Chapter 318 Chapter 318 Going to the Meng Family
Unable to discern the smile in Qin Run's words, Xiaobao thought he was being praised and nodded affirmatively, "Yes, Daddy, Xiaobao is Daddy's eldest son. Daddy, let Daddy go. Daddy is so powerful. Second and Third Uncles are small and have little strength. Daddy said that I am the little man of the family and have to protect the family. Second Uncle and the others are all brothers. If Daddy doesn't go... then what about Xiaobao going? Xiaobao is the man of the family and has to protect Second and Third Uncles. Daddy won't go, Xiaobao will go. Xiaobao will protect you, Grandpa. Don't be afraid. From now on, Xiaobao will protect you."
Qin Qingfeng looked at Xiaobao, wanting to laugh but unable to. Perhaps Xiaobao didn't know what this meant, otherwise, how could he bear to let his beloved father go? But his desire to protect Qin An and Qin Mu was so burning.
"Xiaobao." Lord Qin's tears flowed as he picked up Xiaobao. Qin Run touched Qin An and Qin Mu's heads and said, "Don't go. Listen to your eldest brother. He will find a way. Grandpa, just listen to Yunfan. If there is ever a chaos outside the Great Wall and foreign enemies invade, I will go with Yunfan."
No matter how hard or tiring it is, he will accompany Xu Yunfan, and will be with him through life and death, and will never let Xu Yunfan be alone.
Qin Feiyu: "Father, Daddy, let's talk about this after I give birth to two children. Maybe everything is not as bad as we think. I am in good health."
"Grandpa won't go either. Let Dad go. Dad said that once he takes action, there is nothing he can't handle. Dad is powerful. If anyone dares to bully us, let Dad deal with them and beat them until they piss and pee. Let's see if they will come back."
"Okay." Qin Feiyu pinched Xiaobao's face and thought to himself, this child is thoughtful. No wonder Madam Song wanted to coax Xiaobao to call her grandma.
This topic was a bit heavy and Qin Qian didn't want to bring it up, but sometimes the situation didn't allow him to talk about likes and dislikes.
But after hearing Xu Yunfan's words tonight, Qin Qian suddenly felt at ease.
He knew Xu Yunfan's boxing skills. If Qin Feiyu could no longer go to the battlefield after giving birth, the Qin family still had a brother-in-law, so what was there to be afraid of?
While he is still young, he will take charge of the Qin family army. In the future, he should take Xu Yunfan to the military camp more often to let those generals see how powerful Xu Yunfan is. If Xu Yunfan is really needed to lead the troops in the future, these people will not be so dissatisfied.
Xu Yunfan, who was "sold" by his eldest son, thought that something happened to Fang's mother. It turned out that Fang's uncle had encountered a problem and couldn't solve it, so he had to write a letter to ask Fang's father for help.
The fact that Mr. Fang sent the housekeeper to ask Xu Yunfan and Fang Zixi to come back shows that he is also somewhat helpless and can only ask for help.
"Uncle, what happened?" Xu Yunfan asked without even having time to drink a sip of hot tea.
Father Fang sighed in worry. "Something happened in Pingjin Prefecture, where your uncle lives. Due to the continuous snowfall, the county magistrates have calculated that more elderly people and children have frozen to death this year than last year. Some children are ignorant and burn firewood to keep warm... Your uncle has thought of many ways, but the money allocated by the court is limited. It's only December, and winter still has two months to go. Zixi, you have a quick mind, so help Dad find a solution. Yunfan, you have a lot of ideas, so think about it too. The problems in Pingjin Prefecture must be solved, otherwise so many children and elderly people..."
Pingjin Prefecture is different from other prefectures. In the past, Pingjin Prefecture was the territory of the Hu Kingdom. Although the Hu Kingdom was a small country, it was similar to the Dongwu Kingdom. Most of its areas were inhabited by nomadic peoples, and they were relatively belligerent. Ten years ago, the Hu Kingdom had several conflicts with the Dayan Dynasty.
Deputy General Yang, who was in charge of garrisoning Pingjin Prefecture, led tens of thousands of soldiers to fight, and only then drove the Hu people back from the territory of the Dayan Dynasty.
These conflicts lasted intermittently for a long time. Although the losses of soldiers were not heavy, there were definitely casualties.
Most of these soldiers were civilians from Pingjin Prefecture. As the prefecture city lacked men, Pingjin Prefecture was affected by the war and its post-war reconstruction was naturally slower than other areas. Therefore, Pingjin Prefecture was relatively poor.
