While he was talking, the old cat ran out again, this time holding a big pheasant in his mouth, with very bright and beautiful tail feathers. But it was already dead, so Fu Qiuning shook his head and said: "It's a pity that he's dead, otherwise it would be really nice to keep him alive."
Ms. Cui smiled and said, "Grandma has been here for so long that she feels like this. Otherwise, what kind of animals wouldn't have been there when we were in the Duke's Mansion? Needless to say, rabbits and pheasants were raised in the backyard. There are a few sika deers, Grandma Wan’s Qingwan Pavilion and your Fengya Building, and there are a few big cranes, what are these pheasants?”
Fu Qiuning smiled and said: "Don't tell me, I really feel homesick for you to say it. Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye, and the capital should be in the late autumn season when the leaves are all over the ground and the autumn rain is shining. I don't know the health of the old lady and the old lady. How about it? Aunt Huo's illness should be cured, right? It's hard for the fourth girl to take care of her mother alone."
Yuelan said with a smile: "Grandma is really a kind-hearted person. She is still thinking of them now. If Xiangmian knew about it, she would be very grateful. Alas! Speaking of which, I am also a little homesick, but I just do it here. After being the prefect for half a year, how can I return to the capital so quickly? I'm afraid I will have to spend this year here."
Mrs. Cui hurriedly said: "There is nothing wrong with living here. This is the south, and there are many specialties. They are very different from those in the north. When the time comes, it will be fun to pick out delicious and unique ones to send back as New Year gifts. , I'm afraid that the old lady and the madam are thinking about me in Beijing..." When she said this, she suddenly realized that she originally wanted to comfort the two sisters, but in the end, she added these worries, so she quickly stopped talking.
After pinching off all the mushroom stems, the sun slowly set on the mountainside. The old cat had five or six pheasants and hares in its mouth. At this time, it was so tired that it lay on the ground and licked its fur. Fu Qiuning looked secretly amused and thought to himself. This guy had enough to eat at noon, so he worked hard like this in the afternoon. Firstly, he caught some prey to please me, and secondly, it was just in time to digest the food.
Just as she was thinking about it, she saw a group of people walking towards her from a distance, and she knew they must be hunters. Sure enough, in less than half an hour, the people who went hunting came back one after another. Doing the math, Jin Fengju, the team with the smallest number of people, gained the most and even dragged back a yellow sheep.
Jin Fengju also looked very happy, and said to Fu Qiuning when he came back: "Don't tell me, this guy Zhanyi has some tricks. Did you see that he shot these rabbits? Well, I was watching his archery skills from the side. , very good. I think even if I don't succeed in studying in the future, I can still make a difference if I go to the military to train." As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly saw the hares and pheasants piled up next to Fu Qiuning. He couldn't help but wonder: "Huh? Where did this come from? What came here? Could it be that they were beaten by the guards who were left behind? This is nonsense. I left them here to protect you... "
Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Fu Qiuning, who said with a smile: "What are you in a hurry for? Those guards were loyal to their duties and never left a step. As for these prey, they were brought back by the old cat. What do you think? It's me after all. The purpose of a cat is to look good to its master. Let’s see what you can hunt. Of course there are yellow sheep, roe deer, etc., but these rabbits and pheasants are not as hunted as the old cat, right?”
Before Jin Fengju could speak, Jin Zhenyi curled his lips and said, "Auntie, you can't say that. Hunting rabbits and pheasants was a bit fun at first, but then it became boring, so my father and I let a lot of them go. Otherwise, what would happen if we hunted them all down?" If there are thirty or forty of them, dad says they can’t eat them anyway, so it’s better to let them live.”
Fu Qiuning smiled and said: "In this way, this is a charity. It's a pity that the old cat doesn't understand this. I think if it hadn't become fat now and its physical strength was not as good as before, the pheasants and hares in the small forest at the foot of the mountain would have been killed. It wipes out the trouble."
While talking, the bonfire and grill had been erected over there. Fu Qiuning had another stove set up, a large pot placed, and a pot of mushroom and chicken soup cooked. Everyone drank it and praised it. , even the guard who complained in his heart while carrying the cauldron was smiling happily at this time, not complaining about his job at all.
After spending two days and one night enjoying themselves on Dongfan Island, Jin Fengju took Fu Qiuning and others back on the ship in the evening of the next day. Before leaving, the island owner came again and presented many special gifts. Jin Fengju also revealed what the imperial court would do in the future. There is news that Dongfan may be included in Daning's jurisdiction and officials will be sent here. The island owner was very excited and thanked him very much.
It turns out that Dongfan here produces very little food and its education is backward. Some of the island residents saw the prosperity of Daning after going to sea. When they came back and talked about it, everyone was envious. Now if Dongfan is really brought under the jurisdiction of Daning and officials are sent here, then food will be distributed by the court in the future, private schools will be built, and trade with the other side will be much easier. It can be said that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, so Only the island owner and the people who came to see him off would be in high spirits.
