allonlinenovel Chapter 267 I've Heard of It
Chapter 267 I've Heard of It
After Shen Ruyi and her son calmed down, old Marquis Shen called Qin Ruo and the others to his side with a trembling voice and looked at them carefully again.
The word "grandfather" just now made Old Lord Shen very happy.
Before coming here, he didn't dare to hope that the Qin family's children could recognize Ruyi. He even less dared to hope that the siblings could recognize him as their grandfather.
After all, what Mrs. Shen and her son and his wife had done made him lose face.
He just wanted to apologize to the Qin children in person and express his gratitude to Old Lady Qin.
Last night, his son Shen Junling emphasized the character of his granddaughter several times.
My granddaughter is different from ordinary girls. She is a capable person and has her own opinions. She has a somewhat cold personality, so don't offend her.
Old Lord Shen did not expect that Qin Ruo was willing to put aside her grudges and accept them.
"Ruo'er, don't worry. Grandfather will certainly give you an explanation for what the Shen family did in the past. Grandfather would also like to thank you for your noble act on behalf of the soldiers at the border. With the seedlings you donated, our granary at the border finally has a surplus." The look that old Marquis Shen cast on Qin Ruo was filled with pride and guilt.
Speaking of Old Marquis Shen, when he didn't know the relationship between Qin Ruo and the Shen family, he could be considered to have "known" Qin Ruo.
After the beginning of spring this year, the Ninth Prince ordered people to secretly send a batch of food and fodder, as well as seedlings of new grain and the medicines that were most in need at the border.
The batch of sweet potato seedlings sent to the border after the spring brought a bumper harvest this year, and the granary finally had a surplus.
When the Ninth Prince sent someone to deliver food and seeds, he mentioned the girl who presented the new food and seeds in the letter, praising her highly.
He even said meaningfully that if Lord Shen ever met this girl, he would certainly appreciate her talent and courage.
Later he received news that the girl had been conferred the title of princess by the emperor.
On the way back to Beijing, I received a secret letter from Shen Junling.
Only then did Old Marquis Shen know that Ruyi had drifted to Taihe County, got married and had three children.
And the girl who donated the seedlings and medicinal herbs, who was personally conferred a princess by the emperor, was actually his granddaughter.
Old Lord Shen felt an indescribable sense of pride, and was also pleased with what Qin Ruo had done.
The living conditions of soldiers on the border were difficult. When there was no time to rest from the fighting, both generals and soldiers would farm and raise crops themselves to store food for the army.
Having stayed at the border for such a long time, Lord Shen knew very well the importance of food.
Every year, asking the imperial court for food and fodder was a tug-of-war.
The Ministry of Revenue has been complaining about being poor, and the food and military pay sent to the border every year are either late or in small quantities.
Even the Emperor always looked embarrassed, saying that the national treasury was empty and there was really no other way, so he let Old Marquis Shen think of a solution himself.
What can Lord Shen do?
Even if the entire Wu'an Marquis Mansion was filled up, it would still not be able to support tens of thousands of soldiers at the border.
There is a shortage of everything at the border, and the life of the soldiers in the army is particularly difficult.
The grain harvest was low, and when there was no war, we could still barely get by if we ate sparingly.
If we encounter a strong enemy, we can only go into battle on an empty stomach.
In the past, due to the infighting among the princes, they were so cruel as to tamper with the food and fodder.
That year, the enemy invaded, and the Black Canyon War in Dasheng lasted for three months.
However, the food and grass had not arrived yet. Although Lord Shen and his son sent urgent letters back to the capital urging for food and grass and additional support, there was no reply.
The other side knew for sure that Dasheng had run out of food and supplies, so they adopted the wheel tactic in an attempt to trap them.
At that time, the soldiers were hungry, tired and exhausted. In the end, they had to kill their horses with tears to replenish their energy.
Just when everyone was in despair, the Ninth Prince sent someone to secretly deliver food and fodder.
He also personally led a group of elite soldiers to support them and help them break out of the siege. At that time, the Ninth Prince was only fourteen years old.
Although the battle was eventually won, there were countless casualties. Even Lord Shen and his son were seriously injured and almost lost half their lives.
What disappointed Old Marquis Shen was the delay in the arrival of food and reinforcements, and the final result of the Emperor's handling of the matter was just to push out a few insignificant scapegoats.
The prince, the culprit who caused the tragedy, received no punishment at all.
The partners who once fought side by side became dead souls buried on the battlefield because of the struggle for imperial power.
It was at that time that old Marquis Shen became completely disappointed with Emperor Jing Zhao.
Soldiers can die on the battlefield, but they cannot lose their lives in such a depressing way.
He is a loyal minister, but not blindly loyal.
Since the monarch is unkind, there is no need for the ministers to be blindly loyal to him.
After experiencing that tragic war, Lord Shen did not want to see the soldiers who were protecting the country's peace repeat the tragedy of the past.
He was deeply aware that under the current situation, only self-sufficiency could ensure the survival of the soldiers at the critical moment.
Among the current princes, only the Ninth Prince cares about the people and soldiers.
He is loyal to the emperor, but only to a wise emperor.
Emperor Jing Zhao was no longer just the passionate young emperor he was in his youth.
Today, he is scheming, suspicious and cruel, and has lost his former wisdom.
It was from that year that he and Si Heng secretly reached an agreement, which meant that the Shen family officially stood on the side of the Ninth Prince.
Of course, Old Marquis Shen knew that Shen Junling was Si Heng's man.
In the following years, the border was peaceful, with only a few conflicts occasionally occurring, but they were merely tests by foreign enemies.
As for the imperial court, it almost stopped supplying food and fodder to the generals at the border.
It takes a thousand days to maintain an army, but only a moment to deploy it. The memorials submitted for food and fodder were also frequently rejected.
Fortunately, Si Heng has been secretly supporting me over the years, so I can still get by.
Coming back to hand in the tiger talisman this time was something that I had already discussed with Si Heng. The turbulent situation in the capital was just a temporary avoidance.
The soldiers at the border are all people who have been through life and death together, and the main generals are his confidants. The prestige of Lord Shen and his son is much more effective than the tiger talisman.
"Ruo'er, your grandfather will always remember everything you have done for the soldiers on the border." Tears glistened in old Lord Shen's eyes.
"Grandfather, I dare not take credit for it. It was purely unintentional. It is my honor to have contributed to the soldiers at the border."
When Qin Ruo heard Lord Shen mention the new grain seedlings, she suddenly realized.
After the beginning of spring, Si Heng proposed to purchase a batch of new grain seedlings.
When she learned that she was sent to the border, she also heard that life there was even harder.
Qin Ruo didn't think much about it and got a batch for Si Heng, which were soaked in spiritual spring water to ensure the yield of the seedlings.
She did not take a penny for the batch of seedlings, and in addition she also gave away a large number of commonly used medicinal herbs.
I didn't expect that it was delivered to the hands of Marquis Shen.
Shen Junling is from the Dark Pavilion, and that batch of seedlings was delivered to the old Marquis Shen.
Qin Ruo thought about it and understood that Wu'an Marquis Mansion was now an ally of Si Heng.