Little Jin Lanyue anxiously scrambled down from her mother’s lap, running on her short legs to her eldest brother’s side. She spread her short arms wide to shield him. “Daddy, please don’t scold Eldest Brother! It was Yue’er herself who wanted to eat ice-ice. Eldest Brother even fed Yue’er lots of yummy food and fanned the breeze-breeze for her~”
Her tiny face flushed red with anxiety as she looked up, desperately trying to explain.
Marquis Beiding’s gaze landed on his daughter’s frantic expression, and his stern countenance softened slightly.
Looking at his sister’s small figure—an age where she couldn’t even speak very clearly, yet she had shielded him without a second thought—Jin Qizhi was moved beyond words.
“Yue’er, it’s all my fault. You don’t have to speak up for me,” he said, deeply touched.
Jiang Xiyue had already pulled her little daughter back into her arms protectively. “Poor thing, should we have a doctor come over and take a look?”
“No need, no need!” Little Jin Lanyue shook her head like a rattle. Suddenly, a bright idea struck her. Standing on her tiptoes, she grabbed a pastry from the dining table, stuffed it into her mouth, and mumbled with puffed-out cheeks, “Yue’er can still eat cake! Nothing is wrong with Yue’er at all!”
Her delightfully adorable antics made everyone burst into laughter.
Marquis Beiding cleared his throat, signaling for his eldest son to stand up. “Since Yue’er has pleaded on your behalf, I will let it slide this time. You must be more careful in the future.”
Jin Qizhi nodded solemnly. Just as he was about to speak, the little dumpling shuffled over to his leg, holding a piece of pastry. “Eldest Brother, eat~”
Watching this scene, a tender smile graced Jiang Xiyue’s eyes. “Qizhi truly takes good care of Yue’er. Come, let us all sit down and eat dinner.”
Second Brother had long been unable to wait and sat down in his seat. “Mother, can I play a bit more after dinner?”
Marquis Beiding slammed the table. “You child, have you forgotten the pain right after being beaten?”
Second Brother instantly shrank back. “I-I-I was just thinking…”
The dinner concluded in the warm atmosphere of the family.
After finishing the meal, Jin Qizhi politely took his leave to return to his study and read by lamplight.
Jin Lizhi was also reluctantly seized by Marquis Beiding’s servants and dragged back to his study.
Jin Lanyue, on the other hand, was held in Jiang Xiyue’s arms and doted on, while Marquis Beiding sat quietly to the side, watching them with a warm gaze.
“It is truly hot this summer,” Jiang Xiyue lamented.
“Summer, hot-hot~” Jin Lanyue parroted her mother, not forgetting to add her own creative twist. “Ice bowls-bowls, ice cakes-cakes, sour-plum soup is yummy~”
“It’s sour plum soup,” her mother corrected, gently pinching her soft cheek. “Mother will have the kitchen make a bowl for you later.”
“Thank ou, Mother~” Jin Lanyue puckered her lips and planted a kiss on her mother’s cheek.
“So sweet.” Jiang Xiyue kissed her precious daughter back and handed her a nine-linked rings puzzle to play with.
Afterward, she looked toward Marquis Beiding. “I noticed you seemed to be in a bad mood these past two days. Is it because of Lizhi?”
“No,” Marquis Beiding’s expression gradually grew solemn. “It’s because of the drought in the northwest. The imperial court is currently debating the disaster relief grain.”
“What happened? Can you tell me about it?” Jiang Xiyue asked.
Jin Lanyue originally wanted to chime in, but looking up at her mother and then at her father, she sensed they were discussing something very important. Thus, she obediently closed her mouth, quietly lowering her head to play with her puzzle.
“It is nothing more than corruption and bribery. Once the disaster relief grain is sent out, it passes through layers of exploitation. Who knows how much will actually reach the hands of the refugees,” Marquis Beiding sighed heavily.
“Can we not arrest the corrupt officials first?”
“If we arrest the corrupt officials, it will inevitably delay the timing of the disaster relief. Moreover, corrupt officials are not that easy to catch… Everyone is vexed over this matter.”
The two were out of ideas, and for a moment, they looked at each other in silence.
Right at that moment—
“My Lord, Madam, Grand Tutor Qu has arrived. He says he is here to see the Little Miss,” a maid reported.
Jin Lanyue jolted upright, and her puzzle fell to the floor with a loud clatter.
She frantically tried to burrow into her mother’s wide sleeve. “Just say Yue’er is sleep-sleeping!”
