Chapter 189 [VIP]

Around noon, Li sent someone to call Lin Qiu, Cao Kun, and Old Madam Cao over so the whole family could sit down and have a meal together.

After the meal, the elders sat together and chatted, while the younger generation, while coaxing the children, also sat together and started talking.

Liu Changyi asked, "Brother-in-law, how's business at the shop lately?"

"It's alright. There's a lot more work than when I was in the county town. I plan to hire a few more workers after the New Year."

"That's really good. The people who came to cause you trouble last time haven't come back, have they?"

"No, Sui'er went to the military camp and scared those people so much that they never dared to come back."

This story begins in October. The person who came to cause trouble was Xue Wang, the brother-in-law of Zhao Tongpan, who had previously intercepted Er Shun.

This man had been committing all sorts of evil deeds in Jizhou Prefecture. When he saw that Cao Kun and his group were newcomers, he went over to ask for favors. The first time, Cao Kun gave him thirty strings of cash, thinking that he could avoid trouble by spending money.

Unexpectedly, this person came to ask for money again after only half a month, saying that he would have to hand over fifty strings of cash every month as a reward for patrolling.

Cao Kun knew he had run into a local bully. He didn't dare to provoke him and made an excuse that he was short of money and would give him the money in a few days.

After finally managing to coax the person away, he immediately told Lin Qiu about it when he got home. Given their status, they certainly wouldn't be able to get away peacefully without help. They had come all the way from the county town; they couldn't just go home in disgrace after failing to make a deal.

The next day, Lin Qiu went to find his younger brother to discuss the matter. The two first went to the Liu family to ask Liu Changyi for help, since he was now working in the government office and should be able to handle the matter.

Upon hearing that it was Xue Wang, Liu Changyi frowned. His father's relationship with Zhao Tongpan was not particularly good. "I'll go back and speak to him for you first, but this man is notoriously unreasonable, so it's not certain that we can persuade him. If that doesn't work, we'll think of another way."

Lin Sui said, "Then I'll go to the military camp again."

"Okay, let's work together on both sides and try to resolve this matter as soon as possible."

Lin Sui and Lin Qiu went to the military camp and found General Zheng, who had helped him before. Upon hearing this, Zheng Guang immediately sent someone to find Xue Wang. With the help of Marquis Wuping, Xue Wang dared not act recklessly no matter how angry he was, and he never dared to come and collect money again after that.

When the topic of the military camp came up, Qingyun said, "Last time I heard that my elder brother and sister-in-law sent a letter saying that the Marquis had made great contributions, but they didn't know when he would be able to return."

Lin Qiu also said, "Yes, we should set a wedding date when we get back. We can't keep putting it off like this." After the New Year, his younger brother will be eighteen years old. He has already been divorced once. If he gets any older, he might not be able to find a decent partner.

"I suppose... the border war is busy, and the Marquis is too busy to find the time. If he has time, he will definitely write back. Brother and Sister Yun don't need to worry."

"How could I not be worried? You've been raising Wu Pinghou's child without any clear explanation. You were heartbroken when the news of his death in battle broke. Now that he's alive, you should write back to let us know!"

"It's alright, big brother, don't worry about it..."

Lin Qiu felt angry when she saw him like this. Her younger brother had been bullied by the Huang family before because of his introverted personality, and now he was like this again.

"If the Marquis never returns, are you going to wait with Qing'er for the rest of your life?"

Seeing that he was angry, Qingyun quickly stepped forward to mediate, "Cousin, don't be anxious, let's talk things out slowly. Besides, this matter is not up to Sui'er to decide. It's good that the Marquis is alright. Perhaps he will come back after the New Year."

Lin Qiu sighed, "Never mind, you've always been decisive since you were little, neither your mother nor I can persuade you otherwise. But you should decide this marriage yourself..."

It was getting late, so Lin Qiu called Cao Kun and the child to go home. Cao's mother and Chen Rong also went home together. Now the two of them lived with Lin Qiu and the others, so they could keep each other company.

