The eldest princess is obsessed with rebellion, but there are six male protagonists

The person who came was Wutong’s old acquaintance, the former Old Man Qian, now Qian Qianhu.

Since Old Man Qian followed the princess last year, he has been doing great things such as saving the emperor and killing Zuo Xian Wang. In less than a year, his ancestral tomb caught fire and he rose rapidly from a low-ranking postman to a captain of the fifth rank in the imperial court.

When they were chasing Zuo Xian Wang last year, Old Man Qian was eager to make a contribution. He was old but still strong. As the scout at the front of the team, he ran the fastest and rushed the hardest. He ran straight into Zuo Xian Wang's team, but was outnumbered and was injured.

If General Shen had not arrived in time, Old Man Qian would have almost died there.

In addition, Old Man Qian was old, so after leaving the battlefield, Shen Quan let him go home to recuperate and heal his injuries first.

After the New Year, Old Man Qian recovered from his injuries and wanted to go out of retirement. He asked General Shen, but it turned out that he only had routine defense for the time being and there was no battlefield to go to.

Ah, it would be better to follow the mission assigned by the princess.

Old Man Qian felt unsatisfied, so he asked his eldest nephew to help him write a letter to Su Fengyi, wanting to ask the eldest princess if there was any job he could do for her.

Some time ago, there was turmoil in the court, so Su Fengyi did not let him come. Now that the confrontation between the emperor and the court officials has come to an end temporarily, Su Fengyi wrote back and asked him if he was still willing to go on a long journey?

Qian Qianhu, who was bored at home, was naturally very willing to do so. He received the letter and decided to come to the capital on the same day.

Since he was going to visit the princess, he couldn't come empty-handed. Qian Qian picked the four fattest sheep in his family, hitched a ox cart, brought some dry food, filled his water bag, put on a cloak, and headed for the capital.

It took less than a quarter of an hour from the time I read the letter and prepared to go out to the time I packed up and actually went out.

Qian Qian told Wutong at noon that he would make a whole roasted lamb for her, and he would never repeat his words overnight. The lamb that hit Wutong was killed that day and roasted on the spot. When Wutong ate the roasted lamb, the sun had not yet set.

Then Qian Qian realized that Su Fengyi, as the eldest princess, could not do the same thing as them, eating the lamb leg. If the eldest princess could not eat it, then the sheep he brought from Xuancheng hundreds of miles away as a tribute to his loyalty would be basically in vain.

Wutong, who was soft-hearted, gave him some advice and taught Qian Qianhu in detail how to do his job.

She took a particularly elegant plate, put emerald green leaves underneath it, and then cut off the most colorful slices of the roasted lamb, making each slice the same size. She then selected the most evenly-proportioned dozen slices, arranged them beautifully on the plate, put them in a food box, and then asked Qian Qianhu to bring it to Su Fengyi.

Su Fengyi received Qian Qianhu in the study. After tasting the food, she praised his cooking skills and asked about the health of his family members. Then she told him his job:

"In a few days, Baiguo will follow the Ministry of Revenue's team to Shaanxi and Gansu to check the granaries. Your mission is to escort Baiguo to Shaanxi and Gansu, protect her safety, and then send her back safely after checking the granaries."

This is what the princess meant by going on a long journey. It doesn't sound particularly exciting, but Qian Qianhu accurately grasped the key point of the princess' words:

"It's fine if it's on the surface, but what do we actually do?"

The princess gave Qian Qianhu a sign for the secret connection:

"In fact, when you arrive in Shaanxi and Gansu, find a Madam Yin and help her investigate the rampant banditry in Shaanxi and Gansu."

Xiu Gu’s husband’s surname is Yin, and his hometown is also in Shaanxi and Gansu.

After bringing Xiaohu back to her hometown in Shaanxi and Gansu last year, Xiu Gu changed her name to Mrs. Yin and sent news to Su Fengyi via a letter every half a month.

Because at the beginning, Su Fengyi did not give her a clear mission. Xiu Gu's purpose in passing on the message was to maintain her relationship with the princess and leave a way out for Xiao Hu, so the messages she passed on were all over the place.

Basically, whatever was wrong happening around her, or whatever she thought was wrong, as long as it was something that the princess might be interested in, Xiu Gu would write about it.

