Three Dung Carts in a Row: His Fathers-in-Law Shoved Yi Prefecture Starter Gift Packs at Him

The cart was pushed into the back alley, Uncle Fu had the door closed. He then personally lifted up the rotten grass.

Three wooden crates were visible underneath, still covered in mud. A piece of paper was tucked into one corner of a crate; the handwriting was harsh and aggressive.

Uncle Fu glanced at it only once, then quickly carried the paper back to his study.

Gu Moran took the paper.

Only two lines were written above.

"Here's the book. Don't let Qingdai know."

"Keep training until you're dead."

After reading it, Gu Moran almost laughed out loud, but she forced it back down.

Lin Qingdai stood to the side, her gaze already fixed on the paper. "What did you write?"

Gu Moran folded the paper, his expression unchanged. "My father-in-law is concerned about my health and told me to drink more hot water on the way."

Lin Qingdai held out her hand. "Give it to me."

"Madam, this is a private letter that the Grand Commandant wrote specifically for me."

Lin Qingdai stared at him.

Gu Moran quickly handed it over, coughing lightly, "This... Father-in-law probably didn't expect that you're not only good at martial arts, but also literate."

Xie Wanqing coughed lightly. " Sister Lin, let's look at the boxes first. If they are military registers, it's more important to sort them as soon as possible."

Lin Qingdai then withdrew her hand.

The wooden crate was moved into the sealed room, and when the lid was opened, the smell of old paper and leather overpowered the lingering stench.

" The Thirty-Six Battle Formations of Military Strategy " is just the top book.

Below are also " Close Combat in Military Formations ", " Record of Cavalry Breaking Formations ", " Combined Saber and Shield Formations ", " Miscellaneous Notes on Mountain Marches ", and " Simple Methods for Night Marching and Scouting ".

Some were copies, the ink not yet dry, with the stone stamp pressed against the edges of the pages.

Gu Moran's finger stopped on " Miscellaneous Notes on Mountain Marches ".

Yi Prefecture is mountainous.

The father-in-law really put his heart into it.

Lin Qingdai's eyes welled up with tears when she saw the booklets, but she quickly suppressed them, saying, "My father is stubborn."

Gu Moran closed the wooden box and bowed slightly towards the Grand Commandant's Residence.

"Indeed, my father-in-law's mouth is as stubborn as a battering ram.

Lin Qingdai raised her foot and kicked his shin.

Gu Moran gasped in pain, but dared not cry out.

Before the first batch of boxes had even been collected, another report came in.

" Uncle Fu, another manure cart is coming down the back alley."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Su Yao stopped clicking the abacus beads.

Gu Moran looked up. "Did the Prince's mansion turn into a general outhouse today?"

Uncle Fu's face twitched. "This old servant will go and see."

The second carriage smelled less bad than the first, but the driver was even worse. Although his palms were smeared with ash, there were indelible ink stains between his fingers, and even the way he held the reins while driving had a scholarly air about him.

Xie Wanqing stood inside the back door, saw the hand, and stopped in her tracks.

The driver, head bowed, said, "It's old paper from the Imperial Academy, sent by Madam Xie."

Uncle Fu looked at Xie Wanqing.

Xie Wanqing didn't respond immediately. If she admitted it on the spot, it would drag the Xie Clan into the public eye; if she didn't admit it, the car would attract attention if it stayed parked there for too long.

She raised her hand to adjust her cuffs, her voice steady. "The household needs to move books, and the old paper needs to be stored away. Uncle Fu, please take it."

The driver's shoulders relaxed by half an inch.

The box was brought into the study, and Xie Wanqing unlocked it herself. Inside, as expected, was not a book, but a thick directory.

Yi Prefecture, Jiannan Circuit, and counties in Central Shu.

Salt and iron transshipment, water conservancy, education administration, post stations, prefectural schools, and county schools.

Each name is followed by a small note.

"A graduate of the Imperial Academy."

I owe the chief priest a favor.

"A former student of the Xie Clan."

"Available."

Use with caution.

"Keep away."

Gu Moran looked at those pages, her fingertips growing cold.

The emperor appointed him Yi Prefecture and the military commander, intending to make it difficult for him to move an inch.

Xie Clan gave him, however, was the entire network of civil officials.

Xie Wanqing didn't lecture him; she simply took out three colored slips of paper and sat down at the table.

"Those that are usable are labeled with a blue tag. Those that should be used with caution are labeled with a yellow tag. Those that should not be approached are labeled with a black tag."

Gu Moran watched her divide the pages, that tingling feeling in her heart welled up again.

