strictlysupreme Chapter 429 The Little Doctor Girl Knows How to Pamper and Flirt (Part 24)
Chapter 429 The Little Doctor Girl Knows How to Pamper and Flirt (Part 24)
The flickering candlelight inside the tent cast shifting shadows on the imperial envoy's face.
A glint flashed in the Emperor's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure: "Lord Chen is drunk. Prime Minister Liu is a pillar of the nation, His Majesty's right-hand man. Such words should not be spoken carelessly."
The imperial envoy narrowed his eyes, and his drunkenness suddenly dissipated somewhat: "General, you are indeed cautious."
He picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp. "But there are no outsiders here..."
"Your Excellency, please be careful with your words," the Emperor said solemnly. "I am a border general, only responsible for guarding the land and ensuring the safety of the people. I dare not interfere in matters of the court."
The imperial envoy stared at Si Di for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Good! What a loyal and patriotic General Si!"
He patted the Emperor on the shoulder, "Could you show me this magical wheat field in the North tomorrow? Your Majesty is very curious about it."
"I will do my duty." Emperor Si raised his cup in acknowledgment, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dark figure quietly leaving outside the tent; it was one of his personal guards.
After the banquet, the Emperor returned to his main tent.
Ji Xiaosong was sewing baby clothes under the lamp. When she saw him come in, she immediately put down her needle and thread: "How is it?"
The Emperor removed his armor and lowered his voice to a whisper: "The Imperial Envoy is no ordinary man. He feigned drunkenness to test us. His desire to see the wheat field was a pretense; his true purpose was to ascertain the situation."
Ji Xiaosong handed over a hot towel: "The imperial physician took my pulse today, and his technique was strange, as if he was probing for something."
Si Di paused in wiping his face: "Investigate what?"
“It seems like…” Ji Xiaosong frowned, “looking for something unusual. But I was healthy during my pregnancy, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”
Si Di held his wife's hand: "Tomorrow you stay in the camp, and I will accompany the imperial envoy to see the wheat fields."
"No, I'll go with you."
Ji Xiaosong's eyes were firm. "Wheat Field is my life's work. It would be suspicious if I didn't go. Besides..."
She gently stroked her belly, saying, "With the baby here, they won't dare to do anything rash."
Before the Emperor could say anything more, footsteps sounded outside the tent.
The couple immediately fell silent.
"General, I have something to report." It was the deputy general's voice.
"Come in."
The lieutenant entered and whispered, "As instructed by the general, two sets of account books and granaries have been prepared. If the imperial envoy investigates, he will not find any flaws."
Si Di nodded: "Over at the wheat field?"
"Old Wang and the villagers kept watch day and night, and they would immediately detect any strangers who approached."
"Alright." A sharp glint flashed in Si Di's eyes. "Proceed according to plan tomorrow."
The wheat fields haven't been fully harvested yet; leaving this portion is also for the emperor's men to see.
When you do good deeds, you should let the whole country know about them.
*
The next morning, the imperial envoy, no longer in a drunken stupor from the previous night, appeared in high spirits at the military camp drill ground.
He was dressed in a crimson official robe, and the jade belt at his waist gleamed coldly in the morning light.
"General, I apologize for disturbing you last night." The imperial envoy bowed, showing no trace of drunkenness.
Si Di, dressed in plain clothes, laughed and said, "Lord Chen has a good capacity for alcohol. Please follow me; the wheat field is not far from here."
The group rode out of the camp.
The imperial envoy was followed by two clerks who kept scanning their surroundings.
Ji Xiaosong followed behind in a carriage, observing the imperial envoy's every move through the gauze curtain.
The wheat fields rippled with golden waves in the morning light, and the heavy ears of wheat swayed gently in the wind.
A stone tablet stands by the field, inscribed with the three large characters "General's Wife Mai".
The imperial envoy dismounted and approached, stroking the ears of wheat with his fingers: "Truly miraculous. Ordinary wheat takes four months to mature, but this wheat was harvested in less than three months."
