He was your father in your previous life. When you came into this world, you had the same blood as him. When you were little, he held you in his arms and promised to come home soon. You mistook the sound of passers-by riding horses past the door as the sound of his horse's hooves returning home. You grabbed your mother's hand and ran to the door to greet him, but returned disappointed. However, many years later, as a young man, you were willing to repay him with blood and break up with him.
You refused to reconcile with this man, because he had been everything to you and your mother. However, when you and your mother needed him the most, he left you behind in the endless darkness and walked towards the light alone.
In front of Mu Fulan's eyes, the scene of the young man's blood splattering on the spirit platform seemed to reappear.
She closed her eyes, slowly clenched her arms, and hugged the little person sitting in her arms even tighter.
"Mother?"
A gentle urging voice came to my ears.
She opened her eyes, lowered her head, and met Xi'er's curious eyes that were looking up at her. Just as she was about to speak, a voice came from outside the boat: "Princess! General Yuan is here!"
Mu Fulan gently touched Xier's head to comfort her, then leaned out of the cabin and took a look.
The ferry was about to reach the shore, and she saw Yuan Handing riding a horse towards her from the direction of the city. When he arrived at the ferry, he dismounted as if he was going to take a boat to Junshan. When he saw her boat, he stopped and waited on the shore.
There was a row of planks on the shore of the ferry. When the boat came to the shore, Xier got on the shore and walked forward by herself.
In front of his feet, a board seemed to be loose, with one end slightly tilted up. Yuan Handing saw it and immediately reached out to help him: "Young Master, be careful!"
Xi'er had already taken a big step across the board. After he stood still, he turned his head and looked at Yuan Handing's hand that was stretched out to him but had not yet been withdrawn. He then looked at his mother, hesitated, and slowly turned to Yuan Handing, smiled at him, and said, "Thank you, General Yuan."
Yuan Handing and the princess grew up together, and her appearance has long been deeply imprinted in his mind.
He still remembers the subtle feeling he had when he first saw the child.
This child named Xier looked so much like the princess that Yuan Handing had no doubt at all that he was her biological son.
Fate is so wonderful. He seemed to see the shadow of the princess in the face of this child, and the princess loved this adopted son she met and brought back from the outside so much. For Yuan Handing, this child had an extraordinary status in his heart.
He subconsciously hoped that the young master could be closer to him.
But from the first day he arrived, no matter how hard he tried to express his goodwill to him, the young master's attitude towards him was always polite and distant.
The young master didn't seem to like him.
This made Yuan Handing feel a little frustrated.
But today, things seemed suddenly different.
At that moment just now, although the young master did not ask himself to help him, he smiled at himself.
This was the first time the young master smiled at him.
Although he didn't know what was going on, he was sincerely happy about the change in the young master's attitude towards him.
Mu Fulan asked Yuan Handing what he came for.
Yuan Handing retracted his gaze from Xi'er's back and turned to say, "The Sanmiao people sent an envoy, saying that they were entrusted by their leader to come to Changsha to seek assistance. Your Highness wants to discuss this matter with the princess."
Out of the territory of Changsha State, extending to the southwest, between the vast mountains and raging rivers, there have been many ethnic groups living since ancient times. They live in groups based on their clan names. The large ones with tens of thousands of households are like a fortress, and the small ones with thousands of households are called caves. The villages and caves are scattered and stretch endlessly, and are known as the 72 villages and 108 caves.
They claimed to be descendants of the ancient Emperor Yan, but in official documents of the court, they had another name, and were all called Southwestern Barbarians.
After the Mu family was granted the title of Changsha Kingdom, they lived in peace with the Sanmiao people who lived next to them in the south for two hundred years. When the relationship was the best, they taught them to grow mulberry and hemp, raise silkworms and reel silk, and sent doctors to cure their diseases. Many Sanmiao villages also regarded Changsha Kingdom as a superior country and sent envoys to offer tribute to express their gratitude and obedience to the Mu family.
But since the rise of the Jiangrong clan, such exchanges have no longer been seen in the past ten years or so.
Jiang Rong ate away at the remaining villages and became the most powerful leader of the San Miao. At the same time, Changsha was suspected by the imperial court and its national strength was declining. Jiang Rong was ambitious and intended to take over the fertile Liancheng area in the south of Changsha. Taking advantage of the turmoil of the vassal kings, he repeatedly sent troops to attack or harass Changsha.
This situation finally came to an end when Mu Fulan was thirteen years old and signed a marriage contract with Xie Changgeng in Changsha.