" Wanqing, aren't you going to ask me how I want to use it?"

Xie Wanqing paused, her pen still on the paper. "If Your Highness needs me to teach you even how to use people, then it's not unfair that Father sent you to Yi Prefecture."

Gu Moran was speechless, choked by the words.

Su Yao chimed in, "Sister Xie is right."

By the time the third vehicle arrived, the guards at the back gate were already numb.

This time, the coachman was a former servant of the Chancellor's Residence, his clothes were faded from washing, and he had an old copper badge hanging from his waist. Su Yao glanced at him only once before having him let in.

There was no smelly grass in the car, only a few layers of tattered burlap.

The account book was pressed down under the linen cloth.

Tax revenue of Yi Prefecture over the past decade.

Salt and iron.

Shu brocade.

Grain prices.

Company name.

Local powerful figures borrow money.

Su Yao's expression changed after flipping through the pages for less than half a quarter of an hour. She pulled out the column for Si Renyou of Yi Province, and then pulled out the military pay record for Zhen Daijin military commander.

"Found it."

Gu Moran stood beside her. "What?"

Su Yao spread out the account pages. " Si Renyou is upright and honest. Local powerful families can't control him with money, so they try to circumvent the system by dealing with the salt and iron accounts. Every year when he urges the collection of salt taxes, the powerful families delay payment, which puts a strain on the state government's accounts."

She clicked on another page. " Zhen Daijin in charge of the troops, but the army's pay was stuck in the prefecture. The prefecture had no money, so he couldn't get his pay. Because he couldn't get his pay, the army resented him. The root of their discord lay in money and supplies."

As Gu Moran looked at the two accounts, the map of Yi Prefecture reappeared in her mind.

The governor demands money, and the military commissioner demands supplies.

Local powerful families withheld salt taxes, and businesses borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates.

The emperor gave him two hard bones, but failed to see that the same splinter was stuck underneath them.

Su Yao looked up. "After you arrive in Yi Prefecture, don't rush to choose sides. First, see who lacks money, who lacks food, and who lacks face."

Gu Moran nodded. " Madam Su is more suited to be an official than I am."

Su Yao closed the ledger. "Keep joking."

Inside the private room, the three gifts were laid out together.

The Grand Commandant's Residence provides martial arts training.

The Imperial Academy) provided connections.

The Chancellor's Residence provides accounts for money and grain.

The old bronze plaque of the Liu Clan pressed down on the old military line, the medicine chest of the Shen Family was placed by the door, and Murong Xue's riding whip was draped over the back of a chair.

Gu Moran looked at these things, and her back slowly tensed up.

The Emperor calculated that he had over a thousand soldiers, that his six wives would arouse suspicion if they returned to their maternal homes, and that he would be caught between the governor and the military commander when he entered Yi Prefecture.

But the emperor didn't take the "dowry" and "old feelings" into account.

Uncle Fu stood to the side and whispered, "Your Highness, why are your eyes red?"

Gu Moran pressed down on the ledger. "The huge gift packages from my fathers-in-law are making my eyes hurt..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion broke out in the direction of the front door.

This time it wasn't the sound of wheels.

It's a horse's hoof.

There was another voice so loud it could echo into the study from two courtyards away.

" Murong Xue! Are you there? I just stopped by to drop by~"

"Oh dear, don't stop her! She's your Madam Murong's good friend!"

Murong Xue flicked the whip in her hand.

Her expression changed, and she clenched her teeth. " Tuoba Mang?"

Gu Moran looked up. "Who?"

There was another shout outside.

"Where's the son-in-law? Tell him to come out!"

When Murong Xue rushed out with her riding whip, Gu Moran did not immediately follow.

He picked up his cloak, deliberately trying to make his face look less serious, and then, with Uncle Fu's help, walked towards the front yard.

The front gate was half open.

A tall, strong "woman" stood outside the door, as beautiful as a flower.

She had a large red silk flower in her hair, her face was powdered, and her arms were thicker than the legs of ordinary guards.

Behind him followed three Northern Territory retainers, all covered in dust.

The "woman" stood with her hands on her hips in the doorway, her voice rising again. " Murong Xue! What are you hiding for? You stole my horse when we were kids, and I didn't even settle the score with you!"

Murong Xue was already standing inside the door, her face so dark it could scrape the bottom of a pot.

" Tuoba Mang, why are you dressed as a woman again? You look hideous! If you keep yelling, I'll stuff that flower from your head into your mouth."

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[Thanks to the novelist for the likes, Baiyun's Milk Tea, and all the other lovely readers for their support!]