Chapter 43 Second Sister, You Mustn't Do That!
Xiao Wan'er and Xiao Jinghong entered the quiet residence together to visit the old Marquis.
No one could get close within ten zhang of the surrounding area, and even the Duke of Gan, Zhang Xuan, and the former Provincial Governor, Sun Fu, were temporarily asked to leave.
After Shen Huatang, Su Zhenyue, Xiaodie, and the others put the gifts that the two young ladies brought back into the house, they went out of the house and stood guard outside the door.
Zhang Xuan sat by the pond in front of the main hall of the courtyard, facing the quiet house, playing chess with Sun Fu.
The chessboard in front of the two players has black and white pieces occupying four corners respectively, indicating that the game has just begun.
Looking at the quiet house outside, Zhang Xuan sighed, "It's impossible not to be envious."
Sun Fu glanced at him, turned around and looked at him, then said with a smile, "Your Duke's mansion is thriving, what are you envious of Old Xiao for?"
"Ah, the family is thriving, but there are few capable people. Shaojie is brave but lacks strategy, and his stubbornness will bring him trouble in the future."
"Is this why you're lingering here with me?"
"You old codger, you see things quite clearly."
Zhang Xuan slammed the white piece onto the chessboard and chuckled.
He did indeed intend to abduct Sun Fu and bring him back to Jiaozhou.
As the saying goes, having an elder in the family is like having a treasure.
While Sun Fu might lack strategic acumen, his background as a provincial governor made him adept at handling domestic affairs.
With his help, the Duke of Gan's mansion will not be in trouble for at least ten years due to money and food.
"Agree or disagree? Give me an answer."
“I’m not going.” Sun Fu blocked the white piece’s air vent with a black piece, refusing without even thinking.
"What's the reason?"
"Wealth doesn't last three generations, so why bother making a fuss?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xuan glared at him: "Who are you talking about?"
Sun Fu remained unfazed, gazing calmly at the chessboard and saying, "Instead of wasting your time here, you should think about how to properly educate your Heng'er's generation."
Zhang Xuan frowned, pondered for a moment, and then realized what he meant: "You mean, Shaojie is crippled?"
"He lacks vision, courage, and intelligence. What do you think?"
"Hey, you old codger, what makes you any better? Your wife..."
"A commoner can live a worry-free life, and that is enough."
Zhang Xuan rolled his eyes, huffed and puffed as he placed a piece, cursing under his breath.
"Damn it, when I get back I'll find Heng'er a good teacher, and I'll make you, you old geezer, look at me with new eyes."
Sun Fu smiled and returned the favor with a black stone.
"As the saying goes, you can tell what a person will be like at three years old. In my opinion, Wu Ge will definitely be more successful than your Heng'er in the future."
"Shut up, let's play chess..."
Every family has its own troubles, and many things are best left unsaid to outsiders.
Inside the quiet main hall of the house, the old Marquis Xiao's joy at seeing his two granddaughters arrive lasted only a moment.
"Jinghong, how is the training of the new army in the three towns?"
"We have the energy and spirit, but our cultivation level is slightly low. We lack new weapons and armor, horses, and money and food."
Xiao Jinghong spoke succinctly, yet not a single word expressed "satisfaction."
The old Marquis frowned upon hearing this: "Have you already inquired with the Protectorate General and the Military Supervisory Office?"
Xiao Jinghong nodded: "After the memorial was submitted, the Minister of the Land Department objected, saying that the money and grain raised by the Ministry of Revenue this year were all used up and could not be allocated to my Dingyuan Army."
"Bingqing put in a few words for us, but it wasn't very effective."
"In the end, His Majesty adopted the suggestion of the Minister of the Land and allocated one-tenth of the salt and iron tax revenue from Shu Prefecture for the construction of the new army."
The old marquis frowned, leaning back in his armchair, his hand on the armrest trembling slightly.
Xiao Wan'er, who was standing nearby, felt a little sorry for them, but she knew that they were discussing important matters concerning the Dingyuan Army, so she didn't say anything.
A moment of silence.
The old marquis sighed, "This little bit of money isn't even enough for the army's pay... What did the Protectorate say?"
Xiao Jinghong sat upright in his chair and calmly replied, "I can't help you."
She paused and asked, "Grandfather, our 300,000 soldiers in the Dingyuan Army are already facing severe shortages of food and supplies, and what about those who have retired..."
Before she could finish speaking, she saw a flash of pain in the old marquis's eyes, and she understood immediately.
"I will make proper arrangements for the retired veterans."
Lord Xiao was slightly taken aback. "You have a solution?"
“Recently, the mountain tribes and others sent people to ask me to jointly build a trade market. If it is managed properly, my granddaughter wants to arrange for some of the veterans to go there.”
“Good, good… Good trade is good, it benefits the thirteen tribes and also the three towns of Dingyuan Army.”
Upon hearing this, Lord Xiao's expression relaxed.
After a moment's thought, he asked, "Do you intend to inform the Protectorate General about this matter?"
Xiao Jinghong shook his head: "They already control the salt and iron trade, and my granddaughter doesn't intend to let them interfere in the trade anymore."
Lord Xiao nodded slightly: "Very well. My Xiao family is currently beset by internal and external troubles. If we want to support the huge Dingyuan Army, we should indeed have some selfish motives."
Xiao Jinghong's eyes flickered; she really wanted to correct her.
The Dingyuan Army was not the private army of the Xiao family, but rather the imperial army.
But the imperial court doesn't allocate funds or provisions, leaving everything to them to handle themselves. How can that be reasonable?
However, after thinking about it, she ultimately didn't say it.
After a while.
Lord Xiao looked at Xiao Wan'er and asked, "How is the family situation?"
