“What is it?” The Princess came to the palace at midnight certainly for something important. Ou Jingyu wanted to know it.

“The princess came to make a punitive expedition against the Majesty and claimed that the Majesty tried to kill the the princess’s husband’s younger brother.”

“Didn’t you encounter anyone else?” Ou Jingyu was very suspicious. As the maidservant had left for a few hours, something must have happened. Questioned by the master, Fan’er was flustered, afraid that her master found some inkling.

“I took a nap and forgot the time.”

Fan’er stretched herself with a guilty conscience, hoping to get away with it.

“This is hysteria drug. Ask Ning’s woman to increase the dose. So at that time the person who will stays beside the Majesty will be me.” The state banquet was a symbol of identity. Ou Jingyu did not want You Qingcheng to attend. Even though Ou Jingyu would appear with a fake identity, she was willing to accompany the Majesty herself. Fan’er took the order and left out of the room.

“Elder brother, I want to go to the North Desert with my husband.” Di Li wanted to leave the Qi Kingdom, because she did not want her husband to suffer the shabby treatment any longer. Her elder brother had changed into another person who did anything to anyone for the imperial power.

“It’s impossible!” Di Qing would not let his sister leave. Lin Xiaosa was still of great use. He was good at leading the troops to fight. Most importantly, he did not like authority. Power was rather alluring to anyone who held the military power, but Lin Xiaosa did not like it. “What a weirdo!”

“Elder brother, are you forcing us to go against our will?”

Di Li swept away the writing brush and ink, and it splashed all over the ground. No one could control her, including her brother. In the Imperial Study, there was a a flare-up of tension between Di Li and Di Qing. Di Li hated her brother who even would not spare her husband’s family member, and she hoped Brother Xu would rule the world in the end.

“Elder brother, I’ve decided to leave.” Di Li pushed the door, about to leave. However, Di Qing blocked her way.

“The Queen is talking about you every day. My younger sister, you’d better go to the Eastern Palace and live there for a few days.” Then, several palace servants rushed up.

“How dare you! Get away from me!” These disgusting eunuchs did not listen to Di Li’s order at all. Instead, they took away the princess forcibly. The Princess of the Qi Kingdom was compelled, and her elder brother just took her as a chip, a chip to coerce her husband. It turned out that the deep love between her and her elder brother was utterly an illusion. Di Qing wanted the authority, so the family love became his stepping stone. At that moment, sadness welled up in Di Li’s heart, and her tears kept flowing. The family member who grew up with her was eroded by imperial power. The palace servants remarked Di Li with sarcasm by battening on the Majesty’s decree. Di Li was totally disppointed about her elder brother.

“Princess Li is coming.” Upon hearing Di Li coming here, You Qingcheng swept away the depression in her heart. In fact, You Qingcheng had a few days of nightmares. Xu Xi was like a haunting ghost that kept disturbing her. Since the younger sister came to accompany her, You Qingcheng could take a sound sleep. Di Li had a good impression on her sister-in-law. Since the Majesty had made a decision, Di Li thought she should stay there conscientiously, but she was worried about Xiao Mi’er, who would be angry at not seeing Di Li and thus, would not eat anything.

Last night, Lin Xiaosa was drunk and unconscious. Now, he unveiled the quilt and felt chilly. He thought his little woman got up so early. Then, he pushed the door open, and the whole yard was too quiet. Usually, Li’er served him to wash the face. Lin Xiaosa came to the front yard, and asked the steward. Then, he knew that Xiao Li had came to the palace. Lin Xiaosa burst into a fury and blamed the steward not to report it early. The steward told him that the Princess did not want her husband to worry about her. What Lin Xiaosa feared most was that Di Li entered the palace, so he asked the steward to lead a horse. Lin Xiaosa could not wait for one more minute, as his little woman’s brother was so cruel that she was not her brother’s opponent at all. When he arrived at the gate of the palace, the guard greeted him hurriedly, as the guard did not dare to neglect him because of his distinguished identity. A palace servant followed Lin Xiaosa closely. Lin Xiaosa barged into the Imperial Study, which shocked the palace servant because the servant did not report to the Majesty yet. The servant was worried about his life if the Majesty blamed him, and he knelt on the ground with fright. Di Qing did not sleep the whole night, knowing that Lin Xiaosa was bound to look for Di Li.