In the past few years, Jiang Rong never dared to invade Changsha State again, but the other cave villages, under the pressure of Jiang Rong's tyranny, had already cut off their contacts with Changsha State.
"Which villages are they from? What are they sent here for?" Mu Fulan asked.
"They were sent by the Ran, Xiang, and Tian clans. The messengers said that they suffered from drought last year and this spring there is a shortage of food. Now, there is famine everywhere and the people can only eat wild grass and tree bark. A few days ago, malaria broke out and many people fell ill. They are really desperate and sent people here, hoping that Your Highness can help them through this difficult time."
These three clans were once the most powerful village in the Sanmiao area, except for Jiang Rong. Before Jiang Rong rose to power, although they had fought each other for territory, they had always maintained a good relationship with the Mu clan. Several times when there was a disagreement, the Mu clan had to come forward to mediate.
The news of the famine in Sanmiao reached Changsha at the beginning of the year. Just a few days ago, for some reason, Mu Fulan sent someone to Liancheng to inquire about the news and learned that the situation was true.
At that time, she had an idea. Unexpectedly, by coincidence, just a few days later, the people from the San family came to her door.
When she returned to the palace, the envoys had been sent to the inn for temporary stay, and Mu Xuanqing was waiting for her.
Ever since he was rescued thanks to the "dream evidence" of his sister and obtained the Rutian iron mine, Mu Xuanqing would discuss it with his sister first whenever he encountered problems, even if he had made a decision.
He told the envoy about what happened just now, and said, "Prime Minister Lu wants to find a reason to send the envoy back. There is no need to get involved."
Lu Lin nodded, "Don't think they are coming to us for help and saying nice things. When Jiang Rong attacked our Liandi, the previous king also sent people there, hoping that the three clans would unite and send troops to fight with us. If they are willing to fight with our Changsha Kingdom, the other villages and caves will follow. But they were afraid of Jiang Rong, and none of them were willing to help. Now that they are in trouble, they think of coming to us for help. How can such a good thing happen in the world? Besides, our top priority now is to expand the army and train soldiers. The Sanmiao matter has nothing to do with our Changsha Kingdom."
"Sister, what do you think?" Mu Xuanqing asked Mu Fulan.
If what she saw in her previous life was correct, she remembered that after Xie Changgeng became emperor, Jiang Rong had already unified the Three Miao tribes by taking advantage of the right time and place.
Sanmiao has always been regarded as a barbarian land. As long as they don't cause trouble, the imperial court will not interfere. At that time, Xie Changgeng, who had just ascended the throne, had too many things to do, and he let it go at first. Unexpectedly, Jiang Rong refused to obey the new dynasty and also called himself emperor, sending troops to attack the territory that originally belonged to Changsha. Xie Changgeng naturally couldn't tolerate this. At first, he sent troops to suppress the rebellion, but the mountains and rivers were dangerous and the fortresses were strong, so it was very difficult to advance. A year later, he changed his strategy and instigated the rebellion of the fortresses that were forcibly conquered by Jiang Rong. Only then did he break through the fortresses and kill Jiang Rong. Afterwards, he gave different titles to the original leaders of the fortresses, let them divide the land and govern themselves, manage the territories that originally belonged to them, and report directly to the imperial court when there was something wrong, thus recruiting the land of Sanmiao.
Mu Fulan said, "What Prime Minister Lu said is true, but at this time, if we don't support the three clans, the Sanmiao land will be occupied by the Jiang Rong sooner or later. Once Jiang Rong unifies the Sanmiao, who can guarantee that he will not covet our Changsha Kingdom again? I remember when I was young, my father fought with Jiang Rong for a long time. By then, his power will increase greatly, which will only make it more difficult to deal with. Rather than being passive at that time, it is better to take advantage of this opportunity now to support the three clans and help them overcome the difficulties. At least, they will not be annexed by Jiang Rong so quickly. It is not a bad thing for our Changsha Kingdom to have them contain Jiang Rong."
Lu Lin hesitated and shook her head.
"What the princess said is true, but the princess may have forgotten that the late king had hoped that the three clans would remember their old friendship and join forces with Changsha to fight, but they were afraid of Jiang Rong and refused to send troops. If we help them now, who knows if they will turn against us again in the future?"
Mu Fulan did not answer immediately, and asked Yuan Handing beside him, "General Yuan, if you want the soldiers to obey you, what else can you do besides showing kindness?"
Yuan Handing was startled, then replied: "In addition to showing kindness, there are also strict laws."
Mu Fulan nodded and looked at Lu Lin: "Prime Minister, did you hear what General Yuan said just now? I have never led an army, but I have heard that a commander of an army must use both kindness and power to keep the soldiers obedient. The same is true for the three families."
