I Became a Sugar Mama to an Ancient General during a Famine! - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: A Bountiful Harvest of Ancient Jewelry and Jade

Chen Kui’s eyes widened in shock. This fellow even dared to order more snacks!

He didn’t realize that the gods were only willing to help them because of the Great General’s influence.

How audacious to make demands with just a small box of jewelry!

Moreover, he was the first to enter the back courtyard to take some supplies, and he even sneaked away with candies!

The madam didn’t even try to stop him.

How shameless!

Mo Fan and the Great General were born in the same year, both in their twenties, but Mo Fan was half a year older. How could he still be so childish?

If not for his connections, in this brutal borderland of Zhen Guan, he would have died a thousand times over by now.

Zhan Chengyin accepted the jewelry box without refusing or agreeing. He simply said, “You’ll need to add more money.”

Mo Fan agreed without hesitation and instructed his bodyguard, “Go, fetch money from the mansion.”

The guard left with the shoebox and socks.

The military advisor was about to withdraw, but Zhan Chengyin called out, “Advisor Zhuang, stay.”

The books Zhan Chengyin had distributed to his soldiers—The Art of War, dictionaries, and such—Mo Fan hadn’t read a single word, handing everything over to the military advisor.

Advisor Zhuang and Luo Ge’s Han Chinese military advisor Li Ling both came from the same school. In this era, there was no imperial examination system yet. Scholars seeking to rise in status would attend major academies, relying on excellent grades to obtain recommendations from their teachers, or they would offer themselves as advisors to noble families.

Zhuang Liang and Li Ling both hailed from the largest academy in Changhe County. Zhuang Liang had excelled in his studies and was recommended to the capital a few years ago, where he was presented to the Empress Dowager. She tasked him with assisting the young heir of the Mo family in seizing Zhan Chengyin’s military power in Zhen Guan.

However, the young heir only cared about indulging in pleasures, never even setting foot in the military camp. How could he possibly seize power?

Since the great famine, Mo Fan had become less of a prodigal son. He trained daily with the lower-ranking soldiers but still refused to study.

During military meetings, he sat silently to the side, never offering any opinions. Everyone treated him like a mascot—as long as he didn’t hinder them, they let him do as he pleased.

This time, however, he had gone too far!

Fortunately, he knew to offer payment. The general hadn’t said anything, so no one made a fuss. But the candies in his hand—when had the gods sent those? Why didn’t anyone know about them? Could they have been secretly hidden by Chen Kui’s wife?

That wasn’t very considerate.

Everyone gave Chen Kui a meaningful look. He scratched his head, embarrassed, and said, “Alright, when we return to the mansion, I’ll have my wife distribute a few pieces to each of you.”

Zhan Chengyin then asked Zhuang Liang, “What’s your opinion, Advisor? When will the barbarian tribes attack the city?”

Zhuang Liang fell silent for a moment before answering. “General, Liu Ling is my junior brother.”

Zhan Chengyin nodded. “I’ve known about this for a while. Speak freely.”

Zhuang Liang was indeed talented, which was why he had been recommended to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager’s nephew had been sent to Zhen Guan by the young emperor, and fearing her young nephew would be taken advantage of, she had Zhuang Liang accompany him.

Zhuang Liang continued, “When my junior brother Liu Ling was at the academy, his grades were below mine. He was always ranked tenth in the academy…”

Liu Ling never believed he was inferior to Zhuang Liang. Later, when he learned that Zhuang Liang was thriving in the capital, he insisted on entering the world, despite their teacher’s attempts to dissuade him. However, upon arriving in the capital as an advisor, he wasn’t valued and felt deeply frustrated and unfulfilled.

Meanwhile, Zhuang Liang had been recommended to the Empress Dowager and became her favored advisor. Liu Ling, unable to bear it any longer and unwilling to continue idling at the advisor’s mansion, violated his ancestral teachings and defected to the barbarians, becoming Luo Ge’s military advisor.

“Liu Ling is obsessed with divination. He likely had a fortune teller cast a divination to determine when they would attack the city.”

Zhan Chengyin’s expression turned serious. “Is this information reliable?”

“Very reliable, General. No one in this world understands him better than I do.”

“Summon the fortune tellers.”

