Chapter 203: Rush
Editor: Atlas Studios
Qi Xiuyuan pushed open his door angrily and was shocked by Rong Ze. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
Rong Ze put down the book in his hand and said, “How can I sleep without concrete news? How is it? How’s the estimated production of corn?”
“It’s alright.” Qi Xiuyuan explained the general situation and said, “If we’re really sure that we can plant a second season, there will be a lot of seeds next year. I’m not sure about anything else, but at least the rations of the people and troops north of the Yangtze River shouldn’t be a problem.”
Only then did Rong Ze heave a sigh of relief. With a smile, he said, “That’s good. Otherwise, we’ll have to humbly beg for grains again.”
“I’m not afraid of that. I’m just afraid that even begging won’t help. For the sake of the soldiers under me, I’d have no choice but to do some outrageous things…” Qi Xiuyuan laughed self-deprecatingly. “By the way, I’ll get Zijin to follow you for this period of time. Order him around as much as you can. Get rid of the conceit in his bones first. I’ll send him to the Shen family in Jiangling later.”
Rong Ze raised his eyebrows. “Actually, Zijin is very smart.”
“He’s not the only smart person in this world. What’s the use of being smart if he doesn’t know how to conduct himself? His father isn’t a good person, and my aunt is focused on him. It’s inevitable that she’ll neglect Zijin. He and Haoran fooled around in Lin’an Prefecture and he has grown to be so scheming. Now that he’s under my charge, he has to change his ways.”
“In this world, if you don’t scheme against others, you’ll be schemed against.”
“Still, there are things that you can and cannot do. Even thieves have a moral code. This kid, on the other hand, does all sorts of things. If we don’t correct him while he’s young and before he makes a big mistake, he might cause serious trouble in the future.” Qi Xiuyuan originally wanted to say that since he could make use of anyone to scheme for benefits at such a young age, he would probably wreck havoc when he grew up. However, it occurred to him that this was a sensitive topic, so he changed his words at the last minute.
“Shen San was similar to him when he was young. Perhaps it will do him good to spend some time with Shen San,” Rong Ze suggested.
“No way.” Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand and said, “I’m afraid that he’ll become worse. Is Shen San doing well now? You’re just deceived by his facade. He looks bright and open on the surface, but who knows what he’s doing behind everyone’s backs. It’s the fifth daughter of the Shen family that I want Zijin to seek. She’s a forthright and generous girl with the meticulousness of a woman. Let him discuss business with her for a while.”
Thinking of his two younger brothers’ different personalities, Qi Xiuyuan had a headache. “Zijin is too smart, and Haoran is too stupid. If the two of them neutralize each other, I won’t have to worry so much.”
Rong Ze burst out laughing and said, “You should be content. I think they’re both not bad. It’s just that your expectations are too high. Haoran isn’t stupid. He’s just a little slow in reacting, but he’s upright and has a mind of his own. Most importantly, he only likes to train his troops and practice formations. As long as a person is focused on one thing, there’s nothing he can’t achieve. If I had two younger brothers who were so easy to deal with, I would wake up laughing.”
Qi Xiuyuan thought of Rong Ze’s brothers and felt that he was right.
In the end, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin did not dare to leave the study. They could only sit on the ground and wait for dawn. When they heard footsteps, Fan Zijin pushed Qi Haoran and hurriedly knelt down.
However, Qi Haoran fell to the ground and continued to sleep. Fan Zijin exclaimed and reached out to pinch his face. He said in a low voice, “Get up quickly! Eldest Cousin is here.”
Qi Haoran woke up quickly and hurriedly got up to kneel down. Fan Zijin tugged at him. “You’re kneeling in the wrong direction. Kneel inwards!”
The two of them had just knelt down properly when Qi Xiuyuan brought Mu Yangling in.
Last night, Mu Yangling had a good night’s sleep. After waking up, she sat cross-legged on the bed and practiced her internal strength without any progress. Then, she got up to eat breakfast.
