Chapter 897: The Consequences of Taming a Bird (3)  

"Yanyan, you're here!" Grandpa Ding, who was on the shore drinking water, greeted Mo Yan immediately.

"Grandpa Ding, thank you for your hard work. Have some water! It's freshly drawn from the well and is nice and cool!" Mo Yan smiled as she handed him the water bucket.

Grandpa Ding didn't hold back, scooping up a bowl of water and gulping it down. Wiping his mouth, he laughed loudly, "The water Yanyan brought is so cool and sweet, with no muddy taste at all."

Mo Yan smiled without responding, and quickly called others over to drink. The weather was too hot, and the depression in the land made it stuffy. If they didn’t hydrate often, heatstroke could become a real concern.

The others, hearing her, also came up to the shore, dumping the wild grass from their baskets onto the levee. The sun would dry the grass out, and later, they could throw it into the rice field as fertilizer.

After they drank to quench their thirst, Mo Yan suggested they take a break before continuing the weeding. No one refused her kind offer, and they sat under the peach tree by the pond to rest.

The peach tree, planted around the pond last year, had a sparse number of peaches that had already grown to the size of a small child's fist. In a month, they would be ripe and ready for harvest.

After a while, Grandpa Ding suddenly said, "Yanyan, the day before yesterday, there was a heavy rain. I came here to fix the levees and noticed that the fish in the pond had come up to the surface. Some are already about a foot long. They've grown so fast, which shows that the pond is good for fish farming. I think you could take the opportunity to catch them and release new fish fry into the pond. That way, we can catch them again in the fall."

The fish fry had been placed in the pond last spring, brought from the Clear River, a mix of different species. To have grown to a foot long in a little over a year was truly a testament to the power of the spiritual spring water.

"One foot long? They've grown that big already!" Mo Yan was thrilled. Since she had put the fish fry in, she hadn't paid much attention to them, and she was surprised at how quickly they had grown. "Alright, I'll buy the fishing nets in a couple of days, and Grandpa Ding can gather some people to help catch them."

"Got it! Leave it to me, I'll make sure it’s done properly!" Grandpa Ding agreed enthusiastically.

As soon as he finished speaking, the others began calling out. "Grandpa Ding, don't forget about me when the time comes. Back home, I'm the best at catching fish. No one in the village is better than me."

"We all came from the south; who doesn't know how to catch fish? Just stop showing off."

"Don't believe it? How about we compete and see who catches the first fish when we get into the water?"

"Hmph, let's compete then! Who's afraid of you?"

...

Grandpa Ding, annoyed by the bickering, snapped, "Stop arguing! The pond is deep and quite large. It’ll take more than one or two people to catch all the fish. You all better show up, or I’ll use my slipper to smack you!"

When the others heard this, they all laughed happily. "That’s a deal! But Grandpa Ding, don’t forget me when it’s time to catch the fish!"

Listening to the noise and laughter, Mo Yan smiled without interrupting. She thought to herself that a peaceful life like this, filled with warmth and camaraderie, would never grow tiresome.

...

After finishing her rounds in the herb garden and orchard, Mo Yan was satisfied with the condition of the plants and decided to head home. On her way back, she unexpectedly encountered Liu Tinglan, who had been sent by Xin’er to find her.

"Why are you here?" Mo Yan asked in surprise.

Ever since the formal engagement between the Liu and Shen families was announced a few days ago, Liu Tinglan had been kept on a much tighter leash, allowed to leave the house only for essential matters, to avoid any mishaps before the wedding.

Liu Tinglan approached, linking her arm with her best friend and smiling. "I missed you, so I came to see you!"

[End of Chapter]

 Chapter 1710: Settling the Young Ladies

 Chapter 1709: Taking Down the Black Market

 Chapter 896: The Consequences of Taming a Bird (2)  

Mo Yan rolled her eyes, grabbing Mao Mao by the neck and gritting her teeth. "Now is not the time for wordplay. You’d better tell me everything you know, fast."

Mao Mao flapped its wings, struggling to escape Mo Yan's grasp. It looked longingly at the peach tree laden with ripe peaches before it chirped reluctantly, spilling everything it had overheard from that day.

Upon learning that Fan Meijiao not only saw her father as a backup option but also intended to pressure her into marrying a relative of the Zhao family to become "one of their own," Mo Yan was so furious she almost laughed. "That woman really has some nerve. Does she think that if she removes me as a 'threat,' my father would ever consider a woman of such low character?"

Xue Tuanzi, also enraged, spoke with a deep, vengeful tone. "Yanyan, don't be mad. I'll make sure that woman never gets married. No, I'll make her marry the man she despises the most and live a life full of misery." If it could, Xue Tuanzi would have gone after her right then and there.

Mo Yan shook her head, holding Xue Tuanzi in her arms. "I can’t rely on you for everything. I’ll handle this myself. You don’t need to get involved."

Xue Tuanzi wanted to say something but swallowed its words, only replying, "Tomorrow, have those guys go into the mountains to catch some spiritual birds. I’ll train them, and when you need to know something, they can deliver the news faster."

Looking at Mao Mao, who was still eyeing the peaches with longing, Xue Tuanzi added with disdain, "This one’s too big. If it keeps showing up, people will start noticing."

Mo Yan understood that by raising more spiritual birds, she would essentially gain more eyes and ears everywhere. With Xue Tuanzi's suggestion, she nodded in agreement.

