Chapter 306 Raising Private Soldiers
Not long after the full moon celebration, Ning Sihan personally visited with gifts.
"On the day of Zhuozhuo's full moon celebration, I was out of town investigating a case and couldn't make it back. This gift is my apology as her uncle."
Ning Sihan looked at the sleeping little dumpling in Hongliu's arms, her cold and aloof expression softened, and her warm fingertips gently touched the bright pink little face.
"I'm sorry to have troubled you with your expenses, brother."
Sheng An smiled and thanked him on behalf of his daughter, and inquired about the success of his investigation in the south.
Ning Sihan said a few words about what she could say, and then teased the awakened Zhuozhuo for a while before going to the study with Xu Jinnian to talk.
Sheng An took Zhuo Zhuo back to her room to breastfeed her. After Zhuo Zhuo fell asleep again, she went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
In the study, two people, each with striking appearances but different temperaments, sat facing each other. On the chessboard in front of them, black and white pieces each occupied half, creating a tense and deadly situation.
Xu Jinnian pondered for a moment, then picked up a black piece and placed it down.
In an instant, the game changed dramatically.
Ning Sihan's expression remained unchanged as she decisively placed a white piece, switching from offense to defense.
The two exchanged moves for several rounds, and the game became tense and difficult to determine a winner.
Xu Jinnian remained calm and composed, each black piece he placed playing a crucial role in controlling the overall situation.
Ning Sihan was equally impressive, her playing style was varied yet steady, preventing the black pieces from making a complete breakthrough.
The game ended in a draw.
Xu Jinnian was in a good mood and poured tea for the person opposite him: "I have learned a lot from playing chess with the Crown Prince."
Ning Sihan picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said slowly, "Indeed."
After saying that, he put down his teacup, his expression becoming serious: "What you predicted earlier was true. My men have found some clues in Pingyuan County."
Xu Jinnian's heart skipped a beat: "May I ask if Your Highness could elaborate?"
Pingyuan County is located in the southwest of the Great Wei Dynasty. It has always been a prosperous place and is also the fiefdom of Princess Pingyuan. It has five counties and eighteen towns under its jurisdiction, with a population of tens of thousands.
Ning Sihan did not hide anything and recounted the clues she had discovered in detail:
"My men sent a secret message that the actual amount of taxes collected by Pingyuan County over the past twenty years far exceeds the amount reported by Princess Pingyuan's residence each year. The amount of taxes that have been concealed is initially estimated to be more than two million taels, and their destination is currently unknown."
However, my men discovered that in the past twenty years, the number of able-bodied men whose households were cancelled each year in Pingyuan County has also far exceeded previous years. I suspect that these people are secretly hidden elsewhere and are very likely to become Princess Pingyuan's private army.
If the speculation is true, then this private army now numbers at least 20,000.
The entire Wei army numbered in the millions. Twenty thousand men may not seem like much, but it was enough to prove that Princess Pingyuan was plotting a rebellion by keeping so many private soldiers.
If Princess Pingyuan were to rebel one day, sending these 20,000 private soldiers into the capital in advance would definitely become the sharpest knife in her hand!
Upon hearing this, Xu Jinnian decisively said, "We must send more people to find out where this private army is hiding."
Keeping a private army is a crime punishable by extermination of the entire clan. As long as this matter can be verified, Princess Pingyuan's faction can be eradicated.
At that time, the mother and daughter who have lost their power and status will no longer be a threat.
Ning Sihan nodded: "I have already sent more people, but I'm afraid there won't be any good news in the short term."
They could imagine that Princess Pingyuan might be keeping a private army in Pingyuan County, so how could Your Majesty not have thought of that?
I'm afraid His Majesty has already secretly sent people to Pingyuan County to investigate, but he just hasn't found out yet.
The two exchanged some more information, and by the time they finished discussing business, it was lunchtime.
Sheng An specially prepared several light dishes according to Ning Sihan's taste, including two of his favorite snacks from Qingzhou.
Upon seeing the two snacks, Ning Sihan was momentarily dazed, but quickly regained her composure and softly thanked them, saying, "Thank you for your hard work, An'an."
Xu Jinnian glanced at him, concealing the emotions in her eyes.
Sheng An laughed and said, "Brother, please sit down and taste it. See if my cooking skills have deteriorated."
Ning Sihan nodded, walked to the head seat and sat down, then smiled and joked:
"If Physician Wang and Physician Hu knew that I had tasted An'an's cooking again after three years, they would be furious that I did not inform them before I came."
Upon hearing this, Sheng An looked somewhat ashamed: "Having been in the capital for so long, I haven't had the chance to visit the two imperial physicians."
It wasn't that she had forgotten about Physician Wang and Physician Hu; she was just afraid that a sudden visit would be misunderstood as an attempt to curry favor.
Ning Sihan understood Sheng An's concerns, so she smiled and said, "The two imperial physicians retired last year. They would be very happy if you were willing to visit them."
In recent years, Physician Wang and Physician Hu have often mentioned her, reminiscing about the days when she accompanied him to Qingzhou during his recovery.
Upon hearing Ning Sihan's words, Sheng An immediately said, "I will pay a visit after the summer heat subsides."
Ning Sihan enjoyed the meal very much, and her appetite was much better than usual.
After the meal, he teased Zhuozhuo for a while before leaving.
Summer heat can be tiring, and with the added burden of nighttime breastfeeding, Sheng'an takes a one-hour nap after lunch every day, and today was no exception.
Xu Jinnian accompanied the mother and daughter back to the main room, coaxed the little girl to sleep and put her on the small bed, then took off his coat, changed into his pajamas, and lay down next to Sheng An.
Sheng An felt that he was too hot, so she moved to the side while still half asleep.
Before I could move more than a few steps, her hot body pressed against me again.
Sheng An got annoyed, opened her eyes and glared at the man: "What are you doing?"
Xu Jinnian remained silent, only moving closer and holding one of her hands, placing it on his chest.
Sheng An couldn't understand what was wrong with him. He scanned him from head to toe, not even missing a single hair, but still couldn't figure out why he was acting strangely.
Xu Jinnian pressed his arm against hers, taking advantage of the situation.
Unable to bear it any longer, Sheng An pulled back her limbs and climbed onto him, grabbing his sharply defined chin and bringing her face close to his, saying in a harsh voice, "What exactly do you want to do!"
Xu Jinnian looked at her puzzled eyes, then suddenly smiled, lifted his head, and kissed her lips:
“I’m not doing anything, I just feel that with Zhuozhuo around, my husband An’an is neglecting me.”
Sheng An: "..."
She glared at the man and pinched his cheek: "You're even jealous of your own daughter, Xu Jinnian, you've really made something of yourself!"
Xu Jinnian readily admitted, "Yes, I'm jealous."
Seeing his self-righteousness, Sheng An was at a loss for words.
Thinking about how this man had refrained from "making a move" on her after she finished her postpartum confinement because he was worried about her health, she felt a little guilty, and her tone softened a bit:
"We don't need to be jealous of the kids; you and I are the ones who are meant to grow old together."
Xu Jinnian wasn't jealous of children, but upon hearing his lover's simple yet sincere confession, his heart suddenly warmed, and he couldn't help but hug her tightly: "Mmm."
Sheng An let the man hug her for a while, but seeing that he wouldn't let go, she finally couldn't help but pinch his waist: "It's so hot! Summer isn't a time for fairies to fight, nor is it a time for sentimentality!"
Xu Jinnian: "..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com