She was surprised to see that only she and Qi Xiuyuan were at the dining table. Qi Xiuyuan smiled and said, “They’re in the study. I’ll bring you there after we’re done eating. You guys can go back together later.”
Mu Yangling stopped asking, but she also wondered if they had any homework to do. Unexpectedly, the moment she pushed open the door, she saw the two of them kneeling side by side with their backs facing them.
Mu Yangling looked at the candles that had burned to the roots on both sides and was secretly speechless. “Could they have been kneeling since last night? How pitiful!” She immediately lowered her head and pretended not to exist.
Qi Xiuyuan walked around them and sat behind the desk, before saying to the two of them, “Go back now. Zijin, move back today.”
Fan Zijin said in a low voice, “Eldest Cousin, I still have something to do in the 5th Division…” Fan Zijin did not dare to continue speaking under Qi Xiuyuan’s cold gaze.
Qi Xiuyuan said coldly, “Even if you have a mission assigned by the Jade Emperor in the 5th Division, you have to leave it aside. If you can’t follow your Brother Rong Ze and perform to my satisfaction, then you don’t have to go to Jiangling either. I’ll send you straight to Uncle’s place. Zijin, you know that I keep my word. Uncle isn’t as accommodating as me. If you return, you and Haoran can forget about meeting again in five to six years.”
Fan Zijin was discouraged. “Yes, I’ll go back and pack my things now.”
“Get lost. I get angry when I see you.”
Qi Haoran hurriedly got up and pulled Fan Zijin up. “Big Brother, we haven’t had breakfast yet.”
“I didn’t ask the kitchen to cook for you. Go out and eat.”
Qi Haoran’s mouth was wide open. Just as he was about to say something, Mu Yangling stepped forward and covered his mouth. Together with Fan Zijin, they carried him out.
After breaking free from them, Qi Haoran said, “Why didn’t you let me speak? He didn’t even let me eat breakfast. Am I still his younger brother?”
“Isn’t it just breakfast? Why would you upset the general over a few copper coins? You were beaten up last night, right?” Mu Yangling patted his chest with the back of her hand as she spoke. Qi Haoran responded with “Ouch!”.
Mu Yangling was so startled that she retracted her hand. “Did he beat you up for real?”
Fan Zijin glared at Mu Yangling. “You happened to hit his wound.”
Mu Yangling carefully looked at his expression and asked, “Shouldn’t he hit the back? Why did he hit your chest?” Mu Yangling pulled open his shirt and saw that it was bruised. She could even vaguely see a footprint.
Mu Yangling quickly fixed his clothes and said, “You have to rub it with medicinal wine. Otherwise, it’ll accumulate blood.”
Steward Zhu came over and said impartially, “Fourth Young Master, Young Master Zijin, Miss Mu, the horses have been prepared for you.”
Fan Zijin glared and shouted, “Dog slave, can’t you see that your master is injured? Hurry up and bring the medicinal wine over!”
Steward Zhu said awkwardly, “Well, Young Master Zijin, Eldest Young Master doesn’t want us to give you anything. He even said that Fourth Young Master will lose all his monthly allowance for the next three months.”
This was truly shocking to Qi Haoran. He widened his eyes and looked at Steward Zhu.
Fan Zijin was about to flare up at him when Mu Yangling kicked him, almost knocking him over. “Alright, we should attend to Qi Haoran’s injuries first. I have medicinal wine at home.” She pulled Qi Haoran away.
Fan Zijin could only glare fiercely at Steward Zhu.
“Will your medicinal wine be good? I still have some money on me. I’ll go to the pharmacy to buy a bottle.” Fan Zijin caught up with Mu Yangling.
Mu Yangling snorted and said, “Don’t look down on my family’s medicinal wine. The ones sold in the pharmacy aren’t even one-tenth as ours. Ours was brewed with tiger bones. It’s good stuff left behind by my great-grandfather. When they fled back then, other than silver, it was the second thing my father carried out.”