readytorunbook Chapter 198: Not much is asked, half of the military power.
Chapter 198: Not much is asked, half of the military power.
Qin Su's gaze towards Meng Fuqing changed. He had to admit that Meng Fuqing's method, aside from the unpleasantness of dealing with the Qin family, was not entirely unfeasible.
"Since it's a collaboration, I got what I wanted, so what about you?"
Meng Fuqing, who had been so considerate of Qin Su, revealed his ambition: "I don't want much, just half of the military power."
Qin Su's jaw tightened as he quickly pondered something.
He hadn't felt this way before, but after hearing those words, he realized that although Meng Fuqing was a woman, her ambition was no less than that of a man.
After careful consideration, he asked, "Half of the military power, should I give it to you or Xie Jin?"
Meng Fuqing had a faint smile on her lips. "If Xie Jin were standing in front of you right now, would you ask him such a question?"
Before Qin Su could answer, she suppressed her smile and looked directly at him with her clear, sharp eyes: "I, Meng Fuqing, am the one who owns half of the military power."
Qin Su stared at her intently, then suddenly laughed, "A woman holding military power? I wonder if your abilities match your ambitions?"
In his mind, Xie Jin was largely responsible for the caravan's journey to Jing'an Prefecture. Although he had been tricked by Meng Fuqing before, he still did not take her seriously.
Just now, Meng Fuqing was no longer Xie Jin's subordinate to him; he had become a real person of flesh and blood.
Whether he cooperates with Xie Jin or Meng Fuqing, he has to make sacrifices, so it doesn't make much difference to him.
"That's no trouble for Young Master Qin. I happen to have some connections with Lord Xu, and Young Master Qin probably doesn't want his schemes to be exposed, does he?"
Qin Su narrowed his eyes. "Are you threatening me?"
"This is not a threat, but a statement of fact. Why did you have to go through me to find Xie Jin?"
Qin Su was silent for a moment, then laughed angrily, "This is the second time. I've never been fooled by the same person twice. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
Meng Fuqing's voice turned cold, "It's certainly worth a try."
With the token in her possession, she was certain that Qin Su wouldn't dare to make a move. Even if he did, she could kill him, though it would be a pity for his subordinates.
Seeing that Qin Su remained silent, she spoke again, "Since Young Master Qin does not object, why don't you tell me what to do next?"
After carefully seeing Qin Su off from Hanhua Village, watching his departing figure, she suddenly remembered what Xie Jin had said before.
At the time, she confidently claimed that Qin Su had come to see Yan He, but now, Qin Su had come to see her because of Xie Jin.
Just then, someone approached her, drawing out the last syllable, "Qingqing, could you give me some of your wound medicine? I'm injured."
Meng Fuqing glanced at the wound on the back of her hand, a red welt left by the whip, but no blood.
"You cut a slit; it might be useful. I'll give it to you when we get home."
In the days that followed, Qin Su did not return to Hanhua Village.
Meng Fuqing knew that it would be very difficult to get something into the ears of the emperor deep in the palace. So she just went about her business.
After giving his instructions on epidemic prevention, Doctor Zheng returned to the village from the prefectural city and praised Prefect Xu to Meng Fuqing.
"Lord Xu is an upright and honest man who always puts the people first. He is a rare good official. I heard that he was a government official in the capital before being transferred to Jing'an Prefecture. It was a promotion in name only, but a demotion in reality. I wonder if he offended someone."
"By the way, listen to me, you were the one who proposed most of the 'Twenty Measures for Epidemic Prevention.' He praised you several times and even said he wanted to meet you..."
Based on Doctor Zheng's description, Meng Fuqing gained a general understanding of this Lord Xu.
He is a good official who is wholeheartedly devoted to serving the people.
A good official can contribute to a prosperous era, but in these chaotic times, it remains to be seen what choice Lord Xu will make.
After another spring rain, many mushrooms have sprouted in the mountains and fields, such as morel mushrooms and chanterelle mushrooms, which are rare delicacies.