"Since the Zhao family has set their sights on my father and is comparing him to the nephew of the Duchess of Yongchang, they’ve likely been in contact with him regularly. I’ll go ask him to be more cautious and not get manipulated."

Xue Tuanzi urged her, "Go quickly, tell your father. The Zhao family is disgusting. They’ll do anything."

As Mo Yan stepped out of the space, she was about to find her father and warn him about the Zhao family when she suddenly remembered that he had just taken up his new post and moved to the imperial-entrusted scholar's residence. He would only return home on the tenth day of each month to rest.

She slapped her forehead, still not used to the change. It seemed she’d need to quickly train a few birds, or else sending messages would be a problem.

Although the six beasts could deliver messages, no one dared to harm them in the bustling streets, but they were wild animals. If they startled the horses or other livestock in the city, causing a rampage and injuring someone, that wouldn’t be good.

Xiao Hua, which used to be mistaken for a dog, had grown more intimidating. Its sharp presence now made it even more frightening. Even though it didn’t resemble a wolf, no one would think it was harmless. It couldn’t roam freely in the city like before.

For these reasons, she had never brought the six beasts to town. The beasts didn’t like the bustle of human life. They preferred staying in the mountains, challenging others of their kind.

With the rest day approaching in a couple of days, Mo Yan wasn’t in a hurry and decided to visit the terraced fields and herb gardens. Wearing a sun hat, she carried a bucket of spiritual spring water and headed out to the fields.

The sight of the well-grown, lush green rice seedlings instantly lifted her mood, which had been gloomy just moments ago.

It was already late May, and the midday sun was scorching. Despite the heat, over twenty villagers were working diligently in the fields, sweating as they cleared the weeds. The weeds grew rapidly in this weather, and if not removed in time, they would drain the nutrients from the soil and affect the rice plants' growth.

[End of Chapter] 

 Chapter 895: The Consequences of Taming a Bird (1)  

Mo Qingze's success in the imperial examination was a great event for the Mo family, as well as for the entire Liuyang village. The day after the news arrived, many villagers spontaneously set off a long string of firecrackers in front of the Mo family’s home to celebrate.  

This time, the Mo family did not host a grand feast for guests. Instead, they chose an auspicious day, and under the leadership of Clan Head Mo Fang, they held a ceremony at the Mo family ancestral hall to inform their ancestors of Mo Qingze’s achievement. They prayed for their ancestors' blessings, hoping the Mo family would continue to prosper.  

A couple of days later, Mo Qingze's official appointment came through. To everyone’s surprise, instead of being appointed to the Hanlin Academy like most top scholars, he was appointed as a Taizi Shijiang, a lower-ranking position of the sixth grade.  

Though the position was not high-ranking compared to a Hanlin editor of the sixth grade, being close to the crown prince was a very precious opportunity. If he could gain the prince’s trust, his future prospects would be limitless, assuming the prince's position remained secure and he eventually ascended to the throne.  

Chu Heng’s background was solid, with the support of Emperor Hui’an, and his position was already stable. After fully recovering his health, his power became even more unshakable. For Mo Qingze to become the crown prince's Shijiang was nothing short of a windfall.  

Mo Yan could guess the reason behind Emperor Hui’an’s actions. It was most likely because of her father’s reputation in the scholarly community. The emperor likely hoped to use her father to win over the intellectuals, making them loyal to Chu Heng.  

Mo Qingze was well aware of this, and after taking office, he continued to use his intelligence and talents to elevate his status and influence in the scholarly world. When teaching the crown prince, he worked diligently, occasionally bringing the disguised crown prince into scholarly circles, allowing the prince to win over those high-minded scholars with his personal charm.  

It wasn’t long before the crown prince’s reputation in the scholarly community improved significantly, with more praise than criticism from scholars.  

But these events are a story for later.  

At this moment, Mao Mao had a lot to report to Mo Yan, but when Mo Yan was at the Liu family’s house, Mao Mao hadn’t had the chance to explain everything.  

Later, when the siblings went to the palace gates to pick up Mo Qingze, who had attended the Qionglin Banquet, and returned to Liuyang village, it was already very late. Mo Yan, exhausted, decided to wash up and sleep, planning to ask Mao Mao the next day. However, several days passed, filled with one thing after another, and she completely forgot to ask.  

Mao Mao, always busy, had been particularly swamped recently due to the instability at the border and changes in the Kingdom of Kucha. As a result, Mao Mao had fewer opportunities to stay by Mo Yan’s side, eating and drinking. By the time it finally got some free time and remembered the matter, half a month had passed.  

"So you're telling me that woman is playing both sides, and one of them is my father?" Mo Yan stared, unable to believe her ears.  

She had never imagined that the arrogant and unreasonable woman she had met at the teahouse would turn out to be a woman who had been abandoned and was looking for a second chance at marriage! Well, women being abandoned isn’t always their fault, and seeking a second chance is completely normal. But for that woman to target her father and use him as a backup, that was something Mo Yan absolutely could not tolerate.  

The peach, the size of a bowl, was quickly eaten by Mao Mao, who was still unsatisfied and clicking its beak, ready to ask for another one. But upon hearing Mo Yan’s words, it began chirping loudly.  

In the air, Xue Tuanzi the pigeon opened its beak to translate: "Your father hasn’t been involved with that woman at all. Are you sure you want to say such things about your father?"  

[End of Chapter]   

 Chapter 1708: Shu Yu Perceives