Chapter 203: Rush
Editor:Â Atlas Studios
Qi Xiuyuan pushed open his door angrily and was shocked by Rong Ze. âWhy arenât you asleep yet?â
Rong Ze put down the book in his hand and said, âHow can I sleep without concrete news? How is it? Howâs the estimated production of corn?â
âItâs alright.â Qi Xiuyuan explained the general situation and said, âIf weâre really sure that we can plant a second season, there will be a lot of seeds next year. Iâm not sure about anything else, but at least the rations of the people and troops north of the Yangtze River shouldnât be a problem.â
Only then did Rong Ze heave a sigh of relief. With a smile, he said, âThatâs good. Otherwise, weâll have to humbly beg for grains again.â
âIâm not afraid of that. Iâm just afraid that even begging wonât help. For the sake of the soldiers under me, Iâd have no choice but to do some outrageous thingsâŠâ Qi Xiuyuan laughed self-deprecatingly. âBy the way, Iâll get Zijin to follow you for this period of time. Order him around as much as you can. Get rid of the conceit in his bones first. Iâll send him to the Shen family in Jiangling later.â
Rong Ze raised his eyebrows. âActually, Zijin is very smart.â
âHeâs not the only smart person in this world. Whatâs the use of being smart if he doesnât know how to conduct himself? His father isnât a good person, and my aunt is focused on him. Itâs inevitable that sheâll neglect Zijin. He and Haoran fooled around in Linâan Prefecture and he has grown to be so scheming. Now that heâs under my charge, he has to change his ways.â
âIn this world, if you donât scheme against others, youâll be schemed against.â
âStill, there are things that you can and cannot do. Even thieves have a moral code. This kid, on the other hand, does all sorts of things. If we donât correct him while heâs young and before he makes a big mistake, he might cause serious trouble in the future.â Qi Xiuyuan originally wanted to say that since he could make use of anyone to scheme for benefits at such a young age, he would probably wreck havoc when he grew up. However, it occurred to him that this was a sensitive topic, so he changed his words at the last minute.
âShen San was similar to him when he was young. Perhaps it will do him good to spend some time with Shen San,â Rong Ze suggested.
âNo way.â Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand and said, âIâm afraid that heâll become worse. Is Shen San doing well now? Youâre just deceived by his facade. He looks bright and open on the surface, but who knows what heâs doing behind everyoneâs backs. Itâs the fifth daughter of the Shen family that I want Zijin to seek. Sheâs a forthright and generous girl with the meticulousness of a woman. Let him discuss business with her for a while.â
Thinking of his two younger brothersâ different personalities, Qi Xiuyuan had a headache. âZijin is too smart, and Haoran is too stupid. If the two of them neutralize each other, I wonât have to worry so much.â
Rong Ze burst out laughing and said, âYou should be content. I think theyâre both not bad. Itâs just that your expectations are too high. Haoran isnât stupid. Heâs just a little slow in reacting, but heâs upright and has a mind of his own. Most importantly, he only likes to train his troops and practice formations. As long as a person is focused on one thing, thereâs nothing he canât achieve. If I had two younger brothers who were so easy to deal with, I would wake up laughing.â
Qi Xiuyuan thought of Rong Zeâs brothers and felt that he was right.
In the end, Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin did not dare to leave the study. They could only sit on the ground and wait for dawn. When they heard footsteps, Fan Zijin pushed Qi Haoran and hurriedly knelt down.
However, Qi Haoran fell to the ground and continued to sleep. Fan Zijin exclaimed and reached out to pinch his face. He said in a low voice, âGet up quickly! Eldest Cousin is here.â
Qi Haoran woke up quickly and hurriedly got up to kneel down. Fan Zijin tugged at him. âYouâre kneeling in the wrong direction. Kneel inwards!â
The two of them had just knelt down properly when Qi Xiuyuan brought Mu Yangling in.
Last night, Mu Yangling had a good nightâs sleep. After waking up, she sat cross-legged on the bed and practiced her internal strength without any progress. Then, she got up to eat breakfast.
