Chapter 442: Chapter 417, Granting Her the Title of a County Princess_1
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“Where’s the hawk?”
After Xiao Yeyang finished writing the letter, he realized that the hawk used for delivering messages was missing.
Daohua: “After I caught those people from Brother Five, I immediately sent the hawk to deliver the message to you. Didn’t you receive it?”
Xiao Yeyang shook his head: “I didn’t receive it.” If he had, he would have definitely rushed back immediately.
Daohua frowned: “Could something have happened to the hawk?”
Xiao Yeyang fell silent, not saying anything.
The leader of the Wei clan would definitely not let the news about Uncle Emperor leak out, so that hawk was most probably dead.
Thinking about how Daohua always fed the hawk personally every time she came over and worried that she might be sad, Xiao Yeyang then said, “Perhaps it just got lost. No worries, I’ll bring you another one next time.”
Seeing the look of disappointment on Daohua’s face, Xiao Yeyang mentally added another grievance against Wei Qi.
Knocking Daohua unconscious and killing the hawk, he would demand retribution for both injustices in the future.
“Achoo!”
On the main road leading to Beijing, Wei Qi, riding his horse properly, suddenly sneezed, prompting Wu Jingyi to look over.
Wu Jingyi: “Leader Wei, you haven’t been looking well these past two days. Are you sick?”
Wei Qi shook his head: “No.”
Seeing the red veins in his eyes, Wu Jingyi said gravely, “Just hold on a little longer. You can rest once we get back to Beijing.”
Wei Qi nodded, remaining vigilant as he looked around, quickly escorting the carriage behind him.
…
The day after Xiao Yeyang arrived at Taohua Temple, Yan Wenkai and Wentao also returned.
Seeing the two men, who looked even worse than beggars, standing outside the manor gates, Daohua was slightly stunned.
If Brother Xiaoliu hadn’t informed her in advance that they were her third and fourth brothers, she might have hesitated to recognize them.
Xiao Yeyang, on the other hand, struggled to contain his laughter.
Listening to Daohua’s recount of how they captured Uncle Emperor and the others, he had anticipated that Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai would definitely be punished.
Governor Wu was not known for his soft-heartedness. After all, he once threw the heir to the Marquis Residence, who had offended him, into a coal kiln without a second word; by the time the heir was taken back, he had almost turned into a stick figure, taking half a year to recover.
With this in mind, Xiao Yeyang took a closer look at the expressions of Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai.
Seeing that their eyes were still relatively bright despite their disheveled appearance, he knew they were not seriously harmed.
Governor Wu had shown restraint after all.
“Third Brother, Fourth Brother…”
Daohua walked towards Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao but stopped after a few steps, not daring to approach any further.
The smell… was too overpowering!
She was tempted to retreat, but just then, Yan Wenkai said with a look of reproach, “Big sister, are you despising us?”
Seeing her fourth brother with his tear-stricken face blackened with soot, Daohua’s mouth twitched. Holding her breath, she replied with reluctance, “I’m not despising you.”
Yan Wenkai: “Then why don’t you come closer to us?”
“Don’t you have any self-awareness?”
Xiao Yeyang walked up beside Daohua and immediately felt the air thickening, barely holding back before swiftly pulling Daohua several meters back. Only when the unpleasant smell was no longer in his nose, did he stop.
“Lucky I didn’t eat much this morning, otherwise, I’d definitely vomit.”
Daohua had been fine until she heard that but suddenly felt a surge in her stomach and ran to the side to throw up, covering her mouth.
“Are you okay?”
Xiao Yeyang quickly followed her and helped pat her back.
“If you can’t stand it, don’t hold back. Why make yourself suffer?”
Then, looking back at Yan Wenkai and Wentao who were still standing motionless, “What are you doing standing there? Do you think you look glorious or smell enticing? Hurry up and go inside the manor to clean up; don’t embarrass yourselves.”
After speaking, he turned back to Daohua, continuing to pat her back, no longer paying attention to the two brothers.
Seeing that he couldn’t garner any sympathy from his sister, Yan Wenkai pursed his lips and followed Wentao into the manor.
After the two had left, Daohua stood up, took the warm water Wang Manman offered to rinse her mouth, and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief before she said, “Aren’t Brother Five’s people being too cruel?”
Xiao Yeyang replied with a faint smile, “It’s not too bad.”
Daohua then asked, “I was the one who knocked them out, and I was even thinking of pricking them with needles. Why didn’t they seek revenge on me?”
Xiao Yeyang said at once, “They wouldn’t dare! Alright, they’re gone now. Don’t think about them anymore.”
Daohua nodded and then asked, “But won’t they tattle on me in front of His Majesty?”
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Xiao Yeyang burst into laughter, “Why would they tattle on you?”
Daohua replied, “We found a gold mine, and the Emperor wants to reward me. What if they jump out and interfere?”
Xiao Yeyang fell silent for a moment, “That shouldn’t happen. My imperial uncle is a person who clearly distinguishes between rewards and punishments. He won’t be swayed by others’ provocations.”
Upon hearing this, Daohua’s heart was at ease.
