The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 1061: Overwhelmed
Chapter 1061: Forcing People to Do What Is Difficult
Yesterday, the eldest lady first summoned him into the palace and gave him a lot of rewards, and told him to treat Chuntao well. Today, she left the palace again to see Chuntao off…
Chen Qingsheng felt a sense of honor and was determined to repay the eldest girl, so that he could live up to the kindness she had shown to him and his wife.
After seeing Chuntao off, Bai Qingyan was not in a hurry to return to the palace. She sat in the upper room of Qinghui Courtyard, looking at the furniture that had been scrubbed spotlessly clean. Not even a small ornament had been moved, and the place still remained the same as when Bai Qingyan lived there.
The floor heating was also turned on early, just like when she was here before. The air was warm and cozy, and the camellia flowers on the high table bloomed more and more beautifully, just like the Bai family which is now at its peak.
Although the imperial palace was majestic, it could not give Bai Qingyan the same sense of belonging as Qinghui Courtyard. She knew that she would have to return here one day. By that time, the world might have been unified, and she might have been old and gray.
She was greedy for the warmth this place gave her, but she also knew that now was not the time for her to put down her burden and take a break. After a short rest here, she would have to be fully alert to deal with the Tianfeng Kingdom that had never appeared in her previous life.
Shen Qingzhu stood aside accompanying his eldest daughter. Seeing Bai Qingyan stroking her abdomen with her eyes closed, Shen Qingzhu’s gaze fell on her lower abdomen, and there seemed to be some warmth in his cold eyes.
Shen Qingzhu saw through the carved window that Wei Zhong standing outside the courtyard seemed a little anxious, but she didn’t dare to urge him, so she stepped forward and whispered, “Miss, go back to the palace, otherwise the first lady will be worried.”
“Okay…” She slowly opened her eyes and responded softly, “Let’s go back to the palace!”
On the way back, Nanny Tong said to Bai Qingyan while sitting in the carriage: “Chen Qingsheng said he saw the eldest lady, but she was out of the palace incognito, and he was afraid that coming to kowtow to His Majesty would cause unnecessary trouble to the eldest lady, so he asked this old servant to apologize to the eldest lady and said that he would definitely treat Chuntao well, so please rest assured.”
Hearing this, Bai Qingyan, who was leaning on the hidden bag, smiled even more: “They grew up together since they were young, childhood sweethearts. Chen Qingsheng has been out there for so many years, and he has seen the world, but he is still infatuated with Chuntao. I have nothing to worry about.”
Chuntao is honest and Chen Qing is a simple person. She thinks they are good people.
·
The Tianfeng Kingdom scheduled the meeting date for the fifth day of December, but Liu Rushi told the Tianfeng Kingdom’s envoy to change the date… to after the fifteenth day of December, saying that the Empress of the Great Zhou would arrive in Pingyang City as early as the fifteenth day of December, and that the news had been sent to the Yan Kingdom, so that the Emperor of Yan did not need to set off in a hurry.
Liu Rushi knew that Yan State and Da Zhou were about to form an alliance to fight against Tian Feng State. His Majesty also proposed that the monarchs of the two countries personally sign an alliance at this meeting to intimidate Tian Feng State. Yan State would definitely go.
Liu Rushi’s move was to tell Tianfeng Kingdom not to think that just because it has an elephant army, it can think that Tianfeng Kingdom is the best in the world and can attend the alliance… the final say is in the hands of Da Zhou.
The envoy of Tianfeng Kingdom had no choice but to send someone back at full speed to report the matter to his majesty.
Accompanying Bai Qingyan to Pingyang City this time were Sikong Shen Jingzhong, Liu Rushi, and Shen Tianzhi, and military generals Xie Yuchang and Yang Wuce. Taiwei Lu also sent a letter to the Bai family army far away in Qiushan Pass, asking them to dispatch people to Pingyang City to protect His Majesty.
After everything was arranged, Bai Qingyan set out for Pingyang City to participate in the Four-Kingdom Alliance. At the same time, the Emperor of Great Yan and the Regent also set out for the border between Yan, Great Zhou and Xiliang.
Along the way, Bai Qingyan did not walk fast. He asked the team to take a detour to Yanwo to check on how Qin Shangzhi’s canal repair was going.
Canal construction is a huge project, especially in winter when the soil is frozen, which really delays the construction period…
But if the canal was not repaired, there was a fear that it would cause floods in the coming year. The people and soldiers who were repairing the canal gritted their teeth and worked in the cold wind.
Bai Qingyan was worried and went to check in person, which frightened Xie Yuchang so much that he immediately brought people to protect Bai Qingyan closely, fearing that Bai Qingyan might get into trouble. Fortunately, Shen Qingzhu had already brought the Bai family guards to protect Bai Qingyan well, so Xie Yuchang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After winter came, people’s bodies were not as flexible as in autumn when the temperature was neither too cold nor too hot, but none of the soldiers and civilians who were building the canal slacked off.
The soldiers followed orders from their superiors, while the common people did not want to leave their homes because of the flood.
Bai Qingyan, wearing a cloak and ordinary clothes, walked against the wind with Qin Shangzhi on the uneven road above the embankment. She looked at the hard-working people and soldiers, her whole body steaming with heat, and let Qin Shangzhi accompany her for a while.
She said to Qin Shangzhi, “Tell them to prepare ginger soup for the working people and soldiers every day. The most important thing is to make sure everyone is well fed. The weather is cold and the work is hard. They cannot go hungry. I will ask the Ministry of Revenue to allocate money to you. You must repair the canal at all costs before the flood season next year.”
It was a cold winter day in Yanwo. When Bai Qingyan said this, her lips were covered with mist. The wind was whistling and her ears were hurt by the wind. She said, “Equip the soldiers and civilians with thick earmuffs…”
“Your Majesty, rest assured! I know the importance of this matter!” Qin Shangzhi cupped his hands towards Bai Qingyan, “The people all said that the flood in Yanwo made the already fertile land even more fertile, and the enthusiasm for farming is very high. As long as the canal is repaired before the flood season arrives, next year will definitely be a bumper year.”
“In addition…” Bai Qingyan glanced at the working people, stepped on the uneven stones under his feet and walked forward, saying, “Now it is winter, the weather is cold and it gets dark early. I think… we can shorten the working time of the people and soldiers, and spare half an hour or an hour every day for the people to learn characters! Just like the Shuoyang Army in the past, we can use meat as a reward, don’t be stingy! The Ministry of Revenue will allocate silver.”
Qin Shangzhi understood that Bai Qingyan’s intention was to enlighten the people, so he assured Bai Qingyan and asked Bai Qingyan about the current situation of the deposed prince. He said that he would go to accompany the deposed prince after the canal construction was completed.
Qin Shangzhi had already made it clear to her that even if she valued his talent, she would not force him to do anything.
There were the sounds of hoes and shovels in my ears, and in the distance the shouts of the cooks coming to serve food. The leader of the team heard the sound and was the first to stick the shovel into the soil, shouting loudly: “It’s time to eat!”
Upon hearing the sound, the people who were working put down their tools, wiped the sweat from their sweat with the towels around their necks, patted the dust off their bodies, and ran towards the food shed.
After receiving their meals, the common people and soldiers who were eating in a makeshift shed outside the canteen saw a neatly dressed woman in a cloak enter the canteen accompanied by Lord Qin Shangzhi, and they whispered about Bai Qingyan’s identity.
The third update, continue to ask for monthly tickets…