The Farm Girl's Charismatic Fortune-Chapter 95 - 92 Inspecting the Military Camp

Jiang Liang was in the military camp when he received the news; he was accompanying Yan Heng on a tour of the camp.

"Our soldiers train every day, even without warfare; we dare not neglect our duties."

Yan Heng nodded, "Good! A strong army fortifies a nation, tight bows defend the city, training of troops should never be neglected. Arrange for a competition in the next two days; I will personally train some soldiers from the camp. Those who meet my criteria may join the Feiyan Army."

Jiang Liang’s heart leaped with joy upon hearing this; the Feiyan Army was the nation’s elite, most trusted by the Emperor.

If he could take this opportunity to plant some of his own people within the Feiyan Army, he would be able to fully grasp many of the Imperial Court’s military movements.

With control over the Imperial Court’s military movements, how could he worry about not earning silver?

"This subordinate will make sure to arrange everything in the next two days, awaiting the Governor’s inspection!"

Yan Heng nodded with satisfaction, "Let’s visit the Ministry of Defense."

Jiang Liang’s heart skipped a beat; Yan Heng’s visit today was sudden, as he had previously mentioned he would come for inspection next month.

He wasn’t fully prepared!

Over the years he had been in charge of the Ministry of Defense, he had secretly made many weapons to sell to neighboring countries and the former dynasty’s General Tan Cang, earning a handsome sum of silver.

He had just finished manufacturing a batch of weapons custom-ordered by the Nanzhou Country and had not had the chance to deliver them when Yan Heng arrived.

The Imperial Court had a fixed quota for weapon manufacturing; privately manufacturing weapons was a serious crime.

Selling weapons privately to a neighboring country was an even more grievous offense, punishable by the execution of the entire clan!

If those extra weapons were discovered by Yan Heng, the consequences were unimaginable.

Even though he had already had the ledgers of the Ministry of Defense and that batch of surplus weapons secretly hidden,

the Ministry of Defense still held some children who had always been controlled with Tranquility Incense—aside from their basic needs, they were essentially in a state of slumber.

You can never be too careful; if those children happened to wake up and cry during Yan Heng’s visit, it would spell trouble.

Furthermore, Master Xuan Ji was setting up an array in the cave, and it was uncertain whether it would cause any disturbance.

Yan Heng was a very ruthless and meticulous person; he had just ordered him to compile all the marching journals, training logs, soldiers’ rosters, military pay ledgers, and military supply ledgers from the past twenty years, to be handed over in two days!

Twenty years! Xuanyuan Country had only been founded for twenty-three years!

The current Emperor hadn’t even been on the throne for twenty years, and he wanted to see all records from the last twenty years—how ruthless was that?

As Jiang Liang was pondering how to refuse Yan Heng and convince him to temporarily change his mind about visiting the Ministry of Defense without arousing suspicion,

one of his trusted aides hurriedly approached, gave him a meaningful look, and then said, "General, someone from your residence said that the old lady’s doctor has reported that the old lady is not doing well and asks for you to return quickly."

Jiang Liang appeared troubled, "Did the doctor say how the old lady is? Can I return later?"

The old lady’s doctor specifically referred to Master Xuan Ji.

Although Yan Heng was strict, he had always been filial and considerate of his subordinates; upon hearing the news, he said, "If there’s trouble at home, you should return. It’s getting late today, and it looks like it might rain tonight. I will visit tomorrow instead."

Jiang Liang sighed a huge sigh of relief within; if Yan Heng would visit tomorrow, he could use the night to transport the children away and remind Master Xuan Ji to hide the array so it won’t be discovered.

He apologized, "Princely Heir, please forgive this subordinate; I will accompany the Princely Heir to the Ministry of Defense tomorrow."

Yan Heng nodded, "I have other matters to attend to as well; I will take my leave first."

After saying this, he left the military camp ahead of Jiang Liang.

~

Night fell, and the north wind howled, making the inside of the stone house particularly silent.

