Reincarnation and Rebirth

"Xiang'er, do you believe your elder sister?"

Su Xiang'er was eating a scallion pancake in her hand at the moment, and said without hesitation, "Of course I believe you. Don't worry, elder sister, I won't lie about how much money you made from selling the herbs later."

Su Wan'er frowned, wondering if this girl had misunderstood something.

"Xiang'er, your older sister is going to town to take care of some things later. After you finish eating, take a walk in the mountains," Su Wan'er said, picking a few common herbs. "If you find any like these, you can pick them, but you are not allowed to go into the woods."

Su Xiang'er nodded, "I understand, eldest sister."

Aren't you curious about what your older sister is doing?

Su Xiang'er looked up, her eyes filled with utmost sincerity, "Big sister, Xiang'er is not as smart as you, but Xiang'er knows that you are very capable. I will support whatever you do. I like you as you are now."

"The current eldest sister?" Su Wan'er asked nervously. Could it be that this girl had noticed something?

"Big sister, Xiang'er thinks that the big sister in the past only knew how to work and was submissive, but the big sister now is different. She knows how to fight back, protects me and my younger siblings, and brings us delicious food. I like the big sister now."

"Don't you think your eldest sister has changed too much? Aren't you afraid?" Su Wan'er asked cautiously.

"Don't be afraid. Big sister is so good to us, why should we be afraid? Besides, I know that big sister definitely has a secret," she said, glancing around to make sure no one was watching, and then mysteriously added, "Big sister, please don't turn back, okay?"

Su Wan'er stared at Su Xiang'er for a long time before laughing out loud, feeling warm inside. She could tell that Su Xiang'er must have noticed her changes, but she trusted her unconditionally and didn't ask any questions. How could she not protect such a sister?

"Okay, big sister, I'll always be your big sister."

"Alright, big sister, you go ahead and do your thing."

"Well, if your older sister comes back late, take the herbs home with you. If they ask, just say I went to town to sell herbs first, and that's all."

"Okay, eldest sister."

Su Wan'er patted Su Xiang'er's head with satisfaction. The reason she brought her out was to prevent the Su family from ordering her around.

Just as Su Wan'er got on the donkey cart to go to town, Old Man Su had already returned to the old house.

Seeing that her husband looked unwell, Old Lady Su didn't dare to scold him for not coming home for several days.

Old Su took off his shoes and lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed). He was still worried. He had gone around the town twice this morning but had not been able to buy any grain. The grain store was empty, not even a single grain of coarse rice. Could it be that war was really going to break out?

At the Qingzhou border military camp, Xiao Yun Shen stared at the kneeling people below with a grim expression. "What did you say? How come we can't even buy a single grain of food?"

"Reporting to the General, our men have searched all the major grain stores in Qingzhou, but they are out of grain. The storekeepers said that they went to Meizhou next door to purchase grain a few days ago, but only a few cartloads were sold out early this morning."

"However, General, I have already left instructions that they should leave us any goods they have."

A deputy general beside him said worriedly, "General, what should we do? The Purple Flame Kingdom is invading us frequently. We have already lost two cities. If our reinforcements don't keep up, and our soldiers are starving and freezing, how can we continue fighting?"

"What did the imperial court say? When will the military supplies arrive?"

"The reply from above says that this year's grain harvest is poor and that it cannot be raised in a short time. It tells you, General, to find a way yourself."

"Bang!" A lieutenant slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "General, this is clearly someone targeting our Thunder Army! Damn it, those people are enjoying themselves in the capital, forgetting that we're here protecting their country. They're not even letting us eat our fill! General, we..."

"Shut up, Deputy General Qian, are you out of your mind?"

"But……"

"No buts. Send someone to Liuzhou. It's a plain there, so there might be some surplus grain."

“General, Liuzhou is far from our Qingzhou, and it crosses the Ming River in between. It’s too costly in terms of manpower and resources,” another deputy general said worriedly.

"That was a last resort; we couldn't let the soldiers go hungry."

A refined-looking man suddenly spoke up, "General, it is said that Sunset City in Meizhou was attacked by Black Tiger Stronghold a few days ago, suffering huge losses. Many grain shops in the city were also affected. Could it be that the shortage of grain is related to them?"

"Black Tiger Stronghold? Black Tiger Stronghold in Bayi Mountain?"

"Exactly."

Xiao Yun Shen twirled the ring on his hand, and after a long while, said, "Send a letter to the capital and tell them about the situation at Black Tiger Stronghold."

At that time, Ding Chouqin rushed to the capital with the perfume given to him by Su Wan'er. As soon as he arrived in the capital, he went to the largest rouge shop in the city to sell the perfume.

Two hundred pieces of perfume balm, after deducting the ones that others had previously reserved, were all bought up by that shop owner. He also told him to remember to send such good things to Rouge Pavilion again in the future.

"Second Young Master, there are people outside who have been inquiring about your situation lately."

In the general's mansion, a servant is reporting to a man sitting at a desk.

The man was dressed in a simple white robe, with pale blue bamboo leaf patterns embroidered on the hem, adding to his refined air. A black belt was tied around his waist, inlaid with several crystal-clear jade stones, understated yet luxurious.

His hair was casually tied up with a jade hairpin, a few strands fluttering in the wind, further emphasizing his aloof and cold temperament. His face was sharply defined, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, his gaze carrying a faint indifference, as if nothing in the world concerned him. This man was none other than Xiao Yunting, whom Su Wan'er wanted to inquire about.

"Do you know who he is?"

“A merchant from out of town, it seems to be from Meizhou.”

Xiao Yunting's hand holding the pen paused slightly, a drop of black ink spreading on the paper. Xiao Yunting then crumpled the paper, threw it aside, and said indifferently, "Arrested."

"Yes."

After everyone left, Xiao Yunting looked up at the window, wondering if the people he had planted in Black Tiger Stronghold had betrayed him.

My father's death was suspicious in many ways, but my elder brother was at the border and had no time to investigate. So I had to find a way to investigate myself. All the suspicious points pointed to Black Tiger Village, so I sent people there to investigate. What if that person really betrayed me?

Xiao Yunting rubbed his temples. He decided to find the person and interrogate them before making a decision. He was always good at judging people, and something must have happened.

The butler then entered the study.

"Second Young Master, it seems something has happened to the Eldest Young Master."

"What's wrong, brother?" Xiao Yunting looked up sharply and asked anxiously.

"The eldest young master is alright, but the Emperor has yet to issue orders for the Thunder Army's rations. Furthermore, Qingzhou has already lost two cities in succession. If this continues, I'm afraid..."

Xiao Yunting clenched his fists. "He really is something else. In order to suppress our Xiao family, he is willing to use the Ziyun Kingdom as a bargaining chip."

"Oh dear, Second Young Master, you mustn't say such things."