with her rashly, so Lin¡¯an City was rtively quiet.


    But now, Madam Li and her son were back.


    From the looks of it, Madam Li and the others had actually been sent away by Qi Xiuyuan beforehand. It was uncertain if currying favor with Madam Wu was a good idea, but ingratiating themselves with Madam Li was a no-brainer. If nothing unexpected happened, Madam Li would most likely be the future Empress. It would only be beneficial for them and their husbands and sons to show their faces in front of her at this time.


    Therefore, many people began to send invitations to the Li Residence, wanting to visit.


    Only a few smart people thought of this: Qi Xiuyuan actually sent Madam Li away ahead of time. Didn¡¯t that mean that he wanted to rebel before Qi Feng died? He sent away his wife and children, but left his old father behind. That would imply that there was something wrong with Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s character and filial piety.


    Fan Siwen was one of them, but like most people, he only dared to think about it in his heart and didn¡¯t say it out loud. However, when he quarreled with Madam Xia again, when Madam Xia mentioned her capable nephew, Fan Siwen couldn¡¯t help but feel a little emotional.


    At that time, Fan Zijin happened to be there. When he saw the disdain in his father¡¯s eyes, his heart sank slightly. That night, for the first time, he ran to Fan Siwen¡¯s study and talked with him about political matters for a long time. When he came out again, although he was still smiling and his expression was indiscernible, Yanmo could still detect a strong cold aura emitting from his young master.


    When Fan Siwen returned to the study, he wrote a letter to Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran, saying that they owed him another big favor and asking that they give him a high position in the future.


    Fan Siwen was still a little dizzy in the study. He didn¡¯t understand why his son had spoken with him at length in the middle of the night.

 Chapter 564: Claiming Credit

    Chapter 564: iming Credit


    Editor: As Studios


    When Qi Haoran received the letter, he was rushing to Chengdu Prefecture with the army. He set the letter aside after reading the letter twice and failing to see any hidden content.


    When Qi Xiuyuan received the letter, he studied it twice, too. After confirming that there wasn¡¯t a hidden message, he frowned and ced it in a box specially used to store letters. Not quite understanding the meaning of Fan Zijin¡¯s letter, he nned to ask him when he returned.


    After a few days of hard work, Qi Haoran finally brought the army to meet up with Qi Xiuyuan. This was the first time the two brothers had reunited after being separated for three years.


    What Qi Xiuyuan wanted to do was just to force the Second Prince, Prime Minister Qin, and the others out of Chengdu Prefecture. Although there were hidden dangers if he let the Second Prince off, the Great Zhou had been in chaos for so many years. The people were tired of fighting, and the soldiers were exhausted. It was indeed not a good idea to continue.


    However, Qi Haoran was unwilling to let them off just like that. He had yet to take revenge on Ah Ling. In fact, he had rushed over to kill the Second Prince and Minister Qin.


    Therefore, he tried his best to say, ¡°Big Brother, just focus on returning to the Imperial Court and leave 20,000 people for me. I¡¯ll definitely be able to fight the Second Prince and Minister Qin to the death for you. The Second Prince carries the bloodline of the Guo family. Although he courted death and rebelled, as long as a trace of bloodline remained in the Great Zhou, the empire might be unstable. Furthermore, Minister Qin is among them.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, if we can kill Minister Qin, the people will definitely be convinced.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Other than West Xia s army, the Second Prince also has about 50,000 imperial guards. Are you sure you can take them down with just 20,000 men? You have to know that one shouldn¡¯t chase after a desperate enemy. If we force them into a corner and fight them to the death, we will suffer heavy losses.¡±


    This was also the reason why Qi Xiuyuan was willing to let them go. Previously, Qi Xiuyuan had nothing, so he rushed forward with all he had. Now that he had conquered more than half of the country, he was only one step away from sess. On the other hand, Second Prince had been forced to Chengdu Prefecture, and after that, he would be forced to enter West Xia.


    Qi Haoran chuckled. ¡°Big Brother, who said we¡¯re going to force them into a corner? They¡¯re all born and raised by their parents. Those imperial guards are mostly soldiers from Jiangnan and the central region. Do you really think they¡¯re willing to follow the Second Prince into exile in West Xia? Just wait. Once you leave, I¡¯ll tell them that I won¡¯t kill them if they disarm. We can let them choose to return to their hometown or continue to be soldiers. I¡¯ll only take the heads of the Second Prince and Prime Minister Qin. Let¡¯s see how many people are willing to follow them.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan was dumbfounded. After a while, he patted his brother s shoulder and said, ¡°Not bad, not bad. You¡¯re even more thorough in your considerations than me now.¡±


    Seeing Qi Haoran be smug, Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t help but smile. He thought that if Qi Haoran had a tail now, it would definitely wag.


    ¡°Big Brother, are you going to ascend the throne after you go back?


    Qi Xiuyuan paused for a moment and said, ¡°We still have to discuss and choose a good day. Haoran, I hope that you can make it back by then.¡±


    Qi Haoran patted his chest and promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Big Brother. 111 definitely rush back.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan smiled and Qi Haoran said with a grin ingratiatingly, ¡°Big Brother, I might need a long time before I can go back. Help me take care of Ah Ling when you go back. If you and Sister-inw move into the pce, bring her along to prevent her from being bullied outside. She¡¯s a blockhead. She can defend herself physically alright, but she¡¯s no good at verbal wars. Furthermore, since she¡¯s the sort who won¡¯tin, we won¡¯t even know if she s bullied.


    Seeing his brother like this, Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t help but shake his head andugh. ¡°Alright, alright. You¡¯re leading an army of hundreds of thousands outside and you ¡®re my biological brother. Who dares to bully your wife? Thinking of Madam Wu and the others in the Qi Residence, he sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let your wife suffer.¡±


    Qi Haoran heaved a sigh of relief. He was really worried that Madam Wu would put on airs and bully Mu Yangling.


    ¡°After ascending the throne, I¡¯ll be giving out rewards based on one¡¯s contributions. Haoran, what title do you want?¡± It was a difficult topic to broach with his subordinates, but they were brothers, so there was nothing they couldn¡¯t talk about.


    Qi Haoran tilted his head and said, ¡°You can confer me the title of Prince. Qi Xiuyuan raised his eyebrows. Qi Haoran lowered his voice and said, Big Brother, do you really n to just take over the Great Zhou? Now, West Xia is upying the west and Dali in the south, while the north is upied by the Jin Kingdom. These are all Han Chinese territories. We have to take them back one day. Once you be the Emperor, you definitely can¡¯t fight everywhere anymore. When the timees, I¡¯ll recover those territories in my capacity as a general. Then, you can confer me the title of King.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuanughed out loud. ¡°How did you know that I wanted to confer you the title of King from the beginning?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your biological younger brother. If you don¡¯t confer me the title of King, who would you confer that title?¡± Qi Haoran widened his eyes.


    Qi Xiuyuan rubbed his head and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. You¡¯re my biological brother, so I¡¯ll leave the position of King for you after you recover thosends.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded smugly and did not forget to specially instruct, ¡°Big Brother, you must remember that when you confer me the title of Prince, you have to confer Ah Ling as the Princess Consort. You have to confer us the titles at the same time.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan was about to say something when he was stopped by Qi Haoran s delighted expression. Forget it, Haoran¡¯s thoughts were simple. Even if someone provoked him, he might not be provoked. There was probably no need to remind him.


    ¡°Big Brother?¡± Seeing that he wasn¡¯t listening to him, Qi Haoran nudged him. ¡°Got it.¡± Qi Xiuyuan said with a smile, ¡°I know that you two are deeply in love. Don¡¯t worry, the decree will definitely be issued at the same time.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s heart itched uncontrobly. ¡°Then, Big Brother, do you think I should tell Ah Ling now or leave it as a surprise?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan saw that the topic was getting more and more off-topic, but he did not try to pull it back. He only yed along and said, ¡°You can tell her to give her a surprise now. This way, you guys will be happy for a few more days.¡±


    Qi Haoran agreed deeply. At the thought that Mu Yangling would be as delighted as him, he couldn¡¯t sit still anymore and wanted to go back and write a letter to her.


    Qi Xiuyuan pressed him down and said, ¡°We brothers will be separated the day after tomorrow. Drink with me today. You can write the letter anytime.¡±


    Then, he said, ¡°Give the letter to me after it¡¯s written. I¡¯ll hand it to her when I get back. There¡¯s no need to send a messenger.¡±


    Qi Haoran also knew that this reward was privately agreed upon by the two brothers and that it wasn¡¯t a good idea to send the letter openly, so he agreed. ¡°Then Big Brother, what titles are you going to confer Second Brother and Third Brother?¡±


    The smile on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s lips faded slightly. ¡°Anything is fine. I don¡¯t want them to enter politics thanks to me.¡±


    ¡°Then just don¡¯t confer them.¡± Qi Haoran said with heartache, ¡°If you confer them the title of a duke, you¡¯d have to reward them with a lot of stipendnd and give them a significant sry each year. We can do a lot of things with this money. Anyway, not only have they not made any contribution, but they¡¯ve also caused us a lot of trouble in the past.¡±


    ¡°When did you start to cherish money?¡± Qi Xiuyuan asked curiously. You ve always been generous, but now you know how to save money.


    Although he was going about it in the wrong direction.


    As his biological brother, Qi Xiuyuan could naturally tell that thetter reason Qi Haoran gave was just a casually made-up one, and him feeling sorry for the money was the real reason. Even Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for him when he saw his pained expression at the mention of money.

 Chapter 565: Lacking Money

    Chapter 565: Lacking Money


    Editor: As Studios


    Because Qi Xiuyuan and Fan Zijin were around, Qi Haoran rarelycked money. However, it was different now that he had a wife and son. Especially after having a son, Qi Haoran felt that he waspletely broke.


    There were many things he wanted to give to his son but couldn¡¯t because he did not have enough money. As most of his money was spent on war orpensating the families of the soldiers who had died, he was quite short of money.


    However, he could not always reach out and take money from Fan Zijin. At other times, it was fine. But at this moment, Fan Zijin wasn¡¯t that well-off either. He had given all his money to Big Brother to recruit soldiers, buy horses, and buy equipment. Hence, Qi Haoran could only make a little picture book for his son and carve some small animals or something as gifts to save money.


    Fei Bai was the one who most strongly sensed Qi Haoran¡¯s thriftiness. This was because he had not been rewarded a single copper coin from his master for more than a year. Not only had the amount of money Qi Haoran had rewarded to his subordinates decreased, but even the silver inside had decreased from five taels to two taels. There were a few times when he had to pay for his master¡¯s deficit from his own pocket. It could be seen how poor Qi Haoran was.


    As a poor man, Qi Haoran deeply felt the difficulty of being unable to ovee a big difficulty because of a small obstacle. Hence, he became ¡®stingy¡¯. He didn¡¯t have much feelings for Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai since he suffered a lot at their hands when they were young. When he was in Lin¡¯an, he spent most of his time in the Fan residence with Fan Zijin.


    Still, he was always bullied by Qi Shaosheng and his brother when he returned home. It was obvious how much he hated them.


    Coupled with the fact that he had gone to Xingzhou Prefecture when he was 12 years old, he didn¡¯t have much feelings forthem. Even when Qi Feng died, he only had mixed feelings for a moment and didn¡¯t feel much sadness. He only felt as if half a stone was stuck in his heart. In a few days, that feeling vanished after going to the battlefield a few times.


    Now that Qi Feng, the link between the four Qi brothers, was dead, he was even more unwilling to let Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai enjoy the fruits of his and Big Brother¡¯sbor.


    They had conquered the country and charged at the front line, but the two of them had always been at the back. Plus, they were neither talented in academics nor martial arts. In addition, Zijin had supported half of the Qi family army¡¯s military sry alone while those two had not paid a single cent.


    Just because they shared the same father, they could be conferred the title of king and marquis?


    At the thought of the money it would cost, Qi Haoran was extremely opposed to the idea.


    Seeing Qi Haoran¡¯s puffed-up face, Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud. He patted his shoulder and said, ¡°When you return to the capital, Big Brother will reward you with a few boxes of gold.¡±


    Qi Haoran cheered up. ¡°You¡¯ve got to keep your word.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded with a smile.


    It was impossible for Qi Xiuyuan to keep his word. At the very least, it was impossible for him to reward Qi Haoran with a few boxes of gold in the short term. This was because the national treasury did not have money. Other than antiques, jewelry, and various equipment that could not be easily cashed out, he did not have any gold in his private vault. He had taken out all his gold and silver to support the army, so he did not have any gold.


    Looking at the empty treasury, Qi Xiuyuan felt extremely disappointed. He turned to look at the former Minister of Revenue, Zhang Cheng.


    Zhang Cheng knelt down in fear and trepidation and said, ¡°Your Majesty, although there¡¯s not much money left in the national treasury, there was still some left before the Second Prince rebelled and ascended the throne. However, they took all the money with them when they left. The national treasury is really broke now.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan narrowed his eyes at him. Zhang Cheng could only hand over the ount book in fear.


    Qi Xiuyuan picked up the ount book and said after a while, ¡°I haven¡¯t ascended the throne yet. Lord Zhang, just call me General.¡±


    Seeing Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s cold expression, Zhang Cheng immediately stopped ttering him and obediently called out, ¡°General.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan had entered the city yesterday and was weed by themoners. Instead of staying in the pce, he lived directly in the Qi Residence. The next day, he called the officials of the previous dynasty (Great Zhou) who were still in Lin¡¯an City to Chongzheng Hall, hoping that they could help him.


    After the Second Prince rebelled and ascended the throne, there were many officials who went on a strike. After Qi Xiuyuan attacked Lin¡¯an City, he didn¡¯t stay for more than two days before chasing after the Second Prince. Therefore, this country had been in a paralyzed state, and the high-ranking officials of the previous dynasty had been idling at home.


    This time, Qi Xiuyuan came back to rebuild the Imperial Court and gradually restore order.


    He had upied more than half of the country, but without officials to manage it, thesends could not be considered a country. They were still like scattered sand.


    Having seen how the officials of the previous dynasty behaved, Qi Xiuyuan earnestly asked them to pay attention to the treasury after bing officials.


    Because he could only aplish as many things with however much money.


    Although there were still many officials who did not immediately agree to help, Qi Xiuyuan still went to look at the national treasury in a good mood. He knew that the officials were just being emotional. After sincerely inviting them a few more times, those officials would be willing to be of use for him. He was also happy to be known as someone who cherished talent.


    But all good moods evaporated after opening the treasury.


    The first thing Qi Haoran looked at was the money bank. The treasury was divided into many types¡ªthere was grain, money, goods, and equipment. Also, there was a treasury that specially stored various title deeds and contracts.


    There was no money in the vault. Not even a single copper. All the vaults were the same.


    The money vaults was also divided into three types. One was specialized in storing copper coins, one was specialized in storing official silver, and the other stored gold.


    However, the all three types were empty. The country had no money, and things had yet to stabilize in the country. He thought about how so many people had been disced by natural disasters and war, and the ongoing chaos. If they wanted to restore things to order, if they wanted the people to stop rebelling and settle down to farm thend, money was an absolute necessity.


    How could Qi Xiuyuan not be disappointed when he saw the empty vaults?


    Therefore, he could only call the former Minister of Revenue, Zhang Cheng, over. However, Zhang Cheng had stopped attending court ever since the Second Prince rebelled, so he did not know where the money went.


    Although he said that, Qi Xiuyuan felt that he knew. He had been the Minister of Revenue for so many years and could be considered Minister Qin¡¯s trusted aide. Even if he didn¡¯t know, he could more or less guess, right?


    However, Qi Xiuyuan suppressed the anger in his heart and kept telling himself that this matter could not be rushed.


    Though Qi Xiuyuan suppressed his anger in front of Zhang Cheng, when he returned to the Qi Residence, he couldn¡¯t help but kick the table away. The servants in the room knelt down around him. Li Jinghua, who was holding her son¡¯s hand and came over to let the father and son bond, couldn¡¯t help but stop in her tracks.


    Seeing that her son was a little frightened, Li Jinghua quickly picked him up and patted his back. After some thought, she carried Little Treasure into the house.


    ¡°Master, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Li Jinghua put Little Treasure down and asked someone to clear up the mess before leaving.


    Qi Xiuyuan took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. He shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± When his gazended on his son by his feet, his expression softened. Squatting down, he picked up Little Treasure and asked softly, ¡°Have you eaten dinner?¡±


    Little Treasure was actually not that timid. He had been doted on by his mother and aunt since he was young, and he had a bold younger brother to apany him, so he wasn¡¯t a timid kid. Previously, he was startled because he suddenly heard a loud bang and saw that his father¡¯s face was ashen. Seeing that his father had clearly softened his voice, he gradually became bolder. Hey on his father¡¯s chest and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten. I was waiting for Daddy.¡±

 Chapter 566: Getting Along

    Chapter 566: Getting Along


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Xiuyuan carried Little Treasure to the reception pavilion with a smile. As he walked, he turned around and said to Li Jinghua, ¡°Call Sister-inw and Little Bear over for dinner.¡±


    Seeing that he was getting along well with his son, Li Jinghua was delighted. She quickly smiled and agreed.


    Little Bear could already walk unsteadily. He seemed to enjoy walking very much, so ever since he learned how to walk, he had been determined not to be carried and insisted on walking by himself.


    Even if Zhaohua Courtyard and Zhaode Hall were closely located, the food would have already turned cold by the time this kid walked over. Therefore, Mu Yangling ignored his struggles and carried him quickly to the entrance of Zhaohua Courtyard¡¯s reception pavilion. Seeing that her son was about to burst into tears, she put him down.


    Little Bear staggered to the threshold and leaned on it. Although he was clumsy, he quickly put his right leg on it and crossed the threshold in an instant. When his entire body flipped over, he straightened his body unsteadily and walked towards Little Treasure.


    Qj Xiuyuan witnessed the entire process.


    Hence, he saw a child with a slightly red nose staggering towards him (Little Treasure in his arms).


    Qj Xiuyuan looked at Little Bear¡¯s head and then at the threshold below his lower chest. He couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°Why did you let the child walk over by himself?¡±


    Coupled with Little Bear¡¯s aggrieved look, one would think Mu Yangling was a stepmother forcing the child to walk over by himself.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°I carried him to the door before putting him down. If we don¡¯t let him walk thisst part, we can forget about eating tonight.¡±


    At the side, Li Jinghua exined, ¡°Little Bear¡¯s limbs develop quickly and he likes to walk. After he learned how to walk, he refused to let anyone carry him anymore. He won¡¯t even let anyone support him and insists on walking by himself.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at him in surprise and said with a smile, ¡°This kid is like his father. Haoran was like this when he was young.¡±


    Little Bear had already walked up to Qi Xiuyuan. Without looking at him, he tugged at Little Treasure and pointed at his mother as he babbled.


    Little Treasure nodded from time to time. No one knew what they were talking about.


    Qi Xiuyuan ced Little Treasure on his right knee and Little Bear on his left knee, letting the two children sit facing each other.


    Little Bear only nced at Qi Xiuyuan curiously, then seemed to be very satisfied with this sitting posture. Now that the grievance and anger on his face had disappeared, he held Little Treasure¡¯s hand and began to talk about other things.


    After listening carefully for a long time, Qi Xiuyuan realized that he still couldn¡¯t understand a word. With an embarrassed look, he pinched Little Bear¡¯s face and said, ¡°Little Bear, call me Uncle.¡±


    Little Bear called out in a mispronunciation twice. Seeing that the adult in front of him was still asking him to call him ¡®Uncle¡¯, he unhappily slid down his leg and ran towards his mother.


    Used to it, Mu Yangling exined to the stunned Qi Xiuyuan, ¡°Big Brother, this child is not patient enough. He only attempts to learn a word twice and is impatient to try any more than that. It takes him some time to learn a new word.¡±


    ¡°In that case, when will he learn to speak?¡± Qi Xiuyuan frowned. ¡°You can¡¯t spoil the child too much.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Big Brother.¡± Mu Yangling waved her hand readily and said, ¡°This kid is dull. He won¡¯t learn new words unless you introduce them to him one by one. When I talk to him, I always refer to myself as ¡®Mother¡¯. Also, I try to mention the words ¡®Father¡¯, ¡®Aunt¡¯, ¡®Brother¡¯. After hearing these terms a few times, he¡¯ll definitely understand what they mean.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan smiled and didn¡¯t mention this topic again.


    Under Li Jinghua¡¯s arrangement, the servant girls and maids started serving the food.


    Little Treasure¡¯s main food now was steamed egg custard and some minced meat. He ate the food with relish and drank less milk these days.


    Ever since Little Bear secretly ate his brother¡¯s minced meat, he was no longer willing to drink milk. Every day, he looked at his brother¡¯s bowl with teary eyes, making Mu Yangling¡¯s heart ache. So, she began to feed Little Bear some minced meat.


    Now, he insisted on eating with a spoon by himself.


    Qi Xiuyuan felt that the two children had been taught well. He looked at Little Treasure, then at Little Bear, before saying to Mu Yangling, ¡°When I ascend the throne, Haoran will definitelye back. But since the war hasn¡¯tpletely subsided, I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll be sent to the border again. It¡¯s not good for the two of you to be separated for a long time. Besides, it¡¯s better for Little Bear to have his father by his side.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up and she asked excitedly, ¡°Big Brother, are you sending us to Haoran¡¯s side?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan choked. He was originally worried that Mu Yangling would not be willing to go to those war-torn and cold ces, but now it seemed that he was overthinking.


    Qi Xiuyuan paused for a moment and said, ¡°Not now, but when Haoranes back, he¡¯ll have to lead the Qi family¡¯s army. I don¡¯t know when he¡¯lle back after he leaves the capital again. Little Bear will be two years old by then. Also, it¡¯s time to give him a younger brother.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan blushed slightly when he said this because Li Jinghua should be the one to talk to Mu Yangling about these things. But since they were in a hurry, he could only say it himself.


    Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to follow him, I can arrange for two people to serve Haoran¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s excited expression froze and she immediately said, ¡°Big Brother, I¡¯m willing to go.¡± Her attitude became even more determined.


    Qi Xiuyuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression turned serious as she said, ¡°Since we¡¯re husband and wife, we should advance and retreat together. Since you¡¯ve already returned to the capital, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Then start making the arrangements first. When Haoranes back to attend the coronation, you can follow him.¡± Qi Xiuyuan was afraid that Mu Yangling would ask to go to Qi Haoran immediately. Actually, if not for the fact that his brother was unwilling to take a concubine, he would have preferred Mu Yangling to stay in Lin¡¯an City. After all, it was safer.


    However, since Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling were opposed to the idea of the former taking a concubine, Qi Xiuyuan did not wish to interfere in the matters between the married couple. Thus, the best way was for Mu Yangling to take their child and join Qi Haoran in the army.


    Overjoyed by the pleasant surprise, she became extra concerned about Qi Xiuyuan. ¡°Big Brother, why are you constantly wearing a frown today?¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She looked up at Mu Yangling and saw that her eyes were filled with joy. She knew that Mu Yangling was still happy about what had happened just now. In fact, so happy that she actually asked about politics. She quickly stretched out her leg and kicked Mu Yangling secretly to remind her to be careful.


    Mu Yangling blinked in confusion.


    Qi Xiuyuan did not notice this. As Mu Yangling often discussed politics with them, he was used to it. Hence, he frowned and told them about the empty treasury. There was not a single cent in the treasury, and there was not much in the grain warehouse. If he wanted to organize the Imperial Court, he was afraid that there wasn¡¯t even enough grain stipend to pay the officials¡¯ sry for a year.


    Li Jinghua started fretting. ¡°Did they not collect taxes from all over the countryst year?¡±


    ¡°The various ces are doing their own things. The taxes have increased quite a lot for themoners, but they¡¯ve all been embezzled. Those people hold some power. If they¡¯re told to hand the money over, I¡¯m afraid there will be anothermotion.¡±


    Now that the situation had changed and his stance had changed, Qi Xiuyuan naturally had to act ordingly. Now that he was the master of this country, there were more things he had to consider.


    ¡°Have you chosen the date to ascend to the throne? If you choose to do so after autumn¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Knowing what Li Jinghua meant, Qi Xiuyuan said with a frown, ¡°After I ascend to the throne, I will definitely give a pardon and exempt the people from taxes so that they recover from the war. If we still collect taxes as usual, won¡¯t we be following the old path of the Great Zhou?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded repeatedly and asked hurriedly, ¡°Logically speaking, no matter how extravagant Emperor Jingyan was, it is impossible that the national treasury ispletely empty. Did the Second Prince take everything away? But they only had tens of thousands of people, and we attacked Lin¡¯an City suddenly. How could he be so fast?¡±

 Chapter 567: Repression

    Chapter 567: Repression


    Editor: As Studios


    At that time, Qi Xiuyuan was focused on the war, so in the end, he only sent 2,000 people to surround the treasury and continued fighting. When he opened the treasury, he also suspected that the soldiers had stolen it, but he quickly dismissed this idea.


    The 2,000 soldiers were all trustworthy people. Moreover, there were his trusted aides among them. Considering they were not familiar with Lin¡¯an City, it would have caused a hugemotion if they had stolen from it. It was impossible for them to do such a thing.


    Therefore, the only possibility was that the treasury was already empty before he ordered his men to surround it.


    However, he also didn¡¯t believe that the Second Prince had emptied the treasury. Just as Mu Yangling had said, since Qi Xiuyuan had attacked Lin¡¯an City suddenly, it was impossible for the Second Prince to be prepared in advance. Moreover, he would be courting death by carrying so much money when fleeing.


    Having been chasing after the Second Prince the entire time, Qi Xiuyuan was very familiar with their speed.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°If it isn¡¯t the Second Prince, Emperor Jingyan couldn¡¯t have hidden the things, right? But the Second Prince¡¯s rebellion also happened suddenly. Besides the two of them, who else in this world could take the money out of the vaults without batting an eyelid?¡±


    Mu Yangling paused and looked up at Qi Xiuyuan. Li Jinghua also had a guess and said hesitantly, ¡°Minister Qin?¡±


    Smiling, Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°We¡¯ll know if it¡¯s him after we raid the Qin residence tomorrow.¡±


    Minister Qin had taken his son with him, leaving only his daughter, concubines, and unimportant servants in the residence.


    Although Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t kill them, he didn¡¯t let them off either. He chose an upright official from the Ministry of Justice who was proficient in thew to interrogate them before sending them all to prison. Minister Qin¡¯s residence was empty now.


    It should be said that all the residences under Minister Qin¡¯s name in Lin¡¯an were empty.


    Qi Xiuyuan got his men to search through all the residences, but they did not find a single piece of gold.


    This time, even Qi Xiuyuan felt that something was wrong.


    Who was Minister Qin?


    That was the number one greedy person in Great Zhou, who had more assets than the treasury. How could he not have any gold?


    Qi Xiuyuan flipped open the confiscated ount book and saw that various items such as silk, jewelry, and antiques were listed. There was enough precious pearls that could fill up a box, in addition to countless rubies and sapphires. Also, the various jade artifacts could fill up a small storeroom alone. s, there was not a single piece of gold.


    Qi Xiuyuan picked up a gold hairpin and asked, ¡°Are the gold and silver items here too?¡±


    ¡°General, there¡¯s gold and silver jewelry, but therger gold and silver artifacts have all disappeared.¡±


    Investigate!¡± Qi Xiuyuan threw down the things in his hand and said, ¡°Since they left the capital in a hurry, it¡¯s impossible for them to take away so much gold and silver. Those things must still be in Lin¡¯an City.¡±


    However, the officials of the Ministry of Justice failed to obtain any useful information on the people left behind by Minister Qin despite using torture on them. The important people had been taken away by Minister Qin, and the unimportant people who knew the inside story had also also killed by Minister Qin. The remaining people really had no idea.


    The pauper Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s expression turned even uglier. One night, Li Jinghua probed, ¡°Master, all the aristocratic families are rich.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan was silent for a long time before nodding slightly.


    Li Jinghua heaved a sigh of relief. She would not ask anymore in the future, but she knew that the aristocratic families would probablypletely disappear in the future.


    Emperor Shizong of Great Zhou had tried his best to suppress the aristocratic families. Things only gradually recovered after Emperor Gaozong allowed things to rest and recuperate for a hundred years.


    The Li family was no longer worthy of its aristocratic status. They only looked like an aristocratic family on the surface, but in reality they were not. Soon, the other aristocratic families might be like the Li family.


    Li Jinghua wanted to write a letter to ask her father and brother toe over, but after thinking about it, she decided to put this matter aside for the time being. Her father¡¯s health was not good, and her brother was disabled. Since it would not be of much use even if they came, why let them go through such torment?


    Perhaps Qi Xiuyuan had found another way. In any case, he stopped paying much attention to the theft of the national treasury. Moreover, after a few groups of people searched Minister Qin¡¯s residence and didn¡¯t find anything, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Leave Minister Qin¡¯s residence alone for now. When Haoran returns, I¡¯ll confer him the title of a Prince and grant him that as his residence.¡±


    Rong Xuan had no objections, and the other ministers had no objections either. Not to mention that Qi Haoran was Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s biological younger brother, even if he wasn¡¯t, he deserved this honor. After all, he had led hundreds of thousands of troops and helped Qi Xiuyuan conquer half of the country.


    Everyone was concerned about another question. ¡°General, when will you and Madam move into the pce? Although you haven¡¯t ascended the throne yet, it¡¯s better for you to enter the pce early.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan was still living in the Qi Residence and rushed to the pce every day to deal with government affairs. The ministers reckoned he must be exhausted from doing this, and they were also afraid that something would happen on his journey from the pce to the Qi Residence.


    Qi Xiuyuan paused for a moment and said, ¡°Let the Imperial Astronomer choose a good day. There¡¯s no need for so many pces in the pce. When the timees, seal them and only open up those that we need to use.¡±


    Hence, someone took the opportunity to suggest adding new people to the pce. For example, the previous eunuchs and pce maids should be reced. Moreover, there were many pce maids and eunuchs who had escaped previously, so the number should be increased appropriately. Since they were adding more pce maids and eunuchs, the size of Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s harem should also be increased.


    Qi Xiuyuan still only had Li Jinghua as his wife, two mistresses, and no concubines. Everyone knew that if a woman could be Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s concubine at this time, then after he ascended the throne, his concubine would definitely obtain a considerable position.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan hated it when others interfered in his family matters, so he pretended not to understand and only said, ¡°Get someone to renovate ¡¯ Minister Qin¡¯s residence. When Haoranes back, he can move in directly.¡± Hence, everyone¡¯s attention shifted again. If Qi Haoran moved in as soon as he returned, the que would definitely have to be reced. This involved rewards based on merit. This was a huge problem, an even bigger problem than Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s harem.


    After Qi Xiuyuan returned, Mu Yangling knew that she was soon to move into a huge residence. She asked curiously, ¡°I heard that Minister Qin¡¯s residence is even better than a prince¡¯s residence. The standard is even higher than a prince¡¯s residence, right?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded. ¡°Considering Minister Qin has done plenty of illegal things, Emperor Jingyan didn¡¯t mind such a small matter.¡±


    But Big Brother, didn¡¯t you want to confer Haoran the title of Prince? This is


    already surpassing what even a King should obtain.¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly said with a smile, ¡°Just set aside a few plots ofnd for now. You can always connect thends when Fourth Brother gets conferred the title of a King, right?¡± Considering Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran¡¯s rtionship, it was only a matter of time before thetter got conferred the title of a King.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan said with a smile, ¡°There¡¯s no need to go through so much trouble. We can just build a martial arts arena for Haoran on the excessnd.¡±


    However, Mu Yangling disagreed and said with a straight face, ¡°That won¡¯t do


    We have to follow the rules. Big Brother, Haoran is your biological younger brother. Only if he obeys the rules will the subordinates have more scruples. Otherwise, if he vites the rules first, won¡¯t the other meritorious officials follow suit?¡±


    ¡°Since Haoran is a member of the royal family, the rules don¡¯t apply to him as much as to the others.¡± This had always been the unspoken rule.


    However, because it was an unspoken rule, Mu Yangling disliked it even more.


    Big Brother, thepliance I¡¯m talking about is not only targeted at outsiders. There¡¯s also our Qi family, including Little Treasure, Little Bear, and the descendants of the Qi family in the future. The Great Zhou Dynasty declined rapidly after the World Sect¡¯s Emperor because it was too indulgent to the descendants of the royal family. As a result, there wasn¡¯t a single person in the royal family who amounted to much. But it led the royal family to umte a lot of power and money, causing the order to copse and making the country powerless to resist in the face of outsiders¡¯ invasion. In spite of that, they put the me on the border guards. Haoran is your younger brother. It¡¯s naturally not wrong for you to dote on him as an elder brother, but you¡¯re bestowing him those rewards in your capacity as a king. Since Haoran is your subject, it¡¯s only right that he abides by the rules.¡±

 Chapter 568: Limestone Slab

    Chapter 568: Limestone b


    Editor: As Studios


    No matter how deep a rtionship was, there would always be a time when the sentiments would be depleted. Knowing sentiments depended on one¡¯s heart and was too ethereal, Mu Yangling preferred to rify the boundaries and establish a proper system.


    Both sides had to know what could and could not be done. Only then would they not have to test each other, let alone squander their affection towards each


    other blindly.


    Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran were close, so she didn¡¯t want there to be a day when there would be an estrangement between them.


    Qi Xiuyuan suddenly felt a little ufortable. He was still cing himself in the position of a father and older brother to Qi Haoran and had yet to identify as his new identity. Mu Yangling suddenly lowered her voice and said, Big Brother, Haoran isn¡¯t the only rtive of the royal family.¡± Mu Yangling looked at the East Manor. ¡°Just treat it as Haoran setting an example as a younger brother first.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyebrows twitched and he felt a little better. However, he heeded Mu Yangling¡¯s suggestion and nned to create a better systemter.


    ¡°In that case, go to Minister Qin¡¯s residence when you have time and see which area is better. Tell the Ministry of Workster and let them work on it.¡± Qi Xiuyuan was a little embarrassed at this point. ¡°Minister Qin¡¯s residence is full of potholes now and has to undergo a major repair anyway. When you go to take a look and see if there¡¯s anything you need to modify, note it down and let the Ministry of Works knowter.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said that he would dig up those things even if he had to dig three feet into the ground. Although he hadn¡¯t sessfully dug out those things, he had indeed dug three feet into the ground.


    Even the floor in the room had been pried up. Standing at the door and <sup>lookin</sup>8 in, Mu Yangling said with a sigh, ¡°How much money will it cost to repair this.¡±


    Mu Yangling felt her heart ache at the thought of that figure.


    The entire Minister Qin¡¯s residence was like this. The empty space in the courtyard, the flowers in the flower bed, and even the limestone bs on the ground had been pried up.


    Carrying Little Bear, who was unwilling to leave her side, Mu Yangling walked towards the back and said to the Ministry of Works, ¡°I remember that there¡¯s a huge empty space in the northwest corner. Bring me there to take a look. If it¡¯s suitable, let¡¯s separate that space.¡±


    The Ministry of Works quickly led Mu Yangling over respectfully.


    It took her a full 45 minutes to walk from the main house to the northwest corner. Mu Yangling felt that even if she moved in, she wouldn¡¯t have the time to walk around the residence every day. Furthermore, this was only half of the diagonal.


    There was a garden in the northwest corner. More urately speaking, there was a garden along the flow of the stream. Because there was a courtyard in the middle, the Qin Residence had arge garden and three small gardens.


    The one in the northwest corner was thergest one.


    in the past, this was the garden of the Qin Residence that everyone envied. The precious flowers and nts inside were second only to the imperial garden of the pce. But now, the entire garden had been upturned, and more than half of the limestone bs deep in the garden had been pried up.


    Mu Yangling ced Little Bear on the ground and pinched the soil on the ground with her hand. She said very pertinently, ¡°Thisnd is very fertile. If we farm here, even if the weather isn¡¯t good, with this small stream, I¡¯m certain we can reap a bountiful harvest.¡±


    The clerk from the Ministry of Works was dumbfounded.


    However, Spring said with a smile, ¡°If Madam can¡¯t bear to part with it, we won¡¯t carve out this plot ofnd. Isn¡¯t there still two corners? At most, we¡¯ll split out the courtyards in the west. There aren¡¯t many people in our residence, so we can¡¯t amodate so many people. Since the northwest corner is so big and there¡¯s a river, Madam can practice here.


    Seeing that Mu Yangling was tempted, Spring continued, ¡°Otherwise, should any ideae to mind, you¡¯d have to run to the farmstead again. What a waste of time that is. In that case, why don¡¯t you just set up the experimental plot at home¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling touched her chin and said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, the Prince¡¯s Residence will be a farm. Won¡¯t your master scold me to death when hees back? I¡¯ll discuss it with himter.¡±


    Mu Yangling saw that Little Bear had already started to climb up the overturned limestone b without any restraint, and the nanny could only barely hold him back. She went forward and picked him up. ¡°It¡¯s dirty up there. Why are you climbing up there?¡±


    Little Bear didn¡¯t say anything. He just opened his hand and pulled with all his might. Seeing that he was stubborn, Mu Yangling could only use her hand to lift the limestone b away and let him walk over.


    After taking a few steps, Little Bear was blocked by a limestone b again. This time, having learned his lesson, he turned his head to look at his mother. The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth twitched. She also wanted to see how far he could go, so she went forward and shifted the limestone b to the side. The clerk from the Ministry of Works held a small brush and looked at the limestone b in Mu Yangling¡¯s hand in shock. After the people in front walked a certain distance, he secretly reached out to try moving it. The limestone b did not move at all.


    The clerk from the Ministry of Works wiped off the mud and silently followed behind everyone.


    Little Bear seemed to like this game. After taking a few steps, he looked back at his mother, indicating for her to move the limestone b away.


    Mu Yangling was very cooperative. Anyway, she had a lot of time and did not mind ying with her son for a while longer. However, after picking up one particr limestone b, Mu Yangling¡¯s expression changed slightly. She picked up the limestone b that she had just put down and shook it. Then, she turned around and picked up another b to weigh it.


    After some thought, Mu Yangling went forward and tried this on a few more pieces. Then, she stared at the limestone b on the ground in a daze.


    On the way forward, Little Bear encountered another limestone b. Seeing that his mother did note over to move it away for a long time, he stumbled back angrily and grabbed the corner of her clothes. Then, he pointed at the b and made noises. ¡°Ah, ah, ah.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Son, Mother will bring you to hunt for treasures, okay?¡±


    Little Bear tilted his head and looked at her in confusion.


    Mu Yangling pinched a limestone b and exerted a little force with her hand. The b cracked with a few cracking sounds. Under everyone¡¯s wide-open mouths, Mu Yangling removed the shattered stone b. The stone b, which was only about two centimeters thick, was removed, revealing a bright yellow color inside.


    Spring¡¯s eyes widened, and the notepad in the hands of the clerk from the Ministry of Works fell to the ground with a thud.


    Mu Yangling cleared away the rubble on the surface, and a golden te appeared in front of everyone.


    Mu Yangling handed it to Little Bear and said with a smile, ¡°How is it? Is this a treasure?¡±


    After taking a look at the golden te, Little Bear pursed his lips in disdain. Turning around, he went to look for the dusty stone b. He cried out to get someone to move it away.


    When Minister of Revenue Zhang Cheng brought his men over, Mu Yangling had already knocked open two stone bs which were filled with gold.


    Mu Yangling could not help but sigh at Minister Qin¡¯s wisdom. This was truly a safe hiding ce. Qi Xiuyuan ordered someone to pry open the limestone bs. When the house was repaired, these would definitely be transported out to be reced with new ones.


    At that time, Minister Qin only needed to get someone to buy the old stone bs. He did not even need to transport the gold out of Lin¡¯an City. After handing the matter over to Zhang Cheng, Mu Yangling picked up Little Bear and was about to go back. She would leave the task of smashing the stone bs to her subordinates.


    The next day, everyone in Lin¡¯an City knew that Mu Yangling, who had gone to look at the new house in advance, had discovered the gold left behind by Minister Qin. Everyone was not only envious and jealous, but they also hated her for being this lucky.

 Chapter 569: Reconquer

    Chapter 569: Reconquer


    Editor: As Studios


    Minister Qin had melted gold and silver into tes and forged them into limestone bs toy on the back garden. This topic instantly overshadowed the topic of QiXiuyuan¡¯s ascension to the throne and became the newest topic in Lin¡¯an City, and even the entire Jiangnan.


    Minister Qin was, without a doubt, the best at hiding money.


    Quite a lot of gold and silver had been found, but it was still far inferior to the amount that Minister Qin had embezzled. Coupled with the missing money in the national treasury, it was even less.


    However, even after knocking all the stone bs in Minister Qin¡¯s residence, they could not find more. If they continued searching, the entire Minister Qin¡¯s residence would have to be demolished and rebuilt. That would cost a lot of money.


    Qi Xiuyuan only thought about it for a moment before dismissing his subordinates. This time, he took the initiative to ask someone to split out the few small courtyards on the west side of Minister Qin¡¯s residence. The rest would be Qi Haoran¡¯s royal residence. That would be in line with the rules.


    The Imperial Astronomer had already calcted the date. Qi Xiuyuan would officially ascend the throne on the 18th of June, which meant there were still four months left.


    Although Qi Xiuyuan had not officially ascended the throne, he had gradually gotten used to handling state affairs.


    Just as Qi Xiuyuan was preparing for the coronation, news had also spread to the border that arge amount of gold and silver had been discovered and that the treasury had been emptied.


    The Second Princeughed loudly when he heard this news. Then, he threw down the paper in his hand and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go and see Minister Qin.¡± Seeing the Second Prince¡¯s smile, the emissary felt a chill in his heart and hurriedly followed.


    The camp was a little chaotic. From time to time, some papers would drift down from the sky. A team of guards searched for those emotion-stirring papers everywhere. Although many who hid the papers had been publicly executed, many people still hid them privately. In the beginning, there were still people who ratted on others who did that. Now, everyone was starting to hide the matter from each other.


    When the soldiers saw the Second Princeing out, they quickly hid to the side. The Second Prince walked past them without looking sideways.


    Minister Qin crushed a ball of paper and threw it into the fire expressionlessly to burn it. When the Second Prince lifted the curtain and entered, he saw Minister Qin staring at the brazier with a sunken face.


    The Second Prince¡¯s lips twitched as he sat opposite Minister Qin. He raised his head and said, ¡°Prime Minister, you were the one who took the missing money from the national treasury.¡±


    The Second Prince wasn¡¯t asking a question, but making a statement.


    Minister Qin lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea. ¡°Your Majesty, we should work together to resist the Qi family¡¯s rebellion¡­¡±


    Prime Minister, do you think we still have a chance to win?¡± The Second Prince interrupted him and said, ¡°The West Xia army has already retreated. Their troops have been restrained by the Jin Kingdom.¡±


    The Second Prince mocked, ¡°When you led West Xia¡¯s troops into the capital and tempted me to rebel, you probably didn¡¯t expect the Qi brothers to benefit from the Jin Kingdom¡¯s attack on West Xia, right?¡±


    Minister Qin¡¯s expression was slightly ugly.


    But that¡¯s not important anymore. I¡¯m just curious to ask where you hid the money. The information I received was that the amount of gold and silver Qi Xiuyuan dug out from the residence doesn¡¯t match up.¡±


    Minister Qin did not speak.


    After waiting for a while, the Second Prince sneered and said, ¡°Forget it. I just wanted to satisfy my curiosity. I won¡¯t be able to spend that money anyway. However¡­¡± The Second Prince¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Although I can¡¯t spend it, it doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ll allow others to deceive me or even steal from the wealth of my Great Zhou.¡±


    The Second Prince looked at the emissary. The emissary stepped forward in fear and took out a small medicine bottle from his sleeve and ced it on the table with trembling hands.


    The Second Prince said with a smile, ¡°This is what Father used back then. It¡¯s good stuff. I¡¯ve also prepared a share for myself, but I want to see Minister Qin leave before I do.¡±


    Minister Qin¡¯s face darkened as he looked at the Second Prince gloomily. The Second Prince said frankly, ¡°Since the camp is already in chaos, it¡¯s impossible for me to really bring the soldiers of Great Zhou to West Xia to be second-ss citizens. Therefore, it¡¯s better to end my own life. However, I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to exin myself if I see Father on the way, so I can only trouble Minister Qin to make a trip with me.¡±


    Minister Qin raised his head and looked outside while the Second Prince sat still. After a while, a general stepped in and knelt down to report, ¡°Your Majesty, the rebellion in the camp has been quelled.¡±


    The Second Prince waved him off and turned to look at Minister Qin.


    Minister Qin tightened his grip on the teacup. After taking a deep breath, he sighed. ¡°Your Majesty, there¡¯s actually no need to do this now that you¡¯re the only bloodline of the Guo family. Qi Xiuyuan nned to usurp the throne from the beginning. As long as we reveal the truth to the world, the generals will definitelye to protect the king. If Your Majesty is worried, you can let me persuade them¡­¡±


    The Second Prince thought that Minister Qin was joking. Without Emperor Jingyan¡¯s warning before he died, he might have been happy to go to West Xia with Minister Qin and wait for aeback.


    However, he knew that all of this was just Minister Qin¡¯s ploy.


    If he went to West Xia, he would probably die without a burial ce.


    The Second Prince was afraid of death, but he was even more afraid of dying in a foreign country without dignity. Since that was the case, it was better to let him end his own life on his own terms.


    Aftering out of Minister Qin¡¯s tent, the Second Prince looked at the chaotic camp and sighed at the sky. He didn¡¯t know if the rebellion was premeditated by the Qi brothers or if they had been forced by him. He only knew that the Guo family¡¯s bloodline had been severed by his own hands.


    Just as the Second Prince was about to die, Qi Haoran was squatting on the ground. He pulled out a potato from the fire, peeled off the skin, and stuffed it into his mouth. As he exhaled, he asked, ¡°How much grain do we have left?¡±


    Enough tost three days. General, I suggest we attack. We can¡¯t very well keep surrounding them. Our rations are about to run out. I heard that the treasury doesn¡¯t have any money now.¡±


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Did we have a treasury when we fought in the war previously? Didn¡¯t we still manage to take it down?¡± He stuffed two potatoes into his stomach before feeling a little better. He said, ¡°Wait a little longer. Didn¡¯t you see that the other side is in chaos? If we can reduce the casualties, I¡¯m willing to wait for two more days. Get them to write on more papers and spread them over there. Take in all the soldiers who escape here and make arrangements for them separately.¡±


    The adjutant muttered, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anyoneing to seek refuge these few days.¡±


    Later that day, a sectionmander ran over at night. He put down his weapon at the entrance of the camp and raised his hands in surrender.


    The Qi Family¡¯s soldiers brought him back and made arrangements for him separately. That was just the start. In total, six batches of people came to surrender in one night. They thought that the other party would definitely cause trouble the next day, but who knew that it was still as chaotic as before? However, nothing major happened.


    At night, they received many more troops from the other side who had fled over. Qi Haoran questioned them one by one, but he felt that something was wrong. However, he couldn¡¯t figure out just what was wrong even after sleeping for the entire night.


    The next day, when they went out for breakfast, they remembered that the soldiers who hade to seek refuge had said that the Second Prince and Prime Minister Qin had not left their tent for a day and a night, and no one had brought food in. Those soldiers had only fled here because they felt that there was not much rations left.


    Qi Haoran also stuffed a ck steamed bun into his mouth and said, ¡°Call the assistantmanders over. Hurry!¡±


    At noon that day, the Qi family army, which had been silent for more than half a month, brazenlyunched an attack on the Second Prince¡¯s army. In just one hour s time, they sessfully attacked the camp and captured 4.8,658 people. The Second Prince and Prime Minister Qin had already been dead in the tent for two days.

 Chapter 570: Unyielding

    Chapter 570: Unyielding


    Editor: As Studios


    After the Second Prince died, he left behind a confession edict and a letter. Qi Haoran took a look and asked someone to search the campsite. Only then did he confirm that all of the Second Prince¡¯s trusted aides had left.


    ¡°General, give me 500 cavalry. I will definitely be able to chase them back.¡±


    Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to chase after them. Just let them go. Keep the news under wraps and don¡¯t let outsiders know that Minister Qin and the Second Prince havemitted suicide for the time being.¡± With that, he put away the letter and edict.


    Once the Second Prince died, the remaining areas of Chengdu Prefecture would be easy to recover. Qi Haoran only brought the army to the city gate, and the county officials inside would open the door to wee them in.


    After he walked through the remaining counties and left behind the soldiers guarding them, he brought the remaining army back to the court.


    The news of the Second Prince and Prime Minister Qin¡¯s deaths had already spread to Lin¡¯an City and all over the country. After thinking for a long time, the bandits of Jiangling Prefecture finally took the initiative to surrender. The Yuan family¡¯s army had also submitted an official document to Qi Xiuyuan beforehand.


    At this point, the Great Zhou territory had finally stabilized. Qi Xiuyuan threw out a few edicts in a row to let the disced people return to their hometowns or settle down locally. Everyone had to register in the government office and obtain their identification documents. The registrants would be given farnd and be exempted from taxes for three years.


    It was prohibited to keep hidden households in one¡¯s residence. Once discovered, all the assets of those guilty would be confiscated.


    Thetter was targeted at aristocratic families and tycoons because they were the only ones who would keep hidden households.


    Zhang Cheng and the other officials felt that this move was too radical, and the three-year tax exemption period was too long. It had to be known that the three-year tax exemption that Qi Xiuyuan had nned wasunched on a national scale, and that was only the minimum. In some poverty-stricken ces, the tax exemption period was as high as five years. The treasury did not have much money to begin with, and the country¡¯s ie mainly came from farmers paying taxes. Three years of tax exemption was equivalent to nearly two-thirds of the treasury¡¯s ie in three years.


    Ies declined, but expenditures increased.


    Post-war reconstruction was not something easily achieved. It required a lot of manpower and material resources.


    And both required money.


    Frustrated by theplicated state affairs, Qi Xiuyuan said impatiently upon hearing this, ¡°The Imperial Court has always forbidden hidden households. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with this.¡± After saying that, he sneered and said, ¡°I know that some rich families are used to keeping hidden households. Once the edict is issued, it¡¯s fine if they obediently stop. If they dare to ignore it or double down on their actions, I can let bygones be bygones if all the officials involved surrender before being exposed. If they still dare to hide things or collude with the rich to help conceal the hidden households, they will be beheaded in public.¡±


    After saying this while exuding a sharp aura, Qi Xiuyuan flicked his sleeves and left.


    Zhang Cheng and the others were shocked by Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s vicious aura and only came back to their senses after he left.


    They didn¡¯t expect Qi Xiuyuan to be so unyielding. They looked at each other and were a little worried that Qi Xiuyuan would cause the finally-peaceful country to erupt in chaos again.


    However, who knew that there was someone in this world with a worse temper than Qi Xiuyuan?


    Before Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s words could spread after being suppressed by Zhang Cheng and the others, Qi Haoran caused a hugemotion in the Jiangling Prefecture.


    Because the bandits in Jiangling Prefecture had surrendered, Qi Xiuyuan asked Qi Haoran, who was returning to the Imperial Court, to go there and recruit those bandits into the army before returning to the capital. Anyway, since he would only ascend the throne in June, it was still early.


    Things went very smoothly. After leaving a portion of the garrison troops behind, Qi Haoran continued to lead the newly-recruited bandit army and his own army towards Lin¡¯an City.


    From Jiangling Prefecture to Lin¡¯an City, they had to pass through Dongting Lake, a beautiful and affluent ce. Coincidentally, when Qi Haoran and the others stopped again, they had to station themselves there.


    Everything was green and the fertilend was filled with farnd for thousands of miles. However, Qi Haoran was not in the mood to admire this scene that foreshadowed a bumper harvest because he was in a hurry to enter the city to find gifts for Mu Yangling and his child.


    Ever since he returned to the court, he had been vexed about what gifts to give Mu Yangling and his child. However, because he didn¡¯t have money or creativity, he had dyed it until now.


    However, he was rich now because the bandit chief had bribed him when he recruited the bandits into the army two days ago.


    Although it was not much money, it was still 5,000 taels of silver. Qi Haoran epted it happily and brought the money into the city to buy things. However, he did not find anything suitable in the Jiangling Prefecture. This time, he was stationed outside Dongting County. He heard that the things there were not bad. Therefore, dressed in casual clothes, Qi Haoran carried the money into the city with Fei Bai and two guards.


    The key point was he was dressed in civilian clothes.


    After Qi Haoran bought the gifts, it was alreadyte and the city gate was closed. He thought that since he had to use the token to get them to open the city gate anyway, he might as well stay for a meal to relieve his hunger.


    One had to know that he had been eating poorly for the past year.


    Qi Haoran brought Fei Bai and two guards into a private room and ordered a table of meat. As he was eating, he heard sounds from the private room next door.


    Qi Haoran also knew that he was probably being schemed against. Otherwise, how could there be such a coincidence? He casually entered a private room and the people next door just so happened to be discussing secret matters? In addition, a wooden board in that private room was also coincidentally damaged so that he could hear what was being said next door?


    Proficient in Internal Strength, Qi Haoran¡¯s hearing had always been better than ordinary people. However, not many people knew about this.


    Qi Haoran put down his chopsticks and pondered for a while with a dark expression. Seeing that Fei Bai and the two guards were looking at him with fear and trepidation, he waved his hand nonchntly and said, ¡°Continue eating. After you¡¯re done, go do something important with me.¡±


    Since Qi Haoran said that, it must be something truly important. After the four of them ate and drank their fill, Qi Haoran brought them into the private room next door and tied up the three people inside. He pushed away the shopkeeper who went forward to stop him and jumped onto his horse. Then, he instructed in a low voice, ¡°Leave the city immediately!¡±


    Since Qi Haoran had a token that allowed him to enter and exit any city at will, their speed was unexpectedly fast. Before the other party could react, Qi Haoran had already gotten someone to open the small city gate and brought his men out. Once they returned to the Qi family¡¯s army, no one could do anything to him.


    Qi Haoran threw them to the ground and looked at them deeply. Then, he turned to Fei Bai and said, ¡°Get someone trustworthy to watch over them. If they die, you guys don¡¯t have to live anymore either.¡±


    Fei Bai shuddered and hurriedly called Qi Haoran¡¯s trusted aides over. After separating the three of them, he had them guarded separately. No one was allowed to approach.


    Qi Haoran returned to the tent with an ugly expression and called his adjutant over. ¡°Gather the troops. We¡¯ll go to the Cui family tomorrow. I want to see how wealthy this aristocratic family is.¡±


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t knowhow to y tricks and wasn¡¯t smart, but that didn¡¯t mean he was stupid. Why would he use his shorings to do what others were good at?


    He wasn¡¯t a puppet. Since others dared to scheme against him, they had to have the ability to withstand idents.


    One of the captured people kept waiting to be interrogated. However, as time passed, he realized that no one came to interrogate him. He did not even get to see Qi Haoran again. His expression became uglier and uglier as he struggled to look at the person guarding him.


    However, his hands and feet were tied, and his mouth was stuffed with cloth. Not only could he not move or speak, but he could not evenmit suicide.

 Chapter 571: Hidden Households

    Chapter 571: Hidden Households


    Editor: As Studios


    The Cui family was an old aristocratic family. In the Tang Dynasty, their power and glory were second only to the Li family. However, when the Tang Dynasty was destroyed, the Li family was the first to suffer a blow. The Cui family then became the leader of all the aristocratic families.


    Emperor Shizong of Great Zhou suppressed the aristocratic families, and the Cui family also became the most heavily suppressed. Although they had been suppressed for nearly 20 years, after Emperor Gaozong ascended the throne and promoted the aristocratic families, they immediately jumped to the top of the aristocratic families.


    After the Great Zhou fled south, the Cui family also came out and settled down in Dongting County.


    Along Dongting Lake were fertile fields that had been reimed, and Dongting Lake had long be a ce famous for producing fish and rice. Along Dongting Lake were rows of civilian houses. ording to the Imperial Court¡¯s data, the number of residents in Dongting County was equivalent to the number of people in a high-grade prefecture. This was only on the surface and it did not even include the hidden households of the Cui family.


    The Imperial Court had repeatedly banned the phenomenon of hidden households. During the Wei and Jin dynasties, because they ced too much importance on the aristocratic families, the phenomenon of hidden households was the most serious.


    The wealthy families kept hidden households to avoid the country¡¯s taxes, and the aristocrats also used this opportunity to acquire arge amount ofnd. Qi Xiuyuan ordered that they were not allowed to keep hidden households anymore. In fact, he wasn¡¯t really counting on them to really register the hidden households under them as citizens. Instead, this was just him warning them not to recruit even more hidden households during this chaos.


    Otherwise, he would be sure to deal with them.


    Qi Haoran naturally knew what his Big Brother meant. As he did not know much about politics, he did not intend to interfere. Anyway, if he was asked, he would just support his Big Brother. He was more concerned about the reform of the military system.


    However, since those people were scheming against him, Qi Haoran would not let them off so easily.


    When he went to eat, the three people in the private room beside him were talking about how many hidden households they had already helped the Cui family rear. The three of them were officials from Dongting County and happened to be in charge of registering refugees.


    Coincidentally, their voices could be heard from the adjacent room.


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t know who was plotting against him, but it was obvious that that person was mainly targeting the Cui family and not him.


    Qi Haoran directly got someone to surround the Cui residence, the Cui family¡¯s manor, and even the county office of Dongting County. The reason was that someone had reported the Cui family for conspiring to rebel with the county magistrate.


    The walls of the enormous Cui Manor were tall and the manor upied an area almost equivalent to that of a city. If not for the fact that Qi Haoran brought many men and split them up into six groups to guard the six gates, catching them off guard, they probably would not have been able to surround the Cui residence.


    Qi Haoran did not order his men to kill anyone, but the people were horrified by his actions.


    Not long after, the head of the Cui family, Cui Zhi, and the county magistrate of Dongting, Jin Xin, came bound.


    The direct descendants of the Cui family were also tied up and guarded not far away. Cui Zhi was so angry that the corners of his eyes turned red. ring at Qi Haoran, he asked, ¡°General Qi, what are you doing? What did our Cui family do wrong?¡±??????????????? <sup>y</sup>


    Qi Haoran snorted coldly and pointed at the guards holding weapons in the Cui family¡¯s manor. ¡°I was just about to ask the Cui family what you people n to


    ¡°Fei Bai, read the ¡®Great Zhou Code¡¯ to him.¡±


    As Qi Xiuyuan and his brother had not even chosen their state title the ¡®Great Zhou Code¡¯ still applied. The ¡®Great Zhou Code¡¯ that Emperor Shizong had employed as a standard of reference imposed the most restrictions on the aristocratic families. There were requirements for the size of the manor and the thickness of the walls. Moreover, the weapons owned by themoners were strictly restricted. Qi Haoran could clearly see that the people up there were not holding hoes and scythes, but broadswords and bows.


    After Fei Bai finished reciting, Qi Haoran sneered and said, ¡°Previously, I didn¡¯t believe that you would rebel, but from the looks of it, I have no choice but to believe it. If you have the intention to rebel, what have you been doing these two years? Now that all the bandits and rebels in the borders have been pacified, you want to rebel. What fools.¡±


    Stunned, Cui family immediately said, ¡°General Qi, please allow us to report. Our Cui family is loyal to the general and has never had the intention to rebel Now that the four seas are peaceful, why would we want to rebel now?¡±


    Seeing Qi Haoran¡¯s hesitation, Cui Zhi immediately continued, ¡°You must be bewitched by a traitor. I¡¯m willing to confront the other party.¡±


    Qi Haoran snorted coldly and said, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll let you die convinced. Men, return to the camp and bring those three people here. Be careful not to let them die.¡± Cui Zhi thought to himself that Qi Haoran was indeed provoked by someone At this moment, he could not be bothered to be angry with Qi Haoran. Instead he quickly racked his brains to think of who would target the Cui family so viciously.???? ¡¯


    However, Qi Haoran had already shifted his gaze to the Cui family. ¡°Cui family head, I have a question that I haven¡¯t been able to figure out. Since we have some time on our hands now, I¡¯ll take the chance to consult you.¡±


    Qi Haoran waved his hand and got someone to pull Cui Zhi up and let him stop kneeling. Cui Zhi heaved a sigh of relief and heard Qi Haoran ask, ¡°The walls of your manor are so tall and the courtyard is so deep that your manor isparable to a city. Why doesn¡¯t your Cui family live here but in the county?¡± Cui Zhi¡¯s heart instantly tensed up. He felt that the focus of Qi Haoran¡¯s question was mainly on the first half of the sentence. Hence, he deliberated before replying, ¡°Because it hasn¡¯t been peaceful in recent years, this manor as been built so tall. General Qi, please don¡¯t misunderstand. With the


    Imperial Court protecting Dongting County, I naturally feel more assured letting my family stay in the county.¡±


    ¡°But the news I received was that you and Jin Xin conspired to rebel. I heard you¡¯re taking advantage of the fact thatmoners are re-registering the identities now, to lure the refugees and hid them in a hidden house. However, you are actually recruiting them as troops.¡±


    Cui Zhi and Jin Xin raised their heads sharply and felt a chill in their hearts The duo was indeed colluding to turn themoners into hidden households As long as themoners heard that they did not have to pay taxes and only had to pay a little rent, they were willing toe over with the title deeds under their names. So far, he had recruited more than 300 hidden households Together with the previous ones, the number of hidden households he had was equivalent to the poption of a high-grade town.


    But from Qi Haoran¡¯s point of view, these people could form an army.


    Cui Zhi¡¯s face turned slightly pale. He knew that someone was using the matter of him taking m hidden households to frame him for rebellion, but he did not know how much evidence Qi Haoran had obtained.


    While Cui Zhi was still thinking, Qi Haoran was already looking at the manor as he said, Cui Family Head, actually, we¡¯ll know if it¡¯s true or not once we enter the manor and see if there are private soldiers or weapons inside. A thorough search will expose the truth entirely. I¡¯ve never had a good temper and I¡¯m not patient enough. Do you want them to open the door, or do you want me to barge in?¡±?? <sup>6</sup>


    Cui Zhi¡¯s expression turned even uglier. Jin Xin looked at him anxiously, but ecause his mouth was gagged, he couldn¡¯t say a word. He didn¡¯t know what was in the Cui family¡¯s manor, but he knew that there were private soldiers and weapons.


    Private soldiers were hidden households and their servants. There were about 4,000 of them. If Qi Haoran said that they were private soldiers, they were private soldiers. As for weapons, there was nothing much to be said about them. One could tell just by looking at the shining swords and sabers openly brandished in the manor.


    Tears streamed down Jin Xin¡¯s face as he started to regret it. He shouldn¡¯t have conspired with Cui Zhi for that bit of benefit. Rebellion was punishable by execution of one¡¯s nine generations. Now that order had yet to be restored it was often just a word from the higher-ups. In the future, the history books would not investigate further.


    Jin Xin red at Cui Zhi with some hatred, then looked at Qi Haoran anxiously hoping that he would remove the gag from his mouth. He had something to say.


    Cui Zhi lowered his eyes, unwilling to admit defeat. However, when the three captured people were escorted over, Cui Zhi¡¯s heart turned cold, and what little hope he had previously held in his heart shattered.

 Chapter 572: Cui Family

    Chapter 572: Cui Family


    Editor: As Studios


    Cui Zhong was from a coteral branch of the Cui family and held the title of the County Deputy in the county office. Regarding the Cui family taking in the hidden households, 50% of those cases passed through his hands. Although he had note into contact with the core of the n, just with the booklet in his hand and what Qi Haoran had said previously, it could be determined that they were going to rebel.


    When Cui Zhi saw him, he began to suspect that someone had bribed his nsmen to frame the Cui family. Hence, he decisively turned to Qi Haoran and said, ¡°General Qi, can we talk in private?¡±


    Qi Haoran asked curiously, ¡°You two aren¡¯t confronting each other anymore?¡±


    ¡°I think General Qi has some misunderstandings about us. I want to rify things before that.¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips and waved his hand casually to get the people nearby to give them some space. The three of them were naturally taken away. When there was no one around them, Qi Haoran said, ¡°If you have anything to say, just say it. There¡¯s no need to speak elsewhere.¡±


    Cui Zhi took a deep breath and knelt down to beg for forgiveness.


    Compared to a rebellion, he was more willing to admit that he had taken in hidden households. Anyway, everyone was doing this. Although the Cui family was not as influential as before, still, the Cui family weren¡¯t people who could be killed just by a word from Qi Haoran.


    When Qi Haoran heard him finish confessing his crime, he snorted coldly and pointed at the tightly shut manor door. ¡°How can you make me believe that you¡¯re only taking in hidden households and not plotting a rebellion?¡±


    Cui Zhi immediately went forward and asked someone to open the door.


    The door opened and the suspension bridge was lowered. Only then could Qi Haoran¡¯s army enter.


    The expressionless Qi Haoran went in to take a look at the facilities inside.


    Cui Zhi quickly handed over the secret register which recorded the hidden households he had taken in these past two years. He didn¡¯t take out the register which recorded those previously taken in.


    Qi Haoran only flipped through it before throwing it aside. He got someone to call everyone in the manor over and asked Jin Xin to read Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s decree in public. Then, he stood up and said, ¡°The Imperial Court is rechecking the identity certificates this time and won¡¯t punish those who voluntarily step forward. Moreover, the freehold field that should be included won¡¯t decrease. Starting next year, you won¡¯t have to pay taxes for three years. ording to what I know, if you stay here, you have to pay quite a significant rent, right?¡±


    There was amotion below, but it quickly quietened down.


    Qi Haoran tapped his palm with a booklet and continued, ¡°Due to the war in the Great Zhou Dynasty, there was heavy taxation in the past few years, causing the people to suffer. The Great General empathizes with the plight of themoners and has already gotten someone to reformte the taxes. I don¡¯t dare to promise anything else, but I dare to guarantee that the annual taxes imposed three yearster won¡¯t be more than half ofst year¡¯s.¡±


    There was anothermotion below, and itsted for a long time. The corners of Qi Haoran¡¯s lips curled up slightly and he did not hush them.


    The aristocratic families would not protect those hidden households for nothing. Those hidden households needed to ce their fields under the aristocratic family¡¯s name and be servants of the aristocratic family. They also needed to hand over a portion of the harvest from their fields to the aristocratic family,monly known asnd rent.


    Land rents also increased with national tax revenues.


    The hidden households who relied on the Cui family also knew that the Cui family weren¡¯t good people, but in order to avoid heavier taxes, this was their only choice. Now that there were better conditions, if they could be ordinary civilians openly, they were naturally unwilling to be ves.


    Seeing that themotion below was getting bigger and bigger, Qi Haoran waved his hand to suppress the discussion below. He casually handed the booklet in his hand to Fei Bai, who was holding a few booklets, and said casually, ¡°These booklets were handed to me by the Cui Family Head. There are names listed on them. However, the treatment of those who take the initiative to step forward is different from those who passively get called out. I¡¯m willing to give you a chance and it¡¯s up to you to grasp it. I¡¯ll stay here for three days. Three dayster, those who don¡¯t step forward will be punished as fugitives.¡±


    Qi Haoran turned around and nced at Cui Zhi and Jin Xin. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry that the Cui family will take revenge on you. Putting aside the fact that the Cui family¡¯s head has a good conscience, just based on the fact that you were found by me, I won¡¯t leave you behind.¡±


    Cui Zhi¡¯s eyes were filled with malice. He had only given Qi Haoran two secret booklets, but Fei Bai had six in his hands. Those six booklets were obviously random booklets in order to make the people below panic and take the initiative to stand up.


    Cui Zhi¡¯s expression was ugly. He was in the wrong previously, so there was nothing he could say now.


    Jin Xin shrunk his neck and stood at the side, hoping that Qi Haoran would forget about his existence.


    Qi Haoran did not give Cui Zhi a chance to interact with his subordinates and directly locked him up in the manor. The people connected to Cui Zhi were also locked up. The reason he gave was that before the truth was revealed, it was better for everyone to avoid suspicion.


    On the other hand, he got his subordinates to secretly bewitch the people in the manor and get them to report that they were hidden households and the fields they had brought with them previously.


    This made many ves who yearned for freedom restless. They wanted to pretend to be hidden households and register their names.


    Fei Bai looked at themissioned officers and chuckled. He whispered, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that. Anyway, the manor can¡¯t produce concrete evidence.¡±


    ¡°Well, all hidden households have contracts with the steward¡­¡±


    As a hidden household, they had to sign a ve contract. In order to reassure the hidden households, the manor would usually let the steward of the farmstead sign another contract with them. It stated that they hade to the manor to seek refuge and how muchnd they had brought with them. Although the meaning was obscure, it was actually proof that they were hidden households.


    A true ve did not have that thing.


    However, Fei Bai said, ¡°It¡¯s so easy to forge such documents. If anyone wants it, I can get it done. However, this¡­¡± Fei Bai rubbed his fingers and hurriedly said, ¡°I don¡¯t want much. It¡¯s just that our brothers have been fighting everywhere for the past few years and haven¡¯t even eaten a hot meal¡­¡±


    Therefore, a servant exchanged a meal of fine wine and meat for a forged contract.


    Servants also had their own channels of information. Although there were soldiers patrolling the manor, the news still spread among the servants who wanted to leave. Many people secretly obtained forged documents.


    If that was the case for the servants, the hidden households were even more restless. In addition, Qi Haoran still had the name list in his hands. As they weren¡¯t certain if their names were on it, they decided to turn themselves in.


    Hence, in less than three days, some people secretly found Jin Xin and the other county officials who were not detained that night and turned themselves in.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s adjutant followed Jin Xin by his side. Even though Jin Xin could tell that those documents were forged, he did not dare to expose them and simply filled in their names.


    He only hoped that his family would not be implicated, so he was very obedient.


    When Qi Haoran saw that things were going so smoothly, he was a little stunned, too. An older assistantmander advised, ¡°General, you have to restrain yourself too. Timing is on our side this time. If it¡¯s during peaceful times¡­¡± He shook his head. In his opinion, things were only going so smoothly for Qi Haoran because he was at the right ce at the right time, and he happened to meet with the right people.


    It was a chaotic world now. Since they indeed found physical evidence in the Cui residence, Qi Haoran could just say that the Cui family had intentions to rebel and he could wipe out the Cui family. Even if someone questioned it, it would not cause a hugemotion. During peaceful times however, just these weapons and private soldiers weren¡¯t nearly sufficient to determine that the Cui family was going to rebel.


    Therefore, he hoped that Qi Haoran could restrain himself and not make a big deal out of it lest things got out of hand. Qi Haoran did heed his advice and told Fei Bai and the rest not to go overboard.


    They could inflict some pain on the Cui family, but they must not force them to death.

 Chapter 573: Cooperation

    Chapter 573: Cooperation


    Editor: As Studios


    When Qi Haoran pushed open the door of Cui Zhi¡¯s cell, Cui Zhi was sitting at the table. When he saw Qi Haoran, he only looked up at him before he lowered his eyes again. Although he had not been in contact with the outside world for the past two days, he could guess from the guards guarding the door and the movementsing and going at the door that more than half of the Cui family¡¯s assets had been destroyed.


    Hence, Qi Haoran could be considered his enemy.


    Not at all caring about Cui Zhi¡¯s attitude, Qi Haoran sat opposite him and poured himself a cup of tea. ¡°Cui family head, you should be d that my son will turn one next month. Otherwise, the Cui family would have a different ending.¡±


    Cui Zhi felt a chill down his spine and said in a deep voice, ¡°General Qi, the Cui family has no intention of rebelling.¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Anyway, the news I received was that the Cui family is plotting a rebellion. Moreover, do you really think that you can protect the Cui family even if you weren¡¯t plotting a rebellion? Even if the Cui family doesn¡¯t n to rebel, the things found in your study is sufficient evidence to have your entire family executed.¡±


    Cui Zhi stopped talking.


    Qi Haoran snorted. ¡°In my opinion, half of the Great Zhou Dynasty was destroyed in the hands of you people. Half of the officials in Jiangnan are colluding with you aristocrats, and the central region is under Minister Qin¡¯s sphere of influence. It would be strange if the country was not destroyed after being separated to this extent.¡±


    ¡°That is because Emperor Jingyan has no talent and no virtue.¡± Cui Zhi said straightforwardly.


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips and said, ¡°I don¡¯t care whether you are greedy or Emperor Jingyan has no talent or morals. Anyway, we¡¯re about to establish a new dynasty. All we want is for the people to live and work in peace, so you better not reach your hands too far.¡±


    To think a little kid dared to threaten him like this.


    Cui Zhi, who was already over 30 years old, had an ugly expression.


    Qi Haoran suddenly said with a smile, ¡°Do you know why I¡¯m so sure that your Cui family is going to rebel?¡±


    Cui Zhi instantly raised his head and looked at him. Qi Haoran¡¯s expression was cold as he said, ¡°I only went to buy some small items, but I was actually schemed against. Their wish was for me to confiscate the Cui family assets, but I didn¡¯t do as they wished. Really, the Cui family should be d.¡±


    Qi Haoran stood up and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t the Immortal Inn of Dongting County owned by your Cui family? You really ought to change the partition in the private rooms. This time, I identally heard something I shouldn¡¯t have. Next time, it will be someone else.¡±


    Seeing that Qi Haoran was about to leave, the icy-faced Cui Zhongshui hurriedly stood up and stopped him. ¡°General Qi, can you let me keep the three people you took away?¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned. Cui Zhi gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Since you brought them all the way from Chengdu Prefecture to the east., I¡¯m sure you¡¯re short on rations. Even though I¡¯m not talented, I am willing to support the army with 1,000 quintals of grains.¡±


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and bargained, ¡°5,000 quintals.¡±


    ¡°2,000 quintals.¡± Seeing that Qi Haoran still wanted to raise the amount, he hurriedly said, ¡°General Qi, the Cui family is in trouble this time. 2,000 quintals is already the limit.¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips and said, ¡°Your Cui family has siphoned plenty of wealth off the country.¡±


    ¡®Yeah, but I was stealing from the Great Zhou Dynasty, not from you.<sup>1</sup>


    Cui Zhi cursed in his heart.


    In the end, Qi Haoran agreed. However, he said, ¡°2,000 quintalswill only be exchanged for two of them.¡±


    Cui Zhi frowned. Qi Haoran mysteriously said with a smile in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you definitely won¡¯t lose out even if it¡¯s just two. I¡¯m still counting on you to fight with them. When the timees, just let me know if you need my help.¡±


    Brother Qi Haoran patted Cui Zhi¡¯s shoulder in a buddy-like manner, as if he was not the one who was confiscating the Cui family assets.


    In the end, Cui Zhi nodded. After the three-day deadline, Qi Haoran let the Cui family out. The manor¡¯s door had been destroyed. Seeing Cui Zhi staring at the door, Qi Haoran exined, ¡°I originally wanted to destroy the walls. After all, the servants of your Cui family are not the only ones living inside now. Since there are even moremoners than servants living here, what¡¯s the point of keeping this wall? But since the two of us have alreadye to a cooperation, I decided not to make things too ugly and let the walls remain.¡±


    Cui Zhi, who was originally dissatisfied, heaved a sigh of relief.


    Qi Haoran handed Cui Zhong and Huang Hu, who was obviously a traitor, to Cui Zhi before bringing the remaining person back to the court.


    Before leaving, Qi Haoran stared at Jin Xin for a long time before saying, ¡°Dongting County will be handed over to Lord Jin for the time being. You should know what to do and what not to do. Although the Great General is benevolent, there is a limit to his patience.¡±


    Jin Xin knelt on the ground with tears in his eyes and said sincerely, ¡°General, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m willing to sacrifice my life for the Great General.¡±


    Qi Haoran forced a satisfied expression on his face before leaving on his horse. However, he was cursing in his heart. If not for the fact that they had newly established the regime and there were no talents left, he would have long ordered for this corrupt official to be chopped into pieces.


    The Cui family suffered a huge blow because of this matter. Qi Haoran was ruthless and almost reassigned two-thirds of the Cui family¡¯s fields to the hidden households. In addition, those soldiers barged about the ce and moved a lot of the Cui family¡¯s things. Though livid, the Cui family did not dare to utter a word. They all hoped that Cui Zhi would ask the Imperial Court for an exnation after he was released.


    Unexpectedly, Cui Zhi was chatting merrily with Qi Haoran as though they were best buddies. This made the rest of the Cui family very dissatisfied.


    However, Cui Zhi did not exin anything. He first found Cui Zhong and interrogated him. Cui Zhong swore that on that day, he only mentioned how many hidden households he had recorded and how many more hidden households they nned to recruit. He denied mentioning anything about a rebellion.


    With a cold face, Cui Zhi asked, ¡°What about the other two?¡±


    Cui Zhong¡¯s expression froze and he said, ¡°Huang Hu did casually mention that our Cui family¡¯s hidden households are numerous enough in numbers to form an army. Even if the bandits in Jiangling Prefecture make a move, our Cui family have nothing to fear.¡±


    Cui Zhi really wanted to throw a teacup at his face. What was this if not a rebellious remark?


    ¡°But Uncle, this isn¡¯t the first time Huang Hu has said this. I really didn¡¯t know that there was someone next door who could hear us.¡±


    Cui Zhi snapped angrily, ¡°I told you to be careful outside, but you actually said such confidential things in the Immortal Inn.¡±


    Cui Zhong lowered his head and cried bitterly, ¡°Uncle, Dongting County is our Cui family¡¯s territory. How would I know that someone would scheme against us?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Cui Zhi said angrily, ¡°You still dare to say such things. No wonder Qi Haoran said that he can determine that we have intentions to rebel.¡± Only now did he realize that he didn¡¯t impose strict enough restrictions on his nsmen previously, which was why they were so smug.


    ¡± Let me ask you, who suggested going to Immortal Inn? Who booked that private room?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Huang Hu. As for the private room, whenever I go to the Immortal Inn, I¡¯d ask for that private room. The shopkeeper will always keep it for me.¡±


    ¡°Did Qi Haoran interrogate you after you were arrested?¡±


    Cui Zhong shook his head. Seeing the suspicion in Cui Zhi¡¯s eyes, he hurriedly said, ¡°Although Qi Haoran didn¡¯t interrogate me, he circled me twice early the next morning. He clicked his tongue in wonder and had a strange expression on his face. Then, he went out. After that, I heard the sound of troops mobilizing outside. Clearly, he had interrogated others.¡±


    ¡°I want to see who¡¯s plotting against the Cui family.¡± Cui Zhi¡¯s voice was as cold as ice.

 Chapter 574: Thoughts

    Chapter 574: Thoughts


    Editor: As Studios


    Cui Zhi loathed Qi Haoran, who had confiscated more than half of the Cui family¡¯s assets, but he hated the people who schemed against the Cui family behind their backs even more.


    Just as Cui Zhong had said, since Dongting County was the Cui family¡¯s territory, it was easy for them to find out Qi Haoran¡¯s whereabouts. After the incident, he got someone to investigate. Naturally, he knew that Qi Haoran¡¯s army had not even entered the county gate at the time. Instead, they were stationed ten miles away from the county and nned to continue their journey the next day. Just like in the past, as long as there were no bandits in that area, he would just pass by and not enter to avoid causing trouble for the people.


    He also quickly received concrete news that at the time, Qj Haoran had brought his men into the city in order to buy gifts for his wife and children. It could be said that if someone hadn¡¯t set up for Qj Haoran to coincidentally overhear Cui Zhong¡¯s conversation with the others, making him suspect that the Cui family was plotting a rebellion, nothing would have happened.


    Qi Haoran would have returned to the Imperial Court the next morning, and things in Dongting County would have remained status quo.


    Cui Zhi could not do anything to Qi Haoran now, but he would not let go of the people who were plotting against the Cui family. Hence, he urgently needed to know who was behind this.


    After Cui Zhi finished interrogating Cui Zhong, he went to interrogate Huang Hu.


    Huang Hu¡¯s situation was much worse than Cui Zhong¡¯s. Covered in injuries, he had clearly been tortured. This made Cui Zhi believe that Huang Hu must be the one who had instigated a conflict between Qi Haoran and the Cui family.


    Huang Hu was about to die of grievance. After he was caught, he was gagged and locked up that night. The next morning, he was suddenly dragged out to be tortured. The person who tortured him did not say a word. He only beat him and did not interrogate him. After beating him until he was covered in bruises, he dragged him and the other two to the Cui family¡¯s manor.


    For the past three days, he had been locked up alone and could only speak freely when he ate every day. He wanted tomit suicide, but there were always people guarding him. There was once when he finally made up his mind to bite his tongue, but his jaw was quickly dislocated. Although the attempt to bite his tongue resulted in a mouthful of blood, it was not serious and the other party did not even give him medicine. Instead, they kept an even tighter watch on him. Six people took turns to watch him 24 hours a day, making him unable to find any chances.


    He clearly didn¡¯t reveal a word, but Cui Zhi kept interrogating him about what he said to Qi Haoran and who instructed him.


    The Cui family had stood strong for more than 600 years, and their interrogation methods were even more cruel. Huang Hu couldn¡¯t take the torture and told them about the mastermind behind the scenes. However, he really couldn¡¯t answer the first question.


    In the end, seeing Cui Zhi¡¯s perseverance, Huang Hu could only make up nonsense. In short, he simply went along with Cui Zhi¡¯s words. Tobe able to be the person who framed them, the ability to observe people¡¯s expressions was the most basic requirement. Therefore, in the end, Cui Zhi ced most of his hatred on the family masterminding this.


    Recalling what Qi Haoran said before he left, Cui Zhi had the thought of cooperating with him.


    Those who could scheme and have the guts to scheme against the Cui family were naturally from aristocratic families.


    In Cui Zhi¡¯s opinion, the Cui family was already on the decline. Most of their assets had been plundered by Qi Haoran, and the most important fields had been transferred to the hidden households who had left. It was impossible to get those things back, at least not for the next 20 years.


    Instead of being suppressed by other aristocratic families, it was better to let all the entire aristocratic familiesnd in the same state. At that time, everyone¡¯s starting point would be the same again, and the Cui family might be able to be the leader once more.


    Being from an aristocratic family, Cui Zhi knew better than anyone else about the infighting among aristocratic families. If the Cui family declined, it would only end up being annexed by other aristocratic families. This was not the first time such a thing had happened.


    These days, who still knew about the Wang and Xie families of the Jin Dynasty?


    It was all because the resources of the two families had long been annexed by the other aristocratic families. Now, the direct descendants of the two families could only barely support their nsmen to study, and could not fork out any more resources.


    Cui Zhi did not want the Cui family tond in such a state in his hands. Hence, he could only work with Qi Haoran to pull down the other aristocratic families before the other aristocratic families started to annex him. Anyway, the Qi brothers wanted to clean up the hidden household situation, right?


    Qi Haoran, who was rushing to Lin¡¯an City excitedly, did not know what Cui Zhi was thinking. At this moment, he was only focused on going home to see his wife and child.


    Behind General Qi¡¯s team, a few bandit chiefs were also talking about Qi Haoran.


    The few of them looked at the supplies behind them withplicated expressions and clicked their tongues. ¡°Bandits, bandits. Otherwise, why would they say that soldiers are bandits? Look at the Qi Family¡¯s army. They¡¯re even more ruthless than us bandits. At the very least, we only snatch some grains, gold, and silver. I heard that they moved a lot of silver and grains and even distributed more than half of the Cuis¡¯nd. Yet, there was actually no conflict at all. If it were us, we would have started fighting among ourselves long ago.¡± ¡°See, that¡¯s why you can only be a bandit while those people can be soldiers.¡± ¡°I, too, can be a soldier now. I¡¯ll be an official when I goback.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, keep bragging. It¡¯s already good enough if they don¡¯t chop off your head. If you ask me, the Cui family deserves it. We¡¯re so poor because of the aristocratic families and wealthyndlords. If they hadn¡¯t raised so many hidden households and embezzled the country¡¯s taxes, perhaps the tax wouldn¡¯t have been so high. We wouldn¡¯t have had to rebel and needn¡¯t live in fear now.¡±


    ¡°Forget it. Even without these aristocratic families and wealthyndlords, there was still the muddle-headed Emperor who splurged on building extravagant pces and taking concubines. We¡¯d still have to pay high taxes and eat less. In the end, we¡¯d still have to rebel.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything bad about rebelling. As long as we behave ourselves after entering the capital, an official position is inevitable. It¡¯s better than being a bumpkin for the rest of our lives, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you only see these benefits, but don¡¯t you see how many people have died? We¡¯ve been bandits for seven to eight years. Look at how many people have died along the way. How many of the original gang are still alive? I¡¯d rather the country be peaceful and the people be safe. If so, I¡¯m even willing to be a bumpkin. At least my family will still be alive.¡±


    The atmosphere instantly froze. Amongst the people present, they more or less had lost their families in the war, and some were even all alone now.


    After a long silence, someone broke the silence in a low voice. ¡°I wonder if it will be peaceful this time. Forget about a prosperous era. It¡¯s fine as long as they don¡¯t force the people too much like the previous Great Zhou.¡±


    ¡°No way. The general is not bad. I heard that he loved the people when he was in the north. Not only is there no chaos there, but at least the people won¡¯t starve to death.¡±


    Someone snorted. ¡°Would you know if anyone starves to death there? Considering there are even people who starve to death in Jiangnan, I don¡¯t believe that there are no such cases in the north. It¡¯s just being kept under wraps¡­¡±


    The back was noisy, but the front was filled with joy. A scout ran over and reported, ¡°General, Lin¡¯an City is just 25 miles ahead. The general sent a guard to report that he wants to personally lead the officials to wee you back to the capital.¡±


    Overjoyed, Qi Haoranughed loudly and instructed, ¡°Get everyone to speed up. We must make it to the capital today.¡±


    The smile on the scout¡¯s face froze for a moment before he said in a low voice, ¡°General, the general said that you should set up camp in the temple ten miles away first before officially entering the capital tomorrow. By the time you enter the city today, it will be veryte¡­¡±


    In the past, it had always been important to pay attention to the time when one returned to the court. Generally speaking, one could officially enter the city after the sun rose, and it would be best if they could finish entering the city before noon. If they rushed to enter the city today, who would wee them when the sky was dark?

 Chapter 575: Family

    Chapter 575: Family


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran had a lot of fresh handkerchiefs thrown at his head and body, making his countenance a little dark. The surrounding youngdies, however, cried out in surprise, thinking that he had be even more handsome.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s expression darkened even more. He quietly got the horse to speed up and only heaved a sigh of relief when they entered the Imperial City.


    When Qi Haoran brought the assistantmanders into the pce, Qi Xiuyuan received them warmly and expressed his condolences. Then, they exchanged opinions about the situation in the country. It was not until the end of the meeting that Zhang Cheng tentatively asked about the Cui family that Qi Xiuyuan looked at Qi Haoran.


    Qi Haoran waved his hand nonchntly and said, ¡°Although the Cui family¡¯s rebellion is partially verified and we have physical evidence to support that, because of the entanglement of the influences, it¡¯s very difficult to confirm if the verification is correct. In addition, the Cui family head was cooperative, so I n to give them a chance. We¡¯ll continue to observe the situation. If they really have the intention to rebel, we¡¯ll send troops to surround them then.¡±


    Qi Haoran paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Big Brother, Great Zhou¡¯s Emperor Shizong once said that the act of hiding more than 50 hidden households is equivalent to rebelling. I think we should follow thisw.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said with a smile, ¡°Since we haven¡¯t decided upon the state title nor confirmed the newws, we¡¯ll refer to the ¡®Great Zhou Code¡¯ for the time being.¡±


    The ministers below felt a chill in their hearts. Just as they were about to suggest something, Qi Xiuyuan stood up and said, ¡°My brother is back today, so we won¡¯t deal with political matters. All the ministers, go back and reunite with your families. We¡¯ll discuss other matters tomorrow.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan brought Qi Haoran back to their residence.


    Qi Haoran paused at the second door and turned to ask, ¡°Big Brother, aren¡¯t we going to the East Manor?¡± Qi Haoran was asking if he should pay his respects to Madam Wu. After all, that person was their mother in name.


    Qi Xiuyuan red at him and said, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you so filial before. Now that you¡¯re in a high position, you care about these things?¡±


    Qi Haoran chuckled and said, ¡°I just don¡¯t want to cause trouble.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to think about me.¡± Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes were a little cold. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a legitimate son who has to greet his concubine mother when hees home. Let¡¯s go back to Zhaode Hall.¡±


    Stunned, Qi Haoran immediately shouted, ¡°Big Brother, I haven¡¯t seen Ah Ling and the child yet. I¡¯ll go back to Zhaohua Courtyard to see them first. We¡¯ll talk tonight.¡±


    With that, he ran away.


    Qi Xiuyuan gritted his teeth in annoyance and returned to Zhaode Hall.


    Mu Yangling was spinning a windmill for her son to see. Her gaze would drift to the door from time to time. When her ears caught the sound of hurried but steady footsteps, Mu Yangling threw away the windmill in her hand and ran to the door like the wind. She lifted the curtain with a whoosh.


    Qi Haoran had already raised his hand and was about to lift the curtain. Unexpectedly, the curtain suddenly opened with a swoosh and almost hit his eyes. Lowering his head, he met Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes. He swallowed the words of beratement that were about toe out of his mouth.


    He grinned foolishly and held Mu Yangling¡¯s hand. ¡°Ah Ling, I¡¯m back.¡±


    Mu Yangling also beamed as she threw herself into Qi Haoran¡¯s arms.


    Qi Haoran also hugged his wife tightly and looked around. Seeing that there was no one around, he tightened his arms around her and couldn¡¯t help but kiss her bun.


    Still holding a windmill in his small hand, Little Bear waspletely stunned. He looked down at the windmill that his mother had thrown away, then turned to look at his parents who were hugging each other. Then, he was decisively angry.


    He threw away the things in his hand and got off the bed. Then, he ran over and kicked Qi Haoran. With his tiny fists clenched, he punched him angrily as he made babyish noises.


    Qi Haoran only felt a pain in his knee and could not help but bend it. Frowning slightly, he pushed his wife away to look down at his son. Then, he picked his son up and looked at him. With his head tilted, he asked, ¡°Why is this kid so strong? I¡¯m surprised his punch actually hurts.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Our son wasn¡¯t very energetic when he was ying with me.¡±


    Seeing that she didn¡¯t believe him, Qi Haoran ced his son on the couch and rolled up his pants angrily. He pointed at the bruise on it and said, ¡°Look, your son caused this just a moment ago.¡±


    Being of the size of a small fist, the bruise did look like it had been caused by his son¡¯s punch.


    Mu Yangling looked down at her son, who was still fuming, and then at her own hands. She then picked up her son¡¯s wooden horse and broke it in front of her son.


    Little Bear stared nkly for two seconds before bursting into tears. Qi Haoran immediately hugged him andined, ¡°Why did you break his wooden horse for no reason?¡±


    Then, he went to coax him. ¡°My good son, don¡¯t cry. I¡¯ll buy you a new one. A bigger one, okay?¡±


    Little Bear closed its eyes and howled, but Mu Yangling picked up another wooden horse and ced it in his hand. ¡°Son, try breaking this, too.¡±


    Feeling the wooden horse in his hand, Little Bear stopped crying. He opened his eyes to look at his mother.


    Mu Yangling encouraged him. ¡°Son, try and see if you can break it.¡±


    Little Bear looked at the wooden horse in his hand and then at the broken pieces in his mother¡¯s hand. Using all his strength, he attempted to break the wooden horse. The first time, the wooden horse did not move at all. Little Bear was stunned for a moment before he sped his hands and tried to break the wooden horse again.


    Qi Haoran was dumbfounded. ¡°Our son inherited your tremendous strength. Why haven¡¯t we realized it before?¡±


    Mu Yangling also frowned. ¡°When I was young, I couldn¡¯t control my strength. My mother said that when I was a few months old, I could already shatter a table with a stretch of my hand. It wasn¡¯t until I was six years old that I gradually mastered my strength. Could it be that Little Bear is the opposite of me and has to subconsciously use his strength to exert such great strength?¡±


    Qi Haoran pondered for a moment beforeughing out loud. ¡°As expected of my son. He¡¯s already so powerful since he was born. Hahaha¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Our son inherited this from me, okay?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I gave birth to him with you.¡± Qi Haoran hugged his son and was about to kiss him. However, Little Bear didn¡¯t recognize this smelly and dirty person with stubble all over his face, so he pushed his face away in disdain and made ¡°Ah, ah¡± noises at his mother.


    Qi Haoran received a huge blow. ¡°Kid, you actually don¡¯t recognize your father.


    I gave you so many things¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling also hurriedly coaxed Little Bear to call Qi Haoran ¡°Daddy¡±. Little Bear was stunned for a while before he realized that the person in front of him was ¡°Daddy¡±.


    Little Bear didn¡¯t know how to speak yet, but his attitude softened significantly this time. Although he was still unwilling to stay in Qi Haoran¡¯s arms, he was now willing to share his toys with him.


    Little Bear stuffed several of his toys to him in a row before he had time toin to his mother. Holding the windmill in his hand, he pointed at the windmill that had been thrown to the side, all the while loudly making ¡°Ah, ah¡± noises at Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling nodded in apology as she picked up the windmill and promised, ¡°Mother knows her mistake. I won¡¯t throw things around again.¡±


    After repeatedly apologizing sincerely, she finally obtained Little Bear¡¯s forgiveness. Little Bear snorted softly and continued to sit on the couch and y with his toys.


    Frowning, Qi Haoran said, ¡°Isn¡¯t the child almost oneyear old? Why can¡¯t he speak yet?¡±


    ¡°Boys start talkingte.¡±


    ¡°But Little Treasure could already speak at eight months old.¡±


    ¡°But our son could stand up and walk when he was seven months old.¡± Mu Yangling said gently, ¡°You can¡¯tpare children. It¡¯s fine as long as they¡¯re happy. Anyway, our son is still young, and boys talkte. It¡¯s no big deal even if he learns to talk after turning one year old. Besides, he¡¯s called me ¡®Mother¡¯ before¡­¡± Though, it was a one-off urrence and she hadn¡¯t been able to make him do it again after that.

 Chapter 576: Dunlun

    Chapter 576: Dunlun


    Editor: As Studios


    Spring stood outside the door and hesitated for a moment before interrupting the family of three¡¯s interaction. ¡°Fourth Master, Fourth Madam, the hot water is ready.¡±


    Qj Haoran looked regretfully at his son, who despised him, before pulling Mu Yangling towards the bathroom.


    Mu Yangling quickly retracted her hand and said in a low voice, ¡°What? Go wash yourself.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked as if she was abusing him. Gritting his teeth, he said, ¡°Are you going to walk over yourself, or do you want me to carry you over?¡± Seeing Mu Yangling re at him, he said aggrievedly, ¡°How long has it been since Ist saw you?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at their son hesitantly.


    Qi Haoran immediately picked up his son and handed him to Spring, who was outside the door. ¡°Bring Third Young Master to Second Young Master.¡± Little Bear was still in a daze when Spring brought him to Zhaode Hall. However, the trace of grievance he initially had dissipated when he saw his brother. He struggled to crawl out of Spring¡¯s arms and ran to hold Little Treasure¡¯s hand. Then, the two of them yed with mud in the courtyard, picked grass, and picked flowers. Soon, their faces became dirty and they even barged into Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s study hand in hand, shocking the servants behind them.


    Looking up, Qi Xiuyuan saw the two children whose faces and hands were covered in mud. He waved his hand to dismiss the servants and personally got up to carry the two children to sit on his knees. He took out a Three Character ssic and said, ¡°Come, I¡¯ll teach you how to read. ¡®Man at birth is fundamentally good in nature.<sup>1</sup> ¡±


    Little Treasure recited seriously, ¡°Man at birth, good.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuanughed and taught him again seriously. ¡°Man at birth is fundamentally good in nature.¡±


    After repeating it three times, Little Treasure learned it. At least there were no more missing words. Qi Xiuyuan looked at Little Bear. The child was tilting his head and studying the pen wash on his table. Seemingly attracted by the drawing on it, he reached out to take it, but he couldn¡¯t because his arm was short.


    Qi Xiuyuan passed it to him and coaxed him. ¡°Little Bear, can you study with me? ¡®Man at birth is fundamentally good in nature¡¯.¡±


    Probably because he had taken something from Qi Xiuyuan, Little Bear cooperatively made some noises in ordance, but they were all ¡°ah ah ah¡± words. He did not even manage to pronounce a proper word.


    Frowning, Qi Xiuyuan took the pen wash from his hand and said seriously, ¡°Study first, then I¡¯ll let you y. ¡®Man at birth is fundamentally good in nature.¡¯ ¡±


    Stunned, Little Bear looked up at Qi Xiuyuan seriously. He tilted his head and thought for a while before letting out two ¡°ah ah ah¡± sounds. Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan still didn¡¯t give it to him, he pped the book in front of him angrily with his tiny hand, leaving behind his little imprint upon it.


    Qi Xiuyuan was speechless. Just as he was about to educate Little Bear, he saw Little Treasure snatch the book excitedly and leave his own imprint on it. Little Bear stopped thinking about the pen wash and startedpeting with Little Treasure to see who left the most handprints.


    However, there was only so much dirt on their hands, hence they couldn¡¯t print anything after a few seals. Both of them were very sad. In the end, Little Treasure looked at his palm and seemed to have thought of something. He struggled to slip off his father¡¯s leg and ran outside. Under the surprised gazes of the servants, he squatted down and rubbed his little hands on the ground. Then, he raised his dirty little hands and rushed back He struggled to climb up again to leave his handprint on the book. However, he didn¡¯t have enough bnce, so he couldn¡¯t raise his hand. So in the end, he simply grabbed his father¡¯s clothes and left dirty little handprints on them.


    This time, Little Treasure was no longer afraid. Instead, he tilted his head and looked at the w mark on his father¡¯s sleeve. As if he had suddenly realized something, he pressed his small hand against Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s chest.


    When he moved his hand away again, there was a faint handprint on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s chest.


    Little Treasureughed happily. Little Bear, who had been watching, couldn¡¯t sit still anymore. He hurriedly broke free from Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s arms and ran out with Little Treasure to get some mud before returning to imprint it on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s clothes.


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s face was as ck as charcoal. In the end, he took a deep breath and suppressed the reprimand that was on the tip of his tongue by telling himself that the children were still young and insensible.


    When Li Jinghua came over, she saw the two boysughing and tugging at Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s clothes. Li Jinghua smiled knowingly and was about to say that Eldest Master and the children were getting closer when she saw the dense little handprints on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s clothes. She swallowed her words.


    The corners of her mouth twitched. She should get someone to take the two children downstairs to bathe and change.


    At this moment, Mu Yangling was scrubbing Qi Haoran¡¯s back.


    Mu Yangling said with heartache and disdain, ¡°How many days has it been since you took a bath?¡±


    She had already changed the water twice for him. It was only on the third try that the color of the water appeared a little more normal. She almost rubbed his skin raw.


    Qi Haoranyfortably in the wooden bucket and said contentedly, ¡°I couldn¡¯ t even drink a mouthful of hot water, so where would I get the water to take a bath?¡± He counted in his heart and said, ¡°Thest time I took a bath was after I saw Big Brother. The two of us found a small stream nearby to take a cold bath. Because it was such a cold day, we only took a quick bath.¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned. ¡°Hasn¡¯t it already been a month?¡±


    At the thought that the weather was getting hotter and that Qi Haoran had been traveling and fighting a war, sweating was inevitable. So he had not washed himself for a month?


    Seeing that Mu Yangling¡¯s disdainful look coincided with his precious son¡¯s disdainful look just now, Qi Haoran instantly flew into a rage out of humiliation and said, ¡°You still dare to despise me?¡±


    With that, he reached out and pulled Mu Yangling into the wooden barrel.


    Mu Yangling screamed. When she came back to her senses and saw that she was wet, she pinched him angrily, ¡°what are you doing? Look, my clothes are wet!¡± Infuriated, Qi Haoran reached out to tug at her clothes and said, ¡°It¡¯s good that it¡¯s wet. Bathe with me and save water. You don¡¯t know how precious water was when we were on the march. We even had to drink water sparingly.¡± With Qi Haoran¡¯s words, Mu Yangling¡¯s disdain turned into heartache, and her attitude inevitably softened.


    Seeing this, Qi Haoran hugged Mu Yangling even tighter. His breathing gradually quickened, and hot air gushed onto her neck and ears. He whispered, ¡°Ah Ling, I¡¯ve missed you.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s hand that was pushing him away paused slightly. She said in a low voice, ¡°Let¡¯s not do it here. We¡¯ll beughed at.¡±


    There s no one outside. Besides, who would dare tough at us?¡± As Qi Haoran spoke, he quickly stripped Mu Yangling clean and groped her up and down. Embarrassed and timid, Mu Yangling¡¯s face was flushed red. In the end, she simply closed her eyes and let him do whatever he wanted.


    Liking it even more, Qi Haoran hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear, ¡°I¡¯m so happy¡­ That you¡¯re so obedient¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s face flushed red, but Qi Haoran¡¯s kisses fell like raindrops. While Mu Yangling was in a daze, he lifted her leg and rushed in. Then, he started a fierce battle¡­


    Mu Yangling¡¯s head was buried in Qi Haoran¡¯s chest. After he carried her and ced her on the bed, she directly pulled the nket over and buried herself in it. With a satisfied look on his face, Qi Haoran patted the nket and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get someone toe in and clean up.¡±


    Mu Yangling shrunk like a quail and pretended not to hear him.

 Chapter 577 - 577= State Title

    Chapter 577= State Title


    Editor: As Studios


    Water and clothes were scattered all over the bathroom. Seeing that his wife was really shy, Qi Haoran reluctantly picked up the clothes and ced them aside before asking someone toe in to clean up the ce.


    The servant girls who came in to clean up looked straight ahead as they tidied up the bathroom. When they went out, their faces were a little flushed. With Mama Wang staring at them sharply outside, the servant girls¡¯ faces instantly turned snow-white and they no longer dared to let their imaginations run wild.


    Only then was Mama Wang satisfied. She asked Rain to guard the door and left.


    Qi Haoran put on his undergarments and went to pour himself some water. After downing two cups, he returned with the teapot and asked, ¡°Do you want some water?¡±


    Mu Yangling lifted the nket and red at him. ¡°No.


    However, Qi Haoran¡¯s thoughts were aroused by Mu Yangling¡¯s re. Looking at Mu Yangling, he gulped down another cup of water. Only then did he put down the teapot and teacup. He climbed onto the bed and hugged Mu Yangling, his hands moving around dishonestly.


    Mu Yangling pushed his hand away and warned him in a low voice, ¡°We still have to go to Zhaode Hall for dinnerter. Don¡¯t do anything rash.¡±


    Qi Haoran retracted his hand regretfully and pressed Mu Yangling into his embrace. Only after leaning over and kissing her a few times did he lie down with her in his arms. ¡°Sleep with me for a while. How long has it been since I slept peacefully¡­¡±


    After saying that, Qi Haoran started snoring.


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t fall asleep, so she moved her body and faced him. After looking at him for a while, she used her hand to stroke his cheek. Seeing that his adorable baby fat had disappeared, her heart ached. She couldn¡¯t help but raise her head and kiss his cheek.


    Qi Haoran smacked his lips and tightened his grip on Mu Yangling.


    As Mu Yangling watched him, she also fell asleep with her head on Qi Haoran¡¯s chest. When she was woken up again, there was only the glow of the setting sun outside.


    Mu Yangling quickly got up and shook Qi Haoran awake. The two of them packed up and went to Zhaode Hall.


    Because of Qi Haoran¡¯s triumphant return, Li Jinghua asked the kitchen to prepare a lot of delicious food. The two children had already been fed in advance and were now sitting on the couch ying together. They were each seated on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s left and right.


    Qi Haoran stopped in his tracks when he entered the room. He looked at his son sadly, surprised that he was so close to Big Brother but despised him so much.


    Qi Xiuyuan looked up at him, his thoughts written all over his face. The corners of his mouth twitched, but he hugged Little Bear tightly. Lowering his head, he asked gently, ¡°Little Bear, will you still y with Uncle tomorrow?¡±


    Little Bear nodded fiercely and even wrapped his arms around Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s neck to kiss him. Clearly, he was very satisfied with the hand-printing game this afternoon.


    Qi Haoran was even more devastated. After greeting Li Jinghua, he ran over and called out ¡°Big Brother¡±. Then, he leaned over to coax Little Bear. ¡°Son, look here. Do you still remember Daddy?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said calmly, ¡°The child wasn¡¯t a month old when you left. How could he remember?¡±


    Little Treasure looked up at Qi Haoran and shouted, ¡°Fourth Uncle! ¡°Aye,¡± Qi Haoran replied happily. Then, he looked at his son expectantly. Little Bear still didn¡¯t know how to speak and was only talking to Little Treasure. When he turned his head, he saw that Qi Haoran was still looking at him eagerly. He hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he handed his favorite wooden sculpture to Qi Haoran with a pained expression.


    Qi Haoran was very disappointed when he saw the wooden sculpture that Little Bear had given him. Mu Yangling, who had brought the fruits over, said in surprise, ¡°Little Bear actually gave this to you? I asked him for a long time, but he couldn¡¯t bear to give it to me.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at the disappointed Qi Haoran and snorted. ¡°You¡¯re so lucky.¡±


    However, Qi Haoran was instantly revived. He happily stuffed the wooden sculpture into his arms, then picked up Little Bear and ced him on his neck. He said with a grin, ¡°Big Brother is jealous of me. We¡¯re father and son, after all. Son, let¡¯s go. Father will bring you to ride a horse.¡±


    Although it was called ¡®riding a horse¡¯, it was actually ¡®riding a father¡¯, with Little Bear riding around the house on Qi Haoran¡¯s neck. At first, Little Bear nervously grabbed Qi Haoran¡¯s hair, butter on, he realized that it felt pretty awesome to be up there. Soon, he giggled and even reached out to pat Qi Haoran¡¯s head while shaking his butt.


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at his envious son and was so angry that his breath was stuck in his chest. He scolded, ¡°You¡¯re simply unbing. Who lets their son ride on their neck? Put him down quickly.¡±


    ¡°There are no outsiders in the house. Who would know if we don¡¯t tell them?¡±


    Qi Haoran said nonchntly.


    However, Mu Yangling said worriedly, ¡°Put him down quickly. It¡¯ste at night. Don¡¯t scare the child.¡±


    Feeling a little regretful, Qi Haoran put his son down. Obviously still wanting to y, Little Bear patted his father¡¯s shoulder, grabbed his clothes, and stuck out his legs, wanting to climb up by himself. Seeing that Big Brother and Ah Ling were staring at him, Qi Haoran could only hug his son and whisper in his ear, ¡°Good son, we¡¯ll y when your mother isn¡¯t around tomorrow.


    After coaxing him a few times, Little Bear reluctantly agreed.


    After dinner, Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°I¡¯ve shortlisted a few state titles. You can take a lookter and see which one is suitable. It¡¯s best to finalize it as soon as possible.¡±


    Qi Haoran thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Is there any that contains the word ¡®Qi¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Qi Xiuyuan frowned. ¡°It¡¯s just that the officials aren¡¯t too fond of this? word. Moreover, Qi is the state surname. If we adopt it as the state title too¡­


    Throughout history, with a tendency to differ from the state surname, the state title was mostly chosen from words with auspicious meanings or directly from the Yi Jing. It was rare that the state title was the same as the state surname. In fact, if one looked carefully through history, only the country of Chen during the Southern and Northern Dynasties used the state surname as their state title. Qi Haoran sneered, ¡°They only refuse to adopt the state surname because they want to suppress our Qi family. But what¡¯s wrong with ¡®Qi¡¯? The dictionary exins that ¡¯none are as uniformly excellent as grains of wheat and rice<sup>1</sup> ¡ª food is the foundation of life. All we desire is for our people to live and work in peace and contentment, the most practical of goals.¡±


    In the first ce, Qi Xiuyuan was in favor of adopting ¡®Qi¡¯ as the state title and only hesitated due to the officials¡¯ objections. Hearing his younger brother¡¯s words, he said after a moment of silence, ¡°Let¡¯s name our country ¡®Great Qi¡¯ then. In the time of the Spring and Autumn period, Qi was merely one of the feudal states, but our Great Qi will surely unify thend, enduring through the ages!¡±


    Qi Haoran grinned confidently. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Big Brother. I¡¯ll definitely help you recover your empire.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuanughed and patted his shoulder. ¡°Alright, we brothers will work hard together.¡±


    From then on, the state title of ¡®Great Qi¡¯ was decided.


    The brothers carried the wine pot and quickly moved the battlefield to the study. The two of them left a message that they were going to share the same bed that night. When Mu Yangling heard this, she carried Little Bear back.


    Li Jinghua also went to bed early with Little Treasure.


    The West Manor quickly quietened down, but the people in the East Manor could not fall asleep.


    Madam Wu and her sons and daughters-inw had been sitting in the reception hall guarding a table of cold food. With a dark expression, she waved her hand and said, ¡°You may leave. The reunion dinner isn¡¯t happening tonight.¡±

 Chapter 578: Worry

    Chapter 578: Worry


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Shaotai was furious. ¡°Even if they¡¯re in a high position now, they can¡¯t disrespect their mother. Aren¡¯t they afraid that others will criticize them for being unfilial?¡±


    Qi Shaosheng couldn¡¯t help but clench his fists. He looked at his mother in confusion and asked with difficulty, ¡°Mother, do you think he won¡¯t acknowledge our status as legitimate sons?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Qi Shaotai jumped up. ¡°Mother is Father¡¯s step-wife. What right has he to not acknowledge our status as legitimate sons?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Madam Wu stopped Qi Shaotai in embarrassment and berated in a low voice, ¡°Are you afraid that others don¡¯t know? Their identities are different from before. If he simply refuses to admit it, what can we do?¡±


    At this point, Madam Wu couldn¡¯t help but feel resentful. It was said that a woman would rely on her sons after her husband passed. Her two sons were clearly older than Qi Haoran, but they had achieved nothing up till now. Qi Shaosheng was just a xiucai, and Qi Shaotai didn¡¯t even qualify to be a tongsheng.


    She had thought that she could use Qi Xiuyuan as an excuse to establish a force in the capital while they were fighting in a war outside. She would then be able to negotiate terms with Qi Xiuyuan when it came time to give out rewards based on merits.


    s, as soon as Qi Xiuyuan left, he had his men surround the Qi Residence. Not only could the woman not leave, but even her two sons could not step out of the residence. Even though he imed to do this to protect them, everyone knew that he was just wary of them.


    When Qi Xiuyuan went out to fight for a year, they were locked up for a year. Even when Li Jinghua and the others came backter, they still couldn¡¯t go out. Her two sons were still dreaming of being conferred Princes when Qi Xiuyuan became the Emperor, but she knew that it was just wishful thinking on their part.


    However, she still had a glimmer of hope in her heart. She felt that Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran cared about their reputation and would give her the proper respect of a mother. At that time, even if her two sons could not be conferred the title of a Prince, they would at least be ensured the title of a Duke. Then with her, the Empress Dowager, taking care of them, they should be able to live pretty well.


    But logically speaking, having returned victorious today, Qi Haoran should havee to greet her before returning to his residence. If he did note in the afternoon, he should at least show up for the reunion dinner at her invitation. However, Nanny Wu was sent away before she could even catch a glimpse of Qi Haoran. It could be seen that Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran did not even intend to acknowledge her as their legitimate mother.


    For a stepson to not acknowledge his stepmother, even if Qi Xiuyuan was the Emperor, he was still breaching the rules of etiquette. However, she did not dare to retort loudly because she knew that her stepmother status didn¡¯te via proper means.


    Her name was only registered in the genealogical records and ording to the government office records, she was still a concubine. Moreover, many people knew this secret. If Qi Xiuyuan refused to acknowledge her as his stepmother there was nothing they could do about it.


    If she lost even this identity that could restrain Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran, Qi Xiuyuan wouldn¡¯ t have any qualms about dealing with them.


    No one knew how much Qi Xiuyuan abhorred her. Looking at her two fuming sons, Madam Wu did not say how afraid she was of Qi Xiuyuan.


    She only hoped that Qi Xiuyuan would be mindful of the opinions outside and not make things too ugly.


    Qi Haoran still did not visit Madam Wu the next day. After breakfast, he went to the pce with Qi Xiuyuan.


    Seeing that his expression was normal, Qi Xiuyuan was relieved and did not take the initiative to mention this matter. Little did he know that Qi Haoran had long forgotten about Madam Wu. Now that the East and West Manors were living separately and she did not appear in front of him, why would shee to mind?


    ¡°Zijin is currently in charge of all the rations and military equipment of the Qi Family Army. He¡¯s having a hard time. You can choose whether to follow me or follow him now that you¡¯re back.¡±


    Qi Haoran hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Big Brother, are you short of manpower?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan could tell what he was thinking from his expression. He said ¡°I know you¡¯re impatient to deal with the officials in the Imperial Court, but you still have to do what you have to do. It¡¯s fine if you want to follow Zijin. But in the future, you ¡®ll still have to lead the army outside. Though it¡¯s good for you to learn how to manage the rear from Zijin, you¡¯ll have toe when I call for you.¡±


    Qi Haoran heaved a sigh of relief and nodded hurriedly.


    How can it be so easy to build a new dynasty?


    Taxes,ws, and even etiquette had to be changed. Although these could be postponed for two to three years, discussions had to begin right now.


    Most importantly, they had to help the refugees settle down first. Since the refugees had no fields or grains, they had to give them fields and distribute food relief.


    Some ces had a lot of people but littlend, while in other ces the opposite was true. Thus, they had to allocate freehold fields differently depending on the ce. In addition, they had to think of ways to move people who were willing to migrate to less densely-popted areas.


    Considering the grains and silver in the national treasury were limited, doing this would deplete all the resources in the entire country. What would then happen next year and the year after?


    Therefore, he could only slightly stagger the tax-exempt years. He still had to think of a way to generate ie. In short, there were a lot of misceneous matters. Just as he settled one issue, another official brought up another issue with a memorial.


    Although everything was proceeding in an orderly manner, there were so many misceneous things that even a good-tempered and steady person like Qi Xiuyuan was a little irritated, let alone Qi Haoran, who typically couldn¡¯t sit still for even an hour.


    After dazedly listening for the entire morning, he used the excuse of inspecting the troops to run out to look for Fan Zijin.


    Qi Xiuyuan sighed, feeling that there were too few people he could use. Haoran was not good at this, so he could not force him to help.


    On Fan Zijin¡¯s side, things were much easier since the most difficult period had passed.


    When the war was in full swing, there were records of Fan Zijin not sleeping for three days and three nights. Therefore, now that the war was over, he leaned back in his chair with a pot of tea and looked at the ount book in satisfaction.


    The scale of the Qi Family¡¯s army was not small and the national treasury could not fork out a single tael of silver to the army, so it was all up to him to support it. He had to be very careful with the dispatch. However, because he had previouslye up with a n that had be the norm, he only had to hand it over to the officials of the military under him. He was now only responsible for supervising and inspecting.


    Those who came to Fan Zijin¡¯s ce were all from the military. When they saw


    Qi Haoran, they greeted him respectfully and went about their business.


    Qi Haoran was very envious when he saw that Fan Zijin was so free here. ¡°Big Brother asked me to learn how to manage the rear in case ites up useful during a war.¡±


    Fan Zijin threw him a booklet and said, ¡°Learn to read the ount book first.¡± After flipping through it, Qi Haoran threw it aside in frustration. He muttered, ¡°I hate reading these things the most. I can¡¯t even learn them on the spot.¡± Fan Zijin nced at him. Looking up, Qi Haoran saw that he waszily nestled in the chair. It was already early summer, but there was still a nket under him. He looked at the jacket on him and reached out to pinch his hand. With a frown, he said, ¡°Why are you so thin? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve damaged your health.¡±


    ¡°I was lucky and didn¡¯t damage my health. I¡¯m just a little afraid of the cold ¡±


    Fan Zijin said nonchntly, ¡°Don¡¯t you and Eldest Cousin have internal injuries too? I was just so busy that I went out of shape a while ago. I¡¯ll be fine after recuperating for some time.¡±


    Qi Haoran rolled up the ledger on the table and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take it home to take a look. Since there are already old records to follow, you don¡¯t have to sit here anymore. Leave it to the subordinates. Go back and rest.¡±


    Fan Zijin shook his head. ¡°I might as well stay here since it vexes me to see them at home. You should go back and spend more time with Little Bear. Tell him that I¡¯ll visit him tonight.¡±

 Chapter 579: Working Hard

    Chapter 579: Working Hard


    Editor: As Studios


    After rolling up two ount books, Qi Haoran ran home. He picked up his son, who was leaning against Mu Yangling¡¯s chest, and said unhappily, ¡°He¡¯s already one year old. Why is he still drinking milk? It¡¯s time he weans off.¡±


    Mu Yangling hurriedly snatched the child over and patted his backfortingly. ring at Qi Haoran, she said, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? Even Little Treasure is still drinking milk.¡±


    Qi Haoran smacked his lips. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re nning to breastfeed him until he¡¯s two years old too?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait until he¡¯s one year old before letting him wean off.¡± Mu Yangling took a small toy for Little Bear to y with and asked, ¡°Why are you back?¡±


    Qi Haoran showed her the ount book. ¡°Find me an ountant and ask him to teach me how to read the ount book. Also, go to the storeroom and see if there are any good medicinal herbs. I¡¯ll send some to Zijinter.¡±


    Qi Haoran said sadly, ¡°It¡¯s only been a short while since west met, but he¡¯s be so skinny.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just been working too hard recently. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll be fine after resting for a while. Now, we can hire any imperial physician we want. In fact, there¡¯s one staying in the Fan residence now.¡±


    Only then did Qi Haoran feel a little better. However, he also wanted to learn how to read the ount book as soon as possible so that he could share the burden with his big brother and Zijin.


    However, he had clearly overestimated himself. In three days, Qi Haoran had changed three ounting teachers. It was not that Qi Haoran had a bad temper and forced them to leave, but that the three ountants felt that they could not teach Qi Haoran and took the initiative to resign.


    Qi Haoran was the sort of person who was determined to work hard once he made up his mind to master something. Hence, even if he could not understand something, he would consult the teacher with a good attitude. However, even after the teachers taught him a few times, Qi Haoran still wouldn¡¯t know how to apply a concept if it so much as appeared in a slightly different form.


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to give up. They didn¡¯t dare to fool him, so they could only give up on this opportunity.


    At first, Mu Yangling suspected that the ountants weren¡¯t teaching him using the right method, so she personally taught him. Half a dayter, Mu Yangling looked speechlessly at Qi Haoran, who was holding the pen with a troubled expression. After a long silence, she said, ¡°Haoran, you¡¯re not suited for ounting. People are good at different fields. You might as well find a few ountants to help you in that aspect. You can just be in charge of delegating the work.¡±


    ¡°But that way, it¡¯ll be easy for others to fool me.¡±


    ¡°Who would dare to fool you about military and political matters? If there¡¯s really no other way, we can set up a supervisory body. Surely they can¡¯t all gang up to fool you and you alone? As long as the system is perfect, the risk can be minimized. It¡¯s better than you struggling to read the ount books.¡± Struggling and yet failing, to make things worse.


    Mu Yangling swallowed herst sentence.


    Qi Haoran lowered his head and fell into deep thought.


    At night, Qi Xiuyuan and Fan Zijin came back together for dinner. Seeing that Qi Haoran was already full of energy and ying with the two children, he asked Li Jinghua curiously, ¡°This kid has always been one-track-minded. Who persuaded him?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan never ever thought that his brother could learn how to read a set of ounts.


    Upon hearing this, Li Jinghua said with a smile, ¡°Ah Ling went to persuade him. It took her a long time.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯ll bring him to the pce tomorrow. Even if he can¡¯t read the ounts, I¡¯m sure there are other things he can master. Coincidentally, magistrates from all over the country areing to report to the capital. He can take the chance to learn from them.¡±


    Qi Haoran turned his head and said to Fan Zijin, ¡°You¡¯ll go too. When the timees, I¡¯ll send you elsewhere to umte more experience.¡±


    Fan Zijin pursed his lips in disdain. ¡°Eldest Cousin, do I still need to build up more experience? Considering those local government affairs give me a headache, I prefer to earn money to fill the national treasury. Now that the dynasty is newly established, there¡¯s really no need to follow the old system when ites to appointing people. You can just use people who are talented.¡± Qi Xiuyuan said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want to be the prime minister right away?¡±


    ¡°There are too many misceneous matters that the Prime Minister has to manage. I¡¯m not capable of that. Eldest Cousin, you¡¯d better let me manage the Ministry of Revenue. I promise that in less than ten years, the treasury will be filled with coins and the granary will be full.¡±


    ¡°Even if I exempt the citizens from paying taxes for three years and lower taxes after that?¡±


    Fan Zijin choked. After a while, he said, ¡°Actually, businessmen are the richest.¡±


    ¡°But if the taxes are too heavy, businessmen might not want to go into business anymore. Besides, how many people in this world are in business?¡±


    There might not even be one person in a hundred who entered the business world. If they ced the bulk of the tax burden on that one person, it would definitely be another level of unfairness.


    Moreover, should the business tax be too heavy, it would result in more cases of tax evasion and more businessmen would choose to go into other fields instead. Although Qi Xiuyuan looked down on businessmen, he would not underestimate their value.


    Wasn¡¯t the Qi family¡¯s army able to survivergelybecauseof FanZijin¡¯s businesses?


    Seeing that Fan Zijin was scratching his head and still wanted to think of something, Qi Xiuyuan pressed his hand down and said, ¡°Zijin, when I ascend the throne, follow Haoran to the front line. Hand over the businesses in your hands to the stewards and seriously carve out a career with Haoran.¡±


    Fan Zijin was stunned. ¡°Eldest Cousin, I still have to umte merits? You can just confer me an official position in the Ministry of Revenue¡­¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said seriously, ¡°Do you only want to be the head of the Ministry of Revenue? With your current mentality, I won¡¯t be at ease handing the position of Minister of Revenue to you in another 20 years.¡± Seeing the unconvinced look on Fan Zijin¡¯s face, he sighed and said, ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that you¡¯re talented, but what I want you to learn is mentality and morals. Zijin, you can only take on as many responsibilities as the size of your heart could contain. Haoran is benevolent, but his talent is only in fighting wars. He won¡¯t be able to learn anything else even if you force him with a knife. I¡¯m but one person, and Little Treasure is still young. I need some help¡­¡±


    Although Qi Xiuyuan did not finish his sentence, his meaning was obvious. He wanted Fan Zijin to assist him. With Qi Xiuyuan cing such high hopes on him, it was only a matter of time before Fan Zijin enjoyed a meteoric rise in his career.


    Fan Zijin fell silent. It was impossible not to be tempted, but he wanted the freedom to do the things that he enjoyed, such as doing business.


    Initially, he had gone into business to get some pocket money for him and Qi Haoran and some rations for the 5th Division. Later on, he did it to pay for military equipment for the entire West Camp. Now, he was doing it to support the Qi family¡¯s army. However, he had long fallen in love with this line of work. He felt that politics was not as exciting and attractive as the business world.


    However, he also knew that only good officials and famous generals had ever been able to make history. No businessman had ever left their mark in history. Fan Zijin was a businessman, but he was also a schr. No schr could resist the temptation of leaving his name in history.


    He knew that the reason why Qi Xiuyuan was unwilling to promote him to a high position was because of his bottom line.


    Other than a limited number of people, there were very few things that he cared about. For the sake of profit, he could do anything. However, if he were to be an official or prime minister, this would obviously not do. While he had ruthless methods, he did not have the benevolence of an official.


    Without a benevolent and tolerant heart, wouldn¡¯t he be another Minister Qin?


    Fan Zijin pondered the matter for a few days. Qi Haoran asked in confusion, ¡°You can devise strategies in the business world, but you can also find that feeling in the bureaucracy. Why are you so stubborn about it?¡±


    Fan Zijin nced at him and said, ¡°How is this the same? I cane up with conspiracies in the business world since there¡¯s no one suppressing me from above. There are very few businesses that I fail to seed in. However, it¡¯s different in the bureaucracy. If I frame a loyal and kind person to achieve my goal, not to mention Eldest Cousin, you¡¯ll be the first to fall out with me.¡±

 Chapter 580: Father and Son

    Chapter 580: Father and Son


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran pondered the meaning of his words and jumped up. ¡°Even if you¡¯re in the business world, you can¡¯t frame a loyal and kind person.


    Fan Zijin rolled his eyes and said, ¡°There is no loyal and kind person in the business world. If one fails it¡¯s because he¡¯s not capable enough. Even in the event of a failure, he won¡¯t implicate themoners. However, it¡¯s different in the bureaucracy where one will easily implicate innocent people. Should that happen, you and Eldest Cousin will pull my ears and nag at me.¡±


    Qi Haoran felt that something was wrong, but he couldn¡¯t figure it out. He could only say, ¡°Why must you frame loyal and kind people?¡±


    Fan Zijin said faintly, ¡°For the sake of benefits. If they get in my way, they leave me no choice but to deal with them.


    That was why Eldest Cousin said that he had no bottom line. Fan Zijin also knew that he had gone astray, but what if he could not correct his ways?


    Fan Zijin sized Qi Haoran up from head to toe and sighed faintly. However, he and Qi Haoran were brothers. Qi Haoran had a sense of justice and was a little silly. He really did not want to go too far and end up falling out with this brother of his one day.


    Qi Haoran came back to his senses and patted his chest. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Didn t Big Brother askyou to follow me? I¡¯ll keep an eye on you and definitely won¡¯t let you do anything outrageous.¡±


    Fan Zijin opened his mouth, wanting to say that he was unwilling to follow him precisely because of this. However, seeing that Qi Haoran was already excitedly nning what to do next, he could only swallow his words.


    Mu Yangling trusted Fan Zijin¡¯s character very much. After listening to Qi Haoran¡¯s recount of their conversation, she said nonchntly, ¡°Zijin values brotherhood. With you and Big Brother keeping an eye on him from time to time, he won¡¯t go astray.¡±


    Qi Haoran never thought that Fan Zijin was a crooked person. In his opinion. Fan Zijin was a very good person. Hearing this, he nodded vigorously. ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t understand why Big Brother is always so worried that Zijin will take the wrong path. He¡¯s clearly so wonderful.


    Mu Yangling patted his arm and said, ¡°Smart people think differently from us. As long as we know that Zijin is a good person, that¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    Qi Haoran said unhappily, ¡°Am I not smart?¡±


    ¡°You are smart, but we all have in five-opening hearts. Big Brother and Zijin, however, have seven-opening hearts, which makes them much more perceptive than us.¡±


    Taken aback, Qj Haoran asked, ¡°I¡¯ve only heard of the concept of a ¡®seven-opening heart¡¯. Is there such a thing as a five-opening heart?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at him in disdain and said, ¡°Ordinary people have five openings in their hearts, while sages have seven. Don¡¯t you even know this saying?¡±


    Qi Haoran rubbed his nose and muttered, ¡°Who pays attention to that?¡± Then he added, ¡°You have just five openings too, so we¡¯re a perfect match.


    Mu Yangling saw that his eyes were sparkling and his hands were starting to be naughty under the nket. She grabbed his hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t mess around. We agreed that you would have a good night¡¯s sleep tonight. Tomorrow is your son¡¯s zhuazhouO banquet¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll wake you up tomorrow morning and won¡¯t let you oversleep¡­¡± After saying that, he turned over and pressed the person under him, blocking her mouth so that she couldn¡¯t say anything to object.


    The next day, Mu Yangling was woken up on time. Qi Haoran smiled at her ingratiatingly and said, ¡°Come, let me help you put on your clothes.¡± Mu Yangling turned to look at the hourss. Seeing that it was not toote, she heaved a sigh of relief. She pulled her clothes over and said, ¡°Turn around. I¡¯ll put them on myself.¡±


    Qi Haoran turned around regretfully. After Mu Yangling was done putting on her clothes, Qi Haoran ingratiatingly wringed out a towel to wipe her face. Seated in front of the dressing table, Mu Yangling only forgave him forst night¡¯s rashness when she saw him being so careful.


    Seeing that Mu Yangling¡¯s lips were slightly pursed, Qi Haoran knew that she was no longer angry. He hurriedly went to open the door and let Spring in to help Mu Yanglingb her hair. Then, he sat on the chair and watched her while drinking tea.


    Mu Yangling saw it in the mirror and said, ¡°Why are you drinking tea so early in the morning? Didn¡¯11 tell you to prepare in water in the house? You should drink some in water in the morning and only drink tea an hour after breakfast.¡±


    Because there were always people around her who were not in good health, Mu Yangling had always paid attention to longevity preservation techniques. She did not drink tea in the morning or at night before going to bed and only drank in water. Qi Haoran also followed her habits.


    Spring paused and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the new servant girl is insensible, so she made a mistake. I¡¯ll instruct them to pay attentionter.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded nonchntly.


    The moment Little Bear opened his eyes, he got up. Seeing that he was not in his room, he immediately pouted unhappily. Ever since his father came back, he would always be carried to the warm room to sleep at night. A little dissatisfied, he wanted to slide down the bed. When the wet nurse saw this, she quickly went forward and wrapped him in a nket. She coaxed him gently, ¡°Third Young Master, let¡¯s put on beautiful clothes first, okay? We¡¯ll look for Fourth Madam after we¡¯re done.¡±


    The young servant girl quickly brought him the clothes she had prepared long ago. It was a red outfit,plete with a red top, red pants, and a red short coat. When he put on the red hat, he looked like a red doll. It was an extremely festive look.


    The wet nurse wanted to carry Little Bear over, but Little Bear insisted on running there on his own. Although he was only one year old, he ran steadily and quickly to the main house.


    When Qi Haoran heard the sound, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. The only one who dared to run in the courtyard with such hurried footsteps was Little Bear.


    Qi Haoran got up and had just reached the door when a red child rushed into his arms.


    Qi Haoran picked him up and took off his hat. He rubbed his bald head and said, ¡°What a nice outfit. It makes my son look even more handsome.


    Although Little Bear was young, he could understand praise. He immediately hugged his father¡¯s neck and no longer med him for leaving him in the warm roomst night.


    He grabbed Qi Haoran¡¯s hair and tugged at his shoulders, wanting to ride on his shoulders.


    Without thinking, Qi Haoran put his son on his neck and walked out. As he walked, he shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the zhuazhou ceremony.¡±


    Little Bear grabbed Qi Haoran¡¯s hand and giggled, hisughter spreading all the way to Zhaode Hall. Everyone knew that Little Bear would onlyugh like this when he was ¡°riding a horse.¡±


    Little Treasure sat on the couch in low spirits and ignored him.


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s heart ached at this sight. He gritted his teeth at Qi Haoran, who was outside, and waved everyone out of the courtyard. Just as Li Jinghua worried that Qi Xiuyuan would be angered by this, she saw Qi Xiuyuan lift their son up and ce him on his neck¡­


    She was stunned andpletely speechless.


    Little Treasure, on the other hand, was thrilled as his butt bounced up and down. Unlike Little Bear who only knew how to giggle, he already knew how to speak, so he grabbed his father¡¯s hair and shouted, ¡°Go, go.¡± Li Jinghua¡¯s expression changed slightly. Just as she was about to stop him, Qi Xiuyuan carried Little Treasure and ran out¡­


    Li Jinghua¡¯s eyes were slightly wet. She lowered her head and did not say anything.


    Qi Haoran was bringing Little Bear over. When he saw that the servant girls and maidservants of Zhaode Hall were all outside the courtyard, he asked curiously, ¡°Why are you all here?¡±


    The servants looked at each other, clueless as to why they were chased out.


    Seeing that they were in a daze, Qi Haoran pursed his lips and pushed the door open. He bent down and entered. He had to bend down so that his son¡¯s head didn¡¯t bump into the door.


    The moment he entered, he encountered Little Treasure, who was ¡®flying¡¯ in the courtyard with Qi Xiuyuan holding him up.

 Chapter 581: Zhuazhou (1)

    Chapter 581: Zhuazhou (1)


    Editor: As Studios


    When Qi Xiuyuan carried Little Treasure out, his expression was a little dark. Qi Haoran did not understand. Doting on one¡¯s son was such a natural thing. Why did he have to hide it?


    Look, they had just reached the second gate, and Qi Xiuyuan had already handed Little Treasure to the wet nurse to carry. No matter what, he was unwilling to carry him in front of outsiders.


    Feeling contempt for his big brother¡¯s behavior, Qi Haoran carried Little Bear and walked in front of him valiantly.


    However, Little Bear didn¡¯t appreciate it at all because Little Treasure had already solemnly dered that he wanted to walk on his own. Little Bear also made a fuss about wanting to get down and walk on his own.


    Under Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s disdainful gaze, Qi Haoran could only put his son down.


    Little Bear shook off his father¡¯s hand and ran to his brother¡¯s side. The two brothers held hands and walked out together. Their little heads even leaned against each other as they chatted.


    The two brothers were wearing identical outfits. When they walked together, they looked like two little fireballs, but it made for a highly festive sight.


    As soon as they walked into the hall, everyone¡¯s attention was attracted by the two children.


    Madam Wu said with a smile, ¡°Little Treasure and Little Bear are here. Come to Grandmother.¡±


    Little Treasure wasn¡¯t much fond of Madam Wu, but because his mother had reminded him before, he went over holding his brother¡¯s hand.


    As Little Bear¡¯s attention had long been attracted by the things on the long table, he was subconsciously brought in front of Madam Wu.


    ¡°What obedient children. The zhuazhou ceremony is a big asion for you brothers. After you¡¯re brought to the long table, you brothers have to give in to each other, understand?¡±


    ¡°One should choose what he likes at the zhuazhou ceremony. How can they give in to each other?¡± Qi Haoran didn¡¯t like Madam Wu¡¯s hints. Turning to Little Treasure and Little Bear, he said, ¡°Take whatever you liketer. You can give in in other matters, but not when ites to zhuazhou.¡±


    Madam Wu¡¯s expression changed slightly. She looked up at Qi Xiuyuan and saw him talking to Zhang Cheng and the other old ministers. Although he¡¯d heard Qi Haoran¡¯s words, he did not turn around to reprimand him. Her heart turned cold.


    Madam Wu suppressed the anger in her heart and forced a smile before handing the two children to their wet nurse. However, when she saw Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling enter with smiles on their faces, she couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°This time, the two children are doing the zhuazhou ceremony together. Since there are many guests, we have to attend to them well.¡± After saying that, she looked at Little Treasure pitifully and said, ¡°If not for the war, Little Treasure¡¯s zhuazhou banquet should¡¯ve been held a year ago. I don¡¯t know where you escaped to previously, so we didn¡¯t get to use the things I prepared¡­¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s expression changed.


    Today was not Little Bear¡¯s birthday. His birthday was five dayster. The reason why they had chosen to hold his zhuazhou ceremony today was because they wanted his and Little Treasure¡¯s zhuazhou ceremonies to be held together.


    Last year, they were all focused on the war because they were fleeing. Therefore, when Little Treasure was one year old, they only prepared a few simple things and casually let him grab a book.


    Qi Xiuyuan had always felt that he had let his son down. With the doting Qi Haoran around as aparison, it made him seem like a stepfather. In addition, he was about to ascend to the throne, so he had plenty of considerations.


    Little Treasure was a very bright child. At least for now, he seemed to be much smarter than Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran when they were young. If there were no major problems, he would be the sessor of Great Qi in the future.


    Li Jinghua and his disappearance for more than a year was an easy target for criticism. Now that Li Jinghua was still the only woman in his harem, everything was fine. However, when his harem expanded in size in the future, such conflicts would definitely increase.


    He was not worried about Li Jinghua, but he was worried about Little Treasure.


    This was his first son and possibly his only legitimate son. It was obvious how much Qi Xiuyuan valued him.


    In order to consolidate his position, Qi Xiuyuan decided to hold another banquet for Little Treasure to show how much he valued him, and also to consolidate the child¡¯s position.


    However, it was too eye-catching to hold the zhuazhou banquet for him alone. Coincidentally, Little Bear was about to turn one year old, so after discussing it with his brother, they decided to hold it together.


    Qi Haoran saw that the two little boys were best buddies and that Little Treasure¡¯s zhuazhou ceremony was indeed shoddily-done previously, so he agreed without thinking.


    Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran were now the most powerful people in Great Qi. They¡¯d thought that no one would be so insensible to mention the past at the banquet, but unexpectedly, Madam Wu turned out to be so daft.


    Before Qi Xiuyuan returned to the capital, rumors started to spread in the capital, talking about how Li Jinghua and her sister-inw left with their children.


    If they were kidnapped, Li Jinghua would no longer be able to be the Empress. Even Little Treasure would be criticized. As for Mu Yangling and her son, with the future Empress in front of them, no one would pay attention to them anymore.


    However, if they were sent away by Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran, the two of them would be criticized for sending away their wives and children but not their father, leaving him behind to suffer. Moreover, even the reason for his rebellion would be suspected. It could not help but make people think that he was hical, unfilial, and disloyal.


    At that time, it was Fan Zijin who stood up and took the initiative to take responsibility for the matter. He said that he had sensed something amiss with the imperial guards surrounding the Qi Residence. As Emperor Jingyan had taken the family members of the generals as hostages, he had rescued them out of fear and sent them out of the city. Since the families of the other generals had also been sent away, it could be seen that the imperial guards surrounding the Qi Residence weren¡¯t the only problematic ones.


    As soon as he said this, everyone remembered that there were other generals¡¯ families who disappeared with Li Jinghua and the others, but they had suffered many casualties. Only all of the Qi family came back alive.


    A small number of people epted this exnation, but most of them did ask Fan Zijin why he did not save all of them and only saved Li Jinghua, Mu Yangling and their children.


    Fan Zijin scoffed at this and said, ¡°I¡¯m not that capable. The other generals also only managed to sneak out a few of their family members, right?¡±


    None of the generals had been able to send their entire family out. If they saved Qi Feng, would they also need to save Madam Wu?


    If they saved Madam Wu, they couldn¡¯t very well leave behind Qi Shaosheng, Qi Shaotai and their wives and children, right? With this implication, not to mention leaving the city, such arge group of people would probably be discovered before they even left the residence.


    However, there were still people who refused to let go of this logic. They felt that if Fan Zijin wanted to save anyone from the Qi family, he should save Qi Feng first. It was the most basic morality to prioritize an elder.


    Infuriated, Fan Zijin retorted without thinking, ¡°The Qi Residence has been divided into the east and west manors. We usually mind our own business. Ever since my Aunt passed away, I only know of my cousins and never knew of my uncle. Back then, when my cousin was in trouble, my uncle was noble and ¡®righteous¡¯. However, I¡¯mapetty person who only recognizes my family. Not to mention that my ability is limited and I can only send these few people away. Even if I¡¯m capable, I¡¯ll only consider my parents and wife. Knowing how noble and righteous my uncle was, he definitely wouldn¡¯t abandon Great Zhou.¡±


    These words sessfully shut most people up. That¡¯s right. Even Fan Zijin himself, his parents, and his wife did not leave. Seeing as he sent Madam Li and the others away first, it was obvious that he was righteous. As for Qi Feng, everyone knew that the Qi father and son were not on good terms. Even when Qi Feng was still around, the East and West Prefectures had already been living separate lives. It was understandable that Fan Zijin, who was close to Qi Xiuyuan, did not give two hoots about Qi Feng.


    However, there were still some jealous schrs who criticized Fan Zijin for being too narrow-minded and disrespectful to the elders. They belittled Fan Zijin¡¯s character.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan and the others knew that this was just Fan Zijin¡¯s way of diverting attention.


    The im that Fan Zijin had sent them away without Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s knowledge could not withstand scrutiny. If others really investigated deeper, even if Qi Xiuyuan erased a lot of tracester, the influential people could still find out that they had set it up long ago. Not to mention anything else, the house where Mu Yangling and the others lived was prepared a year in advance. He could not possibly kill all the vigers nearby to silence them, right?


    Therefore, Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t want anyone to mention this matter, but Madam Wu just had to mention it again at this moment. She even hinted so obviously, as if she was afraid that others wouldn¡¯t know.

 Chapter 582: Zhuazhou (2)

    Chapter 582: Zhuazhou (2)


    Editor: As Studios


    Enraged, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s expression appeared even more dignified. The hall fell silent. Although Qi Xiuyuan had yet to ascend the throne, everyone already regarded him as an Emperor and could not help but feel anxious.


    Although Madam Wu was still smiling, her palms were sweaty. She was also a little vexed about her impulsiveness. However, this was not the time to show weakness. Otherwise, with so many people watching, who would take her and her sons seriously in the future?


    Qi Xiuyuan sneered in his heart and didn¡¯t say anything. Now that he was already the most powerful person, surely he didn¡¯t have to amodate others?


    However, Li Jinghua had no choice but to stand up and say with a smile, ¡°The things that Madam prepared are naturally good. But Eldest Master and Fourth Brother keep harping on the fact that they haven¡¯t taken care of the two children much, so they wanted to personally buy the things for the zhuazhou ceremony. Naturally, this means that the things that Madam prepared won¡¯t be needed.¡±


    Li Jinghua rubbed the two children¡¯s heads and said with a smile, ¡°These two children have a good rtionship. It¡¯s their fate to be able to hold their zhuazhou ceremonies together. There<sup>1</sup> s nothing wrong with that.¡±


    Everyone looked at Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling.


    Before Qi Haoran could speak, Mu Yangling lowered her head and asked Little Bear, ¡°Are you willing to zhuazhou with your older brother? If you re willing, hold his hand. If you¡¯re not,e to Mother.¡±


    Little Bear, who was originally grabbing the corner of its mother¡¯s clothes, shook off her clothes and ran to Little Treasure¡¯s side. He held onto Little Treasure¡¯s clothes tightly and red at his mother.


    Mu Yangling shrugged and didn¡¯t say a word, but everyone saw her attitude.


    Everyone turned to look at Qi Haoran and, seeing him smiling at Little Bear, understood his attitude as well.


    The hall suddenly became lively again.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand to call Shi Jian over and quietly instructed him.


    When it was time to do the zhuazhou, the two children were carried to the long table.


    Made up of two tables ced horizontally and three tables vertically, it made for a very long and big table collectively. It was filled with the things that Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran had gathered. As it was two children doing the zhuazhou ceremony together, there were duplicates of some important items. For example, there were three books and three wooden swords.


    Naturally, Qi Haoran hoped that his son would grab the wooden sword. That way, the father and son would both be generals. How nice would that sound? Hence, he looked at him eagerly and gestured for him to get the wooden sword.


    Little Bear didn¡¯t understand the look in his father¡¯s eyes. He thought that his father wanted to y with the things on the table, so he casually grabbed a book and stuffed it into Qi Haoran¡¯s arms. Before everyone could praise him for being ¡°smart and studious¡±, they had to swallow back down the words.


    Qi Haoran put the book back and said, ¡°Son, you have to get what you like. You don¡¯t have togiveittoFather.¡±


    Little Bear tilted his head, thinking that his father didn¡¯t like this. He turned to look at the things on the table and picked up arge gold ingot for him. He remembered that his father had this in his pouch, although it was much smaller.


    Qi Haoran held the gold ingot, an exasperated expression on his face. Qi Xiuyuan burst outughing. Compared to Little Bear, who was staring at Qi Haoran wholeheartedly, Little Treasure¡¯s reaction was much more normal. Seated in the middle of a pile of things, he saw that he and his brother were surrounded by people. Feeling proud, he sat up extremely straight. He understood his father and Fourth Uncle¡¯s instructions for them to choose what they liked.


    However, Little Treasure looked around and realized that there was nothing he particrly liked. Seeing that the building blocks that Fourth Aunt had made for him were not ced on the table, he was a little disappointed. Seeing that his brother was still stuffing things into Fourth Uncle¡¯s hands, he went forward and held his hand. ¡°Not for Fourth Uncle. For you.¡±


    As he spoke, he held his hand and walked to the middle of the pile of things. He picked up a pen and handed it to him. After taking it and looking at it, Little Bear decided he didn¡¯t like it and threw it to the ground.


    Then, a little ry game tookce. Little Treasure¡¯s original intention was to let Little Bear choose what he liked first before he chose something himself. This was what his mother usually taught him.


    When there was good food and fun, his mother would coax him to give his younger brother a portion first. Then, the rest would be his. This time was no exception.


    Therefore, Little Treasure kept passing the things that he thought looked fun to Little Bear, but Little Bear only took a nce and touched them before throwing them down.


    Even if there were enough things on the table, there wasn¡¯t enough for them to keep throwing things away like this.


    In the beginning, the two children did it unintentionally. Later on, because they felt that it was very fun, the two children were so addicted to it that they even forgot that they were still being watched.


    Seeing that there were fewer and fewer things on the table, Li Jinghua could not help but interrupt the two of them and tell them to quickly choose what they liked.


    Little Treasure looked upzily at his mother and continued to hand items to Little Bear, who went on to throw down the items passionately. Despising Little Treasure for handing things over too slowly, Little Bear simply reached out to grab something and throw it down himself.


    When Little Treasure grabbed a wooden sword and handed it to Little Bear, it was unknown if thetter really liked it or if he was tired of throwing things. Anyway, this time he didn¡¯t throw aside the item. Instead, he stood up with the wooden sword and waved it as he cried out.


    This was the longest he had kept an item in his hands. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief and kept praising him. ¡°Third Young Master will definitely be a valiant general in the future.¡±


    Next, it was Little Treasure¡¯s turn. By now, there was really not much left on the table.


    Little Treasure had handed all the things he found even remotely fun to Little Bear, who threw them down. Hence, what was left on the table were things he had seen before. Hezily pulled over a book and opened it on hisp.


    This choice was as typical as the wooden sword that Little Bear had chosen. Everyone thought that the dust had settled and was about to praise him when they saw Shi Jian panting as he came in with a box and handed it to Qi Xiuyuan. After taking the box and opening it, Qi Xiuyuan took out the jade seal and ced it on the long table.


    Shocked, everyone¡¯s eyes flickered as they looked at the two children at the table. Even Mu Yangling¡¯s heart was in her mouth.


    Due to the strange atmosphere in the hall, Little Bear, who had been dancing with his sword, also stopped. He turned around and looked at everyone. Seeing that everyone was still staring at him, he waved the wooden sword in his hand happily and shouted even more excitedly.


    From the beginning to the end, he did not notice that there was an additional piece of jade on the table.


    Moreover, in order to attract his parents¡¯ attention, he even specially jumped in front of them and waved the wooden sword with his small hands while shouting, ¡°Hmph, hahaha.¡±


    The corners of everyone¡¯s mouths twitched, and they decisively looked away. Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling looked at their son with gratified expressions. Little Bear didn¡¯t notice that there was something else on the table, but Little Treasure did, because Qi Xiuyuan had specially ced it in front of him. He looked up at his father, then went to pick up the b of stone that he had never seen before.


    When he picked up the jade seal, everyone¡¯s hearts tightened. Li Jinghua tightened her grip on the handkerchief and almost ripped it. However, Little Treasure held the jade seal and gazed at it for a while before turning to look at the things on the table. He realized that although the stone was heavy, it was cold andfortable to hold.


    With a sleepy yawn, Little Treasure pushed the things beside him away. Hugging the cool jade seal, hey down to sleep.

 Chapter 583: Zhuazhou (3)

    Chapter 583: Zhuazhou (3)


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Xiuyuan used his actions to express how much he valued Little Treasure. Even if he did not immediately confer Little Treasure as the Crown Prince after ascending the throne, Little Treasure¡¯s status would not be shaken.


    After the two children chose what they liked, the zhuazhou ceremony was concluded. Mu Yangling went forward and carried Little Bear down. She wanted to take back the wooden sword in his hand, but he dodged her. With the small wooden sword in hand, he went to look for his father. Then, he stuffed the wooden sword into his father¡¯s hand, wanting him to perform a sword dance for him.


    Qi Haoran carried the child up and said softly, ¡°Daddy will teach you in the afternoon.¡±


    Everyone was slightly surprised to see Qi Haoran personally carrying the child. The Qi family¡¯s patriarch opened his mouth but did not say anything in the end.


