Chapter 30 White Dragon's Turn (Part 1) Update
Chi Mu left.
However, there were still more than twenty days left before the expiration of the closed-door reflection order from the Emperor of Yanjing that he had brought with him.
During this period, Liu Ziye still had to obey the emperor's orders and stay safely in the mansion in front of those spies who were hiding somewhere unknown.
As soon as the door closed, Liu Ziye's reluctant expression faded a lot.
The old steward Liu Biao thought about what had happened just now, when the people gathered in the street, watching their young marquis behave in a bad way and attract ridicule, and then looked at the child in front of him who was only fourteen years old.
In order to survive under the heavy majesty of imperial power, how could the word "difficult" be enough to describe it?
After the young marquis encountered a great disaster and regained consciousness, Liu Biao realized very clearly that the young marquis today was very different from the young marquis before.
But this is just the beginning.
In the future, I really don't know how many more hurdles the young marquis will have to overcome, and whether he can make it...
Liu Biao was deeply saddened, but he followed Liu Ziye silently and followed him to the inner courtyard of the marquis' mansion.
Du Hui was waiting at the second gate. Upon seeing Liu Ziye, he said, "Young Marquis, Clan Leader Fu and I are ready. We'll depart today for Qingcheng and the Thirteen Towns. We'll go directly to Qingcheng to contact the Fuyu clan, while Hao Wenchang and Fu Baosi will lead their men to the Thirteen Towns. Let's expedite our efforts and try to cover all of them."
Hao Wenchang was also once an official of the Xiguan Marquis Mansion.
Some time ago, there was a chaos in the Xiguan Palace. He had already left the palace and temporarily lived in Yucheng with his family. While preparing to leave Yucheng, he unexpectedly met Du Hui.
After a conversation between the two, Hao Wenchang decided to stay in Xiguan temporarily and continue to work for the Xiguan Marquisate together with Du Hui.
Liu Ziye nodded at Du Hui. "Mr. Du, you have worked hard. I am bound by the imperial decree and cannot leave the palace, so I can only ask you gentlemen to run around. Regardless of whether this matter succeeds or not, you two gentlemen must follow the plan and return to Yucheng within eight days."
Du Hui suddenly realized.
To this day, he still hasn't been able to fully adapt to the young marquis expressing his gratitude to him so naturally and casually.
He said sincerely, "Your Majesty, that's not right. Since I have decided to stay in the Marquis' Mansion and continue to do my best for the young Marquis, all of this is my duty."
After he said that, he still felt that he could not express the friendship in his heart, so he clasped his hands and bowed to show his solemnity.
Before today, Hao Wenchang had already formally met with Liu Ziye.
Before, he had only heard from Du Hui that the young marquis was different from before, but today he had just seen what the young marquis did in the street, and he was so embarrassed that he broke out in a cold sweat.
This seems to be no different from the young marquis in the past!
Only then did he come to his senses.
After hearing Du Hui's words, he immediately said, "Like Mr. Du, Hao is willing to do his best."
After hearing this, Liu Ziye stopped being polite and stopped talking.
The ability to strike a balance was ingrained into her survival genes in her previous life, and now when she uses it, it's almost a natural reaction like muscle memory.
Du and Hao said goodbye and left.
As Liu Ziye's personal guard, Xiying would always follow Liu Ziye unless he said anything or made any arrangements.
At this moment, he couldn't help but sigh, "Whether it's Clan Leader Fu or Mr. Du Hao, they're all truly sincere to the young marquis. Even the arrogant young general Chi treats the young marquis differently. No wonder the young marquis is so reluctant to leave. Now that young general Chi is gone, who knows when we'll see each other again!"
After saying that, he actually wiped away his tears.
Liu Ziye took a look and saw that there were actually wet marks on the back of Xiying's hand.
Liu Ziye: ...
Although you know that the gold and silver that Chi Mu took away will be returned sooner or later, it is obvious that General Chi is not the same as them!
