The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 1004 - 983: Admitting Mistake (Extra - for reader "sheryn" as a reward)

Chapter 1004: Chapter 983: Admitting Mistake (Extra Chapter for reader "sheryn" as a reward)

After Yin Huo had walked a good distance away, Old Madam Yin glared at her granddaughters and said, "From now on, don’t speak such words in front of Qilang. He has finally made a friend with great difficulty."

"But one should still see whether this friend is sincere or not, right?" Eldest Sister Yin said.

Old Madam Yin’s face was expressionless as she replied, "Whether it’s sincere or not, as long as the other party isn’t unreasonable, I am willing to indulge him."

"Grandmother..."

Old Madam Yin then slapped her thigh in frustration and said, "How many years does your brother have left to live? He’s never had friends, and now what’s wrong with letting him have a few happy years?"

At that, Eldest Sister Yin fell silent.

Old Madam Yin, holding her forehead, said, "My head is feeling a bit dizzy now; I cannot eat, and I wouldn’t want to spoil your appetites. You sisters go eat on your own."

Eldest Sister Yin glanced at her second and third sisters and hurriedly asked, "Grandmother, shouldn’t we wait for Father to dine with us?"

"Your father has been impeached and has already lost three months of his salary. The Emperor is very angry and has sent him on a temporary assignment. He left this morning and will probably not return until a month or two later."

Eldest Sister Yin was stunned. "Father is the Prefect of the Capital; how can he leave the capital?"

"The Prefect of the Capital is temporarily being handled by Lord Cheng," Old Madam Yin said, glancing at them with disapproval. "This is all because of the trouble you three sisters have caused!"

Eldest Sister Yin collapsed onto a chair, murmuring, "That can’t be right; we haven’t committed any serious offenses. In the past, people who trampled on the young crops while riding horses only got a few whacks at most..."

Meanwhile, the Emperor had just received a message from the courier station. After Ancient Zhong handed it over and the Emperor gave a small nod, Ancient Zhong opened it and, after a brief look, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Yin has changed course and is now headed west."

Ancient Zhong spread out the note for the Emperor to glance over. After the Emperor gave a slight nod of approval, Ancient Zhong burned it on the spot.

Having finished reviewing the documents in his hand, the Emperor finally set down his pen and said, "Given Shoujie’s travel speed, he could arrive in less than half a month, but with the speed of marching troops and accounting for recruitment, it will take at least two months."

The Emperor calculated, "After two months, it will be October..."

It would just be past the Empress Dowager’s birthday.

The Emperor lowered his eyes in thought, then stood up and said, "Let’s go; I will visit the Empress’s palaces."

"Yes."

Outside the palace, the sky was suffused with a rosy glow, the horizon dotted with patches of orange, which painted the clouds in various pleasing shapes.

The Emperor couldn’t help but stop walking to look up at the clouds for a good while.

Manbao was also standing at her doorstep, neck craned to watch the clouds until she noticed the carriage halt in front of her. Only then did she bring her gaze down from the sky and asked the two people who jumped down from the carriage, "What took you so long? I thought you’d fled in fear of punishment."

Bai Shan replied, "He’s the one fleeing in fear of punishment; why would I flee with him?"

"Because you’re an accomplice!"

Carrying his book basket inside, Bai Shan said, "Impossible. We simply lost track of time talking."

Manbao then said, "I do believe in you, but Mr. Zhuang may not be very convinced."

Bai Erlang took a deep breath and said, "I’ve already discussed it with Shanbao; we’re going to stage a ’bitter ploy’. I’m going to kneel in the study and apologize to the teacher in a short while."

"That may not be possible now," Manbao said. "The teacher is out in the courtyard at this moment. If you’re going to kneel, it will have to be in the courtyard."

Bai Erlang’s mouth fell open in shock, and he turned to look at Bai Shan.

Bai Shan patted his shoulder and said, "Anyway, the sun isn’t that scorching anymore, there’s only the evening sun. Aside from a little discomfort from the ground heat, there are no other problems."

