After knowing that his fiefdom was in Qibei, he had sent out more than a dozen waves of people to confirm this matter, but the responses he received were not optimistic.
But he still reported this "good news" to his father despite the pressure, because there was no other way. He had been expelled from the palace because of Wu Xueyan's crime. If he didn't make a great contribution right now, there would be no hope of regaining his favor. Over time, perhaps his father would really forget about him and turn his attention to other princes. That was absolutely unacceptable!
He gripped his sleeves tightly, then relaxed them after a moment. Yes, even if they opened a mine and minted coins, that was a matter for the future. There were so many variables, so there was no need to rush.
As long as my father still thinks that he is the victim of an assassination, and as long as Concubine Gong and the Third Prince still look sick and ready to be bullied, this hurdle will be resolved.
For Xu Yixing, the Spring Festival has never been a festival worthy of attention. She only thinks that the meaning of a day comes from what people give it. If there is nothing worth celebrating during the Spring Festival, then it is just an ordinary day like any other.
Lu Anyuan didn't care for the Spring Festival. It was just one of the few days of the year when he didn't have to get up early to attend court. There was nothing special about it. With both masters being so unconcerned, the Seventh Prince's Mansion had a rather dull year.
"Yiwen wrote to him, but he still hasn't come back." Xu Yixing put down the letter and picked up a small box. Inside was a small gift that Xu Shimao was ordered to send. They were some things to pass the time, such as Nine Linked Rings and Tiangongqiao. Although she didn't like them, she accepted their kindness.
"Wouldn't your father be embarrassed then?"
"He's learned his lesson and no longer openly opposes my father. He said in the letter that he would abide by the emperor's order and would not return to the capital until he passed the imperial examination. He also said that he would take the examination this autumn and become a juren."
Xu Yixing could understand Yiwen's mentality very well, but he always behaved like a noble young man, and he didn't expect that he could really endure the loneliness and study hard in the mountains. It was really not easy.
For this reason, she specifically asked Xu Shimao about everything, and was relieved to learn that Yiwen did not act recklessly or make friends with bad people in the academy.
"Haha, Father was just speaking casually, giving a small punishment but a big warning. He's really good at using this as an excuse to make a big deal out of it."
Xu Yixing was disdainful. Whether he was just taking advantage of the situation was hard to say. The emperor didn't punish his family severely at the time, simply because he was looking after his father and Lu Anyuan. It was not easy for Yiwen to be so understanding and caring.
"Today is the fifteenth day, and tomorrow is the day to go to court on the new year. Your day off is over." Xu Yixing said this with a bit of a watching-the-fun mentality. After all, Lu Anyuan had been eating and sleeping for the past ten days, and he had become fairer, tenderer and rounder. It would definitely be hard for him to go to court once he started.
"I'm used to it."
Ever since they talked about the contraceptive pills, the couple hadn't slept together since then. Xu Yixing still had the pills Ying Si had given her, but Lu Anyuan was against it, insisting that they were toxic and wouldn't let her take them.
In this regard, Xu Yixing could only complain about Mr. Yao's lack of skills, while at the same time wanting to slap Ying Si, the "traitor", twice.
On the 16th day of the first lunar month, businesses open for business, and government offices also resume their daily routine.
For the common people in Beijing, the New Year was over and they naturally had to go out to make a living. But for Xu Yixing, this meant that the Jingzhao Prefecture had begun its endless harassment of his shop.
Indeed, Chen Yue showed no sign of stopping, and even grew more daring with each setback, nearly raiding the offending shops several times. Fortunately, Xu Yixing kept a close eye on the legal process, and whenever there was even the slightest problem, she immediately sent someone to complain, preventing the subordinates, who had received instructions from the police, from arresting anyone directly.
But she was just watching coldly, afraid she wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. Her shop wasn't clean, and she was wrong both morally and legally. If the Second Prince didn't stop, she would have no choice but to sacrifice herself to keep herself safe.
Someone must stop this matter, otherwise even if I lose all my dowry, I probably won't be able to pay the high fine.
"Madam, why don't you sleep a little longer? Why are you getting up so early to check the account books?" Lu Anyuan walked in wearing a suede cloak and covered in snowflakes that had not yet melted.
Xu Yixing saw it and said, "It's snowing outside?"
"Yes, it started just now when the court was leaving. How come you didn't see it?"
Xu Yixing looked out the window and saw snowflakes flying everywhere. He had just been looking at the account book and had not looked up for a long time, thus ignoring the snow scene for no reason.
"It's this time of year. I thought it wouldn't snow again."
"Winter came late this year, so it will naturally go away later. Madam, do you know what news there is today?" Lu Anyuan warmed himself up and couldn't wait to sit next to Xu Yixing, wanting to share his experiences with her.
"You're causing trouble on the first day of court? You guys are really busy... What's the matter?" Xu Yixing felt a little sorry for these ministers and princes, who were always restless every day.
"Hahaha, being an official is actually the same as being an ordinary person. We all have troubles. Today in the court, the previous matter has come to an end."
The previous incident, of course, was about the assassination of the Second and Seventh Princes, and Concubine Ying tearfully accusing the Third Prince of being the culprit. An entire spring break had passed, but Xu Yixing knew that the officials in the capital would not ignore this matter.
"What does your Majesty say?"
"The Emperor said that he had already investigated and found that this matter had nothing to do with my third brother. Concubine Ying, who loves her son dearly, blamed him and fined him three months' salary as a minor punishment and a major warning."
"That's to be expected." The Third Prince was innocently involved, so the Emperor would definitely make the decision for him. However, he only fined Concubine Ying a small amount of money. The Emperor's heart was really biased.
"Of course, there were some unexpected events. My father has personally designated the 'murderer,' who was found by the Imperial Guards. He claims the assassination was carried out by the remnants of the Southern Barbarians and demands that the army be dispatched immediately to annihilate the Little Song Kingdom."
"The Small Song Kingdom? Isn't that a small country near the southern border of Qin? How did the emperor link these two things together?" Xu Yixing's disgust was beyond words. Isn't this just a diversion?
His own sons fought among themselves, and finally found a scapegoat to take the blame. Now he wants to send troops to destroy the country. This is too cruel.
When Lu Anyuan first heard his father's decree, he sneered. But when he thought about the restless Song Kingdom and how it had sent spies into its fiefdom to cause trouble many times, he knew that his father was doing this for the peace of Daxia.
To be more selfish, Qibei has just discovered minerals, and my father must be afraid that these southern barbarians will come to rob and kill them, so this is a precautionary measure.
"How could we possibly guess the Emperor's sacred heart?"
"Then who should be sent to lead the troops? My father?" If so, it is not unreasonable, but Xu Yixing should worry about who will be blamed if something happens to his father.
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