Chapter 53
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Yuan Li happily rushed to the livestock farm under the cover of night.
Ever since he obtained the book “Postpartum Care for Sows,” Yuan Li had been eager to put the knowledge into practice. After waiting from spring to winter, he finally had the opportunity.
Yuan Li had never assisted in delivering piglets before, so his current state of mind was similar to that of a clueless father standing at the entrance of a delivery room—curious and nervous at the same time.
The pigsty in the livestock farm had already been cleaned according to Yuan Li’s previous instructions. All the dirt had been thoroughly removed, and the area had been disinfected with hot water. A fresh layer of clean straw covered the floor, and candles were lit around, creating a warm and safe environment that would provide comfort to the soon-to-be-delivering sow.
The pigsty was not built tall because it was winter. The low and compact structure helped retain warmth, preventing the pigs from getting cold and falling ill.
As Yuan Li entered the pigsty, he saw the pregnant sow, with a big belly, uncomfortably curled up in the corner. Upon seeing a person enter, the sow remained still and weak, only moving her eyes around a few times.
The wounded soldiers working at the pig farm had never had the opportunity to raise pigs before, nor did they know how to assist in the delivery process for sows. When they learned that Yuan Li was coming to demonstrate the process, they selected more than ten people with a good memory to learn from him.
The wounded soldiers looked serious, wishing they could squat beside Yuan Li and observe his every move.
For them, pig farming was the livelihood they would rely on in the future. If even Young Master Yuan knew how to do it, how could they not? They couldn’t possibly rely on Young Master Yuan to do this work every time, could they?
In reality, Yuan Li, who was also assisting in delivering piglets for the first time, felt the pressure of being closely watched. He mentally reviewed the theoretical knowledge several times and turned to ask, “Are all the things I need prepared?”
Zhao Ying quickly nodded and untied a bundle, taking out the items one by one.
Burlap sacks, towels, and a sharp dagger.
Everything had been cleaned thoroughly, and the dagger had been soaked in hot water for a long time, giving it a warm touch.
In fact, besides these items, the book also mentioned the need for disinfectant and iodine.
However, due to the lack of proper equipment, Yuan Li could only put more effort into ensuring the cleanliness of the tools.
After checking the items, Yuan Li nodded, took a deep breath, and said, “Sows usually give birth during the night, so it should be soon.”
While waiting for the sow to deliver, Yuan Li, feeling too nervous, stepped outside to get some fresh air. It was still snowing at night, but the snowfall had reduced significantly.
He took a few breaths of the chilly winter air.
Don’t be nervous, don’t let your hands shake. Yuan Li, always remember that you are a professional.
Half an hour later, the sow began to exert force.
During the sow’s delivery, the first piglet was the most challenging to deliver, and it relied solely on the sow’s efforts. As soon as the piglet was born, Yuan Li immediately lifted it with both hands and cleared the mucus from its mouth and around its nose. This was to prevent the piglet from suffocating due to mucus blocking its airways. The mucus on the piglet’s body also needed to be wiped clean with a burlap sack or towel to prevent it from getting cold in the winter night.
If we talk about the test of skill, it was in cutting the umbilical cord. After carefully handling the first piglet, Yuan Li gained experience and became faster in dealing with the piglets.
After about an hour and a half, the sow expelled the afterbirth, marking the completion of the process.
Yuan Li followed the same procedure for the other sows that were about to give birth, and the injured soldiers understood it as well. After a busy night, Yuan Li was sweating profusely, and those around him were sweating as well.
After washing his hands, Yuan Li asked the injured soldiers, “Did you see clearly?”
The injured soldiers all nodded and confidently said, “Don’t worry, Young Master Yuan, we saw it clearly.”
After speaking, they couldn’t help but admire Yuan Li and praised him several times.
Yuan Li displayed the demeanor of a great general and calmly smiled, saying, “During this period, there will always be sows reaching their due dates. Try it yourselves and see if you can handle it. I’ll be at the pig farm in the next few days, so if you have any questions, feel free to come find me.”
The injured soldiers nodded gratefully.
The next day, Yuan Li woke up early and went to see the piglets he had delivered personally the previous night.
A total of thirty-two piglets were born from the three sows. Among them, eleven were female piglets, and twenty-one were male piglets.
The preciousness of the female piglets was evident at a glance.
However, Yuan Li also liked the male piglets.
With a contented gaze, Yuan Li looked at the male piglets and already started thinking about how to castrate them in a month.
In the following ten days, the eight hundred sows reached their due dates one after another.
The candles at the pig farm lit up night after night, and soon the weak cries of the piglets filled the entire farm.
But not everything went smoothly. Due to the extremely cold weather, some piglets would freeze to death within a day of being born. And there were also some extreme cases where the mother sow would devour her own piglets.
