Exile after Divorce? Empty the Scumbag Husband First!-Chapter 125 - 123: Where Did Vice Minister Dong Go?
Before leaving, he politely saw off Ruan Mian: "Take care, Miss Ruan. Come again tomorrow. I won’t see you out."
Ruan Mian chuckled, thinking he was lazy, not because he was injured.
However, she didn’t mind.
Just as Ruan Mian walked out, Vice Minister Dong returned.
The two met in front of the house. Seeing Vice Minister Dong’s hurried steps, Ruan Mian curiously asked: "Where have you been, Vice Minister Dong? I haven’t seen you these days."
Recalling that she hadn’t seen him for days, Ruan Mian immediately guessed something. However, before Vice Minister Dong could answer, Xie Huai’an’s voice came from inside the house.
"Come in and talk. If Miss Ruan is curious, you can also come in and listen."
Vice Minister Dong was slightly surprised, not expecting Lord He to trust Miss Ruan so much.
Ruan Mian guessed it was news related to military upheaval, so she turned back into the house. After Vice Minister Dong reported, sure enough, she was right.
Now Wuheng has completely turned into a battlefield. The few civilians are fleeing everywhere, and the reception camp has long been deserted. Some of the exiles perished in the blizzard, and others, like the civilians, are hiding everywhere.
The enemy troops of Lanqiang are directly attacking Wuheng. The few armies under Huo Zong have concentrated on resisting, yet they only narrowly won one battle.
Now, there’s another major issue: reinforcements are delayed, and the original provisions will soon run out.
With this strategy of play, the Lanqiang Army holds the initiative. They are well-prepared. Even if they can’t win head-on, they adopt delaying tactics.
It seems they had long anticipated their provisions were scarce.
Seeing this, Ruan Mian wasn’t surprised. Since Wuheng has spies, the enemy surely knows their shortage of provisions. Moreover, the enemy might have already colluded with King Yan, intending to create chaos in the frontier.
Then, take this opportunity to deploy the trusted Xuanjia Army at the end to win people’s hearts.
Otherwise, they could stir trouble in the court, allowing their men to take advantage.
That’s why reinforcements are delayed, and no one knows when they might arrive.
Xie Huai’an furrowed his brows, suddenly recalling something.
"If provisions are short, then go to Liao Lie and buy in batches."
"But... my lord, where do we have so much silver? We are indeed in short supply. Moreover, if we go to Liao Lie to purchase, we need to grease more palms. General Huo’s empty pockets can’t even afford food, let alone anything else."
Xie Huai’an was slightly stunned; it was the first time he was stuck because of silver.
At this moment, Ruan Mian glanced at Vice Minister Dong and said, "Assistant Minister, may I speak with the lord alone? I have some personal matters to discuss with him."
Vice Minister Dong was slightly taken aback, glanced at Meng Yu, and sensibly stepped back, leaving the place first.
After the people left, Ruan Mian took out the raw gold block she found.
When she handed it to Xie Huai’an, he was momentarily confused: "Gold? Miss Ruan, where did you get it?"
Ruan Mian took a rock out of her small backpack and placed it in front of Meng Yu.
She saw the fire burning in the middle of the room, roasted the rock until it cracked and split, then quenched it with water from a water pouch, causing it to cool rapidly and shatter into small pieces, and then ground it into ore powder.
She took a pottery vessel from the room and used water to sift the ore powder, finally extracting some fine raw gold.
Xie Huai’an was slightly startled. His distinctly jointed hand held the raw gold in his palm and was about to speak when Ruan Mian spoke first.
"My lord, the place where we are seems to have a sizeable vein gold mine, so there is no need to worry."
"Whether it’s for provisions or gunpowder weapons, it’s not a problem."
Xie Huai’an showed a smile of delight but quickly turned his gaze to Ruan Mian’s face and asked her in return.
"You’re bold to tell me this. Aren’t you afraid that I might kill you to silence you and destroy the evidence?"
A significant vein gold mine can incite conflict among three kingdoms; this secret isn’t small.
Unexpectedly, she discovered it, yet she told him without any scruples.
Ruan Mian gently laughed, her eyes curved: "If the lord were such a person, I wouldn’t hold back either. By then, it will be a battle to the death."
Xie Huai’an was amused by her words, knowing she was joking deliberately. Then, he turned serious, looked straight at her, and said.
"Rest assured, I’m not that kind of person, and I will protect you fully."
He smiled slightly, carrying a convincing power, his gaze sincere.
"But this secret is not small, and the waves it can stir up are just as significant, so let’s not speak of the location of the vein gold mine to anyone."
"I will let the Assistant Minister and Yun Xiu assist with buying provisions for General Huo. We just need to use these raw golds for transactions. It will be a matter known only to you, me, heaven, and earth."
Ruan Mian smiled, then turned around and took out a wooden box from her bag, holding it in her hand.
Upon opening the lid, she found gold bars inside!
"You..."
Xie Huai’an was puzzled, and Ruan Mian calmly said: "I was prepared early on. While none of you knew, I melted the raw gold into gold bars. These can temporarily alleviate the current predicament faced by General Huo."
Actually, they were gold bars looted from the storehouse of the Lord Prefect.
Xie Huai’an was internally stunned, staring at Ruan Mian for a long time, and asked: "Are you really willing to use all these gold bars to help Huo Zong?"
To an average person, this is an invaluable treasure she could have used to enrich herself.
Ruan Mian handed the box to him, smiling: "I am naturally willing, my lord. Family and society are indispensable."
"Although war is an unavoidable disaster in the tide of history, stabilizing the situation temporarily can save many civilians from disaster.
If Wuheng is lost, Lanqiang will invade inland, bringing true calamity to the civilians."
King Yan would certainly seize the chance to raise an army, leading Da Jing into external and internal troubles. The innocent people would be the most directly affected.
"You are a woman, yet you understand things better than others, Mianmian. I’m very impressed by you."
"Please don’t flatter me, my lord. You think women are good only if they’re virtuous and homebound, but in truth, women, like men, are born human, with emotions and thoughts. We also want to defend our homeland, and when faced with a crisis, what is the distinction between men and women?"
"Men have their merits, and women have theirs too."
Just like Xie Huai’an, Ruan Mian also feels he is a good man.
Though he is now in difficulty, in the original book, he was wholeheartedly devoted to the country, always at the forefront of petitioning for the people.
He is gentle and honest, a clean official, and treats her well. In short, he is a good person and a good official.
Ruan Mian recalled something else and mentioned it along the way.
"My lord, actually, last time when I inadvertently glanced at the map given by the Assistant Minister, I discovered that Liao Lie is extremely, extremely close to us."