"In the past, the leaders of the three clans were worried that Changsha could not defeat Jiang Rong. If we were defeated, we would be in danger, let alone protect them. No matter how much favor we give, it is not enough to make them work for us. This is human nature. Now Changsha is building and expanding its army. What is the purpose? Is it for the sake of display and peace of mind? The expansion of the army cannot be concealed forever. Sooner or later, there will be a war. First support the three clans, and when the war comes in the future, let them know that Changsha can be relied on. What is the difficulty in using them?"
Yuan Handing immediately said, "Your Highness, Princess! Don't worry, the two of you! I, Yuan Handing, am willing to sign a military order here. If I cannot train a strong army loyal to Your Highness and Princess within one year, I will apologize with my own head!"
There was a determined light in his eyes, and his voice was sonorous and full of confidence.
Mu Xuanqing came up and shook Yuan Handing's arm vigorously, then said to Lu Lin: "Prime Minister, you have heard what the princess and Handing said. I have decided to adopt it. I will trouble you to borrow grain to tide over the famine."
Lu Lin was getting older and more afraid of things. He had been used to keeping a low profile for a long time and was even more conservative. He thought it was better to do less than more, so he didn't want to help the three families. Seeing that the three of them were united, he knew that it was useless for him to oppose. After thinking about it carefully, the princess' words were indeed reasonable, so he could only nod.
"I obey your order. This is what we call the joint work of the household officials."
After Lu Lin left, Mu Fulan continued, "Brother Wang, Brother Yuan, Prime Minister Lu was here just now, and I have something to say, but it is not convenient to speak directly. Now the power struggles and the civil wars among the vassal kings are endless, but they just want to fight for territory and expand their power. We are in a remote area, but in the future, if we can destroy Jiang Rong, it is not impossible to take over the vast land of Sanmiao to the south for our Mu family to use."
"That's why I advised you to take this opportunity to show some favor to the three clans. Use both kindness and force. Once you subdue them, the other villages will naturally follow suit."
Mu Xuanqing looked at Mu Fulan and was silent for a moment. His eyes flickered and excitement gradually appeared on his face.
"Sister, you have enlightened me! If my Mu family can really take back the Southland, it will be like a tiger with wings. There is no need to worry about not being able to establish ourselves and take revenge!"
Mu Fulan said: "In addition to expanding our strength, I also think that we should do our best in everything, but Changsha is an isolated place except for the water. In the future, if there is any change and we encounter disadvantages, we can use the terrain of Sanmiao to retreat. This opportunity is like a gift from heaven and cannot be missed."
Yuan Handing nodded approvingly and said to Mu Xuanqing, "My lady, you have considered it very carefully. In the land of Sanmiao, most of the fortresses are located near mountains and rivers. The terrain is dangerous and easy to defend but difficult to attack. Without the guidance of local people, it is difficult for outsiders to break in. I experienced this deeply when I followed the previous king to fight against Jiang Rong."
Mu Fulan said, "Leave the matter of releasing grain to Prime Minister Lu, and I will deal with the malaria. I will gather doctors today and prepare medicine to send to Liancheng, and I will go there myself."
Mu Xuanqing didn't let her go, saying that the place was remote and full of malaria, so he could just send someone else.
Mu Fulan smiled and said, "To be honest, my brother, I just sent someone to investigate the situation a few days ago. The malaria is not serious. It has only appeared in a few caves. If it is dealt with in time, it will not be a big problem. But if it is not dealt with effectively, it will be a bit tricky when the weather gets hotter. Don't worry, my brother, I know what to do."
Hearing her resolute tone, Mu Xuanqing had no choice but to say to Yuan Handing, "Handing, then I'll trouble you to go with my sister. Remember, you must protect my sister and don't let her get into any trouble."
Yuan Handing responded respectfully: "Don't worry, Your Highness. I will guarantee it with my life!"
Mu Xuanqing finally felt relieved and nodded. He suddenly remembered the Prince of Qi and asked him about his condition.
Mu Fulan naturally did not mention that he had pretended to be sick. She just said that he was fine and then repeated the suggestion that Zhao Xitai had made to her.
Mu Xuanqing frowned, "What good would the King of Qi be? In his early years, he and my father were old friends. Later, the border of Changsha was in turmoil and he was suspected by the court. He was in a difficult situation. If he had cared about his old friendship with my father and helped him, you probably wouldn't have to marry someone like Xie Changgeng. Now he wants to take advantage of the chaos and fish in troubled waters. Do you need my Mu family to send him money and food?"
