After Rebirth, My Wife Turned Out to Be Myself - Chapter 35

By the time Xie Wan was able to get up and her cold had finally improved, Xie Yunliang and Li Mingxin, who had gone to disaster relief, finally returned triumphantly to the capital.

As the first imperial envoy sent north for disaster relief, Li Mingxin had done the most.

“According to Her Majesty’s decree, local officials who concealed the disaster and failed to cooperate with relief efforts have been severely punished. One commandery governor and three county magistrates in the north have been executed. Over ten other officials have been imprisoned for investigation.”

“Cough cough—”

“Your Majesty…”

“I’m fine, the cold hasn’t fully recovered yet,” Xie Wan said. “Regarding the north, I will assign some personnel there.” Xie Wan nodded. “How is the disaster situation?”

“As Your Majesty hoped, the disaster situation has been stabilized. The funds and grain allocated by Your Majesty are sufficient for the people to get through the most difficult time. When the weather cools down, resuming production will not be difficult,” Li Mingxin said.

Xie Wan frowned upon hearing this. “Production…”

“Minister Xie, how is the search for the people I asked you to find going?”

Xie Yunyu bowed. “Your Majesty, it has been arranged properly. The farming environment in the south is better than in the north. Even if better farming techniques and tools are popularized in all villages and towns in the north, increasing yield will likely not be achieved overnight.”

“Then let them start a pilot program in the north,” Xie Wan said in a deep voice. “I will give them three years. Whether it’s crops, techniques, or tools, I want to see results. As for other matters, whether it’s building roads or constructing water conservancy projects, you should also put these on the agenda and negotiate properly with officials from the Ministry of Works.”

“Yes,” Xie Yunyu noted everything down.

Li Mingxin and Xie Yunliang listened from the side, both a little surprised. On their way back, they had heard that the Eldest Young Master of the Xie family was now highly favored by Her Majesty, but they hadn’t expected that he would be entrusted with so many matters, big and small?

Can a mere Vice Minister of Revenue handle so many things?

Especially Xie Yunliang, the look in his eyes towards his elder brother changed.

He hadn’t been away for too long, yet upon returning to the capital, his elder brother had gone from a commoner to a Vice Minister of Revenue and become a favorite in Her Majesty’s eyes…

What exactly had he missed?!

“Minister Li, you’ve had a tiring journey. This trip for disaster relief wasn’t easy, was it?” Xie Wan looked at her with a smile.

Li Mingxin quickly snapped back to attention. “This minister does not feel tired…”

“Since I asked, just tell me the truth,” Xie Wan waved her hand. “I know, let alone disaster relief, dealing with those local officials must have been quite difficult.”

The more remote the area, the more severe the disaster. And the less populated the place, the more rampant the local officials were.

And when disaster strikes, it is also when human nature is most thoroughly exposed.

Li Mingxin was silent for a moment. “This minister… has had her eyes opened.”

When distributing grain, she could only stand behind the guards.

The situation in the northern cities was relatively good, but just as Her Majesty said, those remote mountain towns…

The hungry people had nothing else; their eyes only saw food.

Although Li Mingxin did not come from an official family, she was a woman from a scholarly family. She had indeed had her eyes opened and clearly realized what a good ruler meant to the common people.

If it weren’t for the timely disaster relief this time, once it developed into famine, deaths, and rampant epidemics…

Li Mingxin sighed, “Your Majesty is wise.”

Xie Wan waved her hand. “I asked you this not for you to praise me. I want to tell you to remember those scenes. Remember them, and you will know that as an official, if you do not have the awareness to speak for the people, you cannot be a good official.”

“Yes.”

“You are tired from your journey. Go back and rest well. After you have recuperated, I have many more things to entrust to you.”

Li Mingxin bowed. “Yes.”

Watching Li Mingxin and Xie Yunliang leave the Imperial Study, Xie Yunyu quietly said, “Your Majesty intends to cultivate Minister Li.”

Xie Wan looked at him. “Minister Xie, what do you think of Minister Li?”

Xie Yunyu frowned. “I haven’t had much interaction with Minister Li.” He found it difficult to comment.

Xie Wan coughed and asked again, “What about Second Young Master Xie?”

Xie Yunyu paused, then said with a look of impartiality, “Strong limbs, simple mind. But… he’s obedient.”

“Hahahaha… cough cough cough.” Xie Wan was amused. “If Second Young Master Xie heard his elder brother evaluate him like this, he would probably be annoyed.”

