The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan-Chapter 45 - 0 Is the Princess back (Second Update)

Chapter 45: 045 Is the Princess back? (Second Update)

Chapter 45: 045 Is the Princess back? (Second Update)

Nata’s wife stepped forward, grabbed Nata’s arm, and asked in a low voice, “Are you all right?”

Nata laughed and said, “I’m fine, it’s those two ruffians who are in trouble. They got thirty lashes and have to spend a month in jail, not to mention they had to compensate me with ten silver taels.”

“Ten silver taels?!” Nata’s wife said in disbelief.

That was more money than they could earn in a year.

Nata nodded his head honestly.

Bater got off the carriage, and the government officer who was driving bowed to Bater and Nata, saying, “My lords, I shall take my leave now.”

Bater hummed indifferently.

After bowing respectfully, the two officers retreated and drove the carriage away.

As soon as the officers left, a cheer erupted in the marketplace, and many people clapped and cheered.

“That was so satisfying.”

“Yes, they’ve been bullying honest folk around here all year long, it’s about time they got what they deserved.”

“Nata, you really met a noble person today.”

Nata smiled honestly and said, “Yes, indeed.”

He walked up to Li Xianyun, bowed respectfully, and said, “Thank you, young master, for your help.”

As he spoke, Nata took out a big bulging purse from his chest, which contained the ten silver taels compensated by the ruffians, not a tael short.

He handed it to Li Xianyun and said, “Young master, this is the ten silver taels compensated by those ruffians. Without you, I would still be suffering this humiliation and would not be able to hold my head high. Please, you must accept this silver.”

Nata’s wife also said from the side, “Yes, young master, please accept it. Both of us are grateful for your kindness.”

Li Xianyun laughed and said, “Keep it, it’s the compensation you deserve.”

“But…” Nata was still reluctant to accept.

Li Xianyun interrupted, “If you really want to thank me, then do me a favor.”

“What favor?” Nata asked.

Li Xianyun laughed, “I would like to visit your village. Let’s go together, we can talk on the way.”

“Sure,” Nata said. “Just give the order, I, Nata, wouldn’t hesitate to climb a mountain of swords or plunge into a sea of flames.”

Li Xianyun laughed, “There’s no need for that.”

She led her group to the place where the carriages were stored and had Youlan rent a carriage for both Habu’s grandson and wife, and for Nata and his wife.

They were all very poor, and when they came, they had trudged through the muddy, uneven roads.

Returning to the village by carriage would be faster.

When Habu heard that renting two carriages would cost a silver tael, he was distressed. With that one silver tael, so many things could be done; why waste it on this unfair expense?

Habu reached out to stop Li Xianyun, but was held back by Bater.

Habu hurriedly withdrew his hand, thinking to himself that the scions of great families all have an aversion to being touched; it was just like that.

He looked at Li Xianyun and said, “Young man, we can just walk back, renting carriages is too expensive.”

Nata also said, “Yes, we can walk quickly, we’ll reach the village in a moment, and it won’t delay your time.”

He respected Li Xianyun from the bottom of his heart, using honorifics when he spoke.

Li Xianyun laughed, “I can’t return home too late; I need to finish my business quickly.”

Nata’s wife instantly understood something and said, “Young master, you must be married, right? Does your spouse not allow you to return late?”

Li Xianyun, thinking of Yelu Yan asking him not to return too late, laughed somewhat embarrassingly, “That’s right.”

So, he was under the thumb of his wife.

Everyone understood upon hearing this and found it hard to say more, so they boarded the carriages rented by Li Xianyun.

Outside the Hall of Diligent Governance, the ministers lined up on both sides under the scorching sun, neatly waiting; they were all conservative officials who had opposed Yelu Yan’s development of farmland.

The sunlight was blistering, the climate hot, and many officials were already sweating profusely, yet they could not but wait outside the Hall of Diligent Governance.

Due to bandit troubles in the south, the grain import caravans couldn’t make it through, and their households had long run out of food, moreover, they had to donate ten loads of grain every month, failing which, they had to contribute one hundred taels of silver instead, one hundred taels of silver every month, which was no small sum.

At the time Yelu Yan formulated this strategy, his main target was the traditionalist faction.

Those ministers who fully supported Yelu Yan’s measures would nominally donate silver, but it would be returned to them after changing hands, so they incurred no loss at all.

