Half an hour later, the Emperor, feeling completely invigorated by Yan Yi's ministrations, finally dismissed him.
Stepping out of the imperial study, Yan Yi stealthily wiped the fine beads of sweat from his temples before letting out a long sigh of relief.
They say accompanying a ruler is like accompanying a tiger. He, the formidable Commander of the Imperial Guard, had actually resorted to flattering the Emperor, and in a manner unprecedented and unparalleled. Was it easy for him?
Fortunately, no one else was in the imperial study just now. His dignity and reputation were preserved.
Alas, when he next went to Liaodong, he would have to properly express his gratitude to Uncle Meng Er.
Seeing someone approaching, Yan Yi habitually raised his proud head and, as if utterly indifferent, brushed past the other person.
...
As the autumn wind carried the first hint of coolness, Qingxi Town once again welcomed the harvest season.
Watching the merchants arrive as scheduled, Grandpa Meng’s wrinkles seemed to deepen by another layer.
“We’ve had another bountiful harvest this year.”
“Grandpa Meng, the quantity of our dried seafood this year is more than double that of last year.”
“Excellent, all excellent.” Grandpa Meng, beaming, laid out his plans. “We’ll do as we did last year, sell all the dried seafood. For the dried fruits, preserved fruits, and fruit wine, we’ll sell two-thirds.”
“Grandfather, this year we have added Longcheng and Qilin City. Should we keep some of our dried seafood? After all, the amount of seafood we can dry from now on is limited, and I fear it won’t be enough to go around.”
Qi He, however, held a different view from Sister Fu. “The seafood dried before it freezes should be sufficient.”
“Will it be enough?”
“Sister Fu, you must trust the capabilities of our small banner.”
Fu Xinci thought of what Qi He had just said, that the amount of dried seafood this year was more than double that of last year, and she couldn't help but marvel. “Those soldiers truly went all out.”
“How could they not? Like me, the new recruits are saving money to marry, while the veterans have given up on the idea of marrying and are focused on saving for their old age.”
Speaking of marriage, Qi He realized he had let something slip. A suspicious blush instantly spread across his youthful, handsome face.
Grandpa Meng, hearing Qi He mention that the veterans had given up on the idea of marrying, felt a pang of sympathy.
However, there were few young women in the vicinity of Qingxi Town to begin with, and even fewer who were unmarried.
There were a few young widows among the military households, but their in-laws were unwilling to allow them to remarry.
If they remarried, what would happen to the children? With the son gone, they had to raise their grandson. But as they grew old and could no longer manage, this burden would fall upon their daughter-in-law.
Their reasoning was sound. Only if the prospective husband guaranteed to raise the child as his own would they permit their daughter-in-law to remarry. Otherwise, it was a non-starter.
Even Grandpa Meng could not give a firm guarantee on this matter. Hearts are like faces, and if the child were to be mistreated in the future, he would feel he had failed the children’s fathers.
Therefore, the matter of matchmaking had been shelved.
However, those veterans were all doing well now. They were not only well-fed and housed but also had additional income, and each of them was full of drive.
Qi He also worried that this matter might cause Grandpa Meng further distress and intended to change the subject. But before he could speak, someone from the卫所 (military barracks) was seen galloping towards them.
“What’s going on?” Grandpa Meng’s first thought was an enemy attack.
But what the approaching person said made everyone present find it incredible.
“Grandpa Meng, Commander Jin requests your presence at the mountain pass. A large number of refugees have arrived there, numbering no less than a hundred.”
“Refugees?” Fu Xinci found it illogical.
“Even if some regions suffer from drought or floods, these refugees walking all the way to Liaodong? It seems unbelievable.”
“What’s so unbelievable about it? Sister Fu, don’t forget, we also walked all the way to Liaodong.”
“Uh.”
Qi He’s reminder caused Fu Xinci’s old face to blush.
Her complexion was already fair, and her small, clean face flushed with embarrassment.
Fortunately, she was standing behind her grandfather, so the messenger soldier didn’t see. Nor did her grandfather.
But Qi He saw. Not only did he see, but he saw it clearly.
For the first time, Qi He found Sister Fu’s shy expression so captivating that he couldn't move his feet or take a step.
He stood foolishly in place, forgetting to follow Grandpa Meng to the mountain pass.
Fu Xinci walked a few steps ahead and then looked back, seeing the very person who made her blush standing there like an idiot, unmoving. She gave him a huge glare.
Qi He was finally jolted by Sister Fu’s glare. He sheepishly rubbed his nose before striding forward with his long legs.
Outside the mountain pass, refugees in tattered clothes were gathering in succession. They were emaciated, scantily clad, and some were even indistinguishable as male or female.
When Grandpa Meng arrived with his men, he saw the refugees kneeling before Commander Jin.
The elder leaders, their hair white, were constantly kowtowing to Commander Jin, repeatedly pleading:
“Military officer, please take us in. We truly cannot walk any further.”
Commander Jin also looked troubled. “I recall there being orders that your villages, having suffered floods, should be resettled by the nearby prefectures.”
“Military officer, there has been no resettlement at all, only expulsion. Every prefecture we passed had the same excuse, claiming poverty and inability to resettle us. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have traveled so far, from when the weather was warm until the leaves turned yellow.”
Among these refugees, many of the young people had become numb, their expressions vacant, their movements listless.
The elderly with children and grandchildren were at the end of their strength. Even so, they were still thinking of finding a way to live for their descendants.
Even though they didn’t know where they were going, they could sense the weather turning cold.
Therefore, today, they were willing to break their foreheads on the ground begging the military officer to take them in. Otherwise, before long, they would all freeze or starve to death.
From a distance, Grandpa Meng began to sigh upon seeing this scene.
“Alas, at my age, I truly cannot bear to see this.”
Seeing Uncle Er arrive, Commander Jin felt as if he had seen a savior and quickly said, “Uncle Er, what should we do with these refugees?”
Looking at the pitiful state of these refugees, Commander Jin understood that if they left here, there was only death for them.
However, he could not say this, nor could he make any decisions on behalf of Uncle Er.
Because once these refugees were taken in, food, drink, sanitation, and shelter – none of these were small matters.
Qingxi Town had only been doing well for two years, and they were still being eyed by those few idiots in the capital who always found ways to trip them up when they weren’t paying attention.
The Emperor was also inactive, always giving them the feeling that he was merely watching their predicament with amusement.