Jiang Shuyue almost burst out laughing when she thought of Nangong Zeyue being chased and forced to flee.
"Moon, laugh if you want to. It's good that the Guo family is in trouble, so that they won't have any more tricks up their sleeves and harm innocent women."
Jiang Shuyue put down her spoon and rubbed her face.
Was her smile that obvious?
A month later, the horse they bought looked completely different. It was much stronger, and its coat was a bright red. Su Jin named it Xiao Hong.
"Sister was right to plan ahead. Xiao Hong is not resistant to me and Nan Nan, and she learns very quickly." Su Jin, dressed in a smart outfit, mounted her horse.
Looking at Su Jin, whose black hair was tied up high, his upright posture was like a pine tree, and his extraordinary temperament could not be concealed even in his simple clothes.
Aunt Su watched her son gallop through the bamboo forest, a hint of regret flashing in her eyes.
Su Huai-ren sighed and said, "If it weren't for my involvement, my son would have passed the imperial examination and become a scholar long ago."
"Honey, you've taught the children to be well-read, are you really willing to let them spend their whole lives here?" Aunt Su looked up at the sky.
She truly hopes that the children will transform into roc birds and soar through the vast sky.
Su Huai-ren stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze firm: "Wait a little longer. News from my classmates says that the 'Wine Forest and Meat Pool' has several forces poised to strike, and the day they rise up in rebellion is just around the corner."
The emperor had many more outrageous deeds, but he wouldn't go into detail about them for the women.
Aunt Su's eyes lit up, as if she had seen a ray of hope: "Really? That's great! I was thinking of renovating the house so I could find a good match for my son!"
"No need. My son is already studying 'The Great Learning' and 'The Analects.' If there is no news from the capital for a long time, we can make plans later."
As he spoke, Su Huai-ren picked up a book and headed toward Lin Miao-shou's house.
After a period of treatment by Jiang Shuyue, Lin Miaoshou's eyesight improved.
Lin Miaoshou was once a scholar, and he shared similar interests with Su Huai-ren, especially when it came to matters concerning the capital, in which Lin Miaoshou also knew a little.
...
Night fell.
Inside the Prince Yan's residence, Xiao Jingzhao looked at the news coming from the capital.
His fists were clenched, and his face was ashen.
"Master, the Prince is planning to have you send silver to the capital again. What do you think about this..." Xiang Song hesitated, then stopped.
The prince kept his father's words in mind: the Yannan Prince's Mansion would do anything the emperor needed.
"No! We absolutely cannot tolerate this anymore."
Xiao Jingzhao grabbed a letter from the desk and strode toward the study of the Prince of Yannan.
In the study of the Prince of Yannan.
The candlelight illuminated his profile, casting his well-defined, three-dimensional silhouette onto the window, where he stood motionless like a sculpture.
The Prince of Yannan sat at his desk, his sword-like eyebrows slightly furrowed, exuding a dignified and upright air, while a complex expression flickered in his eyes.
He gently stroked a rectangular brocade box, murmuring to himself, "Father, if you are watching from heaven and see the prosperous era founded by Emperor Renzong now riddled with holes, would you support your son in taking it out..."
Hearing footsteps, he swallowed the rest of his words, quickly picked up the brocade box, turned around, and put it into the hidden compartment behind the bookcase.
"Father."
Xiao Jingzhao pushed open the door and entered.
"Father, you've received the Emperor's decree, haven't you? Please take another look at this before deciding whether to continue sending silver to the capital." Xiao Jingzhao bowed and pushed the letter in his hand over.
The Prince of Yannan gestured for Xiao Jingzhao to sit down, and he picked up the envelope, pulled out the letter, and unfolded it.
He skimmed through the text.
After a moment, the Prince of Yannan looked at Xiao Jingzhao with a serious expression: "What do you think of this matter?"
"I believe we can no longer tolerate His Majesty's absurd behavior."
Xiao Jingzhao paused and said, "Many senior officials in the capital can't stand it anymore. If no one steps forward, it will just fall apart."
Emperor Renzong and the father of the Prince of Yannan were like brothers, as all the old ministers of the previous dynasty knew. Emperor Renzong left an imperial edict for the descendants of the Xiao family.
The specific details remain unknown.
The emperor's actions were becoming increasingly absurd, and people with a conscience had long since stopped watching.
Yannan's wealth now far surpasses that of the imperial court. Yannan is inherently a prosperous land, and with the King of Yannan's diligent management, even a small amount he manages is enough to make the Emperor envious.
The father and son discussed it until midnight and finally decided to stop indulging the tyrannical emperor.
As Xiao Jingzhao was leaving, he said, "Father, why don't we take his place? We have Emperor Renzong's decree, so it's perfectly legitimate."
The Prince of Yannan quickly stopped him, saying, "The time is not right. Do not act rashly. For the sake of Emperor Renzong and your grandfather, allow me to think it over again."
Back in his study, Xiao Jingzhao asked Xiang Song to grind ink.
He quickly wrote two letters and sealed them with beeswax.
"These two letters are very important. Send them out tomorrow morning."
Xiang Song accepted the order and left.
...
Time flies, and Sui Sui is already three and a half years old. Jiang Shuyue has not been idle either. She has learned superb riding skills from Su Jin and Su Nan.
This spring is different from previous years; there are no birdsong, no fragrant flowers, and no shady trees.
The winter drought followed by the spring drought caused all the rivers outside Zhuxi County to dry up.
The vegetables planted on the few acres of wasteland that the Su family cleared after being demoted and returned to their hometown all drooped.
Jiang Shuyue felt that God was reminding her that it was time to leave.
To avoid arousing suspicion, she couldn't water the fields at night.
“Miss, some of the wells in the village are starting to dry up. What will we do if this continues?” Qiuju said worriedly when she saw Jiang Shuyue staring blankly out of the courtyard.
“Sui Sui has gone to Shui Sheng’s house again. Don’t worry, we have money, we won’t go hungry.”
Jiang Shuyue's words were only meant to comfort Qiuju. Spring drought is the most deadly. Farmers will not be able to keep the grain they planted in the end. The whole year's harvest will be gone. Even if they have money in their hands, they will not be able to buy grain.
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