Chapter 565, Good News
After reading the recent accounts sent by the Rouge Shop, Daohua stretched her stiff neck and glanced at the moon hanging in the sky outside the window. She couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
It's already the end of March, and it's been almost a month since Xiao Yeyang and his third and fourth brothers left. I wonder if they have delivered the weapons to the northern border and handed them over to the soldiers at the border?
"If the mission is completed, it's time to return."
Wang Maner came in with hot water and saw Daohua sitting there in a daze. She immediately said with a smile, "Miss, it's late now. Go wash up and get some rest."
Daohua came back to her senses, nodded, put the account book away and walked over.
While helping Daohua wash up, Wang Man'er said, "Madam took the Second Madam to attend a banquet at He Tongzhi's house today. I heard that she came back with a gloomy face again."
Daohua asked, "How does my mother look?"
Wang Man'er smiled and said, "Madam, it seems that nothing is wrong."
After hearing this, Daohua felt relieved and didn't ask any more questions.
Wang Man'er continued, "Miss, I just can't understand what the Second Madam is thinking. Not long ago, she took Madam to the Yun Tongpan household, and just as she mentioned that she had a crush on a girl from the Yun family, Madam Yun shot her down. Now, she's set her sights on a girl from the prefectural family. Fortunately, Madam was there to change the subject, so the situation didn't get too awkward."
Daohua shook her head. "You could say Second Aunt doesn't know her limits, but she also knows that my father is a fourth-rank official, so he only looks for wives from fifth- and sixth-rank officials. If you say she knows her limits, she's overestimating Second Brother's qualifications."
As he said this, he sighed.
"In fact, if my second brother had a degree in academic achievement, it would definitely be much easier to propose marriage. Even if he was just a scholar, others would not reject him so quickly."
Wang Maner nodded. "Who says not? Miss, do you think the Second Master isn't very ambitious?"
Daohua paused. To be honest, she didn't pay much attention to her second brother, because her second brother had a grudge against her about the quota for Wangyue Academy. Besides, the two of them didn't have much in common. Except for going to the old lady's yard to eat, they didn't even see each other normally.
After a moment of silence, Daohua said, "Second brother is actually quite intelligent, but... he probably doesn't have any specific goals."
My second uncle and second aunt are both smart and capable people. They are very good at fighting for the interests of the second house. With them fighting in the front, my second brother doesn't have to do anything and can just sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Anyway, my second uncle and second aunt will solve any problems for him. Over time, he lost his fighting spirit and began to live a life of mediocrity.
Unlike his elder brother, his father had told him about his responsibilities and mission as the eldest son and grandson of the Yan family since he was old enough to understand, and set clear goals for him, so he studied hard.
As for the third brother, when he was in his hometown, he knew that he had to take good care of the family's fields to avoid going hungry. Later, he went to Wangyue Academy to study, where he learned more and gained more knowledge. He knew his own shortcomings and began to work hard secretly. As he grew older, he knew that he would have to shoulder the burden of the third house in the future, so naturally he knew that he had to make progress.
As for the fourth brother, honestly, he was the happiest of the brothers. With his father and brothers supporting him, he had no responsibilities on his shoulders, so he could live a carefree and relaxed life. However, his peers were all too outstanding, and with the comparison, he knew to catch up. If he wanted to keep up, he had to make progress.
As for the fifth brother, influenced by Aunt Lin, he will probably regard the eldest brother as an imaginary enemy throughout his life, and try his best to catch up with and surpass him, so he also works extra hard.
The other two brothers are still too young and nothing can be seen for the time being.
Wang Man'er didn't quite understand, so she switched to something familiar: "Thankfully, there have been so many banquets held by families since the beginning of spring, otherwise the Second Madam would probably force Madam to hold a banquet at home, or take her to visit someone else's house."
Daohua said calmly, "My mother won't let her make trouble. She will only satisfy her a little within the permitted range. After all, our family still has to maintain its reputation."
After washing up, Daohua changed into pajamas and lay down on the bed. After thinking for a while, she said, "In a couple of days, it will be time to visit my mother-in-law and Master. Remember to pack up the herbs I prepared tomorrow."