She was surprised to see that only she and Qi Xiuyuan were at the dining table. Qi Xiuyuan smiled and said, âTheyâre in the study. Iâll bring you there after weâre done eating. You guys can go back together later.â
Mu Yangling stopped asking, but she also wondered if they had any homework to do. Unexpectedly, the moment she pushed open the door, she saw the two of them kneeling side by side with their backs facing them.
Mu Yangling looked at the candles that had burned to the roots on both sides and was secretly speechless. âCould they have been kneeling since last night? How pitiful!â She immediately lowered her head and pretended not to exist.
Qi Xiuyuan walked around them and sat behind the desk, before saying to the two of them, âGo back now. Zijin, move back today.â
Fan Zijin said in a low voice, âEldest Cousin, I still have something to do in the 5th DivisionâŠâ Fan Zijin did not dare to continue speaking under Qi Xiuyuanâs cold gaze.
Qi Xiuyuan said coldly, âEven if you have a mission assigned by the Jade Emperor in the 5th Division, you have to leave it aside. If you canât follow your Brother Rong Ze and perform to my satisfaction, then you donât have to go to Jiangling either. Iâll send you straight to Uncleâs place. Zijin, you know that I keep my word. Uncle isnât as accommodating as me. If you return, you and Haoran can forget about meeting again in five to six years.â
Fan Zijin was discouraged. âYes, Iâll go back and pack my things now.â
âGet lost. I get angry when I see you.â
Qi Haoran hurriedly got up and pulled Fan Zijin up. âBig Brother, we havenât had breakfast yet.â
âI didnât ask the kitchen to cook for you. Go out and eat.â
Qi Haoranâs mouth was wide open. Just as he was about to say something, Mu Yangling stepped forward and covered his mouth. Together with Fan Zijin, they carried him out.
After breaking free from them, Qi Haoran said, âWhy didnât you let me speak? He didnât even let me eat breakfast. Am I still his younger brother?â
âIsnât it just breakfast? Why would you upset the general over a few copper coins? You were beaten up last night, right?â Mu Yangling patted his chest with the back of her hand as she spoke. Qi Haoran responded with âOuch!â.
Mu Yangling was so startled that she retracted her hand. âDid he beat you up for real?â
Fan Zijin glared at Mu Yangling. âYou happened to hit his wound.â
Mu Yangling carefully looked at his expression and asked, âShouldnât he hit the back? Why did he hit your chest?â Mu Yangling pulled open his shirt and saw that it was bruised. She could even vaguely see a footprint.
Mu Yangling quickly fixed his clothes and said, âYou have to rub it with medicinal wine. Otherwise, itâll accumulate blood.â
Steward Zhu came over and said impartially, âFourth Young Master, Young Master Zijin, Miss Mu, the horses have been prepared for you.â
Fan Zijin glared and shouted, âDog slave, canât you see that your master is injured? Hurry up and bring the medicinal wine over!â
Steward Zhu said awkwardly, âWell, Young Master Zijin, Eldest Young Master doesnât want us to give you anything. He even said that Fourth Young Master will lose all his monthly allowance for the next three months.â
This was truly shocking to Qi Haoran. He widened his eyes and looked at Steward Zhu.
Fan Zijin was about to flare up at him when Mu Yangling kicked him, almost knocking him over. âAlright, we should attend to Qi Haoranâs injuries first. I have medicinal wine at home.â She pulled Qi Haoran away.
Fan Zijin could only glare fiercely at Steward Zhu.
âWill your medicinal wine be good? I still have some money on me. Iâll go to the pharmacy to buy a bottle.â Fan Zijin caught up with Mu Yangling.
Mu Yangling snorted and said, âDonât look down on my familyâs medicinal wine. The ones sold in the pharmacy arenât even one-tenth as ours. Ours was brewed with tiger bones. Itâs good stuff left behind by my great-grandfather. When they fled back then, other than silver, it was the second thing my father carried out.â
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