For example, in recent years, banditry has suddenly become rampant in Shaanxi and Gansu. When the government goes to suppress the bandits, the bandits run away. When the government leaves, the bandits come back. The government suppresses bandits every year, but the banditry increases. Something is very wrong.

After the death of Luo Min, the Minister of Rites, Su Fengyi recalled the letter Xiu Gu had written to her, and asked Xue Yu to send her a copy of the memorials sent by Lord Luo, the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu in previous years, as well as the memorials on the suppression of bandits in various places.

During the years that Lord Luo served as the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, he submitted many memorials about suppressing bandits, but he basically only talked about two things.

First, it costs money. Going out to suppress bandits requires men, horses, carriages, food and fodder, all of which are expenses. The court cannot save money, so it has to pay for it.

The second is to ask for merit. Every time we suppressed bandits, we won a great victory, but there were also casualties. We asked the court to give us rewards and pensions.

Compared with the reports on suppressing bandits submitted by other provincial governors, Lord Luo's suppression of bandits was more frequent, involved more casualties, and was particularly costly.

In the Shaanxi-Gansu region, one-tenth of the annual tax revenue is spent on suppressing bandits.

So either the people in Shaanxi and Gansu are so tough and being a bandit in Shaanxi and Gansu is so promising that people keep coming forward to join the bandit cause, or the bandit problem itself is just weird.

Qian Qian is so helpful in finding cattle and sheep, the emperor, and Zuo Xian Wang, so it probably shouldn't be that difficult for him to find a bandit's lair.

Su Fengyi specifically reminded him:

"The mission I'm giving you this time is to find out what's behind these bandits who are entrenched in the Shaanxi-Gansu region and come and go without a trace. I'm not asking you to go and eliminate the bandits, so don't act rashly.

I will send twenty palace soldiers to accompany you. Don't forget that your mission is to protect Bai Guo and return safely together."

Captain Qian promised with confidence. After a few days, Su Fengyi's men and the men arranged by Lord Xu met up and went to Shaanxi and Gansu.

After Baiguo left, Wutong and others stopped being distracted and focused on preparing for the college entrance examination in May.

On the day when the results of the academy examination were announced, Wutong and others went out early in the morning to see the list issued by the government. Lu Qing was on the list and officially became a scholar.

Unfortunately, Wutong and Dangui failed the exam and ended up with the title of Tongsheng. The academy examination is held twice every three years and they will have to take it again the year after next.

The provincial examination is held only once every three years, so if Lu Qing wants to take the exam, it will have to be next year.

But after Lu Qing discussed it with the teacher that Su Fengyi had specially hired for her, the teacher felt that although Lu Qing had high comprehension and talent, her foundation was somewhat weak. She would not have much chance of success if she took the exam next year, so she decided to wait a while before taking the exam.

Lu Qing gave up the provincial examination next year, and came to Su Fengyi to ask for another job:

"Your Highness, I heard from Lord Liu that the court is selecting a deputy envoy to accompany the fleet to sea this autumn. Can I go?"

The purpose of Shen He's fleet being registered with the emperor was to collect tributes from all nations. Paying tribute was the responsibility of the Honglu Temple, so the Honglu Temple had to send a deputy envoy.

The diplomatic mission to the Northern Barbarians educated Lu Qing's character.

Lady Yan is a bird destined to travel far away, and now the world of the capital is too small for her.

Su Fengyi reminded Lu Qing:

"Master Liu specifically mentioned this to you. Have you ever thought about the reason? A voyage to sea takes several years. Have you thought it through?"

Lu Qing thought clearly and smiled brightly:

"Your Highness, it was only after I went to the Northern Barbarians that I realized how big the world is. Life is only a few decades long. If it weren't for the power of the court, I would never have the opportunity to see the world on my own. I am willing to measure the vastness of the world for Your Highness and take a look at what is on the other side of the sea."

In early June, Lu Qing received the emperor's official order to serve as the deputy envoy to go to Mingzhou to meet up with Shen He. Qiu Ri set off directly from Mingzhou.

An urgent message was sent from Shaanxi and Gansu to Beijing over 800 miles away:

Due to continuous heavy rains, floods broke out and the Yellow River burst its banks. Hundreds of thousands of people were affected and displaced, and they requested the court to open its granaries to provide disaster relief.

At the same time, the letter that Xiu Gu would receive from the Princess's Mansion every half month suddenly stopped this month and never arrived.