Chapter 275
Knowing that their neighbor Nanzhao possessed large reserves of high-quality iron ore, Huo Ying dispatched men disguised as bandits. Not only did they find iron ore on the side close to Nanzhao, but they also discovered a copper mine in the no man's land near Xiqiang!
Now, knowing that their neighbor across the sea, Dongyi, had a large silver mine, the entire Dayan dynasty, from the emperor to the officials, from civil servants to military generals, grew restless.
The originally vague idea of expanding their territory now began to surface uncontrollably.
Especially after the emperor and his officials saw the unprecedentedly excellent growth of crops on the imperial estate, this thought could not be suppressed at all.
If it weren't for the memory of a severe drought that swept the entire region in the eighth year of Yuankang, Emperor Mingxi might have truly let the silver mine go to his head.
Even so, Emperor Mingxi couldn't help but drink a few extra cups upon returning to the palace.
The next day, Yue Fuguang returned to her estate completely baffled, bringing with her two carriages full of palace specialties.
Emperor Mingxi was now very accustomed to throwing money at her!
Therefore, she didn't care about the reason. Since it was given, she accepted it; after all, gold, silver, and jewels wouldn't bite.
The restlessness in the imperial court was quickly noticed by sensitive officials, but tracing the root cause proved impossible.
Even Zhang Tingji, who had just started attending court after recovering from illness, noticed something was amiss.
Especially the way some colleagues looked at him; whenever he thought about it, he felt a bit creeped out.
Even Huang Shouping, who had once fought alongside him, was clearly distancing himself, looking as if he didn't want to speak much, leaving Zhang Tingji feeling even more uncertain.
Just as his multiple attempts to investigate yielded no results, a piece of news circulated throughout the Dayan court, from top to bottom.
The Fourth Prince and the Ninth Prince had gifted the Crown Prince a wondrous book as a wedding present.
This book recorded many extraordinary techniques, among which were papermaking and a technique called movable type printing.
Because the Six Kingdoms had possessed paper for a long time, albeit at a higher price, no one paid attention to the papermaking technique yet. Instead, all focus was placed on the new, more efficient, and cheaper printing technology.
It wouldn't be until a few months later, when large quantities of cheap paper flooded the market, that certain people would truly start to panic.
Of course, right now, faced with the more efficient and cheaper movable type printing technology, those who should panic were already panicking!
While others were either panicking or excitedly anticipating, Yue Fuguang noticed another minor incident.
A theft occurred in the military camp. The stolen items weren't valuables; they were just a few chickens, a few rabbits, and two pigs.
A group of young masters, including Yu Boming, collectively had their parents called in.
Yue Fuguang, accompanying her grandfather and second uncle as Yu Boming's guardians, went to the new recruit camp on the outskirts of the city.
On the way, they coincidentally ran into Wei Ping, Huo Ying, Cai Xian, Bao Yuanjun and his son, along with several other parents.
When everyone met and greeted each other, the atmosphere was inevitably awkward.
This was the first time Yue Fuguang had visited a military camp in both her lifetimes combined.
From a distance, she saw a plaque above the camp gates, with a few vigorous and powerful characters written in red paint: Right Martial Guard New Army Camp.
Yue Fuguang recognized this handwriting; it was Emperor Mingxi's.
Standing at the gate, Wei Shouyi and the others saw the leading carriage, and a flash of surprise crossed their bronzed faces.
This was followed by immense joy. From his grinning teeth to his quivering beard, from the crinkled lines on his face to his sparkling eyes, everything indicated his delighted mood.
The lieutenants and captains were surprised to see their general suddenly dash out, but they quickly followed, only half a step behind.
Was their general a bit too happy today?
Was it because high-ranking officials were visiting today?
They first saw Minister Huo, but their general didn't even glance at the Minister, making a beeline for the most beautiful carriage.
From its exterior, the carriage looked exquisite and beautiful, very much like a lady's conveyance.
Before they could think further, a beautiful and delicate little girl stepped out from inside.
Seeing her face and the iconic lotus mark on her forehead, they instantly understood her identity.
They also instantly understood why their general was so unusually happy.
Genuine smiles unconsciously appeared on their faces as well.
Yue Fuguang: This is the look of seeing a generous and easygoing financial backer!
The group was led inside by Wei Shouyi. At every stop, he enthusiastically and carefully introduced the area.
It could be said that he was extremely respectful to Yue Fuguang, his half financial backer!
Junior Preceptor, those little rascals who caused trouble are waiting on the drill ground.
Wei Shouyi led the crowd toward the drill ground.
Initially, Yu Boming and the others had acted like dead pigs unafraid of boiling water, just waiting for General Wei's judgment.
Later, upon hearing that General Wei had summoned their parents, they began to feel anxious, readying themselves to be beaten and scolded.
Now, baking under the sun, they all hung their heads, devoid of energy.
Just as the three boys with sore butts leaned against each other, almost falling asleep, they saw a group of people approaching from the entrance of the training ground in the distance.
Looking over, before the group even got close, they spotted a tiny yet impossible-to-ignore beautiful figure mixed among the elders.
Junior Preceptor!
Sister!
The group, already anxious and prepared for the worst, instantly changed expressions. It could only be said that there was no worst, only worse!
Exchanging a tacit glance, they all revealed expressions uglier than crying. The still-injured trio of Cai Bing, Huo Shui, and Wei Yan looked toward Yu Boming for help.
Yu Boming: Who can I save? I am a mud idol crossing the river myself! Groundhog scream JPG.
As the crowd approached and that tiny figure became clearer, those with slightly thinner skin had already covered their faces with their hands.
They were truly wronged. They had just helped tend the fire and ended up getting a sip of soup, yet their parents were called in too.
They accepted having their parents called; after all, they were brothers!
But losing face in front of the Junior Preceptor today made them really want to find a hole to crawl into!
Lin Huaijing, the youngest son of Deputy Supervisor of the Household Lin Congxue, peeked through his fingers at his father.
Huh, his father didn't seem as angry as he had imagined. In fact, when looking at him, there was a rare hint of approval!
Did he actually do the right thing this time?
Lin Huaijing silently smacked his lips. Even though he only got a little soup, it was still soup, and soaking steamed buns and flatbreads in it was truly delicious!
He could eat eight, nine, or ten of them in one meal. That amount of food would be enough for him to eat for two days at home!
Yue Fuguang didn't look at her second brother, Yu Boming, who was already awkwardly drawing circles on the ground with his foot.
The first ones she noticed were Cai Bing, Huo Shui, and Wei Yan, who were grimacing and trying hard to stand straight, but had to stick their butts out.
If their parents hadn't been called, these three wouldn't have been able to get out of bed today.
Yue Fuguang's visibly curious expression caused Wei Ping, Huo Ying, and Cai Xian a wave of awkward guilt.
A few days ago, they had indeed been a bit heavy-handed with the brats because of the seed-borrowing incident. But today, upon learning that the boys had also stolen and eaten livestock from the military camp's farm.
They suddenly felt that they had been too light-handed back then!
However, faced with the Junior Preceptor's puzzled expression, they silently turned their heads away. The brats had thick skin and flesh; they would recover in ten days or half a month, no big deal!