Hearing footsteps, Pei Ying looked up from her study to see Huo Tingshan strolling in. She asked in surprise, "Why are you back so early today?"
He had left in the morning; when she woke up, he was already gone, having reportedly left the residence at dawn. Based on the pattern of the previous two days, he shouldn't have returned until after dinner. Yet here he was, back not long after noon.
"Finished my work, so I came back," he said with a smile.
Pei Ying studied Huo Tingshan's face. She didn't know when it started, but she was becoming increasingly adept at reading his subtle shifts in mood. Sometimes this man smiled without truly being in good spirits, but right now, his cheerfulness seemed genuine.
Some good news?
Curious, Pei Ying asked, "What happened? Did the shipbuilding progress far exceed expectations?"
Huo Tingshan sat down beside her. "The shipbuilding is progressing a bit faster than I imagined, but I wouldn't say it's far exceeding expectations. The order for one hundred ships was calculated tightly from the start. If that Shi Xiangsong truly had the capability to produce them all in one go, he wouldn't be merely serving as the Governor of Luoyang."
"Then just tell me directly. I can't guess," Pei Ying gave up trying.
Huo Tingshan didn't keep her in suspense any longer. "Previously, I forced that old fox Shi Xiangsong to cut ties with the Inspector, Liao Pingwei. Whether it's because Shi's old age has made him timid or because he fears for his youngest son who's in my custody, he complied obediently..."
Here, Huo Tingshan let out a light chuckle, though the mirth in his eyes faded somewhat. "Liao Pingwei is an Inspector sent from Chang'an. Even though he's been in Luoyang for years, I don't believe he's completely severed his connections with the capital. By forcing Shi Xiangsong and others to isolate him, Liao Pingwei predictably grew restless."
Pei Ying understood. He wanted to follow the trail and flush out the Chang'an forces hidden within Luoyang.
They had newly gained control of Sizhou, nominally marking the territory as theirs. However, numerous "nails" remained embedded in dark corners, belonging to various factions—some from Chang'an, some local to Luoyang, and others from different provinces.
Liao Pingwei had been in Luoyang for many years. Investigating outward from him as the center would likely take until next spring and still easily miss minor players. It was far better to lure the snake out of its hole, letting him seek out those "nails" himself.
"So, how many have you caught this time?" Pei Ying knew he had people watching Liao Pingwei for a while now.
Huo Tingshan gave a cold laugh. "About a dozen. Surprisingly, nearly half of them are women."
This habitual use of female agents was strikingly similar to the methods of that Ji fellow in Chang'an.
"Finding them is what matters," Pei Ying consoled him.
"I suspect there are more than a dozen; some remain undiscovered. But no matter, this matter isn't urgent." Huo Tingshan's gaze drifted downward, landing on the desk.
He saw a wooden tray holding some nearly white granules. "My lady, what is this?"
He not only looked but also reached out to pinch some between his fingers.
They weren't very hard and could be crushed completely with some pressure.
Pei Ying explained, "This is natural soda ash. It was just delivered from Yuzhou today. Chen Yuan wasn't entirely sure if it was the correct substance, so he specifically sent it back for me to examine."
Huo Tingshan, of course, remembered the "alkali." Back then, she had secluded herself for days, exhausting her efforts to create something called "alkali," only to become frustrated when limited conditions made it impossible to produce independently.
Later, she abandoned making it and switched to sourcing the raw material from elsewhere.
"It seems you've found it," Huo Tingshan said, bringing it to his nose but detecting no scent. "Now that you have the soda ash, what other raw materials do you still need, my lady?"
"None," Pei Ying shook her head, then picked up a brush and paper. "Write a letter to Chen Yuan for me, telling him to bring his men back."
The writing system of this era still felt somewhat unfamiliar to her. Copying was no issue, but when she had to write herself, she always worried about missing a stroke or a dot.
Huo Tingshan took up the brush, looking as if he were about to compose a lengthy missive. Pei Ying thought he would write a lot, but it was just two characters.
Return immediately.
Pei Ying: "..."
"Don't you have any other instructions for Chen Yuan? He is in Yuzhou now, where it would be convenient for him to act—perhaps to visit Governor Lei of Yuzhou or something," Pei Ying muttered.
Huo Tingshan let the ink dry, then sealed the letter. "Luoyang isn't far from Yingchuan Commandery in Yuzhou. Communication is quite convenient. There's no need for Chen Yuan to handle other matters."
He paused, then added, "If that lad doesn't return soon, the little girl might start resenting me, her father..."
Before he could finish, Huo Tingshan was met with a glare.
