Chapter 584: Qing Dynasty Time-Travel Spirit Spring System (35)

Kangxi summoned Haiyin to question her:

"Girl, do you truly not wish to marry? These aren't just words spoken in a fit of pique?"

Xie Yang nodded: "Imperial Grandfather, your granddaughter has served in the military for six years. I have grown accustomed to the life of the blue sky and vast earth, of galloping freely. The mere thought of being married off, bound to the inner chambers, and spending my whole life mired in petty jealousies and squabbles makes my chest feel tight and miserable."

Kangxi: "..."

Thinking of those women in the inner palace, he felt inexplicably as if he were being alluded to.

"Imperial Grandfather, your granddaughter does not wish to waste the martial arts I have learned; I am willing to devote my life to the integrity of the Great Qing's territory. Currently, the Northwest is temporarily stable, but your granddaughter has heard that the chieftains in the Southwest are constantly defying the imperial court, and local governance is in a state of chaos, causing the local populace to have many grievances against the court. I implore Imperial Grandfather to send me to lead troops there. If I can dismantle the chieftains and bring the Southwest under the unified jurisdiction of the court, that would be best; at the very least, I can provide a deterrent to keep them from daring to openly defy the court again."

Kangxi was moved by what he heard.

If Galdan and his remnants were once the great scourge that kept him awake at night, then the Southwest chieftains were like a fishbone stuck in his throat—on the surface, it didn't seem to affect his swallowing, but in reality, every swallow felt painful.

"Haiyin, let Me ask you one more thing: If I grant your request, will you regret it in the future?"

"Haiyin will never regret it! It would only be a regret if I possessed martial arts but had no opportunity to protect the country and the people, or to share the burdens and solve the troubles for Imperial Grandfather!"

"Good! I confer upon you the title of Princess Anguo. Go to the Southwest on My behalf to deter the chieftains; dismantle them and restore order when necessary."

"I obey the decree!"

The princes of the Horqin and other tribes heard that the ever-victorious Princess Haiyin had finished the Northwest campaign and returned to Jingcheng. They were just planning to personally bring the most outstanding Baturu from their tribes to the capital to pay their respects and, incidentally, ask the Emperor to grant a marriage, when they heard that Princess Haiyin had been bestowed the title "Princess Anguo" by the Emperor and would soon represent the imperial court in heading south to meet with the Southwest chieftains.

"!!!"

It was not just the Grassland Tribes who were shocked; even many ministers in the court felt the pain and regret of a duck that was about to be eaten flying away.

They had originally thought that since Princess Haiyin was so highly valued by the Emperor, perhaps she would not be married off far away to the Mongols, but would remain in Jingcheng to summon a husband.

Among them, some had sons who were not yet married, and even if they didn't, they could pick from their grandsons; they could always find one who would satisfy Princess Haiyin.

Sacrificing a son or grandson to be a son-in-law to the imperial family to ensure the family's prosperity for a hundred years—was that not a joyous occasion everyone loved to see?

Never did they expect that before they could find the right moment to ask the Emperor to arrange the marriage, Princess Haiyin had been bestowed the title "Princess Anguo" and was to represent the Emperor and the imperial court in heading south to meet the Southwest chieftains.

If it were just a simple meeting, why lead troops? It was clearly just an excuse. Perhaps the Emperor was fed up with those chieftains who never listened to the court's orders and did as they pleased on their own turf, and had long wanted to get rid of them. But sending the Eight Banners would be too grand a display, so he sent Princess Haiyin to lead female soldiers to dampen the arrogance of the Southwest chieftains.

But once she went, just like the expedition to the Northwest, there was no guarantee it wouldn't be another six years.

How many six-year periods are there in a person's life?

Princess Haiyin is already nineteen this year, right? If she spends another six years, she'll be twenty-five when she returns—wouldn't that make her an old maid?

Could it be that the Emperor is reluctant to see Princess Haiyin get married?

