Chapter 74 Ah? Me?
The soldiers helping him grew increasingly silent; they had been reluctant just moments before, but now it seemed...
I couldn't help but admire Seventeen; it must have taken incredible keenness to discover that.
Seventeen let out a breath, folded the winter clothes of normal thickness back and put them aside, while the winter clothes that had been made with inferior materials were scattered in another place.
While waiting for Grandpa Yuanfu to return, he squatted down to inspect each item one by one.
These winter clothes are of reasonable weight, and they are hard to spot unless you look at them up in the light. Perhaps the person who made them was also afraid of being discovered.
If you're afraid of being discovered, then don't do such a thing!
After a while, Grandpa Yuanfu came over in a hurry with a middle-aged man.
"I have met several esteemed officials."
The middle-aged man bowed respectfully, but despite the cold winter weather, a thin layer of sweat covered his forehead, indicating that he had already heard Yuanfu's explanation.
"May I take a look at these winter clothes?"
Seventeen took a half step back with a cold face, revealing the winter clothes piled on the ground.
The man stepped forward to examine it closely, and the more he looked, the worse his complexion became. By the end, he was almost out of breath.
Liu Fujie also arrived late. Upon seeing the middle-aged man, he cursed, "Boss Zhu! This isn't the first time we've worked together. What do you mean by this? Do you think you can treat us like this just because we're regular customers? Do you even want to do business with us anymore?!"
Boss Zhu's face flushed with nervousness. Yuan Fu gently waved his hand, and Deputy General Liu shut his mouth and retreated to the side, suppressing his anger.
"Tell me, Mr. Zhu, we're not accusing anyone for no reason."
Boss Zhu closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice, "My lords, it is true that this batch of winter clothes was made by the Zhu family. I will not shirk my responsibility. I will personally deliver another batch of winter clothes another day. The price will be halved next year."
Yuanfu smirked, his voice icy: "Half-price winter clothes, let's hope it's not this kind of thing again?"
"My lords, this humble subject can explain this matter."
Boss Zhu knelt down, his attitude very sincere. Yuan Fu didn't think that someone who had cooperated with the military camp for so many years would ruin his reputation. He raised his voice and said, "Alright, Boss Zhu, come with us. The rest of you, pack up this batch of shoddy winter clothes and deliver them to Boss Zhu personally later."
After saying that, he turned around, and Boss Zhu quickly followed, with Deputy General Liu and Seventeen also close behind.
The remaining soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment and began to gather up the pile of thin winter clothes.
Once inside a tent, Yuanfu dismissed the others, leaving only the four of them inside. He lazily asked, "Tell me, what could possibly make Boss Zhu so audacious?"
Boss Zhu swallowed hard. He had seen this eunuch before, and even His Majesty had met him. Back then, His Majesty had personally come to his shop to discuss business.
I was having a perfectly fine day at the shop when I suddenly saw this old man come in, and my legs started trembling. I still vividly remember the "heroic" way this old man dealt with those who deceived their superiors, like a demon.
But it was His Majesty who granted it.
Back then, Your Majesty was still a prince, or a general, but now you are Your Majesty.
Boss Zhu knelt on the ground, his head bowed low, and clearly defended himself: "Father-in-law, you may not know this, but since the New Year, I have gradually handed over my business to my son. As the business with the military camp is relatively stable, I thought I would let him practice. He also handled all the winter clothes this year."
"But I swear to God that when I handed over the business, I repeatedly told him to take it seriously. Customers are the most important thing to us. Only by serving our customers well can the business last."
Yuanfu snorted coldly: "Judging from what Boss Zhu is saying, it was all your son who made the decisions on his own?"
"Yes, please see the truth, Your Excellency."
"A clear understanding? No matter how clear the understanding, they are still members of your Zhu family. How can our family be expected to make a clear understanding?"
Mr. Zhu kowtowed to the ground, tears streaming down his face, saying, "I know this is a crime of deceiving the emperor. I will not defend my son, but only wish to do my best to make amends. I only beg you, sir, to spare my son's life."