Xie Yunyu: “…”

“However, Minister Xie’s words give me a clear idea. There was a great drought in the north this year, and the people of Da Yue suffered. The northern tribes bordering our country are probably not having an easy time either. If they are not doing well, they will make the lives of our border people uneasy. I need to send someone with strong limbs and who is obedient to guard the border.”

Xie Yunyu sighed. “Your Majesty already had the answer in mind, yet you still wanted me to say something detrimental about him. It’s truly…”

He didn’t understand Her Majesty’s peculiar sense of humor.

Xie Wan smiled and coughed twice more.

There was nothing she could do. When she was a younger sister, she wouldn’t dare tease like this.

“Your Majesty, please take care of your health.” Seeing her laughing so heartily, Xie Yunyu was genuinely afraid she would choke.

Xie Wan waved her hand. “I’m almost recovered. What movements has the Xu family made recently?”

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.

Xie Yunyu: “Reporting to Your Majesty, the Xu family has made no movements.”

Since he became a favorite in Her Majesty’s eyes, it seemed that all the court officials felt that Her Majesty was neglecting Prime Minister Xu.

The person who used to come to the Imperial Study every day was Prime Minister Xu.

But under this situation, Prime Minister Xu remained quiet, which was unsettling.

Xie Wan frowned.

If Xu Ping made no moves, it would be impossible to catch him out.

Never mind.

The urgent matter was that many corrupt officials had been executed in the north, and there was a shortage of personnel.

“Minister Xie, please also pay attention to this year’s imperial examinations.”

Xie Yunyu said with difficulty, “…Your Majesty, matters concerning the imperial examinations are the responsibility of the Ministry of Rites. This minister still has many things to attend to…”

While Her Majesty was bedridden with a cold, he had been carrying the burden.

Xie Wan looked at him with an innocent expression. “Minister Xie, you are the Vice Minister of Revenue. What about the imperial examinations? Don’t they cost money? As long as the silver comes from the national treasury, this matter is related to you.”

Xie Yunyu: “…”

Xie Wan patted his shoulder. “Minister Xie, if the imperial examinations recruit a few more capable officials, then you won’t be so tired.”

Xie Yunyu: “…”

“And have you forgotten… the Minister of Rites is Prime Minister Xu’s second hand. If this hand is also broken…” Xie Wan glanced at him, hinting.

Xie Yunyu: “…”

Xie Wan coughed lightly. “How about this, I will grant you one day of leave. It just so happens that Second Young Master Xie has also returned to the capital. You can rest at home for a day.”

Since she had said this much, Xie Yunyu could only sigh. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

As Xie Yunyu walked out of the Imperial Study, all the palace servants he encountered bowed to him.

He had only been Vice Minister of Revenue for about half a month, but now everyone knew he was a favorite in Her Majesty’s presence.

Xie Yunyu felt a little emotional.

Her Majesty seemed to trust him greatly.

This trust seemed to have no reason, and it initially made Xie Yunyu hesitate, but she indeed let him handle everything…

This inexplicable trust was not just directed at him alone, but at the entire Xie family. For example, towards him, towards Anyu, and even Yunliang was about to enter the court as a general.

His thoughts were like tangled threads, impossible to untangle.

Just as he was thinking, a person’s presence suddenly approached him from behind. Before Xie Yunyu could react, he heard a shout, “Big Brother!”

Xie Yunyu, startled and his hand trembling: “…”

Xie Yunyu narrowed his eyes and looked at him.

Xie Yunliang guiltily took half a step back. “Big Brother…”

“Why haven’t you gone back yet?”

“I’m waiting for Big Brother,” Xie Yunliang said. “It’s a good chance for Big Brother to tell me what’s happened while I’ve been away.”

“Anyu went to suppress bandits.”

“Anyu? That girl went by herself?” Xie Yunliang was stunned. “Didn’t they say Anyu is a favored consort? Her Majesty is really at ease with her! What about Second Uncle? Didn’t Second Uncle manage her?”

Xie Yunyu shook his head. “She went with Zhou Ning.”

As for being at ease… naturally, she was at ease. Her Majesty had given Anyu many brocade pouches. Those brocade pouches contained meticulously calculated plans, everything he could think of and couldn’t, every single step Her Majesty had written down for her.

Hearing Zhou Ning’s name, Xie Yunliang finally nodded.

He was familiar with Zhou Ning; she was highly skilled in martial arts and calm. So, there was no problem.