Like other countries, the Great Yan Dynasty did not have a perfect military service system, and it was impossible for a standing army to be spread throughout the dynasty. In this era when men were the main labor force and grain production was worrying, it was too costly to support hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
When there is no war, most of these standing troops will be deployed outside the Great Wall and in the border areas. Naturally, standing troops are also stationed in Pingjin Prefecture. However, the people of the Hu State are not fools. When other small countries provoke the Dayan Dynasty and other standing troops are mobilized to support outside the Great Wall, the people of the Hu State become restless and intend to catch Dayan off guard.
When Pingjin Prefecture was attacked, it was indeed a slap in the face for Lieutenant General Yang. It was impossible to wait for reinforcements or ask other regions to transfer troops. He had no choice but to ask the emperor to recruit a large number of soldiers in Pingjin Prefecture.
The fate of these people who were temporarily conscripted to the battlefield can be imagined.
So, why did many people fear conscription in ancient times?
They had never even touched a sword or a spear, but suddenly they could do so. However, when it came to killing people, not only did they not know any moves, they had to just hit them blindly. Some were even so scared that their legs went weak. How could they kill the enemy? Whether they could survive or not depended not on their strength but on luck.
At that time, Pingjin Prefecture was urgently conscripted, so it was considered a good thing if one or two out of ten men from Pingjin Prefecture could return.
It was not uncommon for women who had lost their husbands to remarry, or for their husbands to abandon their children. Therefore, the abandoned children in Pingjin Prefecture became orphans. There were so many children that the government could not ignore them, so it had to place them together.
Fang Zixi, who understood the situation, fell silent. He was also a father, and hearing that his child was suffering made him feel bad. "Isn't the money allocated by the court enough?"
Fang Peizhou: "It was enough in previous years, but not this year."
"Why?"
Fang Peihao said, "Scarcity makes things valuable. Pingjin Prefecture was hit by a drought last year. The grain shipped from other prefectures sold for three or four wen per jin elsewhere, but it had to be sold for 10 wen over there. With the grain price doubled, how can we afford it?"
Free transportation? Free labor?
It costs money to do everything, so the price is quite high.
"Alas," Father Fang sighed, "Hasn't your uncle reported this to the higher-ups? The Emperor is also concerned about the situation in Pingjin Prefecture and has allocated funds, but there are still two months left. How can it be enough?"
Fang Peihong: "Actually, if it were just for food and clothing, with the money allocated by the court and the money allocated by the Pingjin Prefecture, these children would definitely not starve. But in this weather, children are prone to catching colds, and catching colds can easily lead to fevers. This is the most important thing. Ordinary people don't dare to have a fever, let alone these children."
Because they are poor, they don’t even have the right to feel uncomfortable.
"These children, under the care of the imperial court, won't starve to death, but their food is certainly not good, and their bodies are naturally weaker." Fang Peihong was also worried. He wasn't worried about whether Uncle Fang would be implicated if he couldn't handle this matter well. He was worried about what to do with so many children. Wouldn't that bring Uncle Fang down? Those were lives!
Xu Yunfan got the point. "So, the most important thing is the child's fever, right? If I'm not mistaken, uncle just mentioned the child freezing to death. There shouldn't be many children freezing to death. Most of them died of fever, right?"
In ancient times, a minor cold or fever was no joke.
Mr. Fang nodded, and Xu Yunfan said gravely, "Medicine is expensive, and so is seeing a doctor. Right now, we don't need to solve anything else, but this matter first. Bringing in herbs from other places doesn't seem realistic. With so many herbs, it takes time just to prepare them, and transporting and boiling them requires manpower."
There are few men in Pingjin Prefecture, and the people can barely maintain a basic standard of food and clothing by farming. After Jing Mingze promoted better quality seeds, the situation in Pingjin Prefecture has improved a little, but because it has only been more than half a year, this batch of grain has only been harvested once.
As for growing medicinal herbs, that is even more impossible.
Why did Xu Yunfan cooperate with the Meng family on medicinal materials instead of growing them himself?
Just kidding, in the Dayan Dynasty, the status of doctors was as noble as that of students. There were not many doctors, and most of the doctors who graduated with academic success became doctors. Few of them became herbal farmers because they were proficient in pharmacology or familiar with the growth requirements of medicinal materials.
Planting medicinal herbs is different from planting crops.
The Meng family has been doctors for generations, and there are many people in the family, so they have their own medicinal herb planting area. Their connections in this regard are unmatched by Xu Yunfan. If Xu Yunfan wants to plant medicinal herbs, where can he find so many herbal farmers?
It is the coldest time of the year now, and medicinal materials for treating fever and colds are in urgent shortage everywhere. Doctors are extremely busy. There is no doctor to supervise the preparation of medicines. What can a group of people who don't understand pharmacology know?