She was told to keep an eye on the brain of her own personal guard and to cure him sooner or later.
Steward Liu Biao: ...
Chi Mu, Clan Leader Fu, Mr. Du and others are completely different, and the old man can tell them apart!
No wonder the young marquis always relied more on Chaozhao than on Xiying and Chaozhao, his two personal guards.
It’s a pity that Chaozhao has already become estranged from the Marquis’ Mansion and has been imprisoned there since the day the young Marquis woke up.
I still don’t know how the young marquis will deal with him in the future.
Thinking of this, Liu Biao couldn't help but feel more worried.
Clan leader Fu's devotion to their young marquis was truly sincere, incomparable to anyone else. Everyone, save for the clueless Xiying, could see it clearly.
But the reason why this young patriarch of the Fu family entered their mansion was definitely not what their young marquis and the Fu father and son said.
Stolen gongs and drums cannot be played.
Liu Biao was worried about what their young marquis would do when the truth could no longer be hidden.
·
Xiguan County was vast and had a complex topography. The two most suitable small plains for habitation had long formed the two largest settlements. One was Yucheng, where the Xiguan Marquisate and Xiguan Governor's Office were located today, and the other was Qingcheng, located further north.
The total population of Yucheng is 2,500, while that of Qingcheng is smaller, at only 1,500.
There are also thirteen towns scattered throughout Xiguan County, each with no more than a few hundred people.
Du Hui and Hao Wenchang's teams set out separately, both under the same banner of expanding financial resources for the Xiguan Marquisate.
In fact, the purpose was to mobilize again the craftsmen from all over Xiguan County who had been recorded by the young Marquis of Xiguan, and to reserve as many of the various winter supplies that the Yucheng Fu family had made for the Xiguan Marquis' Mansion during this period as possible in various places before this final deadline.
After the renovations like the one Liu Ziye had done, the houses in various parts of Xiguan County are now much better than before, greatly reducing the probability of houses collapsing during snow disasters.
More people have the opportunity to escape from the dangerous situation of collapsed houses and nowhere to live.
Then you will face the next test.
How to have enough food and heat to survive for more than two months when the ground is covered with heavy snow.
Even though the Xiguan Governor's Mansion knew about the Marquis' Mansion's move and sent people to follow and investigate, Wang Yanpeng did not take it to heart.
After Chi Mu led his troops to inspect Xiguan Marquis Mansion last time, he knew clearly what kind of foundation this Xiguan Marquis Mansion had!
The Marquis was punished by the Emperor to a three-year sentence. He had finally gotten back some old debts from Iberly, but they were all exchanged for boxes of gold and silver, which Chi Mu took to Yanjing.
The dignified Marquis' Mansion has come to this point, and it really has to plan its livelihood on a daily basis!
In such a predicament, it is only natural for the young Marquis of Xiguan to resort to some tricks to extort money from the people.
Even Wang Yanpeng felt thankful when he closed the door.
At least this time, they didn't target the Governor's Office or Wang Yanpeng personally!
He knew that the Fu family of Yucheng had close contacts with the Xiguan Marquisate.
But Qingcheng was not a place that a teenage Marquis from Xiguan Marquisate could easily get involved in.
The Fuyu clan of Qingcheng was actually a branch of the Xianbei tribe of the Western Rong.
The Xianbei tribe was badly defeated by Emperor Shengzu and forced to migrate north. Their once powerful leader was killed by Emperor Shengzu, and they had a deep hatred for the Zhou Dynasty or the Liu royal family.
The Qingcheng branch was allowed to continue living in Xiguan County. Firstly, their number of thousands was not tolerated by the Xianbei tribe. Secondly, they were very humble in serving the Xiguan Governor's Office and even the royal family of Yanjing in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
However, this does not mean that they will buy into a down-and-out royal family like Xiguan Hou.
