The messenger Ding Facai came over under such circumstances.
As soon as he arrived, before he could even take out the letter, he was caught by the Eighth Prince.
The Eighth Prince asked him, “Do you still remember Tian Hu from Oxhead Mountain? I remember he was taught by you, right? He should be in Yuanyang now. How can we contact him?”
He asked a bunch of questions, but Ding Facai didn’t say a word.
The Eighth Prince said, “…Are you going to stubbornly refuse to talk to me here?”
That wasn’t really the case.
Ding Facai looked straight ahead, “My master didn’t say.”
Even if his master had a good relationship with the Eighth Prince, the Eighth Prince wasn’t his master. What if his master later asked and blamed him?
Ding Facai thought to himself that since he was now the personal guard beside his master, he had to save face.
A truly loyal servant!The Eighth Prince frowned, stared at him for two seconds, and asked, “What did you come here for?”
“My master ordered me to deliver a letter.”
Ding Facai finally managed to pull out the letter.
The Eighth Prince knew very well that Wei Yu would never come without a reason. After going to Ziyang County, there had been no news at all. Now sending a letter definitely meant something was up.
His first thought was about the grain.
Sure enough, once the letter was opened, it was about transporting grain.
The Eighth Prince was very happy. “So Ninth Brother really got the grain! Not a penny taken! The Deng family is so generous? How did your master manage that?”
Ding Facai: “I don’t know.”
No need to worry about the grain issue now. The Eighth Prince was so pleased that he didn’t even pay attention to what Ding Facai said. Holding the letter, he went to find Second Brother to discuss the matter and called Ding Facai to follow.
The Second Prince was planning with Gongsun Yi whether to use the troops from the two neighboring prefectures. When he heard the news the Eighth Prince brought, both of them were very pleased.
The Second Prince smiled, “Ninth Brother really has extensive connections, quite unexpected.”
There were still many unexpected things. The Eighth Prince looked at Second Brother’s expression and, for the sake of their Ninth Brother, changed the subject.
“We want to ask Ninth Brother for people, and it just so happens that he let us send someone to transport grain. Such a coincidence shouldn’t be delayed. Second Brother, send the men quickly; don’t let things drag on.”
At that moment Du Rulin came in and immediately raised his hand upon hearing this.
“I’ll go! Second Prince, let me go!”
Now only the matter of Guo Xiu remained, but unfortunately the city was closed and wouldn’t open. They were all from their side, and Second Prince didn’t want to harm the common people, so for now they could only wait it out.
Du Rulin was restless on the mountain and going to transport grain meant he could ride horses and run around, so he eagerly raised his hand to slip away.
Seeing how eager he was, what could Second Prince say?
Of course, he refused him!
“Lord Du, right now our Oxhead Army relies on you as the only commander to hold the fort. If you leave, how can Gongsun and I manage alone?”
The Second Prince smiled and pressed down his hand, “If you feel bored, we can go hunting on the nearby mountains.”
So, be good, don’t cause trouble.
Du Rulin: …
Watching Du Rulin sulk and return, the Eighth Prince raised his hand.
“Then Second Brother, let me go. Ninth Brother has been alone in Ziyang County for many days, and I miss him very much.”
This time Second Prince didn’t refuse but told the Eighth Prince to go early and return early.
Early go and early return was a given, since contacting Tian Hu and attacking the city was a serious matter.
Early the next morning, the Eighth Prince took Ding Facai and a few others on horseback to go ahead. The men sent by the Second Prince to transport grain followed steadily behind.
Because they were in a hurry, the Eighth Prince reached Ziyang County in just two days and one night.
However, before entering the city, he already sensed the changes in Ziyang.
After all, there hadn’t been so many people outside the city before.
The Eighth Prince sat on horseback, squinting at a group of people pulling weeds and hoeing the fields, and said vaguely, “Are they… reclaiming wasteland?”
Ding Facai was just behind his right, and replied, “Yes, they are all people who stayed on Oxhead Mountain before. My master ordered them to reclaim wasteland, and depending on the situation, to restore their good status and give them land.”
Huh.
The Eighth Prince inhaled sharply.
Well, his Ninth Brother really had been up to something again while he wasn’t paying attention!
“Did your master send a letter to the capital?” the Eighth Prince asked.
He said sending a letter to the capital, but what he really wanted to ask was if their father emperor knew about this!
If not, then Wei Yu was really bold!
Not only did he detain the county magistrate and let the county magistrate’s wife take his place, but also had the people reclaim wasteland and restore good status. Anyone who didn’t know would think he was about to rebel.
The Eighth Prince began to consider whether to cut ties with Wei Yu.
Ding Facai: “Yes, the messenger hasn’t returned yet.”
It was good that Yi Shisan hadn’t come back yet. That way he would be the first personal guard beside his master…
Hearing Ding Facai’s words, the Eighth Prince relaxed.
So there really was a letter sent.
A letter was sent, that was good. Since there was a letter, it meant Ninth Brother must have told their father emperor about it, so there was no need to panic. The matter of cutting ties would be dealt with later.
The Eighth Prince was relieved and no longer rushed. Riding slowly, he looked at the scene of land reclamation with a sense of comfort and thought his Ninth Brother was a capable man.
He didn’t even spare the children!
After entering the city, the Eighth Prince went straight to the county magistrate’s office and found Wei Yu, who was discussing matters with Guo Yajun.
“Ninth Brother.”
Recently, two members of the Deng family had appeared in the county magistrate’s office, and Deng Guang was inevitably a bit restrained when facing Wei Yu. In front of Guo Yajun, he made a lot of mistakes, and over time Guo Yajun also learned about Wei Yu’s identity.
But she was much calmer than Deng Guang. After knowing this, she became a bit flustered, but later when facing Wei Yu, she was no different than before.
This was the first time Guo Yajun saw the Eighth Prince. Upon hearing him call Wei Yu “Ninth Brother,” she immediately understood who he was and quickly stood up to salute.
“I am Guo Yajun, greeting His Highness the Peaceful King.”
The Eighth Prince looked her up and down a few times, “So you are Guo Yajun. You actually look much better than that county magistrate.”
The Eighth Prince was one of the people most influenced by Wei Yu. Plus, he had a younger sister who depended on him, so his attitude toward women was not condescending like other men.
The first time seeing a rebellious woman like Guo Yajun, the Eighth Prince showed no dislike on his face. Appreciating someone’s shining points, he was quite curious about Guo Yajun.
The Peaceful King’s kindness made Guo Yajun feel relieved.
She lowered her eyes and respectfully replied, “Thank you for Your Highness’ praise. I have overstepped.”
After all, she was one of their people. Wei Yu didn’t want her to be troubled by the Eighth Prince, so he quickly changed the subject.
“Eight Brother, why are you here? Sit down quickly. If there’s something, let’s talk.”
The Eighth Prince’s attention was drawn in, and he threw his cloak onto a nearby chair and sat down.
Wei Yu hurriedly served him a cup of tea, “Eight Brother, how did you come so fast? It’s only been a few days since I sent the letter, right?”
The Eighth Prince drank the tea in one gulp.
“Yes, not many days. The grain transporters are behind. I came to ask you about Tian Hu.”