The Marquis deftly tore the note to shreds and burned it to ashes over the candle before replying, "Since the official document doesn't say anything, this matter should not be made public for the time being. It should not be revealed to anyone except you and me."
"Yes... Lord Marquis." Old Li was still a little dazed, and whispered, "Guli? Mr. Jiang? That... wasn't Guli a beggar who was taken in by Mr. Jiang? And he was also Fu Niu'er's manager, overseeing all those branch stores all over the country..."
The Marquis was also anxious, pacing slowly in circles inside the tent.
Such a huge thing happened, and he happened to be away from Xindu. If his family didn't handle it well, what seemed like a great blessing to outsiders might turn into a disaster that would destroy his family.
But it was too late to worry now; he couldn't rush back immediately.
They could only hope that the Crown Prince was someone who valued his reputation and wouldn't easily harm the Li family, at least for the sake of a good name.
The Li family would be best off remaining cautious and uninvolved to ensure their safety.
The fear is that after the crown prince is bestowed his title and the selection of his consorts is over, that person might have "other" plans regarding the northern expedition.
When the Li family finds out, they won't have time to discuss it with him, and if they do something to protect the Northern Expeditionary Army and anger that person, all their efforts will be in vain.
"Right now, that person's mind is focused on balancing the court and supporting the crown prince. The next two weeks are our only chance, and we must act quickly!"
The Marquis's expression turned colder, and his whole body was filled with murderous intent. "Have Ye Shan send a message home, asking for another batch of grain to help us reach the border in one fell swoop!"
“Alright, I’ll go find Ye Shan right now. Mu Xu is a capable kid. After the grain supplies were destroyed last time, he and his family started secretly preparing backup plans.” Li Laosi responded excitedly, his words revealing his satisfaction with Mu Xu.
The Marquis thought of Mu Xu and his daughter, and his expression softened. He replied, "Weren't you originally dissatisfied with Mu Xu? Now you find him pleasing to the eye?"
Li Laosi coughed twice and said stubbornly, "Who is satisfied with him? Fu Niu'er is the best girl in the world, and no boy is good enough for her. However, Mu Xu is not bad in comparison. At least he has guts and ability, and he is a useful person."
The Marquis stopped arguing with him, lifted the curtain, stepped out of the tent, and headed back to the next room.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Cheng walked towards him and asked, "Lord Marquis, is something wrong at home?"
The Marquis shook his head and said nothing more.
Jiang Cheng said, "Everyone is still discussing this, and they are all quite angry. Your Excellency should try to persuade them, because it's hard to guarantee that someone has connections with the people in Xindu. If this gets back to that person, it could easily cause trouble."
The Marquis patted him on the shoulder, "I know, come in and talk."
Jiang Cheng lowered his head and entered the main tent with the Marquis, while Li Laosi turned and walked into the darkness.
Sure enough, the generals were still gossiping, and every word they uttered was filled with dissatisfaction with the imperial court.
The emperor and his ministers in the new capital only knew how to indulge in a life of pleasure and decadence, and would occasionally make decisions on a whim and then demand that they carry them out.
They didn't care at all whether this decision was suitable for the current situation or whether it would lead to a major defeat for the Northern Expeditionary Army, resulting in countless deaths.
It's absolutely hateful!
Seeing the Marquis return, some people were anxious and wanted to say a few words of advice to him.
As a result, the Marquis immediately declared, "A general in the field may disobey orders from others. I will submit a separate memorial to the Emperor explaining the battle situation. As for now... we must launch a full-scale attack and achieve a swift victory! We must strive to completely drive the barbarians out of the border within half a month and reclaim the Tianwu Mountains and Rivers!"
The generals were stunned for a moment, then became excited and responded in unison, "Yes, Lord Marquis."
Jiang Cheng hesitated for a moment and asked, "My lord, the third batch of grain has not yet arrived. Should we wait a few days?"
These words reminded the generals, and they all frowned.
Although it is summer now and the horses can easily find a place to graze, tens of thousands of soldiers cannot eat grass and tree leaves to fill their stomachs.
Moreover, the drought is so severe that if this continues, it will be difficult to find even grass and leaves.
The Marquis, however, promptly reassured everyone, "Don't worry, I have my own arrangements. I won't let the soldiers fight on an empty stomach. Go and prepare. We'll break camp tomorrow and advance northward swiftly!"
Everyone agreed again in unison, and no one questioned where the Marquis would resupply his provisions.
In the Northern Expeditionary Army, the Marquis's words were always more credible than imperial edicts!
The night was dark and gloomy, like an invisible behemoth staring menacingly at the world, making people feel both oppressed and fearful.
On the Broken Gold Beach, the old and young men slept soundly.
With their master back, everyone felt reassured and worked extra hard these past few days.
In previous years, such a drought would have made everyone so worried that they wished they could fly to the heavens or the earth.
After all, food is the most important thing for people, and a complete crop failure is a matter of life and death.
But now they have nothing to worry about at all.
From the moment the hot spring valley opened to visitors, it used grain instead of silver to charge admission fees.
Although the daily income was not much, only a few hundred kilograms of grain.
But as time went on, the amount of food stored up increased.
The impoverished past instilled in everyone a habit of caution and frugality.
Every year, the village sells the grain from the year before last only in the spring, keeping the grain harvested last year and this year as a safety net.
The situation looked bad from the beginning of spring, so the village chief decided that the old grain had not been sold.
The village built two more small granaries, but they still couldn't hold all the grain.
Fortunately, the princess came up with a solution and placed the stored grain in a safe place.
Therefore, while the drought was distressing, it was within the acceptable range for the people of Suijintan.
Heaven is most benevolent; this year is drought-stricken, but next year will surely be better.
In the words of the village chief, "Don't scare yourself. Just focus on living your life well right now."
During this period, villagers of all ages would fetch water whenever they had free time. Even if they only carried one load a day, it would ensure that the two fruit trees on the mountain were well-watered.
At dawn, as the thin morning mist dissipates in the mountains, the orchards, which are much greener than elsewhere, are faintly revealed, and the villagers smile with pride when they see them.
After Jiayin finished eating, she was immediately harassed by Dahei and Erhei as soon as she arrived at the front yard.
These two loyal guards helped out a lot on patrol last night with Uncle Zhao and the others.
Jiayin secretly fed them a few fish cakes, patted their big heads affectionately, and instructed, "Don't let Santiao find out, or it will scratch you. These are its favorite snacks!"
Big Black and Little Black seemed to understand, and started wagging their tails frantically.
Just then, Wan'er came over and couldn't help but laugh when she saw this. "I don't know where Guard Mu found such a good dog. It's so sensible and obedient, and it recognizes people very quickly. It never bites people from our village, but it can tell the difference between outsiders very accurately."
After saying that, she instructed the maid to go to the kitchen to get food for Dahei and Erhei.
Jiayin looked up at the sun and asked her sister-in-law, "Uncle Lao Hei and the others will be back in two days, and then they'll go to my brother's place again."
"Sister-in-law, let's go into town today and have a look around. Let's buy some jade pendants and hairpins for my elder brother, and some new books too, since he likes them. They would also be excellent gifts for friends or students."
"After all, the southwest is too desolate, and these things are far less abundant and complete than in our Xindu."
Wan'er had been back for a few days and had taken care of most of the trivial matters. She was happy to hear that her sister-in-law wanted to go shopping, so she immediately agreed.
“Great! When Uncle Hei and the others set off again, the fleet will also be heading south. Linlang and Coral are both pregnant, so I’ll also pick out some longevity locks and necklaces for the children.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com