According to Wang Yanpeng, the Qingcheng Fuyu clan would probably try every possible means to show that they would never side with the Marquis of Xiguan, in order to prove their position to the Xiguan Governor's Office and Yanjing.
Maybe they wanted to vent their anger, but they didn't dare reveal any resentment towards the Liu royal family in Yanjing.
·
Xiguan Marquis Mansion.
Liu Ziye, who had been reflecting on his mistakes in seclusion for half a month, was doing the daily kneeling meditation in the royal ancestral hall as required by the emperor.
Fu Zhen'er was in good health. Even though he and Liu Ziye were now sworn brothers, he could not find an excuse to continue living in the Xiguan Marquis Mansion, so he moved out a few days ago.
However, he knew that Liu Ziye was not allowed to leave the mansion, so he went to the mansion every day as usual to keep him company.
The ancestral hall in front of him was the royal ancestral hall of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Only those of royal blood were allowed to enter without permission, so he could only stand outside the hall and wait.
Xiying came running over, trembling. "Little Clan Leader Fu! The letter from Mr. Du to the young marquis has arrived."
As planned, Du Hui and Hao Wenchang should have been on their way back to Yucheng at this time, but they sent a letter back first to report the results of their trip.
Fu Zhener took it and said, "Okay, give it to me. Ziye's time for kneeling in meditation is almost up today. I'll give it to him when he comes out."
Xiying had already gotten used to Fu Zhen'er's closeness to their young marquis, but today it was so cold that he couldn't help but ask, "Little Clan Leader Fu, have you been standing here waiting after the marquis went in? I just came out of the inner room and I'm frozen to the bones. Little Clan Leader, you're just getting better, but you still have to be careful!"
He handed a hand warmer he had brought with him to Fu Zhen'er and said, "Little Clan Leader Fu, warm your hands first. I'll be on guard here, you go to the back hall and warm up!"
Fu Zhen'er took the letter and said, "Charcoal fires are not allowed in the royal ancestral hall. I'm standing here in the sunlight, but Ziye is in the hall, and it must be even colder and more unbearable. Besides, the hour is almost up, so I'll wait here for him and go back together."
Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, Xiying simply said, "That's fine! I'll go get the young marquis a hand warmer and come back to wait here with the young clan leader!"
After saying that, he ran back to get the hand warmer.
After a while, the lacquered door of the ancestral hall opened. Liu Ziye shook himself, wrapped his cloak tightly around him, fastened his hood, and walked out.
Liu Ziye was not surprised at all to see the two people waiting here.
She first raised her hand and touched the hand warmer held by Fu Zhen'er. It felt warm. Then she picked up the hand warmer handed to her by Xiying and put it in her sleeve. The three of them hurried back to the back hall in the dry and cold air that was starting to scrape their bones.
After Liu Ziye finished reading the letter, he handed it to Fu Zhener and asked him to read it.
Fu Zhen'er quickly read through it and found it not unexpected. However, when he looked at Liu Ziye, there was a flash of disappointment in his expression.
"Zi Ye, what are you worried about?" Fu Zhener asked.
"I..." Liu Ziye frowned slightly.
Sometimes, she really wanted to tell someone other than herself that Xiguan County was about to face a devastating snowstorm.
So that they can truly face the harsh winter that has already arrived, just like they do, as if they were facing an urgent matter of life and death.
Du Hui's letter briefly described the cold treatment he received in Qingcheng and their efforts.
Liu Ziye's mind flashed back to last month when he led his troops into Fu Yu Changqing's house and Fu Yu Changqing looked at him coldly.
Although she had considered the possibility that Du Hui's trip might fail due to the Qingcheng Fuyu clan refusing to cooperate, she still wanted to give it a try no matter what, even if there was only a glimmer of hope.
During this period, the Fu family of Yucheng had given their utmost support, although they did not quite understand why the Xiguan Marquisate was so anxious to produce these supplies.
