Chapter 56 056 The Man is in Love, the Woman is Determined

Meng Qingshan walked to Liufeng Garden and stopped at the entrance. A strange sense of timidity welled up in his heart. He breathed a long sigh of relief when he saw the maids coming and going in the corridor.

Liufeng Garden was his residence, adjacent to Dongwan Garden. His study was separated by a wall in front of it, and inside were artificial hills and rocks, rough trees and withered branches, cold and dull.

Inside the room, Jiang Zhao was crying and laughing, chattering away as if she wanted to recount everything that had happened in the past few months, from childhood to adulthood. Granny Sui was also chiming in and joining in the fun, keeping Qing Li's ears constantly busy.

Granny Qiu was somewhat uneasy because of Jiang An's matter. They were newcomers, and they never expected that there would be a traitor among them. Jiang Shui, who was as straightforward as Jiang Zhao, also stood aside with his hands at his sides.

Seeing this, Qingli summoned Granny Huaying and laid out the items she had bought on the street on the table. "Go and take a look, each of you choose one thing."

Jiang Zhao happily pulled Jiang Yue along to pick something out.

"If you don't go now, those two will pick them all, and then there won't be any left."

Having served Miss Hua for some time, Hua Ying knew that Miss was of the purest mind, so she bowed and thanked her, then led Qiu Mama and Jiang Shui over, where the group gathered around and discussed the matter enthusiastically.

Qingli's gloomy mood was lifted a bit, since it was Meng Qingshan's money after all, and she chose only high-quality and expensive items.

In the blink of an eye, he saw Meng Qingshan under the eaves, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, indicating that he was unhappy.

Qingli's feelings towards Meng's mother are complicated. Meng's mother is selfish and narrow-minded, and it is not easy for Qingli to make a living under her. In fact, Meng Qingshan is the same.

After the group picked out what they needed, they thanked each other with smiles and left the room. Meng Qingshan came in, looking listless and no longer the arrogant and imposing man he used to be.

Seeing this, Qingli suddenly chuckled. Even someone as decisive as Meng Qingshan found it quite troublesome to encounter someone like Meng's mother.

Meng Qingshan's face darkened. He had not gotten the information he wanted. He was young at the time and did not pay much attention to Qingli, whom he had brought back. However, he vaguely remembered that his mother had picked up the clothes and blankets that were wrapped around her and looked at them from left to right. For two days, she was very happy and kept talking to little Qingli as if she were a little god of wealth. Later, for some reason, she became anxious and stayed at home for many days.

Qingli was unaware of Meng Qingshan's thoughts and worries. The grudges of the past had been settled, and Meng's mother was no different from a stranger to her. After she returned to the Huang family, she would never see her again. Moreover, Meng Qingshan had sent her to the nunnery, giving her such peace and quiet. She did not want to think too much about it. In return for his kindness, she could tolerate Meng's mother a little for now.

She demanded of herself to be decisive in her actions, unaware that his subtle and pervasive methods caused her to lose her usual composure when it came to matters involving him.

Is there anything wrong here?

"Everything is in order, which is already very good." Qingli was not exaggerating. The housekeeper and Jiang Zhao and the others brought out all her belongings, from small items like needles and thread and paper to large items like jewelry and soft pillows, and arranged them all as they were originally. However, she always felt that Liufeng Garden seemed to be filled with his aura, which was strong and domineering.

"That's good. I still have to go to my shift. If there's anything, arrange for the housekeeper to take care of it."

Neither of them mentioned Meng's mother. Meng Qingshan didn't know what to say, and Qingli was unwilling to say anything.

In the palace office, Lu Yunye looked at Meng Qingshan, who had a displeased expression, coughed lightly, walked to his side, and said cautiously, "Today the court was lively. An official submitted a memorial to investigate the Crown Prince's injustice, but others refuted it, saying that the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners. His Majesty was furious and severely criticized the official who had stirred up the incident.

"The Minister of Works originally intended to take advantage of this gap to report on the Chuzhou dike issue and curry favor with the prince, but unexpectedly he shot himself in the foot. Now even officials from the Second Prince's camp have come out, saying that since the truth needs to be investigated, it would be better to send the Second Prince."

