Chapter 474 You want to stay in the Great Wilderness?
Jiang Nuanzhi closed the letter and glanced at Dong Cang:
“Arong received the news of the Emperor’s decree even before I did. He has already sent a team to secretly meet us. Now, it seems they were already on their way three days ago, urging us to hurry to the capital to avoid any unforeseen complications.”
"Madam, did the general say who led the reinforcements? Is anyone of higher or lower rank than me?"
Jiang Nuanzhi shook her head.
Dongzang blinked again: "Did the general say anything else?"
Jiang Nuanzhi glanced at Dongzang with a smile: "You said you were impulsive and prone to causing trouble, and that I should teach you a lesson."
Upon hearing this, Dongzang wished he could slap his own foul mouth.
Serves you right for being so cheeky.
He immediately smiled apologetically: "Madam, how could that be? Hehe, Dongzang is always the most obedient and would never cause you any trouble."
Jiang Nuanzhi nodded with a smile: "Yes, I believe you."
The next second, he took Lightning back from Dongcang's hand and instructed, "You drive this carriage in front, and I'll keep an eye on the one behind."
"Madam, Madam, lightning..."
Jiang Nuanzhi stopped in her tracks: "What, do you have a problem with that?"
"No, no." Dongzang immediately looked away and smiled, "Madam, please slow down and be careful."
Jiang Nuanzhi left, satisfied, carrying the eagle.
Dongzang saw the usually domineering lightning bolt being carried by its legs by the lady, weak and pitiful, squawking weakly at Dongzang.
There's an ominous feeling about hibernation during winter.
But she shrank back at the sound of lightning's howl.
Lightning is the general's prized possession; everyone who sees it pampers it.
Now, though.
Ahem, I'm sorry, Lightning, but let's wait until we get back to the capital and let the general save you.
The lady is usually quite kind.
They probably won't actually kill them and drink the soup.
I hope you can hold on, Lightning, and don't get killed by your wife on the way.
...
At dawn, as the sun rose, two large horse-drawn carriages and a donkey cart were neatly parked in Jiang Nuanzhi's courtyard.
Jiang Nuanzhi stood in the courtyard, checking items on a list, with a hawk perched on her shoulder. Upon closer inspection, Lightning looked utterly dejected, its feet tied with ropes. It had a mournful expression.
Jiang Nuanzhi and Lin Chun carefully inspected the items in their respective vehicles. Each vehicle was crammed with large and small bags.
At this moment, Dean Yue came downstairs, carrying a huge bundle on his back, which he placed on the donkey cart. He let out a leisurely sigh.
The waiter squatted at the door, holding paper and pen in his hand.
"This is the twenty-eighth time your master has sighed. Brother, your master looks worried and aged several years."
Upon hearing this, Ping'er flicked her younger brother's forehead and gave him a warning look: "Don't talk nonsense."
Then, he went up to Dean Yue and handed him the teacup.
"Master, stop busy, have some tea."
Dean Yue turned around and saw Ping'er. In a daze, he touched his head, patted his shoulder, and then sighed deeply once again.
The waiter rubbed his head and said, "Yeah, the twenty-ninth time."
Ping'er turned around and glared at her younger brother, then looked at Dean Yue: "Master, is there something you want to say to me?"
Dean Yue pursed his lips: "Ping'er."
She uttered the words "just barely" with a sob in her voice, then covered her mouth, hesitated for a while before tightly embracing Ping'er.
My good disciple
Ping'er took a deep breath: "Master, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Dean Yue suddenly waved his hand, pushing Ping'er away: "Enough, enough, everyone has to grow up eventually, and everyone has to leave..."
Ping'er: "Is Master worried about the trip to the capital?"
Dean Yue looked at his disciple, his heart filled with sorrow: "Ping'er, when you go out, you'll say I'm your master, right? You'll tell others that you're studying at Panshi Academy, right? Now that you're leaving, who knows when we'll meet again, master and disciple? If you get into a high school in the capital, will you invite your master for a drink?"
Ping'er: "."
"Master, when did I ever say I was going to Kyoto to take the exam?"
Dean Yue's expression suddenly froze: "Ah? If you don't go to Kyoto for the exam, you'll miss this year's preliminary exam. That won't do."
Ping'er looked at her master and said calmly, "I will not go to the capital with my mother first. I will wait until after the county and prefectural examinations. If I pass the preliminary examination and become a student, then I will go to the capital to reunite with my mother."
"What did you say!" Dean Yue's voice suddenly rose: "You still want to stay in the Great Wilderness!"
"You should know that the Great Wilderness is extremely strict in its examinations for the status of criminal slaves. If you go to your mother's post, you will no longer be a criminal! Your future will be very different. Don't joke around. Your mother will not agree."
Dean Yue naturally wanted his apprentice to stay, but he was still rational.
“I agree.” Turning around abruptly, he saw Jiang Nuanzhi jump down from the carriage at the front.
“I spoke with Ping’er yesterday, and I respect her wishes. Besides, the exams are just around the corner, at most in early February. I’ve only just arrived in the capital, and things might not be peaceful for me yet. Letting the child take the preliminary exams in the wilderness might not be a bad thing; that’s what we’ve been planning anyway. If Ping’er does well, she can finish the exams by April at the latest, obtain the status of a student, and then go to the capital to take the provincial exams.”
Dean Yue's eyes widened: "Dr. Jiang, do you and your child really think this way? Won't your husband be unhappy about it?"
Jiang Nuanzhi nodded: "Arong said it's entirely up to me to decide, Ping'er, what do you think?"
Ping'er nodded: "Yes, that's what I think too. Mother, I can't be there to fulfill my filial duty to you this time. I hope you will take good care of yourself."
Jiang Nuanzhi rubbed Ping'er's head: "In that case, I'll trouble Dean Yue to take care of my son for a while. Thank you."
"Really!" Dean Yue looked incredulous, then scooped up Ping'er and spun her around several times, his powerful and energetic laughter echoing endlessly.
Jiang Nuanzhi was stunned by what she saw.
"Great! There is hope for the revival of our Pan Shi Academy! Ping'er, this time, the two of us, master and disciple, will make a great undertaking!"
Jiang Nuanzhi and Ping'er, who was perched on Dean Yue's shoulder, exchanged a glance and both broke into smiles.
In truth, Li Rong's current status is still that of a convicted slave, and Ping'er's place of origin still follows her father's. Li Rong has entered the capital as a staff member, but there are still many twists and turns involved, and the situation remains unclear.
Jiang Nuanzhi currently holds an official position, but her family's situation is too unique. If Ping'er and Jiang Nuanzhi go to the capital to take the imperial examination, their identities could easily be criticized. Furthermore, Jiang Nuanzhi herself is uncertain. What if their place of origin becomes an issue, preventing them from taking the exam? Wouldn't that also delay her child's studies?
She understood what the small test meant to Ping'er.
Naturally, I wouldn't hold my child back.
Perhaps she will soon resolve the matters in the capital, and Li Rong and the old man will be cured of their poisoning and able to return before the prefectural examination in April.
Even if she doesn't come back, it won't affect Ping'er; it just means she'll have to be separated from the child for a while.
Suddenly, he snatched Ping'er back from Dean Yue's hands:
"Ping'er, you'll miss your mother, won't you? When you go out, you'll always talk about your mother, won't you? You've been separated from your mother for so long, when you see her again, won't you feel like a stranger?"
Ping'er: "."
(End of this chapter)
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