"This time General Huo should advocate for war in the court. Chang Shan, you take some capable people to stay here, mainly to assist the Han Merchants Association in Haifang City. In the near future, let them cooperate with you to gradually evacuate the relatives of the relevant personnel controlled by the Wa people, and the local residents of the HaiFang city. Have the soldiers change into civilian clothes to infiltrate. We have more than three months of preparation time, and I hope that by then, we can smoothly evacuate the people of Yunmeng to avoid the ravages of this war." At this point, Chen Mo's plan to catch turtles in a jar had taken shape.
"Uncle Shan, try to relocate as many people as possible, but remember to conceal and protect yourselves." Xiang Bei and Cheng Mo understood each other's intentions, but she knew better that situations in war were ever-changing and wouldn't be as perfect as their ideal plan.
At this time, the Huo Mansion in the capital was bustling with activity. Because Lord Huo's seventieth birthday had kept the whole mansion busy for nearly half a month, especially when the boat of birthday presents prepared by eldest Miss Huo and her husband's family Tongs arrived from Dongbin three days ago, it pushed the busyness to a noisy level.
The second son of the Huo family, Huo Changlin, was once a playboy but was very loyal to his friends. There wasn't a son or daughter of the capital's nobility that he didn't associate with. Over a decade ago, his beloved younger sister disappeared in the south, her whereabouts unknown, which prompted him to change his frivolous ways and enlist in the military. Since then, he rarely appeared in the social circles of the capital, and he hadn't even married. A few years ago, his sister suddenly returned, sick and with no memory of the time she was missing. He began reconnecting with childhood friends, hoping it might help his sister remember familiar faces.
His only sister had finally returned, even if she had lost her memory. As long as she was healthy, she could be cherished by him and their father, making up for the regrets of the past years. However, one day, her illness suddenly disappeared, and she remembered everything, revealing that she had spent the past decade living in the deep mountains of Dongbin, marrying a hunter and raising two children. Recently, she had even been sent back to the deep mountains by the eldest son of the Huo family, dressed in bridal attire.
The people of the capital had various reactions to this news—some expressed sympathy, some took pleasure in the misfortune, while many pretended to forget or disdain to discuss it. Recently, his sister had been shunned and ridiculed in the capital, which infuriated Huo Changlin to the point of wanting to fight someone. It wasn't until the arrival of the congratulatory ship, with its long list of gifts, that Huo Changlin laughed heartily, feeling triumphant and vindicated.
You're always competing with each other for fresh goods nowadays sold by a brand new shop named North South Supermarket that you can't buy with money, aren't you?
You squeeze your way into Prince Mo's FuHai Pavilion to snatch some hot pastries to win favor with your family elders?
And then you buy a few copies of the North to South Neighborhoods Talk newspaper at a high price and boast about it everywhere? Well, now all those things are on my sister's ship, along with skilled craftsmen who can process them on the spot and bring them into the mansion for immediate use. The almost forty-year-old Second Young Master of Huo is like a peacock, constantly leading people around for tours, wishing he could boil the gossip water in the capital, and now even the palace is about to boil over.
The eldest Princess of YunMeng, ChengSi ShangXie, who is almost fourteen years old, is usually the favorite of the Emperor. She has already been promised to Yuwen Qing, the eldest grandson of the Yuwen grand secretary in the court. This young man, known as the Son of the Quiet Valley, is the top talent in the capital. He is elegant and graceful like a hidden orchid. What's unimaginable is that since the age of three, he has been sticking to the Huo family's second son, Changlin Huo, who is more than ten years older than him, like a plaster, insisting on recognizing him as his big brother and following him like a little brother for twenty years.
The princess, influenced by her fiancé Yuwen Qing, pleaded with her father and mother now, "Father Emperor, Yuwen Qing said there are many things to be offered to the palace, but the craftsmen will make them on-site at the Huo mansion. And do you know Huo's sister specially prepared mysterious gifts for me. Please let me leave the palace. I want to learn some pastry making skills to serve you and mother. Mother, please speak up for me."
"Your Majesty, although it's true that our little Si'er was tempted by that boy Yuwen Qing to leave the palace for a play, after all, she's still a child and it's inevitable for her to be playful. There aren't many carefree days left before the big wedding, and the Huo family's mansion is not a place of trouble. Let them go?" Imperial Consort Cheng gently pleaded a few words for her daughter, seeing that the Emperor still seemed a bit worried and hesitant. With her daughter anxiously signaling to her on the side, she sighed imperceptibly and continued, "I heard that the granddaughter of Marquis Huo is also one of the owners of FuHai Pavilion, where Prince Mo frequents. Many of the fresh novelties in the markets are also invented by her family. It would be really enlightening to hear an explanation on the spot." The highest-ranking Imperial Consort Cheng, who has been accompanying the Emperor for more than twenty years, still has a lot of influence.
"You make a good point, Darling. Marquis Huo went to battle with my grandfather at the age of eighteen. Our Yunmeng Kingdom has been established for fifty years, and his contributions as a three-generation veteran cannot be ignored. It's his seventy birthday in a few days, and it's only right for me to go give him an early congratulatory gift. Well then, Si'er, tomorrow I will take you to visit."