Xiao Wan'er smiled and said, "Grandfather, you don't need to worry about the family. The medicinal herb business is doing well now, and we have several thousand taels of silver coming in every month."
"Uncle Dongchen recently helped out by using his connections to transport a batch of medicinal herbs from Beizhou, enough to supply those pharmacies for half a year."
Lord Xiao nodded, "That's good. With you here, and the help of the second branch of the family, I don't need to worry about things at home."
Xiao Wan'er and Xiao Jinghong exchanged a glance, chatted for a few more minutes, and then got up to leave.
"Jinghong, after you come back, stay home for a while longer. Your husband, Chen Yi..."
A smile appeared on the old Marquis Xiao's face. "He's not a bad person. Let bygones be bygones about the previous elopement."
Xiao Jinghong bowed and said, "Granddaughter has remembered."
Xiao Wan'er immediately recalled the poem "Ode to the Goddess of Beauty," and a blush appeared on her pale face.
She was probably feeling ashamed, angry, and annoyed, and didn't know how to handle it.
The two bid farewell to the old Marquis and left the quiet residence together, preparing to return to Chunhe Garden.
Just then, a voice came from afar, "Jinghong, Wan'er, it's been a long time. Your brother misses you dearly."
Xiao Jinghong frowned slightly. With her keen hearing, she had already recognized who it was. She had intended to hide back with her sister, but she hadn't expected him to be so persistent.
Xiao Wan'er glanced at Xiao Jinghong, and seeing that she did not intend to speak, she bowed to the newcomer and said, "Brother, how have you been?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine, haha..."
Before the person arrived, the voice came, and a tall young man dressed in dark green brocade was seen walking quickly towards them.
He was quite handsome, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, but his skin was bronze, obviously from years of exposure to the elements.
When Shen Huatang, Su Zhenyue, and the others saw him, they all bowed and greeted him, saying, "Greetings, General Li."
Li Changqing, the general of Tiebi Town of Dingyuan Army, waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities, we are all family."
As he spoke, he looked at Xiao Jinghong and Xiao Wan'er and smiled, "Did you just visit the old master?"
“Yes.” Xiao Jinghong glanced at him. “We have other matters to attend to. Please make yourself at home, brother.”
Seeing that she was about to leave, Li Changqing reached out to stop her, "Jinghong, I missed your wedding a few days ago, how about I make it up to you later?"
"No need."
Xiao Jinghong spoke coldly, then helped Xiao Wan'er turn and leave.
As Li Changqing watched them leave, he still smiled and called out from afar, "Give my regards to my brother-in-law."
Xiao Jinghong ignored her, while Xiao Wan'er hesitated to speak.
"Second sister, you and Brother Changqing..."
"Don't worry about it, just let him do his job."
"oh."
The group passed through the central courtyard and entered the rear corridor, where Xiao Jinghong frowned again.
At the far end, Xiao Wang and Xiao Qiuyun were waiting with several armored soldiers.
Xiao Wan'er sighed inwardly, but a smile appeared on her face: "Second Grandfather, it's been a long time. How are you doing?"
"I'm sorry to trouble Wan'er with her thoughts."
"Wan'er greets Aunt Qiuyun."
After they greeted him, Xiao Wang, leaning on his cane, said calmly, "Jinghong, it's been a long time since you've returned. I have a few words to say."
Xiao Jinghong bowed and said, "Please speak, Second Grandfather."
"Your husband has gone a bit too far lately. What do you plan to do about it?"
Seeing Xiao Jinghong's cold gaze, Xiao Qiuyun immediately smoothed things over, saying, "Father means that he hopes you will discipline him more to prevent him from doing anything out of line."
Xiao Wang's expression turned serious: "What I mean is—to punish them severely!"
Xiao Wan'er held Xiao Jinghong's hand, afraid that she would talk back to her elder.
But Xiao Jinghong had already spoken up: "Although my husband is a bit rash, it's not as serious as Second Grandfather said."
Xiao Wang frowned slightly, and was about to speak again when he heard her continue, "Jinghong knows that Second Grandfather is now in charge of the Punishment Hall and thinks of the Xiao family in many things."
“But you might as well take Jinghong’s advice and pretend you didn’t see what your husband did.”
"you……"
Before Xiao Wang could speak, Xiao Qiuyun quickly grabbed his hand and said with a smile, "Father, you should listen to Jinghong. Why do you have to worry about their affairs?"
Then, she changed the subject: "But Jinghong, you must have heard about what Chen Yi has been doing lately, right?"
Xiao Jinghong nodded: "I know."
Xiao Qiuyun smiled and said, "Then let's hear what Aunt has to say."
"Just as you just said, Chen Yi is just a bit reckless, but not a bad person at heart. Plus, he has some talent. Why don't you and your Uncle Dongchen find him some things to do?"
"There just happens to be a vacancy for a registrar in the Provincial Administration Commission, a minor official position..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Jinghong interrupted her indifferently, saying, "Aunt is now the Duchess of Gan, so it's best if she doesn't interfere in family matters."
After saying that, she ignored the group and led Xiao Wan'er straight through the corridor.
Xiao Qiuyun's face darkened, and Xiao Wang's eyes turned red with anger, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Xiao Wan'er sighed inwardly, but she didn't know how to persuade her second sister.
Shen Huatang, Xiaodie, and the others didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
The group walked to the outside of Chunhe Garden.
Xiao Jinghong seemed to have been thinking all the way, and suddenly said, "Sister, think about it carefully, what Aunt Qiuyun said makes some sense."
"It is indeed a waste of my husband's talents to stay at home all the time, but it is really not appropriate for him to go to the Provincial Administration Commission. Why don't we let him help you?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wan'er opened her mouth, "This, this..."
Second sister, you mustn't do that.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com