***
Because Yuezhou had experienced war, half of the people had been driven into service by Zhang Xianzhong, more than 60% of the houses in the city had been burned down, and there had been too many personnel changes. Qin Mu had posted a reward for a long time before he learned from an old pestle worker that the remains of Yun Qiaoer's mother were buried in a mass grave.
After Qin Mu had the remains moved to the edge of Dongting Lake and reburied them, he took the time to personally take Qiao'er to pay homage. The little girl cried so hard in front of the grave that she fainted.
At that time, the government arrested her family and executed them. Except for her father who defected to the rebels, she is the only one left in the family. It is really miserable.
During the days since arriving in Yuezhou, Qiao'er has been silent all day long, as if she had become a different person. After paying homage to her mother, on the way back to the city, she was like a weak bird, curled up in Qin Mu's arms, her eyes as red and swollen as two peaches.
Qin Mu stroked her head and consoled her: "Girl, please don't be sad. I promise you that even if I only have one pancake left, I will definitely give you half of it."
Perhaps it was because she had cried in front of the grave and vented the depression that had accumulated in her heart that Qiao'er finally seemed to be in a better mood, but she looked very tired. After hearing what Qin Mu said, she hummed lightly and her weak body shrank into Qin Mu's arms again.
Qin Mu did not say anything else, but hugged her tighter. When they returned to the temporary residence, Qin Mu carried her back to the room and wanted her to sleep, but Qiao'er hugged him tightly and said weakly, "Master, hold me and sleep for a while, okay? I'm afraid of being alone..."
"Okay, cover yourself with the quilt quickly, it's getting cold." Qin Mu had no choice but to lie down, pull the quilt over them both, and say something to ease her sorrow, "Actually, when I first met you, I was a little reluctant to give you that pancake."
"I know."
"And you still say I'm a good person?"
"I stole the young master's pancake, but he didn't hit me. He even asked me to wash my hands before eating..."
"Haha, that's what I said."
"Sir, do you know? When I was at home, my mother always asked me to wash my hands before eating."
"I see. No wonder you said I was a good person. In fact, I was thinking at that time that I would roast you and eat you when I was hungry."
"Sir, you are not a liar. I am dirty."
"Is it dirty? Let me see if there is anything that is not cleaned."
"Ah..." After all, she was only eleven or twelve years old, and she was letting out her sorrows. After being teased by Qin Mu, Qiao'er really felt much better. Qin Mu pretended to touch her small waist, and she screamed and slid into the quilt like a little loach.
After a while, seeing that Qin Mu did not make any more moves, she stuck her head out and said, "Master, thank you. I am fine now. I know you are busy. You don't have to worry about me. Go and do your own thing. I will be fine after a good sleep."
"It's okay. You have made peace with Zuo Liangyu, and Zhang Xianzhong has fled to Sichuan. There are no enemies around, and the bank is going well. Money is rolling in, and the soldiers are being trained by Brother Meng and Brother Ning. Other things are also gradually getting on track. It's a good time for me to relax, otherwise I will tire myself to death. I'm not going anywhere today, so I'll accompany you to have a good sleep."
"Really? Sir, please don't let others ruin your important work."
"Just make sure you don't get in the way of your work, okay?"
"Um."
"Hiss! You little rascal, don't touch me... Where are you putting your hands? If you move again, I'll spank you."
"ah... ... .."
"Hahaha, okay, stop moving around and go to sleep."
The little girl huddled in his arms for a long time, not daring to move. After a while, she poked her head out from under the quilt, her face flushed as she stammered, "Master, I... I'm not a child anymore, please take me."
After the little girl finished speaking, she closed her star-like eyes and moved her red lips towards Qin Mu's mouth. Qin Mu was shocked and was kissed by her while he was dazed.
"Ah, you naughty girl, you're still making trouble, making trouble..." Qin Mu grabbed her hand that was touching her randomly, looking very embarrassed. It was not surprising for girls of eleven or twelve to know something about the relationship between men and women these days. Many scholars and literati also liked to enjoy such girls in their prime, but this matter...