Xu Yunfan touched his chin, looked up at the sky, and a trace of struggle flashed in his eyes.
Fang Zixi and his brothers could not think of any solution except donating some money and analyzing the situation for Xu Yunfan.
The most urgent thing at the moment is the doctor and the medicine.
Unfortunately, the relationship between the Fang family and the Meng family is just average. Even if they want to ask the Meng family for help, there is no relationship between them. Why would they transfer so many doctors to Pingjin Prefecture?
The doctors they train are not there to do nothing all day long, just waiting for their masters to tell them to go wherever they want.
Fang Peihong is good friends with Pei An, but Pei An is just a young master in the Meng family who has no say in anything. After all, he is arranged to have a career in politics and business affairs, and he is not allowed to interfere. Before he has a certain status and position, he doesn't even have the right to speak.
Father Fang risked his dignity, "Yunfan, I heard that you have some friendship with Lord Meng. Can you see if Lord Meng can intervene in this matter? Lord Meng may not be involved in these matters, but he is the patriarch of the Meng family. If he speaks up, it should be of some use."
Xu Yunfan glanced at Fang's father, and he finally understood why Fang's father asked him to come over.
Asking him to help find a solution was not a real idea, but wanting him to take action was real.
What a cunning old man.
"Dad." Fang Zixi was not very happy.
If Xu Yunfan stepped in to deal with this kind of thing, he would have to owe someone a favor. This is what officials fear the most.
Father Fang had a dejected look on his face. "Dad has no choice. Can I just consider this a favor as something I owe you?"
It's a shame to say that as a grand tutor, his connections are not as good as those of a fifth-rank scholar. He has really wasted decades in officialdom.
There was no other way. There were hundreds of officials in the court and other officials below. There were so many officials in the capital, and Father Fang was just one person. How could he make friends with all of them? He and Lord Meng were just nodding acquaintances. At this time, if he came to ask for help and the other party didn't want to help, he could do nothing about it.
So, connections are very important!
Fang Zixi: "This is different, Yunfan..."
How could Xu Yunfan shift the favor he owed to Fang's father? If the Meng family really had trouble with Xu Yunfan, it would mean that Xu Yunfan was the most likely to solve the problem. If Xu Yunfan pushed the problem onto Fang's father, what would the Meng family think?
Isn't this just kicking them around like a ball?
Who can guarantee that Xu Yunfan will not have to ask the Meng family for help in the future?
Without waiting for Fang Zixi to refuse on Xu Yunfan's behalf, thinking of the boxes of things he had, Xu Yunfan said, "I'll take care of this. I'll ask the Meng family for help with the doctor's matter. As for the medicine, I have some. I'll take care of it by the morning of the day after tomorrow at the latest. Uncle Fang just needs to write to my uncle and ask him to send someone to arrange it."
"Yun Fan..." Fang Zixi frowned and said, "Don't make things difficult for yourself. This is not your responsibility."
"Brother Fang, look at what you're saying. Uncle Fang is my eldest brother's father-in-law and Xiaobao's maternal family. When my eldest brother is away, how can I, as his younger brother, just sit back and watch? If I really have no other choice, I won't act stubbornly, but since I've spoken, then I will definitely get this done for you."
Regardless of whether it was the Fang family's affair or not, it would have been fine if he didn't know about it. But now that he knew about it, how could he turn a blind eye to it within his ability?
That's hundreds and thousands of children.
How could he bear to stand by and watch these young lives disappear within his ability?
Since he had something to do, he looked at his watch and it was only 7:30 in the evening. Xu Yunfan got up and hurriedly said goodbye to the Fang family and rushed back to Xiao Qin's house.
After returning home, Xu Yunfan immediately asked Qin An and Qin Mu to light a fire so that he could offer sacrifices.
Compared to these mysterious things of praying to gods and Buddhas, some people would have started to study how to do it a long time ago. After all, it is better to rely on yourself than on others.
But Xu Yunfan's mudslide was different, he just wanted to worship.
After Qin Run cooked the chicken, Qin Mu grabbed a few incense sticks and lit them as Xu Yunfan said. "Brother, what are you going to do?"
Xu Yunfan took out a bottle of wine and said, "Let's worship our ancestors and ask them to bless your brother and me with success and may all our wishes come true."
As he spoke, Xu Yunfan poured the wine himself, clasped his hands together and bowed devoutly, leaving Xiao Hengzhi speechless.
After pouring the wine twice, Xu Yunfan thought that his sincerity should have been demonstrated, and it would be just right to go to the Meng family again at this point.