His head was banging loudly as he kowtowed. Seventeen couldn't bear it and turned his head away.
Yuanfu looked down at him as he kowtowed, and after a long while, seeing a pool of blood on the ground, he lazily waved his hand: "Go down. We can't keep your son here. We'll have to wait for His Majesty to return before discussing it. But as for this year's winter clothes..."
"Don't worry, Father-in-law, the farmers will immediately go back and make this year's winter clothes, and this situation will definitely not happen again!"
Seeing that Boss Zhu's attitude was fairly good, Yuanfu didn't bother to argue and waved for him to leave.
Deputy General Liu personally escorted the person back, while Yuanfu took a sip of tea and asked Seventeen with a smile, "Seventeenth Guard, do you think our family is a bit ruthless?"
Seventeen paused, frowned in thought, and then said, "This matter is indeed the Zhu family's fault. Even if it were handed over to their own son, they should have been more cautious when dealing with guests like those from the military."
"This was caused by Boss Zhu's negligence. The father-in-law is a good man. He only said that he would wait for His Majesty to return, which saved his son's life for a few days."
Yuanfu smiled at Seventeen, clearly very satisfied with his words: "It's normal for Guard Seventeen to think that our family is ruthless. We learned it from His Majesty. Do you think His Majesty will let the Zhu family brat go?"
Seventeen shook his head, his voice calm: "I don't know. I only know that whatever decision His Majesty makes, he must have his own considerations. There's no need for me to say anything more."
Upon hearing this, Yuanfu sighed softly: "It's best that you think this way."
While it was said to be the best option, Yuanfu couldn't help but have some concerns.
Such loyalty, if directed at an upright and honest emperor, would naturally bring riches and honors. But it is directed at someone who has other intentions towards Seventeen, and what that person wants is not just loyalty.
But Yuanfu also felt that the two of them might be much closer than he had imagined.
It seems I'm really getting old; I've even started worrying about His Majesty.
*
A few days later, Boss Zhu delivered a new batch of winter clothes, and after Seventeen inspected them, he found that they were even better than the previous batch.
Regardless, this matter is now in the past.
Seventeen looked at the letter sent back from the front and couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
He never expected that he and His Majesty would be forced to separate so soon after they had just confessed their feelings for each other.
Besides the battle reports, His Majesty also wrote him separate letters, each one so well-written that Seventeen was too embarrassed to finish reading them.
He would occasionally feel insecure because he would hear the soldiers in the camp talking about His Majesty, such as how many concubines he would take in the future and what kind of empress he would appoint.
He felt down for a moment, but then he cheered himself up. These were things he had to face, and he would ask His Majesty about them when he returned.
We can't really be completely clueless.
The second snow fell softly. Seventeen, wearing a cloak, and Yuanfu, also bundled up, stood beside him, smiling as they said, "Seventeen, would you like something to warm you up?"
"Huh? What?"
Perhaps it's because of the cold weather and the extra layers I've been wearing, or perhaps it's just my body's natural tendency to gain weight, but Seventeen has visibly gained a lot of weight these past few days.
He was extremely worried, fearing that gaining weight would cause his skills to decline, and he trained several soldiers for several days before he felt at ease.
"The seventeenth guard will find out soon."
Yuanfu looked mysterious, and Shiqi also curled up the corners of her mouth, looking forward to what kind of delicious food it was.
Oh, it's a hot pot. Seventeen sat to the side with her hands tucked in, her fair and tender face flushed red from the smoke, looking absolutely delicious.
This time it was just the two of them eating. The vegetables and meat were laid out on the side, and the steaming room made them feel satisfied.
The snow fell heavier and heavier, covering the tents, the desert, and the rooftops of Beirong City.
As the sharp, urgent whistle blew, the people of Beirong locked their doors and huddled with their families, trembling in fear.