In addition, there are many brightly colored mushrooms; you can tell just by looking at their color that eating them will make you feel good.
After finishing their chores, the girls in the village would pick mushrooms they recognized in the mountains and forests, and also dig up some wild vegetables.
They were reluctant to eat the mushrooms they picked; they would only dry them and sell them to restaurants in the county town, no matter how much they earned, it would at least be a source of income for their household.
Meng Ranran and Meng Ali also picked mushrooms, but only for their own consumption.
Meng Fuqing used the mushrooms they had picked to make a mushroom soup hot pot. The family gathered around the stove, eating, drinking, chatting, and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere.
On an auspicious day, Meng Fuqing underwent her coming-of-age ceremony. The person who performed the ceremony was Shen Lianxing's mother, Madam Qu.
In reality, during her escape from famine, she no longer cared whether her hair was in double or single buns. After arriving in Hanhua Village, Meng Fuqing either tied her hair up with a hairpin or simply tied it up.
It's just a formality.
Madam Qu still liked Meng Fuqing, but she was helpless with her son's taciturn nature and could only keep her feelings to herself.
After the coming-of-age ceremony, Meng Fuqing went to Linan County with the village chief Meng Bochang to process the marriage contract for Zhao'er.
Having witnessed the misdeeds caused by servants during her escape from famine, she felt more at ease with the contract in hand. She also planned to select a few more servants from the brokerage firm after the house was built.
After completing the contract, the old man and the young man were about to head back when Meng Fuqing suddenly overheard several scholars dressed as intellectuals talking together.
"In my view, this is clearly a sign of chaos, with natural disasters and man-made calamities. Tens of thousands of people outside the city have been displaced, yet the imperial court's relief efforts are slow to arrive. I wonder how long Lord Xu can hold out..."
"Times create heroes. There have been powerful families that have taken in refugees and enslaved them. If this continues, Jing'an Prefecture will not be stable for long."
……
Just then, a ragged beggar suddenly burst into everyone's view.
He shook his head and kept repeating something; only upon closer listening could one understand—"The fate of the Great Yan Dynasty has run its course; destiny cannot be defied..."
The scholars and students exchanged a quick glance and then left the street.
No matter how much turmoil occurs outside, for the villagers of Hanhua Village, nothing is more important than reclaiming wasteland.
Meng Fuqing was not worried that the person who would eventually unify the world in Meng Linlang's dream would become the chosen one ahead of time.
She had previously asked Meng Linlang in detail that the true love in her dream came from a prestigious family, was named Yuan Shao, and only began to grow powerful ten years later, meaning that he was still a child at that time.
Everything happened ahead of schedule.
Having made up his mind, Meng Fuqing continued to wait for news from Qin Su.
However, to everyone's surprise, Ling Jiu was the first to arrive.
"Miss Ling Jiu, you've come so late at night. Has something happened to your young master?"
Ling Jiu hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Something did happen, but it's a good thing."
Meng Fuqing was taken aback, and his brow relaxed slightly.
The events were not complicated. Xie Jin did not go to Zhannan alone; he was accompanied by dozens of guards.
After arriving in Zhannan, the group failed to find Han Chanzi, but unexpectedly discovered that there seemed to be something unusual happening in Zhannan.
Zhannan borders Jing'an Prefecture and Yunnan, but it is not part of the Great Yan territory; it is merely a small country that is dependent on the Great Yan.
Upon learning of the internal strife within the Great Yan Kingdom, the King of Zhannan harbored rebellious intentions and planned to unite with neighboring small states to take this opportunity to attack the Great Yan Kingdom.
Meng Fuqing, who was sitting at the table drawing a diagram of a hollow whip, suddenly stood up. "What's so good about this news?"
She wasn't worried about Xie Jin's safety, since none of his men were freeloaders. Her only concern was that Xie Jin's heat poisoning might flare up.
Furthermore, Jing'an Prefecture was attacked from both sides, leading to great chaos.