Only Liu Ziye himself knew that this was still not enough.
When Chi Mu was still around, she didn't dare to send people to contact people everywhere in a big way, but now the situation is urgent.
Even the Thirteen Towns, which had only a few hundred households, were almost snatched away.
However, she couldn't really reveal to anyone why she was so determined and so eager to unite so many people to rush to produce the materials she requested.
Even if this person was Fu Zhener, who was passionate about her and almost held her whole body and heart in front of her.
After all, the beginning of their relationship and her deliberate deception that shrouded it were always a lingering cloud.
After a moment of relaxation and hesitation, Liu Ziye returned to calm.
He simply said, "Nothing much. Since neither Mr. Du nor Uncle Fu could convince the Qingcheng Fuyu clan to cooperate with us, it's clear how difficult this matter is. I just... feel a little sorry."
Fu Zhener saw Liu Ziye's struggle for a moment, and even saw that what he said at the moment was not the truth.
He couldn't guess what Liu Ziye was thinking, but since Liu Ziye chose not to say anything for the time being, there must be a reason that he couldn't say.
Even if they were sworn brothers who trusted each other, it was the principle of respect that Fu Zhener upheld to not dig into things and force the other party to be honest with him.
Fu Zhen'er also calmed down for a moment, giving Liu Ziye space to calm himself down.
Xiying looked at the two of them, but didn't know why they both fell silent for no apparent reason.
Looking at the two people in silence, he didn't know why, but he felt that the air was unusually quiet, so quiet that it was suffocating.
Could it be that the young marquis and the young patriarch Fu had a disagreement and were about to have a conflict?
Fortunately, Jin Jie was sent out to carry out the mission.
Otherwise, if the young marquis becomes estranged from the young clan leader Fu, wouldn't that give this private guard an opportunity to take advantage of him?
But no matter what, Xiying believes that she still has to take on the responsibility of repairing their relationship.
He scratched his head and said, "Well, Young Marquis, Young Clan Leader, how about I find some fun for you guys?"
In his eyes, it would be enough to just get through this winter. Even though he tried hard to keep up with the pace of their young marquis, he had never experienced a serious life since he was a child, so for a moment he was really a little uncomfortable.
Is it possible that the young marquis has been too tense both mentally and physically lately? He needs to relax.
After a few breaths, it was Fu Zhen'er who spoke first: "What's the fun?"
As soon as he spoke, the inexplicable feeling of suffocation dissipated a lot.
Xiying breathed a sigh of relief and said with more energy, "That's a lot."
In the evening, Liu Ziye returned to her bedroom in the courtyard after dinner.
As soon as he entered the bedroom, the charcoal fire burned even warmer, and the hot wind blew on his face. Liu Ziye rubbed his hands that were frozen red outside and breathed a sigh of relief out of habit.
She took off her fox fur cloak and completely expelled the cold air from her body.
Ah Huan, who was in the inner room, heard the noise and came out quickly, bowing respectfully at the first step: "The young marquis has returned."
Seeing Liu Ziye's gaze fall on her and nod slightly, Asi finally let go of the worry that she couldn't wait outside to help her change clothes.
She stepped forward and took the cloak that Liu Ziye had taken off and hung it on the clothes rack outside.
Turning around, he saw Liu Ziye trying to take off his coat again. He almost stumbled and said hurriedly, "Young Marquis, just let Ah Huan do it."
The moment she reached out her hand, Liu Ziye gently raised his arm to block it: "My own hand is not useless."
Ah Huan did not dare to disobey.
Since the young marquis had said so, she didn't dare to move anymore and could only follow quietly by the side, waiting to receive the outer garment.
"Are you afraid of me?"
Suddenly, Ah Huan heard the young marquis seem to ask this question, and she nodded quickly: "I am afraid. The young marquis is the blood of the Holy Ancestor's family. How can Ah Huan not be afraid of your majesty?"
