Chapter 209 Fortunately I don’t know

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the imperial court sent new troops to guard the Lingnan border.

Yuan Chi led his army back to Chang'an to report.

At the same time, Murong Di and Qin Yuan set out from Chang'an and rode non-stop all the way to Black Bandit Mountain.

The west wind blew away the days on the road.

When the weather in Lingnan really cooled down, Murong Di and Qin Yuan came to Baiyun County again.

After settling down at the provincial government office and unloading his luggage, he went to Black Bandit Mountain in a low-key manner.

After almost a year, the changes in Black Bandit Mountain are obvious.

When they were there last year, Heishan Township had not yet been established. At that time, there were only a few villages with different surnames near Liangmin Village.

Now that Heishan Township has been established, there are more people, shops and houses.

A path has been cleared on the small mound at the entrance of Heishan Township to facilitate the transportation of supplies in and out.

Murong Di took a deep breath and felt that the wind here was sweet.

Hao Ren, Wu Yingniang and others who had received the news in advance were waiting for them at the foot of the mountain.

As soon as Murong Di got off the carriage, he stepped forward with a smile:

"Uncle and aunt."

Old Man Qin came out from behind, full of energy:

"Alas, the golden and silver nests in Chang'an are not as good as our mountain nests in Black Bandit Mountain."

Hao Ren and Wu Yingniang also had smiles in their eyes: "It's been a year since we last met, and Di'er has grown a bit taller. Old Qin must have worked hard in Chang'an."

"elder brother!"

“Grandpa Qin!”

Su Zhizhi and Xue Che came over and called for help.

Murong Di patted Su Zhizhi and Xue Che on the head: "You two have grown a bit taller."

Su Zhizhi and Xue Che walked on both sides of Murong Di, like Murong Di's little bodyguards.

"Brother, we are now Black Mountain Township. We have more people and food than before."

"Brother, have you heard about the Mi Po people coming?"

"We fought, we were so powerful..."

Su Zhizhi couldn't help but share her experiences during this period with Murong Di, and she couldn't stop talking.

Wu Yingniang: "You two, let Di'er rest for a while. Once he's rested, we can talk slowly while we eat."

Elder Zixuan came and looked at Old Man Qin and said:

"Huh? With your skills, you must have gained a lot in Chang'an."

Old Man Qin's eyebrows lit up with joy, and a shadow flew out of his hand: "Go on!"

Elder Zixuan twisted his fingers and found that what was flying towards him was not a plum blossom dart, but a bead.

It is a night-shining pearl.

Elder Zixuan: "Qin Jian, you are really lucky, using this bead as a hidden weapon."

Old Man Qin sneered: "Don't pretend, don't you like these things? I'll give you one as a reward for watching over my house."

"Who cares?" Elder Zixuan stuffed the beads into his sleeve with a look of disgust.

Old Man Qin saw that Elder Zixuan's long beard was gone:

"Where's your beard?"

Elder Zixuan: "I cut it. It makes me look younger."

Old Man Qin: "Well, it's a good cut. Don't cut it next time. It makes you look older."

Elder Zixuan drew his sword, and the two began to stretch their muscles again.

Qin Yuan went straight to find his grandfather Qin Xiao.

My grandfather is old and has lived in a remote mountain village for a year. He must miss home.

Maybe when he sees me, he will choke up and regret not going back to Beijing with me last year.

Qin Yuan searched the mountain for a while but didn't see anyone. Later, he asked around and walked towards the valley, where he found his grandfather wearing armor and training soldiers.

My grandfather stood on the command platform, with the command flag in his hand fluttering, looking very powerful.

Qin Yuan walked towards the command desk, put his hands behind his back, cleared his throat and said:

"Ahem, grandpa, here comes my grandson."

Qin Xiao turned his head and said, "My dear grandson, I'm busy training the troops. Please sit aside and wait for a while."

Qin Yuan: ...

Murong Di took a shower at Hao Ren's house and changed into clean clothes.

The clothes were brought from the cloth shop. There were some extra ready-made clothes in the shop, and Lu Chunniang found two sets of suitable sizes and sent them over.

Cotton clothes are soft and close-fitting.

Murong Di sat in the main house with a bowl of hot tea in front of him.

The air is filled with hot steam and the aroma of tea is refreshing.

When he was in the capital, there was always a string in his mind that was tense, but now he finally felt a sense of relaxation.

