Chapter 436: Inquiry
Editor: Atlas Studios
“Fourth Young Master, you’re finally back. Someone from the palace wants to see you.” Qi Haoran and the others had just alighted from the carriage when they were stopped by the steward.
Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling looked at each other and said, “You and Sister-in-law go back first. I’ll go take a look.”
Mu Yangling nodded and watched him leave worriedly. Li Jinghua patted her hand and said, “It’s fine. Let’s go back and wait for news.”
Mu Yangling helped Li Jinghua back to Zhaode Hall. Qi Haoran returned very quickly and said, “The palace has sent a message. The three of us will go to the palace tomorrow.”
“Why?” Mu Yangling was puzzled.
“Big Brother requested a conferment for Sister-in-law. Maybe the palace is just inviting Sister-in-law, and the two of us are just accompanying her.”
Li Jinghua’s eyes lit up and she asked excitedly, “Your Big Brother is going to request for me a title?”
Qi Haoran grinned. “Yes, the madam of a Grade 2 official. Once you get conferred with the title, no one in our family will be able to bully you in the future.”
Li Jinghua pursed her lips and smiled. Her eyes were sparkling as she said, “Fourth Brother seems to be saying that I’m going to bully others after receiving the title.”
“Sister-in-law, you can bully whoever if you want.” Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, “As long as you don’t bully Ah Ling.”
Li Jinghua could not help but laugh. She looked at Mu Yangling teasingly and saw that Mu Yangling was also grinning. There was no shyness on her face. Li Jinghua could only shake her head and smile.
When Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling returned hand in hand, he said, “Why don’t I request a conferment for you too? I’m a fourth-grade official, which makes you a reverent lady.” The more Qi Haoran spoke, the happier he became. “Madam Wu is also just a reverent lady. Once you’re conferred the title, she’ll just be an elder in name.”
The more Qi Haoran spoke, the more he felt that the title was a good thing. Hence, after returning, he laid on the table and began to write a memorial. He decided to bring it along when they went to see the Emperor tomorrow.
Mu Yangling propped her chin on her hand and watched him write, filled with admiration. “I’ve read as many books as you. But why can’t I write in such a tone?”
Qi Haoran said proudly, “You only read every book once. How can you compare to me? I still have to write strategies and do my homework.”
After he finished writing the memorial, they chatted happily for a while before going to bed. Qi Haoran hugged Mu Yangling and rubbed her body as he said regretfully, “You have to recover quickly.”
Mu Yangling pinched him. “Don’t think about such nonsense. Do you think the Emperor will pick on me tomorrow? What if I can’t control my temper?”
“I’ve already thought of it for you. Just pretend to be gentle and smile with your head lowered. Just let Sister-in-law answer the questions for you.”
Mu Yangling thought about it and agreed. She fell asleep without worry, but things were often out of one’s control. Who knew that the main character of this summons was not Li Jinghua, but Mu Yangling?
Or rather, it was Qi Xiuyuan, who was far away in the Jingzhao Prefecture.
Through the news sent back by the secret guards and a thorough analysis of the palace banquet, the Emperor thought that Mu Yangling was just silly and bold.
Otherwise, why would she say those words at the palace banquet, then fall sick from fear after leaving the palace?
There was no doubt that when the doctor took Mu Yangling’s pulse, he said that she had caught a cold and suffered a fright. Everyone subconsciously ignored the ‘catching a cold’ part because it was too ordinary a reason. Be it the Emperor or the ministers, they all attributed Mu Yangling’s illness to fear.
Hence, the outsiders who heard the rumor all misunderstood.
Some people were usually timid, but when they needed to stand up for something they felt strongly for, they could display powerful combative prowess. However, once they got what they wanted to preserve, they would immediately return to their original state.
The Emperor was still unsure of Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua’s personalities, but he was certain he knew what Qi Haoran was like. Although he looked carefree, the Emperor could not get anything out of him even after spending a long time. Hence, he could only target the women.
