Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Lu Huan understood that this awkward situation couldn’t continue. If he kept forcing things, he would eventually push the person away.
At least, the person is still by my side.
The most urgent task right now was not to indulge in wild speculation, but to find that reclusive master who was said to be able to communicate with spirits.
However, with Lu Huan’s current strength, even if he heard of the existence of such a sorcerer, it would be difficult to find the person’s location in a short time. He could no longer bear to search slowly; to find them sooner, he needed to rely on some kind of power.
General Zhenyuan’s army camp had many soldiers and officers who had traveled all over the country, and the spies in the general’s mansion were spread throughout the Yan Kingdom. Perhaps they could help him find them as soon as possible.
Thinking of this, after seeing Su Xi off that day, he went to the Zhenyuan General’s Mansion again.
Nowadays, General Zhenyuan had been keen to cultivate Lu Huan, and he always invited the young man to join him whenever he discussed matters with the Minister of War.
Recently, General Zhenyuan had been facing a very troublesome matter.
The conscription process, which lasted for more than two months, had ended, and the army was about to set off. However, in recent years, the Yan state’s treasury had been empty. Although they had manpower, the treasury could not support the army’s provisions.
General Zhenyuan also knew the Emperor’s dilemma: with both external and internal troubles, if this grain had to come from the national treasury, it would be inevitable that land taxes and corvée labor would be increased this year.
The taxes levied on the Yan state were already heavy, and since last winter, they had even started collecting salt taxes.
If further decrees were issued to exacerbate the situation, it would likely intensify the riots and cause even more suffering for the people.
If these provisions were to be taken from the pockets of those wealthy officials, it would inevitably stir up a group of powerful figures in the capital.
Every decision they made would have far-reaching consequences, putting them in a real dilemma.
He rubbed his temples and said to the Minister of War, Lu Huan, and several other advisors in the military camp, “Today at court, there was a huge commotion in the Golden Palace. The Prime Minister and his group were afraid of affecting their interests and resolutely disagreed with the officials’ fundraising. Now the Prime Minister’s family is all-powerful in the court, and the Emperor will inevitably side with the Crown Prince. It’s not that I’m afraid of continuing to argue with him, but I’m afraid that if it drags on, the northern border will really become unstoppable, and the consequences will be unimaginable!”
The several advisors were also deeply worried.
Lu Huan pondered for a moment and asked, “General, how long can the army’s food supplies last? Is three months enough?”
The war in the north was a protracted one; since ancient times, no war had ever ended in three months. If we want to completely thwart the invasion of our covetous neighboring country, the army going there will have to stay for at least a year and a half. That’s why General Zhenyuan and others are so worried about the problem of food supplies.
The Minister of War replied, “Currently, some righteous people from the common people have sent grain and fodder, which, together with what we already had, should last for about four months without any problem.”
That means that within four months, at least four months’ worth of provisions must be raised.
This was not a simple matter.
Although the State of Yan had many wealthy merchants, these merchants also had dealings with neighboring states and were not likely to perform any acts of charity easily.
Moreover, many wealthy merchants profited from war and were eager for the Yan Kingdom to be engulfed in war.
Lu Huan mentally assessed the farms he owned with the ghost. It was June now, and by autumn, the total yield would surely have exceeded two thousand kilograms. These farms could feed the local people for a short time, but for the army’s food and supplies during wartime, it was still a drop in the ocean.
If they wanted to resolve the current predicament of the Yan Kingdom’s northern army, they must find wealthy merchants who could afford these provisions and engage in barter with them.
But those wealthy businessmen were already richer than a country, so what did they need?
After the meeting at the General’s Mansion that day, everyone else turned to leave, but Lu Huan stayed a little longer. He told General Zhenyuan that he wanted to try to see if there was a way to get supplies, but he wanted to ask the General to find someone for him in exchange for something.
General Zhenyuan now looked at this young man with new respect, believing that he was indeed resourceful and that he had been too prejudiced before.
Even so, he still felt that Lu Huan could not possibly accomplish such a fantastical thing on his own.
But it was a good thing for young people to have ambitions.
So he felt even more admiration for Lu Huan. He patted Lu Huan on the shoulder and said, “I will send someone to do what you asked for. However, as for the difficulties in the army, you can do your best.”
Although General Zhenyuan had the stubborn and arrogant temperament of a military officer, he was a man of his word. After agreeing to Lu Huan’s request, he immediately sent someone to find the Taoist priest that Lu Huan had mentioned could summon spirits back to life.
