Chapter 3553 Rainy Season
Nan Yan ordered someone to serve him a bowl of rice first, then asked, "Where have you been?"
Zhu Chengjun took the bowl respectfully with both hands, then said with a grin, "I took Wei Ying and the others out of the city and headed southwest, running for more than ten miles. The sun is really scorching today, the saddles are so hot they could fry meat, and it's almost melting us."
Xinping smiled and said, "No wonder you smell like barbecue."
Zhu Chengjun chuckled and immediately said, "Those were the barbecue and pancakes we brought with us. We ran so far and were starving, so we ate them all on horseback."
As he spoke, he raised his arm to his nose and sniffed: "Is there still any smell?"
Xinping smiled and pulled his arm down, saying, "Even if it smells, wait until after dinner to wash it. Come on, eat. Are you hungry?"
As he spoke, he put a piece of shiny red roast pork into his bowl.
Zhu Chengjun said: "Thank you, sister!"
After saying that, he started eating with big mouthfuls.
The two children chatted and laughed as they ate, while Nan Yan sat aside, smiling at her youngest son. At the same time, she seemed to be worried about something. After a moment of silence, she couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing over there?"
Zhu Chengjun swallowed a mouthful of rice and said, "I went to the military camp yesterday. Although both sides have been keeping their troops on hold for the past few days, I asked the patrols outside the city, and they said that every three or four days, a group of troops from Doubei Town would leave and head west. However, they had never seen such a group return."
Nan Yan frowned slightly: "What do you mean?"
Zhu Chengjun said, "They are going to transport grain."
"Transporting food?"
"Yes, I calculated that the King of Yue has gathered nearly 50,000 troops around Doubei Town. Together with the townspeople and the civil and military officials he brought with him, they consume a lot of food and fodder every day. But I heard that Doubei Town doesn't have such a large granary, so they must have stored the food somewhere else. Since they have stored it somewhere else, we naturally have to go and collect it every few days. However, to avoid being discovered and robbing their food and fodder, they go in a straight line, but when returning to Doubei Town, they often take a detour to avoid our inspection range."
“…”
"I followed this direction and took people there to check, and sure enough, we found it!"
Nan Yan asked, "Have you found where they store their food?"
Zhu Chengjun smiled and said, "Yes."
"Where?"
"It's in a granary west of Doubei Town. When I first arrived, I heard from my father that outside Doubei Town, the former Yue State Prime Minister Chen Biri had people cultivate thousands of hectares of fertile land, and it has been producing for years. However, we shipped a lot of grain to Yue State a few years ago. Our grain is much better than the grain produced here. Their people are picky eaters and may not be willing to eat local rice. Therefore, there is no market for that grain, so it must be stored somewhere. Chen Biri will definitely find a place to store it locally."
“…”
"So, I went looking for it and found it. I heard that place had been abandoned for a long time because the grain had been taken away. It wasn't until the King of Yue brought over hundreds of thousands of dan of grain this time that the granary was reopened."
Xinping looked at him in surprise and couldn't help but reach out and ruffle his hair: "You are so smart!"
Zhu Chengjun was rubbed so hard by her that his entire face was almost pressed into the rice bowl. He laughed and said, "Of course!"
Nan Yan listened to all this calmly, with no expression on her face. After a moment of silence, she said, "We've found their granary. What are you going to do next?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Shunzi walked to the door and said softly, "Your Majesty."
Zhu Feng said: "Hmm?"
Xiao Shunzi said, "Lord Cui has requested an audience. He wants to report to His Majesty about the weather."
Zhu Feng nodded and put down his bowl and chopsticks. Nan Yan then realized that they were only focused on listening to Zhu Chengjun's words, while the emperor had been sitting quietly eating his meal. He had just finished his bowl of rice. At this moment, he took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth, then said, "You guys eat."
After saying that, he stood up.
Zhu Chengjun immediately said, "Father, I want to go too!"
Nan Yan asked, "You haven't finished your meal yet, what are you doing over there?"
Zhu Feng also glanced back, but smiled and said, "Let him go and listen. The right time, place, and people are all indispensable."
Nan Yan's heart suddenly moved.
As if he was afraid that his mother would worry about him being hungry, Zhu Chengjun grabbed the bowl and covered his face with it. He finished the meal in just a few mouthfuls. After swallowing it, he said, "Don't worry, mother. I'm done and full."
After saying that, he happily followed Zhu Feng away.
Looking at the backs of the father and son, Nan Yan frowned slightly, looking thoughtful.
Xin Ping, who was standing by, asked, "Mother, what on earth are they talking about?"
Nan Yan looked back at her, but did not answer the question. She only said, "Have you finished eating? If you have, let Chu Yun and the others come and clean up."
Xinping had almost finished her meal, but Zhu Chengjun suddenly came back, so she stayed to accompany her brother and ate a few more bites. At this time, she could not eat anymore, so she asked someone to come and clear the dishes. She and Nanyan went to sit aside, and Ruoshui immediately served them tea.
Xinping was still thinking about what had just happened. Recalling what Xiao Shunzi had said, she asked, "Mother, just now, Eunuch Shun said that Lord Cui came to report on the weather. What does the weather have to do with us?"
Nan Yan glanced at her and said with a smile, "It matters a lot."
As she spoke, she asked Delu, who was offering them an ice tray to cool them down, "How many times has it rained here since we've been here?"
De Lu thought for a moment after hearing this and said, "To answer your Majesty, it rained a lot in the early days, but it hasn't rained for more than half a month."
At the same time, Zhu Feng and Zhu Chengjun had already arrived at the study.
After hearing the news from Cui Yuanmei standing in front of him, Zhu Feng frowned slightly and said, "Are you saying that according to the annual custom here, there will be a heavy rain soon, and it will last for quite some time?"
"yes,"
Cui Yuanmei said, "I have also had people observe the celestial phenomena, and they predict heavy rain within three days. If Your Majesty is planning to deploy troops, you must do so quickly or wait until after the rainy season. However, during this period, it is difficult to predict."
After hearing his words, Zhu Chengjun immediately turned to look at Zhu Feng: "Father!"
Just then, footsteps were heard outside again. A moment later, Xiao Shunzi came in holding a document and said, "Your Majesty, General Xiang has sent an urgent report."
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