Seeing Daohua really looked as though she was going to search for the gold mine, Xiao Yeyang tugged at her, “Ningmen Prefecture has three provinces and eighteen counties. Are you sure you want to search one by one? Will your family allow you to go out?”
Daohua fell silent for a moment, “I will explain it clearly to my family; they…”
Before Daohua could finish, Xiao Yeyang interrupted her, looking at her earnestly, “Daohua, remember this, you must not tell your family about the gold mine.”
Daohua, “But my third brother and fourth brother also know.”
Xiao Yeyang, “… I will talk to them later. The gold mine of Ningmen Prefecture is not known even to the Imperial Court. It is not advisable to create unnecessary complications at this time.”
Daohua nodded, “I won’t say anything, but how am I to leave the house?”
Xiao Yeyang thought for a moment and then smiled, “I’ll search for the gold mine. If I find it, I will report to my imperial uncle and say it was you who found it.”
Daohua was startled, then shook her head, “I can’t accept that. How could I take your credit?”
Xiao Yeyang smiled, “Do we really need to distinguish so clearly between you and me?” Seeing that Daohua wanted to argue, he swiftly changed the subject, “Let’s go, let’s go inside and see if your two brothers are ready.”
After speaking, he led the way to the main gate.
Daohua stood in place, watching Xiao Yeyang’s departing back. After a while, she followed him.
…
Beijing Suburbs Palace.
Seeing the fifth brother brought back Grand Eunuch An and others, King Rui immediately thanked heaven and earth repeatedly, then smiled like Maitreya Buddha as he went to greet them.
“Imperial brother, you’ve finally returned. If you were two days later, your servant brother wouldn’t have been able to hold on.”
Upon observing King Rui, the fifth brother noticed that even his double chin had almost disappeared. He patted him on the shoulder, “You’ve worked hard.” After speaking, without waiting for King Rui to respond, he quickly strode towards the main hall.
King Rui trotted to catch up, talking as he walked, “During this time, the Minister of War kept pressing me daily for silver. Where am I supposed to get it from?”
The fifth brother kept walking, “Hasn’t this year’s tax silver been reported by the Ministry of Revenue yet?”
King Rui made a face, “Not yet. I’ve also been pressing them every day, but there’s no movement from the Ministry of Revenue.”
The fifth brother’s expression turned cold, “Some people need to be moved from their positions.”
Upon hearing this, King Rui trembled in his heart, not daring to speak, and after a moment of silence, he pulled out a letter from his sleeve, “This is the letter I just received this morning, written by Yangyang.”
At that moment, the fifth brother, now in the main hall, received the letter, “This kid sure is fast.” Saying so, he sat on the imperial chair in the center of the hall and quickly opened the letter to read.
King Rui glanced at Wei Qi and the others with weathered faces, feeling fortunate in his heart that he hadn’t followed them out this time. Although staying in Beijing meant facing all sorts of demons and monsters, at least he didn’t have to physically exhaust himself traveling back and forth.
King Rui looked down at his somewhat loose clothes and deflated belly, sighed deeply. This past month had truly exhausted him. Now that his imperial brother was back, it was time for him to return home for some rest and recovery.
“Humph!”
Suddenly, a cold snort sounded in the main hall.
King Rui and the others immediately felt a tightness in their chests.
The fifth brother, who was the current Emperor, didn’t look very pleased as he flung the letter onto the table.
King Rui lifted his head, and tentatively asked, “Imperial brother, what did Yangyang write in the letter?”
The Emperor looked at King Rui and the others, “Yangyang also discovered that the Jiang Family is searching for gold mines, and he mentioned that recently, the Jiang Family has intensified their search efforts.”
Hearing this, King Rui and the others bowed their heads, not daring to speak.
The Emperor picked up the letter on the table again, and upon reaching the final paragraph, he said with a half-smile, “That girl is really persistent about the county princess title.”
Seeing that the Emperor’s mood seemed to improve slightly, King Rui immediately smiled and asked, “Imperial brother, who are you talking about?”
The Emperor glanced at him, “A bold girl who won’t shoot the hawk until she sees the rabbit.”
Yang Chenghua cast a glance at the Emperor’s expression and, seeing no rejection, stepped forward, “Your Majesty, if she truly finds a gold mine, conferring a county princess title is both reasonable and just.”
Wu Jingyi said speechlessly, “The Imperial Guards didn’t find it after such a large effort, and you really expect it from a mere girl?”
Yang Chenghua smiled, “In this world, there’s always a possibility. Since she’s enlisted the help of the Little Prince to plead for her reward, why not give her a chance?”
The Emperor was silent for a while, “Chenghua is right. If by chance she really finds a gold mine, I will grant her the title of a county princess.”
Yang Chenghua’s mouth twitched slightly; he wasn’t surprised by the Emperor’s agreement.
From the journey back, he could tell that the Emperor felt quite guilty towards the two old people in Taohua Temple and definitely wanted to offer them some compensation.
But the identities of the two elders were too special, they couldn’t be acknowledged publicly. Hence, making up to that young girl would also bring some consolation to the two elders.
Of course, expecting the young girl to find a gold mine was only an excuse.
Searching for something like that would clearly require a huge investment of manpower, and they certainly wouldn’t be naïve enough to depend on a young girl.
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