Chapter 483

Wei Yuan bowed and said in a clear voice, "When there is no war, military households can be self-sufficient by farming the military fields. Once war breaks out, it is reasonable for the court to allocate rations and military supplies. "

Wang Shoufu narrowed his eyes and looked deeply at Wei Yuan.

Chu Xianglong heard this and smiled. In terms of war, this group of scholars who only knew how to talk could not compare to Wei Yuan's one sentence even if they said a hundred sentences.

His mission to return to the capital would be half completed if he could get the rations and soldiers' pay.

The Left Imperial Censor Yuan Xiong heaved a sigh of relief. He was surprised that Wei Yuan would support his plan. This way, he could avoid the turmoil of the imperial examination cheating scandal and stay out of it.

On second thought, this was in line with His Majesty's intentions. With the help of the nobles and the pressure of the barbarian army, this was the general trend. Even the officials who opposed this plan understood the situation.

Unexpectedly, Wei Yuan changed the topic and said, "But before that, I have something to report to His Majesty."

Everyone followed the voice and looked over.

Wei Yuan's expression did not change and he ignored the officials' gazes.

The Yuanjing Emperor said, "Speak."

"My gong found a group of Jianghu people fighting to the death on the outskirts of the capital and went forward to stop them. Who knew that the side with more people not only did not stop, but also beheaded the people surrounding them and escaped."

Wei Yuan said this in a powerful voice, as if the truth of the matter was coming from his mouth. "Before the dead died, they shouted, 'There is a change in the north'."

Hearing Wei Yuan's words, the expressions of the officials present, including the Yuanjing Emperor, changed.

Chu Xianglong suddenly turned his head and stared at Wei Yuan. He immediately looked away, not daring to offend him. He straightened his neck and said, "There is a change in the north.

"Naturally, there are changes in the north. The Barbarians are plundering everywhere and starting a war …"

Wei Yuan's expression was calm. "So, the barbarians massacred three thousand miles in the north and General Chu just said that they looted and burned?"

This sentence shocked everyone present. Emperor Yuan Jing even got up from the big chair and stared straight at Cyan Yi in the hall.

"Wei Yuan, speak clearly. What do you mean by massacring three thousand miles... ah?!"

Chu Xianglong hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, there is absolutely no such thing..."

"Shut up!"

The Yuanjing Emperor interrupted and looked at him coldly. He turned to Wei Yuan and asked, "What proof do you have?"

Wei Yuan reached into his bosom and took out a sachet. He untied the red string and a wisp of green smoke floated out. It twisted in the air and turned into a man with a blurry face and dull eyes. He murmured,

"Three thousand miles of bloody massacre, three thousand miles of bloody massacre, please send troops to suppress us …"

It was silent in the imperial study. Wei Yuan continued, "Your Majesty can send someone to examine the body. This man is from the north!"

There was silence in the imperial study.

The Yuanjing Emperor stood up slowly. His face was gloomy. He said word by word, "Examine the body!"

The old eunuch lowered his head and hurried back to pass the order. He seemed to be escaping and did not even dare to breathe.

The Yuanjing Emperor sat on his throne with a gloomy expression. He did not say a word. The officials exchanged silent glances. Chu Xianglong was also pale. He glared at Wei Yuan from the corner of his eyes.

After waiting for a quarter of an hour, the old eunuch returned and whispered in the Yuanjing Emperor's ear.

The Yuanjing Emperor was silent for a long time. He said slowly, "Summon the Celestial Commissioner to the palace for questioning. I am tired. My dear officials, please rest in the side hall."

He stared at Chu Xianglong and said in a low voice, "You stay here."

Then, he stood up and left the imperial study.

The officials were led to the side hall by the eunuchs to rest.

...

Inside the side hall.

The Minister of Revenue held a cup of tea and took a sip. He looked at the expressionless Wei Yuan and asked, "Duke Wei, is this true?"

The officials looked at Wei Yuan. The latter looked serious. He looked at the Minister of Revenue coldly and said, "Does Lord Zhao think that I am joking?"

"I dare not."

The Minister of Revenue sighed and said, "If this is true, how many people will die in the Northern Region? The night watchmen are everywhere. Why didn't we receive the news? "

Wei Yuan did not respond to the Minister of Revenue's probing.

Wang Shoufu squinted and tapped his fingers on the table. No one knew what he was thinking.

After one hour, the old eunuch entered the side hall and said respectfully, "His Majesty invites the officials to return to the imperial study."

Then, the warlock in white summoned by the Celestial Commissioner questioned Chu Xianglong. The answer was expected. Chu Xianglong's words were true.

