Two hours later, all the Northern Frontier soldiers were wearing the new clothes sent from the capital.
Some were cotton coats, and some were down jackets.
Although the warmth was slightly different, they were all new clothes, and they had previously been wearing clothes that could be called black-hearted cotton.
Now that they had warm new clothes, they were all happy.
Duke Yu decreed that a banquet be specially held to entertain Xu Yiping.
He also inquired about the source of this batch of clothing.
He heard that the Minister of Revenue had directly bypassed the corrupt Ministry of War this time and bought them from the market with his own money.
Duke Yu slapped the table and said happily,
"Xu Shijie has finally done something good this time, unlike before when he was always a hands-off shopkeeper, never doing anything properly!"
Xu Yiping felt a little awkward hearing this.
After all, Xu Shijie was not only his superior but also his clan uncle.
As a junior and subordinate, it was naturally not pleasant to hear others talk about him.
However, he couldn't help it, as the person in front of him was still a Duke.
And this was the Northern Frontier, his territory.
What could he say?
Even after his clothes were snatched, he dared not utter a single complaint.
Xu Yiping lowered his head, looking as if life had lost all meaning.
The steward from the He family, kneeling nearby, leaned in and whispered,
"My lord, please rest assured. My master likely has plenty of clothes at the moment. I will bring you one then."
Xu Yiping's face immediately lit up, and he said with a smile, "Oh, there's no need to send it; buying one would also be fine."
At the banquet, Duke Yu, abandoning his previous coldness, became exceptionally enthusiastic towards Xu Yiping.
He also instructed him that if the Northern Frontier army needed anything in the future, the Ministry of Revenue should procure and deliver it directly to him.
There was no need to go through the Ministry of War.
It was useless and caused delays.
Xu Yiping felt much better and repeatedly agreed, saying he would definitely speak to the Minister about it upon his return.
After the banquet, while resting, Xu Yiping remembered he still had something to deliver to Duke Yu and quickly got up to send it over.
Duke Yu looked at the package Xu Yiping had sent, stroking the patterns on it.
A wave of warmth flowed through his heart.
Yu Changqing whispered, "Did Mother send this?"
Duke Yu replied, "That's right, your mother sent it."
He opened it and found two grey squirrel fur cloaks.
These were naturally for him and his son.
There was also another package, which, upon opening, contained four down jackets.
Two were black, and two were sapphire blue.
Beside them lay a letter.
The father and son were quite surprised.
They had seen a letter earlier, tucked inside the clothes that Madam Wen had sent them, so why was there another one now?
Duke Yu handed it to Yu Changqing and gestured for him to read it.
Yu Changqing unfolded the letter and read quickly, his eyes scanning line after line.
Soon, Yu Changqing exclaimed happily, "Father, this is a见面礼 (meeting gift) from your niece, my cousin, whom you've never met."
Duke Yu was also pleased, "Oh, it's Little Seven?" He had heard his wife mention her in letters.
Even the previous danger in Jiangning Prefecture was thanks to Little Seven's capable husband, who had brought her back safely.
"That's right, Father. You asked why our clothes this time were so quick to arrive and so well-made. It's all thanks to Little Seven sister's efforts."
Yu Changqing informed Duke Yu that Su Xiaoqi, in her letter, had explained the composition and craftsmanship of the clothes sent, as well as some details.
She also explained how to wash and care for them.
Su Xiaoqi's letter did not mention her own great contributions.
However, Duke Yu and his son were both intelligent.
Seeing her detailed knowledge, they naturally knew this matter was her doing.
Upon opening Madam Wen's letter, they found that after the initial greetings to father and son,
the rest of the letter was filled with praise for Su Xiaoqi.
She stated that without her full assistance, the clothes could not have been completed so quickly, nor could they have been of such good quality.
After reading it, Duke Yu said with a look of relief, "Your maternal aunt is indeed your maternal aunt."
Yu Changqing choked slightly. He suspected only his own mother could tolerate his father's way of speaking.
Was this how one praised people?
"That's true. Didn't Grandmother always say that Maternal Aunt had a good eye from the start? Otherwise, how could she have taken a liking to Uncle at first glance!"
Gu Xiangsheng, a great scholar of the Great Liang dynasty, was an unknown figure when he first visited the Duke Yu's mansion.
Only later did he begin to reveal his talent and soar, establishing an unshakeable position in the literary world of Great Liang.
Even now, after living in seclusion in Bashu for over a decade, scholars and students of Great Liang were still diligently studying his paintings and reading his essays.
The father and son encountered happy events today and spoke with great satisfaction.
On this day, the soldiers of the Northern Frontier rejoiced.
As Xu Yiping left, he looked at the vibrant military camp with great emotion, "Look at how simple their happiness is, just a common piece of clothing."
While the soldiers of the Northern Frontier were happy, the capital was in a state of depression.
This was because Emperor Xingzhao's condition had relapsed.
He had been looking much better, but who would have thought the Crown Prince would cause such a scene.
Emperor Xingzhao originally intended to severely punish him. At a critical moment, his favorite Consort Huang appeared.
She cried and pleaded at his feet. In consideration of their past affection, Emperor Xingzhao was uncharacteristically soft-hearted.
He raised the matter of the Crown Prince high, only to let it fall gently.
However, the court officials could still tell that their Emperor's attitude towards the Crown Prince was far from what it used to be.
"Alas, there will likely be more storms in court," one insightful official muttered quietly.
"Hush, don't speak nonsense. We loyal subjects must not speak presumptuously. If they hear us, we will surely face death."
As subjects, they could not arbitrarily discuss court affairs, or they would not know how they died.
Of course, this was on the surface.
In private, as long as the surroundings were safe, there were plenty of people who discussed these matters.
This included Su Xiaoqi and Shen Yun.
"Wife, is the Emperor's illness still treatable?" Shen Yun asked Su Xiaoqi earnestly.
"Husband, it's not that I want to say it, but the Emperor should have... I have medicine to prolong his life for a while longer, but that's the limit. Miracles are no longer possible.
You should make preparations for some things."
Neither of them spoke of what those things were, but they both understood. They exchanged a knowing glance, and Shen Yun nodded.
Glancing at the sky, where snow had suddenly begun to fall, he said, "I'm going out. I might not be back for dinner tonight. You, Mother, and Mingzhu should not wait for me."
Su Xiaoqi nodded. She understood the importance of Shen Yun's affairs, so she would not stop him with a childish mindset.
What Shen Yun was doing now was like dancing on the edge of a cliff; one wrong step would lead to an abyss.