Su Qi didn't answer directly but smiled, "I left the capital at the age of ten and have been to many places ever since. I've been to Heimu and Ruoshui, nice places. If you want to go there, I can go with you…" If there was some day, he would accompany her to every corner of the world!
He did leave the capital when he was ten and had been to countless places, but not aimlessly for fun.
In the eyes of others, he might be a dandy who hadn't returned home for eight years but stilled be loved by families only because he was a lucky legal son.
But who knew how many times he had been dragged between life and death, how much news he had obtained for the family, and how much he had contributed to it. Otherwise, why would he be so valued by the family if he was really a trouble-maker that fooled around all day long?
He just didn't want to stay in the capital and see those filthy things and hypocritical faces.
Mo Tianfang was an upright, loyal and courageous man, and there was little conflict between Mo Forces and Su Forces. Moreover, due to the existence of the former, the latter was safer.
The kind of people Su Qi respected most were heroes like Mo Tianfang. Hence, when he got to know the wooden black token that had been given by the two clans' elders to Mo Qianxue as their loyalty and reverence, he hid the fact from his family.
Seeing Su Qi beat around the bush, Mo Qianxue snorted and said, upset, "Go on. Tell me more about Heimu and Tianshui cities."
She now understood that although Su Qi appeared a carefree lord, she wouldn't get a word out of his mouth against his will. Just like she wouldn't admit that she had the wooden token.
Bamboo forest. Training field. Flute. Guqin. Beautiful man and woman. Fence wall. It looked relaxing, imagist and romantic in every way.
Seeing the breeze blew a strand of hair as she bowed her head, Su Qi couldn't help but tuck her hair behind her ear.
Nanny Mo, sitting there playing guqin, could remain calm, but Shiwu, playing the flute, already had a smoldering throat.
She glared at Su Qi. Lady already had Mr. Ning. Who was this guy? Hadn't he just escorted lady back once? Besides, even if lady didn't want Mr. Ning anymore, there was lord Chen.
Su Qi was quite sensitive to have felt the hostile eyes, his arms stretching out stilling in the air and then placing on the weapon rack. When he looked back at the girl playing the flute with anger and grievance while the tune was mismatched delightful and relaxing, he laughed.
He narrowed his eyes into a seam and joked, "Qianxue, your girl is interesting." Looking back, he found Mo Qianxue glaring him again, "Oh yes? What about she comes back with you…and serve?"
Serve?! The girl's eyes were telling him that she would chop him with a sword! Su Qi shivered, keeping shaking his head and going back to the topic.
He continued, "Your parent didn't return to the capital for five years and put their energy mainly on the two cities. Many bandits were cracked down, and many local powers pledged loyalty and merged with the two cities. I'm afraid the forces there have more than two hundred thousand soldiers.
There are many deserts in the west. They were occupied by rampant bandits.
However, after your father arrived there, he had the grain barns opened, land ploughed, and trees planted… In the end, many bandits voluntarily pledged loyalty to your father. He didn't care about their origins and recruited them in the army. Then, he divided these people into two groups and dispatched them to the wing-lands of Heimu and Ruoshui. One group leader is general Hu Yanzhe, and the other general Gao Hexu.
Both of them were bandits. At the beginning, they had only thousands of soldiers…
But now, they have taken over the troops of your father, ten thousand soldiers by each. Except for your father, they don't listen to any others, even the Emperor. If the Emperor messed up with them, it's likely they lead the troops and go back to bandits again.
Two hundred thousand bandits? Just the thought of it was enough for the Emperor.
I just count randomly, and it adds up to four to five hundred thousand riders. No wonder the Emperor cast his greedy eyes on them. If my guess isn't wrong, if the black wooden token can be used to command the Heimu and Ruoshui clans, it must be able to do the same on the two generals."
If so, Xue was right. This black wooden token could at least mobilize two hundred thousand soldiers. Even to put aside the question whether the two generals would listen or not, the two hundred thousand soldiers was a force that couldn't be underestimated.
Mo Qianxue looked up and took a deep breath. In this bright early summer day, she seemed to smell an upcoming storm hidden in the moist air.
The tranquility of the moment was just the peace before it.
**
Today was the seventh day that Mo Qianxue had been grounded in the Founder mansion.
