Madam Yun suppressed the sudden uneasiness in her heart, stepped forward and pulled Gu Yu up, "Good boy, there's no need for such a grand ceremony."
Logically speaking, it was just an ordinary greeting, not a big deal, but Madam Yun stared at Gu Yu's face, and somehow, she said it subconsciously.
After the greetings, Madam Yun asked her maid to go to Xizhuxuan to invite Yun over, and then led Song Wan and Gu Yu back to her own Dongjutang.
"I heard from Zhuo'er that you like sweets, so I hurriedly prepared some. Try them." Madam Yun pushed the exquisite pastries brought by the servants in front of Song Wan. "They are all made according to your taste, with double the amount of sugar."
The dim sum was delicate and small, and one piece wouldn't fill you up at all, so Song Wan ate several pieces before stopping.
For some reason, when Mrs. Yun saw Song Wan eating snacks, she suddenly felt hungry and picked up a piece to taste it carefully.
"I heard that you captured Yao Xu and took him to Guizhou to do hard labor?" When mentioning him, Mrs. Yun felt sorry for her sister-in-law. This sister-in-law was the only daughter of her parents-in-law and had always been very much loved.
Unfortunately, life is unpredictable. My brother-in-law died in battle at a young age. My parents-in-law could not bear the blow and died of depression within three years.
Madam Yun, the sister-in-law, observed mourning for three years and missed the best age to get married.
In fact, with her husband around, it was not a big deal for her sister-in-law to marry someone after she was twenty years old. There were many men who wanted to marry her. But no one expected that her husband would die in the Jinzhou Rebellion.
The only ones left in the huge Yun Mansion were their orphan, widowed mother, and their sister-in-law who was about to get married.
Mrs. Yun remembered clearly that twelve years ago, her and her husband's eldest son was only fourteen years old, but he had to support the entire Yun family and go to the northwest to join the army alone, just to provide a strong backing for his mother, aunt and younger brother.
The Yun family lost their high position and generous salary, and the family that was originally engaged to my sister-in-law simply disregarded their face and sent a housekeeper to say that they wanted to cancel the engagement.
The sister-in-law forced herself to return the engagement token. In order to save the Yun family's reputation, and more importantly to slap the face of her ex-fiancé's family, the sister-in-law insisted on marrying Yao Xu, the newly-appointed Jinshi that year, as his second wife.
Yao Xuhua was well-known, and it was said that his first wife died of depression. Madam Yun had tried to persuade him.
There is more than one new Jinshi, Yao Xu, why does it have to be him?
Her sister-in-law is stubborn, her eldest son is not around, Mrs. Yun was not very smart when she was young, and she has never gotten over the pain of losing her husband.
In the end, she was at a loss and could only give in. Mrs. Yun took her young son to marry her sister-in-law.
Fearing that she would be wronged in the capital, Madam Yun doubled the dowry she had prepared for her sister-in-law when her husband was still alive.
Later, when Madam Yun heard that her eldest son was seriously injured on the battlefield, it was Yao Yuan, the second brother of the then vanguard general Yao Xu, who saved her eldest son at the critical moment.
At that time, Mrs. Yun finally understood why her sister-in-law insisted on Yao Xu.
After knowing the truth, Mrs. Yun was both angry and regretful. She believed that it was her negligence that caused her sister-in-law's misfortune.
When she learned from her son that Yao Xu was living a miserable life after divorcing his sister-in-law, Mrs. Yun admitted that she felt a lot more relieved.
But she still wanted to hear it from Song Wan herself.
Song Wan saw the urgency in Madam Yun's eyes. She put down her snack and said, "Well, before I left, he seemed to be helping Gou Wa's family turn the soil and fertilize the newly reclaimed land."
Now that several months have passed, it should be the time to go to every household in the village.
Madam Yun was visibly happier. "That would be really stinky."
Song Wan nodded. "It does stink, and he can only eat two meals a day. No meat, just dry, whole-grain bread. He's become as thin as a bamboo pole."
Mrs. Yun felt relieved, and the smile on her face became even brighter.
She thought that when her sister-in-law came, she would let her hear these words to make her happy.
After dinner, Gu Yan anxiously waited for Yun Feng who finally returned home.
"Sorry, something happened temporarily in the military camp." Yun Feng explained. He had originally planned to come back early, but he didn't expect to be delayed for so long.
Gu Yan hurriedly handed over her brother's letter, "This is a letter from my eldest brother to you."
"Why didn't your elder brother come with you?" Yun Feng took the letter but didn't open it immediately.
Actually, he and Gu Lingfeng hadn't seen each other for many years. Before the incident at the Southwest Palace, they had been exchanging letters.