After saying that, he frowned.
"The last time I went there, I noticed that my mother-in-law had lost some weight. When my grandmother found out, she was worried about her. She will go with me next time. I plan to stay a few more days and make some medicinal food for her to nourish her body."
Wang Man'er nodded in agreement: "Don't worry, young lady. I've asked the lowly maids to look after the herbs."
Rice Flower nodded.
Only after she fell asleep did Wang Man'er quietly leave the inner room.
Two days later, Daohua and Old Lady Yan went to Taohua Village together. This time, they stayed there until mid-April when Yan Wenxiu returned from the capital.
As soon as she got home, Daohua saw her eldest brother's face was filled with joy, and she immediately smiled and said, "It turns out that he is going to marry my eldest sister-in-law. My eldest brother, who is usually stingy with his smile, is now smiling."
Listening to his sister's teasing, Yan Wenxiu glared at her uncomfortably. "I brought back some fashionable pearl flowers and fabrics. I had them placed in your courtyard. Go back and see if you like them." He paused and said, "They were selected by the second daughter of the Han family."
Daohua smiled and came over, blinking her eyes and playfully asked, "So, big brother and big sister met when you came to Beijing this time? Seeing how happy big brother looks, it's obvious that he is very satisfied with big sister."
Seeing that she was getting more and more outrageous, Yan Wenxiu tapped her forehead in annoyance and said, "What nonsense are you talking about, girl? You have no shame at all."
Daohua covered her head and laughed, "I'm happy for my elder brother. If he's satisfied with his elder sister-in-law, he won't be thinking about other girls outside, and our family will be harmonious and happy."
Hearing this, Yan Wenxiu's expression froze. He looked up at his sister, feeling that this girl had something else to say.
Daohua would never let her elder brother come to investigate, so she jumped and ran away.
When Yan Wenxiu saw this, he chuckled silently. Then he thought of what Daohua said. The smile on his face slowly disappeared, and then gradually reappeared.
At the same time, in April, in the capital, court officials were overwhelmed by the news of victory coming back from the northern border.
Late March: Xia Teng's army raided the Tatar camp, annihilated the main Tatar force, and forced the Tatars to retreat a hundred miles.
On the sixth day of April, Lord Xiao, the deputy commander of the Jinling Guard, led more than ten Jinling Guards to capture the eldest prince of Tatar alive.
April 10th: Commander of Jinling Guard, Lord Xiao, led the Jinling Guard to successfully capture several spies in our military camp, some of whom were high-ranking officials.
If the first two pieces of news made all the civil and military officials in the court overjoyed, then when the last piece of news came back, it directly shocked the court officials and caused a turmoil in the court.
At the same time, while officials and people were surprised by the results of the war in the northern border, a question remained in their minds.
Who is this great and meritorious Jinling Guard Commander Xiao? Why haven't I heard of him before?
The nobles who were slightly more informed immediately thought of the person who had been specially appointed by the emperor before, and sighed, "It is indeed a talent specially appointed by the emperor!"
But who is it?
During the morning court session on April 13, the officials all had different expressions. When the emperor arrived, they all lowered their heads and were as quiet as chickens.
The emperor was in a very good mood. The Tatars who had been stranded at the border were finally beaten back. Although they had not been completely driven away, he believed that it would not be long before his soldiers would drive away these hungry wolves and prevent them from invading Daxia again.
The emperor turned the jade ring on his thumb and looked at the officials below with interest, especially those who were known to have defected to Lao Ba. Seeing the panic and anxiety in their eyes, he felt refreshed.
Thinking about the progress made at Baxianju, the emperor's smile deepened.
He will eliminate all of Lao Ba's forces bit by bit!
The emperor's squinting smile frightened the officials below him.
After seeing the officials trembling with fear, the emperor slowly spoke: "Do you know why the Tatars have been stuck in a stalemate between the Northern Frontier and our soldiers since last year?"
Thinking of the captured spies, none of the officials dared to step forward and respond.
