Everyone was taken aback.
The old lady was a rigid person who always put righteousness first. Everyone knew her well and thought she would sacrifice Yun Xi for the sake of the bag of Jiahe rice seeds.
Liu Jingyue immediately frowned.
Of course she understood the importance of righteousness!
But her father - in - law, her husband, and even her son always put the people first in everything.
She had accepted all that.
But wasn't she and her children also part of the common people?
Her Yingying had been away from her for decades. Just when she had finally returned, she had not enjoyed any of the privileges of being a Miss Yun, yet she was about to shoulder the responsibilities of a Miss Yun.
She just wanted to be selfish this once, just once.
"Mother..."
"I want to, but... I won't marry."
Just as Liu Jingyue was about to speak, Yun Xi quickly tugged at her arm and answered the old lady firmly and simply.
Yun Xi wanted to see what the old lady would say about this. So she added:
"The people of Ying State can cultivate the Jiahe rice seeds. We surely can too. There are many ways to obtain the seeds, but marrying Zongzheng Fengyi is the worst choice."
"What do you think, Grandmother?"
Everyone turned to look at the old lady, each with their own thoughts.
To their surprise, the old lady stomped her walking stick heavily. The corners of her mouth, which were usually stern and drooping, actually lifted into a smile of appreciation, stunning everyone present.
Since General Yun's death, the old lady had rarely shown a smile.
However, what shocked them even more was what the old lady said next. She said:
"Good! You're a child of the Yun family."
"If you want it, then go and take it back! What's the use of just relying on marriage? The initiative will still be in others' hands."
"Ah?"
No one had expected the old lady to think this way. Liu Jingyue was so shocked that her mouth fell open.
Since she had insisted on taking Yun Qi and following Yun Weisheng to the southwest fourteen years ago, the old lady had never shown her a good face. Even when Yun Qi went to serve her later, she had been cold and indifferent.
But today, she actually praised Yun Xi, the girl she had always found fault with!
Everyone was completely confused. Yun Xi, however, sensed there was more to her words. She silently closed her surprised mouth and then asked:
"Grandmother, what do you mean by 'take it back'?"
"Humph—"
The smile on the old lady's face disappeared instantly. Her somewhat cloudy eyes suddenly brightened, and she said angrily:
"The Jiahe rice seeds originally belonged to our Dayin. It was those villains from Ying State who stole them during the epidemic. Now they even dare to use them to blackmail our Yun family. They must be too full and have forgotten their place!"
So there was such a backstory!
They looked at each other, and somehow they all felt their blood boiling.
Yun Xi quickly stepped forward to pour tea for the old lady and called her obediently and sincerely for the first time:
"Grandmother, please tell us in detail."
Perhaps the grandmother and granddaughter finally saw eye to eye. The old lady finally developed a bit of affection for Yun Xi from her previous prejudice. She happily took the tea Yun Xi offered and began to tell the story.
"I only learned about this in the past two years."
"I had a close friend, like a sister, with whom I could talk about anything. Even after we got married, our friendship remained deep. Her husband was the Grand Minister of Agriculture fourteen years ago. At that time, she secretly told me that her husband had accidentally developed seeds that could double the rice yield per mu. But they were prone to diseases and hard to survive, so it was not convenient to announce it to the public for the time being. Her husband would report it to the emperor and tell the world after he solved the problem."
"Doubling the yield would mean everyone could be fed. Countless people who starved to death in winter every year could be saved. This was naturally a great joy."
Although she said it was a joy, sorrow gradually appeared on the old lady's face:
"We were both very happy. I couldn't wait for the rice seeds to be successfully developed. I would go and ask about it almost every few days. Finally, one day, she said that in at most half a month, the rice seeds would be ready."
"However, before even half of the half - month had passed, the epidemic began to spread in the capital, and Ying State also started to invade. Our communication became intermittent and then completely cut off for a long time."
"I waited for a while and felt very uneasy. When I decided to go and see for myself, I received a letter sent by her confidant. The letter said that the rice seeds were ready, but... they were gone. Her husband was also missing. She was very scared because she felt as if someone was watching her secretly, and she wanted to come and stay with me for a few days."
Remembering the past, tears welled up in the old lady's eyes:
"But she never made it. The day I received the letter, she died in the epidemic."
"All fifty - odd people in her family died, except for her missing husband. It was so obvious that someone was trying to cover up the truth. How could I not see it? But during the epidemic, everyone was in danger. No one had the time to care about the real cause of their deaths."
"I had no choice but to secretly send people to investigate. I accidentally found traces of people from Ying State in the capital and even in the palace. Her husband had also contacted some people from Ying State who were hiding their identities before he disappeared. It was obvious that the people from Ying State wanted to disrupt our Dayin during that turbulent time and then combine with their border troops to annex our country!"
Sighing and angry at the same time, the old lady took a few sips of the green tea beside her and then continued:
"This was a matter of great importance. The villains from Ying State could hide so well and act so recklessly under the nose of the emperor in our Dayin territory. There must be an insider. I didn't dare to tell others casually, so I wrote letters to your father and Master Qingyi, who had come to deal with the epidemic at that time."
Yun Xi's heart skipped a beat. She immediately thought of the painting she had seen underground in the Jianjia Palace.
But she didn't interrupt the old lady and continued to listen attentively.
The old lady's voice was a bit choked:
"Master Qingyi said he would investigate and told me not to worry too much. But I never received a reply from your grandfather. Then came the news of his death in battle."
Taking a deep breath and trying to suppress the grief in her heart, the old lady continued:
"You all know what happened later. The epidemic was under control, and Sheng'er took you to the southwest. But there was no news about the rice seeds."
"Until Master Qingyi disappeared and all my clues were cut off, I gradually gave up investigating this matter."
"Over the years, I never heard that there was any rice with double the yield in Ying State. I thought I had investigated in the wrong direction and even began to doubt the authenticity of the rice seeds."
"Until a few years ago, Ying State suddenly managed to cultivate the Jiahe rice seeds, and the yield was indeed double. I knew then that the seeds were stolen by Ying State! The Grand Minister of Agriculture must have been captured by them. The reason it took them so many years to cultivate the seeds was probably because the Grand Minister of Agriculture had finally run out of time."
"What's even more infuriating is,"
The old lady closed her eyes tightly, her teeth almost grinding:
"After stealing our country's rice seeds, the villains from Ying State became rich in food and grass, and their people and horses grew strong. Then they came back to bully our Dayin! And Dayin almost lost the country because of the shortage of military supplies. It really makes my heart ache so much that I can't sleep at night."
"Now, they even dare to openly send the rice seeds back to Dayin. Xi girl..."
The old lady's face was fierce, and every wrinkle on her face seemed to be written with the word "unwillingness":
"Go and take back the rice seeds that belong to Dayin!"