This broke the hearts of the injured soldiers at the pig farm. They became even more vigilant day and night, afraid that another piglet would be lost. In such circumstances, the injured soldiers quickly adapted to various unexpected situations with the sows and piglets, performing even better than Yuan Li had imagined.
On the tenth day of the twelfth month, while Yuan Li was inspecting the pig farm and smiling as he looked at the tender piglets, he received news—there was unrest among the captured prisoners.
One prisoner had caused trouble and killed someone, while others were attempting to escape during the chaos.
Yuan Li frowned and immediately dispatched his personal guards to suppress the situation. He followed them to take a look.
Upon arrival, the guards had already surrounded the entire area. However, compared to the twenty thousand captured prisoners of the White Rice Gang, the one thousand cavalrymen seemed too thin. Yuan Li was worried that it wouldn’t be enough, so he had five thousand soldiers stationed in Jixian called over.
The troublemakers were several dozen young individuals who suddenly launched an attack. They had hidden stones on their persons, and in an instant, they had killed dozens of prisoners.
Yuan Li instructed the guards to capture these individuals and bring them forward. With a stern voice, he asked, “Who ordered you to do such a thing?”
During these days, Yuan Li had only assigned the White Rice Gang to perform tasks related to road construction, and they had never lacked food, drink, or shelter. It could be said that under his rule, the White Rice Gang enjoyed a more stable and peaceful life than before their rebellion. So, until now, the prisoners had been content, and no one had thought of causing trouble.
Yuan Li found it hard to believe that on the same day, at the same moment, this group of people suddenly caused a disturbance and killed dozens of others, attempting to escape during the chaos.
Several dozen young individuals kept their heads lowered, clenching their teeth, showing a resolute determination not to speak. One of them even spat fiercely at Yuan Li.
The guards forcefully kicked these individuals to the ground and then pulled them up, threatening, “Show some respect to the Lord.”
Yuan Li remained calm, “I will ask once again, who ordered you to do such a thing?”
After asking the question, none of them uttered a word. However, some of them began to feel frightened, and their bodies started to tremble slightly.
Yuan Li smiled faintly and said directly, “Someone come.”
Wu Kai and Wang Er stepped forward.
Yuan Li said, “Execute them on the spot.”
The two of them clasped their fists in acknowledgment and proceeded forward with their knives.
Seeing them approaching with knives, the individuals widened their eyes in terror. They hadn’t expected that Yuan Li would order their execution after just two unanswered questions!
Wu Kai and Wang Er wasted no words and acted swiftly, beheading each of the prisoners one by one. When the first head fell to the ground, the remaining individuals suddenly screamed and struggled. Some of them were so frightened that they even wet their pants, causing the guards restraining them to furrow their brows in discomfort.
Behind them, the twenty thousand White Rice Gang were ordered to watch this scene, using it as a lesson to deter others.
Though they were scared, their anger towards the troublemakers surpassed their fear. They were content with their current lives, having food, drink, and clothing. Yet these individuals had to cause trouble. If they ended up bearing the consequences, the White Rice Gang would truly come to hate them.
Yuan Li quietly observed as each of the troublemakers met their demise under the blade.
Finally, someone couldn’t withstand the threat of death any longer. With tears streaming down their face, they cried out, “It was Li Yan! Li Yan instructed us to cause trouble and kill people. He promised to help us escape and attain wealth and glory!”
“Li Yan?”
The unfamiliar name made Yuan Li furrow his brow, and he asked again, “Who is Li Yan?”
“Li Yan…” The pale-faced Zhan Shaoning, standing behind him, answered, “Yuan Li, I know him.”
Yuan Li turned to look at him and suddenly realized something. His chest throbbed rapidly for a moment.
He quickly walked up to Zhan Shaoning, the smile fading from his face, and a sharp glint appeared in his eyes as he sternly said, “Li Yan is one of the fifty subordinates you brought to Youzhou?”
Zhan Shaoning had never seen Yuan Li in such a serious and stern manner. He felt a sense of panic and his lips quivered as he vigorously nodded. “Yes, he is one of the former subordinates I brought. But Yuan Li, believe me, I never instructed Li Yan to do such a thing. I have no reason to incite turmoil between them! Quickly ask them which Li Yan they are referring to. It could be a mere coincidence of the same name!”
“The Li Yan I know wouldn’t do such a thing…”
Yuan Li’s breathing became heavier, and he turned to look at Zhao Ying. “Return to the mansion immediately.”
Zhao Ying was taken aback. “My lord?”
“Go back to the mansion,” Yuan Li raised his voice, repeating, “Find out where Xiao Ce is now!”
His expression was terrifying at this moment, and Zhao Ying didn’t dare to ask any questions. He turned around and ran towards the back. His movements were so quick that he almost slipped on the ground.