    Madam Wu looked up and said, ¡°Haoran, our ancestors are particr about carrying one¡¯s grandchildren but not one¡¯s children¡­¡±


    ¡°Madam, that¡¯s an ancient etiquette observed during sacrificial ceremonies, which we¡¯U certainly respect at such asions. But this is everyday life and it¡¯s only natural for father and son to be close to each other.¡± Qi Haoran refuted this with a straight face. ¡°Besides, only when a father is kind can the son be filial. I¡¯m often not at home, so I don¡¯t have much chance to shower concern on the child to begin with. It¡¯s fine to be closer now.¡±


    Madam Wu immediately did not dare to speak. ¡®Only when a father is kind can the son be filial.¡¯ Was he hinting that Qi Feng was not kind, so it gave them the right to be unfilial now?


    Many people had the same question as Madam Wu, but no one raised any objections at this moment. What a joke. This was Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran¡¯s eldest son¡¯s banquet. Were they tired of living?


    Qi Xiuyuan stopped in his tracks and turned around to take the sleepy Little Treasure from the wet nurse¡¯s hands. Li Jinghua, who was coaxing Little Treasure to put the jade seal away, was startled to see this.


    Little Treasure opened his sleepy eyes and nced at his father before leaning against his chest and continuing to sleep. He was still holding the jade seal tightly in his hand.


    Qi Xiuyuan grabbed the jade seal and said with a smile, ¡°Put it away for Father first. I¡¯ll let you y with it tonight, okay?¡±


    Little Treasure said in a soft babyish tone, ¡°It¡¯s cold.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan paused in surprise and immediately understood. The weather was already slightly hot, and the two children were still wearing severalyers of clothes today. Little Treasure was being greedy for the coolness of the jade seal. A tad amused, he took off the hat on his head and said, ¡°Father will bring you back to sleep on the matter.¡±


    Instantly satisfied, Little Treasure gave the jade seal to Qi Xiuyuan.


    Qi Xiuyuan handed the jade seal to Shi Jian and carried the child out for a walk.


    Little Treasure was already asleep with a frown, but Little Bear was still hugging the wooden sword and jumping around. Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°This kid is really energetic. It¡¯s already afternoon nap time, but he¡¯s still so excited.¡±


    Looking at Little Treasure in his arms, his boy looked a little thin inparison.


    Having already wiped Little Bear¡¯s face and hands with a towel, Qi Haoran took off his clothes and stuffed him on the bed. Upon hearing this, he said, ¡°This kid likes to join in the fun. If he doesn¡¯t take a nap now, he¡¯ll definitely fall asleep without eating at night. Then, he¡¯ll wake up early in the morning and pound on the door.¡±


    cing Little Bear beside Little Treasure, he realized that he had long limbs. Although he was a year younger than Little Treasure, his size was almostparable to Little Treasure.


    Qi Haoran frowned slightly. He also felt that Little Treasure was too thin and weak.


    Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran were both stalwart and outstanding martial artists. In terms of appearance, they looked more like their maternal ancestors. With his long limbs, Little Bear resembled Qi Haoran and grew very quickly. However, Little Treasure looked too thin and weak inparison.


    They didn¡¯t think that it was a gic issue, because Little Treasure¡¯s small face bore a great resemnce to Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s, so it could only be the problem of Li Jinghua¡¯s previous injury and giving birth prematurely.


    At the thought of this, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes turned cold. He watched as Little Treasure turned over ufortably before his gaze slowly softened.


    After the zhuazhou ceremony, Qi Xiuyuan began to consider moving into the pce. The pce was considered safe after this period of cleansing.


    Qi Xiuyuan asked Qi Haoran if he wanted to move in, but Qi Haoran shook his head and refused. If he had to move in and move out again, he might as well just stay in the Qi Residence.


    ¡°RongXuan and I have discussed giving you the title of ¡®Rong¡¯. Had the que made first. You can go to Minister Qin¡¯s residence to take a lookter. Previously, they dug up too many ces in Minister Qin¡¯s residence, so it will take a longer time to repair it.¡±


    Frowning, Qi Haoran said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you agree to let Ah Ling follow me to the border? Then let¡¯s just leave the Prince¡¯s Residence for now. How can we have the money to repair it when we¡¯re so poor now?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°I still have the money to repair the house.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll still cost a lot. Let¡¯s leave it for now. We¡¯U slowly repair it in two years when our finances ease up. We¡¯ll also be able to renovate it more nicely so that our descendants won¡¯t have to worry so much.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan agreed to his request.


    Since it was only Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s family moving into the pce, it was naturally very simple. There was everything in the pce, and there were many people who came to move things. They moved everything in with just one trip.


    Li Jinghua gave Mu Yangling a token and said, ¡°You have toe to the pce to visit me often.¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed.


    On the other side, Little Treasure and Little Bear were hugging each other and crying their hearts out. No matter what, they refused to part.


    In the end, Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua could only agree to let Little Bear stay in the pce for a day every two days or let Little Treasure leave the pce for a day. Only then did the two children let go of each other and enter the pce hand in hand.


    That¡¯s right, they were entering the pce together. Little Bear felt that he had to experience life in the pce first, so he stayed in the pce that night.


    Initially, Qi Haoran was quite excited. How could he not be happy that his third wheel of a son had finally left?


    However, at night, when Mu Yangling said worriedly for the fifth time, ¡°I wonder if Little Bear is crying.¡±, Qi Haoran was already powerless to persuade her. He lifted the nket and pressed upon her. ¡°Don¡¯t think about him anymore.¡±


    Shortly after, Qi Haoran was kicked off the bed. Mu Yangling snapped angrily, ¡°I¡¯m worried if my son is doing well in the pce, but you¡¯re still in the mood to think about this. Go to bed early. Let¡¯s go to the pce to see our son tomorrow morning.¡±


    The next day, Qi Haoran stormed into the pce with a dark expression. Before he reached the Pce of Earthly Tranquility, he heard the brat¡¯s arrogant voice. After turning around the trees blocking him, he saw the two brats trying to stick arge peony flower on their heads each.


    The corners of Qi Haoran¡¯s mouth twitched. He went forward and pulled the flowers from their hands. ¡°Where are you going to stick it when you don¡¯t even have hair?¡±


    He handed the flowers to the wet nurse at the side and said, ¡°These are for girls to y with. You two are boys. You¡¯ll look absurd with a flower sticking out of your head. Don¡¯t ruin such fine peony flowers.¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡± A coquettishugh came from the side. Qi Haoran followed the sound and looked over. The pce maid immediately blushed and lowered her head. She said in a low voice, ¡°Fourth Young Master, this isn¡¯t a peony flower. It¡¯s a peony.¡±


    Her voice was delicate, crisp and pleasant to the ears. Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t help but take a few more nces at her.


    Rain¡¯s expression changed slightly. She took two steps forward to block Qi Haoran¡¯s line of sight and asked with a smile, ¡°Fourth Master, why did youe in alone? Where¡¯s Fourth Madam?¡±


    Mu Yangling wasing here in a carriage. He had ridden a horse here first because he was still annoyed with her aboutst night. Qi Haoran naturally wouldn¡¯t tell Rain this, so he simply said, ¡°Fourth Madam is right behind.¡±


    Qi Haoran bent down and picked up the two children, one on each arm. ¡°Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Little Treasure rushed to answer. ¡°Want to eat porridge.¡±


    Little Bear wrinkled his nose and patted his father¡¯s arm as he made babyish noises, ¡°Ah, ah, ah.¡± Little Treasure immediately tranted, ¡°Little Brother wants to eat soup dumplings.¡±


    Only then did Little Bear nod in satisfaction.

 Chapter 584: One and Only

    Chapter 584: One and Only


    Editor: As Studios


    Li Jinghua flipped open the register in her hand and asked, ¡°Which pce is that pce maid from?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s from our Pce of Earthly Tranquility.¡± Wen Cui lowered her head and said, ¡°She entered the pce 24.years into Emperor Jingyan¡¯s reign. She¡¯s only 18 this year.¡±


    ¡°What a splendid age.¡± Li Jinghua knocked on the name list and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that she¡¯s too brainless. Transfer her away. Don¡¯t let her stay here and be an eyesore. Considering Little Bear will be entering the pce often, Fourth Master will definitely frequent the back pce. Don¡¯t let them meet again.¡±


    Wen Cui agreed and hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Eldest Madam, the court officials are persuading the Emperor to select women for the Imperial Harem.¡±


    Li Jinghua said with a smile, ¡°The Emperor won¡¯t agree to it. Seeing as the construction of Fourth Master¡¯s residence is being put on halt, it¡¯s obvious that the national treasury doesn¡¯t have much money left. Since Fourth Master is already so thrifty, it¡¯s even more impossible for the Emperor to select women for the Imperial Harem at this time. There won¡¯t be many additions to the harem.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that Li Jinghua didn¡¯t feel anything. After all, Qi Xiuyuan was considered devoted to her. However, even if she wasn¡¯t the Empress and was only the Qi family¡¯s eldest madam, she couldn¡¯t possibly stop Qi Xiuyuan from taking concubines. She wasn¡¯t Mu Yangling, and Qi Xiuyuan wasn¡¯t Qi Haoran. Li Jinghua had always known her position very well.


    She thought for a moment and said, ¡°No matter how many new additions there will be to the harem, you have to keep a close eye on the girls below. I will never allow any of my servants to join the harem.¡±


    Her people had to be loyal to her. If they slept with the Emperor, would their master be her or him?


    Stunned by Li Jinghua¡¯s gaze, Wen Cui quickly lowered her head and agreed.


    ¡°Also, you have to pay more attention to Fourth Master. Don¡¯t let the women in the pce throw themselves at him. Fourth Madam doesn¡¯t have a good temper.¡±


    Wen Cui thought of Mu Yangling¡¯s methods and nodded in agreement.


    Li Jinghua sighed slightly. ¡°There are quite a number of people throwing themselves at Eldest Master, but there are actually even more girls setting their sights on Fourth Master. It¡¯s just that Ah Ling hasn¡¯t been vignt until now. Forget it, I¡¯ll remind herter.¡±


    Although Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s status was higher than Qi Haoran¡¯s, Qi Haoran was more popr because it was not easy to survive in the harem. If one was not careful, they could easily lose their lives.


    It was a different case, however, with Qi Haoran.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s family wasn¡¯t influential, and she hailed from a vige. Not only did the girls from outside target Qi Haoran, but there were also many maidservants and pce maids in the Qi Residence and the pce who had designs on Qi Haoran.


    Of course, Mu Yangling sensed it. Towards this matter, she merely chuckled and quietly waited for those women to try and stand out. At night, she repeatedly instructed Qi Haoran that if he dared to make a mistake, she would bring the child back to Xingzhou Prefecture and divorce him before marrying someone else.


    These words infuriated Qi Haoran. Before he could vent his anger, Mu Yangling had already tearfully pinched his waist. ¡°No, why should I return to Xingzhou Prefecture dejectedly? I should castrate you, who can¡¯t control the lower half of your body, before bringing my son back to Xingzhou Prefecture.¡±


    After saying that, Mu Yangling could already see the scene of Qi Haoran abandoning his wife and son for a new lover in her mind. She immediately burst into tears.


    Helpless, Qi Haoran¡¯s anger was doused instantly. He hugged Mu Yangling and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything to let you down. Didn¡¯t I say that I won¡¯t take a concubine or a mistress? Why would I abandon my wife and child? Why are you ming me when it¡¯s those people who harbor bad intentions? I haven¡¯t even settled the score with you yet, but here you are crying.¡±


    ¡°Who asked you men to be so fickle?¡± Mu Yangling cried. ¡°There aren¡¯t many good men in the world.¡±


    Qi Haoran felt very wronged and repeatedly swore that he had not done anything. In the future, he would definitely stay away from women other than Mu Yangling and never take another look at them.


    Qi Haoran wiped her tears and asked, ¡°Why do you like to cry so much recently?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head nkly. Sighing, Qi Haoran tightened his grip on her arm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I definitely won¡¯t abandon you.¡±


    Because Mu Yangling was crying pitifully, Qi Haoran could not and did not want to re up at her. Thus, the anger bottled up inside of him could only be directed at those who had designs on him. For example, those ministers who had repeatedly probed him to change his wife, and those pce servants or servant girls who wanted to climb into his bed.


    Qi Haoran called Mama Wang and Spring over and said with a dark expression, ¡°Pay more attention. Send all the restless servant girls out of the residence. Don¡¯t let them disturb Fourth Madam¡¯s rest.¡±


    Then, he found an opportunity to vent his anger on the ministers who were always testing him. Only then did he stop.


    Qi Xiuyuan watched but did not stop him or help. However, when news of Qi Haoran being henpecked started spreading outside, he wielded his power to suppress the news.


    However, the fact that Qi Haoran was terrified of his wife still quietly spread in the bureaucracy. It even spread to the families of the officials and was privately publicized.


    When Qi Haoran heard this rumor, he puffed up his cheeks in dissatisfaction for two days. Clearly, he was in charge of all matters at home and it was clearly Ah Ling who was afraid of him. How did he be the henpecked one?


    He was merely giving in to Ah Ling!


    Mu Yangling recovered after being sentimental for two days. Seeing that Qi Haoran had settled everything, she no longer had to wait to deal with the girls that wanted to stand out. So, she started to focus her attention on the summer harvest and autumn sowing.


    Mu Yangling wanted to import corn from the north on arge scale. After getting Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s approval, she started to get people to go back to the north to buy seeds.


    Qi Haoran followed beside Mu Yangling. Seeing that she wasn¡¯t fretting or crying anymore, he was instantly furious. He turned around and went to settle the score with Physician Sun. ¡°Didn¡¯tyou say that Fourth Madam is depressed and needs a very long time to recuperate?¡±


    Physician Sun nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I said.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s all well now. And it only took her three days. Is this ¡®a very long time<sup>1</sup>?¡± Qi Haoran emphasized on ¡®a very long time<sup>1</sup>.


    Physician Sun coughed lightly and said seriously, ¡°Fourth Master, Fourth Madam was under a lot of pressure. Coupled with the difort caused by the change in identity, it was inevitable that she felt anxious and frustrated. Moreover, Third Young Master was away from the residence for the past few days. Logically speaking, she shouldn¡¯t have recovered so quickly.¡± Physician Sun sighed. ¡°Fourth Madam is indeed extraordinary.¡±


    Qi Haoran instantly became smug again. ¡°Of course Fourth Madam isn¡¯t an ordinary person.¡±


    Although Physician Sun said that Mu Yangling had already adjusted herself, Qi Haoran was still worried and asked if she ought to take some more medicine.


    Physician Sun quickly waved his hand and said, ¡°Since Fourth Madam has adjusted herself, there¡¯s no need for her to take any more medicine. Every medicine has its side effects, after all. Besides, that was an ailment of the heart.¡± He continued, ¡°Although she has recovered this time, she still has to be more careful in the future. I don¡¯t think there are many people Fourth Madam can talk to after she enters the pce. Third Young Master often enters the pce, so it¡¯s inevitable that she¡¯ll be lonely. If she has no one to confide in, wouldn¡¯t that make her depressed?¡±


    Qi Haoran seemed to be deep in thought. After dinner, he said to Mu Yangling, who was packing the things Little Bear would bring to the pce tomorrow, ¡°Don¡¯t send Little Bear to the pce tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Mu Yangling turned her head and asked.


    Qi Haoran said sternly, ¡°Let him stay at home with you. I¡¯ll go to the pce tomorrow and tell Sister-inw to let Little Treasure stay here for a few days.¡± ¡°Will our son agree? Little Bear and Little Treasure have been having a jolly good time exploring the pce these few days.¡± The pce was enormous. In fact, it was so big that the two children could only walk around a few pce halls in a day, not to mention that there was a huge imperial garden there. Hence, the two children fell in love with exploring the ce. Little Bear only came back to stay for a night before asking to enter the pce to apany his older brother. He wanted to go to the imperial garden to y a game of exploration.

 Chapter 585: Ambition

    Chapter 585: Ambition


    Editor: As Studios


    Little Bear, who was having fun ying the treasure hunt in the pce, was naturally unwilling. Even if his father used going to the farmstead as a lure, Little Bear wasn¡¯t interested.


    This made Qi Haoran gnash his teeth in anger. Just as he was about to force him to stay in the residence, Mu Yangling stopped him.


    At first, Mu Yangling did not quite understand why Qi Haoran insisted on making Little Bear go home. It was only when she happened to hear Springment that Fourth Master treated Fourth Madam too well that she understood Qi Haoran<sup>1</sup> s intentions.


    Qi Haoran had never told her about this before. Mu Yangling was so touched that she personally cooked a few of his favorite dishes for him.


    Qi Haoran only ate a mouthful of braised pork before putting down his chopsticks. Sitting up straight, he looked at Mu Yangling and asked worriedly, ¡°Ah Ling, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    For Mu Yangling to cook personally, this was an unprecedented and rare event. This made Mu Yangling feel that she didn¡¯t care enough about Qi Haoran. She said gently, ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling suffocated recently, as though there¡¯s a huge rock on my body, so my temper wasn¡¯t so good previously. Don¡¯t be angry with me. I¡¯m fine now. If I¡¯mcking in any areas in the future, just tell me. I¡¯ll try mybest to adjust.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at her suspiciously. ¡°Ah Ling, are you really not sick again? Mu Yangling quickly shook her head and promised, ¡°I¡¯ve really recovered. I¡¯m in a good mood now. The gray sky has turned into a wide blue sky filled with white clouds.¡±


    After double-checking, Qi Haoran believed her. He instantly put away his cautiousness and ordered arrogantly, ¡°Pickup a piece of braised pork for me.¡± Mu Yangling quickly picked up a piece of meat for him and waited eagerly for hisments. Qi Haoran chewed and felt that her culinary skills had improved, but he still said with a pout, ¡°It¡¯s too inferior to Mother-inw¡¯s. It¡¯s simply not appetizing.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression froze momentarily. She looked at the dishes on the table, then at Qi Haoran, and endured it.


    Qi Haoran picked up another piece of chicken. As he ate, he critiqued, ¡°It¡¯s been boiled for too long. It¡¯s too tough and doesn¡¯t taste good¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s too much flour and too little filling in this dish of lion¡¯s head. I can tell that it¡¯s not authentic the moment I eat it¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling raised her foot, but in the end, she quietly put it down.


    As there was a table blocking him, Qi Haoran didn¡¯t see it. Hence, as heined smugly, he swept all the dishes on the table into his stomach. Then, he leaned back in his chair and let Mu Yangling rub his stomach, having identally eaten too much.


    As Mu Yangling helped him rub his stomach three times, she muttered softly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that it didn¡¯t taste good? Didn¡¯t you still finish all the food?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. After all, you¡¯re the one who prepared those dishes¡± Ovee with an urge to sleep after eating, Qi Haoran said drowsily, ¡°No matter how bad your cooking is, I have to finish it all up. Otherwise, who will eat them?¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s hand paused, and the anger in her heart dissipated. She leaned against him and said, ¡°Haoran, thank you!¡±


    Qi Haoran subconsciously nodded and fell asleep with his head tilted.


    Mu Yangling got up and looked at him for a while. Then, she gently carried him to the bed and took off his clothes.


    Spring, who had entered the room with hot water, was stunned. What had she just seen?


    Fourth Madam carried Fourth Master in her arms, Fourth Madam carried


    Fourth Master in her arms. Moreover, she did so ever so gently¡­


    Even if she knew that Fourth Madam was strong, she could not show it like this. Spring put down the basin and decided to go out to wash her eyes.


    Mu Yangling gave Qi Haoran a simple wipe before going to bed.


    Qi Haoran was sound asleep at the side, but Mu Yangling could not fall asleep.


    As Qi Haoran¡¯s status increased, there would definitely be a lot of women throwing themselves at him. She could not rely on Qi Haoran to deal with this on her behalf every time. However, even if she killed one to warn a hundred others, she could not stop the fragrance emitted by Qi Haoran¡¯s status.


    If nothing unexpected happened, Qi Haoran would probably be the only King other than Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s sons.


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s other sons had yet to be born, and his only son thus far was the Crown Prince, so everyone focused their attention on Qi Haoran.


    Qi Haoran was loyal, but she couldn¡¯t always stay under his protection.


    Mu Yangling thought that she needed an identity and ability that was enough to intimidate everyone and stop them from having designs on Qi Haoran.


    Mu Yangling understood that this would be a long struggle.


    The next day, when Qi Haoran woke up, he was still a tad dazed, but Mu Yangling was already ready to go out.


    ¡°What are you going to do so early in the morning?¡± Qi Haoran widened his eyes and asked when he saw that she was dressed neatly and had woken up earlier than him.


    One had to know that even if Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t a cker, she wasn¡¯t considered an early-riser. She typically got up only after Qi Haoran finished his morning practice.


    Actually, Mu Yangling felt that she was already early enough. She wasn¡¯t a third-year high school student and wasn¡¯t in the army. Who could wake up at 6:30 a.m.?


    Only the ancients were more entric and insisted on waking up at four or five in the morning. Qi Haoran was one of such people.


    Probably because he waspletely relievedst night, Qi Haoran slept very soundly, causing him to wake up ratherte today. However, no matter howte it was, it was only about 6:30 am and the skies had just dawned outside. He could not fathom what Ah Ling was going to do at this hour.


    Mu Yangling replied with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m going to the farmstead for a walk today. I¡¯lle back in the afternoon to discuss something with Zijin, and I¡¯ll meet the stewards in the afternoon. If you have something to do today, go ahead. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    Mu Yangling had made up her mind to aplish a great career. There were only two directions she could take. One, the military.


    However, Qi Haoran was a military talent to begin with. With his talent, it was destined that he would be extraordinary. In the past few years, he had already learned everything he could from Mu Yangling. Other than his sense of direction and talent in the forest being inferior to Mu Yangling, he couldpletely defeat Mu Yangling in all aspects.


    Therefore, Mu Yangling did not intend to stand out in this aspect.


    Having such an outstanding husband also gave her a headache because her brilliance would be overshadowed. Hence, Mu Yangling nned to take another path. This was the life goal she had set from the beginning.


    Development of agriculture.


    Food is the first necessity of the people. When she made every farmer remember her name, she doubted there would still be people who dared to righteously say that she was not worthy of Qi Haoran.


    She wanted everyone to say that Qi Haoran was not worthy of her!


    No, she wanted them to say that they were a match made in heaven!


    Mu Yangling was full of determination as she vowed that everything would start from today. Mu Yangling encouraged herself in her heart.


    ¡°Ah Ling, are you alright?¡± Qi Haoran asked cautiously when he saw the change in Mu Yangling¡¯s expression. Perhaps Ah Ling had not recovered. Indeed, one had to take medicine when they were sick. He was still too naive.


    Then, he med himself. Did he go overboardst night? He actually let the sick Ah Ling serve him dinner and say so many hurtful words.


    Qi Haoran felt guilty, feeling that he had really let Ah Ling down. Ah Ling was indeed a rare good wife. She was actually not angry even when heined about her when she was sick.

 Chapter 586: Ambition

    Chapter 586: Ambition


    Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling met Zhu Liang passionately and instructed him about the details of the opening of the grain store. Then, she went back to look for Fan Zijin.


    Mu Yangling looked for Fan Zijin to express her apology. She nned to take over the grain store business and invest with her dowry, so she could not work with him. Secondly, she shamelessly asked him for manpower since he had always been in charge of the trade caravans in the north and south. Mu Yangling had men to deal with the transportation of the grains, but she still needed someone to lead the way. Hence, she asked Fan Zijin for someone who knew the way.


    When Fan Zijin saw Mu Yangling¡¯s guilty expression, the corners of his lips twitched. He said nonchntly, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you want to do the grain store business yourself. I¡¯ll prepare the people for you. However, how many grain stores do you n to open in Lin¡¯an City?¡±


    ¡°One.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°We¡¯ve just started, so we naturally have to open one first.¡±


    Fan Zijin opened his mouth and wanted to ask, ¡°Then why do you think that I will snatch the grain store¡¯s business from you?¡±


    It was not that Fan Zijin wanted to boast, but he had countless businesses under him at present. Even if all the grain store businesses in Lin¡¯an City were given to him, he would hesitate to ept it, let alone a single grain store.


    Previously, Fan Zijin only did not object to Mu Yangling¡¯s suggestion to set up grain stores mostly because of their friendship. Otherwise, he would not have gotten involved.


    Grain was amodity that produced low profits but quick turnover. Each unit sold did not earn the seller much money, but it cost a lot of effort. Furthermore, one had to have a backer to be in the grain business. If one wanted to earn a lot of money selling grains, they had to stock up on grains during the disaster years. Of course, considering it was the war era now, grains were also very expensive. If it was still the Great Zhou era, Fan Zijin might want to dabble in the grain business. However, now that it was the Great Qj era, if Fan Zijin still participated, wouldn¡¯t he be doing his eldest cousin a disservice?


    Now, he was involved in the wood, silk, tea, salt, and even iron business. By now, the meat processing business only took up a very, very small portion of his business empire. Even the restaurants that raked in a high revenue every day did not take up arge portion of his entire business empire. It could be seen how much he looked down on Mu Yangling¡¯s grain store business.


    Originally, he had nned to assign a steward to manage the grain store on ount of his ties with Mu Yangling. Since she now requested to handle it alone, he couldn¡¯t ask for more.


    However, he asked out of curiosity. One had to know that Mu Yangling would always send someone to tell him what business ideas she had. If it was viable, he would then allocate funds and manpower to manage it. In the end, the profits would be distributed ording to their respective share (although the dividends had never been distributed and had all been contributed to the Great Qi army). This was why he was surprised that Mu Yangling wanted to take over the grain store business for herself.


    Of course, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t say what she was thinking, so she only said, ¡°I think this grain store business will gain me both fame and fortune in the end, so I n to monopolize it.¡±


    It would be strange if Fan Zijin believed her. With a wave of his hand, ire said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to tell me. If you don¡¯t have enough money, juste to me.¡± Fan Zijin paused before continuing, ¡°Have you gathered enough manpower? It¡¯s quite a long journey from the north to the south.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no shortage of people. The people escorting the trade caravan can be chosen from the retired soldiers at Haoran¡¯s side. I¡¯ll hand the shop over to Wang Quan to manage first. As long as there¡¯s a guide, it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Wang Quan was Mama Wang¡¯s son, and he had just followed Steward Zhu over from Jingzhao Prefecture. He had assisted in the shop before, so Mu Yangling was very assured to deploy him.


    ¡°Eldest Cousin is also letting me manage the Imperial ntation now. I¡¯ll get someone to keep the more precious rice like jade rice for you, but the rest have to be sold to other grain stores as usual. When your grain store develops to a certain scale one day, I don¡¯t mind signing the contract with you instead.¡±


    Stunned, Mu Yangling quickly waved her hand and said, ¡°No need, no need. I¡¯m not intending to sell those expensive rice. I¡¯m only selling some coarse grains.¡±


    Fan Zijin was displeased. ¡°How much can coarse grains which only sell for a few copper coins a catty fetch? You can¡¯t very well raise the price of grains, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s original intention was not to sell grains, but to sell grain seeds so that the seeds they cultivated could be nted all over the country. Moreover, a little added up to a lot. Consideringmoners made up the bulk of the poption, the small profits could add up to a considerable amount.


    Mu Yangling briefly exined her grand ambition, but Fan Zijin did not finish listening to what sire had to say. He only heard her say that the main job of the grain store was to promote grain seeds before he waved his hand and said, ¡°Most people like to keep their own seeds to sow. If you transport corn seeds from the north to the south, you may earn a lot of money in the first year, but it will be difficult to earn more in the second year. You have to know that the wealthy families in Jiangnan all have corn seeds. When they see you start selling them, they will definitely not hide them anymore. Once thepetition heats up, you won¡¯t be able to earn much money.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°It¡¯s not my intention to earn money from these corn seeds. When the timees, such seeds will still be sold for 12 copper coins per catty¡­¡±


    Fan Zijin felt a headacheing on. ¡°At this price, you will only be able to cover the traveling expenses. Did you go through so much trouble to open this grain store just to do charity?¡±


    Mu Yangling said nkly, ¡°No, I¡¯ll still be earning money. But themoners are so poor that they won¡¯t be able to afford it if the price is set too high¡­¡±


    Fan Zijin rejoiced. ¡°Luckily you asked to take over this business. Otherwise, my reputation would have been ruined. Alright, go back quickly. Don¡¯t ask me for money. Come see me again when you close the grain store.¡±


    How was this doing business? It was simply doing charity.


    Mu Yangling was furious. When she went home at night, sheined to Qi Haoran, ¡°Zijin didn¡¯t even hear me out. I¡¯ve already done the calctions. It¡¯s not a loss to sell it for 12 copper coins per catty. The corn we bought in the north only costs eight copper coins per catty. Although it costs a lot to transport it here, as long as we do it on arge scale, I can still earn 1.5 copper coins per catty. A little adds up to a lot.¡±


    Qj Haoran nodded repeatedly and did some calctions in his heart. 1.5 copper coins per catty would mean one tael 500 copper coins per 1,000 catties¡­


    Qj Haoran looked at his wife, who was chattering non-stop, and opened his mouth. He really wanted to say that Zijin would be able to earn a tael of silver just by selling a tael of tea leaves. No wonder Zijin looked down on this business.


    However, Qi Haoran was by andrge not one to be obsessed with money. Although he was very stingy now, he had always been generous with the money he should spend. Hence, he did not think that it was a big deal if the grain store did not make money. He would just treat it as Mu Yangling doing a good deed.


    Seeing that Qi Haoran was listening attentively, Mu Yangling was happy and said smugly, ¡°I¡¯ve already nned it. When the timees, I¡¯ll sell the corn seeds at 12 copper coins per catty. If anyone can¡¯t afford it, I¡¯ll have them sign a contract with us. At that time, we¡¯ll provide the seeds for free first. At harvest, they just have to return the seeds and sell to us the corn they nted. I¡¯ve even set the price¡ªeight copper coins per catty.¡±


    Qi Haoran was stunned. ¡°So you¡¯re not just earning less, but you¡¯re even making a loss!¡±


    Mu Yangling dered, ¡°I¡¯m not making a loss. I¡¯m just casting a long line to catch a big fish.¡±


    Seeing Mu Yangling¡¯s ambitious look, Qi Haoran could not help but nod. He said helplessly, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re casting a long line to catch a big fish.¡±


    Qi Haoran thought that he should ask Zijin for some money for emergencies. He didn¡¯t want the family¡¯s money to be totally tied up in the grain store business.

 Chapter 587: Standing Out

    Chapter 587: Standing Out


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran wanted to borrow some money in case of emergencies, but in fact, Mu Yangling¡¯s expenses for opening this grain store were not high.


    Because she had her own farmstead.


    Since her farmstead could provide all the grains to be sold, pretty much the only money needed was that used to buy the shop. As for corn seeds, the expenditure was not big. She only gave the trade caravan in the north 2,000 taels of silver and that was sufficient.


    They would continue to sendrge quantities of corn seeds south.


    Meanwhile, Uncle Liu Ting also wrote a letter to tell her good news that they had made progress in their development of the dry rice seeds. This year, the Mu family had already begun nting crops in areas with low moisture and drought. Currently, it seemed to be growing well. He would get someone to send some seeds over and let her do experimental cultivation in the south.


    If Dry Rice No. 1 seeded in the north, the grain production in the north would increase by at least 5% in the future. This increase might not sound like much, but one could imagine the impact if it was implemented in all the northernnds.


    The northernnds were vast and sparsely popted. If the grain production was stable, the price of grains would definitely fall. Therefore, Mu Yangling nned to transport the grains produced by the Mu family to the south. Just the harvest of the dozens of hectares they had rented was enough for her grain store.


    Not everyone was willing to let Mu Yangling interfere in the grain store business, though. Not long after Mu Yangling¡¯s trade caravan set off, everyone knew that Mu Yangling wanted to sell the northern corn seeds to the south. The families that currently had a monopoly on corn started to take action.


    Half of the courtiersined to Qi Xiuyuan. They felt that bypeting with themoners, Mu Yangling was lowering her status and embarrassing the royal family. They hoped that Qi Xiuyuan could get Qi Haoran to restrain her.


    In private, some people approached Zhu Liang and the others and expressed their willingness to prosper alongside Mu Yangling. They only hoped that Mu Yangling would not open a grain store.


    This action not only angered Mu Yangling, but also Qi Xiuyuan.


    He did not expect so many officials in the court to object. Those officials were simply blinded by greed andpletely disregarded the benefits of the country.


    The corn seeds in the north were promoted by Qi Xiuyuan. No one knew better than him about the production yield of corn and its importance to themoners¡¯ livelihood. Just as Emperor Shizong had said, if this thing could be nted well, the people could be free from hunger even in famine years.


    That¡¯s right. He was the one who prevented the corn seeds in the north from going to the south. But back then, he was the general of the West Camp who wanted to rebel. Now, he was the Emperor of Great Qi. Mu Yangling had obtained his permission to transport the seeds to the south. Did they think that he would be as stupid as Emperor Jingyan and let the gentry control the corn seeds and let the people suffer during a famine?


    Qi Xiuyuan was furious and wanted to take the initiative to send the seeds over. Rong Xuan quickly stopped him. ¡°General, this is not appropriate. By doing this, you will be going against those southern aristocratic families who have the seeds. Moreover, it will mess up Ah Ling¡¯s n.¡±


    Rong Xuan added, ¡°Doesn¡¯t Ah Ling want to use this matter to make her grain store famous? Why don¡¯t you help her, General? By doing so, you¡¯ll also temporarily avoid being attacked by those aristocratic families.¡±


    Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s expression was still dark, he knew that he was angry at the selfishness of the officials. He said in a low voice, ¡°General, these officials are mostly left behind from the previous dynasty. Emperor Jingyan only cared about himself, so the officials below will naturally follow suit. When you ascend the throne, you can hold the Imperial Examination and appoint a new batch of officials to slowly rece them.¡±


    Since Qi Xiuyuan had yet to ascend the throne and his position was not very stable, he had to endure where he should.


    Qi Xiuyuan put away the anger on his face and said, ¡°Tell the people along the way to be careful and ensure the safety of Ah Ling¡¯s trade caravan.¡± Qi Xiuyuan snorted. ¡°I want to see who dares to interfere.¡±


    Rong Xuan said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, General. Haoran has already given the order.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded in satisfaction. Stubborn and hot-tempered, Ah Ling had always been amenable to coaxing but not coercion. Also, she had always been empathetic towards the suffering of the people. He wanted to see what those aristocratic families would do in response.


    As for the Imperial Court, with him standing on Mu Yangling¡¯s side, Qi Xiuyuan was not worried at all. Needless to say, his uxorious younger brother also sided with his wife.


    All the soldiers who came from the north were extremely respectful to Mu Yangling. Those civil officials who wanted to shake Mu Yangling¡¯s status were simply overestimating themselves.


    Just as Qi Xiuyuan nned to leave this matter for the time being and deal with other matters, Qi Haoran rushed into the pce angrily.


    Qi Xiuyuan nned to support Mu Yangling secretly and leave the matter alone on the surface, but Qi Haoran did not want his wife to suffer. Hence, when Mu Yangling was attacked in the morning, he ran into the pce in the afternoon.


    Just as Qi Xiuyuan was about tofort him, he heard Qi Haoran say, ¡°Big Brother, didn¡¯t you want to deal with the aristocratic families and strip them of their wealth? Leave this to me. I¡¯ll personally bring people over.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I¡¯ve already handed this matter to Jiang Ze. You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Then when will Jiang Ze make a move?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at him suspiciously. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I just want to bite them and see if they still dare to keep their eyes on Ah Ling. What¡¯s wrong with her opening a grain store when their grain stores have already monopolized the entire Jiangnan and the price of grain is rising like crazy? They¡¯ re not pleased to see my Ah Ling feel sorry for the people and lower the price of grains?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan rubbed his forehead and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, with us here, no one can bully your wife.¡±


    Seeing that Big Brother was unwilling to tell him the exact time, Qi Haoran bit his lip and left like the wind.


    Rong Xuan was worried. ¡°Will Haoran cause trouble?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan was very assured. ¡°He has grown up a lot in the past two years. He will know his limits.¡±


    Qi Haoran, who supposedly knew his limits, barged into Zhang Cheng¡¯s house and asked him for his excess grain stipend. Qi Haoran said, ¡°Lord Zhang, since you have to sell your excess grain stipend to the grain stores anyway, why don¡¯t you sell it to my wife¡¯s grain store? In addition to offering you the same price, our assistant shopkeepers wille to collect the grain from you. How about that?¡±


    The Great Zhou Dynasty gave three types of sries to officials. The first type was silver, which took up a rtively small proportion. The second was grain stipend, and the third was stipendnd. For high-ranking officials like the Minister of Revenue, Zhang Cheng, the amount of silver they received was small, but they did receive plenty of grain stipend and stipendnd. Coupled with the grains produced in their farmstead, they had arge store of grains.


    Not every official would choose to open a grain store. Most of them would sell the excess portion to grain stores, and they would most definitely sell the grain stipend they received as sry from the government. There was no need to ask why¡ªwould they eat the grains given by the government?


    The government only gave them low-grade or medium-grade rice which they would definitely sell.


    Generally speaking, such a family would have a grain store that they were cooperating with. The Zhang family was no exception. Hence, Zhang Cheng was a little frantic when faced with Qi Haoran¡¯s request.


    Unfortunately, he was osted by Qi Haoran when he came back for lunch. He still had to go to the pceter to deal with plenty of matters.


    Zhang Cheng knew that many people were against Mu Yangling selling corn seeds to the poor. Zhang Cheng scoffed at their actions.


    He was also a member of the monopoly, but he was not stupid. He knew that Mu Yangling was backed by the future Emperor. This was not Emperor Jingyan, who could be fooled by them. Qi Xiuyuan obviously wanted to make some achievements, so he would not let this situation continue. Hence, he knew that in the future, the corn cultivation situation in the south would be the same as in the north. The poor people would be the main force.

 Chapter 588: Opening

    Chapter 588: Opening


    Editor: As Studios


    Therefore, Zhang Cheng did not say anything when those officials stood up and used Mu Yangling of fighting with the people for benefits. To him, it was just a small benefit. If he could get an important position from Qi Xiuyuan, everything would be worth it.


    However, it was impossible for him to stand on Mu Yangling s side because he would offend many people by doing so. Hence, Zhang Cheng simply told Qi Haoran that he had already signed a contract with another grain store and the arrangement could not be changed.


    When Qi Haoran heard this, he sneered in his heart. If Zhang Cheng wanted to curry favor with both sides, he would have to see if he and Big Brother were willing. Qi Haoran simply shut up and lowered his head to drink his tea.


    Zhang Cheng¡¯s expression gradually stiffened. How could he have forgotten that Qi Haoran and Qi Xiuyuan were famous for their stubborn tempers?


    The atmosphere instantly froze. Fei Bai came in from outside and bowed. ¡°Fourth Master, Fourth Madam wants you to go back.¡± Fei Bai looked up at Zhang Cheng and said in a low voice, ¡°Fourth Madam said that you don¡¯t have to beg anyone. Our grain store doesn¡¯tck grains at all, and we don¡¯t have to fight with anyone. With the Qi family¡¯s status outside, no one wille to cause trouble for us.¡±


    Qi Haoran raised his eyebrows and put down his teacup. Then, he stood up and said, ¡°Since Lord Zhang is busy, I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±


    Although Fei Bai¡¯s voice was low, Zhang Cheng still heard it. His expression froze. Seeing that Qi Haoran was about to walk out, he hurriedly went forward to stop him and said, ¡°General Qi, please wait. Since Fourth Madam wants to open a grain store, I naturally have to show my support. So don¡¯t worry. In the future, our Zhang family¡¯s grain stipend will be handed over to Fourth Madam¡¯s grain store.¡±


    ¡°In that case, Lord Zhang, get someone to send your grain stipend to the shopter.¡±


    Zhang Cheng¡¯s face twitched. In the blink of an eye, the terms had already changed for the worse. However, he had no choice. Since he had already said it, he could not take back his words.


    Mrs. Zhang came out from behind the screen and asked in confusion, ¡°Master, didn¡¯t you say that you wouldn¡¯t get involved? Why did you agree?¡±


    Zhang Cheng sighed. ¡°What can I do? Qi Haoran¡¯s attitude was so unyielding. If I didn¡¯t express my stance, I might have to resign in two years.¡±


    Zhang Cheng had been feeling fearful because he used to be Minister Qin¡¯s man. At least, that was how othersbeled him. When Minister Qin and the Second Prince plotted a rebellion previously, he stayed at home under the excuse of being sick and did not participate. However, it did not mean that his previous sins could be cleared. Now that Great Qi had just been established, the Emperor only kept him around because he was in need of talent. In two years, when Great Qi got on the right track, it would probably be time to settle ounts with the old ministers of the previous dynasty.


    Otherwise, why would he work so hard for the Qi family?


    Initially, he wanted to y dumb and muddle through this matter, hoping to offend neither side. However, it was obvious that despite being rash, Qi Haoran was not easy to fool.


    Seeing Qi Haoran leave with a dark expression, Fei Bai followed him back to the Qi Residence in fear and trepidation. It was only when he saw Qi Haoran smile again did he heave a sigh of relief.


    Qi Haoran went to the backyard to see Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling was digging a hole in the backyard with Little Treasure and Little Bear to nt flowers. This was a hobby that the two children had developed from digging for treasures. Seeing Qi Haoran return, she handed the two children to their wet nurse. Then, she went forward and wiped his face with her handkerchief. She asked, ¡°Why did you think of going to the Zhang residence?¡± ¡°That old man Zhang Cheng is still thinking of ying both sides.¡± Qi Haoran wiped his hands dry and touched Mu Yangling¡¯s face. ¡°I originally wanted to help you rope in more officials and get those people to tone it down. But since you said that there¡¯s no need, then forget it.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to suffer that grievance.¡± Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Anyway, no one will dare toe and cause trouble at our shop. They can¡¯t mess with our source of goods, and our employees are very loyal. There¡¯s really no need to worry too much.¡±


    This was the benefit of having solid capability. Mu Yangling finally knew why so many people loved power.


    If this wasn¡¯t Great Qi but Great Zhou, Mu Yangling would definitely face countless difficulties if she dared to do such a thing. However, because this was Great Qi, she had the backing of Qi Haoran and even Qi Xiuyuan. Therefore, even if those people were furious, they couldn¡¯t do anything to her.


    Mu Yangling originally wanted to wait for the corn seeds to arrive before opening the shop, but from the looks of it, there was no need to wait until then. Mu Yangling did not mind intervening in advance.


    Thus, ¡°Harvest Grain Store¡± soon opened.


    The grain store mainly sold coarse grains. There were also fine millet and flour, but they were in much smaller ratiosparatively since their target customers were the middle and lower sses which made up the bulk of the poption.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s grain prices were not low either, typically set at two to three copper coins higher than during bumper harvest years. Still, it was almost twice as cheap as other grain stores. The difference in price made the other grain stores gnash their teeth in hatred, but they could not do anything to her.


    They resented her for not ying by the rules of the industry. By setting the price so low, wasn¡¯t she trying to monopolize their business?


    Some people expected to see customers make a mad rush for the grains, and they hoped to see the Harvest Grain Store close down as a result.


    However, Mu Yangling had set a limit from the beginning. The shop would only sell 5,000 catties of grains a day, and each person could only buy to catties a day at most.


    She did not specially advertise it, and the grain store was inconspicuously located at the corner of an alley. The only great thing about the shop was that it was big enough, upying the size of four shops.


    As soon as the Harvest Grain Store opened, there were many people watching it closely. But soon, those people realized that there was no advertisement for this newly-opened shop. Nor was there a mad scrambling for its grains as they had expected. Instead, the shop was rather deserted.


    It was only when a nearby resident discovered that this grain store s prices were much cheaper than other grain stores, that the shop managed to seal its first deal.


    For three consecutive days, although the Harvest Grain Store managed to sell some grains, it waspletely different from what the grain merchants had imagined. They did not expect Mu Yangling to not conduct any publicity for her shop.


    Of course, Mu Yangling would not do any publicity. She did have a lot of grains, but there wouldn¡¯t be enough should everyone find out and flock to her shop. Hence, she could only do business quietly while waiting for the trade caravan to return.


    She didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with this. At least the business volume was increasing every day, right?


    Because the Harvest Grain Store limited the amount of grains each person could buy, the nearby residents all thought that this was just a limited-time promotion and that the price would increase in two or three days. Therefore, in a day, entire families went to the Harvest Grain Store and each of them brought back ten catties of coarse grain.


    However, on the fourth and fifth day, the Harvest Grain Store s price was still the same. The nearby residents could not help but ask curiously. Only then did they find out that this was the shop¡¯s official price. Everyone was excited. Which family didn¡¯t have poor rtives?


    Moreover, they themselves were not rich. That day, the news spread to the viges in the vicinity and some of the slums in Lin¡¯an City.


    The next morning, there was a long queue in front of the Harvest Grain Store.


    Wang Quan asked someone to stand at the door and read the signboard in front of the door every once in a while. Then, he said, ¡°Everyone, please forgive us. Although our Fourth Madam has the intention to help everyone, it takes time for the grains to be transported here. Therefore, she¡¯s limiting the amount that everyone can buy each day and also stipted that the shop can only sell 5,000 catties a day. Once we hit this amount, we will close the shop for the day.¡± Although the people below felt that it was a pity, they did notin. They knew she was already doing them a huge favor to be willing to sell grains at this price.

 Chapter 589: Worry

    Editor: As Studios


    In the beginning, there were people who feared that the Harvest Grain Store would notst long, so they always came to line up before the city gate opened before dawn. However, half a monthter, they saw that the Harvest Grain Store still opened at the same time each day, selling at the same price and the same quantity. There were now fewer people who were anxious to snap the grains up. This way, more people from far away managed to buy these cheap coarse grains.


    The business of the other grain stores in Lin¡¯an City plummeted. Other than those who did notck money and were unwilling to spend time queuing, most people were willing to queue for a day or two to buy from the Harvest Grain Store.


    As the news spread rapidly, even those who lived three to four days away from Lin¡¯an City brought their children to buy the grains here. People from the same viges typically came inrge groups. Dressed in ragged clothes, they stood in front of the Harvest Grain Store and looked at the long line eagerly.


    As there were always employees maintaining order in front of the shop, no one dared to cut the queue, nor did they dare to buy grains twice in a day. As soon as they arrived, these people were quickly guided to line up at the back.


    However, from the looks of it, they would not be able to buy the grains today. That did not deter them though, for they had brought some thin nkets and were prepared to queue for an extended period of time.


    Mu Yangling, who was sitting in the carriage, couldn¡¯t help but frown when she saw this. She said, ¡°Why are there still so many peoplecking grains when the summer harvest is about to begin?¡±


    Based on the frugal and tolerant nature of themoners, they would rather remain half-starved while they waited until the grains to mature, than spend money to buy grains.


    ¡°Ask Wang Quan. I¡¯m sure he knows. Fourth Madam, look. He wanders around the crowd a few times every day and is so chummy with those people. He can get any news.¡±


    With a pursed-lip smile, Mu Yangling lowered the curtain and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the backdoor.¡±


    Mu Yangling entered through the back door, and Wang Quan was quickly called in. When he heard the question, a look of pity shed across his face. With a bow, he said, ¡°Fourth Madam, you might not know this, but there was a warst year. At the beginning of this year, there was chaos everywhere. Not to mention ces three to four days away from Lin¡¯an City, even the farnd outside Lin¡¯an City had not been cultivated in time. The vigers who came today are from the Shaoxing Prefecture. Their entire vige fled because of the war, and only returned to the vige six months ago because of the Imperial Court¡¯s edict. However, every family has finished up their grains, and the remaining grains at home has been plundered. The local grain prices are too expensive. After hearing that grains here are twice as cheap, they formed a group toe together.¡±<div>


    ¡°In other words, even after the summer harvest, there will still be many people who don¡¯t have any harvest.¡± Mu Yangling frowned. ¡°Then what will happen in the days toe? Where will they get the money to buy grains?¡±


    Wang Quan lowered his head and said, ¡°I heard that some people are already selling their children.¡±


    Mu Yangling was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°If theye again tomorrow morning, invite them in directly. Since they came from afar, each of them can buy an additional 20 catties of grains, not including the 5,000 catties limit for the day.¡±


    Spring asked curiously, ¡°Why must we wait until tomorrow morning?¡±


    ¡°Fourth Madam is benevolent.¡± Wang Quan exined as he ttered her. ¡°This way, they can set off after buying the grains. Since it¡¯s alreadyte, if they buy it today, they will definitely have to stay in Lin¡¯an City for another day. It¡¯s not safe for them to stay in the city with so much grain.¡±


    Mu Yangling started to worry about the situation after the summer harvest. She had thought that the situation would be eased after the summer harvest, but now it appeared that if many people did not have summer harvests, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s n to distribute the freehold fields to themoners and diminish the influence of the rich and powerful would fail. Those freehold fields would ultimately fall into the hands of the rich and nobles again.


    When Mu Yangling told Qi Haoran about her worries, Qi Haoran rested his head on his hands and said, ¡°Big Brother has been troubled by this recently, but there¡¯s no good solution at all since there¡¯s limited grains in the national treasury. There are only so many people he can save even if he takes out all the grain reserves.¡±


    ¡°If on top of all that there¡¯s corruption, the people will suffer even more,¡± Mu Yangling said worriedly.


    However, Qi Haoran said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no one dares to be corrupted at this time. Big Brother just flew into a rage not long ago because of the exchange of the grains in the reserve. He dismissed many officials. Now, no one dares to offend him.¡±


    When a country was newly established, there was a need to be ruthless. In addition, Qi Xiuyuan had always been unyielding. By now, those cunning people were already quietly following Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s instructions. At the very least, they did not dare to be so corrupted on the surface. Only those brainless idiots dared to be greedy for the country¡¯s grain reserves. Qi Xiuyuan took this opportunity to punish a few as a warning to others.


    ¡°Big Brother said that as long as the situation stabilizes until the winter harvest, it will be fine. Most of the south of the Yangtze River can have two harvests a year. As the north is within Big Brother and General Yuan¡¯s sphere of influence, it has never really fallen into chaos. The autumn harvest should be decent, and furthermore they have nted high-yielding corn. There won¡¯t be an issue for at least the following two years.¡±


    ¡°But if the people sell their fields at this time, what will they nt in the autumn?¡±


    Qi Haoran smiled mysteriously and said in a low voice, ¡°Do you think Big Brother is stupid? He had already expected this. When the edict was issued, it was clearly stated that the freehold fields that were distributed could not be sold for ten years. Everyone was focused on looking at the number of freehold fields and did not pay attention to thetter sentence. Before the autumn harvest, the Imperial Court will definitely check it again. At that time, the freehold fields that were sold must be returned to their owners.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Then won¡¯t the person who bought thend suffer a huge loss?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a huge loss.¡± Qi Haoran exined, ¡°When the timees, the Imperial Court will pay for the redemption and purchase. Since this is the first time, we will only punish both parties with one-third of the selling price. When the timees, both parties will split it equally. Those who can¡¯t afford to pay can put it on credit until next summer or winter, using grains as coteral. If theymit the mistake a second time, regardless of whether it¡¯s the buyer or the seller, the freehold field will be returned to the Imperial Court. This time round, the Imperial Court will not pay for the redemption or return the money to the seller.¡±


    Therefore, people only had one chance to make mistakes.


    ¡°This was privately discussed between Zijin and Brother Rong. Big Brother has agreed. We¡¯re just waiting for an opportunity to check the fields before the autumn plowing. Don¡¯t tell outsiders yet.¡±


    It meant that she could remind her own people.<div>


    However, Mu Yangling did not detect the meaning. She nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I definitely won¡¯t tell anyone. This method is not bad, for it can curb the trend ofnd ownership concentration. There¡¯s no need to worry for at least ten years.¡±


    ¡± Initially, Big Brother wanted to order that the freehold fields are never allowed to be traded. However, he thought that there would definitely be many people opposing this decree, so he changed it to ten years. There will definitely be other policies in the future. Oh right, where is your trade caravan? Big Brother is eagerly awaiting the arrival of your trade caravan.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They sent a letter back saying that they¡¯ll be here in a few days.¡±


    Everyone was watching Mu Yangling¡¯s trade caravan keenly, so everyone saw it the moment her caravan entered the city.<div>


    Seeing the 18 carts enter the city in a grandiose manner, the faces of the people who were secretly watching tightened. If the 18 carts were all filled with corn seeds, it meant that even the citizens of the three prefectures near Lin¡¯an City could nt corn from then on.


    Several grain stores had no choice but to gather together to discuss. The next day, many grain stores began to sell corn seeds at a high price.


    But very few people went to buy it.


    This was because everyone was paying attention to the Harvest Grain Store. Over the past month, the Harvest Grain Store had been open for business every day. The assistant shopkeeper had been repeatedly announcing that the Harvest Grain Store would sell seeds of corn, wheat, and other grains this summer. Among them, the corn seeds would only cost 12 copper coins.


    When those grain stores put up their corn seeds for sale at the price of half a tael of silver per catty, themoners merely responded with a chuckle. What a joke. Even if the corn was high in yield, it was not worth anywhere near that price. If not for the Harvest Grain Store, those small and mediumndlords who did not have any connections might have paid for it. Now, even those rich people did not go to those grain stores to buy seeds. Instead, they waited for the Harvest Grain Store toy out the corn seeds for sale.

 Chapter 590: Conferment (1)

    Editor: As Studios


    When the Harvest Grain Storeid out the corn seeds for sale, the price was only 12 copper coins. Those who could afford it would buy it with money; those who could not afford it would owe it on credit and sign a contract with the


    Harvest Grain Store.


    However, to buy seeds, one had to show their title deed and household registration. They were only allowed to buy a certain quantity of seeds ording to the amount ofnd stated on their title deed. Each family were only allowed to buy seeds fornd up to 20 acres.


    Large households were still prevalent in the countryside. For generations, they lived together and did not split up. However, in order to buy seeds, many households began to split up and be small households before going to buy seeds with their household registration and title deed.


    When operations in her grain store in Lin¡¯an City smoothed out and the system was gradually perfected, Mu Yangling got people to open branches in Shaoxing Prefecture, Longxing Prefecture, and other ces. She was practically opening one grain store in each prefecture. After the first trade caravan arrived, Mu Yangling<sup>1</sup> s trade caravan would return to the city once every three days. Every time, they would transport no less than 15 carts of grain seeds back.


    Even Mu Yangling could not help but click her tongue. ¡°How many seeds has


    Big Brother umted?¡±


    Qi Haoran said proudly, ¡°This was preparedst year and was just waiting to be used after we conquered Great Zhou. Originally, we wanted to let the Imperial Court distribute the grain seeds, but there were too many drawbacks. We were also afraid that those officials would collude with the gentry and deliberately destroy the seeds. Anyway, since you were going to open a grain store, might as well let you pick up this bargain.¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted and said, ¡°I did pay for it, okay?¡±


    Qi Haoran smacked his lips and said, ¡°Not yet though.<div>


    Mu Yangling kicked him, and Qi Haoran quickly jumped away.


    Mu Yangling had only paid two-thirds of the money for the seeds. The rest had to be saved for emergencies, so she could only owe the remaining amount on credit temporarily.


    ¡°Is Madam Mu nning to nt corn all over the south of the Yangtze River? An old gentleman said angrily, ¡°Corn is just foreign coarse grain. How can itpare to wheat and rice? General, you¡¯re really muddle-headed!¡±


    His words sounded dignified, but everyone knew that they were only furious because Mu Yangling had infringed on their interests.


    It was true that corn could not rece wheat and rice, but in this chaotic world, it could temporarily help the people tide through difficult times.


    When the other grain merchants saw that Mu Yangling wanted to open grain stores all over the country, they had no choice but to lower the price of corn seeds. At the same time, everyone understood that Mu Yangling could not take out so many seeds alone. At the end of the day, she could only do this on such a scale because of Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s support.


    Amidst this bustle, the summer harvest in Jiangnan ended and it was time for


    Qi Xiuyuan to officially ascend the throne.


    On the 18th of June, Qi Xiuyuan officially issued an edict announcing that the state title was Great Qi, and the era name was Taikang. This year was the first year of Taikang. He ordered the various governments to appease the refugees and settle them down locally. If there were too many refugees, they could migrate and be settled down elsewhere. He also issued an edict to grant tax exemption for three years.


    After Qi Xiuyuan ascended the throne, what he had to do next was to confer titles based on meritorious service.


    Qi Haoran was conferred the title of Prince Rong, while Rong Xuan and Fan Zijin were respectively conferred the titles of ¡°Duke of Defense¡± and ¡°Duke of Peaceful State¡±. Even Mu Shi was conferred the title of Grade 2 General.


    The civil officials had many opinions about the conferment. They could overlook the conferment of Qi Haoran and Rong Xuan, but how was Fan Zijin deserving of the title?


    However, the generals were very satisfied and had no objections to Fan Zijin s conferment. Qi Xiuyuan directly picked one of the generals to answer the civil officials¡¯ question.


    The general looked at them with disdain and said, ¡°The Qi family army¡¯s military sry and rations were all provided by the Duke of Peaceful State. Not to mention a duke, he is even deserving of the title of a Prince.¡±


    Shocked, the civil officials all turned to look at Fan Siwen.


    Completely oblivious to this, Fan Siwen felt bitter. He had always looked down on his son¡¯s role as a merchant, so he had never bothered with his matters. In addition, Fan Zijin always went elsewhere to deal with his business matters and was often not at home. How could Fan Siwen know that his son had done such a great thing in private?


    It was inevitable that the general¡¯s words would offend the Emperor. Unexpectedly, Qi Xiuyuan nodded and said, ¡°Zijin can indeed be appointed to a higher rank. But since the new dynasty has just been established, there are many opportunities for you people to make contributions.¡±


    In other words, Qi Xiuyuan was deliberately suppressing Fan Zijin¡¯s contributions so that he could be conferred a higher title when he made further contributions in the future. Wasn¡¯t this the same as Qi Haoran¡¯s situation?<div>


    This meant that Fan Zijin would at least be a Prince in the future, and Qi Haoran would undoubtedly be a King.


    This made the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs regret his decision to reject Fan Zijin¡¯s marriage proposal previously.


    After conferring the meritorious officials, it was time for the Emperor to confer his rtives. At this moment, the ministers and their families stared at the Emperor excitedly.


    At present, Madam Wu and her two sons were still living in the Qi Residence. Since the Emperor had yet to reveal the intention to confer any title to Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai, everyone was eager to see the Emperor¡¯s attitude towards them.<div>


    Madam Wu and the others¡¯ hearts skipped a beat. This conferment would affect their future status, so they had to take it seriously.


    Even Little Madam Wu, who had never interacted much with Mu Yangling, recently often came to visit her, wanting to get some information from her and Qi Haoran.


    Mu Yangling was a little annoyed, but she couldn¡¯t re up. She could only say that she didn¡¯t know.


    However, Little Madam Wu did not believe it, for it was no secret that Qi Haoran doted on Mu Yangling, and the Emperor in turn favored Qi Haoran the most.


    It would be strange if Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know. Therefore, Little Madam Wu came to report every morning on time.


    Today was no exception. Mu Yangling had just walked to the entrance of the courtyard with Little Bear¡¯s hand in hers when she bumped into Little Madam Wu.


    Before Little Madam Wu could speak, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Third Sister-inw, did youe over to y? What a coincidence. I¡¯ m going out with Little Bear, so I can¡¯t entertain you.¡±


    Not at all embarrassed, Little Madam Wu asked with a smile, ¡°Where are you guys nning to go? I¡¯lle along so that I can help you take care of Little Bear on the way.¡±


    Mu Yangling refused. ¡°Thank you, Third Sister-inw, but we¡¯re going to the pce to visit Sister-inw. If you want to go with me, you have to hand over a token and put in a request to see her first.¡±


    Little Madam Wu¡¯s expression couldn¡¯t help but stiffen. Seeing that Mu Yangling was about to leave with the child, she quickly went forward and held her hand. ¡°Sister-inw, I haven¡¯t seen Eldest Sister-inw in a long time. Why don¡¯t I go to the pce with you to visit her?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already submitted a request?¡±


    ¡°Why go to such trouble when we¡¯re sisters-inw? Besides, didn t Eldest Sister-inw give you a token? We can save a lot of effort by going in with your token.¡±


    Feeling impatient, Mu Yangling stopped in her tracks. ¡°Third Sister-inw, I can only use that token myself. I can¡¯t bring anyone in. Although we¡¯re sisters- inw, Eldest Sister-inw¡¯s status is different now since she¡¯ll be conferred the title of Empress soon. The royal family has strict rules and is most particr about such things, so I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t bring you in.¡± Little Madam Wu¡¯s face was a little ashen, for she did not expect Mu Yangling to be so straightforward. Just as she was about to leave in anger, Mu Yangling added, ¡°Third Sister-inw, I know you¡¯re here to find out some things, but I really don¡¯t know. Fourth Master never spoke to me about this, and I¡¯m unwilling to ask him. Therefore, if you¡¯re here to ask about the conferment, you don¡¯t have to look for me anymore. I don¡¯t have the news you want.¡¯<div>


    Little Madam Wu looked at her with a dark expression. ¡°Madam Mu, aren¡¯t you afraid that others will say that you¡¯re heartless? We¡¯re family after all. Why aren¡¯t you willing to help with such a small matter?¡±

 Chapter 591: Conferment (2)

    Chapter 591: Conferment (2)


    Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling was about to leave when she heard this and stopped in her tracks. She turned around and said with a smile, ¡°Third Sister-inw, we¡¯re just sisters-inw while Third Master and the Emperor are biological brothers. Why won¡¯t he ask His Majesty himself?¡±


    A cold glint shed across Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes. ¡°Why don¡¯t I mention it to His Majesty when I enter the pceter and ask him to talk to Second Master and Third Master?¡±


    Little Madam Wu¡¯s face turned pale as she looked at Mu Yangling sinisterly.


    Mu Yangling snorted and turned back to Mama Wang. ¡°Keep a close eye on the door. Don¡¯t let people think that we¡¯re pushovers who allow all sorts of dirty and smelly things to enter our ce.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Fourth Madam.¡± Mama Wang lowered her head and agreed. After Mu Yangling and the others left, she turned around and said with a smile to Little Madam Wu, ¡°Third Madam, you want to tour the garden? Then take your time. I¡¯ll go back first.¡±


    After saying that, she got someone to lock up the Zhaohua Courtyard. All the servant girls and maidservants were locked up in the courtyard. So angry that her chest heaved up and down, Little Madam Wu speechlessly pointed at the door of the Zhaohua Courtyard.


    She had thought that the usually-quiet Mu Yangling would be easy to manipte. Who knew that a biting dog did not bark? She had underestimated her.


    After she returned, she immediately reported this matter to Madam Xu. Madam Xu leaned back in her chair with a worried expression.


    ¡°Second Madam, Fourth Madam¡¯s words are too impolite. Considering we¡¯re all family, we¡¯ll meet often in the future¡­¡±<div>


    Madam Xu said in frustration, ¡°Now that she¡¯s the Princess Consort and they¡¯ve been assigned the Prince¡¯s Residence, how can we, who are of no rank, have the chance to meet her often?¡±


    There wasn¡¯t such a thing as splitting up of family assets within the Qi family anymore. Everything now depended on Qi Xiuyuan. If he conferred a title to Qi Shaosheng and Qj Shaotai, the country would give them a house, stipendnd, and so on. Compared to the noble titles, the Qj family¡¯s assets were considered nothing.


    However, judging from Mu Yangling¡¯s attitude, Madam Xu knew that things were not looking optimistic and couldn¡¯t help feeling a little frustrated. Her mother-inw, Second Master and Third Master seemed to have offended Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran too much back then. It would be a joke if they couldn¡¯t even get the title of a duke in the end.


    Considering Qj Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai were Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s biological brothers, they and Madam Wu felt that they should at least be conferred the title of a Prince. Qi Haoran was a Prince, so they felt that as Qi Haoran¡¯s brothers too, they shouldn¡¯t receive too shabby treatment. The difference would be that Qi Haoran held real power, but they didn¡¯t.


    However, they felt that they could slowly fight for real power. But first, they had to establish their status.


    Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan did not confer them any title for a long time, they could not help but feel anxious.


    On the other hand, Madam Xu felt that considering their rtionship, getting conferred a Duke was already the best oue they could expect.


    Madam Wu had the same desire as her two sons, but deep down, like Madam Xu, she felt that it was more likely they would be conferred a Duke.


    However, the imperial edict never came. Ever since Qi Xiuyuan ascended the throne in June, all the meritorious ministers had been conferred titles before July. Even now that the edict to confer Mu Yangling a title had been issued, there was still no mention of Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s conferment edict was issued alongside Qi Haoran¡¯s. From this, it could be seen how much the royal family valued Mu Yangling. Usually, emperors would only confer the title of the ¡°Lady of the Imperial Command¡± two to three years after ascending the throne. Not only was Mu Yangling the first to be conferred Lady of the Imperial Command since the Great Qi was established, but her conferment even came before the founding Empress¡¯s.


    Qi Haoran led Mu Yangling to receive the decree in the atrium. After that, he got someone to attend to the emissary who had issued the decree.


    However, not daring to appear arrogant, the emissary bent down and said with a smile, ¡°Congrattions, Prince and Princess Consort. Since I¡¯ve finished announcing the decree, I have to return to report it to the Emperor, so I don¡¯t dare to stay for long.¡±


    Qi Haoran tipped him a pouch as one typically did when receiving an edict, then said with a smile, ¡°Go back and tell Big Brother that I¡¯ll bring the Princess Consort to the pce tomorrow to thank him.¡±


    The emissary agreed with a smile and took three steps back before turning around to leave.


    Qi Haoran held the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand and showed it to Mu Yangling. He said with a smile, ¡°Later, we¡¯ll frame it up. This is the first imperial edict you¡¯ve earned. Just wait. In a few years, we¡¯ll change to another one.¡±


    Then, he turned around and saw Madam Wu standing at the second door.


    Madam Wu stared at the imperial edict in their hands and looked up at Qi Haoran for a while before turning to leave.


    With a darkened expression, Qi Haoran snorted and pulled Mu Yangling back.


    Mu Yangling calmed him down and said, ¡°It¡¯s a joyous asion today and we should be happy. Why are you angry with them?¡±<div>


    ¡°Who are they putting on that dejected face for?¡± Qi Haoran said angrily, ¡°You said it yourself. This is a joyous asion. What¡¯s the meaning of her speciallying to me at this time to put on a dejected face?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because they¡¯re anxious. The imperial edicts have been issued one after another. Big Brother has even handed the n matters over to the elders in the n to manage. It¡¯s obvious he simply doesn¡¯t care about Madam Wu and the rest. They¡¯re uneasy, so they want to make you unhappy. If you really get mad, won¡¯t that be exactly what they want? We should just be happy and anger them to death.¡± As she spoke, Mu Yangling instructed Spring, ¡°Today is a joyous asion. Everyone in our courtyard will be paid four times their sry, and everyone in the residence will be paid twice. Pass down the news. Tonight, ask the main kitchen to prepare more delicious food. Mm, also send some to the East Manor. Tell them that Fourth Master invited them to share in the joy.¡±


    Spring agreed with a smile.


    Mu Yangling turned her head and said, ¡°How is it? You¡¯re not angry anymore, are you?¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran snorted and his anger dissipated.


    However, the people from the East Manor were so angry that their bodies were trembling. Madam Wu simply swept all the food on the table to the ground. She nced at the servants below and said coldly, ¡°Why? Are you nning to find another master and climb up the socialdder?¡±


    The servants dropped down to their knees in the room. Madam Xu quickly dismissed them and said, ¡°Madam, it¡¯s better for us to keep a low profile at this time. There¡¯s nothing to be gained for us to go against Fourth Master.¡±


    ¡°What do you know?¡± Madam Wu roared, ¡°When have I ever suffered such grievances? Even when Madam Zhu was around, she didn¡¯t dare to do anything to me. I¡¯m their stepmother now. They¡¯re being unfilial! In the past, I gave in on ount of Second Master and Third Master. Do they think I¡¯m afraid of them? I¡¯m their stepmother!¡±


    Madam Wu roared. That was what she told herself in her heart. As though, by saying that, she truly was Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s stepmother.


    Madam Xu lowered her head. Aware that Madam Wu had already lost her rationality from the agitation, she knew she would agitate the other party no matter what she said.


    This was because the conferment had been verbally mentioned in the Imperial Courtst month. Now, they were just waiting for the official edict to move them into the Duke¡¯s Mansion that had been conferred. Since the emissary in the pce frequently left the pce, in just two days, he had finished announcing the edicts ording to grade.


    Therefore, at this moment, the conferment of Madam Wu and the others would definitely be brought up because not everyone was willing to see things go smoothly for the Emperor.


    First, an old minister proposed to wee the Empress Dowager into the pce. Then, someone immediately raised the question of Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai¡¯s title.


    Qi Xiuyuan looked down at them and said with a smile, ¡°If you didn¡¯t mention it, I would have forgotten that my mother¡¯s family hasn¡¯t been conferred yet.¡±


    The minister who gave his opinion was shocked. The Emperor sighed and said, ¡°I was only five or six years old when the Empress Dowager passed away. Now that 20 years have passed, I don¡¯t even remember what she looked like.¡±


    The old minister who stood out wanted to say that he was not referring to this Empress Dowager, and that he was referring to Madam Wu. However, he did not dare to interrupt the Emperor at this moment.


    Not only did the old minister who stood up for Madam Wu not dare to, but all the ministers below were silent. The Emperor¡¯s silence during this period of time already made clear his attitude towards Madam Wu and her sons. Who would dare to interrupt him when he was reminiscing about his biological mother and instead mention Madam Wu and her sons?<div>

 Chapter 592: The Past

    Chapter 592: The Past


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Xiuyuan lowered his head. His eyes were a little misty, as if he was recalling something. ¡°Although I don¡¯t really remember what the Empress Dowager looked like, I always remember how she personally cooked green bean soup for me on hot days. At that time, as Prince Rong wasn¡¯t even born yet, she could still carry me around in the veranda during the summer. Until now, I can only remember her smile.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s expression was slightly solemn. ¡°The posthumous title of myte mother should indeed be decided upon. Minister Chen, I¡¯ll hand this matter over to you. The Ministry of Rites should try its best toe up with a charter.


    Chen Fang stepped forward and bowed.


    ¡°What else do you have to report?¡±


    Entrusted by the Wu family, that old minister hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and continuing, ¡°Your Majesty, since discussion for the posthumous title of yourte mother have begun, the cement of Madam Wu should also be put on the agenda. I wonder how Your Majesty ns to ce Madam Wu?¡±


    Chen Fang was silent for a moment before stepping out and saying, Your Majesty, Second Master Qi and Third Master Qi have yet to be conferred titles because we were busy with state affairs previously. Since we¡¯re bringing up Madam Wu¡¯s issue today, why don¡¯t we discuss the royal family¡¯s conferment together to calm the hearts of the people?¡±


    From Chen Fang¡¯s point of view, the Emperor had already made his stance clear by dragging the matter out for so long. It was enough. The Emperor might as well settle the matter now, lest the people and ministers spread bad rumors about him.


    Qi Xiuyuan had also considered this, so this time, he did not refuse under the excuse that he was busy with state affairs. He had already reiterated just now that his mother was Madam Zhu, not Madam Wu.


    ¡°What do the ministers think I should do with them?¡±<div>


    After looking around, the old minister realized that no one was speaking. Though furious, he had no choice but to say with a bow, ¡°Your Majesty, I reckon you should wee Madam Wu into the pce. Now that there¡¯s no one in charge of the harem, you can let the Empress Dowager manage it for a while.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan chuckled and lowered his head to look at the old minister. He was an old Hanlin Bachelor. Qi Xiuyuan remembered his resume-this guy had passed the Imperial Examination at 27 years old and was now 48 years old, but he was still just a HanlinO Schr who had only climbed from Grade 7 to Grade 5 in 21 years. Qi Xiuyuan finally knew why.


    Chen Fang, the Minister of Rites, was seated way in the front, so he could not turn around to take a closer look at the fool.


    He lowered his head and secretly rolled his eyes. Then, he continued to stare at his toes without saying anything.


    However, Qi Haoran was furious. Almost as soon as the old Hanlin finished speaking, he jumped out and said, ¡°What kind of Empress Dowager is Madam Wu? She¡¯s just a concubine and hasn¡¯t been conferred by the Emperor, but you keep calling her ¡®Empress Dowager<sup>1</sup>. Could it be that you took some benefits from her?¡±


    The old Hanlin blushed and said angrily, ¡°Your Highness, be careful with your words. There has always been no objections to the Empress Dowager s conferment. Madam Wu is the second wife of Grand Duke Qi, which makes her His Majesty¡¯s legitimate stepmother. Isn¡¯t it only right for her to be the Empress Dowager?¡±


    Qi Haoran sneered. ¡°Who said she¡¯s our stepmother? The document in the government office states that a noble concubine is still a concubine.¡± Stunned, the old Hanlin asked, ¡°Why is she a concubine? Hasn¡¯t the Qi family always regarded her as the mistress of the family?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at him in disdain and said, ¡°That¡¯s because my father acknowledged her contribution in giving birth to two sons and made the servants in the residence call her that. My mother¡¯s family, the Zhu n, doesn¡¯t acknowledge it.¡±


    Strictly speaking, there were very stringent conditions for a concubine to be promoted to the first wife. First and foremost, she needed to obtain the approval of the first wife¡¯s family. With the approval, her husband¡¯s family could then go to the government office to verify this and only then would the n acknowledge her status.


    Marriage was a union of two families. Under normal circumstances, as long as the man paid a certain price, the deceased woman¡¯s family would mostly agree to write an agreement in order not to be enemies with them.


    Back then, because the Zhu family still had two nephews in the Qi family, even though they were sad, they wanted to write a letter of agreement, hoping that the Qi family would treat Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran well on this ount. It was Qi Xiuyuan who asked his uncles not to write the letter of approval.


    Qi Xiuyuan could remember things from a long time ago. Although he was not even six years old at that time, he remembered that although his mother was weak after giving birth to his younger brother, she was still alive then. He knew that his mother was angered to death by his father and Madam Wu.


    Since his mother had never wanted Madam Wu to be a co-wife when she was alive, how could he let Madam Wu openly be his legitimate stepmother after she died?


    Therefore, bracing the risk that he and his brother might be abused, Qi Xiuyuan still insisted on not letting the Zhu family write an agreement. Then, the Zhu family and the Qi family became enemies and the Qi family cut off all contact with the Zhu family for more than ten years.


    His and his younger brother¡¯s lives were indeed greatly affected thereafter. Fortunately, Madam Xia lived in the capital and brought them over to stay at her residence from time to time, on top of visiting them often. It was only for fear of being impeached by the imperial censors that Qi Feng restrained the servants slightly, sparing Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran from suffering too badly. However, Qi Xiuyuan would never forget that kind of life where there was no charcoal in the winter and no ice in the summer. The food was either cold or overnight.


    Qi Xiuyuan dazedly looked at his furious younger brother. Actually, he could tolerate all of this. No matter how bad the Qi family was, it was still his family. He had never thought of leaving this home, even as he almost broke off ties with his fatherter on.


    Even if he had to go hungry sometimes, he still had feelings for that father. However, they should never haveid their hands on Qi Haoran.


    Qi Xiuyuan had already forgotten his mother¡¯s face, but he had not forgotten how his baby brother hadid on the ground with injuries all over his body. Madam Xia often came to visit them or brought them to the Fan Residence to stay for a period of time, but it would definitely not exceed five days. After all, the Qi family was still around, so Madam Xia could not go overboard. Otherwise, the two children would suffer in the end.


    It was only after Qi Haoran¡¯s wet nurse abused Qi Haoran that Qi Haoran started living in the Fan Residence permanently.<div>


    At that time, Qi Xiuyuan was young. Although he doted on his younger brother, his energy and experience were limited. In addition, he had to study during the day, so he could only visit him often. In his impression, his younger brother loved to cry. Seeing the barely month-old child cry loudly all day and night, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s heart ached, but he could not help but feel frustrated sometimes. However, considering how young his baby brother was, he could not me him at all and could only coax him.


    There was once when Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s teacher had something to do and he came back from school early. Qi Xiuyuan would always remember that day. He excitedly bought a rattle drum and ran back. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard his brother crying, but there was no servant in the courtyard.


    Little Qi Xiuyuan only frowned and hurriedly walked in. When he reached the door and saw the scene inside, he felt his blood flow backward and his body turn cold. He even found it difficult to breathe.


    The little Qi Haoran was stripped clean and left lying on the ground by himself, his fair arms and waist bruised. Meanwhile, his wet nurse was sitting at the side drinking tea, frowning as she looked at the wailing tiny person on the ground. At that time, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s mind turned nk. When he came back to his senses, the wet nurse had already been smashed to death by him with a stool.<div>


    That was Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s first time killing someone. He was only six years old. Right away, one of Madam Zhu¡¯s people secretly ran out of the residence to inform Madam Xia. It was also because of this that Qi Haoran could stay in the Fan Residence permanently. After that day, the Qi Residence became just a ce where he would asionally stay briefly.

 Chapter 593: Ruthless

    Chapter 593: Ruthless


    Editor: As Studios


    Because of this, Qi Feng felt that his eldest son was simply too ruthless. The little bit of father-son rtionship he had had with him quickly diminished.


    In addition, the Zhu family and Madam Xia had something on Qi Feng because of this matter, causing him to lose face in front of the two families. He had no choice but to let the Fan family raise his youngest son. He took out his anger on Qi Xiuyuan, who had caused this matter to blow up, so Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s life became even worse.


    The difort was not physical, but mental.


    From then on, although the Qi family did not mistreat Qi Xiuyuan in regards to material needs, they isted him mentally.


    His father was cold. Qi Shaosheng, who was about the same age as him, brought his servants to humiliate him. The servants also treated him as invisible. Even his teacher felt that he was too vicious and reckoned he would not amount to anything. The merely six-year-old Qi Xiuyuan practically survived those catastrophic days in solitude.


    Fortunately Qi Haoran was getting healthier and stronger day by day, and Qi Xiuyuan would see him crawling around energetically every time he went to the Fan Residence. If it weren¡¯t for that, plus the fact that Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s mind was strong enough, he would have long copsed from the Qi family¡¯s mental torture and gone astray.


    It was not that the Zhu family did not want to bring back the two children to raise them, but Qi Feng was their father. Back then, the wet nurse was left behind by Madam Zhu. Even if they knew that the person was instigated by Madam Wu, they could not produce any concrete evidence under the premise that Qi Xiuyuan had already killed her. It was already the best oue for them to let Madam Xia raise Qi Haoran.


    Therefore, the Zhu family could only care about Qi Xiuyuan indirectly. They would get someone to deliver things to Qi Xiuyuan every few days and ask Madam Xia to bring him to the Fan Residence to take care of him from time to time.


    It wasn¡¯t until Qi Xiuyuan was eight years old that he realized that his father was suppressing him. Only then did he resolutely abandon literature and pursue martial arts. He wrote to Zhu Qing and asked him to hire a martial arts master for him.<div>


    After that, Qi Xiuyuan stopped studying and focused on practicing martial arts with the martial arts master. Eventually, the Zhu family couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and hired a xiucai to teach him. That was why he didn¡¯t be just a martial artistpletely.


    Too young and mature at the time, Qi Haoran did not know about these disputes. No one knew if it was because he had been abused when he was young, but he could not even speak properly at the age of three. Inparison, at that same age, Fan Zijin could already recognize 1,000 words, and Qi Xiuyuan could also recognize 100 words.


    When Qi Haoran grew up, even though he appeared mad at his father on the surface, he had been trying his best to get his father¡¯s approval. Seeing this, Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t have the heart to tell him those matters of the past.


    Therefore, other than the two uncles of the Zhu family and Madam Xia, no one else knew about Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s hatred for the Qi family.


    He hated Qi Feng, but Qi Feng was already dead. He hated Madam Wu, and she was still alive.


    Now that he had supreme power, he had plenty of time to take revenge on her and make her repay what she had done to his mother, to him, and to his younger brother.


    Looking at Qi Haoran and the old Hanlin arguing below, Qi Xiuyuan was extremely d that he had stopped the Zhu family from writing the acknowledgement letter back then. Because of this, even if Madam Wu¡¯s name was on the genealogical tree, she was still not considered a legitimate wife.


    Coldness shed across Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes. He waved his hand to interrupt their argument and turned to the Minister of Official Personnel Affairs. ¡°Do we still have the documents from the previous dynasty?¡±


    The Minister of Official Personnel Affairs understood and bowed. ¡°Your


    Majesty, they¡¯re still around. We can investigate.¡±


    ¡°Then go and investigate.¡± The Emperor said casually, ¡°If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, you can go to the Qi Residence to ask Madam Wu.¡± As he spoke, he casually pointed at a few officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs and two Hanlins. A total of four people were ordered to head to the Qi Residence. Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°Go and ask Madam Wu if she¡¯s a wife or concubine. Show me all the evidence.¡±


    He continued with a smile, ¡°As I was still young when myte mother passed away back then, I can¡¯t remember many things from that time. However, I do remember Uncle Zhu repeatedly saying that Madam Wu is a concubine and not a wife. I also want to see if the Zhu family wrote a letter of approval back then.¡±


    This was equivalent to stripping Madam Wu naked under the sun. It was also the first time Qi Xiuyuan openly expressed his doubts and disgust for Madam Wu.


    The old Hanlin¡¯s heart trembled, knowing that things were going in an unfavorable direction. He was one of the two Hanlins appointed by the Emperor. He regretted it a little. He had originally wanted to use Madam Wu and her sons¡¯ influence to advance his career and be a fourth-grade official before retiring, but now, it seemed that he had taken the wrong path.


    Because the Emperor had to wait for the four of them to reply, the morning court assembly was dyed.


    The morning court assembly had always been held very early, starting before dawn. As everyone hade after simply filling their stomachs, they could not help but feel hungry at this moment.


    When Qi Xiuyuan saw this, he asked the imperial kitchen to send some snacks to the side hall so that the ministers could eat while they rested for a while.


    Everyone could not help but thank the Emperor for his kindness.


    Qi Xiuyuan waved at Qi Haoran and said, ¡°Haoran, follow me.¡±<div>


    No one expected Qi Xiuyuan to dote on Qi Haoran so much. Instead of letting the emissary summon him, he personally called him to the back. Those with sharp ears even noticed that Qi Xiuyuan used ¡°me¡± instead of ¡°meO¡± to Qi Haoran. They all sighed at seeing how much Qi Haoran was favored.


    Inparison, Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai, who were both also the Emperor¡¯s younger brothers but had yet to be conferred titles, appeared too insignificant.


    The moment Qi Haoran followed Qi Xiuyuan into the rear hall, he no longer hid his emotions. He said angrily, ¡°That old Hanlin was clearly bribed by Madam Wu. If they dare to interfere in the Imperial Court matters now, what will happen in the future? Big Brother, we can¡¯t let them be.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said with a smile, ¡°Alright, after this incident, even if they want to interfere in the Imperial Court matters, no one will listen to them. Why do you think I suppressed this matter again and again? It¡¯s to suppress their arrogance. Madam Wu is the least qualified person to have a say in Great Qi¡¯s matters.¡± At this point, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s expression couldn¡¯t help but turn icy.<div>


    During this period of time, Madam Wu and her sons had been too smug.


    Everyone was aware that Qi Haoran and Madam Wu were not on good terms, and they also knew that Qi Xiuyuan wasn¡¯t on the best of terms with his father. However, they did not know what the rtionship was like between Qi Xiuyuan and Madam Wu.


    This was because Qi Xiuyuan had been away from the capital for too long. Other than those who cared about him, who would remember his rtionship with his step-mother and step-brothers before he was 14 years old?


    Even though Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Feng were on bad terms, that didn¡¯t stop him from rebelling to take revenge for his father, did it? Though, it must be said that no one truly believed it.


    Moreover, even if Qi Xiuyuan disliked his stepmother, Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai were his brothers from the same father. They were rted by blood. Now that the Qi family owned this world, that would make those two royalty.


    Since they had no way of currying favor with the important figures, they could only turn their sights to those two.


    They had no choice. Li Jinghua had already moved into the pce, and Madam Li was far away in Jingzhao Prefecture. Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t one to socialize, and Qi Haoran was incredibly busy. One possibility was to curry favor with Fan Zijin, but Fan Zijin was even busier than those mentioned.


    As for Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s legitimate mother¡¯s n, the Zhu family, they were still guarding the border and had yet to return. At this moment, their only option was to suck up to Madam Wu and her sons.


    The royal family always enjoyed a certain level of respect. As such, many people did not consider if the Emperor and Madam Wu actually got along. In their opinion, Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai were the Emperor¡¯s biological younger brothers, and Madam Wu was the Emperor¡¯s stepmother. Just their identities alone was worth currying favor with.


    Therefore, although Madam Wu kept a low profile during that period of time, there were many people who sent them gifts. Qi Xiuyuan did not know if they had given any promises, but he knew that just their identities alone were a symbol.


    Take for instance, a county magistrate who was seeking promotion could suck up to Qi Shaosheng and let the prefecture magistrate know that he was Qi Shaosheng¡¯s guest. Even if that prefecture magistrate knew that Qi Shaosheng didn¡¯t hold any real power and wasn¡¯t chummy with the Emperor, he would probably make things easier for the county magistrate because of Qi Shaosheng¡¯s royal status.


    This was the reason why Qi Xiuyuan simply left them be. He only allowed them to enjoy an undeserved reputation and did not even allow them to obtain the benefits that came from said undeserved reputation.


    <div>

 Chapter 594: Conferment (3)

    Chapter 594: Conferment (3)


    Editor: As Studios


    When the old Hanlin and the other three came to the Qi Residence to ask questions, it was as good as trampling on Madam Wu¡¯s face and skinning her clean. Not only her, but Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai¡¯s identities as the legitimate sons were also questioned.


    Considering the Qi family had achieved royalty status thanks to Qi Xiuyuan, naturally, they acted in ordance with Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s attitude. When asked about what happened back then, they said that Madam Wu only became the second wife in hopes of helping to flush away the bad luck so that Mrs. Qi would recover from her illness. However, since this had not received the approval of the elders in the n, they should still follow the government office¡¯s documents.


    The document retained in the government office was still the concubine acknowledgement letter written by Qi Feng when he took Madam Wu as a concubine.


    Seeing this, Madam Wu spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted. As Qi Shaosheng hugged her and cried, he questioned, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to acknowledge Mother, just say it. Why do you have to take things so far?¡±


    The patriarch of the Qi family couldn¡¯t let Qi Shaosheng nder Qi Xiuyuan like this. He quickly reprimanded, ¡°How dare you! This is the truth. The Emperor doesn¡¯t remember it since he was still young back then. Now, he wants to confer titles to your mother and you brothers, so it¡¯s only right for him to ask. Are you not willing to ept the conferment?¡±


    Qi Shaosheng gnashed his teeth in anger. He wanted to say no, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say the word out loud. All he could do was re at them with hatred and fury. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?


    When his father was around, he treated him as his eldest legitimate son. Qi Xiuyuan was not at home all year round. Although the servants in the residence called him ¡°Second Master¡±, everyone knew that he would inherit the Qi family¡¯s business in the future.


    Now that he had changed from a legitimate wife to a concubine¡¯s son, anyone could trample on him and his mother.


    As Madam Wu regained consciousness slowly, tears flowed down her face. She said, ¡°Send me to the ancestral hall. I-I want toin to Old Master. Old Master, open your eyes and take a look. Eldest Master promised to take care of us on your behalf, but he humiliated us like this.¡±<div>


    Madam Wuy on the ground and cried, ¡°I know Eldest Master doesn¡¯t fancy me as his stepmother, but Second Master and Third Master are Eldest Master¡¯s biological younger brothers. He can¡¯t forget the promise he made in front of Old Master¡¯s deathbed.¡±


    The patriarch of the Qi family questioned, ¡°Madam Wu, other than your two sons, who else would recognize you as Qi Feng¡¯s legitimate wife? You¡¯d better stop while you¡¯re ahead. If you cause trouble, no one will be able to get away with what happened back then. The Emperor is concerned about face-saving, but Prince Rong is a straightforward one. Seeing as the two uncles of the Zhu family are about to enter the capital, you have to think carefully.¡±


    Madam Wu stopped crying and looked at the Qi family¡¯s patriarch resentfully. The patriarch snorted and looked at the four officials. ¡°Have you finished asking what you¡¯re here to ask?¡±


    The four of them nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°We¡¯re done. We¡¯ll go back and reply now.¡±


    However, they were extremely curious about what had happened back then. From the sound of it, it seemed that Old Master Qi and Madam Wu had let the Emperor and Prince Rong down and the Zhu family had something on them?


    If this were other families, it would just be casual gossip. However, considering it was the royal family, it was a secret to be kept private. Everyone was extremely curious.


    Madam Wu¡¯s identity was confirmed¡ªshe was a concubine and not a wife. Now that this confirmation set the foundation, it was announced to the world that Madam Zhu was Qi Feng¡¯s only wife and Madam Wu was merely a concubine.


    This was the oue Qi Xiuyuan hoped to achieve. Not dragging things on, he directly conferred upon Lady Wu the title of ¡°Imperial Noble Consort¡±, uniquely bestowing her maiden name as her title, without any additional honorifics. He ordered her to select an auspicious date to enter the pce.


    Meanwhile, Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai were respectively conferred the titles of ¡°Marquis of Peaceful Happiness¡± and ¡°Marquis of Peaceful Stability¡±. The Emperor even bestowed them with a Marquis¡¯s Residence each. Moreover, the two residences were connected, making it very convenient for them to visit each other.


    If it was still the Great Zhou Dynasty, the two of them would probably die of happiness to be conferred the title of Marquis. After all, General Yuan had worked hard for more than 20 years to only be conferred the title of Marquis.


    However, it was the Great Qi Dynasty now and the person sitting on the throne was their elder brother. Seeing as their younger brother born from the same father was conferred the title of a Prince, being conferred a Marquis was too insignificant inparison.


    However, they didn¡¯t dare to make a fuss since Qi Xiuyuan had already made his stand clear. The people who had originally been sucking up to them now steered clear from them, and visitors were few and far between at the Qi Residence.


    Having been taken down a notch by Qi Xiuyuan, they were a little dispirited and muddle-headed. When the pce servants came to pack their things and offered to help them to move to the new Marquis¡¯s Residence and the pce, they did not think too much and simply let them pack up.


    It was only when they moved into the new Marquis¡¯s Residence that Qi Shaosheng finally realized that something was amiss. Frowning, he asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Mother?¡±


    Moving house being aborious task, Madam Xu was thoroughly exhausted. Although she didn¡¯t have to do it herself, she was already so tired from ordering the servants around that it was difficult for her to even move a finger. Hearing this, she said, ¡°Didn¡¯t Mother enter the pce? She¡¯s the consort, so she should be living in the harem.¡±


    With a look of hesitation, Qi Shaosheng said, ¡°Qi Xiu¡­ His Majesty has never been fond of Mother. Why would he let her live in the harem? Besides, it¡¯s not like there have never been cases of imperial concubines living outside with their sons¡­¡±


    At this point, Qi Shaosheng became even more suspicious. ¡°Why did the Emperor summon Mother into the pce?¡±


    An ominous feeling rose in Madam Xu¡¯s heart, but she forced a smile and said, ¡°After all, the Emperor has just ascended the throne, so it¡¯s not appropriate for him to disassociate himself with her too clearly. Hence, it makes sense for him to let Mother stay in the pce.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Qi Shaosheng remained skeptical.<div>


    Madam Xu hurriedly stood up and said, ¡°What else can it be? Alright, let¡¯s quickly pack up. Considering the Marquis¡¯s Residence is so big, there are many areas to take care of. It¡¯s only our family that lives here now, but this ce is three times as big as the Qi Residence¡­¡±


    Qi Shaosheng pursed his lips in disdain and said, ¡°You only think our Marquis¡¯s Residence is huge because you¡¯ve never seen the Prince¡¯s Residence. I heard that only a few courtyards of Minister Qin¡¯s residence were excluded. Think about how massive Minister Qin¡¯s residence is considering it upies the entire foot of Nanping Mountain¡­¡±


    See, this was why Qi Shaosheng was green with envy.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s Prince¡¯s Residence alone was three times the size of his and his brother¡¯s Marquis¡¯s Residencesbined.<div>


    Madam Xu lowered her head and remained silent. How could theypare when Qi Xiuyuan had doted on Qi Haoran like a son all along?


    However, Madam Xu did not retort when she saw the injustice on her husband¡¯s face.


    Madam Wu, who had entered the pce, was not in the mood to think about this. After being sent to Qingning Pce to settle down, Madam Wu came back to her senses. When she saw that Nanny Wu was the only familiar person beside her, her heart skipped a beat and she hurriedly asked, ¡°Where are the servant girls and maidservants?¡±


    Oblivious to Madam Wu¡¯s abnormality, Nanny Wu replied happily with a smile, ¡°Have you forgotten that we¡¯ve entered the pce? Naturally, those servant girls and maidservants remain outside. Now that we¡¯ve entered the pce, there will be pce maids serving us. Only I followed you into the pce.¡± Feeling that this was a great honor, Nanny Wu was thrilled.


    Madam Wu felt a chill run down her spine. This was a ce where Qi Xiuyuan called the shots.


    Previously, she had spat out a mouthful of blood from her heart. In addition, the agitation had dealt a blow to her health, so she was still feeling muddle- headed. She did not expect to be tricked intoing to the pce while she wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    After entering this ce, wouldn¡¯t she be at Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s mercy?


    Madam Wu couldn¡¯t help but think of the wet nurse who had been smashed into a bloody mess back then. She shivered and said in a sharp voice, ¡°I don¡¯t want to live in the pce! I want to leave! I want to go out and live with my sons!¡±

 Chapter 595: Ruthless

    Chapter 595: Ruthless


    Editor: As Studios


    The shocked Nanny Wu quickly went forward to help her. ¡°Consort, what¡¯s


    wrong?¡±


    Madam Wu dug her fingers into her flesh and gritted her teeth. ¡°We must leave!


    He wants me dead. I¡¯m certain he wants me dead.¡±


    Shocked, Nanny Wu quickly looked up at the pce maids in the room. Seeing that they were only packing the things as if they did not hear Madam Wu¡¯s words, she lowered her voice and said, ¡°Consort, you can¡¯t say this casually.


    This is the pce.¡±


    Madam Wu turned to look at her and said, ¡°While the Emperor and Madam Li are too busy to bother with us, let¡¯s leave quickly. We can leave the things


    behind.¡±


    Seeing that Nanny Wu was hesitating, she lowered her voice and said, ¡°Have you forgotten how Madam Zhu and Qi Haoran¡¯s wet nurse died?<div>


    Nanny Wu shivered. Could it be that the Emperor wanted to kill Madam by summoning her to stay in the pce? Then she, who had entered the pce with Madam-


    Nanny Wu¡¯s body swayed and she hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯ll go call for a pnquin now.¡±


    When she ran to the entrance of the hall, she bumped into Qi Xiuyuan and Madam Li, who were walking over. Nanny Wu¡¯s face turned pale and she involuntarily fell to the ground.


    Qi Xiuyuan stopped in front of her and said with a smile, ¡°Why is Nanny Wu here instead of serving the consort?¡±


    The pale-faced Nanny Wu trembled and could not speak. She could only he on the ground.


    She had served Madam Wu since she was young. Having followed Madam Wu from the Wu family to the Qi family, working her way up from being a second- grade servant girl to a first-grade servant girl, and then to Madam Wu¡¯s trusted personal nanny. She had seen many things and understood the grudge between Madam Wu and Qi Xiuyuan.


    To Qi Haoran, though he hated Madam Wu, she probably wouldn¡¯te to mind if he didn¡¯t get to meet her. On the other hand, the hatred between Qi Xiuyuan and Madam Wu was impossible to wash away. Who would have thought that not only would the 14-year-old youth survive the battlefield, but he also ultimately ascended the supreme position?


    Li Jinghua felt that Nanny Wu¡¯s behavior was very strange. She had onlye with the Emperor to take a look at Madam Wu. Was there a need to be so flustered?


    Hence, she could not help but take a few more nces.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan walked past Nanny Wu and entered the pce. He said to the pce maid, ¡°Call your steward-in-charge over.


    Nanny Mo, who was watching from behind, quickly ran over and knelt down to pay her respects.


    Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°Since Nanny Wu is getting on in age, don¡¯t send her to run errands for no reason. As for the Consort, just do your utmost to serve her.¡± Qi Xiuyuan looked up and met Madam Wu¡¯s eyes, then smiled and waved his hand. ¡°Alright, I have something to say to the Consort. You guys can leave


    first.¡±


    ted to hear Qi Xiuyuan call her Empress, the corners of Li Jinghua¡¯s lips curled up slightly, and her expression softened. She waved her hand to dismiss the servants.


    Since it was more convenient for her to handle the harem matters, Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t want to hide it from Li Jinghua. Besides, he still had many national affairs to deal with, so he naturally couldn¡¯t keep an eye on the harem.


    Qi Xiuyuan walked up to Madam Wu and looked at her face carefully. Only then did he realize that the eyes of the graceful woman from back then were filled with wrinkles at the corners. Her hair was already gray and she was no longer as delicate and charming as before.


    Qi Xiuyuan remembered that back then, his mother held his hand and walked back with her big belly. On the way, she even stopped to let him pick a few beautiful flowers and put them on her temples. A woman with a bright face asked him with a smile, ¡°My boy, does Mother look good like this?¡±


    He remembered replying loudly, ¡°Yes, Mother is the most beautiful.¡± At that time, his mother¡¯s cheeks were flushed red. Then, they saw Madam Wu leaning against the courtyard door. At that time, she was dressed in white and her body was slender and delicate-looking. She was looking at them with tears in her eyes, her eyes filled with usation.


    At that time, he did not know what had happened, but he remembered his mother¡¯s expression darkening instantly.<div>


    Then, Madam Wu walked up to his mother and knelt down. He no longer remembered what they were talking about, only that his mother was trembling with anger, her grip on his little hand so tight that it hurt and caused a numbing sensation. Later on, she gave birth to his younger brother prematurely. After that, he saw his father bringing Madam Wu over to argue with his mother. The wet nurse said that Qi Feng wanted to make Madam Wu his co-wife, that he only wanted her name on the genealogical tree and not registered in the government office.


    His mother didn¡¯t agree, so she gave birth prematurely from the anger. Qi Xiuyuan would always remember what the wet nurse had said when she hugged him and cried. His mother would not have died. Although she had given birth prematurely, she was in good health. Even if she gave birth prematurely and her health was damaged, she would not have died so early. It was all because of his father and Madam Wu. They had pressed on step by step and angered his mother to death.


    At this moment, Qi Xiuyuan was not happy at all as he looked at Madam Wu.


    Qi Xiuyuan stared at Madam Wu¡¯s face without saying anything. Not only was Madam Wu worried, but Li Jinghua also looked at him nervously. In order to prevent him from doing anything rude, Li Jinghua took a step forward and held his hand. ¡°Your Majesty, do you have anything to say to the consort?<div>


    Qi Xiuyuan came back to his senses from his memories. He lowered his head and met Madam Wu¡¯s eyes. He smiled and said, ¡°Consort Wu, I came to tell you to live in the pce in peace from now on. If you miss Second Brother and Third Brother, tell the Empress and let her summon Madam Xu and Little Madam Wu enter the pce to visit you.¡±


    Madam Wu muttered, ¡°You¡¯re putting me under house arrest?¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s expression changed drastically. She looked up at Qi Xiuyuan.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan shook his head and said, ¡°Why would I want to put you under house arrest? I still hope that you can live longer, so long that you can see your children and grandchildren grow up.¡± Qi Xiuyuan smiled. ¡°I want to let you see what future your children and descendants will have because of you. Back then, you insisted on marrying my father and schemed to be a co-wife. Didn¡¯t you do that to give your two sons a higher status so that they can enjoy more resources?¡±


    Madam Wu¡¯s expression changed drastically as she said sternly, ¡°Your Majesty, this is a grudge between the two of us. It has nothing to do with your brothers¡­¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at her coldly and said, ¡°Consort, you¡¯ve misunderstood. Second Brother and Third Brother are not capable. What can I do to suppress them? Besides, they¡¯re not the only ones with your blood.


    Madam Wuy on the couch. Did this mean that he wouldn¡¯t even let her grandchildren off?


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget what you promised your father¡­¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said with a smile, ¡°What did I promise Father?¡±


    Madam Wu choked and remembered that Qi Xiuyuan had indeed not made any promises back then.


    She took a deep breath, straightened her sleeves, knelt in front of Qi Xiuyuan, and cried, ¡°Your Majesty, I only beg you to spare your second and third brother on ount that they both carry your father¡¯s bloodline.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes were red as he said in a low voice, ¡°Back then, when you ? angered my mother to death, did you ever consider me and Fourth Brother?¡± Madam Wu kowtowed and said, ¡°I¡¯m willing to pay with my life.


    Qi Xiuyuan shook his head. ¡°Though your life is worth nothing, I don¡¯t want you to die. If you die, it¡¯s very easy for Second Brother and Third Brother to die from sadness.¡±<div>


    Madam Wu, who originally wanted to escape all this with her death, trembled and no longer dared to have the thought ofmitting suicide.


    ¡°Do you still remember the wet nurse who abused my brother back then? Qi Xiuyuan asked with a smile.


    Madam Wu¡¯s body trembled. She closed her eyes and said, ¡°I remember. I sent their entire family far away. I don¡¯t know where they are now.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said regretfully, ¡°What a pity. I originally wanted to find their families and bring them to the pce to apany you.


    Qi Xiuyuan walked around the pce for a while, then pointed at the floor and said, ¡°Back then, that wet nurse pinched and stabbed my little brother. After that¡¯ she even took off his clothes and threw him on the floor. At that time, my brother was only about a month old. He had long forgotten about this, so I don¡¯t knowhow it felt either¡­¡±

 Chapter 596: Reject

    Chapter 596: Reject


    Editor: As Studios


    Seeing Madam Wu¡¯s pale face, Qi Xiuyuan felt that he was more or less done talking to her. So, he turned around and brought Li Jinghua out. On the way, Qi Xiuyuan stopped and said, ¡°I remember that my father didn¡¯t like me when I was young. The servants in the residence ignored me and no one spoke to me. Whenever they opened their mouths, they would mock me. For a period of time, I was very sad. Although I didn¡¯tck food or clothes, I felt that I might as well die. When I went to see Haoran, I saw that kid crawling around without a care in the world and hugging my leg. At that time, I thought to myself that my mother had passed away and my uncles were far away at the border. Furthermore, Aunt Xia and her husband didn¡¯t get along well. If I died too, would my brother still be able to stay in the Fan residence safely?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan felt a lump in his throat and tears welled up in his eyes. He said with a smile in a low voice, ¡°Thinking along those lines, I felt better. Later on, when I grew up, Uncle made a contribution at the border and was promoted to an official. He sent a master over to teach me martial arts. After I started getting around outside more, the coldness in my heart dissipated by quite a bit. I wonder if Second Brother and Third Brother can often enter the pce to apany the Consort when she¡¯s going through this in the pce.¡±


    Li Jinghua shivered. Was Qi Xiuyuan nning to pay Madam Wu back for what she had done to him and Qi Haoran back then?


    Li Jinghua never knew that Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran had led such a life when they were young. She had mixed feelings and could only reach out to hold his hand.


    Qi Xiuyuan lowered his head and looked at her, then held her hand and said with a smile, ¡°Back then, I was always worried that it wouldn¡¯t do Haoran good to get married. That kid is silly and can¡¯t discern between good and bad intentions. But now that I see that you and Ah Ling are getting along so well, I think I worried for nothing back then.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Li Jinghua called softly.


    Qi Xiuyuan patted her hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you all these years. Since the treasury is currently empty, let¡¯s put aside the matter of adding more women to the harem for now. We¡¯ll revisit this in two years.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan lowered his voice and said, ¡°Little Treasure is too young. I¡¯ll wait for him to grow up first.¡±


    With slightly wet eyes, Li Jinghua held Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s hand tightly and muttered, ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡±<div>


    She felt that with Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s kindness to her, she had not lived this life in vain.


    The next day, a pce servant reported that Madam Wu had fallen sick from the cold.


    Qi Xiuyuan only smiled and waved his hand to get someone to summon an imperial physician for her. Then, he slowly walked to the court. After the New Year, he was no longer that child who could be at the mercy of others. Also, Madam Wu would no longer be that stepmother who could suppress him. Now that the path ahead of him was so broad and long, a person like Madam Wu was no longer worth his time.


    Qi Xiuyuan dealt with some important state affairs in the morning court before proposing the conferment of the Empress. He asked the Ministry of Rites to prepare and ask the Imperial Astronomer to decide on an auspicious date.


    Since he had proposed to confer the Empress, the matter of filling the harem was also raised. The ministers did not want Qi Xiuyuan to be obsessed with women, but they also did not want the Empress to be the only one in his harem. Putting everything else aside, it was very important for the royal family to have many descendants.


    Even if the Emperor did not take more imperial concubines, there should be at least five or six more new additions to his harem, right?


    However, this was the first time Qi Xiuyuan had explicitly rejected this idea in the Imperial Court. He said, ¡°The treasury is empty now. The coronation of the new Emperor and the conferment of the title of Empress have already cost a lot. Now that Prince Rong is still living in the Qi Residence and we don¡¯t even have the money to repair the Prince¡¯s Residence, it¡¯s better to be more frugal. Since themoners have just settled down, we really shouldn¡¯t impose more burden on them.¡±


    Immediately, some ministers stood up and said that they had daughters of a suitable age at home who could enter the pce to serve the Emperor and the Empress. This way, they did not have to spend money on the imperial concubine selection anymore.


    The Emperor¡¯s expression instantly darkened as he refused sternly. ¡°The Great Zhou¡¯s state structure was chaotic, but that only started from Emperor Gaozong¡¯s time. Emperor Shizong, who had been wise all his life, once said that there should be a clear separation between the harem and the imperial court. Therefore, all imperial concubines are not allowed to be chosen from the families of officials above the fourth rank. Could it be that you want to resign and return home by offering your daughter?¡±


    The official who had raised this matter did not dare to say anything else. How could he bear to give up his official position when he wanted his daughter to enter the pce precisely for the benefit of his family?


    Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t want to talk about these trivial matters in the morning court. In his opinion, taking in imperial concubines was the same as taking in concubines. It wasn¡¯t worth mentioning in public.


    After the morning court assembly ended, Qi Xiuyuan dragged Qi Haoran, who was obviously still half-asleep, to the imperial study and asked, ¡°What did you dost night?¡±


    Qi Haoran scratched his head and said, ¡°Big Brother, I¡¯ve been reading the ounts for a few days and still can¡¯t figure out the logistics department part. You have to send me a logistics officer.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan chuckled.¡± I asked you to learn how to read ounts so that you wouldn¡¯t be fooled by your subordinates in the future. Who asked you to care about this? You¡¯re an eagle in the sky who should aim to soar into the sky. Alright, since you can¡¯t figure it out, forget it. I¡¯ll send an advisor to youter. Take him to the office. You can ask him about anything other than war matters.¡±


    Qi Haoran hesitated. ¡°Aren¡¯t you sending me a Military Advisor?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said with a smile, ¡°You already have a Military Advisor- Zijin. Since that kid refuses to give up on doing business, I can¡¯t keep him by your side. Thus, I¡¯ll send you another advisor to assist you with other things.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Let Zijine with me.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m sending you to work, not to y. There are many ethnic groups in the Qiannan area, and there are many conflicts. Be careful when you do things and don¡¯t be reckless like before. West Xia¡¯s ambitions haven¡¯t changed, so you have to be careful at the border. As for Dali, since it has been very well-behaved these years, you can leave it alone for now.¡±


    ¡°What about the Jin Kingdom?¡±<div>


    The grudges between Qi Haoran and the Jin Kingdom could be written into a book. He originally wanted to return to the Jingzhao Prefecture, but he felt that Big Brother was right. There was no deployable general in the southwest now. Also, West Xia was eyeing Great Qi covetously, so he had to be on guard. Moreover, he had yet to take revenge for the massacre of the city.


    Thinking of West Xia¡¯s massacre, Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes turned cold.


    Qi Xiuyuan turned around and sat down in front of the table. He took out a memorial and handed it to Qi Haoran. ¡°I n to confer General Yuan as Duke Ding and Shen Mu as Marquis Huailiang. Let them guard the borders in peace. As for the three prefectures of Jingzhao Prefecture, leave them to your father- inw. He¡¯s still guarding Tongchuan Prefecture. I¡¯ll get Jiang Ze to rece him and let him return to Jingzhao Prefecture to take up a position.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan sighed. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m afraid Ah Ling won¡¯t be able to meet her father. Help me tell herter.¡±<div>


    Although Qi Haoran felt that it was a pity, he also knew that a pass like Jingzhao Prefecture could not be left alone even for a day.


    ¡°When you go to Qiannan this time, I don¡¯t n to let you bring your old subordinates with you. Bring all the newly recruited soldiers with you and leave the generals behind. Also, bring the bandits with you.¡±


    Qi Haoran pouted and said, ¡°Big Brother, my subordinates are all rookies and unruly bandits. Won¡¯t I be beaten up if I go to the southwest like this?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan patted his shoulder and said, ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. The capable have more work to do. You¡¯re talented in training soldiers, so you have to work harder for me. I¡¯m going to spread the assistantmanders you brought out to various parts of Great Qi. They¡¯ll be guarding our territory.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes lit up. After finding the map, he opened it on the table and pointed. ¡°Look.¡±

 Chapter 597: Trust (1)

    Chapter 597: Trust (1)


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran took a step forward and his eyes lit up when he saw the defenseyout. ¡°Big Brother, are you going to change the defenseyout?


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded. ¡°I came up with this idea in the early years. Now that I have the chance, I naturally have to implement it. In the early days, I really didn¡¯t understand why Emperor Gaozong arranged his troops inside, causing a situation ofx defense on the outside and strict defense on the inside. Later on the Jin Kingdom and West Xia only made a slight move and they managed to sessfully upy arge portion of my territory. Dali even dared to break away and dere independence without a word. This time, when the Second Prince rebelled, mes of war rose everywhere in the Great Zhou. Not only did the garrison left in the Great Zhou fail to contain the rebellion, but it also made many generals rebel. On the other hand, very few soldiers guarding the borders rebelled. Therefore, I decided to set up most of my soldiers at the borders, leaving only a small number in the prefectures to support them. I¡¯m also assigning enough soldiers to guard the important passes. What do you think.¡± Qi Haoran nodded like a chick pecking at rice, his eyes sparkling. ¡°Big Brother, let¡¯s do that.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan patted his shoulder and said, ¡°That¡¯s why I want you to train those bandits who have been recruited. Although those bandit leaders are unruly, they more or less have the ability to survive in this chaotic world. The reform of the military system requires many generals to be stationed at the border. The soldiers you led previously are already capable of taking charge.


    Hence, Qi Xiuyuan wanted to transfer those people to the border to either be assistants or lead an army alone. However, the reform of the military system posed a greater difficulty. Even if the brothers now controlled most of the military power, they still had to n slowly.


    Qi Xiuyuan<sup>1</sup> s goal was not only the army in his hands, but also the Yuan family¡¯s army, the Zhu family¡¯s army, and so on. In the future, he wanted these armies to belong to Great Qi and not just one family.


    Qi Xiuyuan did not dare to reveal his ambition at this time and could let such thoughts be known to his younger brother.


    This was exactly what Qi Haoran wanted. Qi Xiuyuan was the Emperor now, so it was impossible for him to personally manage all the troops and nurture generals. Hence, he could only ce the heavy burden on Qi Haoran¡¯s shoulders.


    Qi Haoran promised, ¡°Big Brother, don¡¯t worry. In the future, our army will definitely only fight for Great Qi and themoners of Great Qi. They will no longer fight for one person or one n alone.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s eyes lit up. He patted Qi Haoran¡¯s shoulder and said with a smile, ¡°Good brother!¡±<div>


    Of course, it was impossible for only the two brothers to carry out such a massive n. However, there were too few people who could bepletely trusted now. Qi Xiuyuan discussed it with Qi Haoran and said, ¡°We can mention this to Rong Xuan and Zijin first.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan would talk to Rong Xuan while Qi Haoran would talk to Fan Zijin. When Rong Xuan heard Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s n, he said, ¡°No, Your Majesty. This way, nearly half of the generals in Great Qi will be under Prince Rong¡¯s wing. In the future, when military power falls, I¡¯m afraid it will be chaos again.


    Qi Xiuyuan said with a smile, ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about, but it¡¯s unnecessary since it¡¯s Haoran. The allegiance of the people he nurtured lies with Haoran, I, and most importantly, Great Qi. They will listen to my orders.¡± Rong Xuan frowned. ¡°Prince Rong is indeed pure-hearted now, but can Your Majesty guarantee that he will still be the same ten or 20 yearster?¡± Qi Xiuyuan sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee it. But since he¡¯s my younger brother, I¡¯m willing to trust him and take a gamble. Why don¡¯t you wait and see, Jinyu? Rong Xuan was silent for a long time, struggling internally. Only until his calves went numb did he say with a sigh, ¡°Since Your Majesty has made a decision, I won¡¯t say anything else. It¡¯s just that I have another question.¡± Rong Xuan looked up at Qi Xiuyuan and asked, ¡°What should Prince Rong do after the new Emperor ascends the throne upon your passing?


    Should Prince Rong step down having served his purpose? Or would he stay around and make the new master uneasy with his meritorious service?


    Qi Xiuyuan clenched his fists and said, ¡°When the timees, Haoran will make a choice without me saying anything. Why don¡¯t you have more confidence in him?¡±


    ¡°Power changes people. I¡¯m afraid that no one will be able to remind Prince Rong when the timees.¡± Rong Xuan said vaguely, ¡°The Duke of Peaceful State is smart and cunning, and he has deep brotherhood ties with Prince Rong. When the timees, the new Emperor will take into ount the brotherhood between the Emperor and Prince Rong¡­¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan chuckled and said, ¡°Jinyu, are you so sure that I¡¯ll definitely pass away before Haoran does?¡±


    With a drastic change in expression, RongXuan knelt down and apologized. ¡°I deserve to die ten thousand times.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. I was just joking with you.¡± Qi Xiuyuan quickly walked down and pulled him up. He shook his head and said, ¡°You¡¯ve be more and more reserved recently. In the past, when I said these things to you, you would even roll your eyes at me¡­¡±


    But now that their statuses were so different, how could he still dare to be so presumptuous?


    Rong Xuan lowered his head and the corners of his mouth twitched. He opened his mouth but did not retort.


    Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°I know you¡¯re worried about Zijin gaining power. If Haoran loses his conscience, they will definitely fight with Little Treasure for the throne. This is something I don¡¯t want to see.¡± Qi Xiuyuan paused and said, ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t force Haoran to take in a concubine.¡± Rong Xuan raised his eyebrows and Qi Xiuyuan said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯ve seen Ah Ling before. What do you think of her?¡±


    Rong Xuan said with a smile, ¡°She looks bold and reckless, but she¡¯s also careful enough and values rtionships.


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded. ¡°I¡¯m very assured with her watching Haoran.¡± He already had 90% confidence in his younger brother. With Mu Yangling supervising him, that 90% became 99%. He felt that the remaining tiny danger was worth taking the risk.


    Qi Xiuyuan thought that he was a good judge of character. Other than him and Haoran, Mu Yangling was definitely the person who most didn¡¯t want the two brothers to fight.


    Aside from being a righteous person, the key was that she could subdue Qi Haoran.


    As for Fan Zijin, it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t have confidence in his cousin. But if Qi Xiuyuan fought with Qi Haoran, although Fan Zijin would feel conflicted and sad, he would definitely stand on Haoran¡¯s side and help him scheme. That kid looked smart, but he always followed Haoran when it came to important matters. Usually, Haoran would set a direction and goal, and then this kid woulde up with a n to instruct Haoran to charge forward.


    For example, the rebellion.


    Back then, when he said that he wanted to rebel, Fan Zijin did not even hesitate to help out after a simple mention from Qi Haoran.<div>


    Hence, Qi Xiuyuan felt that if Haoran really wanted to fight for power one day, Zijin would definitely stand on his side and help hime up with a n. After all, this kid did not have many bottom lines. Only Mu Yangling could subdue Qi Haoran.


    Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan had already made up his mind, Rong Xuan could not persuade him anymore. Otherwise, it would seem like he was trying to sow discord between the two brothers.


    Qi Haoran went to look for Fan Zijin and told him about their goals and n in the study behind closed doors. Fan Zijin¡¯s first reaction was to frown and ask, ¡°Eldest Cousin handed such an important matter to you. What if he suspects you in the future? You have to know that this means that half of the generals in Great Qi will be born under your hands. It¡¯s equivalent to you controlling half of Great Qi. Can Eldest Cousin tolerate it? In the future, can Little Treasure be at ease with you, an uncle wielding such great power?¡±


    <div>

 Chapter 598: Trust (2)

    Chapter 598: Trust (2)


    Editor. As Studios


    The moment Fan Zijin opened his mouth, it was obvious with whom his allegiancey.


    Rong Xuan had been good friends with and served Qi Xiuyuan for many years, so he considered the problem from Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s perspective.


    On the other hand, Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran grew up together and were as close as brothers. Hence, he subconsciously protected Qi Haoran¡¯s interests.


    Qi Haoran hadn¡¯t considered such implications. When he heard this, he waved his hand nonchntly and said, ¡°Big Brother trusts me. Besides, I¡¯m not training my own private army. Although those people will be training under me, their loyalty will lie with Big Brother and Great Qi. If they can¡¯t even recognize who¡¯s the master, I wouldn¡¯t have them under my wing.


    Just as he had said, he wanted to build an army that was loyal to Great Qi and the Emperor, not a private army. If someone under him valued Qi Haoran more than this country, he would definitely not promote that person to be an assistantmander. He might let such a person lead a small troop, but in that case, what future would the other party have?


    He wanted to set an example so that the Yuan family¡¯s army would be the Great Qi¡¯s army instead of following General Yuan¡¯s orders like now.


    There was another matter Qi Haoran wanted to discuss with Fan Zijin about. He hesitated for a moment before saying in a low voice, ¡°Cousin, I have something to ask of you.¡±


    Fan Zijin shivered and shookhis shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t call me Cousin. Nothing good everes out of it whenever you call me that.


    Qi Haoran smiled and tried to curry favor. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t, you¡¯re still my cousin.¡±<div>


    If not for the fact that there was a table between them, Fan Zijin would definitely believe that Qi Haoran would fawningly rush up to massage his legs and shoulders.


    He rubbed his temples and asked, ¡°What exactly is it?


    Qi Haoran immediately sat upright and asked, ¡°Are you setting off with me orter?¡±


    Fan Zijin rolled his eyes at him and said, ¡°Since I¡¯m your Military Advisor, naturally, I¡¯ll set off with you.¡±


    ¡°What about Cousin-inw?¡± Qi Haoran immediately asked, ¡°When is she leaving?¡±


    Fan Zijin was stunned and asked, ¡°Leaving for where?


    ¡°To Qiannan. Let¡¯s set up camp and stockade first. When is Cousin-inw leaving? When the timees, let Ah Ling and the child apany her. Qi Haoran said ingratiatingly, ¡°I know that you have a specially-made carriage that¡¯s veryfortable. I¡¯m afraid that the child can¡¯t get used to traveling on the road considering it¡¯s a long journey to Qiannan, so how about letting Ah Ling bring the child along with Cousin-inw?¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Who said that Little Madam Xia is going to Qiannan?¡±


    Qi Haoran blinked. ¡°She¡¯s not going to Qiannan? We¡¯ll be gone for anywhere between four to eight years¡­¡±


    ¡°Since my mother is still at home, someone has to serve her.¡± Fan Zijin paused and said, ¡°In my opinion, Ah Ling shouldn¡¯t go either. It¡¯s so inconvenient for her to go there with a child. What if something happens along the way? You might as well take in a concubine.¡±


    Qi Haoran jumped up and said, ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense. I have no intention of taking in a concubine. If Ah Ling hears this, I won¡¯t be able to clear my name even if I jump into the Yellow River.¡±


    Fan Zijin kicked him angrily. ¡°Are you so terrified of your wife that you¡¯ll do whatever she says? It¡¯s somon to have at least one or two concubines.


    Qi Haoran said sternly, ¡°Zinzi, we¡¯ve all suffered from having concubines at home before. I don¡¯t want Little Bear to suffer like us in the future. Moreover, I can¡¯t bear to see Ah Ling sad. Don¡¯t mention this again.¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted and said, ¡°Are we idiots who dote on concubines and neglect their wives?¡± Fan Zijin did not think that he would dote on his concubines and neglect his wife, let alone not differentiate between the legitimate wife and concubines. Hence, he was not against taking in concubines because he looked down on concubines from the bottom of his heart.


    Would he fall in love with such lowly women?


    However, seeing how nervous Qi Haoran was, he snorted softly. Qi Haoran and his wife did not have any experience of dealing with concubines in their homes.


    If Qi Haoran really took in a concubine, something might really happen.


    As for why he kept mentioning it, it was obvious. He was happy to see Qi


    Haoran stomping his feet in anxiety.<div>


    After torturing Qi Hao, Fan Zijin finally relented. ¡°Alright, isn¡¯t it just a carriage? I¡¯ll leave it for her when the timees.¡±


    Satisfied, Qi Haoran started to show concern for his best friend¡¯s private life. ¡°Are you really not bringing Cousin-inw along? You don¡¯t have a legitimate son yet and you¡¯ll be separated for such a long time. Since Aunt is in good health now, just let Cousin-inwe back in a few years to exercise filial piety.¡±


    Fan Zijin frowned and fell into deep thought.


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°I knowyou said that you won¡¯t dote on your concubine and neglect your wife, or differentiate between the legitimate and illegitimate children. However, if the eldest son isn¡¯t born from the legitimate wife, the servants in the residence will treat them differently. Your wife and child will ? more or less be affected. Didn¡¯t your mother suffer because of this back then?¡± Fan Zijin¡¯s expression changed slightly. He said evilly, ¡°Mother onlynded in that state because that person was biased.¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°But if you were the eldest son and Aunt consolidated her position early, her life would definitely have been much better.¡± Fan Zijin instantly changed his mind. Haoran was right. Even if he did not think for Little Madam Xia, he had to think for his legitimate sons and daughters.


    After Qi Xiuyuan officially appointed him as Qi Haoran¡¯s Military Advisor, Fan Zijin expressed at the dining table that he wanted to bring Little Madam Xia to


    Qiannan.


    Little Madam Xia looked up at Fan Zijin in surprise, her eyes slightly red. When Fan Zijin saw this, he became even more certain about this decision. Madam Xia was only stunned for a moment before nodding. ¡°Alright. You¡¯re still newlyweds, so it¡¯s indeed hard on you to be away from each other. Your father and I are still healthy, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± However, she couldn¡¯t hide the disappointment in her heart.


    In the past two years, Madam Xia increasingly felt that Fan Zijin had be estranged from her. Now that her daughter-inw was leaving the capital, she was afraid that they would be even more estranged in the future.


    Fan Siwen obviously thought so too. Hence, his face darkened and he said, I reckon Little Madam Xia should stay by your mother¡¯s side and serve her. Let your mother choose a concubine for you.¡±


    If Fan Zijin had been 80% sure of that decision, he was now 100% determined. His face darkened and he sneered. ¡°I don¡¯t have a legitimate eldest son yet, so I¡¯m not in the mood to take in a concubine. As for being filial to you and Mother, aren¡¯t Big Brother, Third Brother, and Fourth Brother at home? Just let them serve Father and Mother for a few years on my behalf.¡±


    Anger shed across Fan Siwen¡¯s face. He mmed his chopsticks down and questioned, ¡°Are you ming me?¡±


    Fan Zijin asked in surprise, ¡°Father, what do you mean?¡±


    Everyone could hear the resentment in Fan Zijin¡¯s words, and the surprise on his face was so fake. Anyone with eyes would know that he did it on purpose.


    So angry that his chest heaved up and down, Fan Siwen turned to look at Madam Xia. In the past, Madam Xia would have long stood up to stop the father and son, but today, she was a little tired and dazed, so she ignored the conflict between the two of them.


    Fan Zixiao and his brothers even buried their heads in their chests, not daring to say a word.


    Even Fan Zixiao, who often provoked Fan Zijin in the past, had be obedient, let alone the other concubine sons who never had much of a presence. Aside from being the current Emperor¡¯s cousin, everyone knew that Fan Zijin was second only to Prince Rong and was one of the only two Dukes in Great Qi. How could Fan Zixiao dare to provoke him again?<div>

 Chapter 599: Yiyi

    Chapter 599: Yiyi


    Editor: As Studios


    Even Fan Siwen had be much gentler to Fan Zijin after thetter had been conferred the title of Duke. Of course, this was how everyone except for Fan Zijin felt.


    Fan Siwen very much wanted to ease his rtionship with Fan Zijin, but he couldn¡¯t help but re up every time they met.


    He took a deep breath to calm himself down. Seeing that Madam Xia did not ask Little Madam Xia to stay, he waved his hand angrily and said, ¡°Up to you. Now that your wings have hardened, you wouldn¡¯t listen to your parents.¡± Seeing that Fan Zijin only snorted and didn¡¯t retort, Fan Siwen got even angrier. If such a scenario yed out in someone else¡¯s home, the son would long have knelt down and apologized in fear.


    Having lost his appetite, Fan Siwen simply pushed his bowl and chopsticks away and stood up to leave.


    No longer in the mood to eat either, Fan Zijin also stood up. Seeing that Little Madam Xia still remained seated, he said, ¡°You¡¯re not full yet? Come with me.¡± Little Madam Xia hurriedly stood up and bowed to Madam Xia before chasing after Fan Zijin.


    Ever since Fan Siwen mentioned taking in a concubine, Little Madam Xia¡¯s face had turned extremely pale. Despite having married into the Fan family for more than a year, she still had no children. Usually, she was most worried about her husband taking in a concubine. After hearing Fan Zijin reject this suggestion, her expression improved slightly.


    After she followed him back into their residence, Fan Zijin waved his hand and said, ¡°Tomorrow, go to the Qi Residence to look for Madam Mu and ask her when you¡¯re setting off. When the timees, she¡¯ll tell you what you need to pack.¡±


    Little Madam Xia asked gently, ¡°Aren¡¯t I leaving with you?¡± She was a little afraid that her inws wouldn¡¯t let her leave afterwards.


    The war in Qiannan has just ended and doesn¡¯t even have a stockade. Where are you going to stay? I¡¯ll go over to make arrangements first. Take your time on the road. You¡¯ll be able to settle down when you get there.¡± Seeing Little Madam Xia¡¯s nervous expression, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll tell Madam Mu not to leave you behind.¡±<div>


    Little Madam Xia wanted to cry but had no tears. She was not worried that Mu Yangling would not bring her along. However, she was afraid that she would be detained by her inws and that they would send Fan Zijin a concubine instead. However, Little Madam Xia did not dare to say such words and could only bury her worries in her heart.


    Qi Haoran had already set the time to set off and Mu Yangling was packing his things for him. When Qi Haoran returned and saw the five big boxes of things in the house, he put his hands on his waist and said very tsunderely, ¡°I¡¯m going there to train troops, not go on an outing. Why are you packing so many things? Take them away, take them all away.¡±


    Mu Yangling, too, felt that it was a little too much. However, she also felt that everything was indispensable. She walked around and took out a few clothes and boots before stuffing them in. She said, ¡°You¡¯re toozy. You always don¡¯t shower or change your clothes. After wearing them for a few days, you¡¯d just throw them away. Therefore, I specially prepared two boxes of clothes for you. There¡¯s nothing that can be taken out anymore. Here are the herbs. Qiannan is filled with miasma and poisonous insects, and it¡¯s remote, so many herbs are not avable. You should bring these just in case¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling stood up and pinched the baby fat that had just grown back on Qi Haoran¡¯s face. She said regretfully, ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for you to fatten up slightly, but you¡¯re about to be thin again.¡±


    What Qi Haoran was most dissatisfied with was the baby fat on his face. When he heard this, he angrily poured out more than half of the items in the five boxes and instructed Spring domineeringly, ¡°Tidy up these things. I¡¯ll just bring these.¡±


    Mu Yangling put her hands on her waist and said, ¡°It¡¯s not an urgent march and you don¡¯t have to carry these luggage yourself. What¡¯s wrong with tying these things to the carriage? If you should feel difort, won¡¯t I be the one feeling heartache?¡±


    Qi Haoran red at her and shouted, ¡°You just want to see these two pieces of flesh on my face. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know that you always pinch my face when I¡¯m asleep at night.¡±


    Mu Yangling cowered and looked around to realize that the servant girl and the maidservant had already retreated when they started arguing. Seeing that there was no one else in the room, she heaved a sigh of relief. She rushed forward and pinched the flesh on his face. ¡°Why are you constantly shouting?¡±


    Mu Yanghng¡¯s face flushed red. Qi Haoran¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he saw this. He grabbed Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and snorted. ¡°I was speaking the truth.¡± As he spoke, he leaned over to kiss her.


    Mu Yangling did not expect him to have such thoughts at a time like this. Seeing her move her elbow, Qi Haoran hurriedly covered his chest with his palm to avoid getting hit. Still, he felt a sharp pain in his palm, making him a little dissatisfied.


    Mu Yangling red at him and said, ¡°Fooling around in broad daylight¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯ve never done it before¡­¡± Qi Haoran muttered softly. Seeing Mu Yanghng¡¯s flushed face ring at him angrily, Qi Haoran¡¯s heart itched even more. He hooked her finger and whispered into her ear, ¡°I¡¯m leaving in two days and don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll be able to meet again¡­¡±


    At this point, Qi Haoran was a little dissatisfied. He felt that it was all his son¡¯s fault for dragging them down. If not for their son, Mu Yangling could totally ride with him on a horse.


    He hugged Mu Yangling¡¯s waist from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder, feeling a tad down.


    Mu Yangling ruffled his hair and said, ¡°How long can it be? We¡¯ll leave in a month. Even if we take our own sweet time, we¡¯ll reach Qiannan in a month. We 11 just be separated for two months. It¡¯s much better than previously, when we were apart for a year.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s hand on her waist felt like burning coal. Mu Yangling held his hand ufortably and pulled it out, then pushed him and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to bring so many things. I¡¯ll bring them for you when Little Bear and I goter.¡±


    Qi Haoran tightened his grip on Mu Yangling¡¯s waist, then tilted his head and bit her earlobe. He whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s give Little Bear a younger brother.¡± Heat gushed onto her neck, turning her earlobes slightly numb. Mu Yangling was in a daze for a moment. When she came back to her senses, she was already pressed onto the couch and her clothes were torn apart¡­


    Blushing, Mu Yangling pushed him and said in a low voice, ¡°The servant girls are all outside. Besides, it¡¯s broad daylight¡­¡±


    The rest of her words went into the mouth of Qi Haoran, who used his actions to express his determination. Mu Yangling was tossed and flipped over by Qi Haoran twice. When she woke up again, it was already dark outside. Moving her slightly sore body, she turned to look outside.


    Qi Haoran came in with a bowl of noodles. Seeing that she had opened her eyes, he grinned at her. ¡°I asked the kitchen to make you a bowl of noodles. Hurry up and eat.¡±<div>


    Mu Yanglingy under the nket and put on a shirt, then mumbled, ¡°How did you know that I would wake up now?¡± The noodles would have turned clumpy if cooked way ahead.


    Qi Haoran said proudly, ¡°I just knew it.¡±


    Mu Yangling stuck out her head to look at the luggage outside. Seeing that the things that Qi Haoran had scattered on the ground had long disappeared, she immediately blushed. She felt that everyone must know.


    She red at Qi Haoran before picking up the bowl and eating slowly.<div>


    The broth was made with an old hen and there were two eggs inside. This was an extra meal that she often ate when she was breastfeeding previously.


    Mu Yangling assumed that Spring and the servants had packed the things outside. When she came out after getting dressed, she realized that the things were simply piled up on the table and chairs.


    Qi Haoran scratched his head and said, ¡°I wanted to call Spring and the rest in to clean up, but they¡¯re clumsy and would make too much noise. I was worried that they would wake you up, so I didn¡¯t ask them to clear up the mess. However, it¡¯s not good to leave things on the ground, so I ced them on the chairs and tables. Don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯ll call them in to clean up.¡±


    Mu Yangling held his hand with a smile and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m not angry.¡±

 Chapter 600: Afraid

    Chapter 600: Afraid


    Editor: As Studios


    Once Qi Haoran left, only Mu Yangling and her son were left in the Qi Residence. Because of his father¡¯s departure, Little Bear was a little dispirited the entire day, sitting quietly at the side with his head lowered.


    Mu Yangling kissed his little face and coaxed him. ¡°Darling baby, we¡¯ll be able to see Daddy in two months. It won¡¯t be long.¡±


    Little Bear shifted his body and turned his face to the side to ignore her. In his heart, he vaguely knew that if he wanted to see Daddy, he would have to separate from his brother. On the other hand, if he wanted to enter the pce to y with his brother, he would have to be apart from his parents.


    The young Little Bear already knew what it was like to feel conflicted.


    Seeing that he was gloomy, Mu Yangling had no choice but to carry him into the pce to y with Little Treasure.


    When Li Jinghua saw her, she waved her hand and said with a smile, ¡°Even if you didn¡¯te, I was about to get someone to call you. Come and help me take care of the child.¡±


    Little Bear had long slid down from his mother¡¯s arms and rushed up to Little Treasure.


    Li Jinghua heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with this child these few days. He keeps crying at night and always looks a tad tired during the day. Even the imperial physician can¡¯t detect what¡¯s the matter.¡±


    Mu Yangling stroked their little heads. ¡°Could it be that he knows that Little Bear is leaving?¡±<div>


    ¡°I told him that long ago. Although he made a scene for two days at the beginning, he forgot about itter on.¡± Li Jinghua paused and said, ¡°I guess the recent movements in the pce have shocked him. As you know, this child has been weak since he was young. He gets startled whenever there¡¯s movement.¡±


    Li Jinghua grabbed Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and said, ¡°I want to ask the Emperor to let him stay at your ce for a few days first. I¡¯ll bring him back when things in the pce have settled down.¡±


    As Li Jinghua¡¯s conferment ceremony was about to be held, many deste pces in the harem had to undergo cleaning and repairs. Although it wasn¡¯t a massive project, there were peopleing and going, so it was indeed a little noisy. Used to running around with Little Bear, Little Treasure often ran around on his short legs every day. Seeing as this pce had been empty recently, perhaps he might have identally suffered a fright or something.


    Li Jinghua was the most nervous since she only had this one son.


    A little embarrassed, she said, ¡°You have to start packing now, too. I¡¯ll have to trouble you at this time.¡±


    Mu Yangling replied with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the packing to Mama Wang and Spring while I¡¯ll just watch from the side.¡± She nced at Little Treasure¡¯s slightly pale face and continued, ¡°In that case I¡¯11 bring him back after the bell rings.¡±


    Li Jinghua was overjoyed and hurriedly got someone to pack Little Treasure¡¯s things.


    Li Jinghua was indeed very busy. As Mu Yangling sat in the Pce of Earthly Tranquility, she saw that there were many pce servantsing and going, either reporting or asking for instructions.


    After watching for a while, Mu Yangling stood up and said, ¡°Sister-inw, go ahead with your work. I¡¯ll bring Little Treasure and Little Bear out for a walk.¡± Li Jinghua nodded and asked the female official beside her to follow.


    Mu Yangling bent down and picked up a child with each hand, only lowering them when they reached a quiet ce in the imperial garden. She wiped the sweat on Little Bear¡¯s forehead and saw that there was no sweat on Little Treasure¡¯s forehead at all. After touching his back, she sighed. ¡°No wonder your mother was worried about you. You¡¯re not even sweating on such a hot day.¡±


    Mu Yangling ced him on her knee. Seeing that he had his head lowered, she asked, ¡°Little Treasure, can you tell me what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    A bright little kid, Little Treasure looked up at Mu Yangling before lowering his head again without saying anything.


    Little Bear stood at the side, gesturing and shouting, looking very indignant.


    Mu Yangling looked at her son for a while and asked Little Treasure tentatively, ¡°Little Treasure is afraid at night and can¡¯t sleep?¡±


    Little Treasure almost buried his head in Mu Yangling¡¯s arms.


    Now that she understood what was going on, Mu Yangling chuckled. She patted his back gently and said, ¡°What are you afraid of? Little Bear sleeps alone at night, too.¡±


    Little Treasureined aggrievedly, ¡°Brother sleeps with you and Uncle.¡± Clearly, Aunt was lying to him.


    On the other hand, Little Bear clenched his fists angrily and wailed twice. However, Little Treasure had his own persistence and said, ¡°Little Bear sleeps in the warm pavilion in the same room as Uncle and Aunt. I¡¯m alone and sleep in the pce all by myself¡­¡±


    At this point, Little Treasure¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. He was a child who slept lightly and thought too much. In addition, the harem was an unfamiliar environment. It was fine with Little Bear apanying him, but without Little Bear apanying him, he would always wake up at night. When he turned to look outside the empty pce, there was the sound of trees blowing in the wind and shadows reflected by the lights¡­<div>


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart ached when she saw him tell her about his fear in an aggrieved voice. In her previous life, when she was young, she, too, couldn¡¯t sleep at night and liked to let her imagination run wild and be afraid when she opened her eyes to look out of the window. However, at that time, she was sleeping with her father and was only afraid for a moment.


    She patted his back and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. You still have me, your father, and your mother. We¡¯ll help you chase away the baddies.¡±


    Now that she knew the reason, she could start brainstorming ideas for treatment.


    When they returned to the Qi Residence in the afternoon, Mu Yangling asked the kitchen to prepare the two children¡¯s favorite food. After coaxing them to eat a lot, she brought them back to the house to y to aid in the digestion.<div>


    Perhaps it was because he had returned to a familiar environment, and the room was not as empty as the pce, surrounded by people he was familiar with, the paleness on Little Treasure¡¯s face faded a little.


    At night, she didn¡¯t send the two children to the warm pavilion. Instead, she ced them on her bed. Seeing Little Treasure looking at her with sparkling eyes, Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°I will sleep with you guys today.¡±


    Not only Little Treasure, but Little Bear also cheered happily. He stripped off his clothes and slipped into the nket.


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s lips twitched. She reached out and patted his butt. ¡°Get up and put on your undergarments. How can you sleep naked?¡±


    Little Bear was unwilling andy still.


    Mu Yangling had a headache. She didn¡¯t know what was wrong with this child who simply didn¡¯t like to sleep with his clothes on. Sometimes, he would even get up in the middle of the night and take off his pants.


    Seeing this, Little Treasure also took off his clothes and crawled into the nket naked. At this moment, the two children did not have any sense of shame and simply did whatever brought them the mostfort.


    Little Treasure exined on behalf of Little Bear, ¡°Aunt, it¡¯sfortable to strip naked.¡±


    Little Bear nodded repeatedly and even looked at the clothes in disdain.


    Mu Yangling had no choice but to let them be. When she woke up twice at night, she had to check if the two children had covered themselves with nkets. Although it was a hot day, Lin¡¯an City was a region of rivers andkes, so the temperature at night was not very high. As such, they still needed to cover themselves with a thin nket.


    Little Bear was already sleeping horizontally, but Little Treasure was obediently curled up at the side.


    Mu Yangling only nced at them and checked that the nket was still covering them, before turning around and falling asleep again.


    When the work in the pce came to an end and Mu Yangling brought Little Treasure back into the pce, Little Treasure¡¯s face was already rosy. Li Jinghua heaved a sigh of relief when she saw this. Although the pce servants reported that the child was getting healthier and healthier, she was always worried before she got to see him in person.<div>


    Mu Yangling got someone to bring the two children down to y. Then, she pulled Li Jinghua into the inner room and whispered about Little Treasure¡¯s fear. ¡°Sister-inw, why don¡¯t you bring Little Treasure over to sleep with you tonight? He¡¯ll be at ease if he gets to see you upon waking up.¡±


    Li Jinghua blushed and said hesitantly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid His Majesty will be displeased.¡±


    Now that the Emperor stayed at her ce almost every night, it would definitely be inconvenient to leave her son here.

 Chapter 601: Fight

    Chapter 601: Fight


    Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Sister-inw, Big Brother is his father. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s equally concerned about the child.¡± Mu Yangling felt that Li Jinghua was thinking too much. After all, why wouldn¡¯t Qi Xiuyuan dote on his only son?


    Upon hearing this, Li Jinghua was silent for a moment. Then, she nodded and said with a smile, ¡°I understand. Thank you for taking care of Little Treasure these few days. Even though the preparations for the conferment ceremony have beenpleted, I still need you to help take care of him on that day.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s heart ached for Little Treasure more than Li Jinghua had imagined. He was angry and heartbroken when he heard that Little Treasure would be frightened if he stayed in the pce alone.


    That very night, he ordered to keep Little Treasure in the Pce of Earthly Tranquility.


    This being Little Treasure¡¯s first time sleeping with his parents, hey under the nket and twisted his head curiously. One moment, he turned to look at his father on the right, and the next moment, he turned to look at her mother on the left. Amused at this sight, Qi Xiuyuan tapped the little fellow¡¯s forehead and said, ¡°Alright, if you continue tossing and turning, you¡¯ll faint. Go to sleep.¡±


    When Little Treasure woke up in the middle of the night, he dazedly opened his eyes and saw his parents sleeping at the side. With a yawn, he turned around to continue sleeping.


    Qi Xiuyuan opened his eyes and patted his back gently with a smile.


    As the highest-ranking woman in Great Qi, Mu Yangling was able to stand in the front row during Li Jinghua¡¯s conferment ceremony. She even enjoyed the treatment provided to the royal family and did not have to wait outside like the others. Instead, she was invited to the side hall to sit and wait.


    Little Treasure and Little Bear were both wearing formal attire and sitting on the chairs at the side. Little Treasure was still wearing his hat obediently, but Little Bear was pulling at hispels due to the fact that the entire outfit was too heavy. On a hot day, one would easily sweat wearing it. Due to the difort, Little Bear could only pull at these clothes.<div>


    Mu Yangling quickly helped him take off his clothes, then looked up at Nanny Wang and said, ¡°Help the Eldest Prince take off his clothes, too. Let him put them back onter.¡±


    The pce maid quickly brought in water to wash the two children. Seeing this, Mu Yangling frowned and waved her hand. ¡°There¡¯s no need for this. Go get dry towels and clean undergarments.¡±


    Spring took the things sent by the pce maid and shook the clothes. Rain, who was at the side, looked up at her and went forward to press down on the clothes. She said, ¡°Seeing as the garment hase unstitched, I¡¯m afraid it will prick the Eldest Prince. Let¡¯s use what we brought.¡±


    After saying that, she turned to look at Autumn and said unhappily, ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and bring our bag over.¡±


    Autumn was stunned, because this kind of personal service had always been provided by Spring and Rain. The others rarely had an opportunity to do such things. After ncing at Fourth Madam and Spring, she hurriedly bowed in agreement and went to bring over the bundle they had brought over.


    Seeing this, the pce maid hurriedly went forward to stop her. ¡°Sisters, wait a moment. The Eldest Prince¡¯s clothes are all custom-made. Although others can¡¯t see the undergarment inside, we can¡¯t let the Eldest Prince suffer. Since his costume hase unstitched, I¡¯ll just get another one. We mustn¡¯t let the Eldest Prince suffer.¡±


    Spring calmly said with a smile, ¡°Sister, you¡¯re thinking too much. Let¡¯s not talk about anything else. The undergarment that the Eldest Prince is wearing nowes from our Prince¡¯s estate. Our Princess Consort often makes clothes for the Eldest Prince. The Empress is aware, too. Coincidentally, our Princess Consort has just made two sets of clothes for the Eldest Prince and brought them into the pce today. Considering it will take up a lot of time for you to go back and forth, we might as well use the ready-made clothes.¡±


    Mu Yangling had already dried Little Treasure¡¯s back with a dry towel. Seeing that the clothes had not been sent over, she could not help but frown. ¡°What have you guys been busy with? Hurry up and bring the clothes over.¡±


    ¡°Here are the clothes.¡± Autumn nced at them and quickly opened the bag to retrieve an undergarment.


    Made of silk, it was lightweight and sweat-absorbent. Mama Wang had sewed it.


    Only Qi Haoran would wear the clothes made by Mu Yangling. Meanwhile, most of the clothes Little Treasure wore were made by Mama Wang and his wet nurse, Nanny Wang.


    Mu Yangling helped him change into his undergarments. After tying the straps, she patted his butt and said, ¡°Go y. We¡¯ll put on the outer-clothingter.


    Then, she picked up her son, who was still sweating profusely even though he was only wearing an undergarment. She sighed and said, ¡°Why do you sweat so easily?¡±


    Little Bear looked at the water in the basin and was tempted. Not daring to bathe him at this time, Mu Yangling only used a towel to dry his sweat before helping him change into clean clothes.


    Seeing that the two children had changed their clothes, the pce maid immediately shut her mouth. She turned around and said with a smile, ¡°Then, Sister, I¡¯ll take these away.¡± As she spoke, she went forward to take the clothes that she had just brought over.


    However, Spring smiled and waved the pce maid¡¯s hand away. ¡°This is easily fixed. I¡¯ll just get someone to get a needle and thread to stitch a few stitches. Seeing as the Eldest Prince and our Young Master are naughty, perhaps they might be of useter?¡±


    Themotion here quickly attracted the attention of the female official, Aunt Bai. Aunt Bai was a female official that Li Jinghua had arranged to serve the Eldest Prince. In terms of closeness, she could notpare to Nanny Wang and the two servant girls who served beside the Eldest Prince most closely. In terms of qualifications, she could notpare to Eunuch Lan, the chief eunuch serving beside the Eldest Prince. Hence, she had always been obedient. However, at this moment, her heart beat violently. She knew that this was a make-or-break moment for her.


    Her eyes lit up as she went forward and said to the pce maid, ¡°Go to the small kitchen and bring some snacks for the Eldest Prince and Third Young Master to take when they¡¯re hungry.¡±


    She looked up and, upon meeting Spring¡¯s eyes, nodded slightly.<div>


    Spring lowered her eyes and Aunt Bai heaved a sigh of relief. After the pce maid left, she quickly ordered two people to follow her.


    As soon as the pce maid walked to an empty spot, her mouth was covered by two eunuchs and she was dragged to the side. Aunt Bai said with a cold expression, ¡°Bring her to the Pce of Earthly Tranquility to be guarded strictly. After the ceremony, the Empress will personally interrogate her.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Being sharp-eared and sharp-eyed, Mu Yangling had seen the confrontation between Spring and the pce maids just now. At this moment, she sent the pce maids out, leaving only her trusted aides in the room.


    Spring looked at Rain, who hurriedly said, ¡°Fourth Madam, when Sister Spring opened her clothes, I seemed to detect a fragrance, but upon closer inspection, the smell disappeared again. However, I kept feeling uneasy, so I took the initiative¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded and nced at the clothes. ¡°It¡¯s better to err on the side of caution. Since the two of you touched the clothes, bring them to the side hall and wait. Don¡¯t let others have a chance toe into contact with these clothes.¡±<div>


    The two of them agreed and bowed before leaving.


    Mu Yangling turned to look at Nanny Wang, whose face was slightly pale, and said, ¡°You¡¯ve seen it too. From now on, you have to keep a keen eye on the Eldest Prince. You have to pay attention to everything that enters his mouth andes into contact with. You should know how much the Emperor and Empress value the Eldest Prince. If anything happens to him, none of you will be able to get away with it. Therefore, watch with widened eyes. Don¡¯t let the Eldest Prince touch anything he shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    The people serving Little Treasure immediately knelt down and agreed fearfully. Then, they widened their eyes and looked at Little Treasure. As long as he ran to touch anything else in the house, they would stop him. Then, they would gently coax him to Little Bear¡¯s side and let the two of them y with the toys Mu Yangling had brought from outside the pce.


    However, Mu Yangling had only casually stuffed into their luggage two of Little Bear¡¯s favorite toys into the pce. Since each child only had one toy to y with each, after ying for a while, they were already tired of it. The two children ran to Mu Yangling and looked usingly at the servant girls who kept stopping them.


    Mu Yangling scratched their heads and said with a smile, ¡°Shall I tell you a story?¡±


    The two children¡¯s eyes lit up as they sat obediently on the couch and waited.