"hehe."
Liu Ziye smiled faintly. She had traveled through time and space and retained the memories of the original owner.
At this time, it can be seen that what Ah Huan answered was exactly what the original owner liked and loved to hear the most.
Ah Huan felt uneasy because of her smile, but he didn't dare to say anything casually.
Since the young marquis woke up again, he seemed to be the same as before, but he was different in many ways.
Before, the young marquis was fickle-minded and moody, and it was impossible to predict what she would lose her temper about. Now, he was even more disorganized and difficult to understand. Even the young marquis's preferences, which she was very sure of before, were no longer certain of.
Liu Ziye tidied his clothes and went into the bedroom.
Another personal maid, A'bi, was serving in the inner room.
Before she came back, Ah Huan and Ah Bi had already made and changed her bed. Even in winter, as long as the sunshine in Yucheng was good, when Liu Ziye returned to the bedroom, he could always smell the warm scent of cotton after being exposed to the sun.
This kind of smell especially makes her feel at ease.
The warmest memories of the more than ten years of life in the orphanage in her previous life were those of the other children who were also not adopted. They would hang out to dry their quilts together in the winter, and crawl into the quilts that smelled of sunlight on cold nights without heating.
When Ah Bi saw Liu Ziye coming in, he also came forward to greet him and bowed respectfully like Ah Huan did: "Young Marquis is back."
Liu Ziye nodded, sat down on the soft quilt that was as soft as a cloud, and sighed comfortably. She had finally regained a new life, so why couldn't she just enjoy her life peacefully?
The life of this young marquis was something she could never have imagined in her previous life.
Why do you have to give up this peaceful little life to rebel and become some so-called emperor who will be remembered forever?
In front of the bed.
Ah Bi brought in a copper basin filled with steaming warm water. Ah Huan rolled up his sleeves and took it, placed it on the footstool beside the bed, and naturally lifted one of Liu Ziye's feet.
She took off the thick, clean winter socks on her feet one by one, revealing her feet that were covered with calluses due to the recent high-intensity running around.
Ah Huan lifted Liu Ziye's left foot and gently poured some warm water from the basin onto his foot. He raised his head and asked tentatively, "Young Marquis, is the water temperature suitable?"
Before Liu Ziye could focus, one of his feet was already in Ah Huan's hand.
She controlled her subconscious urge to kick and said reluctantly, "It's a little cold."
Ah Bi had already taken a copper kettle filled with hot water and was standing by. Upon hearing this, he walked over and handed it to Ah Huan.
Ah Huan wanted to pour water into the copper basin, so he temporarily let go of Liu Ziye's foot.
Liu Ziye seemed to have been pardoned, but he did not show it on his face.
After Ah Huan had filled the water, she dipped her feet into the hot water and said, "What kind of fragrance is that in the room today? I don't like it. Go and change it."
Ah Huan, who was about to put her hand into the basin, paused. The young marquis said "you", which included her.
Well, it only takes a moment to change the incense, just enough for the young marquis to soak in it for a while.
So, when she and Asi returned to the inner room again, they saw Liu Ziye had already crawled into the quilt, and was in a daze.
There were a few spots of water in the copper basin on the footrest in front of the couch, and the cloth for washing feet was also wet.
It was obvious that the young marquis had already washed his feet by himself.
She didn't dare ask more questions, so she packed up the basin and other things and prepared to go out to keep watch.
Remembering the old housekeeper's instructions today, he called out softly before leaving, "Young Marquis."
Liu Ziye rolled his eyes and said, "Hmm?"
Ah Huan: "Butler Liu Bo came to report this evening that the weather has been getting colder lately. I was wondering if you would like to ask the kitchen to cook a few warming dishes to nourish you."
Liu Ziye could hear the caution in Ah Huan's words.
The weather was getting colder, but Liu Ziye also knew that this was just an excuse made by the housekeeper and the maid to cover up the situation.
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