"The Second Prince looked terrified and helpless, but unfortunately, his usual performance was too good, and most of the officials in the court echoed his sentiments."

"His Majesty was thoroughly angered and said that the matter would be discussed later. Then, Censor Tang reported that the warhorses of the Stables had made great contributions in the Battle of Yunzhou and requested that the Stables be commended."

This winter was cold, but the Great Jin Dynasty was vast and rich in resources. Although the people suffered, the imperial court opened the granaries and distributed grain, which reduced the number of people freezing to death on the roads and prevented major unrest.

However, Yunzhou borders Beigu and Dadi. Beigu was previously peaceful, but Hugu King colluded with the vassal kings behind the scenes and was captured alive by Meng Qingshan at the beginning of the year. Emperor Mingkang suddenly realized that Dajin had fattened up Beigu. Emperor Mingkang was furious and beheaded Hugu King on the spot to vent his anger.

With no leader, the Beigu clan was embroiled in a power struggle, but the Hugu clan ultimately prevailed. The third Hugu king was much more stable, and thanks to his previous savings, even though the disaster was severe, he still used his silver to trade with the Great Jin Dynasty to buy grain and cotton. Emperor Mingkang angrily raised the price by 30%, but the king still accepted all the goods.

The third King of Hugu wrote to Emperor Mingkang, condemning his previous despicable actions and offering to exchange a hundred warhorses for five years of trade between Dajin and Beigu. He also offered beautiful women to show his sincerity.

Emperor Mingkang was overjoyed and had already scheduled to summon the envoy from Beigu in February of the following year. However, Da Di did not have such a large amount of wealth. Due to the continuous heavy snow, countless people and warhorses had died or been injured. They had no choice but to plunder the wealth of Yunzhou. Relying on the ferocity of their horses, they would leave after looting and never linger in battle.

The general guarding Yunzhou City was the Yan Yun Iron Guard trained by Meng Qingshan. He led his soldiers in a pursuit of Baili and recovered the valuables. In the past, the warhorses were weak and showed signs of fatigue after fifty li, but this time they were still strong after a hundred li, which was a clear improvement.

Emperor Mingkang also felt the same way and greatly rewarded the Horse Breeding Bureau. However, he changed his mind and directly decided to send the Fourth Prince to Chuzhou to oversee the work of pacifying the people and rebuilding the dikes.

The court fell silent; you could hear a pin drop. Emperor Mingkang was overjoyed at the sight.

The matter took many twists and turns, and ultimately it came to the attention of the usually unknown fourth prince. Everyone was mostly surprised, but no one had any other thoughts. This was because the fourth prince never got involved in politics and was nowhere to be seen in palace affairs. He seemed to be the prince that Emperor Mingkang disliked the most.

However, the second princess, who was born of the same mother, was the most favored by Emperor Mingkang. In comparison, it was speculated that the fourth prince was dull and unlikable. However, Emperor Mingkang seemed worried that things might change, so he immediately ordered a eunuch to go and deliver the decree. It was a done deal, and there was no point in them thinking about it anymore. Anyway, this matter would be troublesome whether it was handled well or badly.

Meng Qingshan responded in a low voice. Things were going more smoothly than he had imagined, and the support from the court officials for the Second Prince was beyond his expectations. However, the louder the support, the more Emperor Mingkang would resent it.

Emperor Mingkang did not realize that he was already old and how could he watch his sons fight each other? Besides, he had his own plans in mind.

Lu Yunye stared intently at Meng Qingshan, and seeing that his expression had returned to its coldness, he knew he wouldn't speak voluntarily, so he asked, "The Second Prince treats you with such courtesy, how come you..."

Don't you support the Second Prince?

Meng Qingshan pursed his lips slightly. The Second Prince was gentle and sincere, and he had a good impression of him. However, he had clearly seen that day that the Second Prince hesitated to save his life because of Shen Yongning's temptation of profit. But Qing Li had once saved his life, which made him think that the Second Prince might not be as kind as he appeared.

As for the Fourth Prince, he still had doubts. In his correspondence with the Yan Yun Iron Guards of Yunzhou, the Fourth Prince expressed great satisfaction with the warhorses. Comparing the two, the Fourth Prince was still more suitable.