    Nanny Wang and the others heaved a sigh of relief.


    45 minutes before the ceremony was to begin, Aunt Bai came in to remind them. Mu Yangling quickly got someone to help the kids put on their formal attire and led them out one by one.

 Chapter 602: Scheme

    Chapter 602: Scheme


    Editor: As Studios


    After busying about for an entire day, Li Jinghua was in a daze, extremely exhausted. When she returned to the Pce of Earthly Tranquility and heard that the Eldest Prince had been schemed against, she was instantly furious.


    The undergarment that had been given to Little Treasure was taken for examination by the imperial doctor. Spring and Rain¡¯s hands were covered in red spots that were as itchy and painful as if they were being pricked by spikes. Looking at their hands and then at the unbearable expressions on their faces, the fury within Li Jinghua intensified.


    If the two adults were already in such a state, how could her son endure this itch?


    ¡°Where is she?¡± Li Jinghua gritted her teeth and asked.


    ¡°Your Highness, she¡¯s being held in the side hall. I¡¯ve asked someone to keep an eye on her. Do you want to interrogate her?¡± Aunt Bai took a step forward. A cold glint shed across Li Jinghua¡¯s eyes as she said, ¡°Leave it to the Office of Punishment first.¡±


    Aunt Bai shivered and hurriedly bowed.


    Li Jinghua said to Wen Cui with a dark expression, ¡°His Majesty and I are the only two masters in the pce now. If we can¡¯t control the servants now, what will happen to us when there are more new additions to the harem in the future? Previously, we always thought that we had more time, but now it seems that many people are unwilling to wait for His Majesty to take the initiative to take in concubines.¡±


    Wen Cui shivered and lowered her head. ¡°Your Highness, I know what to do.¡± Her eyes turned cold. She would definitely create an iron-like shield around the Pce of Earthly Tranquility and the Eldest Prince¡¯s sides that no one could even think of extending a hand in.


    Li Jinghua nodded with a dark expression. ¡°Where¡¯s Fourth Madam?¡±<div>


    ¡°Fourth Madam is still waiting in the side hall with the Eldest Prince and Third Young Master.¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look.¡±


    After she held Little Treasure¡¯s hand, Li Jinghua asked Mu Yangling to bring Little Treasure back. She said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯ve really troubled you today. You can bring Spring and Rain back too.¡±


    Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly asked Spring and Rain to kowtow to Li Jinghua.


    Li Jinghua said with a smile, ¡°You and I can dispense with such formalities. I know they¡¯re your confidants. It¡¯s not easy for people like us to have one or two considerate people serving us.¡±


    She wanted to maintain her current rtionship with Mu Yangling, so she naturally wouldn¡¯t sacrifice her servant girl.


    ¡°Thankyou, Sister-inw,¡± Mu Yangling thanked her sincerely.


    If the Empress did not give orders, Spring and Rain would definitely be investigated by the Office of Punishment.


    Mu Yangling knew that there would definitely be a period of chaos in the harem, so she did not enter the pce for the next few days. Instead, she asked Wang Quan and Zhu Liang toe over.


    She had previously ordered Wang Quan to stay behind to manage the Harvest Grain Store. Now, her grain stores already had a presence in the entire Jiangnan, and even part of the central region. It sounded impressive, but in fact, there were only six shops including the main store.


    One store per prefectural capital. Next, she nned to open a grain store in the county below the prefectural capital. In order not to cause any operational ws because of the rapid speed of expansion, Mu Yangling asked Wang Quan to slow down. Their focus this year was on the harvest of corn in the early winter. ¡°Pay attention to everyone¡¯s acreage yield and see if there are any better farming methods. Also, pay attention to see if there are any new varieties.¡±


    This was the first autumn corn nting this year. After all, corn could not be nted for two seasons in the north. In the south, the gentry who had gotten their hands on corn seeds preferred to nt rice rather than corn for the second season, so she did not have the exact data.


    ¡°Fourth Madam, someone told the assistant shopkeeper of the grain store that many insects have appeared in their fields¡­¡±


    After listening attentively, Mu Yangling said, ¡°Record the problem and get the farmstead workers to make a trip thereter to see if there¡¯s a way to resolve the issue. At the same time, think about whether we can prevent it. Considering we¡¯re nting a lot of this, it¡¯s expected that there will be pests. If they can think of a way to resolve it, I¡¯ 11 reward them with 20 taels of silver as said previously. Even if they can¡¯t think of a way topletely resolve it, as long as their ideas have merit, I¡¯ll reward them appropriately.¡±


    Mu Yangling paused before continuing, ¡°This method also applies to others. We can post an announcement and let everyone brainstorm the issue together.¡± Zhu Liang and Wang Quan were secretly speechless, feeling that Fourth Madam was too generous. It seemed that whenever farming matters were involved, she would give quite a generous reward.


    ¡°After you experiment, if the method works, write the details down in a booklet and send it to the Ministry of Revenue. Get them to distribute the booklets to the various counties and towns.¡±


    Wang Quan hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°Fourth Madam, we¡¯d be suffering a great loss if we teach others the method for free.¡±


    Mu Yangling had nted corn in the northern farms for many years and had deep experience in the pests and nting methods of corn. This knowledge could bring riches. Ignoring everything else, with this knowledge alone, Mu Yangling could harvest more good-quality corn than the gentry in the south, producing a far superior yield per acre.


    However, Mu Yangling wanted to organize the knowledge about the seeds, arablend, nting, pests, irrigation, harvest, and so on into a booklet and hand it to the Ministry of Revenue, spreading it to the world. Doing so would cause them to lose this advantage.<div>


    Initially, Wang Quan wanted to use the booklet to get more farmers to work with them. They would provide technical guidance, and the farmers would sell the corn they harvested to them; it was a win-win situation. s, Fourth Madam stopped him.


    Wang Quan felt that Fourth Madam was not doing business at all, but distributing her assets.


    Now, Mu Yangling was offering silver to try to solve the newly-arised pest issue, but the results she wanted to give away to the world for free. In that case, why should they suffer and gather such information?


    Wang Quan could not see what benefits it would bring for the grain store.<div>


    Seeing this, Mu Yangling sighed and said, ¡°You guys are still too narrow-minded. If you think this way, if the harvest of corn is increased in general, our grain store will be able to buy up more grains. Our business will naturally expand.¡±


    ¡°But Fourth Madam, considering we¡¯re not the only grain store, the farmers will also sell it to other grain stores. Rather than sharing the knowledge with so many parties, if we have exclusive ess to the technology, we can reach an agreement with the farmers whoe to buy seeds. We¡¯ll provide the technology, and in return they have tomit to selling to us the corn theyter harvest.¡± Wang Quan paused and said, ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee that we¡¯ll have absolute pricing power, but at least there¡¯s a lot of room for us to fight for it.¡± Mu Yangling smiled, not at all angry. She knew that he was thinking from the perspective of a businessman. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°You can only do this once. Since there are so many farmers in the world, you can¡¯t possibly keep an eye on all of them at all times. Farming is unlike other matters. Experienced farmers can easily figure out the know-how after squatting in the fields and observing for a day. Otherwise, farmers who have learned the technology can also teach their fellow vigers upon returning. In spite of your efforts, you won¡¯t be able to gate-keep the technology. Instead, you will upset the farmers because of the restrictions you impose upon them. At that time, other than those who are bound by the rules, no one else will be willing to sell their grains to you. What will you do then?¡±


    Wang Quan pondered for a moment and said, ¡°If Fourth Madam trusts me, I can set stricter rules¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head. ¡°My original intention is not to only expand the grain store and benefit myself, but to create a win-win situation. I hope that I will benefit, but I also hope that everyone in the world will benefit, too. If you¡¯re worried, why don¡¯t you organize some farming experts to go around each vige and household to help those farmers answer their farming problems? Before leaving, get them to mention to the farmers, ¡®If you want to sell your grains, you can look for the Harvest Grain Store.¡¯ Let¡¯s see how many people will take the initiative to send their grains overe winter harvest.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Only when I treat others with sincerity can they treat me with sincerity. If I tempt them with benefits, they will definitely be calctive in turn.¡±

 Chapter 603: Pleading for Mercy

    Chapter 603: Pleading for Mercy


    Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling¡¯s original intention for opening the grain stores was to promote all kinds of high-yielding seeds. Thus, as long as the grain stores did not suffer a loss, she would continue the expansion.


    However, she could not say this to Wang Quan, lest it dampened his enthusiasm and restricted the development of the grain stores.


    However, Wang Quan was extremely ashamed by Mu Yangling¡¯s words. After hearing her exnation, he felt that this was the highest realm of doing business. Pulling himself together, he promised, ¡°Fourth Madam, don¡¯t worry. I will definitely manage the grain store well and build a good rtionship with the farmers. I will definitely make them choose us first willingly.¡±


    Zhu Liang nced at Wang Quan, then carefully nced at the smiling Mu Yangling. He lowered his head and fell silent.


    He had been by Fourth Madam¡¯s side for a long time, so he understood her original intention of opening the grain store. Now that he saw that Wang Quan had been fooled, he lit a stick of incense for him in his heart. Then, he stood there obediently and decided to pretend that he did not know anything.


    Satisfied, Mu Yangling asked Wang Quan to leave. Then, she said to Zhu Liang, ¡°Hand the farmstead to your subordinates, then pack your things and follow us to Qiannan.¡±


    Mu Yangling paused for a moment and said with a smile, ¡°Your father is now in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs under Young Master Zijin. We originally wanted you to help your father, but His Majesty said that since you¡¯ve been with us for many years and are used to it, you don¡¯t have to go back. Fourth Master thought about it and agreed. Coincidentally, there¡¯s no one in charge of matters in our residence at the moment. Therefore, he wants you to be the chief butler. Fourth Master will arrange for you to follow us to Qiannan this time.¡±


    Delighted, Zhu Liang hurriedly knelt down to kowtow. ¡°Thank you for your nurturing, Mistress.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. I¡¯ve seen your abilities over the past few years. Previously, I had no choice but to let you manage a farmstead. Now that there¡¯s a better opportunity, I naturally won¡¯t bury your talents.¡±<div>


    However, opportunities also differed in terms of size. Zhu Liang knew that in terms of closeness, he was far inferior to Fei Bai, who had risked his life by the Fourth Master¡¯s side. Yet, he was able to surpass Fei Bai and be the chief butler of the Prince¡¯s estate. It could be seen how much trust the two of them had in him.


    As for working alongside his father in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, although it sounded better to be the Emperor¡¯s servant, he knew very well that servants like them would not be able toe into contact with many core matters in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Since there were officials in charge of things in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he would at most be just an assistant. Aside from having to constantly tread on thin ice, he would likely be bullied, only to be paid a pittance.


    However, it was different in the Prince¡¯s estate. The good-tempered Fourth Madam rarely red up at the servants, let alone vent her anger on them. And although the Fourth Master¡¯s temper was explosive, he treated his servants well. Word had it that throughout his many years of serving under Fourth Master, Fei Bai had only been beaten once.


    And that one time he got beaten up, he did deserve it¡ªhe didn¡¯t keep the lid on confidential information and let Fourth Madam¡¯s whereabouts be leaked.


    Any other master would have beheaded him for such a crime. Furthermore, when Fourth Master heard that Fourth Madam was safe, he stopped pursuing the matter. Even now, Fei Bai was still serving as Fourth Master¡¯s right-hand man.


    As the saying went, ¡®Even the Prime Minister¡¯s doorman was equivalent to a seventh-grade official¡¯, not to mention that Fei Bai was the butler of the Prince¡¯s estate.


    After Zhu Liang sincerely kowtowed to Mu Yangling three times, Mu Yangling passed on some of her core philosophies, such as how to manage external affairs well. Also, she cautioned him not to wield the power of the Prince¡¯s estate to cause trouble outside, and to supervise the servants well. In addition, she wanted him to protect the reputation of the Prince¡¯s estate and timely deal with the servants who took advantage of their position to bully others¡­


    ¡°Since we¡¯re about to leave soon, you should start packing. We¡¯ll leave together then.¡±


    As they had been packing for more than 20 days, they had already prepared everything they needed and were only waiting for the day to set off.


    Now that Mu Yangling and her son were the only masters in the Qi Residence, the entire mansion was under her control. The carriages filled with their things were ced in the courtyard and did not block the way. Hence, when Madam Xu and Little Madam Wu saw that there were many carriages in the previously spacious Qi Residence, their faces twitched a few times.


    Rain calmly interrupted their line of sight and said with a smile, ¡°Second Madam, Third Madam, let¡¯s go. Fourth Madam is waiting at the pavilion.¡± Little Madam Wu frowned slightly and asked, ¡°How do we get to the pavilion?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hot now, and Third Young Master can¡¯t stand the heat, so Fourth Madam moved there.¡±


    Madam Xu tugged at Little Madam Wu to remind thetter that even if she was unhappy, she shouldn¡¯t show it on her face.


    The two of them came to send Mu Yangling off, and also to beg her to bring them to the pce to see Madam Wu.


    Ever since Madam Wu entered the pce, Qi Shaosheng submitted a memorial every other day to request to meet her, but was met with no reply. It took him a long time to realize that he was going about this the wrong way¡ªMadam Xu should be the one handing over the token instead.


    Hence, this time he decided to send Madam Xu.


    When Madam Xu handed over the token, there was a reply. However, at that time, the pce was busy with the Empress¡¯s conferment ceremony and was in a mess, so the pce rejected her request with this reason.


    Qi Shaosheng was furious, feeling that they were just being perfunctory. Considering they only needed a guide to visit the Imperial Noble Consort in the pce, in what way did it hold them up?


    The brothers were even more worried about Madam Wu¡¯s situation in the pce. It was not easy for them to wait until the ceremony ended before handing in the tokens, but they were still rejected on the grounds that Imperial Noble Consort Wu was unwilling to see them.


    Not to mention Qi Shaosheng and his brother, even Madam Xu and Little Madam Wu didn¡¯t believe this reason. They had no choice but to beg Mu Yangling.<div>


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and asked, ¡°The Empress has the final say in the harem. Why did you twoe to me?¡±


    Madam Xu hurriedly said, ¡°The Empress naturally has to make the final decision. However, since we don¡¯t get to see the Empress, we can only beg you to plead on our behalf when you enter the pce to see the Empress. Second Master and Third Master miss their mother¡­ Imperial Noble Consort. We just wish to show filial piety. After all, this is the first time we¡¯ve been separated from the Imperial Noble Consort for so long¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Then I¡¯ll help you ask Her Majesty when I enter the pce tomorrow.¡±


    Madam Xu heaved a sigh of relief and thanked her with a smile.<div>


    Now that her main goal had been achieved, the relieved Madam Xu asked with a smile, ¡°When will you move into Prince¡¯s Residence, Sister-inw?¡±


    ¡°In a few years,¡± Mu Yangling answered as she took something to tease Little Bear.


    Stunned, Madam Xu asked, ¡°Why is it taking so long?¡± She nced at Spring and the others and said with a smile, ¡°Even if you want to go to Qiannan, you can get the servants to move in first so that they can take care of the residence. Otherwise, the house will be damaged if you leave it vacant for too long.¡±


    ¡°The floor of the Prince¡¯s Residence has been upturned. Previously, in order to find the stolen money that Minister Qin was hiding, they even knocked on the roof beams. It¡¯s extremely messy and has to undergo massive repairs before anyone can live in it. Now that the treasury is empty, even His Majesty has to seal several pces in order to save money. Fourth Master said that we¡¯ll be away for a few years anyway, and no one will live in the Prince¡¯s Residence even if it¡¯s repaired now. If we get someone to look after it, we¡¯ll have to spend additional money. Therefore, we decided to leave it for now and deal with it only when wee back.¡±


    Little Madam Wu pursed her lips, feeling that Mu Yangling was just showing off. On the other hand, Madam Xu praised, ¡°Fourth Brother shares His Majesty¡¯s worries indeed. No wonder Your Majesty thinks so highly of him. Our Second Master, who is solely focused on his studies, definitely can¡¯tpare to him. I wonder when he¡¯ll be able to stand out.¡±

 Chapter 604: Entering the Palace

    Chapter 604: Entering the Pce


    Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°When Father-inw was alive, he often praised Second Uncle for being smart and good at studying. As long as he perseveres, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll seed in the Imperial Examinations one day.¡± Madam Xu¡¯s smile froze slightly and she let out a dry chuckle.


    Since Mu Yangling had nothing else to say to them, after serving them tea, she sent the guests off.


    As soon as Madam Xu got into her carriage, she heard Little Madam Wu say sarcastically, ¡°Second Sister-inw, forget it. Although Madam Mu is usually quiet, she¡¯s secretly scheming. Seeing as our families don¡¯t get along well with Fourth Brother, how can we expect her to help Second Uncle n his future?¡± Madam Xu closed her eyes in anger and lowered the curtain without replying. She then said in a low voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    As Madam Xu¡¯s carriage took off, Little Madam Wu pursed her lips and said disdainfully, ¡°She still thinks she¡¯s the family head. Now that Mu Yangling is the Duchess, she can no longer suppress her.¡±


    After saying that, the servant girl helped her climb into her carriage.


    Madam Xu was so angry that her heart ached in the other carriage. When she returned to the Marquis¡¯s Residence, she couldn¡¯t help butin to Qi Shaosheng, ¡°Now is the time for our families to help each other. For some reason, Third Madam-inw keeps targeting us. When we went to Madam Mu¡¯s ce earlier, not only did she not help, but she even tried to drag us down.¡±


    ¡°You and Third Uncle don¡¯t even have an official position now. Are you really going to rely on your father-inw¡¯s assets to survive? Third Uncle has been studying for so many years, but he¡¯s not even a tongsheng yet. At the end of the day, he still has to depend on you. But look at Third Sister-inw. Even when we¡¯re outside, she also targets me from time to time¡­¡±


    At this point, Madam Xu couldn¡¯t help but cry. ¡°Who am I doing this for? Isn¡¯t it for our Qi family?¡±


    Qi Shaosheng hurriedly patted her shoulder and sighed. ¡°Third Sister-inw is indeed a little unreasonable. Let¡¯s talk about it after I enter the pce to see Mother.¡± His mother was the only one who could take Little Madam Wu in hand.<div>


    Spring asked Mu Yangling curiously, ¡°Fourth Madam, why did you agree to deliver a message for them? I¡¯m afraid Her Majesty will be unhappy if she finds out.¡±


    Instead of letting them ask around everywhere, I might as well send a message to the pce on their behalf. Otherwise, everyone will think that Madam Wu is under house arrest by the Emperor ande up with all sorts of spections. I¡¯m sure the Empress won¡¯t me me for it.¡± Not only did Li Jinghua not me her, she even held her hand gratefully and said, ¡°Thank you for entering the pce to remind me. Otherwise, I would have been negligent. This time, it was indeed the Imperial Noble Consort who rejected the request herself. But since they insist on seeing her, I¡¯ll simply grant their request.¡±


    Li Jinghua summoned Madam Xu and Little Madam Wu into the pce. After Qj Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai sent the two of them into the pce, they waited outside. After a long time, someone from the pce sent them in and said, ¡°Her Majesty mentioned to His Majesty that the two Duchesses went to the pce to visit the Imperial Noble Consort. Considerate of the fact that the Imperial Noble Consort had not seen the two Marquises for a long time and might miss you, he asked me to bringyou two to see the Imperial Noble Consort.¡±


    Qi Shaosheng was overjoyed, but when he followed the emissary in, he had mixed feelings. Just three years ago, he and his elder brother could have each minded their own business. If anything, he would be the one bullying Qi Xiuyuan. Now, the other party was the ruler of the world, but he could only stay outside the pce and wait to be summoned.


    Qi Shaosheng lowered his eyes to hide the emotions in them, but his calmnesspletely copsed when he saw Madam Wu. He looked at his gray-haired and dazed mother and couldn¡¯te back to his senses for a moment. Was this really his mother?


    Madam Wu looked like she had aged ten years since she entered the pce. Unable to hold his footing steady, Qi Shaosheng swayed and turned to re at them angrily.


    However, to Qi Shaosheng¡¯s surprise, the people in the pce did not guard them strictly. Instead, they bowed and retreated. The female official in the lead even said to him, ¡°Marquis, since you¡¯re in the pce, please persuade the Imperial Noble Consort.¡±


    Qi Shaosheng was both angry and suspicious. As soon as they retreated, he quickly went forward and held Madam Wu¡¯s hand. Seeing that her hand was cold, he couldn¡¯t hold back his tears anymore. ¡°Mother, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Although Qi Shaosheng was selfish, he was also a filial son. He had always been raised by his parents like a legitimate son. Because he was good at studying, he had been given the greatest responsibility all along. Compared to the indifferent Qi Shaotai, he was considered filial.


    Madam Wu¡¯s eyes moved slightly. She looked at Qi Shaosheng¡¯s face and couldn¡¯t react for a long time. Then, she suddenly became agitated and grabbed his hand. ¡°Why are you here? Hurry up and leave! The Emperor wants to harm you.¡±


    Stunned, Qi Shaosheng hurriedly held her hand tightly and covered her mouth. ¡°Mother, why do you say that? Although the Emperor ignores us, he didn¡¯t do anything to harm us.¡±


    That¡¯s right, he waspletely ignored. Ever since he and his third brother were conferred the title of Marquis, they had beenpletely ignored.


    Their situation starkly contrasted Qi Haoran¡¯s, who could enter the pce as he wished, and received rewards from the Emperor from time to time. In addition, he was allowed to participate in political affairs, and the Emperor would even ¡¯ affectionately address him as ¡°Fourth Brother¡±. The people Qi Haoran associated with were all nobles and ministers. Meanwhile, the two Marquis¡¯s Residences seemed to have been entirely forgotten, left alone in a corner. No one else in the capital seemed to be aware of their existence, so it was like they were living their own lives behind closed doors.


    Therefore, Qi Shaosheng didn¡¯t believe that Qi Xiuyuan would harm him. If he so wished, there were many ways he could go about doing so. The easiest way was to directly issue an edict and convict him. The most reasonable way was to give him some power first and smack him down hard after he made a mistake. However, none of them had yet to happen. Qi Xiuyuan seemed to havepletely forgotten about him. Why would he harm him?


    He was only worried that his mother would be harmed.


    Third Brother was young and didn¡¯t remember, but he vaguely felt that Qi Xiuyuan hated his mother even more than Qi Haoran. Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s mother¡¯s death was probably rted to his mother.


    That was why he was so anxious to enter the pce. From the looks of it, his mother had indeed been abused.


    Qi Shaosheng was furious. ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. Even if it means losing my life, I¡¯ll get you out of here.¡±


    Madam Xu panicked and went forward to help him up. ¡°Second Master, you¡¯ve misunderstood. Why would the magnanimous Emperor treat Mother-inw badly? There must be a misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Stupid woman, the truth is right in front of you. What misunderstanding is there?¡±<div>


    Madam Xu anxiously looked around and saw Nanny Wu standing at the side.


    She quickly tugged at her and asked, ¡°Nanny Wu, let me ask you, how did you serve the Imperial Noble Consort? How did she be like this?¡±


    She squeezed Nanny Wu¡¯s arm tightly and stared at her warningly.


    When Qi Shaosheng turned to re at Nanny Wu with red eyes, thetter hurriedly knelt down and said, ¡°Second Master, I¡¯m innocent. M¡ªMadam has been eating and drinking well in the pce, but for some reason, she keeps thinking that His Majesty wants to harm Second Master and Third Master. She can¡¯t sleep at night and keeps muttering¡­¡± Nanny Wu stammered, ¡°¡­that it¡¯s retribution.¡±<div>


    Qi Shaosheng¡¯s expression changed slightly.


    Nanny Wu hurriedly said, ¡°The Emperor came over once. When he heard that, his expression didn¡¯t look too good, but he only sneered and instructed us to serve the Imperial Noble Consort well and not neglect her.¡±


    Qi Shaosheng was deep in thought when Nanny Wu continued, ¡°The people in the pce are indeed dedicated. In order to make the Imperial Noble Consort happy, they even specially mentioned Second Master and Third Master, saying that you ¡®re smart and capable. However, not only did the Imperial Noble Consort¡¯s situation not improve, but she increasingly looks unwell. A few days ago, the Empress approved Second Madam¡¯s request to meet the Imperial Noble Consort. Unexpectedly, the Imperial Noble Consort threw away the token and said that she wouldn¡¯t see Second Madam no matter what¡­¡±


    Qi Shaosheng¡¯s expression turned ugly. He turned to look at his mother, who was in a daze and had no focus in her eyes. For a moment, he felt sad and helpless. He roughly understood that it was just his mother scaring herself. As for why Qi Xiuyuan didn¡¯t do anything, Qi Shaosheng had a vague feeling in his heart, but he wasn¡¯t sure.

 Chapter 605: Detention

    Chapter 605: Detention


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Shaosheng sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯ll beg the Emperor to let Mothere live with me outside the pce.¡±


    Madam Xu asked worriedly, ¡°Will he agree?¡±


    Qj Shaosheng was silent for a while before saying, ¡°We have to give it a try.¡±


    Of course, Qi Xiuyuan did not agree. He said to Qi Shaosheng, ¡°There are constant rumors outside that I don¡¯t get along well with the Imperial Noble Consort, so she naturally has to stay in the pce. Don¡¯t worry, Second Brother. I¡¯ll get the servants to serve the Imperial Noble Consort well. If you¡¯re free, you cane to the pce to visit her often.¡±


    Qi Shaosheng hurriedly knelt down and said, ¡°Your Majesty, that¡¯s all nonsense from outsiders. After I go out, I¡¯ll definitely try my best to refute the rumors. The Imperial Noble Consort has worked hard her entire life. Third Brother and I want to be filial to her¡­¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan sneered and looked down at him. ¡°Second Brother, are you really clueless as to where those rumors came from?¡±


    Qi Shaosheng¡¯s expression changed. Sensing the pressure from the ruler, hey on the ground in fear. Only then did he deeply feel the difference in their identities.


    How the rumors came about was naturally because her mother had asked someone to spread the rumors in a bid to help her sons secure a better title.


    Even now, the Wu family was constantly hinting at this.<div>


    Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand and said, ¡°Seeing as it¡¯s gettingte, it¡¯s not good for Second Brother and Third Brother to stay in the pce much longer. You may retreat. If you want to see the Imperial Noble Consort, just hand in your tokens.¡±


    Qi Shaosheng opened his mouth to beg again, but when he saw Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s cold face, he could only retreat with a pale face.


    When he returned home, he immediately asked Madam Xu to look for Mu Yangling and beg her to intercede. ¡°She¡¯s the only one who can help us plead for leniency in front of the Empress and the Emperor now.¡±


    Madam Xu hesitated and said, ¡°Madam Mu might not agree. We don¡¯t have much of a rtionship with her.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re her second sister-inw after all.¡± Qi Shaosheng interrupted her irritably. After a pause, he said, ¡°Bring some gifts over. What does Madam Mu like?¡±


    Madam Xu choked. How could she know what Madam Mu liked?


    Qi Shaosheng red at her. ¡°Despite being sisters-inw for two years, you know nothing about her.¡±


    Madam Xu lowered her head and thought about it seriously before choosing a set of gemstones. The next day, she went to the Qi Residence.


    However, she didn¡¯t even get to see Mu Yangling. She was only informed by Spring that they were very busy now and didn¡¯t have time to entertain her because they were leaving in three days.


    With a stiffened expression, Madam Xu sat in the carriage for a while before leaving. The next day, she returned again.


    Mu Yangling sighed and said, ¡°Tell Second Madam directly that I can¡¯t help her with her request. Tell her to find someone else.¡±


    Although Li Jinghua did not say anything, Mu Yangling could guess from her attitude that Madam Wu¡¯s stay in the pce was not simple.


    Back then, Madam Wu did not receive the Zhu family¡¯s approval when she was promoted from a noble concubine to the legitimate wife. From this, it could be seen that there was something fishy going on. Mu Yangling was not involved in things back then, so she did not have the right to judge right and wrong. Moreover, considering there was a difference in closeness, it went without saying that she was on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s side.


    Mu Yangling refused to see Madam Xu the entire time. When it came time to leave, she got into the carriage.


    The Qi Residence was not far from the Fan Residence, but because they had many people and things, they had to wait for Little Madam Xia toe and meet them.


    Zhu Liang hurried in from outside and reported, ¡°Fourth Madam, we haven¡¯t , seen Young Madam¡¯s people yet. We¡¯ve already sent someone to take a look. It¡¯s very quiet at the Fan Residence¡¯s entrance and there¡¯s no sign of the convoy.¡¯ Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows. Before she could speak, a maidservant rushed over. ¡°Fourth Madam, there¡¯s a maidservant at the corner door. She said that she¡¯s someone close to Young Madam.¡±


    ¡°Let her in.¡±


    ¡°Fourth Madam, please save our Second Madam.¡± The maidservant knelt on the ground and said, ¡°This morning, Second Madam was about to go out when Old Master ordered her not to go out. Even the convoy was detained.


    Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Then how did you get out?¡±<div>


    ¡°I¡¯m the guard at the corner door and am indebted to Second Master. Before Second Master left, he instructed me to look for you if Old Master refuses to let


    Second Madam out.¡±


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth twitched. Fan Zijin was really too much. He had clearly expected this to happen, but he didn¡¯t tell her in advance and now she had to go against Fan Siwen.


    If he had told her earlier, she could have brought Little Madam Xia over to stay at the Qi Residence two days in advance. When the time came, they could have set off from the Qi Residence and none of this would have happened.<div>


    Mu Yangling rubbed her forehead and said, ¡°Alright, go back. I know what to do.¡±


    Mu Yangling instructed Zhu Liang, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll turn around and go to Fan Residence. When the timees, we can just leave the city from there. Halfway there, Mu Yangling stopped and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t the Emperor send imperial guards to escort us? Where are they?¡±


    Zhu Liang bowed and said, ¡°The imperial guards have already arrived at the city gate.¡±


    Mu Yangling let out a long sigh and said, ¡°As expected, they¡¯re all smart people.¡± She was left to face the difficulties alone.


    This time, Mu Yangling had brought all the things she often used with her. Due to the miasma and poisonous insects in Qiannan, Mu Yangling had brought a lot of medicinal herbs. Hence, there were many carriages carrying things. In addition, she had brought along everyone in their residence, including guards and so on, forming arge trade caravan.


    The carriages blocked half the street outside Fan Residence.


    Seeing that the sun had already begun to rise, Mu Yangling asked someone to knock on the door.


    Mu Yangling handed the sleeping Little Bear to the wet nurse and brought Spring and Rain into Fan Residence.


    The butler of the Fan Mansion quickly invited her in. Madam Xia was already sitting in the reception pavilion. When she saw Mu Yangling, she sighed and said, ¡°I know why you¡¯re here. There¡¯s nothing I can do about it. It¡¯s a thing between the father and son.¡±


    Seeing that Madam Xia was direct, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t beat around the bush. She paused and said, ¡°Aunt, Cousin still doesn¡¯t have a legitimate son. If he leaves now, I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯te back for at least four to five years. Are we really going to let his eldest son be bom from a concubine? I¡¯m afraid Cousin will have grievances about this in the future.¡±


    Tears fell from Madam Xia¡¯s eyes as she said, ¡°How could I not know? He must have suffered enough as a not-the-eldest son, that¡¯s why he insisted that the eldest son must be the legitimate son. However, his father is also stubborn and getting on in age. The rtionship between father and son has always been bad. Now that Zijin is in a high position, he fears that Zijin will treat his half-brother badly in the future¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling was so angry that she wanted tough. ¡°Since Uncle is so worried, why is he going against Cousin instead of letting him have his way? Isn¡¯t he afraid to worsen their rtionship by angering him?¡±


    Madam Xia sneered and said, ¡°How could he not know? His original intention was to let me get closer to my daughter-inw. When the timees, Zijin¡¯s legitimate son will also side with him. With me around, Zijin won¡¯t make things too ugly. In time, he will bring Zijin¡¯s legitimate son to his side and raise him to forge closer ties with this grandson.¡±<div>


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression darkened and she asked, ¡°Do you share his sentiments?¡±


    Madam Xia remained silent.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Aunt, although Uncle is stopping Little Madam Xia from leaving the house, as long as you give the order, I can take her away. We can leave her things behind for now and focus on bringing her away first.¡± Seeing that Madam Xia was silent, Mu Yangling hurriedly said, ¡°Cousin Zijin is still waiting in Qiannan. Can you bear to see him have a stiff rtionship with his son like the one he has with his father?


    If Fan Zijin¡¯s legitimate son was raised by Fan Siwen, considering Fan Zijin s personality, she could already foresee the battle between the father and son in the future. As it was, Fan Zijin already had such faint ties with his father. She did not want him to be so distant with his future son as well.


    Madam Xia was moved for a moment. A pretty servant girl went forward to refill Madam Xia¡¯s tea. She paused for a moment and let out an exhale, then closed her eyes and said, ¡°Hurry up and leave the city, lest you miss the auspicious hour. Little Madam Xia¡¯s health isn¡¯t good, so it¡¯s not appropriate for her to rush around. I¡¯ll send two fertile girls from decent backgrounds to serve himter.¡±

 Chapter 606: Sadness

    Chapter 606: Sadness


    Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling looked at Madam Xia in shock and couldn¡¯t help but feel sad for Fan Zijin. She suddenly understood why Fan Zijin was so evil but was so devoted to Qi Haoran. Anyone who had been soaking in cold water and suddenly came into contact with a source of warmth would definitely not give it up.


    She suppressed the dampness in her eyes, but she could not suppress the sobs in her throat. Mu Yangling questioned in a slightly hoarse and sobbing voice, ¡°Aunt, don¡¯t you feel guilty for treating Cousin like this? Do you have to force him to be biased towards the eldest son of a concubine and let his rtionship with his legitimate son deteriorate? You¡¯re his mother!


    Madam Xia¡¯s expression changed slightly. She looked at Mu Yangling with a dark expression and said meaningfully, ¡°Madam Mu, I hope you can remember that you¡¯re Haoran¡¯s wife now, and Zijin and Haoran have a deep brotherly rtionship. You should know your limits.


    Mu Yangling widened her eyes. Was Madam Xia suspecting that she was having an affair with Fan Zijin?


    Mu Yangling almost couldn¡¯t help but curse. Would Fan Zijin fancy her? No, would she fancy someone like Fan Zijin?


    Forget it, this was not the main point. The main point was, how did Madam Xiae to such a conclusion?


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression also darkened as she asked, ¡°Aunt, I ve always remembered that I¡¯m Haoran¡¯s wife. However, I¡¯m not afraid to say that I, Haoran, and Cousin Zijin can be considered to have grown up together. Although Cousin Zijin has many shorings, he¡¯s sincere to Haoran and the few of us. Haoran and I have always respected him as a big brother. Now, not to mention our friendship, even ordinary people will feel sad for him when they hear this. I don<sup>1</sup>1 know how you came up with such a guess. In any case, I, Mu Yangling, have a clear conscience.¡±


    Seeing Madam Xia sitting there stiffly, Mu Yangling felt a little frustrated. Madam Xia was clearly Fan Zijin¡¯s mother and seemed to love him very much. She couldn¡¯t understand why she was on Fan Siwen¡¯s side and not her son¡¯s.


    If there was disharmony in Fan Siwen¡¯s family, other than being beneficial to the children of concubines, what benefits could it bring them?<div>


    Mu Yangling nced at the pretty servant girl with a cold gaze. If the youngss hadn¡¯t stepped forward just now, Madam Xia would have agreed.


    The girl trembled, lowered her head, and took two steps back. Mu Yangling turned to look at Madam Xia and said, ¡°Since Aunt can¡¯t make the decision on this matter, let me see Uncle.¡± Mu Yangling sneered. ¡°It¡¯s still early and there¡¯s no court meeting today. Uncle won¡¯ t go out so early, right?


    Madam Xia¡¯s face turned from pale to green. She looked at Mu Yangling deeply and said, ¡°Your uncle is sick and shouldn¡¯t be meeting guests. But since you re considered family, it¡¯s good to pay your respects to him.¡± Madam Xia looked at the pretty servant girl and said, ¡°Qingmei, bring the Princess Consort over.¡± Qing Mei opened her mouth and led the way under Mu Yangling¡¯s cold gaze.


    Mu Yangling snorted and said, ¡°If your leg hurts, I can get someone to carry you away.¡± As she spoke, she bent the corner of the table and broke a piece of wood off. Not only the servant girl, but even Madam Xia widened her eyes.


    Not daring to be negligent anymore, Qing Mei hurriedly took two steps forward. Mu Yangling bowed to Madam Xia insincerely. ¡°Aunt, you can continue to sit while I go see Uncle first.¡±


    After they left, Nanny Zhu heaved a sigh of relief and whispered, ¡°Madam, this is against the rules. How can a niece-inw pay her respects to the uncle? Madam Xia rubbed her forehead and said tiredly, ¡°Our household doesn¡¯t conform to the rules in so many ways anyway. This isn¡¯t a big deal.¡±


    Nanny Zhu sighed and went forward to massage her temples. ¡°Since you also wish to let Second Madam go to Second Master, why do you have to stop her? Why don¡¯t you let Second Madam leave? This way, your mother-and-son rtionship with Second Master can be preserved and the tension between you two can be eased.¡±


    ¡°Even if I don¡¯t let his wife go to him, surely he won¡¯t abandon me, his mother?¡± Madam Xia questioned resentfully.


    Nanny Zhu choked. Knowing the young master¡¯s personality, he might very well just do so. As a bystander, Nanny Zhu saw things clearly. Second Master had returned to the capital for nearly three years, but he had barely interacted with Madam Xia. When the mother and son met, they would always quarrel over trivial things. Although there were heartwarming moments here and there, they would always be ruined shortly after because of Old Master.


    In Nanny Zhu¡¯s opinion, a person like Fan Siwen was really not worth entrusting to. Second Master was sessful now and was already a Duke at such a young age. Including General Yuan, who had just been conferred the title, there were only three Dukes in the entire Great Qi. As his mother, Madam Xia certainly didn¡¯t have to worry about the quality of her life.


    However, she also knew that Madam Xia¡¯s obsession was rooted from the love from her days of youth. After so many years, not only had Madam Xia¡¯s love not been worn down, but it had also metamorphosed.


    As soon as Madam Xia said that, she felt aggrieved and tears fell from her eyes. ¡°Every time the father and son fight, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s caught in the middle. I always stood on his side. What¡¯s wrong with leaving Little Madam Xia behind to be filial to me this time? He¡¯s going to be away in Qiannan for five to six years, leaving me all alone in the residence¡­


    Nanny Zhu said helplessly, ¡°Didn¡¯t Second Master ask you privately if you , wanted to follow him to Qiannan? As long as you¡¯re willing, Old Master can¡¯t stop Second Master.¡±


    Madam Xia was a little confused. ¡°How can I follow him to Qiannan when his father is still around? Besides, the miasma in Qiannan is heavy and there are many poisonous insects. I¡¯m getting on in age¡­¡±


    Nanny Zhu felt that the sighs of her life had been given to Madam Xia. She looked up and said, ¡°I wonder if the Princess Consort can convince Old Master.¡± ¡°It¡¯s difficult,¡± Madam Xia said calmly. ¡°Old Master rarely changes his mind. I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t even be able to see him.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you ask Qing Mei to bring her over?¡±


    ¡°We have to let her give it a try before she gives up.¡± Madam Xia said, ¡°Besides, if she seeds in Old Master and manages to take Little Madam Xia away, it will naturally be a happy ending. If not, it¡¯s her who fails to do what Zijin entrusted her to do, so his resentment towards us might be lessened.¡±


    In Madam Xia¡¯s eyes, Mu Yangling had always been a little shy and not good at socializing. Hence, she did not think that Mu Yangling would seed in convincing Fan Siwen considering the odds were so incredibly low.


    However, Mu Yangling was not as tame as Madam Xia had assumed. There was anger bottled up inside her the entire time. When she was stopped in Pine Garden, she simply kicked the butler away.<div>


    This action shocked everyone. Mu Yangling took a deep breath and felt that she had lost control just now. However, it was obviously toote to smile now. Hence, she simply looked at the butler who had been kicked to the ground with a cold expression and said, ¡°Are you going in to report my arrival, or do I kick down the door and enter by myself?¡±


    The butler¡¯s expression changed again and again, before he got up from the ground and hurriedly ran into the courtyard to report.


    Fan Siwen was practicing calligraphy when he heard the noise outside. Clearly displeased, he said, ¡°Didn¡¯t I order you to stop her? Why is there amotion at the entrance of the courtyard?¡±


    The butler held his chest and said, ¡°Master, Princess Consort Rong kicked me away. She said that if you don¡¯t go out to see her, she will kick the door in.¡± The butler hesitated and said, ¡°Princess Consort Rong is probably just making empty threats. Should I get a few burly maidservants to send her away?¡± ¡°Princess Consort Rong?¡± Fan Siwen gripped the pen in his hand tightly. ¡°Hasn¡¯t the residence always called her Young Madam?¡±<div>


    The butler lowered his head and said, ¡°The Princess Consort called herself that just now.¡±


    Was she nning to use her power to suppress him?


    Fan Siwen thought for a moment before waving his hand and relenting. ¡°Invite her in.¡±

 Chapter 607: Vomiting Blood

    Chapter 607: Vomiting Blood


    Editor: As Studios


    Fan Siwen sat behind the desk with a dark expression. When he saw Mu Yangling enter with a cold expression, he stood up and bowed. ¡°Greetings Your Highness.¡±????? ¡¯


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows and stepped aside to bow. ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re too polite.¡± As her gaze swept across the room, she asked with a smile, ¡°Didn¡¯t I hear that Uncle is feeling under the weather? Yet here you are, practicing calligraphy.¡±


    She then looked at Fan Siwen¡¯s face and said, ¡°Judging from your rosyplexion, you appear to be in good health. Those servants are too presumptuous. Aren¡¯t they cursing you?¡±


    Fan Siwen said with a smile, ¡°When I woke up today, I felt my chest tighten. Considering my old age, it¡¯s natural for the servants to be nervous.¡± ¡°Seeing as you¡¯re able to practice calligraphy, and your face is rosy, I¡¯m guessing your chest no longer feels tight, right? Then let¡¯s talk about serious matters.¡± Mu Yangling went straight to the point. ¡°Our carriage is already waiting outside, and the imperial guards sent by His Majesty are also waiting outside. When do you think Cousin-inw will be ready? Or do you have things to hand to Cousin that you haven¡¯t packed? Tell me what time so that I can make arrangements, lest everyone waits blindly.¡±


    Not expectingMu Yangling to be so thick-skinned, Fan Siwen¡¯s expression stiffened. He said unhappily, ¡°I¡¯m afraid Your Highness doesn¡¯t know yet. Little Madam Xia is not in good health, so she decided not to go to Qiannan at thest minute. Since you¡¯re in a hurry, you can set off now.¡±


    What a coincidence. His Majesty was worried that Little Bear might fall sick during the long journey, so he sent an imperial physician toe with us. Since he¡¯s outside the door now, we can get him to take a look at Cousin-inw. If she¡¯s not very seriously ill, it¡¯s better that she sets off with us. Otherwise, if she sets off alone a few dayster, not only will the risk increase, but she¡¯ll also be lonely traveling by herself.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Yangling was pressing on step by step, Fan Siwen could no longer maintain the smile on his face. He flicked his sleeves and said, ¡°Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Little Madam Xia is only suffering from a cold, so there¡¯s no need to trouble the imperial physician. As for setting off, there¡¯s no need to mention it for the time being. She mustn¡¯t be exposed to¡¯the wind now. Also, since your Aunt and I are getting old, we need someone to serve us. If Your Highness is concerned, the residence has prepared a few servant girls for Zijin. Bring them to Zijin and let them serve him well.¡±


    Mu Yanglmg¡¯s face also turned cold. She sized up Fan Siwen and said with a smile, ¡°Old Master Fan, what if I insist on taking Cousin-inw away?¡± Fan Siwen stood up angrily and said righteously, ¡°This is a family matter of the Fan family. You¡¯re overstepping your boundaries.¡±


    Mu Yangling sat steadily on the chair and took a sip of tea to suppress the anger in her heart. With a sneer, she said, ¡°For now, this might be a family matter of the Fan family. However, it might not be the case after today.¡± Mu Yangling looked at him coldly and said, ¡°If I can¡¯t take Cousin-inw away, I won¡¯t set off today. Even if I have to enter the pce to ask for a decree, I will bring her to Qiannan.¡±


    Fan Siwen snorted. ¡°Even though the Empress dotes on you, you shouldn¡¯t push your luck.¡±


    Mu Yangling put down her teacup heavily and said, ¡°Old Master Fan is right. I¡¯m pushing my luck. However, I have the backing of not the Empress, but the Emperor. General Yuan¡¯s Duke¡¯s Residence is located in Cai Prefecture. Though conferred the title of the ¡®Duke of Peaceful State¡¯, it seems Cousin hasn¡¯t been bestowed with a Duke¡¯s Residence yet. Although Qiannan isn¡¯t affluent, it¡¯s a pass that guards the southwest and northwest regions. It¡¯s a fitting location for his residence.¡±


    Fan Siwen¡¯s expression changed drastically. He didn¡¯t think that the Emperor would listen to Mu Yangling¡¯s wife, but if she brought it up, people would start to consider it. If she managed to convince Qi Haoran, there was a 50% chance that this matter could go her way.


    Although he did not get along well with his son, he did not want him to be too far away. If Fan Zijin¡¯s residence was set in Qiannan, what good would it do the Fan family?


    The entire family might be divided into two. Knowing his son¡¯s temperament, he would probably forget about him and the Fan family in a few years.


    It wasn¡¯t worth it to entirely lose the support of the Duke of Peaceful State in a fit of pique. Though visibly livid, Fan Siwen still stopped Mu Yangling In a softened tone, he said, ¡°Your Highness, we didn¡¯t mean to separate the couple. In the entire bureaucracy, who doesn¡¯t leave their legitimate wife in the residence to take care of their parents? It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t care about Zijin. His mother and I have already selected a Virtuous Concubine? for him. We¡¯ll send her to Qiannan to take care of him when the timees.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, don¡¯t bully me for being ignorant of the world. Officials who don¡¯t bring along their wives and children already have legitimate children. Furthermore, those are the ones who have no siblings to share the burden of caring for their aged parents. The wife¡¯s duty is not only to be filial to her inws, but also to take care of her husband and the household matters, and maintain the interactions between the officials¡¯ families. Due to the chaos brought about by the war, Cousin Zijin and his wife have yet to give birth to any children. Meanwhile, Uncle and Aunt are still in robust health, in addition to staying with a few sons born from the concubine. I really don¡¯t understand why you insist on forcing Cousin-inw to stay.¡±


    Mu Yangling saw that Fan Siwen¡¯s expression was getting uglier and uglier, so she followed up with a fiercer dose. ¡°Uncle, do you really think that by keeping Cousin-inw here, you can use your future grandson to retain Cousin Zijin?¡± ¡°Think about Cousin Zijin¡¯s personality. When others treat him with malice he repays with greater malice. He never knows what it means topromise. ¡¯ When forced into a corner, he could very well just take his wife and children away and never return to the capital. Could it be that Uncle also intends to detain them like today? That¡¯s not keeping them, but pushing them away with all your might.¡±


    Fan Siwen was so angry that his cheeks puffed up. ¡°His filial piety¡­¡±


    Uncle, do you think that Cousin is a person who adheres to filial piety?¡± Mu Yangling interrupted him and couldn¡¯t help but mock, ¡°Besides, if the father is un-benevolent to begin with, the world might not think that it¡¯s Cousin¡¯s fault for being unfilial.¡±


    Fan Siwen red at Mu Yangling with reddened eyes, but Mu Yangling was not affected at all. ¡°Uncle, don¡¯t tell me you think you¡¯re a very loving father? Go outside and ask around-who doesn¡¯t know that you¡¯re incredibly biased? Cousin is clearly the legitimate son, but he¡¯s living worse than a concubine¡¯s son. Just go to some random teahouse and you¡¯ll hear people gossiping about how blind-sighted you and my father-inw were back then. Now, the eldest son and youngest son my father-inw used to ill-treat have be the Emperor and a Prince respectively. Meanwhile, the legitimate son you¡¯ve always treated badly has also be a Duke, but the concubines¡¯ sons have achieved nothing¡­¡±


    Fan Siwen was so angry that he spat out a mouthful of blood. Startled, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud. Then, tears welled up in her eyes, and she suddenly stoppedughing. She looked at Fan Siwen coldly and said, ¡°Just this much and you can¡¯t take it? I still have a most important question to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve tasted the bitter consequences of not getting along with your son, why are you still thinking of raising your legitimate grandson yourself? Isn¡¯t this deliberately causing Cousin Zijin to have strained ties with his son in the future? As a son, his father already inflicts enough pain on him. Yet, you wish for him to also have a disharmonious rtionship with his son. Uncle, do you really not give a damn that he¡¯s your son?¡±

 Chapter 608: Letting Her Go

    Chapter 608: Letting Her Go


    Editor: As Studios


    Fan Siwen sat down in a chair and pointed at the door. ¡°Get out. Get out.¡±


    Mu Yangling flicked her sleeves and said, ¡°Even if you don¡¯t ask me to leave, I¡¯m about to do so anyway. It¡¯s just that I have to get these words out of my ¡¯ chest.¡±


    Fan Siwen stared at her sinisterly and said, ¡°Who do you think you are? Even Prince Rong doesn¡¯ t dare to speak to me like that.¡±


    ¡°Prince Rong doesn¡¯t dare to because he still regards you as his uncle. Because he grew up in the Fan Residence, he values this rtionship. Cousin Zijin doesn¡¯t say these things to you because he still cares about the rtionship between father-and-son and doesn¡¯t want to fall out with youpletely. Cousin-inw doesn¡¯t say it because she¡¯s your daughter-inw and you¡¯re her father-inw. On the other hand, I dare to say it because not only am I the Princess Consort, but I¡¯ve also been friends with Cousin Zijin since we were young.¡±


    Mu Yangling turned around and said, ¡°Seeing how quickly you recovered from your illness, I¡¯m sure Cousin-inw will have an even more speedy recovery since she¡¯s still young. I¡¯ll go fetch her and set off now.¡±


    Fan Siwen clenched his fists. As soon as Mu Yangling opened the door, the butler and the maidservant stopped her outside and looked at Fan Siwen helplessly.


    Mu Yangling tilted her head slightly to look at Fan Siwen and asked, ¡°Uncle, are you still nning to stop me?¡±


    Fan Siwen¡¯s expression changed a few times. If he continued to stop Mu Yangling after what she said, it would confirm the crime of sowing discord between the legitimate son and the legitimate grandson. Fan Siwen was not Qi Feng, so how could he leave such an impression in the eyes of others?


    He closed his eyes and waved for the butler to let her go.


    With an icy expression, Mu Yangling rushed straight to Little Madam Xia¡¯s guarded courtyard. Mu Yangling nced at the butler coldly. Sweating profusely, the butler went forward and waved for everyone to leave. Then, he took out a key and opened the courtyard door.


    When Mu Yangling pushed the door open and entered, the gentle-mannered Little Madam Xia was sitting on the couch in a daze, wiping her tears. Seeing Mu Yangling enter, it was as if she had seen her savior. She couldn¡¯t help but hug her and cry. With a slightly softened expression, Mu Yangling patted her back and said, ¡°Cousin-inw, Uncle has already agreed to let youe with us. Packyour things and we¡¯ll set off now.¡±


    Little Madam Xia nodded repeatedly and quickly turned around to instruct the wet nurse to bring her luggage.


    They were already prepared, but Fan Siwen suddenly detained them in the residence this morning, so they couldn¡¯t go out.


    Before seeing Mu Yangling, Little Madam Xia had given up all hopes of leaving. After all, in her opinion, since her inws did not want her to go to her husband¡¯s ce, she should stay obediently. The one who really made her angry was the concubine her inws had prepared for Fan Zijin. Although she had a soft personality, she was not stupid and knew the dangers of having the eldest son be born from a concubine. Moreover, that was a Virtuous Concubine O. Yet, though her heart was burning with anxiety, there was nothing she could do.


    Hence, at this moment, she treated Mu Yangling as her life-saving straw. Since Fan Siwen had agreed to let her leave, he naturally wouldn¡¯t detain the carriages anymore. Hence, the carriages that Little Madam Xia had gotten someone to pack up left the residence one after another. Mu Yangling asked Little Madam Xia to sit in the same carriage as her.


    Before they got into the carriage though, a person rushed out of the residence to get a doctor. And how did Mu Yangling know about it?


    Because the other party shouted, ¡°Move! Move! Hurry up and get a doctor! Hurry up and get a doctor¡­¡±


    Mu Yang was so furious that she snatched the coachman¡¯s whip from the side. With a swing of the whip, she threw the person off the horse. The Qi family¡¯s guards immediately went forward to take him away.


    Mu Yanglingughed. ¡°I have an imperial physician here. There¡¯s no need to look for a doctor from afar.¡± Mu Yangling asked Imperial Physician Wang to treat Fan Siwen.


    When Little Madam Xia hesitated, Mu Yangling patted her hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Since we¡¯re already dyed anyway, it¡¯s fine even if we dy a little longer. We¡¯ll leave after seeing Uncle.¡±


    Fan Siwen was lying on the bed with his eyes closed. Madam Xia was seated beside him and frowned slightly when she saw Mu Yangling enter.


    Fan Siwen opened his eyes, surprised to see Mu Yangling and the others return. Anger surged in his chest as he asked, ¡°Your Highness, why are you here?¡± Mu Yangling gestured for Imperial Physician Wang toe forward. ¡°Earlier, an impetuous servant shouted that Uncle is seriously ill and wants to call a doctor, so I brought Imperial Physician Wang over to take a look.¡±


    Fan Siwen was slightly surprised. Then, he red at Madam Liu, who was standing at the side serving him. Madam Xia¡¯s gaze also shot towards Madam Liu like a cold de.


    Madam Liu stood with her head lowered, as if she didn¡¯t see their gazes.


    Imperial Physician Wang stroked his beard and said, ¡°Old Master Fan is just having a mild indigestion and is otherwise fine. I¡¯ll write two optional sets of prescriptions for you. You¡¯ll be fine after walking around more.¡±


    Fan Siwen¡¯s face twitched. Indigestion?


    He had not eaten a single grain of rice today. How could he be suffering from indigestion?


    Couldn¡¯t that doctor put slightly more effort into crafting the lie?


    Fan Siwen hopelesslyy on the bed with his eyes closed. Madam Xia hurriedly said, ¡°Thank you, Imperial Physician Wang. I¡¯ll definitely supervise and get Master to walk around moreter.¡±


    Imperial Physician Wang smiled and nodded, then put away his things and stood at the side.


    Mu Yangling gestured for Little Madam Xia to go forward. She went forward and knelt down, then kowtowed to Fan Siwen and Madam Xia and said, ¡°Forgive me for being unable to serve my inws while I¡¯m away¡­¡±


    At the thought of how difficult it was to leave this time, Little Madam Xia couldn¡¯t help but cry. In the eyes of others, she looked very guilty and uneasy. Having just fallen out with Fan Siwen, Mu Yangling really couldn¡¯t squeeze out a smile. Hence, she simply stood at the side and watched them go through the formalities before setting off.


    Mu Yangling looked at Madam Xia. ¡°Aunt, do you have things to say to Cousin?¡±


    Sighing, Madam Xia said, ¡°Tell Zijin that no matter what, we¡¯re his parents and he¡¯s our son. We definitely won¡¯t harm him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass the message along to him.¡± With that, she bowed and left with Little Madam Xia.


    This time, they climbed into the carriage without any hups. When they reached the city gate, they were escorted by the imperial guards sent by the Emperor. However, because they had wasted a lot of time at the Fan Residence, it was noon by the time they left the city. Mu Yangling had no choice but to ask¡¯ them to stop and start preparing lunch. Other than Little Bear¡¯s food, the others ate rations to save time.


    The cook made noodles for Little Bear to eat while Mu Yangling walked to the side. Imperial Physician Wang hurriedly followed and cupped his hands. He said in a low voice, ¡°Your Highness, Old Master Fan¡¯s heart was affected due to a surge of anger and he needs to recuperate. He¡¯s not young anymore. If a simr episode were to happen a few more times, I¡¯m afraid it will affect his lifespan.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression changed slightly. Surely it wasn¡¯t so serious?


    She had merely wanted to speak up for Fan Zijin, to address all the grievances he had suffered. Since when did she be so formidable? Not only could she make people vomit blood, but she could also affect their lifespan?


    Seeing her expression change, Imperial Physician Wang hurriedly exined, Your Highness, don¡¯t worry. It has to happen several more times in order to affect his lifespan¡­¡±


    The hidden meaning was that now that she had already left the capital, she couldn¡¯t anger Fan Siwen anymore. So, if anything happened to himter, it would have nothing to do with her.


    Moreover, from Imperial Physician Wang¡¯s point of view, Fan Siwen was a person prone to anger anyway. If such a person was angered a few more times, he would easily suffer a stroke. Wouldn¡¯t a stroke affect his lifespan?


    However, he couldn¡¯t articte the causes too explicitly.


    ¡°Then the prescription you prescribed previously¡­¡±


    It addresses his symptoms, clearing the internal heat in his heart. If he walks more often in addition to taking the prescription, his mind will naturally calm down. In the end, it takes will to dissipate internal heat and medicine alone has little effect. As the saying goes, when ites to heart ailments, the root of the problem has to be first addressed.¡±

 Chapter 609: Scheme

    Chapter 609: Scheme


    Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling returned to the carriage and held her head in her hands as she pondered the matter. In the end, she decided toe clean.


    She wrote to Fan Zijin, confessing to him that although she had seeded in bringing his wife out, she also made his father so angry that he vomited blood.


    Then, she wrote to Qi Haoran and clued him in on the fact that she had angered Fan Siwen to the point of vomiting blood. She asked him to put in a good word for her in front of Fan Zijin.


    When handing the letters to the guard responsible for delivering them, Mu Yangling specially instructed, ¡°Send the letter to the general first. Only after he opens the letter do you send the Military Advisor¡¯s letter over.¡±


    However, Fan Zijin had actually received a detailed report of the incident while Mu Yangling¡¯s letter was still on the way, including the conversation between Mu Yangling and Madam Xia.


    He stared at the stack of papers for a long time with a gloomy expression. In the end, he hid the things in a box and sneered.


    Even though he had already guessed his parents¡¯ choice, he was still hurt at this moment. However, this pain was light, so light that he only had to endure it for a while before it passed. After which, he became even more numb.


    Fan Zijin had long given up hope on his father. He knew that Fan Siwen didn¡¯t feel sorry for him because he had his own ideas of justice and fairness in his heart.


    He felt that the legitimate sons and concubine sons were all his sons, so he had to treat them equally. Because the legitimate son was born with an inherent advantage, and because Madam Xia was the mistress of the household, Fan Siwen subconsciously thought that it was Madam Xia and Fan Zijin who bullied the concubines and the concubine sons.


    As Fan Zixiao was the eldest son of a concubine, if he blocked Fan Zijin¡¯s path, Fan Zijin would target him even more. In addition, Fan Zixiao was his first child after all, so Fan Siwen felt that he had to dote on him even more.<div>


    When Fan Zijin was eight years old, he had already figured out his father¡¯s way of thinking. Fan Siwen was blinded to the servants¡¯ negligence towards Fan Zijin and his mother, as well as Qi Haoran, because of his attitude. All he cared about was carrying out the so-called fairness that he had conjured up in his mind.


    But what could Fan Zixiao do to stop him?


    Fan Zixiao was just the eldest son of a concubine and Fan Siwen did not have a noble title. Meanwhile, Fan Zijin was smart and knowledgeable, already bing a tongsheng at the age of nine and a xiucai before the age of 11. In his eyes, Fan Zixiao was not even worthy of being a stumbling block, let alone an opponent.


    Although he hated this father of theirs for being biased, because he was never fond of this father since he was young, he did not have much feelings for him. Therefore, what he thought actually did not hurt Fan Zijin much. What really bothered Fan Zijin was his mother¡¯s attitude.


    He did not expect his mother topromise with his father on such an important matter as children. Or, perhaps he had thought of it but was unwilling to admit it up until then.


    He had known all along that his mother loved his father deeply. Back when they were kids, his mother often cried hugging him and Haoran because of his father. Haoran didn¡¯t have memories from that early an age, but Fan Zijin remembered it clearly. Even now, Fan Zijin did not quite understand this thing called love.


    To her, love was so important that she gradually distanced herself from her brothers, so important that she eventually abandoned her only son.


    Fan Zijin¡¯s face gradually turned ashen. The anger that he had just suppressed surged again. With a bang, he kicked the table in front of him. In the end, the table did not flip over, but his foot was seriously injured. Fan Zijin sat down on a chair at the side with a hiss.


    When Qi Haoran came in and saw this, he asked with concern, ¡°Zijin, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Fan Zijin frowned and pointed at the table beside him. ¡°Kick it.¡±


    Without thinking, Qi Haoran kicked the table away, causing the table and the teapot on it to hit the wall with a loud bang. He widened his eyes and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s wrong with this table?¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at his feet and then at the shattered wood shavings on the ground. The corners of his lips twitched and he said, ¡°Nothing much. It¡¯s just that it hurt my feet. I¡¯m furious.¡±


    Only then did Qi Haoran see him holding his feet and looking at the table. His heart ached. ¡°If you had said so earlier, I would have kicked the table down gently so that it can be used again. Now that it¡¯s shattered like this, I¡¯d have to spend money to buy another table.¡±


    Fan Zijin was so angry that he picked up the shoes on the ground and threw them at him. ¡°Can¡¯t I afford to pay you for the table? Don¡¯t make it sound like you¡¯re so poor. I¡¯m well aware you spend money like water when you¡¯re outside.¡±


    Qi Haoran rubbed his nose and leaned over to ask fawningly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? If you¡¯re angry, you should find something soft to kick. How can you kick the table? Look, you hurt yourself, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran asked Fei Bai to go back and get the medicinal wine.


    Fan Zijin snorted and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t interfere in my rtionship with my mother in the future.¡±


    Qi Haoran was confused. ¡°You quarreled with Aunt? When husband and wife quarrel, they quarrel at the head of the bed and reconcile at the end of the bed. When you and your mother quarrel, you should quarrel opposite each other and immediately reconcile. Considering Aunt is old, just give in to her. I¡¯m sure she won¡¯t do things to harm you.¡±


    Fan Zijin sneered and said, ¡°Maybe not in the past, but I¡¯m not so sure about that now.¡±<div>


    He threw the box to Qi Haoran and said, ¡°I think she¡¯s possessed. It¡¯s been more than 20 years, but she¡¯s still thinking about Fan Siwen.¡±


    Qi Haoran was opening the box when he heard this. He said disapprovingly, ¡°Zijin, Uncle is Aunt¡¯s husband. Who else should she be thinking about?¡± He didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, but he looked at him in horror and said, ¡°I know you¡¯re unrestrained, but you can¡¯t lure Aunt to do something that doesn¡¯t match her status.¡±


    ¡°Get lost.¡± Fan Zijin was so angry that he kicked him, disregarding the injury on his foot. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? Finish reading this first before talking to me.¡±


    Qi Haoran hurriedly took out the things in the box to take a look. After a while, his face turned ashen.<div>


    Fan Zijin sneered and said, ¡°He sure has a good n. Does he think that by raising my legitimate son, he¡¯s going to be in control of the heir of the Duke of Peaceful State in the future? I¡¯m not a three-year-old child. I¡¯m not going to let him deal with me as he pleased, like before.¡±


    Qi Haoran did not speak, but the cold glint in his eyes made his attitude clear. Even though Fan Siwen and Madam Xia had raised him, strictly speaking, Fan Zijin was the one who grew up together with him.


    Satisfied with his attitude, Fan Zijin patted his shoulder and said, ¡°To be honest, I have to thank Ah Ling this time.¡± She had poured out all the grievances he had suffered for so many years.


    However, Qi Haoran thought that he was referring to Mu Yangling bringing Little Madam Xia out. He patted his chest and said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve instructed her, of course she¡¯d do her best to bring Cousin-inw out.¡±


    The corners of Fan Zijin¡¯s mouth twitched, but he did not exin further. If Qi Haoran knew that he had deliberately left a loophole for Fan Siwen to exploit and even set up Mu Yangling, Qi Haoran would probably beat him up.


    Fan Zijin was a person who did not have much sense of security. Previously, he had lived in the Fan residence. How could he let the Fan family be controlled by others?


    Although he had left, he had left many people behind.


    It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t bring Little Madam Xia out, but he just wasn¡¯t willing to bring her out secretly. With Mu Yangling¡¯s personality, if Fan Siwen detained Little Madam Xia, she would definitely blow up. Not on purpose, but because of her personality.


    Therefore, if Little Madam Xia was detained, someone would inform Mu Yangling. If Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t bring her out, someone would bring Little Madam Xia out and hand her overter. Ultimately, the matter would still be blown up¡­

 Chapter 610: Stupid

    Chapter 610: Stupid


    Editor: As Studios


    The moment Qi Haoran received Mu Yangling¡¯s letter, he excitedly opened it. He had just read the first letter when his face froze. He widened his eyes and looked back and forth twice before confirming that he had not seen wrongly.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear Zijin mention that Uncle vomited blood.¡± Qi Haoran muttered and tried his best to recall, but he still couldn¡¯t recall if this was in the intelligence report.


    After hesitating for a long time, he finally went to look for Fan Zijin with a cautious heart and specially got someone to prepare good wine and dishes.


    Fan Zijin had just returned exhausted. When he saw this, he raised his eyebrows and sat at the table. ¡°You¡¯re in a good mood today.¡±


    Qi Haoran chuckled and poured some wine for Fan Zijin. ¡°Cousin, you¡¯ve lost weight these few days. Eat more.¡±


    Qi Haoran tried his best to put Fan Zijin¡¯s favorite food on the table into his bowl. Fan Zijin was originally eating quite well, but when he heard this, he blocked his chopsticks and said, ¡°If you have something to say, say it. It¡¯s useless to please me.¡±


    After a pause, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t have money now. Can¡¯t lend you any.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not borrowing money from you.¡± Qi Haoran¡¯s chopsticks took a detour and still picked up some food for him.


    Fan Zijin pondered. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re here to return me money?¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately did not dare to speak. He lowered his head and ate the meat. Fan Zijin kicked him and asked, ¡°What exactly is it? Tell me.¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran said gloomily, ¡°Cousin, Ah Ling is a straightforward person who doesn¡¯t know how to scheme. Sometimes, when she does something stupid, she doesn¡¯t even realize it. Don¡¯t lower yourself to her level.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how rare. Didn¡¯t you always think that she has intelligence unrivaled by others? Why are you saying that she¡¯s stupid now?¡±


    Qi Haoran blushed slightly and muttered softly, ¡°Isn¡¯t beauty in the eye of the beholder?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rare that you know this sentence.¡± Fan Zijin poured himself a ss of wine and asked slowly, ¡°Tell me, what did she do to let me down?¡±


    ¡°Who said that she did something to let you down?¡± Qi Haoran instantly said angrily, ¡°If she did something to let you down, I definitely won¡¯t let her off.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at him suspiciously. ¡°If she didn¡¯t do anything to let me down, why are you so careful?¡±


    Qi Haoran, who had just puffed up his chest, instantly bent down. He nced at Fan Zijin carefully and whispered, ¡°It wasn¡¯t Ah Ling¡¯s intention, but she identally did something to let you down. But Cousin, you have to know that she didn¡¯t do it on purpose. She was wholeheartedly protecting you¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Fan Zijin felt a headacheing on. ¡°What did she do to let me down?¡±


    Seeing Qi Haoran hesitate, Fan Zijin couldn¡¯t help but m the table and shout, ¡°Speak!¡±


    ¡°She made Uncle vomit blood from anger.¡± Qi Haoran closed his eyes and shouted. He immediately opened his eyes and said indignantly, ¡°I often say that she doesn¡¯t think before she does things. Those who know better would say that her heart aches for you, Cousin. Those who don¡¯t know better might think that she has a deep grudge with you. Cousin, really, Ah Ling didn¡¯t expect Uncle to be so easily angered. At that time, she just couldn¡¯t stand it and said a few words. Who knew that Uncle would vomit blood? Don¡¯t worry, when she arrives, I¡¯ll definitely teach her a lesson and make her not dare to speak nonsense again.¡±


    Fan Zijin, who had wanted to say something, instantly fell silent.


    Thinking that Fan Zijin was ming Mu Yangling, Qi Haoran hurriedly patted his chest and said, ¡°Just you wait. When she arrives, see how I deal with her. I¡¯ll definitely scold her until she cries for her parents and won¡¯t dare to speak nonsense again.¡±


    Fan Zijin said faintly, ¡°You said it yourself. When the timees, I¡¯ll go and watch. The moment you see her, you¡¯ll scold her until she bursts into tears. If she doesn¡¯t cry, you¡¯ll take in a concubine.¡±


    ¡°How can you do this?¡± Qi Haoran shouted. ¡°You clearly know that I promised Ah Ling that I wouldn¡¯t take a concubine for the rest of my life.¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted. ¡°So I¡¯m giving you a choice now, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran tried his best. ¡°Ah Ling cries very fiercely and furthermore, it¡¯d be in public¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can wait until you guys get home and dismiss all the servants. I¡¯ll watch you scold her until she cries.¡±


    What was wrong with him?


    Qi Haoran almost flew into a rage. After a long while, he finally asked, ¡°Can you give me another choice?¡±<div>


    ¡°What choice? Take in a concubine? Coincidentally, didn¡¯t Chief Ji¡¯an want to marry his daughter to you? By taking in that one, you can also take the chance to contribute to the Imperial Court.¡±


    Qi Haoran held his breath and said, ¡°Change it!¡±


    ¡°Then take in ten mistresses.¡±


    Qi Haoran red at Fan Zijin. ¡°Ah Ling helped you reject the Virtuous Concubine that Uncle wanted you to marry. You¡­ if you do this, Ah Ling will get mad¡­¡±<div>


    ¡°Oh, you actually still remember this. How rare,¡± Fan Zijin said mockingly. ¡°I thank Ah Ling, but I didn¡¯t say that I wouldn¡¯t take in concubines in the future. I just said that I wouldn¡¯t let a concubine¡¯s son be born before the legitimate son.¡±


    Fan Zijin tilted his head and looked at Qi Haoran. ¡°Why don¡¯t you move to the military camp for three months after Ah Linges here?¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t that make him a ¡®bachelor¡¯ for three months? And that was when Ah Ling hade here to be with him.


    Qi Haoran was conflicted. Fan Zijin said calmly, ¡°One concubine or ten mistresses.¡±


    Qi Haoran gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll move to the military camp for three months.¡±


    Fan Zijin pursed his lips in disappointment. ¡°You¡¯re not going to reconsider? You can even scold Ah Ling until she cries. To be honest, I¡¯ve known her for so many years, but I¡¯ve never seen her cry.¡±


    Qi Haoran lowered his head and buried it in his bowl, trying his best to eat.


    Fan Zijin pursed his lips regretfully. ¡°You¡¯re all bark and no bite. I thought you were so tough that you could really scold her until she cried.¡±


    Qi Haoran angrily finished all the dishes on the table, including the soup. When Fan Zijin reached out with his chopsticks again, he realized that there were empty tes on the table, leaving only rice and wine. Fan Zijin pursed his lips and turned to shout outside, ¡°Yanmo, get the kitchen to prepare another table of dishes.¡±


    When he turned around and saw Qi Haoran rubbing his stomach, he scolded jokingly, ¡°You deserve it. You¡¯re clearly a man, but you¡¯re afraid of a woman. You¡¯ve grown up in vain.¡±


    Qi Haoran was not in a good mood at all. He originally thought that he¡¯d be living the life of a blissful married couple with Mu Yangling when she arrived, but in the end, he actually had to move to the military camp for three months. How tormenting.


    On the other hand, Fan Zijin¡¯s mood miraculously improved. After dinner, he went to deal with official business in high spirits.


    Seeing Qi Haoran walk out with slumped shoulders, he cursed in a low voice, ¡°Idiot.¡±<div>


    A few dayster, Qi Haoran came back to life and looked for Fan Zijin. ¡°Cousin, I¡¯ve made up my mind. I want to scold Ah Ling until she cries!¡±


    He was really too stupid. He could have written a letter to inform Ah Ling first. When the time came, he could just symbolically scold her a little in front of Zijin and she could just y along and cry with all her might, right?


    Fan Zijin looked up at him and said, ¡°You only came up with this after thinking for two days? How stupid.¡± He leaned back in his chair and said, ¡°Considering I even know exactly what she said to my parents, how could I not know that she made Father vomit blood from anger? If I wanted to me someone, I would have done so long ago. Why did youe to apologize after a few days? Did you read the intelligence report carefully back then?¡±


    Qi Haoran was stunned. Then, he jumped up and howled, ¡°You lied to me!¡±


    Fan Zijin said disdainfully, ¡°Lie to you? I don¡¯t want to lower my intelligence.¡±

 Chapter 611: Interception

    Chapter 611: Interception


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran did not speak to Fan Zijin for the next three days. Initially, Fan Zijin did not mind, but the key was that he was too busy to pay attention to Qi Haoran.


    After sulking for the entire day, Qi Haoran saw that no one came to coax him. So for the next two days, he deliberately walked past Fan Zijin with a straight face every morning and night. In addition, he even deliberately snorted to express his anger.


    The corners of Fan Zijin¡¯s lips twitched. He propped his face up and pondered if he had gone overboard.


    Just as he instructed Yanmo to search for a good saber and horse, Mu Yangling sent someone to deliver a letter informing them they would arrive in Qiannan tomorrow.


    Fan Zijin immediately changed his words. ¡°There¡¯s no need to look for the saber and horse anymore. We¡¯ll go out of the city to pick them up tomorrow.¡± Since Mu Yangling had already arrived, Qi Haoran¡¯s anger must have dissipated. In that case, he could save the money. Money was tight at the moment, so it was prudent to save as much as they could.


    As expected, Qi Haoran came excitedly to look for Fan Zijin the next day to go out of the city to pick Mu Yangling up. Seeing that he was dressed in new clothes and had even taken a shower, Fan Zijin immediately nodded in satisfaction. He had tolerated the smell of sweat exuding from Qi Haoran¡¯s body for a long time.


    ¡°You¡¯re not angry with me anymore?¡± Fan Zijin asked as he rode on his horse.


    Qi Haoran red at him. ¡°We¡¯re brothers. When have I ever been angry with you?¡±


    ¡°But Zijin,¡± Qi Haoran said with a slightly stern expression, ¡°don¡¯t provoke me with the matter of taking in concubines in the future. What if Ah Ling misunderstands?¡±


    ¡°Look at how useless you are.¡± Fan Zijin rolled his eyes at him, but he was sighing in his heart. This was what love was supposed to be like. In the case of his mother, she was too subservient and the love had metamorphosed.<div>


    Before Fan Zijin could finish sighing, Xiao Ting galloped over on his horse and shouted, ¡°Not good, not good, General, not good.¡±


    Fan Zijin turned to Qi Haoran and said, ¡°How did Fei Bai teach him? He¡¯s been by his side for two months, but he hasn¡¯t taught him anything.¡±


    Xiao Ting was Qi Haoran¡¯s new servant, hired because Fei Bai had too many things to deal with now to attend to all of Qi Haoran¡¯s personal matters. Moreover, Qi Haoran was not used to using servant girls, so he chose a male servant to take over some of Fei Bai¡¯s duties. During this period of time, Fei Bai had been teaching him.


    Qi Haoran said nonchntly, ¡°He¡¯s still young. He¡¯ll be fine in a few years.¡±


    Xiao Ting was only 13 years old this year and was indeed considered young. However, Fan Zijin felt that Qi Haoran was too forgiving to his servants. When Yanmo was 13 years old, he already dared toe to the north to serve him.


    In just one sentence, Xiao Ting had already galloped to Qi Haoran. Before they could ask, he quickly reported, ¡°General, the Princess Consort was picked up by someone sent by Chief Ji¡¯an.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s expression changed and he asked, ¡°Why did the Princess Consort leave with them? Where¡¯s Fei Bai?¡±


    Xiao Ting wanted to cry but had no tears. ¡°There were too many of them. Her Highness was afraid of conflict, so she left with them. Fei Bai stayed by her side to serve her.¡±


    Fan Zijin hurriedly stopped Qi Haoran, who was about to explode, and asked, ¡°What did she say before she left?¡±


    ¡°She only said that she was going to be a guest and asked the general to pick her up.¡± Xiao Ting paused and said, ¡°Her Highness did not let the convoy follow her. There were only two carriages and they were escorted by our guards and the imperial guards.¡±


    Fan Zijin heaved a sigh of relief and pulled Qi Haoran back. ¡°Ah Ling knows her limits. She left behind all the burdens, but she brought along the guards and imperial guards. She¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes were a little red as he said hatefully, ¡°If anything happens to Ah Ling and the child, I won¡¯t let the Miao stockade off.¡±


    At this moment, Ji¡¯an was throwing a tantrum at his daughter, Jinhua. ¡°Who asked you to bring the Princess Consort here?¡±


    Jinhua pouted and said, ¡°I just wanted to see what kind of person she is. Why can she marry the lord and I can¡¯t? Father, quickly tell her to leave the lord. The lord is a dragon among men. Only I am fit to be with a man like him.¡±


    Ji¡¯an was so angry that he fell backward. He turned to her wife, Alu, and shouted, ¡°Look at your daughter. If we get into a conflict with the Han people because of this, Jinhua will have to die!¡±


    Alu¡¯s face turned slightly pale as she exined, ¡°Jinhua doesn¡¯t understand the rules of the Han people. In our Miao stockade, men and women are free to marry each other, and women here snatch their husbands with their own abilities. She just can¡¯t stand the fact that His Highness married a woman he doesn¡¯t love because of the matchmaker¡¯s words¡­¡±


    ¡°How do you know that he doesn¡¯t love her?¡± Ji¡¯an roared. ¡°What do you know? The Prince and the Princess Consort are childhood sweethearts. I¡¯ve already asked around. He dotes on this wife very much. Otherwise, I would have long thought of a way to make him take Jinhua as his concubine.¡±


    Jinhua¡¯s eyes reddened as she shouted, ¡°I¡¯m not going to be a concubine.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be his concubine even if you want to.¡± Ji¡¯an snapped angrily, ¡°The lord made a vow in the previous dynasty that he would have just this one wife¡ªthe current Princess Consort¡ªin this lifetime. He won¡¯t take in a concubine or a mistress.¡±<div>


    He turned around and instructed the guards beside him to guard Jinhua. ¡°You¡¯d better hope that Her Highness will be easy to talk to. Otherwise, watch how I deal with you.¡±


    With that, Ji¡¯an hurriedly went to wee Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s carriage entered the Miao stockade directly. Curious, she opened the curtain a crack and observed the route and scenery outside. When she turned around and saw Little Madam Xia¡¯s uneasy expression, she patted her hand and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Haoran and Cousin should be here soon.¡±


    Little Madam Xia frowned slightly and asked, ¡°Why did the chief of the Miao stockade invite us here? We¡¯re just women.¡±<div>


    Mu Yangling said with a light smile, ¡°No matter what, the Miao stockade will not want to go to war with the Imperial Court. The Imperial Court¡¯s 200,000-strong army is stationed in Qiannan.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Yangling was certain, Little Madam Xia felt a little relieved. She also started to look outside curiously. Seeing that the Miao stockade women¡¯s clothes were a little revealing, she blushed slightly and said in a low voice, ¡°This, this is too indecent.¡±


    Mu Yangling replied with a smile, ¡°We just have different customs.¡±


    Most of the men in the Miao stockade were wearing short coats, some of them even walking on the road bare-chested. Although the women were more covered up, there were also some whose arms and calves were exposed. To the Han people, this was very indecent, but Mu Yangling knew that this was not just the custom of the Miao stockade, but also the result of poverty.


    Without enough fabric, they could only wear such clothes.


    Great Zhou had always imposed heavy taxes on the Miao stockade, and the Great Qi¡¯s taxes on the Miao stockade had yet to be set.


    The carriage passed through the Miao stockade street and arrived at a gate. Seeing a middle-aged man standing in front of her with a smile, Mu Yangling was a little puzzled. Fei Bai reported from outside, ¡°Your Highness, Chief Ji¡¯an has personallye to wee you.¡±


    When Mu Yangling got off the carriage with Little Bear in her arms, Ji¡¯an weed her with a smile. ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s really an honor to have you visit my humble abode.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Chief Ji¡¯an speaks Mandarin so well.¡±


    Ji¡¯an looked at the Princess Consort who was about the same age as his eldest daughter and said embarrassedly, ¡°I only know this sentence. I remembered it after hearing Military Advisor Fan say it at our previous meeting.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t expect Chief Ji¡¯an to be so honest. Upon hearing this, she said with a smile, ¡°Language is meant to be continuously learned from each other. Seeing how quickly you learn, Chief Ji¡¯an must be a capable and hardworking person.¡±

 Chapter 612: Self-Recommendation

    Chapter 612: Self-Rmendation


    Editor: As Studios


    After inviting Mu Yangling in, Ji¡¯an exined his reason for inviting her here¡ªhe hoped that Mu Yangling would have a good impression of the Miao stockade and that it would enhance the rtionship of the Han and Miao people going forward.


    Of course, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t believe it. Back then, the people who came to ¡°invite¡± them were aggressive, as if they would forcefully bring her here if she had refused. However, now that Ji¡¯an¡¯s attitude was surprisingly good, Mu Yangling felt that either someone had forcefully ¡°invited¡± her over behind Ji¡¯an¡¯s back, or Ji¡¯an had split personalities.


    However, she didn¡¯t say anything and just nodded with a smile. She guaranteed that the Han and Miao people would get along and improve together in the future.


    Just as the two of them were trying their best to ensure that the atmosphere was not awkward, a girl in morous clothes rushed in. With a slight change in expression, Ji¡¯an stood up and pointed at the girl. ¡°Who let her in? Take her away.¡±


    ¡°Father.¡± Jinhua red at Mu Yangling and broke free from the maid¡¯s hand. She shouted, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. If you insist that I leave, I¡¯ll jump down from the cliff.¡±


    She pushed the maid away and rushed to Mu Yangling, then sized her up impolitely and sneered. ¡°You¡¯re the Prince¡¯s Princess Consort? You¡¯re so ugly.¡±


    This was the first time Mu Yangling had heard someone call her ugly. Taking after her great-grandmother, she had gorgeous looks. In fact, in the past two years, she had gradually grown up and her beauty had only enhanced. Qi Haoran would even asionally stare at her face dazedly. Looking at the girl carefully, she saw that her eyes were glued to her face. She could not help but purse her lips and smile, knowing that the other party was not being truthful.


    She turned around and asked Ji¡¯an, ¡°Chief Ji¡¯an, who is thisdy?¡±


    Jinhua looked up and said, ¡°I am the lord¡¯s future Princess Consort.¡±


    Mu Yangling stopped smiling and sized her up. She asked Ji¡¯an, ¡°Chief, I didn¡¯t expect you to let a lunatic in.¡±<div>


    Not to mention Jinhua, even Ji¡¯an could not help but get angry. His expression darkened slightly. ¡°Your Highness, this is my youngest daughter. Although she is a little insensible, you¡¯re going too far by calling her a lunatic.¡±


    ¡°In my opinion, her behavior is no different from that of a lunatic.¡± Mu Yangling insisted. ¡°Since you call me ¡®Your Highness¡¯, you should know my identity. By introducing yourself as the future Princess Consort in front of me, are you hinting that you want to kill me and rece me? The chief just said that he wants the Han and Miao people to live in peace and develop together, but in the blink of an eye, you wish to kill me. If this isn¡¯t a lunatic, what is?¡±


    Ji¡¯an stuttered slightly. ¡°No, she doesn¡¯t want to kill you. Your Highness, you¡¯ve misunderstood.¡± He scratched his ears and cheeks, not knowing how to exin.


    Compared to his nsmen, he could be considered proficient in Mandarin, but it was only limited tomonly-used terms and some ordinary interactions. That was the extent to which he couldmunicate in Mandarin, so he blushed and didn¡¯t know how to exin. However, he couldn¡¯t let Mu Yangling misunderstand, so he could only exin roughly, ¡°Jinhua has taken a fancy to the Lord and wants to marry him.¡±


    Little Madam Xia, who was at the side, had long widened her eyes. She had never seen such a shameless person. Moreover, it was too unorthodox for a woman to demand the first wife to give up her position simply because she had taken a fancy to the man.


    However, Mu Yangling felt that a simplistic conversation would solve the problem more easily. Although she was also furious, she replied, ¡°Just because she fancies a man, he has to marry her?¡±


    Mu Yangling turned around and met Jinhua¡¯s gaze. She said critically, ¡°You¡¯re neither outstanding in looks nor abilities, and your family background is quite ordinary too. What right have you to insist a man marry you?¡±


    Jinhua was furious. ¡°I¡¯m the daughter of the chief.¡±


    ¡°Ah~~¡± Mu Yangling said mockingly, ¡°Impressive. Then how many people are there in this stockade?¡±


    Before the chief could stop her, Jinhua had already shouted, ¡°We have more than 7,000 people. We¡¯re thergest tribe in this area.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s really a lot.¡± Mu Yangling said insincerely, ¡°Then do you know who my father is?¡±


    ¡°Who cares who your father is?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to care, but my father leads an army of 120,000 soldiers. 120,000 soldiers against 7,000. Guess who hails from a more prestigious background¡ªyou or me?¡±


    Jinhua opened her mouth slightly and red at Mu Yangling hatefully.


    Mu Yangling continued to say with a smile, ¡°Qi Haoran is mine. It¡¯s not because my family background is better than yours, nor is it because I¡¯m prettier, more capable, and smarter than you. It¡¯s because he¡¯s Qi Haoran, so he¡¯s mine. I¡¯d like you to stay away from him. Otherwise, I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    Eyes widening, Jinhua was so mad that she turned around and whipped off the whip hanging on the wall. With a swing, she whipped out a loud bang on the ground and shouted, ¡°You¡¯re capable of killing me?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at her with a smile and easily snapped the table beside her into pieces. Then, under everyone¡¯s dumbfounded gazes, she broke the entire table with her bare hands. As she patted the sawdust off her hands, she said, ¡°I¡¯m not just someone who knows how to swing the whip and yell, but I¡¯ve truly killed someone.¡±


    As she spoke, her eyes turned red. When Ji¡¯an met her gaze, he felt a chill all over his body. Indeed, it was the murderous aura of someone who had seen blood. Realizing this Princess Consort was not a delicate and weak woman in a Han family¡¯s backyard, Ji¡¯an¡¯s expression changed. Knowing that his daughter had encountered a difficult opponent, he put away his previous dissatisfaction and revealed an apologetic smile.


    If Ji¡¯an was already so shaken, Jinhua, who was being suppressed at the side, was even more so. She felt her body sink and was almost suffocating under the pressure. Fear could not help but arise in her heart. When she came back to her senses, Mu Yangling¡¯s gaze had already returned to normal. At this moment, Mu Yangling was looking at her with a faint smile, while Jinhua¡¯s back had turned wet.<div>


    Jinhua red at Mu Yangling with red eyes for a while and said, ¡°Then, then I¡¯ll be his concubine.¡±


    Mu Yangling scoffed. ¡°Neither Qi Haoran nor I want you to be his concubine.¡±


    Even the good-tempered Ji¡¯an could not help but feel a little angry when he saw his daughter being despised like this. However, recalling Mu Yangling¡¯s ferocity, he merely said with slight dissatisfaction, ¡°Princess Consort, my daughter is very precious¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only to you.¡± Mu Yangling interrupted him. ¡°Chieftain, what¡¯s precious in your eyes might not be important in our hearts. Your daughter is naturally precious to you, and we¡¯re willing to give her respect within reasonable limits. I just hope that she can respect herself.¡±<div>


    ¡°For example, His Highness and I value friendship and integrity, but in your opinion, these things might not be worth mentioning.¡±


    Chief Ji¡¯an hurriedly said, ¡°No, we also value these wonderful qualities.¡±


    He was a little vexed, realizing that he had been led by the nose by Mu Yangling. However, it just so happened that Jiacai was not at home, and his daughter kept dragging him down. He had no way of resisting the unpredictable Mu Yangling. He wondered why Han people always jumped to conclusions.


    All along, it was Jiacai, his eldest son-inw, who was in charge of interacting with the Han people. However, friendship and integrity were indeed virtues, so they had to admit it. Otherwise, what if the Han people used this as a reason not to talk about friendship and integrity to them in the future?


    ¡°It¡¯s rare for us to share the same values. In that case, please respect what we value. Before I married Qi Haoran, he swore that he would only marry me and no one else. He would not take in concubines, nor would he ept mistresses. He would not even hire prostitutes. Emperor Jingyan of Great Zhou bore witness to those words.¡±


    Chief Ji¡¯an and Jinhua opened their mouths wide. Jinhua swallowed her saliva and asked, ¡°What if he breaks his oath?¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled. ¡°Then the woman who sleeps with him will die a horrible death and won¡¯t be able to reincarnate as a human in the next lifetime.¡±


    Jinhua shrunk her neck and felt that this oath was very vicious.


    Little Madam Xia looked at her pitifully. Then, she carefully nced at the chief and heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that he didn¡¯t find any loopholes in Mu Yangling¡¯s words.


    Mu Yangling asked Jinhua, ¡°Do you still want to sleep with my husband now?¡±


    Jinhua blushed and retorted, ¡°I don¡¯t want to sleep with him. I-I want to marry him¡­¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t even think about it. Even if I die, Qi Haoran won¡¯t remarry.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not even dead yet.¡±


    <div>

 Chapter 613: Crisis Resolved

    Chapter 613: Crisis Resolved


    Editor: As Studios


    Stunned by Mu Yangling¡¯s domineering aura, Jinhua was speechless for a moment. Little Madam Xia, who was at the side, was already numb. Fortunately, these words were said in the Miao stockade and Little Madam Xia would not go around telling people about it. Otherwise, if word of this was to get to the capital, who knew how Mu Yangling would be reprimanded.


    Her words were considered treasonous.


    Jinhua¡¯s expression changed again and again. Thinking of Qi Haoran¡¯s heroic bearing, she was very reluctant to give up on him. Looking at Mu Yangling hands, she was very tempted. If she could just defeat her¡­


    Ji¡¯an red at his daughter and pressed her down, then went forward and said with a smile, ¡°Since His Highness and Your Highness are a something, something¡­ couple1, my daughter will naturally stay far away from His Highness.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile good-naturedly, ¡°You mean, a loving couple.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, a loving couple.¡± Ji¡¯an wiped his sweat and looked at the door again, wishing that Jiacai, his eldest son-inw, would return quickly. Seeing as even the Han women were so difficult to deal with, he figured the Han men would be worse.


    As soon as Ji¡¯an¡¯s thoughts fell, a nsman from the sentry tower rushed over to report. ¡°S¡ªSir, there are many soldiers charging at our stockade.¡±


    Chief Ji¡¯an¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He knew that something would happen since his daughter had forcefully brought the Princess Consort over. Since this Princess Consort dared to dere so confidently that the Prince would marry only her and no one else, it meant that they were a loving couple. Thus, if his wife was captured, he would definitely bring people to snatch her back.


    Chief Ji¡¯an looked at Mu Yangling pleadingly. After the war, the Miao stockade really couldn¡¯t take it anymore and the lives of his nsmen were tough enough as it was. If Qi Haoran were to attack with his men at this time, their n might really be exterminated.


    Mu Yangling stood up and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m afraid His Highness knows that we¡¯re guests in the stockade, so he¡¯s anxious toe and take a look. Chief Ji¡¯an, why don¡¯t I go with you to wee him?¡±<div>


    Chief Ji¡¯an hurriedly nodded in agreement.


    Mu Yangling asked someone to bring ckie over. Mu Yangling touched its nose and asked Little Madam Xia, ¡°Cousin-inw, do you want to go with us?¡±


    Little Madam Xia didn¡¯t know how to ride a horse all by herself. When she hesitated, Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Cousin will definitelye with Haoran. Why don¡¯t I get the guards to hold the reins for you? Don¡¯t worry, our horses are very docile.¡±


    Little Madam Xia instantly nodded and stood up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    After spending a month with Mu Yangling, the rtionship between the two women had taken a qualitative leap on the journey. Moreover, Little Madam Xia¡¯s personality was pure and weak, so Mu Yangling was more casual in her interactions with her. Hence, she often disyed her worldview, outlook on life, and values in front of her.


    Putting aside her worldview, just her outlook on life and values made Little Madam Xia feel that Mu Yangling¡¯s ideas were too bold. Yet, she couldn¡¯t help but think that she was right.


    For example, her views on the way a married couple interacted.


    A wife¡¯s way of showing her dedication was not limited to being gentle. Sometimes, she should be striving for something purposeful.


    Mu Yangling had given Qi Haoran all kinds of gifts, putting a lot into preparing those gifts for him. Little Madam Xia replied, ¡°I¡¯ve also prepared gifts for my husband.¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Then when you gave him the gift, did you tell or hint to him that you admire him a lot?¡±


    Little Madam Xia blushed. Was there a need to say such things when they were already husband and wife?


    Of course, saying it versus not saying it would result in vastly different results. Although Little Madam Xia blushed at that time, she noted Mu Yangling¡¯s analysis in her heart.


    Now that Fan Zijin was here to pick her up, if she appeared at the entrance of the stockade and let him see her right away, he would more or less be happy, right?


    As Little Madam Xia thought about it, a sweet smile appeared on her face. With Mu Yangling¡¯s help, she got on the horse.


    Mu Yangling also climbed onto ckie and was about to ride the horse in front when Little Bear, who was originally sleeping soundly in the carriage, suddenly woke up. He pulled open the curtain and saw his mother riding on the horse. Seeing that they were in an unfamiliar environment, he burst into tears. Half of his body stuck out of the carriage window and he kept spreading his arms at Mu Yangling, but he couldn¡¯t say a word and only knew how to cry.


    Heart aching, Mu Yangling quickly rode forward and carried him out through the carriage window. After cing him in front of her, she wiped the tears off his face. ¡°Silly boy, why are you crying? Isn¡¯t Mother here?¡±


    Little Bear turned around and hugged his mother¡¯s neck. Then, he buried his entire face in her neck and only cried.


    Spring hurriedly jumped down from the carriage and said, ¡°Your Highness, Young Master seemed to have a nightmare just now.¡±


    Mu Yangling quickly hugged him tightly and patted his back gently. ¡°Did you have a nightmare? It¡¯s okay. With me around, no one can bully you. I¡¯ll chase away all the bad people, okay?¡±<div>


    After a while, Little Bear raised his head and began to look around. Mu Yangling beamed at him. Seeing his mother¡¯s smile, the fear in Little Bear¡¯s heart dissipated. He turned his head and looked around. Seeing that he was actually sitting on a horse, he immediately became excited. He raised his butt and bounced twice before finding afortable position in his mother¡¯s arms and sitting down. Then, he looked ahead with sparkling eyes.


    Mu Yangling turned to Chief Ji¡¯an and said, ¡°I¡¯ve embarrassed myself in front of you. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll bring the child along.¡±


    Chief Ji¡¯an couldn¡¯t ask for more. This way, Qi Haoran¡¯s anger should subside a little when he saw that his wife and child were safe.


    That was indeed the case. After hearing the news, Qi Haoran had gotten someone to go back and get reinforcements. When he rushed over with Fan Zijin and saw Mu Yangling riding a horse leisurely appear at the entrance of the stockade, his expression could not help but soften. This made the Miao nsmen guarding the stockade gate, who were trying their best not to let Qi Haoran and the others enter, heave a sigh of relief.<div>


    Qi Haoran had rushed over with a murderous aura. If not for the fact that the war had not passed long ago and the Miao stockade had been maintaining a Level 1bat readiness mode, they probably would not have been able to stop him.


    Chief Ji¡¯an quickly went forward and asked someone to lower the rope bridge. As he personally weed him, he said, ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re here. Pleasee in. Her Highness and Young Master are waiting inside.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately rode forward and Fan Zijin failed to stop him. Helpless, he could only follow.


    Qi Haoran rode his horse to Mu Yangling and asked his son, whose eyes were darting around, ¡°Why are the child¡¯s eyes wet?¡±


    Mu Yangling replied with a smile, ¡°He just woke up from a nightmare.¡±


    Qi Haoran took a closer look and realized that there was indeed a sleeping mark on the child¡¯s left cheek. Only then did the anger in his heart subside. He spread open his arms to Little Bear.


    Little Bear looked up at his father for a while before spreading his arms to let Qi Haoran carry him over. Qi Haoran was originally scolding him for being a fool in his heart. It had only been two months since theyst met, but Little Bear actually didn¡¯t recognize him. Unexpectedly, after he carried Little Bear over, the little fellow ced one hand on Qi Haoran¡¯s face and kept a safe distance from him, his little nose twitching. After a long time, as if confirming that Qi Haoran¡¯s body was still considered clean, he threw himself into his arms, his eyes moist.


    Fan Zijinughed out loud when he saw this. Qi Haoran was so angry that his face turned green, while Mu Yangling was surprised by her son¡¯s intelligence. Then, she rejoiced. Although Little Bear was carved from the same mold as Qi Haoran, he was much more hygienic than his father. Her good son, indeed.

 Chapter 614: Argument

    Chapter 614: Argument


    Editor: As Studios


    Other than Fan Zijin, no one knew why the family of three had different expressions. However, this did not stop Chief Ji¡¯an from knowing that the rm had been lifted. He quickly went forward to make his presence known, then invited Qi Haoran and his wife to stay in the stockade for a night and let the Miao people throw a wee dinner for the Princess Consort.


    Qi Haoran still did not know the truth, so it was naturally impossible for him to stay. Their entire family was here. If the Miao stockade really had ulterior motives, wouldn¡¯t it be easy for them to wipe them out?


    Besides, the couple had not seen each other for a long time, so it was even more impossible for them to stay here.


    Qi Haoran declined. Chief Ji¡¯an thought for a moment and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you return two dayster? When my eldest son-inw and eldest sone back, I¡¯ll throw a dinner with good wine to wee Her Highness.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly at Qi Haoran, who agreed.


    Jinhua looked at Qi Haoran and wanted to say something but hesitated. When Mu Yangling saw this, she stopped her horse and pointed at Jinhua. She said to Qi Haoran, ¡°Your Highness, this is Chief Ji¡¯an¡¯s daughter. She said that she has taken a fancy to you. I wonder if you have any **** thoughts.¡±


    Qi Haoran shuddered and retracted his stomach. Straightening his back, he said without even ncing to the side, ¡°No, Ah Ling. You¡¯re the only one I want in my life. I won¡¯t even spare a nce at other women.¡±


    Even though Jinhua was a Miao girl, she couldn¡¯t stand Qi Haoran¡¯s direct rejection. She red at Qi Haoran angrily before running away.


    Fan Zijin frowned slightly and looked at Mu Yangling disapprovingly, but he did not say anything.


    Qi Haoran turned his head and nodded slightly at the embarrassed Chief Ji¡¯an. Then, he rode away.<div>


    After leaving the stockade, Little Madam Xia sat in the carriage. Fan Zijin nced at the carriage and turned to Mu Yangling. ¡°I know you don¡¯t want Haoran to take in a concubine, but you don¡¯t have to be so domineering with him in front of outsiders. If word gets out, how will he lead the army?¡±


    ¡°Since the Miao nsmen are straightforward, it¡¯s more effective to say it directly than hint. If we don¡¯t make them perish the thought immediately, there will be endless trouble in the future.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°I can¡¯t keep an eye on Haoran all the time. Instead of separating for this reason in the future, it¡¯s better to dispel this thought of theirs from the beginning.¡±


    This was also why she had intimidated Ji¡¯an and Jinhua from the start and told them explicitly that Qi Haoran would never give up on her or take in a concubine. She, too, would never ept Qi Haoran having another woman besides her.


    Fan Zijin was so infuriated by Mu Yangling that he immediately dismounted and said, ¡°Up to you.¡± Since one was willing to give a beating and the other was willing to endure it, why should he fret on their behalf?


    Fan Zijin got into the carriage directly. Compared to riding on the bumpy horse, he was more used to sittingfortably in carriages. Previously, when he rode the horse at full speed, his bones almost scattered.


    Mu Yangling turned around and realized that Qi Haoran was sulking. However, since they were outside, it was not appropriate to talk about it in depth. She could only suppress her doubts first.


    With an ashen face, Qi Haoran wrapped his son in a cloak and carried him as they rode back to the city.


    The military camp was stationed outside Juzhou City, and Qi Haoran was still living in a squire¡¯s house. The squire¡¯s family had moved to another courtyard.


    However, this house with three entrances was not as big as the one in the north and the capital. It was almost a third smaller. With so many people living in it at once, it immediately seemed a little cramped.


    When Mu Yangling saw Qi Haoran m the door and enter with their son in his arms, she knew that he was angry. Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know why he was angry, but she knew the urgency of the matter. After handing everything to Mama Wang and Spring, she hurriedly followed him.


    As children were sensitive by nature, Little Bear could sense his father¡¯s emotions. He shrunk his neck and nestled in his father¡¯s arms. When he saw his mother enter, he immediately opened his arms to her, looking like he was about to cry. It made her heart ache.


    Mu Yangling quickly went forward to carry the child andined, ¡°You scared the child.¡±


    Qi Haoran retracted his murderous aura and forced a smile. ¡°Hand the child to the wet nurse.¡±


    Mu Yangling coaxed Little Bear. Seeing that he was no longer afraid, she carried him out to the nanny, but not long after, she carried him back. Mu Yangling said helplessly, ¡°This child probably feels that this ce is unfamiliar and is unwilling to be with the nanny. Forget it, he won¡¯t understand anything we say anyway.¡±


    Mu Yangling ced him on the couch and let him y by himself. Then, she sat at the side and looked straight at Qi Haoran. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why is your expression so ugly?¡±


    Qi Haoran was a little angry, but more than that, he was sad. ¡°Am I not worthy of your trust? Why are you so guarded?¡±


    Mu Yangling was unconvinced. ¡°Since when am I guarded against you?¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t guarded against me?¡± Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t help but shout, ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell Zijin that just now? What do you mean by ¡®separate because of this reason¡¯? So all you think about every day is separating from me? Even if I make just the slightest mistake? Are you going to leave me if I take just one wrong step?¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned for a moment before she flew into a rage. ¡°What mistake do you want to make? Qi Haoran, don¡¯t you dare make such a mistake!¡±<div>


    ¡°Let me ask you, will you leave without looking back if I make a mistake and not give me any chance?¡± Qi Haoran looked at her with reddened eyes.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart ached. She felt that Qi Haoran must have made a mistake. Otherwise, why would he ask this question so persistently?


    Her tears fell with a whoosh. She turned around andy on the couch, crying. She couldn¡¯t bear to leave Qi Haoran, but what should she do? Her heart hurt. So dirty¡­


    Stunned, Qi Haoran looked at Mu Yangling, who was crying bitterly, and felt a little helpless. He patted her shoulder clumsily and said, ¡°Why are you crying? I¡¯m the one suffering a grievance and I haven¡¯t even cried yet.¡±<div>


    Mu Yangling turned around and kicked him off the couch. She roared, ¡°What grievance are you suffering? What suffering was there to speak of when you slept with another woman?¡±


    Qi Haoran jumped up. ¡°When did I sleep with another woman? Mu Yangling, don¡¯t push your luck.¡±


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t sleep with another woman, why are you so persistently asking me about what I would do if you made a mistake?¡± Mu Yangling wiped her tears and asked, ¡°Or do you want to make this mistake now?¡±


    Frustrated, Qi Haoran circled the room twice before clenching his fists and saying, ¡°I just don¡¯t understand why you don¡¯t have faith in me. I said that I would do my best to fulfill my promise of having you as my one and only for the rest of my life, but you¡¯re still so paranoid and keep thinking about leaving¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Mu Yangling interrupted him. ¡°When did I be paranoid and keep thinking about leaving? I trust you very much, and I¡¯ve never doubted you for no reason. The most important thing between husband and wife is trust. Haoran, I do trust you.¡±


    ¡°But you said that if I made a mistake, you would leave me¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only if you make a mistake!¡± Mu Yangling emphasized the words ¡°make a mistake¡±.


    At Qi Haoran¡¯s silence, Mu Yangling looked at him with reddened eyes. ¡°Qi Haoran, tell me, are you going back on your word?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Qi Haoran denied firmly. He didn¡¯t deny the fact that many people had sent women to him. Looking at those women, he had been tempted, but he had always adhered to his principles. Those women were only attractive in physical terms, but they couldn¡¯t at all hold a candle to Ah Ling.


    However, as there would be more and more social events in the future, such incidents would only increase. On some asions he might even get drunk. Qi Haoran was a little afraid. If one day, should his self-control decrease while he was intoxicated and he sumbed to his desires, would Ah Ling also leave him and never see him for the rest of his life?


    Every time he thought of this, Qi Haoran felt like his heart was being squeezed in someone¡¯s hand. It was excruciating. He couldn¡¯t bear to part with Ah Ling, couldn¡¯t bear to see her sad, and couldn¡¯t bear to see her leave.


    Without saying anything, Qi Haoran just looked straight at Mu Yangling. She understood those words left unspoken and her face instantly turned pale.


    <div>

 Chapter 615: As If a Knife Was Piercing Ones Heart

    Chapter 615: As If a Knife Was Piercing One¡¯s Heart


    Editor: As Studios


    She had known Qi Haoran since she was nine years old and married him when she was 14. They had known each other for nine years. Did the seven-year itche early, or did ite two yearster?


    Mu Yangling sat on the couch in a daze.


    Initially, Qi Haoran only felt a sense of danger because Mu Yangling didn¡¯t trust him very much and he didn¡¯t trust himself much either. After questioning her angrily, he became nervous. He carefully touched Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. It was just a fleeting thought. No, I didn¡¯t think that way. It¡¯s just a fleeting thought sometimes. I don¡¯t n to do that.¡±


    Mu Yangling remained silent.


    Qi Haoran sighed and scratched his head in frustration. In the end, he could only sit beside Mu Yangling and stare at her nkly.


    Little Bear, who had been cast to the back of their minds, turned his head left and right. In the end, he decided he was furious and pped Qi Haoran¡¯s face, eyes filled with anger. As he punched his father, he turned to look at his mother. Seeing that his mother did not react, he even went forward and grabbed Mu Yangling¡¯s hand to p Qi Haoran¡¯s face.


    Seeing the anxious expression on Little Bear¡¯s face, Mu Yangling¡¯s heart ached. She opened her arms and hugged him, coaxing him in a low voice, ¡°Mother is fine. Mother is fine.¡±


    Anxious, Qi Haoran grabbed Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and pped it upon his face. ¡°Ah Ling, I was spouting nonsense. Really, those thoughts merely shed through my mind briefly in my dreams. I usually don¡¯t even think about it.¡±


    Qi Haoran felt a little regretful. Perhaps he shouldn¡¯t have quarreled with her in the first ce. This way, he wouldn¡¯t have involuntarily revealed that thought.


    Just as this thought rose in his mind, Mu Yangling said, ¡°The most realistic thoughts are the ones a person has in their dreams.¡± She said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be vexed about having said those things. Since you already have such a thought, even if you don¡¯t show it this time, I¡¯d notice it next time.¡±<div>


    ¡­ Could it be that Ah Ling could read minds?


    Mu Yangling carried Little Bear and walked out. Seeing this, Qi Haoran became anxious and spread his arms to block her way. ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To eat.¡± Mu Yangling walked around him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t leave with the child just like that. If I want to leave, I¡¯ll inform you officially and leave openly.¡±


    Qi Haoran was so anxious that his eyes turned red. ¡°How can you do this? Am I so insignificant to you? You¡¯re leaving me just because of one damned thought?!¡±


    Mu Yangling walked around Qi Haoran and did not speak to him. Qi Haoran red at her back with red eyes, then turned around and asked the soldiers to surround the courtyard. He called Fei Bai and Zhu Liang over and said with a pale face, ¡°Guard the courtyard well. Don¡¯t let the Princess Consort and Young Master go out. If they leave, I¡¯ll take your lives!¡±


    Fei Bai and Zhu Liang shivered and they gave each other a quick look. Knowing that the couple had quarreled, the two of them quickly agreed. After leaving, they discussed it and decided to respectively take the day and night shift.


    Themotion outside did not escape Mu Yangling¡¯s ears. She sneered and turned around to eat dinner. If she really wanted to leave, surely these people wouldn¡¯t be able to keep her from doing so?


    However, if she really wanted to leave, she wouldn¡¯t leave secretly like this. She would do so openly.


    But was she really going to leave?


    Mu Yangling was confused.


    In this world, the person who understood her the most and could tolerate her the most was Qi Haoran. If she were to leave Qi Haoran, she would never be able to find someone who could tolerate her so much.


    Although Mu Yangling had never been in a rtionship in her previous life, she knew from the way her heart fluttered when she was with Qi Haoran that she was in love with him.


    Perhaps at first, it was not love, but just a mix of friendship and kinship. After so many years, they were already used to each other¡¯s existence.


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t bear to part with Qi Haoran, but she couldn¡¯t stand sharing a husband with someone. Without having to experience it, just the thought alone was intolerable.


    Could it be that she had to endure that disgust and greet Qi Haoran with a smile?


    Mu Yangling was never someone who could let herself suffer.


    Qi Haoran woke up with a start and turned to look at his wife. Seeing that she had curled up into a ball and her shoulders were trembling, Qi Haoran¡¯s heart felt like it was being stabbed by a knife. He mmed the bed hatefully and went forward to hug her shoulders. Heined, ¡°Just bully me. I didn¡¯t say that I wanted to take in a concubine or a mistress. I didn¡¯t even think about it. I was just worried that you would leave if I should identally fall into someone¡¯s scheme.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s tears moistened the pillow. Seeing how unreasonable Qi Haoran was, she turned around and kicked him. ¡°Am I to me for those filthy thoughts of yours?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s filthy?¡± Qi Haoran hugged Mu Yangling tightly and refused to let her move. He exined, ¡°I-I¡¯m just worried that if I get drunk or drugged and identally make a mistake, will you leave me too?¡±<div>


    At the end of the day, Qi Haoran¡¯s focus had always been on whether Mu Yangling would leave him, not whether he wanted to make a mistake.


    Qi Haoran admitted that he was lustful, but under the premise that Mu Yangling would leave him, he put away all his lustful thoughts. He had always been terrified and uneasy about Mu Yangling leaving him.


    ¡°As long as your will is firm and you don¡¯t have a lustful heart, why should this be a problem?¡±


    Qi Haoran hugged Mu Yangling and remained silent.<div>


    Mu Yangling¡¯s tears fell onto the back of his hand and she cried softly, ¡°I know. You¡¯re just lustful.¡±


    Qi Haoran tightened his grip on Mu Yangling, almost wanting to pull her into his arms. ¡°I don¡¯t care. In short, you¡¯re not allowed to leave me.¡±


    Mu Yanglingy in his arms with a dead heart and let him hug her. She asked, ¡°If you insist on keeping me, you¡¯ll only leave behind a shell. What¡¯s the use?¡±


    Qi Haoran buried his face in Mu Yangling¡¯s neck and said in a muffled voice, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to give up on me.¡±


    Mu Yangling was silent for a long time. In the end, she asked, ¡°If I drink and do something with another man, or if I see a handsome man and think about doing something with him, what will you do?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s body stiffened. He flipped her over and pinned her down, then red at her with reddened eyes. ¡°Which man do you want to do something with?¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled bitterly. ¡°Look, I just casually said that and you couldn¡¯t take it already. Meanwhile, you really thought about it. Qi Haoran, can you understand my heartache?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s expression changed. Then, he looked at her with heartache and said timidly, ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m a man¡­¡±


    ¡°Rtionships don¡¯t differentiate between men and women.¡± Mu Yangling said in an almost inaudible voice, ¡°If you want to have multiple wives and concubines, you shouldn¡¯t have made such a promise before marrying me. Perhaps I wouldn¡¯t have married you, or perhaps I wouldn¡¯t have given my heart to you when we married. I¡¯d just be like other ordinary women and live a stable life.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s heart felt like it was being pierced by a knife. Hey on Mu Yangling¡¯s body and said repeatedly, ¡°I won¡¯t think about it anymore. Not ever again. Even if others force me with a knife, I won¡¯t have any lustful thoughts. Ah Ling, don¡¯t think about leaving me. Truly, it hurts here. It hurts very much!¡± Qi Haoran grabbed Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and pressed it against his heart.

 Chapter 616: Fighting Spirit

    Chapter 616: Fighting Spirit


    Editor: As Studios


    As Qi Haoran closed his eyes and kissed her, a hot tearnded on Mu Yangling¡¯s face. Only then did Mu Yangling realize that his eyes were also wet with tears.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart ached as she touched his face and hugged his neck. Qi Haoran could not help but get stirred. He lowered his head and kissed her lips¡­


    When Mu Yangling woke up, the sky was already bright outside. She sat under the nket andughed at herself. She was too anxious yesterday. It seemed that Jinhua had indeed gotten to her, although she was very confident at that time.


    When Qi Haoran saw her at the door, he hesitated for a moment before turning around to bring her a bowl of porridge. Mu Yangling shook her head slightly. ¡°I haven¡¯t rinsed my mouth yet. I¡¯m not eating.¡±


    Mu Yangling grabbed his hand and said, ¡°Come up. Let¡¯s talk.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately took off his shoes and climbed onto bed. As he tentatively hugged his wife, Mu Yangling found afortable position in his arms andy down. The two of them leaned closely against each other.


    Qi Haoran hugged her and turned over. Lying on his side, he looked at his wife and said in a low voice, ¡°Ah Ling, it was my fault yesterday. I was angry when I heard you so easily speak of separating from me. That¡¯s why I spoke without thinking.¡±


    Mu Yangling also turned to face him and asked in a low voice, ¡°Haoran, tell me honestly, did you have lustful thoughts about another woman?¡± Seeing his hesitation, she hurriedly said, ¡°Tell me honestly. No matter what, I won¡¯t me you.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t settle scores with me in the future either?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t. Let¡¯s have an honest talk. Once we get out of this bed, we won¡¯t harp on the things said.¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran looked at Mu Yangling seriously, as if assessing if she was telling the truth. After a while, he said, ¡°I haven¡¯t had lustful thoughts towards other women. It¡¯s just that when everyone drinks together, it¡¯s inevitable that we¡¯ll have to hire female entertainers to apany us. There¡¯s nock of beautiful and exquisite women among them, but I didn¡¯t do anything to them.¡± Qi Haoran hurriedly rified. Seeing that Mu Yangling nodded without any anger on her face, he said even more carefully, ¡°But I¡¯m always worried that one day, when I¡¯m drunk, someone might set me up with one of those women. What if I make a mistake while intoxicated?¡±


    Qi Haoran said in a low mood, ¡°Those women are just objects. But if I hurt your heart because of this, will you leave me because of this?¡±


    Mu Yangling touched his face and asked, ¡°So you¡¯re worried that you don¡¯t have enough self-control and I¡¯ll leave you, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran thought for a moment and said, ¡°This is only one of my concerns. I want to know more if I¡¯m so unimportant to you that I can¡¯t make a single mistake. Ah Ling, I keep feeling that your heart is too fleeting. Sometimes, I keep feeling that you¡¯ll fly away if you just slip from my grasp¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned for a moment before she smiled bitterly. ¡°Why would you think you¡¯re unimportant to me?¡± Mu Yangling grabbed his hand and ced it on her chest. She muttered softly, ¡°You¡¯re the person who understands me the most in this world. You upy most of my heart¡­¡±


    Tears welled up in Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes, but his mouth was wide open. He felt that these were the most touching words of romance he had ever heard.


    Mu Yangling was silent for a long time before sighing. ¡°Haoran, I¡¯ve always felt that the mind and body should be the same. If one day you develop desires for a woman other than me, does that mean that you like her a little more and like me a little less?¡±


    Qi Haoran hurriedly shook his head. ¡°How can I like you less?¡± He hugged Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Ah Ling, don¡¯t think about it anymore. I was overthinking previously. I won¡¯t think that way again.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be lustful anymore?¡±


    Qi Haoran shook his head. ¡°No.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°It¡¯s fine even if you do. It¡¯s just that if you really sleep with another woman, although I might not be willing to leave you, I¡¯ll definitely be hurt. If I¡¯m hurt enough times, I¡¯ll give up on you. In that case, it doesn¡¯t matter if we¡¯re together or not.¡±


    Qi Haoran tightened his grip on Mu Yangling, recalling Mu Yangling¡¯s bitter criesst night. At that time, his heart felt like it was being stabbed by a knife. He silently vowed never to make her cry again in this lifetime.


    Mu Yangling moved her head andy quietly against Qi Haoran¡¯s chest. She felt that this would be it for now. She couldn¡¯t bear to part with Qi Haoran, nor could she bear to part with this family. Qi Haoran didn¡¯t really do anything wrong either, so she would just live like this for now.


    She knew that she was kind of being an ostrich, but she did not want to probe further at this moment.


    Qi Haoran hugged Mu Yangling, suddenly feeling a little uneasy. ¡°I¡¯ve said my piece. It¡¯s your turn.¡±


    ¡°To say what?¡±


    Qi Haoran asked carefully, ¡°What kind of man do you like?¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°I like someone like you. Someone handsome, majestic, and straightforward. Don¡¯t I like you now?¡±


    The corners of Qi Haoran¡¯s lips curled up. He ced his chin on the top of Mu Yangling¡¯s head and ced her hand on his stomach with his right hand. He promised in a low voice, ¡°Ah Ling, let¡¯s grow old together.¡±<div>


    A tear silently fell from Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes as she clenched her fists tightly.


    When the two of them came out of the room, they looked much better. Seeing this, the servants heaved a sigh of relief.


    Yesterday, they had been sent away from afar, but themotion in the room was not small. Although they could not hear the details, they still knew that the couple had quarreled.


    Today, seeing that Qi Haoran¡¯s expression was dark again, the servants could not help but feel anxious. Now that they saw that the couple had reconciled, they heaved a sigh of relief.<div>


    Qi Haoran was a little careful with Mu Yangling. From time to time, he would look up at her expression. When Mu Yangling met his eyes, she would always smile. Although her attitude was gentle, Qi Haoran still realized that she was in a daze from time to time.


    Feeling a little uneasy, Qi Haoran looked at Mu Yangling even more closely.


    Little Madam Xia noticed that there was something amiss between the two of them. When she returned home, she asked worriedly, ¡°Husband, is Sister-inw angry with His Highness because of Jinhua?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be angry about?¡± Fan Zijin said nonchntly. ¡°Haoran doesn¡¯t have any feelings for that Jinhua woman.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Fan Zijin stood up and said, ¡°They¡¯ll just quarrel and make up again.¡±


    After two to three days, seeing that there was still no joy on Qi Haoran¡¯s face, Fan Zijin found an opportunity when Qi Haoran was not around to look for Mu Yangling. He went straight to the point and asked, ¡°What exactly are you guys fighting about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Mu Yangling said weakly, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine after I get over this.¡±


    Fan Zijin was angry. ¡°By the time you recover, Haoran would¡¯ve died from anxiety. I really don¡¯t know what the two of you are doing. Why do you have to think so much? Isn¡¯t Haoran good to you? Look outside and see who treats you like he does.¡±


    ¡°I treasure him too¡­¡±


    ¡°Only he cares.¡± Fan Zijin interrupted her and said, ¡°There are many people in this world who are willing to treat him as well as you do. If you continue to be so stubborn, I¡¯ll find him two girls who are more sensible, gentle, and considerate than you.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Fan Zijin speechlessly. ¡°Are you here to mediate or to persuade us to fight?¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at Mu Yangling persistently. Mu Yangling said, ¡°It¡¯s useless even if you find him those girls. They¡¯re not me. Haoran won¡¯t like them.¡±<div>


    ¡°Since you know, what¡¯s there to be conflicted about? He¡¯s in your hands now, and you won¡¯t be separated anymore¡­¡±


    That¡¯s right, what was she conflicted about?


    Mu Yangling perked up and looked at him with bright eyes. ¡°You¡¯re right. He¡¯s still in my hands.¡± If even then she couldn¡¯t even keep him, that would simply mean that she was incapable.

 Chapter 617: Gratitude

    Chapter 617: Gratitude


    Editor: As Studios


    After getting off the horse, Qi Haoran threw the reins to Fei Bai with a dark expression. Fei Bai hurriedly turned around and stuffed the reins to Xiao Ting while he followed fearfully.


    Qi Haoran quickly walked to the main courtyard and stopped at the door. Seeing him try his best to put on a smile, Fei Bai said in a sobbing voice, ¡°Master, you might as well not smile.¡±


    Qi Haoran red at him and stood at the entrance of the courtyard for a long time. In the end, he still forced a smile and entered. As soon as he entered, he went straight to the sun-facing east wing where two rooms werebined into one. Mu Yangling and the child were indeed here. The kid was still running around the house sweating profusely and waving the wooden sword in his hands.


    Seeing his father enter, Little Bear waved his wooden sword and charged at him. Qi Haoran dodged his sword and lifted him up, then said with a smile, ¡°Brat, you¡¯re so capable now. You even know how to use a sword.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°How would he know how to use a sword? The kid is just ying around. You can teach him martial arts when he¡¯s a few years older. Didn¡¯t you say that you started practicing martial arts when you were three years old?¡±


    Qi Haoran saw that Mu Yangling was smiling and her smile was not as forced as a few days ago. He was happy, but on the surface, he still said carefully, ¡°Indeed. Shall we also teach him martial arts when he turns three?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can teach him when the timees. This child is gradually getting stronger. I n to teach him how to use his own strength first.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Yangling¡¯s expression was calm, Qi Haoran heaved a sigh of relief. He didn¡¯t mind that his son was too warm and directly carried him to sit beside her. He said with an ingratiating smile, ¡°I remember you used to say that you used to knead small stones and mud to learn mastery over your strength. I¡¯ll get someone to prepare these thingster.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    Seeing that her expression was calm and her eyes were gentle, Qi Haoran reached out to hold her hand and slowly caressed the calluses in her palm. ¡°Why are you in such a good mood today?¡±<div>


    Mu Yangling red at him and said, ¡°When have I not been like this? You¡¯re thinking too much.¡± After a pause, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Why? Is it not good for me to be like this?¡±


    Qi Haoran hurriedly nodded and said with a foolish grin, ¡°I mean, this is great.¡±


    Seeing his dazed look, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but be amused. Seeing that his wife was happy, Qi Haoran alsoughed joyfully. However, the Little Bear in his arms was furious as he couldn¡¯t break free from his father¡¯s arms no matter how hard he struggled. Seeing that his parents only cared about talking to each other and ignored him no matter how much he shouted, Little Bear let out an angry growl and smacked his father¡¯s face.


    The couple was stunned by the loudness of the p. Feeling his face turn slightly numb, Qi Haoran touched the right side of his face. Mu Yangling saw that Qi Haoran¡¯s face was rapidly turning red, and soon a small handprint appeared.


    Little Bear took the opportunity to break free from Qi Haoran¡¯s embrace and cried angrily. From time to time, it would look at Mu Yangling with tears in his eyes andin with babyish noises.


    Qi Haoran asked in a daze, ¡°What did he say?¡±


    Mu Yangling quickly went forward and pulled Little Bear over. ¡°He said that you¡¯re too hot, causing him to sweat all over. He¡¯s ufortable.¡± Mu Yangling touched the child¡¯s back clothes and realized that he was drenched in sweat.


    Only then did Qi Haoran realize that his chest was also wet. Realizing how much the child had sweated just now, he felt a little apologetic and hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to get hot water to wash him and call the imperial physician over to check on him lest he falls sick, given Qiannan¡¯s hot and stuffy climate. He¡¯s sweating too much.¡±


    After taking a shower, Little Bear was changed into dry clothes and finally feltfortable. At this moment, he did not pester anyone. Seated on the couch, he saw his father taking a seat upon the couch with his wet hair. He got up and walked to his side, then touched his face with his small hand and kissed the cheek that he had pped. Soon, Qi Haoran¡¯s face was covered in saliva.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face flushed red, but his heart was filled with warmth. He carried his son and ced him on his knees. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt. If you¡¯re not feeling well next time, just punch me.¡±


    When Mu Yangling came over with a dry towel and heard this, she couldn¡¯t help but push him and chided, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? You¡¯re leading the child astray.¡±


    As she wiped Qi Haoran¡¯s hair dry, she said to her son, ¡°Since you¡¯re strong, you shouldn¡¯t casually hit people in the future, understand? I¡¯ll teach you how to control your strengthter.¡±


    Nobody knew if Little Bear understood her words, but he kept nodding hard.


    Qi Haoran, who was carrying his son, was a little worried. He asked in a low voice, ¡°Why isn¡¯t he able to speak yet? He¡¯s already one and a half years old and will turn two after the new year.¡± If one were to consider his nominal age, the child would already be three years old this year.


    Mu Yangling had never raised a child, but she had been asking around to see what it was like for other children. When she heard this, she said, ¡°Boys tend to start speakingter. It¡¯smon for them to speak after turning one or two. The imperial physician also said that there¡¯s no problem.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded.


    Little Bear suddenly pushed his father¡¯s hand away and climbed onto the couch to y with his oys. Qi Haoran blinked and pinched his ear. ¡°Why are you suddenly unhappy?¡±


    Seeing this, Mu Yangling fell into deep thought.


    At night, after the couple coaxed the child to sleep, Mu Yangling said in a low voice, ¡°In the future, don¡¯t criticize your son in his presence. Although the child is young, he might understand what you¡¯re saying. We have to praise him more.¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran nodded. Seeing that Mu Yangling had turned around to sleep, he could not help but ask, ¡°Did Zijine today?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mu Yangling yawned and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Qi Haoran said with a sour expression, ¡°Did you think it through because he persuaded you?¡±


    Not noticing the jealous look on Qi Haoran¡¯s face, Mu Yangling nodded and said, ¡°Yeah.¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran¡¯s heart seemed to be soaked in jealousy as he muttered, ¡°Why did you heed his words and not mine?¡±


    Mu Yangling had undergone a rollercoaster of emotions today and had made up her mind to treat Qi Haoran well and protect this family. Hence, she was extremely sleepy. At this moment, she was drifting off tond, so she did not hear Qi Haoran¡¯s muttering. She only said subconsciously, ¡°He said that you¡¯re good to me. I¡¯ve also thought it through. As long as we work hard, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have a good life together.¡±


    Qi Haoran muttered unhappily, ¡°Do you really need someone else to tell you how good I am to you¡­¡± Turning around, he saw that Mu Yangling had already closed her eyes and was sleeping soundly. He pulled her into his embrace and found afortable position to fall asleep.


    Although heined, he was actually grateful to Fan Zijin. Hence, for the next few days, whenever Qi Haoran appeared in front of Fan Zijin, he would not be stingy with his smiles. Knowing that Fan Zijin did not have a good appetite and that the food in the military was rough, he specially asked Fei Bai to specially buy lunch from a restaurant in the city and send it to Fan Zijin.


    After eating for a few days, Fan Zijin could not help but ask one day, ¡°Where did your master get the money?¡±


    Xiao Ting, who came to deliver the food, was stunned when he heard this. He immediately replied, ¡°Young Master Zijin, don¡¯t worry. Our master gave me his own silver and didn¡¯t charge it on the public ount.¡±


    ¡°Mm, does your master have private savings?¡± Fan Zijin asked curiously.


    ¡°No, but our master paid for the restaurant food with the monthly allowance he just received this month. He said that Young Master Zijin¡¯s stomach is not good. The food in the army is rough and doesn¡¯t digest easily¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Fan Zijin waved his hand to interrupt him. ¡°I understand. You can leave.¡±


    Knowing that Qi Haoran spent money freely and he did not have much monthly allowance, Fan Zijin wondered if he should find an excuse to send some money to him. Later on, he thought about it. This kid had not been soft-hearted when asking him for money on official matters recently. If on top of that he gave him money privately, Qi Haoran might ask for even more money for the official matters.


    Fan Zijin suppressed his thoughts and decided to let Qi Haoran suffer a little for now.


    However, Xiao Ting¡¯s face was bitter, not knowing what he had said wrong. When he came back and told Fei Bai about that conversation, he was scolded. When he returned home dejectedly, he bumped into Rain, who was in the Princess Consort¡¯s room.


    Rain asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You didn¡¯t do your job well and were reprimanded?¡±<div>

 Chapter 618: Concern

    Chapter 618: Concern


    Editor: As Studios


    As one of the two head servant girls by the Princess Consort¡¯s side, Rain had always been popr in the mansion. In addition, she had a good personality and valued friendship. If anyone in the mansion encountered any difficulties, she would help them as long as she could. Therefore, she was the most popr, even more so than Spring, who had always been valued by Mu Yangling.


    Although Xiao Ting had not interacted with Rain for long, he still treated her like an elder sister. He immediately pulled her to the side and told her everything. ¡°I followed Brother Fei Bai¡¯s instructions to send the food box over and didn¡¯t mess up the job. Why did I get scolded by him?¡±


    Rain smiled and tapped his forehead. ¡°What a fool. Who asked you to tell Young Master Zijin everything, including things you shouldn¡¯t have said?¡±


    Rain said with a smile, ¡°Our master ordered food for Young Master Zijin for his health. It¡¯s fine as long as Young Master Zijin knows his intentions. You shouldn¡¯t have told Young Master Zijin about the monthly allowance. You¡¯re lucky Young Master Zijin is broad-minded. If it were anyone else, they would think that Master asked you to take credit in front of him.¡± Rain said in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯re still young and still have a lot to learn from Brother Fei Bai. Take your time to learn.¡±


    Xiao Ting lowered his head in deep thought. When Rain returned, she told Mu Yangling about this matter and said, ¡°Your Highness knows that His Highness has always been magnanimous. I wonder how much monthly allowance he has left.¡±


    Qi Haoran probably didn¡¯t even know how much monthly allowance he had left and had to ask Fei Bai. However, Mu Yangling was more concerned about something else. ¡°Is the food in the army that bad?¡±


    The servant girls in the room shook their heads, for they had never eaten it before.


    Mu Yangling lowered her head and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Yes, this isn¡¯t the 5th Division. It¡¯s normal for the cooks¡¯ skills to be a littlecking. Spring, inform the kitchen to prepare an extra portion for the Lord in their daily purchase. We¡¯ll send it to him after preparing it here.¡±


    At home, there were cooks and countless servants. She was just fretting that the servants were too free and didn¡¯t have any work to do. Since that was the case, she might as well send food to Qi Haoran.


    ¡°Then Young Master Zijin¡­¡±<div>


    ¡°Go and get a menu from Xiao Ting for me to take a look at.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s menu was personally set by Qi Haoran. Not only were there a few of Fan Zijin¡¯s favorite dishes, but it also had a well-bnced nutritional profile. Most importantly, there were a few stomach-nourishing dishes.


    Mu Yangling handed the list to the cook and asked, ¡°Can you make it?¡±


    As she was from the capital, the chef was more familiar with the cuisine there than the restaurants in Qiannan. Hearing this, she patted her chest and said, ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m familiar with these dishes and can make them even with my eyes closed.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Then prepare another portion ording to this list. When it¡¯s done, send it to Young Master Zijin. You can stop ordering food from the restaurant.¡±


    In any case, since the two of them were in the military camp, sending to two people wasn¡¯t any more effort than sending to one.


    Xiao Ting rolled his eyes and asked shamelessly, ¡°Your Highness, the deposit ced at the restaurant¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Forget it. We¡¯re the ones who broke the agreement after all.¡±


    Xiao Ting was a little disappointed.


    Mu Yangling did not tell Qi Haoran about this in advance, wanting to give him a surprise. Hence, after sending Qi Hao off the next day, she rolled up her sleeves and nned to cook personally.


    Qi Haoran liked to eat meat, and so did Mu Yangling. However, she also liked to eat vegetables, so there was nock of vegetables for every meal. As for Qi Haoran, as long as it was possible, his chopsticks would never fail to take a detour around the te of vegetables. Even at such a young age, Little Bear had already inherited this bad habit of his father¡¯s.


    Therefore, for the sake of his health, Mu Yangling forced vegetables into his bowl at every meal. With a warning gaze, she forced him to eat the vegetables and stopped him from throwing the vegetables away. ¡°Your son is watching. Look at how he¡¯s only eyeing the meat at such a young age. If he learns from you, won¡¯t he not eat any vegetables at all? Imperial Physician Wang said that vegetables provide essential nutrients for the human body. Quickly eat up.¡±


    Even with her supervision, Qi Haoran was so reluctant. Without her watching, it was even more impossible to make him eat vegetables. Hence, Mu Yangling thought for a while and finally ced the vegetables in the middle of the two meat dishes after preparing the dishes. The dishes were all prepared ording to Qi Haoran¡¯s appetite. When she handed the food box to Xiao Ting, she said, ¡°You have to watch to make sure His Highness eats them all. Tell His Highness not to waste the food. If there¡¯s any left, I won¡¯t send him food in the future.¡±


    Xiao Ting hurriedly nodded in agreement and eagerly went to deliver the food box to Qi Haoran. When he arrived at the military camp, it was just in time for lunch. Qi Haoran was eating a steamed bun. When he saw Xiao Ting carrying two food boxes over, he frowned slightly. ¡°Why did you bring a food box here?¡±


    Xiao Ting said with a smile, ¡°Master, Her Highness specially made this for you.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. He felt that Ah Ling had be more and more considerate recently.


    Xiao Ting put Fan Zijin¡¯s food box aside and opened Qi Haoran¡¯s first. There were only twoyers inside. The topyer was filled with warm rice, and the bottomyer contained the dishes. Qi Haoran stuck his head out to take a look. It was his favorite braised pork. From the color, he knew that it was made by Ah Ling. This was because the color was not red enough, nor was it bright enough, and even the meat was not fat enough. Still, Qi Haoran liked it.


    Xiao Ting said with a smile, ¡°Her Highness also said that if you like it, she will cook and send it to you every day.¡±


    Qi Haoran was ted. ¡°Really?¡±<div>


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. I wouldn¡¯t dare to lie to you, so you have to finish all the food. Otherwise, if I bring back the leftovers, she might think that you don¡¯t like it. Then, I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t cook anymore.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately said disdainfully, ¡°This amount is barely enough for me to fill my stomach.¡±


    Qi Haoran picked up a piece of braised pork and asked, ¡°There¡¯s only one dish?¡± Although he liked to eat braised pork, it was a little monotonous to only have one dish for a meal.


    Xiao Ting immediately said, ¡°There are three of them. The other dishes are underneath.¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips. ¡°It¡¯s the Princess Consort¡¯s first time putting food in a food box, so she might not know how to do so. Why didn¡¯t any of you remind her? The dishes should be ced in separateyers. If there isn¡¯t a bigger food box in the residence, go buy one.¡±


    Xiao Ting chuckled and stood at the side to watch. Qi Haoran had only picked up two pieces of braised pork with his chopsticks when he pulled out arge mouthful of vegetables from underneath.


    Qi Haoran blinked and reached down with his chopsticks. There was stir-fried turtledove under the vegetables. Qi Haoran looked at the vegetables and instantly understood Mu Yangling¡¯s intentions. He turned around and said to Xiao Ting, ¡°Go back and tell the Princess Consort that I¡¯ve eaten all the vegetables she made.¡±


    Xiao Ting stared nkly at the vegetables in the food box.


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips and really finished it up obediently. Of course, he knew that he had to eat vegetables in addition to the meat, but he was happy to see Mu Yangling shower him with concern or re at him angrily.


    Only then did Xiao Ting heave a sigh of relief. Qi Haoran stared at the other food box and said, ¡°What time is it? Aren¡¯t you going to send it to Young Master Zijin?¡±


    Xiao Ting patted his forehead lightly and hurriedly brought the food box to Fan Zijin.


    Unlike Qi Haoran¡¯s food box, Fan Zijin¡¯s dishes were not mixed together. His food box was big, with two horizontal rows and three vertical rows. Xiao Ting gently opened the food box and took out the rice first. Then, he took out a few dishes and finally a bowl of soup.


    Four dishes and a soup filled the table. The quantity was not big, but it was more exquisite than what the restaurant made.

 Chapter 619: Thoughts

    Chapter 619: Thoughts


    Editor: As Studios


    Fan Zijin raised his eyebrows slightly and said with a smile, ¡°Her Highness is very considerate.¡±


    At night, Qi Haoran came back smugly and kissed Mu Yangling. ¡°I know I¡¯m constantly on your mind. Don¡¯t worry, although I don¡¯t like vegetarian food, as long as it¡¯s made by you, I¡¯ll eat it all.¡±


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and smiled. The next day, she did not mix all the dishes together. Just like Fan Zijin¡¯s, she ced them separately; there were four dishes and a soup. However, Qi Haoran had three meat dishes and one vegetable dish, while Fan Zijin had two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes. Moreover, Qi Haoran¡¯s dishes were all made by Mu Yangling¡¯s slightly crude culinary skills, while Fan Zijin¡¯s dishes were meticulously prepared by the chef.


    After cooking for a few days and learning seriously from the chef, Mu Yangling¡¯s culinary skills, which had not improved for many years, actually became better and better.


    Seeing how lovey-dovey the couple was, Fan Zijin gritted his teeth. He turned around and found something for them to do. ¡°This is an invitation sent by the Miao stockade. Now that Ji¡¯an¡¯s eldest son and son-inw are back, he¡¯s inviting us over for dinner.¡±


    Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, ¡°You can just go by yourself. Otherwise, send your subordinates.¡± Although Qi Haoran did not have a Grade 2B general under him, there were several Grade 3 generals among them. They were more than qualified to represent him to attend the Miao stockade¡¯s banquet.


    However, Fan Zijin said, ¡°The Han Chineseprise one-third of Qiannan, and the Miao people nearly two-thirds. The remaining few are from the Yao tribe and other ethnic groups who don¡¯t pose a threat. However, we have to build a good rtionship with the Miao tribe.¡±


    ¡°Though the conflict between the Han and Miao people has been going on for a long time, I¡¯m just a soldier. I¡¯m only responsible for training the soldiers and guarding the southwest and northwest borders. Maintaining good politics with the Miao tribe should be the local officials¡¯ concern. Didn¡¯t Big Brother send Teacher Liu to be the magistrate of Ju Prefecture? When will he take office?¡±


    Back then, Teacher Liu did not pass the jinshi examination, but Mu Yangling asked Fan Zijin to get him a County Deputy position. That county was in the north, so Teacher Liu naturally joined Qi Xiuyuan. Or, it should be said that because of his ties with Mu Yangling, he had long beenbeled as being under Qi Haoran¡¯s wing.


    In just two to three years, he was promoted from a County Deputy to a County Magistrate. Less than half a yearter, after Qi Xiuyuan ascended the throne, he made him the magistrate of Ju Prefecture.<div>


    Ju Prefecture was very poor, but no matter how poor it was, a magistrate was still a magistrate. Teacher Liu was extremely grateful and was rushing over at the moment.


    Fan Zijin was more involved in political affairs than Qi Haoran. When he heard this, he replied, ¡°He¡¯ll be here in four to five days.¡± He said, ¡°Why do you think Big Brother let Teacher Liue to Ju Prefecture? Isn¡¯t it because he¡¯s one of us? Big Brother clearly wants you to improve the rtionship between the Han and the Miao.¡±


    Qi Haoran pondered. During Emperor Shizong¡¯s time, the Imperial Court treated the minorities and the Han Chinese the same way. Due to the remote and barrennd where the minorities lived, Emperor Shizong even gave them tax cuts and exemption policies every year. It could be said that at that time, everyone was united. Although Qi Haoran did not like to read, he was familiar with history books.


    Later on, when Emperor Gaozong ascended the throne, the few Emperors after him were a little extravagant. In addition, war began in the northwest, north, and northeast. The wealth umted by Emperor Shizong was gradually depleted, and the treasury eventually became empty. As such, they could only increase taxes. Most of the officials in the imperial court suggested imposing heavier taxes on the minorities in Qiannan, the northwest, and the north.


    For nearly a hundred years after Emperor Shizong, the lives of the minorities became more and more difficult, and the taxes became heavier and heavier. The Han people were already taxed enough, and the minorities¡¯ taxes were three times heavier than the Han people¡¯s. If not for the fact that they were united as a tribe and helped each other out, more than half of them would have starved to death.


    However, it was also because they were born from a tribe that they were more prone to rebellions. In the past 20 years, there had been constant rebellions by ethnic minorities in Qiannan. In fact, they contributed a lot to the destruction of the Great Zhou. If West Xia had not passed by Qiannan when they entered the pass and burned, killed, and plundered, Qi Haoran would not have been able to control them.


    Could it be that Big Brother wanted to imitate Emperor Shizong and subdue the Miao people psychologically?


    Fan Zijin said, ¡°In the past two months, I¡¯ve often walked around the city and seen that the Han people and the Miao people live separately. The Han people look down on the Miao people and other minorities, and the Miao people also hate the Han people. Although there have been no killings and plunderings, there have been many fights. Haoran, how can a weak schr like Teacher Liu control the valiant Miao people? Eldest Cousin probably sent him to be the magistrate because of you. After all, he¡¯s your guy and won¡¯t stop you from doing anything.¡±


    ¡°But the military and politics have always been separated¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, the military and politics have to be separated. However, if Teacher Liu asks for your help, you can help for the safety of the locals and the country.¡±


    After some pondering, Qi Haoran wrote a letter to Qi Xiuyuan at night.


    Mu Yangling ground ink for him at the side and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been walking around Ju Prefecture City for the past few days and realized that only a small number of merchants in the city know themonnguage. Most of them speak their own dialect. When the Han and Miao people trade with each other, they can only gesture with their hands. Even if the Imperial Court doesn¡¯t give preferential treatment to the Han people and treat all races equally, there will be problems given the way theymunicate with each other.¡±


    Qi Haoran bit the tip of his pen and said, ¡°Since Qiannan rarelymunicates with the outside world, it¡¯s normal for them to use themonnguage less often. They all speak the Ju Prefecture dialect.¡±


    ¡°But from what I see, there are very few people who know Ju Prefecture¡¯s dialect. It¡¯s fine for the Han people since most of them know the dialect. However, the Miao people tend to cluster together and rarely leave the Miao stockade. Almost none of them know Ju Prefecture¡¯s dialect. I think if you want to control Qiannan well, the first thing you need to do is to open a school and let everyone learn themonnguage. The younger ones can slowly learn it, and children tend to pick up a newnguage very quickly. As for the older kids, they just need to learn the termsmonly used in daily life. The rest can be taught by their children¡­¡±


    Frowning, Qi Haoran said, ¡°Considering this ispletely targeted at the Miao people, I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t be willing. Besides, opening a school costs a lot. The Ju Prefecture government office seems to be very poor.¡±


    That was indeed the case. The government office was in tatters. Although the wall in the backyard hadn¡¯t copsed, it was mottled. Also, the roof had been in disrepair for a long time. See, this was why Qi Haoran was temporarily staying in the squires¡¯ house and wasn¡¯t willing to live in the government office.


    Mu Yangling coughed lightly. Clearly, she also knew this reason. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we raise funds instead of asking money from the government office? We have a lot of money in our residence. When the timees, we¡¯ll pay the bulk of the money first. Once we take the lead, the officials and gentry will definitely follow. The children who enroll in the school don¡¯t have to pay. They can juste in and study.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°In addition to teaching them themonnguage, we should also teach them ¡®The Analects¡¯ and the ¡®Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues¡­¡± Should all the Miao children learn ethics, in ten or 20 years, there should be much fewer instances of war, even if rebellions were not eliminated entirely.


    Mu Yangling was tongue-tied. Her original intention was only to teach them Mandarin so that the Han and the Miao people would not have conflicts due to mimunication. Who knew that Qi Haoran would directly do a ¡®cultural invasion¡¯?<div>


    Looking at Qi Haoran, who was excitedly writing to Qi Xiuyuan, Mu Yangling decided to go down and prepare supper for him. Otherwise, with Qi Haoran¡¯s habit of writing everything that came to mind, he would probably go hungry tonight.


    Indeed, Qi Haoran wrote more and more. By the time he was done, there was a thick stack of paper. He originally wanted to check if there were any mistakes, but when he saw that it was so thick, he no longer felt like doing it. He waited for the ink on it to dry before folding the papers and stuffing them into arge envelope.

 Chapter 620: Wishes

    Chapter 620: Wishes


    Editor: As Studios


    When Qi Xiuyuan received Qi Haoran¡¯s letter, he was shocked. Did he identally send some official documents to him as a letter?


    After reading the letter, Qi Xiuyuan fell into deep thought.


    He had indeed promoted Liu Qing to the magistrate of Ju Prefecture to make it easier for Qi Haoran to do things. However, he did not think that he could fix things with the minorities with just a few years of tenure. Emperor Shizong only managed to make some progress after working hard for nearly 20 years. In the end, his descendants had wasted his previous 20 years of hard work in just a moment of extravagance. Therefore, what Qi Xiuyuan wanted to do more was to set up a system and stabilize some policies throughws and holy decrees. This way, even if his descendants were ipetent, the government would not be too muddle-headed, and the Qi Empire would be able tost longer.


    Of course, this was just Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s vague idea. It was still too early to talk about this. All he could do was try his best to smooth things over and stabilize things for his people.


    Regarding Qi Haoran¡¯s suggestion, Qi Xiuyuan could only reply with three words: ¡°Take your time.¡±


    Every Emperor wanted to be a wise ruler and leave their name in history. Whether they seeded or not, it all depended on their ability, morals, and self-control.


    Didn¡¯t Emperor Jingyan have the ambition of being the best in history?


    He did, but he was inadequate in capabilities, morals, and self-control. That was why he had suffered such a crushing defeat.


    For Qi Xiuyuan to be able to subdue the hearts of the army and obtain the support of so many people, it could be seen how charming and capable he was. He also loved and respected the people. In addition, as a general who often was in life-and-death situations, self-control was the most basic quality, so he had nock of that. Thus, his chances of sess depended on whether the heavens would give him this opportunity to give his country and his subjects a chance to recuperate.


    As long as he obtained this opportunity and did not die young, he had a high chance of bing a wise ruler whose name would be recorded in history.<div>


    At this moment, Qi Haoran was still unaware of his Big Brother¡¯s thoughts and the responsibility that was about to be given to him. He was ring at Mu Yangling with a puffed-up face, refusing to let her put on the clothes sent by the Miao stockade.


    It would be the Miao Year soon. At that time, there would be a gathering in therger Miao stockade in Qiannan. This year, it happened to be Ji¡¯an¡¯s Miao stockade¡¯s turn to hold it. As the Miao Year was the most grand festival for the Miao nsmen, Ji¡¯an had sent the Miao costume in advance.


    Sending Miao costumes to esteemed guests was their highest treatment. As Qi Haoran also had the intention to build a good rtionship with the Miao people, he wanted to wear the Miao costume they had sent over.


    However, while Qi Haoran¡¯s was fine, Mu Yangling¡¯s costume had medium-long sleeves, revealing a small part of her arms. Before Mu Yangling realized that something was wrong, Qi Haoran was already frowning. Only he could look at those fair and tender arms of hers. He didn¡¯t mind it if she just wore such a costume at home, but he didn¡¯t like the idea of her baring her arms in front of other men.


    Hence, Qi Haoran changed his mind at thest minute. Instead of wearing the Miao costume, he was going to wear his own court uniform. Mu Yangling was also to wear the Lady of the Imperial Command costume.


    ¡°Are you sure you want me to walk in the Lady of the Imperial Command costume for a day? Besides, don¡¯t you find it hot to wear the court uniform on such a warm day?¡±


    Although it was already autumn, the temperature in Qiannan was still quite high. Coupled with the stuffy and hot climate, Qi Haoran could feel sweat dripping down his face even though he was only wearing two pieces of clothing.


    At this moment, his forehead was covered in sweat. As he wiped his sweat, heined in a low voice, ¡°Didn¡¯t Jiangnan start to get cold when you came? People over there are already wearing jackets at this time. Why is it still so hot here?¡±


    It was the ninth month of the lunar calendar and winter was approaching. Mu Yangling had never been to Qiannan in her previous life, so she really did not know what the weather in Qiannan should be like at this time.