The King of Zhenbei had defeated the barbarians in the north. But the northern barbarians' guerrilla tactics had indeed caused great trouble for the King of Zhenbei. The northern border army was exhausted.

The barbarian army was blocked at the border. Naturally, the massacre did not happen.

The atmosphere in the imperial study relaxed. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

"Hmph!"

Chu Xianglong snorted. "I don't know where Duke Wei got the news. His Majesty and the officials almost misunderstood Your Highness. I think Your Highness did not offend Duke Wei. "

Wei Yuan ignored him and stepped forward. "This is a serious matter. What this man said might be true, but it does not mean that the situation in the north is the truth."

Chu Xianglong furrowed his brows. Just as he was about to retort, Wang Shoufu chimed in.

"Your Majesty, I think Duke Wei's words make sense. This is a serious matter and we cannot afford to be careless. We must investigate this thoroughly. "

Under the lead of Wang Shoufu and Wei Yuan, the other officials also chimed in.

The Yuanjing Emperor pondered and said, "How do you think we should investigate this?"

Wang Shoufu said, "Your Majesty, you can continue to gather supplies and send them to Chu Zhou City. At the same time, we can send an imperial envoy to the north to investigate this case. "

Wei Yuan said, "I agree."

The Yuanjing Emperor nodded. "Let's do it."

...

The Xu Mansion.

Susu sat on the eaves with a red umbrella that shielded her from the sun. She looked at the little bean who was practicing the horse stance in the yard.

In the living room next door, Li Miaozhen was talking to the Xu family's mistress and daughter.

Auntie and Xu Lingyue were in a bad mood when they heard that another guest was staying at their house.

The former thought that if this went on, the house would become a charity hall. The latter thought that this woman was too beautiful and was a threat to her.

Other than the woman in the Taoist robe, there was also the woman in the white robe outside. Xu Lingyue felt uneasy. She felt that she had no chance of winning if she only relied on her appearance.

The woman holding the red umbrella had an indescribable charm that was especially seductive.

However, when they heard that Li Miaozhen was Xu Qi'an's savior, Auntie and Xu Lingyue immediately changed their attitude. They were grateful and welcomed her from the bottom of their hearts.

"The Xu family is indeed a martial arts family. I see that the young lady is still young, but she is already starting to learn martial arts." Li Miaozhen knew the ways of the world. While chatting, she didn't forget to flatter Xu Lingyue.

Auntie was sad when she heard this. She said helplessly, "I hope that she can study for a few years. Even if she is not proficient in the four arts, she should at least be educated and reasonable. Unfortunately, she is a fool."

Although that child was quite silly, how could she be a fool? Xu Qi'an's cousin was a student of the Yunlu Academy. How could he not teach his sister to read? Li Miaozhen thought about it and said,

"Miaozhen is staying at the Xu Mansion. In her free time, she can help teach the young lady."

Her idea was that Xu Xinnian was busy with his studies and had no interest in teaching his younger sister. Xu Qi'an and Xu Pingzhi were Warrior, so they were more inclined to let the young lady of the Xu family learn martial arts.

In any case, it was just teaching the child for a period of time.

Auntie was stunned. She was about to refuse, but Xu Lingyue took the initiative to agree. She smiled and said, "Thank you, Daoist Li."

Li Miaozhen had a good impression of this beautiful girl with a gentle smile. She smiled and said, "It's nothing."

After saying that, she found that the eyes of the Xu family's mistress were filled with pity and sympathy.

...

"Sister, sister, are you really a ghost?"

Xu Lingyin was in a horse stance. Her short and thick legs were trembling slightly. She raised her head and looked at Susu on the eaves.

"Yes, I will eat you. Aren't you afraid?" Susu threatened.

"I am!" Xu Lingyin showed a frightened expression.

Susu chuckled. She was a little proud. She was humming a little song and staring at the blue sky in a daze.

After an unknown amount of time, the two girls in the courtyard disappeared.

"Sister, sister …"

A shout came from below. Susu looked down and saw the little girl standing under the eaves. She raised her head and stared at her with clear black and white eyes.

"Can you come down?" The little girl said.

Susu landed lightly in the courtyard. She looked down at the hair on Xu Lingyue's head and said angrily, "What?"

Xu Lingyin didn't say anything. She waved her hand sneakily and signaled her to follow.

Susu followed her all the way to the kitchen. The smell of smoke hit her face. The little girl tried her best to cross the threshold and said,

"Sister, come here."