As for the traditionalists, they suffered terribly, delivering real silver into the national treasury.

They knew full well that Yelu Yan was deliberately targeting them, yet they didn’t dare to withhold the payment.

Yelu Yan was always decisive and swift in action, and with authority that was fierce as thunder and swift as the wind, who would dare provoke the wrath of heaven?

Pressured into a corner, the traditionalist ministers had no choice but to compromise and planned to fully support Yelu Yan in developing the farmlands.

During this time, they finally realized that all this talk of ancestral laws and customs was nothing but empty talk. Protecting their own interests was what truly mattered.

Accordingly, they jointly petitioned the court, but Yelu Yan simply refused to see them.

The traditionalists had no option but to wait bitterly outside.

Ji Xueyuan, hearing that the traditionalist ministers were petitioning in front of the Hall of Diligent Governance, was so infuriated he gnashed his teeth, saying venomously, “A bunch of spineless creatures, fussing over a few hundred taels of silver! They have no backbone at all.”

Ji Xueyuan was a leading figure within the traditionalist faction and had strongly opposed the development of agriculture.

An advisor in his residence spoke up, “My lord, nearly all the officials who oppose the agricultural development are now petitioning at the doorstep of the Hall of Diligent Governance. As agricultural progress seems inevitable, wouldn’t it be prudent for you to go with the flow and save face for the Khan?”

“Impossible, I will never yield!” he declared.

In truth, his instigation of the ministers to oppose agricultural development was also driven by personal motives.

Having served in two dynasties, he had seen many convoluted and treacherous battles for power, and it was his ability to judge the situation that had allowed him to reach his current position.

Although Ji Xueyuan understood that developing agriculture was inevitable, he continued to go against the tide, hoping that after Yelu Yan hit a wall, he would come to him for help, given that his voice still carried significant weight among the traditionalist ministers.

In this way, he could naturally negotiate terms with Yelu Yan and have Ji Chuchu marry into the Imperial Palace.

Ji Chuchu had been listless and lost her appetite due to Yelu Yan favoring Li Xianyun, growing noticeably thinner, an issue that deeply distressed her father.

He had thought his methods could make Yelu Yan compromise.

However, Yelu Yan had pulled the rug from under him, thwarting all his plans, which infuriated Ji Xueyuan.

Since that approach failed, he had to devise another way to make Yelu Yan come to him.

Only then would he be able to negotiate terms with Yelu Yan.

Inside the Hall of Diligent Governance, Yelu Yan was reviewing petitions.

After a while, he picked up a petition, glanced down at it, and, seemingly offhandedly, asked, “Has the royal consort returned yet?”

This was already the third time the Khan had inquired about the royal consort.

Jinwu smiled and said, “Responding to the Khan, not yet. Just now, the Hidden Guard secretly protecting the royal consort sent a message saying she is en route to a place called Shitoutun, with their intentions unclear.”

Looking up, Yelu Yan spoke to Jinwu, “Tell the Hidden Guard to keep a close watch on the royal consort, no matter where she goes.”

Jinwu replied with a laugh, “That has already been arranged, my lord.”

Seeing Jinwu’s smirking expression, Yelu Yan warned, “What are you laughing about? Laugh again and I’ll have you thrown out to guard the city gates.”

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Jinwu’s laughter ceased, and he attended to his duties earnestly by the side.

Before long, the Chief of the Palace Servants entered respectfully, bowing to Yelu Yan and reporting, “Humbly reporting to the Khan, a government officer has suffered heatstroke and has been carried away.”

Upon hearing this, Yelu Yan replied indifferently, “Let them in.”

The Chief of the Palace Servants obeyed the order and withdrew.

Shortly after, the ministers entered in order, their faces burnished red by the sun, parched and gasping for water.

Yelu Yan sat back calmly in his chair, took a sip of tea from his cup, and with a piercing gaze asked, “Speak, what is it?”

His presence commanded a fearsome respect without the need for anger.

The ministers were terrified, glancing at one another, not daring to say a word.

At last, a leading official ventured, “Humbly reporting to the Khan, after careful consideration, we find your initiative to cultivate land and develop agriculture truly enlightened. This will not only solve people’s food problems but also free the Khitan from the clutches of Houtang and Great Liang.”