Upon hearing that they would have to go to Ziyun Ridge again, everyone was not very happy.
Ziyun Ridge is steep and difficult to climb. They are used to a life of luxury and cannot endure such hardship. Immediately, some people discussed with Luo Pinzheng about protesting.
"Lord Luo, shall we just put our handprints together? I'm too weak to climb that mountain! Besides, there are many ferocious beasts in Ziyun Ridge, and I don't know any martial arts; I'm as weak as a chicken!"
"Yes, yes! I'm an old man, and I almost died halfway up the mountain. Lord Luo, may I have my eldest daughter or the steward go and check on me?"
Once one person speaks up, it inspires many more. At this point, those who are older, or those who are simply too lazy to move, all chime in with their suggestions.
Su Qinghe stood there silently, watching the group of people make a ruckus.
Luo Pinzheng raised his hand and gestured to quiet the crowd down before speaking with a helpless expression.
"Gentlemen, I have no choice! This is His Majesty's decree, how can it be changed at will?"
"I just heard that the Inspector General from Sanchuan next door came a while ago. They're so close by, they might be here in a couple of days. We can't be careless during this special time!"
When the Inspector was mentioned, Luo Pinzheng's expression became cautious, and everyone else frowned as well.
Seeing that they were clearly hesitant, Luo Pin was pleased and added fuel to the fire.
"But rest assured, everyone, I have already arranged bamboo chairs and food for the journey, and I will also bring a lot of things for resting. The prefectural doctor and soldiers will also come along, so you will not be in any danger."
She had made her point very clear. The crowd murmured amongst themselves, knowing there was no room for negotiation, and could only nod and agree with a wry smile.
Those who were truly unable to go were all promised to have their eldest daughters from their families go instead.
With the matter settled, Luo Pin was radiant, his joy barely concealed.
"Patriarch Su." She smiled and turned to Su Qinghe.
"That's all I wanted to say today. It's truly an honor to obey the imperial decree, and I'm so sorry to have kept you up for so long. Please make sure to come the day after tomorrow!"
Su Qinghe looked at her with a forced smile.
“Lord Luo, my business has only been open for less than half a year. How can it be compared with the elders who have been rooted in Tianhe County for many years? Such a grand event, I don’t need to attend, do I?”
Although the imperial edict was written clearly in black on a yellow background, Su Qinghe still felt that it wasn't that simple. In addition, she didn't trust Luo Pinzheng's character and instinctively didn't want to get involved in this mess.
Upon hearing Su Qinghe's words, Luo Pin made an exaggerated expression, spread his palms out, and spun around halfway in place.
"Patriarch Su is being modest; nothing can compare to ability."
"Although your business has only been around for less than half a year, it's already a household name in Tianhe County. Who doesn't know Shili Xiang? Just look at all the people who have come to your residence today, it's definitely impressive! Don't you all agree?"
The group of people, who were already eager to curry favor with Su Qinghe, were even more determined not to miss this opportunity to flatter her, and all nodded in praise of Su Qinghe's abilities.
The question he posed received everyone's approval, and Luo Pin looked at Su Qinghe with satisfaction.
“Patriarch Su, listen to this: everyone thinks you can do it, so please don’t refuse anymore. Besides, this is also to share the Emperor’s burden! We are all citizens of Dawu, so it is our duty to do so!”
"Yeah yeah!"
A chorus of approval arose. Su Qinghe bit the soft flesh on her cheek, looked at Luo Pinzheng for a few seconds, and nodded politely with a smile.
"Since Lord Luo values me so much, then I will respectfully accept your invitation. Just tell me the time, and I will be there on time."
Su Qinghe cursed Luo Pinzheng in her heart, but remained polite on the surface.
Having achieved his goal, Luo Pin bowed to the surrounding crowd.
"Thank you all. Let's meet at the mountainside of Lingyan Mountain at 1:15 AM the day after tomorrow."
The women who came all sighed and groaned for a while, but still agreed nonetheless.
Luo Pinzheng said goodbye to Su Qinghe one last time, then turned and sat back down in his seat.
The incident was over, the banquet resumed, and the performances were brought back, but everyone clearly lost interest in the second half. They were all whispering among themselves, discussing their plans for the trip the day after tomorrow.
Seeing the opportunity, Su Qinghe quickly ended the banquet for the day.
Everyone was in a hurry to go back and make arrangements, so they all took their leave and left. Before long, only Qin Anmin and her husband remained at Su Qinghe's residence.
After comforting Lin Xi and the others and telling them to go back to their rooms to rest, Su Qinghe dismissed the servants around her. Qin Anmin's husband also sensibly went to wait in the carriage outside.
"Sister Qin, what do you think of what Luo Pinzheng said?"
Su Qinghe sat down at the same table as Qin Anmin and asked with a stern face.
Seeing her so serious, Qin Anmin was both amused and exasperated, and poured her some wine from an empty glass.
"Sister-in-law, don't be so nervous. I've seen that imperial edict just now. It's absolutely real, and the handwriting is His Majesty's. It can't be fake."
She grabbed a handful of peanuts, threw them into her mouth, and chewed them along with the wine.
"Hmm... His Majesty is still sensible. After all, such a big matter cannot be taken lightly in terms of defense. It is not surprising that he would issue such an edict."
"Although Luo Pinzheng is a corrupt official, he only dares to harm ordinary people. He is not so bold as to do this kind of thing."
"We can go without worry the day after tomorrow. Don't forget, I still have my soldiers on Ziyun Ridge!"
“Back then, Luo Pinzheng borrowed an entire battalion from me to dig through the mountain, which totaled about a thousand people. The people he arranged there have also been in constant contact with me, so nothing bad has happened.”
"Sister-in-law, you're just too cautious!"
Seeing that Su Qinghe still had some concerns on her face, Qin Anmin laughed and patted her on the shoulder.
After finishing the last of the peanuts on his plate and making sure there wasn't a drop of wine left in the flask, Qin Anmin got up to say goodbye.
"This wine is really delicious today, and it's getting late. Sister-in-law, you should rest early. I've been looking at your four little ones all day, and I'm itching to touch them. I need to hurry back and hold my darling daughter, hahaha..."
Qin Anmin's voice gradually faded into the distance. Su Qinghe rubbed her temples, instructed Zhang Fu to handle the remaining matters, and decisively went to find Ling Feng.
Despite Qin Anmin's words, she was still worried. After she left, she had to ask Ling Feng to send more people to prevent anything from happening at the manor.
Actually, she could have found many ways to prevent herself from going, but since Qin Anmin was going, she had to go with him. After all, he was a rare friend and Qin Ange's sister, and she couldn't let anything happen to him.
After Su Qinghe told Ling Feng about her concerns, Ling Feng agreed without hesitation and sent out the message that very night.
"Should I send someone to follow behind?"
Ling Feng thought for a moment, then frowned and asked Su Qinghe, "Or... I can go with you."
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