After seeing the man off, Lin Sui returned to his bedroom and took out the jade pendant that the Marquis had given him from the box. The war at the border was over, so why hadn't he sent a letter back yet?

*

It wasn't that Li Mu didn't want to go back, but there were simply too many things to deal with at the border, and he couldn't finish them all in a short time.

The dead soldiers need compensation, the wounded soldiers need treatment, and the loss of weapons and warhorses also needs to be recorded.

Although this great battle drove the Turks back to Zhiluntai, Xizhou was still under their control, like tigers and wolves beside their bed, so they dared not be careless in the slightest.

Li Mu personally led the patrol every day, fearing a counterattack from the enemy.

As the year drew to a close, the imperial decree finally arrived, bestowing upon him the rewards he had received. He had originally thought the emperor would transfer him back to Jizhou, but to his surprise, the decree appointed him to take over General Zhao Yi's post and guard the border.

He was filled with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow. The promotion to Marquis was naturally a happy event, but he had not seen his daughter for almost a year, and after being stationed at the border, he had no chance to go home.

The border region is bitterly cold, and he was reluctant to let Qing'er and Lin Sui come over, but he couldn't keep them here any longer. He was in a dilemma.

These past few days, the soldiers under his command had seen the general's somber expression and thought the Turks were about to make trouble again. They were all terrified and patrolled diligently every day, ready for battle.

After struggling with this for seven or eight days without any results, he had no choice but to call Lang Qianping over that night.

"Old man, how long do you think I'll be stationed at the border by the Emperor?"

"How would I know? But General Zhao has been stationed here for seventeen years. I reckon you're young, so it must have been at least twenty years."

"Tsk!" Li Mu angrily raised his hand and punched him.

"Hey, why did the general hit me?"

"You really know how to rub salt in the wound. If I really stay on the border for ten or twenty years, I guess I'll have to send a message back to Jizhou and tell that young man from the Lin family to hurry up and find a suitable wife, and not wait for me..."

Upon hearing this, the strategist Lang realized why the general had looked so unwell these past few days and quickly said, "This is not right. The general and that young man from the Lin family have already been engaged. If it weren't for the war, they would already be family. Now that the engagement has been broken, how can he remarry?"

"But if I don't break the contract, I can't go back. Wouldn't that just delay my return?"

"Just call him over."

"The border region is bitterly cold, and we don't even know if he...would be willing..."

"Write a letter to ask him. If he's willing to come, send someone to pick him up. If he's not willing to come, there's nothing we can do but break off the engagement."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu realized it made sense and quickly picked up his pen to write a letter, saying, "Alright, alright, you can go back now."

Lang Qianping scratched his head, stood up and laughed heartily. He never expected that the Marquis, who was calm and collected in the face of battle, would be so flustered by a mere Lang.

"Get lost!" Li Mu's face turned red from his laughter, but luckily his skin was dark enough that it was hard to see clearly in the dim light.

*

"Crackling and popping..." The sound of firecrackers rang out, welcoming the new year.

"Come on, come on, three of you stand in a row and start exchanging New Year's greetings." Old Liang sat in a chair, holding several red envelopes to give the children lucky money.

Yuanbao is in first place. Today he is wearing a beige cotton-padded jacket with a brown outer garment and a rabbit fur trim around the collar. He looks extremely cute.

Last night, his father taught him the New Year's greetings. The little guy imitated the adults, cupping his hands and bowing, saying, "May Grandpa Liang have many years and long life, and may spring fill the universe and blessings fill your home."

"Oh, that's so true! Here, take it!"

Yuanbao happily accepted the red envelope, inside which was a gold coin, heavy enough to weigh two ounces!

Later, Qinglan and Qingying offered New Year's greetings, and each of them received a gold-plated gift.

The old man is not short of money; with such a large business in Yangzhou, he's probably the richest person in the house.

