frightfiction Chapter 291: The Ancient Times Was Too Slow
Chapter 291: The Ancient Times Was Too Slow
Pei Heng's letter, tens of thousands of words long, took an unspecified amount of time to write. Reading it, Su Li burst into tears one moment and then smiled happily like a fool the next.
Along with Pei Heng's letter came Su Zhe's letter.
The letter detailed his and Song Ci's experiences in the border town and their observations in the northern border.
"Sister, everything I saw and heard during our trip to the North was truly shocking. I realized that the past ten years or so were wasted. Ah Ci, burdened with deep hatred, has decided to stay in the army to kill the enemy and avenge himself. Naturally, I will stay, too."
"This is not just for Ah Ci, but also for the millions of people in the North who are suffering. Sister, if anything happens to me in the future, I'll leave my parents in your care."
Just now she was sighing that her brother had matured and grown up, but when she turned around and saw this sentence, Su Li spat several times and slapped the letter paper.
"You little bastard, get back here in one piece, okay?"
Although he knew that Su Zhe was thousands of miles away and could not hear him, Su Li still sincerely chanted "Amitabha" for him, Pei Heng, Song Ci, and the thousands of soldiers who were marching north, wishing them peace and safety.
Thinking of Pei Heng's letter about Lin Wantang returning to Beijing, Su Li thought for a moment and asked Song Zhi to grind some ink. She wrote a letter to Sun Zhonghuai and the eldest princess respectively, asking them to assist her.
Captain Qian had just returned and rested for a few days when he received a task from Su Li and set off again with a caravan carrying the tea house's new tea, silk and other goods.
For the past few months, Su Li and Pei Heng, as well as those in Shengjing, had relied entirely on Qian Dui's caravan to communicate. This was truly a difficult time for Qian Dui and Song Zhi, a pair of star-crossed lovers – they were often apart and rarely together.
But before the war ended and Pei Heng returned safely, Su Li did not dare to go back to Shengjing easily. She could only stay in Lin'an obediently and be doubly nice to Song Zhi and Song Tao.
At times like this, I really miss modern communication technology. WeChat, pictures, and videos arrive in a flash.
It’s not like it is now, where transportation is too slow and it takes a month to write a letter back and forth, so every time I write, I want to write down everything I want to say, and I want to open a book.
Su Li and his group lived in a safe corner of Lin'an Prefecture.
Little did they know that in Shengjing City, a conspiracy against them was also being quietly laid out.
In the Ninth Princess's Mansion.
After reading the secret letter written to him by Prince Jing, Dan Tai Ting moved closer to the candle and slowly lit it.
Because of Pei Heng, the good situation between him and Prince Jing fell apart. Prince Jing had to flee north and he was kicked out of the Tantai family. He became a rat crossing the street and almost died tragically in the slums.
Now, Prince Jing's plan to go south has been ruined by Pei Heng again.
"Pei Heng, you are truly our nemesis!"
He said to the man in black who was waiting on the side:
"Tell the hidden agents lurking everywhere that it's time to use them."
"Yes, I know what to do."
Watching the man in black disappear at the door, Tan Tai Ting carefully cleaned up the pile of ashes in front of him and said coldly:
"Pei Heng, since you're trying to sneak into Chencang, don't blame me for cutting off the source of your trouble."
……
The next morning, Tan Tai Ting dressed up and went to Huguo Temple.
The scenery of Huguo Temple is pleasant in May.
However, this year is very different from previous years.
As the carriage drove along the winding mountain road, we could see terraced fields everywhere, cultivated by people. On the terraced fields, people were working hard everywhere.
"Why has this place become like this?"
It has been a long time since I last came here. Tan Tai Ting looked at everything in front of him that seemed familiar yet completely unfamiliar and asked.
The coachman in front responded:
"Young Master, you haven't been here for a while, so it's normal that you didn't know. This was the eldest princess's idea. She said it was a shame that the vast mountains and forests surrounding the Huguo Temple were all empty. It would be better to let the refugees open up the wasteland and cultivate it."
"This way, as long as we can survive this lean period, once the fruits and vegetables are ripe, the refugees in the temple will basically be able to be self-sufficient."
Looking at the busy scene of people working all over the mountains, Tan Tai Ting remained silent. However, the coachman became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he had opened a box and was pouring out words like beans.
"It's not just that. Young Master, you'll see it when you get to the top of the mountain. The men have the land to farm, and the women are busy too. The princess has brought in a lot of cotton, yarn, and cloth, and the women are busy spinning and making clothes. Hehe, they usually look so sick and weak, but now that they have work to do, their backs and legs are no longer sore."
"Right now, the clothes and shoes we make every day are enough for the refugees in the mountains to be self-sufficient. The princess even collects the extra clothes and helps them exchange them for money."
"That's really good!" Donglai couldn't help but praise it, but was given a cold glare by Tan Tai Ting.
The driver was talking with great excitement.
It's a blessing for the people of Daqi to have such a princess! The eldest princess is smart and capable, she's like a reincarnated Bodhisattva. But his ninth princess is not bad either, I heard she even learned to weave! Haha...
As he was speaking, the driver let out a "whoosh" and tightened the reins, and the carriage slowly stopped.
"Sir, it's here."
Tan Taiting got off the carriage with the help of Donglai. He had been recovering from his injury for half a year, and although it was almost healed, the injury was fundamental, and every part of his body still hurt when he moved.
As soon as he got off the bus, a group of children ran past him with a loud noise. They were running out of a house. There was a person standing at the door of the house, waving and shouting with a smile:
"Slow down! Slow down! Don't fall!"
"Got it! Mr. Shen!"
One of the older kids turned around and responded. It was obvious that he was the leader of the group.
Shen Yanqing, standing by the door, smiled and shook his head. He was about to turn around and go back into the house, holding the scroll in his hand, when he looked up and saw Tan Taiting outside. A hint of disgust and dislike flashed across his face, and he turned and walked into the house without even saying hello.
Although he felt unwelcome, Tan Tai Ting did not feel sad. He snorted coldly and said with the same contempt:
"He's lucky. He climbed up the big tree of the Princess and was directly promoted to a higher rank. I heard..."
Donglai smiled cunningly, "It's thanks to his good looks that he can become the eldest princess's concubine."
"Humph!"
Tan Tai Ting turned his head away and walked towards the temple.
The backyard was bustling with activity, with a group of people carrying bags of things and loading them onto the car.
"Ninth Princess, this batch of clothes and shoes has been counted and can be transported down the mountain."
The manager held an account book, checked the accounts, and reported to the Ninth Princess who was standing beside him.
"Okay, let's go. Remember to count the money and divide it among them later."
Unlike the complicated and gorgeous palace costumes she usually wears, Li Wei wore an ordinary dress today, with a cinched waist and narrow sleeves, which was very neat.
After she directed the car to go out, she turned around and shouted:
"Skinny monkey."
"Hey!" A thin but very agile young man jumped out from the side. He rolled up his sleeves and said, "Princess, you're looking for me?"
Li Wei smiled sweetly,
"Skinny monkey, is the spinning machine I asked you to repair yesterday fixed? The ladies are all waiting!"
The skinny monkey patted his bony chest and raised his head and said:
"Don't worry, Princess. I've found a clever and skillful helper for you. With him, it will definitely work."
As soon as he finished speaking, a man carrying a spinning machine came in from the gate. The man was tall and strong, and even blocked a lot of sunlight when he walked in. His sturdy and strong figure made people feel safe.
Putting down the spinning machine with a bang, the man wiped the sweat off his forehead and said loudly:
"Nothing serious has happened. Everything has been fixed."