Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1224: Chapter 1226 Discussing Terms_1

That very day, the news of the rodent infestation at Leisure Lodge spread throughout the Capital City like wildfire.

Heaven knows, Bai Ruozhu really didn’t add fuel to the flames, but people were willing to believe in ghosts and gods at that time. Moreover, it was likely other restaurants secretly kicked them while they were down, and as a result, the news spread in an astonishing fashion.

”Have you heard? The food at Leisure Lodge is unclean. It has attracted lots of rats, and I went there to eat a few days ago. Now that I think about it, it makes me feel queasy.”

”I think it’s more than that. There’s something sinister about it. I heard that Leisure Lodge has committed many immoral acts and has incurred the wrath of the heavens and the people. Heaven itself has sent the rat plague as a punishment. We better not go there in case we catch some bad luck.”

”Isn’t that a bit exaggerated? But rats carry so many diseases. With all those rats crawling around, think off how dirty it must be. We should avoid going there in the future to prevent catching any diseases.”

”...”

As a result, for half a year afterward, Leisure Lodge’s business was terribly slow. Apart from the occasional uninformed out-of-towner, no other customers were willing to go there. Even when Madame Yang used her own reputation to invite acquaintances to the restaurant, in the end, very few dared to go. Hence, after half a year, Leisure Lodge could only close its doors for good, and even trying to transfer the lease for a different business was not easy. Of course, all these were matters for later.

The day after the Leisure Lodge incident, Bai Ruozhu went to the outlying courtyard to pick up Guoguo and bring her back to the Bai Family, introducing her to the family as her disciple.

Lin Ping’er even teased her a bit, saying, ”You’re not that old and already taking on disciples. You better not teach the child poorly and lead them astray.”

Bai Ruozhu glared at her mother, ”How could that happen? Look at Xiaosi and my Dengdeng, didn’t I raise them? Aren’t they good children?”

Lin Ping’er had no intention of arguing that point. Whenever her own children were mentioned, she was naturally filled with immense pride.

Privately, Bai Ruozhu shared Guoguo’s background with her family. When they heard that Guoguo’s father had died partly due to Bai Ruozhu and that Guoguo had suffered so much at such a young age, everyone felt compassion for him.

Guoguo quickly became familiar with Niuniu and Rongrong, but he preferred playing with Xiaosi more, who was two years older than him. Not just because Xiaosi was like an older brother to him, but also because Xiaosi knew some impressive martial arts. However, every time he called out to Xiaosi, it felt incredibly awkward.

”Little Uncle Master, can you perform that boxing set again? I didn’t quite get it,” Guoguo said timidly.

Xiaosi glared at him, ”Uncle Master is Uncle Master, what’s with adding ’little’? I’ve already performed that boxing set three times. Dengdeng is five years younger than you and even he learns faster than you.”

Guoguo chuckled sheepishly, ”I’m just not as quick, so I need to put in more effort.”

Xiaosi seemed indifferent, but still performed the set again for him. Watching from a distance as the children played together, Bai Ruozhu’s heart also settled down.

Moreover, Xiu Cuicui was also arranged by Bai Ruozhu to leave for another place. She placed Xiu Cuicui in the Commerce Association. In the future, Xiu would be helping Lin Zhenghui in the Commerce Association to vie for territory. It was time to prepare early, and Xiu Cuicui’s ability to understand the language of animals might be a great help to her.

In the following days, apart from spending time with her son and her husband, Bai Ruozhu was busy reading books in the Astrology Tower. Although she couldn’t learn much in a short period, understanding some things could make her more confident about her upcoming journey.

A few days later, the Emperor suddenly summoned Jiang Yichun and Bai Ruozhu to the Imperial Study room. Jiang Yichun, reluctant to leave, said to Bai Ruozhu, ”It seems like we will have the departure day set soon. We will have to part with our son once again.”

As a mother, Bai Ruozhu found this the hardest to bear. Fortunately, her parents were there to help take care of Dengdeng, which gave her peace of mind. Dengdeng’s two uncles would also teach him the principles of life.

Both of them went to the Imperial Study Room, where His Majesty was still perusing memorials. The two stood aside and waited for a while until the Emperor had endorsed a line on the memorial, then set it aside and signaled for the non-essentials to leave, leaving only his close attendant, Wang Shun.

”There has been a frequent outbreak of epidemics in the Northwestern Area recently. In the coming days, I will issue an edict to dispatch Yichun to inspect the epidemic. The Bai Family is proficient in medical skills, accompanying Yichun to handle the epidemic,” the Emperor stated.

He paused before continuing, ”That is what will be known publicly. In secret, you are to make a trip to the Western Regions. Make sure not to be discovered by the purposeful.”

Bai Ruozhu furrowed his brows upon hearing this. Managing an Epidemic Area was no simple task—it involved identifying the source of the disease, isolating and treating patients, and even observing whether the epidemic would spread further. To use this as a cover didn’t seem quite appropriate, did it?

If they were delayed by the epidemic, how could they search for the Holy Maiden in the Western Regions?

Jiang Yichun was also concerned about this and immediately spoke up, ”Your Majesty, inspecting the Epidemic Area will require a great deal of time and manpower, and even a public presence, which might affect the timeline for bringing back the Holy Maiden.”

The Emperor glanced at him, ”That is of no issue; the epidemic is merely a cover.”

Bai Ruozhu quickly looked at Jiang Yichun, and from his relieved expression, it was evident that the Emperor meant the epidemic was staged, a ploy he had arranged.

With that in mind, there seemed to be no difficulty.

”You are to depart in about half a month. Yichun, report to me as soon as possible what kind of manpower you need,” the Emperor added.

”Yes, Your Servant obeys the decree,” Jiang Yichun said, paying his respects.

The Emperor then turned to Bai Ruozhu, ”Does the Bai Family have any needs?”

Bai Ruozhu thought to herself that His Majesty was being unusually courteous today. In the past, he scarcely deigned to give her a second glance, but now her status had soared somewhat since she had become the disciple of the National Master.

”Your Majesty,” Bai Ruozhu replied, ”is it possible for my younger brother’s Master, Elder Xuan Jizi of the Huashan Sect, and his wife to join us?” Bai Ruozhu briefly mentioned Lin Lian’s need for her to provide an antidote and also vouched for the reliability of Elder Xuan Jizi and his wife.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor looked at Jiang Yichun, implying his trust in him.

”Elder Xuan Jizi and his wife have excellent martial arts skills and are trustworthy. Their presence on the journey will certainly raise our level of safety. Furthermore, since they are not involved in the court or noble conflicts of interest, it would be much safer,” Jiang Yichun commented.

The Emperor nodded, ”Good, let them accompany you. But you must keep this strictly confidential. Apart from that, do you have any other needs?”

The corners of Bai Ruozhu’s mouth slightly lifted. Good, it was time to negotiate terms. If not now, when?

”Your Majesty, I have a request,” Bai Ruozhu said. ”As my husband and I both leave the Capital, we naturally cannot be at ease if there is trouble at home. Our parents and children will remain in the Capital City, and it would be improper to communicate with them too frequently on this trip. Should they be bullied in our absence, I would indeed feel that I have let down my family.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yichun also stepped forward and said with a fist clasped, ”Your Majesty, the Yang Family has bullied us several times. I do not ask for retribution, only that our family be safe and not cause us undue concern while my wife and I are away.”