The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 986 - 223: Enduring the Bitterest of the Bitter_4

Chapter 986: Chapter 223: Enduring the Bitterest of the Bitter_4

Xie Yi was tired for most of yesterday, and she also got up late today. She hurriedly got herself ready and went to the kitchen to cook, asking Sanshun to help her light the fire.

Xie Ze stood in the yard, dissatisfied.

Hearing the noise outside, Pei Wendong really wanted to continue being passive, not to care or ask anymore.

Xie Ze came to call him, "Brother Wendong! My sister has finished cooking!"

Hearing his strong dissatisfaction, Pei Wendong closed his eyes, took a breath, and got up, "Sorry, I overslept."

On the table, there were dishes of plain rice porridge, a plate of salted vegetables fried with pork, a plate of scrambled eggs, a plate of spicy and sour cabbage, a plate of tofu, and a basket of steamed buns.

Gone were the delicate and abundant steamed dumplings, buns, pancakes, soy milk, cow’s milk, and various tasty side dishes.

Xie Yi apologetically said that she could only make simple dishes, "I will learn the rest very soon."

"We should hire a cook woman for the house and buy a few people to do the heavy work. We can’t let my sister always do these rough tasks!" Xie Ze expressed his discontent.

Xie Yi kicked him and they were now depending on Pei Wendong for food and shelter. In this critical period, if they could not share the hardships with him, even this bit of goodwill would wear away. Once he succeeded, she wouldn’t have to worry about these household matters.

Pei Wendong looked at Xie Yi, "You’ve worked hard."

"I’m not suffering! ’One must endure the bitterest of the bitter to become a person above others.’ I’m willing to share the hardships with Brother Wendong!" Xie Yi expressed with a smile.

Xie Ze suppressed his dissatisfaction.

After the meal, Pei Wendong went out to find a broker to buy two old women for heavy household chores. Passing by the grain and oil store, he discovered that the price of grain had risen again. The price of servants, however, had gone down. Anything edible had gone up in price, and while other commodities could be compromised on, people cannot stop eating. The increase in the price of grain meant that meat and eggs were even more out of the question.

After some consideration, Pei Wendong only bought one old woman back home, "On regular days she’ll cook, do laundry, and other miscellaneous tasks can be done by Sanshun and Lv Hua."

Grandma Liu answered the call, surprised that it was Young Master Pei who had bought her, and why were Ms. Xie and Young Master Xie living in the house?

Worried that she might spread rumors or snoop around, Pei Wendong directly had Sanshun explain his and Xie Yi’s relationship to her, and ordered her to work diligently at home and serve well, or else she would be sold off to a mountainous area.

Only then did Grandma Liu understand, and she busily agreed and went to work in the kitchen.

While her cooking skills were said to be good, they were limited to making homestyle dishes, nowhere near as good as the cook specially found by Mo Heng. The same dishes came out tasting much worse.

Xie Ze no longer had any pocket money, not to mention buying new clothing for the change of seasons.

Knowing the household was short on money, while Sanshun was airing out Pei Wendong’s clothes, she picked out some that Pei Wendong rarely wore. Unwilling to throw them away, Grandma Liu mentioned that with the household’s tight finances, these fine clothes could be altered to fit Xie Ze.

Xie Yi then asked her to help, and she altered two sets of clothes for Xie Ze.

Xie Ze was unwilling to wear them; he had never worn someone else’s old clothes before, "With just a few boxes of clothes from Brother Wendong, we should really get ourselves a few new outfits to wear!"

The clothes belonging to Pei Wendong were all previously arranged by Pei Qin, Pei Yuan, and Pei Qian, with new ones for each season, thus accumulating several boxes.

Xie Yi also felt sorry for him and coaxed him for a while, "When we get our family’s property back, sister will get you several boxes of nice clothes! For now, we must endure the hardship!"

Thinking that she didn’t have any either, Xie Ze felt even more aggrieved. When would these difficult days ever end!?

