That old man, Taishang Laojun, is no good person. He smashed all the furniture he could in the house, forcing her to use her Spiritual Power to repair it all night.
Just as she was packing her bags to return to Beijing, she suddenly heard a familiar "thump-thump" sound outside.
She got up and opened the door, and saw an eagle standing at the doorway, raising one wing and chirping loudly towards the sea, its wingtip pointing eastward.
After hearing this, Jin Shanyao strode towards the main hall.
At this moment, Fu Zhenhai was discussing military matters with his group. Seeing her stride in, he couldn't help but ask, "Master, is there something you need?"
"A group of Japanese pirates are lurking on the east coast. If you go there now, you can wipe them all out in one fell swoop."
Upon hearing this, everyone jumped to their feet and instinctively gripped the hilts of their knives.
Fu Zhenhai's expression turned serious. "How did you know?"
"That's what Yasheng said. It saw it while catching fish on the beach." Jin Shanyao finished speaking and glanced at them. "How about I have it take you there?"
" Yasheng?"
"Oh, that eagle that's been circling above the military camp."
Fu Congzhao surprised and delighted, "That's your eagle! No wonder it followed us all the way..."
Before he could finish speaking, Fu Zhenhai gave a stern order, "Assemble! Pick twenty men who are good at swimming and come with me."
Jin Shanyao summoned Yasheng, took out a ginkgo leaf and fed it to him, saying, "Well done. Take them there, don't let those rats get away."
Yasheng raised its head and chirped twice, then flapped its wings and soared into the sky. It circled once above the military camp before flying eastward.
On the sea, Fu Zhenhai led his boat closely following the direction of Yasheng's flight. About an incense stick's time later, Yasheng stopped above a cliff, circling without moving forward, occasionally looking down and calling out to a certain spot on the sea.
Fu Zhenhai waved his hand, and a dozen soldiers, with short knives in their mouths and bare-chested, quietly slipped into the water and stealthily crept along the edge of the cliff.
After a brief struggle, a patch of red spread across the sea.
The soldier, holding the Japanese pirate's head in his hand, cursed, "Damn it... they came just half a month ago and they're back again. Do they really think we're easy to bully?"
Another soldier, wielding a large knife, forcefully chopped off a head and tucked it into his waistband, grinning foolishly, "Eight taels of silver in hand..." He then began to search their clothes.
"General... look..." The soldier picked up the parchment scroll and handed it to Fu Zhenhai.
Fu Zhenhai looked at it and his expression changed drastically... It was a city defense map of Dengzhou Prefecture, clearly marking where the watchtowers and archer positions were.
He paused for a moment, then tucked the blueprints into his pocket. "Withdraw."
In the military camp.
The old ox mooed at Yasheng, "Get off me! Your claws are like iron hooks, they're scratching my back and it hurts."
Yasheng didn't even glance at it, holding its head high and letting Fu Congzhao scrutinize it.
"Grandma, you really can't sell me the eagle? Having it patrol the coastline would reduce a lot of casualties..."
Jin Shanyao her head firmly, "This eagle belongs to Xiaoli, I can't make the decision... But I can go back and ask for you. If they both agree, I'll have Yasheng come to you."
With that, she plopped down on the oxcart and said, "Let's go."
Old Niu swayed and walked towards the exit of the camp, Fu Congzhao following behind. "Aren't you going to wait for my father?"
"I can't wait any longer, I've finished my business and should go home... I'm worried about leaving the two kids home alone."
"Wait for me," Fu Congzhao rushed into the house, then came out with a cloth bag. "I heard you like seashells, so I specially collected these; they're rare and beautiful."
He placed the cloth bag on the oxcart, then took out a hundred-tael silver note and stuffed it into Jin Shanyao, saying, "Buy whatever you want to eat along the way... It's not easy to come out on this trip, you should try the local snacks."
Jin Shanyao the hundred taels of silver in her hand, "What do you want?"
Fu Congzhao was a little confused. "I don't want anything?"
