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

Outside the house, Song Jinsheng held Hao Ting in his arms, rode on his neck, and ran wildly in the yard holding his legs.

Hao Ting held the candy in one hand and covered Song Jinsheng's head with the other, laughing very happily.

Seeing this, Mu Qiu hurriedly reminded him.

"Be careful, don't let Hao Ting fall."

Song Jinsheng smiled and replied, "Don't worry, even if I fall, I won't fall on him."

……

Even though Mrs. Meng asked everyone she could, Meng Xinyue finally went to Chongsheng Temple and was explicitly asked not to return to the Shangshu Mansion until three days before the wedding.

Although people in Beijing knew that it was Meng Xinyue's fault in this incident.

But just because he beat a maid, he ended up going to Chongsheng Temple to learn the rules from Concubine Fu. It was obvious that the emperor was partial to the Xu family and the Princess of Le'an.

Minister Meng worked in the Ministry of Revenue, a third-rank official, and held a high position in the court. Even Prime Minister Zhuang had to be polite when facing him.

I didn't expect that Lord Xu would be so tough for his wife.

So much so that if others want to go against her, they have to think twice.

It was no secret that Madam Meng brought Meng Xinyue to the Xu residence to plead for mercy, and everyone in the capital knew about it.

Minister Meng therefore felt that the Xu family was too disrespectful to him as the Minister, and he opposed Xu Qingye's advice in the court and even reported him whenever he got the chance.

It made the emperor extremely annoyed.

But the other party was the Shangshu after all, and the emperor could not sit idly by, so he summoned Xu Qingye to the imperial study.

"I wonder why Your Majesty is calling me for this?" Xu Qingye bowed to Li Junyao.

Li Junyao handed the letter to Fan Chihai who was standing beside him.

"Let's take a look at this first."

Xu Qingye took it and took a quick glance at it, then he knew the content.

"Because of the incident with Miss Meng last time, I did have a grudge with Minister Meng. He said that I had neglected my duties due to alcohol and sex, but I dared not admit it. Although I occasionally have social engagements, I never dared to slack off on court affairs. This matter may not be known to others, but Your Majesty is aware of it."

Li Junyao nodded.

"Of course I know." He raised his eyes, "But Princess Le'an doesn't know. After hearing the rumors, did she quarrel with you? Do you need me to testify for you and dispel Princess Le'an's suspicions?"

Xu Qingye raised his hand and bowed.

"After hearing the rumors in the capital, I was probably upset for a while, but my wife has always been a respectable person and didn't argue with me. Now that the matter has been resolved, Your Majesty doesn't need to worry about it."

"Oh?" Li Junyao looked at him curiously, "How do we solve this?"

Xu Qingye looked in his direction.

It seemed as if she hadn't expected him to ask this question.

The emperor's mind has always been difficult to guess.

However, the fact that the king of a country cared so much about the wife of a minister made Xu Qingye smell something unusual.

Although he had never seen the late queen, judging from the expressions of his teacher and mistress when they saw Tang'er, they obviously regarded her as the shadow of the late queen, so Tang'er and the late queen must have some similarities.

It is difficult to guarantee that the emperor will not treat Tang'er differently for this reason.

He didn't show it on his face, hiding all his emotions in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for not being able to elaborate on the matter between me and my wife."

Realizing something, Li Junyao looked a little embarrassed.

"I'm asking unnecessary questions."

Xu Qingye and Song Yuntang are a serious couple. What is there that he doesn't understand about the things between husband and wife?

Li Junyao raised his eyes.

"Does Lord Xu know about the time when Princess Le'an came to the palace and presented me with the fireworks recipe?"

Xu Qingye nodded. "My wife once mentioned this to me, and I never interfere with her decisions. If this formula can be used by Your Majesty, it will be considered a contribution to Daxia."

When talking about political affairs, Li Junyao's expression became serious.

"The Prince of Zhenbei is at the border. In his letter, he repeatedly delayed the northern border reinforcements with various excuses. He also kept complaining to me about his poverty, hoping to get me to allocate funds to him again. I'm afraid this is intentional."