As for Lord Tang, he was actually persuaded because Qing Li found Tang Yanqing.

Meng Qingshan simply said, "Rebuilding the dikes is a matter that benefits the people, and the Fourth Prince is the most suitable candidate."

"If this task is completed well, the Fourth Prince will no longer be able to be hidden away." Lu Yunye murmured. As for why the palace was subtly distancing itself from the Fourth Prince, he seemed to have no idea. He only saw that everyone was doing this, and that was how they protected themselves. But who started it first and who was in control was unclear.

"One day, everyone will have to rely on their own abilities."

Lu Yunye lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought. After a few moments, he looked up and said, "The Yan Yun Iron Guards have made great contributions in resisting the Great Di this time, and some people are already worried that you will rise to prominence."

"Feng Wuxiu?"

Lu Yunye was amazed by his quick thinking. "Because of Feng Yuchan's matter, he was quite depressed for a while, but when he heard about the war in Yunzhou, his spirits were lifted again."

"He has been kind to me, and as long as it's not excessive, all the credit belongs to him... Any more... I won't have a chance in the capital... I'll go back to Yunzhou then." Meng Qingshan's words were slightly dejected, making people's hearts sink.

Having spent many years in the palace, Lu Yunye was a shrewd man and quickly understood the meaning. However, considering that Qingli was a very proper person, she would always step back and keep her distance when he approached, while Meng Qingshan could approach her naturally, he felt that they must be mutually attracted, but it just wasn't the right time yet.

With the year-end approaching, the Imperial Guards were tasked with protecting the palace, a responsibility that could not be underestimated. The two made careful arrangements.

After receiving the imperial decree, the Fourth Prince, knowing the urgency of the situation, personally selected officials to accompany him from the Ministry of Works. He set off on a chosen day before the end of the year. When Consort Mu received the message, she sat blankly in her chair, her expression unreadable. However, in the days that followed, she had a poor appetite, and it was only when Yu Jue invited the Second Princess that she began to smile.

The Second Princess, Ling Shuyao, tried her best to talk about exciting things. Consort Mu found it interesting and ordered a maid to serve the Second Princess a bowl of snow pear and white fungus soup. Ling Shuyao's eyes became wet from the steam, and her throat was dry and itchy. Her mother had noticed.

On New Year's Eve, firecrackers went off in unison. Since leaving the mansion last time, Meng Qingshan had been on night duty in the palace.

Meng Qingshan was appointed commander of the Imperial Guards, a position of paramount importance. He could receive the emperor's orders and command millions of soldiers. Officials from all over the country would not let this opportunity pass by. The gifts and gifts received during the year-end season kept Qingli extremely busy.

Qingli ordered the steward to store all the festival gifts in her private treasury. However, since the gifts had been delivered, she wanted them returned. This angered Meng Qingshan. This was his residence, and it concerned his reputation in the court. He had thrown everything at her; how was she supposed to decide whether to send too much or too little? What if something went wrong?

Qingli had the steward bring the clothes and wrote a lengthy letter, detailing the wide-ranging nature of the matter and finally asking him to come up with a plan. It wasn't until evening that the steward returned to the mansion, slowly saying, "The general was busy and didn't even read the letter. He only said that the storeroom key was in your hands and asked you to handle it."

Qingli sulked for a while, then took the time to see her grandfather and talk about the situation in the palace. She received some guidance from her grandfather and made some adjustments as appropriate, so the matter was not completely wrong.

But she had genuine resentment towards Meng Qingshan. He was like a donkey. Back in Taiyuan, he had worked tirelessly for the gambling den. Most gamblers had a do-or-die mentality, and when it came to Meng Qingshan, they lost their temper and retaliated. He was often injured, which made her anxious and angry, but he didn't care. He put the silver in his pocket on the table and said, "The things that were crossed out last time can be bought back this time."

Even now that we're in Kyoto, it's still the same. Does the Imperial Guard's absence mean the sky will fall?

But looking at the warm and fragrant brocade curtains and the delicious food in the room, she felt guilty and sent people to deliver clean clothes from time to time, urging them to come back soon.