“Then I’ll go back and write a letter to Anyu. I need to tell her that Second Brother is back in the capital.”

Looking at his relaxed younger brother, a thought and a guess suddenly popped into Xie Yunyu’s mind.

He asked himself, “Yunliang, who do you think is the kind of person you can easily give your complete trust to?”

Xie Yunliang chuckled foolishly, reaching out to put an arm around his elder brother’s thin shoulder. “Big Brother.”

Xie Yunyu: “…”

Pointless question.

Forget it.

“Let’s go back to the manor,” Xie Yunyu patted his brother’s back.

If Her Majesty truly intended to send Yunliang to guard the northern border, they might not see each other for several years once he left.

It was many days later when Anyu received the letter from her second cousin.

When she received the ‘family letter’, Anyu was thinking about how to write the ‘report’ on this victory.

Thanks to the rare books she had read in the palace, writing a post-battle summary was not difficult.

Following the ‘brilliant strategies’ written in Her Majesty’s brocade pouches, the bandit suppression was simply unstoppable.

The nearest mountain stronghold in the north had already been taken down. Their side suffered almost no casualties, only some injuries, which counted as a great victory in their first major battle.

Her Majesty had said that after every battle, regardless of victory or defeat, she must reflect on herself.

Anyu was obedient and meticulously wrote down the details of the battles against both large and small strongholds. Even Zhou Ning, upon seeing it, praised her for it.

Anyu took the family letter from the soldier and walked into her own room.

This was their temporary dwelling built when they attacked the mountain stronghold, cramped and simple at a glance. However, Anyu didn’t mind. Although she had slept on the most comfortable beds in the palace, the Xie family’s education had never been about enjoying luxury.

She could sleep on a soft bed or a hard plank.

Anyu smiled as she opened the family letter.

The letter was written by her second cousin.

Second cousin said that if nothing unexpected happened, Her Majesty would likely make him a military general and might even send him to the northern border.

Anyu didn’t believe it at first, but her second cousin also said that this was revealed to her eldest cousin by Her Majesty.

At this, Anyu felt a bit envious.

But then she thought about it and wasn’t envious anymore.

She was already out suppressing bandits.

Her Majesty had said that if the bandit suppression was successful, it would be a great merit that would benefit the entire Da Yue Empire.

However, the matter of her second cousin going to the northern border made her think of another point—

Although the Xie family was a family of generals, from the masters down to the retainers and servants, everyone was literate and could write.

Furthermore, the children of the Xie family knew the languages and scripts of the neighboring countries bordering Da Yue. Not only could they write them, but they could also speak a few sentences.

There was no other way; their father had forced them to learn when they were young.

“Second cousin is doing well now. The languages and scripts he was forced to learn as a child will finally be useful,” Anyu chuckled.

Just as she was about to continue reading, there was a sound at the door.

Anyu looked up and saw Zhou Ning had arrived. She looked serious, her face somewhat grim.

Could it be that something had happened with the people from those mountain strongholds?

“Sister Zhou Ning?”

Zhou Ning asked her, “Anyu, I remember your second brother saying that everyone in your family knows the languages of the neighboring countries, right?”

Xie Anyu was startled, then nodded. “Yes.”

Then, Zhou Ning took out a dagger from behind her, placed it on the table, and said in a solemn voice, “Look at the characters carved on this handle.”

The dagger was very beautiful, its blade slightly curved, not in the style of Da Yue.

“‘Ar’, it should be someone’s name.” Anyu focused her gaze, then gently nodded. “It’s not from Da Yue. My father said that the people of the northern tribes have a strong sense of territory, and they like to carve their own script on their belongings. Sister Zhou Ning, where did this dagger come from?”

Zhou Ning’s face darkened. “It was found during the search of the stronghold. Besides the dagger, there were other weapons. But Anyu, Da Yue has very strict control over weapons.”

Commoners were never allowed to carry knives casually.

The trade of weapons was also extremely strict.

But why would weapons from the northern tribes appear in the mountain strongholds in Lingbei? There was only one possibility: among these bandits, some were in close contact with the northern tribes, even smuggling weapons.

The northern tribes smuggling and selling weapons to these bandits in Lingbei… the intentions behind this immediately sent a chill down their spines.

The two exchanged glances and quickly took action.

“I’ll go interrogate those bandits!”

“This matter is of great importance. I will immediately write a letter and send it to the capital.”