dance troupe was, nor had he ever seen dancing. But just thinking about it, he knew these women relied on pleasing wealthy people to survive. They must have been spoiled and pursued by men in their da...Li Lao'er also chimed in, "I reckon these people will be coming to me tomorrow to inquire about the results. Tonight, the Marquis will list the supplies needed by the army, and the rest will be left to me."

"Alright," the Lord scanned Li Lao Si, who was covered in black from eating with his daughter, and said again, "Since all the young men from each family have joined the Northern Expeditionary Army, I'm going to let Lao Si take charge of their training. From now on, they will all listen to Lao Si's orders."

Li Lao Si didn't think too much, readily agreeing, "Alright, we're still staying at the dock camp for another half a year. Even if they were born as mud, I'd plaster them onto the wall!"

He then tossed the little fox aside.

The little fox was also a greedy foodie, even using its front paws to dig into the sweet potato, almost setting its white fur on fire!

Li Lao Er and Mr. Wen were filled with emotion.

Li Laosì hadn't expected it, but they understood immediately.

Is the Lord trying to bolster the Li family's prestige, or is he just giving them another layer of armor...

I ask, does this court of scholars, officials, and nobles have descendants working for Li Lao Si

Whether it's training, guarding the camp, or going on expeditions to fight enemies, Li Lao Si takes care of everything!

Even if one didn't go to great lengths to give gifts and curry favor with the Li family, they would absolutely never dare to offend them!

It can be said that in the future, Li's family will be the darling of Xindu.

Li La Er stood up to greet the Marquis, but the Marquis waved him down and pulled him back into his seat, saying in a low voice, "It's just a small favor, no need to be so formal between family."

Mr. Wen smiled playfully, "Next time there's something like this that goes so smoothly, perhaps the Lord will arrange one for me as well."

"No!" The Marquis shook his head with a smile. "You've offended most of the people in the court with this task, they're just not happy enough to bag you yet."

Everyone burst into laughter, which made Mr. Wen's face turn grim. "I suddenly worry about my son," he said. "It seems like I should go out less in the future!"

Just as it was time for a joke, Zheng Feng and Zheng He brought over a tray.

Zheng Feng smiled and said, "The old madam said to invite all of you lords and ladies to have dinner here. She and the others will eat in the next room for some peace and quiet."

"Are we being scorned" Li Lao Er laughed. "Quickly set the table, just in time to boil two pots of wine. Tonight, we can drink a lot without anyone complaining."

Everyone pitched in, and soon the dishes were laid out under the eaves. Two lanterns hung above, illuminating the meal as they began to eat.

Jia Yin sat on the left with the Marquis, and on the right with her father. In her arms was a little fox, eating happily.

She didn't even need to pick up any dishes, her bowl was always piled high. The slight sense of being out of favor from earlier had long since vanished!

The night wind blew a little chill, swaying the lantern light.

Everyone was drinking, eating, and chatting merrily, enjoying themselves immensely.

When night fell deep, the courtyard of the Wen family was tidied up. Mr. Wen supported his wife warmly and returned home lovingly.

Li Laosì carried his daughter on his back and, pulling along his somewhat unsteady second brother, went back to the next-door house.

Jiayin wanted to spend more time with her adoptive father and chat with him. She also had some ideas about the food storage.

Unfortunately, I have to avoid any suspicion.

She was a grown woman now, and it wouldn't do to stay at her uncle's house any longer. She could only yawn and head back home.

The next day, as Li Laoer had expected, the Hundred Flowers Garden was crowded with people.

Everyone was tormented all night, and when they heard that the Marquis had loosened his lips and could only send one son to the Northern Expeditionary Army, they were overjoyed.

But there's only one legitimate heir in the house who fits the criteria, and I still want to smash my head against the wall.

"This won't do, Mr. Li! Our family only has one legitimate son; even if we wanted to send a concubine's son, we couldn't. Please think of another way. Perhaps you could speak to the Marquis and have our quota waived" A middle-aged scholar almost knelt before Mr. Li in desperation.