General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan were both in the north. The two of them had a close relationship and controlled more than 300,000 troops. These 300,000 soldiers were all elite soldiers who had witnessed bloodshed, making them more than twice as strong as the soldiers raised in the south.
It could be said that their 300,000 soldiers was equivalent to the south’s 600,000 soldiers. How could the Emperor be at ease? He could not even sleep well with that knowledge.
After the three of them entered the palace, they separated. Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua went to the Empress, while Qi Haoran was brought to see the Emperor.
The Empress was very gentle. As soon as the duo knelt down, she asked them to get up. Then, the three of them sat together and chatted. The Empress indirectly asked Li Jinghua about the Jingzhao Prefecture. Li Jinghua answered flawlessly. When it came to military affairs, she only shook her head in confusion, saying the women usually did not interfere in what happened outside. The Empress could not ask even if she wanted to.
The Empress felt a little helpless. It seemed that Li Jinghua was indeed taught by an aristocratic family. Although she was young and did not know much, she was not much inferior to the daughters of an aristocratic family who grew up in the capital.
The Empress turned her gaze to Mu Yangling. Her heart skipped a beat, and she asked with a smile, “I remember Assistant Commander Qi saying that you saved him in the forest. Why did you go to such a place?”
Mu Yangling looked up at Li Jinghua, and the latter replied with a smile, “Your Highness, Fourth Sister-in-law’s family used to be hunters, so she often followed her father into the mountains to hunt.”
The Empress’s smile faded slightly as she asked again, “How long have you known Assistant Commander Qi?”
Li Jinghua observed the Empress’s expression and understood what she meant. She could not help but sigh slightly and look at Mu Yangling. Her eyes darted around almost imperceptibly, and Mu Yangling knew that she was asking her to deal with it.
These questions didn’t seem to involve anything confidential, so Mu Yangling answered with a smile.
Towards the end, as the questions deepened, Mu Yangling smiled brightly and told the Empress that there were now six divisions in the West Camp with more than 100,000 people. The income from grains was barely enough to feed them. Mu Yangling said in distress, “Originally, the grain harvests in Jingzhao Prefecture and Hanzhong Prefecture were not bad, but Xingzhou Prefecture had been drought-stricken. Those military households couldn’t even support themselves, let alone hand over the military rations. Big Brother Qi couldn’t leave them alone and could only transfer the military rations from Hanzhong Prefecture and Jingzhao Prefecture. This made Brother Haoran’s heart ache for a few days.”
Finally, some useful information! The Empress ignored Li Jinghua, who was gradually becoming nervous, and asked with a smile, “If there’s not enough grains, can’t we just buy them with money? Isn’t Tongchuan Prefecture below Xingzhou Prefecture? That’s always been a land of abundance, and the production of grains is quite high.”
Mu Yangling pursed her lips and said, “Now, Tongchuan Prefecture can’t even compare to Jingzhao Prefecture.”
Stunned, the Empress asked, “How can that be?”
“Why not? A few years ago, the rebellion in Tongchuan Prefecture had just ended. Although the rain last year was fine, so many refugees were not settled down and no one farmed. No matter how fertile the land was, what was the use of having rainwater when no one was farming it?”
The Empress really did not know about this. Wasn’t this the government affairs of the previous dynasty? How did Mu Yangling know?
“Did Assistant Commander Qi tell you these too?”
“There’s no need for him to say it. Everyone knows.” Mu Yangling said matter-of-factly, “The refugees always migrate here and there. There are also refugees from Tongchuan Prefecture in Xingzhou Prefecture. We heard this from them.”
“Is it that simple?” The Empress murmured.
Mu Yangling asked curiously, “How complicated can it be?”
The Empress smiled and said, “Even if Tongchuan Prefecture won’t do, as long as you have money, there will always be grain merchants willing to sell grains to you. This way, you won’t have to live so tight.”
Mu Yangling shook her head and said, “They don’t have money, but they do have a lot of jewelry.”