"Fortunately, the Western Territory has sufficient food, fodder, and medicine for the time being. Furthermore, the new recruits have performed exceptionally well, so we can still manage."

He looked at Xu Qingye.

"In the memorials that General Zhenxi sent me, he repeatedly praised Xu Qing's brother, saying that he was quick-witted on the battlefield and had the talent to lead a general. He had recently made numerous military achievements and had been promoted to deputy general by General Zhenxi. You two brothers, one talented in literature and the other in martial arts, have relieved me of many worries."

Xu Qingye raised his hand and bowed.

"It is thanks to General Zhenxi that he knows how to appoint talented people and gives my younger brother this opportunity."

Li Junyao stood up from behind the desk.

"Those good-for-nothings in the Ministry of Works took the fireworks formula given by the Princess of Le'an and spent months poring over it before finally developing the formula for gunpowder. All they need is the final test before they can be used on the battlefield."

He came in front of Xu Qingye.

"It will take some time to test and produce the gunpowder. Three months from now, I intend to send Lord Xu with the gunpowder to the Western Border to meet with the General who will control the West. After using the gunpowder to frighten off the Western Region's army, I will send him as an envoy to negotiate a truce with the Western Region. What do you think, Lord Xu?"

It’s not that he doesn’t dare to continue fighting.

First, he had repeatedly summoned the Prince of Zhenbei to return to the capital, but he refused with various excuses, which showed that he had ulterior motives. Although they now had gunpowder, as long as they fought, there would be casualties.

The King of Zhenbei has an army of 800,000 at his disposal, and he has to preserve the strength of the Western Territory as much as possible so that the reinforcements from the Western Territory can play a key role when the King of Zhenbei marches into the capital in the future.

Secondly, gunpowder was extremely expensive, which was why its development was so slow.

The national treasury is now empty and cannot withstand the consumption. It is in urgent need of recuperation after the war to deal with the Zhenbei Army.

He had given much thought before entrusting the peace talks with the Western Regions to Xu Qingye.

Xu Qingye has been in officialdom for a short time, and his thinking is not as old-fashioned as that of the old officials.

He was also an upright person, and his analysis of problems in the court was sharp and every word was insightful. In addition, when he summoned Tang Jingshan for a secret talk two days ago, he also strongly recommended him.

Therefore, Xu Qingye is one of the most suitable candidates for the mission to the Western Regions.

But Xu Qingye is young after all, and in order to cover up his tracks, he will have to choose another veteran official from the court to be the leader.

Since the emperor had entrusted him with a task, Xu Qingye naturally could not refuse.

"I will follow your majesty's instructions."

……

As the weather gets warmer, people in Beijing have changed into summer clothes.

Sleepy in spring and tired in summer.

Song Yuntang has been feeling sleepy lately whenever he finishes the work at hand.

Hao Ting was also more attached to her than usual.

As he is about to go to the western border, Xu Qingye has been very busy with official duties recently.

Sometimes I came home a little late, thinking that the couple had not communicated much recently, and wanted to talk to her, but when I got back to the house, I found that she had already fallen asleep, so I had to tiptoe to the ear room to wash up and then go back to the house to lie next to her.

Looking at my wife's well-behaved and gentle appearance after she fell asleep, I felt a little distressed and a little guilty.

Since coming to the capital, I have not been able to spend enough time with her except during holidays.

I went to Hongjiang City last year and stayed there for two or three months.

In a few days I will set off for the western border again, and the journey will take quite a while. I don’t know whether the subsequent negotiations will go smoothly. It will probably be close to the end of the year before I return to Beijing.

The Chinese Valentine's Day is coming soon. I have to ask for leave from His Majesty before leaving so that I can spend more time with her and Hao Ting.

As if feeling the man's gaze, Song Yuntang opened his eyes dazedly and muttered.

"came back."

Xu Qingye looked at her with a smile.

"I'm back now. Go to sleep if you're tired."

Song Yuntang nodded, hugged his arm, found a comfortable position and fell asleep again.

……