Chapter 148

Lin Shuge thought: A friend in need is a friend indeed. Who could have thought that your former loved ones would become the sharp blade that stabs you.

Xie Chen continued, "Lord Ruan escorted me out of the city under the pretext of going out of town for an emergency. He had a good relationship with the lieutenant who was guarding Yandu at the time. My family must have noticed something during that time, and my mother had already arranged a route for me, so I escaped from Yandu. When I just escaped from Yandu, I heard that the Ding family had passed on the order of the late emperor, that the Xie family intended to rebel, and the head of the family was executed in the palace. The rest of the Xie family refused to be arrested, so they were all killed."

His tone was heavy, with deep sorrow and hatred in his eyes. "I looked back and saw thick black smoke rising from the direction of the Xie family. Father, mother, brother, sister-in-law, everyone... I couldn't even collect their bodies." Xie Chen punched down fiercely.

"Zhongxuan," Lin Shuge held his hand, "the dead are gone, and we will eventually return."

Xie Chen liked him saying "we" very much, because it meant that he would no longer walk this road alone, there was someone who would accompany him and face it with him.

Xie Chen calmed down, "That guard was very smart, he took me all the way to the west. Longxi County was where my father used to run things, and many of his old subordinates were there, so I wanted to go there. But who knew that my father got into trouble, most of his loyal subordinates were dealt with, and those who stayed were also excluded. As for the others, I don't dare to bet on them anymore."

"Until one time, I didn't bring much money with me because of a sudden change in my family, and the money that my guard brought had been spent all along the way. I could only go to the street with him to do hard labor. Unexpectedly, a local official passed by, saw that I looked familiar, and asked me if my last name was Xie. Naturally, I denied it and made up a lie. Seeing that someone became suspicious, my guard and I immediately left the city and had to head to the northwest, but by mistake we were abducted by the Qiang people." Xie Chen seemed to be lost in his memories, and he was silent for a long time after he finished speaking.

The official must have recognized Xie Chen, but he did not expose him, so Xie Chen was able to leave the city safely.

"Zhongxuan, you have suffered." Lin Shuge sighed. When they first met, he saw him lying in the snow with serious injuries. He only said that he had escaped from the Qiang people and was so young. He was grateful for his difficult journey, but who knew that he had experienced such a storm along the way.

"It wasn't hard. Didn't I meet my brother later? It must be the spirits of my great grandfather and others in heaven who blessed me, otherwise, how could I have escaped death several times, and they even sent me to my brother." Xie Chen lowered his head and kissed him.

"Where is the guard? Is he okay?" Lin Shuge asked.

"It's okay. He was seriously injured while trying to save me. After he recovered, he followed the marks I left and found me. It was with his help that I was able to escape from the Qiang tribe. However, we acted separately at that time. When he contacted me again, I was already in the Eternal Tunnel." Xie Chen said while looking at Lin Shuge's face, fearing that he had any misunderstanding.

No wonder Xie Chen didn't see any guards when his life was clearly in danger. If he and the twins hadn't passed by there at the time, and he had a strong will to survive and called for help in time, who knows what the consequences would have been.

"Zhongxuan, what are you going to do in the future?" Lin Shuge leaned in his arms and looked up at him.

Xie Chen also lowered his head and looked at him. "The struggle for power in Yandu is becoming more and more intense. The Emperor's Party and the Ding's Party have both suffered losses in the battle. If we want to completely eradicate the Ding family, we must support the Emperor's Party and let the new emperor seize power, reorganize the government, and vindicate the Xie family." He looked at the sky outside with a dim look in his eyes.

"Then you must surrender to the new emperor. Zhongxuan, does the new emperor know that you are still alive?"

Xie Chen shook his head. “Before the matter is clear, I can’t expose myself at will. However, Lord Ruan is now the confidant of the new emperor. With him around, I will get in touch with him when necessary, and then I will do my best to help the new emperor eliminate Ding Yanhe.”

When Lin Shuge heard him say this, he knew that there must be someone like him in the court.

He was silent for a moment, turned around in his arms, and put his arms around his neck. "I will help you accumulate military merits and return to the court."

Xie Chen raised the corner of his lips and lowered his head to rub his forehead, "Brother, when I have avenged the Xie family, I will come back with you. I will be wherever you are." He kissed Lin Shuge's eyes lightly, and then went all the way down, swallowing Lin Shuge's answer into his stomach.

…

The autumn breeze brings a cool breeze, and the entire Qingquan County is busy with the autumn harvest. The yellow millet is plump, and the people of Qingquan are busy collecting the millet and drying it in the sun. Next to it is a large cotton field, and many people are picking cotton with cloth bags. The people avoid the small thorns on the flower buds and pick the cotton with their hands.

The white cotton looked like clouds in the sky. It was the first time for the people of Qingquan to see it. They were a little at a loss when holding it in their hands. But when they squeezed it gently, they found it soft and warm.

"No wonder Lord Lin asked everyone to plant it together. It turns out to be such a good thing. It is much firmer and softer than reed fluff. If we use cotton to make cotton-padded clothes and quilts, we will be so warm. It's a pity that I am too timid to plant it." A citizen picked up a ball of cotton and showed it to the person next to him.

"Who says it's not true? All the land my family has reclaimed is used to grow crops. Next year we must plant a few acres to make clothes for my family." The person next to him echoed.

The people around who heard the two people talking also became interested. They had never seen it before and did not dare to plant it, but now they have it in their hands. Such a good thing, they must plant a few more acres.