Qin Mu turned her small body over and slapped her small buttocks twice: "See if you can still make trouble and go to sleep obediently. If you don't listen, I will ignore you."
"Sir... I am fourteen years old..."
Snap! Snap! Two more hits. The girl stopped making any sound, but her eyes gradually became misty and she was about to cry. Qin Mu couldn't bear to hit her anymore, so he hugged her and comforted her, "Girl, the master doesn't dislike you, but you are still too young. Wait until you grow up, otherwise you will hurt yourself."
“But… But others were able to serve others when they were my age…”
"She is her own person. We can't just do whatever we want. Well, when you grow up, I will make you Xiang Fei... Ahem, we'll talk about the future later..."
"Sir, are you going to be the emperor?" Qiao'er seemed to have forgotten about the matters between men and women, and asked him without blinking her eyes.
"Why are you asking this, little girl?"
"I am your personal and confidential secretary!" the little girl said in a delicate voice, and then she said to him very seriously, "Sir, no matter what you want to do, no matter what the future holds, I don't want Dongting Lake, nor do I want to be Xiang Fei. I just want half of your pancake. Sir, you won't abandon me, right?"
Qin Mu was very surprised and could hardly believe that these words came from the mouth of a little girl of eleven or twelve years old. Looking at her serious expression, Qin Mu suddenly felt that she had really matured a lot.
Qin Mu hugged her tighter, nodded and said, "Don't worry, Qiao'er, let's eat pancakes together. We'll keep eating until we're old. If I take a bite, you'll have one too."
"Um."
After coaxing the little girl to sleep, Qin Mu went to the front yamen to handle official business. Zhuge Min, He Liang and Li Yuan were not around now, and Qin Mu was focusing most of his energy on training the army. Yang Shen became even more important. He not only had to receive and send documents from all over the place, but also had to draft opinions on how to deal with them. After Qin Mu made the decision, he had to draft an order, and then issue it after Qin Mu finally used his seal.
Now he was taking on the original work of Zhuge Min and others. Although it was tiring, Yang Shen enjoyed it and worked diligently every day.
The two of them worked together in the same room, discussing from time to time. They worked all afternoon. As it was getting dark, Yang Shen advised again: "You have to train soldiers every morning and handle official business in the afternoon. It's getting dark now. You should go back to the backyard and rest early."
Qin Mu was secretly a little embarrassed. Although Yang Shen's words were not very direct, his inner meaning was actually to persuade him not to focus on government affairs but to go back to the backyard and have children in order to consolidate the "foundation of the country."
Yang Zhi has been here for quite some time, and Qin Mu often waters her, but there is no sign of pregnancy in Yang Zhi's stomach. This is not a good thing, as others might think that he is not doing well with that.
"No hurry, let Yan Gaofei come in first." Qin Mu said after coughing twice.
Yan Gaofei hurried into the signing room and asked, "What do you want, sir?"
"What progress have been made in recruiting the Yangtze River bandits?"
"Sir, there is no news from the people we sent out. The lair of these pirates is difficult for ordinary people to find, and their whereabouts are secretive. I am afraid it will take a few days for any news to be reported back."
"What about Macau?"
"nor."
"Is there any news about Yuan Zongdi's army?"
"No, sir."
Qin Mu couldn't help but frown. These days there are no airplanes or telephones like in later generations. If you want to get something done, it will take a lot of time just on the road. Many things have been arranged, and if you want to know the results, you can only wait slowly, there is no way to rush.
Now that there was no new news coming back from any party, Qin Mu felt that the world was suddenly very quiet. It was already mid-November of the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, less than five months since the fall of Beijing, and only about a year since the Qing army reached Jiangnan.
In addition to stepping up the training of the army, Qin Mu has also made a series of deployments in the areas of talent, civil affairs, economy, weapons manufacturing, and even food reserves. However, no matter what, it is impossible to achieve it overnight. One must have enough patience to get results. This feeling of waiting is not pleasant.
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ps: An old neighbor passed away and I had to go to help. I haven’t slept at night for the past two or three days. I’m really tired... Please forgive me for the lack of updates.
.(To be continued..)
...