Later, when they learned that this was a decree Haiyin had requested herself, everyone was nearly shocked out of their wits:

Good heavens! Not wanting to marry into the tribes was one thing, as the conditions of the Grassland Tribes were plain to see, and even the lush and livestock-rich Horqin couldn't compare to a Prince's mansion. But why even refuse an arranged marriage? Wasn't it good to marry in Jingcheng? Right under the eyes of the Emperor and the Yong Qinwang. Besides, her martial arts were so high, who would dare bully her? It would be more likely for her to bully her husband!

Just like that, Xie Yang became the most discussed person in Jingcheng recently, bar none.

Of course, most only dared to mutter a few words in private; who would dare to criticize the Yong Qinwang's daughter to his face, given that he was known as the "Cold-Faced Prince"?

Xie Yang, however, was clearly aware of the outside buzz; with a Main System that loved to gossip everywhere, it would be hard not to know.

But she didn't care.

Being talked about wouldn't make her lose a piece of flesh.

The main thing was that she was truly busy—expanding recruitment, screening female soldiers, and formulating training plans.

Then she still had to select a team of Elite Soldiers to follow her to the Southwest when the time came.

The other female soldiers would remain to guard the main camp and continue training.

Fortunately, the investigation into the true identities and character of the female recruits was dumped onto the Main System. Since it was so idle and had the time to gossip everywhere, it might as well help her do background checks.

This recruitment didn't need maids to act as decoys; once the word was spread and notices were posted, women coming to sign up arrived one after another.

With the Main System helping with background checks, the selection progress was much faster.

The admitted female soldiers, just like the first batch, were first randomly assigned to classes, and after training for a period of time, they would be evaluated and assigned to different battalions based on their specialties.

For this batch of new recruits, in addition to the three types—Elite Soldier, Medical Soldier, and Service Soldier—she also planned to add a new branch: the Artistic Soldier.

While taking turns to provide song and dance performances and other comforts to the garrisons in various places, they would also be tasked with secretly observing the overall morale of the garrison troops and the effectiveness of their logistical support.

This was an idea Lao Kang had after discovering that military supplies and pay were being exploited and embezzled at every level—he needed someone to occasionally go deep into the military camps to investigate such news.

Xie Yang timely proposed the concept of "Artistic Soldier."

Lao Kang pondered it and agreed.

She had been busy with this matter recently.

However, no matter how busy she was, she still had to visit her maternal grandfather.

Over the past six years, if it hadn't been for her maternal grandfather's family helping her purchase and transport grain and fodder, her Northwest campaign might not have gone so smoothly.

"Your maternal grandfather was promoted to a capital official two years ago and is now serving as a Duchayuan Fuduyushi. Your youngest uncle has entered the Hanlin Academy, and while your eldest uncle didn't pursue an official career, the whole family has moved to Jingcheng."

On the way to the Li family's residence, Li Shi spoke softly about the changes in her maiden family over these years.

It was only two years ago, when her maiden family moved to Jingcheng to settle down, that she learned of her father's promotion and that her daughter had a hand in it.

"Your maternal grandfather said that the Seed Improver you had someone send him increased the rice yield per mu by thirty percent. That was how he had the opportunity to be transferred to Jingcheng. As soon as your maternal grandmother got settled, she set about buying a Farm, saying she wanted to give it to you."

Li Shi wasn't happy because of the Farm. She didn't spend much in her daily life, and over the years, she had saved up the stipend of a Side Fujin to purchase several farms and shops, thinking of them as a dowry for her daughter's future marriage.

She was happy because the interaction between her maiden family and her daughter was better than she had imagined. Consequently, her own husband also held her maiden family in higher regard. Since the eldest brother arrived in Jingcheng, he had scouted out several farms and shops, intending to use the Seed Improver gifted by her daughter to hire people to farm. Whenever they encountered competitors playing dirty, the Prince would take the initiative to send people to settle it.

"Did the eldest uncle only buy farms?" Xie Yang asked upon hearing this.

"They are farms—two of three hundred mu, one of five hundred mu, and another one with a small lake. There are only about a hundred mu of Paddy Field, but he plans to raise some Fish and Shrimp in the lake, and send some to the mansion every few days, saving us the trouble of purchasing them."