But before Zhao Ying could run a few steps, he was shocked as he looked at the sky to the east.
Yuan Li also sensed that something was wrong. He raised his head, and in an instant, his pupils contracted.
Thick black smoke billowed, accompanied by sparks and flying dust.
A great fire had ignited to the east.
That was the location of the Chu Wang mansion.
Not good.
Yuan Li’s eyelid twitched incessantly.
In the next moment, a figure quickly approached from the side of the road. Yuan Li focused his gaze and realized it was Lin Tian, disheveled and riding a horse. Covered in black ash, Lin Tian’s eyes brightened when he saw Yuan Li and exclaimed, “My lord, it’s not good! There’s a fire in the backyard of the mansion!”
Yuan Li instantly had a sense of clarity.
He took a deep breath and was about to walk over when another person rushed up behind Lin Tian. It was the anxious-faced Guo Lin. Guo Lin didn’t even spare a glance at the others and directly threw himself in front of Yuan Li, kneeling down and choked out, “My lord, the soap factory has been burned down. The three craftsmen from our district were the ones who started the fire. By the time I found them, they had already vanished without a trace, along with their families.”
Yuan Li’s throat rolled, wanting to say, “Say it again,” but the words didn’t come out. He knew there was no need to ask again.
He looked at the black smoke to the east, and he looked at the terrified tears in Guo Lin’s eyes. Yuan Li couldn’t describe what he was feeling at that moment, but he felt that he should be in a state of chaos.
After eighteen years of regaining power, everything was under his control, except for today when he took a severe tumble.
The craftsmen had run away, and naturally, the soap formula couldn’t be preserved either.
He closed his eyes and asked, “Did anyone get injured?”
Guo Lin’s eyes welled up with tears. “Some of the soldiers who were fighting the fire suffered burns, but fortunately, no one died. However, the entire batch of newly made soap… was burned.”
Yuan Li forced a bitter smile. “As long as no lives were lost.”
He didn’t linger any longer and immediately led a thousand guards and five thousand infantrymen back to the Chu Wang’s mansion to fight the fire.
The mansion was already in chaos. Liu Ji had his nose covered in soot as he directed the servants to extinguish the flames. When he saw Yuan Li’s arrival, he let out a sigh of relief and ran over, whispering, “My lord, Xiao Ce has fled.”
Yuan Li paused. “I know.”
Liu Ji briefly explained the reasons in a few words.
The fire had started in Xiao Ce’s room. The person Yuan Li had sent to keep an eye on Xiao Ce panicked upon seeing the fire and quickly informed Lin Tian. By the time Lin Tian reacted, Xiao Ce had disappeared, but the fire had grown even bigger.
The soldiers hurriedly found any containers that could hold water to fight the flames. The towering blaze illuminated the expression of confusion, helplessness, and anger on Yuan Li’s face.
These emotions gradually settled, solidifying into a cold resolve.
Yuan Li could understand what Xiao Ce was thinking.
If Chu Hechao beheaded the Xiongnu Chanyu, it would mean several years of peace on the border, and Chu Hechao would return to Jixian. Once Chu Hechao returned, it would be even more difficult for Xiao Ce to make any moves.
Therefore, during the period before the New Year when everyone let their guard down, it was the easiest time for him to act.
Xiao Ce caused disturbances within the White Rice Gang, attracting Yuan Li’s attention and diverting his forces, seizing the opportunity to escape and starting a massive fire. He also burned down the soap factory, taking away the valuable craftsmen who could produce the soap.
By the time Yuan Li discovered his escape, he would be unable to send troops to stop him because extinguishing the fire was the top priority.
The weather was dry and hot, and if the fire in the Chu Wang’s mansion couldn’t be extinguished, it might even spread throughout the entire street.
That was why Xiao Ce could escape without obstruction.
Yuan Li had underestimated him.
In the flickering firelight, the young man who had not yet come of age remained expressionless, his eyes lowered. The flames cast distinct shadows on his face.
Yuan Li thought that by breaking Xiao Ce’s legs, as long as Xiao Ce quietly stayed in bed in the future, he could give Xiao Ce a way out.
But he had forgotten that human hearts are unpredictable.
Xiao Ce was not willing to spend the rest of his life lying in bed.
Yuan Li remembered what Liu Jixin had once told him, urging him to kill Xiao Ce.
He thought in his heart,
“Was I wrong?
Was it because I didn’t kill him earlier that this disaster happened?”
Yuan Li stood silently.
A spark flew onto his hand, bringing a searing pain that was almost devoid of any sensation.
Many people shielded Yuan Li, fearing that the raging fire would reach him.
Yuan Li lifted his gaze, watching the flames burn fiercely.
He thought, “I was not wrong.