Some people were tying knots in cloth bags filled with cotton, and Mu Yuanzhou directed them to carry the filled bags to several rooms.

These rooms were makeshift factories with several cotton deseeding machines inside. Several women took out a handful of cotton from an open cloth bag next to them and placed it between two rotating rollers. Upon closer inspection, one can see that there is another wooden shaft placed above one of the rollers. The women turn the crank with their right hands, and the rollers connected to the crank turn accordingly. With their left hands, the women fill the cotton seeds between the rollers, and the cotton seeds are split into two. The cotton is brought out, and the hard and large cotton seeds are left behind. In this way, cotton and cotton seeds can be easily separated.

These women were picked by Mu Yuanzhou from nearby. When they saw him come in, several of them did not stop but just nodded at him. Mu Yuanzhou did not disturb them and asked them to put down the freshly picked cotton seeds and transport the cotton after the seeds were removed to another place.

After he left, several women began to speak, "Lord Mu looks kind, but I'm still a little afraid of him."

"What are you afraid of? You are not a person like Madam Zhang. You actually dared to steal and secretly took the cotton home. You even dared to make cotton shoes for your children to show off. Isn't it obvious that someone is arresting her?"

The lady who spoke had a hot temper and hated evil. Others knew this only because she had brought that lady to work with her. Who knew she was such a person? It made her lose face.

"After Lord Mu discovered that Madam Zhang, she was naturally driven out and received a severe punishment. If she hadn't begged hard, she might have been charged with theft." A lady interrupted.

"I heard that someone was caught picking cotton in the cotton field. He actually stole a whole bag and was caught by Lord Chen on the spot and sent to the county government. Lord Lin had said long ago that the cotton seeds harvested this year would be sold at a low price to the entire Qingquan County. Then every family would plant some and we wouldn't be afraid of the winter in the northwest. Who knew that person saw the good stuff and wanted to take it for himself."

Everyone nodded when they heard this, and their hands moved faster. They could earn ten cents a day working here, which was a considerable income for farmers. It was said that the weavers next door earned more, but who could blame them for having the skills?

The autumn wind was a bit strong. Lin Shuge got up and closed the window, listening to Lu Yuechuan chattering in his ear for a long time about how good his new quilt was.

Seeing that he was unmoved, Lu Yuechuan continued, "I sent some to Wei County. After my father received them, his tone in the letter he wrote back to me was much better. Sir, sir, are you listening to me?"

"I heard it, Achuan. You have stayed in Qingquan long enough. Have you ever thought about going back? I heard that the new governor of Wei County is an honest official, both civil and military, and his rule is extremely strict. Wei County is no longer the same as it used to be." Lin Shuge asked casually.

"What do you mean by this, sir? Could it be that you have found a new talent? Do you want me to move to another position?" Lu Yuechuan went over several suspects in his mind.

Humph, isn’t it just Mu Yuanzhou? Or was it Lu Fu, Chu Xu or Su Cheng?

Lin Shuge laughed, "Ah Chuan, why do you think so? I just asked you about your father when I heard you mention him. Besides, with your talent..."

"With my talent, it's not appropriate for me to be confined to this place, right? Your Excellency has said so much that my ears are callused. In my opinion, with your talent, isn't it even more inappropriate to be confined to this place?" Lu Yuechuan handed him something.

Lin Shuge took it and smiled helplessly, "What is this?"

"The official document from the prefectural governor's office came with a handwritten letter from Envoy Wei. The officer was about to give it to you just now, saying that it was delivered by the postman from the prefectural governor's office. But since you were not here, he gave it to me and asked me to pass it on to you immediately."

"Why didn't you give it to me just now?" Lin Shuge asked.

"You're just asking for cotton and potatoes again, and you're asking for too much. It makes me annoyed even for the adults." Lu Yuechuan curled his lips and rolled his eyes in a very ungraceful manner.

After the cotton grew, Lin Shuge naturally sent a copy to the county magistrate's office, and explained in detail the wonderful uses of cotton in the letter. As expected, when Envoy Wei saw it, he naturally wanted more. Lin Shuge could only make excuses in the letter that there were too few seeds this year and the harvest was not much. Envoy Wei didn't care about that. A higher-ranking official can crush a person, and letters flew to him one after another.

"Achuan, something happened." Lin Shuge handed the letter to Lu Yuechuan.

"What?" Lu Yuechuan quickly took the letter and read it quickly.

"There have been changes within the Xiongnu. Muye Chanyu has unified all the Xiongnu tribes and seems to be trying to spy on the border of our Great Yan. The Wei envoy has already sent an urgent document to the Yan capital, and the Duwei Mansion has already deployed troops on the border." Lin Shuge's face turned pale and he said in a deep voice.

"The purpose of this letter from Envoy Wei is to ask various counties to prepare food and fodder. Although the Duwei Mansion has always had military farms, if there is really a major war, there will definitely not be enough food and fodder. However, if Yandu issues an imperial decree, this is a major event related to the survival of the country, and with the Grand Minister of Agriculture co-ordinating it, there will naturally be enough food and fodder, and even some generals in the court should have to move." Lu Yuechuan analyzed.

"If we really want to fight, we have to make more preparations. These days, Ye Xing has been making weapons and armor, and Xiangligu has been improving gunpowder. Although Datou has gone to the Duwei Mansion, Zhongxuan's subordinates have already completed all the equipment. Ah Chuan, I will send someone to invite Zhongxuan over immediately."

Xie Chen was stationed here because he was afraid that the Qiang people who had returned to China would start another rebellion. If they fought with the Huns again, Xie Chen might be transferred to the front line.