military supervisor
The first dish served was stir-fried squid. After being stir-fried with ginger slices and scallions, the squid curled up because of the diagonal cuts, making it a perfect accompaniment to drinks.
Next up is squid slices stewed in broth, a nourishing dish, and then there's stir-fried squid with snails, which is incredibly spicy and refreshing, perfect to eat with a main course.
Lu Chang couldn't eat seafood, so he only ate the poached chicken. When he saw Yuan Cheng again, he only ate a piece of squid before stopping eating and drinking wine to get rid of the fishy taste in his mouth.
Lu Chang picked up another piece of squid and gave it to Jing Wan: "Eat slowly, all of these are yours."
Yuan Cheng drank his wine and looked her over carefully, only then noticing that she had grown much taller and her face was rounder; she seemed to be doing well. He ladled a bowl of clam soup for Jing Wan and told her to eat slowly.
Jingwan puffed out her cheeks and smiled at Yuan Cheng to express her gratitude, but Lu Chang caught a glimpse of it, and his smile faded, and he also put down his chopsticks.
Jingwan thought her cousin was upset because he couldn't eat all the seafood on the table, so she tried to appease him by picking up a chicken leg for him, which finally cheered him up a bit.
Jingwan swallowed the rice in her mouth and said, "Seafood tastes best when you're full. But I heard from the local fishermen that they have to pay a lot of taxes every year, and the amount of grain they get in return is very little. It's really pitiful."
But when she saw Yuan Cheng again, she smiled: "Fortunately, Lord Yuan is here. I believe everyone will have better days ahead."
Yuan Cheng held up his wine glass, looking into Jing Wan's trusting eyes, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
People may look at him with disdain, contempt, or flattery, but such pure trust is rare indeed.
He raised his glass and said, "I will certainly live up to your expectations."
Yuan Cheng downed the wine in his cup in one gulp. Lu Chang watched the two chatting happily, but only he knew how jealous he was.
When Yuan Cheng came to Chaozhou, the people had a better life. When Lu Chang came to Chaozhou, he did a lot for the city. Why didn't Jing Wan praise him?
Despite his resentment, Lu Chang remained calm and continued feeding the people around him.
They went back together in the evening. It was the first time the three of them had gone together. With Yuan Cheng keeping the conversation going, the atmosphere was quite relaxed and comfortable.
Yuan Cheng told Lu Chang that on his way south, he went to Ye City again, where local officials and people went to the capital to request that a monument commemorating Lu Chang's virtuous governance be erected.
"The court initially refused, but Gongsun Jia Dao led the people to the capital in person, and only then did they relent."
Lu Chang was at a loss for words. In the fight against the epidemic in Ye City, he had never thought that he would expect the people of Ye City to do anything for him in the end. Suddenly, he remembered the scene of breaking off willow branches to bid farewell that day. Lu Chang thought that he had laughed at Fang Huai for being ridiculous, but in fact he had done the same thing as Fang Huai.
The biggest surprise was Jingwan. She leaned against Lu Chang's side, and when Lu Chang looked down, he could see her smiling up at him, her small mouth slightly open, revealing a few pearly white teeth, looking quite proud.
He gently flicked her head and finally smiled. If there was a chance in the future, he would take Jingwan back to Yecheng to visit again. But if Yuancheng came to Lingnan, who would go to the Northwest to supervise the army?
Who would go to the Northwest to supervise the army, and who would continue to keep an eye on Li Muyun on behalf of the Emperor—these were questions Yuan Cheng had carefully considered before deciding to come to Lingnan.
He had suitable people to recommend to the emperor, but Yang Fujin rejected them one by one.
The young emperor had grown up and was constantly accompanied by Yang Fujin. He clearly trusted Yang Changshi more, after all, he called him Father. Since Father did not agree, the emperor also rejected his choice. So Yuan Cheng asked the emperor who should be sent.
