The fake daughter married into the mountains and had meat to eat every day during the famine

Song Yuntang made a gesture of invitation towards the main hall.

"Eunuch Fan, please come in and sit for a while. The eldest prince left early this morning and we don't know where he is right now. It will probably take some time to find him."

"it is good."

Fan Chihai followed Song Yuntang towards the main hall.

Seeing this, Lan Xin, who was standing next to her, hurriedly pulled Zhiruo to make tea.

Fan Chihai sat down in the main hall and said casually, "I heard that Master Xu has a younger brother. Is Xu's second brother serving under the General Zhenxi?"

Song Yuntang didn't know why he mentioned Xu Wencheng.

After all, they had never mentioned the name Xu Wencheng in Beijing.

She smiled and said, "My uncle has always wanted to be a great general fighting on the battlefield since he was young. He did join the General of Zhenxi the year before last. Has Eunuch Fan received any news from him recently?"

Fan Chihai sighed.

"That's a shame." He turned to look at Song Yuntang, "Today, spies reported that a 500,000-strong army from the Western Regions is approaching. The General Zhenxi has only 300,000 men under his command, and the national treasury can't allocate money to purchase military supplies and food. The ministers in the court are divided between those who advocate war and those who advocate peace, and the situation is getting very chaotic."

Hearing this, Xu Yongwang and Jiang looked at each other with worry on their faces.

Fan Chihai said this and looked outside the house.

"I don't know when the eldest prince will be able to return. I have to go back to the palace to report to His Majesty, so I won't wait here any longer. When the eldest prince returns, I hope the county lady can convey His Majesty's wishes to me."

Song Yuntang stood up with him.

"Okay, take care, sir."

After Fan Chihai left, Song Yuntang thought carefully about his purpose and what he said, then returned to the main courtyard and wrote a letter to Song Jinsheng.

"Second brother, send a letter to Zhuangzi, asking them to quickly gather 200,000 dan of grain and ship it to the western border. Also, send this letter and 100,000 taels of silver to Tongqiu City and personally hand it to Wencheng."

After Xu Wencheng went to the Western Regions, she asked the farm to transport a few carts of sweet potatoes over. Some time ago, he wrote back saying that the sweet potatoes were growing well there.

After officially joining the military camp of General Zhenxi, he led his soldiers to participate in several encirclement and suppression campaigns. Because of his quick reaction and flexible mind on the battlefield, he was highly regarded by General Zhenxi.

Song Jinsheng nodded, glanced at Mu Qiu whose belly was slightly bulging, and then turned to look at Song Yuntang.

"Tang'er, I'm not in the capital for a while. Please help me take care of your sister-in-law."

Mu Qiu seemed to have not expected that he would suddenly say this to Song Yuntang at the critical moment before leaving.

There is some sweetness and some reluctance in my heart.

"Tang'er is busy enough, don't let her be distracted, I'm fine."

Song Yuntang smiled and said, "Don't worry, second brother. The eldest prince will be returning to the palace soon. I will clean up the room you originally lived in and give it to my second sister-in-law. She will stay here until you come back."

"Hey."

With Song Yuntang's words, Song Jinsheng had nothing to worry about.

To a certain extent, his sister is much more reliable than him.

Song Jinsheng glanced in the direction of Mu Qiu. Although he was reluctant, he turned around and left with the letter in his hand.

Seeing Mu Qiu staring at Song Jinsheng's back, Song Yuntang couldn't help but step forward and hold her arm, jokingly saying, "If you keep looking, your second sister-in-law will become a husband-waiting rock."

Mu Qiu's cheeks turned red and he quickly looked away.

"Tang'er, please stop laughing at me." After a pause, she continued, "I don't know why, but after getting pregnant, I always have to rely on others."

Song Yuntang smiled and helped her sit down.

"I understand everything."

She has been through this before, so she naturally knows this feeling.

When women are pregnant and giving birth, they are usually sensitive and fragile. Their husbands are the closest people around them, so it is normal for them to want to depend on them.

When she was pregnant with Haoting, she also hoped that Xu Qingye would be by her side.

But at that time, she was forced to live in the mountains for about half a year because of Lin Zhaozhao. When she was found by Xu Qingye, she gave birth not long after.

Song Yuntang also sat down next to her.

"Actually, you can ask someone else to do this, but I trust my second brother more."

Mu Qiu expressed his understanding, "It's okay, I'm actually fine. I can share your burden. Your second brother should be very happy, and Tang'er doesn't have to feel pressured."

Just then, Jiang came holding Hao Ting's hand.

"Tang'er, you're sending so much food and silver to the border. Don't you need permission from the court?"

"Hasn't the court already granted permission?"

Seeing that Jiang was puzzled, Song Yuntang explained to her.

"Your Majesty sent Eunuch Fan to the Xu Mansion, not just to summon the eldest prince back to the palace. Otherwise, why do you think Eunuch Fan suddenly mentioned such confidential matters of the past dynasty as Wencheng and the shortage of silver and food at the border?"

If it weren't for the emperor's instructions, Fan Chihai might not have made this trip today.

Once the war breaks out, it will take at least a few months and at most several years. With an army of 300,000 in the West, the silver and food she sent is far from enough.

Jiang nodded and said nothing more.

She didn't understand the affairs of officialdom, let alone guess the emperor's thoughts.

Right now, she only hopes that Wencheng can be safe and sound in the western border.

……

Xu Qingye came back late today.

Song Yuntang stepped forward and helped him take off his official uniform.

"The eldest prince has been summoned back to the palace by His Majesty."

After a moment of hesitation, Xu Qingye finally understood.

"I saw him in the imperial study today."

Song Yuntang put the official uniform on the rack.

"The eldest prince has been pestering you to play chess frequently lately, and your chess skills have improved rapidly. Now that we're back in the palace, I won't have the chance to play chess with you anymore."

"There will be opportunities in the future." Xu Qingye stepped forward and held her in his arms. "Did His Majesty send someone to summon the eldest prince back to the palace? Did he tell you anything?"

Song Yuntang turned around, put his arms around his thin waist, and told him what Fan Chihai had said today.

"I think the war could start at any time. Given the efficiency of the imperial court, there's no guarantee that food and military supplies will be delivered when the fighting breaks out. So I asked my second brother to raise 200,000 dan of grain and 100,000 taels of silver and send them to Tongqiu City."

Xu Qingye had a plan in mind.

No wonder the emperor felt guilty when he spoke to him today. It turned out that he had set his sights on Tang'er.

"Your Majesty proposed today that I teach the eldest prince the Six Arts and explain historical texts to him. If he is crowned the crown prince in the future, I will be his tutor. I haven't accepted yet. If I do, I will have even less time to spend with you and Hao Ting."

"The cake he painted is quite tempting."

Song Yuntang rested his head on the man's chest.

"You've been a private school teacher before. You're well-educated, courageous, and bold. The eldest prince is the one the emperor values ​​most. He must have carefully considered and weighed the pros and cons of letting you be his teacher. Mother and I will take care of the family affairs, so you don't need to worry too much. I don't understand the affairs of the officialdom..."

She looked up at him.

"If you think it's feasible, then agree to it."