Chapter 63: He Wants Both of Them; Urgent Dispatch from the Northern Frontier

Ye Xun looked at Ling'er and asked in confusion, "Ling'er, how do you know about these things? You even understand that for this Prince to take a bride, I need the Princess Consort's consent?"

Ling'er raised her slender eyebrows and smiled, "This maid knows nothing of this; it was Head Steward Cao An who told me."

"Cao An?" Ye Xun nodded slightly. Thinking about it, that made sense; Cao An was the only one in the Prince of Qin's Manor who knew the full story.

This was indeed a sorrowful topic.

However, how could Ye Xun be foolish enough to seek a divorce from Mu Lingshang?

She was the renowned violent beauty of the Great Xia, and she had formally kowtowed to the heavens and earth with Ye Xun, bearing his legitimate title.

Most importantly, Mu Lingshang was still untouched.

If this delicate and lovely wife were to run off with someone else, Ye Xun wouldn't even have time to cry.

Seeing him lost in thought, Ling'er asked cautiously, "Your Highness, which one do you like more: Eldest Miss Yunqing or Princess Consort Mu?"

"Which one do I like more?" Ye Xun frowned slightly and subconsciously replied, "Only children make multiple-choice questions. This Prince chooses both."

Ling'er: "......"

Just a moment ago, when Ye Xun was negotiating with the three major merchant guilds, he had looked so righteous and passionate.

Now, his true nature was finally exposed.

However, Ye Xun was also facing a massive headache.

Given the current situation, if he were to go to the Yunnan Commandery to find Mu Lingshang, that violent female Valkyrie would undoubtedly tear him limb from limb.

Yet, this matter ultimately had to be resolved.

Without bringing Mu Lingshang back, it would be truly difficult for him to welcome Shangguan Yunqing into his household.

Moreover, the Yunnan Commandery was a powerful fief held by a vassal outside the imperial clan, and its military strength was formidable.

Without absolute certainty, Ye Xun could not afford to go looking for Mu Lingshang just yet.

If he went rashly, he would surely be divorced by Mu Lingshang, something he could never accept.

How could he let such a delicate and lovely wife slip away after finally getting her?

Sigh......

Ye Xun sighed helplessly. He still had to scheme for political power first.

Without power, even if he managed to win back both delicate wives, he would never have peace.

......

The next day.

Noontime.

The front hall of the Prince of Qin's Manor.

The enterprise of the Prince of Qin's Manor was on the rise, and Wei Feng had dispatched several more talented individuals.

Ye Xun could finally catch a breath and enjoy a peaceful, hearty meal.

Yesterday, Wei Feng had specially sent a few culinary chefs from the Duke of Zhenguo's Manor.

There was no help for it; the Prince of Qin's Manor currently held too many secrets, and they could not afford the slightest oversight.

Although Ye Xun could not be considered wealthy beyond measure, his dietary standards had improved considerably.

He sat upright before the table, holding a steamed flatbread and eating steamed fish.

The cooking methods in Great Xia were extremely simple, limited to roasting, steaming, and boiling.

Stir-frying simply did not exist here.

There were three main reasons for this.

First: The oil production in Great Xia was extremely low. Lard had a strong, fishy odor, while other animal and vegetable oils were extremely scarce. Without cooking oil, stir-frying was impossible.

Second: The variety of vegetables in Great Xia was meager. Ingredients like chili peppers, bell peppers, and onions were completely nonexistent.

Third: Great Xia's iron-casting technology was still immature. The primary cooking utensils were pottery, making iron woks a luxury.

Therefore, these historical and technical limitations destined Ye Xun to be unable to taste truly exquisite cuisine in Great Xia.

However, Ye Xun was not picky and ate with great relish.

Wangcai was lying on the ground, gnawing on a pig's trotter.

If pork didn't have that heavy, fishy odor, Ye Xun would have wanted to snatch it back and braise it in soy sauce.

It was simply a terrible waste of good ingredients.

However, to Wangcai, a pig's trotter with a fishy odor was an absolute delicacy.

Ye Xun looked at Wu Yue, who was devouring his food nearby, and asked, "Little Yueyue, are you getting used to living in the Prince of Qin's Manor?"

Though he smiled on the outside, he was weeping on the inside.

He ate far too much......

