nycdaug Chapter 227 Extra 3
Chapter 227 Extra 3
Grandma Mo hurriedly asked, "Liuli, why do you look so disheveled? What happened?"
Shen Liuli threw herself into the old lady's arms: "Grandmother, Liuli went to the temple to offer incense, but was chased by bandits on the way. Liuli suspects that it was that vicious woman who instigated it. Fortunately, a benefactor saved her, otherwise, Liuli doesn't know what would have happened to her now!"
Old Master Mo looked at Jiang Chun and asked, "May I ask your name, my benefactor?"
Jiang Chun did not hide anything and answered truthfully: "I am Jiang Chun, the garrison commander of the Northwest Camp!"
Upon hearing this, Old Master Mo's face lit up with delight. He smiled broadly, his eyes gleaming with admiration, and his tone was extremely kind and friendly: "Oh, so it's General Jiang! I've heard so much about you. Please, have a seat!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Liuli was overjoyed. It turned out that the handsome man who had saved her was none other than Jiang Chun, the young general she greatly admired!
Grandma Mo was also very happy and quickly instructed the maids and servants, "What are you all standing there for? Quickly bring tea, fragrant tea!"
Originally, upon hearing that her granddaughter had ridden a horse with a strange man, she felt angry towards him. She suspected it might be a conspiracy, a trap set by the man to deceive her granddaughter.
However, upon hearing that he was Jiang Chun, they immediately felt relieved.
General Jiang Chun, the young man, was a first-rate gentleman, an upright and honorable general. He would never stoop to such underhanded tactics. Now it seems that Liuli's rescue by him was purely by chance!
Shen Liuli's uncle and cousin rushed over upon hearing the news.
Young General Jiang Chun was their idol, a role model for all men!
Everyone in the Mo family, from Old Master Mo to the maids sweeping the floor, was overjoyed. They decorated the house with lanterns and colorful streamers and prepared a grand banquet for the arrival of their distinguished guest.
After a hearty meal, Old Master Mo privately asked Jiang Chun, "General, are you married?" In truth, he knew Jiang Chun was not married. He even knew the reason: Jiang Chun was in love with Princess Yulin. Unfortunately, Princess Yulin had found another love and married Prince Duan.
Jiang Chun hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Not yet?"
Upon hearing this, Old Master Mo was overjoyed: "Then, if I may be so bold as to ask, is the General engaged?"
Jiang Chun laughed heartily and said, "No, not at all."
Old Master Mo quickly asked, "General, what do you think of my daughter, Liuli?"
Jiang Chun paused for a moment, then said, "She's a very nice girl."
He had heard of Shen Liuli, the eldest daughter of the Shen family, because one of her cousins was Shen Quan, a centurion under his command. Moreover, Jiang Chun had a good relationship with Shen Quan. Today, along the way, Jiang Chun had also spoken with Shen Liuli and found her to be a kind and courageous woman.
In short, he had a very good impression of Shen Liuli.
Old Master Mo was overjoyed and hurriedly said to him solemnly, "General, I wish to betroth Liuli to you. What do you think?"
Ever since his daughter's mysterious death, Old Master Mo has been negotiating with the Shen family, seizing control over the marriages of his niece Liuli and nephew Shen Mo. In other words, the Shen family has no say in who Liuli and Shen Mo marry.
Jiang Chun was stunned when he heard this.
Old Master Mo is merely the maternal grandfather; does he truly have the authority to decide Shen Liuli's marriage? What's the strangeness of this situation? However, Old Master Mo's suggestion isn't bad. In any case, he has already decided to settle down in the Northwest for the rest of his life. Since that's the case, it would be best to find a woman to marry in the Northwest, so that he would have more support in the future.
However, marriage is a serious matter and cannot be taken lightly. He must thoroughly investigate Shen Liuli's character and conduct before making a decision. Marriage will affect his happiness for a lifetime; he can't just agree to anything.
