Chapter 23 The Eldest Young Master Returns
The old hunter had been a hunter for decades and had hunted wolves before, but the wolves in winter were exceptionally fierce. They would either accidentally fall into the traps the hunters had dug or be wounded by the hunters' arrows. Because wolves were agile and difficult to hit vital organs, the hunters would often end up with their bodies covered in wounds and holes.
The more cuts a wolf has, the less valuable the pelt becomes. The old hunter had never seen such a complete wolf pelt before.
His son, Daqing, had been hunting with his father for many years. Looking at the wolf meat left after the skinning, he was surprised to find something: "Dad, look here."
He pointed to the gray wolf's skull.
When Li Xiaoxiao drove the oxcart back to the backyard of the county government office, the moon was already high in the sky. Hearing her knocking, Mama Mao opened the door for her with a small lantern. Before she could even see her face clearly, she started scolding, "Why are you so late?"
Li Xiaoxiao was gone for a whole day, and she still hadn't returned by nightfall. Mama Mao thought she had run away in the chaos!
But then she thought again that was impossible. She was a servant who had signed a life contract, without a travel permit or household registration. Where could she go? Considering that she was all alone, what if she had encountered bad people and been captured?
So it was bedtime, but Mom was too worried to sleep and kept an eye on the back door.
Using the light from Mama Mao's lantern, Li Xiaoxiao tied the ox to the cowshed, saying as she untied the cart, "We've gone a bit too far, Mama Mao, look!"
She picked up the fawn to show Mother Mao.
This fawn weighs about 30 pounds, and its body is still soft.
Mother Mao leaned closer and was both surprised and delighted: "It's a deer! You, you shot a deer?"
Li Xiaoxiao nodded in satisfaction: "If it weren't for catching it, I wouldn't have come back so late."
Venison is very nourishing. Considering that Lord Meng is currently ill and needs to take supplements, Mama Mao already had several ways to cook venison in mind. She immediately stopped blaming Li Xiaoxiao for coming back late and urged her to wash up: "You take a shower and have dinner first. I'll process the venison tonight."
After a day of hiking in the mountains, Li Xiaoxiao's clothes were torn to shreds by tree branches. When she returned to her room and finished washing up, her mother had already brought her the dinner that had been left for her and placed it on the table. She ate it in big mouthfuls, and the nausea in her stomach was finally suppressed by the aroma of the cooked food.
Sure enough, once you get used to cooked food, raw food becomes unbearable.
After finishing her meal, she sat down and carefully sensed the situation in her dantian.
The faint, almost severed power had grown stronger, and she could feel the connection between the necklace and her restored.
Unfortunately, more special abilities are needed to unlock it.
She turned her gaze to the kettle on the side, which contained about two bowls of deer blood.
If I drink the deer blood over two days, the necklace should be able to open, right?
She brought over a basin of water and put the soft-bodied water bottle inside. It was too hot; she didn't want the blood inside to spoil, as she needed to drink it for two more days.
After placing the basin of water, she went out of the house. Mama Mao was chopping venison by herself with a knife, and next to her were freshly shed fur.
Seeing her come over, Madam Mao said happily, "This deer weighs about twenty pounds, so the whole mansion can have venison tomorrow."
Li Xiaoxiao had never eaten cooked venison before, and her eyes lit up when she heard this: "Is venison delicious?"
Mother Mao said, "It's delicious, much better than pork. You hunted this deer, so I'll give you more to eat tomorrow."
Li Xiaoxiao nodded repeatedly; she was really looking forward to her mother's cooking.
The next day, Madam Mao showed off her skills, and Li Xiaoxiao ate the best meat meal she had ever had in the world. She ate three jin (1.5 kg) by herself. But unexpectedly, the venison that Madam Mao had carefully prepared for Lord Meng was returned untouched.
Yingchun said with concern, "The master can't eat a single bite. He only sent some rice soup over. The madam said that the venison should be given to everyone."
Mama Mao clearly selected the tenderest and most delicious part of the whole deer to make and send over. Lord Meng could eat roast suckling pig yesterday, so why can't he even eat a bite of venison today?
Mama Mao took a spoonful of venison from the bowl and tasted it. It was fresh, fragrant, and tender. How could Lord Meng not eat such delicious meat?
It's been eight days since the adult fell ill. We thought things would improve yesterday since the adult could eat, but today the situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse.
How long can someone who can't eat properly, only drink rice gruel, and has to take medicine every day, hold on? Madam Mao, being an elderly woman, already felt uneasy upon hearing the news: "Hasn't the eldest son returned yet?"
Meng Guanqi left for Lin'an two days ago, and should be back by today at the latest.
Yingchun said, "Madam has already sent Steward Zhao to guard the city gate. The eldest young master said when he set off that he should be back by today at the latest."
She quietly took two steps forward and whispered, "This morning, Doctor Xie from Huichuntang came again. Madam wanted him to prescribe new medicine, but Doctor Xie just told us to drink the original prescription and left without even leaving a prescription."
Madam Mao felt a chill run down her spine. She left without even leaving a prescription, which made her feel even more uneasy. She dared not say anything, and could only sigh, "I hope the eldest son will come back soon."
If the doctors in the county town aren't good, surely the ones in the prefectural city should be better?
I remember when you were still in the capital, if anyone in the family had a headache or fever, we could always find an imperial physician to come and treat them. I never imagined that now that you are so sick, we can't even find a decent doctor.
In the main room, Magistrate Meng, whose cheeks were sunken from illness, suddenly opened his eyes.