The emperor remained silent, but first glanced at his father, Yang Fujin, who said, "This is a major policy of the court, and it should be decided only after consulting with the ministers."
Even after Yuan Cheng left Pingdu, the selection of this person had not been finalized. Yuan Cheng knew that Yang Fujin was preventing him from interfering.
On his way to Lingnan, Yuan Cheng learned that the newly appointed military supervisor was Yang Qi, who was Yang Fujin's adopted son and served as a minor eunuch in the palace.
When Yang Qi went to the Northwest, he also took several generals and soldiers with him. Although they were of low rank, they were all young and strong. One of the young generals was the grandson of the Prime Minister of Qin and the son-in-law of Li Ling, the Prince of Runan.
Along the way, Yuan Cheng was analyzing the meaning behind Yang Fujin's move. All the other generals were Yang Fujin's men, but Qin Ziyou was clearly more closely related to Li Ling.
When did Yang Fujin and Li Ling start their affair, and what were they planning to do?
He looked at the gloomy sky, feeling extremely depressed.
Now that he's not in the Northwest, only the Eldest Princess is left to deal with those wolves and tigers. And she has a quick temper, so she acts recklessly...
A thousand worries finally turned into a long sigh. I hope, I hope...
When Lu Chang asked about it, Yuan Cheng only briefly mentioned the matter, but omitted the fact that Prince Li Ling of Runan had instructed him not to let Lu Chang be distracted by the Northwest.
When Lu Chang learned that the newly dispatched military supervisor was Yang Fujin's man, he fell silent.
Even though Li Muyun was a member of the royal family, Yang Fujin could not rest easy. He still extended his reach to the Northwest, just as the late emperor had done, to gradually erode the Northwest.
The most optimistic among them was Jingwan. She didn't understand the complexities of the political situation or the various behind-the-scenes arrangements. She only knew that Princess Li Muyun was someone not to be trifled with.
She was the second queen of the Northwest after Lu Zhi, and had long since won over the hearts and minds of the people and the army in that vast land.
Jingwan was right. Li Muyun was indeed someone not to be trifled with. How could she be afraid of a mere eunuch? Even if Yang Fujin himself came to supervise the army, she would still show that malicious smile and teach that eunuch a lesson.
After glancing at the imperial edict, Mu Yun casually tossed it aside, put one foot on a chair, leaned back, and wore a half-smile.
She doesn't look like a princess at all; she looks like a seasoned thug.
Her deputy, Fan Shuang, said with a bitter face, "Lord Yuan is gone. Who are we going to borrow money from now on?"
The soldiers guarding the city said that the visitor did not want to enter the post station and wanted the princess to personally greet him.
Mu Yun laughed in anger, her phoenix eyes filled with arrogance. She was about to throw the imperial edict at Fan Shuang when she stood up nimbly: "Let's go! Let's go pick up our new supervisor!"
Several lieutenants followed behind, laughing and joking, as they left the military camp together.
The Northwest is vast, encompassing seven prefectures. During Lu Zhi's reign, Yongye served as the political center. Later, Li Muyun moved the capital to Pengcheng, further west, a key border town with Hulao Mountain behind it.
When the new military supervisor Yang Qi arrived in Pengcheng, he was so tired that he could barely feel his bottom. It was his first time traveling far from home, and he didn't even know how to ride a horse. He sat in the carriage for months, constantly groaning and complaining. Now that he had finally arrived in Pengcheng, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
After handing over the imperial edict to the soldiers guarding the city, Yang Qi could have gone to the inn in the city to rest, but he refused to leave and instead stood outside the city with his caravan.
He wanted Li Muyun to come and pick him up in person!
Everyone knew that Yang Qi was the adopted son of Yang Changshi. Before they arrived, each family had instructed them to respect Yang Qi and obey his orders. Since he was not leaving, they could only stay by his side.
In fact, when this new military supervisor arrived, his adoptive father had instructed him that Li Muyun was a madman, and that he should outwardly respect the princess and not overstep the proper order of rank. He only needed to stay in Pengcheng, inform Pingdu of Li Muyun's every move, and then place the generals he brought with him into the army.