In the kitchen, Little Black from Nanjiang was making a fire. The oil in the pot was boiling. Xu Lingyin pulled Susu to the pot. She looked up and said expectantly,

"Sister, can you climb in by yourself?"

Susu's face suddenly froze.

…

Xu Qi'an returned home and introduced Li Miaozhen to the second Uncle Xu. The second Uncle Xu thought she was a friend of his nephew and nodded like an elder.

He said calmly, "Where does Taoist Li cultivate?"

"She is Tenzō Shōnin, one of the protagonists of the battle between Heaven and Man." Xu Qi'an added.

"…"

Xu Pingzhi almost stood up to salute and shouted, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

"I met her when I was in Yunzhou …" Xu Qi 'an briefly explained.

Xu Pingzhi nodded blankly. He was not calm and his thoughts were undulating.

"Dalang even knows Tenzō Shōnin. His network is getting wider and his strength is getting higher and higher. But I have just broken through to the Spirit Refinement Realm … How promising!"

The second Uncle Xu thought happily. But he felt the gap between him and his nephew was getting bigger and bigger. He felt a sense of loss.

He looked at his son again. After the court examination, he became an official of the imperial court. Although his progress was not as exaggerated as Ning Yan's, he had reached the sky in one step. He was a dragon among men.

"I have not let down my ancestors … It is a pity that my eldest brother died early and did not see his son and nephew become so promising …"

At this moment, Xu Xinnian said in a low voice, "Eldest brother, Miss Wang asked me to go to the lake again."

"Does Miss Wang like my Erlang?" Xu Qi 'an's heart skipped a beat. He was even more certain of his guess.

During the imperial examination cheating case, Miss Wang had "tipped off" him. The content was true, which was very unusual.

At this moment, considering the two invitations to the lake, it was almost certain that Miss Wang was interested in Erlang and she was very aggressive.

Thinking of this, Xu Qi'an smiled and said, "Then did you agree?"

Xu Xinnian snorted and said, "I rejected with the reason that the court examination is around the corner."

"Well done, Erlang …" Xu Qi'an patted his shoulder and praised, "You are our role model."

Da Lang mocked Erlang in a strange tone.

Role model? Inappropriate choice of words. Ha, uncultured eldest brother … Erlang also mocked Da Lang in his mind.

…

After dinner, Xu Qi'an came to Li Miaozhen's room. When he was about to knock on the door, he heard Susu's voice.

"Master, the child in this house is so scary. She, she wants to eat me and even heated a pot of oil."

"A child's words carry no harm. Don't mind it," Li Miaozhen said perfunctorily.

"No, I can feel that she's not joking. That burning gaze …" Susu said a few words. Seeing that Li Miaozhen was disinterested, she snorted angrily and shouted, "Don't worry.

"Stinky man, your sister wants to eat me."

As soon as she finished speaking, the door opened automatically. Susu put her hands on her waist and puffed her cheeks. She stared at him angrily.

Ah, this … I remember. Aunt told her that fried ghosts are delicious. Not only did she take it seriously, but she also remembered it for so long.

So, her memory is good enough to memorize English words. Why can't she recite the Three Character Classic?

As Xu Qi'an complained in his mind, he changed the topic, "Susu, I remember you said that if I agree to two of your requests, you will be my concubine for three years."

Hearing this, Li Miaozhen stared at Susu fiercely.

When it came to feminine charm, the ghost who was more seductive than her master put her hands on her waist and said, "Yes! You will help me reconstruct my body and investigate why my father was beheaded.

"I will not only be your concubine for three years, but I will also bear your son."

In fact, it didn't matter whether she was a concubine or not. Xu Qi'an promised her at the beginning because he felt a little sorry for bullying a female ghost.

Now that Li Miaozhen came to the capital, he would not forget the original agreement.

Of course, if Susu wanted to repay him, she could also be his concubine.

I must make Song Qing build a 36D body. I don't care about it, but no matter how hard it is, I can't let my child suffer … He sighed silently and looked at Li Miaozhen.

"Tell me everything you know first."

The master and the servant looked serious. Li Miaozhen said, "Susu was born in Jiangzhou, and her father was the magistrate of Jiangzhou. Yuan Jing was condemned and beheaded in 15 years. Originally, the women in his family would be put into the Musical House.

"Her mother was unyielding and unwilling to be a prostitute in the Musical House. She poisoned all the women, including Susu, with a glass of poisoned wine. But she had a young brother who was studying abroad at that time, so she was lucky to escape.

"On this trip to the capital, I took a detour to Jiang Province with Susu. I wanted to investigate the past. Unexpectedly, I found something strange. "