Li Laer hurriedly stopped him, motioning everyone to sit down. After a moment's thought, he said: "Everyone, the imperial edict for conscription was issued by the Emperor. Although the Marquis can request the Emperor to adjust it, wanting to completely revoke it is impossible, after all, the emperor’s word is final.

"Although I'm not familiar with military life, I figured that with so many people in the army, it must be like one big family. For example, some people go out to farm or do business, which is hard and dangerous, but surely there are still people left at home to cook and take care of things, right To look after the granaries and houses"

“As for how the manpower is distributed, Lord Hou can certainly adjust that. At least half go out and half stay home. But the top priority is that the granaries and warehouses must be filled! You see, if they're empty, there's no need for guards, right!”

“Yes, that’s the right way to think about it.” Immediately someone's eyes reddened and they shouted, “My unfilial son enjoys eating, staying at the camp as a soldier is most suitable. But I also know, even a clever woman can’t cook without rice, so my family is willing to donate one thousand shi of military rations!”

"And I, my family is willing to donate a thousand coarse cloths. My son will take good care of them and make sure they don't get eaten by moths." another person said right after.

This was like opening a floodgate, completely igniting everyone's "patriotic fervor".

Food, cloth, medicine, cotton, and countless other supplies were donated in the blink of an eye.

Li Lao Er's heart blossomed with joy, but he put on a pained expression and said to the crowd, "I, leading the Northern Expeditionary Army, first thank you all for your support. I will take note of the names later and find an opportunity to show them to His Lordship so that he can go to the palace as soon as possible to plead with the Emperor."

But you all should send the things over sooner rather than later. After all, once the final distribution list is set, it's not easy to make changes. I'm just an outsider, relying on my thick skin to persuade the Marquis once, but it wouldn't be easy to do so a second time.

"Master, please rest assured, I am already beyond grateful for this."

"Yes, Grandfather, don't worry. Our grain will be delivered tomorrow."

Everyone responded in unison. After they had reported the names of their children and grandchildren and registered their supplies, they hurried home.

After all, the old folks at home are still taking medicine for their fiery condition, and the grandchildren are trembling with fear...

Although you still have to go to the military camp, as long as you stay at the dock and don't go into battle, your life will be saved.

As for whether military life is tough, I'll be so close now that I can take care of things.

In the evening, Li Lao Er proudly showed the booklet to the lord upon returning home.

The lord was also pleased. These food and supplies were enough to support the northern expeditionary army for at least a year.

By this time next year, when the corn and potatoes are once again plentiful, we won't have to rack our brains so much about meals!

This night, most households in Xindu could finally have a good sleep.

But the Jiangning Hou Mansion was still restless. The second master and second mistress heard that they had to donate so much grain and money to the Northern Expeditionary Army, just to get a cooking job for their nephew, and were very dissatisfied.

After all, the family hasn't divided their property yet. Anything taken out would also belong to the second branch.

The madam was even more displeased. How could her own son, whom she had raised with her own hands, go burn fire and cook

That's the Emperor's own younger brother, the eldest son of the Marquis' family!

The old marquis's two sons quarreled incessantly, and his illness worsened because of it. Even the medicine soup was spilled halfway through administering it.

The Madam, furious, on the second day, had the old Marquis, with his crooked mouth and squinting eyes, carried directly to the front of the Imperial Palace gate just as the civil and military officials were about to attend court.

This time, the Emperor and Empress could not escape no matter what.

After all, filial piety comes first. No one can stand to see Old Master Hou die outside the palace gates like this...

Today I went to the hospital for an IV drip. I just finished writing two chapters' update, thanks to my friends for understanding. Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, I will continue the IV drip, scheduled for an MRI on Monday. As long as my back pain gets a little better, I will immediately resume updating three times a day. Group hug! Muah!hao Yuru would not return until tomorrow, so she hurried to the valley to get busy.The old woman brought Zhao Yuru to see Huiniang. Zhao Yuru sewed two tiger-head caps for the child. Huiniang was deli...