Quick, female general, I traveled through time to save my father

Chapter 355: The Mother of the Bomen Raises Her Stepson 22

Lu Mingchuan stood on the dilapidated steps of the county government office, looking at the cracked fields in the distance with a frown.

Half a year ago, he took up his post with great ambition, believing that with his talent and knowledge, he would be able to manage the local environment well. However, the reality was like a bucket of cold water, which chilled him to the core.

Lack of people, food and money.

The clerks in the county government office were lazy and idle, the local gentry and powerful people controlled the only good farmland, the people were pale and thin, and even the rats in the county treasury were starving to the point of skin and bones.

He clenched the letter from Shen Junyao tightly, and his fingertips turned slightly white.

The letter contained only one line of text: "Ten men have been sent with five hundred taels of silver. They will arrive in three days."

This was the third time Shen Junyao sent people to deliver money and food.

The person sent by Shen Junyao was not an ordinary servant.

There are old craftsmen who are proficient in water conservancy, accountants who are good at accounting, and retired veterans who have served in the army and are responsible for training young and strong people in the county.

They brought silver, grain seeds, and the county governance strategy written by Shen Junyao himself.

"First, improve water conservancy, then improve the administration of officials, and finally, survey the land."

Lu Mingchuan looked at the strategy, feeling both grateful and slightly pained.

If it weren't for Shen Junyao's help, he might not have been able to break the deadlock in the past six months.

Just when everyone was doing their own things as planned, Wu Weibo Shen Shigen started to make trouble.

He wants to marry a concubine!!!

At that time, those who returned to Beijing with him included prisoners of war and some personal guards.

Another part is the families of generals who died in the war.

Among them was Madam Minghua, the wife of his deputy general.

Madam Minghua was born into a family of a second-rank official of the current dynasty. Her father was the Minister of War Ming Chongyue, and her brother was the Commander-in-Chief of the Five Cities Army Ming Ye. Her family was so powerful that even the Prime Minister Zhou's family had to give them some respect.

Spoiled and arrogant since childhood, she married Wu Weibo's deputy general purely because he was young and promising, and she expected him to be promoted to a marquis or general. But she didn't expect her husband to die in battle, and she became a widow overnight.

Madam Minghua returned to the capital with her personal maidservant, following Marquis Wuwei's troops.

Without the protection of her husband and the support of her children, she could only return to her parents' home in disgrace.

The noble lady who was once high and mighty has now become a widow that everyone avoids.

Minghua knew very well that she could live in her mother's home for a while, but not forever.

Although her brother and sister-in-law still tolerate her for now, life under this roof means she is still dependent on others after all.

If she continues to waste time like this, I'm afraid that within half a year, her father will marry one of those senior officials in the court who are over fifty years old in order to curry favor with the powerful.

What's worse is that if some powerful family takes a fancy to her beauty and wants to take her as a concubine, that would be a real disaster.

Although Minghua is already 26 years old, she is at the most attractive age for a woman. She has shed her youthfulness and her every move is full of mature charm.

At this age, in the eyes of the powerful, she is more charming than a girl waiting to be married.

In the carriage on the way back, she looked at Shen Shigen riding on the horse through the gauze curtain, and she had already made up her mind.

Although this Wuweibo was a new noble, he enjoyed the emperor's favor and held considerable influence within the court. More importantly, compared to those complex and influential aristocratic families, a mansion with such shallow foundations made it easier for her to exert her influence.

She carefully looked at the tall figure on the horse. He was in his early thirties, the prime of a man's life. His every move and gesture showed the demeanor of a superior.

And I heard that his wife was just an orphan from the border, who only secured her position as the principal wife due to the favor she had during her humble days. Minghua's lips curled up slightly. In her eyes, such a rival was just a mere figurehead.

So the return journey is long, and Minghua will naturally not miss any opportunity to get close to Shen Shigen.

In the evening, the caravan stopped at a post station. The sky gradually darkened, thunder rumbled in the distance, and a mountain wind blew the smell of damp earth in the air.

Minghua was wearing a plain gauze cloak and a white magnolia in her hair. She stood in the corridor on the second floor of the inn, looking at the dark clouds approaching in the distance, as if in a trance.

Shen Shigen happened to pass by the courtyard. When he looked up, he saw a slender figure standing in the corridor, her clothes fluttering in the wind, like a fairy in a painting.

"Madam, it's going to rain. Let's go back to the house." He stopped and reminded in a deep voice.

Minghua seemed startled by his voice, and tilted her head slightly, revealing a section of her white neck.

She said softly, "Thank you for your concern, Uncle." After a pause, she added casually, "This sudden downpour reminds me of my childhood in Jiangnan."

Shen Shigen's eyes flickered slightly: "Is the girl from Jiangnan?"

Minghua smiled faintly. "My ancestral home is in Gusu, and I later moved to the capital with my father." She raised her eyes to the sky and spoke softly, "The rain in the south of the Yangtze River is lingering, the rain in the capital is fierce, but this rain in the mountains... is crisp and clear, just like the spirit of the border."

Border.

She mentioned this word deliberately, and sure enough, Shen Shigen looked stunned.

"It's really unfair for you to let Madam, a girl from Jiangnan, live with us rough old men at the border."

Minghua's eyes flickered when she heard Shen Shigen's words, then she shook her head gently, a gentle smile playing on the corner of her lips: "My Lord, you're joking. Although life at the border is hard, it's also magnificent. Although I was born in the south of the Yangtze River, I admire the heroic spirit of 'the lone smoke rising straight in the desert, the setting sun round on the long river' the most."

She paused, her fingertips gently stroking the corner of her handkerchief, and her voice lowered a bit: "But... I wonder if Madam thinks the same way?"

She is testing.

Shen Shigen's expression paused slightly, then he said calmly: "Sirong grew up in the border area and has long been accustomed to it."

Minghua uttered a soft "Oh," and said, seemingly unintentionally, "No wonder Madam has such a unique temperament, unlike any other girl in the boudoir." She raised her eyes, a touch of admiration in them. "My Lord and Madam, you must have shared hardships and a deep bond."

Shen Shigen's eyes darkened slightly, and he didn't respond.

Seeing this, Minghua had some suspicions in his mind. It seemed that the couple was not as loving as the rumors said.

She changed the subject at the right moment and sighed softly, "To be honest, although I have read some border poems, they are ultimately just theoretical discussions. If I had the chance, I would really like to hear my uncle talk about the real battlefield."

Shen Shigen glanced at her and suddenly asked, "Why are you interested in these things, young lady?"

Minghua met his gaze, unflinching, her eyes filled with genuine yearning. "Because heroes are worthy of admiration." She paused, her voice soft, "And heroes like Uncle, who defend their country, should be remembered even more."

Shen Shigen was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "I'll be at the training ground behind the posthouse at noon tomorrow."

After saying this, he turned and left, his back as straight as a pine tree.

Minghua looked at his back, a smile slowly appearing on the corner of his lips.

In this way, after going back and forth, by the time they returned to the capital, the two had already had their beginning and end.