There were several fortune tellers in the city. Some made a living by telling fortunes on the streets, while others were more respected, honored as divine calculators with their own mansions and servants. Zhan Chengyin never believed in fate, and the Zhan family army didn’t keep fortune tellers.

Three fortune tellers arrived—two elderly men and one younger man. One of the elders set up stalls on the street to tell fortunes, while the other was known as a divine calculator. The young man, though dressed in rags, had bright eyes unlike a typical fortune teller.

Zhan Chengyin had someone bring three watermelons and a bag of rice, placing them on the table.

“I want the three of you to divine when the most suitable time for an attack on the city will be in the coming days. If your calculation is accurate, you’ll be rewarded with this bag of rice. Of course, I won’t let you leave empty-handed—each of you can take a watermelon home.”

The three fortune tellers were overjoyed. Watermelons were rare items these days—thirst-quenching, filling, and even the rind was edible.

The street fortune teller began calculating with his fingers, while the one with a mansion used a turtle shell. The young man, however, walked out of the command room, looked up at the sky, surveyed his surroundings, and muttered to himself.

Both elderly men predicted that the Hour of Zi tonight (11 pm-1 am) would be suitable for attacking the city. But the young man said that three days later, at noon, the barbarians would attack.

Zhan Chengyin allowed them to take their watermelons and leave. He added that after tonight’s Hour of Zi, whoever calculated correctly would receive fifty jin of rice.

Once they left, the command room fell into silence. There were still five hours until the Hour of Zi tonight.

Zhan Chengyin turned to Chen Wu and said, “Now have people prepare to lay the explosives.”

“Yes, I’ll arrange it immediately.”

“Everyone must be fully armed. Prepare the catapults, position the archers. How many coal balls have been made from the coal briquettes sent by the gods?”

“There are over five hundred baskets…”

“Send two hundred baskets to each tower. Once the siege towers approach the city walls, pour them down to burn the siege towers.”

Song Duo responded, “I’ll go arrange it.”

Everyone busily prepared for battle.

Zhan Chengyin held the jewelry box Mo Fan had given for Ye Mumu. If the barbarians attacked the city tonight, it might be the most brutal battle they had faced yet.

Uncertain of the outcome, he wrote a note,「The fortune tellers have divined that the barbarians will attack the city at the Hour of Zi tonight. Yin doesn’t know the outcome. If I die, I’m sorry, Yin will no longer be able to repay your kindness. In the next life, I’m willing to be a cow or horse to repay the god’s kindness in saving us.」

「This box of jewelry is bestowed by the royal family. Young General Mo Fan requests the god to grant one hundred pairs of shoes, two hundred pairs of socks, sixty men’s shoes, thirty women’s shoes…」

「god, take care!」

He placed the jewelry box and the note into the flower vase.

*

Ye Mumu had just finished cleaning the warehouse. She hugged three watermelons and put them in the back of the car, preparing to head home.

Suddenly, she noticed a piece of paper under the flower vase, along with an intricately carved red lacquer wooden box.

She opened the box, which contained exquisitely crafted jewelry adorned with gemstones. The jewelry was engraved with words like “Bestowed by the Great Qi Royal Family.”

Ye Mumu knew that items marked with “Great Qi” and “Royal Bestowal” were extremely valuable. Last time, the two wine goblets were worth 600 million, far more expensive than the bamboo slips.

She had struck it rich!

Just for a hundred pairs of shoes and two hundred pairs of socks, she had received priceless antiques in exchange. No matter how she calculated it, she had made an enormous profit.

At noon today, General Chen Kui and his wife had sent jewelry and accessories. She had become wealthy beyond measure. These jewels were conservatively estimated to be worth millions!

She opened the large box and two small boxes that Chen Kui had sent. The box was full of gold, silver, jewelry, and jade, emitting dazzling light.

The accessories in the two small boxes were exquisitely designed and crafted, rivaling modern manufacturing techniques. Even more precious was this newest box of jewelry, with gold inlaid with various colored gemstones—it was more beautiful and luxurious than anything she had seen.

She gazed at the beautiful jewelry, unable to look away.

Suddenly, she noticed another note on the ground.

After reading it she was shocked!

What? The barbarians would attack the city tonight?

Zhan Chengyin wasn’t confident about this battle and had written the letter as if leaving his last words.

How could this be?

She didn’t want Zhan Chengyin to die…