Chapter 1441: Chapter 1441 Retreat
"Yes, my son will send someone to the fish farm shortly."
"Also, keep the sheep and pigs raised on the estate for our own consumption."
Over the past two years, the estate has raised quite a lot of livestock. Zhulan enjoys eating goose, so Chang Li had people raise a good number of them. Thinking of goose again, she said, "Send someone to catch some geese from the estate. It’s been a while since we’ve had roasted goose. Let’s have roasted goose today."
Chang Li took note of everything, "Alright."
Contemplating her family’s number of members, Zhulan counted that for one meal of roasted goose, each household needed at least two. Having a large family and business means large expenses, but luckily, they raised their own on the estate.
In the afternoon, Chang Li caught forty geese in one go, along with a good number of goose eggs. They kept twenty for themselves, and the remaining twenty, five were sent to the eldest daughter, and the other fifteen were distributed among the Wong, Ran, and Liu families, along with Lady Hu who lived alone. Each family also received a basket of goose eggs.
At the Wong family, in the evening, Wong Ju returned home, "Did we buy geese today?"
He knew without asking family affairs that not many sold geese on the market. Few common families who raised geese would sell them, as geese could guard the home.
Mrs. Tao gave her husband a goose thigh, "We didn’t buy them. Our in-laws sent over five, along with a basket of goose eggs. We’ve prepared all five geese: one for father and mother, one for us, one for the newlywed Wong Wei, and the other two for the second and third households."
Wong Ju rarely ate goose at home, usually only ordering it when he went to restaurants. After tasting a couple of bites, which were quite nice, he commented, "The second and third households will start their grumbling again."
"What’s there to grumble about? Complaining that the main household got two? They should feel embarrassed for grumbling. These were all sent by the Zhou family."
Wong Ju, "How did you split the goose eggs?"
Mrs. Tao huffed, "I didn’t give any to the second and third households. If they want to eat, they can buy their own. You tell me, how much of the stuff sent by the Zhou family do they eat? And they still have the nerve to pick faults."
Wong Ju comforted his wife, "It’ll be better once we divide the households. Though, I’ve seen many who are fond of their daughters, but none are as doting as the Zhou family are with theirs."
Mrs. Tao, "Indeed."
As Wong Wei ate the goose, "This goose is really well-raised."
Yu Lu smiled, "If you like it, eat more."
"You too, my dear. You’ve been working hard taking care of the child."
Touched by his concern, Yu Lu’s eyes curved into a smile, "I have maids and servant girls at home to help, I’m not tired. It’s you who have just joined the Ministry of Works and have been working so hard you’ve become thinner."
Wong Wei flexed his arm, "I’ve gotten a lot sturdier too, look at this arm."
Yu Lu listened attentively to her husband, responding appropriately, making for a harmonious dinner between the young couple. Eventually, Wong Wei ate quite a bit of goose, while Yu Lu had little.
Looking at the bones in front of him, Wong Wei said, "This..."
Yu Lu laughed, "My grandpa likes goose, so my dad raised many on the estate. I had plenty when I was at home."
Before she married, the family chef cooked goose in a variety of ways, and she grew fussy with her tastes. The geese cooked by the Wong family were not as delicious as those from her parents’ home.
Messages about the battle in Dongbei kept arriving at the capital. One day, an urgent report came: the border fortress had been breached, and Prince Liang was continuously retreating with his troops.
Upon the urgent report’s arrival at the capital, the ministers who had been full of confidence were taken aback. It was the first time since the founding of the dynasty that they had to retreat.
In the palace, the ministers engaged in a heated debate. Some pointed fingers at Prince Liang, blaming him for the ineffective leading of his troops, holding him responsible for the failure.
Having been in poor health, Prince Liang became a target for attacks. Although no one stated it explicitly, it was presumed that Prince Liang was overreaching his abilities.
Zhou Shuren internally rolled his eyes. The louder they yelled, the more they seemed like those who could only gain presence by blustering with their lips.