Hao Ren, Wu Yingniang, and Murong Di spoke together.

Su Zhizhi and Xue Che held their own small bamboo tubes filled with tea and sat on small stools to listen.

"...Mother has already known about the situation on my uncle's side, and has joined forces with Concubine Shu in the palace." Murong Di explained the situation in the capital one by one.

"I've been in Lingnan for at least three years, but unfortunately my uncle has to go to the capital."

Hao Ren placed his hand on Murong Di's shoulder:

"It is inevitable that I will return to the capital. You have come at the perfect time. I will leave Lingnan in your hands. Governor Gu, Magistrate Song, and the villagers will all work together with you to strengthen this place."

What Yuan Chi said that day was right. It would be impossible to win by just relying on a head-on confrontation.

Therefore, he had to return to Beijing and get closer to the imperial power step by step, but Lingnan was their backing and they could not give it up, so they needed someone to be there.

Murong Di came back to take over at this time, and the timing was just right.

Although Murong Di felt sorry, he understood what his uncle meant:

"I understand. We not only need people in the northwest and Lingnan, but also need people to enter the former dynasty and gain the trust of the emperor."

"With the protection of Governor Gu, County Magistrate Song, and the villagers, I am safe in Lingnan. I am also worried that my mother is alone in Chang'an. If you go to Chang'an, my mother will feel better."

Murong Di looked at Su Zhizhi and Xue Che and smiled:

"Last time, when Mother received the bracelet you made, she loved it so much that she wore it every day."

Su Zhizhi became excited when she heard it:

"I will make a lot of things. When I see my aunt, I will give her whatever she likes."

"Even if she wants the moon in the sky, I can give it to her."

Everyone in the room laughed when they heard this.

Murong Di asked, "Since I won't be able to see you guys anymore, can you pick up some nice rocks for me?"

Su Zhizhi: "No problem!"

Murong Di: "Go now?"

Su Zhizhi pulled Xue Che up and said, "Let's go now!"

Su Zhizhi and Xue Che went out to pick up stones.

Inside the house, Hao Ren said, "You sent them away, but is there anything you want to say?"

Murong Di: "There is one thing, and I'm afraid it will scare them both."

Murong Di then mentioned what he and his master had discovered when they went to the imperial tomb.

Hao Ren frowned when he heard this:

"Both the late emperor and Crown Prince Minghuai were poisoned?"

The late emperor passed away more than 20 years ago, and Hao Ren was only the same age as Su Zhizhi at that time.

Hao Ren remembered that at that time the late emperor and the crown prince had both passed away, the second prince was missing, and the late emperor had few descendants.

Excluding the princes who died young or were too young, only the third prince could succeed to the throne.

One day, my father came home and sighed, "The Third Prince is a far cry from the Crown Prince, but the country cannot be without a ruler for a day."

Not long after, Murong Yu ascended the throne as emperor.

"Several other toffees also showed signs of poisoning."

Murong Di thought,

"I was initially puzzled as to why, but later discovered that the poisoned concubines were all pregnant and came from prominent families."

Hao Ren: "Do you suspect the Queen Mother and Murong Yu were responsible? To prevent any heir from relying on their mother's family to seize power and the throne."

Murong Di nodded:

"I went to the palace and told my mother about this. My mother and Concubine Shu managed to find the old medical records from the Imperial Hospital. Those concubines had indeed been pregnant, but they all died in childbirth and the fetuses did not survive."

Hao Ren tapped his index finger on the table, his eyes solemn.

Wu Yingniang said, "It's a good thing you sent those two brats away. Otherwise, if Zhizhi heard about this, he would have buried himself and pretended to be dead again."

Hao Ren's eyes flashed with a smile, and he said softly, "It's a good thing you didn't hear it, otherwise you might have had a nightmare tonight."

Behind the mountain, beside the stream.

Every pebble was smooth and bright under the sunlight.

Su Zhizhi and Xue Che sat on a big rock, each holding a handful of small stones in their hands.

Kong Wu sat next to him with a basket of fish.

The three of them stared at Old Man Qin on the shore without blinking, concentrating intently.

Old Man Qin recounted the wonderful scenes of his journey around the capital:

"...The tomb was filled with night-shining pearls. They shone so brightly that they dazzled both of our eyes."

"Oh, you didn't see how black the bones of those who died of poison were..."

"The tomb of the former crown prince is so poor, tsk, so poor that it's hard to describe..."