Li Lao Er spoke frankly, mentioning Liu Biao Tou's previous experience as a bodyguard, the work he was responsible for at Suijin Beach, and Liu Yang's work with Jia Yi in killing pirates and Japanese pirates on the Quanzhou coast.
The Emperor was very pleased and did not hold back his praise, even rewarding Liu, the镖头 (bodyguard), with a precious sword.
Chief镖头 Liu was overjoyed, kneeling down and kowtowing, clutching the precious sword and declaring it his family heirloom, which amused the Emperor once again...
Inside Zhilan Palace, Jiayin and the Third Princess were also enjoying the Jade Melon. They even juiced it, added ice, and after one bite, they felt so refreshed they felt like their souls were flying away.
The Third Princess ate to her heart's content, and then, blushing, asked Caiyun to send two jade melons to the Lu family.
In the afternoon, Jiayin comforted the Third Princess and left the palace, heading straight for the Marquis's residence.
She placed all the jade melons in the space into the storeroom in the backyard of the Marquis's mansion, keeping a small portion for gifts for the Marquis's mansion and exchanging the majority for silver or medicinal materials and other supplies.
The head butler was clever, and since it had been the same year after year, he had gotten used to it.
Therefore, even though he had some suspicions, he didn't ask a single question.
He quickly got busy, sending gifts when necessary and contacting buyers when needed.
Seeing that nothing was wrong, Jiayin returned to Suijintan.
At this time, the Broken Gold Beach was practically a mini "shopping spree".
Even when it was dark, they continued working late into the night.
The villagers, young and old, all came out to help. Some picked melons, some counted them, some loaded them onto carts, some collected money, and some weighed the grain. Everyone did their job and there was no chaos.
The village's large kitchen has been restarted, and the women are washing vegetables and cooking to ensure that the laborers can have three full meals a day.
Even though they were very thirsty, everyone insisted on drinking water and no one touched the jade melon.
I really can't bear to part with it!
Jiayin went back to the old house, changed into her worn-out clothes, took a walk in the fields, and then went to find the village chief.
"Grandpa Village Chief, everyone has worked hard all year, we can't be so ignorant as to not even know what a Jade Melon tastes like. Why don't you open some Jade Melons to quench everyone's thirst?"
The village chief felt a pang of heartache, but since Jiayin had spoken, he was unwilling to refute her.
So he called out, "Everyone, pick out those broken and bruised jade melons, cut them up, and share them. The princess is being kind to everyone!"
"But after you've eaten the jade melon, you'd better work hard and not waste this one piece of silver."
Everyone was delighted and joined in the joke.
"It's still the princess who cares about us; the village chief is even more ruthless than the landlord!"
"Haha, Princess, you must come back often to support us!"
The village chief, gesturing angrily with his pipe, laughed and scolded, "Now you know to complain to the princess? Don't come looking for me if you get less silver in the future! Wouldn't it be better if everyone got more silver to buy wine?"
"Haha, drinking is certainly enjoyable, but eating melon seeds is just as satisfying!"
"That's right, we eat melons and drink wine."
Everyone shared the jade melon, took big bites, and beamed with joy.
Jiayin carried a mosquito repellent pouch around her waist, but in the darkness of night, mosquitoes still kept bumping into her, extremely rampant.
Shui Ling and Shui Yun wished they had eight arms to swat away mosquitoes, for fear that their master would be bitten.
Upon seeing this, the village chief and the others quickly chased the person away.
The village chief shouted, "Princess, go back quickly. Don't worry about the work here. Everyone is used to it and nothing will go wrong."
The crowd chimed in, "Yes, Princess, please go back! We're tough and aren't afraid of mosquitoes. You can't!"
"The girl's skin is delicate; if she gets bitten, it might take seven or eight days for the bite to heal."
"Let's put a veil on the princess."
