The young maidservant, who hadn't seen Mu Xu for a long time and noticed his changed appearance, blocked the door and asked, "Who are you? What brings you to our residence?"
Mu Xu was both amused and exasperated. Just as he was about to speak, Zheng Qi returned from outside and shouted loudly from a distance.
"Brother Mu, is that you back?"
Mu Xu turned around, smiling and revealing a set of white teeth, "Yes, I was stopped as soon as I got to the door."
Zheng Qi stepped forward, looked him over carefully, and couldn't help but laugh so hard he almost fell over.
"Brother Mu, what kind of errand have you been on? This place is so dark. Not to mention others, even I can't recognize you."
Mu Xu patted the back of his head, "Don't ask questions, take me to see the princess right now."
Zheng Qi quickly told the little girl, and then led Mu Xu into the courtyard.
Wan'er came out of the kitchen and was happy to see Mu Xu.
She knew that Mu Xu had been busy with his family lately, and that he was also the future husband that the Marquis had chosen for his sister-in-law.
Whether the marriage goes through or not, Mu Xu should still be grateful for his efforts in helping his family and take extra care of him.
So she greeted Mu Xu, "Guard Mu, after you finish talking to the princess, remember to stay for dinner. I'll have the kitchen prepare some of your favorite dishes."
Mu Xu didn't stand on ceremony, cupping his hands in greeting and smiling, "Thank you very much, Madam. It would be best if there were some meat and steamed buns. I've been starving for days, and my stomach is so full I could practically stuff a whole cow inside!"
Wan'er quickly turned around and instructed Shuiyun to add more dishes.
The family originally had a cook, but her skills were far inferior to Shuiyun's.
After Shuiyun returned, the cook became the foundation, happily learning skills from her every day.
Mu Xu entered through the side gate of the backyard and saw Jia Yin come out to greet him after hearing the news.
The two sat down at the stone table under the tree and began to talk.
"Where have you been these past few days? You must be exhausted?" Jiayin glanced at Mu Xu, who looked as dark as charcoal, and wanted to laugh but felt it wouldn't be kind of her.
Mu Xu didn't think so. Seeing Jia Yin suppressing her laughter, he regretted not getting a deeper tan.
"Such a big thing happened in Xindu, it has to be spread in time. I sent news from Jiangbei, and I also arranged for people to send news from the southwest and southeast. In addition, I also secretly kept an eye on a few mansions. In short, I didn't suffer much, but the food and lodging were definitely not very comfortable."
At this moment, Shui Ling came out of the house with a plate.
Jiayin took a small knife, intending to carve a golden fruit for Mu Xu to quench his thirst.
He took it directly, opened his mouth and took a big bite, mumbling, "I'm not a little girl, I don't need to be so fussy, be careful not to cut your hand."
As he was speaking, he remembered something, took out an exquisite box from his pocket, and handed it to Jiayin.
"I saw this on the street, it looks very pretty, I'll buy it for you to play with."
Jiayin opened the box and saw a pair of gold-inlaid jade bracelets inside. The jade was translucent and icy, with a thin gold chain hanging from the bracelet's opening, from which hung two small jade rabbits. They were truly exquisite and adorable.
"Wow, how cute!" Jiayin immediately took it out and put it on her wrist.
The fair and slender wrists, adorned with gold and jade, exuded a touch of gentleness.
Shui Ling couldn't help but praise, "This bracelet is so beautiful, such a clever design, it must have been made by a master craftsman."
Mu Xu continued munching on the golden fruit, his lips curling up in a smile that wouldn't fall.
Actually, he had already sourced the jade material and commissioned a master craftsman to make it specifically for him; the design was all drawn by him.
Such a good thing is not something you can just find on the street.
But no matter how it came about, it was all for this moment, for the joy of my beloved girl…
Seeing that Mu Xu was eating heartily, Jia Yin worried that he was starving, so she asked Shui Ling to go to the kitchen to check on him and make sure the meal was served early.
As soon as Shui Ling left, the little fox jumped down from the wall.
Jiayin was overjoyed and quickly hugged it, gently stroking its fur.
"San Tiao, why are you back at this hour? Are you hungry? Are you tired?"
Mu Xu held half a melon stem in his hand, and suddenly realized it wasn't sweet anymore.
They all came back from outside, and he was even more tired and had traveled farther, but why didn't he get the same treatment as the little fox?
The little fox seemed to have guessed his thoughts, and snuggled even more smugly into its master's arms, wagging its big tail.
As Jiayin fed the little fox some fruit, she asked, "It's only been two days, why does San Tiao seem to have gotten fatter? Did the Third Princess feed you too much meat?"
The little fox, with its beady black eyes, decisively pretended to be stupid.
It absolutely cannot admit that it has recently latched onto a powerful patron...
Fortunately, Jiayin didn't dwell on this small change and asked softly, "Did something happen in the palace that made you come back?"
The little fox immediately started chirping, and occasionally it would dance and jump around on the table.
As Jiayin listened, her brows furrowed deeper and deeper, her expression a mixture of disappointment and anger.
Seeing all this, Mu Xu found it very strange, but he didn't say a word and didn't dare to interrupt.
Only after the little fox finished crying did Jiayin hug it and ask, "Do you know how long that person will drag this out?"
The little fox stretched out its paw and drew a circle in Jiayin's palm, then crossed out half of it.
Jiayin nodded and took a few fish cakes from her bag for the little fox.
The little fox ate happily, its big tail almost flying off.
Unable to contain himself any longer, Mu Xu coughed and asked, "What happened?"
Jiayin replied, "The third batch of military rations will not be delivered to Jiangbei on time again; it will be delayed by at least half a month."
Mu Xu's face was also grim. He asked, "What was that person thinking? The battlefield ahead is constantly changing. If there's a shortage of food, does he expect the soldiers to kill barbarians on empty stomachs?"
"The grain from all over the country has already been collected. Even if it's a bit difficult, it shouldn't have been delayed for half a month."
"What is his motive? No one in the court has made a move yet, but he is so ruthless. Wasn't he said to treat the Marquis like a brother?"
Jiayin snorted coldly, "The most ruthless are those in the imperial family! How many emperors in history have killed their own brothers in order to ascend to the throne? Besides, my godfather is only his cousin! Moreover, it is not certain that the military rations will be transported in half a month, and there may be unforeseen changes."
"What other changes could there be?" Mu Xu asked, somewhat irritated. He had served in the Northern Expeditionary Army and had eaten the army's food.
Even if the soldiers didn't go out to fight the enemy, they still had to train, which was extremely physically demanding. However, they only had two meals a day, and each person could only eat until they were about half full.
In the past, the vanguard could occasionally go hunting in the mountains or plunder some food from the barbarians to supplement their supplies.
But this year's climate is too bad, many of the forests north of the river have withered, and wild animals are not surviving well.
Needless to say, the situation in the fields was even worse. The barbarians used some slaves to plant a small amount of crops, most of which died of drought. As a result, they could no longer plunder grain or sustain their war effort through warfare.
Otherwise, if the barbarians go hungry, the slaves will likely be thrown into the pot.
You should know that these slaves were originally just unlucky Tianwu citizens who were captured!
"The Crown Prince will ascend the throne in half a month. After that, he will have to choose a consort," Jiayin replied. "It will take about a month for the Crown Prince to gain a foothold in the court. By then, no matter how things are arranged, I'm sure that person hasn't figured it out yet."
"Whether to keep the glorious reputation of unifying the country for oneself, or to give it to one's son as a stepping stone, that is a difficult question!"
"But ultimately, this tremendous credit should be shared by the father and son, not by outsiders!"
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