However, as is customary for a new official, Yang Qi did not take his adoptive father's words to heart.
She's just a woman, why should I be afraid of her! If I don't give her a warning first, how will I lead the Northwest and suppress Li Muyun in the future?
More importantly, Yang Qi understood that his adoptive father was going to take action against the princess, and that he was already going to be a prisoner, so there was no need to hold back anymore.
The weather was fine that day, with no sandstorms, so standing outside the city wasn't too tiring.
Mu Yun went up to the city wall and saw a group of people standing below. She said to the deputy general, "Each of you take one. I'll take the eunuch first!"
Fan Shuang laughed and said, "Then I'll take the kid with the sword!"
The other generals also laughed and took charge of all the people standing below.
The soldier handed her her bow and arrow. She slowly aimed at the target, drew the string heavily, and the arrow flew from the string, embedding itself straight into the yellow earth at Yang Qi's feet.
The sudden arrow startled Yang Qi, who cried out in surprise, stumbled backward, and fell to the ground with a thud. But that wasn't all; another arrow landed precisely in Yang Qi's groin. The eunuch barely managed to lift his head to glance at his groin before his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
Apart from Yang Qi, the other men were riding horses. Arrows flew from the city wall and landed on the horses' hooves, startling the horses so much that they neighed loudly, raised their front hooves high, and threw the riders off their backs.
The man who fell from his horse crashed to the ground, sending up clouds of yellow sand.
The scene below was chaotic, with everyone in a sorry state, which caused the people on the city wall to burst into laughter again.
Among the group, only one young man remained seated steadily on his horse. When the arrow came, he reacted the fastest, striking first and wielding his long sword to cut off the arrow's path. He simply raised his head and stared expressionlessly at the people on the city wall.
Among the disheveled people, he was the only one who was somewhat worth watching.
Li Muyun also saw him wielding the long sword, and saw that there was no fear in his eyes. He stood up straight and looked at them, neither humble nor arrogant.
"interesting!"
Fan Shuang was about to shoot again, but Li Muyun stopped her. She nocked another arrow, aiming at the boy!
An arrow flew out, but was intercepted again; the shaft broke in two and fell to the ground.
The young man on horseback sheathed his sword, took out his bow and arrow, and aimed at Li Muyun on the city wall.
Without hesitation, he shot an arrow. As Fan Shuang turned to block it, he saw Li Muyun catch the arrow.
She gripped the arrow shaft tightly, her right hand holding the arrow with prominent veins and distinct knuckles, while the arrowhead was only a finger joint away from her left shoulder, ready to pierce her flesh.
Mu Yun broke the arrow in half, his expression turning cold.
Fan Shuang understood Li Muyun's meaning and shouted down, "Who goes there?"
The young man said, "Pingdu, Qin Ziyou!"
Qin Ziyou? Hmph!
Mu Yun turned and left, his generals following behind, but they no longer dared to underestimate the young man below the city.
She naturally wouldn't personally welcome the eunuch into the city. Instead, she rode back to her military camp. Her generals knew she was angry and dared not utter a word.
That day, Yang Qi finally entered the post station. When he slowly woke up, the soldiers sent by Mu Yun said, "His Highness said that Lord Yang entered Pengcheng horizontally when he first arrived, and we hope that he will not leave horizontally in the future."
Yang Qi trembled and almost fainted again.
The next day, Yang Qi went to the military camp to see Li Muyun. The princess was training her troops, still holding a silver spear in her hand. Yang Qi knelt on the ground, letting the silver spear lift his chin.
The spear tip still gleamed silver. Yang Qi dared not move, fearing she would pierce his throat. He heard the woman on horseback say, "In this life, I can only tolerate a eunuch by my side. Remember, Lord Yang, don't provoke me. Countless lives have been shed beneath this silver spear!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