However, neither he nor Lu Huan were sure if they could find it.
….
Su Xi noticed that the cub had suddenly become very busy, as if he had something on his mind and was eager to get it done, working several times more diligently than before.
Previously, he would spend all day walking back and forth between the government office, the Imperial Academy, and the official residence with his short legs. Now he was so busy that he didn’t even have time to drink water or eat. Most of the time when Su Xi was online, he was either at the farm or at the government office.
Often, when Su Xi logged off, he was still burning the midnight oil reviewing case files, and when Su Xi logged back on, it was already the next day. He still hadn’t gone to sleep yet, and there were no signs that the bed had been disturbed.
Su Xi didn’t know his real purpose and thought he was busy with the important matter of raising grain. She even sighed that her son was indeed a good child who cared about the country and its people.
Su Xi thought it was a good thing that he had ambition and ideals, so she didn’t bother him. She just felt a little sorry for the dark circles under his eyes and the bloodshot in his eyes.
Moreover, on one occasion, Su Xi discovered that the cub had been working non-stop for two days without sleep, and some light stubble had appeared on his chin.
Su Xi: …
Su Xi was frightened.
Wait a minute, isn’t this supposed to be a cartoon style? Why is it so realistic?!
However, soon after, the little one changed into his official clothes and went out, shaved off his stubble, and returned to being that soft, cute, and chubby little dumpling. Su Xi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It was only at this point that she realized that more than half a semester had passed on her side, while almost a year had passed in the game.
She spent the night at the Ning Wang’s mansion with her son on his fifteenth birthday, and in just a few months, he would be turning sixteen… she wondered what surprise he wanted for his second birthday.
However, to everyone’s relief, the awkwardness between the cub and her finally disappeared in the days after she returned from the military camp.
Su Xi couldn’t figure out why the cub’s mood was so unpredictable and volatile those few days and could only explain it as him having a bad mood for a few days every month.
She was like this, and so was the baby; it was perfectly normal.
Fortunately, the baby recovered after only a few days.
Su Xi enthusiastically started mending and patching the baby’s clothes again, changing the baby’s quilt from spring to summer mat, and then to a thicker autumn quilt when autumn arrived. In short, she was very concerned about making sure the baby didn’t catch a cold.
The cub was still happy inside. Looking at her, his eyes were dark and bright, but occasionally there was a complicated, yearning look in his eyes, which Su Xi couldn’t quite understand.
….
Time didn’t pass as quickly in Su Xi’s place as it did in the game; for her, it was just another month of raising her pet.
The first thing she did after school every day was to go online and say hello to her son. Then, the two of them, separated by a screen, one studied diligently while the other was busy at work.
When Su Xi got tired of studying, she would take the cub to stroll around the market. Although the cub had a lot of things to deal with at the government office, he always put her first. Whenever she wanted to play, the cub would leave everything behind. In this respect, the cub was not a completely good official.
With her baby’s company, Su Xi felt more focused on her studies. So before the end of the semester even arrived, she had already finished all the homework for several subjects. When she turned to the last page, Su Xi was quite surprised.
The main storyline in the game was the only thing that was a bit confusing.
Unlocking the cub’s background and finding the nun at Changchun Temple— it was unclear whether the time wasn’t right or what— Su Xi took the cub to Changchun Temple twice, searching every single bluestone floor tile inside and out, but they still couldn’t find the nun who might be an NPC.
The system explained that there were other main quests that had not yet been completed, and quest nine would only begin to emerge after quests two and six were finished.
So Su Xi had no choice but to give up for now.
The task of 2,000 kilograms of grain had been ongoing since last year and was a long-term, cumulative task that could not be rushed. Su Xi estimated that the farms that the cub was expanding should be able to reach this goal after the autumn harvest this year.
As for making friends with Wan Sanqian—
She was figuring out how to get to know the richest man in Yan through other channels.
According to the route planned in the game, the child would have been able to obtain Wan Sanqian in the side quest of throwing the embroidered ball in the market that day.
But damn it! That side quest was completely ruined by the kid!
This had resulted in Wan Sanqian not appearing in her and the cub’s sight until now.
Su Xi was a little bewildered. She didn’t know why the cub was so averse to getting close to his harem. Since he was going to become emperor in the end, he should be living the role of a domineering protagonist. But the cub had turned the role of a domineering protagonist into a quiet and abstinent young monk.
This matter couldn’t be rushed, so Su Xi calmed down and accompanied the cub on a round-the-clock trip to the farm, the government office, and the Imperial Academy.
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