The Humble Family’s Daughter Has A Spatial Pocket!
Chapter 772 - 690: Countess of Shengping_1

Chapter 772: Chapter 690: Countess of Shengping_1

The shifting winds of Beijing were unknown to Taohua in Ningmen Prefecture, but when she learned from Yan Shouhou that they were to deliver military provisions again, Taohua was initially stunned. Upon asking for the reason behind it, the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curl upwards.

The opportunity she had been waiting for had finally come!

Taohua sought out Gu Jian: "Master, the Imperial Court is levying food again!"

Gu Jian had already learned from Dongli the previous day about the burning of the military provisions and had cursed Eighth Prince in his heart, while also pitying Xiaowu, the Emperor, for his tough rule.

Seeing that her master did not respond, Taohua felt compelled to walk up to him: "The common people have already paid their grain once; to levy it again would make their lives difficult."

Gu Jian sighed, "What can we do? We can’t let our soldiers go hungry in battle."

Taohua blinked, "Master, I have grain."

Gu Jian quickly looked up at his disciple and saw her eyes wide open as if the words ’I have ample grain’ were etched on her forehead, "So what?"

Taohua: "So... if I donate the grain, will the Emperor reward me?"

Gu Jian asked with a poker face, "What do you want?"

Taohua rarely squirmed, "Like... awarding me the title of a countess, could that be possible?"

Gu Jian was speechless, "You sure have set your sights on becoming a countess."

Taohua: "I can’t help it, Xiao Yeyang is a Prince’s son; if my status is too low, how will I cope with being bullied in the future?"

Gu Jian: "Who dares to bully you?"

Taohua: "Xiao Yeyang, or perhaps other people in Beijing. If I am just a Magistrate’s daughter, others will definitely look down on me."

Gu Jian countered: "Would that kid Yeyang dare to bully you?"

Taohua: "Not now, but what about the future? Who can tell with certainty?"

Gu Jian fell silent, "How much can you donate?"

Taohua gestured a ’1’ with her hand.

Considering the quantity of medicinal herbs the disciple had donated last time, Gu Jian’s heart fluttered as he looked at the index finger she had stretched out.

Dongli and Caiju, who were attending on the side, also sensibly remained quiet this time.

Taohua: "1 million bushels of grain for a countess title, the Emperor wouldn’t lose out, right?"

Hearing that Taohua truly intended to donate 1 million bushels of grain, Gu Jian and Dongli Caiju both turned their heads away at the same time.

After exhaling deeply, Gu Jian turned back to Taohua, "Prepare the grain, I will personally write to the Emperor."

Taohua’s face lit up with joy, "Then I’ll wait for Master’s good news."

...

Beijing.

Though various families eagerly donated grain, the amount needed for an army of hundreds of thousands was not small; furthermore, much of the aristocratic family’s grain still needed to be transported from various places, taking significant time to arrive—a luxury the border could not afford.

Just as the Emperor was worried about this issue, Gu Jian’s letter arrived.

After reading the letter, the Emperor let out a long sigh while seated on his throne, and after a while, he spoke to have Eunuch An prepare a blank imperial edict.

Eunuch An stood beside him, grinding ink, and watched as the Emperor wrote to confer the title of ’Countess of Shengping’ on Yan Yiyi, the eldest daughter of Magistrate Yan Zhigao of Ningmen Prefecture.

Eunuch An’s eyelids showed a flicker of surprise upon seeing this title.

The title ’Shengping’ was intended for bestowing on Princesses, and now it was being given to a countess!!!

The Emperor rewarding the eldest Yan Family daughter didn’t surprise him, considering the numerous merits she had previously obtained.

However, personally granting such a distinguished title, he was indeed taken aback.

After drafting the edict, the Emperor summoned Wei Qi, "Magistrate Yan Zhigao of Ningmen Prefecture has donated 1 million bushels of grain. You personally go to Zhongzhou, secretly transport the grain to the Northern Frontier, and remember, do not let the news leak."