Yet Xie Yi didn’t dare to complain. The entirety of the family’s livelihood was now pressing down on Pei Wendong’s shoulders, and this year he still had to prepare for the autumn imperial examinations. If he were to miss it, it would mean waiting another three years.

Pei Qin, on the other hand, wasn’t insistent that Pei Wendong must pass the exam, "If he doesn’t pass, he can just take it again next time. Without sufficient experience, how can he have the ability to be a politician!" Pei Wendong’s mentality required tempering. Otherwise, once he entered the officialdom, only death awaited him!

Currently, The Imperial Court was cleaning up the Ministry of Revenue, and more than half of the Ministry’s officials had been implicated, even extending to the Crown Prince himself. Xiao Guangmin had already been placed under house arrest in the Eastern Palace.

Xiao Guangbi had begun investigating this matter before Wa Ci entered the border, but there had never been a proper opportunity. Coupled with the chaos of battle once Wa Ci invaded, the investigation had been postponed until now. With the Emperor personally decreeing to reform the administrative conduct and with the state coffers depleted, the Ministry of Revenue was the first to be scrutinized. At this critical juncture, there was no way for the Crown Prince to hide and he must be brought down!

After he gathered more military funds and grain, he handed over the army to his uncle and Mo Heng. With military power in his hands, he was closer to that position!

However, the Crown Prince had been in his position for many years and had the support of Prince Yong’an and some senior chancellors. It wasn’t going to be easy to depose him. Xiao Guangbi didn’t employ Mo Heng’s gradual approach but instead consulted with his Advisors, looking to frame Xiao Guangmin with a different charge, one so serious that once he was decreed to be imprisoned, he would never come out.

The only crimes that could lead to the death of a Crown Prince of a country were treason and colluding with the enemy. However, these charges were difficult to ascribe. Since he was already the Crown Prince, and upon the Emperor’s passing he would ascend the throne, all he had to do was wait – there was no need for him to commit treason. And the charge of colluding with the enemy was even less credible; after ascending the throne, the whole land of Great Chu would be his, there would be no logic in him betraying his country.

After much thought, Xiao Guangbi decided he still needed to find Mo Heng.

When Mo Heng came to see him and heard him ask for a solution, observing his aggressive demeanor, Mo Heng offered no caution, "Treason and colluding with the enemy might be possible for others, but for the Crown Prince, they are impossible."

"What do you suggest, then?" Xiao Guangbi asked him. He wanted to see what other methods Mo Heng could come up with.

Mo Heng, with a cold press of his lips, said, "But there is one thing the Emperor abhors to the bone and views as a tremendous humiliation."

"The Southern Hunt!?" Xiao Guangbi asked in surprise.

Mo Heng nodded. Emperor Chu Wen regretted the trip for the Southern Hunt; he hadn’t agreed with it at the time but was persuaded by the chancellors to go south, and this became a source of undying resentment for Emperor Chu Wen, "What if the Crown Prince were the mastermind behind this? Even if there is no solid evidence."

Xiao Guangbi’s eyes lit up, and he curled his lips into a smirk, his effeminate face revealing a pleased and condescending smile, "Even if there is no solid evidence, the Emperor will loathe the Crown Prince, and as long as someone proposes deposing him, he will no longer object."

Mo Heng bowed, "Prince, you should make arrangements as soon as possible."

"Don’t worry. I have already taken steps to handle the issue of military funding and grain. You will certainly be leading the troops this time; just secure the military power in your own hands," Xiao Guangbi said, smiling. Everything was evolving in favor of his hopes. Speaking of leading the troops, Xiao Guangbi thought of Pei Qin and felt fortunate for having been quite kind to him in the past, for having won him and his wife over, and now they could serve his purposes.

After expressing concern for Pei Qin’s illness and mentioning Jiujiu, he reassured Mo Heng that he hadn’t forgotten what he had promised; Jiujiu’s future was to be as glorious as that of a Flying Phoenix. After seeing off Mo Heng, Xiao Guangbi quietly proceeded to the modest hall, "Jinhua..."

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