Xu Yunfan went into the study, took out a bottle and put it in his pocket. "Run'er, I'm going out for a while. You guys go to sleep first and just leave the door open for me. I'm going to the Meng family to see Master Meng for some business. I might not be back so soon, so you don't have to wait for me."
"Okay, be careful, wait a moment." Qin Run went into the room and got a cloak for Xu Yunfan. He didn't ask Xu Yunfan what he was going to do, he just needed to do his job well.
Xiaobao, who was holding Qin Run's calf, said eagerly: "Father, wherever you go, Xiaobao wants to go too."
"Go, go, go," Xu Yunfan waved his hands like he was chasing a dog. "It's freezing outside. Go away. Stay home and go to bed when it's time. If you don't listen, you'll get hurt when your father comes back."
Xu Yunfan glanced at the Fu Shaoping brothers who were standing aside in a sullen manner, and chuckled in Qin Run's ear, "Your two cousins want to live with us, so you can pick a room for them. You can handle these matters as you wish. I'm leaving now."
After responding with a "hmm", Qin Run personally saw Xu Yunfan off on his horse and then reluctantly walked in.
When Xiao Hengzhi saw someone coming in, he felt heartbroken, "Run'er, you...he will just go out for a while, it's not necessary." It's not necessary to be so reluctant, as if Xu Yunfan would never come back.
"Father, I just can't bear to let him go. It's so cold, and he doesn't even have time to ride in a carriage. I feel bad for him."
Xiao Heng's heart was choked and he felt very upset. Why didn't Qin Run seem to feel distressed when he rode over?
"What is he doing? It's late at night."
Fang Zixi: "It's my father..."
Meng family.
This year is colder than last year. Lord Meng and Pei An gathered together to warm themselves by the fire. There was not much silver frost charcoal at home, and they could only buy 100 kilograms every month. There were many members of the Meng family, so they had to share a little here and a little there, and the elders' courtyard also had to take a part. In the end, Lord Meng only had 20 kilograms left.
Twenty pounds of silver frost charcoal would not be enough to burn a pot every night for a month. How could Lord Meng dare to be so extravagant as to have a pot in his study?
Some time ago, Qin Run organized an event in the Food City, with things like a princess escaping, fairies descending to earth, etc., which really attracted a lot of attention.
The immortals who could fly with swords, the venerable ones who dared to be as tall as the sky, and so on in the novel were all embodied one by one. As a result, the books in bookstores were in short supply.
The book factory works overtime every day, and every time the books are delivered to major bookstores, they are sold out in less than a day. If you don’t queue up in advance, you may not even be able to eat hot shit.
I don’t think everyone in the bookstore has a copy of the novel, but in Beijing, if you can afford it, there is no one who doesn’t have a copy at home.
Even while warming himself by the fire, Lord Meng was still reading a book with great interest. He frowned, looked annoyed, and indignant from time to time, and it was obvious that he was immersed in the book.
Looking at Pei An and his companions, each of them also had a book in his hand. The family was quiet and did not disturb each other, each reading their own book.
There's no way around it. These days, these things that the bookstore owner says are novels are really addictive.
It is not only popular among students, but even important figures like Lord Meng are addicted to it.
If I don’t read a few pages every night, I always feel like something is missing and my whole body feels uncomfortable. When I reach the climax of the plot, I light a lamp and read at night. Even the promise I made to my wife a moment ago to go to bed immediately has become a casual remark.
Sometimes I can't finish reading this plot, and I'm still thinking about it when I go to court the next day. Without knowing the routine of the novel's protagonist being invincible like the indestructible cockroach, Lord Meng would still wonder if the protagonist was killed by the villain?
Finally free tonight, Lord Meng finished his official business and had just turned two pages when the butler rushed in. It was freezing outside, and Xu Xueshi had even come on horseback. How could the butler dare to delay? "Master, Prince Xiao's brother-in-law, Xu Xueshi is here to visit, but would you like to invite him in?"
For someone like Xu Yunfan who didn't send a visiting card in advance and came to visit suddenly, even if Lord Meng said he was busy, outsiders would not be able to find any fault with him.
If it were someone else, Lord Meng would probably just wave his hand and let the butler go, but the person who came was Xu Yunfan.
He dared not to see this person.
Even if Xu Yunfan couldn't see him at the moment, what about Prince Xiao?
Xiao Hengzhi is a man who is famous in the capital for protecting his own people. His brother-in-law is coming to visit you, would you dare not meet him?
Very good, just wait and see.
Even if we don’t talk about these things, just talking about his friendship with Xu Yunfan, this person must be met.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
