The fireworks emitted a sharp whistling sound, shooting into the star-studded night sky with a trail of brilliant flames, and then bursting into a small firework with a pop.
"Wow, this is so much fun!" Lin Fei clapped his hands, grabbed another one, and ran excitedly to the stones. "These are all for our family to use during the New Year. I wanted to take the big ones, but the servants guarding the storeroom hid them all..."
Bai Zhiyi laughed and said, "It's dangerous for children to play with fireworks. What if you get hurt by a big firework?"
The three set off a few more fireworks. Lin Fei, being a child, fell asleep quickly and yawned several times. The maid offered to carry him back, but he refused, insisting that Bai Zhiyi carry him. Bai Zhiyi told the maid, "I'll carry him back to the room; you don't need to go."
She carried Lin Fei out of the garden and towards the front yard. Halfway there, Lin Fei fell asleep on her shoulder, and Bai Zhiyi pulled her cloak over him to keep him warm.
Upon arriving at the front yard, a group of servants were already waiting there. When they saw Bai Zhiyi arrive, they hurriedly went to greet her. The wet nurse gently took Lin Fei, bowed to Bai Zhiyi to express her gratitude, and led Lin Fei back to his room.
Bai Zhiyi smiled and looked towards the room where her aunt, Madam Zheng, was.
The light was still on in Zheng's room. Since she was already there, she decided to say hello to her aunt and return to the capital in a couple of days.
Upon arriving at the room door, the maid guarding the door said, "Miss Bai, please wait a moment while I go and inform Madam."
Hearing the commotion outside, Madam Zheng said, "Is that Zhiyi outside? Come in."
Bai Zhiyi entered the room and saw Madam Zheng sitting at the table, her clothes neatly arranged. She sat down opposite Madam Zheng and smiled, "Aunt, you're still awake?"
Madam Zheng said, "Zhiyi, you know the troubles our family is in right now. How can I sleep?"
Bai Zhiyi knew it was about the Northwest Army setting up checkpoints to collect taxes, and said to Madam Zheng, "Aunt, I have met the Jade-Faced General of the General's Mansion once. I can go and talk to you on your behalf and see if we can get him to lower the taxes."
Madam Zheng snorted, picked up a piece of hibiscus cake, and said, "We've negotiated with them several times already, but they won't agree. It's obvious they want to mess with our Lin family."
Bai Zhiyi asked, "Aunt, what do you plan to do?"
"Let that Jade-Faced General run rampant for a few days, then he'll be in for a world of hurt." Madam Zheng smiled coldly. "Our Lin family isn't one to be trifled with either."
Bai Zhiyi was startled and said to Zheng Shi, "Aunt, are you going to oppose the Northwest Army?"
“Of course, our private army of a thousand or eight hundred is not enough,” Madam Zheng suddenly lowered her voice mysteriously. “I have something to tell you. This is what the master told me. You must not tell anyone.”
Bai Zhiyi smiled and said, "Aunt, I'm not an outsider."
“That Su Wan planted a lot of potatoes in the north of Youzhou, didn’t he?” Zheng said. “We are going to destroy all of these potatoes.”
Bai Zhiyi asked, puzzled, "What's the point of destroying the potatoes? Can't they just plant more?"
“Without potatoes, the Northwest Army will have no food,” Zheng said with a smile. “I can’t go into details about what will happen next, but just watch and see, they won’t have time to plant any more. Our Lin family will truly become the masters of this place.”
Bai Zhiyi smiled on the surface, but worries arose in her heart.
The Lin family is about to take action against the Northwest Army, whose commander is Wei Jingzhuo. What should she do?
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