Chapter 201: Frustrated Gu Mian
Empress Dowager Yan couldn't understand what a girl like Lin Xiaoyue could do. She stopped Lin Xiaoyue and asked, "Miss Lin, can you wield a sword?"
Lin Xiaoyue explained, "I don't know. Because Big Brother Liang doesn't have many people under his command, and Prince Rong's men can't come, so yesterday I discussed with Master Gu to recruit some capable soldiers in Yangming Town first. I wanted to go over and see how Master Gu is doing and if he needs any help."
Empress Dowager Yan nodded in understanding and said, "So that's how it is. Go ahead! Be careful out there!"
Lin Xiaoyue bowed and thanked her, "Thank you, Queen Mother. I'll take my leave!"
Walking out of the east room, Lin Xiaoyue let out a long sigh. It was so tiring to talk to the empress dowager. Being too casual seemed disrespectful, and being too respectful was tiring. The women in the palace were so cautious every day, no wonder they had short lives!
Liang Jingyao glanced at Lin Xiaoyue and asked with amusement, "What's wrong? Are you nervous?"
Lin Xiaoyue shook her head and said, "No, I heard that the pursuers were approaching, and I was feeling anxious! You go and do your work with Zhan Hu first. I'll talk to Yunyun and then go find Gu Mian! They have over a thousand people on the other side. Even if we add the entire Yangming Town population, we still don't have that many! It seems we have to find another way. Let's go!"
Liang Jingyao really didn't have time to see Gu Mian. Before leaving, he took Lin Xiaoyue's hand and warned her, "I'm not afraid of more than a thousand! But don't take any risks. Be sure to pay attention to safety!"
Lin Xiaoyue smiled and said, "Don't worry! I'm not the kind of person who does things indiscriminately!"
Having said that, she turned and went into the kitchen. A woman who had worked her way up in the palace to become the empress dowager had already become very experienced. She knew that Yunyun was a kind and innocent girl, but she still wanted to give her a few more words of advice before leaving.
"Yunyun, I'm going to the city to see how Mr. Gu's recruitment is going. You stay in the kitchen or go to my father's place. Don't go into the east room or other rooms unless someone comes to summon you. People in the capital have many rules, and I'm afraid you might accidentally offend them. In short, you'd better be careful." Lin Xiaoyue said in a low voice.
Chen Yunyun was extremely nervous when she thought about how many important people were staying at the bamboo courtyard today. However, in order not to worry Lin Xiaoyue, she remained calm and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, I'll just sit in the kitchen. If they call me, I'll go. If they don't, I won't go anywhere."
Lin Xiaoyue nodded and said, "Okay, I'll be leaving then."
When she reached the gate, she saw Zhan Ying standing guard at the gate in a serious manner. She stepped forward and said, "I'm going to go out for a while. If Yunyun is too busy later, you can help her."
Zhan Ying understood what Lin Xiaoyue meant. He nodded and said, "No problem, don't worry, Miss Lin!"
After leaving the bamboo courtyard, Lin Xiaoyue skillfully walked through the bamboo forest, then entered the waterfall, and finally walked out of the coffin shop.
In order to avoid affecting the restaurant, Gu Mian disguised himself and took his men to other crowded places to set up stalls and recruit soldiers.
At first, the people passing by thought Gu Mian was a liar because he looked like a pretty boy and talked a lot of nonsense, but he didn't look like he had ever worked in a military camp. They all walked by as if to watch the fun. Yesterday afternoon, Gu Mian talked until his mouth was dry, but he didn't recruit a single person.
Gu Mian couldn't help feeling a little frustrated. He went out to set up his stall again at dawn the next day, but this time he didn't rely on talking. He specially hung up a big notice, which said that everyone who joined the army would get one ingot of silver, and two more ingots of silver after one month, and this would be the case every month thereafter.
In the morning, most of the people were going to the streets to buy vegetables. They couldn't read very well, so they just glanced at Gu Mian's notice and left. This made Gu Mian feel more and more insecure. Will he still not be able to recruit anyone today?
At this moment, Lin Xiaoyue came over. Seeing Gu Mian's worried look, she smiled and said, "Mr. Gu, what's wrong? Is it difficult to recruit?"
Gu Mian hung his head and said listlessly, "Alas! Yesterday I told them with my mouth, and everyone who came thought I was a liar. Then today I wrote it down and gave them a written certificate, but they still didn't believe it. I thought it would be simple at first, but I didn't expect it to be so difficult!"
Lin Xiaoyue covered her mouth and chuckled, saying, "That's normal, after all, we're not recruiting soldiers for the government, so it's understandable that the people don't trust us. How about this, we go door to door and ask. It's better to talk to them individually than to be criticized here. For example, some people may be interested in joining the army, but after hearing what the people next to them say, they don't want to anymore. Don't you agree?"
Gu Mian sighed, stood up, tore off the paper on the table, and said, "Let's give it a try. Miss Lin, please accompany me!"
Lin Xiaoyue nodded and followed Gu Mian to the first house. A woman opened the door.
"Who are you?" The woman looked at Lin Xiaoyue and Gu Mian strangely.
Lin Xiaoyue said, "Hello young lady, is there any man in your family who can join the army?"
The woman looked at Lin Xiaoyue and asked defensively, "You are not servants of the government office, why are you asking these questions?"
Lin Xiaoyue directly stuffed a silver ingot into the woman's hand and said, "Miss, we need men who can fight. If you have a suitable man in your family, then this silver ingot is yours. I can also advance you two silver ingots, which is enough for one month. Why don't you consider it?"
The woman bit down on the silver and excitedly shouted into the house, "Dad, look! The army recruitment on the street yesterday was real! I told you, but you still don't believe me! They said they can advance us two ingots of silver! Two ingots of silver every month from now on! That way, we'll have money to treat Dad's illness!"
The man took the silver from the woman's hand, bit it hard, and said happily, covering his mouth with his hands: "It's real! It turns out to be true!"
Lin Xiaoyue felt lucky to have run into a family that needed money. She smiled and said, "Of course it's true! If you make merit in the war, you can get even more money. Maybe you can even become an official!"
The man looked at the dilapidated house behind him, thought for a moment, and said, "Are you recruiting soldiers for the government? Otherwise, you wouldn't give so much."
Lin Xiaoyue raised her eyebrows and asked, "Just tell me what you want to say! You don't have to ask us what we do. We won't tell you even if you ask, but I can consider your request."
Seeing that Lin Xiaoyue was the one who made the decision, the man held out his thumb and pinky finger, bent the other three fingers, and said, "My father needs a lot of money for medical treatment, so in addition to this ingot of silver, give me another six months' worth of silver, and I will go with you!"
Lin Xiaoyue was a little annoyed by the man's big mouth. She originally thought it was a good start, but unexpectedly it was also a stumbling block!
She shook her head and said, "No, that's too much. If everyone makes this request, how can I recruit people? Sorry to bother you, let's go ask someone else!"
Seeing Lin Xiaoyue turn around, the man fell to his knees and kowtowed, begging, "Girl, please be kind. I can sell my life to you! Without this money, my father will really die!"
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