Tomorrow would be the peach blossom party to which she had been invited by Princess Susu.
Since that day Su Qi had been very busy and managed to visit twice to teach her. Yet, both times didn't last long. Each time, he hadn't taught much before Azhao hurriedly urged him away.
When he left, he asked her about the cute portraits and then made several poses that he believed was handsome, so as to provide more inspiration for her, until Azhao urged him again…
Even after he got out of door, Mo Qianxue could still him grumbling, "Why are there so many trifles in the office? Is there someone who is deliberately finding troubles with me? …"
Although he complained, he taught carefully each time, so Mo Qianxue made great progress even though he had been called away in the middle.
The set of swordsmanship of five moves wasn't flatulent, but each move contained several details which were excellent moves to defend herself at a critical time.
She knew better the benefits of it as she practiced more. At present, she was able to play a few moves against Shiwu.
Shiwu began to serve her at the age of five and practiced martial arts ever since. So far, she had practiced for at least ten years. However, Mo Qianxue was able to resist her for some time after only five days' practice. She was content already.
Nanny Mo also said that these moves appeared simple but were sophisticated and top swordsmanship in real terms.
The seven days fleeted by. Mo Qianxue leisurely finished a lot of things in the mansion.
She selected the four girl servants, all of them were born in the mansion. She chose two daughters of nannies who had served her mother and named them Zhihe and Zhizhu; she also chose another two girls who seemed disloyal and called them Zhiqiao and Zhiling.
All of them would play a role!
When the water is too clear, there isn't fish. Someone trying to get news about her? Then, she chose to let the news out deliberately of what she intended others to know.
After the selection and training of the four third-level servant girls, they stayed in her courtyard and remained obedient for the time being.
Zhihe and Zhizhu acted prudently and quickly and had a mild temper.
Zhiqiao and Zhiling, with eyes moving cleverly, did nothing abnormal.
Yesterday, uncle Yu had had the accounting books sent back with notes marked in them carefully. Mo Qianxue read them overnight and found they indeed appear flawless on the surface.
However, who was uncle Yu? The Ning family controlled the finance of the world. Even though Tingfengquan was a hidden power that Ning Shaoqing had built outside the family, a tough general couldn't have a weak soldier. Uncle Yu, manager of the whole Tingfengquan, was certainly a veteran in accounting and worked faster after Mo Qianxue taught him the table forms.
Others couldn't figure out flaws, but uncle Yu spotted hundreds at one glance after his subordinates' sort-out work.
There were gains from Mo Yan and Mo Xing. During the days after manager Feng just left the Founder mansion, he had been acted with cautiousness and pretty normal, heading directly home from the shops.
Later, in view that there wasn't news from Mo Qianxue, he got bold and acted randomly. Therefore, the fox tail came out …
Manager not only swaggered around outside his house but also kept two concubines, one was a clean girl sold to him by her brother, and the other bought from a brothel.
The clean girl was bought three years ago and had given birth to two children, while the prostitute was bought last year.
As the saying goes, a janitor of the Prime Minister's Mansion is as rich as a third-level official. Yet, without any tricks, could a manager of the Founder mansion have hundred acres of land and lots of servants and live an extravagant life with concubines outside?
This wasn't trivial. Why was he so bold? Mother had left the capital for five years, which indeed had provided him enough time to played tricks. Besides, in the previous six months, the mansion wasn't dwelled by a superior.
These properties were mother's dowry, but as she married, the Feng family naturally didn't have the right to step in; the Mo clan also coveted the properties, but they had no idea of what were included, or the title deeds, or the right to check the accounting books. Feng Da wouldn't buy it naturally.
It was impossible to trace back the money. Even by searching his house, probably only one or two tenths would be found. However, she wouldn't let it go easily.
Asan, Awu, and the guard leader Mo Qiang had been keeping an eye on the three lords and found something.
Mo Zitang, either a true upright gentleman or too sly to disclose his true self, hadn't walked out of his courtyard and just read, played chess or musical instruments all day long.
Mo Zihua was a playboy. He had slept with nearly every girl in his courtyard but still couldn't get enough and always tried to flirt with other girls. Every now and then, he fooled around in the mansion and glanced about. However, besides this, he did nothing else suspicious.
Mo Ziye, with a sullen face, raised many snakes…