He paused. "However, the current situation is chaotic and the situation is unclear. Since Zhao Xitai has said so, why not pretend to be submissive and not offend him? I will reply in two days."
The decision of the prince's brother was exactly what Mu Fulan had thought. After the discussion, she came out and asked people to summon all the doctors in the city to the palace, including several chief physicians. When everyone was gathered, she told them that some villages in the Sanmiao area were suffering from malaria, and she wanted them to follow her to the south.
When the princess spoke, who would dare to disobey? Besides, she was going herself. Everyone agreed in unison and went back to prepare for the trip.
During the rest of the day, Mu Fulan was busy preparing the various medicines that would be used. She ordered people to gather them and transport them by car to Liancheng as soon as possible. By the time she returned to her residence after a busy schedule, it was almost midnight.
Mother Mu was waiting for her. She came over and whispered, "The young master has fallen asleep. Princess, you must be tired too. The bath water is ready. Princess, take a bath and go to rest quickly."
Mu Fulan thanked Mu's mother and asked her to go and have a rest. After taking a bath, she tiptoed to Xier's bed and pulled the corner of the quilt for him. Suddenly, she saw the little guy on the pillow move his eyelids a few times and opened his eyes.
"Mom, are you back?"
He reached out and grabbed his mother's soft hand.
It turned out that he was pretending to sleep to deceive Mu's mother.
Mu Fulan smiled and sat down beside the bed. She was about to tell him that she was going to the south in the next two days, but she heard Xier say, "Mother, I heard from Sister Ru tonight that you are going to the south to treat people. If you can take me with you, can I go with you?"
Mu Fulan wanted to keep him. After all, this time he was going to practice medicine, not for anything else. But at this moment, seeing his pleading, she thought about this trip, including the round trip, the whole process would take two months even at the fastest.
This is just the fastest estimate. As the weather gets hotter, it may take even longer to end.
The occurrence of malaria is related to damp-heat malaria. In many places of Sanmiao, the forests are deep and dense, the swamps are deep and the air is heavy. When the weather gets hot, malaria spreads everywhere, and the people suffer from famine and weak constitutions, which is why there are large-scale illnesses. The pathology is different from the plague that spreads among the population.
Liancheng is a city at the southern end of Changsha State. It is spacious and very safe. If I take Xier with me, it is not impossible to leave him in the city.
"Mother! I promise to listen to you and not run around." He continued to plead.
Mu Fulan hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded: "Okay, mother will take you there. But you have to stay in the city and can't go out."
"Okay! I'll remember it!"
Xier nodded happily.
Mu Fulan said softly: "Okay, go to sleep, mother will accompany you."
Xier hummed and closed her eyes obediently.
Mu Fulan stayed by his side. After a while, she saw that he seemed to be asleep. She got up gently and was about to turn off the light and go to her bed. Suddenly, she saw his eyelashes tremble and he slowly opened his eyes.
"Mother..."
"When you came back during the day, you still didn't tell me who Xie Changgeng was? Is he a bad guy?"
He looked at Mu Fulan and asked softly.
Mu Fulan was stunned. She didn't expect that he still remembered this.
Her Xier has forgotten all the people and things in her previous life.
This is exactly what Mu Fulan wished.
She didn't want him to remember the past at all in this life.
She thought for a moment, sat back, and said, "That man named Xie is not a good person, but he is not a bad person either. At least, he is not much worse than many people in this world. But Xier..."
She emphasized her tone.
"Remember what mother said, he is a very dangerous person. From now on, no matter when, if this person named Xie Changgeng appears in front of you, you must not approach him, let alone talk to him!"
Xier seemed to understand, nodded, hesitated, and shook her head.
"But I heard that prince say that you were forced to marry him and suffered a great injustice. This man bullied you, didn't he?"
"He bullied my mother, he is a bad guy!"
He said it word by word.
Seeing him clench his fists, Mu Fulan's eyes seemed to be full of sparks. She was startled, held his little hand, spread out his clenched fist, put it back under the quilt, and smiled, "That man didn't bully mother, and mother won't let others bully her. What you heard during the day were all adults' affairs. You are still young and don't understand many things. Just remember what mother said and don't think too much, okay?"
Xier was silent for a moment and said, "Okay."
Mu Fulan smiled, touched his little face, and coaxed him, "Go to sleep."
Xier closed her eyes and fell asleep.
The author has something to say: Pink day, I wish everyone a happy day~
I will update the second chapter later in the evening to make up for yesterday's omission. The plot is almost laid out, and Mr. Xie hasn't appeared for several days. I miss him~