The emperor seemed to have anticipated this reaction from his officials and didn't care at all. He continued, "This is because some people with ulterior motives want to take advantage of foreign threats to cause internal strife in the court, hinder me, and thus profit for themselves."
As he said this, he sneered.
“Who can not love such a picturesque landscape?”
The emperor spoke these words softly, but to the ears of the court officials it was like a thunderclap, making their heads buzz.
Although the emperor did not explicitly reveal the identity of the spy, who among those who attended the court meeting was stupid?
The Eighth King’s people!
The hall was so quiet that even breathing could not be heard unless one listened carefully.
When it comes to things like fighting for the throne and usurping the throne, no one is not afraid.
The emperor waited for the ministers to calm down for a while, then smiled and said, "I have always had a question in my mind. Have I not done a good enough job as an emperor these years? Have I killed court officials indiscriminately, or have I been too harsh on the people? How can it be that even now, some people still have other ideas and disregard the interests of the country?"
At first, the voice was still smiling, but later it became gnashing of teeth and carried an undisguised murderous intent.
As soon as these words were spoken, all the ministers immediately knelt down on the ground with a "thump".
The emperor looked at the courtiers for a long time before he stood up and said, "Let's end today's morning meeting here."
As soon as the emperor left the hall, sighs of relief were heard one after another.
The emperor looked so scary just now.
Because they had been kneeling for a while and the force of their kneeling was quite strong, some elderly ministers needed to support each other to stand up. Even those who were strong had weak legs.
The ministers came out in twos and threes, exchanged glances with their friendly friends and officials from the same party, and then left without saying a word.
Duke Cheng'en walked last, stood outside the hall and watched the court officials leaving. After thinking for a while, he turned around and went to the Cining Palace.
Cining Palace.
As soon as the Queen Mother saw Duke Cheng'en, she knew why he came, and she had also heard about the events at the northern border.
Duke Cheng'en sighed and said, "We still underestimated the emperor." They also had people in the military camp, but they knew nothing about the Xia Teng army's surprise attack on the Tatars.
The Queen Mother was silent for a while: "The Emperor is already strong enough, don't challenge his bottom line again. As long as we don't cross the line, for his own reputation, he won't dare to take action against the Jiang family."
"No matter what, in the eyes of the world, I am his biological mother. If he attacks his own uncle's family, he has to consider whether there will be any noble family that dares to work for him in the future."
Duke Cheng'en frowned and asked, "Does the Queen Mother know who the Lord Xiao is who captured the Tatar prince alive?"
The Queen Mother looked up and asked, "What do you think?"
Duke Cheng En said uncertainly, "Xiao Ke is a national hero, and he is also valued and trusted by the emperor. Do you think it could be that kid Ye Yang?"
The Queen Mother also had this guess, but she denied it: "Yeyang is only 17 years old this year. Judging from his impulsive and impulsive personality when he was young, he doesn't seem like someone who can do such a big thing."
Duke Cheng'en: "There are young generals and capable ministers. There are such people."
The Queen Mother nodded and said, "You are right. What has happened to Ye Yang in Zhongzhou over the years? Whether he has changed or how he has changed, neither you nor I know."
Lord Cheng'en: "After the second son went to Zhongzhou, he did mention Ye Yang in his letter. However, he said that although the boy has become more stable, he is still as unruly and rebellious as he was when he was a child, and he doesn't respect him very much."
The Queen Mother thought for a moment and said, "Write a letter to Zheng Yuan immediately and ask him to thoroughly investigate Ye Yang's background. If Lord Xiao from the Northern Frontier is really Ye Yang, then he would not be in Zhongzhou now. If so..."
The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes and said, "If Lord Xiao is really Ye Yang, it will be difficult for us to use him to contain the Ma family. We will have to rethink some things."
Duke Cheng'en nodded, and after leaving the palace, he sent a secret letter to Jiang Zhengyuan in Zhongzhou.
Not only the Jiang family, but also the Eighth King's people sent a message to Zhongzhou, asking their people to find out about Xiao Yeyang's situation.
(End of this chapter)
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