Jin Shanyao at him sideways. "You're quite something, kid. Trying to bind her with karma? Hmph... you're still too green."
Jin Shanyao and tossed him a purse, "There aren't many left. Even though you live a long life, you still need to use them sparingly..."
Fu Congzhao hurriedly took it, opened it, and found it contained ginkgo. He looked up abruptly and realized that Jin Shanyao had already walked away.
"Grandma... I still have five hundred taels hidden in the Fu Household. I'll give them to you when I return to the capital."
Jin Shanyao didn't reply, only a slight smile played on her lips...
Fu Congzhao held the purse, lost in thought.
Lu Chi once said that grinding ginkgo nuts into powder, mixing it with water, and giving it to seriously ill or wounded people could have a life-saving effect. This small packet of ginkgo nuts could have saved countless soldiers' lives.
Thinking of this, his nose tingled, and tears almost fell. His great-aunt seemed heartless and indifferent during the funeral rites, yet she gave him such precious medicine before she passed away.
Fu Congzhao suddenly had an idea. He thought that when his great-aunt got old and couldn't walk anymore, he would bring her to Dengzhou Prefecture and pick out the biggest fish for her to eat every day. If she complained about the noise, he would give her peace and quiet. If she felt bored, he would accompany her to the beach to collect seashells.
I just don't know if the two children beside my great-aunt agree.
Knowing he had done a good job, Yasheng finally dared to land on the oxcart to rest his wings!
The old ox was furious. "So just because I'm an animal doesn't mean I can pull on anything? That's outrageous!" it thought. The more it thought about it, the angrier it became, and it channeled all its stubbornness into its hooves.
It dug the ground so hard that dust flew everywhere, and the horse-drawn cartwheels were spinning and sparking. It was going back to tell those arrogant cats and dogs that their positions were in jeopardy.
Ha... The master already has a new love; you two old flames have to step aside.
The oxcart traveled north at twice the speed of warhorses and arrived at Pingcheng Prefecture, where they would rest, before nightfall. Logically speaking, Jin Shanyao did not need to stay in a human house.
But she wanted to bring some local specialties back for the siblings, so she found an inn to stay overnight and checked on their situation through the ginkgo leaf necklace.
Seeing them quietly reading in the study, she felt a sense of relief... her little ones were indeed the most well-behaved and sensible.
The capital city.
Meng Anzhi casually flipped through " The Record of Admonishing Evil," her tone indifferent, "This is the third time Cai Wenyan from the Prime Minister's residence has invited me to see a play."
Meng Anci held a brush and slowly circled a name on the paper. It was Sun Yan, a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy. This man had repeatedly spoken ill of him behind his back, belittling him as incompetent and saying he couldn't be allowed to stay.
He placed the pen in the brush-washing basin and casually remarked, " Cai Wuyi also sent a letter to Zhao Zhiyuan."
Meng Anzhi gave a soft "hmm," her gaze sweeping over the ink circles on the paper. "Should I do it?"
"No need. If even such a minor person requires your trouble, then I might as well give up my position as a sixth-rank official."
Meng Anzhi rolled her eyes inwardly. What's with the pretense? He's the lowest-ranking official in the entire court, yet he still has the nerve to put on airs.
Meng Anci suddenly turned her head, "Sister, there's something wrong with your eyes."
"I could tell you never met my gaze," Meng Anzhi chuckled, cleaned the brush, carefully dried it with a silk handkerchief, and hung it up.
He said sternly, " Anci, our family isn't short of money. Don't ruin your future like those corrupt officials, understand?"
"What are you thinking?" Meng Anci closer, flipping his hand to reveal a small seal in his palm. "My goal is simply to protect you and your aunt from being bullied. As for money... isn't that just a matter of a few words?"
Meng Anzhi was both amused and annoyed, and lightly patted his palm. The two siblings each held an Anzhi Hall seal, with Meng Anzhi as the principal and Meng Anci as the secondary seal.
As long as he needed silver, he could simply take the seal to the bank to withdraw it; there was no need for him to even consider embezzlement.