Si Di stood aside and said, "This is a superior variety that my wife brought back from the Northern Territory. It grows rapidly due to the soil and water of the Northern Territory."
"The Northern Border?" The imperial envoy raised an eyebrow. "I've heard that you, Madam, are skilled in agriculture. May I ask who your teacher was?"
Ji Xiaosong's voice came from inside the tent: "When I was young, I traveled with my father to trade in the northern border. I was once given guidance by a strange man and learned a little about farming."
The imperial envoy turned and bowed to the carriage: "Madam is very talented. I wonder what characteristics that extraordinary person has? His Majesty is most fond of seeking out extraordinary people and people."
The gauze curtain swayed slightly, and Ji Xiaosong's voice was calm and unhurried: "That master came in a mask, leaving only a scroll of bamboo slips before departing. I have no idea of his origins."
A hint of disappointment flashed in the imperial envoy's eyes, then he smiled and said, "What a pity, what a pity."
He turned to the Emperor and said, "General, may I take some wheat seeds back to the capital? His Majesty wishes to try planting them in the Imperial Garden."
Emperor Si was prepared and waved to his personal guards to bring out a brocade box: "I have prepared a pound of carefully selected wheat seeds, along with planting instructions, written by my wife herself."
The imperial envoy accepted the document but did not rush to examine it. Instead, he changed the subject: "General, your military leadership is excellent, and the border is secure. I wonder if your daily training allows you to prepare for any unforeseen events?"
Emperor Si sensed the probing in his words and calmly replied, "The Northern Border Garrison is officially numbered 30,000, but there are actually 28,000 on the roster, stationed at thirteen fortresses. They train for ten days every month and are ready to fight at any time."
"Oh?" The imperial envoy smiled faintly. "How are the grain reserves? Before I left the capital, the Ministry of Revenue said that the army in the northern border was short of food."
"Please look, my lord." The Emperor pointed to the granary in the distance. "This year's harvest was not good, and the people are still suffering. Otherwise, we would not have risked going to the northern border to find grain. The account books are ready, and you can check them at any time."
The imperial envoy clapped his hands and laughed: "No need, no need. How could I doubt the general? Besides, the whole country is suffering from food and clothing shortages, and the border areas are in dire straits; this is the norm. It's just that..."
He lowered his voice, "Has anything unusual happened at the border recently? For example... a gathering of refugees? Rumors of unusual activity? After all, lack of food and clothing is always accompanied by riots."
Emperor Si felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that this was an attempt to entice him to talk about the unrest on the border, so as to find an excuse to mobilize troops in the future.
He pretended to ponder: "It's strange, but since the wheat harvest, the border has become even more peaceful. The people live and work in peace and contentment, and even the number of bandits has decreased significantly."
The imperial envoy's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered: "Of course, the general's reputation is widespread."
Just then, a group of children suddenly ran over from the edge of the field, with Tiger leading the way.
The children, holding wildflowers in their hands, stood timidly in front of the carriage.
"Madam... these are the flowers we picked..." Tiger said, blushing.
Ji Xiaosong lifted the gauze curtain and accepted the wildflowers: "Thank you."
She gently stroked Tiger's head, "Have you been studying lately?"
"I've read it!" Tiger puffed out his chest. "I can recite the Thousand Character Classic now!"
The imperial envoy, observing the scene with a cold eye, suddenly interjected, "These children seem quite close to the lady."
Old Man Wang appeared at the edge of the field at some unknown time. Upon hearing this, he immediately knelt down: "Your Honor, please understand! Your wife taught the children to read and write, and also treated our illnesses and provided us with food. The villagers are all extremely grateful!"
A sinister glint flashed across the imperial envoy's face, but he quickly put on a smile again: "Madam's kindness is truly a blessing to the people."
On the way back to camp, the imperial envoy deliberately lagged behind a few steps and whispered a few words to the clerk beside him.
The clerk nodded and quietly left the group.
The Emperor saw this and gave his personal guards a look, who immediately followed silently.