The King of Beirong glared angrily at the mysterious advisor in front of him, so angry that he almost fainted.
"You! You didn't mean Da Jinghui!"
Meng Qiuna's lips curled up under the black veil as she slowly removed her bangs, revealing a pair of dark, grape-like eyes that stared straight at the Northern Rong King. Her long, deep red hair, identical to his, cascaded down to her waist.
The Northern Rong King was stunned by her appearance, pointing at her for a long time before finally stammering, "It's...it's you! Meng Qiuna!"
The thought of how he had been completely deceived by her all these days made the King of Beirong feel as if all his strength had been drained away, and he collapsed onto his throne.
As the deafening sound of horses' hooves echoed outside, the Northern Rong King's clouded eyes flickered, realizing that today was his death day.
Suddenly, a dark figure darted out from the side. Before Meng Qiuna could react, the figure was pierced by a long sword that flew out from the side and fell backward.
After seeing the dark figure clearly, the Northern Rong King let out a "Heh heh" sound and glared angrily in the direction from which the long sword had flown.
Long Langyue strolled in leisurely, but the bloodstains on his heavy armor indicated that a fierce battle had just taken place.
Long Xiaoyun retrieved his sword and followed behind, also covered in blood.
"You, you..."
The King of Beirong pointed at Long Langyue and couldn't speak for a long time. At this moment, he was completely disheartened. It turned out that all of this was just a plan by Da Jing. Even this illegitimate daughter had sided with Da Jing!
He was panting heavily as he recalled what had happened, and before anyone could react, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed.
Meng Qiuna was startled and was about to lean out to check what was going on when Long Xiaoyun stopped her.
"Don't go, maybe he's faking it."
It's no wonder they're cautious; the Northern Rong are masters of these underhanded tricks.
Long Langyue stepped forward, reached out and probed, raising her eyebrows in surprise.
"Dead."
"Huh?" "Huh?"
The other two were surprised. After exchanging glances, Long Xiaoyun also stepped forward to check on them and asked in astonishment, "How could he just die like that? Was he scared to death?"
After her initial surprise, Meng Qiuna calmed down and was not surprised by the outcome: "He was already old and addicted to sensual pleasures, so he must have already drained his body."
Long Xiaoyun stroked his chin: "Then isn't the Northern Rong just something we can't have?"
Long Langyue's gaze shifted, and he asked Meng Qiuna, "How many children does he have?"
"Eleven sons and five daughters are the ones on the surface; who knows how many illegitimate children he has in private."
She shrugged, admitting that she herself was just one of this person's illegitimate children.
"Your Majesty, Vice General, the Queen of the Northern Rong and her princes and princesses have all been brought under control."
Deputy General Wu walked in, wiping the blood from his face. Seeing the Northern Rong King lying on the chair with his head tilted to the side, he asked in confusion, "Dead?"
Long Langyue nodded: "He was so angry he died."
"Huh?" Deputy General Wu looked bewildered, but upon closer inspection, it seemed that the Northern Rong King did indeed have no wounds.
Hiss, the Northern Rong King, who fought against the Great Jing for so long, was just angered to death like that? How could someone with such a petty temper be an emperor? He's utterly useless.
“Kill everyone who is connected to the Northern Rong King.”
Long Langyue said calmly, "They have no intention of leaving any survivors for the Northern Rong royal family."
Long Xiaoyun frowned and asked, "If no one inherits the throne, what will happen to Beirong City?"
"Who says there's no one to inherit it?"
Long Langyue glanced at his silly younger brother. When he heard that the other was lost in the desert and didn't know how to tell which way to go, he couldn't help but beat him up and ordered him to go back to Yejing to study after the war ended.
"Who is it?" Long Xiaoyun scratched his head, wondering what his elder brother was thinking.
Long Langyue nodded and looked in that direction; Meng Qiuna was standing there.
Noticing the brothers' gazes, Meng Qiuna raised her head blankly and pointed to herself with one finger.
"Huh? Me?"
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