Wu Yue could truly eat an astronomical amount.

In a single meal, he would consume fifteen sesame cakes, a whole fish, two roasted chickens, and an entire jar of Heaven's Brew.

He should have asked Wu Shouzhi for some meal money when the man left.

"Hehe......" Wu Yue looked at Ye Xun and smiled honestly. "I'm used to it, I'm very used to living here. I don't even want to leave anymore. Third Uncle Master, Old Wu said that whatever you need, just order me to do it......"

As he spoke, Wu Yue shoved a whole chicken drumstick into his mouth, chewed it twice, and then spat out the bones without a single shred of meat left on them.

Ye Xun waved his hands repeatedly. "No need, just stay comfortably in the manor, you don't need to do anything."

Yesterday, Cao An had discussed the matter with Ye Xun, swearing he would never dare ask Wu Yue for help again.

A few days prior, Cao An had organized the hired laborers to move the winery to the courtyard next door.

Wu Yue had insisted on helping.

Unable to refuse, Cao An let him help carry the wine.

And what did this fellow Wu Yue do? He drank all ten jars of high-potency Immortality Brew that he was supposed to carry, and put the empty jars back onto the cart.

He had even smiled brightly and asked Cao An if he was clever, since carrying them this way made the cart feel so effortless.

Wu Yue's stunt had almost made Cao An faint from sheer anger.

He hurriedly found an excuse to send Wu Yue away.

Still, soldiers are raised for a thousand days to be used in a single hour.

Although Wu Yue was a bit dim-witted, his martial arts prowess was formidable.

Wei Feng had once remarked that the aura Wu Yue could unleash felt no weaker than that of Qin Yuan, the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guard.

Sooner or later, he would come in very handy.

Ye Xun also felt that aside from being somewhat simple-minded, Wu Yue had no other major flaws.

Listening to Ye Xun's words, Wu Yue nodded honestly.

"Hehe......"

"Then Third Uncle Master, I'll continue eating."

With that, he resumed his whirlwind-like devouring, gorging himself with gusto.

He ate with such hearty enjoyment that it made even Ye Xun feel like his own meal was exceptionally delicious.

Meanwhile, Wei Feng hurried in from outside the hall.

Nowadays, Wei Feng came to the Prince of Qin's Manor every day to brief Ye Xun on major events from the morning imperial court session.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Wei Feng walked forward and bowed slightly.

Ye Xun hurriedly said, "Cousin, no need for formalities, please sit. Ling'er, go tell the kitchen to prepare another serving of food."

"Yes, Your Highness," Ling'er acknowledged and headed out of the hall.

Wei Feng did not stand on ceremony and sat down at the desk on the side of the hall.

Seeing his hurried expression, Ye Xun put down his chopsticks and asked, "Cousin, has something major happened in the imperial court?"

"Indeed," Wei Feng poured himself a cup of tea, drank it down in one gulp, and said, "There are unusual movements in the northern frontier. The Tainu cavalry are converging on the Tiemutuo Tribe, located a hundred miles outside our Great Xia's Yanyun Pass. They have already gathered over eighty thousand elite cavalry."

Hearing this, Ye Xun frowned deeply and asked in confusion, "The news of His Majesty being in a coma shouldn't have reached the northern frontier this quickly, right? Why are they mobilizing troops at this juncture, preparing to use force against our Great Xia?"

Wei Feng explained, "It's not because the news of the Emperor's coma has leaked out. Rather, every year around the end of September, the Tainu launch large-scale invasions southward to plunder our northern frontier villages, seizing people, livestock, and grain to sustain themselves through the winter."

Ah, right.

He had been too hasty.

In his mind, there were simply no memories regarding this matter.

Then again, this brain capacity wasn't very large to begin with, and half of it was occupied by memories of minor trivialities.

Tainu......

Plunder......

These beasts treated Great Xia like their private pasture.

Every winter they came to Great Xia to pillage and slaughter; they truly deserved to die.

However, Ye Xun didn't have any great solutions either.

On one hand, he knew no martial arts and understood nothing of battlefield tactics; on the other hand, he didn't know how to command troops and lacked the talent to devise strategies within a command tent.

Though his mind held a number of classic battle case studies, those could only yield advantages under specific, tailored circumstances.