Jiang Chun pondered for a moment, then smiled and replied, "Grandpa Mo, please give me a month. I need to write home to confirm whether or not I've been engaged. Otherwise, if I have been engaged, that would be terrible! I will definitely come to the Mo residence in person to give you an answer after a month!"
Grandpa Mo wasn't angry at all, still smiling amiably: "Very well, marriage is a serious matter, and one must be careful." He guessed that Jiang Chun must want to investigate Liuli, which was good. If he had agreed to it right away, he wouldn't have felt comfortable letting Liuli marry him!
Jiang Chun: "Thank you for your understanding, sir. It's getting late, so I'll take my leave now. Thank you for your hospitality!"
Old Master Mo said, "It's already late afternoon, and it's winter. It will be dark in another hour. Besides, there's a steep mountain road on the way back to the camp. How about this, General, stay at the Mo residence and set off early tomorrow morning?"
Jiang Chun glanced at the sky and said without any hesitation, "Alright, I'll accept your offer. Thank you, sir!"
That night, Jiang Chun settled down at the Mo family's house.
The next morning, after breakfast, he bid farewell to Grandpa Mo.
Old Master Mo smiled and said, "The general saved Liuli and is a great benefactor of the Mo family. In order to repay the general's kindness, I have specially donated 30,000 shi of grain to the general as provisions for the Northwest Army."
Now, the marshal of the Northwest Army will be retiring in a few months, and Jiang Chun is the most popular candidate to succeed him. At this moment, the Northwest Army is short of food, and if Jiang Chun brings back 30,000 shi of grain this time, it will certainly be helpful for his promotion to marshal.
Upon hearing the old man's words, Jiang Chun felt a surge of joy and immediately bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you, sir. On behalf of the 100,000 Northwest Army soldiers, I thank you for your generosity!"
With the arrival of winter, the Northwest Army was facing a severe shortage of provisions. Although the imperial court had provided a substantial amount of pay, it was clearly insufficient when divided among 100,000 soldiers. Now, with these 30,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain, they no longer needed to worry. With the food problem solved, everything else could be addressed.
Grandpa Mo added, "Besides the grain, I also plan to donate 10,000 cotton-padded coats and 10,000 cotton quilts. These coats and quilts will be made with the best cotton, and will absolutely not be made with inferior or old cotton!"
Jiang Chun couldn't help but gasp. So many cotton-padded coats and quilts, all made of the finest cotton. How much money must have been spent? The Mo family truly lives up to their reputation as the foremost family in the Northwest; their wealth is undeniable!
However, could it be that Old Master Mo's move is to increase Shen Liuli's bargaining power, making it harder for him to give her up and thus agree to marry her? Otherwise, why didn't the Mo family donate grain and goods before? Oh, it's not that they haven't donated before, but the amount was not large.
Well, as long as Shen Liuli is truly a good person, marrying her isn't out of the question. Anyway, he was planning to marry and have children in the Northwest. If Shen Liuli is a good person, marrying her would solve the Northwest army's future problems.
Jiang Chun went ahead, and five days later, Mo Qi, the eldest grandson of Old Master Mo, personally escorted 10,000 shi of grain and 5,000 sets of cotton-padded coats to the Northwest Army Camp.
Mo Qi apologized to Jiang Chun, saying, "General, I'm very sorry, the remaining grain, cotton-padded coats, and quilts are currently being collected and will take some time to be delivered to the camp."
Jiang Chun waved his hand with a beaming smile: "It's alright. There's no way we could prepare so much food, quilts, and cotton-padded coats all at once. Thank you so much, you must be tired from your journey! I'll take you to see the Marshal right away."
Upon learning of the grain and cotton-padded coats, the marshal was both surprised and delighted. He saluted Moqi and repeatedly expressed his gratitude. He knew that he would be able to retire to his hometown next spring. He hoped to leave a good impression on his soldiers and the people before he departed.