Jiayin also felt that she couldn't be of much help here and that everyone was worried about her, so she laughed and said, "Then I'll go back. You've all worked hard. When the melon garden is finished, we'll have a big feast. I'll ask my Uncle Huang for dozens of jars of good wine to celebrate with everyone."
"Haha, great! Thank you, Princess. We'll have a taste of the imperial wine then."
"Oh, just thinking about it makes me happy, I have so much energy! Quick, I can pick another two acres of melons!"
The villagers laughed heartily, their laughter carrying far and wide.
Some of the managers and individual customers waiting in line at the edge of the field to buy melons naturally heard it too.
They couldn't help but feel a mix of envy and wariness; Broken Gold Beach was not a place they could bully at will.
Fair trade, there's nothing wrong with that.
Anyone who harbors any intention to take advantage of the situation will likely come to a bad end...
In the same dark night, far north of the Yangtze River, the grain transport team, traveling day and night, finally arrived at the Northern Expeditionary Army's camp.
Torches were planted around the campsite, and bonfires burned every few hundred meters.
Although it would be very hot to have a fire lit on such a summer night, it would also illuminate the camp as brightly as day, making it easier for squads of soldiers to patrol.
Bearing the weighty responsibility of saving tens of thousands of lives and reclaiming lost territories was an immense pressure, which is why the Marquis never went to sleep until midnight every night.
Just then, Li Laosi and Mu Xu returned with their grain transport team.
Li Laosi jumped off his horse, and just then the Marquis came out from the camp. He excitedly shouted, "My lord, look who I brought back!"
The Marquis's eyes were sharp. He turned his head and glanced around, and saw the smiling Mu Xu. He asked, "Why are you here? How is everything at home?"
"Don't worry, my lord, everything is fine," Mu Xu quickly replied.
The Marquis nodded and was about to instruct people to take over the grain when Jiang Cheng arrived.
So the Marquis ordered, "Find out the military ration depots thoroughly and record them. Starting tomorrow, there's no need to be frugal."
"Yes, Lord Marquis." Jiang Cheng bowed in response, but did not leave immediately. He smiled and looked at Mu Xu, asking, "Guard Mu, what brings you here? Is there something going on in the capital? We've been away for months, and we've really missed home."
Mu Xu smiled and shook his head, "General Jiang, don't worry, everything is fine at home. I can't stay idle, so I'm just going along for a visit."
Jiang Cheng's eyes flickered, clearly knowing that this was a lie.
After all, it's a long distance from Jiangnan to Jiangbei, and not only is the journey arduous, but dangers also lurk everywhere.
Who would be out of their mind to make this trip just to have some fun...?
But he didn't mind, and after a few words of small talk, he hurried off to get busy.
The grain needs to be stored in the warehouse, and the grain transport teams also need to be fed and cared for. All of these things need to be properly arranged.
Mu Xu followed the Marquis and Li Laosi into the tent. With a glance from the Marquis, the guards lowered the curtain and surrounded the tent.
"My lord, is there anything to eat? Could you give me some?" Mu Xu asked with a grin as he found a chair to sit on, his expression full of exhaustion.
"This journey has been arduous. The drought in Jiangnan is severe, but there is no shortage of drinking water. I never expected that the drought in Jiangbei would be even worse. There is not a single well or river for fifty or sixty miles."
Li Laosi opened the box in the corner, took out two steamed buns and threw them to Mu Xu, "Have something to eat first, I'll cook you some dry noodles later."
Mu Xu squeezed the steamed bun in his hand; it was a bit hard, and he didn't know how many days it had been steamed. He felt a pang of sadness.
Is this what a dignified marquis and commander-in-chief usually eats to fill his stomach?
Seeing that he wouldn't eat, Li Laosi assumed he was disgusted and said, "You brat, you're being picky. You should be grateful to have any steamed buns at all. If the military rations don't arrive soon, the whole camp will go hungry."
Mu Xu hesitated for a moment, then untied the leather bag slung across his shoulder and took out an oil paper package.
"I still have some of the princess's roasted jerky here..."
Two updates today!
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