“Oh, the princess’s husband come so early.” Di Qing stood up from the soft couch and stretched himself. He felt sore on the back. It seemed that the phoenix couch was more comfortable.

“I come to pick up my wife. Xiao Mi’er is waiting for her mother.”

Lin Xiaosa wanted to see his wife earlier. But Di Qing would not make him satisfied, because his younger sister came to the palace after such a long time, and what’s more important, his purpose had not been reached.

“It is an unquestionable moral truth that an elder brother wants his younger sister to stay for a few days. Right? the princess’s husband?”

“Get straight to the point.”

“The princess’s husband knows well. Xiao Li cannot understand her brother’s deep love and insists on going back to the North Desert. I have only a younger sister…” Di Qing said and sobbed. Lin Xiaosa knew that the Majesty was playing in front of him, and warned him not to play any tricks.

“I see. Just let Xiao Li stay with the Queen for a few days.” Lin Xiaosa made concessions in order to gain advantages, because he knew the more he showed concern for Xiao Li, the more tightly the Majesty would seized him. Lin Xiaosa’s movement worked! Di Qing was rather surprised and wondered why Lin Xiaosa remained so calm today, as Lin Xiaosa loved his wife more than his life. “Did he lose interest in my younger sister?” Men naturally rejected the old and craved for the new. Di Qing knew it well because of his abundant experiences. But his sister was not Lin Xiaosa’s weakness. “Why bother constraining her in the palace any longer? Did Lin Xiaosa have any new sweetheart? Lin Xiaosa was the pioneer to expand the territory. If no one could tie him up, how could Lin Xiaosa continue to be at my disposal? It seemed that Xiao Li should serve Lin Xiaosa all the time and fasten herself on him.”

“Ask Princess Li to the Imperial Study.” A palace servant took the order and ran to the Eastern Palace in a hurry. The Imperial Study was not a right place to stay. Lin Xiaosa felt relieved inwardly and thought that he did take right action. When Di Li met her husband, she felt grieved, as her elder brother took advantage of herself, and the family love was so insignificant compared to royal power.

“There is a banquet in the palace of the day after tomorrow. My younger sister, you should come early. And the princess’ husband remember to bring your brother. Don’t forget.” It turned out that the Majesty had been keeping an eye on the Princess’ residence. Lin Xiaosa cast his eyes with coldness.

“I retire.”

The husband’s indifference hurt Di Li’s heart. Not only did her brother treat her badly, but also her husband was so indifferent to her. However, Lin Xiaosa warned himself that he would not reveal his true feeling in front of Di Qing. The carriage left slowly. The woman cried sadly. Then, the big hands finally held the little woman.

“My husband.” The woman threw herself into her husband’s arms, her tears dropping continuously. When the truth was revealed, all the goodness in the past was completely broken. It turned out that she was only her brother’s chip. And her brother who had been guarding her since childhood was being eroding by the imperial power. And family love would eventually become a chip.

“Let’s go to the North Desert…” Di Li did not want to stay there for a moment. Every day she was living in depression and almost forgot her own nature.

“Will Di Qing spare us? Maybe he has planted some finger man in the princess’ mansion.” The two cuddled each other. When the carriage arrived at the mansion, Xiao Mi’er and her uncle had been waiting at the gate. Di Li jumped off the carriage to pick up her daughter. Only when she became a mother could she realize how important the child was. For the family, Lin Xiaosa made a decision. He had no way but to do that in order to return to the North Desert as early as possible.

“Elder brother.” Lin Xiaosa’s thought was interrupted. Lin Feiyang hugged his brother. The two walked to the room. Xiao Mi’er held her mother’s neck and giggled.

The plum blossoms in the courtyard gave off a fragrant odor regardless of the coldness. The blossoms on the branches appeared more flamboyant in the frost.

The family surrounded the stove and enjoyed a moment of peace.

…

In the Jin City.