The Mo family's actions were a godsend for him! The imperial court provided limited provisions, which were never enough each year, and the marshal had to raise some locally. Now that grain and cotton-padded coats had been delivered to his door, he was naturally overjoyed.
Moreover, the Mo family sent the gifts out of respect for Jiang Chun, which gave him even more reason to recommend Jiang Chun to the court as the next marshal! This young man, Jiang Chun, is both scholarly and martial, loyal to the emperor and patriotic, brave and resourceful, and is indeed the most suitable candidate for the next marshal.
However, several people have their eyes on the marshal's position. These individuals all come from formidable families. Compared to them, Jiang Chun has absolutely no advantage in terms of family background. If he were to ally himself with the Mo family, the marshal's position would be his for the taking!
The soldiers in the camp were overjoyed.
Now we don't have to worry about not having enough to eat or wear anymore!
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Chun received a reply from his father, who was in the capital and, as expected, had not yet arranged a marriage for him. Furthermore, the subordinate Jiang Chun had sent to investigate Shen Liuli's trusted aides reported back that Shen Liuli was indeed a good girl, excellent in both character and ability.
So Jiang Chun went to the Mo residence in person and told Old Master Mo, "My father has replied. He has not arranged a marriage for me in the capital. I came here today specifically to tell you in person that I am very willing to marry Miss Shen Liuli!"
Grandpa Mo clapped his hands and laughed: "Excellent! I like you very much as my grandson-in-law! Since that's the case, let's do it today! There's no need for anything too grand. You're in the military now, so let's keep it simple! Hmm, just buy Liuli a set of jewelry!"
Jiang Chun breathed a long sigh of relief after hearing the old man's words.
Keeping it simple is good! Otherwise, if he had to follow the rules of aristocratic families, he would be helpless. Firstly, he didn't have much savings and couldn't afford a grand celebration; secondly, he didn't have that much time and energy. Perhaps tomorrow, the Northwest Army would be facing a major battle.
"Grandpa, won't Miss Shen be unhappy if we do this? Also, Miss Shen is a member of the Shen family, should I go to the Shen family to place a small betrothal gift?" Jiang Chun had some questions in her mind, and after thinking about it, she still asked them.
Old Master Mo: "No need. Liuli now takes the surname Mo. She was adopted by my eldest son and is now the eldest daughter of the Mo family."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chun was extremely surprised: "Grandpa, what exactly happened? When did this happen?" The girl he was to be engaged to had been adopted, so of course he had to find out the truth. However, his subordinates, whom he had sent out, had not been able to find out anything about the adoption.
Grandpa Mo: "Just yesterday, I went to the Shen residence in person. Here's what happened: Liuli's birth mother passed away ten years ago, and her current mother is her stepmother. The reason Liuli was chased by bandits that day was because of her stepmother's poisoning."
"I have already ascertained the truth of this matter; there are witnesses and physical evidence. Originally, I intended to send that wicked woman to the authorities, but she had also given birth to two sons and a daughter. Liuli's father knelt down and begged for mercy, promising to send the wicked woman to the family temple, where she would never be allowed to leave. Furthermore, he promised to give Liuli to her maternal uncle for adoption, and only then did I relent."
Grandpa Mo had no granddaughters; all five of his sons had only sons, making the whole family extremely envious of those who had daughters. Back in the year Liuli's birth mother passed away, her maternal uncle wanted to adopt her, but her birth father resolutely refused. Despite this, for the past ten years, the Mo family had cherished Liuli like the apple of their eye. Everyone in the family, young and old, treated her exceptionally well, regarding her as their own granddaughter, daughter, and sister.
Hearing the old man's words, Jiang Chun was very happy.
He was naturally more than happy to avoid dealing with the Shen family. Shen Liuli's father was a notorious idiot in the Northwest, and Jiang Chun genuinely didn't want to associate with such a person. Jiang Chun had also met Old Master Mo's eldest son, the patriarch of the Mo family, who was a refined businessman with an excellent reputation.