Hu Can: ... You're being unreasonable!
In his momentary daze, Li Yao suddenly kicked Minister of Finance in the stomach.
Minister of Finance bent over in pain, and just as Hu Can appeared behind him, Li Yao's steel knife grazed his ear and pierced Hu Can's throat.
Hu Can stared at Li Yao with wide eyes, unable to believe that he, a seasoned veteran of the battlefield with a shield in front of him, was easily killed by a common woman.
Who exactly was this woman?
"You cause trouble in my house and think you can leave? Who gave you the confidence?"
Li Yao clapped her hands and turned to walk towards her family.
"Grand Marshal?" a soldier quietly reminded Grand Marshal Xu, who seemed distracted. "Grand Marshal, we have control of the state troops."
"Oh, I see." Grand Marshal Xu finally snapped out of it and withdrew his gaze from Li Yao. "Ahem, well, then, have someone take them away."
"What about you?"
"As for me... Of course, I have to stay behind to protect Prince Jiuhuang. I might have to return a few days later."
The young soldier twitched his mouth, feeling that something was off with the Grand Marshal today.
...
A whole day passed, and the villagers of Hewan Village were still in shock, while Li Yao's house was bustling with activity.
To publicly kill a prefect and even an army captain, that was already a serious incident.
But Grand Marshal Xu's actions allowed her to fully witness what it meant to distort the truth and deceive others.
Prefect Hu Shi of Yizhou privately mobilized the state troops with the intention of assassinating the esteemed hero Li Yao and seizing credit for himself. This was a great crime. Li Yao killed him on the spot, which was a deserved punishment.
Hu Can was even more miserable. Grand Marshal Xu directly accused him of colluding with foreign enemies and plotting treason.
As for Li Yao, a seventh-rank female official, she naturally gained credit for killing the enemy and became the biggest hero in this incident. After reporting to the emperor, she would probably be promoted by three ranks.
Li Yao didn't really care about any rewards; instead, she was quite annoyed.
Prince Liu Yun's identity was now public, so she couldn't boss him around anymore. She even had to keep her voice down in front of the children, and He Xiaoya could only hide in her bedroom and dare not come out.
The prince was fine. After all, they had gotten used to it over these days, and Liu Yun didn't put on airs.
But dealing with this Grand Marshal Xu was a bit difficult.
The Grand Marshal controlled the military forces of the entire realm, equivalent to the Minister of Defense in the previous life, and he was practically the pillar of the empire.
But who would have thought that such a high-ranking and influential figure would look at her with the eyes of an infatuated fan, constantly asking random questions.
He even subtly hinted that if Li Yao was willing, he could make an exception and let her help train his soldiers.
Li Yao chuckled.
Train them for what? She had already retired!
And even after dinner was over, none of them mentioned going back to their own homes.
"Aunt Li," Liu Yun still used the address he had given her before, "it's getting late today, and we're afraid we'll have to disturb you for another night."
"Suit yourselves."
Li Yao couldn't be bothered to respond and went back to her room to wash up and sleep.
She had thought they would leave the next day, but Li Yao realized she had underestimated their shamelessness.
Liu Yun said that Hewan Village had a good school, with highly accomplished teachers who were much better than his so-called tutor. So he decided to stay at the school in Hewan Village to continue his studies.
However, Lv Xiucai was just an aspiring scholar, and his social status was far from sufficient.
Therefore, the Ninth Prince quickly sent someone back to the capital to request an imperial decree to appoint Lv Xiucai as a junior teacher.
This left Lv Xiucai pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed by the favor he received.
In the blink of an eye, he went from being a perennial scholar to a seventh-rank official as a junior teacher, receiving a salary from the court. It was like ascending to heaven in a single step!
The ancestral grave of the Lv family seemed to emit a thick smoke of joy!
Of course, Li Yao knew that this was just an excuse for the Ninth Prince to spend more time outside the palace.
She could understand the prince's capriciousness. After all, he was pampered and ignorant in his youth. Since he would not become an emperor in the future and had no need to strive, it was no problem for him to indulge himself for a lifetime.
However, she couldn't understand Grand Marshal Xu. He had gone to find Xia Xian early in the morning, wanting to discuss how Wang Saner had trained his iron rod.
This left Li Yao speechless.
Who was Xia Xian?
He was her personal blacksmith, busy with many tasks every day. How could she have time to greet him?
Well, she didn't want to bother about it anymore.
The current He Wan Village was far from what she had envisioned.
If it weren't for He Xiaoya about to give birth soon, as a mother-in-law, she couldn't leave far. She would have packed her bags and gone traveling long ago.
While the Ninth Prince and Grand Marshal Xu kept themselves busy, Li Yao stayed inside the house every day, accompanying He Xiaoya and teaching her some exercises for prenatal care.
Everyone in the family was fine, and He Xiaoya had completely set her mind at ease to focus on nurturing the baby. When she was with Li Yao, she never asked about other matters.
More than a month passed like this.
On that day, Li Yao had just bought several ewes that had recently given birth, intending to get some sheep's milk for He Xiaoya. Grand Marshal Xu, dressed in casual clothes, arrived in the yard.
"Madam Li, Grand Marshal Xu has to bid farewell."
Is he finally leaving?
Although she felt relieved in her heart, Li Yao politely asked, "I notice that the esteemed Grand Marshal seems to really like it here. Why not stay a few more days?"
"Ah, I do want to," Grand Marshal Xu said with hesitation, "but I received an urgent message early this morning. The northern barbarians are mobilizing their troops at this time, perhaps intending to start a war. I have to return to the capital."
Li Yao also found it strange. It was still not early summer, and the grasslands were abundant with water and grass. Logically speaking, the barbarians should be taking advantage of this time to graze their livestock.
But national affairs were not something she could worry about, nor did she want to.
"The affairs of the nation are of utmost importance. I won't detain the esteemed Grand Marshal any longer."
"Hmm..." Grand Marshal Xu hesitated for a moment before saying, "Madam Li, may I have a word with you privately?"
"Well, let's go to the back hill."
The two of them arrived at the top of the hill, which offered a panoramic view of He Wan Village.
After instructing his subordinates to withdraw, Grand Marshal Xu spoke to Li Yao, "Madam Li, I have an unconventional request. Please don't blame me for being forward."
"Please speak candidly, Grand Marshal."
"I..." Unexpectedly, the esteemed Grand Marshal blushed suddenly, despite his age. "Ah, let me just say it. I am willing to take you as a concubine. I don't know if you...you...are willing?"
Li Yao remained calm.
A concubine was still a concubine. In the eyes of others, it might be considered an honor and an elevation for a woman to be taken as a concubine by an esteemed Grand Marshal.
But this matter was not so simple.
Grand Marshal Xu had been in the village of Hewan for over a month, just enough time for him to send someone back to the capital to report and seek approval, and then return with the emperor's decree.
So, his proposal for marriage was most likely the emperor's intention.
Why, you may ask? Naturally, it was because of her inventions and industries.
Cement was a crucial national asset, and refined steel could produce high-quality weapons, enhancing the military strength of both nations.
If she were a man, the story wouldn't have unfolded like this. These things would have likely been confiscated directly.
But she was a woman, and no one believed she had the ability to raise an army and rebel. However, they couldn't just leave her unattended either. So, they decided to arrange a marriage. As long as she became the Grand Marshal's concubine, then her possessions would all belong to the Grand Marshal. They would all belong to the royal family.
It's quite disgusting to think about, but that's how it is in this world and era.