"Fine, I won't say it," he stopped, but only for a few seconds before continuing, "Since my lady dislikes Chen Yuan, I should share your sentiment. When Chen Yuan returns, I'll send him to guard the Chenyuan Pass in Jingzhou."
Pei Ying frowned delicately. "I do not dislike Chen Yuan. On the contrary, he is more outstanding than many men—steady, reliable, and solid. His family rule of not taking concubines before marriage is rare nowadays, and he doesn't seem like a man overly fond of female company."
Huo Tingshan: "..."
Unaware of the sudden excessive quietness beside her, Pei Ying continued, "I'm only concerned about the ten-year age gap between him and Nannan. In all likelihood, he will pass away before her. The one who goes first feels nothing, but the one left behind must endure the rest of their life filled with longing and memories."
"My lady makes a valid point," the man said, twisting the thumb ring on his finger. "My lady, I have an idea. Perhaps we could try it."
Pei Ying instantly grew wary. "Huo Tingshan, I'm telling you seriously, don't come up with any reckless ideas."
After their daughter was brought back, she hadn't failed to notice the increased closeness between Nannan and Chen Yuan. Seeing it all, Pei Ying felt utterly helpless. Fear of making things worse was one reason; another was her own internal conflict.
With all other aspects being so suitable, should a significant age difference alone become an obstacle?
If Nannan missed out on Chen Yuan, might she become melancholy later, perhaps even leading to a sorrowful decline...
Just thinking about it made Pei Ying's head throb.
"Whether it's reckless or not, my lady might as well hear me out first," Huo Tingshan said leisurely. Seeing her give a slight nod, he continued, "Didn't a group of young lads around ten years old recently arrive at the residence? They are close in age to our little girl. Ming Ji has been overseeing them these past few days. Starting this afternoon before dinner, let's have our daughter join in supervising them as well. After all, with her tutor absent recently, her lessons are far fewer than before."
Pei Ying understood.
He was proposing a different approach: letting their daughter interact more with other young gentlemen.
"That could work," Pei Ying mused, nodding. "She usually has no chance to meet boys her own age. This is indeed an opportunity."
Huo Tingshan tore the envelope he had just filled into two pieces and took out a new sheet of paper. Since they were going to cultivate their relationship, it was not suitable to tell Chen Yuan to "return quickly".
Huo Tingshan wrote a new letter and assigned an additional task to Chen Yuan.
Pei Ying looked at the wooden plate filled with soda ash on the table, lost in thought.
Although the large - scale transportation of soda ash hadn't been completed yet, the dozens of catties that had been brought back for her to examine were already in hand. Perhaps she could try to make glass first...
Suddenly, Huo Tingshan said, "By the way, my lady, how about setting Mingji's wedding on the Beginning of Autumn next year?"
Pei Ying snapped back to reality. "Next year's Beginning of Autumn means there's still more than a year to go. That's great. Should the wedding be held in Youzhou?"
Huo Tingshan stroked his chin. "Let's see."
Although Youzhou was his stronghold, as his territory continued to expand, he needed to continuously send his trusted subordinates to various places to ensure that no one would collude in secret and cause trouble.
*
The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon states: "In the three months of autumn, this is called the season of balance. The weather turns brisk, and the earth's qi becomes clear. Go to bed early and get up early, rising with the rooster. Keep your mind calm to ease the harshness of autumn. Gather your spirit to make the qi of autumn balanced. Don't let your mind wander outside to keep your lungs clear. This is the way to respond to the qi of autumn and the principle of nourishing and harvesting." In general, autumn is a season for health - keeping.
Therefore, radishes, Chinese yams, and winter melons, these nourishing and mild foods, have been added to the dinner table for three consecutive days.
Today was no exception. Meng Ling'er looked at the familiar ingredients and somehow felt her mouth was a bit tasteless. She asked in confusion, "Could it be that radishes have been in a glut recently, so they're on sale? Did the kitchen staff couldn't resist buying a few baskets?"
Huo Mingji had the same doubt.
In response, Pei Ying gave a reasonable explanation: "Autumn is a season for health - keeping. As the saying goes, nourish yin in autumn and winter. When else should we pay attention to our diet if not now?"
The two young people fell silent.
Since their protest was in vain, they had to eat radishes again.
"Nannan, you don't have many schoolwork recently. Do you want to do something else?" Pei Ying changed the topic.
Meng Ling'er asked, "Something else? What do you mean, mother?"
Pei Ying carefully chose her words: "There are a group of young gentlemen in the mansion. They are all the sons of officials in Luoyang City. They came to the mansion as guests a few days ago, and currently your elder brother is entertaining them. Since you're free, you can join your elder brother in entertaining the guests."