After nightfall, the damp and cold ground emitted puffs of chill, but Xuanyuan Que and Ruo Xuan continued to cultivate, unfazed by the cold or heat.

However, Ruo Xuan, who was accustomed to three daily meals, had only eaten scallion pancakes in the morning and nothing else all day. She felt the gnawing hunger: "Brother Xuanyuan, I’m hungry."

With his eyes still closed, Xuanyuan Que replied indifferently, "Cultivation makes one indifferent to hunger and the extremes of weather."

Ruo Xuan: "But I still feel hungry."

Perhaps it was Ruo Xuan’s words that had an effect, as one of the children lying on the ground, whether from hunger or cold, finally woke up.

The daughter of the County Magistrate was the first to wake, roused by hunger. On awakening, she found her surroundings pitch black and could see nothing. The Xiaobai she held no longer moved, and she began to cry out loudly: "Wuu... Mother! Where are you? Mother! It’s so dark here, Xiaobai isn’t moving, Jiejie is scared....."

Following Zhang Jie’s cries, all the children in the stone room started to cry too!

"Wuu... Mother, I want my mother!...."

"Wuu, it’s so dark, so scary! Mother! Mother! Where are you?......."

...

The crying of the children was powerful, something Ruo Xuan had never witnessed. She felt as if her ears were about to explode and hurriedly consoled them loudly, "Don’t cry! With Brother Xuanyuan and me here, what is there to be afraid of?"

Just now, Ruo Xuan had used her Spiritual Power to heal their wounds. The scent of the Hundred-Year Flower Fairy’s herbs could not only heal but also comfort the heart, especially for children.

Ruo Xuan’s voice and her aura had already been embedded in the children’s subconscious. In an instant, the roomful of kids quietened down, staring blankly at her, not understanding why they shouldn’t be afraid with her presence.

The women outside heard the children’s crying and brought in some pastries and warm water with a lantern and a food box. She was surprised to see the children looking as though they wanted to cry but didn’t dare to.

She coaxed them with a smile, "You’re all so good today. Here are some snacks. Eat a little, then sleep nicely, and when you wake up, you’ll be sent home."

She went on to distribute two pieces of pastry and some water to each child.

The children wolfed down their food ravenously.

Ruo Xuan and Xuanyuan Que also took two pieces of pastry and a cup of water each.

Xuanyuan Que did not eat, and the woman looked at him.

He said indifferently, "It’s for my sister."

The woman smiled, "What a caring brother you are. You eat, and I will give your sister two more pieces."

Thus, Ruo Xuan got two more pieces of pastry, making the other children envious.

Regrettably, they didn’t dare ask for more.

Xuanyuan Que knew that both the pastries and the tea had been drugged. The woman would not leave until she saw him eat. Silently, he put the pastry into his mouth and started eating.

The two of them quietly ate their pastries, not spilling a single crumb, much more elegant than the other children. This caused the woman to take another look and think to herself that these two children must be well-taught, perhaps coming from a noble family in the Capital City.

After watching the children finish their pastries, she asked who needed to use the toilet, then led them to relieve themselves. On their return, the children were so sleepy they fell asleep as soon as they lay down, and the woman walked out with a smile.

The pastries contained a sleeping potion, and after eating, the children would fall asleep, not making any noise all night, which made things much easier.

Xuanyuan Que and Ruo Xuan were both aware that the pastries were poisoned. As soon as they received them, they had used Immortal Technique to remove the poison. After the woman left, they didn’t open their eyes but seized the time to continue cultivating.

They both knew that at 11 PM - 1 AM, Master Xuan Ji would begin the spell.

Before they knew it, the time had reached 11 PM - 1 AM.

Once again, the door to the stone room was opened.

A group of people came in, picked up the children from the ground, and carried them toward a cave on the mountainside.

At this moment, the winds were raging in the sky; if it were daylight, one would surely see the heavens grow dark and tumultuous, far worse than during Master Xuan Ling’s last ritual.