Arriving at Quanzhou Port before dark, Jin Fengju returned to the government office. Before sending Fu Qiuning and others into the back hall, he saw an official running out. When he saw him, he patted his thigh and said, "My master, I'm finally back." Come on, come on, come on, please go to the back office with your ladies to take a shower and change clothes, the imperial edict has arrived this morning, so get ready to receive it."
"Huh? The imperial edict has arrived? Do you know what it is?" Jin Fengju was very surprised when he suddenly heard such news, and he quickly stretched out his hand to let the official through the door.
The official was also very anxious that day. He didn't realize anything was wrong at this time, so he followed Jin Fengju into the backyard through the corner gate. He said at the same time: "I don't know what happened. The one who came to convey the order was Eunuch Zhou who was next to the emperor. Where can I go? Do you dare to inquire rashly? Eunuch Zhou arrived early this morning, which only made everyone in the government office busy. The lower official wanted to send someone to look for you, but Eunuch Zhou said it was not necessary. Your Excellency has made great achievements in fighting against the Japanese pirates. Now is the time to have a good time. Relax. From the looks of it, it shouldn’t be an emergency or a bad thing.”
After the official finished speaking, Jin Fengju nodded slightly and couldn't help but think deeply. Suddenly he heard the official slap his head and said softly: "I'm really confused. This is the back office, where your family members are. I... I Why did you break in? Please forgive me..."
Jin Fengju smiled and said: "It doesn't matter, I invited you in. Let's go and tell Eunuch Zhou that I have come back and am taking a bath and changing clothes. Please wait for a while." After that, he saw the man. After the officials left, he quickly opened the sedan curtain behind him and let Fu Qiuning get down. He said at the same time: "Hurry up and prepare. I don't know why the emperor issued a decree at this time."
Fu Qiuning said: "I'm also curious now. As the saying goes, the power of God is unpredictable. Fortunately, listening to Mr. Han's story, it doesn't seem to be a bad thing. So the couple hurriedly took a few children into the hospital and asked each of them to They took their maid in to help them bathe and change clothes. It took the two of them half an hour to tidy up. Then the whole family came to the incense table that had been set up in the courtyard. They saw Eunuch Zhou, several imperial guards and young eunuchs already waiting. There they hurriedly knelt down.
This decree was beyond Jin Fengju's expectation. It actually announced that he would return to the capital to report on his duties. However, it was not an official reinstatement, but a decree to command the Gyeonggi Camp and the Nine-City Military and Horse Division, and concurrently serve as the admiral of the Nine Gates.
After the Eunuch Zhou finished reading the imperial edict, he spoke a few words to Jin Fengju in a cordial manner. When he entered the house and saw no one around him, he quietly smiled and said, "Young Master, get ready to set off. The Emperor treats you like a confidant." You are so important, no one in the government and the public can be as favored by the imperial court as you are. In the future, everything will be smooth, and a bright future is just around the corner."
Jin Fengju quickly smiled and said a few words of humility, while pondering the emperor's intentions in his heart. He secretly thought that the Gyeonggi camp was the prince's power, why did the emperor send him there? Could it be that he has become suspicious of the prince? No, although the prince took advantage of this period to eliminate dissidents and suppress the ministers who opposed him, he had not gone too far after all, and he did not have any rebellious tendencies. Why did the emperor prevent him to this extent? Besides... this... doesn't this give me a hot potato? Can I put my hand in the Gyeonggi Camp area
Because they couldn't figure it out, they discussed it with Fu Qiuning, but they couldn't come up with a reason. They only knew that they should return to Beijing as soon as possible. So he got busy. And because Jin Fengju's return to the capital was so sudden, he couldn't wait for the successor magistrate to arrive. Moreover, even if he wanted to wait, the prince would definitely delay the arrival of the new magistrate in order to slow him down. Therefore, the imperial edict specifically stated that he should select someone from the prefect's Yamen to temporarily act as prefect.
Jin Fengju had a fairly good understanding of the temperaments of his subordinate officials, and he chose one person at the moment, Mr. Bai, Mr. Bai Zhang's husband. This is a pie falling from the sky. You must know that although he is the acting prefect at this time, as long as he does not make any big mistakes, in March or May, the temporary hat can be removed from his head. He was promoted two levels in a row, from a seventh-grade official to a fifth-grade prefect.
Not that the Bai family was so grateful to Jin Fengju that they wished they could enshrine him with an immortal tablet and worship it every day. It's just that Fu Qiuning and Jiang Wanying had to prepare for three days before they finally got it right. Perhaps because she could return to Beijing, Second Grandma Wan remembered her majesty as the head of the family, so she changed her past attitude of watching indifferently and actively helped Fu Qiuning clean up. This naturally relieved Qiu Ning a lot of worry, so On the fourth day, the whole family embarked on the return journey.