Seeing that the children had received gold coins, Wang Ying shamelessly joined in, saying, "May you, Master, enjoy the longevity of pine and cypress, grow old together in your splendid home, and live a long and healthy life."

"Okay, okay, you have one too."

Wang Ying happily accepted the red envelope, and sure enough, it contained a gold coin.

"Our master is so generous!"

Chen Qingyan and Chen Qinghuai followed suit and offered New Year's greetings, each receiving one.

Seeing this, Fourth Uncle Chen Jing also came over and cupped his hands in greeting, "Brother Liang, may you have a happy and prosperous New Year."

"Go away, you old codger! How old are you and you're still trying to get my money!"

The whole room burst into laughter, and Aunt Si laughed until tears streamed down her face.

After dinner, everyone would stay up together. The children played noisily in the first half of the night, but before midnight they were already sleepy and slumped over. After settling the children in, the adults would sit together and chat.

Fang Ling said, "Qinghuai's wedding will be soon after the New Year. I reckon the Bai family will be coming over in a while."

The betrothal gifts were sent before the new year, but the new house has not been furnished yet. The house that Wang Ying and she went to the brokerage to look at last time was finally booked, and the total cost, including the gifts given when the property was transferred, was 13,500 taels of silver.

Fang Ling originally planned to move in after buying the house to avoid troubling her nephew and his family too much.

Wang Ying stopped her, saying, "The New Year is just a few days away. We haven't even bought pots, pans, or stoves for the new house yet, and the house hasn't been repaired. It would be too inconvenient to move there now. It's better to wait until after the New Year when everything is repaired before moving in."

Fang Ling thought it made sense, so she didn't move. However, she had already hired people to start repairing the house. During this time, she would replace the broken tiles on the roof and do the carpentry work on the doors and windows. She would then buy furniture after the New Year.

Chen Jing looked at his son and said, "Now that you're married, you're an adult. You need to be more measured in your actions and not act rashly."

“My son understands.”

Fang Ling said, "You've met Miss Bai; she's a well-educated and sensible woman. You must treat her well after you get married. Also, I specifically bought the house near your elder brother's house in the hope that you two brothers can help each other in the future and never have any conflicts."

Chen Qinghuai looked at his elder brother and said, "Mother, don't worry, how could I dare to have a conflict with my elder brother?"

The brothers exchanged a smile. Although they had only lived together for four years, they were compatible in temperament and both possessed calm and steady personalities.

In political matters, Qinghuai always puts his elder brother first. When he has other ideas, his elder brother respects him. In short, the two are not only deeply affectionate brothers, but also rare and close friends.

Old Liang stroked his beard and said, "Oh right, there's something I forgot to mention. I visited Liu Yao's house before the New Year and mentioned the border situation to him. It's possible that this war won't be fought again."

Chen Qingyan said, "If we stop fighting, what will happen to Xizhou? Are we going to cede it to the Turks?"

"Previously, the Turkic Khan sent people to negotiate peace. To show his sincerity, he wanted to send his son to the capital as a hostage and also marry a princess or prince of the Wu Dynasty to establish a marriage alliance."

Chen Jing said, "What's the use of sending one of the sixteen or seventeen sons of that Khan Jieli? When he wants to start a war, we'll still fight anyway."

Liang Boqing stroked his beard and sighed, "Lord Liu is also in a dilemma. Only after this battle did we realize the ills of the court. The powerful families are rich while the common people suffer. They are unwilling to fight, so even if the emperor wanted to, it would be difficult."

Warfare is nothing more than a drain on resources. Whether it's food or manpower, it all comes down to silver. However, land and wealth are mostly controlled by powerful clans.

Chen Qinghuai said, "Then why don't we try to force the aristocratic families to pay?"

"It's difficult. This situation has lasted for hundreds of years; it can't be changed overnight. We can only hope that after the peace talks, the Xiongnu will stop eyeing us so covetously." Old Liang chuckled after saying this, "We've raised a tiger to cause trouble..."

A note from the author: