The Emperor, who was very fond of Long Ruoshui, specially bestowed a Commandery Princess Mansion upon her. Yang Cheng’an and Long Ruoshui took residence in the Princess Mansion after their marriage. Nonetheless, they often had to inspect hospital affairs across various regions and hardly spent much time in The Capital.
Prince Yu and Princess Yu felt lonely and were impatient with the bustling life of The Capital. Hearing the Empress Dowager speak of the natural beauty of Yangliu Village, they simply followed the Yang family back to their home village, taking advantage of Long Xuanmo’s rural retreat located there. If they truly liked it, they would build another retreat for themselves.
The day after Long Ruoshui’s return visit, Yang Chengning and Ye Yunqian set off for the border, with Shao Mingyi having already returned to the border to take command of the Yulin Army in early February. Chu Dieyi stayed in The Capital, and Yuwen Yanhe also returned to the border defense in mid-February.
On the sixth day of March, in his mansion, Yang Mengchen hosted weddings for Bai He and Ning Simin, as well as for Mo Lei and Mo Ju. Subsequently, he devoted his time to continue vaccine development with Doctor Luo and others, eventually succeeding in creating the smallpox vaccine. After the vaccinated individuals showed no abnormal reactions, the successful results were reported to the Emperor.
The Emperor was overjoyed, not only bestowing lavish rewards on all involved but also quickly allocating funds to ensure that all citizens throughout the nation could be vaccinated.
The unexpected windfalls, combined with profits from enterprises such as Chu Ao Villa, enriched both the national treasury and the Emperor’s private coffers.
Using these silver coins, the Emperor developed agriculture, improved irrigation, upgraded the military’s weapons and equipment, and reformed the civil administration. Additionally, with the full-scale promotion of the four new crops, Dong Chu gradually moved towards national prosperity and stability.
At One Superb Pavilion, Yang Mengchen handed over the smallpox vaccine recipe to Manager Fang, who, as usual, arranged for it to be secretly delivered to Meng Jingqi.
Since the grand wedding of Yang Mengchen and Long Xuanmo, with the return of Meng Jingqi and his siblings to their own country, Yang Mengchen and Meng Hanyue kept in touch through letters, exchanging greetings and trifles. Even if the correspondence was intercepted, nothing significant could be discerned. All truly confidential matters were conducted through One Superb Pavilion.
Whenever Qing’an Country had any good seeds, Meng Jingqi would send them to Yang Mengchen, who would pass them to Yang Chengrong for trial cultivation. Following successful trials, they were widely promoted. Whenever Yang Mengchen developed new products, she also had Manager Fang pass them to Meng Jingqi. Additionally, she personally sewed two sets of garments, hats, footwear, and similar items each season for her relatives in Qing’an Country.
Upon returning to The Capital, Lady Nangong took the opportunity to bring her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter back to the Nangong Mansion. Nangong Yelin and Nangong Lingfei summoned Hao Yutong to the outer courtyard study, while Lady Nangong severely scolded Nangong Ling Yao in the inner courtyard, warning her that if there were a next time, the Nangong family would disown her as their daughter.
Just a few days after Yang Cheng’an and Long Ruoshui’s grand wedding, and through the influence of Long Xuanmo, Hao Yutong easily secured a vacancy for a Fifth Rank position as the Chief Officer in Hejian Prefecture.
It was not until the night before departure that Hao Yutong informed his parents of this matter, adding that he intended to bring his wife and daughter to assume his new post.
Old Master Hao was very pleased—for one, his son had been promoted; second, postings away from the Capital tended to offer faster advancement; and third, with the backing of the Prince Mansion and Nangong Mansion, no one would dare to make things difficult for his son. As long as there were no mishaps, his son’s future would surely be bright, and the Hao family would likewise benefit from his success.
Lady Hao, however, adamantly refused to agree. She resorted to the old tricks of crying, making scenes, and even threatening to hang herself, ultimately even using the threat of death to intimidate others.
Having borne two sons and a daughter, she naturally doted on her younger and very filial son, Hao Yutong.
Initially, she had intended for Hao Yutong to marry her niece, but her husband had arranged a marriage with the legitimate second daughter of the Nangong family without consulting her at all.
She had thought Nangong Ling Yao to be gentle and easy to control but didn’t anticipate Sister Duan’s shrewdness, leaving her no chance to take advantage.
After Nangong Ling Yao gave birth to a daughter and had no further issue, Lady Hao devised countless plans for Hao Yutong to take her niece as a concubine. To her dismay, Hao Yutong disagreed, and now, the prospect of him leaving her behind with his wife and daughter to assume a post elsewhere made her feel that she would lose control over him from that point onwards, naturally causing her both anger and panic.
Learning of his mother’s actions, Hao Yutong felt very disappointed in her. Resolute, he refused to yield and left with his wife and daughter for his post the following day.
The Hua family and the Situ family, upon learning about the schemes of Mother and Daughter Jia against their son, were understandably furious.
Out of respect for Yang Mengchen, they had spared the Lu family. However, Madam Jia’s family was not so lucky. Those holding official positions found themselves, for various reasons, either dismissed from office, incarcerated, or exiled—as few officials were truly incorruptible. The family’s business enterprises also faced immense restrictions and damage, struggling to make ends meet. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
The Jia family could not understand how they could have incurred such a catastrophe out of the blue, and it was only years later, upon learning the real reason, that they desperately wished they could flay Madam Jia alive and drink her blood. Had they thought they could scheme against the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion and the Huguo Protectorate Mansion with impunity?
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