He let out a cold laugh.

"Now that Old Eighth and the Tartars both know our army is short of food, this time I want to catch them off guard and deal with them both at once,"

One million stones of grain...

Eunuch An and Wei Qi exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in each other’s eyes.

One million stones of grain was no small amount; could the Yan Family be that adept at farming?

Last time the Yan Family donated medicinal herbs, the Emperor had people investigate the fields under the Yan Family’s name. Honestly, when compared to some aristocratic families, the Yan Family’s lands were not that extensive.

The Emperor handed the imperial decree to Wei Qi, "Give this decree to the old man; tell him not to act rashly for now. Wait until the Northern Frontier’s battle is settled; I will announce it in court."

...

Taohua Temple.

Wei Qi read the imperial decree to Daohua, who was kneeling on the ground. After finishing, he handed the decree to her and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Countess of Shengping."

Daohua happily took it and looked over the imperial decree several times to confirm she was now the Countess of Shengping, and her lips curved into a broad smile.

Wei Qi, anxious to transport the grain, quickly asked, "Countess, may I know where the grain is located?"

Still fixated on the imperial decree, Daohua didn’t even look up, "I’ll have a servant lead you there."

Yan Shouhou immediately stepped forward, gesturing for Wei Qi to follow him.

Seeing that neither Gu Jian nor Daohua intended to accompany him to handle the handover, Wei Qi felt a bit astonished by their composure given the volume of grain involved - a whole million stones of it.

Soon, Wei Qi left with the grain in tow.

Hurrying along, by mid-October, the grain was covertly delivered to the military camp.

Just as Prince Eight and the Tartars were contemplating how to force the Daxia army into capitulation by dragging out the conflict, the Jinling Guard and the army cooperated to launch a fierce attack on them.

By the end of October, the last city seized by Prince Eight, Dongqu City, was reclaimed, and Prince Eight hurriedly fled toward the Tartars Army camp with some of his confidants.

In early November, a face-off ensued between the Daxia Army and the Tartars Army, with the latter being defeated and pushed back.

Mid-November, the Tartars Army began their retreat.

This time, the Daxia Army didn’t cease hostilities after the Tartars Army retreated. Instead, they pursued the fleeing army, pressing all the way to the Tartars’ heartland—the location of the Tartar Imperial Court.

By the end of November, except for a few members of the Imperial Family who escaped to the colder north, most were captured or killed; the Tartar Imperial Palace was burned to the ground, marking the end of the Tartar Imperial Court.

News of these events spread back to Beijing, invigorating both officials and the public alike.

...

On the first day of December, the early court session was more lively than usual. The officials huddled in small groups, whispering among themselves.

"Who would have thought that the Northern Frontier conflict would conclude so swiftly!"

"Indeed, when the Emperor ordered the withdrawal of the decree to collect grain from the provinces, I thought a truce was imminent. Who knew that within the blink of an eye, both Prince Eight and the Tartar Imperial Court would be annihilated!"

"I heard someone secretly donated one million stones of grain."

"Who has such vast wealth and power?"

When the Emperor arrived with Eunuch An and saw the officials deep in discussion, in a good mood, he didn’t scold them. After listening for a while to the flattery and praise of the officials, he said:

"The swift conclusion of the conflict in the Northern Frontier was largely thanks to the one million stones of grain donated by the Magistrate of Ningmen Prefecture, Yan Zhigao. With that grain, our soldiers had the strength to charge into battle, quell the rebellion, and expel the Tartars."

With that, he glanced at Eunuch An.

Eunuch An immediately raised the imperial decree drafted in advance and began to read it aloud.

The decree contained two orders: one was to bestow the title of Countess of Shengping upon the oldest daughter of Magistrate Yan Zhigao of Ningmen Prefecture; the other was to promote Yan Zhigao to the Minister of Revenue.