11. Severe drought in Northwest China, caused by corrupt officials.

Little Jinlan Yue slid off her mother's lap in a hurry, ran to her older brother with her short legs, and stretched out her short arms to protect him: "Daddy, don't scold big brother! Yue'er wanted to eat ice cream herself, and big brother gave Yue'er lots of delicious food and even fanned her!"

Her face flushed red with anxiety, and she tilted her head back, desperately trying to explain.

The Marquis of Beiding's gaze fell on his daughter's anxious expression, and his serious expression softened slightly.

Jin Qizhi looked at her younger sister's small figure, who was too young to even speak clearly, yet she stood in front of him without hesitation, and she was deeply moved.

"Moon, it's all my fault, you don't need to speak up for me," he said, moved.

Jiang Xiyue hugged her youngest daughter tightly, her heart aching: "Poor thing, should we call a doctor to take a look?"

"No need, no need!" Little Jinlanyue shook her head like a rattle-drum. Suddenly, she had a bright idea. She stood on tiptoe, grabbed a piece of pastry from the dining table, stuffed it into her mouth, and mumbled with puffed-out cheeks, "Yue'er can still eat pastries! Yue'er is perfectly fine!"

Her adorable appearance made everyone laugh.

Marquis Beiding coughed lightly, gesturing for his eldest son to rise: "Since Yue'er has pleaded for you, let it go this time. But you must be more careful in the future."

Jin Qizhi nodded solemnly, about to speak, when he saw the little dumpling holding a piece of pastry and sidling up to his leg: "Big brother, have some~"

Jiang Xiyue watched this scene with a gentle smile in her eyes: "Qizhi has indeed taken good care of Yue'er. Come, everyone, sit down and have your meal."

The second brother had already eagerly taken his seat: "Mom, can I play a little longer after dinner?"

Marquis Beiding slammed his hand on the table: "You child, you've already forgotten the pain after just being beaten?"

The second brother immediately backed down: "I...I was just thinking about it..."

Dinner was served in a warm and cozy family atmosphere.

After finishing his dinner, Jin Qizhi took his leave and returned to his study to read late into the night.

Jin Lizhi was also unwillingly dragged back to the study by the men sent by the Marquis of Beiding.

Jin Lanyue was held in Jiang Xiyue's arms and teased, while Bei Dinghou sat quietly to the side, looking at them with tender eyes.

"This summer is really hot," Jiang Xiyue exclaimed.

"Summer, so hot~" Jin Lanyue imitated, not forgetting to add her own creativity, "Iced bowls, ice cream, even without sugar it's delicious~"

"It's plum juice," her mother said, gently pinching her soft cheek. "I'll have the kitchen make you a bowl later."

"Thank you, Mommy~" Jin Lanyue pouted and kissed her mother on the cheek.

"So cute." Jiang Xiyue kissed her precious daughter and then gave her a nine-linked ring to play with.

Then, she looked at Marquis Beiding: "You seem to be in a bad mood these past two days? Is it because of Lizhi?"

"No," the Marquis of Beiding's expression gradually became serious, "it's because of the drought in the northwest, and the court is discussing the matter of disaster relief grain."

"What happened? Can you tell me?" Jiang Xiyue asked.

Jin Lanyue wanted to say something, but when she looked up at her mother and then at her father, she felt that they were talking about something very important, so she obediently shut her mouth and quietly lowered her head to play with her nine-linked rings.

"It's nothing more than corruption. The disaster relief grain is sent over, but after being exploited at every level, who knows how much will actually reach the disaster victims?" Marquis Beiding sighed heavily.

"Why don't we arrest the corrupt officials first?"

"If we arrest corrupt officials, it will definitely delay disaster relief efforts. Besides, corrupt officials aren't so easy to catch... Everyone is worried about this."

The two were at a loss and remained silent for a moment.

Just then—

"My lord, my lady, Grand Tutor Qu has arrived. He says he's here to see the young lady," a maidservant reported.

Jin Lanyue sat up with a start, and the nine-linked rings fell to the ground with a "clatter".

She hurriedly scurried into her mother's wide sleeves, saying, "Just tell her that Yue'er is sleeping!"

