Cultivation Begins with Caring for Sister-in-law-Chapter 511: First Encounter with Yue Ruyan

When Chen Mo looked at Yue Ruyan, the latter was also observing him.

Tall and clad in armor of gold and red, with a "long sword" hanging at his waist, his face was fair and stern, its distinct contours highlighting his heroic appearance. His piercing eyes were as sharp as if carved by a knife.

With such good looks and the aura of driving away invaders and recovering lost lands, from a sensory standpoint alone, Yue Ruyan’s impression of him was quite favorable during this meeting.

"Duke An, this is the General Yue I mentioned in my letter to you." Zuo Lianglun, adept at reading the room, initially intended to discuss official matters with Chen Mo. Seeing the two already sizing each other up, he hastily introduced.

Chen Mo’s stern face showed a trace of a smile, as he stepped forward and said with a smile, "I have long heard of General Yue’s great name. Though a woman, she is in no way inferior to men, leading her clan to successively resist the Western Rong countries and Jin Xia in Longyou, spreading the might of our Great Song, truly admirable. Now that I finally witness the general’s demeanor, she indeed is a heroine among women, a hero of the times."

With those words, Yue Ruyan felt somewhat embarrassed, though she had heard such flattery and courteous words numerous times before. The feeling was different when spoken by different people, particularly compared to her so-called achievements, which paled in comparison to the man before her.

"Duke An, you flatter me. I am merely a defeated general, surviving thanks to your refuge. Duke An’s northern expedition to thwart Jin Xia’s conspiracy, defeating the Jin Xia Eastern Route Army, reclaiming the North, storming Haiyan Pass, and slaying Tie Muer beneath his horse is the true mark of a hero. I am in awe," Yue Ruyan said, bowing.

Her voice was unlike the gentle and melodic voice of a Jiangnan woman, but crisp and decisive, with its own unique flavor.

"General Yue, there’s no need for such words of refuge. The fact that you trust me and are willing to come to me is my honor, and I should be the one to thank General Yue. Besides, we will be family from now on, so General Yue doesn’t need to be overly polite." Chen Mo said with a smile.

Although Yue Ruyan’s expression did not change much, she felt a bit flustered inside, her heartbeat quickening slightly, finally responding with a soft "Mm".

Standing behind Chen Mo, Xia Zhining pursed her lips, silently cursing the two in her heart. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

After talking with Yue Ruyan, Chen Mo went with Zuo Lianglun to the temporarily set-up military tent to discuss official matters.

Zuo Lianglun mainly reported on his work.

Such as the situation of the autumn harvest this year and the tax situation.

Mm, after Yu State stabilized, the government office began collecting taxes, but compared to before, taxes were reduced by thirty percent.

After all, Chen Mo controlled such a large territory, money was needed everywhere, and without collecting taxes, relying solely on businesses like Fu Ze Restaurant, coal, perfume, and the support from the Wu and Xiao families would be insufficient.

Zuo Lianglun also mentioned that now Li County and Shuofei County were burned to such an extent, the ones suffering were undoubtedly the people of the two counties, and the government office should be compensating them and helping the people rebuild at this time.

"You handle these matters, Lord Zuo, and report to me once done." Chen Mo said.

"Understood." Feeling Chen Mo valuing him so much, Zuo Lianglun became more loyal to him and then asked, "Does Duke An know about the events in Huai State?"

"I have heard about it."

Such an event happened in Huai State, Geng Songfu and the Inspector reported it to Chen Mo, but at that time he was busy with matters in the north and had no time to manage it. Moreover, according to the latest information from the Inspector, after this massive defeat, Prince Huai was powerless and posed no threat to him anymore.

Of course, though there was no threat, this account with Prince Huai still needs to be settled properly.

But it was clear that Zuo Lianglun wasn’t referring to this but instead said, "Madam Xiao has come to Linzhou?"

"Which Madam Xiao?" Chen Mo didn’t react for a moment.

After all, he had only played around with Madam Xiao back then.

He wasn’t lacking in women by his side, and Madam Xiao wasn’t such a stunning beauty that could bring down a country. If not for her identity, Chen Mo might not have been involved with her.

Since she left, so much time had passed, and honestly, without a reminder, Chen Mo would hardly remember.

"The Madam Xiao of Prince Huai’s Mansion." Zuo Lianglun said.

Hearing this, Chen Mo recalled, and replied, "Why would she come to Linzhou?"

"The Xiao family pledged allegiance to us, probably fearing exposure of their actions and Prince Huai’s subsequent reckoning, so they sneaked over. Previously, the Xiao family sent someone to find me, asking me..."

Zuo Lianglun hadn’t finished when Chen Mo interrupted, "Why did the Xiao family seek you out?"

"In the past, we were in the same officialdom and had dealings, but my relationship with the Xiao family is not deep. The reason I agreed to help them is that they told me Madam Xiao has a special relationship with you, Duke An."

"Ahem." Chen Mo coughed several times and then said, "I understand, I will handle this matter myself. Is there anything else?"

"No more."

"Then tell me about the Yuezhi situation."

...

After Zuo Lianglun left, Xia Zhining came in, crossed her arms, and said coldly, "That Madam Xiao still couldn’t escape your clutches. Offending you was truly the most wrong choice of Prince Huai’s life."

Knowing she was eavesdropping, Chen Mo spread his hands and said, "You heard it yourself, she came to me on her own, it has nothing to do with me."

Xia Zhining rolled her eyes at him, then said helplessly, "Fine, I’m too lazy to argue with you anymore. But leaving aside Xiao Yunxi, don’t bring this Madam Xiao into our home."

"I know what to do."

Just right, the Copper Sparrow Garden is not fully occupied yet, let Madam Xiao stay there.

After saying this, Chen Mo reached out to grab Xia Zhining’s slender hand, saying, "Zhining, go get a basin of hot water to soak my feet."

Xia Zhining dodged aside, saying, "Go find your General Yue."

Chen Mo: "..."

Although Xia Zhining said that, after a while, she still brought Chen Mo a basin of hot water, but this time she did not serve to soak his feet.

...

As night fell.

On New Year’s Eve, the army added extra food, and the soldiers were given enough wine.

In the biting cold night, the military camp was filled with cheers.

Chen Mo walked toward Yue Ruyan’s tent.

With so many people in the day, there were some things he could only say in private.

As he approached Yue Ruyan’s tent, he saw a maid carrying a tray toward the tent.

Chen Mo stopped the maid and asked what was in the tray.

The maid said it was medicine being replaced for Yue Ruyan.

Chen Mo said, "I’ll handle this, you may leave."

Although the maid was a person of the Yue family,

She knew the Patriarch was soon to become family with Duke An.

Considering the other’s status, as a servant, she dare not refuse, so she handed the tray to Chen Mo.

Outside the tent, Yue Ruyan’s personal soldiers stood guard. Seeing Chen Mo arriving, they were about to ask him to wait while they went to announce, but Chen Mo waved his hand and walked in directly.