There were more and more refugees in the city. The beef and mutton could not solve the rooted problems. Beggars were everywhere in the Jin City. Xu Linghe was so bogged down on refugees’ issue. It was inevitable for the King to make secret investigation. Zhan Ming had been waiting at the gate of the palace. Wuyou had nothing else to do, so she followed them out of the city. The Long County was one of the ten counties, and also the only county in the hills. The carriage ran to the boundary of the Long County. Xu Linghe unveiled the carriage curtain now and then and found the kumquat trees on the mountains were full of fruits. In such a cold day, the kumquat forest took on another scene. The three jumped off the carriage and went deep into the forest. An old man who guarded the forest came up to greet them. Wuyou was rather curious about the forest. The old man picked up an kumquat. Zhan Ming peeled the kumquat and found the pulp was in order like petals. Wuyou picked up a small one and tasted it. It was rather sweet.

“It’s delicious. It would be great if there are some in the Jin City.” Zhan Ming was full of praise. This thing was rare in the Jin City. Xu Linghe had been observing the growth of kumquat trees.

“This is a mountain orange and only grows in the hills.” Xu Linghe had an idea. Since the several counties around the Jin City were mountainous with lots of idlers, and there were a large terrifying number of refugees, how about making full use of it? Then, they could invite the old man to provide technical guidance. When people had something to do, no one would be willing to beg any longer.

“How is the kumquat harvest?

“It can yield about a hundred of loads in this mountain.” Zhan Ming’s eyeballs almost dropped in amazement. It was rare to see such high yields.

“Senior man, your way of making money is admirable.” Using the abandoned forests to plant cash crop was really far-sighted.

“I want to prove that the old is still useful. And I can live a comfortable life.” The old man did not take a rest. Instead, he put the kumquat into the basket in order. Zhan Ming carried the basket down the hill. Wuyou flew up to the tree and formed a spiritual net. Propelled by the spiritual power, the golden kumquat fell off the trees. The old man was an honest farmer and had not seen such magical person. Baskets were put into the carriage. When everything was finished, Xu Linghe drove the carriage to the market.

Although the Long County was in the hills, the main county was rather plain with wide and clean streets. The old man was a good talker and spoke out the people’s voices. When he talked about the sad story, he kept wiping the tears on the corner of his eyes. The war deprived his home. Knowing that the old man was also a refugee, Xu Linghe registered profound respect for the old man.

Zhan Ming put down the baskets in order, and found a good place for the old man. The old man cried his goods for sale. The people who went to the market knew the old man and rushed up. Xu Linghe was busy weighing the fruit, while the old man invited the passers to taste for free. Baskets of oranges were sold out within two hours. Xu Linghe had a plan. The Jin City boasted many hills, which were suitable for planting kumquat. The old man planted sweet kumquat. Now the Jin City had had silk as the pillar of the economy, but there was still a long way to go for crops.

“The old man’s kumquats are selling like hot cakes…” Zhan Ming said with emotion. All the kumquats were sold out. On the way home, the old man wanted to buy some wine and food. Xu Linghe would not let the old man spend the money, so he asked Zhan Ming to prepare the dinner. The courtyard was cleaned well by the old man. A dog waved its tail at the door. The old man threw a steamed bun, and the dog waved more happily and rubbed its head. The old man gave a snort, and the dog groveled on the ground obediently.

“The dog’s food is rather good.” Xu Linghe sighed. It would be good if the refugees in the Jin City could have food to eat.

“It is not an ordinary dog. It once saved my life.” In the heart of the old man, the dog was his own family member. Wuyou prepared the dinner for everyone. Although they met first time, the old man was so hospitable that he took rice wine from the cellar. Wuyou cleaned up the table and placed abundant dishes on it. After taking a glass of rice wine, the old man seemed in high spirits and led the three people to the backyard. There was a straw-woven shed where various fruit seedlings were bred.

“These can be planted next year. It is a small sweet orange…” The old man pointed at the orange seedlings inside, and it looked stronger. Xu Linghe was convinced by the old man’s whimsy. Who would think of rustic understand such technology? Wuyou even doubted that the elderly came from the chip, as he really knew a lot. The more Xu Linghe knew, the more determined he was. Xu Linghe decided to rely on the elderly to solve the refugee problem. Before leaving, Xu Linghe spoke out his purpose and hoped the old man would return to the Jin City with him. Zhan Ming also had this intention.