As brothers who had fought together on the battlefield, he had always felt sorry and regretful that Gu Lingfeng could no longer go to the battlefield, and therefore hated King Yu for colluding with foreign enemies.
Because he not only killed his brother, but was also the indirect murderer who caused the tragic death of his father and second uncle.
"My sister-in-law is not feeling well, and my brother was worried, so he didn't come with me." Gu Yan explained briefly in a hurry.
When Yun Feng heard that it was related to his sister-in-law, he stopped asking.
"Oh, there's something I don't think is right." Yun Feng frowned as he recalled what happened in the military camp today. "I discovered that there are spies from Daye who have infiltrated the Zezhou military camp."
Gu Yan's expression grew serious upon hearing this. "Daye spy? How did you find out?"
The people of Daye and Dai Viet are difficult to distinguish in appearance, unlike the Qiang and other small eastern tribes, who have obvious differences in facial features.
Unless something is discovered.
Yun Feng explained the reason, "I went to the camp for a routine inspection today. When I passed by the first camp, I picked up a small piece of damp and moldy sweet potato from the ground."
Not to mention that Dai Viet did not have this thing, even in Daye, apart from the royal officials of Daye, only the military camps of Daye were qualified to grow it. Ordinary people could only buy it to eat. If they were discovered while growing it secretly, they would be beheaded and exiled at the very least, or their property would be confiscated and their clan would be exterminated at the worst.
"Have you found the person?" Gu Yan felt anxious and felt that the matter was not simple.
"We have preliminarily screened a group, but have not yet finalized them." Yun Feng was afraid of alerting the enemy. If spies from Daye could sneak into his military camp, there might be some in the northwest, southwest, as well.
It would have been impossible for these spies to sneak in overnight.
And if there is one, there will be two. It is unknown how many have sneaked into the military camp.
"This matter is very serious." Gu Yan was anxious not because he was afraid of spies, but because he was afraid that Daye would make a big move in the near future.
Sweet potatoes have been cultivated in Daye for over a hundred years. Gu Yan urgently remembered what Song Wan said about the durability of sweet potatoes, the planting time being similar to that of potatoes, and the yield being comparable.
The potatoes she found were barely enough to plant on a few farms in the four prefectures. Even if they were harvested immediately, they would not be enough to feed the southwestern military camp for long, not to mention that they had to save the seeds for next year.
"I'm wondering whether I should report this to the emperor." Yun Feng considered.
"You don't need to tell me about this. I think you already have the answer in your heart as to what to do." Gu Yan said anxiously and directly.
Yun Feng glanced at him, more or less surprised, "I thought you had a plan."
It seemed like everyone had thought this way about the Gu family, and him as well.
Gu Yan chuckled lightly, her eyes passing from Yun Feng to the half-open window. After a pause, she said, "Awan, come here."
Song Wan, who had been hiding outside the door and listening for less than half an hour...
She had clearly used her mental power to block out her own and Baozi's breathing and footsteps, so when did Gu Yanji know of their existence?
With a curious attitude, Song Wan grabbed the bun with one hand, jumped in through the window, and ran straight to Gu Yanji, asking, "How did you know I was outside?"
"The smell of sugar on your body was blown in by the wind." Gu Yanji smiled indulgently. It seemed that she was only concerned with covering her breathing and footsteps, but forgot about the bulging purse full of date cakes, candies and snacks.
The freshly made date cake candy is added with double the sugar, and its fragrance can be spread far away when the wind blows.
It was by relying on this familiar smell that Gu Yanji discovered Song Wan eavesdropping outside the window.
After hearing the explanation, Song Wan thought to herself that she was careless and would be more careful next time.
Yun Feng looked at the woman who suddenly broke into his study. From her behavior and her ability to approach the study quietly, he roughly guessed her identity.
"I guess this must be Miss Song." Yun Feng greeted after a slight pause.
"Hello, Yun Zhuo's elder brother." Song Wan grabbed Gu Yu with one hand and was so focused on greeting him that she forgot to put him down.
It was Gu Yu who took the initiative to struggle and said, "Sister Wan, can you let A Yu go?"
Gu Yu tried hard to raise his eyes, it was too awkward to look at people sideways like that.
"If you hadn't told me, I would have forgotten you were in my hands." Song Wan muttered to herself, put the person back on the ground and let go.
Gu Yu's face flushed slightly. He said, "Sister Wan, can you come in a different way next time?"
He didn't want to be squeezed or carried on shoulders. For the first time, Gu Yu had the idea of growing up quickly.
Song Wan nodded his head mercilessly, "You short-legged guy has no right to make suggestions."