    Mu Yangling changed out of the Miao costume and folded it. She said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we get someone to lengthen the sleeves? I heard that all the Miao tribes consisting of more than 1,000 people in Qiannan wille to gather. At the very least, we can make them feel at ease by wearing the Miao costume.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t want to be impolite by altering it on her own, so she returned the Miao costume to Ji¡¯an and told him her request.


    Ji¡¯an called his eldest son and son-inw over. Frowning, Ji¡¯an Yong said, ¡°If we alter it, it won¡¯t conform to the etiquette.¡±


    Among the women of their race, half-sleeved clothes were the most noble. However, Ji¡¯an¡¯s son-inw, Chen Jiacai, said with a smile, ¡°The Han people value chastity, so it¡¯s understandable. Brother-inw, you shouldn¡¯t think that it doesn¡¯t conform to our etiquette. It¡¯s only the best if it conforms to the etiquette for both sides. Therefore, we can get someone to lengthen the sleeves of the costume and embroider our n¡¯s flowers on them as a sign of solemnity.¡±


    Ji¡¯an nodded repeatedly. ¡°That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s do that. Jiacai, I¡¯ll leave this matter to you. When it¡¯s done, send it to Her Highness personally. Your sister-inw angered her previously. I hope she doesn¡¯t take the matter to heart.¡±


    Chen Jiacai nodded with a smile. He paused for a moment and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you let Brother-inw go with me so that we can sound out the Imperial Court¡¯s intentions? Although we can also be exempted from taxes for three years, this year is just the first year and three years will pass quickly. I wonder how high our taxes will be after that.¡±


    Speaking of this, Ji¡¯an was worried and said regretfully, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that the West Xia army rushed over too quickly back then. Otherwise, we might have been able to leave the Imperial Court and be one with Dali.¡±


    Chen Jiacai frowned slightly and said in a low voice, ¡°Father-inw, it¡¯s better for us to forget about this matter. Actually, integrating into Dali might not be a good thing. Previously, we had no choice but to have such thoughts. After all, the taxes of the Great Zhou were getting heavier and heavier to the point where we really couldn¡¯t take it anymore. However, now that the new dynasty is established, the country needs to recuperate. Considering the decent strength of Great Qi, staying in Great Qi is definitely better than integrating into Dali.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Father. I also feel that Dali¡¯s envoys had ill intentions. They had just agreed to form an alliance with us but they immediately fled when they encountered West Xia¡¯s troops. If not for Prince Qi leading an army to attack West Xia¡¯s troops, we might have all died.¡± As he spoke, he was filled with admiration for Qi Haoran.


    Ji¡¯an looked at his son speechlessly, then turned to his son-inw and said earnestly, ¡°Jiacai, you have to help my eldest boy. This child is too naive.¡±<div>


    Chen Jiacai couldn¡¯t help but smile and hurriedly said, ¡°Father-inw, you¡¯re thinking too much. I think it¡¯s good that Brother-inw is like this. Who among the younger generation in the stockade doesn¡¯t submit to Brother-inw?¡±


    Ji¡¯an Yong nodded and said angrily, ¡°Dad, you only know how to criticize me. What¡¯s wrong with me worshiping heroes?¡±


    ¡°Nothing wrong with that, but we Miao people have been bullied by the Han people for generations. We should keep as much a distance away from them as possible, lest they have a chance to scheme against us.¡±


    When Chen Jiacai saw his father-inw frowning in worry, he could not help but sigh in his heart. Not all Han people bullied the Miao people, but the Imperial Court¡¯s policies were indeed biased. Seeing that the bailiffs were not polite to the Miao people, some Han people followed suit and treated the Miao people more harshly.<div>


    For example, when the Han people and the Miao people argued, the officials would be more biased towards the Han people. Regardless of right or wrong, the Miao people were punished more severely for the same crime than their Han counterparts. Also, the Miao people were rewarded less handsomely for the same meritorious service. Due to such differential treatment, the conflict between the two races escted as time passed.


    Only the Imperial Court was capable of resolving this matter by being not biased or less biased. This way, the Miao people would have more time to recuperate and this would in turn de-escte the conflict between the Miao and Han people.


    Born a Han Chinese, Chen Jiacai had studied since he was young and had long understood the essence after 20 years of studies.

 Chapter 621: Inspiration

    Chapter 621: Inspiration


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran was just speaking of Chen Jiacai with Fan Zijin when they received an invitation from the stockade. This time, they were going to have fun on the surface, but there were actually many things to discuss. Only by knowing one¡¯s enemy could one be at an advantageous position. Hence, Qi Haoran had already gotten someone to check on the situation of the stockade.


    Because Ji¡¯an¡¯s Miao stockade was in Ju Prefecture, it received the most attention from Qi Haoran. Among them, the person who received the most attention from Qi Haoran was Chen Jiacai.


    Chen Jiacai was a Han Chinese, but he had grown up in the Miao stockade. Now, he had even married Ji¡¯an¡¯s eldest daughter, Han. Ji¡¯an trusted him very much and was even more willing to entrust him with some matters than his son, Ji¡¯an Yong. It could be seen how much faith he had in Chen Jiacai.


    ¡°What¡¯s interesting is that Chen Jiacai¡¯s parents are still alive.¡± Qi Haoran said, ¡°ording to the information we obtained, Chen Jiacai was sold by his parents. Unable to withstand the beatings and scoldings from his new family, he escaped. While fleeing, he was saved by Ji¡¯an and brought back to the Miao stockade. Not only did Ji¡¯an raise him, but he also let him learn to read Chinese characters with his son. Unfortunately, Ji¡¯an Yong wasn¡¯t cut out for studying and barely learnt enough to not be illiterate. On the other hand, Chen Jiacai can be considered to be well-aplished in his studies. From the age of 12, he has been giving advice to Ji¡¯an. In the beginning, Ji¡¯an¡¯s Miao stockade only had more than 3,000 people and wasn¡¯t even ranked top three in the Ju Prefecture. However, after Chen Jiacai became the Military Advisor for ten years, the number of people in Ji¡¯an¡¯s Miao stockade has increased by two times. Moreover, in the previous dynasty, the Miao people generally had a bad rtionship with the Han Chinese as well as the Imperial Court. Inparison, located outside of Ju Prefecture, Ji¡¯an¡¯s Miao stockade had a somewhat decent rtionship with the Imperial Court. This wasrgely thanks to Chen Jiacai.¡±


    Qi Haoran praised, ¡°After the war subsided this time, all the Miao stockades in Qiannan were weakened to varying degrees. However, most of the people in Ji¡¯an¡¯s Miao stockade managed to survive. Other than the soldiers who died on the battlefield, no old, weak, women, and children died from the war and hunger.¡±


    Fan Zijin sat up straight and asked, ¡°Where did they get the food and money?¡±


    ¡°Trade.¡± Qi Haoran said, ¡°Chen Jiacai brought the Miao stockade people to trade with Dali. He sold their medicinal herbs and some precious gems to Dali¡¯s merchants and bought grains and other supplies from Dali.¡±


    ¡°Smuggling?¡± Fan Zijin was very displeased. He was consideredwless and relied on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s influence to do business, but even he did not dare to smuggle.


    However, Qi Haoran admired Chen Jiacai¡¯s courage and strategic insight. He said, ¡°If I didn¡¯t ask the scouts to keep an eye on the stockade, we might not have discovered it. But even so, we only managed to mark out half of the route.¡±


    Qi Haoran was not too angry about Chen Jiacai¡¯s smuggling because Great Qi had just been established. Even if someone were to smuggle, they would be smuggling private property from the Great Zhou Dynasty. In such chaotic times, Qi Haoran admired him for being able to use this method to protect the people he cared about.<div>


    However, admiring him did not mean that he would continue to indulge him. Hence, Qi Haoran instructed someone to find the smuggling route and seal it.


    ¡°What do you n to do?¡± Fan Zijin frowned and said, ¡°Seeing as you cut off their source of ie the moment you arrived, I¡¯m afraid it will cause a bacsh.¡±


    Although Fan Zijin did not like Chen Jiacai, he had no choice but to look at the problem objectively. He did not want Qi Haoran to have a conflict with them now.


    Qi Haoran said with a smile, ¡°Who said I was going to cut off their source of ie?¡±


    ¡°They can do business with other people, no? The reason why they took the risk to do business with Dali was to avoid heavy taxes and exploitation. Let¡¯s not talk about the heavy taxes first. With me here, who would dare to exploit them? As for business taxes, the Miao and Han people currently pay the same taxes. As long as Chen Jiacai isn¡¯t stupid, he won¡¯t take the risk to do such a thing again.¡±


    Fan Zijin raised his eyebrows and looked at Qi Haoran. Then, he leaned back in his chair and slowly took a sip of tea, all the while ignoring Qi Haoran who was staring at him eagerly. Qi Haoran could not help but say, ¡°Zijin, since you¡¯re already involved in so many businesses, why don¡¯t you just open a few more medicinal shops?¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡± Fan Zijin spat at him and said, ¡°I knew you were up to no good. Do you think running a medicinal herb business is so easy? Qiannan does have many precious herbs, but you want to run a medicinal herb business with just those few herbs? Are you nning to use my money to fill the stomachs of the Miao nsmen?¡±


    Although Fan Zijin had never been in the medicinal herb business, he knew a lot about it and more or less knew some tricks. After he quoted a few examples and analyzed the cost with Qi Haoran, thetter instantly dismissed the idea. To outsiders, he was much more petty than Fan Zijin now.


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°I only suggested it because I thought that the medicinal herb business is profitable. Since it isn¡¯t, we won¡¯t do it. Considering Great Qi upies such a vastnd, can¡¯t we find someone who¡¯s willing to buy the herbs?¡±


    Qi Haoran originally thought that if they could control the lifeline of their business, they would be able to control the Miao stockade in the future. However, if the medicinal herb business was not profitable, they naturally could not use their own money to make up for the losses.


    Qi Haoran pped his hands and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to investigate the medicinal herb merchants in the cityter and see if I can help them find a sales route.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded. ¡°There aren¡¯t many medicinal herb merchants in the city, but it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to find some who are willing to cooperate with the Miao stockade.¡±


    Qi Haoran had been thinking about this question the entire time. During dinner, he also pondered it. Then, it urred to him that the Miao people¡¯s medicinal herbs were picked directly from the mountains, and he wondered what would happen if they finished picking them one day.


    Moreover, there were too many miasma, poisonous insects, and ferocious beasts in the mountains. Now, regardless of whether it was the Han people or the Miao people, they were all citizens of Great Qi. He mustn¡¯t let his Big Brother¡¯s citizens die easily.


    Qi Haoran was vexed. ¡°Why do these herbs have to grow in the mountains?¡±


    ¡°Who said that all the medicinal herbs grow in the mountains? Aren¡¯t there also some on the edge of the fields? There are also some fields that specially nt medicinal herbs. Little Bear is at a stage where he absorbs knowledge quickly. Don¡¯t mislead him.¡± Mu Yangling answered Qi Haoran while tearing some chicken meat for Little Bear to eat.


    Only then did Qi Haoran realize that he had unknowingly blurted out the question. When he heard Mu Yangling¡¯s answer, he immediately mmed the table andughed out loud. ¡°That¡¯s right. We can nt medicinal herbs of various types¡ªsuch as ginseng, lingzhi, and knotweed. Won¡¯t Zijin be able to start a medicinal herb business if there are more varieties?¡±


    Mu Yangling asked curiously, ¡°Zijin wants to run a medicinal herb business? Seeing as he¡¯s so busy now, how would he have the time to think about running this business?¡±


    ¡°I was the one who suggested it to him.¡± Qi Haoran whispered his thoughts to Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Think about it. The Miao people have always lived in poverty. Thend here is barren, and it¡¯s mostly high mountains and dense forests. Not much grain is grown here. Since those herbs can survive even in the deep mountains and old forests, we can consider nting them? When the timees, we¡¯ll buy the herbs after they¡¯re harvested. It won¡¯t be much, but it can at least make their lives a little better. Besides, it won¡¯t take long. In two to three years, the Miao people will be relying on us. At that time, they won¡¯t be able to disobey us.¡±<div>


    Mu Yangling frowned. ¡°There are so many medicinal herb merchants in the world. As long as they sessfully nt the herbs and make a name for themselves, they won¡¯t have to worry about having no takers for their harvests. Why do they have to sell them to you?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s excited expression froze. He tilted his head and said, ¡°We can forbid them from selling it to others?¡±


    Without Mu Yangling¡¯s objection, he knew that it wouldn¡¯t do. He wanted to be on good terms with the Miao people, not oppose them. Scratching his head, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s ask Zijin, the expert at doing business.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded.<div>

 Chapter 622: Cautious

    Chapter 622: Cautious


    Editor: As Studios


    Fan Zijin pondered the matter in silence. After a while, he asked, ¡°Do you want me to monopolize this business so that the Miao people will listen to you and me in the future, or do you want the Miao people to submit to the Imperial Court?¡±


    ¡°Of course I want them to obey the Imperial Court,¡± Qi Haoran said without hesitation. His heart skipped a beat and he asked, ¡°Do you intend for the government office to be in charge of this matter?¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded. ¡°We can go to Jiangnan and the north to look for merchants who are willing to buy herbs. We can set a time for them toe over to buy herbs every year during the harvesting period. The government office will be the middleman. In the end, with the help of the herbs, the other businesses in Qiannan will definitely develop. With more people in employment, life will be easier for the people of Qiannan.¡±


    Qi Haoran deduced the possibility in his heart. After a while, he said with a smile, ¡°This idea is not bad, but we can¡¯t give up eating for fear of choking. For the nting of medicinal herbs, we can only use wastnd and mountains. Thend currently used to grow grains can¡¯t be used to grow medicinal herbs.¡±


    Otherwise, once people saw that nting medicinal herbs was profitable, everyone would swarm over to nt the herbs. If no one nted grains and the price of grains increased, wouldn¡¯t themoners be the ones to suffer ultimately? In the end, the country would probably be in chaos.


    Ah Ling often said that grains and the people were the foundation of the country.


    Qi Haoran had always remembered it in his heart.


    The two of them discussed some important matters before finalizing the matter of going to the Miao stockade the day after tomorrow. ¡°Are you bringing Sister-inw along?¡±


    Fan Zijin frowned. He did not like to bring his family out.


    Qi Haoran urged him. ¡°Since Ah Ling is going, bring Sister-inw along too. Let her go out and rx.¡±<div>


    Hence, when they set off that day, Little Madam Xia came over to apany Mu Yangling. She pinched Little Bear¡¯s face and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s only been two days since west met, but this child has gained weight again.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°He has a good appetite, and children of his age grow up quickly. He looks a little different every day.¡±


    Little Madam Xia teased Mu Yangling. Seeing that she was wearing the Miao costume, she touched the fabric curiously. ¡°It looks quite nice.¡±


    ¡°Their colors are very gorgeous, right? I think it looks nice, too. If you like it, I¡¯ll get Cousin to buy you a setter.¡±


    Little Madam Xia¡¯s face was slightly red, but her eyes were a little sad. She was not Mu Yangling, and Fan Zijin was unlike Qi Haoran. How could she dare to ask?


    Seeing this, Mu Yangling encouraged her, ¡°You have to say it out loud so that he will know what you want. Although he¡¯s usually quite intelligent, he¡¯s actually not very enlightened when ites to knowing what women want.¡±


    Mu Yangling always felt that Fan Zijin was lonely. His father didn¡¯t love him, and his mother didn¡¯t dote on him enough. Although Qi Haoran was his good pal, Qi Haoran worked one-third of the day, slept one-third of the day, and the remaining one-third was upied by Mu Yangling, Little Bear, and the everyday tasks like eating and grooming. There really wasn¡¯t too much time that he could allocate to Fan Zijin.


    She had been to the military camp to see the two of them work. Qi Haoran trained the soldiers and would go to the arena to fight with the soldiers from time to time. On the other hand, Fan Zijin sat in a room from morning to night, dealing with official documents. asionally, he would go out for work. ording to Little Madam Xia, when Fan Zijin returned home, he spent most of his time sleeping and the rest of his time in the study.


    He typically only exchanged a few ordinary greetings with Little Madam Xia. She could tell that Little Madam Xia admired Fan Zijin, so she hoped that she could be braver and warm Fan Zijin¡¯s heart. This way, he would have another person who cared for and loved him.


    Mu Yangling was willing to encourage this couple for the sake of Qi Haoran, if not for the friendship they had growing up together.


    Tempted, Little Madam Xia started to look outside.


    Mu Yangling smiled and lifted the curtain. Seeing Fan Zijin sitting on the horse drowsily, she shouted, ¡°Cousin Zijin, why don¡¯t you get in the carriage and let Little Bear and I ride the horse?¡±


    Little Bear, who was swaying and about to fall asleep, instantly woke up. He crawled to the car window on all fours, revealing his round head. His ck eyes stared at Fan Zijin, filled with desire.


    Fan Zijin felt as if his heart had been shot by an arrow. The sleepiness on his face immediately dissipated, and he felt a numb sensation setting in. Ignoring Mu Yangling, he opened his arms to Little Bear and said with a smile, ¡°Come, Little Bear, Uncle will ride with you on the horse.¡±


    Little Bear chirped happily and reached out to climb out of the carriage window. Mu Yangling quickly grabbed him. This child was a little fat now and was wearing an extra shirt. What if he got stuck in the carriage window while trying to climb out?


    Mu Yangling carried the child to the shaft of the carriage and handed him to Fan Zijin. She said regretfully, ¡°Are you really not going to take the carriage?¡±


    Did he look that weak?


    Fan Zijin rolled his eyes and carefully ced Little Bear against his chest before making the horse go forward.


    Qi Haoran had already ridden up and was protecting them from the side. His eyes did not move as he stared at Fan Zijin¡¯s arm that was holding his son. When Fan Zijin saw this, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure your son doesn¡¯t fall.¡±<div>


    ¡°You have no idea, but this kid is very naughty and strong. Thest time I brought him on a horse, he suddenly jumped up and I almost couldn¡¯t catch him. I was so frightened that I broke out in a cold sweat.¡± Qi Haoran stared at his son and said to Fan Zijin, ¡°Why don¡¯t I carry him? I¡¯m strong.¡±


    Fan Zijin rejected without thinking. ¡°No.¡±


    Qi Haoran wrinkled his nose and said rudely, ¡°This is my son!¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted and mped his legs together, making the horse speed up. Qi Haoran hurriedly followed. Feeling the wind blow gently upon his face, Little Bear enjoyed it very much and gazed around with his round eyes. However, when the wind became less intense and the horse¡¯s speed slowed down, he immediately pped Fan Zijin¡¯s hand in dissatisfaction to make him speed up.<div>


    Fan Zijin smiled and rode faster. Little Bear cried out excitedly. Qi Haoran, who was watching from the side, was terrified. In the end, after running for more than two miles, he really couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Only after snatching the kid from Fan Zijin and holding him in his embrace did Qi Haoran feel relieved and wipe the cold sweat off his forehead.


    Fan Zijin mocked, ¡°What a loser. When my son is born, you can y with him however you want.¡±


    Stunned, Qi Haoran asked, ¡°Sister-inw is pregnant?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Fan Zijin said confidently, ¡°But it won¡¯t be long.¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips and did notment on this. ¡°Am I someone who treats his nephews like a toy? I dote on them and y with them.¡±


    Seeing Fan Zijin nce at Little Bear who was sitting in his embrace, Qi Haoran immediately hugged his son tightly and said, ¡°Little Bear is strong and you¡¯re weak. How would I dare to let you ride with him on a horse? What if you fail to catch him and he falls?¡±


    If it weren¡¯t for his excellent martial arts skillsst time, he almost wouldn¡¯t have been able to catch this kid. Not only was the kid strong, but his movements were also fast and unexpected. Because of this, Qi Haoran had given his son a good spanking and Little Bear only forgave him yesterday.


    The group of people chatted andughed as they arrived at the Miao stockade. Chief Ji¡¯an and the other Miao stockade chiefs were already standing at the entrance of the stockade, preparing to wee them. When they saw Qi Haoran wearing the Miao costume, a smile immediately appeared on their faces. Although they had yet to start the negotiations, Qi Haoran¡¯s willingness to wear the Miao costume was a clear indication of his attitude that he, too, wanted to build a good rtionship with the Miao people.

 Chapter 623: Defense

    Chapter 623: Defense


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran and the rest were received by the chieftains, while the women were received by Madam Alu and the others.


    Everyone escorted Mu Yangling and Little Madam Xia in. Mu Yangling was carrying Little Bear in her arms.


    The wives of the chiefs were all present. Most of them did not speak themonnguage, so it took Mu Yangling a long time to understand what they were trying to convey. Alu could not help but be anxious when she saw this. She shouted outside, and a young woman in a red Miao costume rushed over. Seeing Mu Yangling looking at her curiously, she bowed and introduced herself with a smile, ¡°Greetings, Your Highness. I¡¯m Ji¡¯an Han.¡± She was speaking the standardmonnguage.


    Mu Yangling smiled. ¡°You¡¯re Chief Ji¡¯an¡¯s eldest daughter? What a beauty.¡±


    Seeing Jinhua squeezed in from behind and snorted, Han frowned slightly. Didn¡¯t she ask someone to keep a close eye on her? Why did she still run out?


    Jinhua sat beside Mu Yangling and said, ¡°You broke the tablest time, so you must be quite strong. When are we going to use the whip topete?¡±


    Because there were many outsiders present, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t want to ruin her reputation, so she didn¡¯t mention the past. She only shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not used to using whips.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you used to? A spear? A soft sword, a hard sword, or a saber?¡± Mu Yangling saw that there was pure curiosity in her eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯m used to using a dagger.¡±


    Jinhua pursed her lips and said disdainfully, ¡°The dagger is so short. With me using a whip, you won¡¯t even be able to get close to me.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t argue and looked at Han with a smile. Han quickly took the opportunity to change the topic and introduce the chieftains¡¯ wives to Mu Yangling.<div>


    Actually, they were simply to sound out Mu Yangling about Qi Haoran¡¯s attitude towards the Miao people. Moreover, since the new magistrate had yet to take office, they were curious as to what kind of person he was.


    Liu Qing¡¯s ties with Qi Haoran was not a secret. The Miao people did not know about it yet, but given sufficient time, they would definitely be able to find out that Liu Qing was once Bowen¡¯s Teacher. Liu Qing had be an official through Fan Zijin, so Mu Yangling did not deliberately hide it. She only hinted that they were old friends with Liu Qing and that their rtionship was alright. Meanwhile, Qi Haoran was filled with sympathy for the Miao people. He felt that be it the Han people or the Miao people, they were all citizens of Great Qi¡­


    Although they were all politically correct things that every official would say, Mu Yangling¡¯s attitude was sincere. Looking at her pure gaze, everyone unanimously trusted her. At the very least, they now had more hope for the Imperial Court.


    The atmosphere instantly became lively. Everyone took the initiative to bring Mu Yangling and Little Madam Xia to y their stockade games and eat various folk snacks. Mu Yangling ate some and felt that it was not bad.


    Seeing that the atmosphere was good, Mu Yangling started to ask about the lives of the Miao people. She didn¡¯t ask about confidential matters and only asked about nting, harvesting, food, amodation, and some trivial questions. Han kept exining with a smile on the side. Noticing that Jinhua was frowning at Han, she asked a few more questions, then stopped. She turned to Han with a smile. ¡°I like the Miao costume you sent me. I just don¡¯t know if any of you have children¡¯s clothes. I want to prepare a few for my Little Bear.¡±


    Han said with a smile, ¡°There are no new clothes suitable for Young Master, but you can give us his measurements. We¡¯ll make them and send them to you the day after tomorrow.¡±


    Mu Yangling was ted. ¡°How many colors are there?¡± She said in embarrassment, ¡°I just think that the Miao children look quite energetic in the Miao costume. It¡¯s a delightful sight, so I want to tailor a few sets for my child to dress up. I wonder if I can pick a few colors.¡±


    Han stood up and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll get someone to send you a few pieces of fabric.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded with a smile. ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯ll go eat with them.¡±


    Han was relieved. She had also noticed just now that Mu Yangling didn¡¯t like to talk much when she was eating, so it was a good time for her to leave for a while.


    As soon as Han left, Mu Yangling took the initiative to go to the roasted meat and turned to ask Jinhua, ¡°You speak Mandarin well, too.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Jinhua raised her head proudly and said, ¡°I learned it from my Big Brother¡¯s teacher. Whatever my sister knows, I know too.¡±


    Smiling, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Then can you help me trante?¡± Seeing the hesitation in her eyes, Mu Yangling said in distress, ¡°I just think that your Miaonguage sounds lovely. If you draw out the tone a little, it¡¯ll sound like you¡¯re singing. It¡¯s like music to the ears. I¡¯d like to learn the Miaonguage.¡±


    Mu Yangling had learned the Jin and West Xianguages with Qi Haoran back then, so her ability to learnnguages was not bad. Just now, after carefullyparing the Miaonguage and Han¡¯s trantion, she felt that sometimes, even though they were the same words, Han¡¯s trantion would always be different. Moreover, Jinhua, who knew Mandarin, also had a strange expression.


    Jinhua was more innocent or rather, stupid. When she heard Mu Yangling put it this way, she agreed happily.


    Mu Yangling did not ask the same question as before. She just changed the angle and method of asking. From time to time, she would ask a few Miao words and ask Jinhua what she meant. Just like that, Mu Yangling managed to obtain a lot of information and roughly understood the situation of the various stockades.


    Seeing Han hurry over with a few pieces of cloth, Mu Yangling stopped asking. She waved the roasted meat in her hand and said, ¡°You¡¯re in luck. We just roasted it.¡±


    Han¡¯s gaze swept across the crowd. Seeing that everyone was roasting meat, she smiled and asked, ¡°What were you talking about just now? It looked like you were having a lively conversation from afar.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°I think that your Miaonguage sounds lovely and wanted to learn it. In the end, I only managed to learn a few Miao phrases. Look, I forgot about all that after you interrupted me.¡± As she spoke, she turned to Jinhua with a smile. ¡°How do you say ¡®roasted meat¡¯ in the Miaonguage again?¡±<div>


    Jinhua rolled her eyes and said, ¡°You¡¯ve already asked this four or five times.¡± She articted ¡°roasted meat¡± in the Miaonguage. Then, when she saw Mu Yangling recite it three times, she snorted. ¡°What¡¯s the use of reciting it three times? Aren¡¯t you just going to forget it the moment you turn around? What a waste of effort.¡±


    Mu Yangling lowered her head and smiled in embarrassment.


    Han red at her younger sister and said with a smile to Mu Yangling apologetically, ¡°Jinhua is insensible. Your Highness, please don¡¯t take offense. Look, this is the best fabric we have in our stockade. It¡¯s most suitable for making clothes for the young lord.¡±


    Mu Yangling took it and saw that there were different colors and patterns on it.<div>


    Other than the flower colors that were printed on the fabric at the beginning, when tailored into clothes, the Han costume would have embroidery and some beautiful patterns stitched upon it. However, the patterns on the Miao costume were all dyed or printed on the fabric itself. Moreover, there were brightly-colored flowers, grass, and birds on it, making for a gorgeous sight.


    Mu Yangling ced Little Bear beside her and held the fabric against him one by one. Then, she asked everyone which piece was nice.


    Everyone was talking at once. Even though there was anguage barrier, it was very lively. Han tranted from the side. Seeing that Jinhua¡¯s expression was calm, she knew that Han had tranted correctly. Mu Yangling pointed at a few pieces and took all the dark-colored ones and only an ivory-white one among the lighter colors. This way, she had chosen six pieces of cloth left. Mu Yangling said embarrassedly, ¡°I like these. I wonder if you can help us tailor children¡¯s clothing from these.¡±


    Delighted to see that her stockade¡¯s costume was appreciated, Han hurriedly nodded and said, ¡°Most certainly, Your Highness. We will definitely do a good job of it and get it done by the day after tomorrow.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°Make two sets, including one for another child who¡¯s not here. I¡¯ll tell you his measurementster. Make another set ording to the same style.¡±

 Chapter 624: Stipend Land

    Chapter 624: Stipend Land


    Editor: As Studios


    Han happily agreed.


    When she told her husband about this at night, Han said with a smile, ¡°I see that Her Highness likes the Miao costume very much and has a good impression of us. I heard that His Highness dotes on her very much. Does that mean that he will also have a good impression of us and will exploit us less?¡±


    Only then did Chen Jiacai remember the content of their conversation with Qi Haoran today and his attitude. He nodded and said, ¡°From the looks of it, Prince Qi¡¯s attitude towards us is indeed not bad.¡±


    Seeing him frown slightly, Han asked, ¡°Then what are you worried about?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just Prince Qi¡¯s attitude. Even if we can live a better life during his term of office, how long can he stay in Qiannan? He will definitely return to the capital in at least two to five years. To ce the fate of the entire Miao n on one person¡¯s attitude¡­¡± Chen Jiacai shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s notsting, so we still need to develop our own strength.¡±


    As long as they had the strength, what would they be fearful of?


    Han pondered.


    ¡°By the way, what did Her Highness ask today? Tell me everything.¡±


    Han quickly exined everything from beginning to end and said, ¡°She seems to be especially concerned about farming. She asked about everything from what we nted to how we farmed and harvested. Oh right, she also asked if there are many Miao people who ownnd, how many are there with a lot ofnd, and how do those withoutnd make a living. Also, she asked about our fabric. I tranted some of the things that can be said and muddled my way through the rest.¡±


    Chen Jiacai thought for a while and said, ¡°You did well. Prince Qi is probably trying to sound out the situation of thend owned by the various Miao stockades.¡±<div>


    At this moment, Mu Yangling was lying on Qi Haoran¡¯s chest. She told him the information she had gathered during the day and said, ¡°No wonder people say that the Miao people are having a hard time. Most of them only have two to three acres ofnd that can grow grains at most, while the rest are wastnd and unexplored mountains. However, the government office still collects taxes from them. I heard from them that most of the Miao people farm to pay taxes. They made a living mainly by gathering some medicinal herbs or hunting in the mountains. As long as they don¡¯t fall sick and only eat chaff and vegetables, they can survive.¡±


    Qi Haoran held Mu Yangling¡¯s arm and patted her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Qiannan residents are exempted from taxes during these three years. They should have a chance to catch their breath.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°I asked about their yield per acre. It¡¯s very low, even worse than our harvest in the north.¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned. ¡°Even if Qiannan is barren, there¡¯s enough rainwater, which means thend should be fertile after a few years. Why is the yield so bad?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a problem with the terrain, but there¡¯s also a problem with the way they farm. Because the yield here isn¡¯t good, most of their energy is still focused on the mountain forest. As a result, the farming techniques are very crude and they don¡¯t use their brains. As soon as rainfall increases, it¡¯ll flood. And once the water recedes and the sun rises, the ground will dry up again.¡± Mu Yangling sighed. ¡°By farming like this, the yield is actually quite low even though it¡¯s strenuous on the farmers.¡±


    It could be said that on the Miao people¡¯s side, only half their efforts were focused on farming, since their livelihood mainly depended on gathering herbs and hunting. As for the Han people, they worked hard to farm, but in fact, because there were few fields, they also led rather tough lives.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°I want to go out and take a look at the fields in Ju Prefecture. Don¡¯t you have stipendnd here? I want to see if Dry Rice No. 1 can be sessfully nted here.¡±


    Qi Haoran asked, ¡°I suppose corn can be nted here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, corn doesn¡¯t need to be nted on long-cultivatednd. Just nt it on the uncultivatednd. When Teacher Liues, tell him that as the magistrate he is in charge of these things.¡±


    ¡°Then go and take a look since you know more about farming than I do. If you can really increase production, it will be a great merit. There¡¯s no need to be so cautious about viting taboos now. I¡¯ll get Big Brother to issue a decree to praise you after your experiment seeds.¡±


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and smiled. ¡°What¡¯s the use of praising me? It¡¯s not like praises can fill the stomach. If you have the ability, confer me an official position.¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned in distress and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡±


    Mu Yangling twisted his waist and said, ¡°You¡¯re teasing me again.¡±


    Qi Haoran chuckled and turned over to press Mu Yangling under him. Mu Yangling pushed him away and said, ¡°I have something else to tell you.¡±


    Qi Haoran reached out to kiss her and muttered, ¡°What¡¯s more important than this?¡±


    Mu Yangling covered his mouth with her hand and panted. ¡°Chief Ji¡¯an¡¯s eldest daughter, Han, is a smart person. She stopped me from asking about the Miao stockades. When she tranted, she deliberately missed out a lot of information and even misled me.¡±


    Qi Haoran stuck out his tongue and kissed her hand, making Mu Yangling¡¯s heart skip a beat and blush. She hurriedly retracted her hand. Qi Haoran leaned over and kissed her lips fiercely before parting slightly. He said in a muffled voice, ¡°Isn¡¯t this normal? If it were me, I¡¯d do the same if someone came to inquire about my military camp¡­¡±


    After saying that, he reached out and pulled down the bed curtain, andpletely sealed his lips over Mu Yangling¡¯s.


    The next day, after Qi Haoran went out, Mu Yangling also went out immediately. Xiao Ting was sent to his side to serve him. Mu Yangling said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to His Highness¡¯s stipendnd to take a look.¡±<div>


    As the Prince of Rong, Qi Haoran¡¯s fief and stipendnd were in the suburbs of the capital, Pingjiang Prefecture, Jiankang Prefecture, and other ces. Here was the stipendnd he was allocated as a general of Qiannan. After his term of office ended, these fields would no longer be his.


    Although he was a supreme-grade Prince, he was only a second-grade General in Qiannan. Therefore, the stipendnd he was allocated was in ordance to that.


    Even then, a second-grade official was allocated quite a lot of stipendnd.


    However, Xiao Ting, who was standing in the field, was so angry that his face turned green. He pointed at the governor who hade to measure thend and was so angry that he could not speak. ¡°This is His Highness¡¯s stipendnd? It¡¯s just a small piece ofnd and three lousy mountains?¡±<div>


    Xu Zhi was also quite angry, but he had no choice but to lower his head and say, ¡°Not only is Ju Prefecture poor, but there are many mountains and few arablends. Stipendnd is allocated ording to the same standards from the previous dynasty since the Imperial Court has yet to set a new sry system. Considering General Qi is a second-grade official, he is rightfully allocated these.¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t. Our master is the biological brother of the Emperor, a Prince of Great Qi. Does thisnd look like it¡¯s even a hundred acres? Besides, it¡¯s all sandynd. Look, the rocks there are almost the size of a head. Look at those three mountains covered densely with trees. What are we going to use them for?¡±


    Xu Zhi was so angry that his face turned green. He finally understood what an unruly ve was. Likewise for Mu Yangling, who got out of the carriage at this moment.


    Xiao Ting immediately went up to her andined, ¡°Your Highness, they are bullying our lord because he came from a foreignnd. They are using such lousynd to patronize us.¡±


    Xu Zhi¡¯s face was indignant, and his hands under his sleeves were clenched into fists. Clearly, he was extremely furious. Mu Yangling stood at the edge of the field and nced at him before looking away at the stipendnd.


    Xiao Ting nced at Xu Zhi smugly.


    Spring and Autumn looked at him sympathetically. Xiao Ting did not understand the character of the Princess Consort and had gone overboard.


    Mu Yangling walked down from the field and squatted down to pinch the soil. The soil was gray, probably because it had rained a few days ago, dissipating with a pinch.


    The position she was standing in was quite strange. Under her feet was her husband¡¯s stipendnd, while the carriage was on the road, and over there was someone else¡¯s stipendnd. Unlike here, the fields over there were not connected, but segregated. Clearly, it belonged to different families.


    Moreover, on that side, more than half of thend had yellow soil, and only a small portion had gray soil. On this side, it was the opposite. Not only were they connected, but there was also very little yellow soil. From the looks of it, it only upied less than a quarter of thend. The plots ofnd were also segregated.


    Mu Yangling turned around and asked Xu Zhi, ¡°Is that also stipendnd?¡±


    Suppressing his anger, Xu Zhi nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Who owns them?¡±<div>


    Thinking that she wanted to upy thosends as well, Xu Zhi replied unhappily, ¡°All the officials of the prefecture, including the magistrate who hasn¡¯t taken office yet.¡±

 Chapter 625: Punishment

    Chapter 625: Punishment


    Editor: As Studios


    Xu Zhi wanted to see if she would forcefully upy all those stipendnd at the risk of offending all the officials in Ju Prefecture.


    After verifying her thoughts, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°I saw that they were divided into pieces over there, and that each plot belonged to each person. Their stipendnd isn¡¯t connected like His Highness¡¯s?¡±


    Xu Zhi said matter-of-factly, ¡°There is littlend in Ju Prefecture and whatever littlend we have is barren. How can they be connected?¡±


    Xu Zhi nced at Mu Yangling and said meaningfully, ¡°In the previous dynasty, thend of the various lords could be connected. Even if there¡¯s littlend, Ju Prefecture is big, so every lord can just circle a ce on the map. As long as it follows the rules, it¡¯s fine. However, after the establishment of Great Qi, His Majesty deeply felt that the officials of the previous dynasty were too greedy. Although it¡¯s appropriate to allocate them stipendnd, there are also officials who take this opportunity to forcefully upy prime fields. Therefore, His Majesty issued a decree early on to set the scope of the stipendnd which will be split among the officials.¡±


    Xu Zhi continued, ¡°Thend in Ju Prefecture is barren and unevenly-fertile. If we want to connect thend, it will inevitably be unfair to the lower-ranking officials. Therefore, we have already measured thend and segregated the long-cultivatednd and uncultivatednd. When the timees, everyone can choose ording to the rules.¡±


    Therefore, the officials¡¯ plots ofnd were all scattered here and there, and were not easy to manage. However, no matter how difficult it was to manage, it was still better than being solely allocated uncultivatednd or mountainous areas. Thus, no oneined.


    The generals under Qi Haoran¡¯smand were allocated stipendnd based on this principle as well, but they did not dare to ask that Qi Haoran followed these same rules.


    After all, he was a Prince of Great Qi and was the most doted on by the Emperor. Therefore, Xu Zhi could only bear the pain and give him thest plot ofnd. Not only was it connected, but the three mountains upon it also produced the best yield among those in the vicinity. Xu Zhi was already green with jealousy, but the servant from the Prince¡¯s estate stillined it wasn¡¯t good enough. One really couldn¡¯t me Xu Zhi for being angry.


    Xu Zhi subtly hinted to Mu Yangling, hoping that she would be sensible and ept this plot ofnd, lest the situation turn ugly for all parties involved.


    Frowning, Xiao Ting was about to speak when Mu Yangling nced at him indifferently. Xiao Ting immediately retracted his aura and stood aside.<div>


    Mu Yangling turned around and said to Xu Zhi, ¡°Measure thend here and allocate the general¡¯s stipendnd ording to the same rules that apply to his subordinates. There¡¯s no need for special treatment.¡±


    Shocked, Xu Zhi stared at her with his mouth slightly open.


    Mu Yangling narrowed her eyes and looked at the faint figures on the distant mountain. She pointed and asked, ¡°Is that a terraced field?¡±


    Startled, Xu Zhi immediately shifted his gaze away from Mu Yangling¡¯s face. He lowered his head with a slightly red face and replied, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a terraced field.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s interest was immediately piqued. ¡°Governor Xu, I¡¯m eager to go over and take a look. I wonder if it¡¯s convenient.¡±


    Governor Xu hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯ll make the arrangements now.¡±


    Due to Qiannan being not very safe at present, when Mu Yangling went out, Governor Xu had to get someone to scout the area first. Having done the same this morning, he was very familiar with it. Two guards from the Prince¡¯s estate also followed along.


    Only then did Mu Yangling have the time to look at Xiao Ting.


    Xiao Ting¡¯s face was already pale. He already knew that Mu Yangling¡¯s ttery had failed when she offered to let the general be allocated his stipendnd following the same rules as his subordinates.


    Xiao Ting knelt on the ground with a plop. His entire body was trembling as hey on the ground without moving.


    Mu Yangling looked at him for a while until his body stiffened before asking, ¡°Raise your head and look at this plot ofnd in front of you. Let me ask you, how big is this plot ofnd? 100 acres?¡±


    Xiao Ting kowtowed and cried in fear. ¡°Your Highness, I know my mistake. I won¡¯t do it again.¡±


    Mu Yangling asked persistently, ¡°How big is this plot ofnd?¡±


    ¡°Yes, about 200 acres¡­¡± Xiao Ting replied softly.


    ¡°Which stone over there is as big as a head? Bring it over for me.¡±


    Xiao Ting shivered and knelt on the ground, not daring to move.


    This plot ofnd had clearly been tidied up. Although it had not been leveled, there were no weeds or anything there. Naturally, therge rocks had also been picked out.


    Mu Yangling moved her foot, but in the end, she did not kick him. Merely 12 years old, Xiao Ting was neither too old nor too young among the servants in the residence. However, in Mu Yangling¡¯s opinion, he was still a child. She looked at him with a dark expression and asked, ¡°Why were you sold to the residence?¡±


    Other than the people left behind by Madam Zhu and the servants given to them by their uncle, Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran did not have any hereditary servants because they did not trust the servants from the Qi family.<div>


    Most of the servants who could be trusted were the ones who had followed the brothers from the start, those they had bought back in the northernnds, and the soldiers who now worked as servants in the Qi family after retiring from the army.


    Xiao Ting was one of them.


    He kowtowed on the ground and said, ¡°My parents couldn¡¯t afford the taxes, so they could only sell me and my older sister as ves. Fortunately, Steward Zhu took pity on me and allowed me to enter the residence to work.¡±


    Who would have thought that the owner to whom he had been sold back then, would turn from a lowly general into the Emperor?<div>


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t your parents afford the taxes?¡± Mu Yangling continued to ask.


    ¡°It¡¯s because of the corrupt officials.¡± Xiao Ting gritted his teeth and said. He was only five years old when he was sold as a ve. He could not recall many things, but he still remembered the carefree days at home in the past. Although his life in the residence was alright, he often heard the older servants talk about how some masters would abuse their servants. This made him aware that it wasn¡¯t a good thing to be a servant. Furthermore, Xiao Ting¡¯s father wished for him to one day be pardoned and regain his non-ve civilian status.


    Mu Yangling looked at him regretfully and asked sadly, ¡°Then, what were you doing just now?¡±


    Spring snorted and lectured him on behalf of Mu Yangling. ¡°Weren¡¯t you simply acting like a smug viin just now? Your actions turned our lord into a corrupt official. Xiao Ting, I used to think you¡¯re a smart kid. Why did you do such a thing today?¡±


    Tears fell from Xiao Ting¡¯s eyes. Overwhelmed with regret, he could not say anything to defend himself. At this moment, his mind was nk and he was gripped by fear and shock, feeling like the sky had copsed. He could not utter a single word.


    Mu Yangling ignored him and went straight to check on the situation in the fields. To think at such a young age, this child already dared to wield the power of the Prince¡¯s estate and challenge a fifth-grade official. It could be seen how bold he was. If she didn¡¯t teach him a lesson, he would probably be an arrogant servant of a powerful family and use his master¡¯s influence to bully people in the future.


    He had borrowed the power of the Prince¡¯s estate. If no one took the initiative to tell her and the people outside deliberately avoided mentioning the topic, Qi Haoran would probably wrongfully suffer much infamy.


    Mu Yangling hated corrupt officials and arrogant ves the most in her life.


    When Spring saw that Mu Yangling wanted to punish Xiao Ting, she knew that Mu Yangling still intended to keep him around and was just teaching him a lesson. Therefore, she sent a youngss to serve Mu Yangling in front while she stayed behind to scold Xiao Ting and teach him some principles.


    When Xu Zhi returned, he saw the servant who had pointed at him and scolded him kneeling on the ground with tears on his face. He felt happy in his heart and had a better impression of the Princess Consort. It seemed that the one who wanted to bully him was not the master, but the servant.


    When Xu Zhi saw Mu Yangling squatting on the ground and holding a piece of yellow mud, he was surprised to see that this Princess Consort actually did not mind the dirt. He quickly went forward to report.

 Chapter 626: Understanding

    Chapter 626: Understanding


    Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Your Highness, the road is safe. We can set off now.¡±


    Mu Yangling threw away the soil and got up to walk to the carriage. As she walked, she asked, ¡°The soil here is a little acidic. What do you usually nt?¡±


    Was soil categorized into sour1 and spicy?


    A little embarrassed, Xu Zhi paused for a moment before saying, ¡°With regards to grains, we mainly nt rice and wheat. For non-grain types, there are rapeseed, soybeans, and things like that. Themoners are free to choose what to nt.¡± Xu Zhi paused for a moment and said, ¡°However, most would grow tea nts and fruit trees on the mountain. For instance, the previous magistrate loved to nt tea leaves. The harvest is not bad.¡±


    Mu Yangling sneered. ¡°Considering he was the magistrate, I suppose he could earn a lot of money even if he nted sweet potatoes, let alone tea leaves.¡±


    Xu Zhi¡¯s face was a little red as he lowered his head.


    The previous magistrate was an official of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and his subordinates like Xu Zhi were all left behind from the Great Zhou Dynasty, too. When the new dynasty was established, Ju Prefecture had only dismissed one magistrate. Most likely by now, said magistrate had already been beheaded for his crimes.


    That magistrate had exploited the Miao people too much, causing them to rebel. Coupled with theck of defense, they only realized when the West Xia army was already at their gates that Prince Rong had kidnapped the magistrate to the capital. At the time, the new Emperor had yet to even ascend the throne. This was why the position of the Ju Prefecture magistrate was currently vacant.


    However, no one had dared to offend the magistrate. This was because everyone knew that Prince Rong was backing him up. Not long ago, Prince Rong had led the army to chase the West Xia army out of Ju Prefecture and subdued all the Miao stockades. Their morale was high, so who would dare to mess with them at the time?


    Therefore, even if he was reluctant, Xu Zhi could only go easy on the allocation of the stipendnd and give preferential treatment to the Prince. Even if it went against his upright character, he was willing to take a step back for the sake of everyone¡¯s lives and a peaceful environment for themoners.<div>


    However, the truth was much more surprising than he had imagined. Xu Zhi stole a nce at Mu Yangling and felt that this Princess Consort was quite upright.


    Mu Yangling stopped in front of Xiao Ting and said, ¡°Get up.¡±


    Xiao Ting got up and stood at the side with his head lowered. He knew that the Princess Consort had not forgiven him, but she did not have the time to deal with him at the moment. He couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious.


    Mu Yangling, on the other hand, went to see the terraced field.


    Mu Yangling nced at the people working on it and asked, ¡°Do all these belong to themoners?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they all belong to themoners.¡± Xu Zhi pointed at the terraced field on another mountain and said, ¡°That belongs to the Lu family, the gentry family whose house you¡¯re living in now.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly. Seeing that there were water wheels moving at the foot of the mountain and on the mountain beam, she said, ¡°I think terraced fields are excellent. Considering Ju Prefecture has many mountains and littlend, why don¡¯t we convert thend into terraced fields? Based on my observations from the past two days, the mountains are either deste or filled with trees. Most of it is undeveloped. These are the only terraced fields I¡¯ve seen so far.¡±


    Xu Zhi said worriedly, ¡°Your Highness, you might not know this, but the cost of building terraced fields is too high. It¡¯s not something ordinary people can afford. Moreover, terraced fields aren¡¯t something that can be built on every mountain. We have to investigate and do the measurements before beginning construction. If anything goes wrong, the terraced field will probably copse or leak. If we can¡¯t preserve the soil and water, the terraced field won¡¯t be considered a sess.¡±


    In short, terraced fields might seem like a good idea, but the cost was too high.


    Not to mention anything else, just piling the soil and constructing the terraced field was not something ordinary people could afford. It required a lot of manpower and resources.


    ¡°What about these terraced fields?¡±


    ¡°These are all developed by a few squires in the city to be subsequently sold at a high price. Those squires have long-term workers and tenants, all of which represent a free source ofbor. As such, they only need to pay for the tools and mountains. After the terraced fields are constructed, they¡¯ll sell them at a high price to wealthy folks who want to buynd. This is a very profitable venture for them.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why the people who know how to build terraced fields are in their hands.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the case.¡± Xu Zhi said, ¡°Registrar Wei of Liang County under Ju Prefecture is most proficient in exploration and construction of terraced fields. He¡¯s the best not only in Ju Prefecture, but in the entire Qiannan. Anyone who encounters issues in constructing arge terraced field will have to hire him to inspect thend.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up. When Xu Zhi saw this, he praised him even more. ¡°Moreover, Registrar Wei is a good person. When hired by squires to inspect thend, he would charge them some silver. Whereas at the request of the less rich, he would just ept the treat of a meal. Because he takes benefits ording to the person¡¯s level of wealth, he is very loved and respected by the people.¡±


    ¡°Why is such a person only a registrar? Even if the construction of terraced fields is costly and ordinary people can¡¯t afford it, the government office can always step in. Not to mention anything else, the annualbor conscription quota is rather high, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Xu Zhi smiled bitterly. This Princess Consort was familiar with politics, but how could she know about the chaos in the previous dynasty?


    Seeing his bitter smile, Mu Yangling did not ask further. A n was slowly developing in her heart.


    Xu Zhi was too embarrassed to tell Mu Yangling how chaotic the bureaucracy of Ju Prefecture was in the previous dynasty. He could only sigh in front of her servant girl and say what he could not say, hoping that she would ry it to Mu Yangling so that the Prince¡¯s estate would help out themoners more.<div>


    He subconsciously knew that this was not right because Mu Yangling was a woman, and women were usually not allowed to get involved in politics. But on the other hand, as someone who was born and raised in Ju Prefecture, he didn¡¯t have the heart to stand by and do nothing while themoners suffered. Now that he vaguely sensed an opportunity, he was unwilling to let it go.


    Hence, Mu Yangling still eventually found out the things that he was too embarrassed to say. ¡°¡­Most of theborers in Ju Prefecture are used by the officials for their private matters, such as helping a certain official build a house and garden, helping a certain official build terraced fields, helping a certain official nt tea, fruit trees, and so on. Everyone in the prefecture knows that public resources are being deployed for private use.¡± Spring was indignant at this point. ¡°There are actually not many officials in Ju Prefecture who are uncorrupt. Your Highness, why isn¡¯t His Majesty recing them?¡±


    ¡°If he were to rece all of them, who would he appoint to be the officials all of a sudden? Moreover, it would also cause panic. If the court thinks that His Majesty doesn¡¯t tolerate the officials of the previous dynasty and falls into chaos again, the gains won¡¯t make up for the losses.¡± Mu Yangling pondered and said, ¡°The most important thing that makes or breaks the establishment of a new dynasty is stability. Just wait. The Emperor and the Prince aren¡¯t people who can allow such injustice to perpetuate. It¡¯s only a matter of time before they get rid of those corrupt officials.¡±


    Mu Yangling snorted and said, ¡°His Majesty and His Highness can¡¯t tolerate sand in their eyes, and neither can I.¡±<div>


    Spring lowered her head, knowing that she was talking about Xiao Ting.


    Upon returning to the residence, Xiao Ting consciously knelt outside the door. Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Do you know what you did wrong?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I should not bully others and forget my duty!¡± Xiao Ting kowtowed.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Go find your teacher. I can¡¯t punish you.¡±


    Tears streamed down Xiao Ting¡¯s face as he kept kowtowing. ¡°Your Highness, please spare me. If Imit the same mistake in the future, I will not make a sound even if you skin me alive.¡±


    ¡°Go see your teacher first.¡±


    Seeing Mu Yangling¡¯s insistence, Xiao Ting could only wipe his tears and leave.


    When Fei Bai returned at night, he entered the house with his eyes half-closed in exhaustion and nearly tripped at the door. Furious, he was about to kick out when he realized that the person who tripped him was kneeling. He bent down to take a look. Under the dim moonlight, he saw that it was a tearful Xiao Ting. He snapped angrily, ¡°Rascal, what are you doing here? You almost scared me to death.¡±


    Xiao Ting sobbed.


    Fei Bai said impatiently, ¡°Alright, alright. Why are you crying when I¡¯m not dead yet? Come in and talk.¡±


    Xiao Ting served Fei Bai a cup of hot tea. After drinking a mouthful of hot tea, Fei Bai felt a little more awake. Only then did he ask, ¡°Tell me, why were you acting like your biological parents died?¡±

 Chapter 627: Pleading for Mercy

    Chapter 627: Pleading for Mercy


    Editor: As Studios


    After telling Fei Bai about what happened during the day in detail, Xiao Ting burst into tears. ¡°Teacher, please save me!¡±


    Fei Bai was so angry that he kicked him. ¡°Have you forgotten everything I told you on the first day I took you under my wing? As servants, firstly, we have to be loyal. Secondly, we have to not cause trouble for our masters. You, on the other hand, bullied others the moment you had the chance. You¡¯re quite bold, huh. As a servant who doesn¡¯t even have control over his own life, how dare you order a fifth-grade governor around? Who gave you the guts?¡±


    Xiao Ting knelt on the ground and wiped his tears. ¡°Teacher, I really felt that Governor Xu was taking advantage of our lord. Although I¡¯m young, I know that His Highness deserves better than the crappy fields allocated to him. Putting everything else aside, even a Grade 3 official is allocated stipendnd that is more sizable and fertile than the ones His Highness, a Grade 2 general, gets.¡±


    Fei Bai narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Who told you this?¡±


    The next day, Fei Bai waited outside the main courtyard early in the morning, with Xiao Ting kneeling by his feet.


    When Qi Haoran opened the door and came out, he simply nced at the two of them. Without saying anything, he turned around and went to the courtyard to practice martial arts.


    Fei Bai heaved a sigh of relief. As long as the Prince did not interfere, Xiao Ting would be able to keep his life. Although the Princess Consort was sometimes ruthless, she would not easily kill anyone.


    The Princess Consort seemed to have woken upte today. When the Prince came back from training with sweat all over his forehead, there was still no movement in the room.


    When Qi Haoran returned, he walked around the two of them and snorted coldly before turning around to enter the house. Fei Bai¡¯s hair stood on end, and he felt his heart tremble.


    When Qi Haoran pushed the door open and entered, he saw Mu Yangling sitting on the chair drowsily with her eyes half-closed while Rainbed her hair. After washing his face and neck, he ced the towel in another basin of cold water and wrung it. Then, he walked up and wiped Mu Yangling¡¯s face.<div>


    All of Mu Yangling¡¯s drowsiness disappeared. She grabbed the towel and red at Qi Haoran.


    Chuckling, Qi Haoran said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t go out today. You should rest instead.¡±


    Mu Yangling ced the towel into the basin and said, ¡°The stipendnd needs to be redistributed and Teacher Liu is also arriving today. I¡¯ll wait for him at home, so I won¡¯t go out. What do you want to eat for lunch? I¡¯ll make it for you.¡±


    Qi Haoran proudly ordered a list of dishes.


    Mu Yangling chose a few dishes from those he mentioned.


    Qi Haoran looked out of the house and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t wish to keep Xiao Ting around, just send him back.¡± If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Ah Ling wasn¡¯t ruthless enough, it would be better to kill such a ve who took the initiative to bully others.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Will he still be able to survive if we send him back?¡±


    Qi Haoran was silent.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait and observe. If he really doesn¡¯t make the cut, we¡¯ll send him to the servants¡¯ courtyard to take care of the horses. This way, everyone can see the consequences of wielding your power to bully others.¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips. ¡°Good idea. If he keeps appearing in front of others, people will always remember his mistakes. It¡¯s better than forgetting them after he dies.¡±


    If they sent Xiao Ting back from here, he probably would not survive. The servants below were not kind people.


    Qi Haoran went out after breakfast. He kicked Fei Bai and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you two hours of leave.¡±


    Fei Bai hurriedly kowtowed to thank him.


    Mu Yangling called Fei Bai to the reception pavilion. Fei Bai lowered his head and shouted at Xiao Ting, ¡°Kneel obediently.¡±


    Xiao Ting watched nervously as his teacher entered, his throat moving.


    After entering the room, Fei Bai scanned the room. Seeing that they were all the Princess Consort¡¯s personal maidservants, he felt relieved and knelt down.


    ¡°How did you teach your disciple?¡±


    Fei Bai kowtowed to apologize. After a while, he said, ¡°Your Highness, I was indeed in the wrong, and Xiao Ting did not know what was good for him. However, this is not entirely his fault. Although it¡¯s considered bullying, he also did it for the sake of Master.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at him with a dark gaze.<div>


    Fei Bai shuddered and hurriedly knelt down again. He exined, ¡°Xiao Ting is still young, so it¡¯s not a problem for him to run errands. However, he doesn¡¯t seem to understand the important matters of the Imperial Court like the allocation of the stipendnd. He only knows that in the Jiangnan area, Grade 2 officials can obtain about 330 acres of stipendnd of varying grades. However, he doesn¡¯t know that there are different rules due to the differences in geography and culture. For example, in Ju Prefecture, because there are many mountains and fewnds, mountainnd ounts for a sizable proportion of the fields allocated to the Imperial Court¡¯s officials. And among what little tnd there is, because the soil is generally infertile, the ratio of high-grade arablends is even smaller. Your Highness, I didn¡¯t know about these things either, even though I served by your side. It¡¯s only because I recently had to check and approve the stipendnd that I found out about this from the officials. If this is the case even for me, we can¡¯t me Xiao Ting for being ignorant.¡±


    ¡°So you want to say that the ignorant are not guilty?¡± Mu Yangling said in a low voice, ¡°I don¡¯t me him for standing up for His Highness. What I find fault with is his behavior and attitude. Seeing as he dares to be so arrogant before even figuring out the actual situation, it can be seen what sort of a person he is.¡±


    Fei Bai shuddered and kowtowed. ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll definitely teach him a lesson when I get back. Although he was deceived, it¡¯s indeed his fault.¡±


    ¡°So what are you going to do?¡±<div>


    Fei Bai hesitated. Having picked Xiao Ting out of thousands of choices, he could not bear to give up on the boy just like that. Though Xiao Ting was not the smartest or the most honest among those people, he was the most intelligent. Furthermore, once this kid set his mind on something, he would persist in doing it. Above all, he was extremely loyal.


    As a ve, intelligence and honesty weren¡¯t a must-have, but loyalty and tenacity were the most basic qualities. This was also Fei Bai¡¯s criteria for choosing disciples.


    Seeing that he was hesitating and not saying anything, Mu Yangling knew that he still wanted to train this disciple, so she asked, ¡°You¡¯ve been by my side for a long time, so you should know my temper and my bottom line. How confident are you in training him?¡±


    Fei Bai gritted his teeth and kowtowed. ¡°Your Highness, please give me another chance. Considering he¡¯s still young, I want to give it another shot.¡±


    If he could help him mend his ways, after this experience, Xiao Ting would only be more upright. The Princess Consort would only be morefortable with such a person serving by her side.


    Mu Yangling also knew how rare it was to have a good servant. Hearing this, she nodded and said, ¡°Then do bring him back. Ten dayster, bring him along for half a day while he takes orders from me for the remaining half of the day. I¡¯ll only give you half a year.¡±


    Fei Bai heaved a sigh of relief and kowtowed.


    Just as Fei Bai was about to leave, he thought for a moment before turning around to kneel down. ¡°Your Highness, I want to buy some more servant boys and servant girls in Ju Prefecture. If there¡¯s someone suitable, I¡¯ll take in another disciple.¡±


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows and nodded with a smile. ¡°Go ahead and choose. Tell Zhu Liang that after our new residence is built, we will indeed need a few more people.¡±


    After Fei Bai left, Spring said with a smile, ¡°This fellow Fei Bai really knows how to use Your Highness as a raft. I bet Xiao Ting is panicking now, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling only smiled and said in a deep voice, ¡°Go back and ask Fei Bai who said those words to Xiao Ting. Was that person targeting me or were they targeting the entire Prince¡¯s estate? Find out.¡±


    Seeing Mu Yangling¡¯s expression darken, Spring quickly lowered her head and agreed.


    <div>

 Chapter 628: Letter from Home

    Chapter 628: Letter from Home


    Editor: As Studios


    Now that the atmosphere in the residence was a little gloomy, the servants were trembling with fear.


    First, Zhu Liang made the decision to buy more than ten servant girls and servant boys from outside and distribute them to the various departments. Then, Fei Bai, the Prince¡¯s most favored right-hand man, took in a new disciple. While everyone was still curious as to what was going on, Zhu Liang and Fei Bai arrested eight servants with lightning speed. Among them, there were servant girls, maidservants, and servant boys. One of them was even an old, long-serving servant who had followed the Prince and Princess Consort from the north to the capital, and then from the capital to here.


    After these people were arrested, they never appeared in front of anyone again. Everyone knew that they would probably not be able to see these eight people in the future, so they were especially careful these days.


    Xiao Ting shrunk his neck. Over the past few days, he had been learning from Fei Bai and was more diligent and obedient than before.


    Fei Bai nodded secretly and reminded him, ¡°Only Her Highness is kind-hearted and is willing to give you a chance. If it were any other master, you¡¯d have shed ayer of skin long ago.¡±


    Xiao Ting¡¯s eyes were slightly red as he promised, ¡°Teacher, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely learn to do my best for His and Her Highness.¡±


    Fei Bai snorted and said, ¡°This is the only thing we can do to repay His and Her Highness. You should know that there are many people who are willing to do their best for them.¡±


    Xiao Ting knew that his teacher wanted him to remain calm. It was their blessing that the Prince and Princess Consort were willing to ept their sincerity. Even if they were unwilling, they had to be grateful.


    ¡°By the way, Teacher, the Liu Family sent an invitation over. Since Steward Zhu is not here, will you bring it to Her Highness?¡±


    Fei Bai red at him and said, ¡°Look at how useless you are. Go by yourself. Don¡¯t shrink back after being lectured. Her Highness is kind-hearted. It¡¯s your good fortune to be her messenger.¡±<div>


    Seeing his bitter expression, Fei Bai said slowly, ¡°Would you rather go inform His Highness instead?¡±


    Xiao Ting immediately picked up the invitation and sprinted towards the inner courtyard.


    When Liu Qing arrived at Ju Prefecture three days ago, the first thing he did was to visit Qi Haoran. Since Qi Haoran was in the military camp, he went all the way there, fully expressing his attitude.


    Then, he stayed in the military camp for a day and chatted with Qi Haoran all night. Though he returned to the prefectural capital yesterday, he had been busy with the handover and only had the time to send an invitation over today. Coincidentally, Liu Qing¡¯s family had also arrived in Ju Prefecture today.


    As Madam Liu only brought her children, a maidservant, and a servant girl, Mu Yangling was worried that they would not be able to cope, so she asked Fei Bai to bring people over to help.


    Since the Liu Family sent the invitation to the Princess Consort, they needed a reply from someone who knew the truth.


    Xiao Ting carefully walked to the main courtyard. When Rain saw this, she smiled and said in a low voice, ¡°Now you know how to be afraid? I heard from Spring that you were very impressive back then. Even Spring was frightened by you.¡±


    Xiao Ting smiled bitterly and said with cupped hands, ¡°Sister, please don¡¯t tease me. Back then, I was ignorant and that was why I was so bold. Please forgive me.¡±


    Rain sneered and said, ¡°Just wait. I¡¯ll go in and report.¡±


    Xiao Ting did not see Rain¡¯s sneer. He only wiped the sweat off his forehead and stayed obediently.


    Rain sat down to embroider as soon as she entered the house. Spring nced at the pavilion outside from the window, stood up, and tapped Rain¡¯s forehead. ¡°Be careful not to dy Her Highness¡¯s matters. Hurry up and inform her.¡±


    Rain pursed her lips. ¡°I¡¯ve seen many people like him. To think that I even treated him as a younger brother in the beginning. To think he became arrogant after only a few days of sess.¡±


    Spring said with a smile, ¡°I think you resent him for implicating Fei Bai, right?¡±


    Rain pushed her with a blush. She chided softly, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡± However, she stood up and went into the inner room to report.


    Mu Yangling was teaching one-year-old Little Bear how to draw a small bow. d a blue short-sleeved costume, the boy held a toy bow and stood solemnly on the couch as he stared ahead with bright eyes.


    Mu Yangling corrected his movements from time to time and said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s it. You have to maintain this position for a long time.¡±


    Little Bear stood still without even blinking.


    Rain went forward and reported, ¡°Your Highness, Xiao Ting is outside requesting an audience.¡±


    ¡°Let him in.¡±<div>


    Xiao Ting was kneeling in the outer room when Mu Yangling asked him to stand up and asked him about the Liu family through the curtain. Then, she took the invitation from Rain. Mu Yangling said, ¡°Go back to the Liu family and tell them that they cane back the day after tomorrow since they¡¯ve just arrived and have much to unpack.¡±


    Xiao Ting agreed and left respectfully.


    Actually, Mu Yangling¡¯s main purpose for meeting Madam Liu was to ask about her family¡¯s situation. Having previously been the county magistrate of the county below Xingzhou Prefecture, Liu Qing was rtively close to the Mu family. Although Bowen had not studied with him for the past two years, he still regarded him as his teacher and would visit him from time to time.


    As Mu Yangling had not seen her family for a few years, she could not help but miss them.<div>


    On the morning of the third day, Madam Liu brought her children over with a lot of things.


    Mu Yangling looked at the boxes of things and said in surprise, ¡°Mistress, why did you bring so many things?¡±


    Madam Liu said with a smile, ¡°This is not from me. Your parents and younger siblings prepared it for you.¡±


    Upon opening the box, Mu Yangling saw a dazzling array of items¡ªthere were gems, jade essories, and various precious jewelry from Mu Shi, just to name a few. These were all piled up in a box, and every single item was priceless. It was said that they were all spoils of war from his war. Even though Qi Haoran, too, owned many such objects that filled the storeroom, Mu Yangling could not help but tear up.


    There was also a case of beautiful clothes made by Shu Wanniang. Madam Liu said, ¡°She doesn¡¯t know what style is popr in the capital, so she personally drew the designs herself. She has been working on this case of clothes for two years. I¡¯ve seen two of the pieces. I¡¯m so envious. Your mother¡¯s sewing skills are impressive.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes were filled with tears.


    There was also arge box of smoked meat and various pickled vegetables that her great-aunt had made for her. Madam Liu said, ¡°Your great-aunt said that you liked to eat these things made by her back at home. She doesn¡¯t know if you still fancy them, so she got your father to go into the mountains and hunt a lot of wild animals to make into smoked meat for you.¡±


    With tears in her eyes, Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Of course, why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    The things Bowen and the others gave Mu Yangling were much more random; there were books and all kinds of toys. Mu Yangling opened their letters and read them.


    Bosi and Kejia had also written a letter to her together. Bosi really did not like to read, so he secretly stuffed his books, ¡®The Analects¡¯ and ¡®Thousand Character ssic¡¯, in as gifts. He even begged his eldest sister to ept them. Towards the end of the letter, he even asked Mu Yangling to express her liking for these two items so that he could avoid a beating.


    Mu Yanglingughed out loud.


    Kejia gave Mu Yangling a piece of embroidery she made herself.


    ording to her mother, Kejia was much more talented than Mu Yangling in this aspect.<div>


    Mu Yangling took out Kejia¡¯s embroidery and stared at it for a long time, but she still couldn¡¯t tell what it was. It seemed that she was only a tiny bit more talented. Her mother¡¯s embroidery skills could only be inherited by Xin.


    Xin gave Mu Yangling an embroidered screen that could be used as long after it was framed. When Mu Yangling opened it, she couldn¡¯t help but click her tongue. Likewise, when Madam Liu saw this, she was so shocked that she couldn¡¯t speak. After a long time, she carefully stroked the butterfly on it and praised, ¡°This is so lifelike I¡¯m surprised it¡¯s actually embroidered. I believe this cousin of yours will be a great master in this art in the future.¡±


    Mu Yangling felt honored.

 Chapter 629: Gift

    Chapter 629: Gift


    Editor: As Studios


    What Xin had given Mu Yangling was an embroidered screen with gorgeous flowers blooming, but this was clearly a new design. On the front were nine flowers each with a different charm. Interestingly, not all nine flowers were in full bloom, but the budding process was shown. Though gorgeous, there was a certain air of reservedness about them. In addition, there were a few butterflies pping their wings at the side. Yet, when one flipped the screen over, it revealed a lotus painting. In the middle of the clear water, there were only three lotus flowers that were either budding or blooming. A dragonfly was carefully perched upon the tip of the lotus.


    ¡°This is a double-sided embroidery?¡± Madam Liu¡¯s eyes lit up as she said in surprise, ¡°And all the threads are hidden perfectly¡­ Did Miss Xin really embroider this?¡±


    Such embroidery skills would probably take at least 20 years to master.


    Mu Yangling was also overjoyed. Since it was mentioned in the letter that Xin had embroidered it, it must be her. It seemed that she had be quite aplished in the art.


    That child was a quiet one. Other than working every day, she only stayed in the house and practiced embroidery. She didn¡¯t go out often and was very timid. In the past, Mu Yangling was still worried about her future livelihood, but now it seemed that she had worried for nothing. Xin was a technical talent. As long as she possessed this skill, she would do quite alright in life.


    Finally, Mu Yangling opened the box that Xiuhong had given her. Upon opening it curiously, she saw a stack of paper inside. She realized that there were title deeds, house deeds, and banknotes contained within.


    Mu Yangling frowned slightly. She picked up Xiuhong¡¯s letter and found out that this girl was doing business with Liu Lang and had earned a lot of money. Hence, she bought a lot ofnd and houses for Mu Yangling in the north. After hearing that their residence hadn¡¯t been repaired until now because of insufficient funds, Xiuhong had even sold a lot of things and gathered a lot of banknotes for her.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart was sour, bitter, and sweet, all at the same time. She put away the things and nned to return them to Xiuhongter. It was not that Mu Yangling was short of money that they did not repair the residence, but that the Imperial Court and Qi Haoran were short of money.


    Almost all of Qi Haoran¡¯s money was plowed into the army, so much so that she did not have the money to buynd in the past and could only manage her dowry.


    However, now that Qi Haoran had a lot of fiefs and stipendnd, there wasn¡¯t even a need to buynd and they already owned plenty of assets. As for doing business, what business could earn as much as the business that Fan Zijin owned?<div>


    Both the couple had a share in his businesses. If they opened a shop to do business, they would be snatching business from him. Furthermore, they might not even be able to win. Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran would not do such a wasteful and unprofitable thing.


    Fan Zijin sent stewards to manage the businesses. The money he earned was directly invested in Qi Haoran¡¯s army or the national treasury to support Qi Xiuyuan. As thend had only been conferred this year and was still not promising, this was why they appeared to be poor. But in a few years, even if they could not get a single cent from the business, they could still save a lot of money with Qi Haoran¡¯s sry and the yield from thend.


    Hence, they really didn¡¯t need Xiuhong¡¯s money.


    Xiuhong was just amoner, and it was probably even more difficult for her than it was for them. It was not easy for her to earn this money, so how could Mu Yangling have the cheek to take it from her?


    Actually, if not for Qi Haoran¡¯s pride, Mu Yangling could have used her dowry. Over the years, her dowry had increased significantly.


    This thought only shed across her mind. Madam Liu was envious of Mu Yangling¡¯s family¡¯s rtionship with her and said, ¡°How many women in the world are as blessed as Your Highness?¡±


    Mu Yangling also felt that she possessed all the rarest sentiments in the world.


    Smiling, she handed the things to Spring to pack up. She held Madam Liu¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Mistress, tell me more about the north. I grew up there and suddenly left. In the past, I was busy every day, so I didn¡¯t have time to be nostalgic. But when I saw you today, I recall that my happiest days were the ones I spent in the north.¡±


    Madam Liu replied with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re only recalling it suddenly because you saw me. Actually, home is wherever your husband and children are. Now, you may feel that life in the north is the happiest, but perhaps after some time, you may feel that life in the capital is the best. And in the future, when you leave here, you may feel that this is the best.¡±


    ¡°However, the North has indeed changed a lot.¡± Madam Liu said, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about other things. The lives of the people are much better than before. Ever since the rebellion, the North is now brought under control by the Imperial Court. A lot of the harsh taxes and misceneous taxes are now removed, and we only need to pay taxes ording to the rules set by Emperor Shizong. Coupled with the high yield of corn, which every family has nted some, the number of people who starve to death has decreased a lot. Let¡¯s not talk about other ces. The low-grade county that our master went to was so poor in the past. In just two years, even during times of difficulty, the number of people who starve to death these days can be counted on one hand. The number of people who sold their children even decreased by 80%. The quality of living has improved by a lot¡­¡±


    Madam Liu wiped her eyes and said, ¡°This is all thanks to His Majesty.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with mncholy, ¡°One day, the people will be able to live and work in peace. Aside from being fed and clothed well, they will no longer have to resort to selling their daughters because they¡¯re starving.¡±


    Madam Liu only smiled, not really believing it in her heart. She felt that if the world could have the current achievements of the north in the future, it would already be considered a golden age.


    After the two of them chatted for a long time, Mu Yangling gave Madam Liu¡¯s children a lot of greeting gifts. As she remembered that Teacher Liu was still waiting at home for them, she sent them out.


    When Qi Haoran returned at night, Mu Yangling unted the gift she had received to him.


    With a chuckle, Qi Haoran jumped off the bed. He dragged his shoes to the door and shouted at Spring, who was outside, ¡°Get Fei Bai to bring in all the things Teacher Liu sent.¡±


    After a while, Fei Bai called more than ten people to carry fiverge boxes into the outer room, upying the entire room.


    Qi Haoran hugged his son smugly and said, ¡°These are all gifts from Father-inw, Mother-inw, Brother-inw, Sister-inw, and Great-aunt, for me and my son. Son, go and open them. There are many fine items among them.¡±


    Little Bear immediately climbed down from Qi Haoran¡¯s body and ran over to open the box. However, the box was too big and his arms were too short, so he could only open a crack. Turning around, he saw that his parents were still looking at each other. So, he turned around and tilted his head to look at the crack. Then, he opened the box and burrowed his head in first. By the time the couple realized it, Little Bear¡¯s feet had already left the ground and half of his body had already burrowed in.<div>


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes, feeling that his son was really stupid. He went forward to open the box and the light suddenly shone in. Stunned initially, Little Bear then became unhappy. After climbing into the box, he pointed at the lid and made ¡°ahh, ahh, ahh¡± noises at his father.


    Now, Qi Haoran could already ¡°understand¡± what his son meant by ¡°ahhh¡± and ¡°ohhh¡±. After ncing at the toys in the box, he shook his head. ¡°You can¡¯t climb into the box to y. What if none of the adults notice and the lid falls back down? It¡¯ll be suffocating in there.¡±


    Little Bear protested to his father. He felt that the game just now was quite fun.


    Feeling that it was inappropriate to reason with him so much, Mu Yangling tempted him. ¡°Little Bear, that game isn¡¯t fun. Instead, let¡¯s y the game of opening the box, okay? Let¡¯s see who can open the box.¡± Seeing that Little Bear wasn¡¯t interested, she immediately said, ¡°I think you definitely won¡¯t be able to open it.¡±<div>


    Little Bear instantly looked up and clenched his fists angrily to show that he could definitely do it. He stopped sitting in the box and crawled out to rush to the other box.

 Chapter 630: Trouble

    Chapter 630: Trouble


    Editor: As Studios


    This time, he followed the same method as before. He first opened a crack, then stuck his head in. Then, he crawled in. With his great strength, it was not difficult for him to push open a lid. As long as he managed to climb in, he could stand up and open the box with his little hand because the box was filled with things.


    The corners of Qi Haoran¡¯s mouth twitched when he saw this. Mu Yangling quickly coaxed him gently. ¡°Is this the only way for my little baby to open the box? That won¡¯t do. Mother will have many ways. How many can Little Bear think of?¡±


    Mu Yangling spoke very slowly and repeated it a few more times. Although Little Bear had yet to speak, he could understand what the adults meant after hearing something a few more times.


    He tilted his head and looked at the remaining three boxes, thinking seriously.


    Only then did Mu Yangling have the time to ask Qi Haoran, ¡°Why didn¡¯t they send the things over together?¡±


    ¡°Your things were probably packedter. There are gifts for the three of us in these boxes. Your family must have packed these things in a hurry and asked Teacher Liu to bring them over. I forgot to tell you two days ago.¡±


    Madam Liu and Teacher Liu didn¡¯t set off on the same day. It was probably because they were too busy at the beginning and forgot to tell the Mu family about this, so the Mu family hurriedly packed five boxes of gifts. Some of them were for Qi Haoran, some for Mu Yangling, and most of them were for Little Bear.


    Later on, when they found out that Madam Liu was dying her departure by a day, they packed a few more boxes. This time, they were much more detailed. Moreover, arge portion of the things were for Mu Yangling whilst the remaining was for Little Bear, and none of them were for Qi Haoran.


    As Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran spoke, Little Bear climbed up the table from the chair and retrieved the feather duster that was stuck in a bottle. After slipping down, he went straight to the box and opened a crack. Then, he reached in with the chicken nket and pushed it open. Being strong, he merely had to exert a little strength.


    He looked smugly at his parents.<div>


    This smug little face was a carbon copy of Qi Haoran¡¯s smug look.


    The couple watched the entire process from the side. Qi Haoran carried him up smugly and praised, ¡°My son is indeed smart!¡±


    The smile on Little Bear¡¯s face deepened, and the two of them beamed together. Mu Yangling looked at her son¡¯s chubby little face and then at Qi Haoran¡¯s. She immediately said regretfully, ¡°If your baby fat was still there, it¡¯d be a big and small version of Little Bear¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face stiffened and he red at Mu Yangling. ¡°Why would I still have baby fat when I¡¯ve already grown up?¡±


    Little Bear reached out to pat his father¡¯s face with a look of pity, making Mu Yangling burst outughing.


    The family of three shared the gifts before getting someone to carry them into the storeroom. They decided to pack the things tomorrow. Because Little Bear was in a good mood, he squeezed his way between his parents, wanting to sleep with them.


    As the weather had already begun to turn cold, Little Bear slept soundly in the middle, covered by a nket. Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but kiss him, but Qi Haoran felt that he was in the way. He gently carried the kid up and ced him on the bed. After covering him with a small nket, he hugged his wife to sleep.


    The next day, Little Bear was the first to wake up. When he realized that he was not sleeping between his parents, he was momentarily confused. Then, when he saw his parents hugging each other, he lifted the nket and climbed onto their nkets, shaking the two of them awake.


    Qi Haoran opened his eyes and quickly grabbed his son and stuffed him under the nket. He patted his butt gently and said, ¡°The weather is so cold, yet you still dare to wander around without a nket.¡±


    Little Bear let out an ¡°ahhh¡± anxiously.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s sleepiness instantly dissipated. He lifted the nket and quickly took off the kid¡¯s pants, then carried him and ran to the bathroom. However, before he could reach the bathroom, a ssh of water shot out and directly watered the flowers and nts embroidered on the screen in front of him.


    Qi Haoran instantly felt a little guilty. This screen was sent over by Zijin two days ago and seemed to be worth a lot of money.


    He turned around to look at his wife. Seeing that she was still sitting on the bed in a daze, he secretly red at his son and hurriedly rushed to the toilet bowl. However, since the kid had already emptied his dder, there was no longer a need for it.


    The father and son stared at each other for a moment before Qi Haoran carried him back. He stuffed his son into Mu Yangling¡¯s arms and said, ¡°Sleep a little longer. It¡¯s not dawn yet.¡±


    Just now, Qi Haoran took the time to look at the hourss and felt that his son had woken up really early. It was only 4 a.m. now, right?


    He hesitated for a moment. Should he risk being discovered and go to bed to sleep, or should he quickly slip away?


    Qi Haoran and his son¡¯s round eyes met. Qi Haoran made a prompt decision and said gently to Mu Yangling, ¡°Ah Ling, the military camp is a little busy today. I¡¯ll go first. Sleep a little longer with our son.¡±


    Mu Yangling opened her heavy eyelids and nced at him. Then, she looked at the hourss and immediately felt a headache. ¡°It¡¯s only four o¡¯clock. Why are you up so early?¡±


    ¡°What are you speaking of, four o¡¯clock? It has already struck the hour of the Tiger. I must hasten to the barracks. Do rest longer, my dear, and look after our son.¡±<div>


    ¡°Little Bear needs to pee once. Help him relieve himself first.¡±


    Qi Haoran nced at the screen sheepishly and said, ¡°He¡¯s already peed¡­¡±


    Relieved, Mu Yangling hugged her son in her arms and covered him with the nket in a daze. Then, she let out an exhale and fell asleep again.


    Qi Haoran hurriedly put on his clothes and ran out quietly. After closing the door tightly and said to Spring, who had run out of the side room after hearing themotion, ¡°Madam and Young Master yed till tootest night. Don¡¯t wake them up if there¡¯s nothing important. Let them sleep until they wake up naturally.¡±<div>


    Spring hurriedly agreed.


    Qi Haoran hurriedly shook Fei Bai awake and went to the military camp.


    Letting out a yawn, Fei Bai shrunk his neck. ¡°Master, why are we going so early today? Didn¡¯t we leave the training of the soldiers to the subordinate generals?¡±


    Could Qi Haoran tell him the truth? He could only say, ¡°I have my own ns.¡±


    He, too, was feeling bitter. They had just arrived in Ju Prefecture and there was little furniture to begin with. The screen left behind by thendlord was too rough, and neither he nor Mu Yangling fancied it. After learning about this, Fan Zijin had spent some effort and quite a lot of money to buy a good one and ced it in Qi Haoran¡¯s house. Qi Haoran wondered if it could be removed and washed¡­


    However, he was now a pauper and did not have the money to secretly buy a new one to rece it¡­


    Before Qi Haoran could think of a good solution, he heard Fei Bai exim. Qi Haoran looked up and was about to ask what was wrong when he saw the brilliant lights in the distance.


    Qi Haoran narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Is that the military camp?¡±


    Trembling, Fei Bai replied, ¡°Based on the distance, it should be the military camp.¡±


    Qi Haoran stared at it for a while before Fei Bai hurriedly said, ¡°Master, something might have happened. That¡¯s why the lights are so bright.¡±


    ¡°Did we run into any messengers along the way?¡±


    Fei Bai immediately stopped talking. If anything happened to the military camp, the Prince would definitely be notified. If they did not encounter any messenger, it meant that someone was deliberately hiding the matter from them.


    Qi Haoran turned his horse around and said, ¡°Let¡¯s take the byway.¡±<div>


    Two guards behind him immediately stepped forward to pave the way. The guards in charge of Qi Haoran¡¯s travels were all trusted aides who had risked their lives with him. Soon, they found the byway marked on the map and quietly approached the military camp.

 Chapter 631: Discovered

    Chapter 631: Discovered


    Editor: As Studios


    There were a few bonfires burning in the open space in the middle of the military camp. Soldiers were sitting around the bonfires, roasting meat. There were not many left, so it could be seen that the gathering wasing to an end.


    A few generals sat together. They did not drink, but their expressions were a little gloomy.


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t get too close, but his expression wasn¡¯t good either. He turned around and brought his men back to the main road. After resting for a while, he headed to the military camp an hour earlier than usual.


    He narrowed his eyes and looked ahead. Although the scouts were stealthy, he still discovered the lookouts. Furious, Qi Haoran rushed towards the military camp.


    Perhaps nobody expected him to arrive early. Although the military camp had been cleaned up, there was still a faint smell of meat and alcohol in the air.


    Qi Haoran nodded without batting an eyelid and said to the few generals who came forward, ¡°I¡¯ll go and watch you train your troopster.¡±


    The generalsined incessantly in their hearts. During this period of time, Qi Haoran had been focused on the East Camp and the West Camp. Why did he suddenlye to the Central Camp?


    Qi Xiuyuan had assigned 200,000 troops to him, but they were actually a mix of bandits and rebels. Qi Haoran was tasked to train them. After training them, half of them would be divided to suppress the borders and the other half would be sent elsewhere. The most important thing was to train the bandit leaders and rebel leaders who followed him because it was easy to recruit a thousand soldiers, but difficult to get one general.


    Now that those bandit leaders and rebel leaders had been conferred the title of general, if they were allowed to still be so unrestrained and disobey orders, would Great Qi be a stronghold or a country?


    Naturally, the 200,000-strong army could not be put together. Since the entire Qiannan was so big, Qi Haoran trained everyone for two months and divided the army into three battalions in the east, central, and west. Among them, the Central Camp had thergest number of people, up to 100,000. They were stationed in Ju Prefecture.<div>


    Initially, he thought that the Central Camp was right under his nose, so he only ced his attention on the generals under him. He wanted to take care of the East and West Camps first and implement their training n. However, it seemed that he had overestimated himself and underestimated the stubbornness of these bandits. To think they dared to y so many tricks under his nose. What if they were farther away from him?


    Qi Haoran was a little worried, not knowing if the East and West Camps also had such a problem.


    After informing them, Qi Haoran entered his tent, while Fei Bai hurriedly went down to prepare breakfast. As the Prince had shown up early in the morning, no one had eaten breakfast yet.


    The generals hurriedly stopped him and asked him in a low voice why the Prince was here so early today.


    As they spoke, a banknote was stuffed into Fei Bai¡¯s hand. Fei Bai lowered his eyes and quietly stuffed the banknote into his sleeve. Looking around, he said, ¡°His Highness and Her Highness quarreled, so he left the house before dawn today. He didn¡¯t even eat breakfast and is in a bad mood these few days. Generals, be careful.¡±


    How could he possibly be in a good mood? No one would feel happy being fooled by their subordinates like this.


    The bandit generals had also witnessed how loving the Prince and Princess Consort were during this period of time. With a sigh, they left with their heads drooping. They finally found the time to rx during the night, but they didn¡¯t have the chance anymore. Geez, why did the Princess Consort have to quarrel with the Prince for no reason?


    When Fei Bai brought in the breakfast, he took out the banknotes for Qi Haoran, then told him what had happened in a low voice. Qi Haoran said with a dark expression, ¡°You can keep the banknotes. In the future, just keep whatever they give you. Get someone to bring a letter to the Princess Consort and tell her about what happened here. Don¡¯t let her expose the lie. Since we¡¯ve ¡®quarreled¡¯, I¡¯ll stay in the military camp for the next few days.¡±


    Fei Bai hurriedly agreed. Seeing that Qi Haoran¡¯s expression was sullen, he respectfully retreated.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s expression did not look good the entire day. Since Fei Bai had already found an excuse for him, he could not be bothered to hide it and went to watch everyone practice with a dark expression.


    Fei Bai wiped the sweat off his forehead. Fortunately, he was smart enough to tell them in advance that the Prince and the Princess Consort had quarreled. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t the subordinates suspect what was going on?


    The few generals below were also wiping their cold sweat. Last night, everyone had caused a ruckus for half the night. The lowest-ranking soldiers were still fine, but the soldiers ranked regimentmander and above were all in low spirits. Even they felt a little listless now. Strangely, they didn¡¯t feel anything even if they didn¡¯t sleep for three days and three nights during a war. Why were they so tired after just not sleeping for a night? The orders went wrong one after another, and Qi Haoran¡¯s expression became darker and darker. It was simplyparable to the bottom of a pot.


    In the end, Qi Haoran snatched themand g and raised it high in the air. He shouted, ¡°All soldiers, listen up. Split into the east and west camps and practice battle!¡±


    The lowest-ranking soldiers were not qualified to participate in the officers¡¯ revelry, but during this period of time, they had also rxed a lot and had not focused enough on their training. Qi Haoran¡¯s orders could not be disobeyed, but even so, they still defeated the West Campmanded by the few generals beside them.


    This time, the generals were trembling with fear.


    Qi Haoran waved his hand and ordered, ¡°All soldiers will be led by their toonmanders to practice.¡± As he turned to look at the generals, he said, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    As soon as they entered the middle tent, Qi Haoran¡¯s cold gazended on their faces. ¡°Do you treat this ce as a mountain stronghold or a military camp?¡±


    The hearts of the generals skipped a beat, thinking that they had been discovered. Qi Haoran flew into a rage and said, ¡°It¡¯s just ordinary training, and you guys put up such a performance? Are you nning to sacrifice the lives of all our soldiers on the battlefield?¡±


    ¡°What are generals? Generals lead! But do you think you¡¯re leading or harming them? This is Qiannan, the border between the northwest and southwest. In the future, our soldiers will have to guard the two borders and deal with possible rebellions by the Miao people. Is this how you train your soldiers?¡± Qi Haoran scolded. ¡°If you don¡¯t have the ability, take off your uniform and go home to farm. I don¡¯t have so many lives for you to torture! This is a military camp of the Imperial Court, not a bandit¡¯s nest. Since you¡¯re on the government¡¯s payroll, you have to serve the Emperor with all your hearts. You can¡¯t go f*ck as you please, or muddle through life living off your existing gold, silver, and treasures. You have to protect your family and the people, not just do whatever makes you happy!¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t help but curse. ¡°Damn it!¡±


    If not for the fact that he was afraid that the military camp would be in chaos, based on his past temper, these people would have been dismissed and investigated even if he did not have them killed. However, these were all bandit leaders and rebel leaders who had submitted to him. Although the 200,000-strong army had been scattered, they were all from simr backgrounds. Qi Haoran did not have the confidence to kill the soldiers under them and not cause a rebellion.


    Thus, he could only endure this anger for the time being.


    Although the generals standing below were unconvinced, they did not dare to argue at this moment.<div>


    Qi Haoran was even angrier when he saw that they lowered their heads and didn¡¯t speak, but their backs were straight and stubborn. A dark glint shed across his eyes, and he said with a smile, ¡°Do you think the military camp is very boring and not as fun as your stockade? Pass down the order. All troops, open the arena. Previously, I taught you how to train troops in the military camp. Today, I¡¯ll teach you how we usually y!¡±


    The generals intuitively felt that something was wrong, but at this moment, a simple-minded person had already agreed loudly. That simple-minded person even said with a smile loudly, ¡°General, I¡¯ve long felt suffocated. In the past, when I was in the mountain stronghold, I would go down the mountain from time to time. Even if not, there were women for us to y with. Unlike now, I can only stay in the military camp and only go home every few days. This suffocating feeling is almost making me sick.¡±


    Qi Haoran smiled and his voice suddenly became gentle. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let you guys be bored this time.¡±


    No matter how naive that person was, he could sense that something was wrong.

 Chapter 632: Request

    Chapter 632: Request


    Editor: As Studios


    The entire Central Camp wasining. Initially, when everyone heard about the arena, they were overjoyed and came to join in the fun. In the end, the Prince only sent half of his personal guards and everyone was feeling tortured enough already.


    Even if several generals went up against the Prince together, they were still no match for him at all.


    After all, Qi Haoran had been practicing martial arts since he was young. These bandits were all amateurs, so they naturally could notpare to him. Even if they had been leaders before, at this moment, everyone was suppressed by Qi Haoran.


    If it was in the past, Qi Haoran would have let them off with a smile. However, he was in a fit of anger. After knocking them down, he mocked them. ¡°How dare you go to the battlefield like this? You can only show off when you encounter weakmoners. If you encounter the Jin soldiers or West Xia soldiers, you¡¯d have died ten times over.¡±


    One could imagine that the bandit leaders weren¡¯t docile folks. These words instantly angered everyone. They originally wanted to lie down and pretend to be dead, but at this moment, they wanted to get up even if they had to crawl. Qi Haoran continued to torture them until they could not speak. Only then did the anger in his heart dissipate a little.


    This matter got to Fan Zijin¡¯s ears. In the afternoon, he took the time toe over. When Qi Haoran got off the stage, he followed him back to the tent. ¡°Why did Sister-inw send your food to me? Did you really quarrel? Since she has already sent you food, it can be considered that she has given in. Just forgive her.¡±


    ¡°Who said I quarreled with Ah Ling? She listens to everything I say and we¡¯re such a loving couple. What¡¯s there to quarrel about?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I misunderstood.¡± Fan Zijin opened his eyes and looked at him. He supported her head and sat at the side to look at him, then asked, ¡°Then why are you angry? Do you have to implicate the entire army?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s anger rose as he told him what he had identally discovered. ¡°I always thought that the Central Camp¡¯s discipline was not bad, so I lived in the city without worry. But now, it seems that they were clearly putting on a show previously, while still making merry at night as they please. I went to inspect their training today. Damn it, it¡¯s like they¡¯ve been messing around for the past two months. It¡¯s only been a few days since I checked on them, and they¡¯ve all rxed.¡±


    Fan Zijin frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they have ulterior motives for gathering sote at night?¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten someone to investigate. It¡¯s just that the people below want to have some fun and feel that the discipline is too strict.¡±


    Fan Zijin heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°But if they don¡¯t listen to orders now, I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll rebel in the future if anything happens.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°There are many people in the Central Camp, so I want to train them first before dealing with the East Camp and the West Camp. However, we can¡¯t just let them be. Let¡¯s find Liu Dahei and the others first and find something for them to do. Otherwise, there will be chaos.¡±


    However, there were no battles at the borders at this time, and they could not take the initiative to start a war. If they werezy about training troops, what else was there for them to do?


    Qi Haoran was vexed.


    As Mu Yangling had just obtained Qi Haoran¡¯s stipendnd, she went to the field to take a look. The previously connectednd had already been divided into many pieces. When Xu Zhi got someone to bring them to see theirnd, she saw that Qi Haoran was assigned three mountains.


    Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Can these three mountains be used to build terraced fields?¡±


    Xu Zhi was silent for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s difficult.¡±


    Mu Yangling understood implicitly that it couldn¡¯t be done.


    Mu Yangling looked at the three mountains and turned around to say to Zhu Liang, ¡°I¡¯ll get an old farmer to go up the mountain to take a look and see what is suited for nting.¡±


    Xu Zhi waited for Zhu Liang to leave before asking, ¡°What does Her Highness n to nt on these fields?¡± Seeing that Mu Yangling seemed to be very interested in farming, he couldn¡¯t help but want to ask.


    Smiling, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Governor Xu, what do you suggest?¡±


    Xu Zhi thought for a moment and replied, ¡°Buckwheat is a good choice.¡±


    As buckwheat wasn¡¯t exactly a delicious grain, Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows.


    Xu Zhi hurriedly added, ¡°Two of the fields have good fertility and soil, and you may grow rice on them. However, it¡¯s difficult to nt rice elsewhere. Seeing as the weather this winter is a little abnormal, I wonder what it will be like next year.¡±


    Mu Yangling fell into deep thought. It was already the end of autumn this year, but the weather was still a little stuffy and hot. It was only right before entering winter that the temperature began to slowly drop. Mu Yangling originally thought that this was because there were tall mountains on all sides, but now, it seemed that the situation was indeed abnormal.


    When Mu Yangling returned to the residence, she found Zhu Liang and said, ¡°The corn nted in Jiangnan this year is being harvested now, right? Get Wang Quan to buy as much as possible. Pick out those that can be used as seeds and stock up on some in each branch. Send the rest to Qiannan and send a letter to the North to get them to transport over more Dry Rice No. 1 seeds.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, how should we allocate the stipendnd next year?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get someone to look at every plot ofnd first. We¡¯ll divide thend into different grades before I make a decision.¡±<div>


    Zhu Liang noted down her instructions one by one. Just as the two of them finished speaking, Spring came in from outside and reported, ¡°Her Highness, Mrs. Chen and Miss Jinhua from the Miao stockade are here.¡±


    ¡°Han?¡± Mu Yangling tilted her head and waved her hand to dismiss Zhu Liang. ¡°Let them in.¡±


    Han was here to deliver clothes to Little Bear, so Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Thank you for your trouble. He hasn¡¯t yet worn what you sent thest time.¡±


    Han said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s just a token of our appreciation. These fabrics are the only decent gifts our Miao stockade can offer you.¡±<div>


    ¡°You¡¯re just being humble. I heard that the herbs in your Miao stockade are excellent, too. Isn¡¯t the General nning to let you nt herbs?¡±


    Han replied with a bitter smile, ¡°Medicinal herbs aren¡¯t so easy to grow. We Miao people have always only dug up wild medicinal herbs and no one has ever nted them, so no one dares to grow them. Moreover, herbs are used to treat illnesses and no one would eat it often for no reason.¡± After a pause, Han continued with a smile, ¡°I heard that Your Highness knows a kind of divine crop that has high production yield, which allows themoners to fill their stomachs. I heard that the nting has already begun in Jiangnan.¡±


    Stunned, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°You mean corn?¡±


    Han nodded repeatedly as hope shed across her eyes. ¡°I heard that that thing is easy to grow and has a high yield. Please take pity on us, Your Highness.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°That thing isn¡¯t as good as you think, but the yield is indeed higher than rice and wheat. If you serve the high-gradend well, and the heavens decide to be good to you, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to achieve a yield of 500 to 600 catties per acre. Even when nted on low-gradend, one can get about 300 catties.¡±


    Han could not help but get excited. Considering the Miao people were not very good at farming, it was already not bad for an acre of high-gradend to harvest 300 catties of grains a year. Even if corn was not delicious, it would at least be better than chaff and buckwheat, right?


    At least everyone would have more staple food.


    Han looked at Mu Yangling with bright eyes.


    Mu Yangling did not use this to negotiate with them. She only said, ¡°The seeds should arrive here before spring. When the timees, I will open grain stores in two or three ces in Qiannan. If anyone wants to buy them, just go to the grain store with your household registration and title deed.¡±


    Han hesitated. ¡°I wonder if the price¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be very expensive. If you don¡¯t have money, you can even owe on credit. You can repay me when it¡¯s time to harvest. There will be someone in charge of that. Mrs. Chen, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Han heaved a sigh of relief.


    <div>

 Chapter 633: Brawny Man

    Chapter 633: Brawny Man


    Editor: As Studios


    Since Han was here for the seeds this time, after getting the reply she wanted, she tugged at Jinhua and wanted to bid farewell.


    However, Jinhua did not want to leave. She had only gone down the mountain three times since she was young. Every time, she would leave and return on the same day, roaming the streets for only a short while. Therefore, she wanted to stay.


    Used to speaking her mind, she said to Mu Yangling directly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave. I want to stay at your house. I¡¯ll go back after I¡¯m done ying.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t like her, so she rejected her. ¡°Miss Jinhua, as we just moved in not long ago, the residence is still in a mess. Besides, this house doesn¡¯t belong to our family and is rented from someone else. Considering there¡¯s not even a guest room, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t let you stay here for the night.¡±


    Jinhua pouted unhappily. ¡°We Miao people are warm and hospitable. Why are you Han Chinese so petty? You won¡¯t even let me stay for a few days.¡±


    However, Han knew that it was not that the Qi family did not have a guest room, but that they were unwilling to let Jinhua stay at their house. After all, her sister had wanted to snatch the Prince from Mu Yangling previously.


    Afraid that her sister would embarrass herself further if she continued, she quickly stopped her and said, ¡°Before you came out, you promised Father that you would listen to me and go home early. How could you forget? If you want to y, we can enter the city to y next time.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Jinhua refused to leave. ¡°You guys said the same thing in the past, but all my life I¡¯ve only entered the city three times. I insist on staying.¡±


    Mu Yangling sat still and did not speak.


    Han tugged at her and said in a low voice, ¡°Be careful with your words in front of Her Highness lest you make a fool of yourself. Come back with me first.¡±<div>


    When Jinhua saw that the servants in the room were also looking at her, she was embarrassed and angry. Her eyes turned red as she pointed at Mu Yangling and shouted, ¡°Aren¡¯t you just refusing because I pursued His Highness previously? You¡¯re too petty. Miao girls are free to woo whichever man catches her fancy. If she seeds, it¡¯s because of her ability. And even if she fails, love rivals can turn into good sisters in an instant. Unlike you Han Chinese, you¡¯re so petty. Thest time you came to our Miao stockade, when you asked me to teach you the Miaonguage, I readily agreed.¡±


    Seeing that she was arguing with her like an elementary school kid, Mu Yangling felt very helpless. Recalling that she had indeed used herst time, Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°It¡¯s true that love rivals can be friends, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯re considered love rivals. You can also pursue any unmarried man. However, you have to know that the Prince is already married and has children. Just based on this alone, he should be removed from the list of men you pursue since he doesn¡¯t meet the requirements. If you pursue him, that¡¯s not love, but you¡¯ll be destroying my family. Therefore, I don¡¯t like you.¡±


    Han was shocked, for she didn¡¯t expect Her Highness to be so direct. She was a little annoyed, but her sister tilted her head slightly and asked, ¡°Then why did you ask me to teach you the Miaonguagest time?¡±


    ¡°Because you were the only one who knew both Mandarin and the Miaonguage at that time.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°If you had a question for me, I would have answered it directly. Although I don¡¯t like you, I won¡¯t target you on other matters.¡±


    Jinhua rolled her eyes. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded.


    ¡°Then let me ask you, are there many burly men among your husband¡¯s subordinates?¡±


    ¡°Jinhua!¡± Han shouted at her angrily.


    Jinhua said unhappily, ¡°Sister, I think you¡¯ve gone silly from studying with Brother-inw. Our Miao family¡¯s women dare to love and hate. What¡¯s there not to say? I don¡¯t like beating around the bush like you guys. If I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯re Father and Mother¡¯s biological daughter, I¡¯d have suspected that you¡¯re not my sister.¡±


    Jinhua pointed at Mu Yangling and said, ¡°She¡¯s more like a Miao girl than you are.¡±


    The veins on Mu Yangling¡¯s forehead twitched. ¡°I think I¡¯m more like a Han Chinese.¡±


    Jinhua snorted and asked, ¡°Just say it. Are there burly men amongst them? It¡¯s best if he¡¯s stronger than His Highness.¡± Blushing, Jinhua said, ¡°Even if he¡¯s not stronger than him, it¡¯s fine if he¡¯s just a tad inferior. However, he has to be good at martial arts and good-looking.¡± Jinhua thought for a moment and said, ¡°I want someone unmarried, or even if he¡¯s widowed it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Mu Yangling and Han: ¡°¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling took a long time to find her voice. ¡°Does your father know about your intentions?¡±


    ¡°Of course he knows.¡± Jinhua raised her head proudly and said, ¡°My father promised me long ago that he would find me the most majestic man to be my husband. Unfortunately, our vige is too small and I don¡¯t fancy any of the men inside.¡±


    ¡°What about the other Miao stockades?¡±


    Before Han could stop her, Jinhua said disdainfully, ¡°Nah, they¡¯re even worse. Besides, Father can¡¯t bear to marry me to another stockade¡­¡±


    ¡°Jinhua.¡± Han interrupted her with a cold expression and said, ¡°Let Father handle the matter of finding your husband. Let¡¯s go back first. It¡¯s not like you can make the judgment by yourself.¡±


    ¡°Of course I have to be the one to choose my own husband!¡± Jinhua jumped up and said, ¡°If Father and Mother don¡¯t object, who are you to say no? I think you¡¯ve been led astray by Brother-inw and are too particr about heeding the words of one¡¯s parents and the matchmaker when ites to marriage. Those are all bad things. I told you not to listen long ago. Nobody knows better than oneself what¡¯s good for them.¡±<div>


    Han felt a headacheing on. She turned to Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Your Highness, we¡¯ve embarrassed ourselves. I¡¯ll bring my sister back first.¡±


    Han stepped forward and grabbed Jinhua, then covered her mouth and dragged her out. It was obvious that she had no intention of preserving her image anymore.


    Mu Yangling was dumbfounded. She did not expect that the weak-looking Han¡¯s strength and kung fu were stronger than Jinhua¡¯s, to be able to drag her out overwhelmingly. Though, it had to be said that Han¡¯s face, hands, and neck were also scratched by Jinhua in the process.


    Spring took a long time to find her voice. ¡°The girls of the Miao Tribe are so valiant.¡±<div>


    Mu Yangling nodded sadly. After a while, she turned her head and said, ¡°Go find Xiao Ting and ask her to list out the names of unmarried, uh, majestic men under the general for me to see. It¡¯s best if they¡¯re of a certain rank.¡±


    Spring immediately went down.


    At night, Xiao Ting sent in a list of names. It was very detailed and listed everyone¡¯s rank, age, family background, and personality traits.


    Due to the restriction of ¡°rank¡±, Xiao Ting sent over a list of fifth-grade lieutenants and above, ranging from 19 to 40 years old.


    Seeing that a 42-year-old assistantmander was also among them, Mu Yangling¡¯s lips twitched and she asked, ¡°This one¡¯s not married yet either?¡±


    Xiao Ting stuck his head out to take a look and immediately replied, ¡°Your Highness, he¡¯s indeed not married. He used to be a tenant of andlord and only had a little strength. Because he didn¡¯t have money, he never married. Later, he encountered natural and man-made disasters and for the sake of survival, went up the mountain to be a bandit. He¡¯s considered the second-inmand of that stronghold. Back then, he was directly recruited by His Majesty, so he was immediately promoted to a third-grade assistantmander. He¡¯s also in a hurry to find a wife, but at the mention of his age and his upation as a soldier, the girls from good families weren¡¯t very willing.¡±


    Frowning, Mu Yangling said, ¡°But he¡¯s a third-grade assistantmander.¡±


    Xiao Ting chuckled and hurriedly exined, ¡°Third-grade assistantmanders are highly sought after in Jiangnan and the north. However, they¡¯re not popr here at all. The assistantmanders in Jiangnan have power and don¡¯t have to fight to the death on the battlefield. In addition, they¡¯re allocated arge area of stipendnd in the north. Even if they die on the battlefield, ording to tradition, the stipendnd can be preserved for three more years, which brings quite considerable yields. However, as you can see here, even a second-grade general like His Highness only has that bit of stipendnd, let alone a third-grade general. The fields are barren, and because he was promoted from a bandit, he¡¯s very poor and doesn¡¯t have any family assets. Considering also that this is the border, who knows when he will have to go to the battlefield with West Xia? If he dies, his entire family will have nothing to live on. Therefore, no one is willing to marry him. Those who are willing to marry him are all widows with children. He¡¯s not willing to raise a son for others, so he¡¯s been dragging it out.¡±

 Chapter 634: Plot

    Chapter 634: Plot


    Editor: As Studios


    So there was arge group of bachelors working under Qi Haoran?


    Mu Yangling flipped through the thick list and saw Liu Dahei¡¯s name on the first line. ¡°It¡¯s fine that Liu Dahei¡¯s name is included, but why is Lin Man¡¯s name also on it? I remember that he has a house full of concubines.¡±


    ¡°Although he has a house full of concubines, he doesn¡¯t yet have a legitimate wife.¡± Xiao Ting asked hesitantly, ¡°Do we have to remove those who have concubines?¡±


    Mu Yangling thought of Jinhua¡¯s personality and felt that in order not to harm those girls, it was better to eliminate such candidates. Thankfully, a brief description of the men¡¯s family situations and visible personality traits were written on the list.


    Mu Yangling picked up her brush and crossed out all those who already had concubines. Then, she frowned and looked at the remaining candidates.


    Mu Yangling took out a red pen and crossed out those who were older than 30 years old. The remaining men were between 19 and 29 years old, but Jinhua was only 16 years old. Hence, Mu Yangling set her sights on the youngest ones amongst them.


    She wondered if Jinhua would fancy any of them.


    Mu Yangling was just nning to go to the military camp to ask Qi Haoran for his opinion when unexpectedly, thetter snuck back at noon the next day. Seeing the shocked Mu Yangling, he exined, ¡°I came back to see Little Bear.¡±


    If Little Bear heard this, he would definitely protest because Qi Haoran only looked at him quietly in front of his small bed for a while before going into Mu Yangling¡¯s room. He did not even kiss him.


    Seeing that he was unshaven and reeked of sweat, Mu Yangling hurriedly instructed Spring to prepare hot water.<div>


    Qi Haoran was very unhappy. ¡°It¡¯s rare for me toe back, and all you notice is the fact that I didn¡¯t take a shower?¡±


    Seeing that he was not in a good mood, Mu Yangling coaxed him, ¡°It¡¯s healthy to practice good hygiene. I¡¯m just being considerate of your health.¡±


    Qi Haoran was suspicious. ¡°You don¡¯t disdain me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Mu Yangling leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Only then was Qi Haoran satisfied. He scooped his wife over and bent down to kiss her lips, then kissed her for a long time before letting go.


    Seeing that he was frowning, Mu Yangling stroked his be and asked, ¡°Have you had lunch? I asked Xiao Ting to send you your favorite braised pork today.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Qi Haoran said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t in the military camp. I came straight back from the col after dragging those brats out for training.¡± Hence, he was totally starving.


    Seeing that there were snacks by the side, he reached out to grab one. Mu Yangling quickly pped his hand away and said, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be eating snacks before the proper meal. Wait for a while. Since we just had lunch not long ago, there¡¯s still food in the kitchen. I¡¯ll get someone to get some for you.¡±


    When Rain, who was outside, heard this, she quickly went to give orders.


    As soon as the cook heard that the Prince was going to have lunch, she quickly scooped up the leftovers from lunch and quickly added the ingredients she had prepared for dinner into the pot. In less than half an hour, she prepared a table of medium-grade dishes.


    When Rain brought the food into the main house, Mu Yangling was bathing Qi Haoran in the bathroom and almost scrubbed off ayer of his skin.


    She decided to talk to Fei Baiter. Although it was not easy to take a shower in the military camp, he had to take a shower every two to three days. Had Qi Haoran not taken a shower ever since leaving home?


    Aftering out of the shower, Qi Haoran sat on the brick bed with his hair down and pointed at Mu Yangling for her to feed him.


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes and said, ¡°You have hands and feet¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± Qi Haoran did not want to move at all.


    Mu Yangling could only pick up the bowl and chopsticks to feed him. When he was half-full and was no longer starving for food, she asked, ¡°Did something happen in the military camp?¡±


    Qi Haoran did not say anything, so Mu Yangling did not ask further.


    After eating his fill, Qi Haoran hugged Mu Yangling in frustration and buried his head in her neck. ¡°Training these brats is even harder than I imagined¡­¡±


    It could be said that Qi Haoran had suffered quite a blow in the past few days. These soldiers were not new recruits or veterans who had been to the battlefield. They were once undisciplined bandits and were too damn difficult to reform.


    Ever since he was 12 years old, he had led an army to train soldiers independently. Over the years, he had trained many soldiers. Now, one-fifth of the most elite troops in Great Qi had once been under hismand. However, those were newly recruited soldiers who were easy to train or veterans who had survived the battlefield. Although they were veterans, there was somehow a way to train them. However, Qi Haoran felt that it was troublesome to deal with these soldiers who had been bandits for several years and whose bad habits were hard to change.<div>


    It was not that he could seed in training them, but it took too much effort and time.


    Mu Yangling patted his shoulder and said gently, ¡°You¡¯re too anxious. There¡¯s nothing wrong with taking things more slowly.¡±


    ¡°How can we be slow? The Jin Kingdom and West Xia are eyeing us covetously. I¡¯m afraid that there¡¯ll be a war again before we even manage to train our soldiers. Won¡¯t these brats be courting death if they go to the battlefield in this state?¡±


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t dare to say that he loved his soldiers like his children, but he did treat them as his responsibility. Just thinking about them made his heart ache, and then his anger began to rise.<div>


    ¡°I have to think of a way to suppress their temperament.¡±


    ¡°Then train them to death. Once they¡¯ve used up all their strength, will they still be in the mood to go against you?¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°In time, you¡¯ll definitely be able to subdue them.¡±


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m doing now, but these brats are full of energy. Even if I train them to the extreme during the day, they¡¯ll still have the energy to make a ruckus at night. Every few days, theye up with little tricks in the dark¡­¡± Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be so troubled.


    ¡°Are they too well-fed?¡± This was the only reason Mu Yangling could think of.


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°But we can¡¯t reduce our rations. We¡¯re relying on this to stabilize the soldiers¡¯ hearts and keep them around.¡± He looked at Mu Yangling eagerly and said, ¡°Tell me quickly if you have any way to wear down their strength and energy.¡±


    Mu Yangling pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Actually, I wanted to discuss it with you a few days ago. The weather in Qiannan is a little abnormal this year. I don¡¯t know if there will be a drought or flood next year or if the weather will be good. Most of the water conservancy facilities in various ces are paralyzed now. Since it¡¯s winter, we can getborers to repair the water conservancy facilities. Considering Qiannan has a small poption, I wonder if the military can help.¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned. ¡°Does the government office have the money for the repairs?¡±


    Repairing water conservancy facilities didn¡¯t just requireborers; it also required a lot of money. Not to mention anything else, just the tools and materials ounted for quite a considerable expense.


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°We¡¯ll leave Teacher Liu to worry about that.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately said, ¡°In that case, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. I have enough manpower. Since we¡¯re going to repair it, we can mobilize the soldiers in the entire area of Qiannan.¡± A dark glint shed across Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes. ¡°Other than Ju Prefecture, Qiannan still has two other prefectures where the magistrates haven¡¯t been reced. It¡¯s time for them to fork out money and effort.¡±


    Qi Haoran instantly had a n.


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and smiled. She asked, ¡°Do you want the Miao stockade to help too?¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned. ¡°Of course, they also have to contribute. Why do you ask?¡±<div>


    ¡°I¡¯m asking if we should hand the Miao people over to the chieftains of the Miao stockades to manage. If we let the Miao people be managed by the Miao chieftains, there will be fewer conflicts. Although we have to give up some benefits on the surface, the effects shouldn¡¯t differ much from if the Imperial Court officials were to direct the Miao people. I heard that there will be some idents every year when the Miao people are forced to work.¡±

 Chapter 635: Matchmaking

    Chapter 635: Matchmaking


    Editor: As Studios


    This way, they would undoubtedly delegate some authority to the Miao stockade. Although this was temporarily beneficial to enhancing the ties between both sides, there would definitely be more conflicts because of benefits in the future. Qi Haoran shook his head and said, ¡°I have a n for this matter. I definitely can¡¯t let the Miao stockade take full control. I¡¯ll discuss it with Teacher Liuter.¡±


    Mu Yangling took out the name list and exined Jinhua¡¯s intentions, then asked, ¡°What do you think of a Miao-Han marriage alliance?¡±


    With his lips pursed, Qi Haoran flipped through the name list and asked, ¡°Would my men take a fancy to a Miao girl? And a Miao girl like Jinhua, to boot?¡±


    ¡°Since the Miao people are very epting of free love, we can just let them interact with each other. Those men can just reject the marriage if they don¡¯t fancy her. There¡¯s only one rule¡ªthey can¡¯t pretend to like Jinhua if they feel otherwise, then marry dozens of concubines after taking her as a wife. That won¡¯t be a marriage alliance, but forging enmity.¡±


    Qi Haoran touched his chin and nodded. It was unknown if he was listening, but he did bring the name list with him when he left.


    Qi Haoran read through the list and finally chose six trustworthy and active subordinates. When the six of them came out of the main tent, their expressions were a little strange.


    When the assistantmanders of the Central Camp saw this, their expressions darkened. One of them said, ¡°His Highness has been making a lot of moves recently. Could it be that he knows what we¡¯ve done in private? Otherwise, why would he find these assistantmanders from the East Camp and West Camp?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t two from our Central Camp go too?¡±


    ¡°How can thatpare? Those two brats are still wet behind the ears. One of them is only a lieutenant. Inparison, Liu Dahei from the West Camp is here.¡±


    Assistant Commander Su¡¯s expression darkened slightly. Then, he put on a smile and went forward to pull the bitter-faced Lieutenant Zhong over. He hugged his neck like brothers and asked, ¡°Little Zhong, why is His Highness looking for you? Are you about to enjoy a meteoric rise in your career?¡±<div>


    Lieutenant Zhong looked up and saw that they were all assistantmanders of the Central Camp, and, even worse, they were all famous troublemakers. His heart skipped a beat. He was not stupid and instantly understood. He secretly held his breath, causing his face to turn red as he whispered, ¡°Brothers, stop teasing me¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Do tell, what¡¯s the good news?¡±


    Lieutenant Zhong hesitated for a moment before saying in a low voice, ¡°His Highness said that Her Highness wants to arrange a marriage for us. It shouldn¡¯t be long before the other unmarried brothers in the camp receive such good news, too.¡±


    Shocked, Assistant Commander Su hurriedly asked, ¡°Who¡¯s the girl you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    Looking as though he was put in a difficult position, Lieutenant Zhong shut his mouth tightly and refused to say anything.


    The few of them chuckled and patted his shoulder one after another. They asked, ¡°Is this also the case for Liu Dahei and the others?¡±


    Lieutenant Zhong nodded.


    Assistant Commander Su immediately lowered his eyes and fell into deep thought. Considering Liu Dahei wasn¡¯t young anymore, and he was one of the Prince¡¯s most trusted people, it was understandable that he wanted to matchmake him. However, they just didn¡¯t know whose daughter it was, or¡­ perhaps it was one of the Princess Consort¡¯s maidservant?


    Although it was a little fawning to marry the Princess Consort¡¯s maidservant as the first wife or side wife, it was beneficial since it provided the opportunity towork with the Princess Consort.


    Everyone knew that the Prince and the Princess Consort were a loving couple. Though married for many years, the Prince didn¡¯t even have a concubine or mistress now.


    Assistant Commander Su was tempted. When he looked at Lieutenant Zhong again, his gaze was not so dark anymore. A youngd like Lieutenant Zhong probably could not set aside his pride and desired to marry ady with a good status. s, he did not know that marrying a virtuous wife who could aid him in his career was actually the best thing for him.


    After everyone left, Lieutenant Zhong slipped over to meet Qi Haoran when no one was paying attention.


    Qi Haoran raised his eyebrows. He didn¡¯t expect Lieutenant Zhong to be the first to see him. He¡¯d thought it would be Liu Dahei.


    It seemed that there were times when he misjudged people.


    Under Qi Haoran¡¯s half-smile, Lieutenant Zhong blushed slightly and told him what had happened just now. The corners of Qi Haoran¡¯s lips were originally curled up, but upon hearing this, a dark glint shed across his eyes. After a while, he looked up and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s fine, but if they ask who it is, don¡¯t tell them, lest the Miss Ji¡¯an feel embarrassed should the matchmaking fails.¡±


    Lieutenant Zhong nodded repeatedly. ¡°I know that reputation is very important to a girl, so I didn¡¯t divulge a word.¡±


    Satisfied, Qi Haoran asked curiously, ¡°Then are you willing?¡±


    Judging from Lieutenant Zhong¡¯s silence, Qi Haoran understood that he didn¡¯t like Miao girls. He loved Mu Yangling, so he knew that such things could not be forced. Hence, he waved his hand and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can leave.¡±


    Lieutenant Zhong retreated. As soon as he lifted the curtain, he met Liu Dahei face-to-face. Liu Dahei cursed in his heart, ¡°The new generation surpasses the old.¡± However, Lieutenant Zhong did not think too much about it and directly cupped his hands before retreating.<div>


    When Qi Haoran saw Liu Dahei, he felt that this was more like it. He propped his head up and looked at him.


    Liu Dahei rubbed his nose awkwardly. Then, he sat beside Qi Haoran confidently and said with a smile, ¡°Your Highness, we¡¯re brothers, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded reluctantly on ount of the fact that they had fought side by side before.


    ¡°Then are you going to help your bro out?¡±<div>


    At the thought of Liu Dahei¡¯s character, Qi Haoran nodded reluctantly.


    Liu Dahei instantly spat out his grievances. ¡°Brother, you also know that I¡¯m alone and don¡¯t have any rtives to help me settle my marriage. I¡¯m already over 30 years old, but I still don¡¯t have a wife. I didn¡¯t feel particrly strongly about it previously, but now that you mentioned this matter today, I realize that I¡¯m living worse than a dog. Although Miao girls aren¡¯t as gentle and demure as Han Chinese girls, I actually have a thing for shrewish girls. Can you do me a favor and let me meet Miss Ji¡¯an first?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked troubled for a moment before saying, ¡°I haven¡¯t mentioned this to Chief Ji¡¯an yet.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Liu Dahei slowly sat up straight and looked at Qi Haoran usingly.


    Qi Haoranughed before retracting his smile. ¡°I really want to bring about a marriage alliance with the Miao stockade. Ji¡¯an dotes on this youngest daughter very much. If we can have him deal with the various Miao stockades, we can at least live in peace with the Miao stockades in the next ten years and focus all our energy on the borders.¡± Qi Haoran said meaningfully, ¡°I can¡¯t stay in Qiannan for long. I¡¯ll be transferred back to the capital in anywhere between two to six years. At that time, I¡¯ll definitely have to leave a great general behind to guard the southwest and northwest borders of Qiannan.¡±


    Liu Da¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Knowing that what he had been pining for came true, his mouth went dry.


    He looked at Qi Haoran with bright eyes. Smiling, Qi Haoran said, ¡°You¡¯re my favorite, Big Brother Liu. The people under me now are all bandits and rebels, and there are many who are disobedient. Considering you and I brothers have coborated for a longer time, our rtionship is on another level. However, whether you can take on this responsibility depends on your ability.¡±


    Liu Dahei lowered his eyes and pondered. Qi Haoran reminded him, ¡°Chief Ji¡¯an¡¯s youngest daughter is a sentimental person. What we want is a marriage alliance, not to be enemies.¡±


    Therefore, Liu Dahei could seduce the other party by means, but he definitely couldn¡¯t use force or despicable schemes.


    Liu Dahei coughed lightly and took his leave.


    The moment he came out, he turned around to look for Fei Bai. He stuffed all his valuables into Fei Bai¡¯s hands and said in a hushed voice, ¡°Brother Fei Bai, you have to help me.¡±

 Chapter 636: Guest

    Chapter 636: Guest


    Editor: As Studios


    Fei Bai epted everything and said with a smile, ¡°Sure, sure.¡±


    Liu Dahei knew that there was a chance. Since the Prince had already told him so much, how could he not give him some other information?


    Fei Bai said in a low voice, ¡°Miss Ji¡¯an has a straightforward personality. She likes, um, tall and majestic men.¡± Fei Bai nced at him suggestively and said, ¡°Assistant Commander Liu, some girls are easy to coax. Perhaps just a small trinket can help you win her heart.¡± Fei Bai deliberately emphasized, ¡°It doesn¡¯t need to be too expensive.¡±


    Liu Dahei became distressed.


    Being of a tall and majestic build, he felt that there was nothing wrong with him. After all, he had relied on his burly figure and strength to turn from a farmer into a bandit leader. However, he said, ¡°Brother Fei Bai, you also know that because I¡¯ve been exposed to the elements all year round, my face is as tanned as my name. Unfortunately for me, young girls tend to like handsome youngsters. Take for instance, Lieutenant Zhong from the Central Camp¡­¡±


    Although Lieutenant Zhong was not a fair-skinned pretty boy, he had two strong points that Liu Dahei could not catch up to no matter what. Firstly, Lieutenant Zhong was young enough. At 21 years old this year, he was much younger than Liu Dahei, who was already in his thirties.


    Secondly, although Lieutenant Zhong was not a fair-skinned pretty boy, his face was handsome enough inparison with the tanned and rough men in the army. Liu Dahei felt that if he were topete with Lieutenant Zhong in winning the affection of a girl, unless there was something wrong with the girl¡¯s eyes, he wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. Hence, Liu Dahei hoped to use the back door to interact with Miss Ji¡¯an in advance and leave a good impression on her.


    Fei Bai said awkwardly, ¡°Assistant Commander Liu, Miss Ji¡¯an is very doted upon and doesn¡¯t leave the Miao stockade easily. How would you get the chance to meet her? If you ask me, I think you should listen to His Highness. When Miss Ji¡¯anes that day, try your best to present your best self.¡± Fei Bai went against his conscience. ¡°At least you know her preferences before the other guys do.¡±


    Liu Dahei looked at him resentfully. If the ¡®hardware¡¯ was so inferior, no matter how good the ¡®software¡¯ was, it was useless. Anyone with a little rationality would know how to choose.


    Fei Bai looked away sheepishly.<div>


    Liu Dahei could only look for Lin Man toe up with an idea. Since this kid had a lot of concubines and was very popr in brothels, he must be adept at coaxing women. Since the ¡®hardware¡¯ could not make it, he could only hope to perfect the ¡®software¡¯. Perhaps Miss Ji¡¯an¡¯s brain would go haywire and choose him?


    Lin Man widened his eyes and said, ¡°Are you really nning to marry a Miao girl?¡±


    ¡°Speak softly. I only told you about this. His Highness doesn¡¯t want us to divulge it to other people.¡±


    Lin Man pursed his lips. ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone, but the Miao women are too valiant. I heard that even their chief doesn¡¯t have a concubine. Are you really nning to not take a concubine for the rest of your life?¡± Trembling, Lin Man said, ¡°Fortunately, His Highness didn¡¯t look for me.¡±


    With a snort, Liu Dahei said, ¡°I think His Highness didn¡¯t look for you because he knows what a yboy you are. He¡¯s looking for someone to get married, not be enemies.¡±


    Liu Dahei kicked him with the tip of his foot and said, ¡°Hurry up and tell me. Is there any way to please a woman?¡±


    ¡°Simple.¡± Lin Man extended a finger and said, ¡°One word: money. As long as you have money, just spend it with all your might. No matter how valiant a girl is, you can still pry open her heart.¡±


    Liu Dahei didn¡¯t believe him. ¡°Do you think she¡¯s like one of your prostitutes? Her father is the chief of the Miao stockade. She doesn¡¯tck money.¡±


    Lin Man pursed his lips. ¡°She doesn¡¯tck money because she hasn¡¯t used it before. I¡¯m not asking you to give her money directly. How unromantic would that be? I¡¯m asking you to spend money on jewelry and clothes. No woman doesn¡¯t love these things. If you don¡¯t believe me, if you give her a set of ruby jewelry the moment you meet her, she will definitely rush into your arms.¡±


    Liu Dahei¡¯s expression darkened, then he turned around and left. He felt thating to look for Lin Man was the wrong decision. He didn¡¯t know how others would feel about being gifted ruby jewelry the moment they met. But if someone gave him expensive items on their first meeting, he would definitely suspect that person of having ill intentions.


    Fei Bai lowered his head and replied, ¡°Only Assistant Commander Liu came to ask me for information¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran waved his hand to dismiss him. He turned to Fan Zijin and said, ¡°That¡¯s why I like to use Liu Dahei. Although he¡¯s not educated, he¡¯s very smart. None of the soldiers in the three armies canpare to him.¡±


    ¡°Is he trustworthy, though?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°He has no parents and doesn¡¯t even have a family. If he wants to climb up, he can only rely on the grace of His Majesty. It¡¯s most reassuring to use such a person. Other than being on close terms with Lin Man, his rtionship with the other assistantmanders is average. As long as Big Brother shows him some kindness, he won¡¯t form a clique for personal gain.¡±


    A person like Liu Dahei was ambitious, capable, and smart enough. In addition, he did not have any family friends or connections in the Imperial Court, so Qi Haoran felt most assured to use such a person.


    Most importantly, this person was ruthless but loyal. Back then, he and Lin Man had only met by chance when they happened to besiege Qi Haoran together. However, they had been able to help each other subsequently.


    Seeing that Qi Haoran had such a high evaluation of him, Fan Zijin also put in a little more effort and asked, ¡°Then you¡¯re hoping it¡¯d be him? What if Ji¡¯an¡¯s youngest daughter doesn¡¯t like him?¡±


    Qi Haoran replied with a smile, ¡°Since when did the generals of Great Qi have to act ording to the intentions of a Miao stockade? It¡¯s naturally good if it can seed, but if it can¡¯t, as long as Liu Dahei maintains his original heart, I¡¯ll still favor him.¡±


    Ultimately, the marriage with the Miao stockade was just icing on the cake. The army would still operate as it should, regardless of how it turned out.<div>


    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent someone to invite Chief Ji¡¯an. He has also agreed toe to the military camp as a guest tomorrow. You can stay tomorrow too. We¡¯re going to talk about nting herbs.¡±


    Fan Zijin was surprised. ¡°Magistrate Liu will be here too?¡±


    nting herbs was a local government matter, so Liu Qing naturally had to be in charge.


    Qi Haoran said with a smile, ¡°Of course. Otherwise, what reason would I have to invite Ji¡¯an over?¡±<div>


    This time, Qi Haoran invited the Ji¡¯an family, including the women. If they were Han Chinese, they would definitely decline because how could a woman be a guest at the military camp?


    The Miao people, however, were not that particr. In addition, their youngest daughter, Jinhua, kept making a fuss about going out to y, so Chief Ji¡¯an reluctantly agreed. However, he asked his wife, Alu, and eldest daughter, Han, to keep a close eye on his youngest daughter and not let her get into trouble.


    Mu Yangling also went out early to fetch Madam Liu to the military camp. This time, Little Madam Xia didn¡¯t go because she wasn¡¯t feeling well. Moreover, she didn¡¯t really want to go to a ce like the military camp.


    As the hosts, they received the Miao chief at the entrance of the military camp and they walked into the military camp, with the men leading the way and the women following behind.


    Chief Ji¡¯an was very interested in Qi Haoran¡¯s training. When he passed by the drill ground, he couldn¡¯t help but stop in his tracks. So, Qi Haoran took the opportunity to invite him. ¡°Chief Ji¡¯an, do you want to go over and take a look?¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± With a smile, Chief Ji¡¯an walked towards the drill ground.


    While Jinhua was looking around excitedly, Mu Yangling asked everyone, ¡°They¡¯re going to the drill ground to watch the soldiers train. Should we go to the tent or follow them?¡±


    Just as Han was about to answer that they go to the tent, Jinhua quickly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look.¡± Jinhua looked up and said, ¡°Everyone says that His Highness¡¯s troops are invincible and defeated the West Xia soldiers. I really want to see how powerful they are.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded with a smile. ¡°Then let¡¯s go take a look together.¡±


    Seeing her sister¡¯s excited expression and seeing Madam Liu¡¯s smiling expression, Han thought that this was normal among the Han people. Putting her guard down, she followed them to the drill ground.


    Just as they stopped training on the drill ground, Liu Dahei noticed theming over. He instantly mped his legs together and puffed out his chest. After some thought, he said to Assistant Commander Su, who had walked off the stage, ¡°Assistant Commander Su, I don¡¯t think your guys performed well just now. Since I brought a toon over this time, do you want topete?¡±


    Assistant Commander Su was displeased. Just as he was about to mock him, he looked up and saw Qi Haoran walking over. He snorted coldly in his heart. Thinking that Liu Dahei wanted to show off in front of the Prince, he said, ¡°Of course there¡¯s no problem. It¡¯s just that this is the Central Camp. I¡¯m afraid that Assistant Commander Liu will say that I have the advantages since I¡¯m the host.¡±


    <div>

 Chapter 637: Performance

    Chapter 637: Performance


    Editor: As Studios


    A cold glint shed across Liu Dahei¡¯s eyes. He chuckled and said, ¡°Assistant Commander Su, you¡¯re too polite. We¡¯re both His Highness¡¯s subordinates. Although we¡¯re divided into three divisions, we¡¯re still a family. There are no concerns of this sort.¡±


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s each send a toon topete. How about that?¡±


    Liu Dahei agreed with a smile. Next, it was time for him to show off his charm.


    As soon as Qi Haoran and the rest arrived, the two of them had alreadye to an agreement and came over to ask for permission.


    Qi Haoran nced at Liu Dahei, smiled, and nodded in agreement. He turned to Chief Ji¡¯an and said, ¡°It¡¯s a good opportunity for Chief Ji¡¯an to give them some pointers.¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± Chief Ji¡¯an said with a smile, ¡°I should be the one asking the two assistantmanders for guidance.¡±


    Liu Dahei mounted his horse and personally went forward to hold the fort. Assistant Commander Su¡¯s eyebrows twitched as he cursed inwardly that Liu Dahei was too much of ackey. To think he actually personally went forward to hold the fort. Inparison, Assistant Commander Su had wanted to simply hold the g and give instructions from the side.


    Seeing this, Assistant Commander Su had no choice but to get someone to bring his horse over.


    Though Jinhua often saw boys wrestling and fighting in the Miao stockade, she had never seen such an arrangement before. Immediately, her eyes lit up.


    Liu Dahei was a general of the West Camp. He had a good rtionship with Qi Haoran, so Qi Haoran could trust him to manage the West Camp back then.<div>


    He naturally did his best to implement Qi Haoran¡¯s training n. Hence, unlike the undisciplined Central Camp, the soldiers of the West Camp were quite well-trained. Not only were their overall abilities impressive, but their individualbat abilities were also impressive.


    Beforeing, these soldiers had been informed that they were here to help the general win the affections of a girl. Just this alone was enough for them to do their best for the general.


    If they encountered some ignorant and undisciplined Central Camp soldiers, they easily knocked them down right away.


    What the soldiers fretted over was how to show off the general¡¯s valiance under the premise of winning.


    Soon, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry, because their general had taken care of it himself.


    Liu Dahei originally wanted to end the battle quickly. After all, Assistant Commander Su wasn¡¯t weak, and Liu Dahei didn¡¯t want to risk losing. In the end, when the two of them fought, Liu Dahei¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He didn¡¯t expect Assistant Commander Su¡¯s skills to deteriorate so much after not seeing him for just a few months.


    He was well-versed in the ways of the world and knew that outsiders would only watch the show. Hence, he forcefully diverted 20% of the force from his saber. Assistant Commander Su was not knocked off his horse by him, and he barely managed to preserve his dignity. This also allowed Liu Dahei to use more fanciful moves.


    Assistant Commander Su¡¯s face turned pale. Then, he looked at Liu Dahei, feeling a little confused about his intentions. If he wanted to perform in front of the general, wouldn¡¯t it be more embarrassing if he simply knocked him off his horse within three moves?


    Was he helping him out of love for a colleague?


    But then again, when did Liu Dahei be so skilled? He remembered that when the two of them sparred a few months ago, they couldn¡¯t determine a victor even after exchanging a hundred moves.


    Liu Dahei didn¡¯t give Assistant Commander Su much time to think. Although his moves were fanciful, the force behind them wasn¡¯t small either. It was just that instead of going straight for his opponents¡¯ vital points, Liu Dahei attacked the insignificant areas.


    Jinhua was all worked up and she kept pping.


    Madam Liu also felt that the sparring was interesting and couldn¡¯t help but hold her breath. Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips and smile when she saw this. Meanwhile, Qi Haoran nced at Chief Ji¡¯an with a straight face and secretly cursed Liu Dahei in his heart, feeling that he was showing off too much. He blinked at Liu Dahei and gave him a look to remind him that not only were thereymen like Jinhua watching thispetition, but there was also his potential future father-inw, Chief Ji¡¯an, who was certainly noyman.


    Chief Ji¡¯an thought that this was Qi Haoran had arranged this. Originally, he thought that it was unnecessary because he could tell that Assistant Commander Liu could knock Assistant Commander Su off his horse in three moves, but he deliberately dragged on for more than 40 moves. However, when he saw the two assistantmanders fighting and leading the cavalrymen behind them, Chief Ji¡¯an fell into deep thought. Could it be that the Prince wanted him to witness the strength of their cavalrymen and that Qi Haoran prioritized soldiers over the generals?


    That made sense. Although fighting a war depended on the orders of the generals, the fact that the soldiers were able to follow orders and fall into formations quickly was also a huge strength in itself. Meanwhile, the generals of Great Qi had all experienced war, so their abilities were naturally not a problem.


    With this thought in mind, Chief Ji¡¯an carefully watched the battle between the two armies. After a while, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°General¡¯s troops are indeed extraordinary.¡±


    Qi Haoran gritted his teeth and said humbly, ¡°Not at all. The men led by Assistant Commander Liu are not bad. They are ordinary soldiers from the West Camp whose performances are passable. However, the soldiers Assistant Commander Su ismanding are the worst in the Central Camp. It¡¯s also good to let them see what the standard should be, lest they get kicked out of the military camp without even knowing why.¡±


    Qi Haoran reckoned even the soldiers he trained for ten days could catch up to these soldiers who had trained for more than three months. It was really a waste of so much time.


    Even ordinary soldiers were able to react so uniformly and quickly. Almost as soon as Assistant Commander Liu gave an order, they could immediately change formations and interspersed among themselves. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Assistant Commander Su¡¯s men were too weak, it would probably show the strength of Assistant Commander Liu¡¯s army even more.<div>


    The longer Chief Ji¡¯an watched, the more shocked he became. He didn¡¯t know if it was a coincidence or if it was intentional. Although the soldiers led by Assistant Commander Su were cowards, their strength happened to be just above the Miao stockade soldiers.


    As a leader of troops himself, when Chief Ji¡¯an was watching, he couldn¡¯t help butpare his own soldiers with them. He couldn¡¯t judge their individualbat ability for the time being, but looking at their overall ability to resist, with the existing weapons, equipment, andbat awareness of the Miao stockade, they would probably be barely able to fight to a draw with Assistant Commander Su¡¯s men.


    Thinking of this, he increasingly felt that Qi Haoran had deliberately arranged it. However, thest time Qi Haoran came, he had only seen the soldiers of his stockade from afar. How did he know their strength?


    With this thought in mind, Chief Ji¡¯an¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the Prince had already found out confidential information regarding their Miao stockade?<div>


    Was this the Prince warning him to be loyal to Great Qi, or else they weren¡¯t fearful of starting a war?


    After all, even the soldiers led by the weaker Assistant Commander Su were slightly stronger than the soldiers of the Miao stockade. Chief Ji¡¯an was drenched in cold sweat. He felt that dealing with the Han Chinese was troublesome and had to put more thought into this.


    Little did he know that he was thinking too much. Qi Haoran just wanted to be a matchmaker, that was all.


    At this moment, when he saw Assistant Commander Su¡¯s performance, he gritted his teeth in his heart and nned to double the intensity of their training after today. Then, he red at Liu Dahei and gave him a look for him not to go too far.


    When Assistant Commander Liu felt that it was about time, he finally shouted and knocked Assistant Commander Su off his horse. His soldiers also took down many of the other party¡¯s men like a hot knife through butter.


    Assistant Commander Liu rode forward on his horse and cupped his fists with a solemn expression. ¡°I hope I did not disappoint you.¡±


    The moment Assistant Commander Liu won, Jinhua cheered and pped hard, staring at Liu Dahei seriously with a red face. When Liu Dahei stepped forward and said those words with a solemn expression, the blush on her face deepened. Her eyes were filled with tears as she clenched her fists and looked at him.


    Mu Yangling was about to turn around with a smile and ask Jinhua how she felt when she saw her expression. She could not help but be stunned. Then, she looked hesitantly at the handsome and cheerful Lieutenant Zhong, who was waiting at the side. Could it be that the main character today was not the clean-shaven lieutenant, but the tanned and burly Liu Dahei?

 Chapter 638: Catching Feelings

    Chapter 638: Catching Feelings


    Editor: As Studios


    Just as Mu Yangling was feeling doubtful, Qi Haoran reached out and pointed at the six people he had chosen. Other than Liu Dahei, who rushed forward excitedly, the other five people¡¯s footsteps were a little slow.


    Qi Haoran red at them. Damn it, if they were unwilling, they could have said so earlier. It wasn¡¯t as if he could force them to marry the Miao girl, right?


    If they had told him beforehand, he could have reced them earlier.


    Looking at Liu Dahei, the only willing candidate, he felt rather worried. With such looks and age¡­ If he had known earlier, he wouldn¡¯t have tried to appear fair and merely selected two men from each camp. He should have cast his wider and picked out all those who were eligible.


    Jinhua stole a nce at Liu Dahei and whispered into Mu Yangling¡¯s ear, ¡°Who¡¯s that tanned guy whomanded the army just now?¡±


    ¡°Him?¡± Mu Yangling nced at Liu Dahei and with her gaze, asked if it was him she was referring to. ¡°Are you talking about him? He¡¯s Assistant Commander Liu, one of the valiant generals under His Highness.¡±


    Blushing, Jinhua asked in a low voice, ¡°Is he married?¡± She had always remembered what Mu Yangling said¡ªIf she wanted to get married, she should choose a man without a wife.


    Though Mu Yangling felt it was very strange, she shook her head and said in a low voice, ¡°He used to be poor and couldn¡¯t find a suitable girl, so he has remained single until now.¡±


    Satisfied, Jinhua happily jumped to her older sister¡¯s side and held her hand as they walked behind their father. Eyeing her excited sister suspiciously, Han asked, ¡°What did you say to Her Highness just now?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Jinhua pouted.<div>


    Knowing her sister was an old pedant, she didn¡¯t want to tell her sister about it, for she would definitely object to what she was about to do.


    The group moved to the middle tent, where an empty space in front of them had been cleared. Considerate of the fact that there were women among them, curtains had been ced on both sides to block the cold wind.


    There were two bonfires on both sides with half-cooked sheep hanging on them. With a sniff, Chief Ji¡¯an asked happily, ¡°Are these grasnd sheep from the Luo family?¡±


    Qi Haoran sat down cross-legged and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s almost the new year. I got someone to go to the Luo family to collect some sheep to be ughtered during the new year. The weather is good today, so I got someone to ughter two. If Chief Ji¡¯an likes them, you can bring two backter.¡±


    Chief Ji¡¯an didn¡¯t refuse and agreed with a smile.


    The men and women sat separately, but seeing the handsome boys, Jinhua didn¡¯t want to sit with the women. Hence, she ran to her father¡¯s side and sat down, staring nkly at Liu Dahei.


    Liu Dahei happened to sit next to Lieutenant Zhong. When he sensed Jinhua¡¯s gaze, his back tensed up.


    He did not know if Jinhua was looking at him or Lieutenant Zhong. For a moment, he regretted it. He should have been more careful when choosing his seat just now, and chosen to sit further from Lieutenant Zhong. Among the six of them, Lieutenant Zhong was the youngest and most handsome.


    Little did he know that Lieutenant Zhong, who was at the side, also felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. He felt that Jinhua was looking at him and regretted it for a moment. He shouldn¡¯t have not turned down the Prince for fear of awkwardness. Judging from how Miss Jinhua came over to sit with the male guests so brazenly, it could be seen that she had no manners at all. To think she was even staring at a man like this¡­


    As Lieutenant Zhong¡¯s expression became uglier, the other four were relieved of their worries and decided to eat the mutton in peace and watch the show.


    Mu Yangling smeared ayer of wild honey on the mutton, turned it over, and sliced off a thinyer with a knife. Soon, she filled a te with mutton. She first gave it to the chief¡¯s wife, Alu, who quickly waved her hand and refused. In broken Mandarin, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t like honey.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled. ¡°Then feel free to eat the mutton in whichever way you please. If you need any seasoning, you can tell the soldiers and let them get it.¡±


    Alu agreed with a smile.


    Mu Yangling offered the te to Madam Liu, who took it with a beam. She looked at Little Bear, who was carried over by the wet nurse, and said with a smile, ¡°Now that Little Master is awake, he¡¯s probably hungry.¡±


    Mu Yangling reached out to take the child and let him sit by the side. She fed him some fruit juice first. Seeing that he was looking at the meat in front of him eagerly, she tapped his nose in amusement. Just like his parents, this kid loved eating meat.


    Seeing that he was about to drool, Mu Yangling took a handkerchief and stuffed it into his hand. ¡°Wipe your saliva. Mother will help you roast meat.¡±


    Unaware that he had been teased by his mother, Little Bear took a handkerchief and wiped his mouth and nose. Seated opposite, Hanughed when she saw this. Little Bear stared at her curiously with his round eyes, then tilted his head and looked at her for a while. Perhaps he felt that she wasn¡¯t as attractive as meat, so he retracted his gaze and continued to look at the sheep hanging in front of him eagerly. He watched intently as his mother applied ayer of honey and roast the mutton while it emitted an alluring meat fragrance¡­


    Little Bear literally drooled this time.


    The meat slices were roasted tenderly, but still, Mu Yangling did not dare to let him eat too much. She only filled half a te and carefully fed him with chopsticks.<div>


    After drinking a mouthful of fruit juice in between eating two mouthfuls of meat, Little Bear was full in no time. Then, he continued to look at the sheep in front of him eagerly.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t dare to let him eat anymore but was unable to withstand his gaze, so she carried him over to his father. She took the chance to invite Jinhua. ¡°Miss Jinhua, we have wild honey there. We also roast our meat more tender over there. Do you want toe over and try it?¡±


    Because Jinhua was busy drooling at the man opposite her, she replied without thinking, ¡°What¡¯s so interesting about roasted meat? I find martial arts more fascinating.¡±


    Jinhua rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we let thempete?¡± Jinhua pointed at the man opposite her and said, ¡°This time, my father also brought warriors. Let thempete and see who¡¯s stronger.¡±<div>


    Although Liu Dahei looked invincible just now, he was mainly arranging troops and formations. Besides, Assistant Commander Su looked like a weak opponent. Therefore, she wanted to see himpete again.


    Jinhua¡¯s suggestion was exactly what Liu Dahei wanted. He felt that he couldn¡¯tpete with the other five men in terms of appearance and could only show off himself with his capabilities.


    Hence, he looked at Qi Haoran with bright eyes. Thetter nodded in agreement.


    This time, it was six Han Chinese and six Miao men, all attacking together.


    No matter what, the Han generals felt that they could not lose face in front of the Miao people, whom they deemed were the outsiders. Besides, other than Liu Dahei, no one really had the desire to show off.


    However, the Miao people were not to be trifled with either. By the time they werepletely wiped out, four of Qi Haoran¡¯s men had also been taken down. Only Liu Dahei and Lieutenant Zhong were left on the field.


    Mu Yangling also watched with bright eyes. After all, Liu Dahei was a few years more senior than Lieutenant Zhong and had gotten to where he was with ruthless means. Moreover, with his desire to show off, he managed to force Lieutenant Zhong to admit defeat in just a few moves.


    Chief Ji¡¯an couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°Your Highness, you have a lot of valiant generals under you.¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± Qi Haoran said humbly without much sincerity, ¡°You have many capable men under you, too.¡±


    Completely focused on thepetition just now, Jinhua did not hear their conversation at all. She jumped up and said, ¡°I want topete too.¡± Jinhua whipped her whip and ran to the front, then swung it and said, ¡°Which one of you dares toe up?¡±


    Everyone fell silent.

 Chapter 639: Invitation to Battle

    Chapter 639: Invitation to Battle


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran coughed lightly and looked at Chief Ji¡¯an. Looking embarrassed and slightly angry, Chief Ji¡¯an shouted, ¡°Jinhua,e back quickly!¡±


    Jinhua pouted. ¡°No!¡± She pointed her whip at Liu Dahei. ¡°Come up andpete with me.¡±


    Liu Dahei¡¯s expression went nk for a moment before he shook his head repeatedly. Although he wanted to show off in front of Jinhua, he didn¡¯t want to hit a woman.


    Furious, Jinhua shouted, ¡°Are you looking down on me? You might not win against me, you know. Come up quickly.¡±


    Han quickly stood up and said, ¡°Sister, don¡¯t mess around. This is the military camp and you¡¯re a girl. How can you challenge someone in martial arts here?¡±


    ¡°Why not? When I was in the Miao stockade, I even personally trained the soldiers and Dad didn¡¯t say anything. You¡¯ve learned the ways of the Han Chinese, but do you think I¡¯m the same as you?¡±


    Seeing that her sister was targeting her like this, Han was furious. However, because everyone was watching, she couldn¡¯t embarrass family. She took a few quick steps forward, grabbed her hand, and sneered in her ear. ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that you¡¯ll cry after losing. When you messed around in our Miao stockade, everyone gave in to you because you¡¯re Father¡¯s daughter. No one will indulge you here. If you don¡¯t want to embarrass Father, follow me obediently.¡±


    Hearing this, Jinhua red up even more. Never one to heed advice, Jinhua shook off her sister¡¯s hand. Because she happened to see Mu Yangling stand up, she pointed at her and dered, ¡°I want topete with you!¡±


    Mu Yangling was stunned. She only wanted to go forward to break up the sisters¡¯ argument in her capacity as the host. Why was she suddenly implicated?


    Jinhua said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you show off your skills at our Miao stockadest time? I think you¡¯re different from those Han Chinese women. Do you dare topete with me?¡±<div>


    A cold glint shed across Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes, who felt a tad displeased with Jinhua. Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°I can oblige, but you¡¯re not allowed to cry if you lose.¡±


    With a snort, Jinhua said, ¡°I won¡¯t do such a tasteless thing. Choose a weapon.¡±


    As she wasing to the military camp, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t wear heavy clothes. She tied up her sleeves and asked Qi Haoran for a dagger before going forward. Waving the weapon in her hand, she said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll use this.¡±


    Jinhua frowned. ¡°I choose the long whip.¡±


    To her mind, a long whip was undoubtedly superior to a dagger.