The Emperor, "Now is not the time to pursue accountability."
The assembly fell silent; indeed, now was not the time to seek responsibility but to stop the enemy from continuing their march southward.
Prince Qi frowned. Prince Liang should not have been forced to retreat, not to mention the power of the cannon, but with the support of 150,000 troops, he should not have lost the fortress. Was it due to Prince Liang’s poor command? Ha, he knew better than anyone else the capabilities of the fourth brother.
Moreover, the fourth brother was someone who could act ruthlessly; for the sake of Prince Liang Residence, he wouldn’t be defeated so easily. If he were really pushed into a corner, he could choose to perish together with his adversary.
Prince Qi looked towards the Emperor. The only one who could make Prince Liang obey was the Emperor.
Prince Chu gently tugged at his second brother’s sleeve and whispered, "This doesn’t seem right, it’s not like the fourth brother’s character."
Prince Qi pretended not to hear and continued to look at the Emperor. The ministers in the court were discussing, the Emperor’s face was expressionless, and seeing the composed Crown Prince, Prince Qi lowered his eyes.
The news of Prince Liang’s retreat had a significant impact, especially on the various provinces of Dongbei. The panic in these states intensified with the large influx of refugees fleeing the border.
In Zhoujia Village, Ming Qing arrived at the Jiang family’s home and immediately saw several of Mr. Jiang’s uncles.
Jiang Miu pressed the center of his forehead, "Clan Leader, you’ve arrived."
Mr. Jiang was indeed anxious, "If you won’t leave with us, we’ll still go. You’ve heard too, Prince Liang has been defeated and is in retreat; no one knows how long he can hold out."
Jiang Miu replied, "Uncle, I still have things to take care of; if you need to leave, then go ahead."
The same old saying: she wouldn’t leave unless absolutely necessary. If there truly was an emergency, she believed her maternal grandparents would inform her.
Ming Qing watched Mr. Jiang and the other uncles leave, then sat down and asked, "Do you really not plan to leave?"
"Do you want me to leave?"
Ming Qing nodded, "I do hope you could go back. If anything really happens to you, it wouldn’t be easy for me to explain. However, if you don’t leave, the Zhou family can still wait a while longer."
Jiang Miu inquired, "There must have been many people coming to see you recently, right?"
"Yes, even the County magistrate has inquired."
"You have my sympathies."
"It’s not easy for you either; these days, more people have been inquiring about you."
Jiang Miu drank some tea to moisten her throat; she had spoken more these days than in the entire last year.
Inside Prince Liang’s tent, he looked at the intelligence report with a slight curl of his lips. When it came to ruthlessness, the Emperor was still at the top. Borrowing 30,000 troops from Yiqi Tribe and adding the pursuing forces from other tribes, he actually intended to entrap them all.
Prince Liang put down the intelligence report and asked, "How long before Yiqi Tribe arrives?"
General Qian replied, "They should arrive in another two days; they are indeed moving quite quickly."
Prince Liang smiled, "Send the orders, it’s time to start preparations."
General Qian became excited, "Yes, sir."
Another day passed, and the Grassland Tribe launched a surprise attack on the border but were defeated. They were met with traps and gunfire. The cannons fired relentlessly as if not costing silver, and the troops of the Grassland Tribe couldn’t even reach the city walls. The citizens within Yaosai City in the Northwest listened to cannon fire all day long.
An urgent report was sent to the capital, alleviating the concerns about Prince Liang’s retreat in Dongbei.
Along with the urgent report, information about the uprising in several provinces also reached the capital. Zhou Shuren personally witnessed the Emperor’s orders: after enduring for many days, the time for reckoning had come, and the death squads had already assembled in several provinces.
Zhou Shuren returned home, his mood not high. Zhulan, concerned, asked, "What’s the matter? Is there some bad news?"
Zhou Shuren answered, "The Emperor has ordered a purge of the provinces where rebellions started."
Zhulan understood; a purge meant many innocents would die, "It’s going to be a turbulent time within the royal court as well."
"Indeed."