He glanced quietly at Liu, who was dozing off beside him, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes.
During the time he was ill, Liu also became very haggard and looked more than ten years older.
Because of the trouble he caused, his wife and children were implicated. As a husband, he had a clear conscience, but he felt guilty towards his family.
He could sense that he didn't have much time left.
He sat up gently.
Startled, Liu opened her eyes abruptly. Seeing him sit up, she quickly went to help him up: "Master, you're awake. What would you like to eat? I'll ask the kitchen to make it for you."
Lord Meng shook his head: "Madam, bring the ginseng soup over, I'll have a few sips."
Liu was both surprised and delighted. Qi, the old woman who was guarding the other side of the room, was quick-witted and had already brought over the ginseng soup.
Lord Meng took a few sips and felt some strength returning to his body: "Madam, please prepare pen and ink for me. I need to write a memorial."
Startled, Madam Liu quickly said, "Master, you are still ill. Writing memorials is too much work for you. Please wait until you are better before writing them."
Lord Meng shook his head gently, his tone firm: "If I don't write it now, I'm afraid I won't have time to write it... Madam, don't be sad. Everyone has to face that day eventually. My death is nothing to regret, but I have to think about you in advance. If I don't report the reasons for the refugees settling down and the private storage of grain to the Emperor as soon as possible, I'm afraid that once I leave, those who would kick me when I'm down will take the opportunity to impeach me, turning our family into a family of criminals, and ruining your and the children's lives. Go now."
Liu's tears streamed down her face, and she choked up, unable to speak.
Granny Qi fought back tears: "Master, you've only caught a cold, why say such hurtful things? Once the eldest son brings the doctor back, he'll surely be able to cure your illness..."
But Lord Meng knew his own body well; if he didn't write now, he feared he would be too weak to get up again once he lay down.
He insisted on writing, and Liu and Granny Qi had no choice but to go to the study to get pen and ink, and help Lord Meng sit down at the desk. Lord Meng had been sick for so many days and was originally weak all over, but strangely, after picking up the pen, all his strength seemed to return, and he wrote each word extremely fluently.
Although he felt reluctant to take in refugees and open granaries to distribute food, it was also because he had confidence in the imperial court and believed that the court would not abandon the refugees and leave them homeless and starving to death in the wilderness.
The capital is five or six hundred li away from Yizhou, and more than nine hundred li away from Biyang County. For the disaster in Yizhou to reach the emperor's ears, even with the 800-li express courier service, it would take seven or eight days to reach the capital. Then, after the emperor holds court and discusses disaster relief with the ministers, even if the disaster relief arrangements are finalized within two or three days, the Ministry of Revenue still needs to raise the necessary funds and grain. All things considered, it would take at least a month for the disaster relief envoy to set off from the capital with the silver and grain.
The disaster relief envoy set off from the capital. Even if he traveled non-stop, the transport of food and supplies was not easy. It would take at least half a month to reach Yizhou. With such a long time to pass, how could the disaster victims wait?
Magistrate Meng acted first and reported later, taking advantage of the time difference. He took over the refugees first, then opened the granaries to distribute grain for relief. Once the disaster relief grain arrived, he replenished the grain in the granaries. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, and this was not without precedent.
But who could have imagined that more than a month had passed and there was still no news of disaster relief funds and supplies? Prefect Song was unwilling to take responsibility and avoided meeting him. If the funds and supplies were replenished afterward, that would be fine. But if they were not replenished, he could even turn around and accuse him of disrespecting the law, opening the granary without permission, and undermining the foundation of the country. If this crime were to be investigated, he would be unable to escape the name of a criminal official.
Therefore, while he was still able to move, he had to submit a memorial of apology, explaining the reasons to the emperor, and striving to restore a clean family for his wife and children before he died.
His death is not a pity, but Qi'er is already a scholar at a young age, and with his intelligence, if he studies hard for a few more years, he may well be able to pass the imperial examination one day. Therefore, he must not be implicated by the identity of the son of a disgraced official.
Lord Meng grew up as a son of a concubine. His ancestors were strict in their etiquette and the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children in the household was clear. This fostered in him a nature that never dared to stand out in anything. If he hadn't already considered the potential harm to his descendants, he wouldn't have dared to write a defense explaining the reasons. He didn't seek merit, only to avoid mistakes.
After finishing the memorial, he was exhausted, but he still forced himself to let the ink on the paper dry. He then called over Steward Zhao and said, "You must personally go to the capital and deliver the memorial to Minister Min of the Ministry of Personnel. Under no circumstances should it be handed over to anyone else."
Looking at the master's sunken cheeks and lifeless eyes, Steward Zhao forced back his tears, knelt down, and accepted the memorial with both hands: "This old servant obeys."
Lord Meng waved his hand wearily: "Go, take Zhao Jian with you. You're getting on in years, take good care of yourself."
Butler Zhao dared not raise his head, bowed and retreated, but his heart was filled with sorrow.
This journey to the capital is nearly a thousand miles. Will I be able to see my master again when I return?
However, knowing that this matter concerned his master's life and fortune, he dared not delay and immediately ordered Zhao Jian to pack his bags and head to the capital.
The two men had just ridden their horses out of the city gate when they encountered Meng Guanqi's carriage. Steward Zhao's eyes lit up, and he immediately spurred his horse forward, shouting, "Whoa! Young Master!"
Sitting next to the coachman Yu Dayong, Asheng immediately said, "Stop the car! It's Steward Zhao! Young master, it's Steward Zhao and Brother Zhao Jian's horse."
A note from the author:
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