    However, Mu Yangling said, ¡°A long whip only has a chance of winning when the distance is pulled apart. Are you sure you want to use a long whip?¡±


    Jinhua was best at using whips. Since she was young, whips had never left her side. Unlike Mu Yangling who was adept at using various weapons, this was her only option.


    Mu Yangling stood opposite her and gestured for Han to let go of Jinhua. Sweating profusely, Han looked at her husband for help. Aware of her sister¡¯s martial arts skills, she was concerned she might hurt the Princess Consort.


    Chen Jiacai nced at Qi Haoran, who didn¡¯t appear worried in spite of his anger. He deduced that he had confidence in the Princess Consort¡¯s abilities, so he secretly nodded at his wife.


    Seeing as how this sister-inw often embarrassed his wife, it was good to let outsiders teach her a lesson.


    Almost as soon as Mu Yangling indicated that they could start, Jinhuashed out with her whip. Mu Yangling nimbly dodged it and the whip hit the ground with a loud bang, leaving a mark on the ground. This was the first time everyone had the chance to witness the ferocity of a Miao girl. Some of them were overwhelmed with worry at the possibility of having to marry this woman.


    On the other hand, Liu Dahei¡¯s eyes lit up as he gazed at Jinhua in admiration.


    Unlike men who only liked delicate women, Liu Dahei felt that a woman had to be able to support the family to be called a woman. Otherwise, once the man died, the family would only decline and his wife and children might descend into poverty. What was the use of being delicate?


    It wasn¡¯t as if delicateness could substitute food.


    In fact, he liked that Jinhua was so valiant. If he really died on the battlefield one day, his wife and children would at least be able to continue living well. He did not mind whether she remarried or returned to her maternal family. At least she could protect the assets he left behind and protect his bloodline. That was enough.


    Pragmatic as usual, Liu Dahei became more and more satisfied with Jinhua, the more he got to know her. Then, he saw the Princess Consort dodging Jinhua¡¯s attacks one after another while approaching her step by step. His heart couldn¡¯t help but skip a beat.


    Seeing that Mu Yangling was so agile, Jinhua simply spun half a circle and swept the whip over. In response, Mu Yangling turned around and dodged. She tossed the dagger into the air, switching it to her left hand before grabbing the whip with her right hand just as it was about tond. Exerting some force, she pulled Jinhua in front of her and ced the dagger against her neck. Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°I do have an advantage when fighting you. I¡¯m stronger than ordinary people.¡±


    Jinhua was unconvinced. ¡°How strong can you possibly be? Surely you can¡¯t be stronger than my older brother?¡±


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows and looked at Ji¡¯an Yong, who was eating meat below. She said with a smile, ¡°We¡¯ll know after wepete, right?¡±<div>


    Chen Jiacai poked his brother-inw with his finger, who then dazedly looked up. Chief Ji¡¯an wanted to kick him into the fire. He turned to Qi Haoran and said with a smile awkwardly, ¡°Your Highness, we¡¯ve embarrassed ourselves. I didn¡¯t expect Her Highness to be so skilled¡­¡± What a joke. Never mind that his daughterpeted, but now his son, too?


    However, Qi Haoran said with a smile, ¡°Coincidentally, I also want to see who¡¯s stronger, Young Chief or my wife.¡±


    The Miao stockade did not have the tradition of looking down on women, so when Ji¡¯an Yong heard Qi Haoran¡¯s words, he jumped up eagerly and asked, ¡°Are you also born with great strength?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded with a smile.<div>


    Ji¡¯an Yong drew a long saber and said in embarrassment, ¡°I¡¯m used to sabers.¡±


    Mu Yangling threw the dagger to Qi Haoran and pulled out a long saber. She said with a smile, ¡°Then let¡¯spete with sabers.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s saber technique was abination of what she had learned in her previous life and the saber technique Qi Haoran had taught her, minus the fancy movements. As a result, her moves were simple and agile. With her monstrous strength, she had to subconsciously restrain 50% of her strength. However, even so, when the sabers collided, Ji¡¯an Yong¡¯s purlicue still trembled slightly and he almost dropped the saber. His eyes turned serious as he fought even more carefully.


    As Ji¡¯an Yong¡¯s saber technique was developed from countering wild beasts, as well as against opponents on the battlefield, every move was fatal. In just a short while, the two of them had already exchanged more than ten moves. Qi Haoran slowly sat up straight and leaned forward slightly, watching with bright eyes.


    Chief Ji¡¯an, on the other hand, was slightly shocked. He straightened his back and looked at the two people who were retreating and advancing.


    Ji¡¯an Yong was very familiar with his saber technique, so he had the upper hand the moment he came up. However, Mu Yangling was not bad either. Although she retreated from time to time, her defense was tight and from time to time she could throw out an attack.


    Ji¡¯an Yong originally thought that the longer the time passed, the higher his chances of winning. After all, as a man, he assumed his strength far exceeded Mu Yangling¡¯s. Moreover, he was someone who had fought on the battlefield, and ruthlessness and experience were what counted in sparring. Unexpectedly, Mu Yangling was not weaker than him. Not only did her stamina not lessen, but as time passed, it seemed to have awakened some of the memories in her body. Her saber technique became sharper and sharper as she pressed forward step by step. Ji¡¯an Yong was forced to take three steps back.


    Ji¡¯an Yong knew that he should end the battle quickly, so his saber technique became more aggressive¡­


    It had been a long time since Mu Yangling had fought to her heart¡¯s content. She forgot herself for a moment and only reacted when she heard her son¡¯s loud cheers. Blocking Ji¡¯an Yong¡¯s attack, she jumped back at the same time, then sheathed her saber and suggested with a beam, ¡°Today was fun. Why don¡¯t we stop here for now?¡±


    Ji¡¯an Yong felt a little pity, but he still agreed with a smile.

 Chapter 640: Cooperation

    Chapter 640: Cooperation


    Editor: As Studios


    Little Bear pped his little hands vigorously and rushed towards Mu Yangling with a cry. Mu Yangling took him and carried him up, kissing his excited and rosy face.


    Qi Haoran got up and pulled the mother and son to sit beside him, then turned to Ji¡¯an Yong and said, ¡°Your martial arts skills are not bad.¡±


    Ji¡¯an Yong smiled in embarrassment. ¡°Her Highness is the awesome one. It seemed she reserved some of her strength earlier.¡±


    He was not a fool. From the way Mu Yangling¡¯s strength appeared too bnced, he could tell she was deliberately controlling her strength.


    With a heartyugh, Qi Haoran said, ¡°If Her Highness tries her best, I¡¯m afraid even I won¡¯t be able to withstand her strength.¡±


    Now that it was the Great Qi Dynasty, Qi Haoran did not want to hide Mu Yangling¡¯s divine strength anymore.


    Secretly speechless, the generals now seemed to understand why Her Highness was so favored. Thepetition just now shocked Liu Dahei and the others because they knew that without any systematic training, they would probably notst more than 50 moves against Mu Yangling.


    From then on, the military generals¡¯ reverence for Mu Yangling reached a new height.


    Jinhua went to Mu Yangling¡¯s side and whispered, ¡°Teach meter.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you only use a whip? I don¡¯t know how to use a whip.¡±<div>


    Jinhua felt a little regretful. She turned to look at Liu Dahei and asked with a slightly red face, ¡°Hey, do you know how to use a whip?¡±


    Even if he didn¡¯t know, he had to say he knew!


    Liu Dahei sat up straight and said, ¡°I know a little.¡±


    Jinhua¡¯s eyes rolled around. ¡°Then teach me. I want to learn the whip techniques of the Han people. I want to see who¡¯s more powerful, you guys or us Miao people.¡±


    Liu Dahei decided to find someone who knew how to use a whip and master the weapon when he went back tonight.


    Now, everyone could tell that Jinhua had taken a fancy to Liu Dahei.


    The generals who were sent here as matchmaking candidates felt a little upset. It would be fine if they lost to Lieutenant Zhong, but why did they lose to a tanned and old Liu Dahei?


    However, at the same time, they felt d that this girl didn¡¯t fall for them.


    Only Lieutenant Zhong felt very upset. It was one thing for him to not like Jinhua, but he did not expect Jinhua to not fancy him either. Other than his rank being lower to Liu Dahei, he did not think that he was inferior to him in any aspect. Moreover, he was only 21 years old this year. In time, his rank would definitely rise to match Liu Dahei¡¯s.


    He nced at Jinhua and felt that not only was there a problem with the Miao girls¡¯ character and morals, but there was also a problem with their eyes.


    When Qi Haoran looked up and happened to see Lieutenant Zhong¡¯s gaze, he was a little displeased. A man should be able to meet gains or losses with equanimity. Previously, Lieutenant Zhong did not dare to turn down the matchmaking even though he didn¡¯t want to marry a Miao girl. Yet now that the girl didn¡¯t fancy him, he was actually brooding over it and could not let go. How could such a person be a general?


    He was too narrow-minded.


    Looking at the other five generals, Qi Haoran saw that Liu Dahei was so gleeful with joy that his eyes were narrowed into slits. There was no need to look at this person anymore. The other four had already begun to drink and eat meat with their arms around each other¡¯s shoulders. They even punched Liu Dahei¡¯s shoulder from time to time to sort of congratte him.


    Qi Haoran nodded slightly, thinking that these four people were considered promising talents.


    Chief Ji¡¯an and his son-inw looked at each other. Upon taking a closer look at Liu Dahei, he was a little dissatisfied. How could he marry his beloved daughter to this guy, who was even a few years older than his eldest son-inw?


    Qi Haoran dragged Chief Ji¡¯an into the tent to discuss the marriage. Chief Ji¡¯an thought for a long time and felt that if a marriage alliance could form between the Miao stockade and the Han people, it would be quite beneficial to his tribe. Putting everything else aside, he could at least fight for more corn seeds after spring.


    However, to him, his daughter was also very important. Chief Ji¡¯an gritted his teeth and said, ¡°There¡¯s no problem with a marriage alliance, but not that Liu Dahei.¡±


    Beaming, Qi Haoran said, ¡°Chief, don¡¯t worry. You naturally have the final say in the marriage candidate. You can choose any of our boys who aren¡¯t married.¡± He had heard from Mu Yangling that Ji¡¯an doted on his daughter. As long as Ji¡¯an Jinhua took a fancy to Liu Dahei, there was a 80% chance this thing could go through.


    Oblivious to Qi Haoran¡¯s thoughts, Chief Ji¡¯an¡¯s eyes lit up and he asked, ¡°Are you serious?¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran nodded and waved his hand generously. ¡°If you are willing, you can bring your daughter to the military camp often. There are many fine young men in our army who aren¡¯t married.¡±


    Chief Ji¡¯an immediately beamed with joy and said, ¡°Your Highness, actually, there are other unmarried girls in our Miao stockade.¡±


    Chuckling, Qi Haoran said perfunctorily, ¡°As long as both parties are willing, I have no objections.¡± It was already good enough that he could suppress his subordinates to marry the Miao chief¡¯s daughter. How could he force them to marry just an ordinary Miao girl? Such a thing could only be left to fate.


    After confirming their intentions of having a marriage alliance, the two of them felt that they were family now. Therefore, Chief Ji¡¯an promised to protect the Imperial Court¡¯s policies with all his might from now on. He would also organize the Miao people to nt medicinal herbs, prosper together, and form friendly ties with the Han people.<div>


    Qi Haoran also expressed that he would provide some help to the Miao stockade. For example, he assured that the Miao stockage would receive sufficient corn seeds in spring. As long as the Miao people grew medicinal herbs of good quality, they would definitely not have to worry about sales. He also guaranteed that he would send officials to teach the Miao farmers advanced farming techniques.


    He even promised to provide technical and partial material support to the Miao people for the difficulties they encountered in building terraced fields. Simrly, Chief Ji¡¯an had to do his best to promote the Emperor¡¯s great morals and let the Miao people know that he loved the people like his children.


    Chief Ji¡¯an felt that he was getting a great deal. This Prince seemed to be a little silly in this aspect. He had given them so many advantages, and in return, he only wanted to publicize the Emperor? As for supporting the Imperial Court¡¯s policies, as long as the Imperial Court did not bully the Miao people, it went without saying that they would naturally support it.


    He was thrilled to be able to obtain so many things with just a few words, and not having to actually give anything in return.


    After hearing his father-inw¡¯s happy recount, Chen Jiacai only fell silent for a moment before nodding with a smile. ¡°His Highness is indeed benevolent.¡±


    However, he was a little worried. If the Miao people all knew about the Great Qi Emperor, would the Miao chief still be able to order the Miao people around easily going forward?


    He wanted to dissuade Chief Ji¡¯an, but if the Imperial Court could not obtain the benefits they wanted from the Miao stockade, would they still give them such generous benefits?


    If they were to suffer like they did in theter stages of the Great Zhou Dynasty where the Miao people were exploited by the Imperial Court, they would only bemanding the Miao people to continue opposing the Imperial Court. Their lives might not be better than now.


    Therefore, the chief¡¯s choices were¡­


    To give up the supreme power and let all the Miao people benefit. Or, he could continue to let the Miao people suffer, while controlling the life and death of all the Miao people in their stockade.


    Seeing that his father-inw did not realize this, Chen Jiacai thought about it and recalled his childhood dream. Thinking of his father-inw¡¯s asional expectant gaze, Chen Jiacai suppressed the words he wanted to say. He thought that perhaps his father-inw¡¯s original intention had not changed, that he still yearned for the Miao people to live a good life. Since that was the case, why let him make such a choice?


    Han didn¡¯t notice her husband¡¯s abnormality and only told him about her sister¡¯s thoughts. She whispered, ¡°Why did Sister choose such a tanned and old one? I think the white-robed general beside him is not bad.¡±


    However, Chen Jiacai said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re not as smart as your younger sister this time. I think she made the right choice. Assistant Commander Liu is much better than Lieutenant Zhong.¡±<div>

 Chapter 641: Date

    Chapter 641: Date


    Editor: As Studios


    Chen Jiacai had been observing everything since they entered the military camp. Naturally, he could tell that Liu Dahei was deliberately showing off, and he also caught the disdain in Lieutenant Zhong¡¯s gaze.


    Just now, his father-inw had also said that Qi Haoran had proposed a marriage alliance. In that case, the six people apanying Qi Haoran were obviously the shortlisted candidates. Although Liu Dahei wasn¡¯t exactly very eligible, he had put in the effort. That said, he could not tell if Liu Dahei truly adored Jinhua, or if it was purely for benefits, or a mixture of both.


    But no matter what, Liu Dahei was at least willing to put in the effort for Jinhua. This made him far better than Lieutenant Zhong, who came to attend the blind date while despising Jinhua.


    He was Han Chinese. Although he did not grow up among his race, he had studied with a Han Chinese teacher for more than ten years. Hence, he knew Han Chinese men the best. Among them, there were many self-righteous and self-deluding people like Lieutenant Zhong.


    On one hand, they felt that marrying a Miao woman was beneath them, and that by doing this, they were making a sacrifice to promote an alliance between the two races. On the other hand, they couldn¡¯t bear to part with the power they could obtain from this. Just thinking about it made Chen Jiacai feel disgusted.


    Fortunately, his sister-inw did not fancy Lieutenant Zhong. Otherwise, for the sake of peace in the family in the future, he would definitely persuade his father-inw to give up this marriage.


    As for Liu Dahei, Chen Jiacai could just look the other way. This was his sister-inw¡¯s marriage, after all. It was better for them to make the decision themselves.


    Indeed, the next day, his father-inw called Chen Jiacai over and asked him to make a list of the unmarried fine young men under Qi Haoran. He wanted to personally go through the list to choose a husband for his daughter.


    When Jinhua heard the news, the first thing she said was, ¡°Father, I¡¯ve taken a fancy to Liu Dahei. Go and propose marriage to him.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± Ji¡¯an¡¯s face twitched. ¡°Liu Dahei is too old!¡±<div>


    ¡°How is he old? He¡¯s only 32.¡±


    Ji¡¯an red. ¡°Who told you that?¡±


    Jinhua held her red face and said with a smile, ¡°He told me himself. He said that he¡¯s a tad bit older, but as long as I¡¯m willing to marry him, he¡¯ll forever dote on me. Father, he¡¯s my type. Hurry up and propose marriage!¡±


    Ji¡¯an held his breath in his chest and widened his eyes at Han and Alu. Didn¡¯t he ask them to keep a close eye on Jinhua yesterday? Why did they still get a chance to speak?


    Alu and Han lowered their heads. Who could stop the stubborn Jinhua?


    Ji¡¯an said with a bitter expression, ¡°Jinhua, you¡¯re the apple of Daddy¡¯s eye. How can you marry such an old guy? His Highness said that you can choose any handsome man under him. I took a look yesterday and realized that there were a few fine young men amongst them, all very valiant.¡±


    ¡°So what? I like Liu Dahei. When I see him, my heart goes ¡®badump badump¡¯, just like when you met my mother back then. I¡¯ve already decided on him.¡±


    ¡°You said the same thing thest time you saw His Highness.¡±


    Jinhua pouted. ¡°But His Highness already has a wife whereas Liu Dahei doesn¡¯t. If not, marry me to His Highness!¡±


    Ji¡¯an instantly fell silent.


    Jinhua cried and threw a tantrum. Seeing that her father still refused to give in, she stole her brother¡¯s horse the next day and went down the mountain to look for Liu Dahei in the military camp.


    To increase his odds of marrying the girl, Liu Dahei shamelessly stayed in the military camp and handed the West Camp to his subordinates to manage for the time being. When he saw that Jinhua hade to see him, he was delighted. Recalling Fei Bai¡¯s tips for him, he decided to deploy the strategy on Jinhua.


    It was said that this was how the Prince wooed the Princess Consort back then. Thinking of the Princess Consort¡¯s martial strength, Liu Dahei felt that she and his Jinhua had something inmon. Perhaps they would fancy the same tricks?


    Therefore, Liu Dahei applied for leave and brought Jinhua into the city to y for half a day. He brought her to eat delicious food, bought her some small trinkets, and personally brought her into the jewelry shop to buy a set of precious jewelry.


    Jinhua said with a flushed face, ¡°Isn¡¯t it too expensive?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m willing to splurge any amount of money on you,¡± Liu Dahei said with a grin. Unlike that lecherous Lin Man who spent all the money obtained from being a bandit on women, Liu Dahei had always saved his money.


    Jinhua responded with a shy look.


    After that, Liu Dahei brought her out of the city for horse riding. However, when he returned, he felt very regretful. Fei Bai had said that when the Prince and the Princess Consort went out for horse riding back then, the Prince often picked flowers to make a gand to be worn on the Princess Consort¡¯s head. It was very romantic. Liu Dahei, too, knew how to make gands. Unfortunately, because it was winter now, he didn¡¯t see a single flower along the way.


    Liu Dahei gave Jinhua a lot of gifts, but at the same time, he didn¡¯t forget to conquer the hearts of his future inws. He asked Jinhua to bring Chief Ji¡¯an a precious dagger (which he had snatched when he was a bandit), several bolts of good fabric for his future mother-inw Alu and sister-inw Han (which were rewarded by the Emperor when he was appointed an official), a fine steed (which was borrowed from the Prince) for Ji¡¯an Yong, and an ancient book (which was obtained by luck when he was a bandit) for Han¡¯s husband.<div>


    Therefore, Jinhua returned with a full load. She rode a horse, with the soldiers escorting the items following behind her. With her head raised and chest puffed out, she returned to the Miao stockade valiantly.


    When Chief Ji¡¯an saw the horse and the box, he immediately flew into a rage and shouted, ¡°Liu Dahei actually dares to send these things as betrothal gifts?¡±


    Both Jinhua and the soldiers escorting her were stunned.


    Then, a soldier quickly exined, ¡°Chieftain, you¡¯ve misunderstood. This is a gift from our army for you and your family.¡±<div>


    Jinhua pursed her lips and said, ¡°Father, you¡¯re underestimating Liu too much. He said that if you agree to our marriage, he won¡¯t hesitate to do everything.¡±


    ¡°Keep bragging. Does Liu Dahei like you that much?¡± He knew his daughter well. Because she was his youngest daughter and looked like his wife the most, but her temper was like his, he had spoiled her since she was young. Her family could tolerate her because they were family, while their stockade mostly tolerated her on ount of Chief Ji¡¯an¡¯s power. How could that Han Chinese man tolerate Jinhua¡¯s personality?


    Therefore, Chief Ji¡¯an preferred a mild-mannered son-inw. A man who was slightly more cowardly was fine too, for at least such a man wouldn¡¯t dare to bully his daughter. This way, if his daughter did something overbearing, he could suppress the son-inw, and the other party could only grit his teeth and tolerate it.


    Chief Ji¡¯an felt that he had really put in a lot of effort for this daughter of his. If Liu Dahei could turn from a farmer rebelling to a bandit leader and then be an assistantmander, how could he be a simple person?


    What if in the future, the couple quarreled and he couldn¡¯t suppress his son-inw? Wouldn¡¯t his daughter have to suffer then?


    Therefore, Chief Ji¡¯an nced at the box from the corner of his eyes and turned his head away, intending to ignore it.


    However, Jinhua felt that even her father looked down on her. Eyes reddened with anger, she threw down the reins and ran in, sobbing as she ran.


    Seeing this, the soldiers feared that it would be difficult for them to answer to Assistant Commander Liu if Chief Ji¡¯an asked them to carry the things back, so they quickly threw the things away and turned to run. As they ran, they said, ¡°Chief, now that the things have been delivered, we¡¯ll take our leave first.¡±


    Chief Ji¡¯an couldn¡¯t catch up to those soldiers and was also curious about the gifts that Liu Dahei had prepared, so he opened the box and took a look. After a while, he said with a sigh, ¡°He¡¯s really considerate. I wonder if he¡¯s sincere about Jinhua or more interested in the power behind her.¡±


    When Chen Jiacai came over and heard this, he thought for a moment and said, ¡°Father-inw, I see that Liu Dahei is indeed sincere. If you have doubts, have a talk with him and you¡¯ll know his true intentions. One has to discuss the marriage before it goes through, in any case. Unlike the Han Chinese who have the ugly practice of taking in concubines, our Miao tribe practices monogamy. Although Sister is a Miao girl, she¡¯s the apple of your eye. It¡¯s reasonable for us to make such a request. If Liu Dahei can¡¯tply, he¡¯ll naturally reject the marriage. It¡¯s a bad idea to blindly drag things on, because Sister might fall harder for him as time goes by.¡±

 Chapter 642: Agreement

    Chapter 642: Agreement


    Editor: As Studios


    After some pondering, Chief Ji¡¯an said, ¡°But Liu Dahei is too old!¡±


    This was what he found most unsatisfactory about Liu Dahei. How could his delicate daughter marry such a pile of cow dung?


    Chen Jiacai coughed lightly and said, ¡°Father-inw, if Liu Dahei doesn¡¯t distinguish so much between the Miao and the Han, he¡¯s not a bad choice.¡± He said tactfully, ¡°After all, Sister has to live with that person for the rest of her life. If that person looks down on the Miao people from the bottom of his heart¡­¡±


    Considering Jinhua felt that the Miao people were good in every way, it was unlikely that her marriage would be blissful if she married a Han person who despised the Miao people.


    It was because he grew up in the Miao stockade that he regarded the Miao people as his family. The people in the Miao stockade also treated him like one of them, so he and Han could live a good life. However, even the few Han viges near the Miao stockade hated them, and vice versa. That day, when they went to the military camp, they saw that those in the army were respectful to them only because they were the Prince¡¯s guests. Other than Liu Dahei, the few generals who knew that they were going on a blind date with Jinhua all had disdain in their eyes. It could be seen that the Miao and Han were prejudiced against each other.


    After hesitating for two days, Chief Ji¡¯an decided to talk to Liu Dahei. He also wanted to know what Liu Dahei thought of his daughter.


    Liu Dahei considered this meeting with Chief Ji¡¯an as meeting his future father-inw, so he deliberately dressed up to make himself look younger. Only then did he go to see his potential father-inw with the precious dagger he had snatched from Lin Man.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped. He couldn¡¯t think of anything else to give to a man who had an interest in martial arts like him.


    Chief Ji¡¯an sat in the restaurant and looked at the bustling crowd below with disappointment. Half of the people below were Han Chinese and the other half were Miao people. However, while Han Chinese could open shops, the Miao people could only set up stalls by the roadside. He wondered when his fellowmen would be able to open arge shop in the city without discrimination¡­


    Liu Dahei walked in respectfully and bowed. ¡°Greetings, Uncle.¡±<div>


    The corners of Chief Ji¡¯an¡¯s mouth twitched. He waved his hand and said, ¡°Just call me Chief Ji¡¯an.¡±


    ¡°Erm¡­¡± Wouldn¡¯t this sound too distant?


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you call me Big Brother Ji¡¯an then? Anyway, I¡¯m not much older.¡±


    Liu Dahei immediately shouted, ¡°Hello, Chieftain!¡±


    Chief Ji¡¯an motioned for him to sit down. With his eyes widened, he sized the fellow up and down for a long time. Other than being burly, he was also tanned. He did not understand why his daughter would fall for such a man. On the other hand, his eldest daughter had normal aesthetic taste, for Jiacai was handsome and elegant. Why did his youngest daughter¡¯s aesthetic taste deviate so greatly?


    Liu Dahei straightened his back and sat there stiffly as Chief Ji¡¯an red at him for a long time. Seeing that Chief Ji¡¯an was getting more and more dissatisfied, he quickly revealed his sincerity. ¡°Chieftain, I really wish to marry Jinhua. Please give your blessings to the both of us.¡±


    Chief Ji¡¯an snorted. ¡°Do you dare to swear that you¡¯re 100% sincere to Jinhua and not doing this for the benefits brought about by the marriage?¡±


    Liu Dahei was silent for a moment, and his face became more and more respectful. He looked up at Chief Ji¡¯an honestly and said, ¡°Chieftain, I don¡¯t doubt that the benefits are one of the considerations, but I do genuinely adore Jinhua. If I don¡¯t like her, even if I know that this marriage will bring great benefits, I won¡¯t ept His Highness¡¯s matchmaking, because Jinhua will be the mother of my children in the future. As the only remaining bloodline of the Liu n, my first consideration is not my career prospects, but the Liu n¡¯s bloodline. As for me, I hope that my bloodline will be continued by Jinhua.¡±


    Chief Ji¡¯an¡¯s expression softened. It had to be said that Liu Dahei had struck his heartstrings. Sighing, he said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to give you my blessings, but I¡¯m afraid that your personalities won¡¯t bepatible. Jinhua has a bad temper, and you¡¯re not a soft-hearted person. Once you quarrel and don¡¯t give in to each other, it¡¯ll inevitably hurt the rtionship between husband and wife. Besides, you Han men like to take in many concubines. I¡¯m afraid my straightforward Jinhua won¡¯t be a match for the Han women. When the timees, she won¡¯t even have a ce to cry.¡±


    Liu Dahei was sweating profusely as he hurriedly promised, ¡°Father-inw, don¡¯t worry. As long as Jinhua can continue my bloodline before she turns 30, be it a boy or a girl, I will never take a concubine or a mistress in my life. As for personality, you have even less to worry about. Seeing as I¡¯m already in my thirties, I consider myself blessed that I¡¯m able to marry a wife. As such, I¡¯ll definitely dote on Jinhua. She¡¯s still young, so I¡¯ll naturally give in to her as if I¡¯m raising a daughter.¡±


    At first, Ji¡¯an listened attentively and was smiling in her heart. When he heard thest sentence though, he couldn¡¯t help but kick him and say, ¡°She¡¯s my daughter. Do I need you to raise her like a daughter?¡±


    Liu Dahei¡¯s face was covered in cold sweat as he hurriedly rified, ¡°I misspoke, Father-inw. No, Chieftain. I¡¯ll definitely raise her as my wife¡­¡±


    Ji¡¯an said with a dark expression, ¡°I haven¡¯t agreed to marry my daughter to you.¡±


    Liu Dahei said with a bitter expression, ¡°Chieftain¡­¡± He felt that he was getting more and more wrong.


    Ji¡¯an waved his hand and left. Liu Dahei felt that his prospects were bleak, so he could only turn around and look for the Prince, hoping that he could give him some advice.


    Qi Haoran nearly couldn¡¯t stop himself from tapping Liu Dahei¡¯s forehead. ¡°I thought that you were a smart fellow. Why are you so stupid? Didn¡¯t you ask Fei Bai for advice previously?¡±


    ¡°But Your Highness, Fei Bai didn¡¯t tell me what to say when I meet my future father-inw. He himself is unmarried, right?¡± Liu Dahei looked at Qi Haoran longingly. ¡°Your Highness, since you have experience, teach me a little.¡±


    Qi Haoran tilted his head and said smugly, ¡°We don¡¯t have anything inmon. My father-inw is very satisfied with me and regards me as his own son. You can go to the army to find someone who wasn¡¯t liked by his father-inw and seek that guy¡¯s advice.¡±


    Would he really not be beaten up by his colleagues if he asked this?<div>


    Liu Dahei looked at Qi Haoran pitifully.


    Qi Haoran blocked his gaze with his hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look anymore. I can¡¯te up with any ideas.¡±


    Liu Dahei said hesitantly, ¡°Perhaps Her Highness might know¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t believe that Father Mu was 100% satisfied with Qi Haoran. Which father would bepletely delighted with a son-inw who had snatched his daughter away?<div>


    Understanding the unspoken intentions, Qi Haoran¡¯s face darkened. He kicked Liu Daihei out and snapped, ¡°Scram!¡±


    After Ji¡¯an returned to the Miao stockade, he thought for a long time. In the end, he called his daughter over and asked her, ¡°Are you sure about Liu Dahei?¡±


    Jinhua nodded fiercely.


    Ji¡¯an sighed. If Liu Dahei said that he proposed solely because he liked Jinhua, he would definitely not believe him and think that this person was hypocritical. Even if objecting would make his daughter sad, he would definitely not agree to this marriage.


    If Liu Dahei said that he desired to marry Jinhua because of benefits, he would definitely reject him as well. Moreover, it would be easier to exin to Jinhua.


    However, Liu Dahei was honest about both being valid reasons, but his liking Jinhua was the main factor and the benefits were just a bonus. This made Ji¡¯an hesitate instead. Moreover, he could tell that what Liu Dahei said was true. This was the reason why he sighed regretfully.


    His daughter was really going to be married to ¡®a pile of cow dung¡¯.


    Ji¡¯an closed his eyes and waved his hand. ¡°Get someone to inform him toe and propose marriage.¡±


    Jinhua immediately cheered. She hugged Ji¡¯an¡¯s neck and shook him as she shouted, ¡°Father, you¡¯re the best!¡±


    Ji¡¯an¡¯s heart was about to break. Hadn¡¯t he always been the best to her?


    This was his daughter!

 Chapter 643: Submission

    Chapter 643: Submission


    Editor: As Studios


    True to his words of giving Jinhua all that he had, Liu Dahei stuffed all his assets into the boxes of betrothal gifts and carried them to the Miao stockade.


    There were 120 boxes containing expensive items like gold, silver, and jewelry (snatched), ordinary fabrics, and daily furniture. One of the boxes even contained Liu Dahei¡¯s silver, banknotes and ount book.


    Seeing that he dared to give this as a betrothal gift, Ji¡¯an knew that he was sincere. His prejudice against him decreased a little, but he still didn¡¯t look very happy.


    He handed the box to his youngest daughter and nned to give it to her as her dowry. This way, Liu Dahei would be a pauper and had to rely on his daughter to make a living.


    At the thought of this, Ji¡¯an was even more satisfied.


    He gave most of the betrothal gifts to his daughter as dowry, but he kept all the books.


    Liu Dahei didn¡¯t expect his rough father-inw to actually like books. He had a lot of books. Back then, when bandits entered the city to plunder, the wealthy families in the city either fled or submitted, and he took the opportunity to snatch a lot of books. He¡¯d originally wanted to leave them for his descendants, but now, he decided to use them to curry favor with his father-inw.


    Liu Dahei hurriedly got someone to pick out one copy each of the books that he had more than one copy of, which was the case for most of the titles. Back then, because everyone was illiterate and knew that he liked books, his underlings snatched a lot of them and gave them to Liu Dahei. In the end, he actually managed to fill up five big cases. Hence, not long after Liu Dahei sent the betrothal gifts, he carried over five more cases of books for his father-inw.


    This immediately pleased his father-inw and brother-inw, who had a lot of say.


    Books being hard toe by in this era, Chen Jiacai happily entertained Liu Dahei.<div>


    Never mind if the Ji¡¯an family was wealthy or not, even if they had the money, it would be difficult to buy so many books. Therefore,pared to the gold and silver jewelry, these books were even more valuable to him.


    When Qi Haoran heard this, he asked Fei Bai to get someone from the bookstore to print a batch of books and send them to the Miao stockade. He said that it was a gift from the Prince¡¯s estate to the Miao stockade.


    Fei Bai asked, ¡°Master, which titles do you want to print?¡±


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°¡®The Analects¡¯ and ¡®Law Codex¡¯ are the main ones. Print more books on indoctrination. This way, the Miao people won¡¯t have to fight to read the books.¡±


    When Mu Yangling heard this, she hurriedly said, ¡°Also, print more books on farming, medicine, carpentry and water conservancy. Since you¡¯re printing books on water conservancy, they won¡¯t be able to understand this without reading up on arithmetic. So, also print arithmetic books.¡±


    ¡°Although what you said is practical, it¡¯s unpopr. I¡¯m afraid the cost of printing it is high.¡± Qi Haoran asked, ¡°Do we still have money at home?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can still afford this bit of money.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Besides, it¡¯s fine to print a little more. When the timees, we can also distribute some to the Han Chinese academies. These books are very practical. What¡¯s the use of just reading history books, and the four books and five scriptures? People have to read more of these other books.¡±


    Qi Haoran rubbed his nose. He didn¡¯t even read the four books and five scriptures much, so why would he read up on something like farming?


    ¡°Just print 20 volumes of each book. Send 10 to the Miao stockade and send the remaining 10 copies to the other academies. Go and discuss with the bookstore ande up with a book list for the Princess Consort to peruse,¡± Qi Haoran instructed.


    Fei Bai agreed.


    Qi Haoran sent books to educate the Miao people, hoping that they would submit to Great Qi from the inside out. Only by learning the teachings of the sages could one have a sense of belonging to Great Qi, which was ruled by the Han people. Therefore, he sent educational books like ¡®The Analects¡¯.


    On the other hand, Mu Yangling wanted to take this opportunity to improve the abilities of the Miao people in all aspects, so she attached various technical books.


    Not to mention anything else, because the Miao people did not recognize all the herbs in the mountain, they usually only picked a few that they were familiar with. By giving them a herb book, Mu Yangling hoped that they could identify the herbs ording to the drawings on it and not let them go to waste in the deep mountains.


    As soon as Chen Jiacai received the books from the Prince¡¯s estate, he opened them and took them down from the box. Seeing that there were 20 books in a row that were all indoctrination books, he immediately felt a little frustrated. Did the Prince have to be so obvious?


    When he opened the other boxes, he realized that most of them were farming books, medical books, and so on. He immediately felt a little ashamed and felt that he had misunderstood the Prince. The Prince seemed to be eager about helping the Miao farmers improve.


    Feeling a little ashamed, Chen Jiacai got someone to take out the books and arrange them. He said to the chief, ¡°Father-inw, although His Highness didn¡¯t send as many books as Brother-inw, they¡¯re practical. It can be seen how much effort he put in.¡±


    Chief Ji¡¯an looked at the books for a while, but could only recognize a few words. He asked, ¡°What books are they?¡±


    ¡°Agricultural books, medical books, and various other books. Not to mention anything else, just these two types are what our stockade urgently needs.¡±


    Ji¡¯an sighed and said, ¡°We met a good Prince.¡±<div>


    Chen Jiacai said with a smile, ¡°Father-inw, you should say that we met a good monarch.¡±


    Seeing Ji¡¯an frown slightly, Chen Jiacai said, ¡°Thest time I went to see His Highness, I had a sincere talk with him about the future of the Miao stockade. From what he said, his actions were all instigated by His Majesty.¡± Chen Jiacai lowered his voice and said, ¡°I heard that His Majesty is nning to legite that we Miao people will pay taxes like the Han people. In the future, we won¡¯t have to pay additional taxes.¡±


    Ji¡¯an¡¯s heart skipped a beat and couldn¡¯t help but jump up. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Father-inw, speak softly.¡± Only then did Chen Jiacai say, ¡°It hasn¡¯t been finalized yet, but from His Highness¡¯s attitude, His Majesty is advocating it. It¡¯s just that the resistance in the court is a little strong, so it¡¯s dyed for the time being. Now, the taxes are still levied ording to the Great Zhou, but it will take at least two years or at most three years before the new tax system is implemented.¡±<div>


    After all, taxes were only being exempted for three years. Now that the country was named Great Qi, they could not very well stick to the Great Zhou taxw.


    Ji¡¯an¡¯s eyes were bright as he said, ¡°When I was young, I heard my grandfather mention the taxes during Emperor Shizong¡¯s era. At that time, we paid the same taxes as the Han people. Although our lives were also tough, it wasn¡¯t a problem to fill our stomachs. If, if His Majesty could treat our Miao people like Emperor Shizong, I¡¯d definitely pledge my loyalty to Great Qi.¡±


    Chen Jiacai¡¯s eyes reddened as he said in a low voice, ¡°Father-inw, don¡¯t worry. The current Emperor was a general and is very decisive. Since he has such thoughts, he will definitely implement it. We can afford to wait a little longer.¡±


    Ji¡¯an was delighted. ¡°As long as I can see it in my lifetime.¡±


    The impact that a Prince had was, after all, different from that of an Emperor.


    With the support of Qi Haoran, they would at most have a better life during his term of office. However, with the support of the Emperor, it meant that the Miao people would be able to live well during his reign.


    An official typically only served a three- or six-year term. Considering how in-favor Qi Haoran was, he wouldn¡¯t stay here for more than two terms. However, Qi Xiuyuan was at the peak of his youth and had at least 20 to 30 years to live.


    In 20 to 30 years, two generations of Miao people would have grown up. At the thought that the Miao people only needed to pay the same taxes as the Han people, and pay no extra taxes or double thebor conscription quota, Ji¡¯an felt that he could wake up with a smile even if he died. He might even encounter the good days his great-grandfather had encountered.


    Perhaps he would be even luckier. If the next Emperor of Great Qi was filial and did not change his father¡¯s aspirations, the Miao people would have another ten to 20 years of good life¡­


    Just thinking about it lit up a fire in Ji¡¯an¡¯s heart.


    Ji¡¯an asked excitedly, ¡°Jiacai, it¡¯s almost the new year. Do you think we should present a gift to His Majesty in order to forge better ties?¡±


    After some thought, Chen Jiacai replied, ¡°Let¡¯s ask His Highness for his opinion.¡±


    <div>

 Chapter 644: Gift List

    Chapter 644: Gift List


    Editor: As Studios


    Liu Dahei rushed to marry Jinhua before the New Year, and the Miao stockade¡¯s New Year¡¯s gifts for the Emperor also arrived in the capital before the New Year¡¯s Eve.


    When Qi Xiuyuan received the gift list, he finally understood why the officials of the Ministry of Rites looked constipated. It was because the Miao stockade had given him all the local specialties of Qiannan.


    However, the local specialties that were presented to the Emperor were not ordinary local specialties. For example, the yams that the Yong Prefecture offered as tribute every year, which was certainly a different type of yam from the ones normal farming families ate.


    After it was steamed and simply dipped in a little bit of white sugar, it could be said to be a great delicacy. Every year, Yongzhou would send a batch of such yams to the capital. Of so many nobles in the capital, other than the Emperor, only Minister Qin could receive such yams back then. If other officials wanted to eat them, they had to rely on Emperor Jingyan to reward them with it.


    Having such ¡°local specialties¡± was a great blessing for local officials. As long as there were no major problems during their tenure, as long as a certain quantity of ¡°local specialties¡± entered the capital every year as tribute, it would not be a problem for them to be promoted and prosper.


    However, it was a nightmare for the local people.


    It would be fine if this thing was easy to nt, but if it was not. In order to ensure quality and production, officials would force themoners to nt it. However, the harvest would be taken away for a low price and used as tools for officials to rise in rank and be rich.


    As a result, themoners could not nt grains, and the ie from nting ¡°tributes¡± was far from enough to support their families. Therefore, the offering of ¡°local specialties¡± as tributes usually meant that the local government was beginning to show signs of decay.


    Two days ago, when they received a delivery from Qiannan saying that the Miao stockade in Qiannan had presented a batch of local ¡°specialties¡±, the courtiers were shocked. Then, they sighed and felt that Qi Haoran had acted quickly after arriving in Qiannan. In such a short time, he had managed to be buddies with the Miao stockade and make them respectfully send over tributes.


    But at the same time, many people were worried.<div>


    As the Qi dynasty was newly established, it wasn¡¯t yet time to collect these tribute items. However, no one knew whether this would disrupt the livelihood of the people in Qiannan. Since Qiannan was under the jurisdiction of Qi Haoran, no one dared to voice objections openly at court. Those who understood the situation could only sigh, ¡°Time is not on our side,¡± and then they began to worry, hoping that other regions would not follow suit.


    On the other hand, some people rubbed their fists and palms, eager to go all out to please the Emperor. They began to mull over which areas had ¡°local specialties¡± that could be presented to ingratiate themselves with him.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan knew that his younger brother was not the kind of person to do such a thing. He suspected that Fan Zijin was the mastermind, but he also felt that a smart guy like him shouldn¡¯t have made such a mistake. Because he didn¡¯t know the details, he could only wait and see.


    When he received the gift list from Qiannan and his brother¡¯s letter today, Qi Xiuyuan realized that it was his sister-inw¡¯s doing.


    The ¡°local specialties¡± sent over were bonafide local specialties that could be bought for a few copper coins on Qiannan Street and existed in abundance.


    Upon learning the truth, Qi Xiuyuanughed heartily and dered loudly, ¡°I¡¯m happy with these local specialties.¡±


    The officials from the Ministry of Rites pursed their lips. The items were sent by Prince Rong, after all. Even if it was a pile of sh*t, the Emperor would probably be happy with it.


    Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand to send the officials from the Ministry of Rites away and asked someone to call Rong Xuan and Yan Du over.


    Not long after Qi Xiuyuan ascended the throne, he restored the good name of Grand Tutor Yan of the previous dynasty and removed the infamy rted to him. Qi Xiuyuan said that in times of crisis, a man like Grand Tutor Yan who dared to serve the country at the risk of bearing infamy was worthy of respect. As such, he was given the posthumous title ¡°Literary Integrity.¡±


    Ancient and contemporary people believe that ¡®Literary Integrity¡¯ is the ultimate posthumous honor, beyondparison. ¡®Literary¡¯ signifies extensive moral knowledge, while ¡®Integrity¡¯ represents securing one¡¯s duties with integrity, embodying the pinnacle of schrly virtue. Since the Tang dynasty, ¡®Literary Integrity¡¯ has been the most exalted posthumous title for a minister, one not bestowed lightly by the Emperor.


    In the 238 years since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there had been countless civil servants and generals. Yet, only five of them could obtain the posthumous title of ¡°Literary Integrity¡±. Three of them were conferred by Emperor Shizong and could be considered founding ministers. The other two were also capable ministers in governance.


    As for Grand Tutor Yan, a minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he was conferred a title in the Great Qi Dynasty. He was also the first minister of the Great Qi Dynasty to be conferred the posthumous title ¡°Literary Integrity¡±. All the ministers with the posthumous title of ¡°Literary Integrity¡± were highly respected and their names went down in history as famous ministers.


    The fact that the Emperor had given Grand Tutor Yan a posthumous title could be considered to have ended the controversy that the schrs and themoners had about him. It could also be considered to be an approval of the peace talks that Grand Tutor Yan had proposed in the previous dynasty.


    After receiving the imperial edict, Yan Du came out of the Yan residence for the first time. He knelt at the door and cried bitterly. Then, he took his son, Yan Fu, and knelt at the pce gates, pleading for reinstatement.


    This event became the basis for the famous theatrical y known as ¡°Father and Son Kneeling at the Pce Gates to Repay the Emperor¡¯s Grace¡±.


    Qi Xiuyuan was in need of talent at the moment, and Yan Du and Yan Fu were no doubt talented individuals with excellent morals. Because he had conferred a posthumous title to Grand Tutor Yan, it solidified their loyalty towards him. Although Rong Xuan was capable, his actions were always restrained due to hisck of prestige. Qi Xiuyuan simply appointed Yan Du as the right minister and let him work alongside Rong Xuan.


    Rong Xuan admired the Yan family¡¯s style to begin with, and Yan Du was loyal to Qi Xiuyuan. Hence, it took the two of them only half a month of working together before they got used to each other and cooperated well.


    The two of them came together, not understanding why the Emperor was looking for them at this time.


    Beaming, Qi Xiuyuan handed Qiannan¡¯s gift list to the two of them. He asked, ¡°What do you think of this gift list?¡±<div>


    Yan Du was about to persuade Qi Xiuyuan to put an end to the trend of receiving ¡°local specialties¡± tributes when he saw the items on the gift list. After getting over his shock, he asked, ¡°Could it be that the pork used in this cured pork is exceptionally precious?¡±


    With augh, Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°Minister Yan, look at the price at the back.¡±


    When Yan Du saw the pricebel of ¡°12 copper coins per catty¡± of the Liver Tonic Herb, he was speechless. After deliberating for a moment, he said, ¡°His Majesty, I¡¯m afraid that the court officials will attack the Miao stockade and Prince Rong tomorrow. After all, this gift¡­¡±


    Rong Xuan had already thought of Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s intentions. Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan was looking at him with a smile, he cupped his hands and said, ¡°Our people are blessed to have such a benevolent ruler as Your Majesty.¡±<div>


    Yan Du jolted back to his senses and his eyes lit up. ¡°Your Majesty wants to take the opportunity to abolish the system of ¡®local specialties¡¯ and return the freedom of choosing what to nt to themoners?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded slightly and sighed. ¡°Not long ago, Yong Prefecture, Chaozhou, Fuzhou, and other regions sent local specialties. As it was a tradition, I didn¡¯t pay attention to them. If Qiannan hadn¡¯t sent these things this time, I wouldn¡¯t have thought of this. Before I ascended the throne, I¡¯d also heard that the ¡®local specialties¡¯ that were respectfully offered as tribute to the pce sometimes deployed the resources of an entire county or even a prefecture. Not to mention that Great Qi is recuperating now, even in its prime, they shouldn¡¯t be so extravagant. Qiannan¡¯s gift list came at the right time. Why don¡¯t the two ministers go back and write a charter to abolish all those malpractices?¡±


    Rong Xuan and Yan Du looked at each other and replied in unison.


    Qi Xiuyuan looked at the gift list again and knocked on the table. Then, he picked up the letter and read it again. He couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    When he walked into the Pce of Earthly Tranquility with the letter, it was bustling with activity, andughter came from inside. Qi Xiuyuan stopped the emissary from reporting and walked in. He saw his son running around in a blue Miao costume, even punching into the air from time to time, making Li Jinghuaugh non-stop.


    It was rare for Qi Xiuyuan to see his son so lively, so he asked with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s making you so happy?¡±


    Only then did everyone see the Emperor and bow. Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand, but Little Treasure ran over and hugged his father¡¯s leg. He looked up and said, ¡°Father, I¡¯m learning boxing from my younger brother. Do you think I did it like him?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Father didn¡¯t see it clearly just now. Punch again and let me see.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan sat on the couch and watched him with a smile.


    Little Treasure started to hum as he punched into the air. Looking at his far-from-perfect actions, Qi Xiuyuanughed. ¡°You¡¯re definitely not as good at boxing as your brother. Your uncle wrote that he can shatter a table with one punch now.¡±


    Little Treasure¡¯s mouth fell open.

 Chapter 645: Persuasion

    Chapter 645: Persuasion


    Editor: As Studios


    Seeing his son¡¯s reaction, Qi Xiuyuanughed out loud again. He even picked him up and ced him on his knees.


    Seeing that he was in a good mood, Li Jinghua asked with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s the happy asion today, His Majesty?¡±


    ¡°Qiannan¡¯s gift list is here.¡± Qi Xiuyuan took out the letter and showed it to Li Jinghua. He said with a smile, ¡°Tell Sister-inwter that I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s very difficult to sell the local specialties she chose. Even if I work hard to eat them, the other officials will only try a little for a period of time out of novelty. It¡¯s better for them to set their sights locally if they¡¯re looking to profit from this.¡±


    Puzzled, Li Jinghua opened the letter and read it. After a long time, she sighed. ¡°Ah Ling is kind-hearted. She¡¯s concerned about the people, but she thinks too simply.¡±


    Mu Yangling and Chief Ji¡¯an negotiated toe up with the gift list.


    Meanwhile, Qi Haoran and Chen Jiacai watched with awkward expressions.


    Although Chen Jiacai was talented and smart, he was not involved in politics after all, so his knowledge in this area was limited. He did not know about the ¡°local specialties¡±. He only wanted to build a good rtionship with the Imperial Court and curry favor with the Emperor. When he went to look for Qi Haoran, he¡¯d already thought of what the Miao stockade had to offer.


    However, he had just started speaking when Qi Haoran rejected him. Although Qi Haoran was talented in war, he was aware of political issues and his political acuity was not inferior to others. Using Yongzhou and Fuzhou as an example, he told Chen Jiacai that it was not a good idea to offer exquisite ¡°local specialties¡±. If the Miao stockade wanted to express goodwill, they might as well offer the Emperor a precious dagger or something.


    ¡°In order to produce the tribute yams that enter the capital every year, Yong Prefecture has forced almost all themoners in Lipu County to nt yams. Unlike normal yams that grow in the wild, the yams in Lipu are delicate and need to be grown meticulously. A farmer spends almost the entire year nting these things, but the harvest yield is low. Moreover, the government forbids the farmers from selling the yam elsewhere and forces them to sell it to the government at a low price. Therefore, although Lipu has world-famous tributes, the citizens¡¯ lives aren¡¯t easy.¡±


    Qi Haoran continued, ¡°Fu Prefecture¡¯s local specialty is the precious Eastern Pearl. Every year, the roundest andrgest pearls are chosen to enter the court as tribute. In order to pluck the Eastern Pearl that can be used as tribute, countless pearl divers have lost their lives in the sea. If they die, it¡¯s fine if they did find a suitable Eastern Pearl, for the Imperial Court will leave a sum ofpensation for their families. If they didn¡¯t¡­¡± Qi Haoran shook his head slightly, the meaning behind his words self-evident.


    Chen Jiacai¡¯s face turned pale.


    ¡°It¡¯s partly because of the previous Emperor¡¯s muddle-headedness, but it¡¯s also in line with the ways of the world because the Emperor¡¯s preferences have always been sought after. Through a continual process of introspection and moral self-assessment, my brother developed the fine virtues of diligence and thriftiness. However, because Great Qi is too big, there are regions where the Emperor can¡¯t take care of, let alone Qiannan. Therefore, once you offer ¡®local specialties¡¯, the subsequent officials will inevitably mistreat the people to please the Emperor and the higher-ups.¡±


    Chen Jiacai was a little discouraged. Where could he find a precious dagger when the Miao stockade was so poor?


    Chen Jiacai hesitated for a moment before ncing at Qi Haoran¡¯s expression. ¡°How about presenting a beauty?¡±


    Qi Haoran said with a smile without changing his expression, ¡°Brother doesn¡¯t like beauties. Besides, after Brother ascended the throne, he said that he wouldn¡¯t consider new additions to the harem for two years. If Brother Chen presents him with beauties, my brother can only give them to me. Should that happen, things could turn quite ugly.¡±


    What a joke. How could a Miao girl appear in his brother¡¯s harem?


    He had heard that the Miao people were good at using the Gu poison. For the sake of the safety of the Qi family¡¯s descendants, they couldn¡¯t allow a Miao woman in the harem.


    Chen Jiacai didn¡¯t think too much about it. He had also heard rumors that the Emperor wasn¡¯t expanding his harem for two years. At that time, Han had even said that the Emperor and Empress were deeply in love.


    Chen Jiacai returned regretfully. He was nning to pay a high price to find a precious dagger, but he didn¡¯t know if he would make it in time.


    At night, Qi Haoran went back and told Mu Yangling about this. He wanted to let her know how he had, with great foresight, prevented future troubles for the Qi family¡¯s descendants. Although there were many people who used poison in the harem, they typically used the sort of poison that everyone knew. However, Gu poison was different. Qi Haoran had only heard of it but had never seen it before. He had always been afraid and worried about the unknown, so he felt that his actions were a huge contribution to the safety of his Big Brother¡¯s harem.


    How did Qi Xiuyuan and Li Jinghua know so much?


    Because Qi Haoran had angrily expressed his dissatisfaction with Mu Yangling in the letter, that she was actually only focused on the ¡°local specialties¡± and did not understand the key meaning behind his words.


    Qi Haoran had always confided everything in his big brother, including back then when he wooed Mu Yangling. Hence, he wrote in the letter that small conflict he had with his wife. How would he know that his big brother would show the letter to his sister-inw?


    If he had known, he would have politely erased this part.


    Qi Haoran was furious, but Mu Yangling was very happy.


    Qiannan was so poor that manymoners could not even afford grain seeds. When Mu Yangling¡¯s grain store finally opened, manymoners entered the store to look at the seeds of corn and Dry Rice No. 1, but only about 10% could afford to pay with cash upfront. The remaining 60% bought the seeds on credit while the remaining 30% decided to wait and see.


    Only then did Mu Yangling truly realize how poor Qiannan was. It was even poorer than when they were at their most difficult time in the north.


    It could not be helped. Although the North was located at the border, there was a lot ofnd. Although thend was not fertile, it was still tnd and there were many plots ofnd.


    As for Qiannan, it was located at the border, and what littlend they had was barren. At a nce, all they could see were mountains that reached into the clouds. There were mountains in the north, south, east, and west. Deeper into the mountains, there would be a thin fog and miasma. If they went even deeper, poisonous insects and snakes woulde out to join in the fun.


    Only hunters and Miao people dared to go into the mountains. However, many people died in the mountains every year. That was why Qiannan was poor!


    There was silk in Jiangnan, cloth in Song Jiang, seafood and pearls in Fuzhou, leather goods in the north, and horses in the northwest. What was there in Qiannan that could be famous and profitable?


    Nothing!


    Therefore, in order to get rich, Mu Yangling could only target those ordinary local specialties. Hence, she urged Qi Haoran to send those authentic Qiannan specialties such as cured meat, the Liver Tonic Herb, and dried prickly pear to the pce.


    Even salted vegetables and sunflower seeds were included. At that time, Qi Haoranughed loudly to express his disdain and said with contempt, ¡°Don¡¯t we have salted vegetables and sunflower seeds in the capital? Even ordinary farmers know how to pickle and dry them.¡±


    ¡°Are those the same salted vegetables and sunflower seeds that an Emperor has eaten? The salted vegetables and sunflower seeds in Qiannan have entered the Emperor¡¯s stomach before.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Qi Haoran could only respond with silence.


    Ultimately, Mu Yangling wanted to make use of the Emperor to let the people of Qiannan earn a sum of money. At the very least, hopefully they could make enough to tide through next year¡¯s deficit.


    Seeing that Qi Haoran looked glum, Mu Yangling quickly softened her tone and said, ¡°I¡¯m just being considerate of you and Big Brother. You¡¯ve seen the situation in Qiannan¡ªtheir government office doesn¡¯t have a single tael of silver. The people can still rely on the food relief given by the Imperial Court to survive for now. However,e March or April next year, no matter how sparingly they eat those rations, the rations will have been depleted. What will you do then? Take from the soldiers¡¯ food supplies to help the people? Or watch them rebel again? Isn¡¯t it better to organize a trade caravan to enter the capital so that they can make some money and bring back a batch of grains? As long as the people survive the difficult period next year, we won¡¯t have to worry so much in the future.¡±

 Chapter 646: Ours

    Chapter 646: Ours


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, ¡°You also said that they don¡¯t even have grains. Where are they going to get the cured pork for the trade caravan to bring to the capital?¡±


    Mu Yangling chuckled. ¡°Even if there¡¯s no cured pork, don¡¯t we still have salted vegetables and sunflower seeds? The more expensive Liver Tonic Herb isn¡¯t bad either.¡±


    Qi Haoran circted his energy and said, ¡°Are you really nning to let Big Brother try them all for you?¡±


    ¡°For the sake of the people, Big Brother will definitely be willing.¡±


    ¡°These things aren¡¯t worth much¡­¡±


    ¡°Even though the profit margin is small, if sold in high volume, it should bring in quite a considerable amount of money too. It¡¯s almost the new year, so every family has to buy some new year goods anyway. Even if they already have pickled vegetables and sunflower seeds at home, many people will be willing to spend a few copper coins to eat the same foods that the Emperor has tried.¡±


    When Qi Haoran thought of the smell of cured meat and salted vegetables floating in his big brother¡¯s pce, he silently tried to stop it. ¡°Only the Miao people know the form for this Liver Tonic Herb remedy. The Han people can¡¯t earn money from this¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling waved her hand generously and said, ¡°We¡¯ll let the Miao people earn this money. When the timees, they¡¯ll bake the herbs and wrap them into individual portions which can brew about ten bowls of tea each. After that, we¡¯ll consolidate them and transport them into the capital to sell.¡±


    The Miao people hade up with the form for the Liver Tonic Herb, a remedy which was beneficial to the liver and spleen. Qi Haoran had also drunk it before, but he still felt that tea was better. Only his son drank it every few days like fruit juice. This was alsomonly sold at two copper coins a bowl on the streets, and the vendors were mostly the Miao people.


    Because there were many medicinal herbs inside and it was not sold at a high price, the Han people had never thought ofpeting for this form. However, if sold in the capital, this Liver Tonic Herb would undoubtedly be the most expensive because it was the only item amongst them that required expertise.


    Just thinking about it made Qi Haoran feel sorry for his big brother.


    Qi Haoran gave onest shot at dissuading his wife and said, ¡°Considering these are all food, I¡¯m afraid they can¡¯t be transported into the pce. What if someone poisons them on the way?¡±


    Mu Yangling quickly racked her brains and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we send more guards? No, this is impossible to guard against. Then prepare a few more ¡®tributes¡¯ so that when the timees, only we know which one is the one to be sent to Big Brother? Wait, that won¡¯t work either. What if they poison everything? But why must we tell others that we¡¯re sending food?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right, we can choose not to mention what we¡¯re sending and hint at the tributes being precious items. Anyway, these things will have to be transported into the capital to be sold. When the tributes are mixed in, others definitely won¡¯t be able to guess that these things are tributes.¡± The more Mu Yangling spoke, the more she felt that it was a good idea. ¡°When the escorts bring the things to the capital, we can just send them directly to the pce. Anyway, we have to send Little Treasure and Sister-inw New Year¡¯s gifts to the pce together. Moreover, since these things will be checked by the imperial physicians when they enter the pce, there shouldn¡¯t be any issues.¡±


    Mu Yangling praised herself for her quick-wittedness. Indeed, without suppression, there was no motivation. See, it was Qi Haoran¡¯s suppression that allowed her to so quickly think of a solution.


    With a sigh, Qi Haoran said, ¡°I¡¯ll go and discuss it with Zijin.¡±


    Mu Yangling chuckled and threatened, ¡°If you¡¯re unwilling to offer these tributes, I¡¯ll pack it up as our New Year¡¯s gift for Big Brother and Sister-inw.¡±


    ¡°Are we that poor?¡± Qi Haoran was furious. To think she was suggesting that they gave his brother such cheap goods for New Year¡¯s Eve.


    Mu Yangling turned around and pulled out a box from the box, then opened it and showed it to him. ¡°This is all the silver our family has now.¡±


    There were a few pieces of silver scattered in the empty box, as well as two banknotes. Qi Haoran heaved a sigh of relief, seeing that at least there were still banknotes.


    After unfolding the banknotes, Mu Yangling ced them in front of him. She waved them and said, ¡°One 100 taels note and one 150 taels note¡ªthat¡¯s all our family has left. We don¡¯t even have enough money to buy seeds in spring. Now, we¡¯re just waiting for the festive silver distributed by the Imperial Court for the new year. However, I feel that with the strength of the national treasury, it¡¯s unknown how much silver we will receive. It¡¯s better to let the lower-ranking officials have it instead, since they don¡¯t have any additional ie and are relying on that bit of silver for the new year. As a Prince who doesn¡¯t have to worry about food and drink, do you have the cheek to snatch it from others?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying. How can our family be so poor?¡± Qi Haoran was furious. He only had 250 taels of silver left? Pfft, he was no fool.


    ¡°That depends on how we calcte it. Of course, with our dozens of hectares ofnd and several mountains, our family doesn¡¯t look poor on the surface. Our jewelry and antiques fill the storerooms in the capital. Also, our business partnership with Zijin brings in a lot of profit every day. But, can thend be sold? Even if you dare to sell it, will anyone dare to buy it? Can the jewelry and antiques be cashed out? Will the gold and silver earned from the businesses fall into our hands? They¡¯re all invested into the gigantic hole that is the Great Qi on the ounts, so this is all the silver our family has now!¡±


    Qi Haoran hugged the box and asked in a dilemma, ¡°Then the money in our family¡¯s ounts now¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a straight face, ¡°It¡¯s all sponsored by Zijin.¡±


    Qi Haoran heaved a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he did not touch his wife¡¯s dowry.


    Mu Yangling sighed and said, ¡°But we can¡¯t always depend on Zijin. Even biological brothers have to settle ounts clearly. We have to repay the money eventually, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran instantly felt that he had let his brother down. He whispered, ¡°Why don¡¯t I go and eliminate the bandits?¡±


    He would be able to bring in money from doing so.


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes. ¡°The bandits in Qiannan have long been dispersed by the West Xia soldiers. Didn¡¯t you take them into the army? Where else are we going to find bandits?¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at her with bright eyes.


    Mu Yangling could not help but pinch his ear and say, ¡°It¡¯s not easy for West Xia to stop. You¡¯re not allowed to provoke them.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°I¡¯ve already thought it through. Considering we¡¯ve just arrived not long ago, I¡¯m sure the people of Qiannan don¡¯t trust us yet and won¡¯t be willing to transport the items to the capital for nothing. Therefore, we¡¯ll acquire those goods at a reasonable price, epting either money or notes. When we transport them to the capital and sell them, we¡¯ll exchange them for grains, then transport the grains back to sell to them. Or we¡¯ll exchange the grains for the notes. By doing this, we can earn some money.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that our family doesn¡¯t have any money left? Where will you find the money to give them?¡±


    Mu Yangling nced at him and said, ¡°Our family doesn¡¯t have it, but I do.¡±


    Only then did Qi Haoran think of Mu Yangling¡¯s expensive dowry. He jumped up and said, ¡°You¡¯re mine, so your dowry naturally belongs to our family. How can your money not be included?¡±


    Mu Yangling said faintly, ¡°You¡¯re finally willing to say that. I thought you¡¯d rather starve to death than use my dowry.¡±


    Seeing that he was silent again, Mu Yangling was so angry that shey on the bed to sleep and ignored him. At night, when Qi Haoran hugged her, she ignored him.


    Qi Haoran pressed her down and asked, ¡°Are you really angry?¡±


    Mu Yangling turned over and hugged him back. ¡°We¡¯re husband and wife. What¡¯s yours is mine, so naturally, what¡¯s mine is also yours. Never mind if we¡¯re living a cushy life and have no use for my dowry. In that case, I¡¯m fine keeping it as my private savings. But our family only has a little silver now. Since you¡¯ve given all the money to Big Brother, what¡¯s wrong with using my dowry? Surely Little Bear and I can¡¯t eat chaff and vegetables while waiting for you to earn money, while leaving my money locked up in a vault? Is face really that important?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t help but pat her butt and sigh faintly. ¡°I¡¯m not doing this for my reputation. I¡¯m doing this for the sake of the two of you. I¡¯m selfish.¡±

 Chapter 647: Persuasion

    Chapter 647: Persuasion


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran was well aware of the distinction; it was fine for all his and his estate¡¯s money to be put into the country¡¯s treasury, but Ah Ling¡¯s money could not be used for this purpose. If this were to happen once, it could very well happen a second or third time. The three brothers were seeing no end to filling this hole already, so how could he drag his wife into it?


    It was fine if Ah Ling¡¯s dowry was used for their daily necessities, but it could not be used for business. He knew what Mu Yangling meant¡ªto first use her dowry to buy the goods to be sold in the capital. If they lost money on this business deal, she would be the one to incur the loss. If they made money, it would go to the Prince¡¯s Residence. When the time came, the money would then be used to buy the grains to be transported back to Qiannan.


    However, when the grains were transported back, the soft-hearted Ah Ling would definitely keep a portion for emergencies after selling a portion. In times of poor harvest in the future, she certainly wouldn¡¯t stand by and watch the poor starve to death.


    Therefore, these grains would definitely be food relief in the end, which meant Ah Ling was bound to lose money on this deal.


    With this as a precedent, they might do the same the next time Qiannan encountered problems. As time passed, Ah Ling¡¯s dowry would be depleted.


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t want his wife to suffer, nor did he want his family to survive on chaff in the future. Hence, he had to say no to this matter from the beginning.


    After all, thend his Big Brother had conquered was a huge mess. In the past half a year, Qi Haoran and Qi Xiuyuan had investigated the situation everywhere. Only then did they know how much torment Great Zhou had put this country through.


    The grain warehouse was almost emptied, and there wasn¡¯t a single coin left behind in the treasury. Although they had found some gold buried in Minister Qin¡¯s residence, after some calctions, it was not even half of what Minister Qin had embezzled. They had yet to find any gold, silver, and copper coins from the national treasury that had been emptied.


    In addition, the Great Qi Kingdom was in ruins. Six to seven out of tenmoners were refugees who did not have a fixed ce to live. Not only did their families not have a constant source of ie, but they also did not have any food or clothes. If they wanted to settle the refugees down, the country would need to spend arge amount of money.


    Because taxes were exempted for three years upon the establishment of Great Qi, there was no tax ie that could add to the national treasury. Qi Xiuyuan could only take some from the aristocratic families and the more arrogant corrupt officials of the previous dynasty. However, those were still just a drop in the bucket. Now that the aristocratic families were suppressed to the max, there was a limit to how much more they could get from them. Most of the previously unregistered fields that they recovered were distributed to the hidden households, but it would be some time before any benefits could be gained from that. What they urgently needed now was food and money.<div>


    In the entire Great Qi, only Xingzhou Prefecture, Hanzhong Prefecture, and Jingzhao Prefecture, which had never suffered the mes of war, could squeeze out a little to help other regions.


    Because the people working in the three prefectures were all Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s trusted aides and the dynasty was newly established, they did not dare to embezzle. However, there was a limit to how much they could help. Although life in the three prefectures was better than elsewhere, there were still many people who could not eat their fill or wear dress warmly. Meanwhile, Qi Xiuyuan could not press the people in the north too much, for that was the ce of origin of his dynasty.


    Therefore, Qi Xiuyuan, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin could only fill the hole with their own means. Ever since Fan Zijin started doing business, he spent very little of that money earned on himself. Other than the businesses in the north that could be used to pay the Mu family, the other profits, including the portion given to Mu Yangling, were all plowed into the national treasury.


    Much money was needed to help the people settle down, build houses, measure thend, and divide thend into freehold fields. All these expenses came from the three of them. During the summer nting season, they also paid for the seeds and tools that were subsidized in Jiangnan to encourage the farmers to nt them. When winter arrived, they still had to take from Fan Zijin a portion of the silver in order to implement measures to prevent the people from freezing to death. Now, Fan Zijin was already preparing the silver for Qi Xiuyuan next spring. This was because the beginning of spring meant that seeds, farming tools, plowing oxen, and water conservancy facilities were needed, and all these required money!


    Qi Haoran was a little afraid. He didn¡¯t care how much money of his was used to fill the hole, but if he utilized Ah Ling¡¯s dowry for this purpose, he would be a jerk.


    Hence, he was unwilling to use Ah Ling¡¯s dowry. He was afraid that once he used it, he would not be able to stop. Qi Haoran hugged Ah Ling and whispered his worries.


    Mu Yangling patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Since the dowry is in my hands, surely you¡¯ll have to seek my permission before using it? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not that generous. Look, other than the money from Zijin, when have I ever lost money in business? Although I help people, I¡¯ve always only helped within my limits. I still have you and Little Bear to support. Now that our family doesn¡¯t have much money, all the more I wouldn¡¯t throw away money to do good deeds for free.¡±


    Qi Haoran thought about it and felt that her words made sense. Ah Ling had indeed done many good deeds, but it seemed like she had never lost out.


    She¡¯d opened a nursery in the north and fed the children well. She¡¯d even hired a teacher to teach the kids skills. However, the benefits gained from thend registered under the children¡¯s names were also considerable. It was said that the value of the grains harvested could not only offset the cost of running the nursery, but also make a sizable profit.


    Even if the fields were returned to the children when they grew up, because many orphans who were givennd kept joining the nursery, not only did the scale of the nursery not decrease, but they even managed to open another nursery.


    Because the influence of the nursery was too great, it was still under Mu Yangling¡¯s name. Now, other than Bowen, no one in the Mu family was involved in the operations of the nursery.


    It was the same for opening a grain store in Jiangnan. She had taken out so much grain to reduce the price of grains, lowered the price of corn seeds, and let customers buy the grains on credit. Outsiders assumed that she would incur a huge loss, but they did not know that although she did not earn much money, she actually did not lose a single cent.


    This was because she had taken the grains from thend leased to the nursery, and paid for them ording the wholesale price of grains in the north. After factoring in the transportation cost to transport the grains to Jiangnan, she would earn one to two copper coins per catty. Although 1,000 catties of grains might not even earn her two to three taels of silver of profit, at the very least she did not lose money, right?


    Tempted, Qi Haoran pinched Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Then if I make a mistake in the future and ask you to give Big Brother money to fill up the hole, beat me up.¡±


    Bursting outughing, Mu Yangling said, ¡°My dowry doesn¡¯t include the fields under the nursery. The farmstead in Jiangnan and grain stores are only worth tens of thousands of taels of silver in total. It¡¯s not even enough to fill the gaps between Big Brother¡¯s teeth. Zijin¡¯s Jiangnan restaurants can earn that much in just one month. I¡¯m pretty sure Big Brother doesn¡¯t care about this bit of assets that I have.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. You have too little money.¡± Seeing how rxed Mu Yangling was, Qi Haoran was in the mood to joke with her. Smiling, he said in jest, ¡°You and Zijin are both businessmen. But why is he making a fortune every day while you¡¯re not?¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but kick him. ¡°Geez, if you¡¯re a businessman, won¡¯t you be making huge losses?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I never do business. You still refuse to admit that you¡¯re stupid. Later, I¡¯ll get our shopkeeper to learn from Zijin¡¯s shopkeeper. This way, hopefully we will earn more money.¡±


    ¡°You want to snatch business from Zijin? It¡¯s too tiring. If you want to go, go by yourself. I¡¯m not going.¡± Mu Yangling saidzily, ¡°I just want to earn a little money.¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran responded by saying that she had no ambitions, then the couple bickered for a while before falling asleep in each other¡¯s arms. After some pushing and pinching, they finally fell asleep in a daze.


    The next day, Mu Yangling went to the Miao stockade energetically to discuss the tribute with Chen Jiacai. In order not to let anyone know that they were sending food to the Emperor, she specially invited them to an empty ce to discuss. Who knew that Chen Jiacai would reject her after hearing her opening words? The reason was very simple¡ªthey could not afford to lose face by offering such a cheap thing to the Emperor.


    Although Chen Jiacai was on the Miao stockade¡¯s side, he still revered the Emperor. Seeing how casual Mu Yangling was, he could not help but get angry.


    Mu Yangling immediately gave up on the prideful Chen Jiacai and went to look for Chief Ji¡¯an instead. At first, Chief Ji¡¯an was also hesitant. However, when he heard Mu Yangling say that she wanted to take the opportunity to sell these ¡°local specialties¡± of Qiannan to the capital and buy grains back, his eyes lit up.<div>


    Mu Yangling poured herself a cup of water and continued, ¡°¡­With His Majesty advertising for us, there will be people who will want to buy these things even if they¡¯re not considered precious. What¡¯s more, they can then be sold for a good price. Since the grain prices in Jiangnan are cheaper than in Qiannan, we can definitely exchange the items for a lot of grain.¡±


    Ji¡¯an was tempted. ¡°Can these local specialties really be sold?¡±

 Chapter 648: Beginning

    Chapter 648: Beginning


    Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°There¡¯s a 70% chance of sess if the Emperor eats these.¡±


    Ji¡¯an gritted his teeth and said, ¡°I¡¯ll do this business!¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave you to coordinate the Miao stockade.¡± Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Do you think we should cooperate with each other in this business, or do you want to collect the goods and sell them to me, in which case the profit or loss will solely go to me?¡±


    ¡°How do we go about cooperating? And if we were to sell the goods to you, how are you going to set the price?¡± Ji¡¯an asked.


    ¡°If we work together, we¡¯ll split the costs 50-50. You¡¯re familiar with the Miao people, so you¡¯ll be in charge here. The Prince¡¯s estate will be in charge of the Han people. The money earned will likewise be split 50-50 after we buy grains and transport them back from the capital.¡± Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°As for the traveling expenses on the road, I¡¯ll suffer some loss and the Prince¡¯s estate will pay for that.¡±


    ¡°Well, how much will the cost be if it¡¯s 50-50?¡± Ji¡¯an recalled that he didn¡¯t have much money.


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t know how much stock everyone has. Naturally, the more goods we can collect, the better. We¡¯ll offer two modes of payment¡ªone is to pay directly with cash, and the other is to write a promissory note. After assessing the value of their goods, we¡¯ll convert them into a quantity of grains. We¡¯ll write a note for them and stamp it with your seal and the Prince¡¯s estate¡¯s seal. When the grains are transported back, they can use the note to exchange for grains. This way, we can save a lot of money.¡±


    Ji¡¯an perked up and felt that this was a good idea. He hurriedly asked, ¡°How do we set the price?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s calcte the cost of these things first. We can¡¯t let themoners suffer a loss no matter what. It¡¯s fine if the acquisition price is one or two copper coins more expensive than the market price.¡±


    ¡°What about grain prices? The grain prices in Qiannan are not low at the moment.¡±<div>


    ¡°Chief Ji¡¯an, don¡¯t worry. The price of grains will definitely not be higher than the current price in Qiannan. The prices of goods in Jiangnan have already been equalized. Now, one stone of grains goes for one tael and 300 copper coins, and corn and other grains are even cheaper, costing only one tael and 180 copper coins. Even if we transport them back to Qiannan, we will not lose out even if we only price the grains at 50 copper coins higher per stone.¡±


    Chief Ji¡¯an was stunned. ¡°Then aren¡¯t we making a losing deal?¡±


    ¡°Why would that be a losing deal? We¡¯d even earn 50 copper coins per stone.¡±


    Chief Ji¡¯an stomped his feet and said, ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t lie to me. This isn¡¯t counting the traveling expenses for the round trip.¡±


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°I already said that the traveling expenses are on me.¡±


    Ji¡¯an looked at her suspiciously. ¡°Then Your Highness won¡¯t earn a single cent this time. What are you after?¡±


    ¡°Chief Ji¡¯an, have you forgotten our original intention? Our original intention was to help the people of Qiannan tide through next year¡¯s deficit. Considering this trip will increase the ie of many people, this is beneficial no matter what.¡± Mu Yangling looked at him seriously and said, ¡°This is really thest condition I want to discuss with you. Regardless of whether it¡¯s the Han people or the Miao people whoe to buy the grain, they have to be treated equally and charged a fair price. What do you think?¡±


    Ji¡¯an¡¯s eyes rolled around and he understood. Mu Yangling wanted to ease the burden of the impoverished Han people, while he was doing it for the Miao people. Although this business wasn¡¯t profitable, if his people benefited from it, then he as their chieftain would also benefit from it.


    Chief Ji¡¯an immediately agreed with a smile.


    Mu Yangling immediately finalized the contract, and both parties also wrote down the prices of the various goods. Mu Yangling said, ¡°In order to supervise each other, you may send someone to apany my steward to buy goods from the Han people. Meanwhile, I will also send someone to the Miao stockade. What do you think, Chief Ji¡¯an?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do that,¡± Chief Ji¡¯an agreed readily.


    As soon as Mu Yangling left, Chief Ji¡¯an called all his subordinates over and said, ¡°Go and inform everyone that His Highness¡¯s steward ising over tomorrow. No one is to choose cash over a promissory note. Her Highness said that when the grains are transported back, those with promissory notes will have priority in exchanging for grains and only the remainder will be put up for sale. Since the grain price she set is only two-thirds of the grain price in Qiannan, it¡¯s much more advantageous to ept a promissory note.¡±


    Chen Jiacai rushed over and asked hurriedly, ¡°Father-inw, are you really nning to do this business?¡±


    Chief Ji¡¯an stroked his beard and said with a smile, ¡°Jiacai, don¡¯t underestimate Her Highness. Although I don¡¯t know if her idea will work, we won¡¯t lose out.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Chen Jiacai frowned. ¡°What if nobody buys the goods? How are we going to exin it to the vigers?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. His Highness dotes on Her Highness so much. If I cry in front of him about it, he¡¯ll probably make up for the losses.¡± There wasn¡¯t a doubt in Chief Ji¡¯an¡¯s mind that the only Prince in Great Qi was flush with cash.


    Ji¡¯an was good with his calctions, but Mu Yangling was not stupid either. After going down the mountain, she found Zhu Liang and said, ¡°Send a wised to the Miao stockade to keep a close eye on the matter. Make sure the promissory notes are legit. The value and quality of the goods collected must be strictly checked considering this will be sent to the capital. When you liaise with the Miao stockade, warn them and hint that this is not a one-time deal. If it fails, the responsibility won¡¯t be ours.¡±


    Zhu Liang agreed.


    Mu Yangling continued, ¡°Then go to the government office and get Teacher Liu to look for respected elders from various regions to help acquire the goods. Remember, remind them to try their best to convince the sellers to ept promissory notes instead of cash. When the grains are transported back, those with promissory notes will have priority in exchanging for the grains. Only whatever grain is left will be put up for sale. The Miao and Han people will be treated equally. We must inform them in advance and instill this into the people repeatedly.¡±<div>


    ¡°Your Highness, are you worried that they¡¯ll be in chaos because we¡¯re selling grain to the Miao people?¡±


    Mu Yangling sneered and said, ¡°The price of the grains I set is low. When the timees, we¡¯ll exchange the grain for the promissory notes first instead of selling them first. Those who chose to take money instead of promissory notes will definitely cause a ruckus. This is why we have to discuss the game rules in advance. With the highly-esteemed Ji¡¯an keeping the Miao people under control, they will be alright. It won¡¯t necessarily be the case for the Han people though.¡±


    Zhu Liang immediately understood the seriousness of the matter and hurriedly said, ¡°Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness. I¡¯ll see to it right away.¡±


    ¡°Alright, take the token and withdraw the money. Change it all into copper coins.¡±<div>


    Ji¡¯an first swept all the goods from his own stockade before extending an olive branch to the other Miao stockades. With his good reputation among the Miao stockades, plus the fact that the Miao tribe¡¯s annual gathering was held at his ce not long ago, the other Miao stockades¡¯ chieftains turned a blind eye to him sweeping up the goods in their territory.


    In another stockade in Qiannan, Jilu rushed home in the dark. As soon as he returned, he asked anxiously, ¡°Wife, how much cured pork and dried prickly pear do we have at home?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not much cured pork left. We have to save it for the Chinese New Year. There¡¯s still a lot of dried prickly pears though. What¡¯s wrong, dear?¡±


    ¡°Ji¡¯an¡¯s stockade wants to collect these goods. Pack up all the cured pork and dried prickly pears at home. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll exchange them for promissory notes. Our eldest son and I will mix the herbs for the Liver Tonic remedy overnight and exchange them for a lot of grains.¡± Ji¡¯an was all smiles when he thought of the news he had received.


    Bewildered, Jilu¡¯s wife asked, ¡°What promissory note?¡±


    ¡°A promissory note that can be exchanged for grains subsequently. The Princess Consort of Ju Prefecture is kind-hearted and cooperated with Chief Ji¡¯an to give us Miao people a way out. After they acquire these goods from us, they¡¯ll exchange them for grains. After the Han Chinese New Year, when the grains are transported back, we can exchange the promissory notes for grains.¡±


    ¡°Could this be a scam? Is Her Highness that kind-hearted?¡±


    ¡°The people from Ji¡¯an stockade won¡¯t dare to lie to us. I heard that Ji¡¯an stockade has long handed over their goods. Considering some time has passed, we must act fast lest they stop after acquiring enough.¡±


    Jilu¡¯s wife thought about it and agreed. Even if the Princess Consort deceived them, the people from Ji¡¯an stockade wouldn¡¯t dare to lie to them. At most, they could just rob Ji¡¯an¡¯s stockade when the time came.


    Simr conversations went on in the various stockades. Meanwhile, Ji¡¯an smiled as he looked at the goods that were constantly being transported back to the storeroom. He was both happy and worried, not knowing if all these things could be sold.


    <div>

 Chapter 649: Credibility

    Chapter 649: Credibility


    Editor: As Studios


    Wei Heizi squatted in a corner as he listened to the people in the vige arguing. He could not help but feel a little anxious.


    Yesterday, the junior officer came to inform them that the Prince¡¯s estate wanted to acquire their salted vegetables, dried prickly pears, and other small items. The junior officer advised them to ept a promissory note instead of cash because it was more cost-effective. When the Princess Consort returned from buying grains from the capital, she would first exchange the grains for the promissory notes before selling whatever grain remained.


    However, the vigers did not really want to ept the promissory notes, for they were doubtful if the promissory notes could be exchanged for grains in the future. Money felt like a more reliable option. Sighing, the junior officer persuaded them, ¡°Surely the Prince¡¯s estate won¡¯t cheat us of this small amount of money? Also, with the government office taking the lead, I believe they won¡¯t default on payment.¡±


    The vigers didn¡¯t say anything and only thought to themselves, ¡®It¡¯s precisely because the government office is taking the lead that we don¡¯t trust them.¡¯


    Should the Prince¡¯s estate deny them the exchangeter on, it would be hard for them to seek redress.


    The junior officer could only sigh when he saw this. He was a respected elder in this area, which was why the government office asked him to speak with them. However, no one trusted the government office, and there was nothing he could do about it.


    After everyone left, the junior officer stood up leisurely with his hands behind his back. Wei Heizi hurriedly ran over to support him. With his eyes narrowed, the junior officer looked at him for a long time before realizing who it was. ¡°Heizi, it¡¯s you?¡±


    Wei Heizi smiled in embarrassment. ¡°Sixth Granduncle, I¡¯ll send you back.¡±


    The junior officer nodded slowly. When they reached their house, Wei Heizi asked at the door, ¡°Sixth Granduncle, is your family going to exchange your goods for money or promissory notes?¡±


    ¡°Promissory note,¡± the junior officer replied calmly. It wasn¡¯t that he had great faith in the government office, but he was actually doing this with the mentality of taking a gamble.<div>


    When Wei Heizi heard the junior officer¡¯s words, he immediately calmed down. After returning home, he said to his parents and wife, ¡°Our family will ept the promissory notes.¡±


    Mother Wei hesitated. ¡°What if they go back on their word?¡±


    Wei Heizi gritted his teeth and said, ¡°That won¡¯t happen. Even Sixth Granduncle is epting the promissory notes. He won¡¯t let himself suffer a loss. If they renege on this, we¡¯ll just consider ourselves unlucky.¡±


    Wei Heizi lowered his head and said, ¡°Father, Mother, I¡¯ve calcted. Our family¡¯s goods are only worth 200 to 300 copper coins. With the current grain prices, we¡¯ll only be able to buy a few catties of rice with that amount of money.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that Her Highness¡¯s grain prices are low?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s ept the promissory notes first. Considering there are so many rich people in the city, we might not be able to snatch any of the remaining grains.¡±


    After looking at each other, Father and Mother Wei agreed with their son¡¯s decision. The same went for Wei Heizi¡¯s wife.


    In the Prince¡¯s Residence, Mu Yangling flipped through the ount book and sighed. ¡°Everyone from the Miao stockades are epting promissory notes. Not a single one of them wants money. On the Han side, it¡¯s the opposite. The elders kept persuading them and even took the lead to ept the promissory notes. However, in the end, only a third of them were willing to take the promissory notes.¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned. ¡°Is the appeal of the Miao stockade chieftains so strong?¡± This was a threat to the country and the military.


    However, what Mu Yangling was concerned about was, ¡°The credibility of the government office is too weak. Haoran, we should think of a way to increase the credibility of the Imperial Court. They have to fulfill all their promises to the people. Only then will the people have a sense of belonging to Great Qi.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s credibility?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the power of the people¡¯s trust. The credibility of the Imperial Court refers to the people¡¯s trust in the Imperial Court. This time, we¡¯ve asked the government office to step forward and even gotten the respected elders take the lead. Even then, only one-third of the people are willing to believe us. It can be seen how poor the government office¡¯s credibility is. We can¡¯t rule out the possibility of incidents of coercion.¡±


    After Mu Yangling finished exining, Qi Haoran knew how important this thing was. He looked at Mu Yangling with bright eyes and asked, ¡°How can this thing be improved?¡±


    ¡°We can only take it one step at a time. First of all, aside from fulfilling the promises made to the people, the Imperial Court has to try its best to help the people escape poverty and prosper. The human heart is made of flesh. As long as the Imperial Court is honest and puts its people first, over time, the people¡¯s trust in the Imperial Court and the country will increase. Once the country is in trouble, they won¡¯t give up on the country easily.¡± Mu Yangling said softly, ¡°Or give up on the royal Qi family.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I¡¯ll write a secret memo to Big Brother and ask him to eat more cured pork and dried prickly pear¡­¡±


    That was just a joke. Though, Qi Haoran did seriously write to Qi Xiuyuan a proposal about increasing the credibility of the Imperial Court.


    Qi Xiuyuan kept the secret memo and did not show it to anyone. He knew what his brother meant. Not only did the Imperial Court¡¯s credibility have to increase, but the royal family¡¯s credibility also had to increase.


    Not only did the people have to have a sense of belonging to Great Qi, but they also had to have a sense of belonging and trust in the Qi family, the royal family of Great Qi. This was because only in this way could the Qi family¡¯s position remain rock solid, even if there were changes in the country.


    This was not something that could be achieved overnight. It required the tireless efforts of several generations.<div>


    Qi Xiuyuan put away the secret memo and nned to pass it down to the future generations.


    Right now, there was something that could be done to increase the credibility of the royal family. After Qi Xiuyuan hugged Little Treasure, he said to the Empress, ¡°This time, Qiannan has sent into the pce many ¡®local specialties¡¯. Tell the imperial kitchen to use the ingredients sent by Qiannan for dinner tonight.¡±


    Thinking of what was written on the gift list just now, Li Jinghua was stunned. ¡°We¡¯re going to eat those things?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s just try it. Haoran said that he has eaten it before and it tastes pretty good.¡± With Little Treasure in his arms, he said with a smile, ¡°Little Treasure, let¡¯s try the food that Little Bear eats in Qiannan tonight, okay?¡±<div>


    Little Treasure nodded repeatedly.


    Hence, just as the courtiers received the tribute convoy from Qiannan in the capital, before they could find out what the tribute was, there was news that the Emperor had eaten the ¡°tribute¡± at night and even praised it.


    Hence, all the ministers knew that the Emperor was very satisfied with the tribute this time because even a fool knew that it must have been the Emperor who took the initiative to release this news.


    What a joke. The Emperor had ascended the throne for half a year and there weren¡¯t many in his harem. The Empress had held the harem under tight control and ensured no news leaked. How did the news of the tribute entering the capital spread so quickly?


    News of this spread immediately after the Emperor had his dinner, so it was obvious who did it.


    Moreover, the news was half-hidden. It was only said that the Emperor liked the ¡°tribute¡± given by Qiannan, but nobody knew what the tribute was, only that it was food. However, what precious food items did Qiannan have?


    Could it be something like the ¡°Lipu yam¡±?


    They figured the Emperor only did this because he doted on Prince Rong so much that he was afraid that the courtiers would impeach Prince Rong tomorrow. Hmph, they would not do such a thankless thing. Although they did not agree with Prince Rong¡¯s method of offering tribute and wasting the people¡¯s money and efforts, there was no need for them to go against the Emperor over such a trivial matter.


    There was really no need for the Emperor to eat the tributes in such a hurry to express his attitude.


    However, this idea onlysted until the court meeting the next day. When Qiannan¡¯s gift list was officially announced, the ministers were stunned. Why were the tributes so cheap?


    Before anyone could question Qi Haoran and use him of deceiving the Emperor, Yan Du stepped forward and said, ¡°What great news for His Majesty and the people of Great Qi. Although Prince Rong has offered tribute, he did not do so at the expense of themoners. It¡¯s truly a blessing for Great Qi.¡±


    As he spoke, he cried bitterly and started to talk about the suffering of the Lipu citizens who were forced to nt tributes, as well as the dear price the Fuzhou citizens paid to harvest pearls. He cried until he was so agitated that he even knelt down and said, ¡°In the previous dynasty, my father once advised Emperor Jingyan that we should abolish the practice of offering such tributes so as to ease the burden on the people¡­¡±


    <div>

 Chapter 650: Shouting

    Chapter 650: Shouting


    Editor: As Studios


    The ministers shuddered and stole a nce at the Emperor. Seeing that his eyes were also red, they empathetically knew that the Emperor intended to abolish the tribute system. At the very least, expensive tributes would be banned, and only cheap tributes like the ones sent by Prince Rong would be allowed. However, unlike Prince Rong, they weren¡¯t the Emperor¡¯s younger brothers, so how could they have the guts?


    The officials who had benefited from the tribute system were all a little repulsed. If they no longer allowed the regional officials to pay tribute to the royal family, this would greatly affect their earnings.


    Meanwhile, Zhu Liang, who had personally escorted the goods into the capital, had no time to inquire about the court. They had brought a lot of goods this time. At dawn, Zhu Liang got someone to set up a stall in the capital under the name of Prince Rong¡¯s estate.


    He got someone to sell the goods he had brought from Qiannan on the streets, shouting to attract customers. A jar of pickled vegetables was sold for 30 copper coins, and a catty of cured pork went for 50 copper coins. The price of the dried prickly pear was seven times the acquisition cost. The Liver Tonic Herb was ced on the table in packets at 50 copper coins a packet, which was ten times more expensive than in Qiannan.


    As it was approaching the new year, the streets were filled with people buying New Year goods and it was very lively. Everyone came over and after a while, they pursed their lips and said, ¡°30 copper coins for a jar of pickled vegetables? So expensive. Other stalls are only selling it for 15 copper coins.¡±


    ¡°Fresh pork costs only 18 copper coins a catty. Why is your cured pork so expensive?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen dried prickly pear and Liver Tonic Herb before. Can they be eaten?¡±


    ¡°The sunflower seeds are also so expensive¡­¡±


    Zhu Liang knocked on the gong and said, ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t think that my goods are expensive. That¡¯s because they¡¯re not ordinary. They were all transported from Qiannan.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that the food in Qiannan is better than the food in Jiangnan?¡±<div>


    ¡°Shopkeeper, don¡¯t lie to us. The prices in Qiannan are low. Other than the staple food being more expensive, these items definitely cost less over there. How can you lie to us?¡± A peddler who had traveled extensively knew the market and hurriedly shouted.


    Zhu Liang said with a smile, ¡°Brother, you don¡¯t know this, but these are all ¡®local specialties¡¯ of Qiannan. They were presented as tributes by Qiannan¡¯s Miao stockades and Prince Rong to His Majesty. His Majesty praised these items after eating themst night.¡±


    Zhu Liang tried to work up the nerve for a long time, but he ultimately did not dare to shout out the advertisement slogan that Mu Yangling had taught him: ¡°Just 30 to 50 copper coins, and you can buy the delicacies that the Emperor has tasted before!¡± Zhu Liang felt that it was too challenging; it was better to leave it for future generations.


    ¡°Has the Emperor really eaten these before? Could it be a lie?¡±


    Zhu Liang pointed at the signboard which said ¡®Prince Rong¡¯s Estate¡¯ and said, ¡°I¡¯m Prince Rong¡¯s chief butler, and not far away is the grain store owned by Princess Consort Rong. This is the ¡®local specialty¡¯ of Qiannan that Prince Rong presented to His Majesty. Isn¡¯t it only right for someone to send food to his biological brother? We have several carts of food here. I¡¯m not bold enough to act in the name of Prince Rong¡¯s estate without authorization.¡±


    Everyone felt that his words made sense.


    Everyone knew that the Emperor treated Prince Rong like his son. Even if Prince Rong gifted the Emperor a te of wild vegetables, the Emperor would probably eat it and give praise. Now, he was just giving him some pickled vegetables.


    With this thought in mind, everyone was 70% convinced.


    Seated in the pnquin, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites hesitated for a long time. Finally, he closed his eyes and got out of the pnquin. Then, he pushed through the crowd and said, ¡°Steward Zhu, there¡¯s a message from the pce. His Majesty said that your pickled vegetables are refreshing and tasty. But he gave a lot to the court officials so there¡¯s not much left in the pce. Therefore, he asked you to send some more into the pce.¡±


    Zhu Liang agreed happily and sent the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites to the pnquin with a smile.


    The crowd burst into an uproar and squeezed in like crazy. Without looking at the price tag, they stuffed their money into the hands of the servants of the Prince¡¯s estate and carried the goods away.


    Seeing as the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites was wearing an official¡¯s uniform just now, what he said must be true. So the Emperor had indeed eaten these foods.


    In the past, the Emperor ate all sorts of delicacies. Even if they wanted to taste what the Emperor had eaten, they didn¡¯t have the money. Even if they did have the money, they wouldn¡¯t be able to buy the exact same thing. However, it was different now. They only had to fork out a small price of 30 to 50 copper coins, and they too could eat the same thing as the Emperor.


    Zhu Liang quickly squeezed back and stood on the stool, shouting for everyone to line up. They had brought a lot of goods with them, more than 20 carts worth, so there was enough for everyone.


    The lives of themoners in the capital had always been better than other regions. Here, even themoners could afford to be extravagant with things that cost dozens of copper coins. Anyway, each person only bought a little, just about one catty of cured pork and a jar of pickled vegetables.


    Prince Rong¡¯s estate¡¯s trade caravan was surrounded in the middle, while the entire street was crowded withmoners who wanted to buy the ¡°local specialties¡± of Qiannan. The county governor of Lin¡¯an City had no choice but to send bailiffs to maintain order. He stomped his feet and red at the trade caravan, deciding to lodge aint in the pce.


    Zhu Liang smiled so widely that his eyes were narrowed into slits. In just half a day, he had finished selling all the carts of local specialties they had brought over. He loudly announced that he still had more to sell tomorrow, and whoever wished to buy should show up early. He promised that the prices would remain the same.


    Many officials were furious and felt that Prince Rong¡¯s men were too arrogant. A few of them agreed to go to the pce toin to the Emperor and happened to meet the county governor of Lin¡¯an City, so they apanied him.


    Just as Qi Xiuyuan finished dealing with the memorials of the day and was about to return to the harem to apany his son, he heard the emissary report that some ministers were seeking an audience with him.<div>


    After some thought, Qi Xiuyuan got someone to call them in. After hearing theirints, Qi Xiuyuan took out a memorial from the side and threw it down. He said faintly, ¡°This is Qiannan¡¯s memorial requesting for food relief, and has been suppressed for a month. Does anyone have a way to raise food relief? Even if it¡¯s a loan, I will definitely return it in four to five years.¡±


    The ministers looked at each other and lowered their heads in silence. Qi Xiuyuan sneered and said, ¡°You¡¯re not capable? I thought you were very capable. Prince Rong only did one thing, and you¡¯re already so anxious to lodge aint against him as if he¡¯s a viin fighting with the people for benefits? When has Prince Rong really fought with the people for benefits? Do you really have no clue as to why they¡¯re selling these local specialties, or are you pretending not to know?¡±


    At this point, Qi Xiuyuan said angrily, ¡°My biological younger brother, the noble Prince Rong of Great Qi, has no choice but to do such a business for the sake of the people. How dare youin that he¡¯s fighting with the people for benefits? If you have the ability, do I have to let my biological younger brother suffer this grievance? Get lost!¡±


    After throwing a tantrum and chasing everyone out, Qi Xiuyuan felt better. He snorted coldly and flicked his sleeves before leaving for the harem.<div>


    The few officials who were chased out looked at each other with ugly expressions.


    Just then, Rong Xuan came out of the Hall of Bright Governance and happened to see them. He asked with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, my lords?¡±


    The few of them hurriedly bowed and greeted, ¡°Prime Minister.¡±


    Rong Xuan looked at them for a moment and chuckled. ¡°The treasury is empty now. Since the establishment of the new dynasty, the Imperial Court has been able to operate because His Majesty and Prince Rong have spent all their assets. The Duke of Peaceful State has also been conscientiously raising the money to settle down the refugees. Now that spring ising, we need to buy grain seeds and distribute farming tools. Sirs, since you work in the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Works, and the Imperial Censor¡¯s office, you ought to share His Majesty¡¯s worries. Perhaps you can follow Prince Rong and the Duke of Peaceful State¡¯s example and donate some money?¡±


    The ministers smiled awkwardly andmented that they were poor.


    How would they dare to start doing such a thing? Everyone in the court knew that Prince Rong and the Duke of Peaceful State were extremely poor now, having plowed all their assets into the national treasury. This was the Qi family¡¯s territory, so it was only right for Prince Rong to exhaust all his assets. Considering how close the Duke of Peaceful State was to Prince Rong, he rightly did so out of brotherly love. It was best for them not to get involved. As for the matter of Prince Rong¡¯s trade caravan, forget it. Even though it was ungracious to shout on the streets like that, they decided they could just turn a blind eye to it.


    The county governor of Lin¡¯an City made up his mind to get the bailiffs to protect Prince Rong¡¯s trade caravan and maintain order for them.

 Chapter 651: Merit

    Chapter 651: Merit


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Xiuyuan returned to the harem angrily. That night, he ordered the imperial chefs to cook using the tributes offered by Qiannan, and nothing else. Since the treasury was empty, they shouldn¡¯t waste any more money.


    Almost as soon as Qi Xiuyuan finished dinner, his words spread outside. This time, not only did the officials in the court know, but even themoners heard about it.


    The second piece of news was that the Emperor praised the Liver Tonic Herb sent by Qiannan for clearing the liver and being beneficial for the ¡®qi¡¯. It was a good tea that could clear the internal heat and detoxify the poison.


    The ministers understood what the Emperor meant. ¡°His Majesty is helping to raise grains for Qiannan.¡±


    Some ministers felt disdain in their hearts, feeling that the Emperor was lowering his status too much and losing the dignity of the royal family. However, more ministers were moved to tears and said, ¡°It¡¯s my fortune to have such a benevolent ruler. It¡¯s the fortune of all the lords and themoners in the world.¡±


    The ministers agreed and spread the news. They were no longer disgusted by Prince Rong¡¯s men shouting on the streets. Instead, they sent their servants to buy some local specialties from Qiannan and even specially instructed them to pay more.


    If the officials of the previous dynasty did not do anything, it was not because they didn¡¯t want to do something. Which of them did not enter officialdom with passion and ambitions to leave their name in history?


    However, the macro-environment of Great Zhou did not allow for that. Emperor Jingyan did not like to deal with government affairs, while Minister Qin controlled the government and did nothing for the people. Those who embezzled and epted bribes were valued more than those who were upright and uncorrupt. Over time, everyone becamezy.


    Although it was difficult for them to change their bad habits overnight, the lofty sentiments that had been exhausted in their hearts were revived. Wasn¡¯t it their fortune to meet a monarch who cared about themoners and was willing to practice meritocracy?


    Qi Xiuyuan did not know that his anger had unexpectedly helped him gain the loyalty of most of the court officials.<div>


    However, themoners¡¯ focus was different from that of officials. The thought that came to their minds was: ¡®The Emperor was actually so poor?¡¯


    When buying things, themoners couldn¡¯t help but try to sound out the servants from Prince Rong¡¯s estate. Recalling that Fourth Master often praised the kindness of the Emperor in front of others in Qiannan, he gathered a few quick-witted servants and gave them a simple training. Hence, when anyone asked again, the servants answered in this way.


    ¡°Our Eldest Master, His Majesty, was also immensely wealthy back then. Putting everything else aside, just the amount of gold, silver, and jewelry he seized from the Jin people in wars alone is immeasurable. Although our Prince Rong is slightly inferior to His Majesty, he also had a lot of money. Besides, he has a cousin¡ªthe Duke of Peaceful State¡ªwho is a shrewd businessman.¡±


    ¡°Then why is the Emperor so poor that he has to resort to eating these things?¡± Themoners did not believe it.


    Sighing, the servant said, ¡°Our two masters are rich, but unfortunately Great Zhou had emptied the national treasury. Minister Qin didn¡¯t leave a single copper coin for the country. Don¡¯t we need money to provide food relief? Don¡¯t we need money to settle the refugees? Ignoring everything else, the Imperial Court has to distribute grain seeds and subsidize some farming tools at the beginning of spring, right? All these need money. Where did that moneye from? His Majesty and His Highness sold everything they could from the beginning. The Duke of Peaceful State donated all his assets worth millions to Great Qi.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god¡­¡±


    ¡°In order not to rm the people, His Majesty only let officials know about these things. I only found out when I asionally heard His Highness talking to the Duke of Peaceful State. You¡¯re not allowed to spread the news. His Majesty¡¯s heart aches for the people and he¡¯s unwilling to waste manpower and resources. Otherwise, look, what can the Emperor possibly be after? Beauties? Money? Power?¡±


    ¡°But our Emperor has ascended the throne for half a year, and there¡¯s still only the Empress in the harem. Why? Isn¡¯t it because it costs money to fill the harem with more women? I heard that His Majesty is using the things he previously used and didn¡¯t order the purchase of any new items.¡±


    Themoners loved to listen to gossip, especially the royal family¡¯s gossip. They gathered around, but the voices of the servants were lowered so that only the few people in front of them could hear them.


    He said, ¡°Do you think the Prince¡¯s estate is selling local specialties of Qiannan here to make money for itself? His Majesty is worried about the people in Qiannan and can¡¯t bear to see them suffer. However, the treasury can¡¯t fork out a cent of silver, so he could only ask Prince Rong to find a way to help the people of Qiannan survive. However, considering there¡¯s a lot of miasma and poisonous insects in Qiannan, His Majesty knows that everyone is worried about these things. This was why he kept some of those food items for himself and tried it first before selling it to you¡­¡±


    Tears welled up in the eyes of themoners when they heard this. ¡°His Majesty¡­ His Majesty is so benevolent!¡± They knelt on the ground. The people behind did not know why, but when they saw the people in front of them kneeling, they also knelt down.


    Zhu Liang rushed over and smacked the young fellow¡¯s head with a re. When an old man below saw this, he stood up shakily and grabbed Zhu Liang¡¯s hand. He cried, ¡°Butler, you can¡¯t me him. You should¡¯ve told us about how His Majesty suffered for the people. Why hide it? Since this is good stuff, there¡¯s no need for His Majesty to try it one by one. Come, I¡¯ll buy ten sets. I¡¯ll buy ten sets of each.¡±


    ¡°I also want ten sets of each¡­¡±


    ¡°I want 20.¡±


    The people behind also stood up one after another and squeezed forward with their money. Squeezing out a smile, Zhu Liang said, ¡°Everyone, slow down. I¡¯ll get someone to wrap up the goods for you right away.¡± As he spoke, he pulled the servant back.


    The old man said worriedly, ¡°Please don¡¯t make things difficult for that youngd. He was just being kind and couldn¡¯t bear to see us puzzled, so he told us.¡±


    Zhu Liang hurriedly smiled and pulled the young man to the back, then patted his head and said, ¡°Who asked you to spout nonsense? I only taught you three sentences in total, but you multiplied that into a basket-full. Fortunately, you didn¡¯t mess things up. If you had, even ten heads wouldn¡¯t be enough to chop off.¡±


    The servant shrunk his neck and said, ¡°Butler, I know my mistake. But after I merely repeated those three sentences you taught me, the people in front refused to let me off¡­¡±


    ¡°You only needed to keep your mouth shut and smile. Surely they couldn¡¯t force you? Go down and don¡¯t say another word.¡±<div>


    Zhu Liang knew very well the essence of not being too explicit. What he wanted was to invoke a person¡¯s imagination. Originally, he only instructed the servants to spread three sentences, but who knew that this kid would improvise and add so much more? He wiped the cold sweat on his forehead and hoped that things were still under control. He was really just trying to boost the poprity of the royal family.


    Unexpectedly, that particr servant¡¯s words spread throughout the streets and alleys the next day. Now, everyone knew how difficult the Emperor¡¯s life was, and that these local specialties were sold to raise grain for the people of Qiannan.


    They have had atrocious Great Zhou emperors for several generations, especially Emperor Jingyan of Lin¡¯an City, who had been a preposterous ruler for more than 20 years. This being the first time everyone had seen such a hardworking and reliable Emperor, they were extremely touched. Even themoners who hadn¡¯t wanted to buy the local specialties of Qiannan rushed to the streets to buy some to show their gratitude towards the adorable Emperor.


    On the third day, the 20-odd carts of local specialties that Zhu Liang had escorted over were sold out. When themoners who rushed over from the neighboring provinces and counties did not manage to buy them, they even stomped their feet and beat their chest on the streets, wailing that they were toote.<div>


    Zhu Liang¡¯s heart ached when he saw this. If he had known earlier, they would have worked harder to acquire more goods. At the thought of how much more money they could have earned, his heart ached unbearably.

 Chapter 652: Distribution of Grain

    Chapter 652: Distribution of Grain


    Editor: As Studios


    Themoners who rushed over did not manage to buy the cured pork and pickled vegetables that the Emperor had eaten. Instead, they returned home with a legend about the royalty. Hence, after themoners specially spread the news, the news of the Emperor eating chaff and vegetables to help out themoners spread throughout Jiangnan, and then to the north, central, western, and southern regions.


    Unknowingly, Qi Xiuyuan had gained the loyalty of arge number of subjects. It had only been half a year since the founding of the country, but the people had slowly developed a sense of belonging to Great Qi. By the time the Emperor found out, the news had already reached Qiannan. The people of Qiannan specially gathered to pay a visit to the capital to thank the Emperor for his love for them.


    Liu Qing specially reported this matter to the Emperor. When Qi Xiuyuan received the memorial, he sighed slightly and spent the New Year in a good mood. But of course, this was all to happen a monthter.


    At this moment, Zhu Liang was happily supervising the ountant to store all the money earned in the treasury. Just as he was locking up, an emissary came to summon him to the pce.


    Not daring to dy, Zhu Liang hurriedly entered the pce.


    As Zhu Liang was a servant, Qi Xiuyuan met him in the harem and asked, ¡°Have you sold all the goods you brought?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. They were all sold by noon today.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded slightly. ¡°How much did you earn?¡±


    Zhu Liang quickly handed over the ount book that he had updated today. Qi Xiuyuan flipped to thest page and raised his eyebrows. ¡°Why is there so much?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s grace is vast and mighty. This is all thanks to Your Majesty¡­¡±<div>


    Qi Xiuyuan shook his head with a smile. ¡°Are you going to buy grains immediately?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Her Highness specially instructed us to set off as soon as possible. It¡¯s best if we can return to Qiannan at the start of spring. The vigers are all waiting.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded slightly. ¡°Then go down and prepare. When you¡¯re about to set off, send someone to the pce to inform me. I have something for the Prince and the Princess Consort.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zhu Liang bowed and left.


    As the grains were purchased directly from the Harvest Grain Store¡¯s headquarters, the purchase concluded very quickly. After he calcted the money, the other party immediately took out grains to load the carts. In less than two days, 23 carts worth of grains were packed.


    Wang Quan said in distress, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect your carts of goods to be able to exchange for so much money. You almost emptied the grain warehouse.¡±


    Zhu Liang said with a smile, ¡°It won¡¯t be long before another batch can be transported from the north. Do you need to fret about the supply of goods for your grain store? When autumn harvest arrives, there will be the harvest from His Highness¡¯s fief, so there¡¯s even less to worry about.¡±


    Wang Quan smiled at the thought.


    Qi Xiuyuan asked Li Jinghua to prepare a lot of good stuff, five carts worth of food and necessities. Two of the carts were for Fan Zijin. When the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs saw that Qi Xiuyuan had moved nearly half of the tributes from various regions this year, they felt that he favored Prince Rong and the Duke of Peaceful State too much. However, they didn¡¯t dare to say a word.


    Zhu Liang had only been in the capital for six days before he set off south again. It would be New Year¡¯s Day in three days, so he could only spend the New Year on the road.


    As they were transporting a lot of grain, the return journey took a much longer time¡ªa full 21 days to reach Ju Prefecture. The carriage had just entered the city when it was surrounded by themoners, causing an uproar.


    Zhu Liang jumped in fright. Thinking that it was refugees snatching grains, he hurriedly got someone to protect the convoy. However, he saw themoners kneeling down. Xiao Ting came over quickly and said, ¡°Steward Zhu, themoners are grateful for His Majesty¡¯s kindness. Her Highness asked you to transport the grains directly to the government office and personally hand them over to Magistrate Liu.¡±


    Liu Qing had already prepared two grain warehouses. Together with Governor Xu, they checked the grains before ordering for the grains to be stored in the warehouses.


    After the handover, Zhu Liang brought the ount book back to see Mu Yangling. Mu Yangling flipped through it and said to Xiao Ting, ¡°Rush to the stockade at full speed and inform Chief Ji¡¯an toe over tomorrow to get the grains. Send letters to the elders and the county office who were previously in charge and get them toe over as well. Get the servants who have been trained previously to prepare. When these peoplee tomorrow, we¡¯ll start paying the bill.¡±


    Chief Ji¡¯an arrived very quickly, arriving outside the residence not long after the city gate opened. Mu Yangling understood how he felt and got up to work.


    Not long after dawn, the highly respected leaders in charge of the acquisition came one after another. Other than the people near Ju Prefecture City, there were also people from the two nearby prefectures. As their homes were very far from Ju Prefecture, some of them took three to four days to walk here.


    As Zhu Liang would write letters every three days to report his journey, Mu Yangling had already gotten someone to invite everyone over five days ago. By now, they were already staying at the ry station. Unexpectedly, those who lived in the city actually arrivedter than Chief Ji¡¯an though thetter had to travel. Everyone looked a little embarrassed.


    Chief Ji¡¯an, on the other hand, was all smiles. Just now, he had already asked the Prince¡¯s estate¡¯s servant girls about the situation. All their goods had been sold, and there were also 20 carts of grains transported back. Of course he was happy.


    Mu Yangling came out of the back hall and went straight to the point. ¡°Thank you for taking the trouble to make this trip. The grains have already been transported back. Since we¡¯ve promised the vigers, we¡¯ll definitely fulfill our promise. I called everyone here today to split the grains.¡±<div>


    When Mu Yangling turned to look at Spring, thetter went out to bring three teams of servants over and stood in the courtyard. Seeing this, the people in the house whispered to each other.


    Mu Yangling looked at them and said, ¡°These are all servants of the Prince¡¯s estate who know how to do ounting. The matter of returning the grains is very important. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you, but it involves the livelihood of the people, so I have to be careful. Just like before, every team isposed of someone from the Prince¡¯s estate, a bailiff, and a respected elder. The respected elders will be in charge of handing the grains back to the vigers with a promissory note.¡±


    Mu Yangling stood up and bowed to the respected elders in the hall. ¡°These respected elders were chosen by the people of the various viges. I¡¯ll hand this over to you now. The Prince¡¯s estate will definitely reward you handsomely after this.¡±


    Everyone stood up and returned the greeting. ¡°Your Highness, this is what we should do. We should be thanking His Majesty for his benevolence and Your Highness for your kindness.¡±<div>


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. I didn¡¯t expect His Majesty to still remember us country bumpkins.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°The entire world is ruled by His Majesty. No matter how remote and deste a ce is, the citizens there are still the Emperor¡¯s people. How can the Emperor not be concerned about you?¡±


    After Mu Yangling finished speaking, she got someone to take the ount book and lead everyone to the grain warehouse to collect the corresponding grains. When the time came, the bailiffs of the various county offices would be in charge of escorting the grains.


    After they left, Mu Yangling finally had time to entertain Chief Ji¡¯an. As the Miao stockade could get the most grain, he did not have to queue up with everyone. Instead, he directly got their share from Mu Yangling.


    The Miao people had all chosen to ept the promissory notes to exchange for grains, and no one had chosen to ept cash, so they received the most grains. After some calctions, they actually took away 11 carts of grains at once.


    Chief Ji¡¯an checked and saw that the quality of the coarse grains in the car was passable. He immediately smiled so widely that his eyes were narrowed into slits. Chen Jiacai didn¡¯t expect things to go so smoothly, and was surprised that thosemon items that every family in the Miao stockade owned could really be exchanged for so much grain.


    Chief Ji¡¯an asked his son-inw to escort the grains back first and distribute them to the Miao people while he stayed behind. He smiled as he looked at the carts over on the Han side and realized that they weren¡¯t transporting away much grain. All in all, there were less than five carts. He fell into deep thought and turned to look for Mu Yangling. ¡°Your Highness, why did you Han people take away so little?¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Back then, when we collected the goods, many Han people chose to ept copper coins. Not many chose promissory notes.¡±


    Chief Ji¡¯an¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Then the remaining grain¡­¡±

 Chapter 653: Cash

    Chapter 653: Cash


    Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Of course it¡¯ll be distributed ording to the original agreement.¡±


    Chief Ji¡¯an looked embarrassed. Since the 11 carts of grains that he had just transported were the remuneration he deserved, the rest naturally belonged to Mu Yangling.


    He had roughly estimated that after exchanging all the promissory notes, he would probably still have one and a half carts of grain left. It might not be a small amount for a round trip business between the north and south, but Chief Ji¡¯an was very satisfied.


    Chief Ji¡¯an looked at the ount book in Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and thought about how to tell her to ask for more. He was willing to exchange things or buy them with money. After all, the price of grain was not high.


    However, Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t willing to give it to Chief Ji¡¯an. Instead, she nned to leave it for Liu Qing and keep it as food relief in case of a shortage.


    Since the Miao people had all chosen to exchange for promissory notes, every family had benefited from this trip. During times of temporary shortage, they should be able to survive if they just scrimped and saved a little. However, it was different for the Han people.


    Everyone in Qiannan had their eyes on the Prince¡¯s estate and the government office. The next day, the grain carts set off from Ju Prefecture city one after another, and the news spread like the wind throughout Qiannan. Wei Heizi ran back excitedly from town. He rushed into the house and opened the cab to look for the hidden promissory notes.


    Mrs. Wei hurriedly followed in. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Heizi?¡±


    ¡°Mother.¡± Wei Heizi lowered his voice and said, ¡°Junior Officer has returned with the grains. Those with promissory notes can go and exchange for grains.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Mrs. Wei¡¯s eyes lit up.<div>


    Wei Heizi nodded fiercely and said, ¡°Mother, when Fatheres back tonight, we¡¯ll go together.¡±


    ¡°Aye!¡± Mrs. Wei grinned happily and asked carefully, ¡°Can our promissory notes really be exchanged for 223 catties of coarse grain?¡±


    Wei Heizi was also a little uncertain. ¡°It should be true. Surely the Prince¡¯s estate won¡¯t lie to us. I heard that this is what the His Majesty wants. Since the Prince is the Emperor¡¯s younger brother, he has to listen to him.¡±


    ¡°Aiyo, we¡¯ve met a good Emperor.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. The Prince and the Princess Consort are also good people¡­¡±


    At night, the Wei father and son went to the junior officer¡¯s house together. The junior officer had just returned home. When he saw the two of them, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Come again tomorrow. Since the carts haven¡¯t been unloaded, you won¡¯t be able to get the grains.¡±


    Father Wei smiled sheepishly, and Wei Heizi couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Sixth Granduncle, can we really get 223 catties of grains?¡±


    The junior officer nodded slightly and said, ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s coarse grain.¡±


    Grinning, Wei Heizi said, ¡°Coarse grains are fine. I like to eat coarse grains. Hehehe¡­¡±


    Amused by his silly grain, the junior officer waved them away.


    The next day, the junior officer set up a table at the entrance of the vige. There were a few bags of grains piled up behind him. With the people from the nearby viges surrounding him, he said, ¡°Those with promissory notes, bring the promissory notes over here to exchange for them. Those without, take three steps back.¡±


    As Wei Heizi lived in the vige, he hade early to queue and was the first to rush up.


    The junior officer unfolded the promissory note and showed it to the servant from the Prince¡¯s estate. Then, he shouted, ¡°Wei Heizi, 223 catties.¡±


    The people behind him deftly poured the grains into the bag Wei Heizi had brought and handed it to him. The junior officer ticked the promissory note and asked Wei Heizi to put his thumbprint on it. Then, the Prince¡¯s estate¡¯s servant recorded this in the ount book, thus concluding the transaction.


    When the people behind saw that Wei Heizi could really exchange for so much grain, they became a little excited and squeezed a little to the front. The junior officer shouted, ¡°Come one by one. These grains have all been weighed. You¡¯ll receive what you¡¯re rightfully owed.¡±


    All those with promissory notes chuckled while those without were green with jealousy. They asked if the Prince¡¯s estate would ept some more local specialties after this. This time, they also wanted to choose promissory notes.


    The junior officer nced at them and said, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s so easy to do business? This time, it¡¯s right before the new year and we had the help of the Emperor, that¡¯s why all those things could be sold. The Prince¡¯s estate is doing this without any remuneration. It¡¯s impossible for such a good thing to happen again.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the Prince¡¯s estate say that the excess grains would be sold? When are they going to sell them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard that the grain prices they set are not high.¡±<div>


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it.¡± The junior officer waved his hand and said, ¡°Ju Prefecture is so far away from us. By the time you get there, the grain will have long been sold out. Back then, I advised you guys to ept the promissory notes, but you didn¡¯t listen. Look at the Miao stockades¡ªall of them chose promissory notes and no one wanted cash.¡±


    The vigers¡¯ expressions darkened. Sighing, the junior officer said, ¡°Don¡¯t be dejected. Since we have an excellent Emperor, the Imperial Court naturally won¡¯t leave us to die. However, you have to work hard and make sure not to disappoint His Majesty.¡±


    When the junior officer said this, everyone perked up and looked in the north eagerly. They wondered when such a good thing would happen next time.


    Unlike the Han people¡¯s viges which were mixed with joy and worry, the Miao stockades were as lively as the New Year. Ji¡¯an moved even faster and divided the grains into a few portions for his trusted aides to distribute personally. He said, ¡°You must watch carefully and make sure no one embezzles the grain. Her Highness hates such things the most. If she finds out that there is such dishonesty going on in our Miao stockade, we won¡¯t have a share of such good things in the future.¡±<div>


    His trusted aides shivered and agreed one after another. Even when they went to other Miao stockades, they insisted on personally exchanging for the Miao people and not handing it to the chieftain of the Miao stockades. They said, ¡°This is Chief Ji¡¯an and Her Highness¡¯s business. Since it concerns their reputation, we don¡¯t dare to make any mistakes.¡±


    Even if someone wanted to pocket the grains, they had no choice but to restrain themselves when they saw the Prince¡¯s estate¡¯s servants and bailiffs following them.


    Jilu¡¯s house was very far away. When he rushed over, he was already thest one. Seeing that there was only an empty grain bag behind them, his heart turned cold. He walked forward in a daze until someone grabbed him. ¡°Jilu is here. Jilu is here. Why are you only here now? Ah Wei and the Prince¡¯s estate¡¯s servants are leaving. Go and collect your grain.¡±


    Jilu came back to his senses and ran two steps. With red eyes, he asked carefully, ¡°I¡¯mte. Do you still have grains?¡±


    Ah Wei sized him up and said, ¡°You¡¯re Jilu, right? You¡¯re the only one left. Give me the promissory note.¡±


    Jilu quickly took out the promissory note and handed it to him. After checking the promissory note, Ah Wei handed it to the Prince¡¯s estate¡¯s servant to confirm it. Then, he got someone to carry over the grain from the cart and weighed it in front of Jilu. Only after that did he ask him to stamp his thumbprint on the promissory note and record this on the ounts.


    Ah Wei patted his shoulder and said, ¡°You ought toe early when we¡¯re distributing the grain next time. Fortunately, we stayed for half an hourter this time. If we left, wouldn¡¯t you have to go to our stockade to get your share?¡±


    Jilu heaved a sigh of relief and said embarrassedly, ¡°My house is a little far. When I received the news and rushed over, it was already toote.¡±


    Jilu had exchanged for a lot of grain. He couldn¡¯t carry all the grain back by himself, so he stored one bag at his rtive¡¯s house and nned toe back tomorrow. With one bag slung over his shoulder, he started walking back. Unexpectedly, when he turned the corner, he heard a voice say angrily, ¡°Ji¡¯an is too much. To think he¡¯s interfering in our stockade just because he¡¯s on good terms with the Prince¡¯s estate.¡±

 Chapter 654: Moving House

    Chapter 654: Moving House


    Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Your Highness, Mrs. Chen is here.¡±


    ¡°Pleasee in.¡± Mu Yangling put down the book in her hand and patted her son¡¯s butt, letting him y at the side.


    Mrs. Chen walked in respectfully with her head lowered. When Mu Yangling saw that Mrs. Chen was about to kneel down, she quickly supported her and said with a smile, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness.¡± Mrs. Chen stood up carefully and bowed to the side.


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Mrs. Chen, please take a seat. There¡¯s no need to be so reserved. Speaking of which, I have to thank you for letting us stay in this house.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my honor to serve Your Highnesses.¡± Mrs. Chen heaved a sigh of relief when she saw how amiable Mu Yangling was. She had been afraid that Prince Rong and Princess Consort Rong would be annoyed, and she also feared that outsiders would gossip that they were clinging to the nobles. This was why, although they had lent the Prince the house to live in, they never dared to take the initiative to visit.


    However, it was impossible for them not to want to visit. Back then, they had spent so much money to somehow arrange for Prince Rong to stay at their house, simply because they wanted towork with him.


    Hence, when she heard that the Princess Consort invited her, Mrs. Chen packed up and rushed over. She knew that the Princess Consort didn¡¯t like trouble, so she came alone and didn¡¯t even bring her daughter-inw and daughter.


    Mu Yangling asked to meet Mrs. Chen because they were moving out. Since construction of their General¡¯s Residence in Qiannan had beenpleted, they would be moving out soon. Last night, when Qi Haoran mentioned the Chen family in front of Mu Yangling, he said that the Chen family was quite sensible. Since they were quite satisfied with the Chen¡¯s house that they had lived in for some time, they naturally had to repay them.


    Mu Yangling originally wanted to give them money, but Qi Haoran mocked her and said, ¡°Back then, the Chen family spent a lot of money to get this opportunity, but in the end, you choose to pay them rent. Those who know will say that you¡¯re daft, and those who don¡¯t know will think that I¡¯m ignorant. Alright, send them an invitation toe here tomorrow. Since we¡¯ll be inviting guests over to our new ce for housewarming, let¡¯s give the Chens an invitation in advance.¡±<div>


    ¡°After staying at their ce for three months, you¡¯re only giving them an invitation in return?¡± Mu Yangling¡¯s expression was a little strange.


    However, Qi Haoran said proudly, ¡°Do you know how much my invitation can be sold for outside? That¡¯s something that can¡¯t be bought even if you have money.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t believe it at first, but as soon as she took out the invitation today and handed it to Mrs. Chen, Mrs. Chen gratefully promised to show up with her husband on the day of their housewarming.


    Seeing Mrs. Chen leave gratefully with the invitation, Mu Yangling sighed. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s really as the Prince said. An invitation from him is truly very valuable. What a pity. If only we could sell it.¡±


    Spring burst outughing. ¡°Why do you have the same thoughts as His Highness? Yesterday, when I served tea to His Highness, he also felt that it was a pity.¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips and smile. ¡°Alright, stop joking. Hurry up and get someone to pack up so that we can move things over tomorrow.¡±


    The General¡¯s Residence was built on a farmstead and was considered to be in the outer city.


    Theyout of Ju Prefecture City was simr to that of Lin¡¯an City. Outside the city were mountain viges, and the city was divided into the outer city and the inner city. The inner city was mostly upied by officials and gentry, and there were also some fields, though very few of them. Most of the fields were at the border area far from the center.


    On the other hand, the outer city was filled with farmers and merchants. Theyout was a little chaotic, and there wererge plots of farnd and small hills distributed among them. Now that Ju Prefecture City had declined, 20 to 30% of the houses in the city were uninhabited. In fact, this was the result of half a year of hard work after the war to absorb the refugees andmoners outside the city. ording to Qi Haoran, when he passed by here during the war, only three out of ten houses in the city were upied. The city was empty, and there was not a single person on the streets.


    Later on, Qi Haoran went to Qiannan first. He originally wanted to buy two houses in the inner city and connect them to build the General¡¯s Residence. However, at that time, the officials and gentry in the city joined forces, seemingly wanting to get something from Qi Haoran. They kept passing the buck, and when he sent his men to buy the houses, no one could find any information about houses avable for sale.


    This was when Qi Haoran knew that they wanted to take him down a notch. If he took a step back at the time, he would definitely be restricted in all aspects in the future. He was not someone who could tolerate such matters. Furious, he simply asked Fei Bai to buy arge plot ofnd in the outer city to build his house upon. There were many barrennds on the farmstead that could be used as homesteads.


    Hence, with a wave of Qi Haoran¡¯s hand, the General¡¯s Residence and Fan Zijin¡¯s Fan Residence were built on the farmstead.


    Only then did the officials and gentry of Ju Prefecture City panic. They didn¡¯t expect Qi Haoran to rather live in the outer city than to soften his attitude. For a moment, they were angry and regretful. Hence, when the officials of Ju Prefecture City encountered matters involving Prince Rong¡¯s estate subsequently, they gave in and didn¡¯t dare to fight head-on.


    When Qi Haoran was looking for a house to settle his family down, so many people swarmed over and asked Qi Haoran to choose their house. Apart from currying favor with Qi Haoran, they also wanted to salvage his impression of them.


    Since the house was built in the outer city, safety was the top priority. Fortunately, the guards who had followed Mu Yangling previously were all here. When the time came, they could just choose a few more people from the army.


    The General¡¯s Residence had five entrances and was located right beside the Fan Residence. It was only a wall away. Considering the deep brotherhood between Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin, the designer had specially built a door to connect the two sides. Once the door was locked, the two houses would be separated. When the door opened, they would be considered one house.


    Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin were very satisfied with this design. Likewise for Mu Yangling and Little Madam Xia. In the future, even if they wanted to visit, they didn¡¯t have to exit their own house before entering the adjacent house, and could just pass through the garden.


    There was a main road outside the residence that led straight to the main streets of the city, but other than that there was arablend all around. These were the only two houses within a radius of three miles. Previously there were some houses scattered three miles away, upied by farm tenants. When Qi Haoran bought the plot ofnd, he also allowed the previous tenants to stay.


    Mu Yangling packed her things very quickly. Back then, because she knew that she wouldn¡¯t be staying here for long, the only things she¡¯d retrieved from the luggage were some necessary clothes and daily necessities. The other things were still kept in boxes in the storeroom. Now, she could just move these boxes into the carriage and go over.<div>


    When she was almost done packing, Little Madam Xia¡¯s servant girl, Cun, ran over anxiously. ¡°Your Highness, our Madam isn¡¯t feeling well. We¡¯ve only packed half of her things¡­¡±


    The Duke had long said that he wanted to move over to the new house with the Prince¡¯s estate. Now, the Prince¡¯s servants had finished packing up their stuff, while the Duke¡¯s residence was still in a mess. If the Duke found out, he would probably me Madam. Hence, although she was very embarrassed, Cun still shamelessly came over to invite Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t think too much about it. She handed the remaining tasks to Mama Wang and brought Spring over while holding Little Bear¡¯s small hand. As they walked, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your madam? Did you send for a doctor?¡±


    Cun looked a little sad as she said, ¡°The doctor has already prescribed a prescription for her.¡±<div>


    As the houses rented by the two families were also close, they arrived shortly after. Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t in the habit of riding a carriage, so she walked straight to Fan Residence.


    When Mu Yangling entered, the Fan Residence was in a mess, and the servants were running around noisily. Seeing this, Mu Yangling frowned slightly, and Cun shouted sternly, ¡°What are you making a din about? Can¡¯t you see that Her Highness is here? Were you always so noisy even when Madam was in charge?¡±

 Chapter 655: Heartache

    Chapter 655: Heartache


    Editor: As Studios


    The courtyard instantly fell silent. When everyone saw Mu Yangling, they knelt down one after another. Mu Yangling stared at them for a long time until cold sweat appeared on their foreheads. Then, she asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the stewardess?¡±


    Someone replied fearfully, ¡°Her Highness, Nanny Xia is serving Madam by her side.¡±


    ¡°Is there only one stewardess in the residence? Are there other stewardesses?¡±


    Immediately, three maidservants stepped forward and knelt down again.


    Mu Yangling said, ¡°Take care of your own people and pack up the things you¡¯re in charge of. The rest of you, stop packing and do whatever you need to do normally. Your madam is sick and needs to recuperate. If I hear you making such a din again, I¡¯ll chase you out.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s hearts trembled as they agreed respectfully.


    Little Madam Xia was lying on the bed with a pale face, the strong smell of medicine wafting in the room. Nanny Xia was holding a medicine bowl and persuading her in a low voice. When she saw Mu Yangling enter, she quickly stood up and bowed. She reported to Little Madam Xia in a low voice, ¡°Madam, Her Highness is here.¡±


    Little Madam Xia turned around and was about to get up when Mu Yangling took two steps forward and held her down. ¡°Lie down. Why are you being so polite with me?¡±


    Mu Yangling turned to look at the medicine bowl that Nanny Xia had ced at the side and said, ¡°This medicine is about to turn cold. Drink it while it¡¯s hot.¡± As she spoke, she personally picked it up and handed it to her.


    Little Madam Xia smiled bitterly and did not refuse again. She raised her neck and drank it, then pressed her lips with a handkerchief and said with a bitter smile, ¡°This medicine is not very useful. It¡¯s just a cebo.¡±<div>


    Hearing her say this, Mu Yangling was shocked. Could it be a terminal illness? ¡°What illness? What did the doctor say?¡±


    Little Madam Xia¡¯s eyes turned red. With her head lowered, she sobbed softly, but she did not say a word. She was a gentle and weak person to begin with, and thatint just now was already her limit.


    After interacting with her for so long, Mu Yangling knew her personality. She turned around and looked at Nanny Xia. Nanny Xia knelt down and said, ¡°Your Highness, please persuade our Madam.¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at Little Madam Xia and said to Nanny Xia with a dark expression, ¡°Speak.¡±


    Nanny Xia¡¯s eyes were slightly red as she said, ¡°Old Madam sent a letter from the capital rebuking our Madam for failing to get pregnant even after marrying into the family for so long. She wondered if there was any problem with Madam. Since the Duke is not getting any younger, she reminded Madam that he shouldn¡¯t dy the matter of having children anymore. Therefore, the Old Master and Old Madam took the decision to give the Duke a concubine. The concubine is already on her way here.¡± Nanny Xia said in distress, ¡°Our Madam has been nursing her health for the past six months, but it¡¯s not like she can conceive at will¡­¡±


    Nanny Xia was also anxious. Previously, when they were in the capital, they could say that Madam couldn¡¯t get pregnant because the Duke was too busy and didn¡¯t sleep with her. However, in the past three to four months, ever since they arrived in Qiannan, although she did not dare to say that the Duke would enter Madam¡¯s room every night, they would do it every few days. From this, it could be seen that the couple was loving. However, up till now, Madam still couldn¡¯t conceive.


    Not to mention the old master and old madam far away in the capital, even she and Madam were extremely anxious.


    Mu Yangling waved her hand and let the servants go down, leaving only her and Little Madam Xia in the room. Mu Yangling held her hand and asked, ¡°But what¡¯s wrong with your body? What did the doctor say?¡±


    Little Madam Xia blushed slightly, but she still said truthfully, ¡°The doctor said that my qi and blood are a little irregr, but it¡¯s not a big problem. I also know that everyone is looking forward to Second Master¡¯s eldest son, so I¡¯ve been taking medicine to nourish my body for the past six months. Didn¡¯t I borrow an imperial physician from you to check on me? He said that my foundation is not bad, and my qi and blood are only irregr because I¡¯ve been anxious recently and not eating on a regr schedule. There are no major issues.¡± Little Madam Xia frowned and sighed. ¡°But I just can¡¯t get pregnant. In the past, in the capital, it could be said that Second Master was busy with government affairs and couldn¡¯t go home. However, ever since we came to Qiannan, Second Master has returned to the residence almost every night¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling was troubled. Could it be Fan Zijin¡¯s problem?


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t dare to ask. She only said, ¡°Are you too anxious? I heard of a woman who kept failing to get pregnant because she was too anxious to conceive. However, once she rxed and just let things be, she got pregnant. Ultimately, the root of the problem was that she was too nervous.¡±


    Little Madam Xia¡¯s eyes lit up and she said, ¡°The imperial physician said the same thing, but how can we simply decide not to be anxious?¡±


    Mu Yangling patted her hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. When we move to the new residence, we¡¯ll go out and climb mountains together. When you¡¯re in a good mood, you won¡¯t be anxious anymore. Pregnancy can¡¯t be rushed.¡±


    Seeing that her frown had not subsided, Mu Yangling said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Although Aunt and Uncle sent a concubine to serve him, it¡¯s precisely because they sent her that Cousin will definitely not touch her. Moreover, Cousin is determined to have a legitimate eldest son. You¡¯ve only been in Qiannan for three months, not three years.¡±


    Hearing Mu Yangling¡¯s words, Little Madam Xia slowly heaved a sigh of relief. She held Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and sobbed. ¡°Ah Ling, thank you for enlightening me.¡±


    Mu Yangling patted her hand and said, ¡°Rest first. Don¡¯t busy yourself for the next few days. I¡¯ll help you pack up things in your residence. When we move over, we¡¯ll go out and y. If the brothers have the time, our families can go out together, too. Perhaps then you¡¯ll conceive.¡±


    Little Madam Xia blushed slightly.


    When Nanny Xia entered the house again, she heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that Little Madam Xia did not look as glum as before. Knowing that Mu Yangling had talked sense into her, she quickly touched the booklet and reported, ¡°Madam, we¡¯re almost done packing the things in the east and west rooms. When would you like us to pack the things in the storeroom?¡±


    Little Madam Xia pointed at Mu Yangling and said with a smile, ¡°Ask Her Highness. Her Highness said that she wanted to help me just now.¡±<div>


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll empty your storeroom?¡±


    Little Madam Xia covered her mouth andughed. ¡°You actually fancy those things of mine?¡±


    Seeing her smile brightly, Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief and made arrangements for the Fan Residence, only returning home when the sun set in the evening. Little Bear made a fuss and wanted to go to the courtyard to y, so Mu Yangling handed him to Rain and asked Mama Wang to call Imperial Physician Wang over to ask about Little Madam Xia¡¯s health.


    Imperial Physician Wang¡¯s answer was the same as Little Madam Xia¡¯s. He also repeatedly guaranteed that Little Madam Xia was fine and had a good foundation because she had been drinking medicine to strengthen her foundation.<div>


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and asked in a low voice, ¡°Could it be Young Master Zijin¡¯s problem?¡±


    Imperial Physician Wang had the same suspicion, but he did not dare to say it. He could only say vaguely, ¡°I¡¯ll only know after taking his pulse.¡±


    ¡°Then go and rest first. I¡¯ll call you if I have other questions.¡± Mu Yangling felt that it was possible for the issue to lie with either party. Only after Fan Zijin had his health checked could it be confirmed that the problem didn¡¯t lie with him.


    Hence, when Qi Haoran returned at night, Mu Yangling ced the dishes on the table and said, ¡°Do you want to invite Cousin over?¡±


    While Qi Haoran was running around the house with his son, he took the time to reply, ¡°Why invite him over? There¡¯s Cousin-inw taking care of him.¡±


    Mu Yangling waved her hand and asked the people in the room to leave. Then, she softly told him about what had happened today, emphasizing that there was nothing wrong with Little Madam Xia¡¯s health. She said, ¡°¡­Why don¡¯t you call him over and let the imperial physician take a look at him?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s expression darkened. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t interfere in this matter.¡±


    Little Bear was having fun when he saw his father suddenly stop moving. He patted his father¡¯s head and said, ¡°Go, go¡ª¡± As he shouted, he tightened his grip on his father¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Sigh¡ª¡± Qi Haoran put away the gloom on his face and scurried around the room again. Little Bear giggled. Mu Yangling felt her ears itch and hurriedly waved. ¡°Alright, alright. The food is ready. Come and eat quickly.¡±

 Chapter 656: Illness

    Chapter 656: Illness


    Editor: As Studios


    After dinner, Qi Haoran asked Fei Bai to invite Fan Zijin over, intending to have a heart-to-heart chat with him all night.


    When Fan Zijin brought a pot of wine over with his lips pursed, Qi Haoran sent someone to inform Mu Yangling to sleep first because he was resting in the study tonight. Fan Zijin blinked. ¡°Are you really nning to have a chat with me all night?¡±


    This was rare.


    Ever since this kid got married, he was no longer very willing to y with him. Fan Zijin stared at Qi Haoran with bright eyes, trying to use his gaze to force him to confess his true intentions. Unexpectedly, Qi Haoran was especially tight-lipped this time. He actually instructed Fei Bai to prepare food and wine without changing his expression.


    Fei Bai pretended not to see the exchange of looks between the two of them and quickly went down. However, before he could walk out of the courtyard, he heard Fan Zijin shout. Startled, Fei Bai turned around and saw Fan Zijin chasing after Qi Haoran and hitting him. Qi Haoran only dodged and did not retaliate.


    Fei Bai shivered and decided to say that he had fallen on the way to exin histe arrival.


    Fan Zijin kicked Qi Haoran and demanded to know with a ferocious expression, ¡°What do you mean? Are you suspecting that I¡¯m not a man?¡±


    Qi Haoran rubbed his kicked butt and straightened his neck. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. I¡¯m just suggesting you let the doctor check your pulse. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    Under Fan Zijin¡¯s cold re, Qi Haoran scratched his head and whispered, ¡°Only the two of us know about this. If Imperial Physician Wang dares to tell anyone, I¡¯ll kill him! Little Bear is already two years old, but your son has yet to be born. If you don¡¯t have a child soon, how are our kids going to y together if their age difference is too great?¡±


    Fan Zijin red at him and sat on the armchair to ponder over his words. To him, it was a great humiliation to see a doctor because of such a thing. However, Haoran was right. Only the two of them knew about this. As for Imperial Physician Wang, as long as he didn¡¯t want to die, he definitely wouldn¡¯t dare to tell anyone.<div>


    Fan Zijin looked up at Qi Haoran and asked, ¡°You won¡¯t turn around and tell Ah Ling, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran said seriously, ¡°This is between us brothers. Why would I tell her?¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted and waved his hand. ¡°Call him in.¡±


    Qi Haoran heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly ran over to call Imperial Physician Wang over.


    Imperial Physician Wang, who had been waiting in the west wing, had heard the loud argument in the study. His heart had been pounding non-stop. When he saw Qi Haoraning over to call him, he hurriedly followed behind respectfully.


    Seeing that he was uneasy and afraid that it would affect him from giving an urate diagnosis, Qi Haoran hurriedlyforted him in a low voice. ¡°Imperial Physician Wang, don¡¯t be nervous. I believe in your medical skills. Back then, Brother chose you to follow us south because of your superb medical skills. He even said that with you by my side, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about me all the time.¡±


    He hinted to Imperial Physician Wang that he would be his subordinate from now on. As long as he was loyal, he would not kill him to silence him.


    Imperial Physician Wang heaved a sigh of relief. When he left the pce, His Majesty did not ask him to report Prince Rong¡¯s health condition periodically. This meant that the Emperor was purely worried about Prince Rong¡¯s family¡¯s health and not monitoring them. Since the Emperor did not ask, he naturally would not reveal Fan Zijin¡¯s secret. Therefore, regardless of whether there was anything wrong with Fan Zijin, he did not have to worry about being silenced.


    After calming himself down, Imperial Physician Wang entered with a smile on his face. Fan Zijin opened his eyes and nced at the two of them before extending his hand to Imperial Physician Wang.


    When Imperial Physician Wang saw how cooperative Fan Zijin was, he quickly sat at the side and took his pulse seriously. After that, he asked a few more private questions. After pondering for a long time, he said, ¡°Your Highness, there¡¯s nothing wrong with your health regarding your reproductive abilities.¡±


    Fan Zijin heaved a sigh of relief.


    However, Qi Haoran¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°If there¡¯s no problem with that, what about other aspects?¡±


    ¡°The Duke is overworked and has exhausted his heart meridians. If this continues, I¡¯m afraid it will affect his lifespan.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s expression changed, and Fan Zijin also could not help but be solemn.


    Anger brewed in Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes. He said angrily, ¡°What have you been doing for his monthly pulse diagnosis?¡±


    Imperial Physician Wang felt wronged as well. ¡°Your Highnesses, only the Princess Consort, Little Madam Xia, and Young Master regrlye to me for their pulse diagnosis every month. When I wanted to pay my respects to Your Highnesses, you said that you were very healthy and didn¡¯t need me to take your pulse. Seeing this, the duke also took the opportunity to reject it¡­¡±


    What he meant was, ¡®You were the one who refused to let me take your pulse, setting a bad example for Fan Zijin. And now you¡¯re ming me?¡¯


    Qi Haoran soothed the anger in his chest and asked, ¡°Then what do you think we should do?¡±


    ¡°Firstly, Duke, you can¡¯t over-exhaust yourself anymore. You have to strike a bnce between work and rest. Otherwise, even if you take medicine, it won¡¯t be of much use. Secondly, I¡¯ll write you a few more prescriptions to nourish your body first before slowly conditioning your health¡­¡± Imperial Physician Wang said a lot of things to take note of. Fan Zijin looked a little dazed, but Qi Haoran listened seriously with a solemn expression.<div>


    Qi Haoran could not help but rejoice. Fortunately, he had listened to Ah Ling and asked Zijin to see the imperial physician. Otherwise, who knew when he would discover the issue. Thinking of how Big Brother¡¯s body had also been a little weak ever since he was poisoned, his eyes could not help but turn red.


    Imperial Physician Wang said a lot of things. Finally, he left a prescription and a few medicinal cuisine prescriptions before leaving respectfully.


    Qi Haoran said with a straight face, ¡°Leave the business matters to the steward and just look at the ounts every month. As for military matters, I¡¯ll get someone to help you.¡±


    Fan Zijin rubbed his forehead and said, ¡°The Ministry of Revenue justined that they were broke. Zhang Cheng sent a letter asking if I could fork out 100,000 taels of silver this month. The seeds of Jiangnan have already been funded, but the farmers in the west, north, and south are still eagerly waiting for the Imperial Court to provide them with the seeds¡­¡±<div>


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they can¡¯t do anything without you? Then what¡¯s the use of them?¡± Furious, Qi Haoran roared, ¡°My words are final. You¡¯re not allowed to transfer money to the Ministry of Revenue.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at him with a cold sneer. ¡°And then make Eldest Cousin so anxious that he falls ill? The poison in his body hasn¡¯t beenpletely removed. If you can¡¯t bear to see me suffer, can you bear to see him suffer?¡±


    Qi Haoran flew into a rage. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Big Brother about this. If Zhang Cheng and the others can¡¯t fix this themselves, he can kiss goodbye to his Minister of Revenue position.¡±


    Qi Haoran was so anxious that his eyes turned red and were filled with tears. He roared in a low voice, ¡°Big Brother¡¯s lifespan is affected, so is yours. None of the three of us can live healthily till a ripe old age?¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s expression changed and he reprimanded, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? Imperial Physician Wang was just exaggerating¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at him stubbornly and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t listen to me, I¡¯ll tie you up myself. Do you believe me?¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at him helplessly.


    At night, the two brothersy on the bed with their backs facing each other. Qi Haoran said, ¡°To govern the country and bring peace to the world, this isn¡¯t something that can be achieved overnight. We¡¯ve been in too much of a hurry recently and always want to take responsibility for everything. But in fact, whether it¡¯s governing the country or bringing peace to the world, it¡¯s not something that just the three of us can do with help from no one else. There are many capable people in the world. Let¡¯s see if we can utilize their talents. If we can deploy those talents well, even if you sleep until dawn, the government affairs will still run smoothly.¡±

 Chapter 657: Heartache

    Chapter 657: Heartache


    Editor: As Studios


    Fan Zijin asked coldly, ¡°Then do you know of any talents whom we can deploy?¡±


    Qi Haoran choked. Other than an advisor sent to him by his big brother, his subordinates were all from the Imperial Court. There wasn¡¯t much talent to speak of.


    Moreover, the Imperial Grace Examinations only began the preliminary exams this year, will proceed with the intermediate exams next year, and those who pass won¡¯t be assigned to hismand until the year after next. Furthermore, those who had passed the Imperial Examination might be good at studying, but they might not be capable in economic or military matters. Qi Haoran frowned in distress.


    Fan Zijin snorted. Seeing that Qi Haoran¡¯s expression was dark, he took a step back and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take care to rest in the future.¡±


    However, both of them knew that if they could not find someone to share the workload, this sentence would only be empty words. Qi Haoran was so anxious that he did not sleep the entire night. When he woke up the next day, he sat on the chair with a bad temper.


    Unwilling to see Qi Haoran¡¯s grumpy face, Fan Zijin strolled back to his house without even eating breakfast. Fei Bai helped Qi Haoran wash up amid the depressing atmosphere, then rushed into the backyard as if he was flying. He begged Rain to help him ask the Princess Consort to go to the study to take a look, for the Prince¡¯s expression was so dark he looked like he was about to kill someone.


    When Mu Yangling went to the study, Qi Haoran was sitting on the chair in a daze, as if he had suffered a serious blow. Mu Yangling was shocked. Could it be that Zijin was seriously sick?


    Mu Yangling held his hand worriedly and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes reddened. ¡°Imperial Physician Wang said that he¡¯s overworked. I¡¯m worried it¡¯ll affect his lifespan.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t believe him. ¡°Imperial Physician Wang was just exaggerating, right? Even if he¡¯s a little tired, his lifespan won¡¯t be affected.¡±


    Although Fan Zijin was busy, he could at least guarantee six hours of sleep a day, right? With servants around him, other than work, he did not have to worry about anything else in life. In her previous life, she had friends who only slept four to five hours a day for the sake of their careers. They slept at two to three in the morning every day and woke up at six to seven in the morning. They were practically striving at the expense of their health, but she had never heard of anyone¡¯s lifespan being affected due to this.


    Although Fan Zijin was also busy, ancient people went to bed early. Every day, they would go back to sleep before 11 pm. Even if they woke up at 4 or 5 am to work, they would sleep from 11 pm to 3 am every night, which was the most suitable time for sleeping. That was much better than those who only slept at 2 or 3 am but slept for eight hours.


    ¡°It¡¯s not recent. It¡¯s his ipletely-cured illness from when he was in the capital,¡± Qi Haoran exined.


    In Qiannan, it had been extremely busy for the first two months. However, with the brothers supporting each other here, it wasn¡¯t too taxing on the body. After Mu Yangling came, Qi Haoran tried his best to rush home every night. Since he wanted to go home, he naturally could not let Zijin work alone in the military camp. Hence, he would also drag Zijin back. Even if Zijin worked tillte in the study, it wouldn¡¯t be too taxing on the body.


    ording to Imperial Physician Wang¡¯s diagnosis, the problemy in what happened two years prior.