Meng Ling'er remembered the "donkey" and "mule" she saw in the courtyard at noon, as well as the young gentleman who spoke rudely to her and was later punched hard by her elder brother.
Well, entertaining guests.
Meng Ling'er: "..."
After Pei Ying finished speaking, she noticed that her daughter's expression was a bit strange. Her heart skipped a beat. Why did Nannan react like this? Could it be that she had met those young boys before?
The family members didn't eat separately during meals. The four of them sat around the table. Pei Ying was sitting next to Huo Tingshan. Seeing the atmosphere becoming strange, she gently nudged him with her leg under the table.
Huo Tingshan understood her meaning and calmly said, "Although it's called entertaining guests, you don't need to be so polite to them. The fathers of these people are not very convinced of me. Keeping these young gentlemen in the mansion this time is also as hostages. As long as you keep them alive, you can do whatever you want. You can handle it as you see fit."
Pei Ying: "..."
Huo Tingshan was very straightforward.
Different from Pei Ying, he never regarded the younger members of the family as children. They were not five or six - year - olds. They were all in their teens or twenties and should have their own judgment.
Meng Ling'er nodded. "Okay, father."
After assigning a small task to their daughter, the couple went to do other things.
The matter of ship - building had been entrusted to Governor Shi and a group of people, so they didn't need to worry about it for the time being. As for steel - making, this was a top - level secret and was not suitable to be handed over to others. It was all taken care of by trusted subordinates.
Huo Tingshan went to the steel - making workshop every other day, and spent the rest of the time leading the troops in the water.
Pei Ying set her sights on glass - making.
Now that the raw materials were all available, it was time to start trying step by step. She only knew the types of raw materials, but she wasn't very clear about the proportion of each raw material. She could only explore slowly.
In order to increase the steel production as much as possible, several newly - built and heavily - guarded steel - making workshops were opened on the outskirts of Luoyang City. Pei Ying randomly chose one to make glass.
The couple resumed their early - to - bed, early - to - rise routine.
One day, not long after Huo Tingshan and Pei Ying left the Governor's Mansion, a group of caravans entered Luoyang City through the east gate in an orderly manner.
The man in the lead had a handsome and solemn face, and rarely smiled. He was riding a tall horse, and the carriages behind him were lined up like a long snake.
The city guards looked at the visitor's clothing and then carefully examined the token in his hand. They didn't dare to stop him at all and quickly let him into the city.
At this time, a gust of wind blew, and a corner of the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing that the carriage was filled with stones.
After this caravan entered the city, the guards who came to relieve their shift turned around and looked behind, but they only saw the end of the carriages. One of them wondered, "Who are they?"
Another guard laughed. "Look at what you're saying. This is Luoyang City, the Luoyang City of the great general. Who else could enter the city swaggeringly?"
The other guard scratched his head. "You're right."
Chen Yuan led the team back to the Governor's Mansion and entered through the side door. Since the marriage alliance between Youzhou and Yuzhou was approaching, Chen Yuan's trip to Yuzhou had gone smoothly. After receiving a new task later, Yuzhou also provided all - out assistance, so he returned earlier than expected.
Chen Yuan arranged for the unloading.
The things brought back were all ores, which were very heavy. It was not practical to carry them by manpower. So Chen Yuan ordered people to find a flatbed cart and connect it to the carriage with a wooden board, then pushed the stones inside to roll down obliquely.
Just as he finished unloading one carriage, a guard came over and whispered to Chen Yuan, "Lord Chen."
Chen Yuan turned to look and recognized the person. His name was Cui Zihao, a soldier he had personally trained. This person had also accompanied him to find the young lady before. "What's the matter?"
Cui Zihao lowered his voice and said, "Lord Chen, the young lady is now at the training ground in the northwest corner."
Chen Yuan raised his eyebrows imperceptibly.
Cui Zihao looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, and then continued, "Some time ago, the great general captured a group of sons of eunuchs and detained them in the mansion. They are all teenagers in their sixteenth or seventeenth years. They are trained like dogs every day. Originally, this matter was handled by the eldest young master, but a few days ago, the young lady was also involved..."
At the end, Cui Zihao paused and lowered his voice even more. "I've passed by that training ground several times during my patrols and saw a fair - faced young gentleman constantly approaching the young lady."
Cui Zihao glanced at the person in front of him and said, "The work of unloading the stones is simple. I can help Lord Chen keep an eye on things here."
Chen Yuan didn't say anything else. He just patted Cui Zihao on the shoulder and then turned around and walked towards the northwest direction of the mansion.