The stuffiness in the room vanished instantly, and the two of them burst out laughing at Jin Lanyue's performance.

"Yue'er hahaha Yue'er..." Jiang Xiyue watched her daughter struggling to hide herself, only covering her head and not her bottom. Her little bottom and two little legs were still outside, and she considered it a good hiding place if she only hid her head and upper body.

She laughed until her stomach hurt.

"Greetings, Lord Marquis and Madam." A clear voice rang out at the doorway, where Qu Zijin, dressed in a moon-white long robe, stood.

Upon hearing this voice, Jin Lanyue, who had been panting, suddenly found the strength to continue looking at Gu Yong.

The Marquis of Beiding chuckled as he rose to greet Qu Zijin, thoughtfully covering for his daughter: "Grand Tutor Qu has arrived. My wife and I were just discussing the drought in the Northwest. I wonder what Grand Tutor Qu's insights are?"

Qu Zijin's attention was indeed diverted. He frowned and said, "A bunch of parasites who hold positions without doing their jobs, bats that suck the blood of the people, they deserve to die! I hope His Majesty will punish them severely!"

“Yes,” the Marquis of Beiding nodded, “but it’s about the drought…”

Qu Zijin's expression was also somewhat dejected: "The people are innocent... but if we don't get rid of the corrupt officials, the people won't receive much disaster relief food. If we do get rid of the corrupt officials, the disaster relief team will be completely overhauled, which will inevitably delay the disaster relief efforts... You can't have your cake and eat it too. It seems that we can only feed those corrupt officials first and then get rid of the scourge. But at that time, most of those we can catch will be scapegoats."

"Yes, it's really annoying..."

Jin Lanyue, who was hiding in her mother's sleeve, suddenly froze for a moment.

Because she heard the system's aunt's voice—

[Task triggered]

A severe drought in the Northwest, coupled with the corruption of officials, has put civil and military officials in a dilemma. But you realize this is a golden opportunity.

Now you are infamous, and the only person by your side is Qu Zijin, who is also penniless.

[Think about it, if you could solve this problem, you could not only salvage your own reputation, but perhaps also help Qu Zijin return to the court.]

[If this works, and you succeed, you'll have connections in the imperial court.]

[Task: Find a solution to the problem and bring Qu Zijin back into the Emperor's sight.]

[Beep]

[This task has been detected as extremely difficult; the reward has been upgraded.]

[Reward: Panacea]

Jin Lanyue blinked her eyes.

She doesn't quite understand...

It seems really difficult.

She racked her brains and finally came up with a solution—let's just ignore it for now.

Because now, there are even more serious problems that she needs to face!

Qu Zijin, who considered it a "serious issue," chatted briefly with Marquis Beiding, and the two then composed themselves.

Qu Zijin glanced at Jin Lanyue, who was burying her head in the sand, and deliberately said, "I'm here today to give the teacher extra lessons."

Jin Lanyue hid her face in her sleeve, revealing a tearful expression.

I've been called out, there's no escaping it...

Little Jin Lanyue slowly peeked out, her big, dark eyes filled with reluctance: "Grand Tutor~ It's a day off today~"

She subtly reminded him.

Qu Zijin stepped forward and took out a scroll from his sleeve: "I've come here specifically for tutoring."

"Waaah..." The little dumpling immediately pouted, her eyes reddening instantly. "Yue'er is only three years old, and today is a day off..."

Qu Zijin remained unmoved, gently tapping the book cover with his slender fingers: "I'm here to help the teacher preview the third chapter of the Three Character Classic."

Little Jinlanyue rolled up her mother's sleeves to show her determination not to leave.

Her little face scrunched up, like a wronged little silkworm: "Then...then Yue'er wants to go to class tomorrow..."

"No, you should be studying hard and practicing diligently. Since you are so talented, how can you..." Qu Zijin started nagging again.

The Marquis of Beiding watched this scene with amusement and suddenly said, "How about... Grand Tutor Qu just leaves a few sets of papers for students to do?"

Before the words were even finished, the little dumpling had already jumped up: "Yue'er, I'll give you extra lessons right away!"

She'd rather study in advance!

Because previewing only requires speaking, and she already knows it.

But as for the test paper, she really has to write it herself...