Gu Yu held it in for a moment, then whispered unsurely, "I'm still young, I'll grow taller."
After saying that, he turned his head and looked at Gu Yanji, seeking approval, "Second brother, am I right?"
Only then did Yun Feng finally see the child's appearance clearly. His pupils suddenly shrank. He stared at Gu Yu, who was tugging at Gu Yanji's sleeve. After a while, he found his voice again, "Gu Yanji, who is he?"
Gu Yu, who was interrupted, looked up at the opposite side and frowned slightly. His eldest brother said that he looked very much like his father, but Gu Yu had never seen the so-called father. In his memory, he only had Gu Xun as his father.
He didn't know how much he resembled his father, so he couldn't understand why everyone looked shocked and unbelieving when they saw him.
Gu Yuyou secretly asked his sister Awan why.
Song Wan knew in her heart that no matter how she explained it to Baozi, he wouldn't understand. In the end, she could only sacrifice a string of candied haws to fool Baozi.
Gu Yan hurriedly raised her hand to stroke Gu Yu's soft hair, and said in a light tone, "You have already seen it all."
Yun Feng saw through the conspiracy, but he just couldn't believe it. "Did the late emperor do this?"
Gu Yan nodded anxiously, "My mother and Queen Qi were pregnant at the same time, but my mother was already old, and my third brother was ultimately unable to keep the baby."
When the baby was six months old, the doctor said it was a boy.
"At that time, Empress Qi was severely poisoned and had no chance of survival. The imperial physicians could only try their best to protect the fetus from being affected. After my father discussed with the late emperor, he secretly suppressed the news of my mother's miscarriage. In the end, my father gave birth to a son less than a month after Empress Qi." Gu Yan hurriedly told the whole story.
Yun Feng was speechless for a long time. He suddenly remembered the convicted King Yu and Xu Lie who was originally guarding Tahui Pass, and he suddenly realized.
After understanding everything, Yun Feng made a decision in his heart. He asked, "What are you going to do next?"
Gu Yan was anxious, "Ayu has now accepted Li Songzhi as his teacher."
Yun Feng was surprised, "You actually managed to take down Li Songzhi!"
No wonder the two of them suddenly turned to the emperor, one after the other. It turned out that they wanted to stay in Yuzhou so that it would be more convenient to educate the little prince.
Gu Yan hurriedly shook her head, "It's not me, it's A Yu."
Gu Yu tilted his head and said, "Teacher Li is very easy to talk to, but he gets a little upset sometimes, but he gets better with a little coaxing."
Yun Feng...
He felt as if they were not talking about the same person. Although he had only met Li Songzhi three or four times, he remembered that this person was stubborn and polite, and it was impossible for ordinary people to shake his determination.
Song Wan: "It's very simple, because Baozi is smart and pretty, and looks much more promising than Li Liu, the son of Li Shi."
Yun Feng heard her say the emperor's name directly, and coughed to remind her, "It's the emperor."
"It won't be that soon." Song Wan added.
Yun Feng: "...What does Miss Song mean?"
"It's nothing special. I just heard you guys talking around outside, so I thought of a great way to help you." Song Wan said confidently.
Yun Feng had a bad feeling, "What's the solution?"
Song Wan raised his fist and said fiercely, "Why don't we just charge into the capital, pull that Li something off the throne, and then put Baozi on the throne?"
Gu Yu listened to the conversation and added, "I can walk up by myself."
He has legs and feet and can walk on his own.
Yun Feng: "...If it were that simple, why would the Song and Gu families have to sacrifice so much? Miss Song, do you know what impact the young emperor's ascension to the throne will have on the current Dai Viet?"
This was not the first time Song Wan had heard these words. According to her, the more complicated things are, the simpler and more brutal they should be.
"Of course I know. The country's low productivity, coupled with frequent wars, has led to hunger among both the people and the army of Dai Viet. The people don't have the energy to cultivate wasteland and grow crops, and the army doesn't have the energy to fight." Song Wan had already thought of a plan. "Let's fight our way back to the capital, have Baozi ascend the throne, and then confiscate the assets of several corrupt officials. That will be enough for one or two battles. Then I'll take you to Daye. They say they have a lot of sweet potatoes stored. We can bring them back so Dai Viet can plant some too."
The more he listened, the more impossible it seemed. Yun Feng said, "Miss Song, what you just said, even just transporting sweet potatoes to Daye is difficult to achieve."
A hundred years ago, after Daye had a sweet potato yield of 1,000 kilograms per mu, Dayue did send people, both openly and secretly, but all ended in failure.
After Daye got sweet potatoes, it traded with surrounding tribes and small countries, selling them at high prices and making a lot of money.
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