Manbao thought seriously for a moment, then gave Bai Erlang a piece of advice. "Later, don’t kneel on the stone slabs, kneel on the dirt. There might be some tiny stones, but it’s actually better than the stone slabs, which are too hard."

"Now that I think about it, it seems kneeling in the courtyard is better than kneeling in the study room," Bai Shan said as he and Manbao walked shoulder to shoulder toward the second courtyard, leaving Bai Erlang staggering like a weed ravaged by the wind, utterly stunned.

Once they entered the second courtyard, Manbao suddenly remembered something. "Oh right, your elder brother came too. As soon as he arrived, he bowed to the teacher to express his thanks, saying how grateful he was for the teacher’s supervision and education and that he’d report the matter to your father."

Bai Shan then turned around and looked at him with sympathy, "It’s over for you, the pocket money you just got back is going to vanish again."

Tears almost burst from Bai Erlang’s eyes.

Previously, because they owned a small farm and the income was not bad, Old Master Bai saw that his three children were so ruthless, going to Yizhou City to study and still competing with him in business. Moreover, since Bai Shan and Manbao were both using their own earned money for their studies, Old Master Bai followed suit with the other two households and made Bai Erlang pay for his own expenses. His pocket money and the cost of living and accommodation disappeared.

At that time, however, Bai Erlang didn’t care much, as he was making a decent amount and didn’t spend much.

Even with the high cost of living in Yizhou City, it was still within his means.

But it was different when he arrived in the capital. Not to mention the food, but the living expenses were several times more expensive than in Yizhou City.

Old Master Bai also felt that it wasn’t good to put such a heavy burden on his youngest son. Plus, with the youngest son being able to attend the Six Academies, he could wake from his sleep smiling.

The eldest son was also studying in the capital; he couldn’t let the two sons differ too much. Otherwise, it would make the children uncomfortable knowing about it.

So, with a wave of his hand, Old Master Bai reinstated Bai Erlang’s living expenses and pocket money, albeit a little less than what Bai Dalang received.

Old Master Bai had also made it clear to Bai Erlang; firstly because he was younger, he would have fewer social engagements than his elder brother; secondly, he had the earnings from the small farm, which his elder brother did not.

Although it was less than what Bai Dalang received, it was still a considerable amount, especially since Old Master Bai gave it all at once for three months, making the sum even more significant.

The thought alone made Bai Erlang feel a pain in his chest.

Upon reaching the backyard and seeing the teacher and his elder brother sitting at a stone table drinking tea, Bai Erlang knelt on one knee on the ground, following Manbao’s suggestion. He carefully felt the ground and, aside from the small stones poking him, it was indeed much softer than kneeling on the stone slabs.

Mr. Zhuang and Bai Dalang both turned their heads to look at him.

Bai Erlang said with a pained expression, "Teacher, elder brother, I know I was wrong."

Bai Dalang glanced at Mr. Zhuang but said nothing.

Mr. Zhuang put down his teacup and asked, "What did you do wrong?"

"I shouldn’t have gone to gamble on games, even if it was a match, I shouldn’t have bet."

Mr. Zhuang snorted coldly, "Now it’s not a sophisticated affair?"

Bai Erlang hung his head deeply.

Mr. Zhuang said, "What the Emperor likes, the Emperor also likes cockfighting, do you want to go cockfighting as well? Do you know how many families have been ruined and lives lost because of cockfighting? If the Emperor were also as addicted to gambling on games and cockfighting as you gamblers, do we even need this court, do we even need this country?"

Manbao couldn’t help but mutter, "This Emperor is really bad, how can he keep doing these no-good things? He’s completely spoiled the customs among the people..."

Mr. Zhuang glared at Manbao, "Shut your mouth, although the court does not limit the speech of the people, you can’t speak of the Emperor like that, do you understand?"

"Why not? Isn’t it said that everyone can advise His Majesty?"

"Because you can’t see the Emperor. Your advice will first be heard by his minions. He might listen to your advice, but his minions might not be happy to hear these. Besides, you’re not even a person with official rank, not even a scholar. You better speak less of such words outside."

Manbao quietly replied, "Alright, I’ll remember, teacher."

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