    Previously, when Fan Zijin was trapped in the capital, he had to endure fright and stress while looking for an opportunity to help Qi Xiuyuan carry out his mission. He truly went all out back then. Then, when Qi Xiuyuan attacked the capital, the rations allocated by the Qi family¡¯s army were almost solely provided by him and Rong Xuan. At that time, it had be normal for him to not sleep for a few days and nights. At that time, he wasn¡¯t even 20 years old, and was at an age where a guy was still growing. Later on, when the world became peaceful again and Qi Xiuyuan ascended the throne, Fan Zijin had been busy and had never fallen sick. Naturally, he did not think of seeing a doctor.


    Fan Zijin had always felt that he was in excellent health. Although it was notparable to Qi Haoran¡¯s, it was not that bad either. However, Imperial Physician Wang¡¯s pulse examination this time had undoubtedly uncovered all the problems caused by overdrafting his body for the past two years. In short, Fan Zijin had to recuperate while he was still young. Otherwise, the hidden dangers left behind would definitely erupt when he entered midlife.


    However, what Zijin said was also right. If he rxed, Big Brother would definitely have to share the burden. While Zijin¡¯s health was not good, Big Brother¡¯s health was only robust on the surface. They all knew that Big Brother wasn¡¯t in good health either because the poison from back then had yet to be cleared.


    This was also the reason why Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin tried their best to share Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s burden¡ªthey hoped to reduce the burden on Qi Xiuyuan as much as possible.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s heart ached at the thought of his big brother and Fan Zijin¡¯s physical condition. He held Mu Yangling¡¯s hand tightly and asked, ¡°Ah Ling, what do you think we should do?¡±


    ¡°In short, distribute your burdens to your subordinates. As long as you give a rough guideline, the supervision won¡¯t go wrong. You don¡¯t have to do everything yourself. For example, I only have to tell them a rough idea and they will be able to develop Dry Rice No. 1 and Dry Rice No. 2. I only have to tell Xiao Ting that I wish to construct terraced fields on our stipendnd, and he will carry out the execution himself. I can just read at home and take care of our son, and only need to go to the fields to check on the progress from time to time.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at her speechlessly. ¡°These are important matters of the Imperial Court, not some casual household matters. How can it be so easy?¡±


    ¡°Everything is interconnected. You¡¯re the ones who overthink and constantly worry. If you don¡¯t try to let go, how do you know that your subordinates can¡¯t do a good job? You¡¯re the rulers. What are rulers? In my opinion, a ruler is one who manages their subordinates well and let them do good work for you.¡±


    ¡°What if someone takes bribes?¡±


    ¡°Can you guarantee that none of your subordinates will ept bribes after everything you do?¡± Mu Yangling asked in return. ¡°I know that delegating power will increase the probability of corruption and bribery, but the benefits are worth taking this risk. We can set up an inspection agency and investigate from time to time. As soon as someone has been found to ept bribes, we¡¯ll punish them severely. Treat the advisors well and let them see that their hard work, coupled with being clean and honest, will bring them a bright future. Also let them know that they will need to pay a huge price for corruption. They naturally know what to choose.¡±


    Seeing that Qi Haoran was deep in thought, Mu Yangling patted his shoulder and said, ¡°I think that since the new dynasty has just been established, very few people are willing tomit crimes during the height of a crackdown. Haoran, in this era, it is prized for schrs to die for those who understand them. You can use your charisma to conquer them. Corruption is something you only need to worry about when the world ispletely stable and prosperous in ten to 20 years.¡±


    Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t just rambling thoughtlessly. She had been watching the establishment of Great Qi, so she saw things very clearly.


    The sry given to officials by Great Qi was still ording to the old rules of the Great Zhou Dynasty, which was not too generous. Back then, Emperor Shizong had probably established such a sry system because he wanted to curb bureaucratic corruption. This achieved pretty good results in the first 50 years.


    Now, ording to the old rules, Qi Xiuyuan was also giving high sries to officials. Moreover, he was an upright person and was famous for hating loafers and corrupt officials. The moment he ascended the throne, he confiscated the assets of a few famous corrupt officials from the previous dynasty and even used Minister Qin as an example. He repeatedly stated that he abhorred corrupt officials who hoarded the country¡¯s assets and snatched the resources of themon people. Therefore, after the great purge, everyone was all kept on their toes and did not dare to embezzle. That included aristocratic families, noble officials, and poor families, among others.


    Even in regions away from the capital, they restrained themselves because Qi Xiuyuan had beheaded a few corrupt magistrates.


    Subordinates follow the example of their superiors not just with regards to vices, but also good habits. Therefore, with such an Emperor, fewer officials still dared to embezzle. Mu Yangling felt that it was best to nurture subordinates in such an environment because they could rest assured.


    This was the benefit of establishing a new dynasty. Since the officials had yet to figure out the rules of the new dynasty¡¯s bureaucracy, everyone would adopt a wait-and-see attitude. In order to catch the Emperor¡¯s attention and stand out, they would be much more diligent than before.

 Chapter 658: Recruitment

    Chapter 658: Recruitment


    Editor: As Studios


    Then, the next question was where to get talents. Just as Fan Zijin had said, the Imperial Grace Examinations would only start this year, and there would only be new hires the year after.


    ¡°Nowadays, the army is filled with men who are illiterate. The logistics arepletely supported by Zijin. As for business matters, Zijin also said that there aren¡¯t enough stewards. However, if we want to recruit people, unless we poach from other business owners, it¡¯s not so easy to hire someone who knows how to do ounts aside from being capable of managing the shop.¡±


    ¡°Then put up a notice to recruit talented people.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°During the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period, didn¡¯t those Marquises recruit talents like this? There¡¯s never ack of talented people in this world. While we think that talents are difficult to find, perhaps the talents arementing that there¡¯s no opportunity for them to stand out.¡±


    Qi Haoran fell into deep thought.


    ¡°We can do that for business matters, but military positions have to be appointed by the Imperial Court. Actually, I don¡¯t understand why we have to wait for those positions to be filled after the Imperial Grace Examinations. Right away, we can deploy those officials who were dismissed for being upright or resigned to take time off for mourning, as well as those jurens who passed the vige examination but didn¡¯t have any connections to be officials.¡±


    ¡°Although opening up the Imperial Grace Examinations can make the students grateful to the Imperial Court and be loyal to Great Qi, they likely think that they were able to make a name for themselves mainly because of their own abilities. However, deploying those officials and schrs who originally didn¡¯t have a chance can make them grateful to the Imperial Court and His Majesty. They will also be more attentive. As long as their character is passable, I think it makes no difference if we hire former officials or schrs from the previous dynasty.¡±


    However, Qi Haoran had more considerations. At present, the officials in the Imperial Court were still a little anxious, fearing that the Qi family would get rid of the officials of the previous dynasty after stabilizing the empire. However, once this policy was implemented, it could calm the hearts of the officials.


    Qi Xiuyuan was also having a headache over the unfilled posts in various regions. As soon as Qi Haoran sent in his memorial, he was tempted. But as it was not easy to use officials who had been deposed or resigned from their posts in the previous dynasty, he needed to test the waters first.


    Qi Xiuyuan called Yan Du, Zhang Cheng, and the other important ministers of the previous dynasty, as well as the Left and Right Assistant Ministers of the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs into the pce. He handed over the list of the positions he wanted filled and asked, ¡°Which officials in the previous dynasty who have already retired or have resigned for other reasons are suitable for these positions?¡±


    Zhang Cheng and the others¡¯ eyes lit up. They felt that the Emperor was indeed magnanimous. Not only did he not suspect the officials from the previous dynasty, but he was also willing to redeploy those who were currently out of office. With this in mind, everyone was grateful and tried their best to recall if they knew any officials with such talent.


    Everyone discussed it for the entire afternoon. Qi Xiuyuan got someone to write down the name list they provided, before leaving Yan Du alone and dismissing the others.


    ¡°Prince Rong asked me to seek jurens who have no connections to be an official, but I feel that if there are xiucai with special talent, it¡¯s not impossible to make an exception and hire them. For example, I heard that there¡¯s a xiucai in Ezhou who¡¯s good at water conservancy. Because he specializes in water conservancy, he somewhat neglected preparing for the Imperial Examination. I don¡¯tck jinshi or juren, but Ick such specialized talents.¡±


    Yan Du¡¯s eyes lit up. He cupped his hands and said, ¡°Your Majesty making an exception to recruit talents is truly a blessing for themon people.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand and said, ¡°Minister Yan, don¡¯t make it sound like a sure thing. If we make an exception and rely on the rmendation of the officials, I¡¯m afraid that we¡¯ll repeat the mistakes of the inspection system and the nine grades of rank in the former regimes. If we let the officials control the selection system, they could use the selection of talents as a way for them to fill their pockets and fulfill their own selfish desires.¡±


    Yan Du thought for a moment and said, ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t worry. Although our dynasty has made an exception, the Imperial Examination is still the one that ys the main role. We can limit the officials in what they can do by formting some policies. If the person rmended is indeed talented, then we¡¯ll give the rmender some rewards, or add it to his achievements, or reward him with some money. If the person rmended is a mediocre talent with poor grades, the rmender will be implicated by being given demerit points.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan nodded. ¡°Minister Yan, go write a memorial and submit it tomorrow. We will discuss it with the officials at the court.¡±


    Yan Du knew that Qi Xiuyuan had agreed to this method, so he hurriedly bowed.


    Qi Xiuyuan knocked on the table and sighed, then picked up Fan Zijin¡¯s pulse diagnosis and looked at it. After that, he wrote a letter to Qi Haoran and asked him to recruit people nearby to help manage Fan Zijin¡¯s business¡­


    After Qi Xiuyuan returned to the harem, he asked Li Jinghua to open the storeroom and pack some precious and warming, tonifying herbs to send to Qiannan.


    Li Jinghua hurriedly asked, ¡°Did something happen to Prince Rong?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that Qiannan is poor and I¡¯m worried that they don¡¯t have good herbs there. Just send them over.¡±


    Li Jinghua paused and nodded with a smile.


    At this moment, Qiannan was already bustling with activity. Immediately after Qi Haoran sent the letter to Qi Xiuyuan, he got someone to beat the gongs and drums in the streets to seek talent.


    It was as lively as putting on a show, but no one went forward to apply. Fan Zijin watched in horror and said to Qi Haoran, ¡°I think we should forget it. Where can we find talents who know how to do business in the barrennd of Qiannan?¡±


    Qi Haoran refused to believe it and asked Fei Bai to shout too loudly. ¡°Just like what I said. As long as the person has real talent and knowledge, no matter who he is, I will definitely appoint him to an important position. He can leave after working for five years, and at that time, I will even grant him a bright future.¡±


    Frowning, Fan Zijin said, ¡°I¡¯m not a magnanimous person. Anyone who works under me has to sign an indenture.¡±


    Fan Zijin was very suspicious and was different from Qi Haoran. Those who worked under him were all his ves, even the stewards he had assigned to Mu Yangling. It could be seen that he did not have much faith in people.


    Mu Yangling was coaxing Little Bear to eat fruits at the side. When she heard this, she said, ¡°Countless people away will be scared off by this one use alone. Not everyone can ept being a ve. I think it¡¯s better to sign an employment contract. Just do as Haoran said and have them sign a five-year contract. Within the first three years of departure, they¡¯re not to betray the confidential secrets of our shops. Set the conditions to be more harsh. As long as the other party doesn¡¯t have any ill intentions, they¡¯ll usually ept the conditions. Since they won¡¯t have to sign themselves away as ves and will have a bright future, people will be incentivised to apply.¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted and said proudly, ¡°It¡¯s their honor to be my ve. How can they be picky?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded repeatedly and said to Mu Yangling, ¡°If we do as you say, no one wille to apply. But if we announce that Zijin wants to take in ves to manage the shops, many people will definitely flock over.¡±


    Mu Yangling did not believe it. ¡°I myself recruit talents to manage my shops. Aside from being well-paid, they don¡¯t have to be ves. The conditions are so good. Comparing the two, anyone knows how to choose.¡±


    Qi Haoran chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t understand the human heart. If you don¡¯t believe me, let¡¯s have a bet.¡±


    Fan Zijin¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°That¡¯s not bad. Why don¡¯t we make a bet? We¡¯ll set up two arenas and see if the candidates will apply to your side or mine.¡±


    ¡°So be it. Who¡¯s afraid of who?¡± Mu Yangling turned her head and called Xiao Ting over. After giving him detailed instructions, she looked at Fan Zijin smugly.


    Fan Zijin casually waved Yanmo away and said, ¡°Just say that my shop is short of people and wants to take in ves. Those with talent can apply, but they have to sign a death contract.¡±

 Chapter 659: Recruiting Talents

    Chapter 659: Recruiting Talents


    Editor: As Studios


    Thus, Xiao Ting and Yanmo set up two tforms on the left and right in Ju Prefecture City. Yanmo confidently gestured for Xiao Ting to go first.


    Xiao Ting carried a gong and went on stage. With a ng, he attracted everyone¡¯s attention. He cleared his voice and said, ¡°Fellow vigers, you¡¯ve also seen the words ¡®Recruiting Talents¡¯ written on the banner. I¡¯m from the Prince¡¯s estate and am here to announce Her Highness¡¯s intentions. Anyone who has a skill, is good at settling ounts, is good at managing a shop, and is eloquent cane and apply. Her Highness is offering pretty lucrative conditions. Moreover, she won¡¯t force you to sign an indenture. As long as you sign a five-year contract and guarantee that you won¡¯t leak the secrets of the shop within three years of leaving your position, you can expect a handsome remuneration if you can prove yourself useful.¡±


    The people below whispered to each other, but no one dared to step forward. Frowning slightly, Xiao Ting was about to tempt them again when Yanmo had already struck the gong and drum. He raised his head slightly and dered arrogantly, ¡°I¡¯m the steward of the Duke of Peaceful State¡¯s estate. Because our duke is expanding his business and we urgently need manpower, we¡¯re also recruiting talents here. However, it¡¯s not that easy to get hired by us. Regardless of whether you have a clean background, if you wish toe here and work for us, you have to forget your past and sign a death contract. Those who think that they have the ability cane forward to sign up. You will naturally be assessed on your abilities as a steward. Those who pass the assessment may sign an indenture on the spot, whereas those who fail can leave after receiving a token of appreciation.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, the people below immediately became excited. A young man stepped out of the crowd and asked, ¡°Brother, is what you said true? You¡¯re saying if we pass the assessment, we can sign a contract and be a servant of the Duke of Peaceful State?¡±


    Yanmo replied arrogantly, ¡°Of course. Our duke is a man of his word. However, let me tell you first that the servants working in our shops are all ves who have signed a death contract. It¡¯s not impossible for them to sign a living contract either. In that case, food and clothing will likewise be provided for. However, they can forget about any career progression.¡±


    The young man lowered his head and pondered. In the end, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°I¡¯m willing to sign a death contract.¡±


    Yanmo nced at Xiao Ting from the corner of his eyes and said with a smile, ¡°Then bring your identity document and registerter.¡±


    ¡°Sigh.¡± Xiao Ting couldn¡¯t stop them in time. Seeing that many people were rushing towards Yanmo and all of them were actually signing up, he instantly stomped his feet. ¡°We¡¯re also recruiting talents here. Moreover, our Princess Consort isn¡¯t even asking you to sign yourselves away as ves.¡±


    However, no one paid attention to Xiao Ting. Those who thought they were capable all went to Yanmo¡¯s side.


    With a self-satisfied smile, Yanmo came over and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Silly boy, why don¡¯t you understand? The problem is that we want them to sell themselves, but you guys don¡¯t ask for it.¡±<div>


    Seeing that he still didn¡¯t understand, Yanmo snorted and said, ¡°I really don¡¯t know why your master chose you as his disciple. Go back and learn from your master. You have to know that not just anyone can be a servant of the Prince¡¯s estate or Duke¡¯s estate.¡±


    In a teahouse not far away, Mu Yangling opened her mouth wide. ¡°Why are they all rushing to be ves?¡±


    Fan Zijin leaned against the recliner and did not even bother to answer.


    Seeing how shocked she was, Qi Haoran held his wife¡¯s hand and said fearfully, ¡°That¡¯s because they have poor judgment.¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him and said, ¡°Tell me the truth.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately changed his words and said arrogantly, ¡°That depends on whose ve it is. I won¡¯t say anything else. Zijin is, after all, one of the only three dukes in the Great Qi Dynasty and is greatly favored by Big Brother. Countless people are desperate for the opportunity to be his ve. Meanwhile, you¡¯re only asking them to sign a five-year contract and there are a lot of conditions attached. How would they know if it¡¯s a trap? They only know that after bing Zijin¡¯s ve, they¡¯ll be Zijin¡¯s people. Although their lives are in his hands, as long as they don¡¯t betray Zijin and don¡¯t make any big mistakes, they¡¯ll have a future and stay alive. It¡¯s better than striving for an unknown future.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but argue. ¡°As long as they¡¯re talented, I¡¯ll still put them in an important position when theye to me. Moreover, they won¡¯t be ves and can leave when the five-year period is up¡­¡±


    Fan Zijin frowned, opened his eyes, and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want them to be on equal footing with the ves in your shop?¡±


    ¡°As long as they have the ability.¡±


    This time, even Qi Haoran looked disapproving. ¡°Ah Ling, won¡¯t the ves be disheartened then? They¡¯re our people, whereas those people are just outsiders. How can we not differentiate between our own people and outsiders?¡±


    Fan Zijiny back down and said slowly, ¡°I know. Ah Ling¡¯s bad habit of knowing one thing but not knowing the other is acting up again.¡±


    Qi Haoran lowered his head andughed so fiercely that his shoulders trembled. Seeing Mu Yangling pouting at him, he hurriedly said righteously, ¡°Although Zijin is right, Ah Ling, let¡¯s not listen to him.¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Fan Zijin almost fell off the recliner. Turning around, when he saw Mu Yangling kicking Qi Haoran angrily, he pped and said, ¡°Good kick!¡± Serves you right for prioritizing your wife over your friend!


    However, Mu Yangling had already understood. Although her conditions were generous, this was a feudal society where trusted aides were ves. No one would believe that she would give benefits to outsiders instead of the ves who solely rely on her for their livelihood and serve her wholeheartedly.


    If she really did that, she would dishearten the servants below. Wouldn¡¯t that encourage the servants to rebel?


    Since one could be equally treated as a trusted aide even if they weren¡¯t a ve, who would want to be a ve?


    Mu Yangling sighed. Hence, although Fan Zijin¡¯s conditions were harsh, there were many people flocking to him. Just as Qi Haoran had said, to be able to be Fan Zijin¡¯s ve was an opportunity that many people were desperate for. Now that there was such a chance, they naturallypeted for it.


    Mu Yangling looked down at the empty stage on her side and was about to wave her hand to get someone to call Xiao Ting over when she saw a thin young man hesitantly step forward. Mu Yangling shouted happily, ¡°Someone came to register.¡±


    Qi Haoran could not help but discourage her. ¡°Just one. Look at Zijin¡¯s side.¡±<div>


    Mu Yangling pursed her lips and said, ¡°I¡¯m no longerpeting with him. As long as I don¡¯t return empty-handed today, I¡¯m satisfied.¡±


    Just as Qi Haoran was about to speak, he saw Mu Yangling turn around and instruct Fei Bai, ¡°Go down and take a look personally. If he¡¯s hirable, ept him. If not, reject him. Don¡¯t let that silly boy Xiaoting hire the person carelessly.¡±


    Fei Bai responded and got off the stage.


    A little surprised, Fan Zijin said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so open-minded. I thought you would ept the hire for the sake of your pride no matter what kind of person the other party is.¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran immediately said, ¡°Is Ah Ling such a person? Since she¡¯s recruiting talents, she¡¯ll naturally decide whether to hire based on the person¡¯s talent and character.¡±


    Fan Zijin pursed his lips. ¡°Alright, I know that you two are a loving couple. There¡¯s no need to show off how lovey-dovey you are in front of me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve lost this bet.¡± Mu Yangling poured herself a cup of tea and nced at Yanmo, who was surrounded in the middle. She asked, ¡°There are so many people here. How can you tell who is hirable and who isn¡¯t?¡±


    Fan Zijin waved his hand and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me to rest more? I¡¯ve already called the stewards over. Those people have to go through the stewards¡¯ assessment first. Then, I¡¯ll take one final look before they sign the indenture. Also, I won¡¯t appoint those new hires to a position immediately. I still have to inspect these people before that.¡±


    Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran looked at each other and said with a smile to Mu Yangling, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about this matter. When these people can be deployed, I can truly sleep untilte in the morning every day and live as I please.¡±

 Chapter 660: Little Bears Use

    Chapter 660: Little Bear¡¯s Use


    Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling perked up and said, ¡°Talents can be nurtured slowly, while one can¡¯t postpone prioritizing their health. Don¡¯t you have two days of rest every ten days? The day after tomorrow will be your rest day, right? Why don¡¯t we go to Little Lotus Seed Mountain to y? We can fly kites.¡±


    Fan Zijin pursed his lips and said, ¡°Not interested.¡±


    However, Qi Haoran waved his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go and protect Ah Ling and Cousin-inw. It¡¯s settled.¡±


    Fan Zijin opened his eyes and nced at them. He frowned, feeling a little displeased. How many matters would be dyed if they went to y for two days?


    However, Qi Haoran was swift and decisive. After Imperial Physician Wang¡¯s diagnosis, although Fan Zijin had taken note of it, he was still busy with work and could not find time to recuperate. Ah Ling¡¯s suggestion came at just the right time.


    Seeing that the couple was looking at him eagerly, Fan Zijin could only nod in agreement.


    In the afternoon, Yanmo and Xiaoting came to report. When Yanmo saw Xiao Ting, he smiled and gestured for him to go first.


    Xiao Ting pursed his lips and said, ¡°Please go ahead first. I¡¯ll report to Her Highnesster.¡±


    Beaming, Yanmo said to the three masters, ¡°Everyone has been registered. A total of 58 people have passed the three stewards¡¯ preliminary examination. I¡¯ve already gotten someone to investigate their background and see if they¡¯re clean. After confirming the name list, I¡¯ll report to Your Highness again.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded slightly and looked at Xiao Ting, who pouted and said, ¡°Your Highnesses, only one person signed up with us. He¡¯s already signed the contract.¡±<div>


    Fan Zijin asked curiously, ¡°Who is that person? Why does he want to sign this contract?¡±


    ¡°That person is even a tongsheng and is quite good at settling ounts. Because his family is poor, he has no way out. But still, he wants to take the xiucai or juren examination, so he doesn¡¯t want to sell himself as a ve. I told him that he only needs to sign an employment contract and not sell himself away as a ve, so he decided to give it a try. Teacher tested him seriously and said that he¡¯s quite capable. Although his character isn¡¯t good, he should be of use.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that he doesn¡¯t have a good character?¡± Mu Yangling asked curiously.


    Fan Zijin said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? His family doesn¡¯t have any spare capital, but he still wishes to take the Imperial Examination. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that. It¡¯s fine if he can rely on himself to umte money or find a sponsor, but he wants to take a shortcut through you. A family like ours has always only bought servants and doesn¡¯t hire non-ves. Though he¡¯s just an assistant shopkeeper and ountant, he has lofty aspirations. Doesn¡¯t that go to show that he is biting off more than he can chew, is scheming, and has a bad character?¡±


    ¡°Erm, this is just your conjecture, right?¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted and said angrily, ¡°You think that I¡¯m scheming, so I¡¯m judging others with my petty heart? Then ask the upright gentleman, Qi Haoran.¡±


    Mu Yangling turned around to look at him. Qi Haoran touched his nose and said, ¡°Zijin is right. Ah Ling, you¡¯re too kind-hearted.¡±


    ¡°You might as well just say that I¡¯m stupid.¡±


    Fan Zijin, who had wanted to speak, pped his hands. ¡°Good answer.¡± He turned to look at Qi Haoran. ¡°See, she doesn¡¯t appreciate it. She¡¯s neither truly stupid nor extremely intelligent. Why do you have to keep her so sheltered?¡±


    Annoyed by the two of them, Qi Haoran sat beside Mu Yangling and hugged her shoulders tightly. He said to Fan Zijin, ¡°I¡¯m happy to dote on her. What can you do about it?¡±


    Mu Yangling immediately aimed her gun at Fan Zijin. ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re a loving couple. What can you do about it?¡±


    Made speechless by the two of them, Fan Zijin clutched his chest and shouted, ¡°My heart aches¡­¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t go to the military camp tomorrow. Rest well at home.¡±


    Fan Zijin instantly put down his hand and snorted as he enjoyed the fruits on the table.


    Mu Yangling sighed when she saw this. What a good employee of the century. In her previous life, she had seen people who tried to avoid work and skip work. This was the first time she had seen someone who refused to skip work no matter what.


    Fan Zijin got someone to arrange for the recruitment and said to Mu Yangling, ¡°Do you want me to help you train the tongsheng you recruited? You can¡¯t just directly put him in the shop, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling agreed without thinking and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get Xiaoting to bring him over.¡±


    In any case, half of the stewards in her shop came from Fan Zijin, so she was not very good at training stewards in this aspect.


    Fan Zijin smiled and asked Yanmo to fetch him.<div>


    Qi Haoran helped Mu Yangling into the carriage and rode back side by side with Fan Zijin. When they reached the entrance of the residence, he patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Leave the investigation to me. Help me keep an eye on that Lan Ling.¡±


    Lan Ling was the tongsheng who came to seek employment with Mu Yangling.


    Fan Zijin nced at the carriage that had already entered the residence and nodded. ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. There are too many people at my ce and it¡¯s messy. You have to help me investigate clearly and not let the spies in. The Ministry of Revenue is still counting on my money to save them.¡±


    ¡°Since today¡¯s recruitment was suddenly announced, those people with ill intentions might not have made it in time.¡±<div>


    ¡°That might not be the case.¡± Fan Zijin sneered and said, ¡°There are many people monitoring outside our residence. If we can make ast-minute move, how can we know that they can¡¯t?¡±


    Qi Haoran promised that he would definitely investigate thoroughly. Fan Zijin sighed and said, ¡°I hope that the recruitment of talents this time will indeed reduce my burden and not increase my workload.¡±


    Seeing Qi Haoran look at his body with worry in his eyes, Fan Zijin reached out and patted his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m still young. I can slowly recuperate in a few years¡¯ time.¡±


    Qi Haoran lowered his eyes and remained silent.


    At this, Fan Zijin waved his hand and rode back home.


    Qi Haoran did not say a word in front of Mu Yangling. He only talked about the outing the day after tomorrow and asked her to arrange it so that Zijin could take the chance to rx and recuperate.


    Mu Yangling patted her chest and promised toplete the mission.


    Fan Zijin was also her friend. Ever since she found out that his health had deteriorated to the point where it was affecting his lifespan, she had been thinking about how to help him recuperate.


    First of all, the dishes that he liked to eat at noon every day were reced with the medicinal cuisine prescribed by Imperial Physician Wang. Although the cook was already working very hard, the medicinal taste in the medicinal cuisine still could not bepletely removed.


    For the sake of his appetite, the considerate Mu Yangling formted a strategy of alternating two days of medicinal cuisine with one day of his favorite dishes. Yesterday, Imperial Physician Wang had just checked his pulse and did not see any effect.


    Secondly, Mu Yangling asked Qi Haoran to bring Little Bear next door to y with Fan Zijin after he returned. This way, he would be forced to stop working upon returning to the residence. By the time Little Bear fell asleep, Fan Zijin would have lost the mood to work.


    From the looks of it, the effect of this strategy was quite good. This was because ording to Imperial Physician Wang¡¯s pulse diagnosis, the conclusion he came to was that the duke¡¯s depression seemed to have dissipated quite a bit.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s guess was that this was all thanks to the brat, Little Bear. Anyone would be annoyed after having a brat mess around in their study. These feelings of annoyance and joy would naturally dissipate the depression in one¡¯s heart a little.<div>


    It couldn¡¯t be helped. His son was so smart and adorable. Although he was a little annoying when he made a fuss, he was still very likable most of the time. At least, Fan Zijin smiled more obviously during the few days when Little Bear was with him, and he appeared visibly happier.


    Most importantly, because Little Bear had upied the time he would otherwise use to work, Fan Zijin had no choice but to hand over more work to his subordinates to squeeze them dry. Therefore, although he was still busy, his working hours had decreased quite a bit.

 Chapter 661: Outing

    Chapter 661: Outing


    Editor: As Studios


    A group of mountains formed by a few mountain peaks, Little Lotus Seed Mountain was not far from Ju Prefecture City. Because the mountain peaks looked like lotus seeds, it was called Little Lotus Seed Mountain. The scenery on the mountain was beautiful, and many temples and nunneries had been built upon it. Therefore, many officials and gentry built houses halfway up the mountain for the women who went up the mountain to rest.


    The Qi and Fan families had just arrived in Juzhou City not long ago, so it was naturally impossible for them to build a house. Instead, they bought it on the spot. Ever since they made up their minds to find time to go out every ten days, Mu Yangling had set her sights on Little Lotus Seed Mountain.


    She asked Zhu Liang to find out if anyone was selling a house on the mountain and bought one nearby as a resting ce for them when they went there for an outing.


    When people heard that the Prince¡¯s estate wanted to buy a house, the officials and gentry fought to offer their own. Zhu Liang did not dare to ept it and only chose to buy a house far away from other families that had gorgeous scenery.


    Seeing that even Little Bear was riding on a horse, Fan Zijin was too embarrassed to get into the carriage. Hence, he got Yanmo to bring a horse over to ride alongside Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling.


    The sky had just lit up. Little Bear was originally a little sleepy, but now that he was riding on a horse and entering the lively morning market, he immediately gazed around happily.


    Seeing his round head sticking out of Qi Haoran¡¯s clothes and turning left and right, Fan Zijin found it interesting and pped his hands. ¡°Little Bear,e over and let Uncle carry you, okay?¡±


    After looking at Fan Zijin¡¯s arms and then at his father, Little Bear decisively threw himself into his father¡¯s arms and buried his head into his father¡¯s clothes without moving.


    Qi Haoranughed happily and raised his head smugly. Clearly, he was very satisfied with his son¡¯s choice.


    Fan Zijin pursed his lips and thought to himself that he would eventually have a son.<div>


    At the thought of this, Fan Zijin felt a little mncholic, and he wondered when Little Madam Xia would be pregnant. The concubine sent from the capital was locked in the house by him and could not go out easily. However, if Little Madam Xia still did not have a child in two years, was his eldest son really going toe from a concubine?


    Wouldn¡¯t his persistence over the past few years be a joke then?


    Fan Zijin was still feeling mncholic when Little Bear poked his head out of his father¡¯s clothes again and stuck out his tongue at him. Fan Zijin instantly tossed his worries to the back of his mind and teased Qi Haoran. ¡°Quickly let me carry Little Bear. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let your son fall.¡±


    The two brothers bickered all the way. Little Bear found it interesting and reached out to Fan Zijin. Just as he was about to hug him though, he retracted his hand with a whoosh and turned around to hide in Qi Haoran¡¯s clothes.


    Fan Zijin was so angry that he scolded him. ¡°You¡¯re just like your father.¡±


    Qi Haoran shook his head smugly.


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips and smile. She turned her horse around to Little Madam Xia¡¯s carriage and jumped onto it. At the time, Little Madam Xia happened to be secretly looking ahead. When she saw Mu Yangling enter, she was shocked. ¡°You didn¡¯t make a sound when you got into the carriage. You almost scared me to death.¡±


    ¡°Sister-inw, what are you looking at? Why are you so engrossed?¡± Mu Yangling sat beside Little Madam Xia and poured herself a ss of water.


    Little Madam Xia sighed. ¡°Look at your cousin. Seeing how fond he is of Little Bear, it¡¯s obvious that he wants a child too. It¡¯s all my fault for being so disappointing.¡±


    She had already learned from Mu Yangling that although her husband wasn¡¯t in excellent health, it did not affect his ability to have children much, so she felt that this was most likely her problem.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. Didn¡¯t we calcte the dates this time?¡± Mu Yangling held her hand.


    Blushing, Little Madam Xia asked in a low voice, ¡°Is your method really effective?¡±


    ¡°This is a remedy I heard from somewhere else. It should work.¡± In order to increase credibility, Mu Yangling said, ¡°This is what my mother told me.¡±


    Little Madam Xia had heard from her husband that although Mu Yangling¡¯s family background was not eye-catching, her mother came from the aristocratic Shu family. The Shu family had a deep foundation and had always had ess to more resources than the average person. If Mu Yangling really heard this method from Madam Shu, it was most likely true.


    Little Madam Xia lowered her head shyly, feeling half relieved.


    As Little Lotus Seed Mountain was not far away, they had already arrived at the foot of the mountain by the time the sun had just risen. When they reached the top of the mountain, it was only about nine o¡¯clock. Instead of entering the courtyard, Mu Yangling got off the carriage halfway up the mountain and said with a smile to everyone, ¡°Get the servants to bring the things back. We¡¯ll y here.¡±


    Not far away was an empty space. It was the time of the year when the grasses were tall and the nightingales were in the air. In the middle of the green grass were a few small flowers. Dragonflies and butterflies would stop on the branches and perch on the flowers at the side from time to time. Seeing this, Little Bear¡¯s eyes widened.


    When Qi Haoran saw this, he immediately waved his hand and said, ¡°We¡¯ll listen to the Princess Consort.¡±


    Fan Zijin was simply traveling with the group and did as he was told. He did not care about anything else and only cared about ying and eating. Hence, when he heard Qi Haoran¡¯s words, he slowly got off the horse and swayed to the empty grasnd. Nodding, he said, ¡°Not bad. It¡¯s a good ce to fly a kite.¡±<div>


    The servants quickly moved the felt down and spread it on the grass. They also brought down a few tes of snacks, fruits, and two pots of tea. After putting down five handmade kites, they only left behind a few servant girls and servant boys to serve their masters. Zhu Liang brought people to carry the other things up and send them to the courtyard.


    This was halfway up the mountain, and Mu Yangling had chosen an excellent spot. Standing here, one had a panoramic view. Looking down, she could see more than half of Ju Prefecture City. On the left, there were mountains surrounding it. In the distance, the top of the mountain was hazy, resembling thend of immortals.


    This was the first time Little Bear was admiring the scenery from such a high altitude. He still didn¡¯t understand what it felt to have one¡¯s heart swell with pride, only knowing that he was ecstatic. Then, he followed his heart and shouted at the top of his lungs, circling around his parents as he did so.


    Seeing that her son was so thrilled, Mu Yangling immediately felt that the hair she had yanked at in frustration while developing this itinerary was worth it.<div>


    Little Madam Xia rarely had time toe out and y. At this moment, looking at the marvelous scenery below, she also felt refreshed. As she heaved a sigh of relief, she felt much more rxed.


    Eyes narrowed, Fan Zijin also felt that this ce had been chosen well. He sat cross-legged on the felt and said regretfully, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that there¡¯s no zither or flute. Otherwise, it¡¯d be fun for us to y a song together and have Haoran do a sword dance.¡±


    Qi Haoran was already running around on the grass with his son on his shoulders and letting out loud exmations from time to time. Mu Yangling chased after the father and son, scaring Little Bear so much that he screamed from time to time. Then, he kept patting Qi Haoran¡¯s head and shouting, ¡°Giddy up.¡± Now that Fan Zijin¡¯s poetic mood waspletely ruined by this family of three, he waved at Little Madam Xia and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the side and take a walk. Ignore them.¡±


    Little Madam Xia pursed her lips and smiled, then carefully ced her hand upon Fan Zijin¡¯s and the couple walked hand in hand to admire the scenery.


    Mu Yangling picked a small white flower on the ground and handed it to her son. Beaming, she taught him, ¡°This is a flower. A flower.¡±


    Little Bear took the small flower and opened his mouth. In the end, he still mumbled and failed to repeat the words clearly. Disappointment shed across Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes. Qi Haoran held his wife¡¯s hand tightly and said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious.¡±


    Then, he tugged at a branch at the side and continued to teach his son. After trying for a long time, Little Bear still couldn¡¯t pronounce the words urately. He only tugged at the leaf and mumbled something incoherently to his parents, clearly in a cheerful mood.


    Although his parents didn¡¯t understand what he was trying to say, they still smiled and nodded from time to time. Little Bear¡¯s interest was piqued.

 Chapter 662: Question

    Chapter 662: Question


    Editor: As Studios


    After ying until noon, Mu Yangling waved her hand and everyone walked back to the courtyard. The servants had already packed their things in advance. As soon as Mu Yangling and the others entered, they brought water over to help them wash up. After they changed into clean clothes, food was ready.


    Fan Zijin had a beam on his face, clearly quite satisfied with the arrangements for this morning. He asked, ¡°What else have you nned for today?¡±


    ¡°After eating, we¡¯ll take an afternoon nap and sleep till we wake up naturally. After that, we can walk around the courtyard or look at the scenery nearby. At night, we¡¯ll roast meat and eat together. The next morning, we¡¯ll go to the Temple of Eternal Blessings on the mountain to pray and y. After eating vegetarian food in the temple at noon, we¡¯lle down for a lunch break and begin our journey back.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Fan Zijin nodded slightly. ¡°Sounds rxing.¡±


    Mu Yangling said proudly, ¡°Of course. We¡¯re not just ying. We¡¯re doing this for our physical and mental pleasure. Naturally, we¡¯ll do whatever¡¯s rxing.¡±


    No wonder the couple had brought so many servants with them this time. In the past, when the two of them went out to y, they only brought their personal servant girls and servant boys, doing everything themselves. This time, they even brought Chief Steward Zhu Liang along.


    Fan Zijin only had the habit of taking an afternoon nap back in the north. After returning to Jiangnan, he had quit this habit because he no longer had time to take an afternoon nap these days. After lunch, he would just take a walk around the military camp and then close his eyes to rest for 15 minutes before continuing to work. Therefore, he thought that he would not be able to fall asleep at noon today.


    However, perhaps because he was a little tired from climbing the mountain just now, or perhaps because he was feeling sleepy after eating, he fell asleep as soon as hey on the bed.


    Little Madam Xia gently covered him with the nket and sat by the bed to look at him. She couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    In the courtyard on the other side, Qi Haoran propped his son up with his legs crossed. Shocked by this sight upon entering, Mu Yangling hurriedly ran over to carry her son down. She patted Qi Haoran and said angrily, ¡°What if our son falls?¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran got up and said, ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot. Why would I let him fall?¡±


    He snatched his son from Mu Yangling and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, son?¡±


    Little Bear nodded fiercely and even turned to look at his mother eagerly. Then, he decisively hugged his father¡¯s neck and refused to let go.


    Mu Yangling gently patted his butt and said, ¡°How ungrateful. I treat you so well but your father only has to curl his finger at you and you¡¯d go to him.¡±


    Little Bear buried his head in his father¡¯s arms. Feeling even more smug now, Qi Haoran shook his head and looked at Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling instantly felt jealousy. She was the one who spent the most time with the kid. Qi Haoran would onlye back from work to y with his son for an hour every day, but even then, his son clearly adored him and wished he could hang around his neck all day long.


    Mu Yangling took off her shoes and climbed into bed. ¡°Alright, hurry up and take a nap. Otherwise, you¡¯ll definitely fall asleep without eating tonight.¡±


    Qi Haoran hurriedly ced his son in the middle and ced hisrge hand on his stomach to coax him to sleep.


    As Little Bear rarely slept with his parents, he looked around curiously for a moment. Only after a long time did he yawn and fall asleep. Seeing that his son was asleep, Mu Yangling also gradually fell asleep.


    She felt that she had just closed her eyes when she suddenly heard her son¡¯s sharp cries. Mu Yangling opened her eyes and jumped up, only to see her son lying on the bed and crying so hard that he was out of breath. Meanwhile, Qi Haoran was sitting at the side with an ugly expression.


    Heart aching terribly, Mu Yangling quickly went forward to hug her son and coax him. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry. Mother is here.¡±


    Recognizing it was his mother, Little Bear hugged her neck tightly and buried his head in her chest to sob. His cries only eased after a long time, and Mu Yangling finally had the time to ask, ¡°What exactly happened? Why did you suddenly start crying? Did you suffer a fright or something?¡±


    At the mention of this, Qi Haoran¡¯s expression turned even uglier. ¡°I saw him snorting and wanted to bring him to pee. Yet, when he opened his eyes and saw me, he was so frightened that he burst into tears. Am I so scary? Didn¡¯t I just not sleep with him for more than a month? Previously, he didn¡¯t cry like this when I brought him to pee.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s more sensitive since this is an unfamiliar ce?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t recognize me just because of that? I¡¯m his father!¡± Qi Haoran snapped angrily.


    ¡°Alright, alright. What if you scare the child again?¡±


    Qi Haoran instantly kept quiet, but he still felt indignant. When everyone went out to y in the afternoon, Qi Haoran hugged Little Bear and asked, ¡°Do you remember me? This is your father. In the future, no matter if you¡¯re asleep or awake, you have to remember that I am your father. If any demons or ghosts scare you, just call me over to protect you. Do you understand?¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t know if Little Bear remembered his words. She only knew that Little Bear stared at his father for a while before burying his head in Qi Haoran¡¯s arms. Just as she thought that he was just being shy, he pointed at the road ahead and burst into tears. As he wailed, he tugged at Qi Haoran¡¯s clothes and asked to sit on his neck.


    Fan Zijin nced at the father and son, feeling a rare sense of envy. Little Madam Xia held his hand and looked at him eagerly.<div>


    With a smile, Fan Zijin patted her hand and said in a low voice, ¡°We¡¯ll have children too.¡±


    The next day, Mu Yangling took one look at Little Madam Xia and knew that it was done. Heaving a sigh of relief, she waved her arm for everyone to head to the Temple of Eternal Blessings.


    The Temple of Eternal Blessings was close to the top of the mountain,plete with meandering scenery. There was a shortcut from the courtyard to the side door of the temple. However, one could only walk, not ride a pnquin or ride a horse to get there.


    At dawn, they set off from the courtyard. The air in the mountains was fresh and the weather was slightly cold. Qi Haoran wrapped his son in a small nket and carried him in front of his chest as they slowly walked forward. When they arrived at the Temple of Eternal Blessings, the fog had dissipated and his son woke up.<div>


    Mu Yangling and Little Madam Xia walked slowly behind them while Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin led Little Bear to look for the Temple of Eternal Blessings¡¯ abbot.


    Upon hearing that the abbot of the Temple of Eternal Blessings had good medical skills, under Qi Haoran¡¯s gesturing, Fan Zijin helplessly asked the abbot to give him a checkup.


    Master Hui Qing took Fan Zijin¡¯s pulse and said with a smile, ¡°Benefactor, you¡¯ve overworked yourself. You need to focus on recuperating¡­¡±


    The conclusion was the same as Imperial Physician Wang¡¯s.


    After saying a few things to take note of, Hui Qing looked at Qi Haoran and asked, ¡°Benefactor, what can I do for you?¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at Qi Haoran. After hesitating for a moment, Qi Haoran carried his son, who was ying by his feet, over and said, ¡°Master, help me take a look at my son. He¡¯s already two years old, but he still can¡¯t speak a word. He was born prematurely and suffered a fright when he was a baby. I wonder what is wrong with him.¡±


    Although Qi Haoran told Mu Yangling not to be anxious, as a father, how could he not be?


    Little Treasure was only a year older than Little Bear. Now, not only could he speak, but he could also write simple words already. Not long ago, the letter they received contained some graffiti that Little Treasure had drawn for Little Bear.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Hui Qing¡¯s expression turned solemn. After taking Little Bear¡¯s pulse, he kept teasing him with some object. The innocent Little Bear happily held the object and mumbled incoherently to Hui Qing.


    Hui Qing pointed at Qi Haoran with a smile and said, ¡°This is Father. Father¡ª¡±


    Little Bear looked at Huiqing, then at Qi Haoran. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he merely spat out two incoherent words. Then, he mumbled again and held his father¡¯s hand from time to time to get him to y with the toys in his hand.


    Seeing this, Hui Qing pondered for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with the child¡¯s voice. As for him being unable to repeat what you said, I think the child seems to want to say something, but is unable to do so. So in the end, he just glossed over it.¡±


    <div>

 Chapter 663: Pain

    Chapter 663: Pain


    Editor: As Studios


    When Qi Haoran carried the child out, his expression was slightly dark. It was only when he saw Mu Yangling not far away that he restrained the gloominess on his face and carried Little Bear over with a smile.


    Walking behind him with a dark glint in his eyes, Fan Zijin was about to say something when he saw Mu Yangling hugging Little Bear and kissing his face. The rare tenderness on her face made Fan Zijin suppress his thoughts. In the end, he didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°What did you say to the abbot that took so long?¡± Mu Yangling asked.


    ¡°Nothing much. I just asked for a few safety talismans.¡± Qi Haoran handed the safety talismans to Mu Yangling.


    Mu Yangling said in surprise, ¡°You believe in this? I¡¯ll get a maidservant to make a few pouches and hang them upter.¡±


    Qi Haoran pouted and said, ¡°Can you delegate such tasks to a maidservant? Make it yourself.¡±


    Mu Yangling put away the safety talisman and said, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t mind it being ugly, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Only then was Qi Haoran satisfied. He raised his chin reluctantly and said, ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s ugly. After all, I chose to marry you.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at Little Bear and sighed slightly. If it was difficult, so be it. After all, he was his father. No matter how difficult it was, he had to find a doctor to treat his illness.


    However, when he saw his lively and active son, Qi Haoran¡¯s heart ached. Even if his son wasn¡¯t a dragon among men, he couldn¡¯t fare too badly. How could he not even know how to speak?<div>


    Seeing that Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes were slightly wet, Fan Zijin sighed in his heart and stepped forward to block him slightly. He said to Little Madam Xia, ¡°Go take a walk in the temple with Sister-inw. Cousin and I will stroll around nearby.¡±


    Little Madam Xia bowed slightly and went forward to hold Mu Yangling¡¯s hand. She said with a smile, ¡°Ah Ling, apany me to the back of the mountain, will you? Little Bear, are you willing to y with Auntie?¡±


    Little Bear responded with a babbling sound and ran towards the back of the mountain while holding the hands of the two adults. Mu Yangling turned around and nced at Qi Haoran. She suddenly felt a little sour and uneasy, and she couldn¡¯t help but exert more strength on the hand that was holding Little Bear.


    When Fan Zijin saw that they had left, he patted Qi Haoran¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Alright, since you don¡¯t want her to know, keep away the tears in your eyes. Didn¡¯t Master Hui Qing also say that the child is probably just learning to speak at a slightlyter age? Tell Eldest Cousin about itter. We¡¯ll find a doctor who¡¯s good at treating children.¡±


    Qi Haoran lowered his eyes. ¡°If we don¡¯t even know what illness it is, how can we treat it?¡±


    Fan Zijin was furious. ¡°Why are you so certain that Little Bear is sick?¡±


    ¡°Ah Ling said that Little Bear called her ¡®Mother¡¯ before. It¡¯s been more than a year, but he hasn¡¯t spoken again.¡± Qi Haoran vaguely believed that Little Bear had be like this after suffering a fright. Hui Qing also said that there was nothing wrong with Little Bear¡¯s voice, and Imperial Physician Wang couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with him either.


    He had observed more than once that when he taught his son to speak, the kid would always open his mouth and try to learn, but he would always not be able to make any sybles. That was why he would say something that they did not understand. It seemed like he wasining or angry.


    Qi Haoran did not know that in the future, there would be children who would have mental disorders after being traumatized. However, his thoughts matched exactly that.


    But did Little Bear really have a psychological barrier because he¡¯d suffered a fright back then?


    Because medical technology was limited currently, no one could give an answer.


    Mu Yangling sat on the stone bench and looked at Little Bear, who was squatting on the ground and asionally catching one or two green insects from the grass at the side to show off. She forced a smile.


    Little Madam Xia patted her hand and asked gently, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head slightly and lowered her eyes without saying anything.


    Although Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin did not say anything, the three of them had grown up together. Putting aside Fan Zijin, she knew what Qi Haoran was thinking based on his behavior. When he came out, the expression on his face was not right. In fact, his eyes were even filled with tears.


    Qi Haoran had always prided himself on being manly. What could possibly make someone like that cry?


    The only two times were because of her.


    However, they were now husband and wife and got along harmoniously. Just now, only Fan Zijin and Little Bear were inside with him.


    If it was because of Fan Zijin¡¯s health problems, Fan Zijin would not have that expression. Thus, it must be about Little Bear.<div>


    What was wrong with Little Bear?


    Looking at her son, who was yanking at grass and picking flowers everywhere and being annoyingly active, it was clear that his body was as strong as an ox. The only problem was that he could not speak.


    He did not know how to speak!


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart tightened. Little Treasure was a smart child, so there was no need topare with him. In order to understand the growth of a child more urately, Mu Yangling had once sent a subordinate to do a questionnaire. Combined with what the imperial physician said, the conclusion was that a child could usually call ¡°Father, Mother¡± when they turned six to seven months old. When they turned about one year old, they would speak simple words. At two years old, theirnguage would be rich to a certain extent and they could express their thoughts coherently¡­<div>


    Back then, when Little Bear called her ¡°Mother¡±, he was more than seven months old. After that, he didn¡¯t really speak anymore.


    Mu Yangling had always felt that her son was just slow in learningnguages. He was lively, cheerful, smart, and good at fighting. He could cry and make a fuss. Given all that, it didn¡¯t matter even if he learned to speakter. However, from the looks of it, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. At present, Little Bear was already two years old¡­


    Mu Yangling felt her heart ache. However, when she saw Qi Haoraning over to pick them up with a smile, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t say anything she wanted to ask previously.


    She stood quietly beside Qi Haoran and watched as he ced his son on his neck. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat vegetarian food then head down the mountain to rest.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly and felt that it was better to leave the question until they got home.


    When they went down the mountain, everyone was a little silent. By the time they returned to the courtyard, they were no longer in the mood to y. Mu Yangling coaxed Little Bear to sleep before asking Qi Haoran bluntly, ¡°Is there a problem with Little Bear?¡±


    Qi Haoran was stunned. Seeing that he still couldn¡¯t hide it from Mu Yangling, he could only say, ¡°Abbot Huiqing couldn¡¯t find out either. I asked Imperial Physician Wang to take a look. He also said that there¡¯s nothing wrong with Little Bear¡¯s throat. Perhaps he just needs time.¡±


    ¡°He did call me ¡®Mother¡¯ before. I thought that he¡¯d cried out ¡®Mother¡¯ in a moment of fear. Do you think it¡¯s because he suffered a fright at that time? But at that time, the doctor said that Little Treasure was, in fact, more greatly frightened. Also, Little Bear only had nightmares for two days before he became lively again¡­¡±


    Seeing that Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes were filled with tears, Qi Haoran hurriedly hugged her and said, ¡°Maybe not. Perhaps our son just learns to speakter than other kids. I¡¯ll write a letter to Big Brother and ask him to find us a highly skilled physician. On top of that, we¡¯ll teach him slowly. I¡¯m sure everything will be fine.¡±


    Mu Yangling leaned into Qi Haoran¡¯s arms and couldn¡¯t help but bite his clothes to stop the whimpering from escaping her mouth. Tears streamed down her face.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s heart ached. He looked at his son, who was sleeping with his limbs spread out on the bed, and pain shed across his eyes.


    Mu Yangling wiped her tears and straightened her back. ¡°Let¡¯s find a local doctor ourselves. I¡¯ll go back and find a few more friends for our son to y with and slowly teach him how to speak.¡±


    <div>

 Chapter 664: Collision

    Chapter 664: Collision


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran thought for a moment before writing a memorial to request for the conferment of his heir. After sealing the memorial, Fei Bai came over to invite him. ¡°Master, we¡¯re done packing in front. Her Highness said that we¡¯ll set off now.¡±


    Qi Haoran kept the memorial and nodded. ¡°Got it.¡±


    Everyone returned in a carriage. Because she had let it all out by crying earlier, Mu Yangling was feeling quite alright. She was hugging Little Bear and letting him lean against the window to look at the scenery outside.


    Perhaps Little Bear felt that his mother was easy-going today, so after hesitating for a moment, he excitedly stuck half of his body out and waved at the outside. He even wanted to reach out to grab the leaves sticking out of the roadside. But when he realized that his mother didn¡¯t smack him and only pulled him back before gently persuading him not to do this, Little Bear¡¯s eyes darted around. He broke free from his mother¡¯s arms and climbed out of the carriage, insisting on sitting on the shaft.


    The coachman was sweating profusely and almost fell off the carriage. Seeing this, Qi Haoran asked the coachman to stop the carriage and send him off to ride a horse. Then, he carried his son and sat on the shaft of the carriage to personally drive the carriage.


    Mu Yangling could only sit outside.


    Pleasantly surprised, Little Bear clenched his fists and cried out excitedly. Seeing that Qi Haoran was about to drive the carriage, Mu Yangling took the initiative to take her son into her arms. Seeing that he was squirming left and right and still wanted to go crazy, she gently patted his butt and threatened, ¡°If you don¡¯t behave, get into the carriage.¡±


    The child instantly became obedient and sat obediently in his mother¡¯s arms, his big ck eyes rolling around. How could such a smart child not know how to speak?


    Mu Yangling hugged him slightly and pointed at the things along the way. ¡°These are trees. There are so many trees. Does Little Bear like them?¡±


    ¡°There are flowers there. Red flowers. Aren¡¯t they pretty?¡±<div>


    ¡­


    As the breeze blew, Qi Haoran saw that his son was indeed looking at those things ording to Ah Ling¡¯s guidance. Although he was still babbling, Qi Haoran felt satisfied. Smiling, he slowed down the carriage, letting the horse slowly move forward.


    From time to time, he would reach out and pull off two branches for his son. Little Bear excitedly patted the horse¡¯s butt with those branches. The horse only shook its tail gently twice before continuing to move forward slowly.


    However, Little Bear found it interesting and wanted to reach out to grab the horse¡¯s tail. Knowing just how strong their little boy was, the couple didn¡¯t dare to let him grab it. What if the horse started sprinting forward in pain if he identally exerted too much strength?


    Hence, Mu Yangling quickly grabbed his small hand. Displeased, Little Bear pouted as he shouted at his mother, insisting on having intimate contact with the horse. Mu Yangling said, ¡°Don¡¯t grab the horse¡¯s tail. The horse will hurt¡­¡±


    Just as Mu Yangling was lecturing, a guard suddenly shouted, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Mu Yangling instantly protected Little Bear in her arms and looked up. When the guard shouted, Qi Haoran reached out to protect his wife and children behind him. His left hand quickly made two gestures, and the guards split into two groups. One half protected Fan Zijin¡¯s carriage from the back, and the other half stood in front of Qi Haoran¡¯s carriage.


    Qi Haoran looked ahead and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Although it was just a simple trip, they had brought many guards with them. The route of the convoy had been scouted in advance, so they could eliminate ordinary dangers beforehand.


    At the thought of this, Qi Haoran¡¯s body tensed up slightly. If the guards only alerted him now, did that mean that it was a different kind of danger or an emergency?


    No matter which one it was, Qi Haoran, who had a child with him, didn¡¯t like it. His aura couldn¡¯t help but be fierce.


    Little Bear was so frightened that his face turned pale. Mu Yangling hurriedly hugged him tightly and shouted disapprovingly, ¡°Haoran.¡±


    Qi Haoran hurriedly restrained his aura and patted his son¡¯s back in a flurry. He looked at Fei Bai, who was running over on a horse. ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s an injured Miao citizen. We don¡¯t understand what she¡¯s saying.¡±


    Fei Bai added, ¡°It¡¯s a woman who suddenly ran out of the mountains. She has knife wounds on her body. The guards who scouted the route previously didn¡¯t discover her. Your Highness, should we escort her over?¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned slightly and nced at the child, then waved his hand and said, ¡°Bring her back to the General¡¯s Residence. There¡¯s no need to bring her here.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, there was amotion in front. A Miao woman shouted something in Miaonguage. Mu Yangling suddenly looked up and said to Qi Haoran, ¡°Bring her over. I think I heard her say something about Dali just now.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately ordered, ¡°Protect that Miao woman and send her over.¡±


    Fei Bai immediately ran over. Only then did Qi Haoran turn around and ask, ¡°How much of the Miaonguage have you learned?¡±


    ¡°Not much, but I can handle some basic conversations. Last time, I heard Jinhua mention that her brother-inw had business dealings with Dali, so I asked a bit about that. The word she said just now sounded a lot like ¡®Dali¡¯ in the Miaonguage.¡±<div>


    The Miao woman who had collided with the convoy was quickly brought over. She was wearing the clothes of a married woman, and her headdress was also that of a married woman. Clearly, she was married. When she saw the high and mighty Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling, she cowered a little. However, she seemed to have thought of something and still knelt on the ground. She looked at them pleadingly as she exined the situation in Miaonguage.


    Frowning, Mu Yangling said in Miaonguage, ¡°Slow down.¡±


    Seeing that she actually knew the Miaonguage, the Miao woman¡¯s eyes lit up. She pounced forward and grabbed the shaft of the carriage. Qi Haoran almost kicked her. It was only when Mu Yangling held him back that he stopped.


    Although the Miao woman was agitated, she still tried her best to speak as slowly as possible. ¡°Please save my husband. He¡¯s locked up by the second prince of the tribe. Please save him.¡±<div>


    Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Why was he locked up by the second prince?¡±


    ¡°Because he overheard the second prince saying that he wanted to cooperate with Dali. Furious, the second prince took him away with his men and even wanted to kill us. Luckily, my inws and I managed to escape. Please, you¡¯re the Prince and the Princess Consort. You¡¯re good people. I beg of you to save him.¡±


    Mu Yangling whispered a few words into Qi Haoran¡¯s ear. Qi Haoran nodded and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If the situation is as you said, we will save your husband.¡± Qi Haoran nced at the wounds on her back and said, ¡°Follow us back to treat your injuries first. I still have some questions to ask you.¡±


    Mu Yangling hurriedly tranted Qi Haoran¡¯s words for the Miao woman. The Miao woman fell to the ground and cried softly.


    Mu Yangling gestured for the guards to bring her to the spare carriage at the back. Then, she ordered people to protect her and asked Spring to treat her wound.


    No longer in the mood to travel back slowly, Qi Haoran returned the coachman¡¯s seat to the coachman and carried his son into the carriage. He ordered, ¡°Return to the city at full speed.¡±


    He then asked the two guards to secretly return to the city and quickly bring reinforcements to pick them up, afraid that the other party would cut off their means of retreat and leave them stranded outside the city.


    Qi Haoran felt that if he were the other party, this was most likely what he would do.


    However, he had clearly overestimated the other party. Although they sensed that they were being watched, the other party did not take any action while they returned to Ju Prefecture City.


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips and said disdainfully, ¡°What a coward.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we misunderstood. Perhaps it¡¯s not a rebellion, but ordinary smuggling.¡± Mu Yangling said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t rush to conclusions. If it¡¯s not a rebellion, let it go if you can. It¡¯s not appropriate to start a war now.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded.


    <div>

 Chapter 665: Interrogation

    Chapter 665: Interrogation


    Editor: As Studios


    Imperial Physician Wang wiped the blood off his hands and hurriedly went forward to bow to Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran waved his hand and asked, ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°There are two knife wounds on her body. One of them is so deep that her bones can be seen. Fortunately, she took some medicine to stop the bleeding. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid she might not have survived. She¡¯s awake now, so Your Highness can ask her questions if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded slightly and asked Fei Bai, ¡°Have you found the people I asked you to find?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re already waiting outside.¡±


    ¡°Let them in.¡±


    Qi Haoran got someone to find two people who were proficient in the Miao and Chinesenguages to trante for them. Although Ah Ling had learned some Miao words, she could only half-guess and could not understand many words. If he wanted to know the exact situation, he had to find someone who was proficient in the Miaonguage.


    The Miao woman panicked when she saw them enter. Qi Haoran nced at Fei Bai, who quickly went forward tofort her. ¡°Big Sister, don¡¯t be afraid. This is Prince Rong, a most fair and kind person. If you have any grievances, you can tell us. We will stand up for you.¡±


    The two trantors quickly tranted Fei Bai¡¯s words for the Miao woman. The three of them chatted for a while before Trantor A said, ¡°Your Highness, she said that her name is Ah Yin. Her husband¡¯s surname is Jilu, and they are Miao citizens of the Bisha Miao stockade.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded slightly and asked, ¡°What happened to her husband?¡±


    Trantor B conveyed Qi Haoran¡¯s intentions. Ah Yin instantly became agitated and tears flowed from his eyes. When the two trantors heard her words, they felt that they had learned an incredible secret. The two of them looked at each other and were a little fearful. However, under Qi Haoran¡¯s intense gaze, the two of them had no choice but to trante. ¡°She said that her husband was captured by the second prince of the Bisha Miao stockade. The second prince even wanted to kill their entire family because Jilu overheard something that he shouldn¡¯t have.¡±<div>


    Trantor B continued, ¡°Ah Yin said that Jilu took a promissory note to exchange for grains. When he came back, he took a shortcut and identally heard the second prince talking to someone, saying he wanted to cooperate with Dali. s, in his panic, Jilu identally revealed his presence. After he ran back, he told Ah Yin about this and asked her to hide in the mountains with his parents. Unexpectedly, as soon as they left, Jilu was captured and they were also hunted down. Left with no other choice, Ah Yin brought her inws deep into the mountains, but she was still discovered when she went out to look for food. Because she was afraid that those people would find her inws, she ran elsewhere to mislead her pursuers.¡±


    Ah Yin¡¯s knowledge was limited and her words were a little confusing, but Qi Haoran still understood and asked, ¡°Then how did you bump into our convoy?¡±


    Trantor A said, ¡°She said that it was an ident. At that time, she just thought that her pursuers wouldn¡¯t dare to kill her where there¡¯s a crowd. Later, she heard someone call ¡®Your Highness¡¯. She knows that Your Highnesses are good people and their benefactors. Hence, she knew how ¡®Your Highness¡¯ is pronounced in Mandarin, so she decided to ask Your Highness for help.¡±


    Qi Haoran knocked on the table and asked, ¡°Then where are your inws? I¡¯ll get someone to save them.¡±


    Ah Yin felt that Qi Haoran was a good person and unguardedly told him the location. Only then did Qi Haoran nod and signal for the two trantors tofort her before turning to leave.


    ¡°Get someone to fetch her inws out immediately. If it¡¯s really her inws, then it¡¯s really an ident that she approached us. In which case, it proves she doesn¡¯t have ulterior motives.¡±


    Fei Bai agreed. ¡°Master, what about the two trantors?¡±


    ¡°Keep them for now. We may have a use for themter.¡±


    Although Qi Haoran wanted to silence them, it urred to him that he still needed help tranting stuff in the future and temporarily suppressed his thoughts. He couldn¡¯t possibly find two new trantors every time he needed someone to trante for him, right?


    Too much action could easily reveal that something was up. Fortunately, the General¡¯s Residence was like an iron bucket. Even if there were spies mixed in, he was confident that the other party would not be able to get close to him and his wife.


    Qi Haoran thought for a moment and said, ¡°Get the two trantors to stay in this courtyard and not allow them to step out. Go talk to them to calm them down. If things go smoothly, I¡¯ll let them leave after this.¡±


    Fei Bai agreed.


    Qi Haoran went to the backyard to see Mu Yangling. Mu Yangling asked about the situation and said, ¡°We have to keep it a secret. Once this matter is leaked, I¡¯m afraid the Miao people will panic and it will be disadvantageous to us.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. That courtyard¡¯s security is loose on the outside and tight on the inside. It¡¯s as safe as our main house. I don¡¯t believe anyone will dare to barge in.¡±


    Qi Haoran stroked his son¡¯s head and said in a low voice, ¡°Ah Yin is just a woman, but she can recognize medicinal herbs and stop the bleeding herself. I heard that Miao doctors have extraordinary medical skills. Why don¡¯t we find a Miao doctor to take a look at our sonter?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°We have to ensure that there¡¯s no problem with the other party. I heard that Miao doctors are good at raising Gu1.¡±


    With his brows slightly creased, Qi Haoran nodded slowly.


    Qi Haoran had just sent someone to seek a capable Miao doctor when the guards brought out the two old elderly people from deep in the mountains. However, other than the two elderly people, the guards were in a sorry state. One of them was even lying on the ground on hisst breath, and Imperial Physician Wang was trying to resuscitate him.


    At the side, Jilu¡¯s mother was gesturing anxiously. Qi Haoran immediately said, ¡°Get the trantor over.¡±<div>


    The two trantors jogged over and shouted, ¡°She asked for the Valeriana herb. He¡¯s been bitten by a poisonous snake¡­¡±


    Seeing that the guard had been cured of the poison, Qi Haoran led the guard leader to the next room to ask, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t I only ask you to pick the two of them up? Were you attacked?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The leader of the guards was a little dejected as he said, ¡°They were hiding deep in the mountains and there was a lot of miasma. We lost our way halfway and only found that ce when we found a Miao viger who was hunting in the mountains nearby to lead the way. However, there were many poisonous insects and snakes along the way, and some of our men identally got bitten. Your Highness, if we were to fight the Miao soldiers outside, we have an 80% chance of winning. If we were in an ordinary mountain forest, we would not be afraid. However, if we were in a mountain forest in Qiannan¡­¡±


    The guard leader¡¯s face was a little pale. Although he had only been in the mountain for a short period of time, he could see very clearly that all the Miao people who entered the mountain had anti-bug medicine. Because they had not applied it, they were attacked more often by the poisonous insects and snakes. However, the Miao people were very wary of the Han people and would not easily give them the medicine.<div>


    Putting everything else aside, they had entered the mountain to save the elderly couple. The two elderly persons clearly had insect repellent on them, but they refused to take it out. It could be seen that although they were being chased by their own nsmen, their vignce towards the Han people was engraved in their bones.


    Qi Haoran narrowed his eyes. ¡°So, their chances of working with us are also very low.¡±


    The guard leader nodded. ¡°I think that Miao woman only blurted out all those things in front of us because she¡¯s young and insensible.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately said, ¡°Pass down the order to lock the elderly couple in another courtyard. Don¡¯t let them meet for the time being, and don¡¯t let Ah Yin know that her inws have been saved. If she asks, tell her that we¡¯ve already sent our men.¡±


    Qi Haoran changed his mind. Since the elderly Miao couple were so wary of them, it would be very difficult to use Ah Yin¡¯s inws to convince her to cooperate with them. Thus, it was better to separate them for the time being. To Ah Yin, the most urgent matter at hand was probably to save Jilu, who was in a dangerous situation.

 Chapter 666: Inquiring

    Chapter 666: Inquiring


    Editor: As Studios


    When Qi Haoran went to see Ah Yin again, he brought news of her inws. He only said that the people who entered the mountain did not see anyone after searching the area. He only instructed two of his men to guard there and rescue them if they saw them.


    Ah Yin cried on the bed and said, ¡°Father and Mother must have been captured by them. If not, they must have fled more deeply into the forest. What should we do? I promised Jilu to protect Father and Mother well.¡±


    Qi Haoran lowered his eyes and asked, ¡°Did Jilu tell you how to protect your inws?¡±


    Ah Yin shook her head. ¡°The situation was too urgent at that time, so Jilu didn¡¯t have time to say much. He only had time to push us out and lure the pursuers away himself.¡±


    ¡°Those people chased after Jilu the moment he returned home?¡± Qi Haoran asked in confusion.


    Ah Yin shook her head. ¡°No, those people only came after midnight. When Jilu came back, it has only just turned dark. He felt a little uneasy and told me at night that he had heard something incredible, and he didn¡¯t know if the second prince woulde for him. Who knew that at midnight while we were sleeping, we started hearing sounds¡­¡±


    ¡°Then did he talk about that incredible matter in detail? Did he only say that the second prince and Dali were in contact?¡± Seeing Ah Yin¡¯s hesitation, Qi Haoran said, ¡°You have to tell me the truth so that I can go to the Miao stockade to save Jilu. ording to what you said, Jilu has been taken away for a period of time. If we don¡¯t save him now, I¡¯m afraid he might not survive.¡±


    Ah Yin was shocked. The furthest she had ever been in her life was to Ji¡¯an¡¯s Miao stockade. She had never even been to Ju Prefecture City and had never seen more than a hundred people. How could she know if Qi Haoran was telling the truth? Her mind was entirely focused on her husband, Jilu. Since it was unknown if her inws were dead or alive, she would really have no rtives if her husband died.


    Ah Yin knelt in front of Qi Haoran in a panic and blurted out to him everything like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube. ¡°Jilu said that the second prince feels that Chief Ji¡¯an has overstepped his boundaries. He feels that since he has curried favor with the Imperial Court, he has been interfering in our stockade¡¯s matters. Originally, the Miao people of our stockade only listened to the orders of our tribe¡¯s chief. He felt that the chiefs should be the ones responsible for the exchange of goods for grains. However, Chief Ji¡¯an went past them and gave us the goods directly, pissing off the second prince.¡±


    After hearing the trantion, Qi Haoran narrowed his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s all?¡±<div>


    Ah Yin hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Jilu said that the second prince doesn¡¯t like Your Highness very much. I don¡¯t know much else.¡±


    ¡°What about Dali?¡±


    Ah Yin shook her head nkly.


    Qi Haoran was deep in thought. It seemed that Jilu didn¡¯t hear much, or rather, he didn¡¯t hear the most crucial aspects. It was quite unfortunate that they were going after him, in that case.


    Seeing that he was deep in thought, Ah Yin looked at him expectantly and asked, ¡°Your Highness, can you save Jilu? We¡¯re honest folks and certainly not bad people.¡±


    Qi Haoran sighed. That second prince would not let Jilu off just because he was not a bad person. However, Qi Haoran still nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, but I can¡¯t guarantee it.¡±


    Ah Yin heaved a sigh of relief. It was fine as long as the Prince was willing to help.


    Qi Haoran got someone to call Liu Dahei over and specially instructed him to bring his wife, Jinhua, along. Although he had long inquired about the rtionship between the Miao stockades, there were some things that only the Miao people knew. As Han Chinese, such information was not avable to them.


    Therefore, Mu Yangling had to step in to speak to Jinhua.


    Jinhua said, ¡°In our region with nine valleys and 18 viges, Bisha Miao stockade is mixed, hosting many surnames, but the chief is from the prominent Sanglin family. He has many, many sons. I heard from my father that he gave birth to a total of 11 sons, out of which seven survived.¡±


    Jinhua treated this as gossip and did not know that her father had forbidden her to reveal this to the Han people. These words were gossip among the Miao people, but it was different for the Han people.


    As expected, Mu Yangling asked with interest, ¡°Are all his sons born from the same mother?¡±


    Jinhua nodded. ¡°We Miao people are not like you Han people who take in concubines. Unless your wife or man dies, the couple will live together forever. Chief Sanglin¡¯s wife is alive and well, so of course his sons were born from the same mother.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of children. They¡¯re really good at giving birth.¡± Mu Yangling sighed and asked, ¡°Then how did his four sons die?¡±


    ¡°One died of illness, one was bitten by a poisonous snake in the mountains, and the other two died in battle with your Han soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Then Chief Sanglin must not like us Han Chinese.¡±


    Jinhua pursed her lips and said, ¡°Many Miao people don¡¯t like Han Chinese.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled. Only Jinhua would dare to speak so straightforwardly. ¡°Since he has so many sons, who will be the chief after he dies?¡±


    Jinhua tilted her head and said, ¡°Depends on who¡¯s stronger.¡±<div>


    ¡°I thought the eldest son would inherit the chieftainship.¡±


    Jinhua said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s the way of the Han people. We Miao people believe that whoever has the ability will be the chief.¡± Jinhua sighed for once. ¡°My father said that the Miao people¡¯s lives are too hard. If the chief is ipetent on top of that, the Miao people¡¯s lives will only be more difficult. Therefore, we don¡¯t have the chance to choose a chief. The elders will choose someone who is capable and virtuous. Only then can he lead the Miao people to better days.¡±


    Mu Yangling narrowed her eyes slightly. ¡°So the chief isn¡¯t appointed by the current chief, but by the elders?¡±


    This was a little different from the information they had gathered. Mu Yangling carefully asked the inheritance procedures and then inquired about Sanglin¡¯s sons. ¡°Have you seen Chief Sanglin¡¯s sons? Who do you think is the most capable?¡±<div>


    ¡°Yes.¡± Disinterestedly, Jinhua pursed her lips and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think any of them canpare to my older brother. If I absolutely have to choose someone, the sixth son is probably the better one amongst them since he¡¯s good at martial arts. However, my father and brother-inw both said that the Second Prince will probably be the head of the Bisha Miao stockade in the future. I really can¡¯t see what¡¯s so good about the Second Prince. In terms of fighting, he definitely can¡¯t beat his sixth brother.¡±


    ¡°What about the Eldest Prince?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dead. Died fighting with you Han Chinese.¡±


    ¡°Other than the Second Prince, who else is capable?¡±


    Jinhua thought for a moment and said hesitantly, ¡°The Third Prince? I heard my brother-inw mention him before. He said that he¡¯s very good at doing business. That should mean he¡¯s quite capable, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Mu Yangling gained a rough understanding of the remaining seven sons of Chieftain Sanglin from Jinhua and found out about some things that only circted among the Miao people. She also asked about the rtionship between the other Miao stockades and the Bisha Miao stockade.


    The more she listened, the more Mu Yangling decided that she had to tell Qi Haoran to make sure that Liu Dahei didn¡¯t reveal any secrets to Jinhua. She was too gossipy and couldn¡¯t keep her mouth shut. Although this was a good thing for them, it wouldn¡¯t be good if the roles were reversed.


    Fan Zijin knocked on the table and asked, ¡°In other words, Chief Sanglin might be hostile to us?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Qi Haoran frowned and said, ¡°I remember that when in terms of leading the troops to surrender, Chief Sanglin was the second to surrender after Chief Ji¡¯an. Moreover, we¡¯ve been here for more than half a year and he hasn¡¯t caused any trouble for us. Inparison, the other Miao stockades are always creating some kind of trouble.¡±

 Chapter 667: Bisha Miao stockade

    Chapter 667: Bisha Miao stockade


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran walked around the room a few times and said, ¡°Although this matter involves Chief Sanglin¡¯s second son, it might not have been instructed by Sanglin. There¡¯s a huge difference.¡±


    Fan Zijin frowned. ¡°But we¡¯re not close to the Bisha Miao stockade, and it¡¯s always difficult to seek information about the Miao stockades. How can we find out their intentions?¡±


    Qi Haoran stopped in his tracks and snorted. ¡°Looks like we should go to the Bisha Miao stockade to meet Chief Sanglin.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Qi Haoran¡¯s advisor, Advisor Qian, hurriedly stopped him. ¡°An important figure like Your Highness should not put himself in such a perilous situation. If the Bisha Miao stockade truly has the intention to rebel, won¡¯t Your Highness be walking into a tiger¡¯s den?¡±


    Qi Haoranughed and said, ¡°I don¡¯t dare to say anything else, but I can guarantee my own safety. As long as you guys guard Ju Prefecture City well, everything will be fine.¡±


    Advisor Qian was secretly anxious. One of the reasons why the Emperor had sent him to the Prince¡¯s side was to ensure his safety and prevent him from being in danger.


    Advisor Qian looked at Fan Zijin anxiously.


    Fan Zijin, on the other hand, was very confident in Qi Haoran. He only asked who was in charge of the Central Camp¡¯s military power.


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°Leave it to the generals below, but I¡¯ve handed the token to Ah Ling. If anything happens, Ah Ling will lead the troops. When the timees, I still need you to lend her reinforcement.¡±


    Fan Zijin knew that he was referring to Dali and West Xia¡¯s potential invasion of their borders. As for the Miao stockade¡¯s betrayal, it could be left to the subordinate generals to take care of.


    Advisor Qian was slightly surprised that the Prince and the Duke trusted the Princess Consort so much. Seeing that the Prince had already made up his mind and obviously wouldn¡¯t listen to his advice, he could only sigh.


    Upon seeing this, Fan Zijin said with a smile, ¡°Advisor Qian doesn¡¯t understand Haoran¡¯s abilities. As long as he¡¯s on the ground and has an army of soldiers following hismand, no one in this world can make things difficult for him. Moreover, the guards he brought this time are all experienced guards. Self-preservation is certainly not a problem.¡±


    ¡°But considering the Bisha Miao stockade has already rebelled, it¡¯s still too dangerous to go now. Why don¡¯t Your Highness send an envoy instead?¡±


    Fan Zijin snorted. ¡°I¡¯m afraid the other envoys won¡¯t be able to find anything. Don¡¯t worry, the danger of Haoran going personally is much lower. The Bisha Miao stockade doesn¡¯t know how much evidence we have right now. Plus the Central Camp has a 100,000-strong army at the foot of the mountain, versus only 8,000 people in the Bisha Miao stockade. They won¡¯t be so dumb as to strike a rock with an egg.¡±


    ¡°What if they take His Highness hostage?¡±


    Fan Zijin said, ¡°No, Haoran isn¡¯t stupid and Chief Sanglin isn¡¯t stupid either.¡±


    With Qi Haoran¡¯s ability, he would not be easily caught. Moreover, the Miao stockade had lost a lot of young men in the battle of West Xia. Right now the stockade consisted mostly of the old, weak, women, and children. As long as Sanglin still had the Miao stockade and the Miao people in his heart, he would not make such a mistake. Otherwise, while he might be able to take away some young and strong men, he would have broken the roots of the Miao stockade.


    They were going to visit and investigate, not directly interrogate them. Smart people knew what to choose.


    Mu Yangling was also very assured and even packed a few sets of clothes for Qi Haoran. Seeing that the two people who cared about the Prince the most were so assured, Advisor Qian could only suppress the anxiety in his heart.


    He thought self-deprecatingly in his heart. If he didn¡¯t know that the Prince and the Princess Consort were deeply in love and that the Prince and the Duke were close as brothers, he would almost suspect that the Princess Consort and the Duke had joined forces to make the Prince fall into a dangerous trap.


    Advisor Qian stopped his imagination from running wild, then quickly looked straight ahead with a straight face to show that he was not letting his imagination run wild just now.


    Qi Haoran looked at him strangely and felt that Advisor Qian was a little strange just now.


    This time, Qi Haoran brought along a trantor. Although the people in power in the Miao stockade all spoke Mandarin, he felt that it was better to bring along a trantor.


    When Chief Sanglin heard that Prince Rong hade to visit, he was slightly surprised. He didn¡¯t know why a Prince of the Great Qi Dynasty hade to his ce when he wasn¡¯t sucking up to the Imperial Court like Ji¡¯an.


    On the other hand, the Second Prince, Sanglin Zhong, who was standing behind Sanglin, changed his expression slightly. He clenched his fists tightly, and a dark look shed across his eyes.


    Sanglin Ji nced at his second brother before lowering his eyes, seemingly thinking about something.


    Sanglin Zhong¡¯s actions were only hidden from his parents and a few younger brothers, but it wasmon knowledge between the older ones. Sanglin Ji did not have a good impression of Dali and had always opposed his second brother¡¯s interactions with them. Doing business with them was fine, but he actually tried to coborate with Dali against the Imperial Court when their stockade totally wasn¡¯t capable of that.


    Sanglin Ji had always been worried that his second brother would drag the entire stockade down with him, so he did not stop him when thetter was getting rid of future troubles. But now, Qi Haoran hade looking for them. Had he found out?


    Although the brothers of the Sanglin family knew that their second brother was close to Dali and that he wanted to silence a Miao citizen who had identally overheard this, they did not know the details. After all, it was a confidential matter, so it was not good for them to probe too much lest they attracted hatred. Therefore, when Qi Haoran came to the Miao stockade, other than Chief Sanglin and his younger sons who were still a little confused, everyone else was nervous.


    Seeing a smiling Qi Haoran dismount with just 20 personal guards, they felt slightly relieved. If he were here to interrogate them, he wouldn¡¯t dare to bring so few people to their Miao stockade, right?


    Apanied by everyone, Qi Haoran briefly toured the Bisha Miao stockade before he suggested to talk to Chief Sanglin alone.


    Sanglin Zhong suddenly looked up at Qi Haoran and narrowed his eyes. Qi Haoran looked at him without avoiding his gaze, then smiled and asked, ¡°This must be the second son of the chief, right? Looks like a talented young man.¡±


    Chief Sanglin was stunned for a moment before he replied with a smile, ¡°Your Highness is too kind. He¡¯s far inferior to Your Highness.¡±


    Chief Sanglin wasn¡¯t being polite. Though he¡¯d just turned 20, Qi Haoran was already able to lead the three armies and help his Big Brother bring peace to the world and guard a region. Meanwhile, Sanglin Zhong was already in his thirties and was only helping him deal with some matters in the Miao stockade. He didn¡¯t have any outstanding talents.


    Chief Sanglin turned around and waved his sons away, then invited Qi Haoran into the house to have a serious chat. ¡°May I know why Your Highness came to visit personally this time?¡±


    Qi Haoran didn¡¯t beat around the bush and showed him Ah Yin¡¯s confession. As it was written in Miao and Chinese, even if Sanglin didn¡¯t recognize the Chinese words, he could understand what was written.


    Sanglin took it in confusion. After taking a look, his expression changed drastically. He pped down the confession in his hand with a bang, and his expression changed a few times before he asked, ¡°Is Your Highness here to condemn me?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Sanglin clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and asked, ¡°You¡¯re here to punish my stockade for the crime of rebellion?¡±


    ¡°Will you lead the Miao people to rebel against the Imperial Court?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Sanglin said firmly. ¡°The Bisha Miao stockade can¡¯t withstand a war anymore.¡±


    At this point, Sanglin was almost in tears.


    At 53 years old this year, he could be considered to have lived a long life among the chieftains of the Miao stockades.


    He had many sons, but many had either died or be crippled. Qi Haoran only knew that two of his sons had died because of the war, but he did not know that because of the war, three of his other sons were crippled.


    There were originally 10,000 people in the Bisha Miao stockade, with young and strong men ounting for a majority of their poption. When the war started, theybined with the nearby Miao stockades. Out of more than 40,000 people, only 8,000 survived in the end. Most of the survivors were the old, weak, women, and children. It was all because the Bisha Miao stockade was located at the node where West Xia and Dali attacked. After West Xia¡¯s army entered the pass, they had to pass through their Miao stockade, so they suffered the most casualties.


    Back then, when the Imperial Court asked him to pledge his allegiance, he ignored his sons¡¯ dislike of the Imperial Court and insisted on surrendering because he did not want to fight again. However, he did not expect his son to secretly put the Miao stockade in danger.


    Even though Chief Sanglin¡¯s heart ached, he did not dare to protect him at the expense of the entire stockade. He was not so shameless or ruthless.

 Chapter 668: Satisfaction

    Chapter 668: Satisfaction


    Editor: As Studios


    Sanglin¡¯s two sons had died in a confrontation with the Imperial Court. Although that was back in the Great Zhou dynasty and not Great Qi, in his opinion, they were both Han Chinese.


    Especially since his favorite eldest son had died in the confrontation with the Imperial Court, it was impossible for him not to hate the Han Chinese. However, when the West Xia soldiers wreaked havoc previously and more than half of his people were killed or injured, it was Qi Haoran who led his troops to chase the West Xia soldiers out and gave them a way out. Knowing that he did not have the ability to resist the Qi brothers, when Great Qi asked them to surrender, he surrendered right after Ji¡¯an did.


    His rationality had prevailed over his sentiments.


    Now, he still didn¡¯t like Qi Haoran, who was a Han Chinese, but he would be very polite to him and even tter him. He only hoped that he wouldn¡¯t vent his anger on the entire Miao stockade because of his second son.


    Seeing the sorrow in Sanglin¡¯s eyes, Qi Haoran was satisfied. Although it was painful, he still took the big picture into consideration. In that case, Qi Haoran did not mind selling him a favor.


    Qi Haoran knocked on the table and asked, ¡°I wonder what kind of dealings Young Master Zhong has with Dali?¡±


    Sanglin¡¯s expression darkened. After a long time, he said, ¡°The Miao people are having a hard time. Since the Han people often suppress our prices when doing business with us, we have no choice but to barter with Dali. It¡¯s purely business. As for my second son, I don¡¯t know what he does with Dali in private. If Your Highness doesn¡¯t believe me, I can call him over and you can interrogate him.¡±


    ¡°Chief Sanglin, you¡¯re too kind. I only brought 20 personal guards this time because I didn¡¯t want to make things too ugly.¡±


    Sanglin¡¯s expression softened slightly.


    Qi Haoran continued, ¡°However, I have to be wary of Dali¡¯s wild ambitions. Back then, when the Great Zhou Dynasty was in trouble, Dali could take the opportunity to leave the country. Now, they can take advantage of the new establishment of the Great Qi Dynasty to divide our territory.¡±


    Sanglin¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He sat up straight and asked, ¡°So what does Your Highness mean?¡±


    Qi Haoran said with a smile, ¡°Chief Sanglin, actually, I have a request for you this time.¡± Qi Haoran straightened his expression and said, ¡°I have a son who is already two years old, but he doesn¡¯t yet know how to speak. I heard that Miao doctors are very capable, so I hope that you can find me a brilliant Miao doctor.¡±


    Confusion shed across Sanglin¡¯s eyes. He could not figure out what Qi Haoran meant.


    Qi Haoran continued, ¡°Every time I see him being mischievous, I¡¯m angry and happy at the same time. I believe all fathers feel the same way. Although we get mad when our child makes a mistake, we can¡¯t help but feel sorry for him and wish to clean up his mess for him. Young Master Zhong is in the wrong, but as long as he hasn¡¯t really taken that step, it¡¯s not toote to pull back from the precipice. Putting myself in your shoes, I don¡¯t hope to see you lose a son at your age.¡±


    Tears streamed down Sanglin¡¯s face as he held Qi Haoran¡¯s hand and cried like a child. ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯ve hit the nail on the head. I had 11 sons, and now, there are only four left. If another one dies, my heart will ache¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes burned slightly. He thought of Little Bear, who was still working hard to learn how to speak. It was originally just an act, but now, 70% of it was genuine. Truly empathizing with the chief, he patted Sanglin¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°I¡¯ll report this matter to His Majesty. Should His Majesty pardons him, as long as Young Master Zhong doesn¡¯t do anything wrong again, this matter will be over.¡±


    Sanglin¡¯s body stiffened. He raised his tear-filled face and asked, ¡°His Majesty¡­¡±


    ¡°His Majesty will pardon him.¡± Qi Haoran said with a straight face, ¡°On top of also being a father, His Majesty has a benevolent heart.¡±


    Sanglin did not believe in the benevolence of an Emperor, but he was willing to believe that Qi Haoran understood his older brother. Seeing that Qi Haoran¡¯s expression did not seem to be fake and that he really had the heart of a loving father, hope rose in his heart.


    If this matter really went through the Emperor, there would only be two oues. If the Emperor did not agree to forgive his second son, he would order him beheaded.


    Should the Emperor be willing to let his son off lightly because of Qi Haoran, even if this matter was exposed in the future, his second son could be spared from death.


    After all, Qi Haoran was willing to let him off. However, their private discussion was different from an Emperor being willing to let him off openly.


    Sanglin immediately knelt down and held Qi Haoran¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Thank you, Your Highness. Don¡¯t worry, Your Highness. I¡¯ll definitely keep an eye on my unfilial son and not let him do anything wrong again. I¡¯ll also do my best to find you a good Miao doctor. I won¡¯t let you down.¡±


    Outside the door, Sanglin¡¯s remaining seven sons were staring at the door. They were a little surprised to see Qi Haoran and Sanglin appear together.


    The two younger ones were only slightly surprised before they became happy, thinking that their father had befriended the Prince just like Chief Ji¡¯an did. Meanwhile, the other five who knew the inside story looked at each other with uncertainty.


    Sanglin Zhong¡¯s face darkened as he looked at his father uneasily.


    Qi Haoran stood on the steps and nodded slightly at Sanglin¡¯s seven sons. Once again, he sighed in his heart that Sanglin and his wife were so fertile. His gaze swept across his three crippled sons before focusing on Sanglin Zhong and Sanglin Ji. With a smile, he cupped his hands at Sanglin before bidding farewell.


    Chief Sanglin respectfully sent him to the entrance of the stockade and promised, ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t be anxious. I¡¯ll definitely try my best to find you the person.¡±


    Qi Haoran said gratefully, ¡°Thank you, Chieftain.¡±


    Qi Haoran was very satisfied with this trip. Not only did he officially subdue Bisha Miao stockade, but his rtionship with Chief Sanglin had also improved. He had also found out the exact process of their transactions with Dali and even obtained Sanglin¡¯s guarantee that he would think of a way to let him make a trip to Dali through their trade caravan.


    Chief Sanglin was also very satisfied. Although he sighed in his heart, he had to admit that he was somewhat grateful to Qi Haoran. After all, because of him, he might be able to keep his second son alive.


    Although his second son was atrocious, he had raised him for more than 30 years. After his eldest son died, he had always been the one helping to deal with the matters in the stockade. How could he bear to abandon him just like that?


    Chief Sanglin waved goodbye to Qi Haoran. When he turned around though, the smile vanished from his face. He looked at his second son sinisterly and said in a low voice, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    The seven sons went to the central room and stood up. The fifth son had to walk with a walking stick thus was two steps behind his brothers.


    Sanglin¡¯s gaze swept across his sons¡¯ faces before falling upon the two confused sons who were not even eight years old. He said, ¡°Stand aside.¡±


    The two little ones looked at each other and stood aside hand in hand.


    Sanglin looked at his fourth son who had lost his arm, and his seventh and fifth sons who had lost their legs. Feeling sorry for them, he said, ¡°You three sit down.¡±


    The three brothers looked at each other before supporting each other to sit on a chair at the side.


    With bloodshot eyes, Sanglin looked at his second and third sons, who were standing in the middle. He asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°Do you know why I left behind the two of you?¡±


    Trembling, Sanglin Zhong did not speak. Sanglin Ji gritted his teeth and finally knelt on the ground. ¡°Father, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Sanglin was so angry that he kicked him in the chest and sent him flying. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say sorry when you stood by and watched? He¡¯s your brother. Are you just going to watch him make a mistake?¡±

 Chapter 669: Strike

    Chapter 669: Strike


    Editor: As Studios


    Seeing that Sanglin Ji only gritted his teeth and did not say anything, Chief Sanglin was extremely disappointed. Back slightly bent, the white-haired man looked at him sadly and said, ¡°You have ten brothers. But only you and your second brother are still able-bodied and have survived until adulthood. There¡¯s a saying among the Han people that when brothers are united, they can break gold. I¡¯ve always hoped that you brothers can help each other, but look at what you¡¯ve be now.¡±


    He looked at his three sons sitting on the chairs and said, ¡°Apart from the two younger ones, which one of you is wronged? Who doesn¡¯t know about the shameful things your second brother did? Who thought of stopping him? Who thought of telling me?¡±


    The brothers lowered their heads.


    Sanglin Zhong raised the corners of his mouth and smiled mockingly. Chief Sanglin happened to see this when he turned around, making him so angry that he fell backward and kicked him to the ground. He pointed at his nose and scolded, ¡°What are youughing at? Among all my sons, you¡¯re the most atrocious one!¡±


    After saying that, he tore off the whip from the wall and cursed as he whipped, ¡°You¡¯re as stupid as a pig. How did I give birth to such a heartless thing like you? Have you ever thought that what you did would implicate your parents, brothers, rtives, and nsmen?¡±


    Chief Sanglin was panting from the fight, but he still stepped on him a few times in fury and scolded, ¡°We¡¯ve only settled down for less than half a year. What you¡¯re doing is pushing everyone down the cliff!¡±


    Sanglin Zhong bit his lip and said indignantly, ¡°The Qi brothers are just fourth-grade officials from the previous dynasty. If they can bring peace to the world, why can¡¯t we? They only have two brothers, but I have seven!¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t.¡± Chief Sanglin spat at him. ¡°Will the Han people ept you as their leader?¡±


    Sanglin Zhong straightened his neck and said, ¡°Then Qiannan will dere independence from the country, just like what the Duan family from the Bai n of Dali did. Father, the Miao and Han people are all the same. Why should we, the Miao, be bullied by the Han people for generations?¡±


    Not to mention Chief Sanglin, even Sanglin Ji directly mocked him. ¡°Second Brother is so ambitious. However, how many Miao stockades in this region of nine valleys and eighteen viges listen to you? The Duan family only had to wave an arm, and the entire Bai n would listen to hismands. What about you? Not to mention the other stockades, just go outside and shout in our stockade; let¡¯s see who will respond to you.¡±<div>


    Sanglin Zhong¡¯s face flushed red as he red at him angrily.


    Chief Sanglin suppressed the anger in his heart and slowly sat on the chair. He said, ¡°Second Son, if you¡¯re not convinced, why don¡¯t you go out and shout now? I also want to know how many people in the stockade will obey you now.¡±


    Shocked, Sanglin Zhong knelt on the ground, not daring to speak.


    Chief Sanglin looked at them and sneered. ¡°Seven brothers? The seven of you can¡¯t evenpare to a finger of the two brothers. Being of the same mind, they can ovee all difficulties. Meanwhile, you only know how to drag your brothers down.¡±


    Disheartened, Chief Sanglin waved his hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m old and your eldest brother has passed away. I can¡¯t control you anymore. Second Son, let me ask you, is Jilu dead or alive?¡±


    Sanglin Zhong gritted his teeth. ¡°Alive.¡±


    ¡°Send him to me.¡±


    ¡°Father.¡± Sanglin Zhong looked up and moved two steps forward on his knees. He hugged his leg and asked, ¡°Prince Rong, he, he knows¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think that the Qi brothers relied on luck to conquer the world?¡± Chief Sanglin sighed and said, ¡°Second Son, it¡¯s not that I look down on you, but if you really had the ability to separate Qiannan from the rest of the country, I¡¯d wake upughing in my sleep. However, you can¡¯t even subdue the elders of our Miao stockade, so how can you subdue the 18 stockades of Qiannan? Not to mention the tens of thousands of Han people here. Don¡¯t forget that Prince Rong has an army of 200,000 soldiers. He joined the army at the age of 12 and could already independently lead troops to resist the Jin soldiers at the age of 14. He¡¯s more than ten years younger than you. When our Miao stockade was rendered defenseless against West Xia¡¯s invasion, it was him who chased West Xia out with an army that was merely half the size of the enemy¡¯s. Do you really think you can hide what you did from him?¡±


    Chief Sanglin pointed at his other sons and said, ¡°You can¡¯t even hide it from your brothers¡­¡±


    Sanglin Zhong¡¯s face turned gloomy. Sanglin Ji asked anxiously, ¡°Then, Father, what¡¯s Prince Rong¡¯s intention foring?¡± Although he had watched from the sidelines, it did not mean that he was willing to see the entire Miao stockade get dragged down. He had never thought that the Imperial Court would find out about this matter and that things would get so serious.


    Chief Sanglin sneered. ¡°His Highness is kind-hearted and will spare us this time. However, if there are further such actions in the future, not only Second Son, but the entire Miao stockade will also be implicated.¡±


    Although Sanglin Zhong¡¯s face was pale, some life had returned to his eyes. Chief Sanglin shouted resentfully, ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and bring him to me.¡±


    After Jilu was captured, he was locked in the dungeon. How much did he hear on the day of the interrogation? After these few days of torture, he was covered in injuries and was on the verge of death when he was dragged over.


    Furious, Chief Sanglin red at his second son and hurriedly sent for the Miao doctor in the tribe to treat him. Afterforting Jilu, Chief Sanglin asked his third son to personally carry Jilu to Ju Prefecture City to see the Prince the next day. ¡°Considering he has something on us, do build a good rtionship with the people in the Prince¡¯s estate when you get there.¡±


    Chief Sanglin sighed. ¡°Originally, I didn¡¯t like the way Ji¡¯an ttered the Han people. I felt that we could just maintain a lukewarm rtionship with the Han people and live our lives behind closed doors. Even if the Qi brothers sympathized with the Miao people, how many years could itst? It was better to focus on managing our people well and nt more grains. However, now, I have no choice but to get involved in this vortex. Now that your second brother has a criminal record, it¡¯s difficult to gain the Imperial Court¡¯s trust again. Your two younger brothers are still young, and the rest are even¡­¡± Chief Sanglin sighed faintly. ¡°I was negligent after all.¡±


    Sanglin Ji suppressed the agitation in his heart. Did Father mean that he would be the one to inherit the position of chief in the future?


    Sanglin Ji¡¯s eyes lit up as he replied, ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely plead with His Highness.¡±


    Chief Sanglin nced at him and waved his hand to dismiss him.<div>


    After Jilu was carried to the Prince¡¯s estate, Qi Haoran waved his hand and reunited their family.


    Not expecting things to go so smoothly, Fan Zijin asked, ¡°There won¡¯t be any problems, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°Chief Sanglin is old, but he¡¯s a smart person.¡±


    Fan Zijin understood. He knocked on the table and asked, ¡°What about the negotiation with Dali?¡±<div>


    ¡°I¡¯ve asked Sanglin Ji. After spring, his stockade will carry out a transaction with Dali as usual. When the timees, I¡¯ll follow them.¡±


    Fan Zijin frowned. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°I know, but we haven¡¯t settled things with West Xia yet. If Dalies to attack at this time, how are we going to live? We have to go over and take a look. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll flee if there¡¯s any danger.¡±


    The corners of Fan Zijin¡¯s mouth twitched as he muttered in his heart about Qi Haoran¡¯sck of shame. However, he liked it.


    Mu Yangling also instructed Qi Haoran, ¡°If you can¡¯t win, run. If you can¡¯t run, surrender first. Think of a way to send a letter and I¡¯ll get someone to save you. If all else fails, I¡¯ll get Big Brother to save you¡­¡± At that moment, Fan Zijin could only look at the couple speechlessly. No wonder they could be husband and wife; as it turned out, they were actually equally shameless.


    Qi Haoran said proudly, ¡°Am I that kind of person who¡¯s afraid of death?¡±

 Chapter 670: Illness Cause

    Chapter 670: Illness Cause


    Editor: As Studios


    Before Qi Haoran set off, the imperial edict from the capital to confer Little Bear as the heir arrived first. Along with the imperial edict came two imperial physicians who were here on the Emperor¡¯s orders to take a look at Little Bear.


    Since Qi Haoran wanted to confer Little Bear with the title of his heir, they naturally couldn¡¯t keep calling the kid by his nickname. Thus, after discussing it with Mu Yangling, he wrote down the three shortlisted names and rolled them into balls for his son to draw lots. In the end, Little Bear picked the name ¡°Qi Wenjin¡±.


    Henceforth, Comrade Little Bear officially had a proper name. This time, when the Emperor conferred the title, his proper name was written in the imperial edict.


    Although he now had a proper name, everyone was still used to calling him by his nickname. Hence, Little Bear¡¯s sensitivity to the words ¡°Qi Wenjin¡± was zero. When his parents carried him to listen to the decree, he was very confused. It was only when an imperial edict was stuffed into his arms that he looked up at his mother in confusion.


    Beaming, Mu Yangling hugged him and said with a smile, ¡°Our Little Bear is now officially the heir.¡±


    The emissary who passed the decree ttered, ¡°Otherwise, why would they say that the Little Prince is blessed? His Majesty even rewarded him with two carts of gifts.¡±


    It was precisely because the Emperor valued the little prince that the emissary fawningly stuffed the imperial edict into his arms. Otherwise, how could a two-year-old child personally ept the imperial edict?


    Qi Haoran was most anxious to let the imperial physician take a look at the child. Hence, after exchanging a few words, he got someone to invite the emissary away to rest. Then, he brought Mu Yangling and the child back to the backyard and immediately summoned the two imperial physicians who came with the emissary.


    The two imperial physicians were both pediatricians. Although the Prince asked them to take the kid¡¯s pulse the moment they met and didn¡¯t let them rest, the two of them didn¡¯t dare to be negligent at all. They took turns taking Little Bear¡¯s pulse and carefully checked his throat. They then asked some detailed questions. After discussing it for a long time, the two of them finally gave a diagnosis. ¡°Your Highnesses, we don¡¯t think that the little prince¡¯s inability to speak is due to his suffering a fright previously. He probably just needs more time.¡±


    Qi Haoran widened his eyes. ¡°He¡¯s already past two years old. How can he still need more time?¡±<div>


    Imperial Physician Liu stroked his beard and said with a smile, ¡°Your Highness, children develop at different rates. The little prince¡¯ste enlightenment doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s inferior to others. On the contrary, he must have a talent that far exceeds others, such as his divine strength.¡±


    Qi Haoran hesitated. Could it be that the two of them only said this because they feared that he would me them?


    Knowing what Qi Haoran was thinking, Imperial Physician Liu said, ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯ve been a doctor for more than 30 years and have seen simr cases. There are extremely smart people in this world who are far more talented than the average person in all aspects. However, it¡¯s extremely rare. More often, we see people who are extremely talented in one aspect, so they will developter in other aspects. For example, someone might excel at algebra, astronomy and geography, but they can¡¯t grasp poetry, songs, scriptures, and history no matter how hard they work at it. Some people are well-versed in history and scriptures, but might not be able to master the basics of archery and equestrianism even if they spend their entire lives attempting to do so.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve also met children who started speaking especiallyte in the past. They only know how to speak when they¡¯re four or five years old, but once they start speaking, they speak intelligently. These people¡¯s situations were simr to the little prince¡¯s, and there¡¯s no problem with their voices. Although they don¡¯t know how to speak, their interactions with people are not less than their peers, and they sleep more than other children.¡± Imperial Physician Liu said, ¡°Previously, Your Highnesses were worried that the little prince suffered a fright due to the military disaster, but Her Highness, as well as the servants who served the little prince, said that other than waking up from nightmares for the first two days, the little prince slowly recovered after that episode. After that, he was still as lively and cheerful as before. I¡¯ve taken a closer look with Imperial Physician Zhou, and there¡¯s nothing abnormal about the little prince¡¯s pulse. Therefore, I think that the little prince must not have been frightened, but that he simply isn¡¯t enlightened yet.¡±


    Imperial Physician Zhou nodded and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t Her Highness say that the little prince is stronger than others? Perhaps it¡¯s because of this.¡±


    Imperial Physician Liu asked curiously, ¡°I wonder how strong the little prince is. I want to take a closer look.¡±


    Qi Haoran was not cut out for studying, and his son bore a 70% resemnce to him. From the look s of it, Little Bear¡¯s talent unlikelyy in academics. Hence, Imperial Physician Liu wanted to confirm if it was really because of this divine strength that the child had ater enlightenment.


    Based on past experience, the greater the divine strength, theter the child would be enlightened.


    Qi Haoran silently handed a stool to his son and said, ¡°Destroy it.¡±


    Little Bear barely grabbed the two corners of the stool with his two small hands and easily snapped it with a plop.


    Imperial Physician Liu and Imperial Physician Zhou could not help but take a step back, secretly speechless. Wasn¡¯t this too strong?


    Even an adult wouldn¡¯t be able to snap this stool with his bare hands.


    Qi Haoran turned around and asked Mu Yangling, ¡°Did you speakte when you were young too?¡±


    Mu Yangling said hesitantly, ¡°I¡¯ll write a letter to ask my fatherter.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded repeatedly. He did not have divine power, and was only strong because he practiced internal energy. His son¡¯s divine power was inherited from the Mu family. If the Mu family had such a precedent, it was reasonable for his son to speakter.


    Qi Haoran got someone to bring the imperial physician down to rest and quickly got Mu Yangling to write a letter to ask her parents.


    Mu Yangling wrote to Mu Shi, but she did not ask how old she was when she first started speaking. Instead, she asked when her father and grandfather had started speaking.


    As Mu Yangling had memories of her previous life, she was an exception, so her situation could not be used as an example. Although it had been a long time, she still remembered that she could speak before she was even one year old. However, anyone who¡¯s voice worked fine and had an additional lifetime of memories could quickly learn to speak, right?


    Though it was rare for Qi Haoran to use official means for personal use, this time he sent the letter out with a military pigeon.<div>


    Although Qiannan was far from the north, the messenger pigeon was speedy. After Mu Shi received the letter, he frowned and thought for a long time, but he still could not remember when he first started speaking. He could only ask Eldest Great-aunt. Eldest Great-aunt replied with a smile, ¡°I know about this. You spokete and only started speaking after you turned three. However, it¡¯s your father and mother¡¯s first time raising a child, so they had no idea that this was abnormal. It was your uncle who saw that you were already three years old but still didn¡¯t know how to say ¡®Father¡¯ and ¡®Mother¡¯, so he brought you to the temple to pray to Bodhisattva and let you drink burnt exorcism talisman ashes dissolved in water. Only after that did you start speaking. At that time, your mother cried very hard and even med herself for your situation.¡± At this point, Eldest Great-aunt sighed and said, ¡°At that time, your parents were really focused on making a living, and you were a child full of vigor. Besides, they had never raised a child before, so how would they know the seriousness of the matter?¡±


    Mu Shi swallowed his saliva, surprised to hear this. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°Did I start speaking because of the talisman paper ashes dissolved in water?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Shortly after drinking it, you started calling out ¡®Father¡¯ and ¡®Mother¡¯.¡±


    Mu Shi fell into deep thought, thinking about the possibility that it was fright that made him start calling out to his parents. Deep down, he did not believe in such superstitious talk.<div>


    However, in the end, he still went to pray at the temple where Liu Daqian prayed to the gods back then. Then, he went to buy talismans and sent them to Ah Ling along with the letter.


    When Mu Yangling received her father¡¯s letter, her heart rxed. ¡°My father, too, started speaking at ater age back then.¡±


    Qi Haoran stared at the talisman and asked, ¡°Are you going to let our son drink this?¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± Mu Yangling put away the talisman paper and said, ¡°How can one eat this kind of thing casually? Furthermore, it was sent all the way from the north. I wonder how much dust has gotten onto it.¡±

 Chapter 671: Joy

    Chapter 671: Joy


    Editor: As Studios


    Although Mu Yangling had been reborn, she still did not believe in such a mystical thing. That said, she was much more respectful of ghosts and gods now.


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to drink this talisman paper. I¡¯ll bring Little Bear to various temples to pray in a while.¡± However, she already believed 80% of the imperial physician¡¯s diagnosis. Since it was because of his talent that his speech development was dyed, she would just wait for him to grow up slowly. Praying to God and Buddha was just to seek peace of mind.


    Mu Yangling ced Little Bear on the couch and tapped his nose. ¡°Good son, we¡¯re not in a hurry. We¡¯ll wait for you slowly, okay?¡±


    Little Bear was ying with logs with sweat all over his head and was in no mood to pay attention to his mother. When he heard this, he only nodded perfunctorily.


    In Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes, his son was really adorable.


    In Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes, his son was naturally good in every aspect. Therefore, he really wanted to detain the two pediatricians and let them stay in Qiannan to serve his son. However, he thought about how Little Treasure¡¯s health was not good either. Now that the two best pediatricians in the Imperial Institute of Medicine hade to him, what if Little Treasure had a headache and fever?


    Therefore, although he was reluctant, when the emissary who came to announce the decree set off, Qi Haoran still waved his hand to send the two imperial physicians back.


    As soon as they left, Bisha Miao stockade sent a message. Their deal with Dali was set for April 8th, so they would start setting off in two days.


    Qi Haoran got Mu Yangling to pack up and said, ¡°Just say that I went out to patrol the borders and check on the training of the various guards. I¡¯ll be back in a month or two. I¡¯ve already made arrangements in the army. Other than Zijin and Advisor Qian, no one knows that themander¡¯s seal is in your hands. You have to be careful.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Be careful too. If something goes wrong,e back quickly.¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran nodded and went to hug Little Bear before leaving.


    As soon as Qi Haoran left, Mu Yangling closed the door and refused guests. In the eyes of outsiders, it confirmed the news that the Prince was patrolling the border. News of this flew to the various passes at the border. Knowing that their superior wasing to patrol, they couldn¡¯t help but feel tense.


    However, Mu Yangling only closed the door to refuse guests because Little Madam Xia was pregnant.


    As soon as Qi Haoran left, Mu Yangling wanted to go to the fields to take a look. Now that the spring sowing had ended, she wanted to take a look at the growth of the crops. After all, this was the first time the people here nted corn and Dry Rice No. 1.


    However, before she could go out, a nanny rushed over from the corner door and eximed in high spirits, ¡°Your Highness, our Madam is pregnant! Quickly go over and take a look!¡±


    Mu Yangling was momentarily confused. Seeing that the maidservant was smiling so widely that the wrinkles on her face were squeezed together, she finally said, ¡°She¡¯s pregnant?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right.¡± The maidservant pped her hands and said, ¡°Our Madam has been feeling sleepy these past few days and even felt a little sore this morning. Nanny Xia felt that something was wrong, so she sent for the doctor to take a look. The doctor diagnosed that she¡¯s pregnant.¡±


    Mu Yangling was delighted. ¡°This is good news. Does your master know?¡±


    The maidservant was all smiles. ¡°I haven¡¯t had the time to inform the Duke yet. It¡¯s because Madam vomited so much that she can¡¯t eat anything, so I came to beg Your Highness to think of a way.¡±


    Mu Yangling immediately turned around and said to Spring, ¡°Hurry up and invite Imperial Physician Wang to the Duke¡¯s residence.¡± She turned around and carried Little Bear through the corner door to see Little Madam Xia.


    Little Madam Xia was indeed vomiting badly. Shey on the couch with a pale face and was almost spitting into a spittoon. However, everyone in the room was overjoyed. It could be seen how enthusiastic they were about Little Madam Xia¡¯s pregnancy.


    Only Nanny Xia was happy and worried. ¡°Why is she vomiting so much?¡±


    Mu Yangling also felt that she had vomited too much. If she couldn¡¯t eat anything like this, how could she keep the fetus healthy?


    She patted Little Madam Xia¡¯s back and said, ¡°Imperial Physician Wang is on his way here. I¡¯ll ask him to take a look at you.¡±


    Little Madam Xia said gratefully, ¡°Thank you, Ah Ling. If not for your tips, I don¡¯t know when I would have gotten pregnant.¡±


    Little Madam Xia touched her stomach and whispered, ¡°This child was conceived that day.¡± Her face was red as she lowered her head after saying that.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t expect it to be so urate, that Little Madam Xia would conceive on her first try. She said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s still early days. You have to be careful. When I was pregnant, Mama Wang was the one serving me. Do you want me to lend her to you for a few days?¡±


    Little Madam Xia hesitated. ¡°Nanny Xia has given birth before, too.¡±


    Mu Yangling patted her hand and said with a smile, ¡°You can make the decision yourself. I¡¯ll get the imperial physician to write a prescription for youter. It¡¯s not a good idea to keep vomiting like this. Be careful not to hurt your stomach.¡±<div>


    Little Madam Xia nodded.


    However, Nanny Xia privately found Mu Yangling and begged her to borrow Mama Wang for a few days. She said, ¡°I heard that Her Majesty and Your Highness were both served by Mama Wang during your pregnancies. Our Madam has severe morning sickness. Although I¡¯ve given birth before, that was decades ago and I only gave birth to one child. I really can¡¯tpare to Mama Wang. Please take care of Madam, Your Highness.¡±


    Seeing that Nanny Xia was sincere, Mu Yangling nodded and said with a smile, ¡°Then I¡¯ll get Mama Wang toe over and serve her for a few days. We¡¯ll talk about it after Cousin-inw¡¯s pregnancy stabilizes.¡±


    Nanny Xia bowed gratefully and thanked her.<div>


    Just as Imperial Physician Wang finished prescribing the medicine, Fan Zijin rushed back from the military camp. This was the first time Fan Zijin had abandoned his work and ran back. Seeing this, Mu Yangling pursed her lips and smiled. She patted Little Madam Xia¡¯s hand and said with a smile, ¡°Rest well first. I¡¯ll send Mama Wang over to you when I get back.¡±


    Then, she stood up, bowed to Fan Zijin, and said with a smile, ¡°Congrattions, Cousin.¡±


    Fan Zijin did not even spare her a nce, his gaze riveted upon Little Madam Xia.


    Mu Yangling smiled and held Little Bear¡¯s hand. On the way back, she said to Little Bear, ¡°Son, you¡¯re going to have a younger brother to y with. Are you happy?¡±


    Little Bear shook his head and gestured with his hands to express that he preferred to y with his older brother. After saying that, he looked a tad glum.


    Mu Yangling stroked his head and said, ¡°Do you miss Brother? Then let¡¯s send him something when we get back and write him a letter, okay?¡±


    Little Bear¡¯s mood instantly soared. He held Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and ran home. He didn¡¯t know how to write, so every time he wrote a letter, Mu Yangling had to do it for him.


    Although this child did not know how to speak yet, Mu Yangling understood his intentions with just a few gestures, hencemunication was not a problem.


    Back in the study, Mu Yangling asked someone to grind ink andy out paper while calling Mama Wang over.


    Mama Wang had always been Mu Yangling¡¯s head of internal affairs, but this time, she decided to lend Mama Wang to Little Madam Xia, which showed how much importance they attached to Little Madam Xia¡¯s pregnancy. ¡°When you get there, don¡¯t worry about anything else. Just focus on Cousin-inw¡¯s food, rest, and pregnancy. When her pregnancy is stable, you cane back.¡±


    Mama Wang bowed and agreed. Typically, a fetus would be stable after three months. Now that Little Madam Xia was more than a month pregnant, she only needed to go over for 40 days. Coupled with the fact that the two residences were close, Mama Wang only had to pack a simple luggage before going over.


    Mu Yangling lowered her head and held Little Bear¡¯s hand as she wrote a letter to Little Treasure. At the spot where one was supposed to sign off their name, Little Bear was unwilling to leave the word ¡°Little Bear¡±. Hey on the desk and took out a piece of paper, then pointed at the words ¡°Qi Wenjin¡± and looked at Mu Yangling eagerly.


    Realizing that her son wanted to show off his proper name to Little Treasure, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud.<div>

 Chapter 672: Playmate

    Chapter 672: ymate


    Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling held Little Bear¡¯s small hand and wrote the words ¡°Qi Wenjin¡± at the end of the letter. With his lips pursed, Little Bear smiled in satisfaction. As usual, he found a piece of paper and pressed his small handprint for Little Treasure.


    As Mu Yangling had wanted to leave traces of Little Bear¡¯s growth since he was very young, she would let him leave his handprint on paper every month to make a picture book. Li Jinghua felt that this was a good idea, so she did the same for Little Treasure. Unexpectedly, as the two little ones gradually became sensible, every month, even when their mothers didn¡¯t mention it, they would take the initiative to leave their little handprints. Later on, after the two little friends separated, they would write letters through their parents and contact each other. Every time, they would leave their small handprint as a memento.


    Mu Yangling waited for the ink to dry before stuffing it into an envelope and handing it to Zhu Liang to send out. She hugged Little Bear and said, ¡°Shall we go to the temple to pray to the Bodhisattva in two days?¡±


    ¡°Yiya.¡± Little Bear pushed his mother¡¯s face away, not very interested. Instead, he pointed at the courtyard and asked his mother to bring him out to y.


    Just as Mu Yangling held his small hand and walked out, Rain came in to report, ¡°Your Highness, you asked the butler to find a few obedient boys. They¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Bring them in for me to take a look.¡±


    A group of four or five-year-old children were led in and lined up. They looked at Mu Yangling and Little Bear at her feet cautiously.


    Little Bear tilted his head to look at them.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t expect them to be such young children. Rain whispered in her ear, ¡°On the left are the children sent by the tenants. The oldest is six years old, and the youngest is four years old. Because they¡¯re thin and weak, they look younger than kids their age. On the right are the children of the servants in the residence. Actually, there aren¡¯t many of them. They¡¯re all around four or five years old.¡±


    They did not bring many servants to Qiannan, and few of those servants brought their children along. If one only counted kids between the ages of four and six, there were even fewer of them. Therefore, when the Princess Consort wanted to find ymates for the little prince, she only managed to find three children in their residence. Of course, that was not enough, so Zhu Liang could only choose from the tenants¡¯ kids.<div>


    When the tenants learned that the Princess Consort wanted to choose ymates for the young heir of the Prince¡¯s estate, they tidied up their kids, put on the best clothes, and sent them over. They prayed earnestly to the gods, hoping their kids would be chosen.


    It had to be known that if one was chosen to be the little prince¡¯s ymate, not only would the family have one fewer mouth to feed, but the kid would also receive new clothes every season. Such a young child would also receive a monthly allowance every month. Furthermore, if they did not make any mistakes, they would not have to fret about their future.


    Therefore, there were even people who wanted to bribe the steward of the Prince¡¯s estate and send the older children in. However, how could the stewards dare to ept bribes when it involved the little prince?


    Anyone older than six years old was strictly refused.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t want a child that was too old because she was afraid that the older child would think too much and scheme to hurt Little Bear. On the other hand, a five- or six-year-old child was more sensible than Little Bear. With an adult following them all the way, they could y well together.


    Mu Yangling posed questions to the row of children carefully, then picked out three and asked, ¡°Are you willing to stay and y with the little prince?¡±


    One of the three children was the child of a servant in the residence, nicknamed Brother Gui. Coincidentally, his father, Qian Zhong, was a deputy steward of Fan Zijin¡¯s shop. Because Mu Yangling wanted to open a grain store in Qiannan and was in need of manpower, Fan Zijin gave his entire family to Mu Yangling. Now, Qian Zhong was in charge of Qiannan¡¯s grain store. When he heard that the Prince¡¯s estate was going to choose a ymate for the young heir, he sent his son over.


    Four years old this year, Brother Gui was very bright and his eyes darted around in a lively manner.


    The other two children were the children of the tenants on the farmstead. One was six years old, called Zhuzi, and the other was three years old, called Eggy.


    Although the three children were timid, they remembered their parents¡¯ instructions for them before they came. When they heard the question, they nodded fiercely to express their willingness.


    Rain said with a smile, ¡°Your Highness, do give them a new name.¡±


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for them to grow up before naming them. Let¡¯s use their nicknames first.¡±


    Mu Yangling patted her son and asked with a smile, ¡°Little Bear, do you want to y with the little brothers?¡±


    Tilting his head, Little Bear looked at the three people kids standing in a row in front of him, his eyes filled with eagerness. Children naturally liked to y with children. In the past, Little Bear had Little Treasure as hispanion, but ever since he came to Qiannan, he no longer had anypanions. Now that he saw the three children who were about the same age as him, he was naturally willing.


    Little Bear looked at the three of them for a while before taking the initiative to run up, grab Eggy¡¯s hand, and pull him into the garden.


    As for why he chose Eggy, it was because he was as tall and big as him.


    As the farmers¡¯ lives were not easy, the six-year-old Zhuzi looked like he was only five years old. The three-year-old Eggy looked even younger than Little Bear who was two years younger than him. Only Brother Gui looked like the four-year-old child that he was.


    Seeing that Little Bear had run away with Eggy, Zhuzi and Brother Gui looked at Mu Yangling uneasily. Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Hurry up and y. The little prince is waiting for you in front.¡±


    Zhuzi and Brother Gui ran after them. Little Bear was taking out his toys to share with Eggy. Seeing Zhuzi and Brother Guie over, he hesitated for a moment before reluctantly handing over two wooden horses. These were all given to him by Brother Little Treasure. He babbled to express that they needed to return the toys to them after they were done ying.<div>


    Although the three children did not understand what Little Bear was saying, it did not mean that they did not know how to develop their friendship. The four children squatted together and started ying with Little Bear¡¯s toys. Zhuzi ran forward with the horse. In response, Little Bear pped happily, grabbed a wooden horse, and ran after him¡­


    Mu Yangling stood in the courtyard and watched. In the afternoon, when the children got tired from ying, Mu Yangling pped her hands and said, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go home and eat.¡±


    Little Bear was about to put away his toys when Zhuzi quickly helped to put all the toys into the basket. Eggy hugged the wooden horse in his arms reluctantly before finally handing it back to Little Bear. Seeing how eager he was, in the end, Little Bear reluctantly chose a wooden horse that he did not like very much and gave it to Eggy. Eggy grinned joyfully, revealing his white teeth.


    Also wanting a wooden horse, Brother Gui looked at Little Bear eagerly, but Little Bear didn¡¯t give one to him. Protective of his bamboo basket, he dragged it to Mu Yangling¡¯s feet. With a smile, she said, ¡°You haven¡¯t said goodbye to your new friends yet.¡±<div>


    Thus, Little Bear waved at them before dragging the bamboo basket of toys back into the house.


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing. In the past, this child would share everything with Little Treasure. She didn¡¯t expect him to be so protective of his things. She didn¡¯t expect him to be like this when ying with other children.


    The servants below understood that the little prince was most fond of Eggy, who was about the same age as him. But then again, Eggy was indeed the most obedient among the three of them. Brother Gui was clever, while Zhuzi was steady and knew how to take care of people. The three of themplemented each other.


    Little Bear must have gone crazy from ying during the day. After having dinner and ying for a while, he fell asleep on the couch. Mu Yangling covered him with a small nket and said to Rain, ¡°Leave these three children behind. Get the servants to take good care of them. I want you to also keep an eye on them and make sure the servants don¡¯t fawn upon the favored and trample on the weak. No matter who Little Bear likes the most, I don¡¯t want the servants¡¯ actions to affect their attitude towards Little Bear.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Rain lowered her head and agreed.


    ¡°What about the other kids?¡±


    ¡°Let them stay in the west courtyard.¡± This afternoon was just a preliminary test, so she was still uncertain that the children in the west courtyard would be eliminated, hence she wanted to let them stay for now.


    ¡°When you send them back tomorrow, give each of them five taels of silver as a reward for their troubles.¡±


    Rain agreed.

 Chapter 673: Cleansing Water Nunnery

    Chapter 673: Cleansing Water Nunnery


    Editor: As Studios


    The tenants did not expect to receive silver if their kids failed to make the selection. Initially, they were a little sad, but now, they were ecstatic.


    Five taels of silver¡ªthat was more money than their entire family could make in a year. Hence, they brought their children back in high spirits.


    The servants in the residence, however, didn¡¯t fancy the five taels of silver. What they wanted more was a future by the little prince¡¯s side. However, seeing that the Princess Consort valued the three children very much, they didn¡¯t dare to use any devious schemes.


    Meanwhile, Little Bear and the three children became familiar with them after ying for two days. Every day, they spent most of their time together, ying, listening to stories, flipping through picture books, and recognizing words.


    Mu Yangling specially looked for Zhuzi and Brother Gui, asking them to be more patient with Little Bear and lead him to recognize some objects.


    In this way, although Little Bear could yet speak clearly, he could express his thoughts. Even without gesturing, the few of them knew what he meant.


    Now that he had ymates, Little Bear¡¯s mischievousness increased exponentially.


    After Little Madam Xia had recovered from her morning sickness, Mu Yangling nned to go to the most famous White Cloud Temple in Ju Prefecture City to offer incense and pray. When Little Bear heard that he could go out to y, he happily flipped two times in the courtyard and waved his hand for hispanions toe along.


    Eggy followed behind Little Bear obediently, while Zhuzi and Brother Gui looked at Mu Yangling hesitantly. She said with a smile, ¡°You guys cane with us. Your things have already been packed, so you just need to follow us in a carriage.¡±


    The two children immediately followed excitedly. Nanny Xia rushed over and said, ¡°Your Highness, our Madam asked you to ask for a safety talisman for her in front of the Buddha.¡±<div>


    Mu Yangling knew that Little Madam Xia wanted to ask for a son, so she agreed with a smile.


    As White Cloud Temple was outside Ju Prefecture City, it would take half a day to go back and forth. Coupled with the fact that they were going up the mountain, there was not enough time. Therefore, Mu Yangling decided to stay on the mountain for a day.


    The White Cloud Temple would not allow female guests to stay overnight, so they could only stay in the Cleansing Water Nunnery not far from the White Cloud Temple.


    As White Cloud Temple was deep in the mountains and located at the top of the mountain, gazing from below, it looked like it was above the fluffy white clouds. Therefore, it was called White Cloud Temple. Because the mountain path was rugged, one could not reach the temple in a carriage. They could only ride in a carriage until the middle of the mountain. There was a stop there, and the carriage could stay where it was. Although the horses could go up the mountain, in order to show their sincerity, everyone who came to pay their respects to Buddha would personally walk up.


    Mu Yangling was no exception. Leaving the carriage and coachman behind, she carried Little Bear up the stairs. The maidservants behind also carried the younger Eggy and Brother Gui.


    Having long received the notice, the abbot of the White Cloud Temple weed Mu Yangling in front of the temple. Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Abbot, you¡¯re too polite.¡±


    ¡°Benefactor, it¡¯s our temple¡¯s honor to have you here. The guest room has been prepared. Benefactor, why don¡¯t you go and rest first? Vegetarian food will be ready soon.¡± It being past noon already, the group was indeed tired and hungry. Mu Yangling thanked the abbot for his considerate service.


    When it came time for his usual afternoon nap, Little Bear was a little sleepy. Thus after eating vegetarian food, hey on the bed and soon fell asleep. Mu Yangling only brought him to pray to Buddha when he woke up.


    Little Bear knelt on the praying mat and bowed three times before looking at his mother. Looking up at the benevolent Buddha above, Mu Yangling sighed slightly. She prayed in her heart, ¡®If there are really gods in this world, please bless my child with good health and longevity. May he start to speak soon. Should my prayerse true, I¡¯m willing to eat vegetarian food and do good deeds for a long time. Even if it means reducing my lifespan, I have noints.¡¯


    After respectfully kowtowing three times, she stood up with Little Bear. She looked at the people behind her and said with a smile, ¡°You guys can go and pray too. Don¡¯t make a din in front of the Buddha.¡±


    The servant girls and maidservants agreed and quietly went to pay their respects to the Buddha.


    The abbot hurriedly led Mu Yangling to write in the merit book. Qiannan was remote, and the highest-ranked official here was only a Grade 2B Governor. However, the previous Governor¡¯s Residence was not in Ju Prefecture, so very few Governors would visit the White Cloud Temple. Mu Yangling could be considered the most esteemed guest to ever visit.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t donate much money, only 200 taels, which was less than the 400 to 500 taels that some rich families in Ju Prefecture City donated. Nheless, the reception monk was still very happy. With her donation recorded in the merit book, they could attract many believers.


    The scenery of the White Cloud Temple was even more gorgeous than that of the Temple of Eternal Blessings. Mu Yangling brought Little Bear around for a while before bringing them down to Cleansing Water Nunnery halfway up the mountain in the evening.


    Cleansing Water Nunnery was docked slightly higher. Its size was half that of White Cloud Temple, but the guest rooms were well decorated. As the female guests who went up the mountain typically stayed at Cleansing Water Nunnery, this was a factor that brought them considerable donations. Therefore, Cleansing Water Nunnery was very clean and wasn¡¯t filthy like some ordinary nunneries were.


    The moment Mu Yangling and the others arrived, the best guest room was arranged for them. The male attendants were locked outside the door. Mu Yangling made some arrangements to determine who would sleep on the floor and who would patrol.


    Having investigated prior toing, they knew that Cleansing Water Nunnery had martial nuns and White Cloud Temple also had martial monks. The two groups got along very well, so nothing bad had ever happened on the mountain. Therefore, Mu Yangling was very assured to be staying here. However, she slept until thetter half of the night when she heard amotion in the east courtyard.


    Since they were outside after all, Mu Yangling was very vignt. She sat up instantly and asked, ¡°Spring, what¡¯s going on outside?¡±


    Spring hurriedly held themp and went out to take a look. There was a weak light in the east courtyard, and themotion quickly quietened down. At this moment, only the sound of insects in the forest could be heard. It was so quiet that it was as if themotion just now was an illusion. However, precisely because of this, Spring did not dare to rx. She called over a maidservant who was skilled in martial arts and instructed, ¡°Bring someone over to ask what happened.¡±<div>


    The maidservant agreed and came back very quickly. ¡°A young nun in the nunnery is sick and wants to see the abbot, so they quarreled. Because Your Highness is staying in the west courtyard, they were afraid of disturbing you, so they quietened down again.¡±


    Frowning, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Is the east courtyard the residence of the nuns in the nunnery? Why am I under the impression that they live in the back rooms?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, the east courtyard is where the abbot and the nuns live. The young nuns do live in the back rooms. The sick nun might be the one of the nuns who serve the abbot and the senior nuns.¡±


    Mu Yangling lowered her eyes and thought for a moment before asking, ¡°Are there any new nuns in the nunnery, or are there noblewomen there practicing with their hair still unshaven?¡±<div>


    Just as the maidservant was at a loss for words, Rain hurriedly said, ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯ve asked before. There are no new nuns, nor are there any noblewomen practicing with their hair still unshaven.¡±


    The maidservant heaved a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Miss Rain knew about this.


    Closely serving by the Princess Consort¡¯s side, Spring was in charge of inner matters whereas Rain was in charge of the matters outside.


    Mu Yangling narrowed her eyes and waved her hand. ¡°Alright, since it¡¯s not a big deal, go down and rest.¡±


    The servants in the room retreated one after another, but Spring and Rain stayed behind. Mu Yangling said in a low voice, ¡°Tell Xiaoting to get the guards to explore the east courtyard. As Cleansing Water Nunnery has good incense offerings, it rarely involves itself in matters rting to the earthly world. Most of them are people who cultivate Buddhism. Since the abbot and the nuns are all cultivators, why would they let a junior nun serve them?¡±


    Spring and Rain¡¯s expressions changed.

 Chapter 674: Accident

    Chapter 674: ident


    Editor: As Studios


    If it wasn¡¯t a junior nun, why was the temple so secretive? Could it be that a bad guy had sneaked in?


    Spring and Rain became nervous and looked at each other. Rain immediately turned around and went out. After covering Mu Yangling with a nket, Spring asked in a low voice, ¡°Your Highness, do you want to put on your clothes and prepare?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t make any noise.¡± She¡¯d asked the servants to retreat because she was afraid of alerting the enemy.


    As soon as Mu Yangling put on her clothes, she heard the sound of swords and sabersing from the east courtyard. A sharp glint shed across her eyes, and her aura turned cold. Spring trembled. She felt that Her Highness had instantly turned into a sharp longsword with a sharp aura that made people unable to approach her. However, just as her heart trembled, that aura instantly converged and turned into a bronze broadsword. Although it was still there and did not attract anyone¡¯s attention, Spring knew that once someone touched the Princess Consort¡¯s bottom line, this seemingly rusty bronze broadsword would be sharp and protect the people she wanted to protect.


    Relieved, Spring respectfully retreated to the side.


    Mu Yangling sat in front of Little Bear¡¯s bed and helped him put on his clothes. Perhaps feeling ufortable, Little Bear muttered a few words in his sleep. His little hand subconsciously pped his mother¡¯s hand away before he turned around to continue sleeping.


    Mu Yangling helped him put on his clothes and covered him with a small nket. If anything happened, she could wrap him with a small nket and immediately leave.


    The sound of swords and sabers in the east courtyard became louder and louder. Hearing this, the guards who were originally stationed outside quickly rushed in and surrounded the guest room they were staying in. The guardmander, Qi San, reported outside the door. Mu Yangling nodded slightly and asked Spring to let him in. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Qi San knelt on the ground and said, ¡°Your Highness, there are strangers hiding in the east courtyard. Our people were stopped when they entered and the two sides fought. We have to protect Your Highness and the little prince, so we don¡¯t know the exact situation over there.¡±


    Mu Yangling asked, ¡°How many people did you send over?¡±<div>


    ¡°Three.¡±


    ¡°Send two more over.¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°Let¡¯s end this quickly.¡±


    Qi San agreed without hesitation, then turned around and transferred two people over. Soon, the news came back. The martial nuns from Cleansing Water Nunnery were actually helping the other party resist. Furthermore, there were two martial monks among them. This was the Cleansing Water Nunnery, not White Cloud Temple. How could there be martial monks?


    Qi San shuddered. He was afraid that it could be a scheme between White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery, in which case the twenty-odd guards might not be sufficient to protect the Princess Consort and the little prince.


    Not daring to be negligent, Qi San hurriedly asked Mu Yangling to leave immediately with the little prince. ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯ll arrange for someone to escort you down the mountain right away.¡±


    Mu Yangling sat by the bed and did not move. ¡°Considering White Cloud Mountain towers into the clouds, it¡¯ll take more than an hour to descend the mountain on a horse. On the southern face is a cliff. Although the back is a mountain, it¡¯s rugged and difficult to travel on foot. Once the martial monks from White Cloud Mountain pursue us, where can we hide?¡±


    Qi San¡¯s face turned pale as Mu Yangling continued, ¡°It will take a further four hours plus to reach Ju Prefecture City after leaving White Cloud Mountain¡­ With that in mind, it¡¯s better to stay here and defend ourselves at Cleansing Water Nunnery. At least there¡¯s still a ce for us to hide.¡±


    Qi San knelt on the ground, feeling ashamed and sad. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault for not investigating clearly before. I didn¡¯t expect Cleansing Water Nunnery and White Cloud Temple to collude with the rebels.¡±


    Mu Yangling shook her head slowly. Even now, she still could not figure out why White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery would do this.


    ¡°Did you see who they were hiding?¡±


    Qi San shook his head. ¡°Our people were discovered the moment they entered the east courtyard. The other party rushed over and attacked without saying a word, so the two sides instantly broke into a fight.¡±


    ¡°Could there be a misunderstanding?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, not to mention Cleansing Water Nunnery, White Cloud Temple has also been cleared in advance before you came to pay your respects to Buddha. Apart from us, there are no other devotees. Besides, we already identified ourselves when they attacked, but the other party continued to advance aggressively. What misunderstanding can there be? I just don¡¯t know who they are hiding.¡±


    Qi San suspected that they were rebels from the previous dynasty. They could not be from West Xia, right? Both the Han and Miao people in Qiannan loathed the West Xia people, after all. However, if they were rebels from the previous dynasty, weren¡¯t all the princes of the previous dynasty already dead?


    Qi San looked at the Princess Consort, wanting to ask but not daring to.


    However, Mu Yangling did not notice his expression. Mind solely focused on how to retreat, Mu Yangling knocked on the table and asked, ¡°Where are the two sparrows raised by the little prince?¡±


    Spring hurriedly said, ¡°They¡¯re hanging outside.¡±


    ¡°Hand them to Qi San. I want you to release the sparrows immediately.¡±


    The corners of Qi San¡¯s mouth twitched. They had caught the two sparrows for the little prince at the foot of White Cloud Mountain this morning. Even the cage was casually woven using weeds and small branches found by the roadside.<div>


    Qi San really wanted to shout, ¡°Your Highness, those are sparrows, not pigeons! They¡¯re two sparrows that have just been caught!¡±


    ¡°After you release them, bring all our men to the guest room here. Close the door tightly and set up two lines of defense. Go ask the people in the east courtyard if they are plotting a rebellion. If White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery insist on resisting, ignore them and think of a way to retreat our men. We just have to guard this guest courtyard. If there¡¯s a misunderstanding, have the abbots of the two templese and exin things to me together.¡± Mu Yangling looked at Qi San and said, ¡°Hint to them that we have already informed the Ju Prefecture that we are trapped. Regardless of whether we live or die today, they can forget about getting away scot-free. There are nearly 1,000 monks and nuns from White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery. I don¡¯t believe they dare to gamble with so many lives.¡±


    Heart trembling, Qi San said in a low voice, ¡°But Your Highness, we don¡¯t have a way to inform¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the lights and said quietly, ¡°Didn¡¯t we just release two pigeons?¡±<div>


    Qi San¡¯s expression changed as he knelt on the ground without moving. This method was too dangerous. Should White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery not fall for it, the only fate that awaited them was death. At that time, White Cloud Temple could just im that they had identally fallen off the rugged mountain path and off the cliff. Even if the Prince was furious, he would probably not be able to do anything to them without evidence.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression softened slightly as she said gently, ¡°Just like how you don¡¯t want to gamble with the safety of me and the little prince, they won¡¯t dare to gamble with the lives of the thousands of monks and nuns. It depends on whose heart is ruthless enough. Go quickly. It¡¯ll be toote if you don¡¯t go now.¡±


    Qi San gritted his teeth and kowtowed three times to Mu Yangling, then turned around and ran away. Not long after, the courtyard was filled with panic and noise. All the servants were chased into the courtyard. Seeing this, Mu Yangling stood up and picked up Little Bear, who was rubbing his eyes after being woken up. She opened the door and stood on the steps to look at them quietly. She shouted, ¡°What are you panicking for? I and the little prince are still here.¡±


    The courtyard instantly fell silent, and everyone¡¯s panicked hearts calmed down a little. Mu Yangling instructed the stronger servants to guard the second door with sticks and other things. The others were put into groups of three. Groups of three were lined up in the courtyard, all holding weapons that they had found at thest minute. The women and servant girls who were skilled in martial arts surrounded Mu Yangling to protect her.

 Chapter 675: Divergence

    Chapter 675: Divergence


    Editor: As Studios


    The chaotic courtyard immediately became orderly. The entire courtyard quietened down and the aura changed. Due to the darkness, there were people who believed that these servants were a group of guards.


    Mu Yangling got someone to bring Eggy and the other two children to the maidservants behind them. Only then did she look at the array below and say, ¡°A general and a soldier can form an army. Without a general, even if there are ten thousand soldiers, they are just soldiers without anybat strength. I, Mu Yangling, don¡¯t im to be a great general. However, I do have the ability tomand you guys to guard a courtyard. If you listen to my orders, I dare to guarantee that the defense of this courtyard won¡¯t be broken. In the end, there will be people who will leave this ce alive. But, if you don¡¯t listen to my orders, I¡¯m afraid no one in this courtyard, including me and the little prince, will be able to escape.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to serve Your Highness!¡± The people in the courtyard knelt on the ground.


    With a smile, Mu Yangling said, ¡°As long as we can survive the crisis tonight, I¡¯ll remember those who fought today, whether they make it out alive or not. Those who get killed will be given a grand burial and their families will be raised by the Prince¡¯s estate. If they perform well and survive, I¡¯ll grant them a bright future, regardless of gender.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s hearts burned, and their eyes lit up as they stared at Mu Yangling with bright eyes.


    Mu Yangling instructed, ¡°Now, everyone, listen up. Set up traps and form a formation. Once anyone rushes in, kill them without mercy!¡±


    She looked at them seriously and shouted, ¡°Since someone wants to take our lives, how should we deal with them?¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, everyone¡¯s hearts were filled with anger. They clenched the clubs in their hands and roared, ¡°Kill! Kill! Kill!¡±


    Their voices resounded through the clouds and reached the ears of the others from White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery, shocking those who were watching secretly.


    In the White Cloud Temple, Abbot Jie Kong kept spinning the prayer beads in his hand. When he heard the faint roar, the prayer beads in his hand involuntarily moved. His originally closed eyes couldn¡¯t help but open and roll around. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from saying, ¡°Abbot Senior Brother, this can¡¯t go on. Once Prince Rong¡¯s family members meet with misfortune on White Cloud Mountain, I¡¯m afraid we and the Cleansing Water Nunnery won¡¯t be able to escape responsibility. Furthermore, themotion is so huge now. Prince Rong is famous for doting on his wife and child. When the timees, all our monks and nuns¡ªnearly 1,000 of them¡ªwill die.¡±<div>


    The prayer beads in Jie Kong¡¯s hand stopped spinning and he remained silent.


    Anxious, Jie Mo stomped his feet and said, ¡°Abbot Senior Brother, you must make a decision. Our White Cloud Temple has been established for 200 years. We can¡¯t let it be destroyed overnight.¡±


    Jie Kong closed his eyes and said, ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Our White Cloud Temple has been established for 500 years.¡±


    ¡°Senior Brother.¡± With an ugly expression, Jie Mo stomped his feet and said, ¡°Dali and Great Qi are two different countries. We are now at Qiannan¡¯s White Cloud Temple, not Dali¡¯s White Cloud Temple. Moreover, the guests they sent over are not devotees of their White Cloud Temple. The South Stream White Cloud Temple needs to support the High Sage Temple, but our Qiannan¡¯s White Cloud Temple doesn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Jie Mo.¡± Clearly displeased, Jie Kong looked at him and thought to himself, ¡®We can¡¯t make the decision in this matter. We have to discuss it with the two Uncle-Masters.¡±


    Jie Mo¡¯s expression turned ugly. ¡°Then tell the martial monks to stop first. Otherwise, if they hurt the women in Prince Rong¡¯s estate, everything will be irreversible.¡±


    Jie Kong said calmly, ¡°You¡¯re underestimating the people from the Prince¡¯s estate. They were the ones who roared just now. It¡¯s obvious that they still have strength left.¡±


    Jie Kong got up and walked to the backyard, while Jie Mo followed behind him with an ugly expression.


    Master Liao Wu and Master Liao Ji were already sitting upright in the meditation room. When they saw the two of them enter, they raised their eyebrows and nced at them as they asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on outside? Why do I seem to hear shouting?¡±


    Although the two of them were the most senior in the White Cloud Temple, they had long disregarded the mundane affairs of the temple. When they heard themotion outside, they thought that someone in Qiannan had rebelled. However, the White Cloud Temple was not on the main transportation route and was located at the peak of White Cloud Mountain. Its location was not conducive to stationing troops. In the past 200 years, no matter how many war disasters there were, they had never been affected. Why would anyone make an unnecessary move to attack the mountain now?


    Jie Mo¡¯s tongue was bitter as he looked at Jie Kong.


    Jie Kong paused for a moment and handed the document to Master Liao Ji. He lowered his head and said, ¡°She¡¯s now at Cleansing Water Nunnery, but for some reason, she was discovered by Prince Rong¡¯s estate and the two sides started fighting.¡±


    Liao Ji couldn¡¯t help but p the table. ¡°Nonsense. Hurry up and tell them to stop. Are you trying to destroy White Cloud Temple¡¯s hundreds of years of foundation?¡±


    Meanwhile, Abbess Jing Xin of Cleansing Water Nunnery was also trying to persuade Abbess Yuan Fang. ¡°Aunt-Master, let¡¯s stop quickly. Prince Rong¡¯s estate has released a messenger pigeon. If something happens to Her Highness and the little heir in our Cleansing Water Nunnery, our nunnery will be doomed.¡±


    Abbess Yuan Fang could not help but speed up the plucking of the prayer beads. With her eyes lowered, she remained silent. Abbess Jing Xin¡¯s expression changed a few times as she turned around and said, ¡°Since you can¡¯t make up your mind, as an abbess of Cleansing Water Nunnery, I can¡¯t stand by and watch something happen to our nunnery.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that the Cleansing Water Nunnery can be saved by telling the truth?¡± Yuan Fang said in an obscure tone, ¡°Hide a royal member of the enemy country? This is a capital offense.¡±


    Jing Xin straightened her back and said, ¡°Although it¡¯s a capital crime, I will bear it alone. It¡¯s better than dragging the entire Cleansing Water Nunnery down. Besides, Buddha is benevolent, and Princess Consort Rong, the young heir, and their servants are innocent. Let¡¯s reduce the number of sins wemit.¡±


    Yuan Fang flew into a rage. ¡°Do I need you to teach me? How innocent can Princess Consort Rong be? If she hadn¡¯t sent someone to visit the east courtyard at night, none of this would have happened.¡±


    ¡°Aunt-Master!¡± Jing Xin didn¡¯t expect Yuan Fang to be so biased. With tears in her eyes, she said, ¡°Seeing as you¡¯ve been studying Buddhism for many years, I thought that you had improved. I didn¡¯t expect you to still be like this. Princess Consort Rong did ask someone to investigate the east courtyard, but we could¡¯ve avoided this conflict. If it weren¡¯t for the secret guards of the east courtyard taking action without permission and leaving no room for negotiation, how would things have ended up like this?¡±<div>


    Actually, even until now, Jing Xin still didn¡¯t understand why those secret guards attacked. Those people were hiding in a secret room. In the dark night, considering the guards of the Prince¡¯s estate didn¡¯t dare to make a hugemotion, the hidden people definitely wouldn¡¯t be discovered. This cmity clearly could have been avoided.


    Having made up her mind, Jing Xin pushed open the door and was about to leave. Yuan Fang wanted to stop her, but she was grabbed by a few martial nuns beside Jing Xin. Only then did it dawn on Yuan Fang that the Cleansing Water Nunnery had been controlled by Jing Xin without her realizing it. She could not help but panic, but Jing Xin had already gone to instruct all the martial nuns to stop.


    The martial monks from the White Cloud Temple who came to help could not help but stop. Although the White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery were a temple and a nunnery, they had actually been helping each other. They were not familiar with those hidden men in ck. Therefore, when Jing Xin shouted for them to stop, they stopped what they were doing. Seeing that the people from Prince¡¯s estate had shrewdly gone past them to surround the men in ck, they could not help but take three steps back and be on guard.


    A woman who was surrounded by the men in ck shouted, ¡°Jing Xin, what¡¯s the meaning of this? How dare you disobey my master!¡±<div>


    After reciting a Buddhist promation, she said, ¡°Benefactor, rather than fighting to the death, why don¡¯t we sit down and have a good talk? Princess Consort Rong is kind-hearted and might not pursue the matter.¡±


    When Jing Xin tried to persuade everyone to stop fighting, Liao Ji had already rushed over with Jie Kong and Jie Mo. Upon reaching the door, they were immediately taken down by the guards of the Prince¡¯s estate.


    Qi San cupped his hands and said, ¡°Sorry for offending you, Master.¡± When he got someone to ce a knife against the four people¡¯s necks, they remained calm andposed. With a benevolent look in his eyes, Liao Wu said with a smile, ¡°Benefactor, please lead us to see Abbess Jing Xin. I am willing to persuade her.¡±

 Chapter 676: Meeting

    Chapter 676: Meeting


    Editor: As Studios


    The guest courtyard where Mu Yangling lived was surrounded and all the guards were guarding closely outside the door.


    Liao Wu and Liao Ji looked at each other and led the way forward. Jing Xin, Yuan Fang, Jie Kong, and Jie Mo followed closely behind.


    The guards ced their hands on the hilts of their sabers and watched them intently. Liao Wu believed that as long as they made any abnormal movements, the other party would definitely chop off their heads. However, Jie Kong felt that the Prince¡¯s estate had made a mistake in arranging for most of the guards to be here. Once someone rushed inside, wouldn¡¯t they be unable to defend themselves?


    He felt that it was a pity. If the Prince¡¯s estate hadn¡¯t brought a messenger pigeon with them to send for help, he would have been able to clean up the mess even if all these people were killed.


    As soon as this thought shed through his mind, when the courtyard door opened, the six of them were startled to see that there was actually a battle team inside. They were so quiet. If not for the guard leading the way holding antern in the darkness, they would have almost missed it.


    Seeing their lineup, Jie Kong¡¯s face turned slightly pale. After passing through the lineup, he arrived at the second door of the guest courtyard. There were also two guards guarding the door. When they saw Qi San, they bowed and opened the door.


    There was only antern lit under the corridor in the entire courtyard, and there was a faint lighting from the house. Although it was dark, everyone could still see Mu Yangling sitting on the stairs. In the courtyard in front of her, there were also teams lined up. The difference was that the teams outside the first door were all male servants, and here, they were all female servants. Liao Wu even saw an 11 or 12-year-old girl holding a stick tightly in her hand, staring at them fiercely.


    Liao Wu took a deep breath, sensing their strong aura.


    But it dawned on him that since even the servants had such an imposing aura, even without a messenger pigeon, they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to barge in. If some time had psed since news was heard from the Prince¡¯s family, those at the foot of the mountain would definitely head up the mountain to investigate.


    Liao Wu nced at Jie Kong and saw that thetter¡¯s face was pale. Although his uncle-master did not say it explicitly, he understood what he wanted to ask. Can you fight such a person? Can you hide the fact that you killed them?<div>


    However, he did not know who had set up such a defense.


    He had known that Qi Haoran was amander-in-chief, but he certainly did not expect that there would be such amanding talent among the servants. With so many talents and the world being at peace, could this be a sign that the Great Qi was about to usher in a prosperous era?