I don’t regret not listening to Liu Jixin’s words and killing him back then.
I only regret why, after sensing his danger, I only broke his legs instead of killing him.
Clearly…
Clearly, if I wanted to, there were many ways to silently kill him without revealing anything.
Yuan Li closed his eyes.
His breathing became rapid, and the unpleasant smell of burning filled his nostrils.
Outside the Chu Wang Mansion, many common people were also drawn out by the fire. Due to Yuan Li’s previous actions of slaughtering pigs and suppressing bandits, they held great admiration for him. Seeing such a large fire, they hurriedly brought out the remaining wooden barrels and basins from their homes, rushing to join the firefighting efforts.
The common people who had once had the privilege of talking to Yuan Li mustered the courage to comfort him, saying, “Governor, we’ll help you extinguish the fire together. We’ll put it out soon!”
Seeing the governor, who looked so young that he resembled a nephew, the other people chimed in, “Yes, yes, we’ve already put out quite a bit.”
“Don’t worry, Governor!”
Liu Jixin, fearing Yuan Li’s continued silence, spoke softly, “Lord, this is not your fault.”
Finally, Yuan Li moved. He approached in silence and picked up a wooden bucket, pouring water onto the raging fire.
Amidst the clamor, Yuan Li remained composed.
Yes, this was not his fault.
There was nothing wrong with kindness.
But the mistake lies in being merciful towards calamity.
The burned Mansion, the soap workshop, the fleeing craftsmen, and the dozens of people crushed by the White Rice Gang, the dozens of people executed—all of this could have been avoided.
Excessive kindness can lead to such consequences.
Yuan Li tightened his grip on the wooden bucket, his eyes deep.
It seemed that he had come to understand something again.
Outside Jixian, Chu Hechao was leading several hundred soldiers on their way to Jixian.
The sky had already darkened.
On the road, they encountered another group of people in a hurry.
Chu Hechao casually glanced at these people.
They were traveling in four carriages, with guards mounted on horses surrounding the horses. The guards had an alert and anxious expression, and upon seeing Chu Hechao and his men, they immediately lowered their heads.
The carriages were tightly sealed. As the carriages passed by Chu Hechao, he caught a faint smell of medicine and a strong scent of burning.
He withdrew his gaze without much concern and continued riding his horse nonchalantly.
Li Yan, who was guarding beside the carriage, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
At that moment, Chu Hechao suddenly pulled the reins and turned around to look at them, his voice cold, “Stop.”
Li Yan’s heart skipped a beat, and he stopped along with the carriage.
Chu Hechao approached the carriage again, leading his horse. The sound of horse hooves made the people inside the carriage uneasy. Suddenly, a person poked his head out from the first carriage. This person had a stubbly beard, a thin and haggard face, appearing as if he were seriously ill. “May I ask what the matter is, sir?”
Chu Hechao looked down at the person, his tone condescending. “You came from Jixian?”
Xiao Ce showed no signs of surprise. “Yes.”
“It’s already late, and the city gates should be closed,” Chu Hechao said indifferently. “How did you manage to leave?”
Cold sweat broke out on Xiao Ce’s back.
He didn’t recognize Chu Hechao, but he sensed the power emanating from him and the soldiers behind him, and he was certain that they were related to the Chu Mansion. After going through so much trouble to get to this point, he couldn’t afford to be captured and taken back.
Fortunately, Xiao Ce had already prepared a plan. He took out a letter from his pocket and respectfully handed it to Chu Hechao. “Sir, I am a subordinate of Minister Zhan Shaoning, a friend of the Governor of Youzhou. I have been sent out of the city on Minister Zhan’s orders to attend to some urgent matters.”
Chu Hechao took the letter and casually flicked it open, glancing at it briefly before laughing, “Zhan Shaoning must have run out of capable people if he sent someone with a broken leg like you to handle the task.”
Xiao Ce was taken aback, not knowing how Chu Hechao could tell about his broken leg. He became even more cautious and didn’t dare to underestimate this person. He humbly replied, “Although my leg is broken, my hands are still intact, and my brain is functioning. I cannot simply sit idle and not contribute.”
Chu Hechao casually returned the letter to him. “Alright, I understand.”
It seemed that he no longer doubted Xiao Ce. Xiao Ce breathed a sigh of relief and lowered the curtain of the carriage once Chu Hechao left. He wiped the sweat off his forehead inside the carriage, feeling fortunate. However, suddenly he heard Chu Hechao’s cold voice, “Someone, come.”
Xiao Ce’s heart skipped a beat.
In the next moment, he heard the commander say, “Tie them up.”
Cries for mercy and wailing erupted from the previously silent carriages.
Chu Hechao sneered and slowly rode to the front.
Did he really think he was a fool?
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Thanks for the update
offf he got them! good, i was scared there