The heavy mood in the room vanished instantly, and the couple burst into laughter at Jin Lanyue’s behavior.
“Yue’er, hahahaha, Yue’er…” Jiang Xiyue watched her daughter squirming with all her might. She was hiding her head but leaving her bottom completely exposed—with her little behind and two short legs still sticking out, she thought she was perfectly hidden just by burying her head and upper body.
Her stomach ached from laughing.
“Greetings, My Lord, Madam.” A crisp, clear voice echoed from the doorway. Qu Zijin stood outside, clad in a moon-white long robe.
Hearing this voice, the otherwise breathless Jin Lanyue suddenly found the strength to keep squirming.
Amused, Marquis Beiding rose to receive Qu Zijin, thoughtfully covering for his daughter. “Grand Tutor Qu has arrived. The Madam and I were just discussing the northwest drought. I wonder what insightful views Grand Tutor Qu might have?”
Sure enough, Qu Zijin’s attention was diverted. He frowned and said, “A pack of parasites eating the bread of idleness, bats draining the blood of the common people—they truly deserve to die! I hope His Majesty will punish them severely without leniency!”
“Indeed,” Marquis Beiding nodded. “It is just that regarding the drought…”
Qu Zijin’s expression darkened with sorrow. “The common people are innocent… However, if we do not eliminate the corrupt officials, the people will not receive much relief grain. But if we do eliminate them, a complete overhaul of the personnel along the relief route will inevitably delay the timing of the relief… One cannot have both fish and bear’s paw. As it stands now, it seems we can only feed those corrupt officials first before rooting out the evil. Except by then, those who can be caught will mostly be scapegoats.”
“Yes, it is truly vexing…”
Hiding inside her mother’s sleeve, Jin Lanyue suddenly froze.
Because she heard the voice of Auntie System—
[Task Triggered]
The northwest suffers from a great drought, and corrupt officials are making trouble. The civil and military officials are caught in a dilemma, but you realize that this is an excellent opportunity.
Currently, your reputation is in ruins, and the only person by your side is Qu Zijin, who is equally destitute.
You think to yourself: if you can resolve this issue, not only can you salvage your own reputation, but you might also help Qu Zijin return to the imperial court.
That way, if successful, you will have someone representing you in the court.
[Task: Devise a solution to the problem and bring Qu Zijin back into the Emperor’s line of sight.]
[Ding!]
Detected that this task is of extremely high difficulty. The reward has been upgraded.
[Reward: Panacea]
Jin Lanyue blinked her large eyes.
She didn’t quite understand…
It sounded really difficult.
She cranked her little brain and finally reached a conclusion—she would just ignore it for now~
Because right now, there was a far more serious problem she had to face!
As the “serious problem to be faced,” Qu Zijin chatted with Marquis Beiding for a few moments before both of them collected their thoughts.
Qu Zijin glanced at Jin Lanyue, who was playing the ostrich, and spoke up intentionally: “I have come today to make up a lesson for Teacher.”
Buried inside the sleeve, Little Jin Lanyue wore a crying expression.
My name was called, I can’t hide anymore…
She slowly poked half of her head out, her dark, round eyes filled with reluctance. “Lord Grand Tutor~ today is a holiday~” she reminded him “secretly.”
Qu Zijin stepped forward, pulling a scroll from his sleeve. “I have specifically come to make up the lesson.”
“Wah…” The little dumpling immediately puckered her tiny mouth, her eyes turning red in an instant. “Yue’er is only three years old, and today is a holiday…”
Qu Zijin remained unmoved, his slender fingers lightly tapping the book cover. “I am here to guide Teacher through a preview of Chapter Three of the Three Character Classic.”
Jin Lanyue wrapped her mother’s sleeve tightly around herself, using this action to express her absolute determination not to leave.
Her tiny face scrunched up like an aggrieved little silkworm baby. “Then… then Yue’er wants to learn in class tomorrow…”
“No. You ought to study and practice diligently. Since you are so naturally gifted, how can you…” Qu Zijin began to nag again.
Marquis Beiding watched this scene with amusement and suddenly spoke up, “How about… Grand Tutor Qu just leaves a few sets of exam papers for her to do.”
Before his words could even land, the little dumpling scrambled right up. “Yue’er will make up the lesson right now!”
She would rather preview!
Because previewing only required her to use her mouth, and she already knew it anyway.
But if it were exam papers, she would actually have to write them herself…