    While Liao Wu was letting his imagination run wild, he had already walked past the team to the foot of the stairs. He sped his hands together and bowed to Mu Yangling, who was sitting upright on the stairs. Smiling, he said, ¡°Amitabha. Benefactor, I apologize for the inconvenience. I wonder if Your Highness and the little prince are well amidst the chaos on the mountain?¡±


    Mu Yangling nced at them expressionlessly before looking at Qi San and asking, ¡°Did the guards in the residence suffer any casualties?¡±


    ¡°Reporting to Your Highness, one person died, two were seriously injured, and one was slightly injured.¡±


    ¡°Those who died in battle, keep their corpses well. Those who are injured, carry them down for the apanying doctor to treat.¡± Mu Yangling asked in a low voice, ¡°Have you caught the bandits?¡±


    Qi San nced at Abbess Jing Xin and replied with his head lowered, ¡°No, it¡¯s just that the two sides have already stopped fighting. Now, the room they¡¯re staying in has been surrounded by my subordinates. The martial nuns of Cleansing Water Nunnery have not interfered since.¡±


    Nodding slightly, Mu Yangling looked at Jing Xin and Yuan Fang. She asked, ¡°Abbess Jing Xin, can you tell me who the guest staying in the east courtyard is now?¡±


    When Mu Yangling did not answer Liao Wu and instead asked about the injured, their hearts sank. When they heard her straightforward question, they became even more depressed and worried.


    Abbess Jing Xin looked at Liao Ji. Since those people had been sent by the White Cloud Temple, no matter what, White Cloud Temple had to bear half the responsibility for this matter.


    Liao Wu and Liao Ji smiled bitterly and went forward. ¡°Your Highness, can we talk in private?¡±


    Mu Yangling looked at the two of them solemnly, then stood up and turned sideways. As she extended her hand, she said, ¡°Please.¡±


    With a wave of her hand, Mu Yangling asked a martial matron to carry Little Bear to the inner room. Qi San didn¡¯t dare to let Mu Yangling be alone with them, so he followed her in.


    Just as Liao Wu nced at the servants in the inner room, Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Master, you have to show some sincerity. I certainly don¡¯t dare to let the child stay outside.¡±


    Liao Wu was somewhat puzzled. In his opinion, wouldn¡¯t it be safer to ce the child in a side room and send a martial matron and guards to protect him? However, now that the two sides did not trust each other, he did not dare to raise this question.


    To Mu Yangling, the safest ce in the world was by her side. She would never allow the child to leave her sight.


    Liao Wu thought for a moment and got Jie Kong, Jie Mo, and Yuan Fang to stay behind. Then, he entered with Liao Wu and Jing Xin.


    Reluctant to do so, Jie Kong and Yuan Fang hesitated.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s lowered eyes lit up as she looked at Liao Wu with interest. Liao Wu¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he nced at Mu Yangling warily. Then, he turned around and red at the two of them. With a wave of his hand, he said, ¡°Hurry up and leave. Wait outside.¡±<div>


    Jie Kong gritted his teeth and could only retreat. However, Yuan Fang was not someone Liao Wu could control. She said with a dark expression, ¡°Considering I¡¯m the most senior elder in the Cleansing Water Nunnery, it¡¯s better for me to stay and let Jing Xin stay outside.¡±


    Jing Xin lowered her eyes and chanted a Buddhist promation, then said calmly, ¡°Aunt-Master, since I¡¯m an abbess of Cleansing Water Nunnery, I¡¯ll naturally take responsibility for this matter. You and Senior Brother Jie Kong can stay outside for now. Don¡¯t worry, nothing will happen.¡±


    Impatient to hear them argue about who should enter and who should stay, Mu Yangling sneered and said, ¡°Could it be that things will be different just because the person who speaks is different? Or have you not decided how to weave this lie?¡±


    ¡°Amitabha. Benefactor Your Highness, monks and nuns don¡¯t lie. Why would anyone lie to you?¡± Liao Wu hurriedly rified.<div>


    ¡°Monks and nuns also don¡¯t kill and harm people. But didn¡¯t you just kill one and injure four?¡± Mu Yangling said bluntly, ¡°If we hadn¡¯t happened to bring two messenger pigeons with us and could inform the people outside, I¡¯m afraid more than one or two people would¡¯ve died.¡±


    Liao Wu lowered his eyes and could only chant a Buddhist promation benevolently without exining.


    Mu Yangling waved her hand impatiently and said, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t you just want to talk to me? It¡¯s very simple. I¡¯ll talk to Master Liao Wu, Master Liao Ji, and Abbess Jing Xin first. Then, I¡¯ll talk to Master Jie Kong, Master Jie Mo, and Abbess Yuan Fang. Men, invite these three to the side room for tea first. Be sure to attend to them attentively.¡±


    Just as Liao Wu was about to object, the guards held their sabers to their necks and escorted Jie Kong andpany away. Liao Wu looked at Mu Yangling in surprise, only to see her bright eyes and stern gaze. He immediately knew that they had made a mistake.


    Mu Yangling snorted coldly in her heart. Those people had almost killed all of her men. Now that they had voluntarilye knocking on her door, how could she be so stupid as to send them out again?


    Liao Ji clearly understood as well. He looked at Liao Wu and sighed slightly. Now that the White Cloud Temple¡¯s abbots and elders were here, how could the temple suppress Prince Rong¡¯s family members without a leader?


    They could only me themselves for underestimating their enemy and thinking that they only had 20 guards. How could they have expected that there was actually a general among them?


    With a wave of Mu Yangling¡¯s hand, only a martial matron and Spring were left in the inner room. Rain led everyone to leave the room and guard the door. Meanwhile, Qi San stayed in the room and stood behind Mu Yangling to protect her.

 Chapter 677: Thoughts

    Chapter 677: Thoughts


    Editor: As Studios


    Liao Wu nced at Qi San and suspected that he was the talented person who set up the defense in the courtyard. Hence, he became even more cautious. After deliberating for a moment, he bent down slightly. ¡°I apologize for rming Her Highness and the little prince. Perhaps what happened in the east courtyard was a misunderstanding?¡±


    ¡°Misunderstanding?¡± Qi San snorted coldly and said, ¡°You clearly knew that Her Highness wasing to pay her respects to Buddha. Since White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery have already cleared the area, why would Cleansing Water Nunnery¡¯s east courtyard leave behind such dangerous persons? I don¡¯t think that this is a misunderstanding, but that you have ulterior motives.¡±


    Just as Liao Wu was about to exin, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°The abbots and abbesses haven¡¯t told me who the people in the east courtyard are.¡±


    Liao Wu fell silent for a moment. Sighing slightly, Jing Xin looked up. Just as she was about to speak, Liao Wu said before her, ¡°Let me exin. Our White Cloud Temple was the one who entrusted Cleansing Water Nunnery with this matter. They don¡¯t know much regarding this.¡±


    Jing Xin looked at Liao Wu gratefully.


    Liao Wu looked at Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Our White Cloud Temple has been established for more than 200 years. This isn¡¯t considered particrly long for a temple, but it only managed to be one of the three major temples in Qiannan with the support of the main temple.¡±


    ¡°Oh? White Cloud Temple is a branch? I wonder which branch it is.¡± There were many temples called White Cloud Temple in the world, of varying scales.


    ¡°South Stream White Cloud Temple.¡± Liao Wu bowed slightly.


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows. ¡°In Dali?¡±


    Liao Wu smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Your Highness to know that South Stream County is in Dali. More than 200 years ago, there was no Dali Country. The world was unified, and there was only Dali County. Due to the close ties between Dali¡¯s Duan family and the then Governor of Qiannan, Liu Huazhi, I heard that the people of Qiannan were valiant and the Miao people were reluctant to be educated. Therefore, after some discussion, the two of them decided to use Buddhism as a means to educate them. At that time, Qiannan did not believe in Buddhism. The Han people believed in Daoism, and the Miao people had their own beliefs. This was different even among the Miao stockades, so it was very chaotic.¡±<div>


    Liao Wu said, ¡°Although Dali was also harsh and barren, the people lived and worked in peace. It¡¯s all because of Buddhism. Therefore, Liu Huazhi, the Governor of Qiannan at the time, had the thought of building a temple to educate the people. However, though the temple was easy to build, it¡¯s rare for monks and nuns to preach Buddhism. Therefore, when Liu Huazhi begged the Duan family, thetter persuaded the South Stream White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery at the foot of the mountain to send 180 monks and nuns to stay in Qiannan. That was how the White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery here came about.¡±


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows. Liao Wu¡¯s words sounded nice, but ultimately it was because they wanted more people to subscribe to Buddhism. Also, Liu Huazhi and the Duan family were cooperating for benefits. If they really wanted to educate the people, they should have taught them how to read and write instead. Ignoring everything else, a copy of ¡®The Analects¡¯ was sufficient to brainwash them.


    During the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period, there were hundreds of schools of thought fighting for supremacy. At that time, Confucianism was not prominent. During the Qin Dynasty, it was jurisprudence that flourished, while during the Han Dynasty, people embraced Daoism more than Confucianism. However, because Confucianism could educate and tame themon people, it ced greater emphasis on loyalty to the Emperor and patriotism. As a result, it survived to this day. The doctrines of the other sects gradually declined, and Confucianism had long be a national school of thought. Didn¡¯t you see that the Imperial Examination now had a heavy emphasis on Confucianism?


    Liu Huazhi¡¯s purpose for abandoning Confucianism and instead using Buddhism to educate themon people must not be to educate themon people. Although Mu Yangling did not know what his motive was, there was no doubt that the White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery in Qiannan might be spies of the Dali Kingdom.


    Naturally, Dali had only gained independence in the past 20 to 30 years. They probably wouldn¡¯t be able to tell what happened 200 years ago.


    Mu Yangling knocked on the table and asked, ¡°Has your temple always been in contact with Dali?¡±


    Liao Wu was silent for a moment before nodding. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re still in contact. I¡¯m afraid Your Highness doesn¡¯t know that Dali and the Great Zhou haven¡¯tpletely closed the debating venue. The debating venue has been open since the founding of the Great Qi Empire¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be relying on the debating venue to contact each other, right?¡± Mu Yangling sneered. ¡°As far as I know, there¡¯s only one debating venue left in Dali and Qiannan and there are only dozens of families living around that area. As the border taxes are extremely high, the debating venue only exists in name. Surely you wouldn¡¯t dare to meet in front of the officials?¡±


    Liao Wu said with a smile, ¡°Your Highness, although the debating venue has declinedpared to before, it¡¯s not as bleak as you say. There are many carriages and pedestriansing and going every day. It¡¯s really not eye-catching for one or two monks to appear there.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Isn¡¯t it eye-catching for them to appear at a fixed time?¡± Mu Yangling mmed the teacup in her hand on the table and sneered. ¡°Does Master Liao Wu treat me as an ignorant woman? The various Miao stockades and Dali have private transaction channels, and the Han people mostly trade with the Han people in the central region. Tell me, who will go to the debating venue? The ount book that detailedst year¡¯s debating venue¡¯s tariffs is lying in the Prince¡¯s study right now. Does Master Liao Wu want to tell me that the officials at the debating venue are corrupt to the point of embezzling all the tariffs?¡±


    Liao Wu¡¯s expression changed slightly. Liao Ji hurriedly said, ¡°Your Highness, please calm down. I¡¯m afraid Junior Brother Liao Wu didn¡¯t say it clearly. There¡¯s a small temple near the debating venue, and we actually meet there more often. Therefore, the officials stationed at the debating venue won¡¯t discover us. And we rarely go to the debating venue. Seeing that it¡¯s bustling with activity, we naturally get the sense that business is very good.¡±


    Mu Yangling sneered. Although she did not believe it, she did not retort. She only gestured for them to continue. ¡°So you can pass the news of Great Qi to Dali or ept people from Dali?¡±


    Liao Wu hurriedly exined, ¡°Your Highness, Buddhism doesn¡¯t participate in state affairs. Most of our interactions are merely to exchange transcripts and scriptures. We don¡¯t spread news that is disadvantageous to Great Qi. As for this time, sigh, it¡¯s a long story.¡±


    ¡°Three days ago, a monk from the South Stream White Cloud Temple suddenly brought ady and her attendants to the temple. He said that she was the daughter of the Right Guard General of Dali, Wang Ping.¡± Liao Wu sighed and said, ¡°General Wang Ping was framed and this led to his and his family¡¯s imprisonment. Miss Wang only escaped because she was not at home, but she was constantly being hunted down. The South Stream White Cloud Temple was once indebted to the Wang family, so when Miss Wang came looking for them, the South Stream White Cloud Temple thought of a way to escort her to Qiannan. Their goal was only to let her live a peaceful life. At the very least, they could leave some descendents behind for the Wang family.¡±


    Seeing Mu Yangling¡¯s calm expression, Liao Wu did not know what she was thinking. He could only continue, ¡°As she¡¯s a female guest, I asked Cleansing Water Nunnery to take care of her on my behalf. Unexpectedly, just as she settled down, White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery received the news that Your Highness wasing to pay respects to Buddha. We originally wanted to move her to the foot of the mountain, but Miss Wang was severely injured previously and thus we did not dare to move her around casually. Therefore, we could only arrange for her to stay in the east courtyard.¡±


    Liao Wu looked at Jing Xin and said helplessly, ¡°As for why tonight happened, I have no way of knowing because I was resting in the temple.¡±


    Jing Xin hurriedly replied, ¡°Your Highness, Miss Wang¡¯s injuries are too serious. She suddenly had a high fever tonight and there were insufficient herbs in the nunnery. Her maid panicked and this was why the people from the east courtyard were rmed.¡±


    Jing Xin said helplessly, ¡°Although I left Miss Wang in the nunnery, not many people in the nunnery know about this. Hence, the sudden appearance of two women in the east courtyard caused amotion. When Your Highness sent guards to investigate, the sacrificial soldiers who were secretly protecting Miss Wang mistakenly thought that those guards were chasing after her. That¡¯s why they fought without saying a word. All of this is really a misunderstanding. It¡¯s not targeted at Your Highness and the little prince.¡±


    <div>

 Chapter 678: Assassination

    Chapter 678: Assassination


    Editor: As Studios


    Liao Wu and Jing Xin knew that it was impossible topletely absolve White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery of me in this matter. All they could ask for was to define the nature of the matter as merely having personal dealings with a neighboring country. This was a much lighter crime than them assassinating Prince¡¯s family members and plotting a rebellion.


    The former would only result in those in the know being held responsible. As for thetter, it might result in the deaths of nearly 1,000 monks and nuns in the temple and nunnery.


    Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Miss Wang?¡±


    Jing Xin hurriedly bowed and said, ¡°She¡¯s still in the east courtyard. She¡¯s unconscious because she¡¯s running a high fever.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly. ¡°If what you say is true and everything is a misunderstanding, I will allow the Wang family to not go extinctpletely.¡± Mu Yangling sneered. ¡°If you had told me the details earlier, would we have harmed a weak woman? Many things wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±


    Liao Wu and the others lowered their heads in shame. ¡°Your Highness is right. We¡¯ve judged a gentleman¡¯s character with our own narrow-mindedness.¡±


    ¡°Abbess Jing Xin, please ask Miss Wang¡¯s secret guards to put down their weapons. I brought along a doctor with me on this trip, and I also brought some ordinary herbs. Send Miss Wang over for treatment. It¡¯d be bad if she died under the pain of illness after escaping death by sword.¡±


    These words were very straightforward, but for Miss Wang¡¯s sake, Liao Wu and Jing Xin did not dare to agree. They did not know if Mu Yangling was telling the truth. What if she was lying to them and killed Miss Wang after tricking her out?


    Liao Wu and Jing Xin hesitated for a moment, then looked at each other and said, ¡°Your Highness, why don¡¯t we leave Miss Wang in the nunnery to recuperate for the time being? I¡¯ll bring the doctor to take a look at her now.¡±


    Mu Yangling smiled and said, ¡°Abbess Jing Xin, I personally believe that what you¡¯re saying is true, but all of this has yet to be investigated. Do you think I¡¯ll let a general¡¯s daughter of such a dangerous neighboring country stay in the nunnery hall? I know what you¡¯re worried about. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t kill her. At least, I won¡¯t kill her before her identity is investigated. After I find out the truth, if it¡¯s really as you said, I¡¯ll personally help her settle down in Qiannan and protect the Wang family¡¯s bloodline.¡±<div>


    With no other choice, Jing Xin could only reply with her heart beating wildly, ¡°I can only give it a try.¡±


    ¡°I will only give you 30 minutes. If they don¡¯ty down their weapons and submit obediently, the guards of the Prince¡¯s estate will charge in. Should thingse to that state, anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!¡± Mu Yangling said coldly with a murderous tone.


    Mu Yangling asked Qi San to bring Jing Xin to the east courtyard before asking someone to invite Jie Kong, Jie Mo, and Yuan Fang over. She asked Jie Kong in front of Liao Wu, ¡°Master Jie Kong, who is staying in the east courtyard?¡±


    Jie Kong looked straight ahead and said, ¡°Your Highness, the person living there is the daughter of Dali¡¯s Right Guard General, Wang Ping.¡±


    Mu Yangling knew that since they had not colluded beforeing, the identity of the person from the east courtyard was as they had said.


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly and invited them to sit down without asking any more questions.


    The few of them did not expect Mu Yangling to ask only one question and were immediately a little nervous. The room fell silent for a moment, terrifyingly silent.


    Liao Wu and Liao Ji closed their eyes and slid the prayer beads in their hands. Meanwhile, Mu Yangling drank her tea calmly. On the other hand, when Yuan Fang saw that Jing Xin wasn¡¯t in the room, she secretly became anxious. She kept staring at Jie Kong, and thetter could not help but ask, ¡°Your Highness, where¡¯s Abbess Jing Xin?¡±


    ¡°She went to invite Miss Wang over.¡±


    Immediately, Jie Kong and Yuan Fang¡¯s expressions changed slightly.


    ¡°By the way, is the monk who sent Miss Wang here still around?¡± Mu Yangling was about to drink tea when she suddenly thought of this person.


    Liao Wu turned slightly and said respectfully, ¡°Your Highness, that person was severely injured. He died shortly after escorting her to the temple.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly. She didn¡¯t say that she believed him, nor did she say that she didn¡¯t.


    However, Jie Kong and Yuan Fang couldn¡¯t help but be anxious. How could they hand Miss Wang over to the Prince¡¯s estate? Wouldn¡¯t the price they paid to protect her thus far be in vain?


    How many people had died from Dali all the way to Qiannan?


    Jie Kong and Yuan Fang¡¯s eyes gradually reddened and they looked at each other quietly.


    Jie Kong quickly looked around the room. Seeing that there were only two guards in the room and one of them was just standing in front of the inner room door, he couldn¡¯t help but feel tempted. He gave Yuan Fang a look¡­


    ¡°Jie Kong!¡±


    ¡°Evil creature, stop!¡±<div>


    Liao Wu and Liao Ji bellowed, wanting to stop Jie Kong and Yuan Fang. However, he and Liao Ji sat on Mu Yangling¡¯s left while Jie Kong and Yuan Fang sat on Mu Yangling¡¯s right. As they were equally far from Mu Yangling, they could not stop the duo in time since they were one step ahead of them.


    The moment Jie Kong and Yuan Fang moved, Mu Yangling straightened her body. As soon as Yuan Fang rushed up, she kicked her in the chest and abdomen, sending her flying out. When everyone heard a few cracking sounds, they knew that the ribs in her chest must have broken. But Jie Kong was stopped by the guard behind her. The two of them instantly fought.


    Jie Mo¡¯s round eyes widened as he shouted, ¡°Senior Presiding Brother, stop!¡±


    At first nce, Mu Yangling looked at the guard guarding the door of the inner room. Seeing that he did not move from his position and took out his sword to block the door warily, she was slightly relieved. Seeing that Jie Kong¡¯s movements were bing more and more aggressive, the furious Mu Yangling picked up the teacup on the table and only watched his movements for a moment before throwing it out, coincidentally blocking his next move. In response, Jie Kong paused slightly and dodged to the side. However, the guard¡¯s saber had already stabbed out before him and struck his waist. As the guard kicked him down, Jie Kong cried out in pain and fell beside Yuan Fang.<div>


    The guard ced his sword horizontally against his neck, suppressing him so much that he could not even raise his head.


    Mu Yangling turned to look at the pale-faced Liao Wu and said with a smile, ¡°Master Liao Wu, with your actions, how can I believe that the person from the east courtyard is just a general¡¯s orphan?¡±


    Liao Wu knelt in front of Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Your Highness, that¡¯s indeed Wang Ping¡¯s daughter. I¡¯m not lying.¡±


    Liao Ji and Jie Mo hurriedly knelt on the ground.


    Instead ofmenting, Mu Yangling snorted and looked at Jie Kong. ¡°You want to use me as a hostage to save the person in the east courtyard? Jie Kong, aren¡¯t you the abbot of the White Cloud Temple? You¡¯re actually willing to sacrifice the lives of more than 700 people in the temple for a woman. Seems like you¡¯re quite generous. Men, take these two people away and lock them up separately.¡±


    Mu Yangling did not look at the three people kneeling on the ground. She stood up and said, ¡°I wonder who chose Jie Kong to be an abbot. How stupid.¡±


    Jie Kong¡¯s face turned green and white. When he moved, a bloody mark appeared on his neck. He red at Mu Yangling with vehement hatred.


    Liao Wu andpany, likewise had ugly expressions. They had clearly saved White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery from being implicated. At the very least, they would not implicate the innocent monks and nuns. s, Jie Kong and Yuan Fang had destroyed everything.


    Liao Wu felt sad. If he had known earlier, he would not have allowed Jie Kong to be so close to Dali back then. Apparently, Jie Kong was now more attached to Dali than his fellow monks here.


    Mu Yangling waved her hand and got someone to bring Liao Wu and the other two to the side house next door to keep an eye on them.


    Looking as though he had aged ten years in an instant, Liao Wu looked at Jie Mo and said, ¡°Jie Mo, if you can make it out of here alive, you will take over White Cloud Temple.¡±


    ¡°Uncle-Master!¡±


    Liao Wu waved his hand and said, ¡°Since your Senior Brother Jie Kong tried to assassinate Her Highness, the only fate that awaits him is death. You have to remember that you¡¯re the abbot of Qiannan¡¯s White Cloud Temple, not the South Stream White Cloud Temple!¡±<div>


    Jie Mo knelt on the ground and cried bitterly. ¡°I understand.¡±


    Liao Wu sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t make the same mistake as your senior brother. In the future, stay away from the South Stream White Cloud Temple. After 200 years, one country has be two countries. Even if it was once the main temple, the two temples broke off their rtionship when Dali turned from a county to a country.¡±

 Chapter 679: Doubt

    Chapter 679: Doubt


    Editor: As Studios


    In the east courtyard, the two sides confronted each other. In the room, Jing Xin persuaded Miss Wang¡¯s maid in a low voice, ¡°Miss Qiaohui, Prince Rong¡¯s estate has already released a messenger pigeon to call for external aid. I¡¯m afraid that reinforcements will arrive before dawn. Moreover, since the Cleansing Water Nunnery has long been surrounded by the guards of the Prince¡¯s estate, there is no escape for us.¡± Her gazended on the bed and she said softly, ¡°Besides, Her Highness (Miss Wang) is in urgent need of medicinal herbs. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t be able to survive tonight.¡±


    Qiaohui looked at Miss Wang, who was burning red. With reddened eyes, she could only grit her teeth and nod.


    Jing Xin hurriedly said in a low voice, ¡°Her Highness (Miss Wang)¡¯s current identity is the daughter of Dali¡¯s Right Guard General, Wang Ping. Miss, you have to be careful.¡± Jing Xin emphasized the important things Liao Wu had said to her before helping to carry her out.


    Qiaohui nodded slightly at the secret guards outside. Only then did the secret guards put down their swords and allowed themselves to be tied up by Qi San. The atmosphere instantly froze.


    Seeing Qiaohui following Miss Wang closely, Qi San merely nced at her and did not stop her. The originally stagnant atmosphere eased a little.


    Other than Qiaohui, the maidservant, there were only three secret guards who managed to make it here alive. All three were highly skilled. Qi San felt that among the guards, only Commander Bai Li, the Emperor¡¯s right-hand man, could fight them. If not for the fact that they were already injured, the casualties of Prince Rong¡¯s guards would not have been so light.


    Qi San got someone to guard the three of them while secretly instructing a guard to quickly go down the mountain to report the situation when the martial monks and martial nuns were not paying attention.


    After dawn, Liao Wu andpany would definitely figure out that they did not have messenger pigeons or external help. Although the people in charge of White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery had been detained by them, it was safer to call for external aid. Otherwise, they would not be able to escort so many people down the mountain by themselves.


    Mu Yangling stood in front of the bed and carefully sized up Miss Wang, who was 15 or 16 years old. With her long eyebrows, a small oval face, and fair skin, she was a rare beauty.


    Seeing that her face was burning red and her brows were tightly furrowed, Mu Yangling asked the doctor who was taking her pulse, ¡°How is it?¡±<div>


    The doctor retracted his hand and bowed. ¡°Because her fever is too high, she has to cool down immediately. I¡¯ll prescribe her some medicine for her. If she can survive until noon today, she¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    It was already early in the morning, and it was only eight to ten hours before noon. She waved the doctor down to get the medicine before looking at the girl on the bed.


    Qiaohui did not expect her condition to be so serious. At this moment, she was kneeling in front of the bed and crying. Raising her eyebrows, Mu Yangling turned around to instruct Spring, ¡°Go get some well water to cool her down.¡±


    Since the herbs had to take some time to boil, it was better to cool her down physically first.


    At this moment, it was still early summer and the well water on the mountain was extremely cold. Considering there was no ice, it was a good option for cooling someone down.


    When Spring brought the water in, Qiaohui had already wiped her tears. She went forward to take the basin and said in a low voice, ¡°Let me do it.¡±


    However, Spring saw that she didn¡¯t seem familiar with such a task. Though she raised her eyebrows, she still handed it over to her.


    Seated by the bed, Mu Yangling picked up Miss Wang¡¯s hand to touch it. Seeing that Qiaohui had twisted a handkerchief and was looking at her strangely, Mu Yangling gently ced her hand on the side of the bed and stood up. ¡°Take good care of her. If you need anything, tell Rain. She¡¯ll bring you what you need.¡±


    Qiaohui hurriedly nodded in agreement. After confirming that Mu Yangling had left, she quickly walked up and picked up Miss Wang¡¯s hand to check. Seeing that there was nothing unusual, she was relieved.


    Seeing that her mistress¡¯s face was red, she quickly folded a towel and ced it on her forehead to cool it down.


    When Mu Yangling returned to her room, Little Bear had already fallen asleep again, but he still appeared somewhat uneasy. His two small hands were clenched into fists and ced by his head. Sometimes, he would kick his legs in shock and frown.


    Mu Yangling went forward and hugged him in her arms. After wrapping him in a nket, she patted his back gently. When Little Bear smelled the familiar scent, his brows rxed slightly. Snuggled in his mother¡¯s arms, he fell asleep in peace.


    When Spring entered, Mu Yangling looked up and asked her softly, ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t look like someone who serves people by their sides. When she wrung the towel, the water made a swooshing sound. She didn¡¯t even wring it dry before putting it on her mistress¡¯s forehead. It¡¯s obvious that she hasn¡¯t served anyone much.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly. Thinking of how Qiaohui¡¯s footsteps were light but steady, she knew that she had a foundation in martial arts. She was probably a martial maid in the past, just like the martial matron beside Little Bear. She only needed to be responsible for her master/mistress¡¯s safety and did not care about anything else.


    Judging from Miss Wang¡¯s soft and delicate hands, it was obvious that they belonged to a rich youngdy. However, Mu Yangling still had some doubts in her heart. Was she really only Wang Ping¡¯s daughter?


    Mu Yanglingy down with her son in her arms, and the sky turned bright outside shortly. Rain tiptoed in and whispered a few words into Spring¡¯s ear. Mu Yangling opened her eyes and patted her son, who had flipped over because she got up. Then, she stood up and walked out.


    Spring and Rain hurriedly went forward to serve her. ¡°Your Highness, Qi San asked if we should set off early.¡±


    ¡°Have the reinforcements arrived?¡±<div>


    ¡°Not yet. Qi San estimates we¡¯ll probably have to wait until around 7.¡± Rain whispered.


    Mu Yangling shook her head slightly and said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the reinforcements to arrive. Considering there are so few of us, it¡¯d be too dangerous on the way. How¡¯s Miss Wang?¡±


    ¡°Her fever has already subsided, but there¡¯s an injury on her waist and abdomen. The doctor said that her internal organs are injured and it¡¯s not appropriate for her to move. She¡¯s still unconscious.¡±


    ¡°Since we¡¯re leaving, we definitely can¡¯t leave her here. Go get someone to prepare a pnquin. It¡¯s more bumpy to travel in a carriage, so get our men to carry her back in a pnquin.¡±<div>


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this being too polite to her?¡± Rain muttered.


    Mu Yangling red at her and said, ¡°I keep feeling that there¡¯s something wrong with her identity. The three secret guards beside her were seriously injured but were still able to withstand the attacks of four of our guards. Since the General¡¯s men are so capable, why is it that they only managed to escort one woman out? Logically speaking, the first choice should be the youngest son of the first wife.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that she only escaped because she happened to be away from home at the time?¡±


    ¡°Who would bring so many secret guards with them when they go out?¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°If we had a group of secret guards like this in our residence, even if we were imprisoned back then, they would still be able to rush in and grab Little Treasure and Little Bear.¡± The Qi Haoran brothers only had one guard that was equally capable, Bai Li. For them to be able to train such outstanding sacrificial soldiers, it meant that they not only were extremely resourceful, but also had a solid foundation.


    Due to the fact that the Zhu family was a martial arts family, they had a lot of money and martial arts manuals. However, even so, there were only a few that were as skilled as Bai Li. If not for the fact that Qi Xiuyuan had to go to the battlefield when he was too young back then, the Zhu family might not have been willing to let him have Bai Li. It was truly not easy to raise such outstanding sacrificial soldiers.


    Even though the Wang family of Dali had nearly 300 years of history, Mu Yangling was still a little suspicious. Considering there were no less than three skilled sacrificial soldiers by their daughter¡¯s side, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the Wang family of Dali was really that capable.


    It had to be known that they had suffered a lot of casualties on the way. Otherwise, Miss Wang wouldn¡¯t have been seriously injured herself. Mu Yangling only needed to estimate in her heart to know that there must have been no less than six such sacrificial soldiers protecting Miss Wang from the start.


    Six was the limit that the Zhu family had painstakingly nurtured with the strength of the entire n. Yet, the Wang family could easily assign six such elite sacrificial soldiers to protect one daughter?


    Then how many had been assigned to protect the eldest heir? Why didn¡¯t he manage to escape in that case?


    Mu Yangling chuckled. She was not a fool.

 Chapter 680: Return

    Chapter 680: Return


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi San was pacing around anxiously in front of the door when a guard sprinted up the mountain. He hurriedly went up to ask, ¡°How is it?¡±


    The guard took a deep breath and said, ¡°Young Master Zijin personally brought the troops here. They¡¯ve already gone up the mountain and will arrive in half an hour.¡±


    Qi San punched excitedly and eximed happily, ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±


    The martial monks of the White Cloud Temple were just stationed not far away. He had been afraid that those people would lose control and rush over.


    Since Qi San couldn¡¯t leave, he turned around and instructed a guard, ¡°Quickly inform Her Highness of this news.¡±


    When Mu Yangling received the news, the corners of her lips curled up slightly, and she felt much more at ease. She turned her head and instructed Spring, ¡°Tell the servants to pack up. Order the guards outside the second door to remain on high alert. Watch Liao Wu, Jie Kong, and the others closely.¡±


    Mu Yangling then went to check on Miss Wang, who was sleeping next door. Qiaohui was originally leaning against the bed and sleeping. When she heard footsteps, her body tensed up and she jumped up to look back warily. When she saw Mu Yangling, her expression softened slightly, but her gaze remained fixated upon her.


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t seem to notice her vignce. She went forward and touched Miss Wang¡¯s forehead, then nodded and said, ¡°The fever has subsided.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the medicine, Your Highness.¡±


    Mu Yangling waved her hand and said with a smile, ¡°Since I promised to treat her, I¡¯ll naturally fulfill my promise. But though her fever has subsided, her injuries are very serious. The doctor said that his ability is limited, and there¡¯s not enough medicine on the mountain. There are many things that aren¡¯t avable here.¡±<div>


    Qiaohui gritted her teeth and could not help but ask, ¡°Then Your Highness, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I have an imperial physician in my residence with outstanding medical skills. Moreover, there are more medicinal herbs in the General¡¯s Residence. I¡¯ve already gotten someone to prepare a pnquin. The carriage is too bumpy, and with your mistress¡¯s injuries, it¡¯s not suitable for her to ride in it. Fortunately, I got someone to make a bed in the pnquin so that it would be morefortable for her. Later, go and see if there¡¯s anything else you need to add. Your mistress¡¯s body is weak, so you have to take care of her by her side.¡±


    Qiaohui heaved a sigh of relief. It was fine as long as she could follow her mistress.


    ¡°Your Highness, the little prince is awake and looking for you.¡± Rain quickly walked over.


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly at Qiaohui and hurried over to see her son. Little Bear was sitting on the bed, pouting and about to cry. When he saw his mother reach out to hug him, tears fell from his eyes, looking extremely aggrieved.


    Mu Yangling quickly went forward and hugged him, before wiping his tears and asking gently, ¡°Why are you crying? Isn¡¯t Mother here?¡±


    Little Bear obediently leaned against her chest and sobbed twice. His small hand grabbed her sleeve tightly as he looked at her aggrievedly.


    Mu Yangling tapped his nose and personally helped him put on his clothes. She coaxed him, ¡°Little Bear, be good. Let¡¯s go home after putting on our clothes, okay?¡±


    Upon hearing that he was going home, Little Bear cheered up a bit. He stretched out his hand for his mother to help him put on his clothes, then climbed out of bed and squatted on the ground to put on his shoes.


    When Fan Zijin rushed in, he saw Little Bear putting on shoes with red eyes. And so many servant girls in the room were just standing by and watching. Face ashen with anger, he said angrily, ¡°How did you serve the little prince? Can¡¯t you see that the little prince is putting on shoes?¡±


    Spring and the others were startled. They looked at Mu Yangling and stood there with their hands behind their backs, not knowing if they should go forward to help or not.


    Ever since the little prince was two years old, he had requested to wear clothes and shoes by himself. Only asionally when he waszy would he ask the Princess Consort or the servant girls for help. The Princess Consort had also told the servants to let the little prince do such things by himself in the future as much as possible.


    Also shocked, Little Bear sat on the ground and looked at Fan Zijin in a daze.


    The round-headed child¡¯s eyes were slightly red, as though he had been bullied and suffered grievances. Fan Zijin¡¯s heart ached. He had always doted on Little Bear, and now that Little Madam Xia was pregnant, his fatherly love could not help but overflow. Seeing Little Bear look at him, he immediately softened his expression and went forward to pick him up. ¡°Little Bear, who bullied you? Tell Uncle, Uncle will help you beat him up.¡±


    As he asked, he wanted to help him put on his shoes.


    But because the child¡¯s feet were small and soft, Fan Zijin tried for a long time but failed to help him put the shoes on. In addition, the Little Bear was quite heavy and he was squatting. For a moment, his forehead was covered in sweat.


    Knowing that Fan Zijin was not in good health, Mu Yangling quickly carried Little Bear over from his arms. She took the shoes from him and helped Little Bear put them on as she exined, ¡°This child is self-reliant and independent. He doesn¡¯t like people helping him put on shoes now.¡±


    Fan Zijin straightened up and said unhappily, ¡°There¡¯s no need to do this even if he wants to be self-reliant. How old is he? Your requirements are too strict.¡±


    Mu Yangling felt that it was better to go back and discuss how to educate their kid with Qi Haoran behind closed doors. Hence, she merely nodded perfunctorily. Fan Zijin knew that she had not heeded his words, so he turned around and asked solemnly, ¡°What¡¯s going on at Cleansing Water Nunnery? The guard who came back to report didn¡¯t make himself clear. Have you caught the assassin?¡±<div>


    Mu Yangling wanted to hand Little Bear over to Spring to carry down, but Little Bear hugged his mother¡¯s neck and refused to let go. Mu Yangling could only hug him as she told Fan Zijin what happenedst night. She said, ¡°I suspect that Miss Wang isn¡¯t Wang Ping¡¯s daughter.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t bring an identity document? There must be something to prove her identity, right?¡± Fan Zijin asked.


    Mu Yangling was stunned. ¡°If you didn¡¯t mention it, I would have forgotten. I was only thinking that they were fleeing for their lives and couldn¡¯t have brought these things. I¡¯ll get someone to askter. However, Miss Wang is unconscious now, so we¡¯ll have to wait for her to wake up before asking about the truth.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded. ¡°How do you n to arrange for her?¡±<div>


    ¡°Just keep her in the General¡¯s Residence for now. As for the three sacrificial soldiers, I¡¯ll leave them to you. Don¡¯t kill them. Although they¡¯re aggressive, their mistress is in our hands. They should know what to do.¡±


    Fan Zijin frowned slightly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Qiaohui knows martial arts?¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I also have many martial maids and martial matrons in my residence. It¡¯s difficult for her to fight so many people with her two fists. Besides, considering she has a severely injured mistress to protect, I¡¯m sure she won¡¯t be reckless.¡± Mu Yangling lowered her voice and added, ¡°Besides, those three sacrificial soldiers seem to be under hermand.¡±


    Fan Zijin raised his eyebrows.


    Qi San said that Abbess Jing Xin had gone straight into the room to persuade Qiaohui. Originally, the two sides were still confronting each other, but one order from Qiaohui and the sacrificial soldiers immediately gave up resisting and willingly let themselves be tied up. It could be seen that they obeyed Qiaohui¡¯s orders.


    The reinforcements brought by Fan Zijin surrounded White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery. He left half of his men to separate the monks and nuns in the temple and nunnery before bringing the remaining half to escort Mu Yangling and the others back to the city.


    With Liao Wu andpany taken away, there was no one in charge at White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery.


    Seeing that the monks and nuns were being disorderly and chaotic, Fan Zijin assigned two of the more senior monks and nuns to manage White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery respectively. Only then did he bring people to protect Mu Yangling and the others as they descended the mountain.


    Knowing that the pnquin they asked for would be used to carry Miss Wang, Liao Wu got someone to carry thergest sedan chair out since it would be more stable. Also, it was covered with a thick quilt. Qiaohui carried Miss Wang and gently ced her on it. Then, she sat at the side and hugged Miss Wang¡¯s head, gently cing it on her knees, before indicating that the men could lift the pnquin.


    As the mountain road was bumpy, it was indeed much morefortable to sit in a pnquin than a carriage. In addition, there were four guards with strong martial arts skills carrying the pnquin. Thus, they moved andnded uniformly. Furthermore, due to the lightness of the pnquin and the fact that there was a thick quilt under it, Qiaohui could only feel a faint swaying. Only then did she feel relieved.

 Chapter 681: Identity

    Chapter 681: Identity


    Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Miss Wang?¡± A gentle voice sounded in her ear. Duan Yuqing¡¯s brows creased slightly. When she opened her eyes, her vision was blurry and it took her a long time to see what was in front of her.


    ¡°Miss Wang?¡± Seeing that she had opened her eyes, Mu Yangling called out to her again. However, the person on the bed only frowned slightly and looked confused. She turned to look at her in confusion.


    Mu Yangling smiled at her. ¡°Miss, you¡¯re awake? Are you feeling better?¡±


    ¡°You are?¡± Only then did Duan Yuqing sober up and look at Mu Yangling in confusion.


    Mu Yangling helped her up and poured her a ss of water. After seeing that she had moistened her throat, she said, ¡°You¡¯re seriously injured and are recuperating at my home now.¡± Seeing that her expression had rxed slightly, Mu Yangling suddenly asked, ¡°How do you feel now, Miss Duan?¡±


    Duan Yuqing put down her teacup and said with a smile of gratitude, ¡°Thank you, Madam. I feel much better now. I wonder if my maidservant¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about Miss Qiaohui? She went to brew medicine for you.¡± Mu Yangling asked gently, ¡°How did you get injured, Miss Duan?¡±


    Duan Yuqing replied vaguely, ¡°I met an evil person on the way and identally got injured¡­¡± She did not know how Qiaohui had exined her background, so she did not dare to exin too clearly.


    Duan Yuqing quickly looked around the room and saw that the furnishings were exquisite. Judging from this, she knew that this was the home of a wealthy family. Logically speaking, they should be keeping a low profile as they were fleeing for their lives. How did she end up here?


    Duan Yuqing looked at the door anxiously and asked, ¡°How should I address you, Madam?¡±<div>


    Mu Yangling looked at her carefully and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m Princess Consort Rong. Miss Duan, you can just call me Your Highness.¡±


    Duan Yuqing¡¯s expression changed slightly. ¡°Princess Consort Rong?¡±


    There was no Prince Rong in Dali. No, she had fled to Great Qi. When the Emperor of Great Qi ascended the throne, he conferred his younger brother the title of Prince Rong.


    In her agitation, Duan Yuqing felt a pain in her waist and abdomen. All color drained from her face as she covered her wound and almost bit her lip until it bled.


    ¡°Miss?¡± Qiaohui, who hade in with the medicine, happened to see this scene. She rushed over, ced the medicine on the table beside her, and rushed in with an agitated and anxious look. ¡°Miss, you¡¯re awake? Did you identally touch your wound? I¡¯ll call the imperial physician for you now.¡±


    Duan Yuqing waved her hand and looked at Qiaohui anxiously. She had many questions to ask her, but with Mu Yangling here, there was so much she could not ask. She could only worry.


    Mu Yangling seemed to know what she was thinking. She stood up and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re awake, take the medicine before resting. I¡¯ll visit you again tonight.¡±


    Mu Yangling brought the servants out, leaving the mistress and servant alone.


    Duan Yuqing heaved a sigh of relief and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Weren¡¯t we going to White Cloud Temple? Why are we here at the Prince¡¯s Residence?¡±


    Qiaohui sat by the bed and hugged her. She whispered into her ear, ¡°Your Highness, walls have ears¡­¡± In a low voice, she briefly exined what had happened in White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery.


    Duan Yuqing¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She could not help but clutch her chest and ask, ¡°Who did you say my alias is?¡±


    ¡°Master Liao Wu said that you are General Wang¡¯s daughter¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Duan Yuqing¡¯s face was pale. ¡°But she called me Miss Duan just now.¡±


    Qiaohui¡¯s expression changed as well. She tightened her grip on Duan Yuqing¡¯s hand. Gritting her teeth, Qiaohui said hatefully, ¡°What a treacherous person!¡± She actually took advantage of her mistress¡¯s unconscious state to do such a cunning thing.


    ¡°Qiaohui, can we leave?¡± Having been hunted down all the way, Duan Yuqing feared for her fate now that she had fallen into the hands of the Great Qi royal family.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Qiao Zhiyan¡¯s eyes turned slightly red. ¡°Your injuries are too serious¡­¡±


    Not to mention that they were trapped in the General¡¯s Residence and their sacrificial soldiers were imprisoned, even if the sacrificial soldiers were still around, they would not dare to escape. Duan Yuqing¡¯s injuries were too serious. If there was no good medicine and doctor, perhaps¡­


    Hatred filled Qiaohui¡¯s heart as she knelt down and said, ¡°Your Highness, that Princess Consort is not a pure-hearted person. Since she tricked you, it means that she already suspects your identity. You didn¡¯t refute just now, so she¡¯s most likely already determined your identity. In that case, why don¡¯t you be honest and cooperate with Great Qi?¡±


    Duan Yuqing lowered her eyes and bit her lip gently. She hesitated. ¡°B-But if she uses me to make a deal with the Gao family¡­¡±<div>


    ¡°If she has such thoughts, I will protect Your Highness even if I die. The most important thing now is to heal your injuries.¡±


    Qiaohui had thought it through very clearly. If they wanted to escape, Duan Yuqing¡¯s injuries had to be healed first. Otherwise, escaping was equivalent to death. The only thing she could do now was to think of a way to buy more time.


    Seeing that she was still hesitating, Qiaohui whispered in her ear, ¡°Your Highness, time is of the essence. We can¡¯t hesitate anymore. If you reveal your identity, as the princess of a country, you will receive preferential treatment and your injuries will definitely recover faster. Even if she has evil intentions, she has to inform the Emperor of Great Qi first before thinking of a way to inform the Gao family in Dali. During this period of time, when you recover, I will immediately send you out.¡±


    At the end of the day, what they were fighting for was time. Time to recuperate.<div>


    Duan Yuqing gritted her teeth and agreed. ¡°Invite her over then. I¡¯ll talk to her personally.¡±


    Qiaohui was a little worried since Duan Yuqing was innocent and might not be a match for that treacherous Princess Consort. However, she was just a servant and indeed did not have the right to talk to Mu Yangling. Qiaohui gritted her teeth and fed Duan Yuqing the medicine before going to look for Mu Yangling.


    Along the way, she kept thinking about where they had revealed their tracks.


    How did Mu Yangling suddenly guess their identities? Could it be that the sacrificial soldiers had betrayed them?


    No, that was impossible. Those people were well-trained and would not betray their masters. Qiaohui went through the spections in her heart as she overthrew them one by one.


    Meanwhile, Mu Yangling said excitedly, ¡°Go and call Young Master Zijin back immediately. Tell him that I have something important to tell him.¡±


    Initially, she was just randomly giving it a shot. She did not expect to really get it right. That was all thanks to all kinds of creative television dramas that she had watched in her previous life. Mu Yangling smiled happily.


    She had originally suspected that Miss Wang was the Wang family¡¯s son who had disguised himself as a woman to escape. Later, when she confirmed that it was indeed a woman, she naturally suspected that ¡®Miss Wang¡¯ was not a daughter of the Wang family.


    Since she wasn¡¯t from the Wang family, whose family did she belong to?


    The power of Dali was higher than that of the Wang family. There were only a few families that could send so many sacrificial soldiers. Initially, she suspected that ¡®Miss Wang¡¯ was a daughter of the Gao family or the Qin family. After all, these two families were in charge of Dali now, especially the Gao family which controlled almost all the government affairs in Dali. She remembered that Haoran had previously said that in the past three years, Dali had rebelled twice just because they opposed the Gao family¡¯s control of the government. He suspected that Dali and Qiannan were in frequent contact because the Gao family wanted to divert the attention of the country.


    However, when she looked at the girl lying on the bed just now, she suddenly had a sh of inspiration and called her ¡°Miss Duan¡± before shepletely regained her senses.


    So, her surname was Duan. In Dali, there was only one family with the powerful surname Duan¡ªthe Dali Imperial Family.


    <div>

 Chapter 682: Duan Family

    Chapter 682: Duan Family


    Editor: As Studios


    Before Mu Yangling could see Fan Zijin, Qiaohui came looking for her.


    Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows and said, ¡°Let your mistress rest for a while first. She hasn¡¯t eaten anything since she woke up, right? I¡¯ll visit her in the afternoon.¡±


    Qiaohui hesitated for a moment before leaving.


    Mu Yangling waited for Fan Zijin to return. Fan Zijin said in surprise, ¡°You¡¯re saying that she¡¯s the princess of the Duan family?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°I guessed.¡±


    Fan Zijin frowned. ¡°Why did the princess of the Duan family escape to Great Qi? Is Dali in chaos? Haoran is still in Dali.¡±


    Mu Yangling waved her hand without any worry. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t rush to court death. I¡¯ll go and see herter. Listen behind the screen to find out what happened in Dali. Since Haoran isn¡¯t in Qiannan, I¡¯m not worried about anything happening to him. I¡¯m worried about the border defense of Qiannan.¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded. Liu Dahei was in charge of the West Camp, while Lin Man was inc charge of the East Camp. The two of them were still alright and could be considered Haoran¡¯s trusted aides. However, the generals of the Central Camp had always been scheming and had to be guarded against.


    When Mu Yangling went to see Duan Yuqing, she had just woken up from her sleep. Having taken medicine and eaten something, her face was not as pale as before. When she saw Mu Yangling, she got up and leaned against the pillow behind her. She greeted with a smile, ¡°Your Highness is here?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly, and Spring moved a chair for her to sit in front of the bed. ¡°Miss Wang, do you feel better?¡±<div>


    Duan Yuqing smiled bitterly. ¡°Since Your Highness has already guessed my identity, why do you have to call me Miss Wang?¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°I identally called you by the wrong name earlier. Please don¡¯t take it to heart, Miss Wang.¡±


    Duan Yuqing shook her head slightly. ¡°Your Highness, you didn¡¯t call me wrongly previously. My surname is indeed Duan.¡±


    Duan Yuqing looked at Qiaohui, who took out a jade pendant and handed it to her respectfully. Duan Yuqing handed it to Mu Yangling. ¡°This is a jade pendant from the Duan royal family.¡±


    Mu Yangling took it and took a look. There was a five-wed auspicious dragon engraved on the front, and the words ¡®Duan Yuqing¡¯ were engraved on the back in small font. ¡°Why would a princess of Dali escape all the way here?¡±


    Duan Yuqing looked at the jade pendant in Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and her eyes turned red. ¡°The Gao family rebelled and forced the Emperor to abdicate. In a moment of desperation, I was sent out of the pce by my father. I originally wanted to hide in High Sage Temple, but there was also a rebellion in High Sage Temple. Helpless, the elders of High Sage Temple could only send me to the South Stream White Cloud Temple. However, the Gao family was powerful, and the White Cloud Temple couldn¡¯t protect me. They could only smuggle me to Great Qi. I originally wanted to stay low for a while before returning. Unexpectedly, the Gao family rebelled and chased me all the way. I got severely injured¡­ Your Highness also knows what happened after that.¡±


    ¡°The Gao family rebelled, but no one managed to calm the chaos?¡±


    Duan Yuqing¡¯s expression was a little ugly. She nced at Qiaohui and saw her blink, so she sighed and said, ¡°To be honest, Your Highness, my Duan family doesn¡¯t have many children. I¡¯m the only offspring my father has. There¡¯s only one cousin in the Duan family who¡¯s rtively close to him in terms of blood ties. Although my cousin was sick and weak when he was young, his health was still alright because he had learned martial arts since he was young. My father brought him into the pce to personally teach him. If nothing unexpected happens, he¡¯ll be the next Emperor of Dali. However, more than a month ago, while out hunting, my cousin suddenly fell off a horse and died. Just as my father was in grief, the Gao family attacked at this moment¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s expression was a little strange. ¡°Hunting at the end of spring?¡±


    Duan Yuqing nodded repeatedly. ¡°Back then, my father had mentioned that the prey at the end of spring was fierce but thin and not suitable for hunting. However, my cousin insisted on going and promised not to go deep into the forest and only circle around the periphery. That was why my father agreed. Who knew that such a thing would happen?¡±


    Only then did Duan Yuqing¡¯s suffering begin. The sessor that the Emperor of Dali had nurtured for nearly 20 years was dead. He had no sons, and his brothers were all dead. He also had no sons. If he were to choose another heir, he would have to choose a more distant rtive. Furthermore, the Emperor of Dali was not in good health. He was already 52 years old this year, so it would be difficult for him to nurture another sessor.


    The Emperor of Dali had originally wanted to choose a few older ones from the side branches to teach, and hopefully live for a few more years. However, before he could raise this idea, the Gao family rebelled.


    If Duan Yuqing¡¯s cousin was still around and the Duan family had a legitimate heir, it would definitely not be easy for the Gao family to rebel. However, now that all the direct descendants of the Duan family and the closer royal family members were dead, the only royal descendant left was Duan Yuqing, a girl.


    Therefore, when the Gao family rebelled, nobody put up a strong resistance. In just two to three days, the Gao family¡¯s army rushed into the pce. The Emperor of Dali only had time to send his daughter out. His original intention was to let his daughter go to the High Sage Temple and let the eminent monks of the High Sage Temple calm the chaos. Unexpectedly, because there was also a rebellion going on at the High Sage Temple, the entire Dali Kingdom fell in chaos.


    Duan Yuqing could only escape towards Great Qi.


    Qiaohui and the others had protected Duan Yuqing and ran out with the intention of contacting the court officials to resolve the chaos. However, once High Sage Temple fell into chaos, they no longer dared to hope for this. Now, they only hoped that they could protect this remaining bloodline of the royal family so that the Duan family would not go extinct.


    High Sage Temple was the state religion of Dali, the ce where the previous Dali Emperors and the heads of the Duan family became monks in theirter years.


    The Duan family respected the Buddhist Dharma very much. In addition, the past Dali kings, King Zhennan, and the head of the Duan family had all be monks in the High Sage Temple to study Buddhist Dharma in theirter years. The status of the High Sage Temple was extremely prestigious. Not only did it educate the people, but it was also the religion of the citizens of the Dali Kingdom. In addition, it also held the responsibility of restoring things to order in chaotic times. In the past, when there were people in the royal family who did evil, it was always the High Sage Temple who mediated or resolved the issue.


    Therefore, when there was a rebellion this time, the Emperor of Dali sent his daughter to High Sage Temple. However, who would have thought that High Sage Temple would also be in chaos?<div>


    Their backing and faith copsed at the same time. Duan Yuqing and the others were in a panic and could only flee to Qiannan with the people of the South Stream White Cloud Temple. When the abbot sent them away, he had only one instruction for his men, and that was to protect the Duan family¡¯s bloodline.


    Even Duan Yuqing thought the same. This was because she knew that she did not have the ability to go back and calm the chaos. She could only try her best to live and continue the Duan family¡¯s bloodline, hoping that her child would be able to return to Dali and High Sage Temple in 20 years.


    Duan Yuqing exined all of this in detail to Mu Yangling with only one request¡ªshe hoped that Mu Yangling would spare her life and let her continue living in Qiannan and have children.


    Mu Yangling looked at Duan Yuqing sympathetically. Then, she turned to look at Qiaohui, only to see her looking at her pleadingly. Mu Yangling sighed in her heart. She did not tell Duan Yuqing that she had injured her uterus and would probably never have a child in this lifetime.<div>


    Avoiding Duan Yuqing¡¯s pleading gaze, Mu Yangling pondered and said, ¡°Princess Duan, I can¡¯t give you an answer now. Since this matter has significant repercussions, I have to report it to His Majesty.¡± Seeing that her face was gloomy, she hurriedly said, ¡°But I¡¯ll try my best to fight for it on your behalf. Rest in peace during this period of time. Don¡¯t worry, as long as you stay here, I can guarantee your safety.¡±


    Duan Yuqing smiled and said with a smile, ¡°Thank you, Your Highness Qi.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly at Qiaohui, indicating for her to take good care of Duan Yuqing. Then, she stood up and left.


    Tears welled up in Duan Yuqing¡¯s eyes as she said, ¡°Qiaohui, if Princess Consort Qi refused to agree to our request, I¡¯m afraid we¡­¡±


    However, Qiaohui was very happy and said, ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s good that Princess Consort Qi is like this. If she agreed immediately, I¡¯d fear that she has ulterior motives. It¡¯s actually better that she tells it like it is. I believe she¡¯ll put in a good word for us in front of the Great Qi Emperor.¡±

 Chapter 683: Crooked Thoughts

    Chapter 683: Crooked Thoughts


    Editor: As Studios


    After confirming Duan Yuqing¡¯s identity, Mu Yangling and Fan Zijin felt a huge weight lift off their shoulders. Although Dali was small and had always been very weak, the two of them did not dare to be negligent. They hurriedly wrote an urgent document and sent it to the capital.


    After the document was sent out, Fan Zijin finally had the mood to have crooked thoughts.


    If what Duan Yuqing said was true, Dali would definitely be in chaos. Considering the Gao family was powerful, it was only a matter of time before they calmed the chaos in the country. Previously, they had plotted against Qiannan. Once the Gao family gained power, even if the two countries did not go to war on a big scale, there would definitely be a lot of small friction.


    Most importantly, Haoran had always had designs on Dali. Otherwise, he would not have personally gone to Dali this time. If he conflicted with the powerful Gao family, a war would happen sooner orter.


    Now, Fan Zijin could already foresee a scene of war. He was not afraid of war, but he was a little worried about logistics. He did not have the ability to providebat readiness for the army now, so it was best to resolve things peacefully.


    Originally, Fan Zijin had wanted to use his identity as the eldest cousin of the royal family to expand his business further so that he could prepare the logistics for future battles. However, the arrival of the Dali Princess had opened up a path for him.


    The princess of Dali was a double-edged sword. If they did not use it well, they would only give the Gao family the excuse of starting a war and bring the war between the two countries forward. However, if they used it well, they might be able to take down Dali without expending a single soldier and incorporate Dali into Great Qi, restoring the past glory of the Great Zhou during Emperor Shizong¡¯s reign.


    After all, these were just fleeting thoughts. Furthermore, this matter was confidential, so it was not appropriate for him to discuss it with his advisor. Thus, Fan Zijin looked for Mu Yangling to discuss it. ¡°I want to propose that His Majesty takes the princess of Dali as a concubine. This way, she can show her identity openly and let the Gao family have no more excuses to question her. It will also let the world learn of the evil things that the Gao family has done.¡±


    It sounded very righteous, but Mu Yangling only heard the first and most important point. She widened her eyes and asked, ¡°What about the Empress and Little Treasure?¡±


    Fan Zijin rolled his eyes and said, ¡°There is room for 72 concubines in the Emperor¡¯s harem and he has only conferred the Empress. Since Dali is just a small country, it¡¯s enough to confer Princess Duan the title of concubine. The key is, what do you think the possibility of us peacefully taking Dali by marriage is?¡±<div>


    Fan Zijin did not hide his true motive from Mu Yangling.


    ¡°¡­¡± Mu Yangling was speechless for a long time before saying faintly, ¡°Judging from the Duan family¡¯s influence in Dali, if Duan Yuqing is willing and canmand the Duan family¡¯s power in Dali, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for Great Qi to conquer Dali.¡±


    Dali had always been a vassal state of the Central ins, so it had a sense of belonging to the Central ins. It was not as hostile to the Central ins as N¨¹zhen and the others. In addition, Emperor Shizong of the Great Zhou had previously merged Dali into the Great Zhou and turned it into a prefecture. In the former Tang Dynasty, Dali was only a prefecture of the Tang Dynasty. It was not until the Later Tang Dynasty that the Duan family separated Dali from Great Zhou to be an independent country.


    It had only been more than 20 years since Dali was separated from the Great Zhou Dynasty. Now, there were definitely many people in Dali who remembered the unified Great Zhou Dynasty. Thus, integrating Dali into the Central ins again was a very feasible idea.


    After thinking for a moment, Mu Yangling also shared Fan Zijin¡¯s sentiments. She said, ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll ruin the reputation of the Gao family. Not only is the Duan family the royal family of Dali, but they¡¯re also the pir of the High Sage Temple. The High Sage Temple is the state religion of Dali and has countless devotees. If word gets out that the Gao family is hunting down the Princess of Dali, never mind those pragmatic politicians, I believe themon people won¡¯t stand on the Gao family¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Fan Zijin clenched his fists and said, ¡°Although the Duan family is weak, there are advantages to being weak. Ever since the Duan family separated Dali from the Great Zhou, they have always imposed reasonable taxes thus making them very popr among the people. Although the Gao family is influential, their reputation is much worse. If we add fuel to the fire¡­¡±


    Fan Zijin said with a smile, ¡°After their princess marries His Majesty, we can send troops to the border. Even if Dali¡¯s nobles were originally on the Gao family¡¯s side, they would have to reconsider then. I¡¯ll submit a memorial to His Majesty now and contact Haoran to ask him toe back quickly.¡±


    Mu Yangling frowned slightly. ¡°We haven¡¯t asked Duan Yuqing for her opinion¡­¡±


    Seeing that she was worried about Duan Yuqing, Fan Zijin said unhappily, ¡°Ah Ling, don¡¯t forget which country you¡¯re from. Moreover, this is the best oue for the princess of Dali. Otherwise, in our hands, she¡¯ll either be a bargaining chip for us to trade with the Gao family or be sent back to Dali as a puppet to fight with the Gao family. No matter which it is, with her current injuries, she won¡¯t be able to live long. It¡¯s different if she enters Eldest Cousin¡¯s harem. The Empress is virtuous. Just based on the fact that she¡¯s a princess of Dali, she¡¯ll treat her well. She¡¯ll live in a good environment. At the very least, she won¡¯t die young. Perhaps she¡¯ll even be lucky enough to give birth to a grandson of the Duan family who has the royal bloodline. At the very least, she¡¯ll be able to make sure the Duan family doesn¡¯t be extinct.¡±


    Mu Yangling was silent. Fan Zijin warned her, ¡°Don¡¯t send her away with a benevolent heart and ruin a good hand of cards.¡±


    Mu Yangling red at him angrily. ¡°Am I such a person who disregards her country¡¯s interests? However, don¡¯t even think about passing down the Duan family¡¯s bloodline. She¡¯s seriously injured and injured her uterus. She won¡¯t have a child in the future.¡±


    Fan Zijin was shocked. ¡°It¡¯s that serious?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly and said in a low voice, ¡°Contact Haoran first and ask him about the situation on his side. I¡¯ll persuade Duan Yuqing.¡±


    At this moment, Qi Haoran, who had been missed by the two of them, had just followed the convoy of Bisha Miao stockade past Qiannan and entered Dali. The guide who came to pick up the convoy nced at the convoy and asked Sanglin Ji in confusion, ¡°Third Prince? Why are you here this time?¡±


    Sanglin Zhong had always been the one in charge of the transactions between the two sides. Although he knew Sanglin Ji, most of the time, Sanglin Ji existed as a deputy. This was the first time he appeared as the person-in-charge.


    Sanglin Ji exined without changing his expression, ¡°My second brother is busy with work, so I¡¯ll be in charge of all the transactions with Dali going forward.¡±


    The guide rolled his eyes and asked, ¡°How¡¯s Chief Sanglin¡¯s health recently?¡±


    Sanglin Ji¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°My father is still healthy. Thank you for your concern.¡±


    However, the guide still noticed the change in Sanglin Ji¡¯s gaze. With a smile, he turned around to get someone to ask the Miao stockade people about Chief Sanglin¡¯s health.<div>


    Chief Sanglin¡¯s health was indeed not very good. Ever since he met Qi Haoran, his vitality seemed to have been sucked out all of a sudden, and his health deteriorated rapidly. He was very dissatisfied with Sanglin Zhong¡¯s arrogance and acting on his own. Recently, he had locked him in the main building where he worked and did not allow him to go out unnecessarily.


    This news was naturally kept confidential, so the Miao stockade people only knew that the Second Prince had been living in the main building recently, and the chief¡¯s health was getting worse. Recently, he had been visiting the Miao doctor frequently.


    When the guide received the news, he came to the conclusion that Chief Sanglin¡¯s health was probably not good and the position of chief might be passed to the Second Prince, Sanglin Zhong. That was why Sanglin Zhong moved into the main building, and Sanglin Ji was put in charge of the dealings with Dali.


    Although the guide was just a guide, he was observant and knowledgeable. Aftering to this conclusion, he did not neglect Sanglin Ji. After all, if Sanglin Zhong was to be the chief, he could not be in charge of this area personally in the future. Since Sanglin Ji hade personally this time, he would probably hand such matters to Sanglin Ji in the future. Considering they would be working more closely, he had to build a good rtionship with Sanglin Ji.<div>


    Thinking of this, the guide became even more polite to Sanglin Ji.


    Meanwhile, Qi Haoran blended in with the convoy and quietly memorized the route.

 Chapter 684: Inquiry

    Chapter 684: Inquiry


    Editor: As Studios


    They had taken byways along the way, but there were five hidden checkpoints. Sensing that something was wrong, Qi Haoran walked to Sanglin Ji¡¯s side calmly. He asked in a low voice, ¡°Do you have to pass so many checkpoints every time youe?¡±


    Equally bewildered, Sanglin Ji replied in a low voice, ¡°In the past, there were only three checkpoints, and they were all very rxed. As long as there was a guide leading the way, there was almost no need to check the convoy.¡±


    Sanglin Ji was a little uneasy, worried that they would be discovered. This was not Great Qi. No matter how powerful Qi Haoran was, there was nothing he could do. Once they were discovered, the hundred-odd men would not be able to protect Qi Haoran.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. Rx.¡± Seeing that his back was stiff, Qi Haoran reminded him softly, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s because they discovered us. Probably something happened in Dali.¡±


    Those people had set up checkpoints mainly to check if there was hidden stuff among their goods. They were also forbidden to walk around. In just half a day¡¯s time, the guide had already reminded them four times not to walk around and not to stray from the convoy. Clearly, they were guarding against them.


    They didn¡¯t want anyone to know about what was going on in Dali.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. He was not afraid that something had happened in Dali, but that it was totally uneventful. Only when something happened would they have a chance to take advantage of it.


    ¡°Third Prince, we¡¯ll be there in an hour.¡± The guide rode his horse to the Third Prince¡¯s side and said with a smile.


    Qi Haoran took two steps back and lowered his head. As he looked no different from Sanglin Ji¡¯s other guards, the guide did not notice him at all and only looked at Sanglin Ji seriously.


    Only then did Sanglin Ji notice that this path seemed to be slightly different from the ones he had walked before. Although it looked simr, if one did not pay attention, they might not notice the difference.<div>


    Sanglin Ji¡¯s expression was a little ugly as he questioned, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us in advance that the location has been changed?¡±


    The guide said with a smile nonchntly, ¡°Third Prince, don¡¯t mind this. We only changed the location for safety¡¯s sake. However, although the location has changed, the distance isn¡¯t far.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that our dealings have been discovered?¡±


    ¡°No, no, Third Prince, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just a routine procedure. There¡¯s nothing unusual. Besides, with my master¡¯s influence, even if someone finds out, no one will dare to say anything.¡±


    Only then did Sanglin Ji remain silent. However, he was still very displeased. As Qi Haoran¡¯s guide, he actually didn¡¯t realize that the route had changed and had to wait for the Dali guide to tell him. He didn¡¯t know if the Prince would me him.


    Next, Sanglin Ji began to pay attention to the route carefully. However, he realized that he could still remember it at first. When he thought about it again after a certain period of time, he realized that there was only one path in his mind. Sanglin Ji¡¯s expression immediately turned a little ugly, and he forcefully suppressed the urge to turn around to look at Qi Haoran.


    Qi Haoran lowered his head. There was not much expression on his face, but his heart was actually a little heavy. He had also discovered the abnormality on the road. He carefully recalled the road he had walked on and his expression became even more solemn. It was not that they could not remember the route, but the scenery and signs on the road seemed to appear repeatedly in a regr pattern. This made them feel that they had been moving forward, but when they thought about it, they would realize that the road they had walked on was not special. It seemed like they had been walking the same path for a while. Moreover, those intersections should have been specially set up at specific spots. They had secretly set up a certain Eight Trigrams Array, so that the travelers could not remember the direction and intersection when they tried to recall it.


    However, was there a need to be so serious about smuggling with Qiannan? Or was this terrain formed naturally?


    Qi Haoran quietly observed the surrounding terrain. An hourter, they turned a corner and entered a valley. Everything suddenly became clear in front of them. In front of them were tents arranged horizontally and vertically. There was a roadblock at the entrance of the valley and soldiers were guarding it. In addition, there were soldiers patrolling around and inside the valley with sabers.


    This was obviously a stationed army. How was it a smuggling trade caravan?


    Qi Haoran looked at Sanglin Ji and saw that his face had also sunk. His heart could not help but sink.


    Sanglin Ji gripped the reins tightly and reined in his horse. He questioned the guide unhappily, ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this? In the past, transactions weren¡¯t like this. You actually got the army involved this time?¡±


    The guide said with a smile, ¡°Third Prince, don¡¯t be nervous. These are all our master¡¯s men. Recently, bandits have indeed been rampant in this area. Our master sent soldiers to protect your trade caravan to ensure your safety. Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re only responsible for our safety and will never participate in our transactions. Nothing changes.¡±


    As if to verify the guide¡¯s words, a middle-aged man led two people out of the valley. When he saw Sanglin Ji, he hurriedly weed him with a smile and cupped his hands. ¡°You¡¯re the Third Prince of the Bisha Tribe? Nice to meet you. You¡¯re finally here.¡±


    When Sanglin Ji saw the middle-aged man¡¯s expression soften, he returned the greeting on his horse and said, ¡°So it¡¯s the Third Boss. Are you in charge this time? However, this wee ceremony is too special.¡±


    Sanglin Ji looked at the campsite, not hiding his displeasure.


    Third Boss hurriedly said with a smile, ¡°This is all out of necessity. Third Prince, please forgive me. I know that you¡¯re leading the team this time, so I specially brought good rice wine from Dali. I¡¯ve been waiting here for you to give you my apologies upon your arrival.¡±


    Sanglin Ji pursed his lips. Although he was still dissatisfied, since he had alreadye this far, he naturally could not turn around and leave. Therefore, he could only wave his hand to let the convoy enter the valley.


    Only after entering did one realize just how big it was inside. From the outside, one would think that the camp was upied by white tents. However, after entering, they could see that there were huge gaps between the tents. There were many carts parked inside, all covered with sackcloth. Clearly, other convoys had already arrived.<div>


    While Sanglin Ji and the Third Boss were discussing business, a ¡®lowly guard¡¯ like Qi Haoran was not qualified to follow them. Hence, he could only follow the convoy to arrange the goods they had brought. There were soldiers patrolling around them. Although the patrolling soldiers did not stare straight at them, the scouts Qi Haoran brought naturally could sense that they were all being watched.


    When two people approached Qi Haoran quietly, he said in a low voice, ¡°Get our men to spread out and think of a way to check out the goods of the other trade caravans. Let¡¯s see if we can draw the topographical map of the valley and the defenseyout, focusing on the supply routes and main roads.¡±


    The two of them agreed in a low voice and turned around to carry a bag of goods from the cart to the Bisha Miao stockade¡¯s storeroom. The rest of the goods that were not suitable to be dismantled were left on the cart and guarded by the Miao stockade.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes slid across the people present. After a team of soldiers patrolled this ce again, he appeared behind a tent in the blink of an eye and sneaked towards the main tent.<div>


    When he was young, he had set up his own camp for the first time as an assistantmander, setting it up simply like how it was done in the West Camp. Later on, Ah Ling only spent less than 15 minutes before she managed to sneak into his main tent.


    Assassination and counter-assassination, infiltration and counter-infiltration had once been the game he and Ah Ling yed the most and the best. As a result, his defense was the tightest and most difficult to conquer in the entire army. Simrly, his infiltration ability could not be underestimated. It was just that he¡¯d never had the opportunity to deploy this skill in the past. This time, he could finally test his skills.

 Chapter 685: Eavesdropping

    Chapter 685: Eavesdropping


    Editor: As Studios


    ¡°Since General Gao ordered us to be on standby here. we just have to listen to orders. Why do we have to do that unnecessary thing?¡±


    ¡°But General, this is the time to make contributions. After some time, when the world is peaceful, how will we be able to show our abilities?¡±


    There was a moment of silence in the tent. The persuasive voice said, ¡°General, although General Gao has ambitions to dominate the world and has a domineering aura, he¡¯s far inferior to the Duan family in terms of benevolence and righteousness. If we don¡¯t take this opportunity to umte military merits, the Gao family might not be able to tolerate us. You have to know that the Gao family isn¡¯t like the Duan family with only a few descendants. The Gao family is populous. Even if the Gao descendants aren¡¯t capable, they¡¯ll naturally trust them more. Without military merits, how can we solidify our position?¡±


    ¡°Then what are you going to do? Right now, we¡¯re under orders to wait quietly. If General Gao finds out that we¡¯re acting rashly, even if we make a huge contribution, he could deem that our wrongdoing is greater than our merit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have to act ording to the circumstances. Not only should we umte military merits, but we also can try not to cause trouble. General, I¡¯ve obtained a confidential piece of information¡ªthe eldest princess has fled to Qiannan. This time, we¡¯re in charge of protecting the smuggling with Qiannan. Tell me, if we send people to escort the Miao trade caravan into Qiannan and secretly investigate the eldest princess¡¯s whereabouts¡­ General, since we¡¯re ordered to protect the trade between the two sides, we¡¯re just doing our best to execute our duties well. However, we happened to encounter the eldest princess who was on the run. I¡¯m sure we can tell the story in a way to absolve ourselves of me. The Duan family only has the eldest princess as their direct descendant now. Once she¡¯s captured, those who resisted because of the Duan family will definitely submit. Don¡¯t you think this will bring us huge military merit?¡±


    ¡°His Majesty is still at High Sage Temple.¡±


    ¡°His Majesty is already 52 years old. Previously, he couldn¡¯t give birth to a son, let alone now. If His Majesty hadn¡¯t be weaker and His Highness the Crown Prince didn¡¯t happen to fall off his horse and die, do you think General Gao would have rebelled?¡±


    When Qi Haoran heard this, his eyes darkened and he quietly retreated, no longer eavesdropping. Avoiding the patrolling soldiers¡¯ gazes, he quietly returned to the convoy. Sanglin Ji was sitting in the tent with sweat all over his forehead. When he saw Qi Haoran return, he almost cried out loud. He agitatedly went forward and grabbed Qi Haoran¡¯s hand. ¡°Where did you go?¡±


    When Sanglin Ji returned, he broke out in a cold sweat when he did not see Qi Haoran, deeply afraid that something would happen to him. In the end, after waiting for nearly two hours, Qi Haoran¡¯s subordinates had returned, but the man himself was still nowhere to be seen. Seeing that it was almost night and the people from Dali were about toe over to tally the numbers, how could he not be anxious?


    Qi Haoran bent down slightly and did not say anything. He only supported Sanglin Ji with his hand and helped him into the tent before letting go. He said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t be nervous.¡±<div>


    There was still cold sweat on Sanglin Ji¡¯s forehead, but his wildly beating heart felt a little better. As he wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, he said in a low voice, ¡°Dali said that they will trade with us tomorrow. We can leave the day after tomorrow.¡±


    Third Boss had asked them to stay and said that they would send a batch of military grain over in two days. At that time, they could make a deal.


    Initially, he thought that since the silver they exchanged for was going to be exchanged for grains anyway, and bartering with the Third Boss for military grains would be a cheaper deal, he was willing to stay for two more days. In any case, they had always done this in the past. But now, he had changed his mind. He felt that if he stayed here for another two days, he would die early for sure because he was traveling with such a prince.


    Sanglin Ji wanted to inform Third Bosster that they wouldn¡¯t stay any longer, that they would leave after receiving the money.


    However, Qi Haoran knocked on the table and said, ¡°Go and tell Third Boss that your Miao stockade has something to attend to. We¡¯ll leave tomorrow afternoon as soon as the transaction ends.¡±


    ¡°Erm¡­¡± The stunned Sanglin Ji asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it too urgent?¡±


    Qi Haoran nced at him and said, ¡°You¡¯re quite rxed, aren¡¯t you? How can you sleep peacefully while being encircled? It¡¯s only right that we leave early. Don¡¯t worry, that Third Boss won¡¯t keep you. However, you have to be careful. If he offers to send someone to escort you back to Qiannan, you mustn¡¯t agree to it.¡±


    ¡°Why would they want to escort us back to Qiannan?¡± Sanglin Ji asked in confusion.


    With a smile, Qi Haoran said, ¡°You just need to remember my words.¡±


    Indeed, Third Boss only tried persuading Sanglin Ji to stay for a while. Clearly, he knew that they could not stay in peace when they were surrounded by Dali soldiers. In the past, when they made transactions, it was always the trade caravan that handled the dealings. There were people from various tribal businesses. Everyone was evenly matched, and there had never been a case of forcefully buying or selling or refusing to let people leave. Considering this happened so suddenly this time, if they wanted to continue this business in the future, they could not force the guests to stay.


    However, just as Qi Haoran had expected, the other party suggested that they escort them back to Qiannan. But because Qi Haoran had reminded him in advance, he was only surprised but did not lose hisposure. He rejected it after some thought. Even if Third Boss hinted that he could give them a discount in future business dealings, he did not agree.


    This time, even without Qi Haoran¡¯s reminder, Sanglin Ji also realized that something was wrong. When he returned at night, he instructed his men to increase their vignce and not allow them to go out casually. The next day, after the transaction, he hurriedly led the convoy away.


    While Third Boss stood at the entrance of the valley and sent them off with narrowed eyes, someone behind him whispered, ¡°Are we sending them off just like that?¡±


    ¡°Bisha Miao stockade has been working with us for almost ten years. I know them well. Chief Sanglin¡¯s two sons died at the hands of the Han people.¡± Third Boss stroked his beard and said with a smile, ¡°However, this Sanglin Ji is more capable than his second brother. He¡¯s actually willing to give up the benefits we offered and escape early.¡±


    Qi Haoran did not return with Sanglin Ji. After entering Qiannan and the guide left, he stopped and said to Sanglin Ji, ¡°You guys leave first.¡±


    Sanglin Ji knew that Qi Haoran was going to leave the convoy and enter Dali again. He hesitated for a moment but did not ask anything. Nodding, he said, ¡°Take care, Your Highness.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded slightly and handed him a letter. ¡°After you return to Ju Prefecture, pass this letter to the Princess Consort for me.¡±


    Qi Haoran did not stay any longer and directly led his seven guards into Dali from another mountain pass. When he nced in the direction of the valley, he saw a continuous mountain range. Qi Haoran turned his horse around and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to High Sage Temple.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, are we going to High Sage Temple now?¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°Since Dali can¡¯t even take care of itself now, they certainly don¡¯t have the means to vite Great Qi¡¯s borders. However, if we can stir up this mess even more so that the Gao family has even more things to deal with, that would be good.¡±


    Qi Haoran felt a little regretful. ¡°If only the Emperor of the Duan family had a descendant. It¡¯s better for someone from the Duan family to be the Emperor than the powerful Gao family.¡±


    From Bisha Miao stockade, he learned that the Gao family supported the smuggling dealings with the Miao stockade. Not only did they smuggle with the Miao stockade in Qiannan, but they also often asked them about the mineral resources in Qiannan. From time to time, they would sow discord between them and the Han people. Sanglin Zhong was one of those whose hearts had been stirred by them.


    Since Qi Haoran was not familiar with Dali after all, he had to avoid the Dali army that appeared from time to time. Therefore, he took a long detour before finally reaching High Sage Temple. The advantage was that the map they drew was much more detailed now.<div>

 Chapter 686: Confrontation

    Chapter 686: Confrontation


    Editor: As Studios


    The interior and exterior of High Sage Temple were under martialw. The Gao family¡¯s army had already surrounded High Sage Temple, so Qi Haoran mixed in the crowd to admire the majestic temple. Now, even the ordinary people knew that the Gao family wanted to rece the Duan family.


    Of course, the Gao family also had a legitimate-sounding excuse, which was that they were arresting the culprits who murdered the Crown Prince¡ªthe Empress and the Eldest Princess.


    Regardless of whether everyone believed it or not, the Gao family dide up with a very righteous and noble reason to rebel.


    The Crown Prince of Dali was the Emperor¡¯s nephew and the Eldest Princess¡¯s cousin. He had been brought up in the pce since he was young. When the Eldest Princess came of agest year, the Emperor officially conferred his nephew the title of Crown Princest year. However, in less than a year, the Crown Prince fell off his horse and died. Before the Crown Prince¡¯s funeral, General Gao brought soldiers to storm the pce and asked the Emperor to hand over the Eldest Princess and the Empress who had caused the death of the Crown Prince.


    With the eldest princess missing, the Emperor and Empress temporarily hid in High Sage Temple under the protection of the guards. On the surface, the Gao family looked like they were seeking justice for the Crown Prince, but even ordinary people knew that this was just an excuse.


    There was no such thing as a female monarch in Dali. Besides, the eldest princess and the Crown Prince had grown up together since they were young, and they had always been on good terms. Since there were also no conflicts of interest, why would the eldest princess want to harm the Crown Prince for no reason?


    However, the Gao family had witnesses and evidence in their hands. There were letters from the eldest princess colluding with the Crown Prince¡¯s guards, as well as the confessions of the killers sent by the eldest princess to murder the Crown Prince. Not to mention that everyone did not have time to identify the authenticity of these ¡®evidence¡¯ amidst the chaos, even if both sides sent people to distinguish the authenticity, they would not be able to figure out the truth because these could be faked.


    Now that the Gao family surrounded High Sage Temple to ask the Emperor to hand over the Empress, the Emperor naturally would not agree. Even if all the ministers knelt on the ground, the Emperor remained unyielding and refused to let anyone take the Empress away.


    It was not that he had deep feelings for the Empress, but he knew that capturing the Empress was just an excuse. If he handed the Empress over, the next target of the Gao family would be him and the eldest princess.


    His daughter was the Emperor¡¯s bottom line, and the Gao family had already crossed his line.Now that both sides were already at the end of their rope, he could only try his best to stall for time so that his daughter had more time to escape. The Empress was a tool to stall for time, and so was he.<div>


    The Empress clearly knew this, so for the sake of her daughter¡¯s safety, she had been carefully protecting her life these few days, hoping to stall for more time.


    When the Emperor staggered in with his walking stick, he saw the Empress kneeling and praying sincerely to Buddha. He looked up at the benevolent Bodhisattva and sighed slightly.


    When the Empress heard themotion, she quickly turned around. ¡°Your Majesty, what did the abbot say? Are the elders willing to see us?¡±


    His Majesty shook his head slightly. ¡°The elders are already old. They¡¯re all in seclusion and won¡¯te out. The abbot has sent them a letter, so it¡¯s not appropriate to ask again now.¡±


    The Empress¡¯s eyes turned red as she said, ¡°But this is the Duan family¡¯s territory.¡±


    His Majesty sighed and shook his head slightly.


    The Duan family had always been in power in Dali. When Dali was an independent country, the Emperor came from the Duan family. When Dali was a prefecture, a member of the Duan family was conferred the title of the Prince of Zhennan by the Imperial Court. In fact, his father was the one who helped Dali gain independence from the Great Zhou. At that time, he and his brothers were already fighting to the death for the title of the Prince of Zhennan. As soon as his father separated Dali from the Great Zhou and helped it be an independent country, everyone fought even more fiercely.


    In the end, when he ascended the throne, his father became one of the few Dali Emperors who did not enter the High Sage Temple to be a monk in hister years because he died of illness just five days after abdicating.


    Longevity had always been a trait of the Duan family, especially the retired emperors who were willing to shave their heads and enter the High Sage Temple to cultivate. For example, his grandfather and great-grandfather were still alive. His grandfather was 87 years old this year, and his great-grandfather was 103 years old. Both were still alive and kicking.


    However, it seemed to be God¡¯s retribution for fighting his brothers to the death for the throne. His brothers died in the struggle, and even their children were implicated. In the end, when the dust settled, only his second brother¡¯s youngest son was alive when he ascended the throne. As for him, he only had this one daughter.


    It was precisely because of this that he had been practicing benevolence all these years. He had reduced taxes many times because he wanted to umte more merit so that the remaining two bloodlines of the Duan n could grow up safely.


    He had already chosen to abdicate to the Crown Prince at the age of 55, but who knew that such a thing would suddenly happen?


    The Emperor felt that this was really retribution from the things he had done in his younger days. He did not know if the elders were unwilling toe out and see him because they thought the same way. In fact, as long as the elders were willing to appear, with the connections and merit umted by their ancestors, the Gao family could not rebel against him.


    However, monks didn¡¯t tend to involve themselves in the worldly affairs of the mortal world. Even if historically there had been a few cases of the High Sage Temple helping the Duan family to quell a rebellion, he was not sure that the High Sage Temple was willing to stand up for him. After all, his daughter had been sent away when she came to the High Sage Temple.


    The High Sage Temple had the responsibility to protect the Duan family¡¯s bloodline, but just because the eldest princess was a daughter and not a son, the High Sage Temple was unwilling to protect her with all its might. The Emperor was very angry, so he naturally did not have a good impression and much expectations of those elders who had not appeared up till now.


    The couple knelt in front of the Buddha hand in hand and prayed seriously for the safety and happiness of their daughter.


    At this moment, Qi Haoran, who wanted to sneak into High Sage Temple, was ring at the person in his hands with fury. Looking livid, he instructed Fei Bai, ¡°Go and find out who this person is.¡±


    When Fei Bai heard that someone wasing over, he agreed while saying anxiously, ¡°Master, let¡¯s leave quickly. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be toote.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded and reached out to throw the person in his hand away. After some thought, he ultimately was not heartless enough, so he decided to flee with said person. Even if they were good at martial arts, everyone still barely managed to escape the pursuers, especially since Qi Haoran was holding an injured and unconscious person. There were a few times when he wanted to throw the person away, but he felt that the possibility of escaping was quite high. In addition, he was unwilling to carry a life on his back. Just like that, Qi Haoran carried the person into a dpidated temple.<div>


    Sweating profusely, Fei Bai caught up from behind and said, ¡°Master, we¡¯ve shaken them off.¡±


    Only then did Qi Haoran release his grip on the person he was grabbing and instruct his subordinates, ¡°Treat his wound. When he wakes up, ask him about his identity and background.¡±


    ¡°Fei Bai, bring people to High Sage Temple tomorrow and see if there are any changes in their defenseyout. We have to look for an opportunity to sneak into the temple.¡±


    ¡°Master, considering we rmed the guards this time, it¡¯d be too difficult to sneak in again. Besides, it¡¯s too dangerous.¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°Try again. If it doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll retreat.¡±


    He had originally gone with the intention of giving it a try. It would naturally be good if he could see the Emperor of Dali, but it would be a pity if he couldn¡¯t. However, he didn¡¯t expect that just as he was about to seed, a person who also wanted to sneak into High Sage Temple identally attracted the attention of the guards.


    This was why they had to retreat at thest minute.


    After giving the instructions, Qi Haoran came over to look at the person who was already wrapped up like a dumpling and asked, ¡°How is it? Will he die?¡±


    The guard who was bandaging the injured man wiped his sweat and said, ¡°Master, he¡¯ll likely survive. Although he has many injuries on his body, they¡¯re not fatal. He fainted only because he lost too much blood. Now that he¡¯s stopped bleeding, he should wake up after we feed him some things to replenish his blood.¡±

 Chapter 687: Discovered

    Chapter 687: Discovered


    Editor: As Studios


    Fei Bai could not get close to the High Sage Temple at all. Now, the area within a five-kilometer radius of High Sage Temple was under martialw. The tenants and vigers living in this area were actually imprisoned. Fei Bai felt that something was amiss. Even if the guards of High Sage Temple were rmed by the intruder, wasn¡¯t this overreacting?


    There was no reason for them to make such a big move just for a couple of people whose motive was unknown, right?


    After some thought, Fei Bai and a guard decided to bribe an ordinary soldier on patrol. Only then did he know that someone had barged into High Sage Temple yesterday. But before he could break through the door, he was pursued by the Gao family¡¯s soldiers. Strangely though, High Sage Temple, which had been silent since the rebellion, suddenly opened the door and asked the Gao family to hand over those who had barged in. The people on both sides even fought. Even if those people had turned into corpses, the people from High Sage Temple still insisted that the Gao family hand over the corpses.


    That was as much as an ordinary soldier could know.


    When Fei Bai brought the news back to look for Qi Haoran, thetter narrowed his eyes. ¡°The Dali Emperor came to High Sage Temple, but the temper¡¯s elders refused to appear. They only protected his and the Empress¡¯ lives. Now, they suddenly appeared to snatch some corpses?¡±


    Fei Bai nodded. ¡°I also find it strange. Unfortunately, the ce is heavily guarded by the Gao family¡¯s soldiers now. It took a lot of effort to make that soldier speak. But since that person is just an ordinary guard, that¡¯s as much as he knows.¡±


    Qi Haoran turned to look at the ¡°dumpling¡± lying on the grass pile. He raised his chin and asked, ¡°Have you found out his identity?¡±


    Fei Bai shook his head. Not only could he not find out his identity, but he also couldn¡¯t find out any information about the unknown man at all.


    After all, this was not Great Qi, so they had to face a lot of inconvenience in getting things done here. In Great Qi, they could just go to the government office to check the documents, or they could openly visit and investigate. It was very easy to find out someone¡¯s identity. In Dali, however, they had to hide their identities. The only thing that could be used to identify this person was his face, for he carried nothing that revealed his identity.


    Therefore, he walked around and vaguely asked the people near High Sage Temple, but no one had seen such a person before.


    However, Qi Haoran¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He asked, ¡°You said that you went to investigate his identity?¡±


    ¡°Yes, because he also wanted to barge into High Sage Temple, I think he might have lived nearby, so I went to ask around, but no one has seen him.¡±


    Qi Haoran lowered his eyes and pondered. Suddenly, he stood up and said, ¡°Pack your things immediately. We¡¯ll leave immediately.¡±


    Although Fei Bai and the others were surprised, they immediately packed up and erased all traces. They carried the ¡°rice dumpling¡± and quickly left the dpidated temple.


    Qi Haoran paused at the fork in the road and immediately pointed at the forest opposite the river. ¡°Let¡¯s cross the river and enter the mountains.¡±


    The group carefully crossed the river, erased their traces, and entered the mountain.


    Not long after they left the dpidated temple, a team of soldiers broke in. Gao Yuan stared maliciously at the straw pile on the ground and asked, ¡°How is it?¡±


    The scout in the lead hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°There are no traces of anyone stopping here. Most likely, someone has erased the traces. But even though the traces can be erased, the smell can¡¯t be erased. General, we have a few hounds in our army that are very useful. Why don¡¯t you wait for a moment, General? We¡¯ll go back and get a hound.¡±


    Gao Yuan frowned. ¡°How much time will this take?¡±


    ¡°Sharpening of the knife doesn¡¯t dy the cutting of firewood, General. We can¡¯t find any traces of them now. Even if we wanted to chase them, we wouldn¡¯t know which direction to go in.¡±


    A little frustrated, Gao Yuan waved his hand and said, ¡°Then quickly get someone to get the hounds. I¡¯ll wait here.¡±


    Gao Yuan walked back and forth in the dpidated temple twice and asked his deputy beside him, ¡°Can¡¯t you detect any traces?¡±


    The deputy looked around the temple and shook his head slightly. ¡°I can see traces of someone having lived here, but upon closer inspection, those traces appear to be very ordinary. It was as though they were left behind by beggars or passers-by.¡±


    Gao Yuan snorted and said, ¡°That¡¯s really terrifying. There seems to be some traces, but then again those traces are nothing of value.¡±


    Gao Yuan waited with a cold expression for nearly 45 minutes before the hound was brought over. Seeing the hound spin on the ground for a long time, Gao Yuan pointed at the pile of straw on the ground and said, ¡°Let the hound smell that pile of straw.¡±


    He had a nagging feeling that the pile of straw was too natural-looking, as if no one had ever sat on it before. However, if he were the other party and came to the dpidated temple to settle down, the pile of straw would obviously be the best choice since there were no chairs or resting ces. Therefore, the pile of straw should be the ce where the most smell was left behind.


    However, Gao Yuan did not know that his guess was only 50% correct. That pile of straw had indeed been used by someone. If not for that injured person, that pile of straw would definitely have been Qi Haoran¡¯s territory. However, with the injured, plus the fact that Qi Haoran was angry that the other party had caused them to be discovered, he only stood there and nced at the injured person before turning to leave.


    As for the others, they would not take the initiative to approach an unknown person and risk getting disliked by their masters. Hence, other than the person who applied medicine and bandaged the ¡®dumpling¡¯, there was only the smell of the injured on the grass pile. This smell of Chinese medicine lingered most strongly. Thus, the faint smell that belonged to Qi Haoran was more or less overlooked by the hound.


    The hound was very clever. It followed the strongest smell and quickly caught up to the river. However, after crossing the river, the smell faded a lot. The hound sniffed for a long time before entering the forest. Then, it circled around the mountain non-stop and finally returned to the lower reaches of the river. After crossing the river, it entered the mountains and circled around beforeing out again to the lower reaches of the river and crossing the river¡­


    Gao Yuan¡¯s face was ashen. At this moment, no matter how stupid he was, he realized that he had been tricked. He was so angry that he kicked away the scout holding the hound and snapped angrily, ¡°Useless thing. Men, mobilize the army and surround this mountain. Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you have to find them.¡±


    The people behind looked at each other and could not help but persuade in a low voice, ¡°General, we have to keep a low profile. Moreover, considering our army has to quell the rebellion and surround High Sage Temple, we can¡¯t spare much manpower now.¡±


    ¡°General, why don¡¯t we mobilize two teams of elite soldiers to chase after them? Each team will bring along two hounds. Even if those people can take a detour, with our two teams taking turns, can¡¯t we catch up to them?¡±


    Gao Yuan thought for a moment and agreed. His eyes were filled with gloom as he said in a low voice, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to have such a capable person by his side. No wonder he could escape.¡±


    At this moment, Qi Haoran and the others were so tired that they copsed to the ground. Fei Bai poked the ¡°dumpling¡± that was still unconscious and sighed. ¡°This guy sure has it easy. Heid downfortably all the way here. Fourth Master, how many more detours do we have to take?¡±


    Qi Haoran narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°There¡¯s no need to take any more detours. There¡¯s a vige along the river. Let¡¯s find something to hide our scent.¡±


    Qi Haoran looked at the person lying on the ground and said, ¡°I wonder who this person is. He¡¯s quite lucky. There¡¯s a river not far away. Otherwise, we might not have been able to shake off the people behind.¡±


    Although they could erase traces and hide it from the eyes of others, they definitely couldn¡¯t hide it from the hound¡¯s nose. It was upon reaching the river that Qi Haoran remembered that Fei Bai had said that everyone within a five-kilometer radius of High Sage Temple had been arrested. Since the other party valued the people who wanted to barge into High Sage Temple so much, they definitely wouldn¡¯t easily give up on this guy whose whereabouts had been leaked. That was why Qi Haoran wanted to use this river to weaken the smell and shake off the men tracking them.


    Although this method was useful, it was troublesome and the effect was slow. If the other party ruthlessly sent arge number of people, they would definitely be discovered. If things came to that, they would probably really have to enter the forest.

 Chapter 688: The Rescued Person

    Chapter 688: The Rescued Person


    Editor: As Studios


    The moment Duan Siwen opened his eyes, he met Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes. Momentarily stunned, his expression changed drastically and he subconsciously looked around.


    ¡°Looking for your guards?¡± Qi Haoran said, ¡°They¡¯re all dead.¡±


    Duan Siwen¡¯s face was pale, and pain shed across his eyes. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°You should be the one to tell us your identity first, right?¡± Qi Haoran raised his head and gestured for him to look outside. ¡°Do you see that? The torches at the bottom of the mountain are all people looking for you. We¡¯ve already carried you for a long way today.¡±


    Duan Siwen was silent. He knew what the other party meant. If he did not have enough value, these people would definitely hand him over. On the other hand, it was precisely because of his important identity that he did not dare to be truthful. Rendered powerless now, he was unwilling to bet on whether they could resist this temptation.


    Qi Haoran did not make things difficult for him. He just sat at the side and waited for him to make a choice.


    Feeling as though he would die whether he chose to identify himself or not, Duan Siwen was overwhelmed with sadness.


    After a long time, Fei Bai sneaked over in the darkness and sneered. ¡°Do you really think you¡¯re someone important? His Highness doesn¡¯t care. We merely saved you out of convenience. If we¡¯d known you¡¯d cause us so much trouble, we definitely wouldn¡¯t have helped you.¡±


    His Highness?


    Was there a ¡®His Highness¡¯ in Dali?


    Or was it an old master whose surname was Wang?


    Duan Siwen¡¯s heart raced.


    However, Fei Bai had already reached Qi Haoran¡¯s side. As if he was certain that Duan Siwen was not a threat, he reported without any reservations, ¡°Master, Her Highness asked someone to send a message. The eldest princess of Dali fled to Qiannan and was saved by Her Highness. She asked you to go back quickly since the Gao family is eyeing Qiannan covetously. Ever since the Dali princess moved into the residence, there have been many assassins.¡±


    Duan Siwen felt his mouth go dry. He looked up at Qi Haoran and saw him frown slightly. ¡°We can¡¯t see the Dali Emperor, and the eldest princess is now charged with murdering the Dali Crown Prince. What good will it do for us to keep her alive?¡±


    Qi Haoran waved his hand nonchntly and said, ¡°Reply to the Princess Consort and ask her to send the princess to the capital to be handled by the Imperial Court. Since the little prince is staying in the Prince¡¯s Residence now, you mustn¡¯t let the assassins disturb him.¡±


    Fei Bai responded and was about to leave when Duan Siwen couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Wait.¡±


    Everyone looked at him. Duan Siwen did not know if this was a trap, but he knew that once the eldest princess was sent to the capital, she would probably be killed by the Gao family on the way. If not, she would be used by the Great Qi to make a deal with the Gao family or be used by the Great Qi as a puppet to deal with the Gao family.


    Duan Siwen lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment before looking up at Qi Haoran before stating affirmatively, ¡°Prince Rong of Great Qi?¡±


    Qi Haoran smiled but did not say anything.


    Duan Siwen took a deep breath and could not help but admire his courage. To think Prince Rong dared to enter Dali with so few men at a time like this.


    Duan Siwen¡¯s mind raced, but in an instant, many thoughts shed through his mind. Finally, his gaze met Qi Haoran¡¯s. Left with no other choice, he said, ¡°Your Highness, perhaps I can give you a suggestion on what to do with the eldest princess.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Duan Siwen introduced himself, ¡°I¡¯m Dali¡¯s Crown Prince, Duan Siwen.¡±


    Qi Haoran raised his eyebrows in surprise. This was really beyond his expectations. The supposedly dead Crown Prince of Dali was actually not dead?


    Qi Haoran had guessed that he might be from the Duan family, but that it was an illegitimate child or something. Who knew that he was the legitimate Crown Prince?


    Duan Siwen said that he had indeed fallen off his horse when he went out huntingst month. However, he did not die and only suffered light injuries. However, arge number of assassins appeared to assassinate him. By then, his guards were either dead or injured. Those who could still walk protected him and broke out of the siege. However, even so, he himself got seriously injured. In the end, other than the four loyal guards, the more than 50 guards he brought along were all dead. Also, all five of them were seriously injured.


    The five of them hid and recuperated. When their injuries were almost healed, they came out to take a look. Only then did they know that the country had descended into chaos. The eldest princess had been used of murdering him, the pce was surrounded by the Gao family, and more than half of Dali had fallen into their hands.


    Duan Siwen was not an idiot. Although he didn¡¯t share the same pair of parents with the eldest princess, their rtionship was better than that of ordinary siblings. This was also the Emperor¡¯s selfish motive. He always created opportunities for the siblings to cultivate their rtionship, hoping that Duan Siwen would take care of the eldest princess after his death. Not only because she was the eldest princess, but also because she was his younger sister.


    Aside from their close ties, considering he was the only male in the Duan n, he really couldn¡¯t think of a reason for the eldest princess to plot against him. Therefore, he suspected that the Gao family was behind the assassination. He originally wanted to make an appearance to calm the storm caused by the Gao family, but after working hard for nearly ten days, he realized that he couldn¡¯t get close to the residences of the officials that supported the Duan family at all. He couldn¡¯t possibly run to the streets and wave his arm to announce that he was the Crown Prince, right?


    Therefore, he could only think of a way to approach the High Sage Temple. Being of the Duan family¡¯s bloodline, he would no longer be in danger as long as he entered the High Sage Temple.


    However, even after sacrificing his four guards, he merely managed to cross the high wall before falling unconscious due to his severe injuries. If not for the fact that he happened to bump into Qi Haoran, who happened to be infiltrating High Sage Temple at the same time, Duan Siwen would probably have died there.


    Since Duan Siwen had confessed his identity, he naturally hoped to work with Qi Haoran.


    Although Dali had dered independence from the Great Zhou Dynasty, the rtionship between the two sides was actually not bad. Compared to the Jin Kingdom and West Xia, which were always at war with Great Zhou, Dali was considered a good neighbor. As for the Great Qi Dynasty, Duan Siwen was willing to continue maintaining this friendly rtionship.


    Therefore, Duan Siwen hinted that Dali was willing to be a vassal state of Great Qi.


    Qi Haoran had used Mu Yangling¡¯s secret letter to lure Duan Siwen into the trap for this exact reason.


    ¡°Since Crown Prince Duan is interested, we¡¯ll set off for Qiannan tomorrow.¡±


    Stunned, Duan Siwen asked, ¡°I¡¯m going back to Qiannan too?¡±


    ¡°Of course, the Gao family is guarding all the intersections from here to High Sage Temple now, and the generals and officials who support the Duan family are also being closely monitored. It¡¯s very difficult for us to see them. Instead of wasting time, why don¡¯t you return to Great Qi with us? When the timees, His Majesty will issue an edict and I¡¯ll lend you tens of thousands of troops. You won¡¯t have to worry about quelling the rebellion in Dali then.¡±


    Duan Siwen lowered his head and pondered. This way, Dali was bound to be suppressed by Great Qi. Duan Siwen smiled bitterly. Seeing as his life was in the other party¡¯s hands now, how tough a stance could Dali afford to take?


    At night, after Duan Siwen fell asleep, Fei Bai said excitedly, ¡°Master, I didn¡¯t expect him to really take the bait.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Qi Haoran turned around and said, ¡°We have to return to the General¡¯s Residence in three days. If you have extra energy, you can carry Crown Prince Duan tomorrow.¡±


    Fei Bai immediately did not dare to say anything else.


    Qi Haoran did not dare to dy such an important matter. Almost as soon as he entered Qiannan, he asked a guard to immediately send his letter to the capital.


    Having received Mu Yangling¡¯s letter beforehand, Qi Xiuyuan was already mentally prepared. Hence, after receiving the letter, he immediately looked for Rong Xuan and Yan Du to discuss it. He first sent a secret letter to Qi Haoran to let him handle it fully. The next day, Qi Xiuyuan issued an edict rewarding the Emperor of Dali and conferring him as ¡®Lord Yunnan¡¯.


    With this decree, Dali bing a vassal state was no longer a secret.

 Chapter 689: Vassal State

    Chapter 689: Vassal State


    Editor: As Studios


    The courtiers were shocked. It was only then that they noticed the rebellion in Dali. Some people felt that it was a sign of prosperity to be able to take Dali as a vassal state after just two years of establishment, but others felt that this move was too rushed. Moreover, Prince Rong actually went to Dali without an edict and even hooked up with the Crown Prince of Dali. It could not help but make people¡¯s imagination run wild.


    Someone vaguely reminded Qi Xiuyuan to be careful of Qi Haoran, that he could dote on his brother, but not trust him too much.


    In response, Qi Xiuyuan reprimanded him and demoted him for sowing discord between the royal brothers.


    It was not that he wouldn¡¯t let anyone badmouth Haoran, but he did not allow anyone to use the rtionship between the two brothers to advance. If he did not show any response this time, more and more people would mention this in the future. Some people might even lure Haoran to do something or set a trap for him in order to make the Emperor believe their words. Since ancient times, there had been countless such cases.


    Many royal fathers and sons had had their rtionship ruined by the ministers¡¯ ¡°suggestions¡±.


    After being dyed by these matters, Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s secret letter finally reached Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran immediately ordered Liu Dahei to lead 50,000 soldiers of the West Camp for Duan Siwen tomand. He then sent troops to the northwest border to guard against West Xia.


    When Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s reward decree arrived, they split into two groups. Qi Haoran brought the decree to High Sage Temple to look for the Emperor of Dali. Meanwhile, Duan Siwen headed west to lead the army to seize back the cities that had been upied by the Gao family.


    When Mu Yangling and Little Bear went to send Qi Haoran off, Qi Haoran kissed Little Bear and whispered to Mu Yangling, ¡°Pack up first. We might have to return to the capital after Ie back.¡±


    ¡°Back to the capital?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded. ¡°Little Treasure is already over three years old and can be considered to have temporarily gained a foothold among themoners. In addition, Dali just became our vassal state and Princess Dali is going to enter the pce. Big Brother wants to finalize Little Treasure¡¯s status. That¡¯s considered three pieces of good news all at once. We can choose not to return to the capital for Dali and Princess Dali¡¯s matters, but Little Treasure is rted to the country¡¯s foundation. Not only me, but Zijin and the generals above Grade 2 are also going to the capital to celebrate. This is the biggest event since the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty, so you have to prepare more things.¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran hugged his wife and child and said with a smile in a low voice, ¡°Father-inw happens to be Grade 2.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°My father will enter the capital too?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I just don¡¯t know if Father-inw will bring Mother-inw along.¡±


    Mu Yangling spun around happily. ¡°I¡¯ll write a letter to my father and ask him to bring my mother and younger siblings along.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Qi Haoran hurriedly grabbed her and said in a low voice, ¡°Big Brother only told me and Zijin about this. Even Big Brother Rong doesn¡¯t know yet. For Little Treasure¡¯s safety, don¡¯t spread it.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded repeatedly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know. When the imperial edictes, I¡¯ll write to Father and borrow your military pigeon, okay?¡±


    Qi Haoran waved his hand readily. ¡°No problem.¡±


    Meanwhile, Duan Siwen was also bidding farewell to Duan Yuqing. The siblings had only been together for a few days, but they were going to be separated again. Duan Yuqing was very reluctant, and Duan Siwen already knew that Duan Yuqing was seriously injured and would never be able to get pregnant in the future. For a moment, he felt such vehement hatred for the Gao family that he gritted his teeth. Hence, he was not emotional about parting with his sister. Instead, his entire mind was focused on making the Gao family suffer a fate worse than death after the rebellion was quelled.


    The next morning, the army set off.


    Qi Haoran only brought 2,000 troops in from the east. Most of the officials and generals from the east to the High Sage Temple supported the Emperor of Dali. Although they did their own things, Qi Haoran held the Great Qi Emperor¡¯s imperial edict and the Dali Crown Prince¡¯s seal and arrived outside the High Sage Temple unimpeded.


    At this moment, Duan Siwen had already brought people to take down two cities of the Gao family on the west road. Then, he issued an edict to Dali, announcing that the Gao family had gone against thew and forced the Dali Emperor to abdicate. In addition, they ndered the Eldest Princess and plotted against the Crown Prince. They even dared to publicly surround and desecrate High Sage Temple. Guilty of a heinous crime, they had to be punished severely.


    The Duan family¡¯s forces, which were originally scattered like sand, instantly gathered together and surrounded the Gao family from the east and west. Worst of all, the Gao family¡¯s action of surrounding High Sage Temple had angered themoners. The Gao family became chaotic, helping Duan Siwen advance even faster.


    Qi Haoran stationed his troops outside High Sage Temple and confronted the Gao family soldiers who surrounded High Sage Temple. He did not take the initiative to attack. After roughly estimating Qi Haoran¡¯s military strength, the other party did not dare to attack him. However, as Duan Siwen approached, the general of the Gao family, Gao Yuan, became more and more anxious.


    The High Sage Temple, which had been silent all this while, finally reacted. The door opened, and four teams of martial monks ran out. They lined up on both sides and looked at the Gao family¡¯s soldiers warily.


    The abbot of the High Sage Temple, Master Yuan Guang, and the Emperor of Dali walked out hand in hand. Seeing this, Gao Yuan¡¯s face immediately turned pale.


    The High Sage Temple was the national temple of Dali and was worshiped by more than 90% of the people of Dali. Previously, although themoners were dissatisfied with the Gao family¡¯s actions, everyone only stood by and watched because the High Sage Temple did not say anything. Even the forces of the Duan family had split up because the High Sage Temple had not spoken. Now that the High Sage Temple had appeared, it helped to double thebat strength of the Duan family.


    Having seen all this, Qi Haoran said in a low voice, ¡°High Sage Temple is really influential.¡±


    Advisor Qian said, ¡°The people of Dali believe in Buddhism. In the past, the Emperors of Dali would be monks in the High Sage Temple when they were old. The temple no doubt enjoys a prestigious reputation. In addition, the High Sage Temple has always treated and delivered medicine to the poor people. When disasters happen, they often provide relief to the people. As such good deeds umted over time, it¡¯s only natural that the temple has such a reputation.¡±


    Advisor Qian did not find this strange. This had always been the case in Dali.<div>


    However, Qi Haoran thought to himself that he would never allow a person or organization in Great Qi to surpass the Imperial Court and the royal family. If that happened, would Great Qi still be the Qi family¡¯s Great Qi?


    Due to the appearance of the High Sage Temple, the Gao family¡¯s rebellion was quickly suppressed under thebined efforts of the three parties. The Emperor of Dali sent an envoy to fetch Qi Haoran into the temple.


    When Qi Haoran entered High Sage Temple with the imperial edict, the Emperor of Dali and Master Yuan Guang were waiting for Qi Haoran in the main hall. The two of them calmly received Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s imperial edict.


    What Master Yuan Guang cared about was the Duan family¡¯s bloodline. After knowing that the Crown Prince was safe, he retreated in peace and handed the hall to Qi Haoran and Emperor Dali.<div>


    The Emperor of Dali was feeling extremelyplicated. The month and a half he had spent in the temple felt like a year. After knowing that the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess had fled to Qiannan, he heaved a sigh of relief. But at the same time, he could not help but feel sad.


    Their father had betrayed the Great Zhou Dynasty for the throne, and their brothers had killed each other to the point that only he and his nephew were left. Now, Dali had be the vassal state of the Great Qi Dynasty again. It had only been two generations. Dali did not seem to be able tost long.


    The Dali Emperor sighed and squeezed out a smile at Qi Haoran, weing him warmly.


    Although he felt a little ufortable, Qi Haoran still had to please him now that Dali had be a vassal state of Dali. ording to past practice, Dali had to send a princess over for a marriage alliance. He could have conferred the title of princess to a minister¡¯s daughter or someone from a side family branch, and send the newly-conferred princess over. However, after his daughter fled to Qiannan and was saved by the Prince¡¯s estate, she was undoubtedly the best candidate.


    Having heard that this Prince and the Emperor were very close, he only hoped that he would take care of his daughter in the future on ount of his warm and friendly attitude.

 Chapter 690: Relationship

    Chapter 690: Rtionship


    Editor: As Studios


    After Qi Haoran announced the decree, it was already July when he returned to Ju Prefecture.


    Lord Yunnan, the former Emperor of Dali, had officially submitted credentials to be a vassal state of Great Qi and was willing to offer his only daughter, the eldest princess, to the Emperor. This time, Qi Xiuyuan did not refuse. Instead, he directly conferred her the title of Consort Xian, making her the head of the four concubines.


    If Duan Yuqing was to marry the Emperor, she had to return to Dali and get married from Dali. Therefore, Mu Yangling helped her pack her things and Little Madam Xia came to send her off.


    It was strange. Though Duan Yuqing lived in the General¡¯s Residence and interacted more with Mu Yangling, she had be closer with Little Madam Xia.


    Even though Mu Yangling had always been polite to her, Duan Yuqing still remembered that Mu Yangling had tricked her. Moreover, her fate at that time was in Mu Yangling¡¯s hands. Although she knew that the other party had mostly done it in her country¡¯s interests, the feeling that her status was slightly higher than hers made her a little afraid.


    After that, she didn¡¯t feel much sentiment for Mu Yangling. When Qi Haoran went to war, Mu Yangling already knew that she would most likely be Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s concubine. Firstly, it was not good for her to have too much contact with the Emperor¡¯s harem. Secondly, she had a good rtionship with Li Jinghua, so it was naturally not good for her to develop close ties with Duan Yuqing. Although they had always been civil to each other, their rtionship was average.


    On the other hand, Little Madam Xia¡¯s temperament waspatible with Duan Yuqing¡¯s, thus the two of them got along pretty well.


    Perhaps it was because Little Madam Xia was pregnant, and her personality was soft to begin with, Duan Yuqing sensed that she was harmless and was naturally more willing to interact with her.


    When the soft-hearted Little Madam Xia learned what happened to Duan Yuqing, her tears flowed freely. Hence, after meeting twice, the two of them became as close as sisters.


    Now, the two of them were hugging each other and saying goodbye.<div>


    Seeing that they were sobbing uncontrobly, Mu Yangling hurriedly said, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. It¡¯s not like we won¡¯t see each other for the rest of our lives. Princess Duan is going to enter the capital, so are we. We¡¯ll meet again in about two months.¡±


    Little Madam Xia wiped her tears and said, ¡°Ah Ling is right. In a few years, my husband will return to the capital. If you want to meet, summon me to the pce to talk.¡±


    Duan Yuqing was feeling unfamiliar with the capital which was very far from her hometown. When she heard Little Madam Xia¡¯s words, the tears that had stopped started flowing again. She grabbed her hand and said, ¡°Thank you for missing me¡­¡±


    Seeing that the two of them were crying again, Mu Yangling was worried that they would sob uncontrobly again. Little Madam Xia was still pregnant, so she didn¡¯t dare to let her cry too much. Thus she quickly changed the topic and said, ¡°Princess Duan, I¡¯ve prepared some local specialties and small gifts for you to give to Lord Yunnan and his wife.¡±


    Little Madam Xia quickly wiped her tears. ¡°I also prepared some gifts for you. Let¡¯s go take a look together.¡±


    Little Madam Xia gave Duan Yuqing essories and clothes, especially clothes. There was a huge box of it.


    She did not have many essories, but they were all styles that were currently trending in the capital. She took them out one by one and introduced them to her. There was even a moving story behind some of the essories.


    Duan Yuqing was touched. Knowing that she wanted to introduce her to some matters in the capital, she held Little Madam Xia¡¯s hand with tears in her eyes.


    Little Madam Xia held her hand and said in a low voice, ¡°As the princess of a country, you naturally have many pearls and jade stones, but the style is different from the ones in the capital. Take these jewelry back and get someone to duplicate another set. This way, when you reach the capital, people won¡¯t look down upon you.¡±


    Duan Yuqing nodded repeatedly and whispered, ¡°Thank you for teaching me.¡±


    ¡°These fabrics are also for you. You also know that my husband owns a clothes shop. These fabrics are not rare. Besides, I¡¯m pregnant now and really don¡¯t need them. Take them back and you can get someone to tailor some clothes with the design drawings I give you.¡± Little Madam Xia sighed and said, ¡°I originally wanted to get the embroiderer to tailor a few pieces for you. Who knew that the imperial edict woulde so suddenly?¡±


    Duan Yuqing lowered her eyes and didn¡¯t say anything, but she remembered Little Madam Xia¡¯s kindness in her heart. She was no longer the ignorant eldest princess of the past. The days of trepidation she had lived for the past few months had already enlightened her. Now that she understood many things that she didn¡¯t understand in the past, she would carefully observe things that she didn¡¯t pay attention to in the past, afraid that she would annoy people.


    The fabrics that Little Madam Xia gave her were actually very rare, some of them even the Dali Imperial Pce could not produce. Perhaps, only ten pieces a year would be produced. It would be very difficult to buy these fabrics even if the Duan family was the Dali Imperial Family.


    Fan Zijin was in the silk business, but Little Madam Xia couldn¡¯t casually take things from his shop. After staying here for more than three months, she had seen very clearly that although Fan Zijin treated Little Madam Xia well, Little Madam Xia knew nothing about the outside world. Themon affairs in the residence were also handed over to the steward to manage.


    Therefore, these fabrics were most likely given to Little Madam Xia by Fan Zijin, and Little Madam Xia had transferred them to her. Little Madam Xia had merely imed these fabrics weren¡¯t rare to not make her feel bad about epting these gifts.


    Fan Zijin had indeed specially taken these fabrics and given them to Little Madam Xia. At that time, when he heard that Little Madam Xia was pregnant, he was so giddy with joy that he secretly kept a few precious silk brocades. Hence, the high-grade silks sent to the nobles in the capital this year were much fewer. Failing to buy them, the noblewomen would inevitably ask around. Although they were mad that Fan Zijin had taken those fabrics for himself, they did not dare to say anything on the surface because of his influence. However, in secret, Fan Zijin¡¯s reputation for being domineering spread.


    When Fan Zijin heard these rumors, he only sneered and ignored them. However, when he heard that Little Madam Xia had given away the fabric he had given her, he was instantly furious. He said angrily, ¡°Did I endure those scoldings for a princess of Dali? Since she doesn¡¯t care, you don¡¯t have to send these tributes to her in the future.¡±


    Seeing that he was so angry that he was about to walk towards the backyard, Yanmo hurriedly hugged his leg and knelt down. ¡°Master, you can¡¯t be angry at Madam. She doesn¡¯t know that you¡¯ve been scolded for these silk brocades. If she knew, her heart would definitely ache to death. Because you ordered us not to let the matters outside bother Madam, we never dared to tell her about this. Madam probably doesn¡¯t know the value of those silk brocades. If she knew, no matter how close Princess Dali and Madam are, Madam wouldn¡¯t give them away.¡±


    Noticing that Fan Zijin looked a little less furious, Yanmo added, ¡°Master, although Madam¡¯s pregnancy is stable now, she¡¯s still weaker than others. Why don¡¯t we wait for her to give birth before we tell her how precious these things are? This way, you wouldn¡¯t have suffered in vain.¡±<div>


    Fan Zijin kicked him and said, ¡°Am I the kind of person to curry favor? It¡¯s just a few silk brocades. It¡¯s not a big deal to me. I just don¡¯t understand. Why is it that Haoran gave Mu Yangling a de of grass and she treated it like a treasure, even cherishingly storing it in a bottle? Yet, I gave my wife such a precious silk brocade and she just casually gave it away like that.¡±


    At this point, Fan Zijin¡¯s tone was indignant. ¡°Could it be that Qi Haoran getting off the horse and bending down to pick grass is precious? And the silk brocade that I intercepted after putting in so much effort to deal with others, and got scolded for, is not precious?¡±


    Yanmo also felt that his master¡¯s efforts had been in vain. However, the most important thing now was to preserve their husband-and-wife rtionship. Madam had a weak personality and was prone to overthinking. If Master were to throw a tantrum at her, she would probably be so terrified that she would immediately trigger the fetal qi.


    That child was his master¡¯s treasure and could not be taken lightly. Hence, Yanmo hugged his thigh tightly and waited for Fan Zijin¡¯s anger to subside before letting go.<div>

 Chapter 691: Giving Birth

    Chapter 691: Giving Birth


    Editor: As Studios


    Fan Zijin couldn¡¯t throw a tantrum at Little Madam Xia and could only keep a grumpy face outside. After knowing that Mu Yangling and Little Madam Xia had sent Princess Dali away, he only snorted coldly to express his understanding and didn¡¯t appear personally.


    Qi Haoran was still in the military camp, so the officials of Ju Prefecture used Fan Zijin as a benchmark. Seeing that he did not appear, those officials who¡¯d wanted to appear immediately changed their mind and only asked their family members to send them off.


    The officials did not think that Fan Zijin was deliberately neglecting Princess Dali. They only thought that he was deliberately keeping a distance from Duan Yuqing since she was about to be the Emperor¡¯s concubine.


    The highest-ranking magistrate in Ju Prefecture was a fourth-grade magistrate. Although the officials below wanted to curry favor with Duan Yuqing, the future Consort Xian, they did not dare to make it too obvious. After all, Mu Yangling and Little Madam Xia were there.


    Especially Mu Yangling. It was said that she had a good rtionship with the Empress. No one dared to please Consort Xian, lest they offended the Empress.


    Therefore, this time, they kept a low profile. A group of women sent the Dali Princess and her guards out of the city.


    However, it was also very grand. As it was only women, the carriages upied the entire five-kilometer-long street. When Mu Yangling sent Princess Dali off and turned around to take a look, she was shocked to see that the street was filled with carriages and heads. It was even grander than the head of a country going on a trip.


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Our Ju Prefecture has so many officials?¡±


    Spring said with a smile, ¡°Your Highness, you don¡¯t know, but all the state and county officials under Ju Prefecture have alsoe to join in the fun. Although they can¡¯t follow us here, they¡¯re already satisfied with just taking a look from outside.¡±


    ¡°What can they see amidst the sea of human heads?¡± Mu Yangling turned around and looked for Little Madam Xia. She held her hand and said, ¡°Come ride with me in the same carriage.¡±<div>


    A little tired after standing for the entire morning, Little Madam Xia couldn¡¯t be bothered to walk over and she nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Mu Yangling helped her into the carriage. Seeing that her hands were trembling slightly and her forehead was covered in sweat, she frowned. After getting into the carriage, she wiped her sweat with a handkerchief and asked, ¡°Are you still eating the medicinal cuisine prescribed by Imperial Physician Wang?¡±


    Little Madam Xia nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve been eating. Recently, the baby has be much more obedient and I don¡¯t feel much difort anymore.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you still sweating? I saw that your limbs were trembling after standing for only two hours.¡± How could she give birth like this?


    Little Madam Xia said nonchntly, ¡°Isn¡¯t that par for the course for pregnant women? In addition, my health isn¡¯t good to begin with.¡±


    Mu Yangling was silent. When she returned, she found Imperial Physician Wang and asked about Little Madam Xia¡¯s health.


    Imperial Physician Wang thought for a moment and said, ¡°Your Highness, although Madam¡¯s body is weak, it¡¯s not to that extent. I once suggested letting Madam take a walk in the garden more often, but her fetal qi has always been unstable, so she¡¯s very afraid of walking outside. She¡¯s always either lying down or sitting. With her sudden exhaustion, it¡¯s inevitable that she sweats a little.¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded slightly. ¡°Thank you, Imperial Physician Wang. Please prescribe a few more suitable medicinal cuisines for her. I¡¯ll have to trouble you when we return to the capital this time.¡±


    After Imperial Physician Wang left, Mu Yangling asked someone to invite Nanny Xia over and asked her about Little Madam Xia¡¯s schedule in detail. Nanny Xia didn¡¯t hide it from Mu Yangling. After chatting for a while, Nanny Xia also knew Mu Yangling¡¯s worry. Sighing, she said, ¡°Like Your Highness, I am also very worried. However, our Madam has a weak personality and the fetus has always been unstable. Thus she worries about walking outside. Seeing her like that, I was also worried that she would lose her footing and fall, so I didn¡¯t dare to force her to go out. In the past, when Princess Duan was around, our Madam would alwayse in a pnquin and ask someone to carry her directly to the door. She could still walk a few steps inside. Now that Princess Duan has left, our Madam is even more unwilling to move.¡±


    Mu Yangling had the same concerns back when she was pregnant with Little Bear. She would walk very carefully step by step, afraid that she would rm the baby in her stomach.


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°Let me think of a way. You can go back first. Don¡¯t persuade her too harshly, lest she gets annoyed and bes even more reluctant to move around. Since she¡¯s only five months into her pregnancy, it¡¯s still rtively early.¡±


    Nanny Xia nodded.


    Mu Yangling asked Fan Zijin if Little Madam Xia had to enter the capital. ¡°She¡¯s not in good health and can¡¯t tolerate a bumpy journey. However, if she stays here while we all enter the capital, I¡¯m afraid that there won¡¯t be anyone here to take charge when she gives birth.¡±


    Fan Zijin said calmly, ¡°She¡¯ll enter the capital. I¡¯ll make some arrangements. When the timees, you guys can set off early. Take your time on the road. We¡¯ll just follow behind.¡±


    Mu Yangling knew what to do. The next day, she went to look for Little Madam Xia and said to her directly, ¡°Since Cousin is worried about you staying in Ju Prefecture alone, I have to bring you along. However, although your pregnancy has stabilized, your health is still very poor, bing tired after standing for merely two hours. How are you going to travel in such a state? Therefore, Cousin asked me to take care of you. Now, you have to adapt in advance and focus on recuperating. We¡¯ll travel slowly.¡± After saying that, she whispered into her ear, ¡°I see that Cousin¡¯s heart aches for you. He¡¯d rather we gote than tire you out.¡±


    Blushing, Little Madam Xia pushed her. ¡°You can¡¯t say that. If the imperial censor finds out, Master will be impeached.¡±


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s just a private conversation between the two of us. How would the imperial censor know? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ll tell the imperial censor?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Little Madam Xia red at her and asked after some thought, ¡°Then what should I do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already arranged everything. Imperial Physician Wang prescribed a few new medicinal cuisines for you. Eat them ording to the prescription first. I¡¯ll pick you up every morning and bring you to the courtyard to take a walk. We¡¯ll leave after I¡¯ve packed my luggage.¡±<div>


    Little Madam Xia nodded, indicating that she would follow Mu Yangling¡¯s arrangements.


    Early the next morning, Mu Yangling brought Little Bear over to look for Little Madam Xia. The three of them took a walk in the garden after breakfast. After walking for about 15 minutes, Mu Yangling would stop to rest. After doing this twice, Little Bear unhappily broke free from Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and rushed out to have fun on his own.


    Little Madam Xia said enviously, ¡°Little Bear is in such great health. I wonder what the one in my stomach will be like.¡±


    ¡°Seeing as he¡¯s so active, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be in great health too.¡±<div>


    Little Madam Xia smiled and held Mu Yangling¡¯s hand. ¡°Ah Ling, I have a request.¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    ¡°I heard that one will be blessed with a baby boy if she ces the clothes of a boy with good fortune under her pillow. I want to borrow some of the clothes Little Bear wore when he was younger.¡± Little Madam Xia touched her stomach and said sadly, ¡°Judging from my sharp stomach, they all say that I¡¯m carrying a baby girl. I¡¯ve asked Nanny Xia. Although Nanny Xia initially assured that this baby must be a boy, sheter said that it might be better if the flower blooms first before bearing fruitter. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like girls. A daughter is a mother¡¯s darling and she¡¯d also be my own flesh and blood. How can I not dote on my daughter? But I still want a boy first. I¡¯ve been married to your cousin for three years. For all that pressure that he endured on my behalf, I should give birth to a son for him.¡±


    Mu Yangling was silent for a moment before asking, ¡°Is it toote to do the pillow thing now?¡±


    Little Madam Xia smiled and said, ¡°Gives me more hope.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll pack it up for you when I get back.¡±

 Chapter 692: Peace of Mind

    Chapter 692: Peace of Mind


    Editor: As Studios


    When Qi Haoran entered the house and saw Mu Yangling instructing Spring and the rest to rummage through the cabs, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Upon looking up and seeing the dark and skinny Qi Haoran, Mu Yangling¡¯s heart instantly ached. She stood up and grabbed his hand. ¡°Why are you so thin? Didn¡¯t you eat properly?


    Qi Haoran was very satisfied with Mu Yangling¡¯s concern, but he couldn¡¯t show it. Instead, he pointed inside and asked, ¡°What are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for the clothes Little Bear wore when he was younger.¡± Mu Yangling pulled him into the house. As she got someone to prepare hot water, she said, ¡°Rumor has it that cing the clothes of a boy with good fortune under the pillow can help one give birth to a boy. So, I found some of Little Bear¡¯s clothings to send over to Cousin-inw.¡±


    Qi Haoran tilted his head and asked, ¡°Do you want me to ask Big Brother for some of Little Treasure¡¯s clothes?¡±


    Who in this world had as much good fortune as Little Treasure? But his son was not bad either.


    Mu Yangling red at him and said, ¡°How can you tell Big Brother about something like this? I¡¯ll talk to Sister-inw. Hurry up and take a shower. Little Bear is sleeping. If he wakes up and sees you, he¡¯ll definitely want to y with you again.¡±


    Qi Haoran shook his head smugly. ¡°Can¡¯t help it. Our son simply adores me too much.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t fool around with him, let¡¯s see if he¡¯ll still like you. You¡¯re absent for ten days to half a month at a time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing this for my future and for the entire Great Qi. You have long hair but you¡¯re so shortsighted.¡±<div>


    ¡°Yes, yes, those with long hair indeed are more short-sighted.¡± Mu Yangling nced at him with a faint smile and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t wepete to see whose hair is longer?¡±


    Stunned, Qi Haoran nced at Mu Yangling¡¯s hair and turned to run. He waved his hand and said, ¡°Hurry up and get the kitchen to prepare food for me while I wash up. I¡¯m about to starve to death.¡±


    When Qi Haoran came out, the house had already been tidied up. Spring and the others had set up a table in the outer room with four dishes and a soup on it.


    Qi Haoran took a bite of every dish and said unhappily, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you prepare the food personally?¡±


    ¡°How can I make it in time when you¡¯re back so suddenly? Eat first. I¡¯ll cook for you personally tonight.¡±


    Only then was Qi Haoran satisfied. When Little Bear rubbed his eyes and came out, he saw its father burying his head in his food. Delighted, he sprinted towards him. Qi Haoran hurriedly threw down his chopsticks and caught him with one hand. ¡°Rascal, why are you running so fast? You almost knocked over the dining table.¡±


    Little Bear wrapped his arms around Qi Haoran¡¯s neck and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s originally dark face instantly turned ck and red. Even if his skin was tanned, it could not hide that redness. Mu Yanglingughed out loud when she saw this.


    Qi Haoran roared, ¡°What did you teach the child? How can he kiss someone so casually?¡±


    Mu Yangling was indignant. ¡°Didn¡¯t you kiss him before?¡±


    ¡°How can that be the same? At that time, he was young and insensible. Moreover, I am his father. It was only right for me to kiss him¡­¡±


    He had never heard of a son kissing his father.


    When Little Bear heard Qi Haoran shout at him and his mother, his eyes filled with tears. He cried out in grievance.


    ¡°Why are you shouting at him?¡± Mu Yangling pushed him and immediately went forward to hug Little Bear. ¡°He kissed you because he adores you. If he doesn¡¯t want to kiss you one day, you might just cry.¡±


    Qi Haoran frowned in disdain.


    Little Bear cried even louder. No matter how Mu Yangling pacified him, it was useless.


    In the end, Qi Haoran¡¯s heart ached for him. Helplessly, he carried him over and pressed his tanned face closer to him. ¡°Go ahead and kiss.¡±


    As he spoke, he closed his eyes in disdain.


    Little Bear pushed his face away with a p and turned to throw himself into his mother¡¯s arms. After wiping his tears, he kissed his mother before looking at Qi Haoran provocatively.<div>


    Qi Haoran¡¯s already-tanned face darkened even more. He reached out and pulled his son out of Mu Yangling¡¯s arms, then kissed him on the cheek and said, ¡°In the future, you¡¯re only allowed to kiss your father. At your age, you can¡¯t kiss your mother anymore, understand?¡±


    Little Bear blinked. ¡°Huh?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded seriously. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to kiss your mother when you grow up. Do you think you¡¯ve grown up?¡±


    Little Bear hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he nestled in Qi Haoran¡¯s arms obediently and stopped fooling around. Anyway, even though he liked his mother very much, he preferred to be grown up.<div>


    Satisfied, Qi Haoran hugged his son and said generously, ¡°Kiss Daddy if you want to in the future.¡±


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Hurry up and eat. Otherwise, the food will turn cold.¡±


    Seeing Little Bear drooling at the meat on the table, Qi Haoran immediately got someone to prepare another set of bowls and chopsticks. It had been a long time since he had eaten with his son. Thest two times he came back, his son had fallen asleep. Also, he had to go out before dawn, so he could only take a look at his son while he was sleeping.


    After not seeing each other for three months, Little Bear¡¯s appetite had increased a lot. The father and son finished up all the dishes on the table like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.


    Mu Yangling stared at Little Bear¡¯s stomach worriedly. ¡°This child has already eaten two bowls for lunch. Now, he¡¯s eating so much again. Can he still eat dinner tonight?¡±


    Qi Haoran put down the bowl and was not worried at all. ¡°Little Bear has a big appetite like us. I¡¯ll bring him to the garden for a strollter to aid his digestion. I¡¯m sure he can still eat two big bowls at night.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± He spoke as if it was an honor to be able to eat so much.


    In the end, Mu Yangling¡¯s heart ached for Qi Haoran. Instead of letting him bring Little Bear to the garden, she let him go to bed. She would bring Little Bear to walk around by herself.


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°I think you¡¯re the one who can¡¯t bear to part with your son.¡± However, he turned around and fell asleep on the couch in the blink of an eye.


    Little Bear had just woken up from his afternoon nap. Seeing that his father was sleeping, he refused to go out no matter what. He squatted on the couch and tapped Qi Haoran¡¯s face from time to time. Seeing that he was snoring, he even pinched his nose with his small hand. Seeing his father open his mouth before continuing to snore, he giggled.


    Mu Yangling hurriedly grabbed his hand and pulled him down. She said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t disturb Daddy. Let¡¯s go out and y first, okay?¡±


    Little Bear shook his head and refused to let go of the bed. Mu Yangling had no choice but to let him sit at the side. She straightened Qi Haoran¡¯s body in order to let him sleep better.


    While the family of three stayed quietly in the house, Mu Yangling checked the list of things to bring along. Little Bear sat at the foot of the couch and yed with his toys while Qi Haoran slept soundly on the couch.<div>


    When Qi Haoran woke up, it was already dark outside. He felt a heavy weight on his chest, as if a huge rock was pressing down on him. Only then did he realize that his son had fallen asleep on his chest. Little Bear turned his head and smacked his lips before continuing to sleep with his mouth open.


    Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t help butugh when he saw this. His increasingly tough face softened a lot. With Little Bear in his arms, he turned over, theny Little Bear down on the couch before getting up.


    There was only one caged pcemp lit in the room. As the yellow and orange light reflected on people, it made them look gentler. Qi Haoran suddenly felt at peace and at home.


    With a softened expression, Qi Haoran pushed the door open and went out. Autumn immediately stood up when he saw him. ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re awake?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the Princess Consort?¡±


    ¡°Her Highness is in the kitchen. I¡¯ll inform her now.¡± Autumn ran away after saying that.


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips. Was he that scary?

 Chapter 693: Dealt With

    Chapter 693: Dealt With


    Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling was making a dish of braised lion¡¯s head. From kneading the flour to mincing the meat, she handled the entire process all by herself. It could be considered a grand dish that was time-consuming to make. She didn¡¯t want to go through so much trouble, but the father and son kept sleeping. Mu Yangling wanted to wake them up, but when she saw how tired Qi Haoran looked, she couldn¡¯t bear to wake them up. Now that she had some time to spare, it would seem like the dishes she had prepared previously weren¡¯t good enough.


    Thus, Mu Yangling rolled up her sleeves and personally made a braised lion¡¯s head. Aside from braised pork, this was her other signature dish.


    When Mu Yangling carried therge te in, Qi Haoran sniffed and said, ¡°Braised lion¡¯s head? Did you make it for me or that kid?¡±


    Qi Haoran loved braised pork the most, while Little Bear loved braised lion¡¯s head.


    ¡°You¡¯re already so old, yet you¡¯re still jealous of a child? This dish took me a lot of effort. Try it.¡±


    Seeing that he was sitting there without moving, Mu Yangling personally picked up a piece for him and brought it to his mouth. Qi Haoran took a bitezily and was slightly surprised. ¡°You made the braised lion¡¯s head too?¡±


    In the past, she despised the process of kneading dough, mincing the meat, kneading it together, steaming it, and braising it. During this period, she also had to wait for the dishes to cool down for a period of time, so she had always braised a semi-ready made version.


    Mu Yangling proudly said with a smile, ¡°My culinary skills have improved, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded slightly. ¡°I can tell. In the past, even if the braised lion¡¯s head wasn¡¯t braised using the right level of heat, I could tell that it was authentic. Now, it¡¯spletely to your and Little Bear¡¯s taste. One mouthful and I know that it wasn¡¯t made by a bonafide chef.¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Are you saying that I don¡¯t cook well?¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran shook his head and said, ¡°Although this lion head is not authentic, it suits my taste.¡±


    Only then was Mu Yangling satisfied. Spring had already brought people to serve the dishes. After scooping a bowl of rice for the two of them, she left with the servants.


    The Prince and the Princess Consort didn¡¯t like having servants around when they interacted, so the servants cleared the room while they were eating, giving them personal space.


    Mu Yangling turned to look at the bed and saw a small bulge on it. With some hesitation, she said, ¡°Should we wake him up? We shouldn¡¯t let him skip dinner, right?¡±


    Qi Haoran said nonchntly, ¡°He¡¯ll eat when he wakes up. As a prince, he can eat dinner at any time. Could it be that the kitchen dares to refuse?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re spoiling the child too much. Be careful not to turn him into a silkpants in the future.¡±


    ¡°Will my child be a silkpants?¡± Perhaps because he had eaten too much in the afternoon, Qi Haoran did not eat much. He only tasted a bit of every dish before staring at Mu Yangling in a daze.


    Seeing that he was not as noisy as before, Mu Yangling touched his forehead and said, ¡°Are you too tired?¡±


    Qi Haoran grabbed her hand and shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m just a tad dazed from sleeping too much this afternoon. Get someone to remove the food. Let¡¯s talk.¡±


    As soon as the coupley down on the bed, Qi Haoran¡¯s hand started to be naughty. With a slight tug, his hand reached into Mu Yangling¡¯s clothes and rubbed underneath it. Blushing, Mu Yangling nced at the outer room nervously. In a lowered voice, she said, ¡°The child is still outside.¡±


    ¡°That child is sleeping like a pig. He won¡¯t wake up.¡± Qi Haoran rolled over and pressed her down. As he sucked on her earlobe, he said vaguely, ¡°Don¡¯t you miss me?¡±


    Mu Yangling tilted her head slightly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you have something to say to me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I want to have another child with you. It¡¯s best if it¡¯s a daughter. Little Bear will grow up once he bes an older brother. Perhaps then he¡¯ll learn to speak faster.¡±


    Mu Yangling stopped dodging and took the initiative to meet Qi Haoran¡¯s actions. Overjoyed, Qi Haoran pulled down the curtain and pressed himself against Mu Yangling.


    Little Bear woke up in the middle of the night. When he woke up and realized that this was not his bed, he cried twice. Qi Haoran quickly put Ah Ling aside quietly and hurriedly put on his clothes before running out. Seeing this upon jogging in, Spring hurriedly lowered her head and retreated.


    Qi Haoran only looked up at her indifferently before turning to look at his son. A smile appeared on his face as he hugged him in his arms and coaxed softly, ¡°Why are you crying? Isn¡¯t Daddy here?¡±


    Little Bear looked at him for a while before recognizing that he was his father. He obediently leaned in his arms.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡±


    Little Bear nodded slightly and looked at him with his wet eyes.<div>


    Qi Haoran stroked his ear and turned around to instruct the servants to prepare some food.


    In the past, Little Bear had a big appetite and would often wake up in the middle of the night to look for food. Mu Yangling would get someone to make him some chicken soup noodles, coupled with two eggs and a handful of vegetables, making for a nutritious and bnced meal. Upon receiving the instructions, the kitchen whipped up a bowl of noodles for Little Bear as usual.


    As Qi Haoran watched, his expression instantly darkened. He did not know that Mu Yangling usually ordered for this and only felt that the kitchen had neglected his son. One had to know that he and Zijin were pampered ever since they were young. No matter how dissatisfied the kitchen was, they had to make three dishes and a soup for the two brothers in the middle of the night. Could it be that his General¡¯s Residence could notpare to a fourth-grade imperial censor¡¯s residence?


    Furthermore, Little Bear was his only son. If the kitchen dared to be so negligent even now, how much would Little Bear be neglected in the future when there were more children in the residence?<div>


    Spring held the bowl and trembled in fear under Qi Haoran¡¯s gloomy gaze while Little Bear anxiously reached out to grab the bowl. With his eyes lowered, Qi Haoran didn¡¯t say anything and only took the noodles before waving for them to leave.


    Little Bear was very satisfied with the noodles. After gulping down therge bowl of noodles, he immediately held his stomach in satisfaction and let out an exhale.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s originally gloomy expression softened a little. He held his little hand and walked around the house to help Little Bear digest his food. Since it waste at night after all, under the effect of his biological clock, Little Bear quickly fell asleep again. Thus, Qi Haoran carried his son back to the inner room and the family of threey down to sleep together.


    Throughout this entire time, Mu Yangling slept soundly and showed no signs of waking up.


    Qi Haoran ced his son outside andid down in the middle. Seeing Mu Yangling¡¯s brows furrowed, he kissed her face, after which she turned over and fell asleep again.


    When she woke up the next day, Qi Haoran was running in with Little Bear in a short outfit. Giggling, Little Bear grabbed his father¡¯s hair tightly with his two small hands as he sat around his neck and looked down at his mother.


    Little Bear used his fingers to tickle Mu Yangling¡¯s face to tease her. Then, the father and son ran outughing.


    ¡°Brat, how dare you tease me.¡± Looking outside, Mu Yangling saw that the sun was shining all over the courtyard and realized that it was already veryte.


    When Mu Yangling got out of bed with a red face, the father and son were already waiting for her at the dining table. Mu Yangling felt slightly guilty. ¡°You haven¡¯t had breakfast yet?¡±


    The father and son shook their heads together. Little Bear¡¯s giggle, however, made Mu Yangling sense that something was wrong. As expected, Qi Haoran thenughed and said, ¡°We¡¯ve already eaten. We¡¯re just here to see you eat.¡±


    Mu Yangling was speechless. ¡°What¡¯s there to see?¡±


    Qi Haoran smiled but didn¡¯t say anything. Mu Yangling could only eat breakfast under the gaze of the father and son. After breakfast, she found out that Qi Haoran had flown into a rage in the morning and punished everyone in the kitchen. From the head chef to the vegetable washer, everyone who worked in the kitchen had been ordered to be tied up by the servants.


    Zhu Liang could only beg Mu Yangling. Even if he wanted to rece the people in the kitchen, it was impossible for him to rece everyone. He could not find so many people at once. Moreover, he felt that the people in the kitchen were quite wronged.<div>

 Chapter 694: Effectiveness

    Chapter 694: Effectiveness


    Editor: As Studios


    Instead of agreeing immediately, Mu Yangling only asked Zhu Liang to leave first before going to look for Qi Haoran. ¡°I was the one who ordered Little Bear¡¯s supper menu. Why did you tie up everyone in the kitchen?¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t believe that Qi Haoran¡¯s subordinates wouldn¡¯t exin the whole story when he dealt with the kitchen workers. There must be a reason why Qi Haoran still dealt with the matter in such a manner after knowing the whole story.


    Like a master waiting to be served, Qi Haoran sat on the chair and said, ¡°You can plead with me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Mu Yangling said, ¡°So you specially did this to ask me to plead on their behalf? Why?¡±


    There were only the three of them in the residence. With her authority there and no one neglecting her, there was no need for Qi Haoran to help her save face.


    Qi Haoran snorted. ¡°Anyway, just plead with me.¡±


    Nah, he wouldn¡¯t tell Mu Yangling that this was an idea that came to him after he threw a tantrum. That he simply wanted to be so willful and give Mu Yangling face.


    Mu Yangling stared at him carefully. Seeing that he was being serious, she immediately felt a little helpless. Nodding, she said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll plead with you.¡±


    Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, ¡°On ount of your sincerity, I¡¯ll let them off.¡± Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes were slightly cold as he said, ¡°However, although there¡¯s no need to sell them, we can¡¯t let this matter go just like that. The chefs in the kitchen will have their monthly allowance deducted for three months. They¡¯ve all been taught the rules by the senior pce maids. Even if it didn¡¯t ur to the masters, they should have been more considerate. Don¡¯t tell me they dare to perfunctorily offer me a bowl of noodles when I say I want to eat supper?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with a bowl of noodles? Aside from being simmered with fresh chicken soup, it¡¯s served with vegetables and eggs. What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± Mu Yangling said unhappily, ¡°If we really do as you say and serve three dishes and a soup, will Little Bear be able to finish it? Not only is it a waste, but it¡¯s also not as nutritious as that bowl of noodles.¡±<div>


    ¡°When you suggested making noodles for Little Bear, did the people in the kitchen suggest other menus? I don¡¯t believe that there isn¡¯t a better menu in the kitchen. They just think that you¡¯re easy to bully. Hmph, wasteful? As a dignified Prince, why would I be afraid of wasting a few dishes? Considering there are only three masters in the residence, how much can we eat? I see that Zhu Liang is also confused. How dare the people under him fool you like this?¡±


    In short, Mu Yangling¡¯s requirement for the servants was only that they should do their jobs well and carry out her orders.


    On the other hand, Qi Haoran¡¯s requirements were even higher. To him, his servants had to be considerate of their master. If their master thought of something, they had to carry out his orders immediately. And even if something hadn¡¯t urred to their master, they had to remind him.


    Fei Bai and Yanmo were examples.


    Fei Bai and Yanmo could handle the matter between him and Fan Zijin very well. Even in areas where Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin failed to thoroughly consider, they could always take care of it effectively.


    However, Qi Haoran had clearly forgotten that like a talented general, such a servant was difficult toe by. It was impossible for all the servants in the Prince¡¯s estate to be like Fei Bai and Yanmo.


    As soon as Qi Haoran¡¯s punishment was announced, none of the servants in the residence dared toin. Instead, his prestige rose to another level, and everyone was even more respectful of Mu Yangling.


    To begin with, there was only one mistress in the Prince¡¯s estate, and everyone knew how much the Prince doted on the Princess Consort. In addition, Mu Yangling had her own means and prestige, so everyone had always been in awe of her.


    Easy to get along with, Mu Yangling never hit or scolded the servants. Hence, the atmosphere in the residence had always been light-hearted. Qi Haoran¡¯s sudden action made the atmosphere in the residence instantly turn solemn. The servants were even more careful when they walked. After returning to the capital, the other families who asionally visited the Qi Residence saw this situation, and they respected Mu Yangling even more. They¡¯d originally thought that she was from the countryside, but they did not expect her to be so capable. Of course, this was a matter for the future.


    Now, when Mu Yangling was enjoying the benefits directly¡ªshe only needed to say a word and her subordinates would quickly get things done.


    For example, she simply mentioned that there were children and pregnant women on the road, and didn¡¯t know what medicinal herbs to bring as a precaution.


    Immediately, someone went to Imperial Physician Wang and asked him about themon illnesses and herbs needed to travel during this season. In less than two hours, a list containing everything from ordinary herbs to precious herbs was ced in front of Mu Yangling. Moreover, it also stated for what illnesses and conditions would those herbse in handy.


    As soon as Mu Yangling handed the list to the servants, they opened up the storeroom and selected the herbs needed. If any of those herbs couldn¡¯t be found in the residence, they would quickly go out to buy them. The prices were fair, and the quality of the herbs was high.


    What usually took three days to settle was now aplished in a day.


    Another example was when she mentioned that it was best for Little Madam Xia to eat fresh ingredients on the road and not use dry rations like before.


    In the blink of an eye, the servants packed up a cart of ingredients and cooking utensils. Zhu Liang even spent the entire night nning their itinerary. He tried his best to find them an inn and ry station every time they stopped for a rest. Otherwise, it would be stopping for a rest in some vige. This way, the servants could also take the chance to procure fresh ingredients. In addition, the quality of the amodations were upgraded by several levels.


    At night, when Mu Yangling saw Qi Haoran running back with his son on his back and sweating profusely, she hugged his head and nted a big kiss on his face. Instantly blushing, Qi Haoran carefully nced at his son and saw that Little Bear was looking at them innocently with his round eyes. He immediately sat upright and red at Mu Yangling.


    Little Bear looked at his mother, then at his father. Then, he climbed onto his father¡¯s knee, hugged his face, and kissed him too.


    Qi Haoran looked helpless. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault for leading the child astray.¡±<div>


    Mu Yanglingughed out loud.


    ¡°Why are you so happy?¡± After being married for so many years, Ah Ling rarely took the initiative.


    Mu Yangling told him about the changes in the residence and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the efficiency of the residence to increase so much after you lost your temper. Now that everything has been taken care of, we still have a few days of free time. Why don¡¯t we go out and y after we pack up?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all because you were too easy on them in the past. There¡¯s no need to go out and y. Pack your things and set off. Let¡¯s leave early so that we can have more time to rx on the road and you can take care of Little Madam Xia.¡±<div>


    Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, ¡°This way, we can set off in three days.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t easy for the couple to reunite, but they had to separate again. Although they would be able to see each other again in a month or so, Mu Yangling was still a little unhappy. Qi Haoran¡¯s mood also wasn¡¯t as good as before, but at night, he pressed Mu Yangling down and said, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up. I might be able to get you pregnant before we part for now.¡±


    Just like that, all of Mu Yangling¡¯s sadness disappeared.


    While the couple had been working hard to make babies for the past three days, Qi Haoran still had to put in effort to make his presence known in front of Little Bear so that the kid would not be unfamiliar with him again in the future.


    Under the couple¡¯s active efforts, Mu Yangling instructed the servants to pack up the things needed by the two families. Soon, it was time to set off, and it was six days earlier than they had expected.


    Because Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin still had to set up the border and make some arrangements, the duo had to set off more than ten dayster. However, the few of them had estimated the time their journey would take. Even if they set offte, they could catch up to Mu Yangling before the convoy arrived in the capital.

 Chapter 695: Returning to the Capital

    Chapter 695: Returning to the Capital


    Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling and the rest traveled slowly along the way, prioritizingfort. Thus, by the time they arrived outside the capital, it was already 32 dayster. Qi Haoran and the others caught up on thest day and the two teams entered the capital together.


    Among all the convoys entering the city, this team could be the most eye-catching. As soon as Qi Haoran and the others arrived at the city gate, the gatekeeper hurriedly ran down from the city tower and weed them respectfully. He instructed, ¡°Hurry up and inform the pce that Prince Rong has arrived.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to inform them. I¡¯vee here personally.¡± A sharp voice rang from behind. Eunuch Wan stood there with a fawning smile, and behind him was Eunuch Wei, who was also full of smiles.


    ¡°Your Highnesses, His Majesty knows that the two of you will be arriving in the capital today, so he asked me to wait at the city gate early in the morning.¡± Eunuch Wan nced at Eunuch Wei. In response, Eunuch Wei quickly went forward and said, ¡°Her Majesty is worried that Her Highness and the Duke¡¯s wife will be tired from the journey, so she specially asked me to wait here and let the two madams rest for a day before entering the pce tomorrow.¡±


    Eunuch Wan was the eunuch who served beside Qi Xiuyuan, while Eunuch Wei was in charge of the affairs of the Pce of Earthly Tranquility. For the two eunuchs of these two pces to be waiting for their families here, it was an unprecedented honor, and it was unknown if anyone else would receive such honors in the future.


    Many onlookers at the city gate sighed at how much the Emperor doted on Prince Rong and the Duke of Peaceful State.


    Fan Zijin rode back and nced at Little Madam Xia. Seeing that her face was a little pale, he turned to Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Ah Ling, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to send Little Madam Xia to the Duke¡¯s Residence and sort out the matters in my residence.¡±


    Qi Haoran waved his hand generously. ¡°That¡¯s nothing. Ah Ling will take care of Cousin-inw. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Mu Yangling also nodded and said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take good care of Cousin-inw. I¡¯ll go back after you leave the pce.¡±


    Qi Haoran nodded repeatedly. ¡°At most, our family will stay in your Duke¡¯s Estate.¡±<div>


    Little Madam Xia, however, was startled. Ignoring the dizziness in her head, she lifted the curtain and said, ¡°Master, are we staying in the Duke¡¯s Mansion? Aren¡¯t we going back to the Fan Residence?¡±


    Fan Zijin nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten someone to return to the capital in advance to clean up the Duke¡¯s residence. You just have to move in.¡±


    ¡°B-but we haven¡¯t paid our respects to Father and Mother yet.¡± It wouldn¡¯t ur to Mu Yangling to do these things, and Qi Haoran wouldn¡¯t think of them either. While Fan Zijin could pretend not to know, she couldn¡¯t remain silent.


    Fan Zijin said, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Father and Mother. Just focus on our baby.¡±


    Little Madam Xia still wanted to say something, but Nanny Xia patted her hand gently. Little Madam Xia swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue and nodded gently.


    Fan Zijin nodded slightly at Mu Yangling and waved for them to leave first.


    After the convoy left, Fan Zijin ordered a servant and said, ¡°Go back and tell Master and Madam that Madam¡¯s fetal qi is a little unstable, so I asked her to return to the Duke¡¯s Residence to rest first. When I¡¯m free, I¡¯ll bring her back to pay our respects.¡±


    If it was in the past, Fan Zijin would not mind living with his parents and finding trouble for them from time to time. However, his unborn son was of utmost importance at the moment, so his priority was to ensure that Little Madam Xia had a safe pregnancy.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s expression darkened slightly when he saw that Fan Zijin¡¯s rtionship with his parents had deteriorated to this extent.


    Fan Zijin waved his hand to signal for everyone to enter the pce.


    Qi Haoran rode his horse silently to his left and said, ¡°If not, let Ah Ling stay at the Duke¡¯s Residence. With her around, Uncle and Aunt will restrain themselves.¡± He also knew that Ah Ling had used her identity as the Princess Consort to suppress others and forcefully bring Little Madam Xia out of the capital. With his uncle¡¯s character, although he would not like Ah Ling, he did not dare to offend someone of a higher status.


    Fan Zijin shook his head slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. In the past, I simply didn¡¯t want to bicker with them. Now that I¡¯m about to have a child, I naturally won¡¯t let them off like before. It¡¯s not good for you to keep interfering in my matters.¡±


    Fan Zijin was very confident in his ownbat ability. In the past, he had been able to defeat Fan Siwen even though he was of a lower status. Now that his status was higher, even if Fan Siwen tried to suppress him with filial piety, he was confident that he could defeat him.


    Unlike Qi Haoran¡¯s real sabers and spears, he preferred toy low and set up traps in the dark, obtaining victory before the other party even noticed. Moreover, the most powerful man in the world¡ªthe Emperor¡ªhad his back.


    Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran entered the pce to meet Qi Xiuyuan, while Mu Yangling and Madam Xia went to the residence of the Duke of Peaceful State.


    The residence of the Duke of Peaceful State was not far from Prince Rong¡¯s Residence. Located on the adjacent street, it was the residence of the fourth prince of the previous dynasty. Unlike Minister Qin¡¯s residence, which had been dug into ruins, the fourth prince¡¯s residence was well-preserved. Complete with small bridges, flowing water, rockeries, and pavilions, the garden scenery in the residence and the structure of the houses carried the exquisiteness of the gardens of Jiangnan. Although it was not as massive and opulent as Minister Qin¡¯s residence, it had a different charm.


    Most importantly, it had one of the best-preserved and most beautiful gardens left behind by the previous dynasty.


    As Fan Zijin had written to the steward of the shop in the capital in advance and asked him to bring people to clean up the Duke¡¯s Residence, everything was already prepared. Mu Yangling just had to arrange the personnel.


    After sitting in the carriage for more than a month, Little Madam Xia felt that her bones were going to crumble from the bumpy ride. When she returned to the inner room andy on the bed, she felt that the bed was swaying.<div>


    After Mu Yangling arranged for her to stay, she gathered all the servants in the residence and arranged the personnel.


    On the other side, Madam Xia waited a long time for Little Madam Xia in the residence. When thetter failed to show up, she sent a servant to go and take a look. Her servant returned with a servant sent by Fan Zijin.


    After hearing the servant¡¯s recount, Madam Xia was slightly stunned and asked, ¡°His Majesty bestowed the Duke¡¯s Residence to Zijin? Why didn¡¯t I know?¡±


    The servant lowered his head and whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t know either. I¡¯m only rying the Duke¡¯s message.¡±<div>


    Madam Xia was silent for a moment before asking, ¡°Did Madam Su follow you guys into the capital this time?¡±


    ¡°Madam Su?¡± The servant shook his head in confusion. Was there another Madam Su in the residence?


    Madam Xia¡¯s heart sank. Madam Su was a concubine that Fan Siwen had sent to Fan Zijin. She was a Virtuous Concubine, yet this servant didn¡¯t even know who Madam Su was. Judging from this, it was obvious what Fan Zijin¡¯s attitude towards her was like.


    Speaking of which, it was a surprise. The servant that Fan Zijin had casually chosen happened to be a third-grade servant in the residence, and usually only served in the outer courtyard. Shortly after Madam Su arrived in Ju Prefecture, Fan Zijin directly had her locked up without even bothering to meet her. He told her bluntly that his first child would definitely be the legitimate son born from his first wife. If she knew her ce, he would spare her life and ensure that she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of her life. On the other hand, if she had any crooked thoughts, her survival would depend on her abilities.


    Due to Fan Zijin¡¯s attitude towards Madam Su and the fact that there was only Little Madam Xia in the residence, people naturally wouldn¡¯t talk about Madam Su. As a result, some servants in the outer courtyard didn¡¯t even have a clue of Madam Su¡¯s existence.


    ¡°Then where is the Duke¡¯s Residence?¡±


    The servant responded with a confused look for he didn¡¯t know either. He was just a lowly servant. Previously, he was happy that the Duke had chosen him, but now, he was only left with trepidation.


    Madam Xia¡¯s heart kept sinking. Was her son already slighting her to this extent?


    To think he assigned such a lowly servant to deliver the news.

 Chapter 696: Relationship

    Chapter 696: Rtionship


    Editor: As Studios


    Fan Zijin had previously asked Qi Xiuyuan for the Duke¡¯s Residence. His requirements were that it was big and beautiful, and that he could immediately move in with his luggage. He had also asked Qi Xiuyuan not to announce it first and to only officially give the decree when he returned to the capital.


    When Qi Xiuyuan heard this request, he knew what he was guarding against. Actually, he could not understand his aunt and uncle¡¯s actions. Logically speaking, with such a promising son, shouldn¡¯t they be harmonious and be happy to share wealth and glory with this son of theirs? Why was there so much trouble?


    As for the problem of Fan Zijin being stubborn, Qi Xiuyuan subconsciously ignored it.


    Rong Xuan could see that Qi Xiuyuan was very biased towards this cousin, but he had no intention of reminding him. After all, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin had been raised by the Emperor like sons. In the past, when Qi Xiuyuan was just a general, he had often made arrangements for them to help them pave a promising future. Although Madam Xia treated Qi Xiuyuan well enough, he naturally had a deeper rtionship with Fan Zijin, who he had raised like a son.


    Way before their arrival, Qi Xiuyuan had already shortlisted a few mansions for Fan Zijin, only waiting to let him choose the one he liked the most as the Duke¡¯s Residence. But when he received this letter and went through the above-mentioned conditions one by one, only the residence of the fourth prince from the previous dynasty was suitable.


    Considered rtively capable among his many brothers, the fourth prince of the previous dynasty also had the intention to fight for the throne. In addition, his mother was favored by the ex-Emperor, so when the time came, he chose a ce not far from Minister Qin¡¯s residence. The prince had exquisite taste, so the residence was built with opulence and elegance in mind. The stones, wood, flowers, and trees were all of top-notch quality. Qi Xiuyuan sent Rong Xuan to go over to take a look. After confirming that theyout and scenery suited Fan Zijin¡¯s taste, he decisively designated that fourth prince¡¯s residence as the residence of the Duke of Peaceful State.


    Logically speaking, the Ministry of Works should be the one to bestow the official residences. However, Qi Xiuyuan directly asked them for the title deeds of a few fine residences. The Ministry of Works did not dare to ask about it and thought that the Emperor wanted to use these gardens as pce courtyards or had other uses for them. Hence, they simply obediently handed the title deeds over.


    Qi Xiuyuan immediately sent the title deed to Fan Zijin. Then, Fan Zijin asked his men to clean up the house.


    As that area was filled with houses that had been nationalized, they were all empty. Hence, no one noticed Fan Zijin¡¯s peopleing and going. In addition, they deliberately kept a low profile, so no one noticed.


    Therefore, other than Rong Xuan, who had appraised the house before, no one knew that the residence of the Duke of Peaceful State had already been bestowed.<div>


    It urred to the shrewd Qi Xiuyuan that the court officials and Fan Siwen would use Fan Zijin of being arrogant and unfilial as to move into the Duke¡¯s Residence before the decree was issued. Thus, right after Fan Zijin entered the pce, he quickly issued the decree to bestow the Duke¡¯s Residence. Also, he punished a seventh-grade clerk from the Ministry of Rites for failing to record the imperial edict stating the bestowment of the residence of the Duke of Peaceful State. As a result, the Ministry of Rites and Ministry of Works had yet to do the handover, causing the duke to have to pay for repairs and manage the Duke¡¯s Residence by himself.


    There was a possibility that the clerk might have missed out on a booklet, but it was impossible for him to miss out on an imperial edict. Furthermore, it was an imperial edict for the Duke of Peaceful State, the Emperor¡¯s favored right-hand man. When everyone heard this, they knew that it was fake. They sympathized with the clerk who had been dragged out to take the me. His official position was lowly to begin with, and if he was demoted further, he would be a gradeless official. They didn¡¯t know if he could still stand out in this life.


    However, the clerk was not sad at all. Right after he left the Ministry of Rites, he packed his things and brought his family to Jinhua County to be a county lieutenant.


    By the time the imperial censors heard of the news and wanted to make a fuss to leave his name in history, they realized that the clerk had already gone to Jinhua County to be an eighth-grade county lieutenant. Fury ensued.


    Though the clerk had been ¡®demoted¡¯ in name from the seventh-grade to the eighth-grade, it was effectively a promotion. Before, he was a clerk with no future. Perhaps after working in the capital for ten years, he would still be a seventh-grade clerk. Every year, he would receive 23 taels of silver and a few Dendrobiums1 of rice to survive. Now that he was sent to a high-grade county to be a county lieutenant, not only would it be easy for him to make political achievements and be promoted, he would umte wealth at a much faster rate than a clerk.


    As expected, the imperial censors found the clerk and hoped that he could tell the truth and restore peace to the world. The clerk cried bitterly and repented, insisting that it was his own alcoholism that caused him to identally dy the Duke of Peaceful State¡¯s matters.


    The imperial censors gritted their teeth in hatred, but there was nothing they could do.


    Without evidence, even if they made a report based on rumors, they would only be reprimanded in the end. In history, they would not even leave a mark.


    However, the clerk felt that these imperial censors had nothing better to do. The feud between the Duke of Peaceful State and his father was just their family affairs. The Emperor¡¯s willingness to help the Duke of Peaceful State p Imperial Censor Fan¡¯s face was also the Emperor¡¯s private matter. Since it did not get in the way of national policies, what was there to remonstrate about?


    As soon as Fan Zijin left the pce, he went straight to the Fan Residence in the name of paying respects to his parents.


    Afterpleting the necessary etiquette, he ignored the sulky Fan Siwen and returned to Duke¡¯s Residence.


    Fan Siwen was furious, but there was nothing he could do. With the Emperor covering for him, what could he possibly do to Fan Zijin?


    Fan Siwen turned around to look for Madam Xia and said, ¡°Little Madam Xia is pregnant. After all, this is Zijin¡¯s first child. Go and bring her to our residence to take good care of her. My eldest grandson has to be born in the Fan Residence.¡±


    Seeing Madam Xia lower her head in silence, Fan Siwen couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°Did you hear me?¡±


    When Madam Xia looked up at Fan Siwen, she recalled what Fan Zijin had said to her just now. ¡°Since we were young, Father has always been biased towards the concubine¡¯s son Fan Zixiao, and neglecting me, the legitimate son. You keep quarreling and fighting with him in the name of seeking justice for me and Haoran, but in fact, it was just your selfishness. I¡¯ve hated it the most when you and Father fought and quarreled. You clearly could¡¯ve resolved the issues in just a matter of two sentences¡­ In any case, even if my son can¡¯t be like Little Treasure and Little Bear, he definitely can¡¯t grow up in such an environment. Mother, he¡¯s my precious child who carries my blood, born to be more noble than others. Why should he be bullied by the child of his step-uncle here?¡±


    She had responded with, ¡°Your father won¡¯t make things difficult for your child because of Zixiao¡¯s child. Also, I¡¯ll be around.¡±


    Fan Zijin had sneered. ¡°Do you believe your own words? If you can abandon your selfishness and only care about me and the child, you can go to the Duke¡¯s Residence to take care of Little Madam Xia. If you can¡¯t, I¡¯lle to pay my respects to you on the first and fifteenth of every month. I¡¯ll also bring Little Madam Xia to visit you when I¡¯m free. As for other matters in my residence, I won¡¯t burden you to worry about them.¡±


    Madam Xia had always felt that Fan Zijin was her son. No matter how ugly things were now, he was still her son. However, Fan Zijin¡¯s indifferent gaze at that time clearly told her that a son could abandon his mother because a son would also have his own son.


    Feeling at a loss, Madam Xia did not promise to do what Fan Siwen was asking her to do.<div>


    Fan Siwen frowned. Seeing that his wife was in a daze, he sized her up carefully and realized that she also had gray hair at her temples. Fan Siwen paused and, feeling pity for her, he sighed slightly and said, ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll personally talk to Zijin about this.¡±


    The incident at the Duke¡¯s Residence made Fan Siwen theughing stock of the entire city, and the Fan Residence sessfully attracted everyone¡¯s attention. Also, some observant people realized that Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling were still staying in the Qi Residence after returning to the capital. But seeing that Madam Xu and Little Madam Wu were turned away when they showed up to visit, they couldn¡¯t help but read too much into this.

 Chapter 697: Support

    Chapter 697: Support


    Editor: As Studios


    In the Duke¡¯s Residence, Nanny Xia was teaching Little Madam Xia. ¡°The Duke didn¡¯t ask you to return to the Fan Residence for your own good. The Duke doesn¡¯t have a good rtionship with Old Master and Old Madam, so it¡¯s inevitable that you¡¯ll be caught in the middle. Logically speaking, as a wife, you should reconcile both sides. However, what Old Master and Old Madam did previously was too ugly¡ªthey pretty much tried to detain you in the capital by force. If Her Highness hadn¡¯t been so domineering and forcefully brought you out, just look at Madam Su, who is being locked up in the Ju Prefecture¡¯s residence now. In a few years, will there still be a ce for you to stand in this residence?¡±


    At the mention of this, Nanny Xia was filled with anger. She knew that it was rare for mother-inw and daughter-inw to get along well, but her mistress was docile and obedient. If Madam Xia could not even get along well with someone as mild-tempered as her mistress, it would indicate a problem with Madam Xia¡¯s character.


    Moreover, Madam Xia had clearly shown that she was very satisfied with her mistress previously. The mother-inw and daughter-inw were chatting andughing, but Madam Xia then suddenly turned against Little Madam Xia.


    From then on, Nanny Xia did not have much of a good impression of Madam Xia. Seeing that the Duke had the intention to support Madam, Nanny Xia did not want the heavily-pregnant Little Madam Xia to suffer. She taught her, ¡°The Duke already told them that you¡¯re not feeling well, so you just have to lie at home. The stewards and I will handle the other matters. As ast resort, we can ask the Princess Consort for help. If anyone from the Fan Residence shows up, His Highness¡¯s (the Duke) men will deal with them. You just have to focus on taking care of your baby and give birth to the little prince. Fortunately, Old Master doesn¡¯t enjoy a good reputation in the capital and it¡¯s known everywhere that he¡¯s unkind. Even if he uses you and the Duke of being unfilial, you can still count on His Majesty¡­¡±


    In short, Madam, you should just focus on eating and drinking and don¡¯t worry about your inws, just like how it was back in Ju Prefecture.


    Seeing that the trusted Nanny Xia was so confident, Little Madam Xia was reassured after her repeated persuasion and went to sleep in peace.


    When Fan Zijin returned, he nodded slightly, satisfied with his wife¡¯s calmness. At least, she was not making a fuss like she did on the road today.


    The next day, Mu Yangling rode a carriage over to fetch Little Madam Xia into the pce. The Empress had sent someone to fetch them.


    Seeing Little Madam Xia look at her nervously, Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°Her Majesty is very gentle. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    Little Madam Xia smiled cautiously. Although this was not the first time she had seen the Empress, she could not help but feel nervous.<div>


    Li Jinghua was holding Little Treasure¡¯s hand and waiting for them in front of the hall. When Little Treasure saw Little Bear, he pursed his lips and smiled, waving at him excitedly. Little Bear let go of his mother¡¯s hand and sprinted over like a missile to hug Little Treasure. The two childrenughed andughed.


    Li Jinghua couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Little Bear has grown up too. He¡¯s half a head taller than Little Treasure, who¡¯s older than him.¡±


    Only then did Little Treasure realize that his younger brother was actually taller than him. He immediately pouted and said, ¡°Mother, I want to eat two bowls of rice tonight.¡±


    Happy to hear that, Li Jinghua nodded and said, ¡°As long as you¡¯re not picky with food, you¡¯ll definitely catch up to your younger brother.¡±


    Happy to hear that, Li Jinghua nodded and said, ¡°As long as you¡¯re not picky with food, you¡¯ll definitely catch up to your younger brother.¡±


    Although Little Bear loved meat, under Mu Yangling¡¯s guidance, he also ate all kinds of vegetables. In addition, he had inherited his father¡¯s tall and strong physique. Thus, although he was a year younger than Little Treasure, he was actually taller than him.


    Despite being only three years old, this child looked like a five-year-old.


    Li Jinghua got someone to bring the two children to the side hall to y, leaving only Wen Cui to serve them. Seeing that Little Madam Xia¡¯s face was slightly pale, her limbs were thin, and her six-month-old stomach only had a slight bulge, she could not help but be a little worried. ¡°It¡¯s been six months?¡±


    Little Madam Xia touched her stomach and said, ¡°It¡¯ll be seven months in eight days.¡±


    Li Jinghua frowned. ¡°This is too small. Are you unable to eat?¡±


    Little Madam Xia lowered her head slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t have a good appetite and don¡¯t eat much. Fortunately, I have the medicinal cuisine prescribed by Imperial Physician Wang, so I¡¯m keeping up in terms of nutrition.¡±


    Li Jinghua nodded slightly. ¡°Although that¡¯s the case, you still have to eat more. The further into your pregnancy, the more the fetus eats and the stronger the suction. Seeing as you¡¯re already so thin now, how can you utilize your strength when you give birth? Fortunately, it¡¯s much more convenient now that you¡¯re back in the capital. I¡¯ll get the Chief Imperial Physician to take a look at youter.¡±


    With a sigh, Li Jinghua continued, ¡°His Majesty only has Little Treasure now, so he values children very much. Like Haoran, Zijin was raised by His Majesty like his own child. Previously, he instructed me to take good care of you. It¡¯s just that I couldn¡¯t do anything while you were in Qiannan. Fortunately, Ah Ling is a capable person and has shared a lot of the burden for me, her eldest sister-inw.¡±


    She was actually speaking of Fan Zijin in the same breath as Qi Haoran.


    Heart beating wildly, Little Madam Xia couldn¡¯t help but look up at Mu Yangling, only to see that Mu Yangling was used to it. She said to Li Jinghua, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. Cousin-inw looks thin now, but her health is actually better than before. It¡¯s just that she hasn¡¯t recovered from the rushed journey here.¡±


    Only then did Li Jinghua nod in satisfaction. ¡°I can¡¯t take care of you guys while I¡¯m in the pce, so you have to spend more effort outside the pce. Since Zijin is two months older than Haoran, it¡¯s not good for the difference between the eldest sons to be too big. Otherwise, it won¡¯t be easy for them to y together in the future.¡±


    She then said to Little Madam Xia, ¡°You just have to focus on recuperating now. No matter what happens, it¡¯s not as important as you. Leave the matters in the residence to Ah Ling and leave the matters outside to Zijin. If there¡¯s something that¡¯s beyond Zijin¡¯s means, there¡¯s still the Emperor. Considering this is Zijin¡¯s first child, His Majesty is also looking forward to it.¡±


    Little Madam Xia couldn¡¯t help but feel happy. The Empress had made it clear that the Emperor would stand up for her and the Duke.


    When Mu Yangling and Little Madam Xia left in the afternoon, these words were also spread to Fan Siwen¡¯s ears. He could only stop what he was doing.<div>


    The Emperor¡¯s attitude was very clear¡ªhe would not allow Fan Siwen to interfere in any matters concerning Fan Zijin¡¯s offspring at this time.


    Fan Siwen was both happy and angry.


    While he was happy that his son was so highly favored by the Emperor, he was furious about being restricted by the Emperor¡¯s threats despite the fact that he was Zijin¡¯s father. He truly felt aggrieved.


    The people in the capital who had been watching the joke also retracted their thoughts and began to correct their attitudes to refocus their attention on the political matters instead. Now that the Emperor had interfered, if they continued to watch the joke, they might get themselves into trouble.<div>


    Hence, everyone began to discuss the various matters of conferring the Crown Prince and weing the emissary of Dali.


    Little Madam Xia rested at home and ate and exercised ording to the schedule set by Mu Yangling and Imperial Physician Wang. Her face gradually turned rosy, and was no longer as skinny as before. Her stomach even puffed up like a balloon. Not only Mu Yangling, but even Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran heaved a sigh of relief.


    She began to look forward to the arrival of the unborn child in her stomach.


    On the second day after Mu Yangling left the pce, she was summoned into the pce by Li Jinghua and asked to bring Little Bear along.


    Little Treasure specially ran back during lunch break. He held Little Bear¡¯s hand and said to Mu Yangling, ¡°Aunt, can I bring Little Brother to ss?¡±


    Mu Yangling stroked his head and said, ¡°Since he hasn¡¯t started studying yet, he won¡¯t be able to understand even if he goes. Lest he causes trouble for you, it¡¯s better for him not to go.¡±


    Little Bear pouted unhappily and refused to let go of Little Treasure¡¯s hand. Unwilling to part with Little Bear either, Little Treasure looked at Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling eagerly.


    Li Jinghua advised, ¡°Just let them go. There are no academic sses in the afternoon. It¡¯s just martial arts and music lessons. The teachers mostly read moral stories to them and they won¡¯t have to study.¡±


    The princes needn¡¯t take the Imperial Examination, and Little Treasure was destined to be the Emperor in the future. Therefore, other than the art of ruling and the necessary books, the other courses that Qi Xiuyuan arranged for him were mostly to nurture his interest. He was still young now, so the academic sses only upied the morning. In the afternoon, there were other lessons. Sometimes, the teacher would read to them all kinds of stories, and sometimes, he would teach them the six arts that they could learn at their age, spanning a broad range of content.

 Chapter 698: Heartfelt Thoughts

    Chapter 698: Heartfelt Thoughts


    Editor: As Studios


    Considering this was the pce, Mu Yangling was assured to let Little Bear go around with Little Treasure. In addition, it wasn¡¯t suitable for Little Bear to be around when she was talking to Li Jinghua, so she nodded and agreed.


    Little Treasure and Little Bear immediately held hands excitedly and ran out. The pce maids and emissaries who were serving them hurriedly chased after them.


    The sisters-inw watched as the two children disappeared before turning around. As they looked at each other, they couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°There may be differences between people, but all parents worry about their children.¡± Li Jinghua took Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go in and talk. Let them y. With people serving them at Upper Wood Park, it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Li Jinghua¡¯s purpose for asking to meet Mu Yangling was to ask about the Dali Princess Duan Yuqing. The Emperor attached great importance to Dali, and Duan Yuqing had been conferred the title of the head of the four concubines. It could be seen how much importance Qi Xiuyuan attached to this.


    Although Li Jinghua was jealous, she could see the bigger picture and knew that she had to handle the matter in a grand fashion. Not only could this intimidate the vassal states, but she could also take the chance to show her authority and motherly bearing.


    It was impossible for her to casually decorate Consort Xian¡¯s pce. Not only did it have to conform to the etiquette, the decor also had to suit Duan Yuqing¡¯s preferences. She did not know Duan Yuqing¡¯s preferences, so she could only ask Mu Yangling.


    Of course, she also had the intention of sounding out information.


    Mu Yangling told her about Duan Yuqing¡¯s temperament and preferences. Seeing Li Jinghua take serious notes, she inwardly sighed and whispered into her ear, ¡°Sister-inw, Duan Yuqing injured her uterus when she was escaping. She¡¯ll never conceive.¡±


    Li Jinghua widened her eyes and looked at Mu Yangling. Nodding slightly, Mu Yangling said, ¡°She has a meek personality, too. Do take care of her if you can. Her family is far away in Dali and with it being a vassal state, her family can¡¯t enter the capital without an edict¡­¡±


    Li Jinghua reached out and held Mu Yangling¡¯s hand. Her eyes were slightly red as she said, ¡°Only you would think of me at this time¡­¡±<div>


    Li Jinghua enjoyed unparalleled glory in her position as the Empress, but she was also under a lot of pressure. In spite of that, she epted all of this calmly because she did not think that any Empress in history would be as lucky as her.


    The Emperor had deep affection towards her, and she had also safely given birth to his eldest son, the future Crown Prince. For the sake of her and Little Treasure, the Emperor had dyed adding women to his harem. Li Jinghua felt that even if she could not be the Empress Dowager in the future, she would not have lived this life in vain just with these few years of affection and memories alone.


    However, this did not mean that she did not feel aggrieved. It was not easy to be a mother to the world. Managing the harem was a small matter to her, but she still had to help Qi Xiuyuan deal with the families of the officials and fight for more power and benefits for him.


    In addition, she had to perfect the etiquette system of the pce, which to her was the most difficult and exhausting.


    Five generations ago, the Qi family consisted of bumpkins. Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s great-grandfather was a xiucai, and his jinshi grandfather peaked at the fifth grade. Next in line, Qi Feng had reached the fourth grade. It could be said that a family like theirs had no foundation to speak of. However, now that Qi Xiuyuan had be the Emperor, he could not make any mistakes in etiquette. Otherwise, if he lost face in front of the ministers, how could he maintain his dignity in the future?


    However, the aristocratic families were most well-trained in etiquette. Every dynasty and every generation, even after the dynasty changed, aristocratic families would be activated. And why was that?


    An Emperor from an aristocratic family would activate the aristocratic families to obtain their support. However, an Emperor from a more humble background would have different motivations for doing that¡ªfor the sake of prestige and the foundation of the aristocratic families.


    Not to mention anything else, when worshiping his ancestors, the Emperor had to follow strict etiquette for every step he took. From the first step to the top of the stairs, how many steps did he have to take? Even the length of the stride had strict requirements. Did Qi Xiuyuan know?


    He didn¡¯t know, so he could only let someone teach him.


    However, he was unwilling to put the aristocratic families in important positions for it would bring many drawbacks. He might befortable using them now, but it would bury many disasters for future generations.


    However, this did not mean that Qi Xiuyuan totally refused to use people from aristocratic families. As long as one was talented, he would appoint people from aristocratic families to important positions. However, it was impossible for him to specially support aristocratic families.


    In the past year since Qi Xiuyuan ascended the throne, not only did he not put the aristocratic families in important positions, but he was also weakening them step by step. This undoubtedly angered the aristocratic families who secretly dug a lot of holes hoping to entrap Qi Xiuyuan. Qi Xiuyuan had indeed made a lot of blunders in the past year, but his mental fortitude was high, and he appeared unfazed regardless, epting things calmly. Outsiders only felt that the Emperor was thick-skinned, but Li Jinghua saw how Qi Xiuyuan came to her ce to learn those etiquette stuff step by step, from the old pce maids and emissaries of the previous dynasty.


    Qi Xiuyuan treated her with deep affection, so how could she not do something for him?


    Qi Xiuyuan was unwilling to deal with the aristocratic families, so she stepped forward to deal with them on his behalf. For his sake, she even took this opportunity to write to the Li family and ask the head of the Li family, Li Jian, toe.


    One had to know that Li Jian was considered her enemy. He was 50% responsible for her father and brother bing disabled, leading her to suffer when she was young.


    After she became the Empress, Li Jian had hinted more than once that he wanted to be an official and move his family to the capital, but she had not agreed. Seeing her n curry favor with her father and brother, who had all along been abandoned in a corner, she was more than ted. But now, she wanted to suppress her hatred and happiness and work with Li Jian again for the sake of her husband.


    The ministers in the court always thought of ways to present women to the Emperor. This time, Duan Yuqing¡¯s conferment of Consort Xian meant that the harem had opened up. After her, more women would enter the harem. Li Jinghua was under immense pressure, but she couldn¡¯t confide in anyone.


    Busy with political affairs day in and day out, Qi Xiuyuan was as tired as a dog by the time he came to her ce. Aside from apanying Little Treasure, he also spoke with Li Jinghua about current affairs. Otherwise, it would be time for husband and wife to bond. He didn¡¯t have time to listen to herints at all, and she also wouldn¡¯t say those things to him to spoil the mood.


    To her trusted aides, she was the master and they the servants. When they heard herints, they onlyforted her dully.<div>


    She could confide in her family or her best friend, but her family was not here and her mother had a meek personality. Telling them would only cause them to worry. As for a best friend, Li Jinghua had never had one.


    In all seriousness, the only person whom she could somewhat confide in was Mu Yangling.


    With reddened eyes, Li Jinghua wiped her tears and said, ¡°I originally wanted you to enter the pce to give me some information. I didn¡¯t expect you to hear so much nonsense from me.¡±


    Mu Yangling didn¡¯t expect anyone to dare to mock Qi Xiuyuan, the Emperor, and for such a ridiculous reason to boot. Overwhelmed with anger, her face turned green. ¡°Sister-inw, you should have told us about this long ago. The Emperor represents the prestige of a country. If the Emperor makes a fool of himself, it¡¯s equivalent to Great Qi making a fool of itself. It means that all the subjects of Great Qi are making a fool of themselves. Byughing at Big Brother, those people areughing at themselves. I¡¯ve never seen such idiots. Aristocratic families. Hmph, aristocratic families!¡±<div>


    Li Jinghua looked in surprise at Mu Yangling, who was gnashing her teeth in anger. Thinking of Qi Haoran¡¯s personality, she hurriedly pulled her back and said, ¡°You mustn¡¯t tell Fourth Brother about this. If Fourth Brother¡¯s temper res up in the Imperial Court¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes rolled around and she said, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. Haoran won¡¯t cause trouble in the Imperial Court.¡± As for whether he would cause trouble outside, she wouldn¡¯t know.


    All of Li Jinghua¡¯s worries, grievances, sorrows, and sadness were gone, leaving only worry. ¡®Fourth Brother, please don¡¯t cause any trouble.¡¯


    Li Jinghua tried to persuade Mu Yangling to keep this matter to herself and not tell Qi Haoran. However, before she could convince her, a pce maid ran in in a panic. ¡°Your Majesty, the Eldest Prince and the Little Prince are fighting with Young Master Lu.¡±

 Chapter 699: Bullying

    Chapter 699: Bullying


    Editor: As Studios


    Li Jinghua was shocked. She had just boasted to Mu Yangling that the kids would be fine in the pce.


    She stood up and asked, ¡°Are the Eldest Prince and the Little Prince injured?¡±


    Mu Yangling also looked at the pce maid anxiously.


    The pce maid said with a strange expression, ¡°Mm, they suffered small injuries.¡±


    ¡°Then how old is Young Master Lu?¡± Mu Yangling hurriedly asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s six years old.¡± The pce maid hurriedly said, ¡°He¡¯s the Eldest Prince¡¯s studypanion, Grand Tutor Lu¡¯s grandson¡­¡±


    However, Mu Yangling could not hold still anymore. To think a six-year-old child actually bullied a four-year-old and a three-year-old child? It was simply too much.


    Mu Yangling grabbed the hem of her dress and rushed towards Upper Wood Park without caring about etiquette. The Empress hurriedly pulled her back. ¡°How can you run over like this? Hurry up and summon the sedan chair.¡±


    Thest sentence was directed at Wen Cui.


    As soon as the two of them entered Upper Wood Park, they heard the wailing of a group of children. The first to barge in, Mu Yangling saw Little Treasure standing upright with Little Bear in hand. Meanwhile, the other children were either sitting or lying on the ground. Their eyes were closed as they wailed, and there were more or less some minor injuries on their faces.<div>


    Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth fell open. This scene did not seem like her son was being bullied, but her son was bullying someone else.


    She hurriedly ran over to Little Treasure and Little Bear to check if they were injured. Other than Little Treasure¡¯s clothes being sshed with ink, the two of them were not injured at all.


    When Little Bear saw his mother, he felt aggrieved for a moment. The tears that he had been holding back burst out with a wail. As he hugged his mother¡¯s thigh, he cried uncontrobly.


    Clearly displeased, Little Treasure pursed his lips and looked at Young Master Lu, who was lying on the ground.


    Mu Yangling quickly coaxed him in a low voice. ¡°Why are you crying? I¡¯m here. Tell me if anyone bullied you.¡±


    The teacher, who was waiting at the side, suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Who could bully the little prince? All the children in this room had been beaten up by him, okay?


    The Empress looked calmly at everyone present and asked, ¡°Is this how you serve people? Can¡¯t you see that the young masters are crying? Hurry up and help them up.¡±


    Only then did the people who hadn¡¯t dared to help up the young masters because of Little Treasure, step forward to check the kids¡¯ injuries or coax them patiently.


    Upon ncing at Young Master Lu, Mu Yangling saw that his face was bruised. She secretlypared the bruise to the size of her son¡¯s fist and confirmed that it was indeed her son¡¯s doing.


    Mu Yangling nced at the pce maid who informed her and now understood why her expression was strange. Judging by the situation at the scene, the Eldest Prince and the Little Prince had fought with Young Master Lu and the others, but they were not bullying the younger ones. Instead, the younger ones were suppressing the older ones.


    With no intention of biasedly siding with her son, Mu Yangling stroked his head and asked, ¡°Did you beat up Young Master Lu and the others?¡±


    Little Bear looked at Mu Yangling with his round eyes and nodded slightly.


    ¡°Fighting is wrong. Hurry up and say ¡®sorry¡¯ to your brothers.¡±


    Little Bear pursed his lips and looked at Mu Yangling stubbornly. Not only did he refuse to apologize, but he even red fiercely at Young Master Lu while holding back the urge to rush up and beat him up again.


    Seeing that someone was backing him up, Young Master Lu let go of his hand that was covering his stomach. He pointed at Little Bear and shouted, ¡°You despicable person, you lost in a verbal argument and you resorted to physical beatings. If you have the ability, debate with me. To think that you came to Upper Wood Park. Haven¡¯t you even heard of the most basic saying ¡®A gentleman uses his tongue but not his fists¡¯? Or are you a mute who doesn¡¯t know how to speak at all?¡±


    Mu Yangling flew into a rage. She grabbed Little Bear, who had rushed out, and embraced him tightly in her arms. As she looked down at Young Master Lu, she said coldly, ¡°You call yourself a gentleman? This is the first time I¡¯ve heard a gentleman who shoots his mouth off like you. You¡¯re a child, so I won¡¯t argue with you. I do, however, really want to talk to your grandmother about ndering others.¡±


    After saying that, Mu Yangling turned around and red at her son. ¡°You¡¯re also stupid. Do you have to respond to him when he scolds you? When a dog barks at you when you¡¯re walking, don¡¯t tell me you have to stop and reply?¡±


    The expressions of everyone present immediately became interesting. A mature six-year-old, Young Master Lu naturally knew that Mu Yangling was scolding him. However, he could not retort under Mu Yangling¡¯s frosty gaze.


    Without even sparing a look at him, Mu Yangling carried Little Bear and turned to leave. Only then did Young Master Lu, who was suppressed by her aura and couldn¡¯t breathe, realize that his back was drenched. He immediately felt aggrieved and burst into tears.<div>


    As soon as he cried, the other children also started crying again.


    After ncing at everyone, the Empress took Little Treasure¡¯s hand and turned to leave. She instructed the servants to send the young masters back, now that ss in the afternoon had been canceled.


    Mu Yangling left with a dark expression. She¡¯d originally thought that her son had bullied someone, so she wanted him to apologize. If it was an ordinary dispute, even if her son was in the right, Mu Yangling would make him apologize even if she had to smack him to get him to do it. After all, he had hit someone.


    However, from what Young Master Lu had said just now, it was obvious that he was deliberately provoking Little Bear. Little Bear was learning to speakter than other kids, so she and Qi Haoran had been carefully protecting him, afraid that he would feel inferior and worsen his condition. However, they did not expect such a thing to happen after only a day in Upper Wood Park.<div>


    When Mu Yangling said that she wanted to talk to Young Master Lu¡¯s grandmother, she wasn¡¯t joking. She really nned to do so.


    She wanted to tell the entire capital that even if Little Bear couldn¡¯t speak, it wasn¡¯t something that they could gossip about, much less bully him with.


    Seeing Mu Yangling return to the Pce of Earthly Tranquility with a dark expression, Li Jinghua patted her hand and said, ¡°Young Master Lu is Grand Tutor Lu¡¯s eldest grandson, and is also somewhat a child prodigy. That¡¯s why His Majesty chose him to be the Crown Prince¡¯s studypanion. However, from the looks of it, his character is very problematic.¡±


    Six years old was not considered young. Li Jinghua was also from an aristocratic family and knew that children from an aristocratic family matured early. By the time she was six years old, she could already sit in the reception hall with her mother and listen to the servants report on residential matters.


    Considering the Lu family was even more powerful than the Li family, they must have stricter rules. Young Master Lu was also the eldest grandson and born from the first wife, so he was definitely not ignorant of the world. This led the Empress to suspect that someone was behind this.


    However, Mu Yangling did not think too much about it and simply felt that the problemy with the Lu family¡¯s upbringing. She pulled Little Treasure over to ask about what had happened in detail.


    Little Bear had always been the king of children. When he was in the capital, Little Treasure always gave in to him and let him choose the good things first. His mother and aunt also doted on him. When he arrived in Qiannan, he was the only child with the most noble status in the huge Ju Prefecture. Not to mention in the residence, even when he was outside, everyone would bow respectfully to him.


    Although Little Bear did not develop a domineering personality, he had always held his head high and puffed out his chest. In fact, the way he raised his chin slightly was like a miniature version of Qi Haoran, confident and ostentatious.


    Even though he still couldn¡¯t speak at the age of three, his parents had always told him that it was because he had another great talent. His parents had always appeared to be very happy, and the servants in the residence had never shown any abnormality. They were always respectful to him and fawning on him. Therefore, he had never been ashamed of not knowing how to speak. Instead, he felt that theter he spoke, the stronger his talent would be. He was very proud of that.


    But which of those who attended school at Upper Wood Park wasn¡¯t a proud son of heaven?


    Little Treasure¡¯s status was the most noble. In addition, although he was only four years old, he had always been calm and serious. He treated everyone the same way and wasn¡¯t particrly close to anyone. However, when Little Bear suddenly appeared, not only did Little Treasure apany him with a beam the entire time, but he also taught him how to practice calligraphy with a brush. Also, he would gently use a handkerchief to wipe off the ink on his face, and even pour him water to drink and pull him along to y¡­

 Chapter 700: Misunderstanding

    Chapter 700: Misunderstanding


    Editor: As Studios


    It was fine if there was noparison, but now that there was, everyone realized how distant the Eldest Prince had been from them. Since they couldn¡¯t very well re up at the Eldest Prince, they could only shift the me to Little Bear.


    In addition, with his long limbs, Little Bear looked more like a five-year-old than the three-year-old child that he was. Yet, he couldn¡¯t even speak at this age.


    Those who were chosen to be the Eldest Prince¡¯s studypanion were all extremely intelligent.


    Even if they couldn¡¯tpose poems at the age of three, everyone present could recognize at least a hundred words by the time they turned three. Among them, Young Master Lu, Lu Yan, was the smartest. At the age of three, he could memorize ¡®The Analects¡¯ backward. Now, he was already famous in Jiangdong at the age of six. In addition, his grandfather was the Crown Prince¡¯s Grand Tutor. His father was also famous for his talent. Among the many studyingpanions, he was the most outstanding and therefore somewhat the leader of everyone.


    Lu Yan, who thought of himself as talented, despised Little Bear, but he didn¡¯t say it explicitly. Instead, during the break between sses, he wrote a poem to mock Little Bear for not knowing how to speak. Little Bear didn¡¯t understand, but it didn¡¯t mean that Little Treasure didn¡¯t understand.


    Little Treasure didn¡¯t want Little Bear to be hurt, so he only gave Lu Yan a warning look, telling him to be careful with his words. However, Grand Commandant Hua¡¯s grandson, Hua Nan, said to Little Bear directly, ¡°He¡¯s calling you a fool.¡±


    Little Bear wasn¡¯t really stupid. After Hua Nan told him that, he looked at Little Treasure, for among those present he only believed in Little Treasure¡¯s words. Unwilling to lie to Little Bear, Little Treasure could only nod. However, he advised him not to do anything. He would help him teach Lu Yan a lessonter.


    s, the concept of ¡®settling scores at an opportune time¡¯ was foreign to Little Bear. After confirming that Lu Yan had indeed scolded him, he waved his fist and rushed towards him.


    His father had said that in war, one had to y to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses. Getting into a brawl was the same as fighting a war. Though no one could understand what he said, Little Bear¡¯s martial strength was high. He simply used his strength to attack the other party¡¯s weaknesses and punch the other party¡¯s mouth so that they could not open their mouths. This way, the scolding couldn¡¯t possibly continue.


    Lu Yan didn¡¯t expect Little Bear to start beating him up without saying a word. As he shouted, he scolded him. After all, he was only six years old. In his panic, how could he maintain his genteel manner? He directly threatened Little Bear, ¡°Do you know who my grandfather is? If you dare to hit me again, I won¡¯t be polite¡­¡±<div>


    Then it became, ¡°Stop it, you big fool, big mute¡­¡±


    Little Treasure¡¯s face turned green as he stood at the side. He stopped the emissary from pulling the two of them apart and let Little Bear press Lu Yan down to beat him up.


    However, Lu Yan¡¯s poprity was not to be underestimated. When he dodged, everyone was implicated, so the mes of war escted. When Little Treasure saw that Little Bear was surrounded by the children, he joined in. No one dared to hit him, but when the brush and ink flew everywhere, he didn¡¯t escape unscathed, so he did suffer a small injury.


    In the end, it ended with Little Bear and Little Treasure beating the kids up together.


    The Eldest Prince fighting in Upper Wood Park with Prince Rong¡¯s son was not a small matter. When the pce maids went to inform the Empress, the Emperor also received a report from the emissary.


    Considering they were conferring the title of Crown Prince around this time, the seriousness of the matter depended on how the parents dealt with it.


    Qi Xiuyuan was silent for a while. In the end, he decided to wait and see. If he forcefully determined the nature of this matter, although he could overturn this matter, it would inevitably cause people to gossip and let Little Treasure have the reputation of bullying others and being cruel. It was better to wait and see and let them resolve it themselves.


    At this thought, Qi Xiuyuan pretended not to know about this and dismissed the emissary. Although he had made up his mind not to interfere in this matter, he could not watch his family suffer. Hence, he pulled out Qi Haoran, who was sitting down to discuss political matters, and chased him out. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Bring your wife and son back, lest they catch a cold if they go backte.¡±


    Everyone raised their heads to look at the hourss. It was only around four in the afternoon, and it was August. Catch a cold?


    Although Qi Haoran was also confused, he did not ask anything in front of everyone and ran to the Pce of Earthly Tranquility to pick her up.


    At this moment, Mu Yangling had already calmed down. Although her expression was still a little dark, one couldn¡¯t tell without looking carefully. Little Bear, on the other hand, was nestled in his mother¡¯s arms wearily. When he saw his father, he pouted and stretched out his arms to hug him.


    Qi Haoran bowed briefly to Li Jinghua before carrying Little Bear. He said to Li Jinghua, ¡°Sister-inw, I¡¯ll bring Ah Ling and Little Bear back first.¡±


    Li Jinghua thought that Qi Haoran already knew. After all, he was with Qi Xiuyuan. What could be hidden from Qi Xiuyuan in the pce?


    She hurriedly nodded and said, ¡°Go back quickly. Little Treasure is on a break tomorrow. I¡¯ll get him to leave the pce to y with Little Bear.¡±


    She looked at Little Bear lovingly and praised him, ¡°Little Bear is a smart child. Don¡¯t take what others say to heart.¡±


    Just as the confused Qi Haoran was about to ask, Mu Yangling had already stood up to bid farewell. He could only swallow his words for the time being.


    Not long after the Prince¡¯s estate¡¯s carriages left the pce, a loud roar came from inside. It was said that it even rmed the people riding on horses on the same street at that time. The horses neighed and ran wildly. Some people were so frightened by the roar that their legs went weak and they fell to the ground. Before they could recover from the shock, Prince Rong lifted the curtain of the carriage and jumped down with a swish. He snatched a guard¡¯s horse and rode away.


    In just a few seconds, Qi Haoran disappeared on his horse. While everyone was still feeling stunned, the curtain was pulled open again. This time, a beautiful and refined woman stuck her head out and shouted at Prince Rong¡¯s back, ¡°Qi Haoran,e back!¡±


    The image of an elegant and refined beauty instantly copsed in everyone¡¯s hearts, leaving only a piercing sound.<div>


    Seeing that Qi Haoran¡¯s back had disappeared, Mu Yangling helplessly lowered the curtain and instructed the leading guard, ¡°Take a few people and chase after His Highness. Protect him well no matter what.¡±


    Considering those aristocratic families had deep foundations, they definitely had people with powerful martial arts in their employment. It was better to take some precautions.


    As soon as the Prince¡¯s estate¡¯s carriages left the street, all kinds of rumors flew everywhere in the capital.


    As soon as Mu Yangling returned to the Qi Residence, word had spread that Prince Rong rode away angrily after quarreling with the Princess Consort. Rumors that the Princess Consort disregarded her inferior status rtive to the Prince and shouted at him spread everywhere. Even the wife of a third-grade magistrate heard about it, let alone the wives of those supreme-grade, first-grade, and second-grade officials.<div>


    The women all felt that Mu Yangling simply did not know how lucky she was. Why in the world would she quarrel with such a wonderful husband? Where else could she find a young and handsome man with power and influence who did not take in concubines?


    On the other hand, the men generally felt that Prince Rong had finally manned up and was no longer henpecked. After all, a role model like him was very vexing for them. With this man who did not take in concubines and had deep feelings for his wife setting an example, their main wives would often look at them with aggrieved eyes while constantly mentioning Princess Consort Rong, hinting that it would be great if they were one-third as blissful as her.


    Haha, do you see now? Prince Rong finally quarreled with Princess Consort Rong. Let¡¯s see if you can still say that he is deeply in love with her.


    Just as gossipy as women, the men were also very curious about what Princess Consort Rong had done to infuriate Qi Haoran. Moreover, with their positions, it was much easier for them to gather information. Hence, many people sent people to keep an eye on Prince Rong to find out if he had gone to visit a brothel in anger. They were determined to find out the deeper reason.

 Chapter 701: Confrontation

    Chapter 701: Confrontation


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran rode his horse to the Imperial Academy. Just as everyone was wondering what was going on, they heard him ask aggressively, ¡°Where¡¯s Grand Tutor Lu?¡±


    Someone from the Imperial Academy hurriedly replied, ¡°The Grand Tutor is teaching the Eldest Prince today. He¡¯s still in the pce.¡±


    Qi Haoran sneered. ¡°The academic sses took ce in the morning, but he¡¯s still in the pce at this hour? It can be seen how inefficient Grand Tutor Lu is. Sounds like he doesn¡¯t live up to his name.¡±


    The people from the Imperial Academy did not dare to refute. No one knew how Grand Tutor Lu had provoked Qi Haoran.


    However, the people who followed them in secret were very puzzled. Could it be that Prince Rong and the Princess Consort quarreled because of Grand Tutor Lu? But Grand Tutor Lu was already 50 years old this year. Uh, the Princess Consort couldn¡¯t very well have taken a fancy to Grand Tutor Lu, right?


    Everyone looked at the handsome Qi Haoran and tossed this guess to the back of their minds with a shudder. As long as Princess Consort Rong wasn¡¯t blind, this wouldn¡¯t happen.


    However, Grand Tutor Lu and Qi Haoran had nothing to do with each other. Why did he suddenly find trouble with Grand Tutor Lu?


    Before everyone could figure it out, Qi Haoran had already snorted coldly and turned his horse¡¯s head towards the pce.


    Everyone was shocked. Was Qi Haoran heading to the pce to ost Grand Tutor Lu?


    Halfway there, a guard shouted, ¡°Master, it seems to be Grand Tutor Lu¡¯s carriage that passed by just now. There¡¯s the Lu family¡¯s emblem on it.¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran stopped his horse. Just now, there was only one carriage passing by. He went forward to stop it and forced the other party to stop the carriage.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s guards surrounded the carriage.


    Furious, the coachman pointed his horsewhip at Qi Haoran and shouted, ¡°How dare you! Do you know who¡¯s sitting in the carriage?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just Grand Tutor Lu? Don¡¯t tell me you expect me to get off my horse and bow to him? To think a mere ve dares to scold me.¡±


    The coachman frowned slightly. Although he was a little nervous, he was not afraid. He was not an ordinary coachman, but a coachman of Grand Tutor Lu, and the Lu family was now the leader of the aristocratic families. As a follower of Patriarch Lu, he naturally had his pride. Like most of the descendants of the aristocratic families, he looked down on Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran, whose ancestors were bumpkins.


    Therefore, although the coachman looked respectful on the surface, he said arrogantly, ¡°So it¡¯s Prince Rong. I wonder why Your Highness stopped my master¡¯s carriage.¡±


    Seeing that no one alighted from the carriage and they only sent a coachman to talk to him, Qi Haoran sneered in his heart.


    If they were so rude even to him, it could be seen that Young Master Lu was probably even more arrogant towards his son. It was just an aristocratic family.


    A dark glint shed across Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes.


    The guards behind Qi Haoran were not to be trifled with. Naturally, they would not let Qi Haoran argue with a coachman lest it lowered the Prince¡¯s status.


    Hence, a guard behind Qi Haoran berated, ¡°How dare you! Who are you, a ve, to ask His Highness what he wants to do?¡±


    Another guard looked at the carriage and said to the person in the carriage, ¡°Grand Tutor Lu, is this the attitude you should have when weing someone of a higher status? You¡¯re just a first-rank official. Seeing that not only did you not get out of the carriage to greet His Highness, but you¡¯re also hiding in the carriage, are all the people of the Lu family so secretive?¡±


    Seated in the carriage, Grand Tutor Lu was fuming. When he saw Qi Haoraning aggressively, although he didn¡¯t know what had happened, he wanted to avoid him and debateter to avoid embarrassing himself in public. However, when he saw Qi Haoran shamelessly demanding hee out to greet him, he could only grit his teeth and get out of the carriage. Like the guard said, Qi Haoran was a supreme-grade Prince while he was only a first-grade Grand Tutor. When he saw Qi Haoran, he indeed had to get out of the carriage and bow.


    Grand Tutor Lu lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage. He exined to Qi Haoran, ¡°So it¡¯s Prince Rong. Must be my old age. I didn¡¯t expect to fall asleep after just a short journey. I actually didn¡¯t see Prince Rong.¡±


    Hence, it was understandable that he did not get out of the carriage to greet Qi Haoran.


    Qi Haoran sneered and said, ¡°You appear carefree, Lord. The officials of the six ministries are so busy with the conferment of the Crown Prince and Dali bing our vassal state. Not only can you stroll the streets leisurely, but you can also sleep in the carriage to catch up on your sleep. How rare.¡±


    Grand Tutor Lu¡¯s expression turned solemn as he said seriously, ¡°Your Highness, be careful with your words. I entered the pce this morning to teach the Eldest Prince. I just came out of the pce and was about to go to the Imperial Academy. The carriage is also traveling at a fast speed. All I did was take the opportunity to close my eyes and rest for a while.¡±


    ¡°The Eldest Prince only has academic sses in the morning. Now that it¡¯s past four, you¡¯ve only just left the pce? It can be seen how inefficient you are. My royal brother chose you to be the Eldest Prince¡¯s Grand Tutor not only because of your knowledge and talent, but also because of your reputation for having high morals. But now, it seems that the truth doesn¡¯t match the rumors. The Grand Tutor is more like a person who entrenches oneself in a position and does no useful work.¡±


    No matter how patient Grand Tutor Lu was, he couldn¡¯t help but be angered by these words. He said angrily, ¡°Prince Rong, I¡¯ve been conscientious ever since I became the Crown Prince¡¯s Grand Tutor and have never dared to be negligent. How dare you nder me like this? If you can¡¯t produce evidence today, I don¡¯t mind dragging you to His Majesty to reason with him. Even if you¡¯re His Majesty¡¯s biological younger brother, His Majesty can¡¯t be biased.¡±<div>


    ¡°So be it. Do you think I¡¯m afraid of you?¡± Qi Haoran said angrily, ¡°The academic sses ended at 12:45 pm, but you only left the pce at 3:30 pm. Where did you go for the past four hours? If you weren¡¯t beingzy, could it be that you had something important to do in the pce?¡±


    Grand Tutor Lu choked, for he couldn¡¯t very well say that he had gone to hang out at the Hall of Diligent Governance.


    Although Grand Tutor Lu was the Crown Prince¡¯s Grand Tutor, his official position was an officer of the Imperial Academy. His office was located in the Imperial Academy, and every day, other than going to the pce to lecture to the Eldest Prince, he had to return to the Imperial Academy.


    However, the Imperial Academy was very free at this time and he wasn¡¯t even a chancellor. What was there for him to do there?<div>


    Therefore, he often went to the Hall of Diligent Governance where the officials on duty were, in hopes of obtaining some news.


    Due to his status and seniority, people typically didn¡¯t bother to hide un-confidential documents from him. However, everyone had a tacit understanding about these things¡ªthat is, they could not talk about it openly. Otherwise, not only would Grand Tutor Lu not gain any benefits, but those officials who did not stop him and allowed him to enter and leave the Hall of Diligent Governance would also be implicated. If that should happen, the Lu family would offend many people.


    However, he refused to admit to being a freeloader, so he could only remain silent.


    In the eyes of others, this was proof that he was a freeloader. The surroundingmoners whispered, ¡°To think he¡¯s from an aristocratic family. He actually took the Imperial Court¡¯s money for nothing and didn¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t all the aristocratic families like this? Only Prince Rong is stupid enough to expose it on the spot. I wonder if the aristocratic families will take revenge.¡±


    However, Qi Haoran refused to stop. He spoke a lot before mentioning the Lu family¡¯s upbringing. He thought that the Lu family¡¯s descendants were crooked and had learned to be a loudmouth at such a young age¡­


    Grand Tutor Lu¡¯s face turned pale. However, he could not exin himself. Otherwise, if Qi Haoran pursued the matter of him visiting the Hall of Diligent Governance, he would not be able to escape the crime of prying into national secrets.


    The Emperor had always disliked the aristocratic families. The Cui family had already been destroyed. If the Emperor caught hold of his weakness, the Lu family would definitely not be able to escape.

 Chapter 702: Revenge

    Chapter 702: Revenge


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran insulted Grand Tutor Lu from his character to his upbringing, almost angering thetter to death. It was just a small matter, at most a crime of cking off, but Qi Haoran made a mountain out of a molehill and used him of being a freeloader in the Imperial Court¡­


    Grand Tutor Lu gritted his teeth and stood in front of the carriage. A malicious glint shed across his eyes, but he did not say a word.


    After Qi Haoran was done scolding, he snorted and left.


    Grand Tutor Lu didn¡¯t return to the directorate and went straight back to the Lu Residence. As soon as he entered, he couldn¡¯t help but smash the furnishings in the room and roar, ¡°How dare you?!¡±


    The attendant who followed in lowered his head and stood at the side. A cold glint shed across Grand Tutor Lu¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°Go and sweep away all traces left behind at the Hall of Diligent Governance. I remember that Lord Wang of the Guanglu Temple has also been on duty in the Hall of Diligent Governance recently. Isn¡¯t he writing the history books of the previous dynasty?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Old Master was entrusted by Lord Wang to give him some pointers. After all, other than Grand Tutor Yan of the previous dynasty, only Old Master knows some of the secrets of the previous dynasty the best.¡±


    Grand Tutor Lu nodded in satisfaction. At the thought of Qi Haoran¡¯s aggressiveness, a cold glint shed across his eyes. He instructed, ¡°Go and investigate why Prince Rong went berserk today. Also, investigate his doings in Qiannan. I don¡¯t believe that he¡¯s perfectly clean.¡±


    Although Grand Tutor Lu was in the pce at that time, he really did not know what had happened in Upper Wood Park. Otherwise, he would know why Qi Haoran kept criticizing the Lu family¡¯s upbringing. This way, he could have fought back. No matter how much Lu Yan had done wrong, he had been beaten up by Little Bear, and it was quite a miserable beating to boot.


    From this, it could be seen that Qi Xiuyuan had solid control over the pce. As long as he didn¡¯t want any news to spread, it wouldn¡¯t.


    This was very different from the previous dynasty¡¯s pce that was like a sieve. Therefore, Grand Tutor Lu¡¯s men could not find any news even after spending a lot of effort. It was only when his inner residence was in chaos that Grand Tutor Lu could not stand themotion and asked, only then did he guess what had happened.<div>


    Young Master Lu was carried back to the Lu family by the emissary. He was still young and lived in the inner residence. When Old Madam Lu saw her precious grandson in such a state, she was shocked and furious. She cried as she called for a physician.


    Having suffered a fright caused by Little Bear and Mu Yangling in the pce, Lu Yan only came back to his senses when Old Madam Lu hugged him in tears. He couldn¡¯t help but feel aggrieved. He didn¡¯t mention that he had insulted Little Bear, and only said that the young heir of Prince Rong¡¯s estate had beaten up his cousin and his studypanions. Also, he said that the Princess Consort had even reprimanded him when she came over¡­


    With Old Madam Lu¡¯s honorable status, even the Empress had to be respectful to her. When had she ever suffered such grievances?


    Fuming, she immediately asked someone to get a carriage, wanting to go argue with Mu Yangling personally. s, she was stopped by Lu Yan¡¯s mother, Mrs. Lu.


    Themotion in the backyard rmed Grand Tutor Lu. In a foul mood to begin with, he became even angrier when he saw this. He only found out that his grandson had been beaten up in the pce after asking.


    Grand Tutor Lu almost immediately thought of Qi Haoran. Unlike Old Madam Lu who blindly doted on her grandson, he had Lu Yan brought over and asked seriously, ¡°Why did the young heir of Prince Rong¡¯s estate hit you? He¡¯s only three years old this year, right? Isn¡¯t he with the Crown Prince?¡±


    Under his grandfather¡¯s stern gaze, Lu Yan lowered his head and did not dare to say a word.


    A dark light shed across Grand Tutor Lu¡¯s eyes, and his face became even more amiable. As he stroked Lu Yan¡¯s head, he asked, ¡°Did you quarrel with the young heir?¡±


    Lu Yan¡¯s face burned as he whispered about how he had mocked Little Bear.


    Grand Tutor Lu was so angry that he fell backward. He finally understood why Qi Haoran stopped him halfway andshed out at him. So he only had one goal¡ªto bring up the Lu family¡¯s upbringing.


    Grand Tutor Lu pointed at his grandson and was so angry that he could not speak. Some of that frustration was targeted at Qi Haoran, too. Wasn¡¯t it just a fight between children? Was there a need to be so serious?


    However, he heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. Since it was just a small conflict, he figured Qi Haoran wouldn¡¯t harp on this and continue toe after him. The matter with the Hall of Diligent Governance should be able to be resolved.


    Indeed, Qi Haoran had no intention of investigating further. He just wanted to vent his anger and seek justice for his son. However, he could not look for the young Lu Yan, so he could only look for his guardians.


    Grand Tutor Lu was the first person he wanted to seek justice from. The second person was Lu Yan¡¯s father, Lu Jie, who was known as a talented schr.


    Lu Jie was meeting friends in the teahouse when Qi Haoran knocked on the door of the private room. Everyone looked up at Qi Haoran in a daze. As everyone present was a schr and did not have much of a rtionship with him, they were baffled by the Prince¡¯s sudden appearance.


    Soon, they found out. The guard behind Qi Haoran said with a straight face, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you bowing when you see His Highness?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s expressions were a little interesting as they hurriedly stood up and bowed.


    Qi Haoran specifically stared at Lu Jie. Everyone followed his gaze and looked at Lu Jie. The guard coughed lightly again and said with a straight face, ¡°Teacher Lu doesn¡¯t seem to have any achievements, right?¡±


    The guard felt that his face must be red, but he had no choice. For the Prince, he could even peel off his face and step on it.<div>


    He was almost certain his face was red, but everyone only felt that this stern-faced guard was very ruthless.


    Everyone looked up at Qi Haoran and saw that he was still standing steadily without saying a word. He was really waiting for Lu Jie to bow. Their eyes were instantly filled with interest as they watched with interest.


    Although they were acquaintances with Lu Jie, they weren¡¯t all that close really. This was because the Lu family had only entered the capital at the end ofst year, thus everyone had only known him for a few months. The reason why they hung out with Lu Jie was partly because of his talent and partly because he hailed from the prestigious Lu family.


    Lu Jie also looked up at Qi Haoran in shock, but he quickly came back to his senses. With a calm expression, he lifted his robe and knelt down. ¡°Greetings, Your Highness.¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran asked with interest, ¡°You¡¯re Grand Tutor Lu¡¯s eldest son?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡±


    Sighing, Qi Haoran said, ¡°The Lu family is indeed talented. I heard that Teacher Lu canpose poetry at the age of five and produce art at the age of eight¡­¡± He put on an act of having much admiration for Lu Jie.


    However, everyone looked at Lu Jie, who was still kneeling on the ground, and felt a little strange. They wondered how Lu Jie had offended this little tyrant.


    Lu Jie was also a little curious. He had long heard of this aplished Prince Rong. He had heard of his military talent, the Emperor¡¯s doting on him, and his domineering attitude. However, this was the first time he had seen him. Lu Jie didn¡¯t think that he had offended him.


    Qi Haoran made Lu Jie kneel down and listen to him ramble for a while before mentioning his son¡¯s education. He said earnestly, ¡°Teacher Lu is brilliant, but you have to pay attention to educating future generations. As the saying goes, ¡®There are three types of unfilial piety, the greatest of which is not having children.¡¯. If you can¡¯t teach your children well, it¡¯s better to just stay childless. It¡¯s the father¡¯s fault for having them but not teaching them. Teacher Lu is very talented, but your responsibility as a father doesn¡¯t seem to have been fulfilled.¡±


    Qi Haoran shook his head slightly and said, ¡°Teacher Lu, if you would just spare half the time you spend chatting in a teahouse to teach your child, that¡¯d be great.¡± He spoke with sincerity and earnestness.


    Everyone looked at Lu Jie, clearly amused. Lu Jie¡¯s expression was also rather fascinating. How did he offend this Prince?


    Only after Qi Haoran spoke to his heart¡¯s content did he allow Lu Jie to get up. Then, he just flicked his sleeves and left.


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    So this Prince hade here specifically to ask them to bow to him and lecture Lu Jie?


    Everyone turned to look at Lu Jie in unison. The corners of Lu Jie¡¯s mouth twitched as he clenched his fists and bade farewell. He had to go back and ask his father what had happened. It seemed that this matter was rted to Yan¡¯er.


    <div>

 Chapter 703: Talking

    Chapter 703: Talking


    Editor: As Studios


    Grand Tutor Lu couldn¡¯t help but m the table and roar angrily, ¡°Childish!¡± However, he couldn¡¯t do anything to Qi Haoran. A dark glint shed across his eyes. Though it was true that he couldn¡¯t do anything to Qi Haoran on the surface, there were countless ways to make him suffer under the table.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave the residence for the next few days, lest Qi Haoran osts you and humiliates you again.¡± As he spoke, he said with displeasure, ¡°I¡¯ve long asked you to be an official, but you were unwilling. Seei, with no official title, you have to kneel before him.¡±


    Lu Jie lowered his head and drank his tea, pretending not to hear his father. He did not like bureaucracy, so it was useless no matter what his father said.


    Grand Tutor Lu was even angrier when he saw him like this. However, his son had always been stubborn and looked like he had no desires. There was nothing he could do about it.


    When Qi Haoran returned to the Qi Residence, Little Bear had already calmed down. He was sitting on the couch and ying with his toys. When he heard themotion, he only looked up at his father before lowering his head to continue ying with his toys, instead of rushing up to hug him like before.


    Qi Haoran frowned slightly and turned to ask Mu Yangling, ¡°Has he been like this all day?¡±


    Mu Yangling stroked his head and said, ¡°He¡¯s much better now. He waspletely listless just now. He wouldn¡¯t even y with toys and just nestled in my arms.¡±


    Qi Haoran gritted his teeth. ¡°The Lu family, hmph.¡± Qi Haoran looked at Little Bear resentfully and said, ¡°You admit to whatever others say about you? If you can¡¯t even withstand such a small setback, how can you aplish anything great in the future? Your father, I, was even called a silly kid since I was young. But look, other than your uncle, who else in the entire Great Qi is better than me? Who now dares to say that I¡¯m a fool?¡±


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°In the future, if anyone dares to say that you¡¯re mute or a fool, just beat him up. I¡¯ll deal with the aftermath for you.¡±


    Tears welled up in Little Bear¡¯s eyes as he said aggrievedly, ¡°I¡¯m not mute.¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling froze and looked at each other in disbelief. The shock in their eyes could not be mistaken.


    Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t help but swallow his saliva. He squatted in front of Little Bear and asked, ¡°Son, what did you say just now?¡±


    Little Bear was a little nervous, but he still repeated himself, ¡°I¡¯m not mute.¡±


    Although his words weren¡¯t clear, he was indeed speaking. Excitement shed across Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling¡¯s eyes. They hugged Little Bear in their arms and said gently, ¡°Of course our Little Bear isn¡¯t mute. Come, call me Daddy.¡±


    Little Bear pursed his lips and looked at Qi Haoran for a long time before saying slowly under his parents¡¯ expectant gazes, ¡°Daddy.¡±


    His voice was a little muffled, but one could tell what he meant. Qi Haoranughed excitedly, picked up Little Bear, and threw him into the air. After catching him steadily, he praised with augh, ¡°Good son!¡±


    Then, he was a little worried. Previously, his son did not speak because he was awakening to his talent. Now that he could speak, he wondered if there was anything wrong with his health.


    Qi Haoran hurriedly got someone to call Imperial Physician Wang over and asked Fei Bai to immediately enter the pce to invite more imperial physicians.


    Mu Yangling excitedly poured a ss of water for Little Bear and said, ¡°Come, son, moisten your throat.¡±


    Little Bear took a sip and said vaguely, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Mu Yangling was even happier and kissed him on the cheek. ¡°Son, call me Mother.¡±


    ¡°Mother.¡±


    Imperial Physician Wang came over very quickly and examined Little Bear three times. He repeatedly confirmed that there was nothing wrong with Little Bear and that he had now learned how to speak.


    The other imperial physicians from the Imperial Institute of Medicine also arrived very quickly and came to the same conclusion as Imperial Physician Wang. Seeing how excited Prince Rong and his wife were, the imperial physicians kindly reminded them not to let the child speak too much all at once. They had to take it step by step and be careful not to over-exert his throat.


    As Little Bear¡¯s words were very vague now, one had to guess to understand. But as long as they kept correcting him, he could catch up to other three-year-olds.


    Little Bear didn¡¯t speak like other children, spitting out word by word. He could speak in phrases right away, which showed that although he couldn¡¯t speak in the past, hisnguage skills weren¡¯t weak.


    Qi Haoran was overjoyed. That night, he carried Little Bear and taught him how to recognize people. He let Little Bear address each of them once and nned to bring the child into the pce the next day.


    However, Mu Yangling stopped him. ¡°Considering Little Bear just fought with someone, it¡¯s better to keep a low profile for now.¡±


    Qi Haoran said unhappily, ¡°It¡¯s not Little Bear¡¯s fault for fighting. Why should we keep a low profile? I¡¯ll bring Little Bear to the court assembly tomorrow and get him to address those court officials one by one. Let them see if our Little Bear is mute.¡±<div>


    ¡°The imperial physician just told Little Bear to speak less. Why should he go address some unrted outsiders when he¡¯s still struggling to greet everyone in our family?¡±


    Qi Haoran agreed when he heard that. His eyes darted around and he said, ¡°We can¡¯t let Little Bear¡¯s grievances go just like that. I¡¯ll bring him out after he learns to speak fluently.¡±


    Qi Haoran stuffed the child into Mu Yangling¡¯s arms and patted his butt. ¡°I¡¯ll go chase after the imperial physicians and tell them not to speak nonsense.¡±


    When Qi Haoran entered the pce, the imperial physician was reporting Little Bear¡¯s health condition to Qi Xiuyuan. Thus, it saved him the trouble of having to ask the imperial physicians himself; he could just ask Qi Xiuyuan to order them to keep quiet.<div>


    Qi Xiuyuan nced at Qi Haoran and then at the Imperial Institute of Medicine¡¯s Chief Physician, who was kneeling below. The Chief Physician hurriedly guaranteed that they would never tell anyone.


    Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand to dismiss the Chief Physician before looking at Qi Haoran and asking, ¡°What do you want now? I heard that you angered Grand Tutor Lu and even osted Lu Jie.¡±


    Qi Haoran pursed his lips. ¡°I merely said a word or two and he¡¯s mad? What about his grandson insulting Little Bear like that?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan tidied up his desk and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Grand Tutor Lu isn¡¯t a magnanimous person. It won¡¯t do you any good to piss him off.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother.¡± Qi Haoran said with a frown, ¡°Since you know that Grand Tutor Lu has dubious character, why did you still appoint him to be the Crown Prince¡¯s Grand Tutor? Isn¡¯t this giving him a chance to lead Little Treasure astray?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan snorted softly. ¡°I didn¡¯t appoint him to be the Crown Prince¡¯s Grand Tutor to teach Little Treasure knowledge, nor to teach Little Treasure how to conduct himself. Instead, I want him to teach Little Treasure etiquette and some tricks of the aristocratic families. There¡¯ll naturally be another teacher responsible for imparting Little Treasure knowledge. As for teaching Little Treasure how to conduct himself, I¡¯m still alive.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan had conferred Hanlin Schr Fang Zhiyuan as the Crown Prince¡¯s Junior Tutor. Little Treasure mainly studied with him, and the Crown Prince¡¯s Grand Tutor was just an idle position. Every day, there was a limit to the scope and duration of the lessons that Grand Tutor Lu coulde to the pce to give Little Treasure.


    Compared to Grand Tutor Lu, Fang Zhiyuan was much younger, but his knowledge and character were top-notch. He was once Grand Tutor Yan¡¯s student. Back then, when Grand Tutor Yan passed away, he had risked the world¡¯s condemnation to wear mourning clothes for Grand Tutor Yan. Just like how Qi Xiuyuan admired Grand Tutor Yan very much, he naturally admired Fang Zhiyuan.


    Therefore, when he was choosing a teacher for Little Treasure back then, he did not choose those famous schrs. Instead, he chose Fang Zhiyuan, who was just a fifth-grade Hanlin schr. He made an exception and conferred him the title of second-grade Junior Tutor of the Heir-apparent. He also let him enter the Ministry of Works to learn the ropes.


    Qi Xiuyuan said, ¡°Since Little Bear can already speak, he can begin schooling. Send him to the pce and let the brothers study together.¡±


    Qi Haoran hesitated. ¡°He¡¯s only three years old. Isn¡¯t that too early?¡±


    Back then, he had only started learning with Fan Zijin when he was six years old.


    Qi Xiuyuan red at him and said, ¡°Do you think that your son is like you? I¡¯ll give you ten days to prepare. Send him to the pce immediately. While you¡¯re in the capital, let himmence his education with a good teacher. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll find another teacher and get him to follow you guys to Qiannan subsequently. Let me tell you, don¡¯t think of only teaching him martial arts. Even if our Qi family¡¯s children and grandchildren can¡¯t excel at both martial arts and academics, they can¡¯t be so one-sided. Look at your memorial. Fortunately, I was the one who read it. If it were anyone else, they¡¯d probablyugh their heads off¡­¡± He proceeded to tell Qi Haoran off.<div>

 Chapter 704: Speculation

    Chapter 704: Spection


    Editor: As Studios


    Word soon spread that after Prince Rong left after arguing with the Princess Consort, he stopped Grand Tutor Lu and even taught Lu Jie a lesson. Everyone acutely sensed that this matter was probably rted to the Lu family. However, before anyone could find out, the Qi Residence hired arge number of imperial physicians from the pce. After the imperial physicians came out, Prince Rong even chased after them to the pce. No one could sound out anything from the pce, thus nobody knew what the brothers had said.


    Everyone was confused by Qi Haoran¡¯s series of actions and could not fathom what had happened at all.


    It might be that someone in the residence was sick, and it was an important person. From the looks of it, it might be the Princess Consort and the Young Heir, but why exactly did Qi Haoran find trouble with the Lu family?


    The Lu family and Prince Rong didn¡¯t seem to have any interactions, right?


    The family members of the Eldest Prince¡¯s studypanions understood after their child was sent back. They were originally worried, but when they saw that Qi Haoran was only looking for trouble with the Lu family, they knew that he was only pursuing the matter with the culprit. They could not help but feel relieved.


    The Emperor doted on his younger brother and would not interfere as long as he didn¡¯t go overboard. Seeing as Prince Rong only slightly embarrassed the Lu family and did not make things difficult for them in political matters, the Emperor would most likely not interfere.


    Although these retaliations were child¡¯s y and did not do any real damage, it was still quite humiliating, alright?


    Therefore, they kept quiet and hoped that Prince Rong wouldn¡¯t think of them. Also, they lectured their children, cautioning them to stay away from Prince Rong¡¯s son in the future and forbidding them from calling him a mute.


    Although Prince Rong¡¯s son couldn¡¯t even speak at the age of three, he was skilled at the art of reincarnation and had a powerful and protective father.


    Just as spections were running amok outside, Qi Haoran was in great spirits, walking everywhere with his head held high. Now that Little Bear could speak, the stone in his heart waspletely lifted.<div>


    For a few days in a row, he made a point of walking by Grand Tutor¡¯s front. Every time, he would remind him to educate his descendants well, making Grand Tutor Lu feel extremely aggrieved.


    If he could tolerate the former part, he could not tolerate thetter no matter what. It was as if Qi Haoran had a pair of eyes on Lu Jie. As long as he went out, Qi Haoran would definitely appear in front of him and make him kneel and bow to him.


    Not to mention Grand Tutor Lu, who had always been prideful, even Lu Jie, who had always been gentle and polite, could not stand such humiliation.


    However, there was nothing they could do about it because Lu Jie indeed didn¡¯t hold any official title. When he saw Qi Haoran, he naturally had to kneel and bow. To make things worse, the friends he made were either sessful or already officials in the court. At the very least, they had an empty position under her father and brother¡¯s hereditary privilege. Therefore, when they saw Qi Haoran, they only had to bow while standing.


    Among his group of friends, only Lu Jie needed to kneel. Lu Jie, who had always thought that he was peerless, could not help but doubt his ability.


    It was only then that Lu Jie realized the disadvantage of not having any achievements.


    In the past, he looked down on the filthy Great Zhou and disdained using his family and his father¡¯s hereditary privilege to be an official. Naturally, he also disdained taking the Imperial Examination.


    Although he had no official title, no one had ever asked him to kneel and bow. Other than meeting the Emperor, even if he met a Prince, he only had to cup his hands and bow. After all, he was the Lu family¡¯s eldest son and future head. Who would insist he kneel and bow?


    The world had always been tolerant of aristocratic families.


    That was, until now, they encountered someone who wanted to take this etiquette rule seriously.


    Previously, nobody insisted Lu Jie bow because they were giving face to the Lu family. Now that they encountered someone who didn¡¯t give face to the Lu family, they could only admit defeat because thew was above all.


    Qi Haoran tormented Lu Jie for three to four days, causing the Lu family¡¯s reputation to fall to its lowest point. When Lu Jie knelt while they were standing, his friends suddenly had a strange feeling.


    The heir of the Lu family didn¡¯t seem like much. At least when he was kneeling, they could still stand.


    So what if the Lu family were aristocrats? They still had to yield to the imperial power. Just look at the Cui family, the Lu family, and how arrogant the aristocratic families used to be. If Emperor Jingyan wanted to invite the aristocratic families to an audience, he¡¯d have to see if they had the time. However, although the head of the Lu family was appointed a first-grade Crown Prince¡¯s Grand Tutor, he wasn¡¯t even in charge of enlightening the Eldest Prince. Furthermore, Grand Tutor Lu was merely a fourth-grade official in the Imperial Academy. Neither position held any true power. Much less mention the other aristocratic families¡ªthere was not a single one of the descendants of the aristocratic families serving in the Imperial Court.


    The Yan family was also one of the small aristocratic families. But since Qi Xiuyuan restored the good name of Grand Tutor Yan and granted him a posthumous title, Minister Yan had been loyal to the current Emperor. He ignored the aristocratic families and only followed the Emperor¡¯s lead.


    Therefore, before Qi Haoran realized it, his actions consolidated the imperial power and the influence of the aristocratic families decreased significantly.


    At this moment, Grand Tutor Lu and Lu Jie had yet to anticipate this oue. They were purely fuming at Qi Haoran¡¯s humiliation.


    Grand Tutor Lu said angrily, ¡°How long is Qi Haoran going to cause trouble? It¡¯s just a fight between children. Why did an adult like him get involved?¡±


    ¡°Uncle, can¡¯t we teach him a lesson? You have so many students serving in the Imperial Court. There must be someone who can keep him in check. I don¡¯t believe that a general like him can be squeaky clean,¡± Lu Yuan shouted unhappily.<div>


    During this period of time, he had been asked about this by his ssmates in the Imperial Academy. They were all trying to find out how the Lu family had offended Prince Rong. It was simply annoying.


    Unknown to most, his six-year-old nephew had insulted Qi Haoran¡¯s son, but his nephew had almost been beaten until his parents could not recognize him. Who were they going to seek justice from?


    Grand Tutor Lu remained silent.


    Lu Yuan stomped his feet. ¡°Uncle, why is our Lu family so timid? If we don¡¯t retaliate, I¡¯m afraid anyone can ride on our Lu family¡¯s heads in the future.¡±<div>


    Lu Jie nced at his cousin and could not bear to look at his stupidity. With his father¡¯s magnanimity, he was most likely bound by restraints. Otherwise, there would already be a ruckus in the Imperial Court. Would he have allowed Qi Haoran to keep causing such a meaningless ruckus?


    Naturally, Grand Tutor Lu would not expose his shorings in front of his nephew. After sending Lu Yuan away, he met Lu Jie¡¯s understanding gaze and was instantly furious. ¡°I told you to be an official long ago, but you refused to listen. If you heeded my words, you would definitely have a ce in the court now. Do I have to be restrained by others like this?¡±


    Lu Jie frowned. ¡°Father, do you have something on Qi Haoran?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Grand Tutor Lu said with an ugly expression, ¡°The evidence is in the current Emperor¡¯s hands.¡±


    Speaking of this, Grand Tutor Lu got mad. He got his subordinates to wipe traces of his visits to the Hall of Diligent Governance. Halfway through, he realized that the Emperor had already grasped this weakness of his. Originally, he was afraid that Qi Haoran would use this to deal with him. Just as he was about to cut off his tail in hopes of survival, he realized that the Emperor had no intention of using this weakness against him. It seemed that as long as they did not retaliate against Qi Haoran, the Emperor would not use this weakness against him.


    Otherwise, would he need to remain silent until now and do nothing while Qi Haoran took revenge on them?


    Grand Tutor Lu rubbed his forehead as he said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid the Emperor doesn¡¯t want to fall out with our Lu family now, so he endured it and didn¡¯t attack. In that case, there¡¯s no need for us to force him to take this step. However, we can¡¯t let Qi Haoran continue like this. Tomorrow, bring Yan¡¯er to the Qi Residence to apologize. If Qi Haoran continues to harp on this after the apology, it¡¯ll be him who is unforgiving.¡±

 Chapter 705: Sharing

    Chapter 705: Sharing


    Editor: As Studios


    ¡°No.¡± Lu Jie said with a frown, ¡°Yan¡¯er is in the wrong, but Qi Wenjin has already hit him and Qi Haoran has also taken revenge. It¡¯s fine for Yan¡¯er to apologize, but his son has to apologize to my son too.¡±


    Grand Tutor Lu pointed at Lu Jie and was so angry that he could not speak. ¡°Do you think Qi Haoran will let his son apologize?¡±


    ¡°Then drag it out.¡± Lu Jie said in a low voice, ¡°Father, we can¡¯t lose the dignity of an aristocratic family. Yan¡¯er is my eldest son. I definitely won¡¯t let him be criticized.¡±


    Grand Tutor Lu was furious. ¡°Yan¡¯er is only six years old, and it¡¯s a trivial matter of children fighting. What dignity is there to speak of?¡±


    Lu Jie snorted and looked at his father in understanding.


    Grand Tutor Lu felt his face burning. He said helplessly, ¡°Yan¡¯er is only six years old.¡± He wanted to categorize this matter as a fight between children. Wasn¡¯t it normal for children to quarrel and fight?


    ¡°If the masses start gossiping about it, it won¡¯t be a a trivial matter of fighting among children. In any case, I don¡¯t agree.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t go out.¡± Grand Tutor Yan flicked his sleeves and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t go out, surely Qi Haoran can¡¯t show up at our house to ost you? Lay low for now and only go out to meet your friends when the matter blows over.¡±


    Lu Jie¡¯s face twitched as he nodded reluctantly.


    As Lu Jie was rather fond of going out to meet his friends, making him stay indoors was almost like taking his life. However, when he thought of how Qi Haoran kept tormenting him so indifferently, Lu Jie could only grit his teeth and agree.<div>


    For two consecutive days, Lu Jie stayed at home and did not go out. As expected, Qi Haoran did not find trouble with him anymore. The people in the capital who had been waiting to watch the show were slightly disappointed.


    Since Lu Jie did not appear outside, Qi Haoran also stayed in the Qi Residence. Even Grand Tutor Lu¡¯s ce became much quieter.


    Grand Tutor Lu heaved a sigh of relief and felt that the peace had finally returned.


    Just as everyone thought that the matter was over, the Emperor got someone to pack up the Eldest Prince¡¯s things and send him to the Qi Residence. Then, he summoned the Crown Prince¡¯s Junior Tutor, Fang Zhiyuan, and sent him to the Qi Residence to teach the Eldest Prince. For the time being, the Eldest Prince¡¯s studypanions could study at home and enter the pce to study with him again after he returned to the pce.


    The Emperor¡¯s interference was different from Qi Haoran¡¯s trivial antics. Everyone held their breaths and waited for his next step, and even Grand Tutor Lu was worried. But seeing that the Emperor only did this one thing, everyone could not help but feel a little confused.


    When an appropriate time came, Qi Xiuyuan made known what had happened at Upper Wood Park. Now, everyone finally understood why Prince Rong suddenly targeted the Lu family. It turned out that he was standing up for his son.


    They did not think that Qi Haoran was going overboard. If their only son was pointed at and called a fool and a mute, they would also be furious. Moreover, Qi Haoran only made things difficult for the Lu family¡¯s father and son based on the facts and did not target them in government affairs. Everyone could not help but admire him.


    It had always been difficult to separate public and private matters. In this era, many officials¡¯ personal grudges would spill over to official matters, causing them to go head to head in political matters. On the other hand, Qi Haoran¡¯s handling of this private matter had won him a lot of praise. Some reclusive court academicians even had the thought of bing officials when they heard about it.


    As Prince Rong¡¯s elder brother, Qi Xiuyuan should not be inferior to him.


    Qi Haoran, who was unaware of all of this, was running around the courtyard with a child on his back. Little Treasure and Little Bear grabbed Qi Haoran¡¯s hair tightly, and the courtyard was filled with theughter of the two children. Little Bear pointed to the left and shouted, ¡°That way, that way.¡±


    Unable to see the top of his head, Qi Haoran asked, ¡°Which way is that?¡±


    Little Treasure patted his head and said, ¡°Left.¡±


    Little Bear imitated him and shouted, ¡°Left, left.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Haoran ran to the left and the two childrenughed happily.


    Mu Yangling took out a te of watermelons and waved at the three of them. ¡°Come and eat the melons. Take a break first.¡±


    When Qi Haoran ran over with the two children, Little Treasure¡¯s face was rosy and he looked up to let Mu Yangling wipe his sweat.


    Little Bear had been having crazy fun with Qi Haoran for the past two days and was determined not to let Mu Yangling wipe his sweat. He ran to Qi Haoran and asked him to serve him. With a smug nce at Mu Yangling, Qi Haoran wiped Little Bear¡¯s face with a towel, then threw it away and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go eat melons.¡±


    A babyish voice replied, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go eat some melons.¡±


    Little Treasure was anxious. ¡°Brother, wait for me.¡±<div>


    ¡°I¡¯m not waiting for Brother. I¡¯ll go with Daddy.¡± Little Bear said a long sentence in one breath.


    ted, Qi Haoran educated him with a smile. ¡°As brothers, you should love each other. You should wait for your brother.¡±


    Little Bear tilted his head and asked, ¡°Brother, would you wait for me too?¡±


    Little Treasure nodded fiercely. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a share of everything wonderful.¡±<div>


    Only then was Little Bear satisfied. He carefullypared the pieces of watermelon before finally choosing a medium-sized one for Little Treasure. Then, he picked thergest piece for his father and even gave him a fawning smile. Then, he picked the smallest piece for his mother from the te and hugged the te containing the remaining pieces.


    Stunned by this sight, Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Son, how much do you dislike Mother? You actually gave me the smallest piece.¡±


    Little Bear looked at the remaining two pieces of watermelon on the te and said hesitantly, ¡°I like it.¡± After which, he turned his body to block Mu Yangling¡¯s gaze, indicating one piece was all he was willing to give his mother.


    Mu Yangling looked at the bigger piece on the te and said, ¡°You can give me a bigger piece.¡±


    Nearly in tears from anxiety, Little Bear protected the watermelon for a while. Seeing his mother looking at him eagerly, he could only reluctantly give her a bigger piece and watch helplessly as she ate the watermelon.


    Qi Haoran¡¯s heart ached and he handed the watermelon to him. ¡°You can have mine.¡±


    Mu Yangling originally thought that Little Bear would happily take it. Unexpectedly, Little Bear shook his head and pushed the watermelon to his father. ¡°Daddy, eat. Daddy likes it.¡± He even moved the watermelon towards his mouth.


    Then, he looked at his mother aggrievedly. ¡°Mother doesn¡¯t like it.¡±


    His words were a little unclear, but Mu Yangling and Qi Haoran understood. The two of them felt as if their hearts had been hit. They felt a sour and bitter sensation, but which also carried a tinge of sweetness. Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but hug Little Bear and say with a smile, ¡°Silly boy, we don¡¯t just have one watermelon at home. There¡¯s a lot more. I¡¯ll get someone to bring you a big one.¡±


    Little Bear had to hold his favorite things in his arms. When he saw something he liked on the streets, he had to get his hands on it. He also often asked them for those shiny gems, and would get vexed if they didn¡¯t give them to him. Not to mention the extremely doting Qi Haoran, even Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t bear to reject him. She was often worried that they would spoil too much and cause him to be an overbearing person who didn¡¯t know how to share. But now, it seemed that she was thinking too much. Her son was indeed a little possessive of things, but it wasn¡¯t to the point that he didn¡¯t know how to be filial and share them.


    He had a benchmark in his heart.


    Previously, when they ate watermelons at home, Mu Yangling felt that they were not sweet enough, so she didn¡¯t enjoy eating them. However, Qi Haoran loved the cold taste and ate the remaining pieces of watermelon every time he came back.


    Little Bear took this as a cue that his mother didn¡¯t eating watermelons, which was why he had given her a small piece. On the other hand, his father loved watermelon, so he gave him thergest piece. Although he craved watermelon, he didn¡¯t want to take his father¡¯s share.<div>


    Tears shed across Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes. With his eyes lowered, he kissed his son¡¯s forehead. He said with a smile in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯re really my good son.¡±


    Little Bear knew that kissing meant liking him, so he raised his head and kissed his father¡¯s cheek.


    Little Treasure watched from the side, confusion shing across his eyes. When the brothers were alone, Little Treasure asked Little Bear, ¡°Why did you kiss Uncle?¡±


    Little Bear replied matter-of-factly, ¡°If you like someone, you have to kiss them.¡±


    Little Treasure lowered his head and stood at the side in silence. When Little Bear saw this, he thought that he was sad that no one had kissed him, so he went forward, hugged his head, and kissed his forehead. Then, he wiped his mouth and said, ¡°Brother, I like you.¡±


    Little Treasure immediately grinned widely.

 Chapter 706: A Hundred Thousand Whys

    Chapter 706: A Hundred Thousand Whys


    Editor: As Studios


    Little Treasure stole a nce at Qi Xiuyuan. Seeing that his father was focused on the book in his hand, he was a little vexed.


    From the corner of his eye, Qi Xiuyuan saw that he was frowning. He immediatelyughed and put down his book. ¡°Little Treasure has something to say to Father?¡±


    Little Treasure¡¯s eyes lit up, but he was also a little shy. In the end, as if he had made up his mind, he climbed onto Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s knee, held his head, and kissed his face.


    The smile on Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s face froze. Seeing his son looking at him nervously, he tried his best to soften his expression and asked, ¡°Little Treasure, who taught you to do this?¡±


    Little Treasure said apprehensively, ¡°Uncle often kisses Aunt and Brother. Brother also kisses Uncle. He said that kissing someone means that you like them.¡± Blushing slightly, Little Treasure said, ¡°I like Mother and Father.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s heart softened, but he was a little angry with Qi Haoran. This kid was too inattentive to actually let the child see and hear such things. He even shamelessly said that kissing someone meant liking them. Not only did he teach Little Bear bad things, but he also led his son astray.


    Qi Xiuyuan stroked his son¡¯s head, thinking about what to say to educate him and not let him feel that his parents didn¡¯t love him if they didn¡¯t kiss him.


    Their way of expressing their feelings was just more subtle.


    Just as Qi Xiuyuan was about to speak, Little Treasure counted with his fingers. ¡°I like Father and Mother the most, so I kissed them. Next up is Little Bear, followed by Aunt and Uncle. Father, I need to leave the pce tomorrow. I want to kiss Little Bear, Aunt, and Uncle and tell them that I like them too.¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan swallowed his words and said with a smile, ¡°Then Father will get the guards to escort you out of the pce tomorrow.¡±<div>


    Little Treasure nodded happily and kissed Qi Xiuyuan on the cheek. Qi Xiuyuan felt sweet in his heart, but he secretly swore that he would change his son¡¯s mind about this matter after tomorrow. It was too undignified for him to go around kissing people.


    With Little Treasure¡¯s saliva on his face, Qi Haoran knew that things were bad. After asking carefully and confirming that Little Treasure had indeed kissed Qi Xiuyuan, Qi Haoran instantly felt as sorrowful as if his father had died. He wished he could beat his chest. ¡°Little Bear, what nonsense did you say to your brother?¡±


    Mu Yangling and the two children looked at him in confusion. Qi Haoran stomped his feet. ¡°Do you think Big Brother is as open-minded as me? It¡¯s so improper to go around kissing people. These two brats are pushing me into a pit of fire.¡±


    Then, he carried the two children and educated them. ¡°We know that you¡¯re filial to your parents and adore us. In the future, you just have to pay your respects in the morning and at night. There¡¯s no need to kiss someone to express your fondness.¡±


    Little Bear was instantly dissatisfied. ¡°Then why can Father kiss Mother?¡±


    Before Qi Haoran could exin, Little Treasure had already raised his hand and said, ¡°I know. This is called domestic bliss. Uncle and Aunt are husband and wife, so they can kiss.¡±


    Stunned, Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling asked, ¡°Who taught you this?¡±


    However, Little Bear had already asked loudly, ¡°What is domestic bliss?¡± His voice was filled with curiosity.


    Little Treasure didn¡¯t understand either. He shook his head in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. It¡¯s not written in the book.¡±


    Qi Haoran went crazy. ¡°How old are you? What kind of books are you reading?¡±


    Little Bear had already shouted, ¡°Then I want to enjoy domestic bliss with Daddy too.¡±


    Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± The couple eximed righteously.


    ¡°Why?¡± The two curious babies stared at them curiously.


    Little Treasure was intelligent and mature at an early age. He had just learned from Fang Zhiyuan the saying ¡°Know what you know, don¡¯t know what you don¡¯t know¡± and had been inculcated the idea of asking questions if he didn¡¯t understand. Meanwhile, Little Bear, who had just learnt how to speak, chattered non-stop all day long and had even more questions. He didn¡¯t care if the logic was right or not. Whenever he encountered something that baffled him, he would ask questions until he understood it.


    Hence, the two children asked one question after another. Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t answer them at all. After answering the Nth question of the two children, the question had already deviated to ¡°What¡¯s the difference between a man and a woman?¡± Qi Haoran finally waved his hand impatiently and concluded roughly, ¡°In short, I can kiss your aunt, your father can kiss your mother, your father and I can kiss you and Little Bear, and no one else can. You just have to remember this for now, and you¡¯ll naturally understand everything when you grow up. Forget about this matter.¡±


    Only God knew how Qi Haoran felt when Little Treasure counted on his fingers as he went through the list of people he wanted to kiss. This brat actually wanted to kiss Yan Du! Why in the world would he want to kiss that stern-faced dude who looked like he was owed 300 taels of silver?


    Just because he had once smiled at Little Treasure?


    In order not to let Great Qi¡¯s future Crown Prince do something that he would regret for the rest of his life when he grew up, Qi Haoran decided to forcefully set the scope.<div>


    Little Treasure and Little Bear were stunned for a moment before continuing to ask questions. ¡°But Fourth Uncle, can¡¯t Aunt kiss us?¡±


    As he spoke, Little Treasure said shyly, ¡°When I entered just now, Aunt hugged me and kissed me.¡±


    Qi Haoran red at Mu Yangling and said, ¡°You exin to him. Otherwise, you¡¯re not allowed to kiss them again.¡± He was almost driven crazy by the children¡¯s questions.


    Mu Yangling tilted her head and thought for a moment. She said sincerely, ¡°Little Treasure, Little Bear, there are many questions that Aunt and Uncle aren¡¯t able to answer. You¡¯ll have to investigate this for yourself. When you gradually grow up, you¡¯ll eventually find the answer to the question. If you can¡¯t find it, you can write down the question for future generations to continue searching for the answer.¡±<div>


    Little Treasure tilted his head and asked, ¡°So Uncle and Aunt can¡¯t answer our questions now, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling nodded. ¡°Yes. Perhaps when you¡¯re a little older, you¡¯ll be able to find the answer yourselves.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± Little Bear raised his little hand and said, ¡°Just like the question of which is more delicious¡ªthe watermelon or the melon. After I ate it, I knew that the watermelon tasted better.¡±


    The corners of Mu Yangling¡¯s mouth twitched as she nodded and said, ¡°More or less. But Little Bear, you may think that watermelons are more delicious, but that¡¯s just your perception. Others who prefer melons will think that melons are tastier. These kinds of questions involving personal preferences have different answers depending on the person. You can¡¯t force everyone to choose the same thing.¡±


    Little Treasure and Little Bear seemed to understand, but they remembered it in their hearts. Just as Mu Yangling had said, they would understand one day.


    Seeing that the two children finally stopped asking questions, Qi Haoran heaved a sigh of relief and whispered to Mu Yangling, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell them all that earlier?¡± If she had, they wouldn¡¯t have endured such a long suffering.


    Mu Yangling whispered back, ¡°I just thought of it.¡±


    Qi Haoran sighed. ¡°Indeed, there¡¯s no motivation without pressure. If I¡¯d known earlier, I would have tossed all the questions to you. That way, you¡¯d have thought of this long ago.¡±


    Qi Haoran patted his butt and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll leave these two children to you. I¡¯ll enter the pce to apologize to Big Brother.¡±


    Mu Yangling was at a loss. ¡°For what?¡±


    Qi Haoran was indignant. ¡°Apologize for your son¡¯s doing. Little Treasure is the Crown Prince. How can he go around kissing people casually? Look at what your son has taught him. It¡¯s fine if family members kiss each other behind closed doors, but he had to expand the circle of this kissing thing all the way to the pce.¡±

 Chapter 707: Educating the Children (1)

    Chapter 707: Educating the Children (1)


    Editor: As Studios


    Qi Haoran was punished by Qi Xiuyuan to copy the ¡°Book of Rites¡± a hundred times. No matter how much he begged, it was useless.


    Qi Xiuyuan couldn¡¯t care less about his brother¡¯s family affairs, so he could only teach him a lesson through such a punishment. It was useless to hit and scold him. This kid would easily forget about it, so he could only punish him by copying books.


    Annoyed, Qi Haoran muttered, ¡°You kissed Little Treasure and Little Bear before. How is that not wrong?¡±


    Qi Xiuyuan red at him. How could these two matters be the same? At that time, the two toddlers were like little dumplings and were too young to retain memories at that age. Furthermore, that was his first time seeing the children. In his excitement, he expressed his love for them via such a method. Who had seen him kiss the two children after that?


    Besides, there was a huge difference between parents kissing their children, versus the other way round, okay?


    Qi Xiuyuan still couldn¡¯t ept this. Just the thought of Little Treasure holding his head and kissing him when he was old gave him goosebumps.


    Qi Haoran angrily held a copy of the ¡°Book of Rites¡± and went back home to be grounded. In Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s words, he said, ¡°You¡¯ve only been in the capital for a few days, but you¡¯ve already caused a storm in the capital. Anyway, you¡¯re only returning to the capital to attend the banquet for the conferment of the Crown Prince and Dali bing our vassal state. You don¡¯t have to attend the court meeting. During this period of time, just quietly stay at home to copy the book.¡±


    Initially, Qi Haoran did not think that there was anything wrong with being grounded. However, after hearing his words, he suddenly remembered that he had only implemented half of his n against the Lu family. He had yet to bring his newly-eloquent son out to show off.


    Knowing what Qi Haoran was thinking, Qi Xiuyuan red at him and said, ¡°Restrain yourself. Since Little Treasure will return to the pce tomorrow, his studypanions will return to the pce as well. Stay at home obediently with Little Bear these few days so that he doesn¡¯t be a target for revenge. Little Bear is still young and still has a long way to go.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°They dare toy their hands on a child of the royal family?¡±<div>


    Qi Xiuyuan snorted coldly. He didn¡¯t tell him how many times Little Treasure had been plotted against in the past year. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have ordered his men to guard the pce like an iron bucket.


    Those who were targeting Little Treasure weren¡¯t just the ns who were covetously eyeing the empress¡¯s position. Aside from that, there were also those who missed the glory of the previous dynasty, as well as West Xia who wanted to throw Great Qi into chaos, and spies from the Jin Kingdom. As soon as Qi Xiuyuan ascended the throne, he¡¯d reduced the number of pce maids and emissaries and released arge number of pce maids to go home and marry. He also sent arge number of emissaries to the Imperial ntation and various courtyards in a bid to get rid of the suspicious characters.


    With fewer people, it would be much easier to manage.


    This incident at Upper Wood Park was a manifestation. He didn¡¯t want outsiders to know what had happened, so he could hide it for two days. Compared to the sieve-like harem of the previous dynasty, this was already considered not bad.


    However, Qi Xiuyuan was very dissatisfied with the fact that he could only hide it for two days. Before he had absolute confidence in protecting his family, Qi Xiuyuan was unwilling to push Little Treasure and Little Bear, who were the least capable of protecting themselves, to the front. Now that the incident at Upper Wood Park had made Little Treasure and Little Bear the focus of everyone¡¯s attention, he needed something to distract everyone.


    Hence, when Qi Haoran went back to copy the book, Qi Xiuyuan also assigned him to think of a way to divert everyone¡¯s attention from Little Treasure and Little Bear. He did not mind Qi Haoran causing trouble because of this.


    What Mu Yangling saw was Qi Haoran holding a book and pondering.


    Mu Yangling wasn¡¯t the only one who was surprised. Little Treasure and Little Bear, too, widened their eyes in surprise. Although they were young, they knew that Qi Haoran hated reading the most. Furthermore, it was a book like ¡°The Book of Rites¡± that could make people snooze pretty quickly. Had his brain been damaged from a fever or something?


    The two children only thought about it in their hearts. However, Mu Yangling touched his forehead and turned around to say to the two children, ¡°It¡¯s not burning.¡±


    Qi Haoran pped Mu Yangling¡¯s hand and red at her angrily. ¡°Can¡¯t I work hard? Previously I didn¡¯t like to study because you didn¡¯t advise me to do so. Whose wife doesn¡¯t advise her husband to study hard? It¡¯s all because of you. Every time I have a break, you ask me to bring you out to y. You¡¯ve wasted my time¡­¡±


    After Qi Haoran finished ranting, Mu Yangling turned around and lectured the two children, ¡°Did you hear that? Your uncle is personally teaching you what it means to shirk responsibility. In the future, you must not be such a person, understand?¡±


    Qi Haoran choked, but when he met the two children¡¯s bright eyes, he could only swallow his words.


    Mu Yangling took the opportunity to pull the two children aside and said, ¡°When ites to studying, other than relying onprehension, you have to rely on diligence and self-control. This requires self-awareness and others won¡¯t be able to force you into doing it. Even if they can force you to sit at the desk, your hearts won¡¯t be there. It¡¯ll just be a waste of time.


    ¡°Just like what your uncle said just now, some people are not determined, but they like to shirk responsibility. He refuses to study, but he doesn¡¯t want to ept this responsibility, so he thinks of ways to push the me to others. Even if others pressurize him to study, nothing will register, and he will havee up with another excuse to shirk responsibility.¡±


    The young Little Bear looked at his mother in confusion.


    The mature Little Treasure, however, said thoughtfully, ¡°I understand now. It¡¯s up to oneself whether they want to learn or not. If you want to learn, you can sit down to study even if others tempt you to y. If you don¡¯t want to learn, even if others force you to sit down, your heart won¡¯t be in it. But whether you choose to learn or not, you should be brave enough to take responsibility and not push the me to others.¡±


    Not only Mu Yangling, but even Qi Haoran looked at Little Treasure in surprise. He did not expect Little Treasure toprehend it to this extent.


    Qi Haoran sighed and stroked his head. ¡°This child is really like Big Brother. At a young age, Big Brother already knew how to n for his future. At the age of eight, he dared to write letters to our uncles privately and asked them to find a martial arts master for him. He used his own arrangements for his future to convince our uncles¡­¡± Qi Haoran remembered that once, his uncle said that what shocked and touched him the most at that time was not only Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s ns for his life, but also his arrangements for him.


    Uncle said that although these arrangements were still a little immature, they were all achievable. At that time, it was a good arrangement for them. If not for Big Brother¡¯s age, Uncle would almost suspect that it was suggested by an adult.<div>


    Qi Haoran felt that Little Treasure hadpletely inherited his brain from Qi Xiuyuan. As such, Qi Xiuyuan now had a sessor. As long as Little Treasure did not go astray in the future, Great Qi could at leastst another hundred years.


    However, Little Treasure looked at his uncle in a dilemma and asked, ¡°Then isn¡¯t Uncle the kind of person who always shirks responsibility? But Uncle is clearly a great general.¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s face stiffened.


    Mu Yangling hurriedly said, ¡°Your uncle was just doing that to educate you so that you can see how annoying such people are.¡±<div>


    ¡°Your uncle is a great general. How can a person who shirks responsibility be a great general? Someone who shirks responsibility will im credit for a victorious battle, but push the me of a lost battle to his subordinates. After that, would his subordinates still be willing to listen to his orders?¡±


    Little Treasure shook his head.

 Chapter 708: Educating the Children (2)

    Chapter 708: Educating the Children (2)


    Editor: As Studios


    Mu Yangling said with a smile, ¡°So your uncle isn¡¯t that kind of person. Have you ever seen him shirk responsibility when ites to serious matters?¡±


    He was only messing with her. If she gave him something good, he wouldin that she was spoiling him and it would be her fault if he couldn¡¯t endure hardship in the future. Was he the kind of person who couldn¡¯t endure hardship?


    On the other hand, if he was given something mediocre, he wouldin that she didn¡¯t dote on him and that he wasn¡¯t as important as Little Bear in her heart. Sometimes, Qi Haoran would act like a child.


    It was fine to say such things in front of the older children since they were more mature. They understood that the elders were just wheedling and would not take it seriously. Meanwhile, young children would remember it in their hearts and learn from them. It would be difficult to change after nurturing such a personality.


    Little Treasure¡¯s eyes lit up as he said, ¡°I understand now. This is the method of counter-argument that Teacher mentioned.¡±


    Mu Yangling felt that soon, she wouldn¡¯t be able to educate this child anymore. How old was he? Looking at her ignorant son again, she felt that her son was behaving more like kids their age.


    Mu Yangling was still sighing when Qi Haoran nodded and admitted without blushing, ¡°That¡¯s right. I just wanted to personally put on an act to show you how annoying people who have no self-control and shirk responsibility are.¡±


    Little Treasure eximed, ¡°Uncle was so convincing I nearly believed it just now. I was still wondering why you med Auntie for everything when clearly you never liked to study to begin with. So it turned out that you were just pretending. You¡¯re a brilliant actor, Uncle.¡±


    Mu Yanglingughed out loud.


    This brat!<div>


    No matter how thick-skinned Qi Haoran was, he couldn¡¯t help but blush. If it weren¡¯t for the look of surprise on Little Treasure¡¯s face, he would have been sure that this kid was deliberately mocking him.


    Qi Haoran red at Mu Yangling and waved his hand as if he was chasing away a fly. ¡°Get out, get out. I¡¯m going to write a memorial. Bring the children to the garden to y. Little Treasure, you¡¯re going back to the pce tomorrow. Forget abouting out to y again.¡±


    Little Treasure, who was originally abnormally excited and wanted to act with his uncle, instantly wilted. Holding Little Bear¡¯s hand, he said unhappily, ¡°Uncle, can I leave the pce to see Little Bear after school?¡±


    Qi Haoran nced at him condescendingly and said, ¡°Is there enough free time for you to walk from Upper Wood Park to the pce gate after school?¡±


    Little Treasure blushed and whispered carefully, ¡°What about during the break?¡±


    ¡°Ask your father. As long as he agrees.¡±


    Little Treasure cheered softly and said, ¡°Then can Little Brother enter the pce to visit me?¡±


    Little Bear also looked at his father eagerly. Holding Little Treasure¡¯s hand, he said, ¡°I want to y with Brother.¡±


    Qi Haoran could reject Little Treasure, but he couldn¡¯t bear to reject his son. He hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°But Daddy has to go into seclusion to write some memorials for now and can¡¯t bring you into the pce.¡±


    Right away, Little Treasure and Little Bear looked at Mu Yangling in unison.


    Mu Yangling red at Qi Haoran. He was clearly grounded to copy books, but he actually lied to the children. However, Mu Yangling did not want to expose Qi Haoran in front of the two children, so she smiled and nodded. ¡°Alright, no problem. As long as there¡¯s time, I¡¯ll bring Little Bear into the pce.¡±


    The brothers cheered and ran out hand in hand. From afar, they could hear theughter of the two children. ¡°Brother, I can teach you how to read and write.¡±


    Little Bear shouted, ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll help you fight!¡±


    The corners of Qi Haoran¡¯s mouth twitched. He turned to Mu Yangling and said, ¡°Now that Little Bear can speak, it¡¯s time to enlighten him. Big Brother said that he¡¯ll find a good teacher for him. Meanwhile, we can also make some preparations and teach the child some basics first. We can¡¯t just let him offer to help Little Treasure fight every time Little Treasure says that he¡¯ll teach him how to read and write, right?¡±


    Mu Yangling walked to the desk and picked up the ¡°Book of Rites¡± on the table. She said leisurely, ¡°Who¡¯s to me? Who¡¯s the one who makes it a daily habit of coaxing his son to be a general when he grows up? Qi Haoran, let me tell you, what our son wants to do in the future depends on his personal interests. You¡¯re not allowed to force him. Also, since when did I dy your studies?¡±


    Raising the book in her hand, she tilted her head and asked, ¡°Have you ever studied?¡±


    Blushing, Qi Haoran went forward to grab the book. He threw it on the table and hugged her. ¡°Of course you did. If you hadn¡¯t kept me busy, would I not have time to study?¡±


    Mu Yangling rolled her eyes. ¡°Would you take the initiative to read the ¡®Book of Rites¡¯? Why did I hear that someone was grounded to copy books?¡±


    Qi Haoran shouted, ¡°Who said that? Ask that person to step forward. How dare he spread rumors? Let¡¯s see if I don¡¯t teach him a lesson.¡±<div>


    Mu Yangling said slowly, ¡°Her Majesty said so. She asked someone to pass a message to me, saying that Big Brother is asking you to lie low. She told me not to restrain you. As long as you don¡¯t leave the residence, it¡¯s fine. Out of the 100 copies of ¡®Book of Rites¡¯ that you were made to copy, you can just copy the first 20 to 30 copies. Anyway, Little Bear and I don¡¯t intend to take up your time in the following days. Since you have so much time on your hands, you should copy all 100 copies yourself.¡±


    Qi Haoran froze on the spot.


    In the end, Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t bear to leave Qi Haoran alone in the study to copy books. After coaxing the two children to sleep at night, she took out a pen and ink to copy Qi Haoran¡¯s handwriting.


    Qi Haoran shook his head happily and said tsunderely, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to help me copy it. You¡¯re the one who offered to do it.¡±<div>


    Mu Yangling stretched her leg towards him, and Qi Haoran immediately jumped away. Mu Yangling sneered and said, ¡°If you say any more, I really won¡¯t copy anymore.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately shut up and continued writing quietly. However, after less than 15 minutes of silence, he started to pick on Mu Yangling¡¯s handwriting. ¡°This doesn¡¯t look like my handwriting at all. It¡¯s so soft. Why can¡¯t you imitate my handwriting urately after so many years?¡±


    Mu Yangling said nonchntly, ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s for Big Brother to see. It¡¯s fine as long as it looks somewhat like it. If you continue toin, I¡¯ll copy it in regr script in small characters1.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately shut up. He¡¯d learned the calligraphic style of Liu Gongquan, and the calligraphic style of regr script in small characters was mostly learned by women. If he handed in a stack of script in small characters, wouldn¡¯t that anger Big Brother to death?


    Although the ¡°Book of Rites¡± was a book, it was actually not thick. Although it was difficult toprehend and was written in ancientnguage, it was actually quite fast to copy it word by word.


    However, Qi Haoran couldn¡¯t stand watching her merely copying without understanding. Each time she wrote a sentence, she read it aloud. Mu Yangling, listening to this, directly took a copy of the ¡°Book of Rites¡± and added punctuation to it. This made the copying process much faster.


    After helping Qi Haoran copy a hundred times, Mu Yangling realized that she had actually memorized the contents of the ¡°Book of Rites¡±. Indeed, copying was the best way to memorize. Mu Yangling felt that she would definitely not forget the contents of the ¡°Book of Rites¡± within three days. As for three dayster, it would be good enough if she could remember the ssic sentences in it.


    Just as the couple was working together to copy the book, Little Treasure moved back to the pce. Qi Xiuyuan sent someone to bring Little Treasure¡¯s studypanions into the pce and made new arrangements for their sses.


    This action caused a huge uproar in the Imperial Court. Originally, the Eldest Prince had eight studypanions, but this time, the Emperor only epted four back into the pce. As for the remaining kids, the Emperor rewarded them and ordered them to arrange for their own studies now that they no longer had to apany the Crown Prince to study in the pce. At the same time, the first rule of the studypanions for the princes was out. Each prince could only have four studypanions, and the Crown Prince would be subjected to this same rule as the other princes.

 Chapter 709: The End

    Chapter 709: The End


    Editor: As Studios


    The reason for the uproar was that the backgrounds of the four excluded studypanions were not simple, and the people left behind were also quite subtle.


    Back then, when the studypanions for the Crown Prince were chosen, the aristocratic families upied three of the eight spots. Two were the grandsons of highly-ranked generals, and one was the eldest grandson of Junior Tutor Fang Zhiyuan. As for the remaining two, one was Rong Xuan¡¯s youngest son and the other was the youngest son of the new Minister of Revenue, Song Yan. Song Yan came from a poor family and was especially good at algebra. Previously, he had been doing odd jobs in the Ministry of Revenue. After Qi Xiuyuan transferred Zhang Cheng to the Ministry of Works, he promoted him. As such, it could be said that Song Yan had achieved sess overnight.


    As for the four chosen to remain, there was the eldest grandson of Junior Tutor Fang Zhiyuan¡ªFang Tong, Rong Xuan¡¯s youngest son¡ªRong Zhen, Song Yan¡¯s youngest son¡ªSong Qiao, and Grand Commandant Hua¡¯s eldest grandson¡ªHua Nan. None of the children from the three aristocratic families were asked to stay.


    Someone suggested that Rong Xuan was from an aristocratic family, and everyone couldn¡¯t help butugh at this joke.


    Hailing from a side branch of the Rong family, Rong Xuan had been ostracized by his stepmother since he was young. He had been thrown into the army and had never undergone the upbringing of an aristocratic family. Other than that faint bloodline, there was nothing about him that reminded others of aristocracy. His achievements today were not owing to his aristocratic bloodline, but because he had gone through thick and thin with Qi Xiuyuan and fought alongside him. Hence, one could overlook this.


    So, the Emperor still did not like aristocratic families?


    Was that why he took advantage of the incident at Upper Wood Park to remove all the studypanions from aristocratic families in one shot?


    Qi Xiuyuan did not let his subjects guess too much. He had spent money to hire them to work, not to guess his thoughts. If they had the time, they might as well think about how to improve the state of agriculture and water conservancy facilities in order to increase the country¡¯s ie.


    Therefore, he got someone to release what everyone had done at Upper Wood Park that day, as well as what he had said to the Empress. ¡°Although the young masters are still young and their characters can¡¯t be determined just based on this matter, one has to be careful since it concerns the Crown Prince and, by rtion, the foundation of the Great Qi Kingdom.


    ¡°The oldest among the eight, Lu Yan is the most talented and proud. Considering hees from an aristocratic family, I can tolerate his arrogance. If the Eldest Prince studies alongside him, it¡¯s fine that he benefits from his talent and air of pride. However, despite being aware of the identity of Prince Rong¡¯s young heir, he dared topose a poem to mock him in front of the Eldest Prince. This person is either arrogant enough to think that no one can understand his poem or has an unsavory character. No matter what, I won¡¯t allow the Eldest Prince to interact with him before he grows up and his temperament is set.<div>


    ¡°As for the two children of the Wang and Zheng families.¡± The Emperor shook his head slightly. ¡°The Wang family has always been on good terms with the Lu family, and Wang Yong grew up with Lu Yan. If he could¡¯ve interfered, the fight would not have happened after the Eldest Prince had already warned Lu Yan.¡±


    ¡°As for Zheng Quan.¡± The Emperor chuckled. ¡°Hua Nan is only four years old. Fang Zhiyuan has taught him the ¡®Three Character ssic¡¯ 18 times, but he still can¡¯t understand it. So how could he understand Lu Yan¡¯s impromptu poem? I don¡¯t care what conflicts the Lu family has with the Zheng family. Though he dared to make use of a child of my Qi family, I¡¯ll let him off on ount of Zheng Quan¡¯s young age. Next time, I won¡¯t show mercy. As for Hua Nan, although he¡¯s a little slow, he¡¯s still a pure and virtuous child. Thus, I will allow him to stay.¡±


    Fang Tong had always been the more mature one among the eight of them. At six years old, he was only two months younger than Lu Yan. Being the youngest child in his family, it was not easy for him to study with a group of children who were younger than him. Still, he deliberately acted like an adult to take care of them.


    When Lu Yan mocked Little Bear with a poem, he¡¯d shouted at him to stop. What really amused Qi Xiuyuan was that when Little Bear hit Lu Yan, he didn¡¯t ask Little Bear to stop. Instead, he rushed forward to help Little Bear suppress Lu Yan and said, ¡°Serves you right for bullying the younger kids. See, you¡¯re getting beaten up now huh? Don¡¯t bully the younger kids in the future¡­¡±


    This was also the reason why among the four studypanions, Qi Xiuyuan had chosen him first.


    Of course, Qi Xiuyuan kept this trivial detail to himself and didn¡¯t let word spread so as not to ruin the child¡¯s reputation. He only let it be known that Fang Tong had stopped Lu Yan immediately.


    Because of Rong Xuan and Qi Xiuyuan¡¯s close ties, Rong Zhen was often brought to the pce to y. He was one of Little Treasure¡¯s few ymates, so when Little Treasure rushed up to stop the fighting, he also rushed up. Although he was young, he could differentiate between his own people and others. While holding back Lu Yan and the others, he also helped Little Bear pinch Lu Yan. Hence, in the chaotic battle, he also suffered a fall.


    Song Qiao, on the other hand, was much more interesting. When this kid entered the pce, he had been instilled with the idea of being loyal to the Emperor by his father. Therefore, as soon as the fight started, he stood in front of Little Treasure. Seeing that Little Treasure was protecting Little Bear, he changed to blocking the fists for Little Bear. Therefore, among the eight of them, he was the most seriously injured despite not actively beating someone up.


    As for Dai Wei¡¯s grandson, Dai Jin, the reason for his exclusion was much simpler. Some people just want to watch the world burn, and this kid was one such person. At that time, when they fought, he¡¯d egged on from the side. After joining the chaotic battle, he¡¯d thrown out punches haphazardly, not even caring who he hit. If not for the fact that Song Qiao had shielded him with his body, Little Treasure would have taken a few punches from Dai Jin.


    Dai Wei was considered a fierce general when leading troops to war. He was also quite smart. Back then, he had used his connections to send his grandson to the pce to be the Eldest Prince¡¯s studypanion. Who knew that his grandson would be such a disappointment? It was an excellent opportunity to make a contribution, but it was thoroughly ruined by him.


    Qi Xiuyuan took this opportunity to confirm the number of studypanions for the prince in the future, so Dai Jin could only be eliminated.


    The moment Song Yan¡¯s youngest son was sent home, Song Yan went to settle scores with Dai Wei. The moment the Emperor announced that the number of studypanions would be re-determined, he¡¯d known that there was no hope for his grandson.


    Not to mention the Eldest Prince, even if he were to choose a studypanion for his own grandson, he would not pick someone who was so eager to see the world in chaos. Therefore, Dai Wei had nothing to refute against that. Still, he could not help but re at Grand Tutor Lu. He felt that if not for Lu Yan stirring up trouble, his grandson¡¯s hidden attribute might not have been discovered. Perhaps as time went by, he would have changed his ways.


    He had spent a lot of effort to get his grandson to be the Crown Prince¡¯s studypanion. Now, all his efforts had been in vain.


    No matter how unconvinced Grand Tutor Lu was, he had no choice but to give up with no one in the court supporting him. Even the students who had always respected him did not stand on his side.


    There was indeed a conflict of interests in the court, but this sentence of Qi Xiuyuan moved everyone. ¡°It involves the foundation of the Great Qi Kingdom, so we have to be careful.¡±


    Anyone who was a minister would want the country to be prosperous and aspired to leave their names in history. To achieve these two things, a wise ruler was the most important prerequisite.


    They would not allow people like Lu Yan and Zheng Quan to appear by the side of the future Crown Prince. Therefore, for the first time, they remained silent and supported the Emperor¡¯s choice of studypanions. This made Grand Tutor Lu¡¯s schemes fall through.


    It was only at this moment that he realized that this was Qi Haoran¡¯s greatest revenge on them. Unfortunately, the Emperor had something on him, rendering him powerless to resist. If he attacked Qi Haoran now, the Emperor would probably immediately punish him for visiting the Hall of Diligent Governance.<div>


    With the incident at Upper Wood Park, the Lu family¡¯s reputation plummeted. Once this matter erupted, the Emperor would likely take the opportunity to weaken the Lu family, just like how he¡¯d dealt with the Cui family.


    As the patriarch of the Lu family, Grand Tutor Lu did not dare to take the risk, so he remained silent.


    At this point, the incident at Upper Wood Park came to an end.


    However, as aristocratic families, the Lu family, the Wang family, and the Zheng family¡¯s reputation were affected to a certain extent. Moreover, cracks had appeared in the alliance that the three families had formed. The three familiesined to each other in private. Although they knew that the Emperor had ulterior motives for saying those words, what he said was the truth. The alliance between the three families had be the weakest because of their children. Although they did not be enemies, the alliance of the aristocratic families against the imperial power had be an empty formality.<div>


    The aristocratic families went their own way, and Qi Xiuyuan immediately felt much more rxed.

 Chapter 710: Encouraging

    Chapter 710: Encouraging


    Editor: As Studios


    After Qi Haoran emerged victorious from the Upper Wood Park incident, everyone was waiting for Qi Haoran toe out and show off (considering Qi Haoran¡¯s personality, people just assumed he¡¯d strut a few rounds in front of Grand Tutor Lu). However, Qi Haoran didn¡¯t show up for two consecutive days.


    Meanwhile, Grand Tutor Lu also took two consecutive days of sick leave and detained his son, Lu Jie, at home to prevent him from being osted and humiliated by Qi Haoran. However, when he heard that Qi Haoran did not even attend the court meeting, he could not help but be curious. After asking around, he found out that the Emperor had grounded Qi Haoran and made him stay at home to copy books.


    Grand Tutor Lu: ¡°I see. I was wondering why this fellow didn¡¯t appear. It turns out that he¡¯s been locked up.¡±


    Grand Tutor Lu went to court in relief. Lu Jie was like a bird out of its cage, wishing he could stay outside and not go home. Mrs. Lu cried until her eyes were about to go blind. Seeing Lu Jie show concern for their son, she thought this matter was finally over. s, when her son lost his status as the Eldest Prince¡¯s studypanion, her husband¡¯s old behavior returned.


    Oblivious to this, Qi Haoran was holding the pen in distress and feeling furious. ¡°I¡¯ve clearly copied it a hundred times, but Big Brother still refuses to let me leave the house. If he wants to lock me up, he could¡¯ve just said it. At most, I¡¯ll stay at home and teach Little Bear how to read. Why does he have to make me copy it again?¡±


    Fan Zijin was making tea. When he heard this, he didn¡¯t even raise his head and asked, ¡°Did you copy those hundred times yourself? Aren¡¯t you embarrassed to say it out loud? Eldest Cousin doesn¡¯t want to let you out because he¡¯s afraid that you wouldn¡¯t be able to control your temper and go against Grand Tutor Lu again. Eldest Cousin has already forced the Lu family to retreat so many steps. If you aggravate the Lu family again and identally anger Grand Tutor Lu, he might just fly into a rage out of humiliation and attack. At that time, even if we manage to suppress the Lu family, we¡¯ll definitely suffer some losses. My opinion is the same as Eldest Cousin¡¯s. Anyway, we have plenty of time. We just have to slowly endure it. One day, there will be no longer exist a distinction between aristocratic families and poor families in the bureaucracy.¡±


    Fan Zijin said with a smile, ¡°Anyway, you can take your time to copy. I think you¡¯ll be allowed to go out again when the Dali emissary delegation arrives. Since you¡¯re familiar with the Dali Crown Prince, the task of receiving the Dali envoy will most likely fall on you.¡±


    Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and asked, ¡°Where is the Dali envoy now?¡±


    Fan Zijin nced at him and said with a faint smile, ¡°I just received the news that they¡¯ve already passed through Nan¡¯an County.¡±


    Qi Haoran immediately threw away the brush in his hand and said happily, ¡°Since they passed through Nan¡¯an County the day before yesterday, even if they travel at the speed of snails, they should be here in two days. Even if I have invincible hands, I won¡¯t finish copying it a hundred times by then. In that case, forget it, I won¡¯t copy anymore.¡±<div>


    Fan Zijin¡¯s lips twitched. He knew that he would say that. In any case, Eldest Cousin¡¯s original intention was not for him to copy books. Instead, he wanted him to stay at home obediently and hide from the limelight. He had to keep a low profile, but he could not be so obviously perfunctory. It was easy to deal with Eldest Cousin, but it was not easy to fool the court officials. If others knew that he had not even submitted the copies, it would be inevitable for the imperial censors to impeach him for it.


    Hence, she reminded him, ¡°Did Eldest Cousin return all your copies?¡±


    Qi Haoran¡¯s eyes lit up. He stroked his chin and said, ¡°Then help me ask Big Brother if this will work. Tell him that Little Bear has been practicing how to speak for the past few days. Because I have to copy books, I don¡¯t even get to see the child for more than an hour every day. This was worse than when I was busiest in Qiannan in the past.¡± He sounded pitiful.


    Fan Zijin¡¯s lips twitched and he nodded in agreement.


    Qi Xiuyuan only replied with one word, ¡°Scram.¡±


    Still, Qi Haoran happily rolled off to y with Little Bear. He put together the five copies he had copied over the past two days with the five copies that Mu Yangling had copied and put them away. He nned to hand them in when the time came.


    Little Bear learned to speak very quickly. It was as if once he managed to get over his barrier of speaking, everything else followed naturally. Now, he could already eloquently speak in sentences. Although he could notpare to when Little Treasure was three years old back then, he was not inferior to an ordinary three-year-old child.


    Mu Yangling had always felt that it was fine as long as the child was healthy and happy. She was not counting on him to be a genius, but Qi Haoran felt that his son was already a genius.


    Where could they find another prodigy in the entire Great Qi who could fluently deliver long sentences in less than ten days after he first learned to speak?


    Especially since this prodigy had defeated four children older than him at the age of three.


    In order to show that his son was the only prodigy, Qi Haoran even waved his hand and called for a guard to exchange moves with Little Bear.


    The guards: ¡°¡­¡±


    Mu Yangling watched with interest. She also wanted to know how strong her son was now, but she was more inclined to experiment with inanimate objects, such as rocks.


    Seeing that the guard was frozen, Qi Haoran didn¡¯t want him to hit his son, so he turned to his son and said, ¡°Lift him up and throw him out.¡±


    Little Bear red at the guard and bounced to the top of his thigh. The guard looked down at him and the corners of his mouth twitched. Just as he was wondering if he should lie down and admit defeat, he saw the little prince grab his waist with his small hands and throw him out. Stunned, the guard subconsciously flipped in the air beforending steadily. He looked up at the little prince in astonishment.


    However, Little Bear pursed his lips and looked at his father unhappily. ¡°Too short.¡±


    Mu Yangling hurriedly said, ¡°You¡¯re not considered short. Look, you¡¯re taller than ordinary children. Brother Little Treasure is a year older than you, but look, he¡¯s a head shorter than you.¡±


    If it was any taller, Mu Yangling would suspect that Little Bear had Giant Syndrome.


    Qi Haoran was also very satisfied with his son¡¯s height. He picked him up and said seriously, ¡°You did throw him out, but he didn¡¯t fall to the ground. Do you know why?¡±<div>


    Little Bear shook his head in confusion.


    ¡°Because he knows qinggong and kung fu. Son, you have to remember that although you were born with great strength, it doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯re invincible. In this world, many innate shorings can be made up for through hard work. No matter how outstanding innate talent is, if you don¡¯t train subsequently, you¡¯ll fall behind others. At that time, your innate advantage won¡¯t be worth mentioning in front of those who catch up with their hard work.¡±


    Seeing that Little Bear only understood half of it, Qi Haoran pointed at Mu Yangling and said, ¡°For example, your mother and I. Your mother was born with divine strength and was even more powerful than you, but she didn¡¯t practice martial arts much after birth and only had a little internal energy. Meanwhile, your daddy has been practicing martial arts since he was young. Back when we were kids, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to defeat your mother. In our teens, we were evenly matched. But now, your mother can¡¯t defeat me at all. What do you think is the reason?¡±


    Little Bear¡¯s eyes lit up and he shouted, ¡°Because Daddy has been practicing martial arts.¡± Little Bear shouted excitedly, ¡°I want to practice martial arts too!¡±<div>


    Qi Haoran said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re my son, so of course you have to practice martial arts. However, martial arts isn¡¯t that easy to practice. Once you start, you can¡¯t stop and retreat.¡±


    Little Bear nodded repeatedly and looked at Qi Haoran with bright eyes, as if he could already see himself flying between the trees like his father.


    Qi Haoran stroked his head in satisfaction and said, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t we start immediately? From tomorrow onwards, you have to get up in the morning and do the horse stance to startying the foundation.¡±


    Mu Yangling hurriedly said, ¡°He¡¯s only three years old¡­¡±


    Qi Haoran said, ¡°I, too, started practicing martial arts when I was three years old. At that time, I didn¡¯t even have parents to supervise me and had to rely on my self-awareness. Didn¡¯t I still manage to practice on my own?¡±


    Qi Haoran rarely achieved anything because he rarely confirmed a goal. But once he confirmed his goal, he would persist until he reached his goal. His temperament had been like this ever since he was young. This was the benefit of being single-minded.


    Little Bear also patted his chest and promised his mother that he would definitely persevere. He was determined not to be afraid of hardship or exhaustion.


    Seeing how enthusiastic her husband and son were, Mu Yangling didn¡¯t want to dampen their enthusiasm, so she could only agree. Then, she expressed that she would provide logistical support, making sure they had enough soup, water, medicine, and things like that.

 Chapter 711: Envoy

    Chapter 711: Envoy


    Editor: As Studios


    On the first day of learning the horse stance, Little Bear hugged his mother¡¯s waist and cried when he came back at night. When he slept, he kept hugging his legs and crying in pain. Just as Mu Yangling felt that he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on, he got up early the next morning. As he cried, he put on his clothes and held his father¡¯s hand as they went to the martial arts hall.


    Mu Yangling¡¯s heart ached when she saw this. She almost couldn¡¯t help but ask the child to stay, but her heart ached for Qi Haoran.


    Now that Little Bear was practicing martial arts with Qi Haoran supervising and teaching him from the side, she was there to provide him with soup and water. Also, when he returned at night, she would personally soak him in a medicinal bath, and Qi Haoran would massage his legs. The two of them would coax the kid together.


    When Qi Haoran was at this age, only Fan Zijin, who was also a child, was by his side. When he was practicing martial arts, no one did these things for him.


    As for Madam Xia, Mu Yangling sighed. At that time, Madam Xia probably couldn¡¯t even take care of herself, so there was a limit to how much she could take care of the two children.


    Mu Yangling suddenly understood Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin¡¯s brotherhood, as well as Fan Zijin¡¯s attitude towards Madam Xia.


    If Fan Zijin had not grown up with Qi Haoran by his side, he might have clung tightly to his mother who cared for him. However, it was precisely because Qi Haoran was by his side that Madam Xia¡¯s waverings were ring and her care was cheap. If he were an ordinary child, he might not have cared or would not have detected it at all. However, Fan Zijin was too smart and matured too early. The conflict between him and Madam Xia had never erupted, but it had always existed, resulting in the current situation.


    Regardless, Fan Zijin still had his mother by his side. As for Qi Haoran, his mother was dead, and his father was like that. His elder brother could not even take care of himself¡­


    Just thinking about it made Mu Yangling¡¯s heart ache. Inparison, it seemed that her childhood had been pretty good. Although there were situations where she couldn¡¯t eat her fill and couldn¡¯t dress warmly, her father was responsible, her mother doted on her, and she had an obedient and cute younger brother¡­


    At the thought of this, Mu Yangling felt extremely blessed, making her feel that Qi Haoran looked even more pitiful.


    Therefore, when the father and son returned from practicing martial arts, they saw the starry-eyed and enthusiastic Mu Yangling.


    The dining table was filled with the father and son¡¯s favorite dishes and there was only one vegetarian dish. Qi Haoran held back his saliva and looked up at Mu Yangling. ¡°Ah Ling, if you have anything to say, just say it. Don¡¯t worry, no matter what happens, I won¡¯t me you.¡±


    Little Bear was much more direct. He forked a piece of the braised lion¡¯s head and ced it in his bowl, then looked up and said obediently, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m obedient. I¡¯m a good child.¡±


    After saying that, he stuffed the lion¡¯s head into his mouth and wolfed it down. As he ate, he made satisfied sounds. Qi Haoran really wanted to throw this kid out.


    Mu Yangling was still feeling sad, so she decided not to lower herself to Qi Haoran¡¯s level. As she smiled gently at Little Bear, she picked up some of Qi Haoran¡¯s favorite braised pork and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just feel that you¡¯ve worked hard recently, so I personally cooked a few dishes for you. Come and try them.¡±


    Qi Haoran hesitated. ¡°Are you really fine? Don¡¯t worry, no matter how much trouble you caused, I can settle it for you.¡±


    Mu Yangling couldn¡¯t help but re at him. ¡°I told you to eat, so eat. Why are you talking so much nonsense? I didn¡¯t cause trouble. My hands were just itchy and I merely wanted to cook, understand?¡±


    Relieved to be yelled at, Qi Haoran picked up his favorite dishes with ease and started eating.


    ¡°¡­¡± Mu Yangling had never known that Qi Haoran had masochistic tendencies. So it turned out she had to scold him to make him feel at ease.


    Just as Qi Haoran had predicted, the Dali envoys arrived outside the capital two dayster. They stopped at the ry station outside the city to rest and wait for the envoys from Great Qi to receive them.


    Qi Haoran was released. He took the books that he had copied previously and handed it over. Qi Xiuyuan flipped through it and knew that these were the copies that had been handed inst time. The corners of his lips twitched as he looked at his younger brother, who was seriously lowering his head and admitting his mistake, and ultimately did not say anything. He only threw the books aside and said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve interacted with the Crown Prince of Dali and have done him a favor, this time, you and the Tributary Affairs Bureau will receive him together. The Crown Prince will be conferred on the 12th of September. You can discuss with them if Consort Xian¡¯s conferment will be held before or after. The Empress and I have no objections as long as the two events are not too closely spaced.¡±


    Qi Haoran agreed.


    After some thought, Duan Siwen decided to set the time before the Crown Prince was conferred the title.


    All the feudal officials of the Great Qi returned to the capital to participate in the crowning ceremony. Compared to the conferment of the Crown Prince, Dali bing a vassal state appeared much lighter. After the crowning ceremony, they definitely had to return to their posts and could not stay to participate in Consort Xian¡¯s crowning ceremony.


    Since that was the case, it was better to set the time ahead. Even if it was to warm up the Crown Prince¡¯s conferment, it was better than being covered up by the grandness of the conferment of the Crown Prince.


    However, they definitely could not choose September. Duan Siwen thought for a moment and chose August 25th, which was just right, among the few auspicious dates sent by the Imperial Astronomer.


    In two days, it¡¯d be the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.


    Qi Haoran sent Dali and the others to the Tributary Affairs Bureau to settle down before leaving. Meanwhile, because the Dali envoys had entered the capital, there was a frenzy in the capital. Those whose attention had been ced upon Little Treasure and Little Bear previously all diverted their focus away.


    The position of the Eldest Prince¡¯s Crown Prince had long been secretly decided a year ago when the Emperor dyed the selection of consorts for his sake, thus people weren¡¯t much interested in that. What piqued people¡¯s interest was that there was a Virtuous Consort among the Dali envoys.


    Currently, there was only one Empress in the harem. As soon as this Virtuous Consort arrived, she broke the phenomenon of the Empress dominating the harem for more than a year. Though, it was yet unknown if she could change the situation of the Empress being solely favored by the Emperor.


    Hence, everyone set their sights on the Tributary Affairs Bureau. They really wanted to see this Virtuous Consort¡¯s appearance in advance.


    Those who were well-informed and quick-witted knew that Princess Consort Rong had once saved her and she had lived in the General¡¯s Residence in Qiannan for a long time. No one dared to ask Princess Consort Rong about it. (Mu Yangling was also baffled about this. All along she thought that she¡¯d always appeared gentle and generous to the outside world. Why was everyone so afraid of her? Mu Yangling felt that she had been implicated by Qi Haoran, and Qi Haoran¡¯s answer to this was to give her a smack to the back of her head.)


    Back to the topic, no one dared to ask Princess Consort Rong about it. Instead, they went to ask Little Madam Xia, who was also in Qiannan back then and lived right next door.


    Little Madam Xia had a good personality and could not bear to reject the visits of those who were older than her. However, she was pregnant and it was inevitable that she would be tired from entertaining guests. It had only been two days, but the fatigue was already apparent on her face. Furious to see this, Fan Zijin called the butler to close the door and refuse all guests.


    This way, they would inevitably offend someone. Coincidentally, Qi Haoran was around. He waved his hand nonchntly and said, ¡°Why go through that suffering? Just pack your things and move to my ce. Anyway, there¡¯s no one in your house to take charge of things. When Cousin-inw delivers, would you have to go back to look for Aunt? Let Ah Ling take care of her. Imperial Physician Wang lives at my ce, so you can be rest assured. It just so happens that Ah Ling has been very free recently. Royal Sister-inw is busy with the Mid-Autumn Night Banquet and Consort Xian¡¯s conferment, so she doesn¡¯t have the time to chat with Ah Ling. Just let Ah Ling apany your wife.¡±


    Fan Zijin looked at Nanny Xia with a deep gaze. Nanny Xia immediately knelt down and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go back and pack up now.¡±

 Chapter 712: Painstaking Efforts

    Chapter 712: Painstaking Efforts


    Editor: As Studios


    When Little Madam Xia heard this news, she heaved a huge sigh of relief. ¡°Those people can¡¯t be offended¡­¡±


    ¡°My wife, you¡¯re pregnant now. Even if the princess consortes, she won¡¯t me you if you say that you aren¡¯t able to entertain her. Moreover, you¡¯re higher in rank than those Lady of the Imperial Commands. The most important thing now is you and the baby in your stomach. There¡¯s no need to be afraid of offending others. If those people really get mad because of this, they¡¯ll be the ones who don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for them and don¡¯t know the ways of the world. Despite knowing that you¡¯re pregnant, they still rushed here like a swarm of bees. What they¡¯re after is simply a ce in the harem. Just look at those madams who visited¡ªwhich of those doesn¡¯t have one or two unbetrothed daughters of marriageable age?¡±


    Nanny Xia was the wet nurse assigned to Little Madam Xia by the Xia family. She had even served Old Master and Old Madam Xia before. After getting married and having children, Little Madam Xia happened to be born at the time. Being the only daughter in the three generations of the Xia family, Little Madam Xia was the apple of their eye. Hence, the steady and honest Nanny Xia was sent to Little Madam Xia¡¯s side to be a wet nurse.


    Perhaps it was because the Xia family sheltered her too much out of love,rgely keeping her at home and away from strangers. Or maybe it was because of her nature, Little Madam Xia was kind, innocent, and timid. Old Master and Old Madam were worried that she would suffer after getting married, so Old Madam passed all her dowry to Little Madam Xia.


    Old Master Xia and Old Madam Xia were so worried about her marriage that their hair turned white. They kept her with them until she turned 16 years old, when they finally set their sights on Fan Zijin.


    At that time, Fan Zijin¡¯s engagement had just been annulled by the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and was in low spirits. The Xia family had taken a fancy to Fan Zijin¡¯s character. Although he had some conflicts with his father, he was Madam Xia¡¯s only son. When his daughter married over, she only had to interact with her mother-inw and husband, not her father-inw.


    As for whether Fan Zijin would be an official or not, the Xia family did not care at all. They only wanted their daughter to be safe and happy for the rest of her life. Even if Fan Zijin did not be an official, their child would have a group of uncles to help her in the future.


    In order to let Little Madam Xia live better, they even sent Nanny Xia¡¯s family over to let Nanny Xia work beside Little Madam Xia in peace.


    One had to know that Nanny Xia was a servant of the Xia family. All five generations of Nanny Xia¡¯s ancestors had been serving in the Xia family and she was even given the surname Xia. Such a servant was the rarest and usually wouldn¡¯t be sent away to serve a married daughter. However, for this daughter, the Xia family readily parted out Nanny Xia¡¯s branch and even promised to grant Nanny Xia¡¯s son the identity of an ordinary civilian.


    Hence, no matter how tired Nanny Xia was, she had to n for Little Madam Xia. However, considering her age, how many more years could she stay by Little Madam Xia¡¯s side?


    In order to ensure that Little Madam Xia would have a stable life for the rest of her life, she had to work hard herself.


    That was because Fan Zijin¡¯s growth had exceeded the Xia family¡¯s expectations. They originally thought that Fan Zijin would be more dependent on his wife¡¯s family, the Xia family. However, who knew that after the new dynasty was established, Fan Zijin directly transformed from a jinshi with no official title to a Duke?


    Hence, Little Madam Xia could only rely on herself.


    Nanny Xia taught her in a low voice, ¡°Our master has grown up by the Emperor¡¯s side since he was 12 years old. He even grew up eating and living with Prince Rong. Anyone can see how close the three cousins are. It can be said that our Duke is His Majesty¡¯s most favored right-hand man other than Prince Rong. Other than the Empress and the Princess Consort Rong, you don¡¯t have to bow to any other woman in this world.¡±


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s your mother-inw, based on the Duke¡¯s attitude, it¡¯s fine as long as you don¡¯t do anything majorly wrong. Why tire yourself and your unborn child out?¡±


    Seeing that Little Madam Xia was deep in thought, Nanny Xia knew that she had heeded her words. She heaved a sigh of relief. She was not afraid that Little Madam Xia would not understand, but she was afraid that she would not listen. If Little Madam Xia did not understand, she could always borate it a few more times, and eventually she wouldprehend it. However, if Little Madam Xia refused to heed her words, there was nothing she could do even if she tried her best.


    Nanny Xia continued to teach her. ¡°I know that you and Princess Duan are good friends, but this is the capital and the Empress is your true rtive. Also, when His Majesty married the Empress back then, our master and Prince Rong organized the wedding banquet and escorted the betrothal gifts together. This rtionship is not inferior to your ties with Princess Duan. If you insist on going to the Tributary Affairs Bureau, wouldn¡¯t that be a p to the Empress¡¯s face? You¡¯ll also make the Empress resent our Duke. Why don¡¯t we wait a little longer? Princess Consort Rong has always been on good terms with the Empress, and this time, Prince Rong is Great Qi¡¯s envoy. As such, she will definitely go to the Tributary Affairs Bureau to see Princess Duan. When the timees, you can follow her and gift some things to Princess Duan. Then, you can clue her in on some news about the harem, and it will be considered the end of your rtionship.¡±


    ¡°Ah Ling will visit Yuqing?¡±


    ¡°She will.¡± Nanny Xia patted her handfortingly and said, ¡°Her Majesty is a virtuous person, so I¡¯m sure she will send Princess Consort Rong instead of just some random female official in order to show how much importance she ced on receiving Princess Duan. You just have to prepare the things for Princess Duan. Previously, I was worried that it¡¯d be a little deliberate for you to ask Princess Consort Rong to bring these things over. But now that the Duke wants you to stay in the Qi Residence, it all makes sense.¡±


    She continued, ¡°Prince Rong was the one who brought this up first. It¡¯s obvious how close he is to the Duke. You have to be more careful in the future and interact more with Princess Consort Rong.¡±


    Little Madam Xia nodded. ¡°Ah Ling has a good nature and I¡¯m rather fond of hanging out with her too.¡±


    Seeing that she was still acting like a little girl, Nanny Xia couldn¡¯t help but sigh. However, she was also somewhat d that although Princess Consort Rong looked rash, she was actually very meticulous and innocent. She would definitely be able to tell if someone¡¯s feelings towards her were sincere. Since Little Madam Xia treated her sincerely, Princess Consort Rong would naturally treat her sincerely in turn. It was better than having Little Madam Xia pretend to be friends with her.


    When Little Madam Xia moved to the Qi Residence, Mu Yangling arranged for her to stay in a courtyard in the East Manor. Because the Qi Residence was small, it took less than 15 minutes to go back and forth. It was very convenient.


    Those who still wanted to visit the Duke¡¯s Residence immediately felt choked as if they had swallowed two Chinese ounces of rice.


    Fan Zijin sneered and asked the butler to hint to them to look for those who had visited before. After some thought, those people also felt that the previous visitors should have obtained the news they wanted to hear and thus swarmed away.


    It was a pity that because of Nanny Xia¡¯s resistance and guidance, those visitors from before had not obtained any information of useful value from Little Madam Xia. They only knew that Princess Dali was gorgeous.


    Of course, a princess of a country wouldn¡¯t be ugly. That was as good as saying nothing.


    However, those who wanted to find out more did not believe that the previous visitors only got this information. Therefore, they tried their best to find out more, making those who visited previously feel tormented.


    Only then was Fan Zijin satisfied. With a wave of his hand, he let the butler take over the matter from then onwards.


    Fearful of Prince Rong and his wife, nobody dared to go to the Qi Residence to ask for information. Even Madam Xu and Little Madam Wu, who had once lived in the Qi Residence, did not dare toe to their door. Over the past year, although the Emperor had not done anything to them, he had neglected them greatly. Just this point alone made them live in fear. Naturally, they did not dare to court death by looking for Qi Haoran.


    One had to know that unlike the gentle Qi Xiuyuan, Qi Haoran had never hidden his disgust for them.


    Therefore,pared to the liveliness in the capital, the Qi Residence seemed to be at peace independent of the outside world. Just as Mu Yangling and Little Madam Xia were enjoying this peace and munching on melon seeds while watching the liveliness in the capital, Li Jinghua¡¯s imperial decree arrived at the Qi Residence.


    Li Jinghua asked Mu Yangling to visit Princess Dali, the future Virtuous Consort, on her behalf.


    Little Madam Xia¡¯s heart surged as she turned around excitedly to look at Nanny Xia. Seeing Nanny Xia standing behind her with a calm expression with her head lowered respectfully, Little Madam Xia¡¯s heart skipped a beat and she could not help but fall into a daze.


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